You have truly caused me great suffering!

After the New Year, the area around Nanjing became increasingly busy.

As spring transitions into summer and the weather warms up, caravans arrive in droves.

The grandeur of Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty was characterized by the presence of foreign peoples and women from various Western Regions throughout the city's streets and alleys.

But things are different now; there are very few people of Central Asian descent among these caravans.

Because the Western Regions, which acted as intermediaries, had already been taken over.

Merchants from Dajing can trade directly with the Abbasid Caliphate and Europe.

Even with the current war, Yelü Dashi is not enough to block the trade routes; he cannot even block one of them.

If Chen Shao hadn't reformed the army in time, many of Da Jing's talents would have been invested in commerce.

It was common knowledge that the emperor was going to tour the country again. This time, everyone learned from their mistakes and did not rashly submit petitions to the emperor requesting him to visit their areas.

Instead, they should first observe calmly and wait until they determine which method will be effective before using any means to lure the emperor to come.

In other places, the emperor's last inspection tour was so low-key that nothing had changed even after he arrived.

So they got too lazy to submit any more petitions.

Along the Yangtze River, places like Suzhou, Zhenjiang, Yangzhou, and Lianghuai continued to actively submit petitions, hoping the emperor would depart from there.

In recent years, many prefectures and counties have become extremely wealthy, and their local gentry are eagerly anticipating the emperor's visit to gild their reputation.

In their eyes, the emperor was truly just a tool for gilding one's resume.
Those who truly held Chen Shao in the highest regard were precisely the scholars who had received the most preferential treatment in the previous dynasty—the Confucian scholars.

Because the world was in disarray, a powerful ruler rose from humble beginnings, sweeping away all rivals with overwhelming force, ending the chaos and bringing peace to the world.

This method of founding a nation best aligns with the Confucian moral standard of "the revolutions of Tang and Wu, which were in accordance with Heaven and the people."

The greater the achievement, the more admired one is by scholars.

It should be noted that by this time, Confucianism had essentially become Dong Zhongshu's theory of the interaction between Heaven and Man.

Whom did Dong Zhongshu serve?
Emperor Wu of Han.

This emperor, who exploited every individual and every class equally, gained such a great reputation precisely because of his great achievements.

Emperor Wu of Han dismissed all other schools of thought and exclusively honored Confucianism, which in fact served his system of exploitation.

Then they would invest the spoils into the northern battlefield.

People lived a very hard life back then, but there weren't many rebellions. Because when people looked up and saw that the officials weren't doing well either, they immediately felt a sense of balance.

The Confucian orthodoxy, which Emperor Wu of Han established, naturally admired people like himself.

So even though the Song Dynasty emperor and scholar-officials shared power, the scholar-officials might not have appreciated it; deep down, they valued emperors like Chen Shao more.

There was an emperor in the Song Dynasty who almost received this kind of acclaim; he was Zhao Er.

In fact, Zhao Er was the one who truly ended the chaos and restored order to the Central Plains. Unfortunately, he couldn't hold on to that last tremor on the Youyun battlefield.

If he can reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, his status will rise dramatically.

Emperor Chen Shao, the founding emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty, elevated the achievements of emperors to a whole new level.

From now on, it will be difficult to find anyone who can compare with him.

Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms, but in name, the six kingdoms originally belonged to the Zhou emperor.

Chen Shao truly conquered an unparalleled territory, opening up lands that originally did not belong to the Central Plains.

This achievement is too great.

On the official road in the northern suburbs of Jinling, a group of merchants suddenly dispersed to the side of the road to make way for a troop of cavalry.

These people rode their horses very fast, but slowed down as they approached Jinling.

No matter how powerful or influential you are, you wouldn't dare to act arrogantly under the emperor's nose.

Among the crowd was a tall general, riding on horseback, who was several heads taller than the others.

He looked around on horseback; it was none other than Mozang Pangge, who had been ordered to pacify Haidong.

Hearing that the emperor was going on an inspection tour, he found an excuse and had Ma Kuo send him back to Jinling.

In fact, although Pang Ge was the garrison general of Haidong, his official rank and duties were above Ma Kuo's, so Ma Kuo had no way to mobilize him.

However, he couldn't abandon his post without permission, so he had to forcibly take on a task.

Upon seeing the city of Jinling ahead, the accompanying deputy general Dongyang Bin asked anxiously, "General, if we return to the capital rashly, what will happen to His Majesty?"

Mei Zang Pang Ge was silent for a while, gripping the riding whip tightly, then suddenly laughed, "What are you afraid of, you scoundrel? I am a trusted confidant of His Majesty, unlike others. Even if His Majesty blames me, he will not be truly angry."

