Unlike the tense situation in Youzhou and Yuzhou, in Luoyang City at this moment, there are lights and colorful decorations, and a festive atmosphere.

According to the regulations of the court, the Empress Dowager's birthday was celebrated every ten years and a small celebration every year. However, whether it is Xu or Liu He himself, he has always been accustomed to a relatively simple life and does not like too extravagant celebrations. In previous years, birthday banquets were called to his family and gathered in the harem for a banquet.

Therefore, this is the first time that Liu He has held a birthday celebration for Xu's family in more than ten years since he ascended the throne.

Liu He seemed to be trying to make up for the celebrations he owed over the past decade at one time. He spent a lot of money to dress Luoyang City and the palace very luxuriously, and the streets were cleaner than before.

Luoyang City is now different from the past. Over the years, the imperial craftsmen led by He Chang have repaired and even rebuilt the city walls, gates, streets in the city every year. Over the years, it has cost hundreds of billions of yuan in total, and the results can be said to be significant.

There are three avenues in the city, namely Xinghan Avenue in the north and south vertical directions, and the east-west streets located in the north and south city: Anmin Avenue and Yongning Avenue.

These three avenues are twelve meters wide, and there is also a green belt in the middle of the road, which divides the road into left and right sides. There is also a small path on the side of the avenue, where passers-by and carriage walk in separate paths.

On the road, there are endless streams and crowds of people on weekdays. These days it is extremely prosperous. Every day, it is as good as a temple fair for festivals, and it is one after another. Various merchants and vendors are constantly hawking, making it very lively.

Liu He had already issued an edict. On the month when the Empress Dowager's birthday was, all the merchants and vendors in Luoyang City were reduced by half. At the same time, the prefectures and counties under the imperial court also exempted the land tax for half a year to show that the whole country was celebrating.

It is also because of this that many merchants in the surrounding cities flocked to Luoyang. It was inconvenient to set up stalls in the city, so a temporary street market several miles long was opened on both sides of the official road outside the city, which was extremely prosperous.

The streets, alleys, teahouses, restaurants, and business travelers were all about the Queen Mother’s birthday celebration. The states and counties under the imperial court have been in peace for a long time and the people’s lives are stable. When there is such a big happy event, everyone is naturally looking forward to joining in the fun.

In the palace, there was even more joy. From the empress dowager, the emperor, to the palace maids and eunuchs, all of them had smiles on their faces. One reason was that Xu and Zhang Yu were in charge of the harem, they had always been kind and kind. Secondly, during this celebration, Xu took out some money from the inner palace to give them, thinking that they were naturally very happy.

Imperial Palace, North Palace, Fanglin Garden.

"Your Majesty, all matters of celebration and birthday banquet have been prepared. The governors of each state and many generals have all rushed back to Luoyang. This celebration cost 576 million yuan, more than 174,000 stones of grain, more than 20,000 silk, and more than 50,000 cattle, sheep, pigs, donkeys, chickens, ducks, and other livestock, as well as countless fruits and vegetables."

Mr. Qian was in charge of the celebration affairs, and at this moment he was reporting to Liu He about the expenses of the celebration.

Liu He nodded slightly: "Well, it's done well. Have the court's ministers presented all the gift list?"

Qian Li replied: "All have been presented. The most important gifts for this time are the major families today. The gifts sent by each family are rare treasures in the world and are worth tens of millions. However, the other families, whether they are officials in the court, presented them alone, or transferred by a minister, have great gifts. In addition, the civil and military ministers of the court have other filial piety. All gifts, which are counted as coins, are about 13 billion."

"Wow, it's really a lot. This is a lot more expensive to receive gifts than to hold a birthday party. I've made a lot of money."

Liu He teased.

"Haha, it is a matter of my duty to congratulate the Queen Mother's birthday, but the reason why this gift is so heavy is that it is also a little reward for the full favor."

Xun Yu's words reminded Liu He.

"Yes, what Wen Ruo said is reasonable. In the past few months, Boning has been inspecting various places and punishing those who secretly resell land and take the opportunity to evade taxes, and those who are rampant in the villages and bully the people, and all their homes are searched. The families and ministers are naturally frightened and want to use this birthday celebration to seek peace."

Liu He said with a smile, then changed his voice and asked Qian Li: "By the way, what is the situation of Wang Situ and the others selling books now?"

