You have truly caused me great suffering!

Xiao Ting had just arrived in Jinling and moved into the mansion that she had arranged for people to prepare beforehand.

Although Chen Shao stripped her of command of the caravan and handed it over to his trusted brothers Zhao Shan and Zhao He, he did not restrict her right to use the funds.

The combined abilities of Zhao Shan and Zhao He are not even a fraction of Xiao Ting's, but leading an armed caravan like this doesn't require much ability.

These two are quite mediocre, but their advantage lies in their absolute loyalty and obedience.

Ultimately, armed groups like caravans don't need to have their own will.

It has caravans behind it, plenty of money, and it is also very capable in combat, having already proven itself in the Western Regions.

If they are allowed to develop their own will and interests, they will be difficult to control.

At this moment, in the still high-walled and secluded back garden of Jinling, Xiao Ting stood on a small building, with the Qinhuai River in sight.

The name "Qinhuai" can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. Legend has it that when Qin Shi Huang toured the east, he dug Fangshan Mountain and cut off Changlong to release the royal aura of Jinling and diverted the Huai River to flow through the city, hence the name "Qinhuai".

This city, with its unique strategic location and strategic importance, became the capital of six dynasties.

This "surrounded by mountains and water, sheltered from the wind and gathering energy" pattern is regarded in traditional Feng Shui as "a place where royal energy is concentrated" - that is, a place suitable for emperors to build their capitals and for the country to prosper.

However, the past of the Six Dynasties has faded away, and Chen Shao's purpose in establishing his capital was completely different from that of the previous regimes that had established themselves in the south.

He chose this place as his capital because he wanted to open up the seas, and the transportation cost of gold and silver brought in from the sea to Nanjing would be the lowest.

No need for further transfers, and no worries about being targeted by others along the way.

Moreover, Nanjing not only had the natural advantage of the Yangtze River shipping route, but also a complete postal relay system:

Eastward: Passing through Jurong and Danyang to Zhenjiang, connecting to the Jiangnan Canal;

Southward: via Lishui and Xuancheng to Huizhou and Jiangxi;
Westward: Along the river to Taiping Prefecture, Chizhou Prefecture, and Jiangzhou Prefecture;
To the north: Although separated by the Yangtze River, ferry crossings were set up in places such as Pukou and Guazhou, which provided access to Yangzhou and Chuzhou.

Although Xiao Ting's bright eyes showed some fatigue from the long journey, she looked quite content, holding a cup of tea made with cassia seeds, lotus leaves, roses, and winter melon. She seemed very satisfied with her new residence.

Because she was an expert, she knew the benefits of this place, and the first shipment of gold and silver had already arrived.

Those were brought back from Korea by her caravan.

Goryeo had very rich gold deposits. Gold was not used as currency there, but was often used for tribute, trade, and Buddhist worship.

Many Buddhist temples in Goryeo have golden Buddha statues.
Given the importance of this resource, the Goryeo Kingdom has always prohibited its citizens from mining for gold. Instead, the government has established an office to manage the mining.

The caravan traded silk and porcelain from the Central Plains for gold, which was then transported to Nanjing.

Chen Shao's suggestion of using precious metals like gold, silver, and copper as credit backing to implement a paper currency system greatly appealed to Xiao Ting.

If one has strong support from paper money, one will no longer need to carry copper coins or cloth as currency when doing business, and can earn half again as much on a single trip.

She looked out over the Qinhuai River. By this time, news of the capital's relocation had spread, so there were many more ships in the port than before.

In a few years, this place will be even more bustling, and the wealth from the sea will absolutely astound the world.
-
The Xiao family's vision was already very far-sighted.

But Chen Shao had considered things one step further than she had.

Inside the imperial city, Chen Shao was drinking with Liu Guanglie in the Funing Palace.

Funing Palace is a place where only extremely close relatives are received. Liu Guanglie's wife and daughters were in the next room, having a feast with Zhong Lingxi and the others.

Although the two brothers met frequently, they drank together less and less often.

After having a small drink, Chen Shao smiled and said, "I have already sent people to repair my aunt's house in Jinling. You should go there in a few days to see if there is anything that needs to be added."

Liu Guanglie laughed and said, "She's not picky, but the place is damp. I lived there for a month and always felt the humidity was too high."

"That's because the place you live is bad."

Liu Guanglie sighed and remained silent. He had originally thought that Chen Shao would establish his capital in Chang'an, or even Yan'an Prefecture would have been fine.

