fifth form

Chapter 3011 This is truly a joyous occasion.

"The medicinal herbs from the Xiong Kingdom are of very high quality!"

The new emperor was glad that when he boasted, he mentioned that the medicinal herbs in the side hall were for Zhang Xuezhou to practice with.

These were the best medicinal materials he could muster at the time, and they differed in quality from those procured by the Empress Dowager.

The medicinal herbs that Hongku brought to the Han Dynasty were of higher quality than those requisitioned by the Empress Dowager.

“The Ten Thousand Mountains are a gathering place for spiritual essence, and the medicinal herbs that grow there are of high quality,” Zhang Xuezhou said. “If we exclude the Ten Thousand Mountains region, the Xiong Kingdom is also a harsh and cold place!”

"If only we could take over the Ten Thousand Mountains!"

The new emperor sighed.

But the new emperor could only dream about it.

Li Guang had been stationed in the north for many years, and his army had repeatedly attacked without success, sometimes even getting lost in the mountains.

If it can serve as a shield for a wicked country, then it is certainly not a good place.

"If Your Majesty is interested, you can give it a try in the future!"

Even conquering the Ten Thousand Mountains would not guarantee control over the resources within. The Fierce Kingdom relied on many demonic birds to gather these medicinal resources from remote mountainous areas, a skill that herb gatherers could hardly replicate.

However, Zhang Xuezhou did not discourage the new emperor, who knew little about the Ten Thousand Mountains.

He was even quite pleased that the new emperor had this idea.

If the Great Han Dynasty retaliates against the Xiong Kingdom, and the Xiong Kingdom's army suffers setbacks in battle, Zhu Jiuyin might consider moving the Hunyuan Formation to change the terrain of the mountainous area, allowing Zhang Xuezhou to profit from the risks.

"The Xiong Kingdom is a great threat. Many of its members consider themselves the true successors of the Chinese civilization and have been trying to return here. Sooner or later, we must expel them completely!"

The new emperor took a deep breath.

The current attitude of the imperial court towards the Xiong Kingdom is dominated by the pro-peace faction, which even led to the peace agreement reached with the Xiong Kingdom six months ago.

The agreement was verbal, but the gifts from the Han Dynasty were genuinely sent out.

The current strategy of the Han Dynasty is to contain the vassal kings, suppress the Nanyue remnants of the Qin Dynasty, and gradually annex the Western Yi regions that were out of control during the Zhou Dynasty. It has not considered targeting the Xiong Kingdom.

However, the new emperor was well aware that the Xiong Kingdom was a real threat, and a major war between them was inevitable sooner or later.

The idea of ​​how to defeat, expel, or eliminate the treacherous state in a complex situation existed as early as the reign of Emperor Gaozu.

Only by eradicating the root of the treacherous state can the Han Dynasty eliminate some of the hidden dangers posed by double-dealers; otherwise, no matter how many times they are arrested, they will never be completely eradicated.

"Your Majesty said so!"

Zhang Xuezhou praised it repeatedly.

Clearly, mutually beneficial trade presented the new emperor with new opportunities.

If Hongku takes back the pills, they will end up in the hands of a select group of people with vested interests at the top. The new emperor, on the other hand, will not only have a greater variety of pills, but will also distribute them to those who have contributed to his cause, thereby promoting a group of people.

This test not only who gets the better deal, but also how they use it.

The new emperor had already made arrangements beforehand.

Although his method of selecting talent was not as dazzling as that of the Empress Dowager's, the people he trained were genuinely skilled in supernatural abilities and military prowess.

As things accumulate, this kind of development is like a snowball rolling downhill.

Not every cultivator is like those fearless sorcerers of the Yexi River Holy Land, nor does every cultivator possess the physical body of a great demon who is impervious to arrows.

A Tian Fen at the True Self Realm is remarkable, but only a handful of people are needed to kill a high-level cultivator like Tian Fen who has flaws.

From the perspective of individual upbringing, the Empress Dowager's approach to education was correct.

From the perspective of collective training, Xin Di felt that his approach was not bad.

As for which side is superior, the new emperor believes that the day will come sooner or later to find out.

"To be honest, what is your success rate in refining the Creation Pill?"

Hongku took the elixir and left. The new emperor and Zhang Xuezhou spent the night in Shanglin Garden, and the new emperor kept thinking about Zhang Xuezhou's abilities.

“How can any elixir be guaranteed?” Zhang Xuezhou shook his head repeatedly and said, “Young Master Li went back crying after staying with me, so I really can’t guarantee a high success rate!”

"Oh? Did Master Li also ask you to refine pills?" the new emperor asked in surprise.

"He came to me asking me to refine the Magic Creation Pill. I threw in two hundred portions of materials, and not a single one was formed," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Why don't you try a different furnace? It's such a waste that Qin Furnace No. 8 destroyed two hundred portions at once," the new emperor said.