Qian Li reported again: "Wang Situ purchased books from His Majesty in total, with a total of 16 batches, and the profits were about 340 billion yuan. Wang Situ and others also made a lot of money through this, and the profits should be around 200 billion yuan."

Liu He nodded. This paper-printed book is really a rare treasure in this era and can be regarded as a hot item, so the benefits are naturally extremely generous.

"Have you found out who he sold to?"

Qian Li replied: "Situ distributed this transaction to more than 30 families of all sizes and big and small. They opened libraries in the prefectures of each state, and their business was particularly prosperous in the library at the entrances of the Imperial Academy and the official school. In addition, Wang Situ and many ministers and heads of the family had secretly contacted many families in the world. They would order books from them in large quantities every time. As far as they knew, the Cheng family of Yingchuan, where Cheng Yu, the counselor under Cao Cao, was located, purchased no less than 70,000 books three times. Among them were paid with coins, and silk, houses, and fertile fields were exchanged."

"Also, in the past few months, Wang Situ has joined hands with many families to open private schools in various places. So far, there are no less than 6700 private schools. Among them, students who have a little business will buy a few or dozens of books. Not only that, the tuition fees they charge for private schools are also quite large, ranging from two or three dou of rice to one or two thousand coins, and they also have a considerable income."

When Liu He heard this, he raised his eyebrows: "They are good at making money. In this way, I'm afraid that their current income will be more than doubled compared to the time before."

"Your Majesty said it is not bad, that's it. Now these families are no longer as they used to be. They rely on the land and property of the tribe to make a living. Most of the land and property they have left are no more than ten. Now they have earned from buying books and then buying grain and meat, and they are living better than before."

"Haha, they are afraid that they still don't know that their land has actually been in my hands."

Liu He said sarcastically.

Xun Yu smiled and said, "In the first half of the year, every batch of books was released, with a higher number and a higher value. They always made them not get enough to buy new books for purchases. Therefore, they could only continue to sell their land and houses until they sold the land almost all. His Majesty then stabilized the number of books in each batch. If they blamed them, they could only blame themselves for being too greedy."

Then, he asked Liu He for instructions: "I wonder when His Majesty will close the net against them?"

Liu He waved his hand: "No hurry, they are still in a good manner and have not made any excessive plans. I cannot let them down. My move is just to prevent problems before they happen. One day they dare to make ill plans, and it will not be too late for me to deal with them. As for what's wrong with letting them make money for me and the court? What's wrong with this money? What's more, there are many of them sent by the hostile camp, using other people's money to support their own soldiers. Why should I destroy such a good thing?"

Xun Yu and Qian Li both smiled: "Your Majesty is wise, I can't wait."

"Ah, by the way." Qian Li seemed to suddenly remember something and took out a list of a bit luxurious appearance from his arms.

"Yesterday, when the governor of Liangzhou Cui Jun returned to the court, he also brought a special gift. However, when he entered the palace, His Majesty was paying tribute to the Empress Dowager's harem, so the governor Cui handed over the gift to the Wei minister and asked the Wei minister to pass it on."

After saying that, Qian Li solemnly handed the list to Liu He.

"Oh? Zhou Ping's congratulations? I'm a little curious about it."

Liu He took the list, expanded it and looked at it for a few seconds, then a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"This...is this...a gift list from the countries in the Western Regions?"

"Not bad." Qian Li said.

"Your Majesty destroyed the main force of the Southern Xiongnu in his early years and ordered the Xianbei to surrender. Now General Guan and all the Qiang tribes have been subdued. The Great Han Xichui has been settled from then on. Cui Jun, the governor of Liangzhou, Lu Yong, the prefect of Dunhuang, Huangfu Chang, and others have governed the local area, built the road, and strictly enforced laws and regulations, so that the reputation of our great Han can be passed down to the eight wildernesses."

"In the past, dozens of countries in the Western Regions were coerced by the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Qiang people and other tribes, coupled with the civil strife of our Han Dynasty, the government was abandoned, and the Silk Road gradually cut off. The countries in the Western Regions that were originally surrendered to the Han Dynasty changed their families. Now, seeing that our Celestial Empire regained its prestige, and the governor Cui and others were in fair work in Liangzhou and prosperous business travel. In the past two years, many caravans have come to Liangzhou for trade. After learning about the birthday of the Empress Dowager, many countries sent special envoys to send gift lists to show their surrender."

