The Heavens: From Knowing Whether You Rule the World

Chapter 97 Jiangsu and Zhejiang are plain areas, there are no hills!

When the emperor passed away, the whole country was in chaos.

According to custom, days were substituted for months, all officials suspended court for 27 days, and no marriages were allowed in the world.

As Zhao Zongquan was the one who regained control of the sacred artifacts and sat on the throne as a descendant of Taizu, his funeral was of special significance.

In order to show solemnity, the Ministry of Rites selected sixty young talents from civil and military officials with official ranks of seventh rank and above in Bian Jing to serve as mourners, who were responsible for carrying the coffin, crying, marching, singing elegies and other matters.

Of course, having said that, in reality, it is not the turn of these people, nor their parents, to carry the coffin.

Zhao Ceying, who is about to ascend the throne, Chu Hong, who is in charge of the country, the five cabinet ministers, the old-generation Duke Ying, and the Ningyuan Marquis who has served the emperor well.
Only these people are qualified to carry the coffin, and the mourners will just cry, walk around and sing funeral songs.

After a series of complicated ceremonies, all the officials saw him off, and many pillars of the country carried the coffin, and Zhao Zongquan was buried safely.

After twenty-seven days, when the moon was replaced by the sun, Prince Huan Zhao Ceying ascended the throne and posthumously named his father Zhao Zongquan Emperor Shizong, with the posthumous title of Emperor Ti Qian Ying Long Gong De Wen Su Wu Rui Sheng Xuan Xiao.

On the same day, Zhao Ceying changed the reign title to Yuanfeng, and that year was the first year of Yuanfeng.

imperial study room

Zhao Ceying gently picked up the brewed tea, sniffed the unique aroma of the tea carefully, took a sip, and the tea fragrance was overflowing. It was slightly bitter at first, but very sweet in the aftertaste.

This is how my cousin always drinks, he has never been able to do it before.

Compared to this bitter tea, he prefers to boil tea, add a little honey, and put more goat's milk to boil it. The aroma of milk mixed with the aroma of tea, and the sweetness of honey covers the bitterness of the tea.

Only the aroma of tea and milk remains, only sweetness remains.

However, during this time he gradually got used to this bitter taste of tea.

Compared to the sweet boiled tea, this way of brewing tea has a unique natural flavor, retains its original color, and is quite distinctive.

Zhao Ceying thought about his father's last words, and then thought about the matter of recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, and sighed slightly.

The greatest emperor of all time, this pie is really too big.

But he really likes to eat this cake.

Because he really has the opportunity and the ability to do it!
This is something he can truly reach. Since becoming emperor, Zhao Ceying suddenly found himself a little mediocre.

And the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun naturally became something for him to prove himself.

He doesn't intend to be a mediocre emperor!

If we want to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, the first step is to enrich the country and strengthen the army.

If we want to make our country rich and strong, we must reform, and we must do it, my cousin!

Cousin!
"Your Majesty, the Grand Master has arrived."

Before Zhao Ceying could think more, the new eunuch in front of the palace, Zhang Li, stepped forward and reported quietly.

A new emperor has new ministers, and even between father and son there will be certain changes and differences.

When King Huan ascended the throne, there was a certain reshuffle of the eunuchs in the palace, and Zhang Li was promoted to a certain extent.

"Let him in!"

Zhao Ceying had a complicated look on his face, and then he quietly disappeared.

My cousin is extremely powerful, but he has to stay.

Without enormous power, successful reforms could not be achieved and the country could not be enriched and strengthened.

Chu Hong had been waiting outside the study for a long time. As soon as he received the notification, he immediately stepped into the study.

A few days ago, Zhao Ceying ascended the throne, and Chu Hong wrote the coronation edict himself. At that time, he was summoned several times.

Summoned again early this morning.

This speed is basically seamless.

I just don't know what he will say?

If his attitude is really tough, it means he wants to replace the Prime Minister.

Well, I can only let my cousin feel the power of the prime minister and experience the situation where government orders cannot leave the palace!

This is not only Chu Hong’s decision, but also the decision of the Chu faction and the reformists!
The emperor is very important in reform matters, but if he can be replaced, then the emperor is not that important.

Today's reformists can almost completely overwhelm the conservatives, and the emperor is not that important.

"Your humble servant Chu Hong pays respects to Your Majesty!"

Chu Hong bowed slightly and looked full of joy, as if he had never thought that Zhao Ceying would target him.

In other words, in his heart, his cousin's ascension to the throne was definitely a good thing, and his cousin would not deal with him.

Zhao Ceying looked at his cousin deeply, and to be honest, he couldn't see clearly.

Just from this expression, he didn't know whether his cousin had any other thoughts in his mind.

The water is too deep!

He couldn't understand what those old guys in the cabinet were thinking, but his cousin was different from them.

He also couldn't tell what his cousin was thinking, but his intuition told him that his cousin was more treacherous.

"Cousin, you and I have been friends for many years and are closely related by blood. How can we become estranged just because I ascend the throne?"

Zhao Ceying had a lot of thoughts in his mind, but his face was full of caring smile.

"Your Majesty, courtesy cannot be abandoned."