"Qin Furnace No. 8 can produce top-grade pills!"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head.

After being processed through a standardized alchemy process, Qin Furnace No. 8 achieved a very high success rate in alchemy.

However, Zhang Xuezhou's alchemy and pharmaceutical manufacturing process involved trial and error. Before he could successfully debug the process, he destroyed so much material that it was heartbreaking for the new capital.

Despite Zhang Xuezhou's destruction of materials, the new emperor had to admit that Zhang Xuezhou was skilled in alchemy and medicine making.

If the national treasury is full, the new emperor feels very happy for Zhang Xuezhou to squander it, but in the initial stage, he needs to save as much as possible.

The new emperor couldn't help but tentatively ask Zhang Xuezhou if he could entrust the Hongku batch of medicinal herbs to other alchemists for refining.

"no problem!"

Zhang Xuezhou repeatedly patted his chest to assure him.

As a representative of the court officials who preferred to lie low, Zhang Xuezhou felt that it was better to do less trouble than more trouble. After all, it was very good to get benefits without doing any work. He had no interest in alchemy lately, and it would be better to hand it over to other alchemists to refine in batches rather than forcibly refine two or three batches.

"If only all court officials were like you!"

Zhang Xuezhou's absence lasted a very long time, so long that the new emperor would get a headache whenever he thought about it.

But Zhang Xuezhou was a truly hard-working man; even while recuperating from illness, he managed to close a large international trade deal.

Zhang Xuezhou may think that negotiating such a deal is not difficult, but the new emperor has been sending Zhang Qian to the Western Regions for seven or eight years, and his fate is still unknown. The new emperor has also sent many other missions to trade or form alliances, but none of them have been able to successfully complete their missions.

The new emperor's praise was not just empty words, but a genuine expression of his wish.

If there are any loyal and capable officials, the new emperor has no interest in managing them. He can do whatever he wants and doesn't need to consult him on everything.

"There are many capable people in the court, and what I have done is insignificant. If Your Majesty is willing to reward me, I am preparing for my wedding soon, and it would be wonderful if you could give me some money!"

Zhang Xuezhou knew very well that the new emperor's praise was genuine, but he also knew he couldn't take it too seriously and agree with it.

On the contrary, Zhang Xuezhou had to directly claim credit for the achievements to avoid the new emperor harboring resentment and having other ideas.

There needs to be a purpose in doing anything, especially when it comes to making a contribution. It is abnormal to be free from greed for money, lust, and having no desires for offspring.

As Zhu Fuyan said, the purpose of becoming an official is to make money; this is the social environment and values ​​of the Han Dynasty at that time.

Hongku took the elixir away, and the new emperor took the medicinal herbs that Hongku brought. Zhang Xuezhou, who was in charge of connecting the dots, got nothing in return. If Zhang Xuezhou didn't ask for anything, then there would be a problem with his mindset.

"You're getting married? Are you serious?" The new emperor asked curiously as he got out of bed and looked at Zhang Xuezhou, who was lying down.

“Very true,” Zhang Xuezhou nodded. “I’m going to get the marriage certificate done right away!”

"This...this is wonderful news! Congratulations!"

Zhang Xuezhou had been married for less than two years, and his child was less than a year old. He was preparing to sign a marriage contract, not to take a concubine. The new emperor knew very well that Zhang Xuezhou had divorced and remarried, and was preparing to marry a principal wife.

Although the gifts for the wedding and the birth of the child were somewhat frequent, the new emperor was still very happy that Zhang Xuezhou was getting married again. After all, the first woman Zhang Xuezhou married lacked a family fortune and had a lowly status, so she could not be of any use to Zhang Xuezhou.

If Zhang Xuezhou were to hold a wedding banquet, he could prepare a generous gift to offer his congratulations.

"Which family's woman are you marrying this time?"

The new emperor was also quite curious about which official in Chang'an Zhang Xuezhou had arranged to marry his second wife.

“A marriage of convenience!”

"It seems there are no righteous families in Chang'an?"

"Yi Shuo is a physician at Changxin Palace. She is very skilled at acupuncture and can even treat my illnesses!"

"The Righteous Physician?"

The new emperor took a deep breath, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou had married another woman with little family support.

Zhang Xuezhou's marriage brought no change in status and prevented him from climbing the ranks among the nepotistic court officials.

Of course, a medical officer is very beneficial to a patient like Zhang Xuezhou.

The new emperor felt a little regretful about Zhang Xuezhou's criteria for choosing a spouse, but he was also very relieved.

As long as Zhang Xuezhou did not form factions through marriage, he would remain the most loyal talent by the emperor's side no matter how much he wandered around. Even if he left for a long time, he would not need to be re-examined, and the new emperor would not suspect that Zhang Xuezhou had any ill intentions in establishing trade relations.