You have truly caused me great suffering!

The Gao family sent people to Nanjing to persuade Gao Siyuan, but to no avail.

When Chen Shao heard this news, he treated it as a joke to relieve the fatigue of reviewing memorials.

After closing the military report from Guo Hao of Ise Province, Chen Shao's expression was strange; he wanted to laugh but also felt somewhat pathetic.

He shook his head, twitched the corner of his mouth, and said, "He's quite an extraordinary man."

In fact, there are quite a few devoted men in this world. There are often examples of men from good families who are completely controlled by gold diggers.

However, the decline of the Gao family in Dali could not be reversed by Gao Siyuan alone. Zhang Shuye, whom he had sent to the Guizhou area, had already begun to plan the Temo Road.

By leveraging the tea-horse trade among the various Wuman tribes, we can entice them one by one onto the Great Jing's carts, and then use the ancestral recognition program to make them actually acknowledge their Han Chinese identity.

At that time, they will naturally be drawn to the grander future.

What favors have you, Gao family, done to make them risk their lives for you?

It's incredibly easy for a powerful neighboring country to infiltrate a small nation.

Looking at the grand scenery from Dali's perspective is truly astonishing. This Central Plains dynasty had no powerful enemies outside, no internal rebellions, well-trained soldiers and ample supplies, and was happy to fight.

Then they showed interest in you and kept trying to win you over.

Are you afraid that he might suddenly send troops?

Therefore, Gao saw through Da Jing's little tricks perfectly, but dared not resist.

I'm afraid he'll back down and resort to force.

To be honest, Gao Taiming felt that if he were in the same boat as the Emperor of Dajing, he would have already lost his temper.

Therefore, he could only cautiously maneuver around the situation, watching helplessly as Da Jing infiltrated his subordinates and his son was forced into depravity in Jinling.

No one wants to lose their ancestral legacy unless absolutely necessary.

Seeing that Chen Shao didn't seem to care much, Wang Yin decided in his heart that Gao Siyuan didn't need to be watched too closely in the future.

His Majesty seems to have an unusually high level of patience with Dali, completely focusing on his own efforts without regard for Dali's reaction.

Chen Shao always insisted on having a legitimate reason for his actions, and Dali and Goryeo were extremely submissive to him.

This was especially true in Dali, where, as early as the Song Dynasty, they actively provided Yunnan horses to make up for the Song Dynasty's shortage of horses.

They paid tribute to the emperor every year and regarded him as the legitimate ruler.

On the contrary, the Song Dynasty, for various reasons, has always been lukewarm towards them and rarely bestows titles upon them.

The main reason was that the Nanzhao Kingdom had rebelled against the Tang Dynasty and captured Chengdu, which made the Song court wary and feel that they were not trustworthy.

Moreover, the strategic focus of the Song Dynasty was in the north, with northern barbarians and western bandits threatening the Central Plains, leaving it with no time to manage the southwest;
Finally, their national policy of "defending the interior while neglecting the exterior" led them to voluntarily abandon their plans to develop Yunnan.

Chen Shao was so decisive in attacking Jiaozhi because they had been invading the borders and annexing territory year after year, so he had a legitimate reason to attack them.

For Chen Shao, the stronger you are, the more you need to be reasonable.

Because at this point, you are the one who sets the 'reasons' and 'rules'.

Once others gradually accept this rule, they will turn around and protect your supreme status, find their place in the system you have established, and even help you fight against those newcomers who do not follow the rules.

But when you use force and violently break your own rules, your authority disappears.

Being able to attack whomever one wants may seem like a sign of strength, but in reality, it's a sign of weakness. It means that one can no longer force the other to compromise through means other than war.

Only when others respect you can you last.
When others fear you, they can only slowly breed resentment, and too much anger turns into hatred.

Why is it that the Great Jing can break this rule when facing enemies on the grasslands?
Because the nomadic barbarians of the grasslands have always been the mortal enemies of the Central Plains, and have been sworn enemies for thousands of years.

The Gongyang Commentary on the fourth year of Duke Zhuang states, "Can revenge still be taken after nine generations? It can be taken even after a hundred generations!"