It's close to home!
Chen Shao knew what they meant, but he insisted on setting the capital in Jinling for another reason.

The opening of the sea is a done deal and will be a major development in the future.

The southeastern coast is bound to be the place that benefits the most from opening up the sea.

Once their capital is gone, the gentry of Jiangnan, having already reaped the benefits of the opening of the sea, will begin to harbor inappropriate thoughts.

It seems that all the wealth in the world is earned by people from Jiangnan, which makes them dissatisfied with the court and demands that the court change national policies according to their interests.

When I'm around, of course there's no problem; if all else fails, I'll just chop off a few that are sprouting.

But after I pass away, the next generation may not be able to defeat them.

The Ming Dynasty's demise was largely due to this. In the mid-to-late Ming period, the Jiangnan region had already opened up to the sea, and the immense wealth brought by trade made the Jiangnan gentry feel that they were the true masters of the country.

It's hard to imagine how wealthy the gentry and officials in Jiangnan were at that time, yet the Ming Dynasty perished because it was "poor" and couldn't pay its soldiers.

The gentry of Jiangnan during the Ming Dynasty truly risked their lives to resist taxes.

I refuse to pay taxes, and you have to listen to me, exempt me from this tax and that rule, and do everything my way.

If the emperor doesn't listen to them, he's a foolish or tyrannical ruler; if the ministers don't listen to them, they're treacherous or sycophantic officials.

If the court doesn't change, we will change the court.

Later, when the Manchus came, they tried to do the same thing again, but the Manchus didn't buy it.

They used benevolence and morality to force the Ming emperor to act, but the Tartars were immune to it because they truly had no morality.

Refusing to pay taxes? Then I'll just kill you all. The Manchus had no regard for the essence of Central Plains culture; instead, they sought to push servility to its extreme.

Because they were originally a semi-slave society, they didn't want to develop or progress; instead, they wanted to drag everyone down to their level.

Let's all stop being human and become slaves!

As a result, those gentry from Jiangnan who were originally the most vocal critics of the imperial court all began to miss the Ming Dynasty after its fall.

Not only did they now obediently hand over all the taxes they used to refuse to pay, but they couldn't even complain about it here.

They'll just throw a literary inquisition at you, kill another round of people, and while they're at it, they'll take what they didn't finish last time and enjoy it themselves.

Therefore, Chen Shao wanted to establish the capital in Nanjing so that the first wave of profits from maritime trade would go directly into the national treasury, preventing the gentry of Jiangnan from being the first to handle them.

To avoid raising more ungrateful children.

Liu Guanglie suddenly became very interested and said, "By the way, the brothers in the Northwest have been urging me to ask if we're going to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai!"

"Reclaiming the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun is a tremendous achievement; it would be inappropriate not to go."

Chen Shao rolled his eyes in annoyance. Fengchan?

Do you know how much it costs to perform the Fengshan ceremony?
With this money, wouldn't it be better to use it to dig canals or build roads?
Chen Shao was indeed good at making money, especially the caravans tied to his regime, which brought them endless wealth.

Wherever the Dingnan Army's forces went, merchant caravans followed closely, saving him a huge amount of money while also making him some extra income.

Opening up the Silk Road was the foundation of the Tang Dynasty's prosperity.

At this time, Central Asia was not yet in chaos, nor had it been ravaged by the Mongols, and the Silk Road remained a golden route.

But he earns a lot, and spends even more.
They often ran into deficits, and it was only thanks to Cai Jing that the Song Dynasty's finances didn't collapse, and he was given a huge lifeline.

"Forget about the Fengshan ceremony. After Emperor Zhenzong of the previous dynasty went to it, the Fengshan ceremony lost its original meaning."

In fact, Emperor Zhenzong of Song, Zhao Heng, did a decent job in the early years. Although he couldn't compare to those emperors who were considered great throughout history, he at least accomplished a lot of practical things.

In the Battle of Chanyuan, they really went to the front lines, which certainly boosted morale.

But the problem lies in this Fengshan ceremony.
This is equivalent to getting into the top ten in the class in the middle school midterm exam, and then holding a celebration in the ancestral hall with all the clan members.

This directly led to him feeling guilty later on, and he indulged in superstition, extravagance, and waste, thus becoming complacent and idle.

Does Chen Shao have the qualifications to perform the Fengshan ceremony now?

He felt it was barely manageable, but it would be better not to go.

