You have truly caused me great suffering!

As Lunar New Year's Eve approaches, even the capital city is filled with celebration.

Chen Shao summoned his ministers for the last major court assembly before the end of the year.

After Li Tangchen, representing the civil officials, offered his congratulations, Jin Ling, representing the military officials, stepped forward to offer his congratulations.

Then came the envoys from various countries, who stepped forward in the order arranged by the Court of State Ceremonial.

Although Chen Shao had already seen the congratulatory gifts and memorials, he still had them come forward one by one to read them aloud.

In a broader sense, these things were meant to be seen by others.

In fact, Chen Shao had long been well aware of the surrounding small countries, even more so than their rulers.

Especially those few that he paid particular attention to.

Listening to the prince of Zhongshan Kingdom reading his prepared text in somewhat broken Chinese, Chen Shao felt a little drowsy.

He was originally quite energetic, especially in such a large group of people, which is usually his home turf.

However, seeing the officials around him listening with great interest and pride, Chen Shao also mustered his spirits.

As a superior nation, we cannot afford to lose points.

This court assembly was purely ceremonial and no political affairs were discussed at all.

Officials at all levels are given a ten-day break, with only one person on duty at a time.

Having just dealt with the Hidden Field case, the fact that the rulers and ministers of the Great Jing Dynasty dared to be so relaxed shows that they possessed an inherent confidence.

They certainly had the right to do so; when the Jurchens marched south, they were able to drive you away at the mere mention of their name, leaving you utterly defenseless.

The Jing dynasty rulers and ministers who had destroyed the Jin dynasty had no reason to fear them.

Moreover, the people's hearts are with Dajing.

Inside the palace, early in the morning, Zhong Lingxi led the concubines to offer malt sugar, wine, and fruit before the shrines of the gods in the palace, and performed three bows.

Zhai Rui, Liu Caiwei, and Jin Ye'er, who were pregnant, stood aside and asked the palace maids in their respective palaces to perform the rites on their behalf.

Empress Zhong Lingxi grew even taller, yet her figure remained slender. She wore a dark blue pheasant-patterned casual dress, with light red tassels tied at the very bottom of her chest, accentuating her extremely thin waist.

Her long, black hair was not styled into a complicated bun, but simply combed into a high bun slightly to the right with a hairpin adorned with fine gold threads and jade ornaments, revealing her smooth forehead.

Because it was inside the palace and everyone was from the same family, there wasn't a very formal atmosphere; the women seemed relaxed and warm.

Zhong Lingxi silently clasped her hands together, muttering to herself, her lips occasionally pursed, as if she were reciting a poem.

Behind her, Li Shishi was unusually devout, having specially worn a palace dress embroidered with gold phoenixes. Because of her bent knees and waist, her originally tightly covered curves were fully revealed.

Chun Tao knelt on the prayer mat behind her sister, looking at the round, full-moon-like outline of her buttocks. Suddenly, she felt a strong urge to slap her hard and vent her resentment at being bullied by her sister over the years.

Chuntao quickly lowered her head and silently prayed for the gods' forgiveness.

After the prayers were finished, Zhong Lingxi got up and led them to pay New Year's respects to Chen Shao.

Inside the Funing Palace, Chen Shao had just gotten up and was not yet dressed.

Then they came in together, each carrying a fragrant breeze, their bright colors making it hard to choose which one to look at.

Since entering the palace, the whole family has rarely gotten together.

Chen Shaohuan happily accepted their congratulations one by one, and then gave them gifts in turn.

At noon, the emperor ordered the Imperial Household Department to thoroughly sweep the Qianqing Palace, Chuigong Hall, Zichen Hall, and Funing Hall. Chen Shao personally swept the first three steps of the steps, signifying "Removing the old and establishing the new begins with the emperor."

Chen Shao then ordered the Inner Palace Secretariat to prepare annual stipends and distribute them to all officials in the capital. In addition to their salaries, each official was given a new calendar, twenty bolts of palace silk, ten jars of imperial wine, and a cartload of coal.

