You have truly caused me great suffering!

If a house is uninhabited for a long time, it will develop a type of mold that emits a unique rotten smell.

Fortunately, the capital city was safe; many people remained to guard it, and even Chen Shao's palace was always occupied.

Just like when he went to the Summer Palace and Tangshan Hot Spring Palace in previous years.

A group of people, including the Empress, greeted Chen Shao outside the palace gates, waiting in the shade under the parasols.

At the palace gate stood four large umbrellas, eight large pheasant-tail fans, two brocade canopies, twelve small pheasant-tail fans, and twelve red-painted round fans, creating a visual effect of a gathering of magnificent canopies.

The ritual system of the Great Jing Dynasty basically followed that of the Song Dynasty, with no major changes.

Only the emperor's clothing changed.

The emperor of the Song Dynasty dressed very simply, but he preferred red robes (because the element of fire was associated with the color red), which visually made him almost identical to high-ranking officials who wore purple or red robes.

Moreover, there are almost no patterns; dragon patterns only exist on the imperial robes used for sacrifices, and they are embroidered very subtly.

The emperor wore the same turban as his officials, which was a hat with long wings on both sides. The only difference might be that the emperor used a better material, but the style was exactly the same.

If an ordinary person traveled back in time and saw this, they certainly wouldn't know it was the emperor.

The situation was different in Dajing. Even Chen Shao's undergarments were clearly dragon robes.

These are all actually serving their respective political philosophies, and have nothing to do with personal preferences.

The Song Dynasty deliberately downplayed the individual divinity in form and made their clothing similar to that of the civil official group, reflecting a political stance of "unity between the monarch and his subjects" rather than deliberately creating a sense of distance.

The Great Jing Dynasty emphasized the emperor's divinity, embroidering the entire piece with nine dragons and the twelve imperial symbols. This was because Chen Shao's reforms were unprecedented, and he needed to elevate his own divinity to the highest level to ensure the reforms proceeded smoothly.

Zhong Lingxi was somewhat excited. Since marrying Chen Shao, she had been separated from him for a long time. In the first few years after Chen Shao arrived in Taiyuan, he did not bring his family to Hedong.

Because the situation was still unclear at the time, if they were to perish in the Central Plains, at least there would be something to look forward to.

After that, they basically never separated.

She was still very attached to Chen Shao, and no matter which concubine Chen Shao favored at the moment, he would still go to Kunning Palace to spend the night every few days without fail.

This was done to maintain the empress's prestige in the harem.

In a place like the imperial harem, it is essential to strictly adhere to the hierarchy of status, because even the slightest deviation from this rule could create an opportunity for infighting and lead to chaos and upheaval.

Wise rulers throughout history have all done this well.

Of course, there were also despicable people like Li Zhi who, for the sake of court infighting, brought trouble to their own backyard.

By "deposing the emperor and establishing Wu," the emperor could strike at the Guanlong aristocratic group headed by Changsun Wuji and restore imperial power.

He tacitly allowed Wu Zetian to "drunk the bones" (sever their hands and feet and immerse them in wine vats) and change their surnames to "Python" and "Owl" as a form of humiliation.

His indifference shows how cold-blooded he is.

Because of Chen Shao's deliberate guidance, there was little infighting in his harem.

When Chen Shao returned to the capital, it was nearly noon. The weather was hot in June, and even under the parasols, the concubines were still covered in sweat.

When the emperor's entourage returned, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhong Lingxi stood on tiptoe; with her sharp eyesight, she spotted Chen Shao from afar.

When Chen Shao arrived, everyone had already alighted from the imperial carriage. Seeing everyone curtsying in greeting, Chen Shao waved his hand and said with a smile, "Don't stay here in the sun, let's go back to the palace!"

Chen Shao then realized that the group of people who had come were all there; almost everyone had arrived.

For many people, this trip means an extremely long separation.

Chen Shao liked to judge other people's feelings towards him by observing their expressions and actions.

The three Jin sisters kept giving him winks. Chen Shao noticed that Jin Ye'er's eyes were red, while the other two were smiling brightly.

Huanhuan reminded him of his father, who was working away from home, seeing his daughter upon returning home.

Several emotions flashed across her bright little face in an instant; she pouted, pursed her lips, and grinned, unsure whether to cry or laugh.

After Chen Shao led them back to the palace, he squeezed her little hand and said, "Let me see if you've gained any weight."

Zhong Lingxi suddenly blushed, seemingly lost in thought, and giggled as she shook off his hand.

After paying her respects to the Empress, Li Shishi returned to her own palace, while the other concubines who accompanied her went to find their close friends.

Seeing that Her Majesty the Empress had completely forgotten, Lady Lin had no choice but to remind her herself: "Your Highness, the princes and princesses are coming to pay their respects to His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shao said, "Let's go together tonight."

