Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

He majored in the study of the Spring and Autumn Annals, specifically the theories of Dong Zhongshu, and originally supported the emperor's conquest of the various states.

After Hu Anguo left, Zhao Yuan asked Chen Ao, "After your marriage to the princess, will you stay in the capital as the Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant, or will you be sent out to serve as a local official?"

Chen Ao was delighted upon hearing this: "Your Majesty, is it possible for a prince consort of the Ming Dynasty to be sent to a distant place?"

"He can't become a high-ranking official; at best, he can be promoted to prefect."

"If you don't want to be an official anymore, you can come back and be the Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant," Zhao Yuan said.

Chen Ao, despite being a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), did not really want to become a prince consort.

But Zhao Yuan had taken a liking to him, and it was truly difficult to disobey the emperor's command.

At the same time, Zhao Yuan agreed to lift the "ban on guests," and only then did Chen Ao reluctantly agree to marry the princess.

The so-called "ban on guests" in the Song Dynasty meant that princesses and their husbands could not freely associate with ministers.

You had to report in advance if you were to drink with a certain official. Wang Shen, the son-in-law of the emperor, was demoted because he associated with Su Shi.

However, there were often exceptions to the restrictions placed on imperial sons-in-law during the Song Dynasty.

For example, the imperial son-in-law Chai Zongqing once served as the Tongpan (assistant magistrate) of Jizhou.

Emperor Renzong of Song was wary of this, so he sent another person to "assist".

Even during the Northern and Southern Song dynasties, there were several imperial sons-in-law who could lead troops.

The final interpretation rests with the emperor.

Chen Ao cupped his hands and said, "Your subject is willing to be transferred to a post outside the capital!"

"Then I'll give you the position of magistrate of a prefecture in the Kinki region," Zhao Yuan said with a smile.

At this time, "near the capital" specifically refers to the thirteen counties of Luoyang Prefecture.

The promise to send the imperial son-in-law to serve as a local official was made to appease Chen Ao, since passing the imperial examination was no easy feat.

However, it certainly cannot be placed too far away, firstly to prevent the prince consort from doing anything wrong, and secondly to make it convenient for the princess to return to the capital to visit her family at any time.

Chapter 3529 The Prince Consort

Chen Ao has now given up all hope and decided to spend a few years as a civil official to indulge his passion for governing a region.

Then he would return to the capital to serve as the Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant, and gradually rise in rank according to the rules. If he lived a long life, he might even be promoted to Duke.

The descendants of these dukes inherited their titles at a faster rate, eventually becoming commoners after three or four generations.

Unless their descendants can achieve great merit and rise back to the top through their own abilities.

.......

In the height of summer, Princess Zhao Yan of the Shu Kingdom was married.

Zhao Yuan, who was always frugal, spent money from the royal treasury to host a lavish banquet for his guests.

They even gave officials half a day off, so they wouldn't get too drunk to get up the next day.

Zhao Yan had met Chen Ao and even had private conversations with him.

Her first impression of Chen Ao was that he was very handsome, and then she found that he was very interesting to talk to.

So they played a few more polo matches together, and he felt that the man had a good temper, so he finally told his father that he was willing to get married.

She cried bitterly on her wedding day.

The next day, she was so happy she didn't want to leave. She was in charge of the huge princess's mansion and could go wherever she wanted to have a good time.

The couple had a good relationship, and they traveled together, spending their honeymoon around several counties surrounding Luoyang.

It wasn't until autumn that Zhao Yan accompanied her husband to his new post.

Chen Ao's posting to an outside post was as the magistrate of Yanshi County, which was only fifty li away from the capital Luoyang.

Moreover, it's located right by the Luo River, and it only takes a day to get to the capital by boat, so Zhao Yan can go home to visit her family at any time.

The History of the Song Dynasty was also printed in the autumn, with 500 copies printed directly.

Five copies were kept by the royal family and the imperial court, and some were also kept by provincial and municipal government offices. The rest were entrusted to booksellers for sale.

Furthermore, the imperial court opened up copyright, allowing private booksellers to print freely.

Copyright awareness existed in the Song Dynasty; if one's own authored or compiled books were pirated, one could report it to the authorities.

However, most creators are too embarrassed to admit it and are happy to see their work widely disseminated.

The ones who really want to sue are the booksellers; they occasionally organize people to compile some educational or popular books.

For example, various primers, books for the imperial examinations, professional books for all trades and professions, or opera scripts.

Editing these books incurs costs, and once they discover that their peers are printing them illegally, these booksellers angrily report it to the authorities.

A set of the History of Song was sent to the Huzhou Prefectural Government for safekeeping. Upon hearing the news, Zhao Huan immediately went to the prefect to borrow it.

The prefect himself was also reading, and when he saw Zhao Huan come to borrow a book, and specifically the "History of Song," his feelings were somewhat complicated.

"Please do as you please."

The prefect took a copy of the History of Song and left, leaving Zhao Huan to read it himself.

Zhao Huan directly searched the "Annals" section and quickly found information about himself: "Emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, personal name Huan, eldest son of Emperor Xizong..."

This edition of the History of Song Dynasty presents a different perspective on Zhao Huan compared to the other edition.

Many of the parties involved are here and know the specifics of the situation!

It details how Zhao Huan was suppressed during his time as crown prince, which led to his upright yet cowardly character.

The main drawbacks are indecisiveness, poor judgment of character, and being surrounded by a bunch of incompetent and cunning people.

Zhao Huan breathed a sigh of relief after reading it, but then felt like crying again as he recalled many past events.

Then, looking at his father's biography, it was simply unbearable to read.

