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Dong Su's persuasion was still useful, and Ling Moxiao also believed that as long as the country was rich and the army was strong, the generals would find ways to expand the country's territory without his pushing.

But he still wanted to ask Dong Su: "I remember you told Li Nianyu that the machine he wanted to make was short of the same material, which was not available in Daxia, so he needed to look for it overseas. Do you know where to find it?"

Dong Su smiled and pointed to the American continent: "It is a tree called rubber, which is very common here. The glue it produces is most suitable for sealing."

The uses of rubber are of course more than just sealing, but the last time Li Nianyu talked about it was about the principle of the steam engine.

Mo Men tried to do it many times, but always failed because the sealing effect could not be achieved.

She then mentioned the rubber trees overseas, and unexpectedly Ling Moxiao remembered it.

Ling Moxiao's fingers slowly moved along the sea route and whispered, "The navy's next target is this land. We must bring back the rubber tree!"

Dong Su agreed with this point. There was not only rubber there, but also various crops and rich minerals.

She added: "If the navy goes to look for rubber, then Your Majesty should prepare the land for rubber planting in advance."

"The north is not suitable for planting. Only Lingnan, Yunnan and Jiaozhi are suitable for planting."

Arriving at Lingnan in advance, Ling Moxiao's eyes narrowed slightly, not knowing whether those people in Baiyue and Jiaozhi were too ignorant or too arrogant.

Daxia had already brought Goryeo, Silla, and Wadao under its control, but the Baiyue still dared to openly challenge Lingnan.

Especially in the past two years, many wealthy businessmen and dignitaries from the north have gone to Lingnan to rent plantations to grow sugarcane. Coupled with the construction of seaports, Lingnan's economy has prospered visibly.

This made those small countries extremely jealous, but they did not dare to openly go to war with Daxia. Instead, they secretly instigated bandits and robbers to rob and steal in Lingnan.

The border is long, so there are always loopholes for them to slip through. After they finish robbing, they run into the mountains and forests, so when the soldiers arrive, they often cannot catch up with them.

Previously, the imperial court focused its military operations on the three island countries. Now that the north has been completely pacified, Ling Moxiao naturally cannot tolerate these small countries harassing the people of Great Xia!

He immediately decided to send troops in three directions, with the army advancing from Lingnan and Yunnan respectively, and the navy being sent through the South China Sea line to fight each small country one by one.

Just give me a breath and all the small countries in the entire South Sea Islands will be flagged by the Great Xia army.

Sending troops by the imperial court is a big deal and it will take several months to arrange it. The most important thing right now is the return of the navy that went to conquer Japan.

Another thing Ling Moxiao wanted to discuss with Dong Su was Sanbao's full moon banquet at the end of the month.

He wanted to hold it together with a celebration banquet, which would make it more grand and attract more people to the banquet.

Only the dignitaries and officials of Youzhou would attend the third-day bath banquet, but the full-moon banquet would be attended by dignitaries, nobles, and officials from all over the north.

What was most unexpected to Dong Su was that General Xie personally requested permission to attend the banquet. A general like him who guarded the border could not return to the capital without being summoned.

At the same time, ordinary border guards did not want to return to the capital, because they held military power. If they did so, they would be wooed by various parties and easily get caught up in the struggle for succession or party struggles.

General Xie had not been back to Chang'an for ten years. The last time he went back was when the former deposed emperor and Ling Moxiao fought a war.

If the person he met was not Ling Moxiao, but an emperor with a smaller mind, he would have taken away his military power openly or secretly, and even his life would have been in danger.

Normally, if one had fought against the emperor on the battlefield, even if His Majesty did not hold him accountable afterwards, one should have stayed at the border and never approached His Majesty.

Unexpectedly, General Xie was so meticulous that he first sent officials to Youzhou to study, and later asked his own juniors to come to Youzhou with Mo Xiujing. Now he has also requested an imperial decree to go to Beijing.

Dong Su sighed in his heart, this was a case of a wise ruler meeting wise ministers. If either of these two had a petty mind, the border generals would have rebelled long ago.

She thought of what happened in Liangzhou when Sister Yuan came back from Liangzhou. She regretted that she had suggested that the Xie family girl also come to Youzhou, and Mrs. Xie's face changed at that time.

I wonder if General Xie brought his family with him when he went to Beijing this time? If he brought his wife and daughter, she would definitely let them take a good look at the current Youzhou City.

Go and see where women can work, such as the Medical College and the Women's Officials Agency. As for whether Mrs. Xie will change her mind and let her daughter study in Youzhou, she will not force it.

In addition, Ling Moxiao said that the dignitaries from Chang'an would also come to Beijing to attend the banquet, and the Empress Dowager had sent letters many times, hoping to bring her to Youzhou.

