You have truly caused me great suffering!

June is the height of summer.

In the height of summer, women everywhere wear thin clothing, a situation that has been true since ancient times.

Whether they were noble ladies in the palace or courtesans in brothels, they could dress with their breasts partially exposed and parade through the streets in carriages.

At this time, even women from poor families could afford to buy a couple of brightly colored clothes, since thinner fabrics cost less.

The weaving technology of Dajing became more advanced with the advent of the spinning wheel.

People have more clothes to choose from, and the prices are much cheaper.

Sitting by the roadside, both inside and outside Jinling City, one can feast their eyes on the sights.

The customs of the Great Jing Dynasty were very similar to those of the Great Song Dynasty, after all, the Great Jing Dynasty was directly succeeded by the Great Song Dynasty, without any war or transition period.

During the Song Dynasty, society was relatively free and open, and women were relatively free to go out. Although "showing one's face in public" was still looked down upon by the literati, there were few restrictions on women going out to relax and buy cosmetics and other items.

A group of scholars dressed in fine silks and satins strolled along the street, looking around and shouting, which drew the attention of passersby.

Everyone's peeking, that's just a man's nature, but why are you yelling? That's a bit lewd.

Some of the noblewomen in the carriages noticed their pointing and whispering, and their faces showed a hint of anger.

Not long after, someone reported it to the authorities, and several yamen runners from Jinling Prefecture came over.

Someone pointed at them and asked, "Is it them?"

A young maid in green nodded; she appeared to be a servant from a wealthy household.

The head constable, Liu Hu, shouted, "Arrest them!"

Seeing the group of officials approaching to arrest the people, the young men in fine clothes panicked and quickly shouted, "We are from Goryeo, and are guests of Dajing!"

"Goryeo?" Liu Hu asked, "Who is your father?"

The young master, with a smug look on his face, raised his chin and said, "My father is Zheng Zhichang."

"Don't know him, copy him!"

Zheng Yiyuan was immediately startled. His father was a very famous figure in Goryeo. He was the top scholar in the imperial examination and was initially appointed as a court attendant. After that, he served as the Left Censor, Left Advisor, and Recorder of the Emperor's Daily Life, and was eventually promoted to Hanlin Academician and Imperial Edict Drafter.

Unfortunately, this is Dajing, and his father was placed under house arrest by Kim Boo-seok because of his association with the traitors of Xijing and the monk Miaoqing.

Their family fled here.

With the situation having deteriorated to this point, both groups from Goryeo basically sent their descendants to Daegeung for refuge, and through merchant caravans in the Daegeung army, they also transferred a lot of their assets there.

In this way, even if they are defeated, they will have a way out and escape to Dajing to become wealthy men.

They can still stand on the big screen and continue to contradict the other side.

Both sides knew that the other dared not act rashly in Dajing.

They all hoped to have such a way out.

After all, without a great vision, failure would mean death, the extermination of one's clan, and the destruction of one's family.

With such a grand vision, the cost of failure is minimized.

Nowadays, there are many noblewomen, gentlemen and ladies from Goryeo in Dengzhou Prefecture, Laizhou Prefecture, Kaifeng Prefecture and Jinling Prefecture.

A group of young Korean noblemen, like defeated roosters, were captured by Li Hu and taken to the yamen, while the people along the way laughed and pointed at them.

Chen Shao happened to witness this scene from a window by the roadside.

"How embarrassing!"

He frowned, looking disgusted. Among the scholars of Goryeo, there were actually a few with integrity.

Chen Shao had met Zheng Zhichang, the father of this man, once or twice; he was a very refined and scholarly man. Back when Xijing had not yet rebelled, he came to Jinling with Wang Kai to offer congratulations.

He was naturally bold and open-minded, skilled in poetry, calligraphy and painting, and well-versed in the I Ching and Buddhist scriptures.

Zheng Zhichang was the top scholar in the imperial examination, so he had naturally read the classics, but for him, they were just a ladder to success in the imperial examinations.

He himself has always disliked the Confucianism of its elaborate rituals and preferred the natural, unrestrained, and transcendent philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi.

