Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

Aren't all the ladies of high rank actively trying to curry favor with the Empress?

If the Empress extends an olive branch, the noble ladies will naturally gravitate towards it.

It won't make a difference if we delay trying to win them over, right?

After finishing their cups, the dozens of ladies continued chatting, enjoying their porridge and wine.

Chapter 203 Spreading Throughout the World!

It is exactly 7:00 PM.

"Your Majesty."

With a soft call, an old eunuch hurried over.

"What is it?" the Empress Dowager asked, puzzled.

There are rules both inside and outside the palace.

The old eunuch was a senior member of the palace staff; unless there was an urgent matter, he wouldn't be in such a hurry.

"Your Majesty, a great victory has been achieved on the frontier!"

The old eunuch exclaimed excitedly, "Minister Jiang led his troops into battle, beheaded the King of Western Xia, and the Western Xia rebels scattered and fled. The border is now at peace!"

"Snapped!"

A small amount of fermented rice wine was spilled, and the Empress Dowager was startled, confirming, "The King of Western Xia was killed in battle?"

"That's right, they say he was killed by a stray arrow." The old eunuch nodded hurriedly.

These words shocked the dozens of noblewomen.

They were all ladies from prominent families, well-educated and reasonable people, and the ladies of noble birth naturally knew the significance of beheading the ruler of Western Xia.

This achievement is enough to be recorded in history books, isn't it?

It's practically comparable to conquering new territories.

Do not!

Even better!

After all, if the enemy's ruler is killed in battle, their morale will surely collapse.

This led to the fact that the execution of the king and the expansion of territory almost occurred at the same time.

Sending a message from the frontier to the capital by express courier would take at least five or six days.

The battlefield is ever-changing, and it is not impossible that one could achieve the feat of expanding territory in just a few days.

After a few breaths, congratulatory voices began to rise:

"Madam Sheng, Minister Jiang has performed such a remarkable feat, it is truly an honor for the whole family!"

"Madam Sheng is virtuous and capable in managing the household; she has also made a great contribution!"

"Madam Sheng is truly a blessed woman, with the appearance of someone who brings good fortune to her husband!"

"Lord Gu has rendered a great service; Madam Sheng is truly blessed!"

Amidst the congratulations, Sheng Hualan and Sheng Minglan humbly returned the greetings.

At the same time, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as an earthenware pot is bound to break near a well, a general is destined to die on the battlefield.

After their husbands went to the border, the two women dared not relax for a moment, burning incense and praying every day.

Especially Sheng Minglan.

Compared to her brother-in-law who directed operations from behind the scenes, her husband Gu Tingye was a pure military general who truly had to fight on the front lines with sword and spear.

To say I'm not worried at all would be a lie.

Now that the good news has arrived, both women are much more at ease.

Empress Gao's eyelids twitched slightly. Had the frontier won?

"Okay, okay!"

The Empress Dowager nodded repeatedly: "Minister Jiang truly deserves to be called a pillar of the nation."

In the absence of a conflict of interest, Cao still held Jiang Zhao in high esteem and trusted him.

This was a truly capable and virtuous minister.

Otherwise, the late emperor would not have received the temple name "Gaozong".

In a sense, Jiang Zhao was the last important minister left behind by the late emperor.

With Jiang Zhao around, as long as she behaves herself and doesn't cause trouble, her later years will definitely be secure!

"With Jiang Qing around, the nation is truly blessed!" the Empress Dowager exclaimed in praise.

"Your Majesty, I offer my congratulations!"

Immediately, congratulations arose from all sides.

The military officers, in particular, benefited greatly, their faces beaming with health.

The Sheng Mansion, Shou'an Hall.

"Killed the King of Western Xia in battle?" Old Madam Sheng was shocked.

Such achievements are hard to find even in historical records, right?

"This"

After pausing for several breaths, Old Madam Sheng really didn't know what to say, and could only sigh, "Zhao-ge'er, what a remarkable person he is."

As the only daughter of the Marquis of Yongyi, she was a person who had seen the world.

He even received court training at the palace.

However, faced with such a historically significant achievement, I still don't know what to say.

Such an extraordinary person, if a stranger, would be just like a legend in a storybook, something to be listened to as a legendary figure.

But Zhao Ge'er is his granddaughter's husband, a living person right before his eyes.

This inevitably creates a sense of awkwardness.

The Sheng family is of humble origin; what merit do they possess to be worthy of such a great figure?