Ling Moxiao felt that if he did not invite the Grand Empress Dowager to Sanbao's full-month banquet, his reputation as an unfilial person would spread, so he ordered Chen Xingyao to escort the Grand Empress Dowager to Youzhou.

Dong Su knew very well that once the old lady arrived, she would never return to Chang'an and would live in the palace forever.

She personally likes elderly people, but the prerequisite is that the elderly themselves are sensible and do not take advantage of their age.

She told Ling Moxiao directly: "As long as the Empress Dowager does not force Your Majesty to take a concubine, I am willing to honor her and let her live in the palace in her old age."

Ling Moxiao choked and instantly recalled that the Empress Dowager had sent the noble lady to Youzhou. He suddenly felt a little regretful. Should he find an excuse not to bring her?

It would definitely not be possible to refuse to accept her. As early as the third-day bath banquet, a group of old ministers said that it would be unreasonable not to welcome the Empress Dowager after moving the capital for so long.

Daxia governs the country with filial piety, and Your Majesty should set an example.

There was already a stir in Chang'an. As the news of the Queen's pregnancy spread, they prepared to follow the Grand Empress Dowager to Youzhou.

Having missed the chance to move the capital, they must not miss it this time. Of course, there are still some old stubborn people who insist on staying in Chang'an to be their high and mighty dignitaries.

This has been prepared for nearly a year. If the Emperor says now that he will not allow the Empress Dowager to come, I am afraid many people will be worried to death.

The Empress Dowager's bedroom was also repaired. Dong Su was very calm. As long as she didn't put any women around Ling Moxiao, he would treat her as an elder and respect her.

At this time, Dong Su and Ling Moxiao didn't know that the Empress Dowager not only wanted to fill the harem with women, but had even decided on the candidates.

There was a group of noble ladies related to the Lu family, all of them were as beautiful as flowers. The Empress Dowager planned to bring them all to the Youzhou Palace on the grounds that they were lonely in the harem.

This man lives in the palace, so why would he worry about not having the opportunity to climb onto the dragon bed?

Other powerful people didn't think there was anything wrong with this, but Chen Xingyao was the only one who was so worried that he broke out in a cold sweat.

The Emperor ordered him to escort the Empress Dowager to Youzhou, but he ended up bringing a group of beauties with him. Not to mention how the Emperor would punish him, the Empress would definitely think he did it on purpose!

Chen Xingyao advised the old lady not to bring anyone into the palace. The group of noble ladies who had been sent there before have now become female officials. The emperor has already said that he will not take concubines!

The old lady didn't believe it at all. What man is not lustful? He didn't take concubines because the queen was strict. The queen was the only one in the harem. When she came, she would suppress the jealous queen.

There is always a way to get the emperor to marry a few beauties. The most important thing for the royal family is to have children. How many children can she, a peasant girl, give birth to for the emperor?

Chen Xingyao couldn't persuade the Queen Mother, so he went to persuade those noble ladies, "Why don't you find a good man and marry him as your wife? Why do you have to follow the Queen Mother to seek an uncertain future?"

If you anger the emperor and empress, you might even lose your life!

Several noble ladies were indeed persuaded to find reasons not to go to Youzhou, but to marry someone of equal status in Chang'an.

But Chen Xingyao made a mistake. There were too many women who wanted to enter the harem! After persuading a few to leave, new beauties immediately filled the gap.

Chen Xingyao had no other choice, so he ran to find Xie Qingzhi, hoping to go through the female official's route and ask the queen to make the decision.

He found Xie Qingzhi in the newly built bank in the city. She was also a lady from an aristocratic family, different from those ladies who had exquisite makeup and were obsessed with entering the harem.

Xie Qingzhi was dressed simply and looked energetic. She commanded a group of female officials and looked as heroic as a general on the battlefield.

Chen Xingyao suddenly felt that the beauties around the empress dowager were all people in paintings. They were beautiful, but they were like wood wrapped in silk.

But someone like Ms. Xie is a vivid and charming beauty.

He vaguely saw some of the Queen's shadow in Xie Qingzhi and could not help but stand outside the door, staring at her in a daze, not coming to his senses for a long time.

Xie Qingzhi went up to him and asked straightforwardly, "What's the matter, Master Chen? I've said it many times before, this bank is the property of the Queen, and it's impossible for us to form a partnership with you."

Chen Xingyao had long forgotten about this matter. Thinking about it carefully, he had insisted on pestering Xie Qingzhi and said that they wanted to open a bank together. It seemed that he just liked to see her get angry after being provoked by him.

Later it was confirmed that this bank was the Queen's property, and even the Jiang family did not cooperate with it. The Jiang family only cooperated with overseas banks, while the domestic ones only belonged to the Queen.

It should be said that it belonged to the imperial court, but the emperor did not want the Ministry of Revenue to interfere too much, so he gave full authority over the bank to the queen.