This clashed with Kim Bu-sik, a fundamentalist Confucian scholar. Therefore, Kim Bu-sik was not only his political enemy but also his "literary enemy."

Zheng Zhichang later became interested in the esoteric arts of Yin and Yang, and befriended the monk Miaoqing from Xijing and the astronomer Bai Shouhan, among others, and together they were known as the "Three Saints of Xijing".

This time, being placed under house arrest in Gaegyeong by Kim Bu-sik, his chances of survival are slim. Historically, before Kim Bu-sik went to quell the rebellion, he secretly ordered his men to drag out Jeong Ji-sang, Baek Soo-han, and Kim An, and execute them at the gate of Gaegyeong Palace on the tenth day of the first month, and "executed them first and reported later".

Their families were enslaved by government officials.

Now that Da Jing has escaped, his family members have fled, and his own fate is unlikely to be rewritten.

Han Shizhong and the others who were accompanying him were somewhat puzzled when they saw Chen Shao frowning and remaining silent.

The young people of Goryeo are disgraceful, why is Your Majesty still sulking?

"In another ten years or so, our Great Jing will also have some sons of noble families and princes. I'm truly afraid they'll end up like that."

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this, because upon closer examination, it was not impossible.

Throughout history, wealthy and powerful families that have shared the fate of the nation have often seen a decline after one or two generations, with the emergence of a group of spoiled and unworthy descendants.

Chen Shao said, "We must uphold the family tradition! We must rid ourselves of evil influences!"

Although I don't know if it will work, I'll still remind them of it.

Nobles, civil officials, and the imperial family have always been the three pillars of the court, supporting the vast capital city.

Among them, the noble families and the royal family are natural allies and the royal family's biggest external supporters.

Just look at the Song Dynasty. By the time of Emperor Huizong, what kind of mess had the sons of the imperial guards become?

When foreign enemies attack, they can say they can't help at all.

The imperial court allocates 600,000 men's salaries every year. Regardless of the actual number of imperial guards, the emperor provides ample funds.

But that didn't earn them the right to defend Bianliang for the royal family.

This led to the complete annihilation of the Zhao Song imperial family, resulting in the Jingkang Incident, which left a deep stain on history.

The salary for 600,000 people! If that were given to Zhao Kuangyin, it would have been enough for him to rebuild his empire from scratch.

Chen Shao had always wanted to tour the country, but for various reasons, he was unable to do so.

So he decided to settle for second best and first inspect Jinling. Since he had nothing to do today, he invited a group of his ministers to stroll around Jinling.

Unexpectedly, he witnessed this scene.

It would be the same no matter which dynasty it was placed in.

Moreover, among the second generation of Da Jing, there are quite a few outstanding individuals, such as Cai Xing, Zhang Run, Yang Geng, and Xu Yan.

I should try to find a way to solve this problem, but considering how difficult it is, what can I do?

After this incident, Chen Shao lost his mood and wanted to return to the summer palace.

Han Shizhong glanced around and said, "Your Majesty rarely comes out, why don't we go to my residence and drink until we're drunk?"

Upon hearing this, others realized that while they could compromise on other matters, they couldn't let this go unchallenged.

"Let's go to my residence instead."

"I!"

Chen Shao originally planned to go to Baozhen Temple, but seeing that he couldn't refuse their hospitality, he said, "Let's not argue anymore. Let's find a restaurant or something to change things up."

The imperial chefs were Chen Shao's only luxury; he ordered many chefs to be brought to the capital to develop new recipes. While he could make do with other things, he really wanted to be particular about food.

Moreover, it doesn't cost much money; it's much cheaper than building wonders or palaces.

Because of the emperor's love of good food, the culinary skills of ordinary people improved by leaps and bounds.

It's a pity that Su Shi, that foodie, didn't live to see today, otherwise he would definitely be happy.

Su Shi, this gourmet, truly loved to eat. He not only pursued delicious food, but also the artistic conception behind it.

The saying "The most delightful taste in life is simple joy" expresses the idea of ​​savoring the true pleasures of life through plain and simple food.

