Small business

If possible, The Emperor really wanted to pretend this had never happened, because he truly did not want to confer titles and rewards upon his brother-in-law, Gao Yuan.

But now, he had already claimed the merit of destroying a nation and enjoyed the congratulations of his officials. If he didn't grant rewards, how would the people of the world view him?

Seeing the Emperor looking so conflicted and pained, Song Yehong and Zheng Ting exchanged a look and revealed knowing smiles, looking like their scheme had succeeded.

Letting out a heavy sigh in his heart, The Emperor spoke.

"Such merit is entirely thanks to the protection of our ancestors. I shall go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pay my respects. As for the rewards for the meritorious officials..."

The Emperor still had many confidants; they immediately understood the Emperor's thoughts, and one stepped forward right away.

"Your Majesty, to prevent anyone from falsely reporting merits, I believe we should send an official to Lan Xang to investigate and bring the Lancang King back to Luoyang before discussing and conferring rewards."

"Your Majesty, I second the motion."

"I also second the motion."

The Emperor's foul mood clearly improved quite a bit, and he waved his hand.

"What my dear ministers say is reasonable. Issue an edict: order Wang Fu, the Commissioner of Investigation of Qiandong Circuit, to go to Diannan Circuit for the verification."

Honestly, if it weren't for the imperial edict, Wang Fu really didn't want to take a trip to Gao Yuan's territory. Wasn't this verification just a job that offended people?

Moreover, as Gao Yuan's neighbor, he naturally knew in his heart whether this war was real or fake.

He was greedy, not stupid. He had long had his eyes and spies in Diannan Circuit, and he basically understood everything about this sudden war of national destruction.

While marveling at Gao Yuan's rapid development, he was also extremely wary of this neighbor.

If one day Gao Yuan and the Da Qian imperial court truly fell out, he would be the first to bear the brunt, facing the threat of Gao Yuan's army at any time.

At this moment, the saying "the King's command cannot be disobeyed" fit perfectly. No matter how unwilling he was, Wang Fu could only brace himself, board his carriage, and set off with an apprehensive heart.

Gao Yuan had long anticipated that The Emperor would send someone, but he hadn't expected the person to be his old friend Wang Fu. He naturally expressed great kindness, which made Wang Fu feel much better.

The journey went very smoothly. Some sections were even escorted by Xuanjia Army soldiers. In less than ten days, they arrived at Vientiane City, the former capital of Lan Xang.

Upon seeing Gao Yuan, before Wang Fu could even speak, Gao Yuan approached him, grabbed his hands, and shook them vigorously.

"It's been hard on you, Commissioner Wang, having to travel such a long distance."

Wang Fu was a bit overwhelmed by Gao Yuan's enthusiasm. He just let Gao Yuan grab and shake his hands, only reacting after a long while.

"It is my duty, it is my duty. Commandery Duke Gao is too polite. Let's hurry and handle the handover."

"Ah, yes, yes, yes. Let's first take a look at the Lancang Palace."

When Wang Fu stepped into the palace, he froze for a moment, his expression turning strange.

"Commandery Duke Gao, this... this is the Lancang Palace? I heard this place was incomparably luxurious, so why does it feel so dilapidated?"

"A small country with few people; what kind of vision could they have? Their so-called luxury is just talk."

In fact, Wang Fu's confusion wasn't unjustified. In this palace, anything even slightly valuable had long been moved out under Gao Yuan's direction. Even the gold leaf on the pillars had been scraped off and taken away.

If he hadn't been afraid it would be hard to explain, Gao Yuan would have wanted to dismantle those halls, transport all the valuable wood away, and sell it for money.

Seeing Gao Yuan's smiling face, Wang Fu roughly understood why, especially when he returned to his carriage and saw two chests of jewelry and jade.

The only thing that comforted Wang Fu was that the Lancang King's golden royal seal was still there and hadn't been melted down into gold bars by Gao Yuan.

Gao Yuan wasn't stupid. A royal seal like that was only a small piece; melting it into gold would only yield a few ounces. It was better to give it to the Emperor as a favor.

For these emperors of feudal society, face truly meant everything. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many small countries making a fortune every year through the rewards given for their tributes.

