The Empress’ Livestream

Chapter 299: Dongqing and Chongzhou

“Don’t you have a rough estimation?” Jiang Pengji had some guesses in her mind, but she did not have any precise evidence. There was only a word or two about the Hanshi powder in the many books she had read before.

According to the records of unofficial history, a roaming alchemist in the former dynasty presented a magical prescription that could prolong one’s life and strengthen one’s body to the emperor of Xia. The prescription could provide men with ample Yangyuan and energy for sexual intercourses. The prescription was the Hanshi powder. It was also said to cure typhoid fever.

Before the five kingdoms were separated, the Hanshi powder was a secret formula in the palace and it was not disclosed to the public; only the emperor was able to enjoy it. After the five kingdoms separated, the Hanshi powder, which was once a sacred thing, disappeared without a trace. When it reappeared, it had become a popular activity of the upper class.

Feng Jin frowned, shook his head, and responded, “I’m not sure about this. If you’re curious, I can check for you when I get back.”

Jiang Pengji nodded and said, “Thank you.”

Feng Jin turned his head and thought that it was a bit strange for Jiang Pengji to be asking all those questions all of a sudden.

“Is there a problem with the Hanshi powder?”

Jiang Pengji sneered and replied, “There’s a huge problem with it. Do the people who consume the Hanshi powder for a long period of time lack vigor? They muddle along without any aim and they look like they’re going to die at any time. They’re never in the mood to do proper things and they act unreasonably. Their temper is even more unpredictable. Someone even took off his clothes in public after consuming the Hanshi powder. Under normal circumstances, no one would strip all their clothing and bare their body to outsiders.”

Feng Jin had always heard that the Hanshi powder was useful and one would feel pleasant after consuming it, but he had never touched it. If he indulged in the Hanshi powder along with the dandies who idled about, his father, Feng Ren, would not let him get away with it. After being warned by Jiang Pengji, he regained his senses and vaguely understood something.

“The Hanshi powder is addictive,” Jiang Pengji continued with an icy look on her face. She treated the drug as nothing; however, the physical fitness of the people in the ancient times were too weak. It was highly possible for them to get addicted to it. “If the Hanshi powder is consumed for a long period of time, the process of quitting is extremely excruciating. Ordinary people can’t endure it.”

The look on Feng Jin’s face became a bit strange.

“However, the Hanshi powder is mostly used by the aristocrats only. The commoners aren’t affected…”

Jiang Pengji sneered and replied, “Look at what you’ve said. It seems like the commoners are the ones in control now.”

Feng Jin was suddenly struck dumb. After a while, he said, “I’ll go back and look into this.”

Jiang Pengji looked down. She was not sure whether the Hanshi powder was a conspiracy, but she was certain that the Hanshi powder was like a catalyst that stimulated the latent hazard.

After leaving the Royal Palace, she sat in the carriage alone and scrolled through the information about the Hanshi powder that the audience in the streaming room had looked up. Her face was grave.

It was more or less the same to the process that she had read in the unofficial history. From the perspective of the audience in the streaming room, the Hanshi powder was originally used to cure typhoid fever. However, some people who were seeking death changed the prescription, making the medicine a drug. It was then passed on to the aristocrats, and from there it became popular to consume recreationally.

In this case, the Hanshi powder was dedicated to the emperor by the roaming alchemist as a recipe for maintaining health, but the emperor of Xia had abused it. After the division of the five kingdoms, the Hanshi powder, which was the secret formula of the palace, was passed on to another country.

“Such a harmful thing…” Jiang Pengji could not help but shake her head.

She returned to the Feng residence. Taxue had already prepared a hot bath and some clean clothes for her.

Jiang Pengji went to take a bath. Her long hair was stained with water vapor. Taxue used a dry towel to dry her hair in order to absorb the moisture.

“Xiaoyu, give me the Great Universal Geographical Map.” Jiang Pengji unfolded the Great Universal Geographical Map. She drew the map herself and it was annotated with very tiny words.

Her long hair was almost dry. Jiang Pengji asked Taxue to leave and said to Xu Ke, “I think Father may be resigning.”

