Fairy, please let me explain.

Chapter 797: King
The next day,

It was snowing lightly in Di'an.

The envoys from the palace arrived at the prime minister's residence at noon and delivered the imperial edict and the invitation to the new emperor's ascension to the throne to the King of Great Yan Han.

of course,

In addition, the eunuch also conveyed some of the prince's private words to the King of Han.

After tomorrow will be the beginning of a brand new era. The two parties of the Emperor and the Prime Minister can no longer be as alienated as in the past. Large-scale cooperation will gradually unfold under the cooperation of the new Emperor and the King of Han, whether in court politics, military battlefields, or economic exchanges.

This was a kind of appeasement, and also a signal that the royal family was ready to signal to the outside world that Li Zhaoyuan had roughly already taken control of the power left by the previous emperor, and was preparing to gradually shift the strategic focus to the war against the clan alliance.

It's hard to say whether it's sincere or not, but with Li Zhaoyuan's magnanimity, he can still see the direction clearly, but the details may be debatable.

In this regard, Xu Yuan did not express much opinion in front of the eunuch. He agreed with a smile and sent him away casually to do other things.

Palace city, Golden Palace.

After sending away the last batch of ministers who stayed in the court for secret discussions, it was already dusk. Li Zhaoyuan was not in a hurry to get up and leave. He sat behind the low table in front of the golden steps and looked around this ancient palace. Looking at the dragon throne that his father had once sat on, for some reason, he suddenly felt a little bored with his experiences of these days.

The so-called imperial mentality is nothing more than maintaining stability in the middle, pushing back and forth, using various reasons to cut the interests of all parties, and using these interests to win over all parties, so as to achieve the emperor's goals.

But that's not quite right.

Because most emperors are a bunch of good-for-nothings who have no so-called goals at all. Their only goal may be to enjoy themselves while keeping their throne.

Pretending to be profound and claiming to be alone and unconnected is nothing more than thinking that the heaven is unfathomable and its power is unknowable.

Thinking like this, Li Zhaoyuan looked down with lifeless eyes until the sun completely set in the west and the lights of thousands of houses lit up one by one:

"Big companion."

Li Zhaoyuan spoke softly in deep thought, and called out the purple-robed eunuch standing in the dark. He watched him walk quickly to the golden steps, kneel and kowtow, and thought for a moment, then whispered:
"After tomorrow, the focus of the court will shift to the war against the clan alliance. The Prime Minister's Mansion has been the main force in attacking the clan alliance in the past two months. My inaction during this period of time has probably caused a lot of dissatisfaction and complaints among them.

"Next, in order to bridge this gap, our royal family will take over their offensive. I have already formulated a specific strategic plan and sent it to the military officers of all parties in the court. Although they have no objection to my mediation, they still need to set an example. The Wugui Army under your command is my direct line. In this regard, I cannot be too partial for the time being. I need you to fight some tough battles and bite some hard bones."

"Yes." The purple-robed eunuch said without any hesitation.

Li Zhaoyuan stood up and walked out of the hall:
"Also, there is the military discipline that I have always emphasized. I personally led the battle in the north, and the loyal generals below dared not say much. Now I can no longer blindly lead the army, and you must not mess up what I decided in the beginning. Although the people are insignificant, they can also work together. Ordinary people cannot tell what the heavenly soldiers are. They only know who can protect them and keep them safe."

"The reform of the court's army should also be put on the agenda. The current recruitment system and the current military system are difficult to sustain a protracted war in the future, and their military discipline is still based on the old era. But this matter cannot be rushed. As for the specifics, I will list a detailed outline in the near future and work on it slowly in the future."

Speaking of which,
Li Zhaoyuan paused in the hall, pondered for a moment, and then continued:
"Besides that, there is finance and taxation. Wars are fought for money. The current fiscal and taxation systems of the court and the localities cannot adapt to wartime. However, I don't know much about this aspect, and I haven't had time to study it yet. I have to hand it over to professionals. Go and summon the people from the Ministry of Revenue to the East Palace immediately. I want to see them."

After initially gathering power, Li Zhaoyuan began to reform a series of things in the court. Although the old system established by the previous emperor was easy to use, it was, after all, a product of peacetime and was not suitable for such a turbulent era. The war had just begun for two months and the drawbacks had not yet begun to emerge, but a monarch always needed to look three steps ahead before taking one step.