This is such a steal!

“Zhao-ge’er is undoubtedly the best.” Wang Ruofu said excitedly.

The more successful the son-in-law, the happier and more respectable the daughter will be.

As the mother-in-law, she also felt proud.

My son-in-law will be remembered in history!

"Ha ha!"

Sheng Hong stroked his beard, his face flushed with the wine, and said, "Zhao'er is indeed a genius."

As he spoke, Sheng Hong let out a long sigh of relief, feeling quite comfortable.

He actually drank at two different places today.

One was the Imperial Banquet at Jinming Pond.

One was a banquet hosted by some high-ranking officials after the imperial banquet.

As for why he was invited to drink with a minor official of the fifth rank?

Naturally, I would ask him for advice on how to choose a son-in-law!

Although he was only a minor official of the fifth rank, his ability to select a son-in-law was evident to all the powerful and influential people in the capital.

The eldest son-in-law was a favored, capable, and virtuous minister of two generations, and the eldest daughter married into a high-ranking family.

The fifth son-in-law was a Hanlin scholar, and the eldest daughter married him.

The sixth son-in-law, the newly appointed Marquis of Ningyuan, who has made great contributions to expanding the territory, married his illegitimate daughter to a high-ranking position.

The sons-in-law were all chosen to be the best.

In particular, the eldest son-in-law, Jiang Zhao, is a typical "growing" intellectual.

As a result, many high-ranking officials have simply started to learn from this experience.

Social status is not important; what matters is that the son-in-law has potential.

If a son-in-law has even 30% of the ability of a junior cabinet minister, he is a promising candidate for a cabinet position!

This inevitably leads to another banquet.

The high-ranking official in purple robes sought his advice, and Sheng Hong was thoroughly entertained with his drinks.

"My brother-in-law is both scholarly and martial, possessing the demeanor of ancient sages." Sheng Changbai, sitting in the second seat on the left, stroked his beard with a look of respect.

He was one of the few civil officials in the country's century-long history who was both literate and skilled in military affairs.

Compared to the stereotypical image of a scholar, Jiang Zhao is more like a civil official from ancient times.

Like the Duke of Zhou and Zhuge Liang, they were both accomplished in both civil and military affairs.

Given his dull and unintelligent nature, it's probably impossible for him to be as accomplished in both literature and martial arts as his brother-in-law.

His lifelong pursuit was to emulate his brother-in-law, to learn his political skills, and to strive to govern the country and bring peace to the world, thus benefiting all living beings.

On the third seat from the left, Lady Hai held a handkerchief and looked at her husband with obvious affection.

Sheng Changbai respected his elder brother-in-law's talent and learning.

Little did they know that in the eyes of others, Sheng Changbai was also an object of respect and admiration.

"My brother-in-law's achievements are worthy of being remembered for eternity!" Sheng Changfeng exclaimed.

Compared to Sheng Changbai's desire to "imitate," his admiration was pure.

There's no way around it; the gap between the two is simply too vast, making it impossible to muster any desire to catch up.

Instead of chasing after them, we should look up to them.

To be remembered for eternity?

Sheng Changbai was taken aback and couldn't help but sigh slightly.

This word is too heavy!

I wonder if he ever had the chance to be remembered in history?

I don't seek eternal fame, but only to have my name recorded in history!

The news of the great victory on the frontier spread quickly.

The king was slain in battle, and the border was secured in one fell swoop!

Expanding territories and establishing new ones—a feat that will last for generations!

The relative importance of the two has been a subject of considerable debate throughout history.

In contrast, beheading the king in battle is considered a "landmark event" that represents the pinnacle of military achievement.

Expanding territory was regarded as the starting point of "unification" and "golden age", and contained "meritorious deeds for all ages".

The weight of the two is difficult to measure.

However, in terms of the quantity of poems and essays, scholars actually tend to prefer expanding territory and achieving lasting merit.

Of course, this applies to other dynasties.

The Great Zhou was different.

For the Great Zhou, both beheading the king and expanding its territory were highly commendable and significant events, and their importance was roughly equal.

There's no other reason than that, since the founding of the nation a hundred years ago, there has only been one instance of territorial expansion and one instance of the execution of the king.

The expansion of territory was the Xihe Frontier Expansion Project, which was presided over by Jiang Zhao.

The battle in which the king was killed was a frontier war led by Jiang Zhao.