Traveling through time and space

"Princess, the emperor has issued an edict. You have made great contributions to the country and have been rewarded with a lot of gold, silver, jade, farmland, and silks," Dongmei jumped three feet high. "However, the emperor wants you to come to the palace immediately. Princess, I will help you to wash and dress, and Xiao Maozi will serve you meal immediately." Gu Yuanyuan sat at the dining table and asked if there was any movement outside. Everyone shook their heads, as the matter had not yet reached the mansion. "Find a few people to go outside and find out what the rumors are." Dongmei asked Wan Ning, Wan Jing, Zhi Lin, and Zhi Ju to go out and find out." Helplessly, Gu Yuanyuan changed her clothes again and got on the carriage to go to the palace. I am so busy every day that I am exhausted. It is better to go to the fiefdom to hide away and have some free time, so that my father won’t look for me every day. But I get slapped in the face later. Why are there so many things to do every day? Gu Yuanyuan wants to take a bath in the space, but she has no time. One day, she doesn’t care about anything anymore, so she lies down in the space, eating, drinking and having fun.

"Little ancestor, you are finally here." Seeing the car from the Princess's Mansion, Eunuch Shen hurried to greet them. Gu Yuanyuan heard the voice, stopped the car, and quickly got out.

"Eunuch Shen, why are you waiting here? Are you in such a hurry?" Gu Yuanyuan saw that the sun was already high in the sky and realized that she was indeed a little late.

"Xiao Xinzi, take the princess directly to Fengtai Palace. Princess, I will go and invite the emperor. All the ministers have already arrived."

Gu Yuanyuan straightened her clothes, waved her hand, asked the people following her to wait outside, and then entered Fengtai Palace.

"This humble official greets the legitimate princess."

"Everyone, please don't be polite." Hearing the voice coming from outside, Gu Yuanyuan quickly turned sideways and said, "Greetings, Father."

"Your Majesty, we greet you." Everyone greeted and sat down.

"Royal sister, were you really responsible for those things yesterday?" The third brother, who had just sat down and followed his father in, asked directly.

"If it's not her, could it be you?" The emperor rolled his eyes at him. Gu Yuanyuan held back his laughter and said, "Don't say anything. Just listen." Gu Yuanyuan was a little curious. What happened to his emperor?

"Father, how is Feng Yan's grandson?" Gu Yuanyuan asked.

"Princess, I just returned from there, and Crown Prince He kept yelling for immediate relief from the itching and pain. I saw he still had a low-grade fever, and he also said his entire body ached, like being pricked by needles. My colleagues and I all thought it was an acute abdomen, and I came back to discuss it with the head of the hospital." Imperial Physician Meng Benxi stood up and spoke.

"Doctor Meng, this princess has something to say but I'm not sure if I should say it or not."

"Princess, please speak."

"Based on the symptoms I saw yesterday, Crown Prince He is not suffering from an acute abdomen. He has an abscess. If the wrong diagnosis and treatment is given, or the wrong medicine is used, it will spread within ten days or half a month."

"Princess, how old are you? How can you compare with us in terms of experience? Princess, you just like to read a few medical books. How can you compare with us? I heard that the symptoms described by Doctor Meng are acute abdomen."

"How dare you talk to the princess like that." Eunuch Shen stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty of the death penalty."

Gu Yuanyuan raised her hand, signaling Eunuch Shen to stop caring, "My dear doctors, this princess will not argue with you anymore." She really didn't want to argue with a fool.

"You guys go down and discuss it," the emperor waved his hand impatiently, "as for what medicine to use, let's go to the Imperial Hospital." Three people stood up and left.

"Princess, the cannon fire yesterday really shocked all the envoys. I saw it with my own eyes when I was at the Yuqu River. The splash of water was a sight I had never seen before." Lord Lu Baogang stood up and spoke.

"How did the envoys who accompanied you to Yuqu River yesterday behave?" asked the emperor.

"Your Majesty, this is truly a delight! When we first arrived, the envoys were skeptical, saying the Emperor was just teasing the little princess and asking how the missile could reach such a great distance. But then, after the time came, the Imperial Guards surrounded them. Even though we were more than a mile away, every missile we fired was met with exclamations of amazement. One envoy even asked if this thing was for sale. With it, no one would dare attack."