His confidants all chimed in, flattering and fawning over him.

Pang Ge didn't listen to a word Pang Ge said, feeling quite uneasy.

His Majesty is a man who values ​​rules the most, and in order to be able to accompany him, I essentially acted recklessly.

Soon, the group arrived outside the imperial city. After announcing their arrival, guards soon came and led them to the Funing Hall to meet the emperor.

Upon arriving at the palace gate, Mei Cang Pang Ge had long lost his initial composure. He strode in and knelt down with a thud, saying, "Your subject deserves death."

Chen Shao gave him an annoyed look. Inside the hall were Yuwen Xuzhong and Zhang Run, who were discussing the matter of replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials in Yunnan and Guizhou in the southwest.

"Get up." Chen Shao waved his hand and said to Yuwen Xuzhong with a smile, "This is my first commander of the Imperial Guards. Knowing that I was going on an inspection tour, he was worried about letting others escort me. Even though it was a bit against the rules, I couldn't bear to punish him."

Yuwen Xuzhong said, "General Mo Zang is loyal and devoted, and His Majesty is magnanimous. They are truly a model of ruler and minister."

Pang Ge, who had a bellyful of explanations, suddenly found himself unable to utter a single word.

As the young eunuch brought over a stool, he sat down blankly, his usual glib tongue gone, and simply lowered his head, lost in thought.

To be honest, he considered all sorts of possibilities when he came.

But I never expected His Majesty to say something like that.

He went through the events of the past ten years in his mind. Although he had become sworn brothers with Han Shizhong, Han Shizhong had left with his troops after he returned.

Moreover, Han Shizhong, who came from the Western Army, had little affinity for him, a general from one of the eight Dangxiang tribes.

On the contrary, after he led his clansmen to join Chen Shao, he became a confidant of the emperor and stayed by his side.

Suddenly, Chen Chong coughed beside him, reminding him.

Mei Zang Pang Ge then raised his head and saw that His Majesty and two ministers were looking at him.

Chen Chong quickly whispered a reminder, "His Majesty asked you if the arrangements for Haidong have been made properly."

Only then did Pang Ge realize that he had been lost in thought and had once again violated the rules of etiquette in front of the palace. He quickly stood up and nodded, "Your subject has made all the arrangements."

Chen Shao said, "There's no problem with hiding Pang Ge's abilities. Now that you're back, go to Suzhou and wait for me. This time, I'm going to tour the Jiangnan region first." After establishing the capital in Jinling, Jiangnan became part of the surrounding area, but Chen Shao had hardly ever been there.

The last time I went to Suzhou, I was with Wang Kai, who was plotting to dismantle Goryeo at that time.

The purpose of going to Jiangnan is not for sightseeing, but to see the workshops and factories that have sprung up there.

I heard that many workshops have become quite large and have started using various textile machines.

Chen Shao definitely wants to go and take a look.

Although Jinling was prosperous, it served more as a transit point and distribution center, and there were actually not many workshops here.

With the widespread adoption of cotton cultivation and breakthroughs in cotton spinning technology, the imperial court may eventually intervene and establish a textile bureau to integrate the cotton spinning industry.

Whether the timing is right and whether the technology meets the standards, Chen Shao needs to personally check.

During his last inspection tour, Chen Shao merely went through the motions and did not stay long in either Jiangnan or Lianghuai.

Although his main destination was beyond the Great Wall, the Jiangnan region was also one of his targets.

The empire's purse strings must be kept close. If these people are allowed to develop unchecked, and another group of Jiangnan merchants and gentry emerges, becoming monsters that suck the life out of the Great Jing, then things will be terrible.

When I'm around, I can certainly suppress them and prevent them from having any disloyal thoughts.

However, if a new emperor is appointed in the future, there will inevitably be weak or young emperors who may bribe officials and begin to exert pressure.

Therefore, Chen Shao needed to plan ahead and finalize the matter.

Ideally, there should be a reasonable and healthy mechanism to ensure that this purse is always kept in the hands of the imperial court, rather than allowing the merchants and gentry of Jiangnan to develop unchecked.

Just as Chen Shao would not give European whites a chance because whites have historically proven their cruelty, viciousness, and inhumanity;
He also wouldn't grant the gentry of Jiangnan too much authority.

Because at the end of the Ming Dynasty, they also demonstrated that they were not trustworthy.

This is Chen Shao's greatest advantage: his vision is longer than anyone else's because he has read about the history of the next thousand years.

