Cui Boxiao snapped his fingers happily: "That's inevitable. We are people who travel around the world. I have analyzed the economic and geographical location with the Marquis. The old guy actually has the ambition to dominate the world."
Liu Qiaoer continued, "He is simply afraid that the emperor will be suspicious. He holds military power and should be expanding the territory instead of pointing his sword at the emperor. As long as the emperor trusts him, he will certainly fight north and south and devote himself to the Beiyuan Kingdom."
Cui Boxiao nodded: "As a man, that's the idea. Even if he becomes the emperor, he still hopes that the world belongs to him. But the emperor's vision cannot be limited to this piece of land in front of him. The world is big, and he will be happy if it all belongs to him."
Yes, a general hopes to expand the territory externally and defend the country internally.
The emperor hopes for peace and prosperity in the country and for the people to live in peace. He also hopes to conquer more countries and lands and leave a lasting legacy.
Cui Boxiao grasped this point and made Zhennan Hou nod his head repeatedly. However, everyone can talk big, but it is difficult to do it specifically.
Cui Boxiao actually knew the military strength of Beiyuan Kingdom. At that time, they already had cannons and muskets, but not many.
The key is that many people in the army still use cold weapons such as spears and short swords. These can be used against a few nearby countries, but they are absolutely ineffective against imperialism, which already has mechanical warehouses.
Cui Boxiao's proposal was very specific, which was to form a musket team and develop new weapons, including artillery and machine guns, and it would be best if they could be popularized.
But all this requires a lot of financial support, and Marquis Zhennan was afraid that the Queen Mother would not agree.
Cui Boxiao said that he would go to the palace to see the emperor tomorrow to see what the emperor thought.
Liu Qiaoer didn't say anything, but she felt that Cui Boxiao was really good at pretending.
But what can she do? He is the prince and she is just a maid.
The next day, early in the morning, Cui Boxiao really went into the palace, bringing Liu Qiaoer and Linglong with him, all dressed neatly.
If the original owner, Cui Boxiao, was considered to be handsome and suave, then his sister was truly dignified and beautiful.
The queen's phoenix robe is high above, giving people an indescribable sense of majesty.
But when facing her relatives, even the queen, she was kind and loving.
"Finally you came to see me."
The queen held Cui Boxiao's hand all the way to her seat before letting go. The more she looked at her younger brother, the happier she became.
It is said that the two are nearly ten years apart in age, but Liu Qiaoer can't tell the queen's age at all. She seems to have very good skin and looks very young.
"I heard that you have changed now. You know how to read and write, and you don't play around anymore. I am very pleased. Xiaoxiao, when you get married and your wife takes care of you, your mother and I will feel relieved."
Liu Qiaoer was surprised. The Queen was very well-informed. She knew today what happened yesterday.
Cui Boxiao just smiled and said nothing, fearing that he would make more mistakes if he said too much, so he let the queen speak alone.
The Queen suddenly asked again, "You were a big hit at the poetry meeting yesterday. I heard that both the girls from the Hu family and the Su family took a special liking to you. What do you think? Whoever you like, I will ask the Emperor to grant you a marriage."
Cui Boxiao disagreed this time and shook his head gently: "No one likes me. I'm here to help my sister and the emperor."
The queen was a little surprised: "Oh? Now that we are enjoying a good harvest, I wonder if there is anything I can do for you."
Cui Boxiao whispered quietly in the Queen's ear: "I have invited a famous doctor for you. When the Emperor's health is well, he will help you deal with the old witch, the Queen Mother."
Cui Boxiao's voice was so low that no one except the queen could hear it, but his words still surprised the queen.
"You...are fooling around..."
The queen did not say anything else, but only ordered her subordinates to keep Cui Boxiao for lunch.
Cui Boxiao looked around. There were a lot of people in the Queen's palace. He didn't know which one of them was the Queen Mother's spy. Some things were really hard to say.
"Sister, you like orchids. The emperor planted a yard of orchids for you. I wonder if you can still see them now?"
The Queen said happily, "It's nice to see. In order to grow these orchids, the Emperor even built a glazed roof. It's very warm even in winter. Come on, I'll take you to have a look."
After entering the greenhouse, only the Queen and Cui Boxiao were left. The Queen did not allow anyone except the Emperor to enter the orchid room. Some of the flowers were planted by her herself.
There are some things that the two of them can only say here.
Liu Qiao'er was standing guard at the door obediently. There were twenty-four palace maids and twelve eunuchs following the queen. With so many people, it was a huge crowd wherever they went.
The Queen is the mother of a country and her status is very grand, but her status is not as grand as that of the Queen Mother.
When the Queen and Cui Boxiao came out of the greenhouse, the Queen looked at Liu Qiaoer deeply and walked away as if nothing had happened.
Before returning to the palace, he heard the eunuch report that the Queen Mother wanted to see Cui Boxiao.
The queen's eyes turned cold, but she smiled: "You must be worried about your marriage. Let's go and pay your respects to the queen mother."
Cui Boxiao is the Queen's younger brother. The Emperor's marriage is a gift, and the Queen Mother's marriage is also a gift. I just don't know what kind of marriage the Queen Mother wants to give Cui Boxiao.
Liu Qiaoer walked quietly behind them, but her heart was in turmoil. The ancients were really troublesome. They even calculated their marriages. As expected, marriage was a matter between two families, not between two people.
The Queen Mother must have been a beauty when she was young. Now she is in her forties or fifties, but she is still as charming as ever. It has to be said that the maintenance in the palace is top-notch.
"Before, you came to the palace to see me. It has been a long time since we last met. Prince, come here and let me take a good look at you."
Cui Boxiao walked forward obediently and let the Queen Mother take a closer look.
Liu Qiaoer feels that all women like handsome men, especially women with power and status.
The way the Queen Mother looked at Cui Boxiao was not innocent.
But the Queen was here, so she couldn't do anything. The Queen Mother withdrew her gaze and suddenly said, "I heard that you have a maid in your mansion that you like very much. I think if you like her, you can take her to your room. When you are young, it is difficult to forget someone if you miss them. Don't leave any regrets."
The queen's face immediately darkened, and Cui Boxiao glanced at Liu Qiaoer and Linglong below.
Liu Qiaoer shook her head gently, while Linglong lowered her head with a red face.
The queen's eyes changed as she looked at them.
Cui Boxiao said, "The Queen Mother is right, but a grown man will never have trouble finding a wife. I don't want to get married now. I'm still young and want to have fun for two more years."
From what he said to his face, he still looked like a playboy and a dandy.
The Queen Mother looked at him and smiled: "The Emperor is thinking about arranging a marriage for you, but you don't want to. You are such a child..."
Although it seemed very doting, Liu Qiaoer could hear that the Queen Mother didn't want him to get married.
Yes, the emperor needs help and wants to use Cui Boxiao’s marriage to attract helpers.
The empress dowager, however, did not want the emperor to have too many people to help her. She wanted to continue ruling the country from behind the scenes. The feeling of holding power was too good to be true.
"Mother, I pay my respects to you."
The Emperor has also arrived, and things are really lively now. The Empress Dowager sees that although the Emperor has a smile on his face, the smile does not reach his eyes.