The historian did not deliberately smear him, but truthfully wrote down the good deeds his father had done.

"Ugh!"

Zhao Huan sighed, no longer wanting to read, and went back to the experimental field to conduct his research.

Chapter 3530 History of the Song Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty's edition of the History of the Song Dynasty strived to be objective and fair, without incorporating any unofficial or negative historical accounts.

Even some of the praises (commentaries) in the annals were written by Zhao Yuan himself.

Zhao Yuan commented on Zhao Guangyi, saying that the candlelight and axe shadow stories in some unofficial histories were pure conjecture.

Given the legacy of the Five Dynasties period, if Zhao Guangyi had not succeeded to the throne, the Song Dynasty might have ended very soon.

Of course, Zhao Yuan also criticized Zhao Guangyi's reckless driving, while affirming Zhao Guangyi's achievements in civil administration.

The publication of the History of the Song Dynasty did not cause any ripples for ordinary people.

However, the local powerful families were very enthusiastic and went to the government office to request that copies be made for their collection.

As long as they can get a copy, their descendants will be more knowledgeable and understand history better.

The imperial court only printed five hundred sets, making it difficult for ordinary people to purchase them directly!

Moreover, it contained too many words, totaling 457 million. Few booksellers were willing to print this, even though movable type printing had improved.

But typesetting and proofreading is also a huge undertaking—printing costs are too high, and sales are not as good as those of imperial examination books or popular reading materials.

Every day, there were people copying books in the government offices of various prefectures and counties.

You copy this book, I copy that book, and we don't interfere with each other.

If a copy is completed and bound, this newly produced manuscript will soon be borrowed for copying.

Guangzhou.

Yang Zaixing led a group of officers to Hunan to observe Bai Qi's military training.

After mastering the improved Mandarin Duck Formation, he borrowed an officer from Bai Qi and went to Guangzhou to receive new recruits from various southern provinces.

These new recruits were recruited by the provincial military commands, with the cooperation of local civil officials.

As autumn drew to a close, they gradually arrived.

A total of 6000 new recruits were enlisted, of whom 2381 were orphans raised by official charitable organizations.

The rest of the recruits were all from miners' and farmers' families, mainly from Fujian, Jiangxi, and Guangdong.

These three provinces are mountainous with limited land but a large population. The field army's food and pay were enough to entice them to leave their homes.

After a brief training session in Guangzhou, and once the doctors, clerks, and other logistical personnel had all arrived, Yang Zaixing led the new army to the Guangxi border.

The relatively cool winter and spring seasons provide ample time for the new troops to adapt to the climate and soil of Guangxi.

When Yang Zaixing set off, many ships also left the port in batches.

One of the fleets sailed to Annam and was enthusiastically received upon arrival.

In addition to traditional silk products, there are also new and popular items such as clocks, bamboo paper, velvet, insect wax, and glass mirrors.

Clocks have been miniaturized to half a person's height and have gradually been mastered by craftsmen in various places. In the past two years, they have even begun to be sold overseas.

Bamboo paper has been continuously improved, and different techniques have been developed in different provinces to suit local conditions.

This thing is cheaper to produce and is popular with neighboring countries.

The techniques for raising white wax insects were mastered and promoted by agricultural officials, leading to a year-on-year decline in candle prices.

Zhangzhou velvet is prohibited from being exported, but it is inevitable that some people will smuggle it in.

Once shipped overseas, the price skyrockets; smuggling just one or two horses can make you a fortune.

The imperial court issued several decrees warning that the glass mirrors were poisonous, but the wealthy still loved them.

An inland boat carried the newly purchased goods directly to the Annamite Royal Palace.

"Your Majesty, we've acquired Zhangrong!" said Du Yingwu, the emperor's brother-in-law, as if presenting a treasure.

"Bring it here for me to see!"

Emperor Li Yanghuan of Annam said excitedly.

Li Yanghuan is the nephew of the former king. He ascended the throne at the age of thirteen and just turned eighteen this year.

With the support of the civil officials in charge of governing, he appointed his own father as the retired emperor.

After his father passed away, he revised the sacrificial rites for the former king and his father.

The Puyi debate in the Song Dynasty and the Dali debate in the Ming Dynasty were actually the same kind of game.

Through the Vietnamese version of the Grand Rites Controversy, Li Yanghuan successfully seized control of the court and consolidated power from military generals and nobles.

The regents were also very effective, enabling many displaced farmers to regain their land.

They also disbanded some troops and sent them back to their hometowns to farm, giving the militaristic Dai Viet court a much-needed boost.

Of course, these measures also sparked rebellions, but fortunately they were all successfully quelled.

Last autumn, Champa and Zhenla, who had been fighting each other to the death, suddenly joined forces and launched an attack on Annam during the internal turmoil.

Li Yanghuan dispatched Yang Ying'er to lead troops to resist, and Annam ultimately won the war of self-defense.

The eighteen-year-old emperor Li Yanghuan suppressed the internal rebellion and won the war against foreign enemies.

It also improved the country's financial situation by disarmament, developing agriculture, and actively developing foreign trade.

They even improved the treatment of slaves and prohibited tattooing slaves, among other things.

With absolute power in hand, the nation enjoys peace and prosperity.

So, shouldn't the emperor enjoy himself?

The answer is yes.

Li Yanghuan was fond of women, auspicious omens, and Buddhism and Taoism.

To celebrate last year's victory in the foreign war, Li Yanghuan immediately granted a general amnesty.

Then he began a large-scale selection of concubines, bestowed titles upon those who presented auspicious omens, sent people to search for immortals and gather herbs to refine elixirs, and also embarked on a massive construction project to build Buddhist temples.