The emperor's gym was furnished in a simple and unpretentious style. Apart from a coffee table and some exercise equipment, there was no other furniture.

Liu Yanzong couldn't understand why the emperor was bothering him every day. Was he just bored and had nothing better to do? Didn't he have all this energy to burn? Wouldn't this damage his health?

Zhao Huan did fifty pull-ups in one go, and his figure had become clearly defined, with an even stronger masculine aura between his brows.

After wiping his sweat with a cotton towel, the emperor came over and took a sip of tea.

How much do you know about the history of this dynasty?

Liu Yanzong hesitated slightly, and the emperor continued, "Minister Liu, you were born in Liaodong and later served the Jin army..."

Before the emperor could finish speaking, Liu Yanzong scrambled to his feet and prostrated himself on the ground, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I truly had no other choice before!"

Liu Yanzong broke out in a cold sweat. Could it be that the emperor thought that now that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun had been recovered, he was going to kill the dog after the rabbit was caught?

Liu Yanzong wasn't done living yet. There were so many beautiful women in Bianjing; he wanted to sleep with them all.

Seeing that Liu Yanzong seemed to have misunderstood his meaning, Zhao Huan didn't say anything. Instead, he drank several sips of tea, leaving Liu Yanzong trembling there until he was drenched in cold sweat. Only then did Zhao Huan say, "Get up and speak."

"I want to know, how did you view the Song Dynasty from an outsider's perspective before?"

"This..." Liu Yanzong stammered on the surface, but in his heart he was greatly relieved. He was certain that the emperor had not summoned him to play the game of "the rabbit is killed after the dog is cooked".

"The Great Song Dynasty is rich in natural resources and talented people, and its people live in peace and contentment..."

Before Liu Yanzong could finish speaking, the emperor's face had already turned terribly gloomy, and he quickly shut his mouth.

"You think I'm some kind of emperor, do you? You think I just enjoy hearing your flattery? I'm telling you to tell the truth. If you dare utter another lie, I'll castrate you!"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" Although he didn't know why the emperor suddenly asked him these questions and forced him to express his opinion on the Song Dynasty, he dared not speak recklessly now that the emperor was furious. This emperor was not so easily fooled. He knew some things very well. The reason he asked others was to find out what they thought.

With this in mind, Liu Yanzong was ready to go all out: "Your Majesty, since the founding of the Great Song Dynasty by Emperor Taizu, it has swept across the world and ended the war in the Central Plains. The Zhao family is the rightful ruler. In order to avoid the separatist rule of the former Tang Dynasty and the harm to the world by military men, Emperor Taizu ruled the country with civil officials and valued civil officials over military ones."

"The advantage is that the Song Dynasty has produced many famous prime ministers, but the disadvantages are also obvious. The military strength has been greatly weakened. If Emperor Taizu could have taken back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, a key border defense area, it would have been fine. However, Emperor Taizu died overnight and changed the emperor's face. The Yongxi Northern Expedition lost most of the Song Dynasty's elite troops. From then on, the Song Dynasty could only passively defend against the Liao Dynasty."

"That's fine. After the Treaty of Chanyuan, the Song and Liao dynasties made peace, and the external threat to the north was eliminated. However, the Tanguts in the northwest rose to power, and the Song Dynasty abolished the Fubing system and began to raise a large-scale army. The problem of redundant officials and soldiers became more and more serious, the vitality of the government declined, and the financial expenditures increased. The rotation system in the army created a situation where generals did not know their soldiers and soldiers did not know their generals. Once a war begins, the officials in the court will be arguing, and the front-line soldiers will not know where their superiors are. This time, the Jurchen invasion of the south has exposed the vulnerability of the Song Dynasty in the north. If it were not for the emperor's wisdom and personal leadership, I'm afraid..."

Liu Yanzong dared not say anything more. He had pointed out the faults of the Song Dynasty, and at the end, he did not forget to praise and sing the praises of the emperor in order to save his life.

