We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 1186 Appeasing the Prince of Yan

Everyone understood what Li Che meant.

His Majesty is about to get serious.

Although since Li Che ascended the throne, Daqing has gradually reduced taxes and allowed the people to rest, and has begun to shift from military power to civil administration.

But that was merely a matter of fighting and raising troops simultaneously; the weapons were not sheathed, and the horses' hooves were still roaming the land.

The army not only did not undergo large-scale reductions, but instead became stronger and larger through repeated training and battles.

But today's words are different; expanding across the country in five years is already a foregone conclusion.

Five years to nurture the people, five years to bring peace – this is the path the emperor will take next, and it will also be the future formation of Daqing.

His Majesty has spoken this grand ambition to their faces and will issue an edict at the court assembly tomorrow, thus revealing his determination to the entire world.

These close advisors to the emperor only need to follow in His Majesty's footsteps to avoid falling behind.

Each person had their own thoughts, but without exception they all bowed deeply and said in unison, "Your subjects obey the decree."

Li Che nodded and waved his hand: "Alright, everyone go back and rest. Don't be late for the morning court tomorrow."

The group understood, bowed to Li Che, and filed out.

The palace doors slowly closed, the footsteps faded into the distance, the lights flickered a few times, and then returned to their steady state.

All the officials left, but Li Lin remained standing. Although Li Che had not asked him to stay, the two brothers had a tacit understanding.

Seeing this, Huai En silently withdrew, leaving the two of them some space.

Li Che sat on the throne, looking at that familiar figure.

Now only the two brothers remained in the hall, and the solemn imperial face that had been on his lips receded like the tide.

He stood up, took a few steps down the steps, and put on a fawning smile: "Fourth Brother! My dear Fourth Brother! Come, come, have a seat!"

As he spoke, he pulled Li Lin toward the throne.

Li Lin was pulled so hard that she stumbled, and after regaining her balance, she rolled her eyes.

"Your Majesty, don't give me that." Li Lin had been holding back his resentment for two years. "I would rather die than do such a presumptuous act."

Li Che wasn't annoyed when Li Lin pushed him away; he still had that smiling face: "Is Fourth Brother still angry with his younger brother?"

Li Lin sneered and stared directly at him:

"Your Majesty, tell me yourself, what did you say before you left the capital? You said you would return in a few months to a year!"

As he spoke, he himself felt wronged: "You think about it, how long has it been?"

"Brother, I've been waiting day and night, longing for you for two whole years! Two whole years to finally have you back!"

He raised his hand, pointing to his temple: "I've been wasting my life in this position of regent, watching those incomprehensible things every day. I'm turning into an old man from all this!"

Li Che looked in the direction he was pointing and indeed saw a few more gray hairs at his temples.

He quickly put on an even more ingratiating smile: "Fourth Brother, you are in the prime of your life, how did you get so old? These white hairs are from all the worry, it breaks my heart to see them!"

"For someone of your age, Fourth Brother manages such a vast court so well; anyone else would have been..."

"Stop talking nonsense," Li Lin interrupted him, his tone curt. "Now that you're back, get back to the affairs of state. I need to rest for a while; I'll sleep for three days and three nights!"

Li Che chuckled awkwardly and rubbed his hands together: "Well... I'm afraid it's not possible right now."

Li Lin stared wide-eyed: "What's the reason for this?"

Li Che counted them on his fingers, one by one, for him:

"Fourth Brother, look, these are the riches I've confiscated from powerful families over the past two years. Shouldn't we make proper arrangements for them?"

Li Lin paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Shouldn't we also make arrangements for your newlywed sister-in-law?"

Li Lin nodded again.

"There are also talents gathered from all over the country who need to be sent to the court; the old lady of the Qin family is seriously ill and needs to be visited; the soldiers who accompanied us are waiting for their rewards."

"Wang Sanchun, Yue Yun, and their respective units all have military achievements to be recognized, and there are also..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Li Lin covered his forehead, feeling a throbbing pain in his temples.

"Just tell me," he said, peeking at Li Che through his fingers, "How many days will it take?"

Li Che said solemnly, "It will take at least seven days, and at most half a month!"

Li Lin lowered his hand and sighed deeply.

"Okay, okay." He looked helpless. "This is the last time. It's a promise, the last time."

Li Che immediately beamed and put his arm around Li Lin's shoulder:

"Fourth brother, don't be angry. I've been thinking of you the whole time during this trip."

Li Lin glanced at him sideways and sneered, "How does His Majesty miss you?"

Li Che leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "Fourth Brother, do you know how much stuff the Tibetan king sent after I conquered Tibet and became his vassal?"

Li Lin raised an eyebrow, secretly making plans in his mind.

Tibet was a well-known powerful state near Daqing, and it also possessed the golden land of the Western Regions. Now that it had been destroyed by Daqing, the treasures it offered would naturally be considerable.

But what does this have to do with me?

The treasure was intended for Daqing, and even if Lao Liu were willing to share some with him, he would not accept it.

“Not to mention the countless gold and silver treasures,” Li Che blinked and continued, “there are also twenty stunningly beautiful Tibetan dancers.”

He paused, then said smugly, "Fourth Brother knows that I'm not into this kind of thing. These twenty beauties will only grow old and fade in the palace; it's truly a pity..."

"I've made up my mind. All these beauties will be given to Fourth Brother as compensation for the past two years!"