At the Imperial Academy, scholars from impoverished families were provided with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and their books were published.

There's nothing we can do; the imperial court is just too rich now.

One after another, giant ships from overseas arrived in Nanjing. Instead of minting coins, they used the copper they brought to produce gold and silver stamps, and then transported goods from various countries.

A stable political situation, cleared hidden fields, distributed farmland, farm tools from the engineering institute, and most importantly, the construction of irrigation canals and reservoirs led to bumper harvests year after year.

It is said that everything is difficult at the beginning, but Chen Shao has already made a good start for Da Jing, and things will get smoother and smoother from here on out.

The noisy New Year's Eve finally came to night. Chen Shao, along with a few restless children, piled up a large pile of pine branches in the courtyard of Funing Palace.

After being lit, it emits wisps of blue smoke, which is called "burning the year".

The distinctive scent of burning pine branches lingered inside and outside the palace, and everyone's eyes sparkled in the firelight.

Feeling the warmth from the firelight, Chen Shao seemed to truly feel his body and mind relax.

It was as if the "Shao Sui" ritual of warding off evil and bringing good fortune had truly worked.

He smiled to himself. These traditions of the ancients, passed down from generation to generation, must have some explanation.

As fireworks soared into the sky, the sounds of firecrackers and fireworks gradually increased throughout the city.

Although he didn't leave the palace, he could imagine the myriad lights of the city, and couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

If we hadn't fought this battle, the Central Plains would be a completely different place today.

After the fire was lit, everyone returned to the warm pavilion. Chen Shao said, "Tonight, as is customary, everyone stays here and keeps watch together. If you get tired, go rest on the couch."

There were only a few concubines in total, and they all lived in the palace and there was enough room for them to sleep.

Except for the three pregnant women, they went home to rest early.

Zhong Lingxi was calling people to play cards when she heard his words. She turned around and laughed, "I'm not sleeping anymore! I already said I wouldn't sleep!"

Chen Shao leaned against the pillow, took off his outer robe, and felt very calm.

Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and he has temporarily put aside his worries about those things on his mind, leaving aside things like Mongolia and Japan.

Li Shishi walked gracefully over, sat down on the armchair beside him, and, gazing at the calligraphy hanging behind him, softly read aloud:
"Those in high positions often fear failing the common people; those with great power must guard against being blinded by their own ignorance."

"When did you change it? Your handwriting is so good now," Li Shishi said with a smile.

Chen Shao chuckled. His calligraphy had indeed improved in the past few days, so he simply wrote a piece of calligraphy himself and hung it above his bed.

This thing isn't useless; it's like Lu Xun carving the character "早" (early) on his desk, constantly reminding himself of something.

In his position, Chen Shao experienced firsthand what it meant to be able to do whatever he wanted and get whatever he desired.

Few people can maintain their integrity in this position.

Throughout history, it seems that no position has ever been more powerful than that of the emperor of the unified Central Plains.

Those with stable military power like Chen Shao are even more frightening. It can be said that if he wanted to, he could mobilize the nation's resources for his own amusement, just like Emperor Huizong of Tang.

And she's even richer than Zhao Ji. Chen Shao patted the person next to him, and Li Shishi blushed, glancing around guiltily, but still twisting her body and snuggling close to him.

Just then, she heard rustling footsteps. Li Shishi's heart skipped a beat, and her ears burned. She wondered who was approaching.

Turning around, she saw it was Chun Tao. She immediately frowned and said, "What are you doing, sneaking around like that!"

Chun Tao didn't speak, but just smiled with her lips pursed, looking rather quirky, which made Chen Shao laugh as well.

Seeing that the two of them were laughing, Li Shishi felt even more embarrassed and simply lay down in Chen Shao's arms, ignoring the stares from outside.

You can all be envious, but my young master promised me years ago that he would stay up with me every New Year's Eve until dawn!
Changgan Temple, on the outskirts of Nanjing.