The Book of Han, Biography of the Xiongnu, also says, "In the past, Duke Xiang of Qi avenged the enemies of nine generations, which was praised in the Spring and Autumn Annals."

This shows that, according to Chen Shao's advocacy of the righteousness of the Central Plains, attacking the northern Tartars, even to the point of their extinction, was justified by law and had a legitimate reason to fight.

Even though the war against Japan was influenced by Chen Shao's strong subjective emotions, it was actually justified.

Chen Shao still kept the arrogant "letter of state" that Toba wrote to him.

Chen Shao put down the military report in his hand, looked at Wang Yin, and said with a smile, "I heard that you recently married a woman from the Wu family of Jinling. I should congratulate you."

"No, no, I wouldn't dare." Wang Yin rarely smiled.

He has never stopped working all these years, and now that the situation is stable, he can finally start a family.

After all, who wouldn't want to have offspring?

Knowing his special status, Wang Yin dared not marry into an official family and instead married a woman from an ordinary local family.

At that time, Chen Shao sent Chen Chong with a congratulatory gift and also personally wrote a calligraphy piece.

Over the years, he has indeed made great contributions. The establishment of an empire could not possibly be based solely on those public achievements.

Guangyuantang doesn't only have Wang Yin. Chen Shao has been quietly improving their treatment over the years as a form of compensation.

Because it's impossible to get promoted and ennobled openly in this line of work, since intelligence work requires secrecy.

Moreover, the connections and networks they've painstakingly built mean they can't easily be replaced in this line of work. Wang Yin is at least in the public eye, but behind the scenes, there are countless unsung heroes, all meritorious contributors to the establishment of the Great Jing Dynasty.

After Wang Yin left, Chen Shao stretched and felt a little sleepy.

Just then, Li Wanshu walked in and asked, "Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress is taking everyone to the Shangyuan Palace and has sent someone to ask if Your Majesty would also like to go."

Shangyuan County, near Jinling, is located east of Zhongshan Mountain and at the foot of Tangshan Mountain. It is famous for its hot springs and is a well-known health resort in Jiangnan. Emperor Wu of Liang in the Southern Dynasties once bestowed upon it the title of "Holy Hot Spring".

"Tangshan is located fifty li northeast of Shangyuan County. Springs emerge from the mountainside, and it is always hot in winter and summer. In the past, many people came here to treat their illnesses. Its terrain is high, and one can see for dozens of li. It is truly the eastern shield of Jiankang."

Chen Shao fenced off an area to serve as a royal palace, which was completed in October.

This was not the first time Chen Shao had built a royal garden, but no court officials objected.

Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) plundered the entire country to build his gardens, while Chen Shao (Chen Shao) only needed to skim a little bit. Moreover, Emperor Huizong built gardens and Taoist temples, but he rarely went there, or only went once or twice.

Every time Chen Shao renovated a building, he would often go there to recuperate, and his ministers naturally couldn't say anything against it.

Chen Shao saw that Li Wanshu's eyes were sparkling as she stared at him, clearly indicating that she also really wanted to go.

Chen Shao pinched her cheek and laughed, "Go, go, go, go spend the winter there. You should go back and pack your things too."

After Li Wanshu left happily, Chen Shao had the Imperial Household Department issue an edict stating that he would be visiting the Tangshan Imperial Palace. He would then be able to meet the emperor again at the palace to report on matters. This was Chen Shao's way of slowly experimenting with removing his bureaucratic system from his own control, testing how it would function.

At noon, after lunch, the Lingwu Imperial Guards began escorting everyone to the imperial palace.

Chen Shao's imperial carriage was large enough that the Empress and the Imperial Concubine boarded it ahead of time. Facing his group of concubines, Chen Shao chuckled and said that whoever went in first could join him.

The other concubines covered their mouths and chuckled, too embarrassed to snatch it, but Chun Tao darted inside in a flash.

The happiest person on the way was Chun Tao, who chattered away until Li Shishi pinched her leg.

She then looked at Chen Shao pitifully.

Chen Shao pulled her into his arms. Chun Tao's legs seemed to grow longer and longer, and he reached directly into her skirt to measure them.

Li Shishi spat inwardly and said, "His Majesty is becoming more and more absurd."