After sending Wang Fu to Khon Kham's residence, Gao Yuan didn't bother with him anymore. He had a lot of things to do and no time to get involved in this kind of face-saving project.

In the first month of the third year of the era name era, after spending the New Year in Vientiane, Wang Fu set off on his return journey to Luoyang.

The Lancang King Khon Kham, along with his concubines and children, the Queen Mother Nanjiao Pipa, the elders of the Nanjiao Clan, and other Lancang nobles, followed Wang Fu to Luoyang.

As for these potentially unstable elements, Gao Yuan naturally welcomed their departure with both hands. He sent Liu Rengui with a thousand men to escort them out of the territory, which could be considered seeing the Buddha to the West.

Before leaving, Gao Yuan carefully selected some more jewelry to stuff into Wang Fu's hands. Having taken the gift, Wang Fu was naturally inclined to help.

"Don't worry, Commandery Duke Gao. I will definitely speak more on your behalf to His Majesty."

Gao Yuan revealed a knowing smile and pulled Wang Fu to the side.

"I have a small business here. I wonder if Commissioner Wang would be interested?"

Hearing Gao Yuan say there was business, Wang Fu's eyes lit up.

"How could any business of Commandery Duke Gao be small?"

"I have tens of thousands of young and strong Lancang people in my hands. I wonder if Commissioner Wang's jurisdiction is short of labor?"

Out of the hundreds of thousands of Lancang people, Gao Yuan was only interested in the young women and the ignorant infants. As for the others, he didn't want to keep them at all.

Those men, as well as the women past childbearing age, would be unstable factors if left in his territory. Gao Yuan planned to package and sell them all.

Wang Fu's eyes also lit up. The landlords, powerful clans, and noble families of Da Qian really prized these foreign slaves.

Unlike the common people of Da Qian, even if those of the mean status were bought, they had to be registered. If one died or went missing, it was a hassle, and they had to be provided with enough food every year.

But for these foreigners, that problem didn't exist. As long as they didn't starve to death, they could be worked to the bone, and the government office wouldn't care.

"I wonder how Commandery Duke Gao plans to sell them?"

"I plan to package and sell them all to you, Commissioner Wang. As for how you and Commander Wang sell them, that will naturally be for you to decide."

Wang Fu knew Gao Yuan was sending benefits to him and Governor Wang Chuan. His old face almost split from smiling so much.

"Hahaha, Commandery Duke Gao is a straightforward person, and Commander Wang and I are not unreasonable people either. Don't worry, within half a year, I will definitely give you a satisfactory price."

"Hahaha, it's truly a pleasure to cooperate with Commissioner Wang. Then I'll arrange for people to send these slaves to Region."

"Hahaha, a pleasure cooperating. Alright, it's getting late; I should be on my way."

"Take care on your journey, Commissioner Wang!"

"Until we meet again!"

After seeing off Wang Fu and his party, Gao Yuan immediately arranged for people to filter out the women over thirty and the ignorant infants. The rest were escorted by the army to Region, where Governor Wang Chuan would take over.

Separating flesh and blood is an extremely cruel thing, yet Gao Yuan did it without any psychological pressure. To him, these foreigners simply did not fall within the scope of those he needed to feel sorry for.

As for the cries and wails filling the city, Gao Yuan simply pretended not to hear them and found a quiet house to go to sleep.

After seeing off Wang Fu, Gao Yuan's work in Vientiane was basically over. As for the candidate to garrison this place, Gao Yuan considered it and decided to leave it to Liu Rengui.

Compared to Wen Pin, Liu Rengui had more talent for local governance. These newly acquired lands would soon have a large number of immigrants coming to settle.

Regarding how to promote agriculture and develop the economy, Liu Rengui, this Chancellor of the Great Tang, was certainly more skilled than himself, or even Zhao Xiyao and the others.

In the memorial Wang Fu took back, Gao Yuan merged the eight prefectures of Location, Location, Vientiane City, Location, Chaiyaphum, Location, Place name, and Location into the Zhongnan Circuit, and recommended Liu Rengui to serve as the Commander of Zhongnan Circuit.

Gao Yuan believed that his brother-in-law would definitely agree.