The emperor nodded with satisfaction. "Yuanyuan, is this thing called a cannon easy to make?" The emperor asked. Gu Yuanyuan shook her head. It was difficult to make it under the current conditions.

"Father, this thing is too difficult to find. We can't produce it in large quantities at the moment."

"How was the princess created?"

"Lord Jia, that's because this princess has the ability to equip herself with all the guys she wants." Gu Yuanyuan spoke the truth, which of course was true and false.

"Your Majesty, several envoys have come to the outside of the palace and want to see Your Majesty. Can Your Majesty see them?" Eunuch Shen went out and came back, whispering behind the emperor.

The emperor nodded. "I won't see you today. Orders will be passed down that a luncheon be held in the palace in three days to see off the envoys." The emperor stood up to leave. Gu Yuanyuan was a little confused. Why did he ask the emperor to bring her here? He summoned her to the palace so early in the morning. "Come with me." Before Gu Yuanyuan could even complain, the emperor called her name. She had no choice but to follow him out the door. "Accompany your father for a walk." Gu Yuanyuan nodded and followed.

"Father, what's going on? The Crown Princess of Shenji is visiting Yuanyuan's residence today." The father in front of him paused. "Yuanyuan can guess what her ultimate goal is. She has been a hot commodity since yesterday." "Father, don't worry. Yuanyuan won't make any decisions. Everything is subject to the court's decision."

"It's really, really bad..."

"Don't worry, Father. Yuanyuan can buy as many as you want. But if you want to make it yourself, there are really many things that cannot be matched. It is too difficult."

"Okay, okay, okay, as long as I can buy it. Father, how much do you want?"

"One hundred thousand." The emperor said a number without thinking.

"Father, you are too careless," Gu Yuanyuan looked around. "Father, there must be a secret place to keep them. And why do you need so many? Are you going to sell them off?"

"No, first we have to consolidate and stabilize our own territory in Qingyang, then we can talk about other things. Besides, it's also good to sell it for silver. The national treasury needs to be expanded..."

"Father, are you short of money?" Seeing his father lost in self-absorption, he asked, "Father, do you want to be the overlord of this world?"

"I do, but Father won't act rashly. It's only been a couple of years since Qingyang finally settled down. Before that, there was constant turmoil, and coupled with disasters in various places, the people didn't live a happy life. Father wants to give Qingyang five years to recuperate and let the people live and work in peace. That way, we'll have more energy to recover the world and not hurt the people's hearts."

Gu Yuanyuan nodded, "Father has thought of everything, but we can't let them become too powerful in the next few years."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Yes, it's just that it happened a while ago..." Gu Yuanyuan told her father a little story that she had seen.

"This is an excellent method. Without spending a single soldier, we can weaken their strength in just a few years." The emperor nodded repeatedly.

"We have to keep in good terms with them for the next few years and not let them see our true intentions." Gu Yuanyuan said, and the emperor nodded. "Father, Yuanyuan wants a few people."

"who?"

"Yuan Yuan can't go to his fiefdom alone. He needs to have a few people he trusts and who are fair and just to follow him. Only then can he keep others under control."

"Okay, do you have a choice in mind?"

"Master Du Heng, Master Su Yuhuan, I want a few people who can really get things done, who don't talk nonsense, and who can think for the people. I want people who can really get things done, not those who only talk but don't get things done. I've dealt with these two before and I think they have good character. I feel more at ease with them in charge."

The emperor nodded and asked, "When can you produce those 100,000 cannons?"

"Father, we need to find a secret place. Give it to you, and Yuanyuan won't ask anything."

"How much silver do you want? Father will give it to you."

"No need. This is Yuanyuan's way of showing respect to you. Besides, Yuanyuan has money."

"Is that enough silver? Those states have a lot of food for disaster relief, and it will cost a lot of silver."

"Father, the prince owns a grain store called Huimin Granary, which is run by disabled veterans who have retired from the battlefield. Yuanyuan has asked Huayi to collect all the grain from Huimin Granary and transport it to the disaster area."

