You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chen Shao was determined to acquire gold, silver, and copper mines overseas.

Because he has an urgent need.

The paper money of the Song Dynasty was originally a groundbreaking product and a great invention.

However, due to Emperor Huizong's extravagance, the financial savvy Cai Jing squandered it all.

Every time Cai Jing tried to satisfy Zhao Ji's desires, he would manipulate the paper money, which did indeed make a fortune in a short period of time, but it led to the collapse of his credibility.

If Chen Shao wants to re-establish paper currency, he needs credit backing, and the best way is to store up sufficient gold and silver.

Gold and silver are currencies that can be used anywhere in the world. To ensure their redemption, and with the prestige of Chen Shao, the Prince of Dai, and the Dingnan Army over the years, it is necessary to rebuild public trust in paper money.

As for copper, besides being a monetary material, it was also an essential material for the artillery that Chen Shao wanted to develop vigorously.

With current technology, it is not feasible to replace bronze with iron cannons.

Let gold, silver, and copper flow into the Central Plains, and then store them there; their value will increase over time.

The more advanced the technology and the more frequent the exchanges between continents, the greater the value of these metals.

Therefore, it was destined that he would not make any concessions to Goryeo, and could only let them accept it slowly.

As for sharing some of the profits with them, that would be acceptable.

This concerns the future potential of the nation, and no amount of bribery or flattery will change Chen Shao's mind.

Goryeo wanted Chen Shao to give up his voyage to Japan and instead have them act as intermediaries, but that was impossible.

He would not only not give up his voyages, but also establish many ports in Goryeo, with Gaegyeong and Seogyeong as the core, supplemented by ports such as Ulsan, Busan, and Incheon, forming a trade network covering Northeast Asia.

He wanted to control these ports and use them as transit points to allow as much of Goryeo's mineral resources as possible to flow into the Central Plains.

The same applies to Japan.

Yin Yanyi didn't understand at the time, so he had been worried for the past few days, not knowing how to persuade Chen Shao.

The gifts he brought on this trip were many and of great value to the King of Dai from Goryeo, and they were all very thoughtfully chosen.

To bribe officials for this trip, they even searched the whole country for fair-skinned, beautiful women. After careful selection, they chose five virgins, trained them for half a year, and finally sent them to the Prince's Palace a few days ago.

Chen Shaozhao accepted all the items, including gold, silver, jade, ginseng, and pearls, which were put into the royal treasury. The Goryeo girls were assigned to various courtyards as maids, and then the royal staff prepared return gifts to send back to the Goryeo king.

Xiao Ting's idea was that if Goryeo did not agree to grant her the land for her caravan to build a port, then she should let Qu Duan's navy fight it.

However, Chen Shao never had such a thought.

Even the worst-case scenario would be to support a puppet regime in Goryeo as a comprador force to achieve their own goals.

War is always the last resort.

Only gamblers would launch an unprepared war.

Yin Yanyi contacted Chen Shao several more times.

Each time, Chen Shao would bluntly hint to him that he wanted to build a port in Korea, and also in Japan.

Although these ports were nominally their land, the right to use them belonged to their own caravans.

Chen Shao repeatedly told him that the caravan held a very high position in the Dingnan Army.

Seeing this, Yin Yanyi had no choice but to leave Taiyuan to go back and discuss the matter with the king and a group of ministers.

He originally planned to stay in Taiyuan for a long time to cultivate a good relationship with the Prince of Dai, so that they could have a connection after the change of dynasty.

But now, he has to go back.

The official road outside Taiyuan was covered in snow, but the sound of wheels rolling over the snow could be heard continuously.

The road was bustling with carriages and horses. Lifting the curtain to let in the fresh air, Yin Yanyi said to his adjutant Han Fang, "When we return, we must hurry up and align ourselves with the Prince of Dai."

"Is there absolutely no chance for the Song Dynasty?"

Yin Yanyi nodded. "If we don't quickly side with the Prince of Dai and make concessions, we may face the destruction of our country."

Han Fang frowned, somewhat unconvinced. "The Prince of Dai is a kind and enlightened man, not an unreasonable person. We are wholeheartedly loyal to him, why would he resort to violence?"

Hearing his words, Yin Yanyi sneered, "The Prince of Dai is benevolent, but his troops are all brutes. The Prince of Dai will most likely change the dynasty by accepting the abdication, so there will be very few battles to fight."

"Without fighting, there is no military merit. The desire for military merit among the Dingnan Army has long been obsessive."

"His men, for the sake of military merit, might deliberately provoke us in Goryeo after eliminating Guo Yaoshi."

Upon hearing this, Han Fang was also startled, "The most important matters of state are those that can be handled by a military man alone!"

Goryeo is not entirely peaceful these days. A treacherous old minister, Yi Ja-gyeom, has long monopolized the position of prime minister and is colluding with Tso Jun-kyung, who rose to power through military merit; his wolfish ambitions are blatantly obvious. Although they have a deep understanding of the Central Plains and have been closely monitoring intelligence there, almost all of Goryeo's upper echelons have reached a consensus: King Dai is benevolent.
A full year after the war ended, a special Lunar New Year's Eve arrived in the Central Plains.

