Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 718 Revisiting the Chaotic Land
Speaking of martial arts, it really hits the nail on the head for Chen Liqing.

Despite being heavily pregnant, Chen Liqing enthusiastically guided Zhao Zhen for over half an hour before finally returning to her room to rest, exhausted.

Zhao Zhen also put away his gun and, guided by the four female officials—Guihua, Bohe, Foshou, and Meigui—returned to the Qianqing Palace to change his clothes. This was Zhao Zhen's sleeping quarters, where he usually slept.

The concubines took turns coming to serve him in bed. Sometimes, Zhao Zhen would, as he had done the day before, spend the night with the concubines in the East and West Six Palaces.

As Zhao Zhen's sleeping quarters, the Qianqing Palace was naturally well-guarded. While the imperial guards were stationed outside, four guards—Osmanthus, Mint, Buddha's Hand, and Rose—were always by Zhao Zhen's side.

Besides the Yanxi Palace, which was the residence of Chen Liqing, Jinlebo Chuyuan, and Xiulebo Chuyan, the Eastern Six Palaces consisted of five other palaces: Jingren Palace, Chengqian Palace, Zhongcui Palace, Jingyang Palace, and Yonghe Palace.

[Jingren Palace] was inhabited by Cheng Wan'er, Bai Zhi, and Jin Cuilian. Tong Jiaoxiu occupied [Chengqian Palace] alone. [Zhongcui Palace] was inhabited by Hu Sanniang and Liu Huiniang. Only [Jingyang Palace] and [Yonghe Palace] were vacant.

The six western palaces are Yongshou Palace, Yikun Palace, Chuxiu Palace, Xianfu Palace, Changchun Palace, and Qixiang Palace.

The three sisters, Ji Qingwan, Ji Minghan, and Ji Mingdan, took over the Yongshou Palace, while Fang Jinzhi and Fan Meiren Fan Qi took over the Yikun Palace. The Chuxiu Palace was occupied solely by Tu Qiao, the "Horse-riding Beauty." The remaining three palaces were all vacant, with only maids cleaning and tidying them up on a daily basis.

The six palaces on the east and west sides are identical in layout and served as the main residences of Emperor Zhao Zhen's concubines. Besides these, there were also Qingcheng Palace, Shufangzhai, Banxilou, Changyin Pavilion, Yangxing Hall, Baoxiang Tower, Jiyun Tower, and other places.

Ji Xuan lived in [Shufangzhai], where there was a large stage, which was the manifestation of Ji Xuan's illusionary world.

After leaving the Qianqing Palace, Zhao Zhen went to the Jinshen Hall.

Although there is no grand court assembly today, Zhao Zhen still needs to approve the memorials sent from the prefectures and counties.

However, these memorials had all been reviewed by the provincial, ministerial, and supervisory authorities, and the Censorate had given their recommendations.

In this way, Zhao Zhen could process things much more quickly. For routine transfers and reports, after reviewing them and combining the suggestions from various departments, Zhao Zhen could quickly issue his imperial approval with vermilion ink.

Only when he saw something inappropriate would Zhao Zhen send it back to the relevant departments for further review.

The only exception was the battle reports from the front lines, which had to be sent directly to Zhao Zhen at any time.

When reviewing memorials, Zhao Zhen would think about a person's appearance, background, origin, abilities, and so on, whenever he saw the name of the official on the memorial.

Although it was impossible to connect everyone's names and appearances, Zhao Zhen still had to do it.

Only in this way could Zhao Zhen remember his subjects.

The more you observe, the better you'll understand the abilities of each minister.

At noon, Zhao Zhen went to Yikun Palace and had lunch with Fang Jinzhi and Consort Fan Qi.

As the Liang Kingdom expanded its territory, factions inevitably emerged. However, these factions are only in their early stages, and as long as Zhao Zhen is alive, these factional disputes can be suppressed.

