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A month has passed since the incident of being forced to kneel at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the capital city has gradually returned to calm.

Those who were beheaded have been forgotten.

The stone slabs in front of the Meridian Gate have been replaced with new ones, and the bloodstains are no longer visible.

Those who had been secretly plotting against him have finally become completely obedient.

The twenty-four princes returned to their respective homes and went about their business, none of them daring to entertain any improper thoughts.

But they knew in their hearts that this matter was not over.

Father Emperor is not the kind of person who forgets after punishing someone; his eyes have been watching them the whole time.

Sure enough, a month later, an imperial edict was issued from the palace.

"Summon all the princes to the palace."

Twenty-four people stood in the Imperial Study.

From the eldest brother Guo Wen to the twenty-fourth brother Guo Shi, they were arranged in three rows according to age, each with a solemn expression, not daring to breathe loudly.

The Imperial Study was quiet, with only the smoke from the incense burner rising gently and making a soft hissing sound.

Su Ning sat behind his desk, with a thick stack of documents in front of him.

He looked at his sons, his gaze sweeping over the eldest son's face, then over the second, third, and fourth...

They kept sweeping until they reached the youngest, the twenty-fourth.

Everyone stood ramrod straight, but everyone's gaze was different...

Some were apprehensive, some were expectant, some were confused, and some were nervous.

Looking coldly at his sons, who resembled wolves and tigers, Su Ning asked, "How have you all thought about this over the past month?"

"..." No one dared to respond.

Su Ning waited a while, then picked up the document from the table. "I have now thought of a place for you."

He paused, then said, “From today onwards, all of you will leave the capital and go overseas to become vassal kings.”

Upon hearing this, all twenty-four people were stunned.

Domain king?

overseas?

The Imperial Study was deathly silent.

Some people opened their mouths wide, some stared wide-eyed, some glanced at each other, and then quickly lowered their heads.

The eldest son, King Guo Wen of Qin, couldn't help but speak up: "Father, may I ask a question...?"

“It is my arrangement,” Su Ning said. “The territory of the Great Zhou is not limited to the capital, not limited to Bianliang, and not limited to the Western Regions. To the east are Goryeo and Fusang, to the south are the islands of the South Seas, to the west are the Abbasid Caliphate and Persia, and to the north are the grasslands. All these places need to be governed by someone.”

He stood up and walked to the map.

The map stretched from the wall to the ground, covered with red lines and markings.

"You are my sons, more reliable than others. If you don't go, who will?"

The princes looked at each other in bewilderment.

The second prince, Prince Guo Zhi of Jin, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

The third brother, Guo Wu, clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming.

The fourth brother, Guo Gong, had his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

“A term of office is three years,” Su Ning continued. “After three years, I will send someone to evaluate you. I will see how well you have governed the region, how well you have gotten along with the local people, and whether you have brought shame to the Great Zhou.”

"Those with good performance reviews will stay. Those with poor performance reviews will be reassigned. The top performers..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, "He is the future crown prince."

The Imperial Study was deathly silent.

Prince.

These two words are something that countless people dream of.

Over the years, they have been fighting openly and covertly, winning over court officials, and contacting their old subordinates, all for this position.

But now, Father has turned it into a goal, a goal that he has to earn himself.

It wasn't fought for, it wasn't stolen, it was earned by myself.

The princes' eyes lit up, and their ambitions, which they could no longer conceal, burst forth.

"I am impartial and unbiased. Whoever is capable will be the crown prince. Whoever is incompetent will spend their entire life outside and never be allowed to return."

"Furthermore, I will have the Imperial City Guard keep an eye on your every move. Don't even think about harming each other. Just do your own thing and rely entirely on your own abilities and luck."

Su Ning picked up a stack of books from the table and handed them to his eldest son, Guo Wen. “This is ‘The Colonial Strategy’ that I personally wrote. Each of you should have a copy. Read it carefully and study it diligently. It’s all in the book about what to do when you get to your destination.”

Guo Wen took it, opened it, and glanced at it.

A thick book filled with densely packed text.

The cover had three large characters written on it: "Colonial Strategy".

Below is a line of smaller print: Written by Emperor Guo Xin of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Guo Wen raised his head in surprise and looked at his father.

Su Ning was also looking at him, her eyes calm as water, yet as deep as two wells.

"Father," Guo Wen's voice was somewhat hoarse, "I have a question for you, those places... can they really be defended?"

Su Ning smiled, "Yes, you can. As long as you do what is written in the book, you can; as long as we, the Guo family father and son, can unite sincerely and have the spirit of the Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains, you can."

Then he walked to the map and pointed to the land in the Middle East. “I have divided the Middle East into six vassal states. They are located in Baghdad, Cairo, Jerusalem, Istanbul, Damascus, and Mecca. Eldest son, you take the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth sons and go there to guard them.”

