Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

They fought for nearly a century without achieving anything.

With the arrival of civil officials, the world was set in motion.

This is a good thing!

Representatives from both the civil and military sides spoke, and the remaining officials followed suit, expressing their views one by one.

The vast majority were in favor, while a minority held opposing views, believing that ancestral systems should not be changed.

In the end, Zhao Zhen made the final decision.

"Can!"

Han Zhang quickly stepped forward and praised, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Upon seeing this, all the officials bowed in unison.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Chapter 90: Fame Spreads Throughout the World, History Compilation!

The Mencius, Book of King Hui of Liang, states: "The king should quickly issue an order to turn back the banners and tassels, stop the use of heavy weapons, consult with the people of Yan, and place the ruler in charge before leaving. Then it is still possible to stop the situation."

Thus, later generations derived the term "expanding territory".

Throughout history, regardless of whether they were civil or military officials, all had the ambition to expand their territories.

This is a shortcut directly to history books.

Those who expand and conquer new territories will surely be recorded in history!

The civil and military officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty also shared this aspiration.

Unfortunately, since the founding emperor, every dynasty has had its share of troubles, and there has never been an opportunity to expand the territory.

Emperor Taizong focused on civil administration and never expanded the territory, and Emperor Zhenzong's "Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai" also never involved territorial expansion.

Throughout history, emperors have not been men of great vision and courage, making it truly difficult for them to expand the territory.

Furthermore, due to the early death of Emperor Taizu, the Great Zhou Dynasty did not expand its territory to the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and could not even be called a unified dynasty.

To barely qualify as a unified empire, it would have to expand its territory to include the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

Strictly speaking, it would have taken the expansion of the Western Xia, Dali, Tubo, Liao, Jiaozhi, and Mongolia to achieve true unification.

However, even the weakened version of "unification" was not achieved by the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The so-called frontier was actually the Shaanxi area.

It should be noted that during the Wei, Jin, Sui and Tang dynasties, the Shaanxi area was undoubtedly part of the Central Plains.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, Chang'an in Shaanxi was the capital.

As it turned out, fate played a cruel trick on them.

During the Zhou Dynasty, Shaanxi was a frontier region plagued by constant turmoil!

Objectively speaking, compared to previous dynasties, the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty was significantly smaller.

The gap is too big!

Generally speaking, scholars are known for their sharp tongues and skill in using euphemisms; they can make sense even when there is none.

However, the claim of a narrow territory is truly difficult to refute.

Whether one has the ability to defend oneself is one thing; whether one can withstand the test of history is another.

People should still have some sense of shame!

It's easy to deceive the common people, but it's not so easy to deceive history.

Shaanxi is a frontier region, which makes people feel uneasy and unable to find words of comfort.

Since the territory was small and there was no hope of expanding it, scholars naturally tacitly avoided discussing the map.

Consequently, when it comes to themes related to the frontier and border regions, literati and scholars tacitly agree that they rarely compose poems or lyrics about them.

Now, however, things are very different.

Xihe expanded its borders, conquering seven prefectures.

This move marks the first expansion of territory since the founding emperor.

The less scholars talk about territorial expansion, the more they actually want to talk about it.

This expansion of territory by two thousand miles is undoubtedly something to be greatly praised.

This battle released a great deal of pent-up anger in the hearts of intellectuals, and some things that had been bottled up for too long could finally be said.

Scholars and writers all picked up their pens and wrote poems, lyrics, and essays, openly praising the works from the tower.

The great Confucian scholars Ouyang Xiu and Shao Yong, Wang Anshi (a collator in the Imperial Academy), Su Shi (a compiler in the Hanlin Academy), Su Zhe (a compiler in the Hanlin Academy), Zeng Bu (a compiler in the Hanlin Academy), Zhang Dun (a secretary in the Hanlin Academy), Zeng Gong (a collator in the Jixian Academy), Huang Tingjian (a young man from Hongzhou), Qin Guan (a young man from Yangzhou), and Zhou Dunyi (a scholar from Lianxi), among others, all produced their masterpieces that have been passed down to the world.

From top to bottom, from Bianjing (Kaifeng) to local prefectures and counties, people recited poems in unison, producing a continuous stream of masterpieces.

Su Shi, in particular, wrote a poem titled "Jiang Cheng Zi: Feelings on Watching My Friend Zi Chuan Expand the Territory," which is full of famous lines.

"Leading a yellow dog on the left, holding a falcon on the right, wearing brocade hats and sable coats, a thousand horsemen sweep across the plain."

"When will Feng Tang be sent to Yunzhong, holding the imperial staff?"

"He can draw his bow like a full moon, gaze northwest, and shoot the heavenly wolf."

It not only praised his friend's achievements but also expressed his vision of expanding territory, which inspired everyone to recite it.

In brothels, courtesans could speak eloquently about border wars, which was considered fashionable.

The cabinet even issued a decree ordering local prefectures and counties to record and commemorate the territorial expansion.

For a time, everyone from high-ranking officials to ordinary people praised the expansion of territory.

