Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Zhao Siye still remembers the first two years after His Majesty ascended the throne.

With the Empress Dowager ruling from behind the curtain and Wang Jing harboring wolfish ambitions, the court became a battlefield without visible smoke, with the two forces vying for power and forcing court officials to choose sides.

On one occasion, the Empress Dowager and Wang Jing argued fiercely at court over the appointment of the Provincial Governor of Ning'an. Supporters of both sides engaged in a heated debate, their arguments revolving around the same theme: "For the sake of the country and the people, for the sake of His Majesty." They argued until their faces were red and their necks were bulging, yet they could not reach an agreement. Finally, the Empress Dowager stormed off, and Wang Jing angrily left his seat, completely forgetting that a young emperor was sitting on the throne.

The tiny toddler sat on an excessively large dragon throne, like a noble decoration.

The eunuch who was serving the emperor quickly took his hand and announced the end of the court session.

The courtiers respectfully shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times, but in their hearts they sighed that the emperor was young and the country was in turmoil. No one really took the emperor on the throne seriously or paid him any attention.

At that time, he served as the Director of Studies at the Imperial Academy, and he had to enter the palace every few days to lecture the emperor on the classics.

One in ten times they might get to see the Emperor, but more often than not, they would face an empty desk and wait from dawn till dusk.

By chance, His Majesty arrived.

The little child sat listlessly behind the imperial desk, swinging his legs, looking sleepy.

He heard his passionate colleagues earnestly advising him: "Diligence leads to mastery, while idleness leads to ruin. Your Majesty, you bear the weight of the nation and the well-being of the people on your shoulders. You should rise early to study diligently and never cease your learning, so that you may assume personal rule as soon as possible."

The child, head propped up, tossed the calligraphy brushes from the pen holder one by one at his colleague's hair ornament, as if this was the only amusement in his utter boredom: "You naughty minister! Mother said I'm still young. What if I don't grow taller if I study in the morning? I have Mother, and I have Minister Wang, what am I afraid of?"

"This place isn't fun, Fulu. What about the parrot that Minister Wang gave me a few days ago?" a child's innocent voice rang out.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has instructed that since you have not listened to lectures for a long time, you must wait in the Wenhua Hall today to listen to the lectures."

"Alright then." The most noble child in the world returned to the imperial desk with a sullen expression, curled up on the throne, and went back to sleep. "I want to eat the lotus root from the Empress Dowager's palace tonight."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will have someone report to the Empress Dowager immediately."

Such a child.

They lacked both the sense of responsibility to the world and the perseverance to study diligently.

They lacked both the virtue of respecting teachers and the resolve to resist to the end.

He was playful and fond of sleeping, outwardly strong but inwardly weak, and obedient to the Empress Dowager, but was bewitched by Wang Jing.

He had heard his colleagues sigh in secret countless times, and he had also spent countless sleepless nights walking in his coat to the courtyard to grieve under the moon.

Your Majesty is indeed still young and immature, but how much more turmoil can this precarious empire withstand?

Can the poor, destitute people wait until His Majesty grows up and becomes sensible?

There are wolves in front and tigers behind.

When the ruler is young and the country is in doubt, the dynasty's reign is unlikely to last.

On the day he retired, he stood at the majestic palace gate, wondering what the future held for the Great Yin Dynasty.

His departing carriage traveled through long streets, through bustling markets, and through the imperial city where he had spent most of his life.

Young and ambitious, he wanted to change the world and serve three generations of kings.

Emperor An was mediocre, barely able to maintain the status quo, and lacked talent.

The late emperor was dissolute and incompetent, favoring sycophants and alienating virtuous ministers.

The current emperor is young and playful, lacks ambition, and is like a puppet, controlled by the treacherous ministers of the Empress Dowager.

Now I am old and frail. Looking back on my life, although I passed the imperial examination in my youth and entered the court, I have wasted my life and never realized my ambitions.

He ended up with a prestigious but idle position, just wasting his days.

In the sixth year of the Yuanxing era, the Empress Dowager passed away.

He was pruning flowers in the yard, standing there for a long time with the scissors in hand.

For six years, the Empress Dowager and Wang Jing were locked in a power struggle.

With the Empress Dowager's passing, the delicate balance of the court will be completely shattered, the scales will tip in Wang Jing's favor, a storm is brewing, and the young emperor sitting high in the Mingtang is in danger, as is the nation.

As he predicted, things unfolded as they did.

Wang Jing launched a massive purge, rewarding those who obeyed and condemning those who resisted, and seized the fruits of victory.

The imperial court had become a playground for treacherous officials, filled with sycophants and flatterers.

The treacherous minister wielded immense power, with his cronies and followers spread throughout the land. His Majesty neither attended court nor managed affairs, resembling a most obedient puppet.

Throughout the court and among the people, who did not know that Wang Jing's ambitions extended beyond this?

He was just waiting to take another step forward and be crowned emperor.

Ironically, this powerful and treacherous official died in a horse-riding accident at the height of his power.

The puppet emperor he imagined swiftly purged the rebels, stabilized the court, won over those he could, and pardoned those who were forced to submit, employing both kindness and severity.

With such shrewd methods and decisive actions, who would have thought that this was the same weak and incompetent young emperor who had been manipulated on the throne for ten whole years?

Even Wang Jing's fall from his horse became shrouded in mystery.

It's impossible for a person to grow to this level overnight.

Unless, of course, he was never the way the world saw him.

After the young emperor assumed personal rule for two years, he promulgated a series of benevolent policies, favoring virtuous ministers and keeping away from sycophants. He allowed the people to recuperate and thrive, and the crumbling empire welcomed its strongest pillar. The nation, battered by storms, finally found a helmsman capable of turning the tide.

Reduce or exempt taxes, rectify official corruption, broaden channels for public opinion, and promote virtuous and capable individuals.

Everything got better just like that.

Zhao Siye never dared to dream of such a beautiful dream.

He felt no sense of reality; it was difficult for him to reconcile the image of the universally acclaimed emperor with that of the ignorant child who once huddled on the throne in the Wenhua Hall.

Until today, until before his eyes, until he saw it with his own eyes.

The innocent face of the child in my memory finally overlapped with the wise and decisive young king before me.

...

This is the first update for today. The second update will be a bit late; I can't stay up any longer. I'll post the second update tomorrow. Waaah, tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, how many tomorrows there are!

Goal achieved! Double updates tomorrow!