Even if he had more courage, he would not dare to touch it! He would be exiled to Lingnan by the emperor.

Hearing Xie Qingzhi talking about this again, he hurriedly said, "No, no, I have something else to talk to you about today."

Xie Qingzhi looked at him suspiciously: "I heard that Master Chen was busy escorting the Empress Dowager and a group of beauties to Youzhou, how could he have the time to come to see me?"

Chen Xingyao just felt depressed and powerless. Sure enough, in the eyes of others, those beauties were also sent to Youzhou by him.

When the Queen asks him about it, he won’t be able to clear himself even if he jumps into the Yellow River!

After listening to Xie Qingzhi ridicule him for a while, she invited him to the study to discuss in detail.

Xie Qingzhi's current attitude towards him is what he deserves. When Xie Qingzhi first came to Chang'an, she thought Chen Xingyao would help her with all his strength, but when she asked this guy to do things, he always made excuses.

After a long time, Xie Qingzhi finally understood. This man was young, but as smooth and worldly-wise as a veteran. He didn't want the Queen to think that he did not support the female officials working in Chang'an.

He also didn't want the powerful people in Chang'an to think that he and the female official were in the same camp, so he helped Xie Qingzhi on big matters, but was reluctant to help on small matters.

Finally, Xie Qingzhi gave up the affairs of Chang'an City and moved to the suburbs, starting with opening a post office and a physical pharmacy, and slowly developed the business of a female official.

Although Xie Qingzhi knew very well that Chen Xingyao had secretly helped her build the post office next to the post station, she was still holding her breath and disliked Chen Xingyao.

After arriving at the study, Xie Qingzhi sat down first, and without asking for tea, she asked directly: "Tell me! What's the matter?"

Chen Xingyao had no intention of being polite and said directly: "I can't persuade the Grand Empress Dowager. She insists on bringing a group of beauties to Beijing to make things difficult for the Queen. Can you report this to the Queen in advance?"

Xie Qingzhi looked at him with disdain: "No!"

Chen Xingyao was shocked: "Why? Don't you want to help the Queen?"

Xie Qingzhi snorted coldly: "Am I helping the Queen? I'm obviously helping you!"

"Sir Chen, I know that your principle in doing things is to not offend anyone if possible, and to mediate to achieve a balance. That's why the Emperor and the Empress always give you some troublesome tasks."

Chen Xingyao laughed dryly: "Are you praising me or insulting me?"

Xie Qingzhi continued, "But God also has eyes, and he won't let you be lazy like this forever."

Chen Xingyao touched his nose embarrassedly: "I'm not lazy, I'm doing my job seriously!"

"What I want to say is that Master Chen can't always please both sides like this. For some things, you must make a choice!"

"Is it to offend the Empress Dowager and the rich and powerful in Chang'an? Or is it to offend the Queen and let these people bully her? You choose!"

At this point, Xie Qingzhi smiled at him jokingly: "This matter is Lord Chen's own errand, it has nothing to do with the female official! I can't help."

Humph, that’s what you said when I was bullied by the powerful and asked you for help. You can’t help with the female official’s mission!

Now, you deserve it! You are isolated and helpless! I want to see how long you can be so cunning as an old fox.

Then he warned: "The queen is already exhausted from giving birth to a child, don't bother her with these trivial matters of yours!"

Even though Xie Qingzhi treated Chen Xingyao like this, he still insisted on staying in the bank and was unwilling to leave. He poured himself tea and snacks, sat in the yard and looked up at the clouds.

The other female officials were busy coming in and out, but he was not disturbed at all. He sat in the corridor for a long time without moving like an idiot.

Xie Qingzhi was speechless: "Does Master Chen want to use this method to force me to agree to you?"

Chen Xingyao hurriedly shook his head: "No, you are right, this is my errand, I shouldn't bother the lady-in-waiting."

"Then what are you doing here? Go away!"

"Hey, just let me sit here for a while. I can't get a moment of peace and quiet anywhere I go now."

As soon as he walked out of this door, countless powerful nobles came to him to discuss going to Youzhou. It was really annoying!

When will His Majesty allow him to go to the northern border to graze? He would rather herd sheep and horses than deal with the dignitaries in Chang'an.

When he said this, Chen Xingyao's face actually showed a somewhat pitiful expression, which made Xie Qingzhi soften her heart for a moment.

She turned around and replaced the cup with a lighter thin porcelain cup. Although he had always concealed the fact that he had a disabled hand and outsiders could not see it, Xie Qingzhi knew it.

His wrists would ache whenever it rained.

Xie Qingzhi told Chen Xingyao that this matter was none of her business, but at night she wrote a secret letter to the queen under the lamp, describing the chaos in Chang'an in detail.

But Xie Qingzhi was not worried at all that the Empress Dowager and those beauties would influence the Queen. Once they went to Youzhou, they would know how different the situation there was from what they had imagined.