The implication is that the Song Dynasty already has many problems and is deeply weak, but Your Majesty is truly wise and powerful, and you can still lead us to defeat the Jin invaders. You are truly amazing!

The emperor suddenly asked, "Why did the Qingli Reforms fail?"

Liu Yanzong was slightly taken aback. "Damn it, Emperor, you've finally revealed your true intentions! So you're planning to reform the entire Song Dynasty!"

"In my opinion, Lord Fan is no match for them!"

"them?"

"It is them. Your Majesty should know better than I do that they enjoy the generous salaries bestowed upon them by the Emperor, yet they hold their positions without doing any work. Fan Gong and Fu Bi said: 'Clearly define promotion and demotion, suppress opportunism, refine the imperial examination system, select capable officials, and equalize public land distribution.' Which of these measures does not affect their interests?"

"And what about Wang Wengong?"

"Duke Wen's ambition was as lofty as a swan, yet he still could not move them."

Zhao Huan put down his teacup and remained silent for a while. The incense burner on the table was burning brightly, and the slanting sunlight outside shone in, casting a golden hue on the wooden floor.

"How do I do it?"

Liu Yanzong was now in a real bind. He had known all along that the emperor would ask him what to do. What kind of minister only raises questions without offering solutions? It's like in a company in later times, if you just raise questions all day long and then never follow up, the boss will fire you first!

Unfortunately, many students enjoy asking questions, and if you ask them how to do it, they will tell you that hard work will lead to success.

If Liu Yanzong also said to Zhao Huan, "Your Majesty, I have a bowl of chicken soup here. Let's drink it together, my subject and I. Remember, hard work leads to success. Keep going! Give yourself a smile every day!"

Let's see if Zhao Huan will chop him up!

Liu Yanzong pondered for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty's personal campaign this time has garnered unprecedented popularity within the army, and all the officers and soldiers follow Your Majesty's lead!"

Liu Yanzong's words were utterly nonsensical. When the emperor asked him what to do, he suddenly said that the emperor's prestige in the army had increased after personally leading the expedition. Wasn't that completely irrelevant?

However, Zhao Huan did not blame him, because Zhao Huan understood what he meant.

Zhao Huan wanted Liu Yanzong to say those words. He wanted Liu Yanzong to make a statement in front of him so that when he wanted to criticize someone in the future, He Ye would be unable to withstand him and Liu Yanzong would have to step in!

"Liu Qing, it's getting late, you should go back and rest."

Liu Yanzong breathed a long sigh of relief, bowed again, and took his leave. When he went out, he found that his clothes were completely soaked with sweat.

The emperor did not express his opinion, but Liu Yanzong had already guessed the emperor's attitude and vaguely guessed what the emperor was thinking about in the past few days when he had not shown up.

When the war was being fought in Hedong, the Ministry of Revenue's pay was issued but never even made a peep. The fact that the emperor did not immediately start a massacre shows that the emperor was not unwilling to kill people, but rather that he was planning a big one!

Liu Yanzong swallowed hard. The current situation of the Song Dynasty was completely different from that of Emperor Shenzong's era. The bureaucracy was even more cumbersome. But that was not a big deal. As long as the external threats were eliminated, the emperors of all dynasties were kind-hearted and soft-hearted, and they always tried to be stable in the face of changes in the political structure. So even if there were many accumulated problems, nothing would happen.

However, this emperor is completely different. His decisiveness and willpower are no less than those of Emperor Taizu. Now, through a war, he has won the loyalty of all the soldiers of the Song army. Now, those soldiers will do whatever the emperor asks them to do without hesitation!

Thinking of the last words he said to the emperor, Liu Yanzong felt a sense of fear. He also recalled the faint murderous glint in the emperor's eyes when he first entered the palace. He had a premonition that the Song Dynasty court would soon be thrown into turmoil!