The emergence of the Imperial Bank of the Great Song Dynasty caused a great deal of discussion. After Tang Ke's Bureau of Arts and Crafts was approved, he began to poach people from the official kilns and embroidery workshops. Tang Ke handled this matter very discreetly, and not many people knew about it.

What no one knew was that Zhao Huan had summoned an old man. This summons was not an audience between the emperor and his ministers, and the old man did not hold any official rank, but it was of epoch-making significance.

The emperor of the Song Dynasty personally summoned an ancient scientist, the future president of the Royal Academy of Sciences. No one paid attention to this, but from that moment on, the Song Dynasty was destined to embark on a new path.

Qin Hui said from the side, "Your Majesty, this is Han Gonglian."

"This old minister kowtows to Your Majesty, wishing you peace and prosperity."

The incense burner on the imperial desk was burning brightly. Zhao Huan sat down at the desk, placed the book in his hand on the desk, and said, "Please take a seat."

"This old minister dares not."

“You are a talented individual of our Great Song Dynasty. What is there to be afraid of? Please sit down.”

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Qin Hui stood obediently to one side, and Zhao Huan said, "I intend to greatly promote the study of construction in the Song Dynasty, and from now on I will have to rely on Minister Han."

Before entering the palace to meet the emperor, Han Gonglian was reluctant. Although he had already gone into seclusion, he had heard about the emperor's numerous misdeeds, his ruthless killings, and his extremely cruel methods. If Qin Hui hadn't spoken to him about the greater good of the country, using both threats and temptations, he would never have come out.

But the moment she saw the emperor sitting at his desk, engrossed in reading, all her previous thoughts vanished.

This handsome young man beheaded more than a thousand people?

Han Gonglian had assumed Zhao Huan had a fierce appearance, but he didn't expect him to look more like a refined scholar.

When Han Gonglian sat down, he felt that the emperor was approachable and not at all pretentious. Moreover, the emperor was straightforward and did not ask many questions. He directly stated his purpose in an expectant tone.

This is a young emperor with ideals and ambitions!

This is Han Gonglian's evaluation of Zhao Huan.

"It is my honor to share Your Majesty's burdens."

"Han Qing, if you need any support, you can tell me. I hereby grant you an imperial decree, so that you may come directly to the palace to see me in the future if there is any emergency."

Qin Hui was slightly startled. This was the treatment reserved for a prime minister! It seemed that the emperor really valued this academy. Now that he had a chance, he had to handle it well. If he did this well, the emperor would naturally entrust him with more tasks in the future.

Upon hearing Zhao Huan's words, Han Gonglian was so moved that he stood up and said, "I am willing to dedicate myself to serving the Holy Son!"

"Furthermore, Qin Hui, bring all members of the Han family to Bianjing, arrange a mansion for them, and bestow upon Han Gonglian the title of Baron. Do it immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Han Gonglian was speechless for a moment. Before coming here, he thought Zhao Huan was a murderous tyrant, but now he felt ashamed.

Zhao Huan continued, "Minister Han, I believe that the study of engineering is the foundation of the nation and is crucial to the stability of the country. Therefore, I intend to entrust the Academy of Sciences to you."

Moved to tears by the emperor's words, Han Gonglian immediately bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister is willing to dedicate himself to the Song Dynasty until his dying breath!"

In fact, Zhao Huan knew of Han Gonglian. He had worked with Su Song on the Water-Powered Astronomical Clock Tower and was an astronomer of the Song Dynasty. He also inherited a lot of Su Song's engineering knowledge.

He was already quite old and had long since retired from public life, no longer concerned with worldly affairs. It was quite unexpected that Qin Hui would find him.

Since we are committed to vigorously developing science, we should treat others well and express our determination to them.

After seeing Han Gonglian, Qin Hui saw Han Gonglian out and then returned.

"Qin Hui, what do you think of the location?"

"Your Majesty, the site has been secured on the banks of the Bian River in the southeast of the city. The application has been submitted to the Ministry of Works, and it is expected to be completed in about two months."

"Good, you've done a good job." Zhao Huan was silent for a moment before saying, "Qin Hui, what are your thoughts on the new policies?"

Qin Hui's mind raced. First of all, he was certain of one thing: he absolutely supported the new policies!

"The Song Dynasty has accumulated many problems, and Your Majesty's ability to implement new policies in the Song Dynasty is in accordance with the way of a sage."

"But Emperor Shenzong also promoted it, and wasn't he also given the title 'God' by the civil officials?"

Qin Hui said, "In my opinion, Your Majesty's new policies are fundamentally different from Wang Anshi's reforms."

How to distinguish them?

“Wang Anshi’s new laws are competing with the people for profit, and their biggest flaw is the problem of implementation,” Qin Hui said cautiously. “Your Majesty can use the matter of Prince Su to start promoting them in the Jingdong Road and Jingxi Road, stabilize the four capitals, and then expand them to the whole country.”

How to gain a foothold in the four capitals?

“The emperor’s abolition of corvée labor is a blessing for the people, but it will also harm the interests of the gentry and powerful, which will naturally arouse their resistance. Since it is a blessing for the people, we should make good use of the people’s power to fight against the gentry and powerful.”

"How can we use it?"

"Your Majesty's repelling of the Jin invaders and the conquest of Yan and Yun are exactly what the people want. Prince Su is acting against the will of the people. Why not send people to the surrounding areas to fabricate stories and use Prince Su as a negative example to criticize him? This will incite the people's hatred for Prince Su. The more the people hate Prince Su, the more they will support Your Majesty."

Zhao Huan nodded. Qin Hui's words made sense. This was why he wanted to popularize the Song Dynasty Gazette. The Song Dynasty Gazette was his first step in controlling public opinion. Public opinion could control the hearts of the people. The emperor alone could not fight against the landlord class. He had to mobilize the power of the people.

As for why Zhao Huan suddenly asked Qin Hui this question, it was because he received news from Xie Dahai that someone in the south was plotting to incite local powerful families and win over the hearts of the people. As long as the capital announced the new policies, chaos would inevitably break out in the south.

This is also why Zhao Huan rushed to the new army camp to review the troops and drink with the new army generals. The emperor was already prepared for battle. As long as there was a large-scale disturbance in the south, he would not mind sending Zong Ze to lead the army south to quell the rebellion.

This was Zhao Huan's logic. He wanted to eliminate corvée labor in one fell swoop so that the people's time and energy could be freed up, allowing more people to increase their income. Increased income would lead to social stability and unprecedented prosperity in commerce. As merchants earned more, they would naturally pay more taxes.

In ancient times, there were significant differences between the South and the North, each with its own network of interests. If the South were angered, there was a high possibility that someone would rebel, or someone would use the natural barrier of the Yangtze River to fight against Bianjing (Kaifeng).

The Jurchens had just been driven out, and Hebei and Hedong were in dire need of reconstruction. It was not a good time to fight with the south.

With this in mind, Zhao Huan made a plan. In fact, he had already made up his mind before asking Qin Hui.

At the same time, he was also well aware that the ministers in the court had begun to take their own actions.

The current situation is quite different from when Wanyan Zongwang attacked the outskirts of Tokyo. Back then, the main conflict was between the Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty. Zhao Huan's killing of ministers on the spot would not cause a fierce backlash from within the country. After all, Cai Jing and others had a bad reputation, and killing them was what the people wanted.

After much deliberation, Zhao Huan decided to adopt Qin Hui's strategy and first implement the new policies in Jingdong Road, Jingxi Road, and Hedong and Hebei Roads.