Jiang Zhao's name is known to everyone!

Jiying Lane, Sheng Mansion.

Shou'an Hall.

Grandma Sheng sat in the main seat, holding a teacup in her hand, sipping her tea calmly.

Wang Ruofu, seated to the left, smiled and occasionally spoke.

Just then, Sheng Hong strode in.

"Your son greets his mother." Sheng Hong, still wearing his scarlet robe and jade belt, with a ruddy complexion, bowed.

"sit down."

Grandma Sheng waved her hand and put down her teacup.

“These days, everyone is talking about Zhao Ge’er’s exploits in expanding territory. As his father-in-law, you’ve benefited a lot from it, with people inviting you out for drinks almost every day.”

Grandma Sheng glanced at Sheng Hong's official robes and asked with a smile, "Why the change in your demeanor today? You didn't even change your official robes before rushing over. Is there some good news again?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ruofu immediately became interested and looked up at her husband.

Sheng Hong stroked his beard and smiled: "Mother has the keen eye for wisdom."

"This expansion of territory is unprecedented in the Great Zhou Dynasty. During the regular court session, the Emperor intended to reward the meritorious officials handsomely. Since the list of meritorious officials had not yet been submitted to the capital, he discussed Zhao'er's reward separately."

"What were the rewards?" Wang Ruofu asked with a curious expression.

Grandma Sheng smiled and wondered what gifts she had received.

After all, this was an achievement of expanding territory.

"The title of Duke!" Sheng Hong said, almost word by word.

"Ok?"

Even with Old Madam Sheng's composure, she couldn't help but be taken aback.

Compared to Old Madam Sheng, Wang Ruofu's manners were undoubtedly far inferior.

"My lord?"

"real or fake?"

Wang Ruofu exclaimed in surprise, his face filled with disbelief.

A question made Sheng Hong smile helplessly. How could such a thing be false?

"According to custom, those who expand territory should be granted hereditary titles."

Sheng Hong stroked his beard and patiently explained, "However, Zhao'er is a civil official after all, and inheriting a title would be inappropriate. At the suggestion of Grand Chancellor Han, the title of her conferred title has been raised to Duke of the State with a nominal title. The specific title is still pending."

"Oh my God!"

Confirming the result with her husband once again, Wang Ruofu was so excited that she couldn't help but exclaim:

"My son-in-law is a Duke!"

Regardless of whether it's a hereditary title or not, it's still the title of Duke!

"Ahem!" Sheng Hong coughed lightly.

Wang Ruofu's excited expression froze for a moment, realizing he had been somewhat impolite, and he quickly became much more composed.

But she was so excited that her desire to share reached its peak that Wang Ruofu couldn't sit still. She stood up, put on a dignified appearance, and bowed, saying, "Mother, my husband has worked hard at court. I'll go and cook a bowl of porridge to nourish him."

Knowing Wang's temperament, Old Madam Sheng nodded slowly.

"Alright."

Wang Ruofu wouldn't be in the mood to not show off after her son-in-law was granted the title of Duke.

When Old Madam Sheng spoke, Wang Ruofu was thrilled. She bowed and walked out, her pace quickening.

"Besides Liu Jue, what else was bestowed as a reward?" Old Madam Sheng asked curiously.

Zhao Ge'er is a disciple of Han Da Xiang Gong. He has made such a great contribution, and Han Da Xiang Gong will definitely do his best to obtain the rewards he deserves.

The title of Duke was just the beginning.

"Revise history!"

Sheng Hong solemnly said, "The Emperor intends to celebrate the achievements in expanding the territory. In addition to the celebration banquet, there will be a general amnesty and the compilation of historical records."

"Among them, the historical record is about the expansion of territory by Zhao'er from the Warring States period to the founding of the current dynasty by Emperor Taizu.

The Emperor specially dispatched officials from the Hanlin Academy to Huaizuo to collect information about Zhao'er's life from childhood to adulthood, all to ensure the accuracy of historical records.

As he spoke, Sheng Hong's eyes were filled with envy.

It will be recorded in history!

Moreover, this is not just a simple record in history books.

The story ends with Jiang Zhao expanding his territory to seven prefectures!

You could say it was all for a plate of vinegar-wrapped dumplings.

The purpose of compiling history books is to praise the ultimate achievement of territorial expansion!

Sheng Hong couldn't even imagine how far he would go in writing about it.

Of course, as the father-in-law, if there's a chance to talk about Hua'er, he might also get a mention of him.

"History books?"

Grandma Sheng hissed, unable to remain calm any longer. She stood up, leaning on the chair, utterly astonished.

"Oh my God!"

In the past, Madam Sheng prided herself on her quiet, vegetarian diet and excellent upbringing.

At this moment, he couldn't help but utter his daughter-in-law's favorite phrase.

After a while, Old Madam Sheng picked up her teacup and took a couple of sips, gradually calming down.

"Is there anything else?" Old Mrs. Sheng asked.

As people get older, they become less able to handle sudden shocks.