Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 691 When the East Is Dark, the West Is Bright

Liu Ye continued, "As for whether it will displease the other elders, that's not something you should worry about. You're a hereditary member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; you should know that the Embroidered Uniform Guard, to put it nicely, is the emperor's personal army, but to put it bluntly, they're the emperor's dogs, biting whoever they're told to. If you want me to give you a bright future and let you enjoy wealth and glory, you must be prepared to be my hunting dog and not dream of getting along well with the other elders. If you become a nice guy, what use are you to me?"

Zhou Guoxin was drenched in sweat and immediately knelt down: "I know I was wrong, please forgive me, General."

Liu Ye snorted and said, "Still referring to yourself as 'this humble one'?"

Zhou Guoxin was quick-witted and immediately changed his tune: "Your subordinate knows his mistake. From now on, I am willing to serve the general and be a hunting dog under your command. Whoever the general commands to bite, I will bite. Even if I don't die, I will bite off a few pieces of flesh!"

“Very good. As long as you do well, you will become my Luo Yangxing in the future, and you will get more than Luo Yangxing. As for Wei Zhong, you can send someone to control him and ask him for advice. He is a veteran commander who has participated in several major cases. He is experienced and has seen more than you have. Make good use of him; it will be of great benefit to you.”

"Yes, General."

Yesterday's memories flashed by. Zhou Guoxin stood somewhat awkwardly in the middle of the hall, but inwardly he was quite pleased with himself. The Qionghai Army's development momentum was extremely rapid; even a blind man could see that Liu Ye harbored ambitions to dominate the world. By clinging to this powerful patron, how could his future prospects be compared to that of a mere centurion of the Guangzhou Imperial Guard? If it weren't for this opportunity, as a marginal figure outside the Qionghai Army system, he could only watch helplessly as these people in the hall ascended to high positions one by one, carrying the weight of their "meritorious service." Now, however, he had leaped from a nobody into a tool to control these veterans—a meteoric rise indeed. How could he not be pleased?

Seeing Zhou Guoxin step forward, everyone understood that the general's determination to establish the Internal Security Bureau was unwavering; otherwise, he wouldn't have summoned this person to participate in the meeting in advance.

Liu Ye said, "Zhou Guoxin, you are hereby appointed as the director of the newly established Internal Security Bureau, responsible for apprehending spies and investigating misconduct. Come to Qiongzhou immediately to take up your post, and you will be responsible for recruiting your own personnel. As for the position of centurion of the Jinyiwei in Guangzhou, it is fine to retain it for the time being."

Zhou Guoxin responded loudly, "Your subordinate obeys!"

After finishing all the personnel arrangements, Liu Ye said to everyone: "Gentlemen, sooner or later in one or two years, the Qionghai Army will surely train tens of thousands of soldiers to march north, compete for the Central Plains, wipe out the bandits, drive out the Tartars, and conquer the world. I hope that you will all work together to realize this grand plan as soon as possible and share this beautiful land!"

Liu Ye, abandoning his previous evasiveness, openly declared his goal of conquering the empire, exciting everyone. Even Sun Yuanhua remained silent in his opposition—the ugly actions of Chongzhen and Yang Sichang in attempting peace negotiations and obstructing the Qionghai Army's pursuit of the Tartars had eroded his last shred of faith in the court. In contrast, Liu Ye's benevolent acts of sheltering refugees, reclaiming wasteland, and establishing military farms, along with his determination to resist the Tartars and bandits, appeared far more responsible. In this chaotic world, it was time for a wise ruler to take charge.

The crowd answered in unison: "We swear to serve the general to the death and share this beautiful land!"

After the meeting ended and they returned to their residence, Liu Ye approached Lin Shiyue and made his request frankly: "Madam, I want to bring your good sister from Guangzhou to marry into the Liu family. I also want her to serve as the newly established Director of the Finance and Accounting Department and the head steward of the entire Qionghai Army."

Lin Shiyue asked curiously, "I've had this idea for a while, but I haven't seen you make a move before. Why did you suddenly think of this today?"

Liu Ye didn't hide anything from her: "You are my wife, and we are of one mind as husband and wife. I will not hide anything from you: This Finance Department is very important. I have earned a lot of money, but I spend it like water. I need a smart and capable person to help me manage it. Money must be spent wisely. I don't trust other people too much. Only Duan Mengrou, who has entered the Liu family and become my concubine, is the best candidate."

Lin Shiyue rolled her eyes at him: "So, in your eyes, my good friend is just a schemer, and becoming a concubine is just a bonus..."

"Hehe, please calm down, Madam. It should be said the other way around: I like Miss Duan, so I let her in, and incidentally found you a companion. As for her position, it's just a side job."

Lin Shiyue smiled and said, "You can say whatever you want. Since you're in such a hurry, I'll arrange to pick her up tomorrow."

Liu Ye was overjoyed: "Thank you so much, Madam!"

After settling the matter of taking a concubine, Liu Ye looked at his wife's beautiful face and curvaceous figure, and felt a stirring in his heart, after all, the two hadn't been intimate for a long time. Lin Shiyue's slightly protruding belly, no longer as flat as before, did not detract from her beauty, but instead gave Liu Ye a strange kind of stimulation.

Seeing that Liu Ye had stopped talking and was staring at her up and down with a flushed face, Lin Shiyue knew what he was thinking. Her face turned red, and she reached out to push him away.

"Get out, get out, don't think about that. The child is the most important thing."

Liu Ye knew the stakes involved and didn't dare make any demands. He could only be pushed out the door by her, saying reluctantly, "This... Madam, can't I even hug you?"

"No, you can't even touch her! Go find some other sisters!"

After being kicked out, Liu Ye was disheartened, but couldn't help feeling fortunate: this was one good thing about feudal society—one wife and multiple concubines meant that even pregnant women wouldn't suffocate. As he walked through a corridor, contemplating which concubine to "confide in," a voluptuous figure appeared before him.

Liu Ye looked up and saw that it was Su Wen. He looked her over and found that after becoming pregnant, Su Wen, who already had a hot figure, had become even more voluptuous, with an even more impressive bust, making it impossible to look away.

Suwen, like a thief, lowered her head and took his hand as they walked away.

"Hey, hey, where are you taking me, sir?" Liu Ye asked, puzzled.

Suwen glanced back at him, her eyes watery and full of springtime joy.

“Darling, I want…”

It seems that pent-up desires in this area are unbearable for both men and women. Faced with such a beautiful woman's gentle request, Liu Ye's body reacted faster than his mind, immediately sounding the battle cry. To avoid being seen in such an embarrassing state by the maids and servants, he awkwardly walked forward, bowing slightly, and asked, "Master, I want to too... but you're pregnant, it's not possible..."

Suwen, breathing rapidly, replied, "I've inquired; four months is fine..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ye felt his blood rush to his head, as if the air he exhaled from his nostrils was scorching hot, and his mouth went dry. He used the last of his rationality to restrain himself: "But what if it presses on my stomach?"

Suwen's sensual lips uttered two words that completely shattered Liu Ye's psychological defenses: "Behind..."

Liu Ye's eyes lit up as he looked at the woman's round, perky buttocks. The classic "old man pushing a cart" pose flashed through his mind, and he chuckled, "You charming little vixen, let's see how I deal with you!"

Soon after, suppressed yet satisfied moans came from Suwen's room, and all the passing maids blushed and took a detour.