Chen Shao chuckled. He was indeed being somewhat unrestrained in private these days; the position of emperor was such a place that it was easy for people to undergo such changes.

The temporary palace was not far from the imperial city, but the procession moved very slowly, and it was already dark when they arrived.

After having dinner together, Chen Shao went to soak in the hot springs.

The hot spring is similar to Huaqing Pool, with the bathhouse built inside a small building.

In Chen Shao's Ministry of Works, there was a group of craftsmen who were very skilled at building palaces and gardens. They were all professional talents left to him by Emperor Huizong.

Whether it's the architecture with its carved eaves and brackets, the elegant gardens, or even every brick, tile, plant, and tree, everything is carefully considered.

You can question everything about Emperor Huizong of Tang (Zhao Ji), but you should never question his aesthetic sense.
We arrived at a palace room that resembled a long corridor, but it was wider and enclosed.

Luxurious purple silk curtains hang on both sides, and behind them are two rows of straight-lattice windows. The materials are exquisite and the details are delicately carved, but they do not appear gaudy. The neat layout gives people a generous and open feeling.

Inside the latticed windows, there were many fine silk garments and some bath dews.

Deep inside the small building, one could see a hazy white mist, because it was an indoor hot spring bath. The white mist was the steam rising from the hot spring, which looked like the clouds and mist of the Heavenly Palace, reminding Chen Shao of the misty pool where Chang'e danced at the Jade Pool in his previous life's Journey to the West.

Chen Shao thought to himself, "No wonder that old scoundrel Li Longji likes to bathe in Huaqing Palace so much. This is indeed very interesting."

Especially during such a cold season, warm and comfortable places are even more appealing to people.

Stepping into the white steam of the hot spring, the wooden poolside was spotless. Several fair-skinned palace maids stood beside the antique palace walls, and a warm feeling washed over you.

Upon seeing him approach, the young palace maids went forward without being told to help him loosen his outer robe. Although the hot spring shore was much warmer than the palace upstairs, it was still quite cold to take off his clothes given the weather. Chen Shao immediately went into the hot spring.

The palace maids then brought over clothes racks and bamboo baskets for holding clothes, and also brought an incense burner, lit incense, and placed boxes of bath beans, snow-white towels, and gourd ladles for scooping water, one by one, in the designated positions on the bath tub.

Although it was night, the candles burning on the surrounding lampposts emitted a warm glow.

The pool wasn't very quiet; you could hear the north wind outside. But the sound of the wind actually gave people a sense of tranquility, making them feel safe and comfortable.

This feeling even quickly gave rise to a detached and lazy mentality in Chen Shao's mind. He even subconsciously thought how wonderful it would be if he could stay in such a peaceful and beautiful place and enjoy himself forever, as if time had stood still...

Just like how one always longs for the warmth of a bed on a winter morning.

After a series of rustling footsteps, Li Shishi quietly approached him. Chen Shao, who had straightened up, immediately noticed Li Shishi's collar. She had just removed her fur collar, revealing a small patch of snow-white, plump skin. Below that, it was covered by a red silk blouse, which stretched an exaggerated silhouette beneath the fabric...

It seems to have grown a bit bigger.
Li Shishi smiled, took off her clothes, and entered the hot spring. Chen Shao cupped her cheeks, their eyes met, their breaths mingled, and he could clearly smell the sweet, orchid-like fragrance emanating from her lips.

"The palace maids that I, your humble servant, have trained for Your Majesty have already mastered several dances. Would Your Majesty like to see them?"

"it is good."

A short while later, a group of young girls entered slowly with graceful steps. After bowing and curtsying, they danced gracefully by the pool.

Two others, one holding a pipa and the other a jade flute, sat by the pond playing music, oblivious to the dampness.

Li Shishi emerged from the water, poured him a cup of rice wine, and held it to his lips.

Yellow wine is warm in nature and sweet in taste, which complements the effect of hot springs in "warming and unblocking the meridians". Ancient people said, "After bathing in a warm spring, drinking a little yellow wine will make your qi and blood flow smoothly".

Chen Shaochao leaned back against the pond, utterly content. (End of Chapter)