Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

The three of them rode in a carriage towards the palace. The city gate, which had been blasted open by the tank's main cannon, had been cleaned up, leaving only a hole in the city wall, guarded by two of Zhou Feng's men with guns.

Zhao Pan'er stretched out a hand and gently grasped Zhou Feng's sleeve, her fingertips slightly cool.

Sun Sanniang sat next to her, constantly wiping the sweat from her palms with the corner of her clothes.

As native inhabitants of the Song Dynasty, the imperial palace held an unparalleled place in their hearts.

Even though they already knew that Zhou Feng had stormed the capital and imprisoned the former Guan family, the two women were still extremely nervous when they arrived at the palace gates.

Zhou Feng jumped out of the car first, turned around and reached out his hand. Zhao Pan'er and Sun San Niang helped him down one by one.

The Taoist priests standing on both sides, armed with guns, straightened their postures upon seeing Zhou Feng.

But noticing the two women behind him, they both lowered their gazes.

She's the Celestial Master's woman, who would dare to look at her like that?

"Don't worry, although this is the palace, it will be our own backyard from now on. What's there to be nervous about?"

Zhou Feng took Zhao Pan'er's hand and smiled at her.

The latter couldn't help but burst out laughing as well.

From ancient times to the present, Zhou Feng may be the first person to describe the imperial palace as his own backyard.

The three walked through the palace road and into the palace. The square in front of the court was still being cleaned up overnight. Whether it was debris or bloodstains, the eunuchs were kneeling and wiping them.

These were rules unique to feudal dynasties, and Zhou Feng had no intention of breaking them.

Upon entering the main hall, Qian Yuan was supervising several surrendered officials who appeared to be civil officials as they filled out forms, surrounded by guards holding guns.

Xiao Qinyan was sitting at one of the tables, whispering something to a surrendered official.

After hesitating for a few seconds, the man picked up his pen and began to write in the booklet.

Xiao Qinyan noticed Zhou Feng and his two companions the moment they entered the main hall.

He suddenly straightened up, cleared his throat, lifted the hem of his robe, and took the lead in kneeling down.

Although the Song Dynasty did not place much importance on kneeling etiquette, Zhou Feng's massacre of the Imperial Guards today was witnessed by all of them.

From this day forward, no one will consider this Taoist master to be a kind and benevolent person.

In this situation, kneeling down won't be a mistake, but not kneeling might be. Everyone knows what the right choice is.

Seeing Xiao Qinyan kneel down, Gao Hu behind him reacted quickly, almost following his rhythm, and knelt down on the ground with a thud.

Next came the civil officials filling out forms, the surrendered imperial guards standing nearby, and the eunuchs guarding the corridor…

In an instant, a whole group of people knelt down, and even the sound of their knees hitting the bluestone slabs was perfectly synchronized.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"

Xiao Qinyan's shout was drawn out and slightly trembling, but it was mostly filled with excitement.

This is a meritorious act of following the emperor's lead!

He knelt there, his forehead pressed against the cold bluestone slab, but his eyes were burning with desire as he looked at Zhou Feng's boots.

Zhou Feng looked down at the officials and guards kneeling all over the ground, then looked at Qian Yuan, who was registering documents, and the experts who were still writing with their heads down.

The experts merely glanced up at them, nodded slightly to Zhou Feng, and then went back to their work.

After all, they were all from this world and had been taught from childhood that everyone was equal, so it was impossible for them to kneel before Zhou Feng.

Xiao Qinyan lay on the ground, not hearing Zhou Feng speak for a long time. He could only secretly lift his eyelids and saw the actions of Qian Yuan and the others. His brows furrowed involuntarily.

Zhou Feng's lips curled up slightly. Noticing Xiao Qinyan's actions, he quickly took two steps forward and reached out to help him up, saying, "Lord Xiao, there's no need for such formalities. Please stand up and speak."

Xiao Qinyan stood up, bowing slightly as he followed half a step behind Zhou Feng, and lowered his voice: "Your Majesty, I have a question, but I'm not sure if I should ask it. Those officials... are insightful and articulate, yet they didn't seem to show Your Majesty the proper etiquette between ruler and subject. Were they also celestial envoys brought by Your Majesty from Penglai Immortal Island?"

Zhou Feng glanced back at Xiao Qinyan noncommittally, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, but didn't rush to answer.

He stepped into an empty side hall next door, gestured for Xiao Qinyan to follow, and asked Zhao Pan'er and Sun San Niang to wait outside for a moment.

The two women were slightly taken aback, but still stood at the doorway. Seeing this, the others didn't dare to approach.

"Lord Xiao," Zhou Feng turned to face Xiao Qinyan, "do you know why I want to overthrow the Zhao family's rule?"

Xiao Qinyan's expression froze for a moment, then he bowed even lower: "Your Majesty is the chosen emperor, the Zhao family has lost its virtue..."

"No need for these platitudes."

Zhou Feng waved his hand, interrupting Xiao Qinyan, and then looked into his eyes before slowly speaking: "The people of this land have suffered under the Zhao family for far too long! They are subservient to foreign tribes, yet they ruthlessly attack their own subjects. Taxes increase year after year, and the borders deteriorate year after year. The so-called 'pure officials' and 'treacherous factions' are nothing but pretexts for power struggles among civil officials. Has anyone paid attention to how the people of the land are faring?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qinyan's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't dare to reply.

He is the leader of the treacherous faction that is vying for power with the upright officials. How should we put this?

Are we supposed to let Zhou Feng take care of him too?

As the old saying goes, it is easy to conquer the world, but difficult to maintain it.

Zhou Feng sighed softly and gestured with his chin towards the outside: "Qian Yuan and those people aren't here to kowtow to me. I found them to arrange a way for the world to survive. From now on, the Song Dynasty's tax system, official system, land tax, and military system will all be reformed. They know the extent of the reforms and how to reform them, and you need to know that too, understand?"

Xiao Qinyan stood there silently for a few seconds, his expression changing several times, before nodding vigorously.

Immediately afterward, he knelt down abruptly, his forehead slamming heavily against the ground, his voice hoarse: "Your Majesty, I understand! Your Majesty, I will follow your lead without question!"

Zhou Feng didn't care what Xiao Qinyan understood. As long as Xiao Qinyan remained loyal to him, he wouldn't be homeless when he returned to this world.

With Qian Yuan and his group here, at least the redesigned system for the world will disregard those powerful families and be more inclined towards the common people, allowing them to live better lives, which is enough.

"Rise, I...I will not stay in the palace for long. You know my identity. Under my rule, there is more than just this one world. From now on, you will work together to manage this world well for me and make the people live a better life. I can give you even more in return."

After saying that, Zhou Feng walked outside. Behind him, Xiao Qinyan knelt on the spot with a look of shock on his face. He only reacted when Zhou Feng reached out and opened the door. His eyes were red, and he kowtowed to the ground again.

Who says empty promises are only for modern people?

It would fit perfectly even if it were brought to the Song Dynasty.