You have truly caused me great suffering!

As dusk approached, a ray of sunset glow shone through the windows and doors, painting the entire room in a red hue.

The most delicate and beautiful princess of the Song Dynasty lay on the bed, her gaze somewhat vacant.

She always felt that apart from being born beautiful, she was mostly useless and needed someone to take care of her in everything.

If no one were to serve her, she might not even be able to take care of herself.

But today he did something big.

She gave birth to a child.

The tearing pain of childbirth felt like a distant memory, and now it was like waking from a long dream, until the baby's cries brought her back to reality.

When Chen Shao and the other two came in, Zhao Fujin immediately remembered something and regretted it.

She was unwilling to send the child to the palace, but dared not tell Chen Shao directly.

Song and Yi'an held her hands and comforted her softly, while Chen Shao looked at her with a smile. However, no one noticed Zhao Fujin's unusual behavior.

Even if he were the emperor, the midwife would not allow him to stay in the delivery room any longer, and would instead carefully persuade the others to leave.

Chen Shao was the first to come out, and after a while, the other two also came out.

Li Qingzhao saw Chen Shao sitting in the pavilion, rubbing his hands with a happy expression.

At this time, the safety of both mother and daughter is something to celebrate, let alone the addition of a son, thus expanding the family line.

Madam Song nudged her with her shoulder and gave her a wink. Yi'an pursed her lips, stepped forward, and whispered, "Your Majesty... Maode..."

"what happened?"

"Mao De wanted to leave the child at Baozhen Temple."

After letting out a long sigh, Chen Shao raised his hand and slapped Li Yi'an across the face. Li Yi'an clutched his backside and took a few steps back, glaring at him fiercely.

"You didn't finish your sentence at once, you scared me!"

Chen Shao thought it was something serious, but he had already thought about it. Since Maode was unwilling to enter the palace, it wouldn't be a big deal for the child to stay at Baozhen Temple.

This place was originally a royal Taoist temple, and its security was just as tight as that of the palace. The female Taoist priests and officials were all people appointed by the emperor himself.

"Aren't you angry?"

Chen Shao chuckled and said, "This Baozhen Temple is just one of my temporary palaces, nothing special. In the future, the rewards I bestow upon her will be no less than those for other imperial princesses, so who would dare to gossip? Even if they do, I don't care!"

After becoming emperor, Chen Shao only referred to himself as "朕" (zhen) when displaying imperial authority or on formal occasions.

The main thing is to do whatever you want.

As the nation's strength increased, he became more and more relaxed; that's just how emperors are.

When your country is weak, everything you do will be criticized, and a single inappropriate word can become a sign of national demise.

When your country is powerful, even if you kill your brother and marry your sister-in-law, someone will cover for you and exonerate you.

After all, an emperor's morality can only determine the honor and disgrace of those around him, but his ability can determine the joy and sorrow of millions of people.

Chen Shao had previously wanted Maode to enter the palace after giving birth to a daughter, considering various potential consequences; now, however, he is more confident and no longer cares about such things.

Li Yi'an looked at Chen Shao; this young emperor was indeed captivating. This Baozhen Temple was also a very good place to settle down; spending the rest of her life here, carefree, should be truly wonderful.

After the little princess is born, she is usually not named during the first month, but Chen Shao sometimes doesn't care about this. It seems that only when your mother was born did they strictly follow the rules and etiquette because your maternal grandfather was a professor at the prefectural school.

He said with a smile, "Don't forget to choose a good name."

"We need to discuss the matter with Fujin together."

Chen Shao nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
-
In a manor on the outskirts of Jinling.

Zhe Keshi, Zhe Yanye, and several others, along with Zhong Shizhong who had returned from Qin and Long, gathered for a night of drinking.

They didn't set up a table; instead, they lit a bonfire in the courtyard, roasted meat and fish, and drank and chatted happily.

It felt just like being on the battlefield back then.

There were also many military officers from the Western Army in the courtyard, and the meal was very enjoyable.