Chen Shao himself didn't value these things much. He was only in his twenties, and his ambitions had taken the first step. There were still ninety-nine steps to go.

"You should take good care of your aunt and make her happy. That's more important to me than going to the Fengshan ceremony!"

Chen Shao's words were not just polite talk; since ancient times, the Central Plains dynasties have governed the country with loyalty and filial piety.

Without Chen Yuexian, Chen Shao wouldn't know who to honor.
There aren't many founding emperors in history who suffered as much as him; Zhu Chongba is one of them.

After Zhu Yuanzhang founded the country, he wanted to be filial but didn't know who to be filial to. Looking around, he only had his second brother-in-law, who was of the same generation.

Chen Shao is very lucky to have an aunt who takes good care of him.

Liu Guanglie nodded and said, "I was just venting to you. Actually, Nanjing is pretty good."

Chen Shao knew that his cousin was simple-minded and loyal, and that someone had probably taught him to say that.

But he didn't care, and he wouldn't pursue the matter.

"Let's drink, let's drink. I see your alcohol tolerance isn't what it used to be," Chen Shao said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Liu Guanglie's eyes widened, and he picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Chen Shao was a little tipsy but in a good mood.

After seeing off his cousin's family, Chen Shao felt a unique sense of joy; even emperors are human.

People always crave what they lack most, and even emperors are no exception.

Such close kinship ties were especially rare in the royal family.

Seeing him smiling, Zhong Lingxi said, "Since you like your cousin's family so much, why don't you keep them around?"

“We’re heading to Jinling soon,” Chen Shao said. “I’ll have him go ahead and scout the way for us.”

"Jinling?" Zhong Lingxi's eyes lit up. She was a girl who loved reading and longed for the Jiangnan region described in poetry.

Despite her status as the Empress and the fact that she bore Chen Shao a child, she was actually still very young and inexperienced.

I still have some beautiful fantasies and visions in my heart.

Chen Shao always thought that girls like this were very cute, and he liked that kind of temperament.
-
After the new emperor ascended the throne, a reform was brewing.

The rain is coming and the wind is all over the building.

Specific measures and laws have not yet surfaced, but such a reform, which is crucial to the overall situation, involves a large number of people and cannot be kept secret. Even before the reform has begun, many people have already sensed the news.

Immediately afterward, news spread like wildfire that the Great Jing court was going to conduct a nationwide land survey. Moreover, while a war was raging in the north, 50,000 elite soldiers remained in the Forbidden City, and troops were being drawn back to the capital from the border regions.

This has caused some unease among people.

The opposition is not yet strong, and most people are still watching to see if the new law will affect their interests.

They were eager to find a leader, so they set their sights on Cai Jing.

Although many people were at odds with Cai Jing, in the past it was a struggle among our scholar-officials.

Now that the plate is about to be smashed, many powerful families feel that someone like Cai Jing will not be confined to internal strife.

They became even more confident when they heard that this reform involved land acquisition.

Everyone knows that Cai Jing annexed the most land.

Then came a series of terrifying news reports.

After the land survey, the imperial court will implement a progressive tax system, where households with more land will have to pay more taxes.

Even more shocking news was that Cai Jing actually offered to sell his 500,000 mu of land to the imperial court.

This completely caused an uproar.

Cai Jing simply released this news and then closed his doors to visitors, saying he was unwell.

The former officials went crazy, asking all of Cai Jing's relatives for information, and even Cai You, who was mining coal in Hedong, was visited by people.

Taking advantage of the situation, Cai You pretended to be profound, kept soliciting bribes from others, and then said some ambiguous nonsense, when in fact he knew nothing.

Some people are just born with a good foundation.

Cai You was already in good health, but after being sent to mine coal, the simple meals and labor actually made him even healthier.

After getting a large sum of money, he immediately sneaked out, but was dragged back from the brothel by the foreman, who confiscated all the money he had swindled.

As for Cai Jing's other descendants, they were even more annoyed and went out to hide.

The release of such a major piece of news was certainly not a random event, but rather a carefully planned scheme.

The purpose of releasing this information was to encourage those with self-awareness to sell their land to the imperial court in a timely manner.

This also serves to create internal divisions among them.

Cai Jing has already surrendered. Those who still want to resist to the end, you should think twice.

Do you have Cai Jing's qualifications? Do you have Cai Jing's wisdom? Do you have Cai Jing's connections?

