You have truly caused me great suffering!

Starting with the red light that fell from the sky over Chenjiazhuang, auspicious omens began to be reported from various places.

It seemed as if auspicious omens would appear wherever Chen Shao's footprints were.

Not only officials in various places, but also many soldiers on the border began to report auspicious omens.

These people tirelessly reported it, to the point that Chen Shao almost believed it.

However, in Taiyuan, where Chen Shao was located, he not only did not see any auspicious omens, but also encountered natural disasters.

After dawn, a sudden gust of wind arose in the originally bright sky.

The sky above the city was pitch black! The clouds were so thick that you needed to hold up a torch to see anything even in broad daylight, and it was practically impossible to see your hand in front of your face on the ground.

Then came a blizzard that lasted for two days.

In the third year of the Jingkang era, the twelfth lunar month arrived.

The blizzard came so suddenly that people were initially filled with anxiety, but after the snow, it turned out to be a lucky omen.

Various places in Hedong submitted memorials, saying that the entire country was covered in silver, and that a sage had appeared and the world was white.

The area east of the river where the King of Dai resides is covered in white snow; this is called "King Plus White"!
Chen Shao simply couldn't be bothered with it; he had always ignored things like auspicious omens.

Because he knew that once he showed even the slightest interest, that would be the end of it.

A flood of auspicious omens would fall like snowflakes onto one's desk.

Chen Shao looked at the courtyard, where a group of women were shoveling snow and pushing it out, working busily and enthusiastically.

He walked out of the yard, but his boots still sank into the snow, and he couldn't pull them out without much effort.

"Is Your Majesty going out?" Cui Die prepared her new boots and followed along with difficulty.

Chen Shao nodded and hummed in agreement. With the New Year approaching, he needed to make some arrangements with everyone before he could enjoy a more leisurely holiday.

These days, when Chen Shao goes to discuss matters, he usually brings a maidservant with him and waits in the inner hall.

He turned around, picked up the boots, and said, "You don't need to go today."

The snow had already reached her ankles. Chen Shao smiled and said, "Let's go back."

"Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty," said Cui Die, gathering her skirts.

Chen Shao went outside and saw that Da Hu was acting as if nothing had happened. He looked down and saw that there was a piece of deerskin added to his boots.

Most of them are Dong's masterpieces.

Da Hu is quite lucky; he lives a more comfortable life than anyone else.

Although the roads in the city were covered with deep snow, the government office was still fully staffed today.

As the situation becomes clearer day by day, everyone's enthusiasm is growing.

Even if it were snowing, or even if it were raining knives, they'd probably still come carrying iron basins on their heads.

As it entered the twelfth lunar month, everyone looked much more relaxed, and there really wasn't much official business to attend to as winter approached.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with smiles, Li Tangchen began to talk about keeping warm.

Taiyuan Prefecture has begun promoting coal heating this year, and the government offices of various prefectures and counties have sent people to teach the people how to build stoves and clay chimneys.

Even though these coals require coking and washing before use, their cost is still far lower than that of charcoal.

He felt a sense of pride as he said this.

The things I did while following the King of Dai were not all for fame and fortune.

Li Tangchen felt an endless source of motivation whenever he thought about how future history books would describe us.

Chen Shao was also very satisfied. If coal could be popularized, the technology would definitely improve little by little, or even make a big leap.

Because the wisdom of the people is boundless.

It was actually easier for someone to change the lives of people in ancient times during the Song Dynasty than during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, because in many aspects, the technology and skills for people's livelihood in the Song Dynasty were indeed superior to those in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The collapse of the Song Dynasty at the end of the dynasty enslaved civilization to barbarism, allowed the backward to rule the advanced, and interrupted many technological innovations and progresses.

Just when things had finally calmed down in the Ming Dynasty and were about to get back on track, with the seeds of capitalism beginning to sprout, the Qing Dynasty came again.

After finalizing some policies for the New Year, Chen Shao said with a smile, "The roads are difficult to travel now, and the snow has piled up. You've all been busy all year, so you don't need to come back unless I summon you. Everyone should rest for seven days!"

All the officials rose and bowed in gratitude. Chen Shao had originally planned another banquet, but then he thought that with the snow still falling, some of the older officials might catch a cold if they drank a little wine and were exposed to the wind.

These days, catching a cold can easily kill an old man.