“Back then, the Western Army consisted of Zhong, Zhe, Liu, and Yao. The Yao family line has ended, and after Old Liu and Little Liu were captured, the lineage of the Fuyan Army was also cut off.” Zhe Keshi laughed and said, “Young Master Zhong, you are guarding the Northwest as well as ever, which is truly enviable.”

Zhong Shizhong glanced at him.

He knew that the Zhe family also wanted to achieve military merit again and rise again.

The Zhe family also contributed to the fight against the Jin army, but it was different from the Zhong family's full commitment.

Over the years, only a junior like Zhe Yanye has been granted the title of Commander of the Imperial Guards based on his military achievements.

For a family to gain a foothold in a new dynasty, this is absolutely not enough.

Xiao Zhong remained silent, his eyes fixed on the fire. He thought to himself, "It's all because Zhe Keqiu of your clan exposed his ambitions back in Taihang Pass."

His actions of gathering the defeated troops of Fuyan Army and detaining the Liu Guangshi brothers were already quite obvious.

Perhaps the Zhe family judged at that time that the world was about to descend into chaos.

After all, there were indeed signs of this. The Jin army marched south, and the imperial troops fled at the mere sight of them. The Dingnan Army had already occupied Hedong, and loyalist troops were rushing in from all over the country.

This is very much like the situation before the curtain rises on a chaotic era.

No one expected that Chen Shao would resist the enormous temptation and not lead his troops to the capital to become Dong Zhuo. Instead, he stayed in Taiyuan, Hedong, and devoted himself to fighting the Jin army. Moreover, he actually withstood the joint attack of Zong Wang and Zong Han.

The Zhe family made no mistakes throughout the entire process, allying with Chen Shao from the very beginning. However, this small act of revealing their ambition put them in an awkward position during this dynastic change.

Now that I've abandoned my family's legacy and come to Nanjing, I need to start all over again.

"There probably won't be any wars in the next few years," Zhong Shizhong said. "Do you know what it feels like when I return to the Right Wing to guard the region? The Hexi and Longyou areas are even more secure than the heartland of the Central Plains!"

For the Song Dynasty, the northwest had never been stable, and every year enormous human and financial resources had to be spent to stabilize the situation there. That's how the Western Army grew so powerful.

Even in the Song Dynasty, where civil affairs were valued more than military matters, the court had no choice but to maintain the Western Army to keep the barbarians in the northwest.

But now, the imperial court no longer receives rebellion and war from the northwest, only outrageously high commercial taxes, as well as furs, fresh meat, and horses from countless pastures.

Zhong Shizhong continued to advise, "If you want to fight, don't focus on the same old place, but look at two other places."

"Which two places?" Zhe Keshi moved closer.

He knew that Xiao Zhong might not have much access to core military intelligence, but Lao Zhong was someone who frequently met with the Emperor, and His Majesty liked to discuss military matters with him.

The Zhong family must know some inside information.

Xiao Zhong is different from Qu Duan. Qu Duan is cold on the outside but even colder on the inside, while Xiao Zhong appears arrogant but actually values ​​old relationships very much.

Although after the conquest of Liao, the major families in the Western Army were not very satisfied with the Zhong family, feeling that Old Zhong had led them to the north and caused them to lose all their wealth.

But deep down, Xiao Zhong still harbored a deep affection for the Western Army. He picked up a burning stick and drew a few circles on the ground.

"Hetao! Overseas!"

Zhe Keshi seemed to be deep in thought, and did not press for more details. It was already quite remarkable that Xiao Zhong could point him out with those four words; it would be impolite to keep asking until he got to the bottom of it.

There is now a Yue Fei who destroyed the Jin dynasty stationed in the Hetao region, recruiting and training troops, clearly indicating that he intends to deal with the northern nomadic tribes.

However, the various barbarian tribes are now very submissive, and the court is spending money to train so many troops, which clearly indicates that they intend to launch a northern expedition.

The Zhe family was very familiar with this, and in principle, it would be best to send the best members of the clan to seek development here.

However, the Hetao region is close to Fugu, which is the ancestral home of the Zhe family. Since it has been abandoned, it should not be returned to avoid being misunderstood by His Majesty.