Factional strife has both advantages and disadvantages. As long as it doesn't involve forming cliques to suppress dissent or pursuing personal gain, Emperor Zhao Zhen could tolerate it.

After all, the bonds of kinship and the traditions passed down through generations of family and teachers are customs that no one can escape.

Take, for example, Fang Jinzhi, one of Fang La's former subordinates in Jiangnan. Fang Jinzhi was among them, while Fang Jie and Fang Baihua were among them. These two could be considered relatives of the emperor.

Of the civil and military officials, Zhao Zhen could remember the names of nearly twenty. These people were loyal to Zhao Zhen, and they also had expectations of Jin Zhi.

After having lunch, Zhao Zhen rested for half an hour before going to the Jinshen Hall.

It took another hour to completely review the memorials.

Zhao Zhen stood up and stretched his limbs. Just as he was about to instruct Rose and the other three to go to the elephant house, Ji Xuan rushed in.

After bowing, Ji Xuan rose and said to Zhao Zhen, "Your Majesty, I have obtained some information from the Gao Kingdom's court..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Zhen took Ji Xuan's hand and sat her down on the couch beside him. "Miss Xuan, you went to Gao Kingdom to buy medicinal herbs, but why did you go to the Gao Kingdom's palace?"

"It's all thanks to the King's military review. The elite troops have made the entire Gao Kingdom take them seriously. Hearing that I was in the capital, they invited me to a banquet at the palace under the guise of being from the same clan. I wonder if someone deliberately leaked this information to me."

"Oh? Miss Xuan, tell me, I want to hear what news made you rush back."

"It's news about the [Land of Chaos]."

"【The Chaotic Land】?"

“That’s right. According to my clansmen, the Chaotic Lands are not all small, rootless forces. Without exception, powerful nations have also been drawn into the Chaotic Lands.”

"Will this have any impact on us?" Zhao Zhen asked, puzzled.

"It's because of the King's military review that some people have their own agendas. They're afraid that Liang is becoming too powerful and will harm their own interests. I wonder if they're just trying to scare us."

"However, I have inquired about the states of Gao, Cao, and Lu. Their border wars have been protracted and mostly defensive, with only minor skirmishes. There are not many instances where the other side is annexed in a single battle."

Zhao Zhen shook his head upon hearing this, "That doesn't make sense either. Putting aside everything else, just look at the three allied kingdoms of Gao, Cao, and Lu. Their land and population are two or three times larger than our Liang Kingdom's. If these three kingdoms are fine, how could it be Liang Kingdom's turn?"

Ji Xuan, who was already somewhat suspicious, dared not judge further after hearing this. "Your Majesty, this is just what I heard. I don't know if it's true or not."

Zhao Zhen pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "We don't need to worry about that. It's not too late to discuss it after the Liang Kingdom has annexed the world of [Zhao Gou of the Southern Song Dynasty]. What future can they have, being so secretive and hesitant even in battle?"

"Look at these three countries, which one isn't indulging in pleasure? Relying on their long lifespans, they're all about seniority and hierarchy, and talented people can't fully utilize their abilities. The fact that these two pills, [Fuyang Dan] and [Huijing Gao], are even more popular than [Xigu San] speaks volumes."

"The fact that these minor forces like the Yellow Turbans, White Lotus, and Red Coat Army dared to provoke the tiger is because they understood the mentality of these people."

"The world of Duke Huan of Qi is probably like this. Once something unexpected happens, the destruction of the country and the destruction of the family are inevitable. If that's the case, I'd rather be dragged to the Land of Chaos than suffer such humiliation."

Ji Xuan nodded in agreement and said no more.

When it comes to matters of national importance, although Emperor Zhao Zhen would consult with others, his mind was always clear and he would never easily change his mind because of the opinion of one person.

Currently, Zhao Zhen's strategy, which aligns with the thoughts of both civil and military officials in the court, is expansion. This aligns with the thinking of all the officials and civil servants in the court.

(End of this chapter)