You have truly caused me great suffering!

"Wang Yin, how long have you been following me?"

Wang Yin was slightly taken aback. Discussing such matters with His Majesty was a monthly routine for him.

Almost every time they asked the same questions: the situation of the Six Ministries, the Secretariat, and various levels of government offices, as well as the personal relationships between different officials.

He had prepared for this performance at home long ago, and had carefully considered every word.

However, His Majesty is indeed that affectionate, often chatting with his close officials.

"In the third year of Xuanhe, His Majesty quelled Fang La's rebellion. He did not question my past transgressions, but instead promoted me to a high position despite the unusual circumstances. This great favor has lasted for twelve years now."

Twelve years.

Among the commanders of the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard, Yuan Bin was one who had a relatively peaceful end.

Because he had studied with Baozong and together they went to study in the Oirat region, he gained the deep trust of Zhu Qizhen and served in office for more than ten years before passing away peacefully.

The worst case scenario was that they served as dirty gloves for Emperor Hongwu and Emperor Yongle; they were truly used and then thrown away.
They even subjected Ji Gang to slow slicing.

Chen Shao nodded and said, "You have been doing this job for me for twelve years. It is no easy task. You have built it from scratch, and it is all thanks to your experience when you were traveling around the world."

"Over the years, I can't even remember how many extraordinary feats you've performed for me."

Looking at His Majesty's appearance, Wang Yin felt something was slightly amiss.

Chen Shao continued, listing his achievements, saying that Guangyuantang was behind every major change.

Chen Shao named it Guangyuantang, a name commonly used by chambers of commerce, meaning to broaden one's sources of income and make more money.

But beneath the caravan's exterior, it was actually the Great Jing intelligence agency, the emperor's personal guard.

"You are my confidant, and I won't hide it from you. This position cannot be held by one person for long. You understand my thoughts, right?"

Wang Yin broke out in a cold sweat and was about to kneel down when Chen Shao waved his hand and said, "I am not the kind of person who would discard someone after they have served their purpose. You will have to do your job well for the next few years. I will find a few people to learn from you for a while."

"We'll hand it over when the time is right."

Throughout history, cruel officials and secret guards, though often the emperor's confidants, rarely met a good end.

Having served as the manager of Guangyuantang for so many years, Wang Yin naturally knew Chen Shao's character.

He couldn't help but feel a little fortunate. If he had encountered another emperor, would he have had a chance to escape unscathed?

Seeing his absent-minded look, Chen Shao thought to himself, "Luckily, I waited until he finished speaking before bringing this up, otherwise it would have been difficult to understand the situation this month."

After leaving the main hall, Wang Yin suddenly felt a little lost.

He never considered the power of Guangyuantang as his own, but having held onto it for so long, it was indeed difficult to relinquish.

Now that he knows he has to relinquish power, he is still a little reluctant, even though he knows His Majesty will make sure he is taken care of.

Standing on the steps of the Summer Palace and looking down, I felt exactly the same way I did when I arrived.

When I came up this staircase, I was full of ambition; but when I came down, my heart was filled with reluctance.

The sky was already foggy, as if it was about to rain, and Wang Yin couldn't help but think back to the time when he followed Fang La.

He charged through a hail of arrows, shielded only by a tattered shield, to the walls of Hangzhou to dig a hole in the ground. He ridiculously thought he could carve a tunnel through the city walls.

The images in my mind went through a revolving lantern.

Finally, he thought of Li Tangchen. It was no wonder that the Prime Minister Li was able to retire gracefully and was chosen by His Majesty to become the most famous prime minister in the history of the Great Jing Dynasty.

After descending the first step, Wang Yin's thoughts suddenly shifted, and he began to reflect on his actions over the years.

Can I truly have a clear conscience?
Within Guangyuan Hall, many important positions were gradually filled by his trusted confidants.

If Your Majesty were to summon Qiu Ju, the head of Guangyuan Hall, to discuss matters at this moment, would Qiu Ju listen to his own judgment or speak frankly to Your Majesty?

It's probably the former.
Today I came to the Summer Palace and told them about Guo Kui. I'm not really that different from Guo Kui, am I?

However, since I am a trusted confidant of His Majesty, even if I retire, I will do so in a dignified and respectable manner, just like Minister Li.

The summer palace, shrouded in mist and rain, was indeed very cool, and the raindrops hitting his face brought Wang Yin back to his senses.

Although he still felt unwell, he managed to convince himself.

His Majesty said he has a few more years to live, so let's make the most of these last few years and impart all our knowledge to the new people His Majesty has chosen.

Let's return Guangyuan Hall to His Majesty clean and tidy, thus fulfilling this bond between ruler and subject!
After Wang Yin left, Chen Shao went to the window and felt the mountain breeze in the rain.

