Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 737

Leaving aside the orderly drills of the Mo Dao Battalion, as the weather gradually warmed up, Zhao Zhen had more and more government affairs to handle.

During this time, good news kept coming from the palace: Tong Jiaoxiu, Fan Qi, and Bai Zhi were all pregnant. Zhang Luchu, the Imperial Physician, personally examined the women to ensure their safety, and when the news spread, the civil and military officials of Liang were overjoyed.

The more offspring the ruler has, the more secure the Liang Kingdom's lineage will be.

As the weather warms up, the nations of the [Floating Continent], which had been dormant all winter, are beginning to awaken.

Allied and enemy states connected to Liang also began to take action. They were just waiting for the remaining snow to melt and the north wind to return.

First, let's talk about the three worlds that Liang Kingdom allies belong to: the world of the Ji-surname Gao Kingdom, the world of the Ji-surname Cao Kingdom, and the world of the Ji-surname Lu Kingdom. These three worlds continue their established national policies, staying put on the Floating Continent and rarely launching attacks, passively waiting for other small worlds to invade.

They relied on the troops stationed on the border for defense and fighting.

The original agreement was that the world of Cao (with the surname Ji) and the world of Lu (with the surname Ji) also wanted to form a marriage alliance with Liang. It wasn't that they didn't trust each other's alliance, but rather that the rulers of the two worlds intended to disperse their own bloodlines.

As an envoy, Chai Jin, nicknamed "Little Whirlwind," spent half of this winter in the states of Cao and Lu, completing all the formalities of the three letters and six invitations.

Perhaps due to their long lifespan, the attitude of the Floating Continent towards the three letters and six appointments is completely different from that of the Misty World; here, they are much more valued.

Titles, professions, ranks, and the etiquette between ruler and subject were all given great importance.

Of course, this marriage can also be considered as the selection of a bride for the Prince of Liang. Although the formal betrothal ceremony was still complicated, Zhao Zhen did not need to personally intervene.

The two men chosen were both approved by Zhao Zhen; apart from their appearance, their character and profession were also of the highest caliber.

Although the Floating Continent and the Misty World are connected, their customs are quite different.

Take the [Ji-surname Gao Kingdom] as an example. In the [Misty World], men take Gao as their surname, while women take Ji. However, in the [Floating Continent], both men and women have the surname Gao.

The two people chosen by Zhao Zhen from the Ji clan of Cao State and the Ji clan of Lu State were named Cao Nianyao and Lu Congshuang, respectively.

Both of them entered the palace and were Baolin, one of the eighty-one imperial wives.

Name: Cao Nianyao (Hero, born into royalty, gentle and kind.)
Race: Terran

Reputation: 130 (Daughter of the ruler of the Cao Kingdom, surnamed Ji)
Occupation: Noblewoman

Secondary occupation: Female official
Level: Tier 4, Level 1 (Strength 19, Command 53)

Attributes: Strength 30, Constitution 30, Agility 25, Spirit 51
Skills: Steward Level 5 (Women are responsible for internal affairs, men for external affairs, Constitution +5), Music, Chess, Calligraphy and Painting Level 4 (Poetry, calligraphy and painting, playing the zither and playing chess, Spirit +4), Needlework Level 1 (Sewing and making clothes, Spirit +1)

Command Skill: Domestic Assistance Level 3 (A woman remains secluded for ten years, taught gentleness and obedience by her nanny. She handles hemp and flax, processes silk cocoons, and weaves brocade. She learns women's work to provide clothing. She observes sacrifices, offering wine, food, and pickled vegetables, and assists in the offerings. Efficiency increased, morale +3)

Martial Arts: Fist and Foot (Proficient, +3 to Strength when using fist and foot weapons, Thirty-Six Forms Plum Blossom Fist)

Name: Lu Congshuang (Hero)
Nickname: White Butterfly
Race: Terran

Reputation: 150 (Daughter of the King of Lu)
Occupation: Female general

Level: Tier 3, Level 9 (Strength 49, Command 35)

Attributes: Strength 40, Constitution 35, Agility 49, Spirit 30
Skills: Rush Level 4 (Galloping on horseback, Agility +4), Scout Level 3 (Reconnaissance, Agility +3)

Command Skill: Fighting General Level 3 (Leading the charge, Morale +3)

Martial Arts: Spear and Staff (Proficient, +4 to Strength when using spear and staff weapons, 110 stances of Nan Tu Shan Liu He Staff) Equipment: Red Tassel Spear (Tier 3, core of sinew wood, wrapped with bamboo strips, reinforced with sealing wax, bamboo and wood shaft. Spearhead forged from refined meteorite iron. Trait: Sharpness +4)

The two are both civilized and martial.