After giving instructions for all matters, when he walked out of the Golden Throne, the palace courtyard that had been swept by the eunuchs was already covered with three inches of snow. The purple-robed companion went out of the palace first to summon the people from the Ministry of Revenue. Li Zhaoyuan walked alone in the snow in this majestic palace city, his lowered sword eyes still revealing thoughts in the darkness, leaving behind a string of nameless footprints.

Dayan is so huge that the formulation and issuance of any policy or decree will have a ripple effect on the entire body. After tomorrow, the fourteen continents of Dayan and hundreds of millions of people will be on his shoulders, so he must think twice before doing anything.

Thinking of this, Li Zhaoyuan, who had already arrived in front of the East Palace, suddenly took advantage of the Jiulong Mountain to glance down at the area called the Prime Minister's Mansion. The lights there were still bright as usual.

".It's not like it's all on my shoulders alone."

After staring for a few breaths, he let out a light sigh and slowly walked into the East Palace, waiting for the ministers to be summoned to discuss matters.

On the fifth day of the second month of the forty-eighth year of Jiajing, the eve of the enthronement of the new emperor of Dayan, it was destined to be a sleepless night.

Officials under the Ministry of Rites began to run around the streets and alleys, gradually removing the white silks hung in mourning all over the city in preparation for the coronation ceremony of the new emperor tomorrow. The brothels, wine shops and gambling houses that had been banned and suspended had not yet opened, but many loyal people gathered in private residences to raise a toast to the new emperor.

But in places that ordinary people cannot see, countless elite imperial guards are on high alert for any possible changes, and countless eyes hidden in the dark are flashing with excitement.

When the officials from the Ministry of Revenue who were summoned by the emperor left the Eastern Palace, it was already late at night. As heavy snow fell from the dark sky, Li Zhaoyuan, standing in front of the gate of the Eastern Palace, a rare smile flashed across his dark eyes.

The Jiajing Dynasty initiated by the previous emperor and Prime Minister Xu left a huge amount of wealth for these later generations. This wealth is not only a huge material foundation, but also these court officials.

Incompetent good-for-nothings and hereditary nobles were marginalized in this grand and long-lasting restoration, and the vast majority of the remaining ministers in the court were technocrats with real talents and knowledge.

Watching these ministers disappear around the corner of the vermilion palace wall, on the eve of his enthronement, after concluding his last day of government affairs as the crown prince, Li Zhaoyuan began to wander aimlessly in the snow-covered palace.

After today, all the love, hatred and vengeance of the previous generation disappeared like passing clouds in this deep palace. He wanted to take one last look at them, but as he walked, his thoughts unconsciously returned to those complicated government affairs.

Even though the strategic tone for the court's future has been determined by him, and even though everything is moving in the direction of his plan, there is still a huge variable that makes him feel uneasy.

Prime Minister's Mansion.

Everything he planned was basically the legacy left by his father. Although the relationship between the emperor and the prime minister had improved, the handling of the prime minister's office was still a huge problem.

Li Zhaoyuan planned to continue the plan of the previous generation. In this war against the clan alliance, he would gradually incorporate the entire prime minister's office into the imperial court system, intensify the ties between the two sides to improve the combat effectiveness of the army, and then conduct high-level game struggles after the war to avoid a second civil war.

It seems that Xu Changtian also acquiesced to this plan. After all, it was his concessions in the past month that made it possible for the two parties of the Emperor and the Prime Minister to have a preliminary integration.

Using the Black Scale Army as a medium, the group of eunuchs of the Xu family who were hiding in the dark were gradually appointed as ministers of Dayan in the form of titles of nobility and appointment as prime ministers.

The momentum that he brought with him as the new emperor after he ascended the throne should be the first window period.

The eunuch sent to the Prime Minister's residence at noon today also conveyed his will. Tomorrow's coronation ceremony will be held, and the King of Han Xu Changtian can be accompanied by two aides. At that time, we can take the opportunity to confer one or two titles to maintain stability, but we must be cautious about the official positions.

This represents executive power.

Although in the face of actual violence, the powers represented by these official positions seem dispensable, but there is no order without rules. As long as the future cooperation between the emperor and the prime minister is destined to be carried out within the framework of the court, occupying the court will enable one to hold the administrative power tightly, unravel the mystery by issuing decrees, and gradually reduce the power of the prime minister's office like boiling a frog in warm water.

Of course, even if there is a righteous cause, if you want to get something practical, you still have to implement it on the battlefield. Only by rewarding the clan alliance for their military exploits can those party members be convinced, so the reform of the royal army must be put on the agenda as soon as possible.
Thinking about the future,

Unconsciously, Li Zhaoyuan strolled into the Golden Palace.

