"Bring it up quickly and change it for him."

Zhao Huan waved to Li Shu warmly, looking more like a kind old father than a king ascending the throne.

As she spoke, Zhao Huan personally began to undress Zhao Cheng.

Zhao Cheng said speechlessly, "Isn't there a need to be in such a hurry..."

Zhao Huan said, "I'm afraid you'll go back on your word."

Zhao Cheng glanced at Zhao Zhan, noticing the jealous look on Zhao Zhan's face, and said softly, "Giving it to the fourth brother is also acceptable."

Zhao Huan retorted angrily, "Are you playing house? The principle of primogeniture should be established from your point of view."

Zhao Cheng said, "Old man, doesn't what you're doing look like playing house?"

Zhao Huan said solemnly, "Listen to me carefully. After you ascend the throne, you must immediately appoint Changli as the crown prince. You cannot break the rules."

Zhao Cheng said, "That's really lively. The retired emperor, the emperor, and the crown prince are all in court. Old man, live a long life. By the time Changli has her baby, there will be a grandson of the emperor."

At this moment, Li Shu and the people from the Ministry of Rites brought up the dragon robe and quickly helped Zhao Cheng change his clothes.

Zhao Huan said softly, "I'm not joking with you. The most important thing after you ascend the throne is to establish an heir. Only in this way can my Zhao family have peace."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Cheng's expression also turned serious, and he said, "Are you worried about the fourth brother?"

Zhao Huan said, "The fourth brother is only one aspect. The earlier the ceremony is held, the better, so that we can also give an explanation to Ayun and the Yuan family."

“I understand, Father.” Zhao Cheng nodded, then said, “But I’m so uncomfortable with this. Suddenly I have to call myself ‘朕’ (the imperial “I”)?”

Zhao Huan chuckled, took a step back, looked at Zhao Cheng who was already dressed in the dragon robe, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Looks like an emperor!"

"Li Shu," Zhao Huan called out.

Li Shu quickly replied, "Your subject is here."

Zhao Huan waved his hand and said, "Let's get started quickly and simply. The Zhao family never plays games!"

That concludes the discussion.

When Zhao Han established the state, Zhao Cheng was the de facto first emperor, and the state name was still Taiping.

Following Zhao Huan's instructions, Zhao Cheng's first act upon ascending the throne was to appoint Zhao Changli as Crown Prince and Yuan Yun as Empress.

Chunqin, Yang Cai'e, Donghua, Zhou Nuo, and Deng Yanjiao were all conferred the title of Imperial Concubine.

Chunqin, in particular, was granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort and assisted Yuan Yun in managing the harem.

Xiao Luofeng has emerged from the shadow of his crushing defeat. Zhao Cheng values ​​his ability to train troops and promotes him to Grand General, putting him in charge of military affairs.

Zhao Cheng still entrusted Zhao Zhan with important responsibilities, appointing him as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, in charge of government affairs.

Zhao Cheng gave the position of Prime Minister to Xu Shouli, which led to the Xu family reaching its peak. Together with the Xiao family, Zhao Cheng's financial backer, they became the two most powerful families after the founding of the Zhao Han Dynasty.

In addition, Zhao Cheng also set a unique precedent by appointing four divine generals.

Azure Dragon General, Zhao Yan.

White Tiger General, Gong Xue.

Vermilion Bird General, Starfruit Branch.

Xuanwu Divine General, Zhou Chuan.

The four great generals are all grandmasters!

The Four Divine Generals held the same rank as General Xiao Luofeng, and together with Xiao Luofeng, they commanded the military power of Zhao Han.

Besides Gong Xue and Xiao Luofeng, Zhao Yan, Yang Taozhi, and Zhou Chuan are all Zhao Cheng's family members. Although it seems that Zhao Cheng has no military power, he actually holds most of the military power.

Zhao Cheng then leveraged the strengths of the Yiwen Society to promote and hype up the Four Great Generals. In no time, Zhao Han's Four Great Generals became famous throughout the East and were regarded as authorities by the people.