He lay down on the daybed, closed his eyes to rest, and thought about the things he needed to deal with when he got back.

In many situations, he only thinks about who to send to do the work, but he doesn't care at all about how to do it.

Although governing the country is a laborious and demanding task, Chen Shao did not intend to follow the example of Zhu Yuanzhang and do everything himself.

Therefore, he always managed to balance health and governance, using people whenever possible and avoiding personal involvement whenever possible.

He focused on building systems rather than micromanaging.

In this way, even if a less intelligent emperor were to emerge in the future, the system could be used to maintain rule and perpetuate one's ideals.

Zhong Lingxi and Li Yumei chatted for a while when they suddenly heard a soft snoring sound.

Turning around, I saw that Chen Shao had already fallen asleep.

They glanced at each other, then tiptoed to their feet, leaving only two maids to fan them while the others withdrew.

When Chen Shao woke up again, it was already evening.

Although I don't feel mentally tired after such a long trip, my body really needs rest.

He opened his eyes and looked outside by the candlelight.

"His Majesty has awakened."

A young palace maid rubbed her eyes and said, "Her Majesty said that the princes will come to pay their respects again tomorrow."

Chen Shao nodded and asked, "What time is it?"

It is the hour of Xu (7-9 PM).

The timekeeping instrument made by Yang Geng was placed in the hall, and Chen Shao thought to himself that it was only nine o'clock.

However, in this era, everyone has already started sleeping; only those spoiled brats would indulge in nightly revelry.

Chen Shao's schedule has always been regular, and he never stays up past this hour.

After thinking it over, Chen Shao went to find Jin Lao Er, whose eyes were red during the day.

Even if she's asleep, Chen Shao can wake her up without any psychological pressure, because they have plenty of time to rest during the day.

Jin Lao Er was also not asleep, and they embraced each other on the bed.

The guards were also seeing His Majesty strolling around in the middle of the night for the first time, and they were all a little surprised.

When Chen Shao arrived, he found the candlelight still on. Upon entering, he saw a slender and graceful figure behind the screen beside the bed.

"Still not asleep?"

Through the glass screen, Chen Shao admired the hazy, indistinct figure. Her slender and graceful body was exquisitely beautiful. She wore a robe and tied it with a belt. Occasionally, she would bend over, and her small, pert buttocks would arch up, pressing very close to the screen. Her round, upturned buttocks were indescribably alluring.

Jin Ye'er darted out from behind the screen, smiling sweetly, "I knew His Majesty would come." Then she jumped into Chen Shao's arms.

Chen Shao sat down, holding Wenrun Jinzhi's body, and asked someone to bring some food. Then he washed up and went to bed.

This was actually the first succubus by Chen Shao's side; she captivated Chen Shao the moment she opened her mouth.

Because Jin Ye'er was pregnant, none of the three sisters accompanied her. When she was receiving the emperor during the day, she saw Chen Shao glance at her alone, and she knew that he would most likely come tonight.

Even if they don't come, it's just a matter of catching up on sleep during the day, so I made preparations well in advance.

Chen Shao had been busy for a long time, and the hot weather had left them both covered in sweat.

However, even though he slept too much during the day, he was still not sleepy.

Even so, he forced himself to calm down and go to sleep early.

To avoid messing up your biological clock.

The next morning, Chen Shao had already finished breakfast and left, while Jin Lao Er was still lying in bed, lingering in bed.

When Chen Shao arrived at Funing Palace, Yuwen Xuzhong had already arrived long ago; he was never late for roll call.

Once, a torrential rainstorm struck, and Chen Shao intended to send someone to deliver a message telling him not to come.

But by then, Yuwen Xuzhong had already arrived inside the hall.

For him, governing the country was not tiring at all, but rather a pleasure.

All that effort I put in before was to get to this position and do things that would benefit the country and its people!
Scholars in the Central Plains have many flaws, but there are indeed some 'sages' among them.

Historically, Yuwen Xuzhong, who was taken captive to the Jin Dynasty during the Jingkang Incident, rose to the position of Grand Preceptor of the Jin Dynasty, holding the official titles of Minister of Rites and Academician of the Hanlin Academy, and was granted the title of "Duke of Henan".

Even so, he was still thinking of rebelling and returning to the Song Dynasty, and often secretly sent people to pass on intelligence. Unfortunately, the Southern Song Dynasty was like a sieve, full of traitors who informed on him.

Finally, enraged, the Jurchens locked his entire family of over a hundred people in a room and burned them alive.

Upon seeing Chen Shao enter, Yuwen Xuzhong quickly stood up, bowed, and immediately said, "Your Majesty, there is another battle report from Yili."