Xu Ke was very shocked. He could not help but look up at her. “Master wants to resign? But…”

Liu She was still young. He had not even reached 40 years old. He had just passed the age of 30… Why did he want to resign?

“Hu County is a hot potato. If it wasn’t for Father’s strong stratagem, how could Hu County survive until now?”

There was a glimpse of coldness in Jiang Pengji’s eyes. “There’s a provision disaster in the two states near Hu County and they’ve overcome it with Hu County’s support alone. Who wouldn’t be envious? Not only are the aristocrats jealous, but the emperor is also green with envy. I think something is about to happen. Father had the intention of resigning before we even came to Shangjing. I think this is it…”

Xu Ke frowned and muttered, “However, if Master loses Hu County, he won’t be able to rely on it. He won’t be in a stable state by then.”

After all, although Liu She did not exterminate the aristocrats in Hu County, he had offended a lot of them.

Jiang Pengji replied, “That depends on how he’s going to choose. The geographical location of Hu County makes it easy to attack but difficult to defend. Moreover, their military strength is weaker. If it was Dongqing… it would definitely become an attractive piece of meat that would be coveted by all. What’s the difference between this and a child carrying gold while walking in a crowded market? It’s better to give up instead of holding food in your hands when you’re unable to keep it. It’s better to move to a different place as early as possible. He has to retreat in order to advance.”

Xu Ke remained silent for a while and said, “I think if Master submits his resignation notice, he’ll most likely be promoted to a magistrate.”

Everyone could see that Hu County was the largest producer of grains and it was the best piece of land in Dongqing. It took Liu She several years to turn Hu County into what it was now. If he resigned, outsiders would only speculate that the emperor was too greedy. In order to stop the people from babbling, once Liu She resigned, he would most likely be appointed as a magistrate, thus displaying the emperor’s virtue. Although it was a demotion instead of a promotion, it sounded better.

“I think so too. As of now, Dongqing has six states and twenty-one counties. Chongzhou is the only one with no magistrate…”

Upon hearing Chongzhou, Xu Ke suddenly had a grave look on his face. “However, Chongzhou…”

Chongzhou was located north of Dongqing and bordered on the Northern Borderline. It had two counties, which were namely Shangyu County and Changhe County. Qi Guanrang was from Shangyu County.

The six cities, which were initially lost, were all in the territory of Shangyu County. There were now three cities in the hands of the Northern Borderline.

Nothing could be done because the Northern Borderline was at war with Dongqing for many years. Chongzhou was already a mess and the people were depressed.

Now that Dongqing was to unite with the Northern Borderline through marriage and Nansheng had requested for military aid, the emperor, who had a pea-sized brain, would pull out the military troop that was defending the borders. By then, Chongzhou would have to face the threat from the three tribes of the Northern Borderline. It was not easy to become the magistrate of Chongzhou.

However, because it was difficult, Liu She would be able to gain the maximum benefit by going to Chongzhou.

Jiang Pengji had her eyes on Chongzhou from the start.

“We can only raise and expand the armed forces in Chongzhou… After all, even if the two countries are united through marriage, the three cities of Shangyu County are still in the hands of the Northern Borderline. We can’t lose a piece of our land to someone else,” Jiang Pengji said. Xu Ke listened to her attentively. “Chongzhou has another crucial advantage…”

She wrote a few words about the aristocrats not having much power. The lack of power from the aristocrats meant that there were fewer constraints and restrictions.

Xu Ke pondered about it seriously and somewhat understood Jiang Pengji’s decision. Chongzhou seemed to be dangerous, but there was an underlying, great opportunity.

“Chongzhou and Hu County are bordered by each other. Father has managed Hu County for many years, so he definitely has a secret ace up his sleeve. The county chief, who has been appointed by the palace, can’t control all of Hu County in a short period of time. In other words, Hu County is still secretly under Father’s control…”

Jiang Pengji wanted the combination of the military from Chongzhou and the grains in Hu County.

“In addition, there’s another reason, which is the most important one: Chongzhou is rich in sandalwood.”

The audience in the streaming room confirmed that sandalwood had a similar nature to the blue sandalwood tree that they had in their era. It could be used as raw material for the production of rice paper.