From the eldest to the sixth son, all six of them went to the Middle East.

The eldest son is Guo Wen, the second son is Guo Zhi, the third son is Guo Wu, the fourth son is Guo Gong, the fifth son is Guo Qian, and the sixth son is Guo Qiu.

"There are Arabs, Persians, and Europeans over there, it's very chaotic. But it also has the most important oil and trade routes, and gold and silver. When you go there, you must stabilize the situation, win over those who are willing to submit, and suppress those who are disobedient. Railways must be built, ports must be constructed, and Confucian schools must be opened. Within three years, I want to see that the situation stabilized, and then, with the spirit of the Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains, I will make this place a part of the Great Zhou."

The six princes replied in unison, "Your subject understands."

Then Su Ning pointed eastward, "East of here, there's Korea, Japan, and those islands. Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Brother, the four of you go."

The seventh son is Guo Wan, the eighth son is Guo Dai, the ninth son is Guo Jing, and the tenth son is Guo Guo.

The four princes replied in unison, "Your Majesty, we understand."

"To the south, to the islands of Southeast Asia, and to those places even further away. The eleventh to the sixteenth sons, the six of you will go."

The eleventh prince, Guo Ji; the twelfth prince, Guo Shi; the thirteenth prince, Guo Yong; the fourteenth prince, Guo Gu; the fifteenth prince, Guo Chang; and the sixteenth prince, Guo Qing.

The six princes replied in unison, "Your subject understands."

"To the west, beyond the Arab world, lies even further into Europe. From the seventeenth to the twentieth son, you will go to the Middle East to help your eldest and second eldest brothers prepare for the upcoming expedition to Europe and the excavation of the Suez Canal."

"Yes, Father."

"The twenty-first and twenty-fourth princes are still minors. They will study and receive military, political and economic education in the capital first. After they come of age, they will be arranged separately."

"Your subject understands."

All twenty-four princes have been arranged.

The Imperial Study remained quiet for a long time.

The eldest son, Guo Wen, finally spoke, "Father, you...you're staying in the capital alone?"

Su Ning looked at him. "I am not alone. I have the Cabinet, the Privy Council, the National Defense Army, and the Imperial City Guard. With so many people, how could I be alone?"

"Can……"

“No buts.” Su Ning interrupted him. “When you go out there, do a good job. If you do well, come back to see me. If you don’t, never come back.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the familiar faces. "Remember, the Great Zhou's empire doesn't belong to me alone. It belongs to all of you sons, soldiers, officials, farmers, merchants—everyone together."

"When you go out into the world, remember who you are. You are princes of the Great Zhou, my sons. No matter where you go, you must not disgrace the Great Zhou, nor disgrace me."

All twenty-four princes knelt down in unison, saying, "Your subjects will remember your teachings, Father!"

Su Ning looked at them, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Go! Pack your things, we'll leave in two weeks."

The princes kowtowed and left the imperial study. Su Ning stood by the window, watching their retreating figures.

Those figures, some tall, some thin, some composed, some light-footed.

They walked out of the imperial study, across the courtyard, out of the palace gate, and disappeared from sight.

Grand Secretary Li Fang walked over and said softly, "Your Majesty, if you let the princes leave, you will be surrounded by people."

“It’s good that it’s empty,” Su Ning said. “Only when it’s empty can they grow up. The Great Zhou only needs true strongmen.”

Li Fang was silent for a moment, then asked, "Your Majesty, if I may be so bold as to ask, aren't you afraid that something might happen to them outside?"

Su Ning laughed, "What's there to be afraid of? We have trains, telegrams, ships, and advanced firearms. Any news will be relayed back in a few days. If something really happens, I'll send troops to rescue them. If we can't, that's their fate."

He turned around and looked out the window. "Only when they leave can the territory of the Great Zhou truly be stabilized. Those places will not be in chaos if they are managed by our own people."

Outside the window, the sun is shining brightly.

In the distance, a flock of geese is flying south.

“Three years from now,” Su Ning said softly, “I want to see who comes out on top.”

……

Outside the Imperial Study, twenty-four princes stood still.

The eldest brother, Guo Wen, turned around and looked at his brothers. "My brothers, this journey is long and arduous. Who knows when we'll meet again?"

The second son, Guo Zhi, nodded: "Three years. Father said that there will be a three-year rotation. Those who perform well in the evaluation can come back to report on their work."

The third brother, Guo Wudao, said, "A performance review? Only those with the best evaluations are qualified."

The fourth son, Guo Gongdao, said, "No matter what, we have to do our best. Father is watching."

The fifth son, Guo Qian, said, “You should take a good look at the book ‘Colonial Strategy’ written by Father. I’ve just flipped through it, and it’s very detailed. It covers how to win over the locals, how to build schools, how to construct railways, how to mine, how to develop education, and how to control the military, government, and economy.”

