You have truly caused me great suffering!

On New Year's Eve of the fifth year of Jianwu.

As the lights of every household shone, a tense atmosphere permeated the courtyard of the Honglu Temple Guesthouse, where the Koreans resided.

On the wall, the candlelight from the lamppost cast long shadows of them.

It's important to know that Koreans also celebrate Lunar New Year's Eve, and they take it very seriously.

But at this moment, everyone was clearly not in the mood for celebration.

The Western Capital rebelled again. I still remember the last time the Western Capital rebelled, although Emperor Jing sent troops to suppress it, he also reprimanded everyone.

We should let ourselves treat the people of Goryeo kindly.

At this time, another civil unrest broke out in Goryeo, this time in Seogyeong.

At first, no one took it seriously, but as things fermented, Jing Jun's delay in taking action made them uneasy.

Kim Bu-sik has already submitted a memorial to the emperor, and although he is at the Onsen Palace, he has not avoided seeing him because of this.

This gave the Koreans hope.

After all, if Daejeong wanted to disrupt Goryeo at this time, they could have used the pretext of the people's suffering to ignore Goryeo.

"Let's go see His Majesty again tomorrow," Cui Weiqing, the Minister of Rites, said softly.

His tone was hesitant, and he sounded unsure of himself.

Kim Bu-sik did not object, but nodded. The others looked at him with respect.

On the first day of the new year, the emperor usually only received close ministers and nobles, and it was never heard of him summoning foreign officials.

Kim Bu-sik's willingness to give it a try already demonstrates immense courage.

He was the de facto prime minister of Goryeo, with absolute power, especially in recent years, when he held absolute authority.

But he was still willing to endure being looked down upon, which shows that he truly has a sense of responsibility.

Inside the hot spring palace, everyone gathered to celebrate the New Year together.

Chen Shao did not return to the capital for the New Year, but stayed here to spend time with his family.

The meal was plentiful, and Chen Shao noticed that there were more dairy products in this year's New Year's Eve dinner.

Not only are there various kinds of cheeses, but even the porridge is made from milk and is called chyme.

Because the desert was pacified and winter camps were built, the trade in meat and dairy products in the Central Plains increased.

The purchasing power of the Central Plains has always been astonishing; it's just that some things are simply unavailable.

Nowadays, this is not only happening in the imperial city, but also among ordinary people. Meat and dairy products are beginning to enter every household, and all sorts of new cooking methods are emerging.

Iron casting technology was also greatly improved, and there were more and more workshops for iron ore mining and iron smelting. The use of coal and the supply of meat made the years after the founding of the Great Jing Dynasty a golden age for the rapid development of culinary skills.

Seeing him staring at the cheese, Zhang Yinghan assumed His Majesty was craving it again and whispered, "Your Majesty, I have some newly arrived this year. You can try it another day."

Chen Shao smiled and nodded, without saying anything more.

Besides the northern desert, the Qilian Mountains area to the west is also a high-quality pasture for Dajing.

Because the people of the Song Dynasty liked to build houses with wood, Chen Shao specifically ordered that no too much firewood should be used when setting off torches in the courtyard on New Year's Eve this year; a broken branch would suffice as a symbolic gesture.

The Great Jing Dynasty already had a ban on logging, so the emperor issued this decree because he was afraid of a fire.

Everyone assumed he was protecting the forest again.

There has long been a rumor among the people that although the Great Jing Dynasty values ​​the virtue of earth, His Majesty actually favors wood.

After ascending the throne, he issued a ban on logging in the Central Plains, which forced everyone to build ships in the southern wilderness and Goryeo. He also promoted coal to replace charcoal.

Chen Shao did not ignore these rumors. He published an article in the Dajing Daily, explaining in detail the importance of vegetation for sand fixation and waterproofing.

River management was always one of the top three problems for every dynasty.

This year, the royal family set an example by piling up only a small pile, similar to a bonfire.

However, the fireworks and firecrackers were set off for a long time.

In the Nanjing area, the sound of firecrackers echoed continuously.

As night fell, countless buildings lit up, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, dazzling the stars in the sky and making it hard to tell whether one was in the prosperous city of Nanjing or in the heavenly Jade Capital.

Thousands of lights illuminate homes as we celebrate the New Year.
-
Goryeo, Seogyeong.

Cui Shunting was full of energy, no longer the dejected girl she had been that night.

He bent over, intending to write down the entire situation of the day and send it to Nanjing.

This time he learned his lesson and didn't make decisions himself, letting Jinling give the orders.

To be honest, Cui Shunting is a very successful businessman, but he is far less adept at political maneuvering.

Assassinating powerful figures in Xijing was inherently a low-reward, high-risk endeavor.

Initially, the powerful families of Xijing resisted the promotion of Chinese language, but after Choi Soon-jeong unexpectedly ignited Xijing, they chose to cooperate with him instead.