"But those farms don't have much in the way of crops and other things."

"Nothing, let the farm continue to grow crops. Father, let's plant crops in the royal farms as well. We need to start by promoting it near the capital, and then gradually spread it across the country. This time when we go to the fiefdom, Yuanyuan also wants to get some grains and vegetables that are suitable for the local terrain and climate."

"The winters there are extremely cold, there are many hills, and there is little good land. The imperial court has to mobilize grain every year."

"Father, how much does it cost per year?"

"Four to five million shi per year." The two entered a large hall and sat down. Hearing this number, Gu Yuanyuan was a little surprised. "Anru, Linzhou, Yanwan, Lihe Shouzhou, Tainanshanzhou, plus Luxiaopingzhou. Luxiaopingzhou is our largest exile place in Qingyang, and there are quite a few prisoners." Eunuch Shen brought tea and snacks personally, and then retreated. He heard the sound of him closing the door from outside.

"Father, this is too much. Do you love Yuanyuan or do you want to harm her? Those lands are not good for growing any crops, yet you want Yuanyuan to feed so many people. Are you really making things difficult for her?"

"If you have the ability, of course you should share some of the burden with Father. They are also my people of Qingyang. They don't have enough to eat or warm clothes. Father feels distressed when he sees them. As for you, Father believes in you. You will not let Father and those people down."

"Father, please don't think too highly of Yuanyuan. Yuanyuan still has three sons to support. If all the money is put there, what will happen to the children?"

"Then you leave the children behind, and your father will raise them for you."

"Father, who does that woman belong to?" Gu Yuanyuan thought that his father would tell her directly, but his father never said it on his own initiative and seemed to be avoiding the question.

"We didn't find out anything before. Now we only found out that she was related to Yin Ruyi. It was too quick to find out about her then." The emperor sighed deeply. "Yuanyuan, how about we take the initiative?"

"Okay, let's go with the Tenth Prince. Find a chance to meet him and ask him if he is willing to let such a grandson inherit the throne."

"Even if there is no Crown Prince, there are still many other princes. It may not be his turn to ascend the throne."

"Father, everything depends on human effort. If there is a will written by the current emperor, it can be given to the tenth prince by name."

"The Emperor is not a puppet."

"Then let him slowly become a puppet." Gu Yuanyuan said casually, "Father, don't look at Yuanyuan, Yuanyuan doesn't have any ideas." After a pause, "Father, how did the emperor contact Cai Mengyun, and how did she know that Hao Siyan was Cai Mengyun?"

"It was father. Father had seen Hao Siyan before, so he had some suspicions. However, he investigated and investigated, but he couldn't find any actual evidence. Cai Mengyun's servants were constantly changing, so he had no idea where to start. One day, someone I arranged to get Cai Mengyun drunk. Father had someone look at the marks around her, but they weren't very obvious, just very faint traces. And it was said that she had many marks on her body. Last time, when the fake Cai Mengyun and the fake prince came, he heard a hint of clues from her drunken words. She said her last name was Cai, but Cai Mengyun was also cruel. After she sobered up, father arranged for someone to kill her. After that, she closed the shop and went to the princess's residence after a while."

"Father, why didn't you tell Yuanyuan earlier?"

"Imperial Father hates her. She caused you so much suffering for so many years and almost killed you. How could I let her harm you again? But I didn't expect that she had already established a connection with the Queen at that time, and her purpose for entering the palace was not so pure. Don't worry, I have people following her. She can't cause any trouble outside the Princess's Mansion. I didn't expect that woman to actually arrange her own people among the palace women and almost ruin your business."

"It's okay, father." The door knocked three times from outside. Gu Yuanyuan looked towards the door. No, the sound was not coming from the door. Gu Yuanyuan looked at his father in confusion. His father pointed at the row of bookcases. Gu Yuanyuan stood up and moved the bookcases away. He saw two people, and one more person, standing behind them. However, that person had a black bag on his head. The two men helped the bagged person out and walked into the house. He saluted his father and then saluted Gu Yuanyuan. Then they retreated the same way they came.