After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

The reason why the chaos began at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty was that the emperor ordered each prefecture to recruit local militia to suppress the rebellion.

As a result, the various feudal lords held their own armies and became powerful, ultimately leading to constant conflicts.

The Great Qian Dynasty issued a decree to recruit talented individuals and established an army to suppress the rebellion. The outcome was already predetermined. Chen Futu stopped caring about those trivial matters and began to prepare for the New Year.

Several decrees were issued: first, the Ministry of Commerce took action to minimize price fluctuations in northern Xinjiang caused by the war during the Great Qian Dynasty; second, efforts were made to further improve the infrastructure of civilian industries and to recruit more refugees to northern Xinjiang; and third, the curfew was completely lifted during the Spring Festival, and the promotion of recreational activities and the holding of collective fireworks displays were encouraged.

Amidst the outside world's turmoil, peace and prosperity reign in northern Xinjiang.

Even Liu Longyue couldn't help but admire Chen Futu and his ministers' ability to govern the country. However, the root of the cholera epidemic in Daqian was Chen Futu. Chen Futu's trip to Daqian caused harm to countless people.

Yan Qing said, "Even without the King, would the Great Qian Dynasty not be in chaos? Look at the officials in Chuzhou. In the face of a great disaster, they did nothing at all, and instead they oppressed the good people. As for other prefectures, they have added many exorbitant taxes and levies. The people didn't have much land to begin with, and now it's even worse."

“I was only speaking from my feelings, and I did not blame the king.”

The longer Liu Longyue stayed in the Northern Frontier, the more she realized how capable Chen Futu was. If this continued, once the Great Qian Dynasty was completely engulfed in conflict, the Northern Frontier wouldn't even need to deploy many troops to advance directly to the capital.

With two weeks to go before the Lunar New Year, the streets and alleys are adorned with colorful lanterns and decorations.

Chen Futu gave civil and military officials the opportunity to take turns resting, and even Guan Yu, who usually preferred to stay in the military camp, took Zhou Cang out for a stroll.

Commerce in the Northern Frontier was extremely developed and was not greatly affected by the internal turmoil of the Great Qian Dynasty. There was no shortage of New Year's goods, mainly thanks to Chen Futu's commercial policies, which made many merchants willing to bring their families to the Northern Frontier to settle down and make a living. Otherwise, they would have been dragged into the quagmire of war, and their property could have been seized at any time.

To put it simply, in recent times, the turmoil in the Great Qian Dynasty has led to an even greater influx of wealthy merchants to the northern frontier, who have even moved their warehouses there.

Sun Chengzong tried to stop them several times, but to no avail. Instead, it caused widespread panic, leading many merchants to take detours to migrate to northern Xinjiang.

Chen Futu accepted all comers without hesitation and granted the Ministry of Commerce the right to create more development zones.

Northern Xinjiang may not have much else, but it has a lot of land.

Whether it's expanding new cities and towns by relying on major towns or building development zones, as long as it can accommodate more people and population, Chen Futu doesn't need to worry about being affected by the outside world. The most important thing is that he has a large number of high-yield wheat seeds as a reward from the system, so he will no longer be short of grain starting next year. However, from this year until next year's harvest, he will still need to rely on the grain stored by merchants.

Of course, he bought them all with his own money, using money from Zhongnan Mountain.

That's why people say that the woman in blue is so generous; she took out ten million taels without even blinking.

In addition, Chen Futu promoted the use of heated brick beds, sent people to spread the technology, and vigorously produced brick kilns to ensure that people could safely get through the winter.

People now have some extra money in their hands, so having a peaceful and stable New Year shouldn't be a problem.

The people they met along the way all praised the Northern Frontier King for his benevolence and righteousness, and even the merchants were glad that they had made the right decision.

As the year drew to a close, a heavy snow quietly arrived. Chen Futu used the "Five Grains Abundant Harvest Card" and then personally went out of the city to welcome Qin Liangyu.