Chu Hong shook his head slightly. His cousin's acting skills were a bit average. He kept calling me "cousin" and "I".
Zhao Ceying breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't really mean to let his cousin call him brother.

You call me Your Majesty, and I call you cousin, this is the best. "Cousin, have some tea."

Zhao Ceying smiled generously and motioned for his cousin to pour the tea himself.

Chu Hong's eyes narrowed slightly, and he took the teapot without changing his expression, filled Zhao Ceying's cup with tea, and poured himself another cup.

Chu Hong sniffed it seriously and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, this tea is full of fragrance. It is really extraordinary!"

Zhao Ceying laughed and took a sip of the tea. "This tea is a tribute tea produced in Lianghuai. I am not used to it. My cousin likes it. Bring some back later!"

Chu Hong obscurely saw that Zhao Ceying was indeed drinking it, so he sipped the tea unnoticed.

He had touched the teapot himself and found that it was just an ordinary teapot. There was no possibility of poison in the teapot.

Zhao Ceying watched his cousin sipping tea and didn't realize what Chu Hong was doing without leaving a trace.

It's normal to smell the aroma first when tasting tea!
"Your Majesty has summoned me, what is the matter?"

Chu Hong gently put down the teacup and looked at the new emperor who had been on the throne for a few days.

"It's nothing serious, just want to talk to my cousin."

Zhao Ceying smiled gently, which made Chu Hong more energetic.

Heart to heart talk, this is not easy to talk about!
"A few days ago, I happened to hear an interesting thing. Would you be interested in knowing it, cousin?"

Zhao Ceying looked at Chu Hong meaningfully.

"If your majesty is willing to speak, I will listen attentively."

As soon as Chu Hong saw Zhao Ceying's expression, he knew that he was trying to test him, and he was not surprised at the time.

Since my uncle passed away, the nature of some things has changed subtly.

Whether it was Zhao Ceying, Chu Hong, or the civil and military officials, they all vaguely knew that fact.

The new emperor cannot suppress the prime minister!

"This matter is related to Jiangnan Road, cousin, can you guess?"

"Inspecting the world?"

Chu Hong guessed with a smile and dealt with it without leaving any trace.

Say nothing, guess what!
"No. This matter is also related to Liangzhe. Can you guess another one, cousin?"

"Maritime trade?"

Chu Hong still smiled, but he had some doubts in his heart.

Jiangnan and Liangzhe, these were the places where he served as an official in the past.

This can't be a coincidence. Why did Zhao Ceying bring this up?
"No."

Zhao Ceying smiled and stopped letting his cousin guess. He looked at Chu Hong closely and slowly said a word.

"Jiangsu and Zhejiang faction!"

Chu Hong took a sip of tea with a normal expression, a little surprised. From the Jiangsu and Zhejiang area?

This thing, um... is his!
But why did the emperor mention this?
Falling out?

"Jiangsu and Zhejiang, what is this?"

Chu Hong gently put down the teacup. His gentle smile made people feel at ease, but his expression seemed full of confusion.

"My cousin used to be an official in Jiangnan and Liangzhe. Now that he is in power, many people from Jiangnan and Liangzhe have been promoted. Many people say that Jiangnan and Liangzhe have become independent factions, with many cliques and all headed by my cousin."

Zhao Ceying seemed to be indifferent, but his eyes never left Chu Hong's face and eyes.

Chu Hong was slightly startled, somewhat surprised and puzzled, and pondered for a moment, "Your Majesty, Jiangnan Road and Liangzhe Road are well-known to be flat, there is no Xiaoshan, and there are no hills."

He seemed to realize that the emperor was beside him, and quickly stood up. "Your Majesty, I have been an official in Jiangnan for only three years, and in Liangzhe for less than three years. It is quite normal to say that there are some of my friends and former officials in Jiangnan and Liangzhe. But to say that all of them are my people is really the result of the instigation of treacherous people."

Chu Hong was full of indignation, but also somewhat calm.

At least, the first impression is that of a loyal minister.

Zhao Ceying looked at his cousin with a smile, not missing any slight reaction.

Unfortunately, Chu Hong didn't look panicked at all.

He didn't see anything wrong.

"Cousin, what you mean is that the story that the Jiangsu and Zhejiang faction is full of factions is pure nonsense?"

Chu Hong shook his head slightly, and did not clear the matter up as Zhao Ceying thought, "Subjectively, no, but objectively, maybe there is.

I had no intention of promoting officials from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, but since ancient times, Jiangsu and Zhejiang have been rich places, and most of the officials' performance appraisals were excellent, which led to the promotion of most of the officials from Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

As for the minor officials below, they can see that the people they have selected are from places where I have served as an official, so it is normal for them to have some misunderstandings. "

Zhao Ceying looked at his cousin deeply, then laughed and patted Chu Hong on the shoulder. "I was just joking with you just now. I never believed these rumors. Now, since you said it was a misunderstanding, then it is a misunderstanding."

Chu Hong smiled and nodded, looking at Zhao Ceying with a look of relief.

He really seemed to think this was a joke.

Looking at his cousin walking slowly towards the distance, Zhao Ceying sighed deeply and then shook his head.

Never mind, it’s good to have my cousin in charge of the cabinet!

(End of this chapter)