In that case, it would be better to seek military merit overseas!
Currently, there are only two naval forces in Dajing: the Chenghai Navy and the Qinzhou Navy.

Judging from the current trade volume, the navy may become the main force of the Great Jing Empire's army in the future.

Zhe Keshi nodded slightly, thinking to himself that he would discuss with his clansmen after returning home that the Zhe family should take root in the navy from now on!
The Zhe family had considered this path before, and today, having learned from Xiaozhong that His Majesty's ambition to expand overseas still exists, this idea has become even more firm.

Like the Zhe family, there are actually many military generals who now harbor great ambitions but are frustrated by having no way to serve their country.

Compared to previous years, the war in the north has been ongoing for nearly a decade, with the Jin army constantly fighting against the Dingnan army.

I still remember when the war first started, the fighting spirit of the Dingnan Army startled even the Jurchens.

They were truly eager for battle, always charging at the sight of the enemy. Only when the rewards of their labor were realized did everyone understand why they fought so fiercely; such opportunities were rare indeed.

Opportunities are truly scarce now. Perhaps a Northern Expedition a few years from now, when the time is right, will be an opportunity we can wait for.

But heroes are as numerous as carp crossing a river; born in this era, who wouldn't want to be crowned king or marquis?

When that time comes, another round of scrambling is inevitable.

Even with such a profound foundation, the Zhe family still needs to exert all its strength to plan and lay the groundwork for the next generation, or even the generation after that.

For ordinary people, it goes without saying.
-
Chen Shao rarely participated in the imperial harem's outings.

Huanhuan is a person who can be both active and quiet; sometimes she can be quiet and study in the palace.

Sometimes, however, they are quite happy to go out and have fun.

After the weather warmed up, she would invite several concubines out for a stroll every few days.

But tonight was an exception. After much coaxing and pleading, or perhaps because he was feeling restless, Chen Shao followed them to the royal garden.

It was early summer, and even at night it was still quite hot.

When Huanhuan and the others returned from the riverbank, the group gathered together for a picnic.

The imperial chefs in the palace were quite skilled, but even the finest delicacies can become tiresome if consumed in excess.

This trip to the countryside allowed me to sample local farm cuisine: slightly yellow rice porridge, fresh green vegetables, sweet fruits, and soup made with fresh fish caught from the river.

He spread his tent on the grass by the river, enjoying the cool evening breeze blowing from the Qinhuai River and watching the lights twinkling in the distance as darkness fell. Chen Shao lay comfortably by the river.

Gazing at the bright moon in the sky, a poem suddenly came to mind, filling him with immense pleasure: "The people of today do not see the moon of old, yet the moon of today once shone on the people of old."

Without a doubt, I have already rewritten the course of history, so why not just leave it at that?
He lay down to rest and enjoy the life of an emperor.

If he doesn't make any major mistakes in his later years, he will definitely be a great emperor for all time.

But when he thought about the memorials he had read in the past few days, Chen Shao gave up the idea.

Both within and outside the court, everyone in this prosperous era yearns for further progress.

Military generals, eager to earn merit and titles, civil officials, desiring to be remembered in history, and wealthy gentry who had lost their lands, all began to turn to trade after discovering its enormous profits; the people along the coast all hoped for a greater opening of the seas.
Chen Shao himself was well aware of the immense energy that such a vibrant era could unleash.

This wild force needs a prudent leader.

During the Tang Dynasty, the desire of frontier warriors to achieve great deeds was just as strong as it is today.

This desire was discovered and exploited by Qi Hu An Lushan, leading to the infighting among the Tang Dynasty's most elite border troops and the collapse of the empire.

During the Tang Dynasty, soldiers often fought their way up from the bottom, earning military merits and rising to the rank of regional commander.

Therefore, they are capable of doing many crazy things in order to achieve military merit.

In this respect, Da Jing was even better, with three soldiers being promoted to kings for their military achievements.

Chen Shao sat up straight, and then suddenly realized that although these pleasant days were good, he couldn't enjoy them forever.

Having completely revitalized the Great Jing Empire, he must now take on the responsibility of guiding the way.

In this world today, there is no one else who can shoulder this burden. (End of Chapter)