Qin Liangyu returned with only a dozen or so close followers, and the military camp was all set up. Even if Sun Chengzong attacked, he would not be able to break through the southern defense line in a short time, which would be enough for her to go back and take charge of the overall situation.

"Sister, you've worked hard."

Chen Futu stepped forward personally, and Qin Liangyu dismounted, her eyebrows and eyes covered in snowflakes, looking somewhat tired.

With a pained expression, Chen Futu helped her into the carriage and took her back to his residence in Pingkangfang.

Knowing she wasn't used to living in the inner palace, I decided not to take her there and would visit my mother tomorrow.

Li Xiuning had a banquet prepared, and upon seeing Qin Liangyu, she immediately rushed over and cheerfully called out, "Sister Qin!"

Qin Liangyu touched her belly. "Two months along, right?"

Li Xiuning stuck out her tongue. "You're not mad at me?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Your Majesty is overjoyed to have a son."

Qin Liangyu wasn't the type to be jealous or quarrelsome. Seeing her like this, Chen Futu sincerely admired her; she was indeed the first wife, so magnanimous.

Next, Chen Futu sent someone to summon Chen Yuling, Luo Wushuang, and Du Hongxue, and also informed the old lady about Qin Liangyu's return.

The meal was very pleasant, and Chen Yuling clung to Qin Liangyu, calling her "sister-in-law" repeatedly, which made Qin Liangyu blush.

After dinner, Chen Futu intended to find an opportunity to be alone with Qin Liangyu, but Chen Yuling beat him to it, clamoring that she wanted to sleep with her sister-in-law.

Chen Futu was furious, but there was nothing he could do.

Li Xiuning teased inwardly, "Husband, are you still dreaming about good things? Sister Qin isn't as proactive as me."

"Hey, are you itching for a beating? It's been snowing heavily these past few days, so you'd better stay home and not go anywhere."

Chen Futu was afraid she would fall.

Li Xiuning pouted and said, "I'm so bored at home, I want to go out with Sister Qin and buy some New Year's goods."

"We don't need you to help with the New Year's shopping; you're always causing trouble."

Chen Futu scolded her verbally, but his hand landed on her still-flat stomach.

Just then, Qin Liangyu and Chen Yuling came out after bathing and changing, and asked with a smile, "Have you named the child yet?"

Chen Futu shrugged. He didn't know yet whether it was a boy or a girl, so it was a bit early to name it.

Chen Yuling glanced at Qin Liangyu and Li Xiuning, her big eyes darting around, and asked, "Brother, do you prefer boys or girls?"

"Of course it's a girl."

Chen Futu spoke subconsciously, but immediately sensed that the atmosphere was not right.

Luo Wushuang and Du Hongxue, in particular, stared intently at Li Xiuning's lower abdomen, their expressions changing drastically.

Having a girl is fine, but if a boy is born, he becomes the eldest son, even if Qin Liangyu's child is the eldest son of the main wife...

"What are you all looking at? Go and rest."

Qin Liangyu spoke, and Luo Wushuang and Du Hongxue exchanged glances before immediately taking their leave.

Soon only the family remained in the room.

Chen Futu glared at Chen Yuling, annoyed. This brat always brings up the most awkward things!

Chen Yuling said arrogantly, "Brother, since both of your wives are here, why don't you make things clear: which of my nephews will inherit the throne in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Liangyu was extremely embarrassed.

She said she was tired and wanted to rest before leaving, but Li Xiuning grabbed her hand and said softly, "Sister Qin, don't misunderstand, I didn't mean to compete with you."

Qin Liangyu smiled gently, "Don't overthink it. The King loves you, and he will make all the decisions about the future. I won't interfere."

"Alright, I'll just get straight to the point. The heir to the throne must be both talented and virtuous. I don't care if he's older or younger. If your children are both incompetent, don't blame me for choosing another heir to succeed you."

Chen Futu didn't want to cause any unpleasantness over this matter, so he decided to make things clear now.