Because of the long distances involved in the western expedition, battle reports were not as timely as in previous wars, and many of the so-called reports were outdated information.

Chen Shao didn't really care at first.

After Yelü Dashi's defeat, the biggest difficulty in the western expedition was no longer winning battles, but how to manage the situation.

Yelü Dashi ran away resolutely; this man was truly something else, his ability to escape was no less than that of his ancestor Yelü Deguang.

Jing Jun swept through the land like a whirlwind, and was just waiting for Chen Shao to send someone to take control.

This place is also a small powder keg, because of its terrain, there are often small tribes that do not submit to the king's rule and only know their tribal chief.

Chen Shao glanced at it; Jin Ling's report stated that they had captured Suyab and Talas.

They also planned to establish a military settlement here, utilizing surrendered soldiers and accompanying artisans for local production.

The Western Liao even had very fertile arable land, and animal husbandry was also very prosperous.

However, the various religions, including Nestorianism, Buddhism, and Islam, are intertwined and conflicting with each other, making them extremely difficult to manage.

The Nestorian Church here has nothing to do with the Great Nestorian Church; it is a branch of Christianity.

The Kereit tribe, which had already submitted to Chen Shao, also adhered to Nestorian Christianity.

Because Nestorianism claimed that Jesus had "two persons and two natures" (the separation of God and man), it was labeled a "heresy" by the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD.

This judgment was an ironclad rule throughout the Middle Ages.

They are also frequently threatened by believers who want to wipe them out.

In fact, given the fighting strength of the Kreik tribe, those Western knights would have been nothing more than suicide missions.

Despite the theological opposition and strong aversion.

However, in political and military matters, the Western Papacy harbored unrealistic romantic fantasies about Eastern Christian forces such as the Cretans.

Among them, the legend of "John the Priest" has been passed down for a long time: in medieval Europe, there was a long-standing belief that there was a powerful Christian monarch in the East, "John the Priest," who would help the European Crusaders to attack the Islamic world.

The leader of the Cretan tribe was then associated with this legendary monarch by Europeans.

When Genghis Khan (whose wives and concubines mostly came from Nestorian tribes such as the Kereit) rose to power, the Papacy repeatedly sent envoys (such as Plancipe) to try to make contact with him, hoping to transform the Mongol forces into allies against the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt.

Until he got a severe beating.

They then realized that the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt were considered their dearest friends and relatives by these Mongols.

After reading it, Chen Shao nodded and said, "They are also acting according to the prior plan. The territories they have conquered in this western expedition can only serve as bridgeheads."

Yuwen Xuzhong knew his plan.

However, he was not quite sure what His Majesty's goal was.

I heard that there is a vast ocean there, and on the far west side there is an island nation similar to Japan.

Despite their extensive knowledge and exceptional intelligence, people are simply unable to imagine the world beyond their comprehension.

Therefore, whenever Yuwen Xuzhong thought of the Western "Eastern Kingdom", sentences from the Classic of Mountains and Seas would unconsciously come to mind.

I felt that the place was full of magnificent mountains and seas, and strange monsters.

However, Chen Shao quickly shattered his imagination, telling him clearly that the place was full of smelly barbarians.

The western barbarian states have small, filthy cities and narrow, dirty roads. Their people are not accustomed to etiquette and music, and they revel in misfortune and are fond of killing.

His Majesty put it very bluntly, saying they were a gathering place of barbarians from a cesspool.

Yuwen Xuzhong discovered that His Majesty seemed to have a lot of opinions about both 'Eastern Ying' and 'Western Ying'.

Every time they are mentioned, they seem very hostile.

It's as if they came to the Central Plains in a group to burn, kill, and plunder.

In fact, most people in the Central Plains had never even heard of them.

Chen Shaogang wanted to continue discussing with Yuwen Xuzhong the matter of assimilating the Western Liao.

At this moment, a palace attendant entered and delivered the latest report.

Chen Shao initially thought it was news of another western expedition, but upon unfolding the document, he discovered it was a battle report from Japan.

The troops recruited from Liaodong landed on the territory of the Ainu people via Sakhalin Island. They recovered the island of Ainu with almost no effort.

Although it's cold here, compared to these soldiers recruited from the Northeast, they are all relatively intolerant of the cold.

The weather here is warm to begin with, even in Liaodong.

"The east is still faster!"

Chen Shao was in a great mood. Hearing this news first thing in the morning made him feel refreshed.

They had even locked down the territory of the Ainu people, leaving the Japanese soldiers with no way out to fight against the Jing army, who had already forgotten what defeat felt like.

Now that we've taken over these territories, it will really take a long time, a gradual and subtle process.

They even took several generations to adapt them to the rule of the Great Jing Dynasty. (End of Chapter)