Cui Shunting never imagined that his mission to assassinate the powerful families of Xijing was completely unimportant to them.

In their eyes, he was insignificant, merely a fallen aristocratic family now just a merchant.

But the grander scene behind me is far too important.

Jing Jun was the key to the success or failure of the rebellion.

Last time, they had already tried, and their group was no match for Jing Jun.

So, by a twist of fate, his assassination attempt was largely unsuccessful, but he still achieved his goal.

Moreover, the effect was even better than a successful assassination.

Now, after attending several rebel meetings, he realized that they were not a monolithic entity.

The Xijing rebels were led by Yu Yingbi, and the main forces involved included:
It is divided into three parts: powerful figures in Xijing, soldiers on the frontier, and Buddhist monks.

Among them, the powerful clans of Xijing and the soldiers on the border did not want to be enemies with the Jing army, and were particularly willing to seek cooperation with the Jing army.

But Buddhism is different.

They were all too familiar with the current state of Buddhism in Dajing, and they were truly terrified.

If we were truly supported by the Jing people, even if we overthrew Goryeo or successfully established a nation to rival them.

This great dynasty will inevitably be subject to the jurisdiction of the Great Jing Chengtian Temple.

Buddhism will lose its power; not only will it have to pay taxes, but it will also be forced to spread the Dharma.
While sitting comfortably in a Buddhist temple, striking a wooden fish, wealthy and powerful families would voluntarily send them incense money.

Those peasants wouldn't even be qualified to offer incense at my great temple. The fact that I didn't drive them away is already a great favor.

Why did I go to remote and impoverished areas to preach the Fa to them?

They wanted to rely on Jing Jun, but the Buddhist community was the first to oppose it.

Yu Yingbi has been working to resolve internal conflicts and has already made a decision.

If Jing Jun is willing to support them, they will kick Buddhism out.

Supporting Miaoqing to become emperor last time was completely useless; in this world, it's all about who has the strongest fist.

Jingjun is the strongest force under heaven; we cannot make an enemy of Jingjun for the sake of the Buddhist sect's limited power. That would be the most unwise thing to do.

After Cui Shunting finished writing, he read it three more times, but he was still not satisfied.

There are too many of my own opinions and views in this.

He picked up his pen again, having mostly deleted his own opinions, and simply described the situation.

After he finished writing, he nodded in satisfaction.

It's better not to get involved in some things.
-
The beginning of the new year.

The imperial court issued an edict stating that this year is the sixth year of Jianwu, and all the court's policies and decrees remain unchanged.

Chen Shao held a banquet at the Hot Spring Palace for his trusted ministers.

Some elderly people had bad legs and could not walk, so people were sent to bestow upon them a lot of imperial wine and meat.

Li Tangchen, who had already resigned as prime minister, had long planned to return to his hometown, but Chen Shao repeatedly persuaded him to stay.

They were also among those invited this time.

As for the civil officials, Liu Jizu should have been the head, but since Li Tangchen was present, Liu Jizu repeatedly declined and let him deliver the speech.

The military officers and nobles, led by Han Shizhong, paid their respects to Chen Shao and extended their New Year's greetings.

These procedures are the same every year. Chen Shao just goes through the motions with them before entering the banquet stage.

As everyone was enjoying their drinks, Chen Shao asked Han Shizhong to perform a talent, and Han Shizhong insisted on joining him.

The emperor and his minister began to dance in the palace, and gradually more and more people joined in.

After drinking until they were quite tipsy, Chen Shao left, and the officials also gradually descended the mountain and returned to the capital.

The road from Jinling to Tangshan was constantly repaired and made very smooth and wide because Chen Shao came every year.

The people gathered on the opposite bank of the river, watching the carriages of these ministers, with their green canopies and bustling traffic.

Everyone was filled with envy, hoping that one day they could also pass the imperial examination, become officials, and be honored by His Majesty with a banquet at the Hot Spring Palace, which would make their lives worthwhile.

Chen Shao returned to his palace. In the days leading up to the New Year, he slept with Empress Zhong Lingxi first, then Imperial Noble Consort Li Shishi, and then whatever he wanted for the next few days.

Zhong Lingxi arrived early; in fact, she was quite busy.

Perhaps because she was lonely and lonely when she was young, she always liked lively and bustling places, so she took her concubines around to find fun.

Playing cards and playing Cuju (an ancient Chinese football game), going on spring outings, flying kites, and boating to pick water chestnuts.
However, on the first day of the new year, she still arrived at Chen Shao's palace very early.

When Chen Shao returned from the banquet and saw her, he was exceptionally affectionate.

She was more relaxed here, looking around, and sometimes she would stand behind Chen Shao and watch him write imperial edicts.

