Great Zhou Empress

The students of Xue Zhijing Military Academy now have a place to use their talents, no matter whether they are in the Shenji Battalion or in the Forbidden Army, they have their positions, and they all take up their positions.

Controlling the middle and upper-level generals means controlling an army. Xue Zhijing already has the most powerful military force in the Dacheng Dynasty by relying on the Shenji Battalion and the Forbidden Army of Jiankang City.

At the same time, more than half of the courtiers in the court and a considerable number of members of the clan were liquidated, basically all their assets and land were taken away, and they were sentenced according to the law.

Despite cleaning up so many people, the operation of the court will not be affected.In this era, the number of officials is very small. They mainly serve as principals and deputies in yamen such as officials, households, soldiers, and criminal workers. There are also a considerable number of temporary employees under them. Cleaning them up will not affect the development of specific work.

The position is vacated, just for the young Jinshi of the new department this year, so the court can still be younger.

But the most exciting thing is that a large amount of land has been released from the hands of these courtiers and clans to be nationalized. I believe that this year's agricultural taxation will not be less.

Before leaving Jiankang City, Yuan Hanzhang issued an edict to confer Xue Zhijing as Zhou Guogong, and the entire Guanzhong Plain and surrounding land.The area of ​​Xianyang was the capital of the Western Zhou Dynasty earlier.In Yuan Hanzhang's edict, Xue Zhijing's meritorious service was compared to the most outstanding founding father of the Zhou Dynasty, Duke Zhou Jidan.

When Xue Zhijing heard this edict, he was still a little embarrassed, and this praise is also... In the current court, no one dares to question Yuan Hanzhang's decision. Everyone has learned to be wise and protect themselves. Xue Zhijing is so powerful now that it's normal to be a Duke, so no one will talk about her gender.

The rest of them are local landlords and scholars, but they are nothing but powerless, and cannot affect the situation in the court.

After everything was tidied up, Xue Zhijing arranged for a boat, and everyone moved back to Bianjing City together.

Bianjing City has been the capital of the country for so many years. It has its own other things. The streets are also wide and there are many houses. The surrounding farmland is also vast. It is also close to the land in the west, which is convenient for control.

This time, more than half of the people in the court hall have been reduced, and a lot of space has been vacated.

Xue Zhijing felt that doing things was much easier, and felt that the whole country had lost weight.

Xue Zhijing went to the room on the second floor to see Yuan Hanzhang after dealing with the latest affairs with Li Jing and other officials from the Military Aircraft Department in the boat cabin.

At this time, Yuan Hanzhang was playing chess with Ayila.

Xue Zhijing should be able to play Go, which requires mental strength and layout, but she has never learned it.

Yuan Hanzhang and Ayila were stalemate, Yuan Hanzhang took a sip of tea with a smile, a little calm, while Ayila pursed his lips, as if he couldn't find the next step and clicked.

After Xue Zhijing entered, he saluted Yuan Hanzhang, Yuan Hanzhang waved to her, and Xue Zhijing sat down beside him, just in time to see Ayila's troubled little face.

The maid poured Xue Zhijing a cup of tea, and Xue Zhijing sipped it, only to see Ayila lose weight.

When the move fell, Yuan Hanzhang immediately talked to her in surprise for a long time, and Ayila was instantly released from the tense state, as if this move was right and wonderful.

Yuan Hanzhang turned his head and said to Xue Zhijing, "I was thinking just now, if she had played somewhere else, I would have won this game. I didn't expect that she would make this game alive again. It's really me The toughest opponent I've ever met."

Xue Zhijing smiled, and Yuan Hanzhang said suddenly, "Ah, I forgot, you don't know how to play chess. I said I wanted to teach you before, but I always didn't have time. I'm getting busier every day, until now. "

Xue Zhijing really wanted to complain, come on, you are so relaxed now, just like semi-retired, I have become a dog working overtime.

