Tiger Guards

Chapter 601 Apprentice Grand Tutor
After enjoying the emperor's treatment ahead of time in Pingyang, Zhao Ji felt that life was lonely and boring.

In a closed space like the Queen's Palace, when everyone adheres to morality and rules, everything is so orderly and clearly defined.

When order is broken, the gray, black, and white mix together, creating a dazzling and bizarre spectacle.

If a mere fake Grand Tutor who hasn't even officially taken office can enjoy himself like this, it's truly unimaginable what pleasures emperors and tyrannical rulers must have.

That day, Zhao Ji woke up from his nap in the camp outside the palace.

The sun was high in the sky, and it was bright daylight.

Unlike before, Zhao Ji did not get up after waking up. Instead, he reached out and tugged at the rope hanging from the headboard in a very decadent manner.

Three ropes hang from the head of the bed; different ropes can attract different people.

When the rope is pulled, the bell rings.

Then Gao Yanglong, clad in armor and with his hand on his sword, walked over and personally supervised the guards to bring Zhao Ji's breakfast.

After the guards left, Zhao Ji stood up shirtless and grabbed a wet towel to wipe his hands. Gao Yanglong then spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, this is the third pot of rice."

Normally, Zhao Ji would eat the first meal from the pot.

The camp's main kitchen was always kept ablaze, and in terms of the preparation cycle of pilaf, a portion of Zhao Ji's pilaf would be prepared each time.

The food would be reheated after it cooled down and then distributed to the guards.

Zhao Ji remained silent upon hearing this, his mind blank. He blinked and said, "You're right, I need to restrain myself."

Gao Yanglong remained silent upon hearing this; he simply couldn't bear to watch any longer.

Although war wouldn't break out immediately, Zhao Ji was clearly spending less time on military affairs than before, which made him uneasy.

Zhao Ji has now promised to exercise restraint, and Gao Yanglong will naturally believe him, since Zhao Ji has no history of breaking promises.

Gao Yanglong still believes in self-discipline in life.

Just as Zhao Ji was eating in silence, a guard on duty outside the door stepped in and said, "Grand Marshal, the Empress has sent someone to serve you a meal."

Gao Yanglong turned his head to look at the wall to one side, his eyes glaring with displeasure.

The Empress was of noble status, and Consort Zhao was the Grand Marshal's cousin. They took turns sending her meals every day. These were foods prepared outside of Gao Yanglong's supervision, and he disliked things that were beyond his control.

Zhao Ji simply nodded: "Bring him in."

"Here."

Tiger Warrior saluted, took three steps back, turned around, and strode out.

Before long, a female official with a rosy complexion and a smile led six palace maids, each carrying a food box, into the hall.

With Gao Yanglong standing by with his sword at his side, the female official gracefully bowed and said, "Grand Marshal, Her Majesty the Empress has sent this servant to deliver the meal."

"Good work."

Zhao Ji answered, and the female official waved her hand to signal. The palace maids stepped forward to place the food box, opened the lid, and then retreated from both sides.

The female official bowed again, took a few steps back, and glanced at Zhao Ji. Seeing that Zhao Ji was not looking at her, she smiled and led the palace servants away.

Zhao Ji glanced at the lunch boxes, reached into one containing six small fruit dishes, and took out a Qinghuang Bone Strengthening Pill. He squeezed it gently, then looked at Gao Yanglong sideways and said, "Give them all to the guards on duty."

"Here."

Gao Yanglong responded, turned around and strode out. He soon returned with his personal guards on duty, and they left carrying food boxes.

Zhao Ji continued eating, picking up a silver spoon to enjoy his dried meat pilaf, which was garnished with raisins, goji berries, carrot slices, and a dish of chopped scallions.

Before long, the three of them finished their pilaf, Zhao Ji drank some warm tea, and Gao Yanglong took the dishes out after cleaning them up.

Feeling somewhat overeaten, Zhao Ji sat cross-legged and activated his skills to accelerate digestion.

