Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

This was something the emperor had said many times in the past ten days: the situation in Jiangnan was still unsettled, the central plains had not been recovered, and the White Lotus Rebellion had not been quelled.

In addition, with the urgent reports coming from various provinces, he was filled with worry, indignation and regret every day, and had no appetite at all!

Empress Zhou did not respond immediately. She sat down on the embroidered stool beside the imperial desk and opened the food box she had brought, layer by layer.

The food box contained a bowl of stewed pork ribs with yam, a plate of steamed sea bass, a plate of stir-fried wormwood stalks, and a bowl of millet porridge.

These were all dietary prescriptions given by the imperial physicians to Emperor Jingsheng, who had recently suffered from deficiency of both qi and blood and disharmony of the spleen and stomach.

Empress Zhou placed the bowls and plates one by one on the table, put the chopsticks on the chopstick rest, and the spoon on the side of the soup bowl, her movements were practiced and quiet.

"Your Majesty, with Zijie in charge, the unrest in Jiangnan will surely be quelled quickly. Doesn't Your Majesty often say that he is a minister who will restore the Han Dynasty and is invincible in battle?"

"Your Majesty, why are you so worried about this matter? You should take good care of your health; your well-being is of utmost importance!"

Empress Zhou, unaware of Emperor Jingsheng's worries, spoke gently and with concern to comfort him.

After Empress Zhou spoke of Jia Jing, Emperor Jingsheng remained silent for a moment, his expression softening slightly, and said:

"I regret it! Before the incident in Jiangnan, Zijie had already foreseen the danger and volunteered to lead the army south."

"But when the matter was discussed in the Qianqing Palace, all the ministers of the Six Ministries and the Nine Ministers, except for Zhang Tingyu, opposed his leading the army to the south of the Yangtze River."

"I was also blinded by greed at the time, delaying and neglecting my duties. I thought that the General Affairs Office in the capital had just been established and could not do without Zijie, so the matter in Jiangnan could wait!"

"I never imagined that a moment's hesitation would cause such a huge mess..."

"Looking back now, in matters of national importance, no one was more prescient than Zijie!"

After this incident, Emperor Jingsheng finally saw clearly that most of the officials in the court, except for Jia Jing, were selfish and incompetent.

Moreover, many of the civil and military officials in the court are pedantic and incompetent, especially the censors and officials in charge of the censorate. They impeach this person and slander that person, which is mostly about forming cliques and attacking dissidents, and does nothing to benefit the country!

This time, we must take advantage of the events in Jiangnan and the capital inspection to thoroughly discipline the court officials, demoting some and imprisoning others, promoting the capable and demoting the mediocre, and eliminating those who are merely filling positions without real power!

From now on, he and Jia Jing should discuss important military and national affairs in the court; they should no longer listen to any more noisy and useless opinions.

There's also the cabinet and the six ministries and nine ministers. General government affairs are fine, but when it comes to major issues that easily offend people, such as new policies, military reorganization, and purges of officials...

Most of them are driven by self-interest or a desire to protect their reputation, and they lack the courage to share the nation's burdens and be pioneers.

Although Chen Tingjing was obedient, he was too soft-hearted and had too many concerns. At this critical time of the court's political and military reforms, his ability and courage were no longer up to par, and he was no longer suitable to continue to serve as the chief minister!

Perhaps once Zhang Tingyu successfully completes the capital inspection, he should be quickly promoted to replace Chen Tingjing, so that the court can be united!

Empress Zhou listened quietly as Emperor Jingsheng finished speaking. She didn't immediately reply, but instead picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of millet porridge, gently blew on it, and placed it beside Emperor Jingsheng before saying:

"Your Majesty is right! Zijie's abilities are known throughout the court and the country. I believe that with him around, he will surely be able to assist Your Majesty in accomplishing the great task of restoring the dynasty."

"But that is precisely why Your Majesty must take good care of your health and not overwork yourself. When Zijie was in the capital, didn't he often advise Your Majesty to rest and cherish your health?"

"How could I not be overworked?" Emperor Jingsheng picked up the bowl of porridge, took a sip, and put it down again. He leaned back on the pillow, his gaze falling on the stack of memorials on the imperial desk. A deep weariness flashed in his eyes as he slowly said:

"Since the outbreak of the White Lotus Rebellion in Jiangnan, the imperial court has been receiving urgent reports from various provinces in recent days."