Because the three main forces of the Dingnan Army did not choose to launch a northern expedition this year, there was no major war in the vast lands inhabited by Han people.

This is extremely rare.

The Song Dynasty had been established for so many years, but it hadn't achieved this many times.

The economy and people's livelihoods have seen a significant recovery, especially in Hedong.

The successful completion of spring planting and autumn harvest ensures that every household has grain, and the development of coal and coking has brought smoke to every household.

A true golden age is one where the basic needs of food and clothing for ordinary people are met; anything else is meaningless.

Of course, it would be untrue to say that no one in Hedong is starving or freezing to death right now.

However, this number is shrinking rapidly.

This immense sense of accomplishment fuels Chen Shao's enthusiasm every day.

The Prince's mansion was bustling with activity from early morning, with maids hanging lanterns and cleaning the rooms.

Strings of red lanterns hang from the pillars, and walking underneath them, even during the day, the sunlight illuminates them in a red hue, creating a very festive atmosphere.

Early in the morning, Chen Shao and Zhong Lingxi were in their room receiving everyone's New Year's greetings.

All three children were present. Chen Shao held A Suo in his arms and let her sit on his lap. He said to the people behind him, "Let's take these two little ones back. With so many people around, it's easy for them to catch a cold or something. Even if they haven't shown up yet, they can still spread the virus."

Lady Lin quickly nodded and said, "Your Majesty is right."

She now lives in the Prince's mansion, and her days are quite pleasant and carefree. She spends her time reading medical books and playing with the ladies.

When a woman in a household has a hidden illness, most people will come to visit her; it's rare for her to come to their door in person.

The wet nurses took Wangzai and Haohao (Li Shishi's daughter) away, leaving only Asuo sitting obediently on Chen Shao's lap.

Soon, most of the people had arrived. After paying their respects, they gathered together, wanting to go out for a stroll.

Everyone still remembers the lively and bustling atmosphere of Taiyuan during the New Year last year, determined to surpass Bianliang.

This year, I've had much less of that feeling.

First of all, people have noticed that in terms of vibrancy and prosperity, it is indeed no match for Bianliang.

Putting everything else aside, if the people of Taiyuan had ten strings of cash, they would probably first consider buying clothes for their families, or save it for next year.

But the people of Bianliang were truly willing to spend their money. If they had ten strings of cash for the New Year, they would dare to spend twenty strings, and then slowly pay off the debts the following year.

Having been wealthy for two hundred years, they have this confidence. In Bianliang, as long as you're not too lazy, you can find a job to make a living anywhere.

Chen Shao also disapproved of a grand celebration, since the border war was not yet over and there were still hundreds of thousands of soldiers spending the New Year at the border, unable to go home.

Moreover, these past few years have been a crucial time for restoring people's livelihoods and for building up and supporting the people. Everything should be done with frugality in mind.

Huanhuan, Chuntao, Jinle'er, Li Yumei, and Liu Caiwei were all girls of similar age, full of energy, and they got along well. After exchanging greetings, they pulled along Zhe Ningxiang, who was equally active, and walked around the city together for a morning.

Zhang Yinghan and Jin Ye'er are both pregnant and are resting in their own courtyards, not with them.

Li Shishi preferred quiet to activity. Lazily, she removed her silk robe and padded jacket, changed into deerskin boots and embroidered shoes, and sat gracefully in front of the mirror.

Chen Shao was right beside her. In the mirror, her features were delicate and graceful, with willow-leaf eyebrows, starry eyes, peach-blossom cheeks, and diamond-shaped lips. She was still as beautiful as a flower.

She wore a narrow-sleeved, front-opening blouse and a floor-length, moon-white skirt. Underneath the blouse, a crimson "Hezi" (a type of traditional Chinese garment) held a heavy white rabbit, which seemed about to burst out of the garment, outlining her alluring curves.

For some reason, Li Shishi suddenly sighed softly, her jade-like fingers gently caressing the soft bodice of her robe, her body still alluring and captivating.

But the young man is too young; how many more years of youth does he have left? After today, he will be another year older.

Chen Shao, perhaps because he has been in a position of power for so long, is adept at seeing through their thoughts.

He stepped forward and hugged Li Shishi without saying a word. Shishi was stunned for a moment, then curled up contentedly in his warm embrace.

"You've grown another year older!" Li Shishi whispered.

"Do you think it's good?"

She glanced sideways at Chen Shao with her beautiful eyes, and said, "My lord, do you know who I'm talking about?"

Chen Shao chuckled and pinched her earlobe. "You look even younger than last year."

Li Shishi blushed. Every time she was with this young man who was even younger than her, she felt like a child and was no match for him at all.

She was completely bewitched by him, and thankfully, she was doing so willingly and enjoying it, never wanting to wake up. (End of Chapter)