By examining the attributes of the two individuals, Zhao Zhen realized that members of the royal family and civil and military officials indeed had much better attributes than ordinary people. Cao Nianyao and Lu Congshuang's attributes were much better than those of Ji Qingwan and others, who were also royal women.

The resources of the Misty Continent are far inferior to those of the Floating Continent, so those with ambitions naturally want to enter the Floating Continent.

Besides early nurturing, the most important factor is having an abundance of spiritual nourishment from childhood, ensuring balanced attributes and rapid career advancement. Like a snowball rolling downhill, this builds an advantage.

Zhao Zhen controlled the various spiritual entities with the same idea in mind.

In Liang Kingdom, spiritual creatures are prioritized for supplying the royal family and civil and military officials. Those whose attributes improve quickly naturally surpass ordinary people in ability, thus continuing to occupy the best resources.

As time goes on, the advantage will increase.

When the two entered the palace, Zhao Zhen publicized it extensively. The news of the marriage alliance between the two countries boosted the morale of the people even more than the news of the successive pregnancies of Tong Jiaoxiu, Fan Qi, and Bai Zhi.

Cao Nianyao and Lu Congshuang were naturally quite good-looking.

After entering the palace, although there wasn't much affection between them, the matter of serving the emperor in bed still happened naturally.

As they became more familiar with each other, the two were assigned positions in the palace.

Cao Nianyao's profession is that of a noblewoman and a female official, making her naturally suited for the position of [Palace Secretariat].

As a result, Ji Qingwan became the Director of the Palace Secretariat, which was under the jurisdiction of the palace. All six bureaus were also concurrently held by palace concubines.

Cheng Wan'er is a medicinal cuisine chef, holding the title of "Shangshi" (尚食), in charge of preparing meals. Bai Zhi is the "Shangyao" (尚药), in charge of preparing medicines and diagnosing patients. Cao Nianyao is the "Shangyun" (尚酝), in charge of wine and spirits. Xu Caiwen is the "Shangyi" (尚衣), in charge of clothing and headwear. Jin Lebo is the "Shangshe" (尚舍), in charge of secondary residences and canopies. Xiu Lebo is the "Shangnian" (尚辇), in charge of carriages and palanquins.

Each of the six departments had two chief attendants, four attendants, and two gatekeepers. These positions were filled by female officials and women who served as regents in the palace.

The Imperial Household Department has cooks, the Imperial Household Department has physicians, the Imperial Household Department has winemakers, the Imperial Household Department has clothing assistants, the Imperial Household Department has secretaries, and the Imperial Household Department has officials in charge of supplying provisions.

The most important positions, the Chief Supervisor and the Junior Supervisor, will not be established for the time being.

Lu Congshuang, whose profession is military general, also joined the Qingyuan Guard.

However, unlike Mu Wanqing, Lu Congshuang had already established a battalion of 500 female cavalrymen while she was in Lu. These women, along with their families, came to Liang with Lu Congshuang.

These five hundred men, like the Qingyuan Guards, had all been on the battlefield and were all equipped with red-tasseled spears and bright silver armor.

Because of this, Zhao Zhen gave him the nickname "Silver Flag Red Tassel Capital".

Because the Silver Flag Red Tassel Capital had a large number of people, Zhao Zhen simply expanded the remaining five capitals to 500 people each. In this way, the six capitals of the Azure Kite Guard would have 3000 people.

Zhao Zhen would accompany the royal guards on their daily duties.

As the weather warmed up, Zhao Zhenyi ordered the imperial guards in the capital region to pack their bags and march to Qingzhou in three days.

The Qingyuan Guard expanded its army, but the soldiers recruited later were not well-trained and naturally could not accompany them.

Zhao Zhen simply allowed Lu Congshuang to lead the Silver Flag Red Tassel Capital and Tu Qiao, the White Flag Backing Mountain Capital, to accompany him.

(End of this chapter)