Moreover, Cai Jing sided with Chen Shao after the Genyue Coup.

Even such people could not escape this fate, which shows the determination behind this reform. The constant influx of elite troops and capable generals also puts invisible pressure on them.

Amidst this atmosphere of widespread anxiety, in the fourth month of the first year of Jianwu in the Great Jing Dynasty, the Zichen Hall held its first court session on the first day of the month.

Chen Shao got up early and made careful preparations.

Li Shishi personally helped him get dressed and said with a smile, "This isn't Your Majesty's first time attending court, so why do you seem a little impatient?"

Chen Shao sighed and said, "Today is no ordinary day."

"So even as emperor, you have your worries," Li Shishi said softly, nestled in his arms.

"It's not exactly a worry, it's just quite important."

Although they had shared a bed for so many years, and Li Shishi often helped Chen Shao get up, Chen Shao never knew exactly when she put on her makeup or put on her clothes.
She's too fast and too efficient.
Early in the morning, she had already dressed herself up very neatly, with her hair styled in a simple updo, tied with a dark blue silk ribbon, and her only head ornament was a silver hairpin inlaid with a ruby, with not a single strand of hair in disarray.
She wore a light pink thin shirt and a dark blue silk jacket with red embroidery along the edges.

The dress was only available in a few colors: blue, purple, red, and white, but the fabric was of very high quality—smooth, new, and glossy. It accentuated her slender waist and rounded hips, highlighting her taut curves and alluring silhouette.

Chen Shao slapped her buttocks hard a few times to relieve his pressure. Li Shishi just rolled her eyes and didn't even dodge. She even pouted slightly.

After Chen Shao finished, she slightly bent her knees and said in a sweet voice, "Your Majesty, I wish you a swift victory and all your wishes fulfilled."

Even earlier than Chen Shao were the officials. Once a month, all the "promoted officials" (i.e., those in the capital who were qualified to attend court, usually of the sixth rank or above) would gather outside the palace gates in their official robes before 3 a.m.
The Censorate inspects shifts and corrects any breaches of etiquette.

Then the gatekeeper announced: "All civil and military officials, enter the ranks!"

Officials, divided into civil and military ranks according to their positions, entered the palace and lined up in formation.

Han Shizhong and Jin Ling led the way, with other officials following closely behind.

Chen Shao looked at the officials below; all his trusted confidants were there, and he had spoken with each of them individually.

After the officials paid their respects, Li Tangchen, representing the assembled officials, stepped forward and said, "May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings."

Chen Shao nodded and said, "I am well. My beloved ministers, you should all do your best."

Li Tangchen and Chen Shao exchanged glances and nodded slightly. Chen Shao also nodded in acknowledgment.

In fact, many times, the things that need to be read out at a large meeting have already been discussed in countless smaller meetings beforehand.

You'd better not raise any objections at this time.
After the formal ceremony was completed, Chen Shao waved his hand.

Wang Xiaojie, a newly promoted honest eunuch from the Inner Palace Service (a mid-level eunuch of low rank, historically known for his role in summoning reinforcements from various regions by order of Emperor Qinzong on the eve of the fall of the city in the first year of the Jingkang era; risking his life to descend the city wall and contact Zhang Shuye, the governor of the Southern Route), stepped forward and read out Chen Shao's decree.

There are two major events in total.

First, the imperial court rebuilt the Ministry of Revenue into the Ministry of Agriculture, appointing one Minister, one Vice Minister, one Assistant Minister, and one Registrar. They were in charge of land registration, surveying, property rights, water conservancy, agricultural tools, seeds, and land reclamation.

Xu Jin was appointed concurrently as Minister of Agriculture and began surveying and registering land. Henan Prefecture and Kaifeng Prefecture were the first to be surveyed.

Secondly, Emperor Chen Shaozheng issued the "Imperial Edict for the Southern Journey to Jinling," announcing that "the emperor will move to Jinling to consolidate the foundation of the nation."
The "Imperial Construction Office" was established to oversee the relocation of the capital.

There was an uproar in the hall.

Just as everyone was filled with doubt and uncertainty, Han Shizhong stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty is wise and sagacious. Your subject respectfully obeys the imperial edict!"

After he finished speaking, almost all the military officers in the hall stepped forward to echo his words.

Wei Li, Li Tangchen, Zhang Xiaochun, Liu Jizu, Zhang Kejian, and other civil officials stepped forward and said in unison, "Your Majesty is wise and virtuous; your subjects respectfully obey the imperial edict!"