Buddhism is flourishing today, especially in the Jiangnan region, where Changgan Temple was once an officially recognized "Imperial Temple".

The temple was first built in the tenth year of the Chiwu era of the Eastern Wu Dynasty and was named Jianchu Temple. It was the first temple in Jiangnan.

It was renamed Changgan Temple during the Eastern Jin Dynasty;

In the fourth year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era of the Northern Song Dynasty, the eminent monk Kezheng petitioned Emperor Zhenzong of Song to rebuild the pagoda and construct the Shenggan Relic Pagoda, which was later called the Tianxi Pagoda.

That's right, it's Emperor Zhenzong again. He's involved in every superstitious event. He performed the Fengshan ceremony, but because he felt guilty, he went mad. Actually, before the Fengshan ceremony, he was a pretty good emperor.

In the second year of the Tianxi reign, Emperor Zhenzong bestowed upon it the name "Tianxi Temple" and the name of the pagoda "Shenggan Pagoda".

At this moment, a group of young monks arrived in the hall. They were very domineering and insisted on staying at the temple, regardless of whether the abbot agreed or not.

A large group of people entered the guest rooms and gathered together, which was easy to manage; more than twenty people occupied eight rooms.

When the abbot Yuanhui learned of this, he was furious and rushed over with several guard monks.

Upon entering the room, they discovered that the monks had already made up the beds and were washing and drying their clothes in the courtyard.

Several people, even in the dead of winter, would expose half of their arms and hold up stone benches in the yard to exercise.

Two other people were fighting with broadswords, clanging and clashing, sparks flying everywhere.

Someone was wiping their crossbow in the corner.

As several martial monks wielding clubs entered, all the young monks in the courtyard stopped and turned to look.

"Amitabha Buddha, may I ask which temple you monks are from, and what brings you to our temple?" Yuanhui's anger vanished instantly, and he asked with a smile.

Among these young monks, one was particularly strong. He stood up and, instead of answering, asked in return, "What are you doing bringing a few warrior monks here? Are you trying to drive people away?"

"It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. As the saying goes, 'The things of monks from all directions should be shared with monks from all directions.' In our Changgan Temple, there is a Cloud and Water Hall, which is specially for traveling monks to stay overnight, with food and lodging provided by the monastery. This place is for distinguished guests."

The young monk scoffed, "It's just a place that collects money. We'll stay here. If you're not happy, go ahead and report it to the authorities."

Upon hearing this, Yuanhui immediately became suspicious and asked in a low voice, "Are you monks from the yamen?"

Huixing didn't speak, but simply nodded coldly.

They can be said to be the most domineering group of monks in the world. Even the cannibalistic Tantric sects in Tibet were only powerful and cruel, committing atrocities in their own territory.

According to the laws of the Great Jing Dynasty, monks in Buddhist academies are three generations above monks, and theoretically, all Buddhist temples in the world are under their management.

The reason they didn't bully the Tibetan Buddhist monks was simply because the Jing army's cavalry hadn't yet reached the U-Tsang region.

Da Jing has already established the lofty status of the monks of the Buddhist Academy in Buddhism from a legal perspective.

Even the lowest generation, the "Jue" generation, is the grandfather generation of all other monks after leaving the Buddhist academy.

The Buddhist Academy also has the right to interpret all Buddhist scriptures in the world, and monks outside the Buddhist Academy can debate scriptures if they have different opinions.

However, when the Buddhist Academy explained the situation, some monks still disagreed. They were then given two hundred strokes of the cane, forced to return to secular life, and had their ordination certificates and monastic certificates confiscated, and were forbidden from becoming monks for life.

According to the laws of the Great Jing, even if the Buddha himself were to descend, he would still have to follow the arrangements of the Buddhist Academy and learn the Dharma from them. If he dared to argue or debate with the Buddhist Academy, he would be expelled from the Buddhist community.