With a sense of helplessness, Chen Shao could only console himself with those three words: "Do your best."
Just do your best; exert as much effort as you are capable of.

Don't try to fight against human nature; you don't have that ability yet.
-
In July, when the seas in the Southern Wilderness were at their roughest, Mayi Island was basically completely captured.

The Zhe family's delegation to Nanjing to present their victory brought with them many rare treasures and exotic animals.

They were actually the first to determine the strategy for fighting in the Southern Wilderness.

Jing Jun, who came after them, learned everything from them.

Today, thirteen large cities and nine ports have been built on Mayi Island, and the island is still being used by natives to build roads.

In addition, there's Taiwan, which they developed earliest.

Such merit deserves a generous reward, even if there were some mistakes made in the past.

Chen Shao suggested that Zhe Keqiu rest in the capital first, waiting for his return to court so that he could host a grand banquet for him at the court assembly on the fifteenth of July.

Everyone speculated that a marquisate was inevitable, and there was even a possibility of being granted the title of duke.

Everyone knows that the titles of nobility were relatively high when the country was founded.

While people were watching, almost all the main members of the Zhe clan arrived in Jinling.

They had a house in Jinling, where most of the female relatives, the elderly, women, and children lived.

Instead of closing his doors to guests, Zhe Keqiu hosted a grand banquet for his friends and acquaintances, especially visiting his old friends.

He appeared completely open and honest.

Intriguingly, Chen Shao did not summon him, but instead first summoned his nephew Zhe Yanye.

When Zhe Yanye returned, he and Zhe Keqiu talked behind closed doors for two hours, and the Zhe family suddenly became quiet.

A few days later, on July 12th, the imperial court issued an edict:
"I believe that the peace and tranquility of the realm depend on the strategies of valiant generals; the assimilation of the barbarians relies on capable ministers. I hereby appoint you, Zhe Keqiu, who possesses unwavering loyalty and strategic brilliance. I hereby command you to lead an army across the sea to conquer the East, expand our territory, and spread our might to distant lands."

You then donned armor and charged straight into the heart of the Ma Yi; you braved perilous terrain and conquered the borders of the coastal barbarians. You built fortified cities to control vital passes and established a major port to facilitate the flow of goods.
He built boat factories to facilitate crossing great rivers; he cared for the people with carved foreheads, and all of them enjoyed longevity and prosperity.

The waves subsided, the miasma disappeared, and the land of flowers and grasses was transformed into a place of elegant attire.

Your merits are as lofty as the bronze pillar, and your achievements as illustrious as Yanran. I am greatly pleased! Therefore, I hereby bestow upon you the title of Duke of Dinghai, with the honorary title "Kaitai Xuanwu," and a fief of three thousand households, which shall be hereditary for your descendants.

He was still granted a thousand yi of gold and five hundred bolts of brocade to commend his outstanding achievements.

Alas! To pacify the coastal states and secure the eternal peace of our nation; to assist in the flourishing of our dynasty and further strengthen our sworn alliance.

Shang Keqin obeys, and does not disobey my orders!

With the dust settled, Zhe Keqiu was granted the title of Duke, becoming one of the most distinguished nobles of the Great Jing Dynasty.

After years of hard work, the Zhe family has finally transformed from a marginalized military family into a powerful and influential clan in the Great Jing Dynasty.

The entire Zhe family was overjoyed, but Zhe Keqiu was more concerned about one thing.

His Majesty actually allowed Zhe Yanye to enter Guangyuan Hall.

He had never imagined this would happen.

No one knew Guangyuantang better than Zhe Keqiu. He had repeatedly pondered the process of His Majesty's success, and Guangyuantang had absolutely played a crucial role in it.

This is a tremendous show of trust, indicating that His Majesty no longer cares about the old events in the Taihang Mountains.

Zhe Keqiu regretted it more than once, wondering why he had ever had such ambition in the first place. Fortunately, he did not make a big mistake.

If it weren't for his ambition to seize power, he would have had a younger sister in His Majesty's harem, thanks to the relationship between the Zhe family and the Dingnan Army.