This gift list was a surprise for Liu He.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, after Wei Qing and Huo Qubing repelled the Huns, they surrendered to the Han Dynasty for a long time. The Han Dynasty established the Western Regions Protectorate to take jurisdiction. Until Chen Tang, Ban Gu and others were in the same place, the Western Regions were a vassal state of the Han Dynasty.

However, due to various reasons, the two sides gradually lost contact. The way to the west of the Han Dynasty was blocked by the Qiang people, Xianbei and the Southern Xiongnu tribes. This Silk Road, which had been passed down for hundreds of years, was also cut off.

The value of this gift list now is far more than the many gifts written on it, and the meaning contained in it is far beyond the measurement of these money.

Liu He couldn't wait to ask, "Where are these envoys now?"

"There are 21 envoys sent by the Western Regions, including Kucha, Jingjue, Cheshi, Weixu, Qiemo, Wusun, Dayuan, Pulei and other countries. These envoys have entered the court with the governor Cui and now live in Guanshi in the city."

"Okay." Liu He celebrated his face: "If you pass on your mission, these people are the special envoys of the state, and you will tell the inn to not be neglected. At the celebration two days later, a seat will be arranged for them."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I have joined the stage of the Gentile Envoy presenting the gift."

Qian Li's words made Liu He very satisfied.

"The truth is accurate in doing things."

"Your Majesty, I have another idea." Xun Yu said.

"Oh? What a clever plan did Wen Ruo come up with?"

Xun Yu smiled slightly: "The countries in the Western Regions came to worship this time, with the opinions of the weak ministers, and they had many profound meanings. In order to seek protection from the great Han Dynasty and trade with the great Han Dynasty, they may not have no intention of testing the reality of our dynasty. If the great Han Dynasty was indeed strong and rich, they would naturally be willing to surrender and surrender. Otherwise, they would inevitably leave and even join forces with the great enemy of the court, which was not impossible."

When Liu He heard this, he fell into deep thought.

He still knew the world pattern of this era. There were three empires alongside the Han Dynasty, known as the four powerful countries in the world in this era, namely the Kushan Empire, the Silence Empire, and the Roman Empire.

Among these three empires, the Kushan Empire and the Han Dynasty were separated by a Western Region.

Small countries in the Western Regions are weak in strength and must seek a big tree as a support. If they are allowed to fall to the Kushan Empire, the Kushan strength will inevitably increase greatly. It is difficult to guarantee that they will not have the ambition to covet the Central Plains in the future. That would be a big mistake.

"Well... what Wen Ruo said was indeed something I didn't expect. So what are your good plans?"

Xun Yu said: "This matter is simple, Your Majesty might as well do this..."

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and the Empress Dowager's birthday party was officially ushered in this day.

In the evening, in the Yongle Palace in the North Palace, there were zithers and swaying phoenixes, brocades fluttering, rows of seats were in order, and teams of waiters were coming and going.

"The Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress arrive..."

Gong Saner's sharp voice sounded, and all the ministers were excited.

"I am going to ask the Queen Mother, the Emperor, and the Queen Mother of the Queen."

"Everyone is free from gifts, get up, everyone should sit down. Today is just to celebrate my old lady's birthday, not in the court, so there is no need to be too polite."

Xu's eyes were so happy that his eyes almost narrowed into a slit.

"Thank you, Empress Dowager." The ministers stood up and then came to their own seats one after another.

"Showing a birthday presentation."

Gong Saner shouted, and then a middle-aged Confucian scholar stood up. He held a roll of brocade and began to recite a birthday message. It was nothing more than some praises of merit, saying how Xu was virtuous, how he raised Liu He with great difficulty, and how he could stabilize the harem.

But this postscript is a little bit verbal and there are not so many gorgeous words, but Xu was very happy when he heard it.

"Haha, this man is so sweet-mouthed. Compared to those who speak in a very literary way every day and don't understand, he is much better. People will be rewarded."

"Thank you for the reward of the Queen Mother." The man took a plate of gold ingots and retreated happily.

Immediately afterwards, many princes and princesses celebrated the birthday of the emperor's grandmother, and then Guan Yu and several adopted sons of the empress dowagers. Then it was the turn of the third duke to congratulate the birthday of the ministers on behalf of the ministers. After a process, Xu was so coaxed that he could not stop.

At this time, Liu He glanced at Gong Saner. Gong Saner immediately understood and shouted at the top of his voice: "It is said that the envoys of Kucha, Jingjue and other 21 countries in the Western Regions will meet..."
Chapter completed!