Do You Know?: Rule the World

"Such a comprehensive arrangement, it seems the government is serious about this."

"Yes, but I think it's too uncertain to expect it to happen in just a year. If it can last three to five years, it would be more credible."

"Congratulations, Lord Sheng, on having a son-in-law with such lofty ambitions. You are so blessed!"

"..."

Listening to the whispers of several court officials, Sheng Hong forced a smile on his face, but his forehead was already covered with fine beads of sweat.

Inside the palace, Zhao Han's expression remained unchanged as he spoke in a clear voice, "Your Highness, I, Zhao Han, bow down to thank you for your grace. I will repay your kindness with my whole life."

"I dare to ask for your clarification on two matters."

Zhao Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly: "Just tell me."

"I request Your Majesty to grant me the position of Supervisor of Horse Administration in Shaanxi and Hebei, and to allow me to submit monthly reports on horse purchases and trade with foreign tribes."

"The Imperial Guards are facing serious vacancies. I request that, in addition to the four armies of Bongri, Tianwu, Longwei, and Shenwei, I be allowed to select strong men from the various garrison troops in the capital to establish a new Cavalry Battalion, with a tentative quota of 3,000."

Zhang Fu glanced sideways at Zhao Han and thought to himself: Purchasing horses and recruiting soldiers are both crucial moves. It seems that this Hanlin tutor has made sufficient preparations.

Zhao Zhen raised his eyebrows slightly, "Qiaoqi Battalion... I approve."

"All necessary provisions and wages shall be drawn from the inner treasury!"

Zhao Han immediately bowed and said, "I thank you, Your Majesty!"

-

Jiying Lane, Sheng Mansion.

As soon as he returned home, Sheng Hong didn't even have time to change out of his court clothes and rushed straight to Shou'an Hall.

Seeing this, Wang Ruofu thought something big had happened and immediately followed.

Inside Shou'an Hall, the scent of sandalwood wafts through the air.

The old lady was leaning on the couch with her eyes closed, resting, when she suddenly heard a sound of hurried footsteps.

Before she opened her eyes, Sheng Hong strode over, his forehead covered with sweat. He picked up the teacup on the table and drank the tea in one gulp.

"Mother, something terrible has happened!"

"Brother Han has caused a terrible disaster in the court today!"

Wang Ruofu, who had just chased to the door, felt her legs go weak after hearing this. Fortunately, Mother Liu was quick to catch her.

"Sir, what did you say?!" Wang Ruofu staggered forward.

The old lady frowned and looked at Sheng Hong, "Sit down and explain yourself clearly. What's the point of making such a fuss?"

Sheng Hong nodded, took a deep breath, and told the old lady and Wang Ruofu everything Zhao Han said and did in the court today.

"This is truly a catastrophic disaster!"

"If he loses his head next year, my Hua'er will be a widow."

"Why is my Hua'er so miserable..." Wang Ruofu said in a daze, and suddenly her eyes went dark and she almost slipped off the chair to the ground.

Sheng Hong covered his chest, his face pale.

"My son winked at him several times in the court, almost pulling his sleeve, but he refused to listen and insisted on taking on this task."

The old lady's eyes flickered slightly, and she quickly grasped the key point. She asked in a deep voice, "Let me ask you, has the emperor ever asked for his head in front of the court officials?"

Sheng Hong thought about it carefully and shook his head repeatedly.

"No, I didn't. I just remember the official said he would not let me off easily."

The old lady heard this, with a meaningful smile on her face, rolled up her sleeves, and said slowly: "That's it."

"Brother Han has always been steady. When have you ever seen him speak out of turn?"

"This must be something he has thought about carefully. You two can put your minds at ease."

Wang Ruofu was still worried, stretching her neck and asking gently, "Does mother trust Han'er so much? What if he..."

"Look back now." The old lady said, and continued to close her eyes and rest.

After Shenghong and Wang Ruofu looked at each other, they had to leave Shou'an Hall in a restless mood.

Chapter 74: British Invitation

Hanlin Lane, Zhao Mansion, backyard.

Zhao Han did not hide what happened in the court today from Hua Lan.

Hua Lan's eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and there was a hint of worry in her bright eyes.

"Sir, this is a very serious matter. Are you really sure you can accomplish it?"

Zhao Han smiled slightly and raised his hand to tuck the strand of hair that was scattered on her forehead behind her ear.

"If this can be accomplished, by this time next year, my Hua'er will be a royal consort."

Hua Lan's eyes were slightly hot, and she reached out and pressed her hand on the back of his hand.

"I don't want any imperial edicts. I just want to live a peaceful life with you and stay together forever."

Zhao Han held her hand and said gently, "Don't worry, now that I have a family, I won't do anything that has no chance of success."