The sixth brother, Guo Qiu, asked, "Brother, what do you think is the most important thing for us when we get there?"

The eldest son, Guo Wen, thought for a moment and said, "Stay calm. Stabilize the situation first, then take it slowly. Father said that things are very chaotic over there. When we get there, the first thing we should do is not to rush to make achievements, but to stabilize the situation."

Guo Wan, the seventh brother, asked, "How can we ensure stability?"

"Do as Father says," Guo Wen said. "Win over those who are willing to submit, and suppress those who are disobedient. Use the knife while offering candy. Be ruthless when using the knife, but sweet when offering candy. Let them know that if they follow us, they will have meat to eat. If they don't follow us, they will have knives to eat."

Guo Dai, the eighth brother, nodded: "Understood."

Guo Jing, the ninth son, asked, "Eldest brother, Father said that the one who performs best in the evaluation can become the crown prince. Who do you think among us will be chosen?"

Guo Wen glanced at him with a complicated expression. "Ninth Brother, it's too early to say that. Three years from now, Father will know who is doing the best. All we can do now is to work hard."

Guo Guodao, the tenth brother, said, "Big brother is right. Don't think too much, just do it."

The eleventh brother, Guo Ji, asked, "Brother, when do we set off?"

"In two weeks," Guo Wen said. "During these two weeks, go back and prepare well. Bring everything you need and make sure you explain everything you need to. Once you get there, there will be no one to help you."

Guo Shidao, the twelfth brother: "Big brother, what are you bringing?"

Guo Wen thought for a moment, "I definitely need to bring the books written by my father. I also need to bring a few trusted advisors and generals. We can talk about the rest when we get there."

The thirteenth brother, Guo Yong, asked, "Brother, do you think they can really integrate into the Great Zhou?"

"It's very difficult! That's why Father sent us there and said we should have the spirit of the Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains. Next, we will first transport the precious oil, gold, silver and minerals back to the Great Zhou, and then subtly cultivate the natives who are close to the culture of the Great Zhou and the Central Plains."

Guo Gudao, the fourteenth brother, said, "It's easy to extract those oil and minerals, but difficult to transport them back, isn't it?"

“It’s not difficult,” Guo Wendao said. “We have railways and ships. Once the railways are built and the ships are constructed, we can transport anything back.”

The fifteenth prince, Guo Changdao, asked, "Brother, do you think we'll be able to see Father and Mother again after we leave this time?"

Guo Wen was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes. As long as you work hard, you can."

Guo Qing, the sixteenth brother, said, "Brother, I'm a little scared."

Guo Wen walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "What are you afraid of? With your big brother here, and the powerful National Defense Army soldiers, we brothers will go out together and come back together. Let's not leave anyone behind."

"yes, Sir."

Guo Wen didn't speak again. He raised his head and looked in the direction of the Imperial Study.

Inside that palace, their father was standing by the window, watching them.

My father must be watching.

"Stop overthinking! Three years from now, Father will decide who does the best job. There's no point in talking about this now."

He turned around and looked at his brothers. "Take these two weeks to prepare well. We'll set off together in two weeks."

"promise."

The twenty-four princes looked at each other and then dispersed.

……

Two weeks later, twenty cars lined up outside the north gate of the capital.

The princes, dressed in their royal robes, stood beside the car, awaiting the order to depart.

Su Ning stood on the city wall, watching those figures.

There were twenty princes and twenty sons, the oldest being in his early thirties and the youngest only nineteen.

Some of the places they were going to were thousands of miles away, some required crossing oceans, and some would take months to reach.

This departure may be the last time we meet.

But I can't keep them here.

If we leave them, they will never grow up.

If it is preserved, the country will not be stable.

They need to broaden their horizons and not just focus on their small plot of land in the Central Plains, because they don't want their policies to end with their deaths.

Su Ning wanted every emperor in future generations to expand the territory, instead of always indulging in the fantasy of being a superior empire.

“Your Majesty,” Li Fang said softly, “it’s time to give the order.”

Suning nodded.

He raised his hand and waved.

Beneath the city gate, horns sounded in unison.

Twenty cars slowly started moving.

The princes opened the carriage windows and looked back at the city gate.

On the city wall, the figure grew smaller and smaller, more and more blurred, until it finally disappeared from sight.

Su Ning stood on the city wall, watching the carriages gradually disappear into the distance.

Twenty carriages, twenty roads, twenty sons.

I let them out myself.

Let them go out and make their own way, fight for themselves, and earn their own living.

It was his own son who grew up.

It was his own son who extinguished the spirits of the masses.

Regardless of the final outcome, they all have to earn it themselves.

Because I have given all that I could.

The rest is up to them.

“Your Majesty,” Li Fang said softly, “Let’s go back.”

Suning nodded.

He took one last look into the distance, then turned and walked down the city wall.

Behind them, the cars had disappeared into the horizon.

...(End of this chapter)