The Zhe family's treatment, while not as good as the Zhong family's, wouldn't be much worse.

He truly admired Old Zhong; how could he have seen His Majesty's extraordinary talent back then?

If Zhe Keqiu knew the truth, he would probably be even more upset. Old Zhong never saw any kingly talent in this petty soldier.

Seeing that Western Xia was about to perish, the Western Army needed a hypothetical enemy, but did not want to actually fight Chen Shao.

Ideally, the conflict should be avoided, but the court needs the Western Army to control Chen Shao's territory. What Lao Zhong was thinking was simply to preserve the Western Army.

As for Chen Shao later becoming emperor, and the Zhong family becoming the empress's maternal family, it was purely by chance.

Fortunately, after these years of hard work, they have finally returned to the position that the Zhe family should have.

From the day they set sail, not a single member of the Zhe family has been a coward; these past few years have truly been tough.
For generations, the regional military governors who guarded the northwest had to pay a heavy price to expand their territory on the islands.

Not long after the Zhe family reported their victory, news of another victory arrived from Yunnan: the Bagan Dynasty had also been destroyed.

The king and his family have been captured and are about to be escorted to Jinling.

The officials and common people who read the imperial gazette every day were puzzled. Didn't the imperial court send the Wuman troops from Yunnan and the Annam troops from Jiaozhi to attack Zhenla?

The Zhenla people deserved to die for killing the Dajing miners, so how did the Pagan Dynasty end up collapsing during the fighting?

Where is Bagan?

The Great Jing newspaper unusually did not list the crimes of Pagan, nor did it explain how they angered the Great Jing, which led to the war of annihilation.

Such a great victory, in which the enemy king was captured, was usually celebrated in great detail, with a written explanation of the reasons for sending troops and how disrespectful the enemy had been, which led to the summoning of heavenly troops.

However, the Bagan Dynasty did not receive this treatment because they had not offended the Great Khan.

Could it be that the Wuman soldiers who marched south mistook Pagan for Zhenla and fought their way to their capital?

Dali used to trade with Bagan every day. If this is really written down, what will future generations say?

Since these kinds of things can't be explained away, I simply stopped writing about them. After a few years, Bagan will be integrated into the larger landscape, and no one will talk about it anymore.

There was very little contact between Bagan and the Central Plains. The first time Bagan sent envoys to pay tribute was in 1004, the first year of the Jingde era of the Northern Song Dynasty. There were occasional exchanges thereafter.

They were always regarded as "remote barbarians," and the Song Dynasty adopted a policy of "accepting them when they came and not pursuing them when they left" to keep them at arm's length.

They coexisted peacefully with Dali. The Dali Kingdom controlled the central and western parts of Yunnan in later generations, while the influence of Bagan expanded northward to the upper reaches of the Irrawaddy River (northern Kachin State and Shan State in Myanmar). Between the two places were buffer zones such as the Jinchi (ancestors of the Dai people), Burmese tribes, and the remnants of the Pyu people.

The two countries are not adjacent at all and have never fought a war. On the contrary, they cooperated to fight against the tribes in these buffer zones in order to protect trade routes.

Chen Shao ordered that King Alangsidu of Bagan be granted the title of Marquis of Shunde and that his family be settled in the suburbs of Nanjing.

In fact, like Zhenla, Jiaozhi, Jianyili, and Sanfoqi, Bagan was also at the height of its national power at this time.

Arangsitu reigned for over 50 years, making him one of the longest-reigning monarchs of the Bagan Dynasty.

His reign is considered one of the "golden ages" of Bagan, characterized by political stability, economic prosperity, and the flourishing of Buddhism.

However, there was nothing that could be done; the golden age of these small countries coincided with the peak of the great dynasty.

The two sides are vastly different in size, and Dajing has also achieved a qualitative leap due to various technological innovations.

With a single blast of cannon fire, the wooden palisades of these small countries in the Indochina Peninsula proved utterly ineffective against the warships and cavalry of the Great Jing. (End of Chapter)