He didn't have so many feelings; this was just another form of "releasing military power over a cup of wine."

Like Zhao Da, Chen Shao was not only avoiding potential dangers, but also protecting his trusted confidants.

If we were to truly indulge them, we would be harming them, and they might never be able to live and die with the Great Jing Dynasty.

Some things cannot be handled with womanly compassion or indecisiveness, especially for an emperor.

The position of head of Guangyuantang is a hundred times more important than that of the Salt Commissioner, and it must be changed every three to five years as an ironclad rule.

This location is arguably the most important location in the entire scenic area.

Since its inception, it has undergone countless self-repairs, yet it remains a behemoth of power.

Zhao Shan, Zhao He, and Xiao Ting repeatedly stripped them of their power, removing their financial, military, and administrative control, as well as their monopoly on the Silk Road.

Such institutions are only needed during wartime and should be dismantled after the war.

Just keep the intelligence work going.

Chen Shao is indeed willing to relinquish power, but there must be a way to take it back or directly intervene.

To put it bluntly, it was about monitoring all officials.

The position of an official is not trustworthy, not because the person in that position is inherently bad.

However, this position necessitates regulation, because human nature has never been a noble thing.

If you don't regulate it, it will turn around and mess with you.

On his way back to his palace, Chen Shao kept thinking about the matter of his successor.

He needs to select many people to learn from, then choose one from them, and immediately arrange the training of the next successor.

These things cannot be stopped.

This is the legal system he plans to build next, setting rules for future generations to follow.

The ancestral laws must not be changed; anyone who does will lose their head.
In the imperial palace, a banquet was often held at this time.

One characteristic of moving to the imperial palace was that there were no banquets; it gradually quieted down after nightfall, which Chen Shao was still a little unaccustomed to.

Having lived in the capital for two months, he hosted banquets every night, inviting his trusted ministers to join him in drinking. While evening banquets could be heard outside, the scene was one of beauty and tranquility, with classical architecture standing out beautifully amidst the mountains and forests.

Despite having been there long enough and seen enough, Chen Shao still felt a sense of wonder and appreciation for the unique charm of each new sight.

Only the ancestors of the Central Plains could build such charming architecture.

This year, there were many more palace maids accompanying the Summer Palace. They moved around in small teams, placing candles on the lampstands under the eaves by the roadside. Some were responsible for carrying a lamp bed filled with candles, while others were responsible for opening the lampshade and placing the candles. They meticulously repeated their daily work.

Because the emperor delayed selecting concubines, the officials had no choice but to settle for second best and ask His Majesty to hire more palace maids.

What if someone is lucky enough to catch the emperor's eye? After all, His Majesty is a man too.

With so many beautiful women around, it's hard not to feel a surge of desire. We're all men, and we all know that.

Chen Shao was not unfazed by women; on the contrary, he was extremely lustful.

But he valued his life more.

His caution was necessary during the war, but now that it's time, he can relax a bit.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, unlike the Ming and Qing dynasties, the number of palace maids was significantly greater than that of eunuchs.

Because eunuchs were not included in the political system, unlike later when there were many eunuchs from the palace to the local areas; at this time, the eunuchs were either low-ranking ones responsible for physical labor or those in charge of affairs in the Inner Palace.

Most of the work around the emperor was done by palace maids, so you could often see groups of palace maids carrying lanterns on the roads of the inner palace, but you rarely saw eunuchs walking around, both in the imperial city and the imperial palace.

The number of eunuchs in the Tang and Song dynasties was not even enough to match the number of leaders in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The same applies to Dajing.

Chen Shao was walking around the palace when he encountered a group of palace maids. He habitually made way for them.

But the palace maids clearly didn't have the guts to make the emperor wait for them to leave first, so they all stood aside with their hands hanging down.

One or two of them, being the bolder ones, secretly glanced at him, then pretended to be shy and lowered their heads.

Many of them were actually placed in by officials, who had instructed them beforehand that it was best to win His Majesty's favor.

Everyone laughs at Marshal Zhu, but who wouldn't want to be a triple father-in-law like him?

Even for daughters of officials, getting close to the emperor was no easy feat.

If I stay here for a few years and the emperor doesn't value me, I'll just leave again.

After reigning as emperor for several years, Chen Shao's mind matured, and he naturally knew all about these little tricks.

Of course, I don't dislike it either.

What's wrong with a young girl trying to seduce you and taking whatever she wants from you?

He even enjoyed joking with them, but rarely actually left any of the palace maids behind.

Chen Shao often preferred the kind of unintentional charm. For example, when Lin Niangzi bent over to weigh medicine, her buttocks sticking out roundly, Chen Shao took advantage of her.

Seeing that the emperor smiled and left, the small group of palace maids were somewhat disappointed, and they all sighed inwardly as they watched his departing figure.