The Great Jing Dynasty continued the system of the Great Song Dynasty, and there were two main types of legal identity certificates for monks: ordination certificates (issued by the imperial court) and precept certificates (issued internally within Buddhism).

The legal identity cards issued were uniformly produced by the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Sacrifices; the holders were included in the national monastic register ("monks registered under the monastic register"). During the Song Dynasty, such monks had special privileges—tax exemption and exemption from corvée labor.

This is something that needs to be tested, and it's quite rigorous. The test content comes from scriptures such as the Lotus Sutra and the Surangama Sutra.

A precept certificate is a certificate of ordination issued by the ordination monastery, proving that one has received full ordination.

In other words, these young monks could disrobe all the monks of Changgan Temple at any time, stripping them of their monastic status, including their abbot.

Huixing did not make things difficult for them, but simply nodded and said, "We have returned from Japan and will be going to the palace to meet the Emperor tomorrow. We will be staying here temporarily, so please leave quickly and do not disturb us."

Hui Xing reprimanded the abbot in front of him as if he were a grandson. In fact, they were very dissatisfied with these fellow monks, feeling that they only cared about chanting scriptures and chanting Buddha's name, and made no contribution to the court and the emperor. They were completely useless in the Buddhist community.

Since its establishment, the Buddhist Academy has made great contributions to Dajing, and its influence can be seen in Xizhou, Qinghai and even Southeast Asia.

Not to mention Korea and Japan.

After they landed in Japan, the eight hundred monks immediately separated from the mission, and Huixing and his men went to the southern tip of Kyushu Island.

Originally, he was also spreading Buddhism, encouraging people to pursue a better life, and getting along well with the local powerful families.

As they fought, they discovered a gold mine, the famous Lingyi Gold Mine.

This vein is of excellent quality and easy to mine, with a grade more than ten times higher than that of gold mines in the Central Plains.

In fact, this is indeed a treasure mountain. Historically, it has been excavated since it was discovered in 1750, and the excavation continues into the 21st century.

Moreover, while the grade of a typical gold mine is 1-5 grams per ton, the average gold grade here is as high as 33 grams per ton, and the highest grade reaches an astonishing several thousand to tens of thousands of grams per ton.

They don't know yet that as they dig deeper, they'll discover that this mine also contains very rich silver and copper ores.

Hui Xing and his companions were overjoyed. They no longer cared about inciting a mob to rebel. They drew up a simple map and made a brief investigation and record information about the local powerful families.

At this time, neither the Emperor Emeritus of Toba nor the Regent of the Fujiwara clan had much control over Kyushu, and they only ruled symbolically through the provincial governors.

Hishikari is located in Satsuma Province, and is nominally under the jurisdiction of Dazaifu.

However, the mountains and mines were actually controlled by local powerful clans, such as the Kimotsuki clan and the Shimazu clan.
These powerful clans did not pay taxes to the capital, but levied their own taxes and corvée labor.
They had a private army called the "Lang Party" and often engaged in armed conflicts with powerful clans in neighboring countries; they were highly wary of these foreign monks and regarded them as a threat.

Jing Seng's actions undoubtedly touched upon the interests of the local powerful families. The existing conflicts escalated to the point of open hostility, leading to frequent and in-depth exchanges of opinions.

The comet's trajectory also confirmed that, for these natives, all mountain and marsh resources belonged to the private property of local powerful clans!
They are stubborn, inflexible, and arrogant; they certainly won't cooperate.

If you don't cooperate, I'll have to move people. Because the troops stationed in Japan are all busy in Iwami at the moment, Huixing can only come to Jinling to personally explain the matter to His Majesty.

When Huixing and his companions returned, it was New Year's Day, so they stayed temporarily at Changgan Temple.

In their eyes, they are qualified to stay in any Buddhist temple in the world. You say this Changgan Temple is yours?

Are you Sun Quan?

Or is it that this Buddhist temple and the land were passed down to you by your father? (End of Chapter)