***
The tea party ended in the afternoon. Yan Gaofei, the deputy commander of Yebushou, followed Qin Mu and reported to him in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Xingzi is already in the hands of Yebushou. He is currently being held on a warship of the North Sea Fleet. It is somewhat inconvenient. I would like to ask Your Majesty whether we should send him back to Daqin first?"
After all, Xingzi was the former Japanese emperor. If he was placed in the Qin Embassy in Japan, once people found out, there would be trouble. Although the area around Yokosuka within 60 miles was taken, the seaport had not been built yet and it was still a wilderness, making it difficult to place him there.
There wouldn't be any problem placing it on a warship, but the ship is full of soldiers, and it would be somewhat inconvenient to put a woman on it.
"How is the situation in Japan?"
"Your Majesty, the situation is basically under control. With the death of Abe Tadaki and the incompetence of Sakai Tadakatsu, Hoshina Masayuki and others, the Tokugawa shogunate was able to turn the tide with the help of the North Sea Fleet. After suppressing the Abe family's Sanfan Rebellion, the Marine Corps and the Tokugawa shogunate's army advanced towards Sekigahara and won the first battle at a pass east of Sekigahara. The daimyos from all over the country dared not to disobey anymore and sent troops to join the battle one after another. After the situation was reversed, the Marine Corps is now just guarding the battlefield and no longer participating in the battle."
The so-called guarding, no doubt, is just watching from the sidelines. But there is one thing, you have to share some benefits with me first, and satisfy my needs for delicious food, drinks and fun first.
The shogunate doesn't dare to offend Daqin now. Those bastards in the Marine Corps must be living a life like gods now, with fine wine, delicious food and beautiful women.
The daimyo of various places also saw clearly that the Tokugawa shogunate was completely supported by the North Sea Fleet this time, otherwise it would collapse. If the Marines changed their stance, the daimyo of various places would probably abandon the Tokugawa shogunate. In this case, what else could the Tokugawa shogunate do except to support the Marines like a master
"That's all. Just let the North Sea Fleet watch from the sidelines as much as possible. It would be best if the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Kyoto court could fight for a longer period of time. Further weakening Japan would be beneficial to the implementation of Daqin's next plan to control Japan."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty."
"Well, let them fight each other for a while. Xingzi's move is not necessary for the time being. If it is inconvenient to place them on the ship, send them back to Daqin first."
"Your Majesty, obey your command!"
"What else do you want?"
Yan Gaofei carefully looked at Qin Mu's face and felt that he was still calm, so he said hesitantly: "Your Majesty, there is one more thing. According to the information obtained by Ye Bushou, the imperial prisoner Gu Xiancheng fled to Jiaozhi and joined the remnant army of the Nguyen family in the south, becoming an important general under the Nguyen family..."
"Gu Xiancheng? This guy again?" Qin Mu frowned and his face turned cold.
Yan Gaofei was so frightened that he fell to his knees and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am incompetent. Please forgive me!"
Gu Xiancheng was a bandit from southern Jiangxi. Although he did not cause much harm to Qin Mu, he was like a cockroach that would not die, popping up from time to time to disgust people. Qin Mu had been ordered to capture this beast for several years, and Yebushou had also mobilized a lot of manpower. However, he escaped the pursuit time and time again.
Thinking of this, Qin Mu was indeed angry and said coldly: "I asked you to catch a petty thief for several years. You failed to catch him. What use do I have for you?"
"This... Please forgive me, Your Majesty. Please forgive me, Your Majesty." Yan Gaofei was really panicked. He never expected that the emperor would be so angry. He was so scared that he kept kowtowed, and his forehead was bruised.
"Yan Gaofei, you are in charge of the arrest of Gu Xiancheng, right?"
"This... yes, yes, Your Majesty, please forgive me for my incompetence, please..."
"What?" Qin Mu looked down at him and shouted, "Yan Gaofei, since you were loyal in the past, I will spare your death. You don't have to go to the government office tomorrow. Go home and stay at home with your wife and children. Humph!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please forgive me..." Yan Gaofei was so frightened by the emperor's cold snort that his heart trembled and he broke out in a cold sweat.
Qin Mu was indifferent, and then shouted coldly: "Pass on my decree, the commander-in-chief Huang Lianshan and the deputy commander He Ningzong will be fined one year's salary and demoted three levels. They will be temporarily retained to see the results."