Before long, my body felt warm and comfortable, the bloating subsided, and I felt refreshed.

His energy and spirit were returning to full strength, and many details of last night's memories were also lingering in his mind. His body's instincts urged him on, so Zhao Ji withdrew from his state of focused concentration.

Only then did he put on his outer robe, tie his belt, hang his sword, and step out of the house in his wooden clogs, heading to the main room next door.

The main building was spacious, but it was divided into many office cubicles by low wooden planks. Here, the shogunate staff were like cattle and horses in a pen, crouching in their small spaces, already starting their work.

When Zhao Ji entered, everyone stopped what they were doing, stood up, and bowed, saying, "Grand Marshal."

"Ah."

Zhao Ji responded and walked to his small office.

As soon as he sat down, Gao Yanglong brought him a pot of hot tea and a damp cloth on a plate.

After wiping his face, Zhao Ji picked up the military books and began to read them attentively.

The regular military reports and dispatches could naturally be handled by the various departments of the shogunate.

After two or three years of working together, the various officials and subordinates knew how to handle various events and were able to grasp the appropriate balance.

Moreover, Zhao Ji was energetic and would frequently review the military documents they had processed.

If anything is found to be unsatisfactory, it will naturally be pointed out and changed; if some clerks or subordinates repeatedly fail to correct their ways and always cross the line, Zhao Ji will naturally not hold back and will recommend them to the court as officials, or send them to various counties in Xuzhou as magistrates, county lieutenants, or county assistants.

Those he rejected were sent to other places; while those who were law-abiding were sent down to various counties in Bingzhou, Liangzhou, and Sizhou by Zhao Ji.

The vast majority of those who remain can avoid crossing the line when handling political and military affairs within their discretionary authority, even if they don't do what Zhao Ji intended.

These are the products honed through years of intense warfare. They may not be outstanding on their own, but they can perform well in handling their current duties and are the backbone of the Grand Marshal's office.

In Zhao Ji's eyes, the unexpected loss of any one person was no less significant than the loss of five hundred armored soldiers.

As usual, Zhao Ji patiently reviewed the official documents they had processed.

After paper-based office work was adopted, a single sheet of official documents was enough for Zhao Ji to read for an entire morning.

He picked up his vermilion brush and drew circles from time to time. When he encountered something that didn't suit his taste, he would comment on it with a word or two.

Because of Gao Yanglong's advice, Zhao Ji was exceptionally focused today.

At his current level, challenging and eliminating opposing forces is no longer a difficult task.

The real difficulty is maintaining self-discipline... No one can supervise him, and no one can force him.

If you let yourself go a little too much, things will get out of control, and you never know how far things will go.

Balancing the boundaries between life and work is a difficult task for Zhao Ji, and there is no reference available for this.

Before this, he was more like a full-time military commander, living a military life with a stable and relatively secluded pace.

Let alone having contact with a large number of young women who are in their prime and have no worries about food and clothing, even young scholars would find it difficult to have contact with them frequently and in large numbers.

Not only were playful interactions between men and women a distant memory, but Zhao Ji also missed out on too many social games among scholars.

Therefore, his life was dull. Previously, the conditions did not allow it, and Zhao Yan did not want him to be distracted from military affairs.

The situation is different now. After conquering the northern nomadic tribes, the situation is truly different.

Zhao Ji must transform himself and explore the boundaries of life and work on his own.

In any case, Zhao Yan believed that the world was not worth Zhao Ji's hard work in governing.

Just like planting grass in the desert, at the beginning of planting grass, you wish you could water it with every drop of water. Even if weeds and poisonous weeds grow, they are still good grass, and you can always find a place to use them.

But once the grass spreads, that's a different story.

After all, the fundamental purpose of this work—removing sand and planting grass—is to improve one's own life.

One should not put the cart before the horse, and the same applies to being an emperor.

(End of this chapter)