Yuan Hanzhang asked someone to move the chessboard aside first, and asked someone to serve some snacks, and the three of them sat down.

It may take some time before such a chess game can be decided. Xue Zhijing is here, so she can't let someone who doesn't understand chess just watch here, Yuan Hanzhang is not so rude.

Xue Zhijing reported on various affairs of the day, and asked Yuan Hanzhang for his opinion, Yuan Hanzhang only made one or two suggestions, and by the way, praised Xue Zhijing, "I feel that you are getting more and more proficient in handling government affairs.

Xue Zhijing smiled, "Your Majesty, no matter how skilled you are, I hope your Majesty can sit at the military plane. It's up to us to discuss and deal with it, and sometimes we worry about making trouble."

"What can you do?"

Xue Zhijing really didn't expect that Yuan Hanzhang's trust in him was so strong.Or, has she hated work to such an extent? Now she feels like the chairman of a large conglomerate. After working hard all her life, she just wants to be the shopkeeper. Give professional managers to do it.

But the empress dowager, in modern society, professional managers often cheat the chairman. Didn’t the powerful officials in ancient society want to seize the throne every minute?

Are you really not afraid of me taking the throne?

After Xue Zhijing went out, Yuan Hanzhang and Ayila played for a while, but there was still no winner, Yuan Hanzhang showed a tired look.

Ayila observed her very carefully. She remembered that Yuan Hanzhang was extremely energetic in the past, as if he was born for work, and fatigue had never appeared in her body.

And now?

Yuan Hanzhang smiled, and said to Ayila, "I'm old, I'm sleepy so early, and you've been with me all day, go back to sleep."

Perhaps it was because of the closeness during this period that made Ayila bolder, or it was simply because Ayila was worried about Yuan Hanzhang, she tentatively asked today, "Ma'am, can I stay tonight?"

Yuan Hanzhang looked at Ayila deeply, how she didn't know what Ayila meant, and how she didn't know, whether she agreed or not meant whether she accepted it or not.

After a long time, she nodded.

At night, when the ship docked, the maids brought hot water for Yuan Hanzhang to wash, Ayila brought the hot water and towels, and asked the maids to go out, and she was busy in the cabin.

Yuan Hanzhang leaned against the bedside to read a book, but his eyes fell on Ayila.

Ayila snatched the maid's job, she didn't say anything, but the feeling at this moment was different from the feeling of the maid busy around.

There are some feelings that have never been seen before, which is why she no longer deliberately avoids Ayila during this period, but keeps her around.

This feeling made her feel at ease.

After tidying up, the two went to bed.

Yuan Hanzhang has been suffering from insomnia lately, he can fill himself up with many things during the day, but at night, when he is lying quietly alone, numerous thoughts always invade his heart.

All her life, she was living for others.

She lives for her husband, for her son, and for the Dacheng Dynasty's country and country. Even if her son dies, she quickly restrains her grief, because she still has a huge dynasty that needs her to support, and she also has a "grandson" , so that she can continue to dedicate her strength to the Liu family's country.

But the fire that day, the deep darkness in the tunnel, and the near-death experience brought about by the turbid and scarce air made her start to reflect on what she had done all her life.

Ayla approached from behind and gently wrapped her arms around her waist.

Yuan Hanzhang became stiff when Ayila's hand touched him.

But Ayila didn't do any more movements, just imitating the way mothers patted babies sleeping, patting her waist lightly and rhythmically. After a while, Yuan Hanzhang relaxed and slowly fell asleep.

The dream was grotesque, sometimes there were many portraits and enshrined plaques of the late emperors in the Liu family's royal ancestral hall, sometimes Liu Yan's father's thin and pale face appeared, and Liu Yan's rare lively moments when he was young appeared in a trance.

Yuan Hanzhang woke up suddenly.

She opened her eyes and was in a daze for a while before remembering where she was now, with a girl's hand still loosely resting on her waist.