The evolution over the next thousand years revealed many patterns that could help him avoid detours.

After finalizing the itinerary for their trip to Jiangnan with Yuwen Xuzhong and Zhang Run, it was already noon. Chen Shao waved his hand, signaling the three to leave the palace.

He then walked back to his bedroom.

Walking a few more steps every day is indeed good for your health; Chen Shao learned this from Zhao Ji.

This person is full of energy every day, running around in the garden, and he really does seem to get younger as he gets older.

Then look at his son Zhao Heng. Because he was threatened by Zhao Ji, he was so frightened that he hid in the East Palace all day long. He looked pale and prematurely aged.

Back in the palace, I heard that even though there were only a few trees along the sloping corridor outside the palace, many birds had lingered there, chirping and chattering among the branches and leaves.

Hearing this bird song within the imperial city, Chen Shao suddenly felt as if he were not living in the bustling city of Jinling, but rather in seclusion in the mountains.

Looking around at the eaves and brackets, the deep courtyard and high walls, he immediately shook his head and smiled.

Chen Shao found out on the third day that Pang Ge had run back on his own, but this time he didn't even think about punishing him.

Chen Shao didn't know what he was thinking. He was a very rule-abiding person, and even as an emperor, he acted in accordance with the rules that an emperor should follow.

However, after reigning for ten years since the founding of the dynasty, Chen Shao, who had been emperor for ten years since the founding of the dynasty, had already changed somewhat.

He sometimes shows extra leniency and acts more freely.

He was an emperor, and for such a trivial matter, without any major errors, no one would dare to advise him.

Chen Shao's ministers were almost completely captivated by him; they treated him like an idol and few offered any criticism.

Even if there were any, they would all be advice to him to adopt the virtues of a virtuous woman to have many children, and to take good care of his health so that he may live a long and healthy life.
It wasn't that he didn't accept advice; it was simply that no one offered any suggestions.

Chen Shao sometimes wondered if things were going to continue like this, and whether he would become senile in his later years, with no one to help him stay clear-headed.

So he often wrote in a notebook, recording his thoughts at that moment, and placed it in the most conspicuous place in his study to remind himself to look at it often in the future.

If no one can advise you, then let your younger, more intelligent self advise your older self.

Even if you don't believe in anyone else, you should believe in the best version of yourself when you were young.

Not everyone gets to see themselves at their best. Many people go through life without ever having the chance to fight and bring out their best selves.

Chen Shao also had a long-held idea: to pass the throne to his son as soon as possible.

Of course, this idea is probably difficult to realize. Whether it can be done depends on how talented Prince Chen Wang becomes after he grows up.

He needs to carry on his own will and become the biggest guardian of the new policy, instead of being coerced by interest groups and becoming a master of sabotage, tearing down the foundation his father worked so hard to build.

Historically, there have been such examples.

At the turn of spring and summer, such a wonderful time of year, spring plowing has passed and the busy summer season has not yet arrived, the weather is warm and sunny.

Everyone is very relaxed at this time.

Huanhuan led a group of people to Chen Shao's palace early in the morning. They played in the back garden for a while, waiting for him to return.

When Chen Shao came in, he found it was so lively. No wonder there were so many birds outside; they must have been startled away.

After all, the opera being performed in the garden is a good form of entertainment for people, but for birds, it's just a disturbance.

Chen Shao walked forward, plopped down, and took a sip of tea from Huanhuan's cup.

Huanhuan glanced at him but didn't say anything. The two were separated by a small wooden tea table.

Chen Shaoyang, sitting in the chair, saw several familiar faces again.

Empress Huanhuan always had the demeanor of a matriarch, and she liked to play with her concubines, whether it was playing cards or listening to operas, she could always gather a large crowd.

"This is a newly published storybook. Look at this one; she's an unmarried young lady."

Huanhuan was quiet for a short while, then began to tell Chen Shao a story, speaking with great interest.

It seems like I've seen this play more than once.

Chen Shao rarely watched plays with them; his usual form of entertainment was having Li Shishi dance for him.

Sometimes he would ask Maode to dance for him.

Although Maode had never studied, her figure was exceptionally good, and as Zhao Ji's daughter, she was naturally gifted with artistic talent.

The difference is that whether Shishi dances or sings, Chen Shao is always left wanting more and completely absorbed in it.

Mao De's twisting and turning often ignited Chen Shao's inner turmoil, leading to a major confrontation.

Huanhuan spoke with great enthusiasm, but Chen Shao didn't hear a word she said, though he still smiled and nodded, appearing quite interested. (End of Chapter)