Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

The emperor now gets a headache just hearing about the couple's affairs, yet he can't help but listen.

Seeing that the Empress said that Yin Yin also cared about Fu Yuanzhou, the Emperor was somewhat satisfied. He could only say helplessly, "They are like pots and lids, I will not get involved anymore, lest my good intentions be met with complaints."

The Empress laughed and said, "You're only thinking about how much you care for your brother, but don't you ever consider what might happen if the person you bestow the reward upon doesn't like someone like the Prince of Yangliao?"

"Even if you can fake it, how can you hide your dislike for years if you really don't like someone?"

Upon hearing this, the emperor recalled Fu Yuanzhou's difficult marriage in the capital and Consort Li back then.

Every single one of those noble ladies looked down on Fu Yuanzhou, especially Consort Li.

Although he went along with the Li family's wishes, he is now more satisfied with Fu Yuanzhou and feels that Fu Yuanzhou is more useful. His heart inevitably leans towards him, and he even tries to justify himself.

The emperor concealed his thoughts, awkwardly cleared his throat, and changed the subject: "I intend to take this opportunity to bestow titles upon some of my children, so that they won't have to bow down to their imperial uncle."

The Empress gripped the delicate gold bracelet on her wrist, a smile playing on her lips. "His Majesty is kind, but aren't the princes a little too young to be leaving the capital so soon? They've gone to their fiefdoms without any proper instruction. Will they be able to adapt?"

The emperor said indifferently, "First, confer titles of kings upon them, let them hold official positions remotely, and then send other people to govern them. If they want to go out to be granted fiefdoms, they must first get married."

The Empress then nodded with a relieved expression: "Your Majesty has considered everything carefully."

The emperor, flattered by her, was in a great mood and told her about his plans to enfeoff his sons in various places.

The brothers were naturally placed in the outermost circle, near the border. The sons were different; they had to be protected, so they were placed further inside, mainly in the cities near the Song border where the officials had committed crimes.

The Empress nodded from time to time, and when she heard the Emperor hesitate about which son to give the extra city to, she said, "Your Majesty loves all the princes equally, but you are not worried about scarcity but about inequality. If this city is given to them, I'm afraid it will cause more trouble."

The Emperor nodded: "What does the Empress think should be done?"

The Empress's beautiful eyes flickered: "Your Majesty is asking me?"

After the emperor nodded, the empress said, "If Your Majesty really cannot decide, why not send someone to govern it separately?"

After listening, the emperor shook his head: "There are too many powerful families in those cities. If a prince were to be the ruler of a place, he could still keep them in check. But if an official with an ordinary background were to go there, he would probably be no better off than his predecessor. And if an official with a powerful background were to go there, he would easily collude with them through his family. I am not at ease with that."

The Empress fell into deep thought with him, and after a while, as if suddenly thinking, "Why doesn't Your Majesty bestow the title of King of Yangliao upon the city closest to Yangliao?"

Seeing the emperor frown, the empress advised, "Although the Prince of Yangliao has already been granted a title, Yangliao was originally just a county. It was only after your title that it was barely comparable to others. Now that it has been granted a title, it is still not above the mark."

"Moreover, His Majesty trusts the Prince of Yangliao, and he and his consort are certainly capable of controlling the local powerful families. Thus, His Majesty's previous concerns can be dispelled."

The emperor did not make a decision on the spot, but said he would think about it carefully and then went elsewhere later.

After he left, the Empress took off the bracelet from her wrist and handed it to the lady-in-waiting: "I accidentally bumped it and it got deformed. Even if I send it to be repaired, it won't be the same as before. Take this and cut it up and give it to someone to serve."

The lady-in-waiting immediately went to carry out the task, while the Empress only then turned cold and showed indifference.

After a while, the Empress instructed someone to send a message to the Prince of Yangliao's residence: "Tell the Princess Consort that I have secured a reward for them, and there will be a great celebration soon."

Upon receiving the Empress's message, Yin Yin didn't have to wait long before she knew what it was about.

The next day, the emperor issued a decree bestowing titles upon Fu Yuanzhou as if distributing meat, and Fu Yuanzhou immediately gained a new city, becoming one of the princes with the largest fiefdom in the Li Kingdom.

Despite her merits, people in the capital still believed that the emperor valued her highly, and the Yangliao Prince's mansion was bustling with visitors. However, Yinyin avoided them and went to the palace to thank the empress.

The Empress instructed her: "Be careful not to be arrogant or impatient. The Emperor appreciates your prudence, but you must also pay attention to the governance of the new city."

“This is the land of the Li Kingdom, not the private property of the local powerful families.”

Yinyin understood what she meant, and after returning to the manor, she and Fu Yuanzhou packed their things and went back home.

Fu Yuanzhou received a new fiefdom, but his title remained unchanged, and his influence extended far beyond the admiration of the people in the capital.

Back at the Prince's Palace in Yangliao, within two days, many powerful families had expressed interest in sending their beautiful daughters to the palace.

These people initially wanted to use their past relationship with the Chu family to get through Yin Yin's connections, but Yin Yin didn't even flinch and had them kicked out, while also raising the taxes on these families to the maximum.

These families thought that Yin Yin had benefited from the deal and didn't want others to share in the profits, so they set their sights on Fu Yuanzhou.

In no time, when Fu Yuanzhou went out, there were countless beauties who sprained their ankles and threw themselves into his arms, beauties in mourning who sold themselves to bury their fathers, beauties in distress who were harmed by their families, and charming beauties who suddenly turned around under the flowering trees and exuded charm.

At first, Fu Yuanzhou ignored it without looking back, but later someone dared to drug him and try to force the issue, which touched a nerve with him.

Fu Yuanzhou, unusually, put on airs as the King of Yangliao, and led the men of the Yangliao camp to confiscate their property under a pretext.

Treat these powerful families like bandits, confiscate all their property, regardless of whether they have other businesses, send people to take them over, and if they don't give it to them, the whole family will be killed.

In just two days, Fu Yuanzhou turned the entire Yangliao upside down.

Countless people sought help from Chu's father and Yin Yin through various connections.

These people were trying to steal his daughter's boyfriend, no wonder Chu's father paid them any attention. He was so angry that he was lucky he didn't just throw them out.

Upon seeing this, Chu Yun took his wife and children to visit his wife's family and was not in Yangliao at all.

Some members of the Chu family were swayed by his words, but as soon as they dared to speak, Chu's father would use the family genealogy to expel them from the clan and the village, so they dared not say another word.

Those who tried to get help from Yin Yin through connections, along with the people who helped them, were all kicked out by Yin Yin and never hired again.

After Fu Yuanzhou returned from his trip away for a few days, looking refreshed, he showed off to Yin Yin.

"Yinyin, I've got some new stuff that's filled two newly built granaries in the new city. Why don't you come with me to take a look tomorrow?"