Yuan Hanzhang let out a long breath, carefully picked up the hand and put it down, got out of bed, went to the window, opened the window, sat on the couch by the window, and watched quietly. The starry sky outside the window.

"Niang Niang~"

With a call, Yuan Hanzhang turned his head and saw Ayila sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at her quietly.

"Can't sleep, get up and sit for a while, did it wake you up?"

Ayila shook her head, stood up, walked to Yuan Hanzhang's side, and sat down on the other side of the couch by the window.

Yuan Hanzhang said with a smile, "Hey, I'm getting older and I'm getting less sleep."

Ayila knew that it was not the reason Yuan Hanzhang said at all, but a few months ago, she was healthy. The maids said that Yuan Hanzhang never got up at night, and woke up naturally at noon in the morning. There is no need for a person to stay by the bed for a long time.

"Ma'am, are you tired?"

Yuan Hanzhang was slightly taken aback, "Yes, how can you not be tired?"

As she spoke, she looked out of the window again. In the dark night, she could see the shadows of trees whirling on the shore. Yuan Hanzhang seemed to be talking to himself, and seemed to be answering Ayila's question, "Also I don’t know why, but recently I’ve been thinking, you say, what have I been doing all my life, and what’s the point?”

Xue Zhijing didn't hear these words, if she heard it, she would probably be nervous, and felt that Yuan Hanzhang had a sign of depression.Ordinary people think about life on weekdays, and think about the meaning of life. This Yuan Hanzhang has been like a machine that keeps moving forward for decades, steadily and continuously doing the Dinghaishenzhen of a great dynasty. She started When you think about these issues, there are real problems.

But although Ayla doesn't know what depression is, she loves Yuan Hanzhang, and she knows that something is wrong with Yuan Hanzhang.

"Your Majesty, you have done a lot, and your name will go down in history."

Yuan Hanzhang looked at her with some misery, "Leave your name in history? Who will you show it to? Yan'er passed away, and the Liu family has no one left. I, the Empress Dowager, are already rootless duckweed. Who will guard, and for whom shall I rule this country?"

Although Yuan Hanzhang's personal ability is extremely strong, she was trapped by the education she received since she was a child and restricted by the environment around her. She believed that a woman's life is to go from her father and brother's family to another man named her husband. In the family of a man, this woman's mission in life is to continue the descendants of this family and make the family prosperous.

Marrying into the royal family means that the family property is larger and there are more things to do, but the essence is the same.

But now, the family she guarded has truly lost its inheritance.

The anchor point of her life suddenly disappeared.

Not to mention the great grief that her son's death brought to her as a mother.

This kind of injury, she is just insomnia, it is already very severe.

Ayila suddenly remembered those things that she had imagined and dreamed about in her dreams. At this moment, she just said out of her mind, "Your Majesty, you can live for yourself. Let go of the status of the Empress Dowager, For the rest of your life, you will be a Yuan Hanzhang. The world is vast, and we can go to many, many places. I can take you to the oceans and visit my father’s ancestral home, Dashi, which is deep in the ocean. In the desert area, we can ride a camel to the west, where people’s skin is said to be as white as milk. We can also take a [-]-foot boat and go north to see the frozen ocean all the year round. You can go to the island in the south where there is no winter all year round. Xiao Jing also told me that she also thinks that the land we live in is a ball, and we can measure the length of the land together.”

The more Ayila talks, the happier she is. She is a scientist who is full of curiosity about the unknown. She has actually restrained her interest a little by Yuan Hanzhang's side these years. Otherwise, she must be traveling around the world in a boat. that kind of person.

'Madam, there are too many things to do in the world, if the responsibilities of thousands of miles of land make you feel heavy, why don't you let them go.

Ayila's words stunned Yuan Hanzhang. For decades, she never thought that she could live another life. When she left Bianjing, she even thought that she might never leave That city is gone, and she will dedicate her life to this dynasty, willing to trap herself in that lonely palace.