The sunset was dark, and the dim hall was shrouded in shadows, as deep as a monster that chooses its prey.

He paused for a moment in the center of the hall, and then the rustling footsteps were heard again. The hem of his python robe brushed against the golden steps. Li Zhaoyuan walked to the dragon throne. His dark eyes carefully examined the chair that represented supreme power for a long while, and then he sat silently at the top of the golden steps next to it.

The open palace door allowed him to overlook the lights of thousands of homes below and billions of lives. A sense of pleasure belonging to power gradually welled up in his heart. However, when Li Zhaoyuan looked outward and swept past the prince's low table in front of the golden steps, he was suddenly stunned.

He thought about the good-for-nothings he had been thinking about this evening while sitting behind the low table, and realized that he seemed to be the same type of person as those good-for-nothings.

His father was an emperor with goals and ideals, and he devoted his entire life to achieving them. Although he inherited his father's ambition, in the final analysis, it was still for the power in his hands and the throne beside him.

Thinking of this,

Li Zhaoyuan smiled softly, a very sad smile.

Since the day his father passed away, he said he wanted to find the future he wanted, but to this day he has found nothing.
after all,

His entire world is gone, and all he has is the power in his hands. How can he talk about any future?
What he can do,

I guess I can only guard this power until I die of old age.

Li Zhaoyuan stood up indifferently, walked around the curtain behind the dragon throne, and strolled towards the corridor where the emperor held court.

The palace is divided into inside and outside with the Golden Throne Hall as the boundary. According to etiquette, he needs to go through the grand ceremony tomorrow before entering this restricted area that belongs exclusively to the emperor. However, in the face of power, etiquette is dispensable.

After a month of mourning, many of the late emperor's surviving concubines and noble ladies had basically moved out of their original palaces. All the love, hatred, and palace fighting that had taken place in this magnificent building over the past few decades had come to an end with the departure of the emperor. Even the Weiyang Palace on the top of the mountain probably no longer had any traces of the emperor's presence.

Snowy nights are always emotionally turbulent, especially on the eve of the coronation.

Li Zhaoyuan went to the cold palace where he and his mother had lived for seven years, trying to find some traces of the past there, but the place had changed completely. All traces left by them had long been replaced by others.

Right,

As long as Queen Namu is around, there will never be a shortage of people living in the cold palace.

Amid the wind and snow, Li Zhaoyuan turned around and went straight to Yongning Palace, the palace that was bestowed upon his mother by his father after his mother became noble because of him.

Everything in the palace was kept the same as before; the royal family had preserved the interior according to his wishes, but Li Zhaoyuan felt unfamiliar with it.

He had never been here before his mother was alive.

I couldn't come here when my mother was alive.

Li Zhaoyuan couldn't imagine how his mother lived in this palace.

"In the end, can't I even think of someone when I see something?"

As the night deepened, the wind and snow grew thicker. Li Zhaoyuan went to the side courtyard where he had lived as a child, to the palace academies where the princes studied and practiced, and to Empress Namu's Kunning Palace. He tried to find traces of his past in these places, but eventually discovered that everything had changed.

All his anchors to the past have disappeared.

Going around,

Li Zhaoyuan finally arrived at the top of Jiulong Mountain.

Arriving in front of the Weiyang Palace,
Now it seems that this is his only home.

But as he thought this,

The keen hearing brought by his cultivation allowed him to clearly hear footsteps coming from the towering hall.

There are people inside.

Who?
The coronation ceremony has not yet been held, who dares to step into the Weiyang Palace before him? !

"clatter"

"clatter"

"clatter"

The snowstorm was getting stronger and stronger.

But the footsteps became clearer.
It was like stepping on his heart.

finally,
A man in blood-stained clothes walked out from the darkness of Weiyang Palace and stopped on the imperial steps. His long hair, which had never been tied up, fluttered in the wind, and his pair of enchanting blood-red eyes sparkled brightly in the dark night.

Xu Yuan is high on the mountain top.

Looking down at the prince who is about to ascend to the top of hell.

The wild wind and snow stirred the hems of their clothes.
this moment,
Countless information flows flashed through Li Zhaoyuan's mind.
Endless emotions are surging and roaring in my chest.
then,

All all!
Everything!
All of his cunning and calmness turned into a hysterical roar:

"Xu Changtian!!!!!!!!!"

(End of this chapter)