After Qin Mu finished speaking, he turned away.
Yan Gaofei turned pale and knelt for a long time. It is said that serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. This time he really experienced it. Even Li Shi and Niu Wanshan, the two guards leaders, could not help but feel sympathetic!
As soon as Qin Mu turned the corner of the gallery, he saw Qiao'er standing there. Her bright eyes flickered at him, and she looked a little strange, as if she was about to say something but stopped herself: "Your Majesty, you..."
Seeing that she looked unusual, Qin Mu immediately waved to Niu Wanshan and other guards, then walked back to the harem along the gallery with the little girl who seemed a little frightened.
"Your Majesty, Gu Xiancheng is hateful, but..." Yun Qiaoer stopped talking here and looked at him cautiously.
"Girl, what do you want to say?"
"Nothing... Nothing, I just saw that Your Majesty was angry and I was worried."
"Girl, what are you worried about? Are you worried that Brother Qin will become a cold-blooded, murderous tyrant?"
"No, no... I believe in Your Majesty. You won't be that kind of tyrant. No, no..." The more Qiao'er emphasized, the more uneasy she felt.
Qin Mu felt a little distressed and said softly, "Call me Brother Qin."
“Qin...Brother Qin..." Yun Qiaoer cried softly, and her whole body suddenly went limp. She threw herself into his arms and sobbed.
Yan Gaofei, Huang Lianshan, Li Shi and others are all considered the emperor's close ministers and have always been loyal. Qiao'er has been with Zhenmu and has had more contact with him. In addition, everyone treats her like their own sister, so she subconsciously regards these people as "her own people."
Qin Mu has always been very loyal to his "own people", but today, seeing him suddenly become so cruel to his "own people", this fact is hard for Qiao'er to accept. Is this person in front of her still the big brother Qin who is closest to her
Qin Mu did seem to be making a big deal out of today's events. No wonder Qiao'er couldn't understand what was happening. He hugged the crying little girl and said, "Girl, don't cry. Brother Qin didn't want this to happen, but..."
Yun Qiaoer is actually a very smart person, but the scene she suddenly encountered just now shocked her a little, and she couldn't figure it out for a while.
After hearing what Qin Mu said, she suddenly realized something. She hugged Qin Mu tightly and asked, "Brother Qin, is it because they are Ye Bu Shou that you treat them like this? Is that right?"
"Well, you are a smart girl. Just figure it out. Brother Qin won't be like this to everyone, but for them, even if Brother Qin doesn't want to, he has to do this."
"Yeah, Qiao'er misunderstood Brother Qin. I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
"Okay girl, okay..."
Qin Mu comforted her gently and held her in his arms as they sat on the stone bench beside the gallery. Perhaps, no matter how calm and cool Qin Mu was towards his enemies, Qiao'er could accept it, but for his "own people", this made her feel a little sympathetic.
But Yebushou is different from other departments. It is a powerful agency behind an iron curtain. They operate in the dark and are extremely difficult to supervise. Once they lose control, the harm will be immeasurable.
No matter how trusted the people are, if they are allowed to do shady things for a long time, one must be careful and vigilant. This time, Qin Mu used the matter of Gu Xiancheng to withdraw Yan Gaofei and at the same time crack down on Huang Lianshan and He Ningzong. It was a last resort.
These three people have actually been in control of Yebushou for several years, and it was they who formed Yebushou. They have too many trusted subordinates, and the time has come to replace them.
Qiao'er was very smart. Once she figured this out, her mood improved.
She hugged Qin Mu's neck and said with a charming smile: "Brother Qin, the ministers are all on holiday, but you are still busy. I miss you..."
"You have no shame... ..."
"Just think about it, just think about it!"
"Hahaha... Well, Brother Qin should take a good rest these few days. By the time the New Year comes, you will be exhausted again."
Others celebrate Chinese New Year by sitting down and eating a big meal, but Huangdi celebrates Chinese New Year... ... Forget about the big ceremony of the New Year. Qin Mu is exhausted every year, and this is not an exaggeration. Thinking of this, Qin Mu decided that we should just enjoy the music and singing for a few days, and live a life of drunkenness and dreaming for a few days. Well, Aguli is really beautiful... ..(To be continued...)
...