After Chen Shao finished writing, he turned around, pinched her cheek, and said with a smile, "I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back soon."

This will be published in today's Dajing Daily. After Chen Shao finishes writing it, he will have to give it to his academicians to review. Only if there are no problems will it be printed.

Huanhuan nodded. "I'll wait for you to have lunch together."

Even after Chen Shao left, she wasn't bored. What interested Huanhuan the most here was Chen Shao's collection of books.

She is a seasoned book lover and enjoys reading all kinds of books for leisure.

On Chen Shao's bookshelf, Zhong Lingxi spotted a newly bound book. Upon opening it, she discovered it was a collection of poems.

She immediately became interested, sat down on the dragon throne, and began to flip through the book with her little feet crossed.

"It seems to be Li Qingzhao's writing style."

"These are all books I haven't read!"

Zhong Lingxi's eyes lit up, as if she had found a treasure.

But as she read on, she felt something was off; how could the writing style be so bold?
When Chen Shao returned, he saw that her face was flushed and her eyes were glazed over, making her look very cute and innocent, as if she was thinking about something.

"What's wrong?" Chen Shao picked her up and asked with a smile.

"I think I've discovered something." Zhong Lingxi nestled in his arms, rubbing her cheek against him comfortably, and whispered, "You're such a bad thing."
-
That evening, the palace attendants announced that Kim Bu-seok of Goryeo was requesting an audience.

Although Chen Shao was somewhat dissatisfied, he still decided to go and take a look.

Kim Bu-sik waited for a long time in the outer hall.

When Chen Shaozhen arrived, he was so excited that he almost cried.

Although Your Majesty is the emperor of the Central Plains, you have been very kind to Goryeo.

There has never been such a wise and benevolent ruler throughout history.

Chen Shao truly didn't treat them as outsiders. To be honest, he had been considering the organizational structure of Goryeo after its annexation since last year.

This place is too important; it's safer to keep it in my own hands.

In Russian terms: I need a strategic buffer zone.

Chen Shao was very polite and said with a smile, "Dr. Jin, Happy New Year!"

Kim Bu-sik quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty the Emperor, I respectfully wish that you may receive the blessings of Heaven and enjoy eternal prosperity! As the new year begins, all things are renewed!"

Chen Shao thought to himself that he should read more books. Look at others, all he knows is to say "Happy New Year".
"This rebellion in Xijing is entirely due to our incompetence. I beg Your Majesty to consider the people and send troops to quell the rebels as soon as possible. I am willing to resign my post to atone for my sins to the world."

The smile on Chen Shao's face gradually disappeared, and he became serious.

After a long silence, he spoke: "Last time I said that you should be loyal to the emperor and the country, and cherish the people. In the past, the people of Goryeo fled the country and went to Liaodong to cry and beg Liaodong to take them in. Later, the king of Goryeo dared not return to the country."

"I have been extremely patient, but you all simply do not understand my good intentions!"

"In just a few months, another popular uprising has broken out. I am very disappointed."

Kim Boo-seok looked ashamed and couldn't speak.

In fact, he's in the wrong in this matter. Chen Shao's intentions are dishonorable, but he's using the guise of righteousness to manipulate you, and you really can't do anything about it.

It's because you didn't do a good job domestically.

If Goryeo were like Daegeung, with its people prosperous and its country strong, would such a problem still exist?
Two hundred years have passed since the founding of Goryeo, and social classes have become rigid and land consolidation has become rampant. It is no exaggeration to say that the people are living in misery.

Whether it's laborers heading to Liaoning, investments in Dajing, or grain entering the market.

Although both were part of Daejeong's infiltration and strengthening of control over Goryeo, they also genuinely provided Goryeo with tangible benefits.

Every single one of these events benefited Goryeo from top to bottom.

Emperor Jing had the right to say these things and to make such a high-profile statement.

By this time, even the upper echelons of Goryeo could no longer see through Chen Shao.

They were more inclined to believe that Emperor Jing was unparalleled in benevolence and righteousness.

Seeing Jin Fushi trembling uncontrollably, Chen Shao softened his tone and said, "This time I will not send troops to suppress him again. It's not a solution to keep having trouble like this. How about this, I will send someone to Xijing and ask them to recommend a few people to come to Jinling."

"Sit down and talk it out. I want to see what kind of hatred is causing you to kill each other."

Kim Boo-seok was somewhat worried, as this back-and-forth would take at least a month.

If the rebellion isn't quelled during this period, will the domestic situation worsen? Will the rebels seize the opportunity to grow stronger?
But Chen Shao didn't give him a chance to refuse. He got up to leave, but before leaving, he turned back and instructed, "Doctor Jin is a learned scholar. He must be well-versed in Mencius before meeting King Hui of Liang. You all should take care of yourselves!" (End of this chapter)