Seeing this, the other officials dared not voice any objections.

Chen Shao felt much more at ease. He knew this would happen because his 100,000 cavalry had not eaten your food or been conscripted from your territory.

You can't interfere with my trusted men.
-
After the decision was issued, the order was sent throughout the land.

Just three days later, people began to evacuate in batches.

Chen Shao always takes a long time to prepare for things, but once he starts, he acts swiftly and decisively.

This applies to both military campaigns and domestic reforms.

On the streets of Bianliang, countless people watched this scene, somewhat at a loss.

They looked blankly at each other, watching silently.

The emperor, his harem, his personal eunuchs and palace maids, and the various guards in front of the emperor were escorted by 5,000 elite imperial guards, the "Lingwu Army".

The emperor was leaving, about to depart from the capital city of Bianliang. Only then did they remember that their emperor no longer bore the surname Zhao.

This city has long been inextricably linked with the Zhao family of past dynasties.

The new emperor decreed that if people voluntarily migrated south, the government would provide them with boat tickets and three days' worth of rations, and local officials would set up "Anmin Post Stations" along the way to receive them.

But not many people are willing to leave.

This is a city where no one starves, which is especially precious in this day and age.

Tokyo City carries their pride, but this pride is fueled by draining the blood of other regions.

The entire Song Dynasty was supporting this city.

Therefore, in history, the Jin army was stunned when they broke into Bianjing.

There was just too much stuff; they couldn't possibly take it all by force. So they asked the Song Dynasty officials to help them loot it.

These officials of the Song Dynasty were truly bastards. In order to save their own lives, they took the initiative to organize a large-scale search and arrest of women, "calling names by household registration as if chasing fugitives"; they forcibly escorted royal daughters, wives and daughters of officials, and respectable women from ordinary families to the Jin camp; and they "detained and sent away all those with even a little bit of beauty, regardless of their status."

He ordered his soldiers to "search house to house, dig three feet into the ground" for gold and silver; and to torture those families for whom no valuables were found.

They would apply makeup to sickly, disheveled women and send them in carts to Jinying to make up the numbers.

They even demolished houses to use timber to melt down and cast bronze ware as metal.

Chen Shao saved Bianliang, but he also stripped Bianliang of its glory as the capital.

The emperor's entourage would transfer to imperial ships upon arrival at the port and proceed along the waterway first.

The main route for the southward migration, as determined by the Imperial Construction Commissioner, was: Bian River → Si River → Huai River → Yangtze River → Jinling (Nanjing).

The entire journey is by water, making it efficient and safe.

At the Bianjing dock, Chen Shao boarded the imperial ship with his harem and relatives. Fortunately, the number of his harem was really small.

As everyone walked on the boat, they looked around curiously. Chen Shao instructed, "If anyone feels seasick or uncomfortable, they can speak up. After disembarking, the Lingwu Camp will escort them south."

Because many of the palace maids in the Song Dynasty had household registration in Bianjing, Chen Shao specifically ordered that those who wanted to stay could relinquish their palace maid status and voluntarily remain in Bianliang.

To his surprise, not many chose to stay.

After Chen Shao's fleet left the Bianjing dock, a second group of people arrived.

The second wave consisted of the central government of the Great Jing Dynasty:
Officials of the Six Ministries, Censorate, Hanlin Academician, Imperial Medical Bureau;

Carrying official seals, archives, and legal documents;
He was accompanied by imperial guards.

Along the shore, there were always soldiers and guards who had been arranged in advance, and Chen Shao would occasionally wave to them.

In Nanjing, however, the scene was quite different. All the people were overjoyed and welcomed the emperor's arrival.

Several months ago, Yang Cheng led a team to dredge the Qinhuai River wharf and expand the warehouses: the Changping Warehouse and the military granary.
The former palace of the Southern Tang Dynasty was renovated and renamed 'Jingyang Palace'. The plaques of various halls were changed: the main hall was named 'Chuigong Hall', the sleeping quarters were named 'Funing Hall', the Privy Council was named 'Shumi Yuan', and the Secretariat and Chancellery were named 'Zhongshu Menxia Sheng'.

Wu Lin personally led the team and had already taken over the city gates, the imperial city, and the key passes along the river.

Even his lover, Maud, and others had already arrived here.

Now, the city of Jinling awaits the emperor's arrival. (End of Chapter)