Hua Lan raised her eyes and looked at him deeply, then finally nodded.

"I believe you, sir, but you must be careful about everything. I am at home, so you don't have to worry about me."

Hearing this, Zhao Han felt a warm feeling in his heart, and he said, "You can take some time to go back to your parents' home in the near future."

"I ignored my father-in-law's objections and agreed to this matter. I'm afraid he must be extremely worried right now."

Hua Lan smiled slightly, her red lips parted.

"Dad has always been cautious in his official duties, and he always considers everything carefully."

"He must have been terribly frightened today. I'm afraid he couldn't even eat."

As she spoke, she was already thinking about how to comfort her timid father when she returned to her parents' home in a few days.

At this moment, Chang Qing bowed and came into the wing room, saying softly, "My Lord, the Duke of Yingguo's mansion has sent someone to deliver a letter."

"Please come to my house for a chat at 5:00 PM."

Zhao Han looked at the invitation in Chang Qing's hand, which was sealed with green silk, inscribed in gold, and stamped with the Duke of Ying's red seal. He nodded slightly and said, "Go tell the person who comes that I will be there on time."

After Changqing responded, he immediately went to pass on the message.

At the same time, in the Imperial Palace, inside the Wenhua Hall.

Empress Cao looked at Zhao Zhen who was reviewing memorials, and finally could no longer suppress her anxiety.

"Han'er hasn't even reached the age of twenty yet, how can he shoulder such an important responsibility?"

"If there's even the slightest mistake, not to mention the border war, even the court will have a hard time explaining it!"

"Why don't the officials try to stop him?"

Zhao Zhen put down his red brush and sighed softly, "Dan Shu, do you still remember when I ascended the throne?"

Empress Cao blurted out, "In the first year of the Qianxing reign, the emperor came to power at the age of thirteen."

But as soon as she said this, she was stunned. Looking at Zhao Zhen's meaningful eyes, she suddenly understood something.

There was a hint of melancholy in Zhao Zhen's voice. "Yes, thirteen years old!"

"At that time, I couldn't even understand the memorial, but I had to tell the entire court: I understand."

"The Empress Dowager has been ruling the country from behind the curtain for over ten years, but hasn't life gotten along just fine?"

Empress Cao was silent for a moment.

"Although Han'er is still under 20, he is neither humble nor arrogant in his words and deeds in front of me. He is much more steady than those veteran officials in the court."

"If this matter is accomplished, it will be a blessing for the Great Zhou."

"If it doesn't work out, as a father, can I not protect my child?"

"Don't worry, that old man Zhang Fu will do his best to make this happen even if he doesn't know Han'er is my biological son."

"He has been looking forward to sending troops to Xixia for who knows how many years."

"But I am quite surprised that Marquis Gu can speak up for Han'er today."

After Zhao Zhen finished speaking, he shook his head with a slight smile on his lips.

Zhang Maoze, who was standing by, saw this and said softly, "Your Highness, your Highness and the Second Prince of Marquis Gu's family have a close relationship and have been brothers for a long time."

Zhao Zhen thought carefully for a moment, his eyebrows raised slightly, "The second son of Marquis Gu's family, is he the one named Gu Tingye?"

"The emperor has a good memory, it's him." Zhang Maoze bowed in response.

"I remember that when this boy was seven or eight years old, he often followed Marquis Gu into the palace."

"After showing off his skills in front of me, he still dared to ask for a reward. I admired him very much at the time and felt that he would become a great man in the future, so I rewarded him with a lot of things."

At this point, Zhao Zhen changed the subject, his tone sounding somewhat helpless.

"I never imagined that this boy would become so naughty that he once tied the Duke's grandson to the back of a horse and dragged him around the training ground three times."

"The Duke of Lingguo was so angry that he complained directly to me, crying and begging for justice."

"I have put a lot of thought into mediating this matter."

Under Xiao Qin's overt and covert instigation, Gu Tingye did countless naughty things when he was young.

For example, he rode a wild horse and rushed around the market, injuring several people, forcing Gu Yankai to go door to door to apologize.

In the cold winter, the fourth wife's son Gu Tingbing was hung on the roof. When everyone found him, Gu Tingbing was almost half dead.

He also grabbed his fifth cousin Gu Tingdi by the collar and pushed him into a cesspool, almost drowning him.

And when he and Gu Yan drove into the palace, he secretly killed all the goldfish in the pond in the imperial garden.

Queen Cao pursed her lips, her tone filled with worry.

"This boy is so naughty, and Han'er is so close to him. Will he be caught by others and gossiped about in the future?"

Zhang Maoze smiled and said at the right moment, "Your Majesty, you may not know that Gu Erlang is currently working hard at the White Deer Cave Academy."