Upon hearing this, Li Lin's eyes lit up immediately.

That's great! Although I can't keep the compensation myself, it's fine for the beautiful woman to accept it.

I, the Prince of Yan, have worked hard for two years. What's wrong with enjoying myself now? No one in the court could say anything against it!

But the light only lasted for a moment before dimming again.

He said irritably, "You sixth brother, you're so cunning. You know your sister-in-law is keeping a close eye on things, so how did you manage to get these twenty beauties into my house?"

Li Che chuckled and leaned closer: "Fourth Brother is foolish. Your sister-in-law is so intelligent, she certainly cannot be sent into the household."

He lowered his voice and said mysteriously:

"My younger brother had someone send him to the Heaven on Earth Pavilion to be cared for. They don't entertain outsiders; they only come out to meet my fourth brother when he arrives."

Then he blinked and said, "Isn't that it?"

Li Lin was stunned for a moment.

Then, the face that had been tense for two years suddenly broke into a silly smile.

“I see.” He rubbed his hands together. “Excellent, excellent.”

Seeing his expression, Li Che laughed along, his eyes narrowing as he laughed: "You're not angry anymore, are you?"

Li Lin waved his hands repeatedly, his resentment vanishing from his face: "I'm not angry anymore, I'm not angry anymore!"

After the jokes were over, Li Che leaned over again, put his arm around Li Lin's shoulder, and put his arm around his back.

"Since Fourth Brother isn't angry anymore," he said, his tone clearly ingratiating, "there's something I need your help with."

Li Lin's smile froze, the joy that had just risen vanished instantly, replaced by a deep sense of vigilance.

"Hey, Sixth Brother," Li Lin said, prying Li Che's hand off his shoulder and taking a half-step back, "just let your brother go. I've finally got a few days of peace and quiet, can't you let me catch my breath?"

Without even thinking, Li Lin knew that Lao Liu was going to assign him another task.

Li Che took a step forward and placed his hand on hers again: "No, I won't feel at ease leaving this matter to Fourth Brother."

Li Lin looked into his sincere eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then sighed helplessly.

"tell me the story."

Li Che leaned closer and lowered his voice even further: "It's nothing, just about road repairs."

Li Lin was stunned for a moment.

"Road repair?" He frowned. "Road repair is fine, let the Ministry of Works handle it. There are so many capable officials in the court, just leave it to them. What would I be doing?"

Li Che shook his head and said, "They are in charge of project scheduling, you are there to supervise, your responsibilities are different."

He looked into Li Lin's eyes, his expression becoming serious:

"This road construction covers the entire country, from Lingnan to the northern border, from the East China Sea to the Western Regions. The number of laborers conscripted, materials allocated, and officials supervising the construction is an extremely terrifying number."

"Therefore, we must have an army to protect us, otherwise I will not feel at ease."

"These troops are all arrogant and fierce soldiers. Now that there is no war to fight, they will inevitably become lax. If they really commit acts of embezzlement and oppression of the people, I will be heartbroken."

Li Lin sensed something was amiss, and his brows furrowed even more.

"Then let Commander Yang go. His prestige in the army is unmatched. With him in charge, who would dare to make a move?"

Li Che said with a wry smile, "I am about to take Xuan'er as my concubine, and then Marshal Yang will be the emperor's father-in-law."

"Given his personality, he would never take on such a task at this critical juncture. Even if I forced it on him, he wouldn't accept it."

Li Lin fell silent.

"What about Wang Sanchun?" Li Lin asked again. "He Conglong and Yue Yun are also fine. They are both veterans who have followed you through thick and thin and have high prestige in the army."

Li Che shook his head: "They're good at fighting wars, but they can't do this kind of thing."

Li Lin opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but found that everyone he could push away had been blocked by Li Che.

He looked at his younger brother in despair: "Sixth brother, you can't just rely on me! There are so many people in the imperial clan, so many people in the court, can't you..."

"Fourth brother."

Li Che interrupted him, his playful expression vanishing:

"This matter is of great importance. Once the road is repaired, trade routes will be smooth, making it cheaper for people to travel, and taxes can be collected more."

"If it cannot be repaired, it will be a waste of manpower and resources, and I will be condemned by the world, becoming a foolish ruler."

"Therefore, there must be someone of high enough status to command respect from all sides and someone of great prestige to keep those arrogant and fierce generals in check."

"They must be trustworthy before I dare to entrust this matter to them."

He looked into Li Lin's eyes and spoke each word clearly:

"Of all the officials in the court, after much thought, I can only think of my fourth brother."

Li Lin felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and turned her head away.

He remained silent for a long time, then sighed and finally resigned himself to his fate.

"Alright..."

Li Che immediately beamed and clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Fourth Brother."

Li Lin waved his hand dismissively and turned to leave.

As he reached the palace entrance, he suddenly stopped and looked back.

"Come visit the Prince of Yan's residence when you have time. Your sister-in-law is talking about you, and your nephew misses you too."

Li Che nodded: "Alright, I'll go in a few days."

The palace doors closed, and Li Lin's figure disappeared into the night.

Li Che breathed a slight sigh of relief, finally managing to fool them.

Although the price of sacrificing twenty Tibetan beauties made Li Che feel a little heartache, he quickly let it go.

After all... who said the Zanpu only sent twenty beautiful women?

He actually sent a full fifty!