"The bandits in Sichuan and Shaanxi are making unusual moves, seemingly in response to the bandits in Jiangnan. The chieftains in the southwest and the bandits in Taihang are also stirring up trouble."

"Suddenly, it felt like a storm was brewing. Bandits hiding everywhere suddenly emerged. If this matter isn't handled properly, war will break out everywhere, and the country will be on the verge of collapse!"

Empress Zhou sighed softly upon hearing this. After a moment of silence, she rose, picked up a spoon, scooped up another spoonful of pork rib soup, carefully skimmed off the surface oil, placed it in front of Emperor Jingsheng, and gently comforted him:

"Your Majesty, rest assured! With Zijie here, the situation will certainly not deteriorate to that extent."

"When the three northwestern kingdoms attacked, the situation was extremely critical, yet he still won ten battles in just a few months, completely eliminating the border threat."

"No matter how powerful the White Lotus Sect is, can it compare to the pseudo-Qing, the Northern Yuan, and the Hunxie? I think their victory might already be on its way!"

As Empress Zhou spoke, a faint smile graced her face, but before she finished speaking, her expression suddenly became dazed.

Suddenly, I remembered that I had said the same thing during the Battle of Yulin, and then the good news really came.

It probably won't work this time, right?

Emperor Jingsheng seemed to have considered this matter as well. A slight smile curved his lips, his expression softening somewhat, and he said:

"Although the White Lotus Sect is not as elite as the Northern Yuan cavalry, these bandits are best at mobile warfare."

"Winning is easy, but defeating them completely is difficult! In my opinion, even with Zijie's military strategy, it would take at least two or three months to completely wipe out the White Lotus Sect in Jiangnan."

"Moreover, after the bandits are wiped out, we must also consider pacifying and comforting the people; otherwise, if the bandits are not properly dealt with, they will inevitably rise again."

"The reason why the White Lotus Sect was able to quickly gather 200,000 followers is ultimately due to the corruption of officials in Jiangnan, where the people cannot survive. This is the fundamental problem."

A cold glint flashed in Emperor Jingsheng's eyes as he resolved to thoroughly purge the officialdom of Jiangnan this time, no matter what.

Empress Zhou did not respond to this, but simply sat quietly on the embroidered stool, arranging the dishes on the table one by one, waiting for Emperor Jingsheng to slowly dine.

After a while, Emperor Jingsheng suddenly raised his eyes, looked at Empress Zhou, and said as if he had remembered something:

"By the way! You mentioned last time that the girl from Minister Lin's family, I had someone investigate her."

Empress Zhou glanced sideways.

"Simple family background, upright character!" Emperor Jingsheng said slowly, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny as he made his judgment.

"It is not easy for her to develop such a knowledgeable, reasonable, and intelligent nature during her years in the Jia family, even though she was a guest."

"Although he lost his mother at a young age and his status is somewhat low, Zijie himself is happy, and that is the most important thing."

Emperor Jingsheng naturally knew about the process and outcome of Empress Zhou's marriage selection that day, and even the words spoken by each person were clearly recorded by the palace officials.

Empress Zhou smiled and said:

"That child is indeed a good one! He is sensible, knows the bigger picture, and is truly devoted to Zijie. He is a rare find."

That day, when Daiyu took the initiative to stand up and refute Princess Zhongshun, every word she said was in defense of Jia Jing. Wasn't that a sincere expression of her feelings?

For an unmarried young woman to dare to speak in front of a court full of noble ladies, such courage and sincerity are not something everyone possesses.

How could Empress Zhou not see this?

Emperor Jingsheng nodded and said:

"It hasn't been easy for Minister Lin in Jiangnan all these years. She has almost exhausted her energy for the country, and she only has this one orphan girl."

"After a while, I will find an opportunity, under the guise of rewarding Minister Lin for his merits, to bestow upon the Lin family's daughter the title of County Princess. At that time, I will also bestow upon her, along with the Xue family's daughter and the Nian family's daughter, a marriage to Zijie!"

The county princess is a first-rank official, so Emperor Jingsheng was actively elevating Lin Daiyu's status.

As for Xue Baochai and Nian Shilan not being the principal wives, Emperor Jingsheng did not pay much attention to them!

Upon hearing this, Empress Zhou pursed her pink lips, a knowing smile flashing in her eyes:

"Your Majesty has considered everything thoroughly!"

Just as the two were talking, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.