It's too difficult.
At this time, the women of officials were not some naive and delicate young ladies.

Women in the Song Dynasty, especially those in the Northern Song Dynasty, were very open-minded.

Chen Shao was very satisfied with his harem. Regardless of whether they had their own cliques, at least they didn't cause trouble for him or make him unhappy.

Occasionally, when I want to arrange or combine things myself, I have a lot of freedom; I just pick the ones, and I usually succeed.

There were also those who insisted on coming even though their food hadn't been ordered.

During the Tang Dynasty, the competition for the emperor's favor in the harem was so fierce that rules were established: it wasn't like the way it was portrayed on TV where the emperor simply chose his concubines by flipping a plaque; the emperor had no choice at all, and he had to "cultivate" the emperor's favor every day, and most of the time there was more than one woman.

There was a specific order in which the attendants in the palace would serve the emperor, determined by the phases of the moon. The first fifteen days of each month were considered the waxing phase, and the last fifteen days were the waning phase. Therefore, from the first to the fifteenth of the month, it was the lower-ranking attendants who served the emperor, while from the sixteenth to the end of the month, it was the other way around, with the higher-ranking attendants serving the emperor.

The Empress and the three consorts had priority, while the nine concubines and below were "served by nine people at a time," meaning that nine people would share the Emperor's favor for one night.

From the first to the ninth day of the month, there are eighty-one imperial wives, nine of whom share one night; from the tenth to the twelfth day, there are twenty-seven ladies-in-waiting, nine of whom share one night; on the thirteenth day, there are nine concubines; on the fourteenth day, there are three consorts; and on the fifteenth day, the empress enjoys the night alone. Similarly, on the sixteenth day, the empress enjoys the night alone; on the seventeenth day, there are three consorts; on the eighteenth day, there are nine concubines; from the nineteenth to the twenty-first day, there are twenty-seven ladies-in-waiting, nine of whom share one night; and from the twenty-second to the thirtieth day, there are eighty-one imperial wives, nine of whom share one night.

Overall, it consisted of two nights for the Empress, two nights for the Third Consort, six nights for the Ladies-in-Waiting, and eighteen nights for the Imperial Wives.

Such rules are a fair distribution for the concubines and can alleviate some of the conflicts in the harem.

However, if the emperor were to follow the rules completely, sometimes he would have to sleep with nine women in one night, which even an iron body couldn't withstand.

Of course, you don't necessarily have to deal with them one by one; there are plenty of ways to make things more comfortable.

As long as you're thick-skinned enough and have a good attitude, even if you're surrounded by eight beauties, it's still a great experience.

Although Chen Shao didn't have as many beauties in his harem, he could go wherever he wanted, which was much more freedom than this.

Too many rules in the palace can easily make it lifeless and less fun.

Chen Shao hoped that the royal family of the Great Jing Dynasty would first and foremost be a normal family, just like the many eunuch families outside.

Whether it was out of habit or not, Chen Shao still went to Li Shishi's room while he was thinking about things.

Li Shishi seemed to know he was coming. She dressed beautifully, clearly having chosen her outfit carefully. With a smile, she poured a cup of hot tea and placed it in front of Chen Shao.

Chen Shao knew that it wasn't that she had predicted his arrival, but rather that she made these preparations every day.

Chen Shao always felt that Shishi was a very traditional woman, which was exactly the kind of woman he liked.

Chen Shao liked everything classical and Han-style, including women.

Round and delicate, gentle and docile.

The palace maids had set out chopsticks and wine cups, and just as they were about to eat, they heard footsteps outside.

"Oh my, His Majesty is here too." Chun Tao looked surprised.

Li Shishi couldn't be bothered to look at her. She used to get angry at her, but now she completely ignored her.

Chen Shao smiled and waved, inviting her to sit to his left.

He didn't need to look; he already had the images of the two sisters in his mind. Chen Shao had always found it strange that Chun Tao and Li Shishi were biological sisters and that they did indeed have some resemblance in their features.

However, her face shape is similar to an oval seed, which looks delicate, while Shishi has a standard oval face.

Shishi's eyes are more beautiful; even without any expression, they seem to be giving people a charming smile. Chuntao has peach blossom eyes, which look very shrewd, but not obviously so. Her nose is not perfect and lacks definition, but fortunately, her mouth makes up for this. It is not a small mouth, but the upper lip is slightly upturned, making her look very cute.

Overall, Shishi is much prettier than her, but Chuntao is taller, which allows her body curves to stretch more, and her long legs make her look more elegant.

Because of her anxiety, Shishi maintained her previous upbringing, and her every word and action revealed her true nature.

Chun Tao, having lived a carefree life since childhood, still enjoys acting cute and endearing, much like a spoiled little sister next door. (End of Chapter)