With most people gone, Chen Shao began preparing gifts.

He certainly wasn't sending things out of Taiyuan Prefecture. In fact, most of the goods were brought into Bianliang by caravans and then delivered by Wei Li and others.

Among the New Year's gifts, Zhao Huan received the lion's share; as long as he remained in that position, Chen Shao would not mistreat him.

Because Zhao Huan had indeed helped him a great deal.

Regardless of the circumstances, he is the emperor of the Song Dynasty, the rightful emperor of China today.

Even at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, when the royal family had been almost completely slaughtered and the world had fallen into the hands of foreign tribes.

One hundred thousand soldiers and civilians still died alongside the young emperor.

Therefore, Chen Shao was grateful for Zhao Huanzhi's cooperation.

He freed himself from spending too much energy on court intrigues, thus having more time and energy to devote to other things.

As for the retired Emperor Zhao Ji, Chen Shaoneng only sent him a few heartfelt greetings, all of which were for his elders.

That bastard is really good at hiding. He plotted some schemes in Genyue, but after nothing came of it, he finally realized the reality and went into complete silence.

The main point is to give others a reason not to mess with me.

From this, it's clear that he has realized the seriousness of the problem.

The Song Dynasty, the legacy of his Zhao family ancestors, was in fact ruined by him.

Based on Chen Shao's understanding of him, he would probably be glad that he abdicated early, leaving his son to bear the blame for the downfall of the country.

But Chen Shao will definitely make him face trial.

No one should be spared, but this bastard must not be let off the hook. His crimes must be recorded in detail and engraved in the history of the Song Dynasty: the Song Dynasty perished because of the incompetent Emperor Huizong of Song.
Didn't your Zhao family imprison Li Yu and make him write so many timeless masterpieces?

Then I'll lock you up and you can write for me, as much as you can.

Although Zhao Huan was always happy when Chen Shao sent things to the palace, he was not happy because of the treasures themselves.

In fact, Zhao Huan didn't have much desire to spend money. Perhaps because he had been persecuted by his father for too long, he was completely opposite to his father in many ways.

For example, Emperor Huizong of Song (Zhao Ji) only spent money and never saved it, spending lavishly and extravagantly; Emperor Huan of Song (Zhao Huan) only saved money and never spent it, filling his inner treasury to the brim, almost making Emperor Huizong envious.

His father, Zhao Ji, would bring new concubines into the palace almost every few days, with countless women in his household; Zhao Huan, on the other hand, lived a simple life with his wife and children, a family of four who cared for each other deeply.
Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) was extremely harsh and ungrateful towards his children, especially his sons, whom he was very wary of; Emperor Huan (Zhao Huan), on the other hand, doted on his sons.

Moreover, despite Zhao Huan's seemingly honest and harmless appearance, upon closer examination, he had already killed all of Zhao Ji's favored ministers and close advisors.

This shows how deep Zhao Huan's hatred for his father was.

Chen Shao had originally prepared many measures to keep Zhao Huan in check and prevent him from causing him trouble.

Unexpectedly, it was discovered that Zhao Huan possessed an innate puppet body, which not only prevented him from causing trouble but also cooperated with him in various ways.

In fact, Chen Shao knew that rather than saying he was cooperating, it would be more accurate to say that he was just too cowardly.

Too cowardly to resist.

He treated Wanyan Zongwang the same way, he treated Chen Shao the same way, and even further back, he treated Zhao Ji the same way, too cowardly to resist.

However, Chen Shao always judged people by their actions, not their intentions. Regardless of why Zhao Huan was so sensible, since he had provided him with convenience, Chen Shao would give him face.

After Liu Jizu and Li Tangchen left together, only Chen Shao and his personal guards remained in the yamen.

He stood up, about to leave, when he remembered what Maode looked like.

To be honest, I'm both worried and excited. Maode, who's playing it cool, exudes a unique charm.

Who would have thought that such a stunningly beautiful woman could be so alluring when she's being provocative?

Chen Shao sent someone to deliver a message, inviting her to the villa and preparing to spend the night with her.

He waited in the government office for a while, and the person who came said that the princess had gone to Lady Zhao, the hermit of Yi'an, a few days ago, but had not returned because of the snow making travel difficult.

Chen Shao felt a slight sense of regret. (End of Chapter)