In the cold twelfth month of winter, with the sun setting in the evening, light and shadow intertwine at the Mingdao Palace outside Kyoto.

In this huge complex which serves as both a temple and a palace, fully armed soldiers and nobles dressed in red and purple can be seen everywhere. It seems that countless civil and military officials of the Great Zhou are stationed here.

Among them, the highest hill at the back hall is the most heavily guarded and well-ordered. From a distance, one can actually see several dragon flags fluttering in the wind.

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites was busy preparing for this sacrifice that the young emperor had conceived on a whim.

"Your Majesty has never come to Mingdao Palace in previous years. I don't know why he has to come here to offer sacrifices this year!"

"How can you make a fuss about the decision made by His Majesty?"

"This time, not only are all the civil and military officials here, but even the young masters and ladies from various families are here as well."

"I heard that the families were reluctant to bring so many people. But the emperor was very firm, so the eldest son born to the queen and the second son born to the imperial concubine all came together. The families had no choice but to come."

The officials of the Taichang Temple were busy and noisy. They had to work overtime on a day that should have been a holiday. Anyone would feel unhappy.

This Mingdao Palace was originally built by the founding emperor, so it makes sense that the current emperor wants to come here to offer sacrifices.

However, unlike the grand occasion when Emperor Taizu came here to worship Daozu, at this moment, the atmosphere in this royal garden is inevitably a bit solemn and impatient.

The fully armed generals looked around, seeming to be uneasy.

The literati of the Zhou Dynasty, who had always loved to show off their literary talents, had no interest in sightseeing. Instead, they met in groups of three or four, had a few drinks, and then engaged in endless legal battles.

"I heard that Yunzhou is in crisis, and His Majesty is planning to sell officials to raise money to help Yunzhou."

"Ha!" Master Tong chuckled and drank a glass of warm wine, his eyes full of mockery.

The Minister of Revenue looked at his nose with his eyes and cared about it. No matter how many inquiring looks his colleagues cast at him, he remained silent.

What can I say? The treasury is in such a state that money is needed everywhere.

The Hangzhou Shipyard was very profitable, but all the money went into the emperor's private treasury.

The Minister of Revenue has no say in how the emperor deals with his private treasury.

Just as undercurrents were surging in the Mingdao Palace and all the civil and military officials had different thoughts, the rear hall, which was the highest ground, was also the center of the vortex. The young emperor rarely got up the nerve, drew his bow and aimed at the target, and shot three arrows in succession before stopping.

The personal eunuch who was waiting nearby came forward and asked, "Your Majesty, the Queen just sent someone to ask if you would like to have dinner with us tonight? The eldest prince can already recite the Three Character Classic, and we are looking forward to your testing him."

The young emperor was wearing a red round-necked shirt, with a smug look on his face. Upon hearing this, he laughed out loud: "I have a son, and there is hope for the succession of the country. I should tell my ancestors about this!"

The personal eunuch thought that the Emperor was going to go to the Queen's palace, and was about to retreat to make preparations, but he was suddenly shocked by the Emperor's sudden question, and he didn't know how to answer.

"Who is better in archery, me or the general?"

The personal eunuch turned around and bowed his head: "Of course it's Your Majesty!"

The young emperor laughed again, his laughter wild and rampant.

For dinner, the young emperor did not choose to dine with the empress or the imperial concubine, but instead ate with the civil and military officials.

After some praises, the dinner began.

A sacrifice will be held tomorrow, so we have to start fasting the night before.

There are not many kinds of vegetables in winter, and the only ways to cook them are steaming, stir-frying and boiling.

When the vegetables were served on the table in front of the officials, they were almost cold and really unappetizing.

"The northern barbarians often cause trouble, and the general who conquers them uses force to pacify them with gentle tactics. However, the tribes on the grassland are ungrateful and do not accept the king's teachings. What do you think?"

The young emperor put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and spoke slowly.

The officials looked at each other, none of them understanding what the young emperor was trying to do.

Minister Chen sat next to Censor Jiang, and the two of them sat at the back.

"Imperial Censor Jiang, what does the Emperor mean?"

Doctor Li also pricked up his ears to listen.

Censor Jiang lowered his head and looked at the cold wine in his glass. His voice was as cold as a mountain spring: "I feel that I have done my job and can be discarded."

Ok? !

Minister Chen was full of questions, his mouth opened so wide that a goose egg could almost fit in it: "In the whole Great Zhou, when it comes to marching, fighting, and loyalty, who can compare to the general?!"

Your Majesty's behavior is not just killing the donkey after it has served its purpose, it is clearly digging the Great Wall for yourself!

Censor Jiang glanced at the young emperor, then at the silent Grand Tutor Tong, and sighed deeply in his heart.

"In the past few months, the emperor has been putting pressure on Master Tong to the point where he can hardly breathe. The Minister of Revenue has openly defected, and the Minister of War has also become ambiguous. Both of them were originally on Master Tong's side. Doesn't this give the emperor confidence?"

At that time, the emperor was isolated in the court, and the imperial concubine was the only one in power in the harem.

His Majesty had difficulty in having an heir, so he had to rely on General Gu Nanxi.

However, things change over time.

With the great general as his backer, the young emperor gradually gathered power. From being able to compete with Grand Tutor Tong to now having the final say, the young emperor was completely stunned!

Minister Chen still couldn't understand: "We should be taking advantage of the victory and completely overwhelm Master Tong's faction. Why are we turning our guns against the general?!"

Censor Jiang: "No matter how powerful Master Tong is, he is in the capital and needs generals to lead the troops. His reputation among the people is even worse. The general is different. He is supported by the people and can lead the troops to fight. The officials in the court gave her Yunzhou, thinking it was a barren land. But they didn't expect that the general had the ability of Guan Zhong and developed Yunzhou to what it is today!"

We have soldiers, land, money, people, and the hearts of the people!

It would be fine if the one sitting on the throne was a prime minister with a broad mind.

Unfortunately, he is not!

Seeing that no one answered his question, the young emperor began to call on the names of the ministers: "Minister of War, what do you think?"

The Minister of War tried to figure out the young emperor's thoughts and knew that he was always a radical: "After the spring plowing season, we will send troops to fight!"

The young emperor gave the Minister of War a look of approval and continued to ask, "Who should be sent?"

Ok?

Shouldn't Gu Nanxi be sent for this kind of thing? Yunzhou is close to the grassland, and Gu Nanxi has experience in hunting grassland people.

The Minister of War hesitated and said, "General Gu Nanxi?"

The young emperor neither said yes nor no.

But this kind of silence by adults implies disapproval.

An unbelievable guess flashed through the Minister of War’s mind, no way?

Is it true that the young emperor is not planning to recall Gu Nanxi and replace him with someone else as the governor of Yunzhou? !

Not long after, the young emperor dropped a huge thunder, which frightened all the civil and military officials to death.

"After the spring plowing next year, I intend to lead the army in person!"

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like