In just three years since Zhao Cheng ascended the throne, the people of Zhao Han have lived in peace and prosperity, the economy has developed rapidly, and the people have gradually forgotten the former Da Jing dynasty and are proud to be Han Chinese.

In these three years, Zhao Cheng had more children born, and Zhao Yan and Zhao Zhan were not idle either. The Zhao family flourished, and the retired Emperor Zhao Huan was overjoyed.

...

In the third year of the Taiping era of the Zhao Han dynasty, in winter.

A minor incident occurred on the western border with Benjin.

A merchant from Zhao Han entered Wen Jin from Gu Liang County to trade, but was robbed by a group of bandits while transporting goods.

The entire caravan was wiped out.

It was just an ordinary merchant caravan, but the merchant's cousin happened to be the garrison commander of Guliang County. It was precisely because of this that the garrison commander discovered his cousin's murder.

The garrison commander questioned Wen Jin's army, but they insisted that it had nothing to do with them and that it was the work of bandits.

But it's hard to say anymore.

Even if they were real robbers, the garrison of Guliang believed that Wen Jin was the one provoking them.

Therefore, the garrison commander surnamed Ma launched an attack on Wen Jin without waiting for orders from the Zhao Han court.

After more than three years, Zhao Han and Wen Jin suddenly went to war, catching many people off guard.

A war between two nations of this scale, and the interception of caravans, was indeed a minor matter from the perspective of the empire.

But it was precisely this seemingly insignificant incident that became the catalyst for a shift in the landscape of the East.

...

Zhao Han.

Tianze Palace.

Since the name Tianze Palace was originally chosen by Zhao Huan, there was no need to change its name after the Great Jing Dynasty split into the Eastern and Western Jing Dynasties and then the Zhao Han Dynasty changed.

Having been emperor for three years, Zhao Cheng sat upright on the dragon throne, his eyes and demeanor completely different from before.

The atmosphere in the court was also different from when Yuan Xiu and Yuan Wushang were in power.

Yuan Xiu was capricious and unpredictable, and all the civil and military officials feared him.

At that time, Yuan Wushang's position was not yet secure, and all the officials were watching the mood of the Zhao family father and son.

Now, all the officials stood solemnly, their gazes towards Zhao Cheng filled with reverence.

"This is absolutely outrageous!"

When the topic of the border came up, Yue Jiti spoke first: "They killed someone but dare not admit it; Wen Jin is becoming increasingly shameless!"

Minister of War Tie Ge also said, "We should send troops to support General Ma!"

“Your Majesty, I am willing to go into battle as the vanguard!” a general stepped forward and said.

Zhao Cheng raised his hand and said, "What is the Prime Minister's opinion on such a matter of national importance?"

Chancellor Xu Shouli stepped forward, bowed to Zhao Cheng, and said, "Your Majesty, General Ma has invaded Wenjin. Has he received a military order from the court?"

Zhao Cheng did not answer, but looked at Tie Ge and said, "Minister Tie, has the court issued a military order to send troops to Guliang?"

Tie Ge shook his head and said, "No..."

Zhao Cheng then looked at Xiao Luofeng, who was standing at the head of the military officers, and asked, "Where is the General's Mansion?"

Xiao Luofeng decisively replied, "No."

Xu Shouli then said, "General Ma mobilized troops without authorization because he was not settling a personal score."

"Your words are inappropriate, Prime Minister!"

Three years have passed, and Zhao Zhan's face is no longer childish. His features have matured considerably, and his thin eyebrows and high nose bridge make him look somewhat cold.

He stared at Xu Shouli and continued, "Since the split of Dajing, General Ma has been steadfastly guarding Guliang County. He is a brave warrior and utterly loyal to the court. This time, it is clearly Wen Jin who is shameless, and General Ma only wants to teach Wen Jin a lesson so as not to bring shame to the court. How can the Prime Minister convict him for this?"

Xu Shouli said, "Did I say that General Ma was not brave in battle? Did I say that General Ma was not loyal to the court? I am just stating the facts. This battle is not impossible to fight, but even if we have to fight, we must first clarify the nature of this battle!"

"Don't forget, everyone, Zhao Han and Wen Jin still have an alliance!"