3 Shen Zhiyuan

"Shen Zhiyuan." Grand Tutor Xu raised his head, his eyes firm. "Lord Shen was once the Minister of Personnel. He was an upright official, upright and incorruptible. He has the talent to govern the country.

He also has the strategy of commanding troops. When the late emperor was in power, he had proposed many good strategies, but unfortunately the late emperor..."

Having said that, Master Xu paused, as if he remembered something, and lowered his voice.

"Chen Zhiyuan?" Li Zhaoyi muttered to herself. The name was familiar to her. When she was very young, she often heard her father scold him in the imperial study, saying he was "arrogant because of his talent" and "rebellious against his superiors."

Later, she learned that Shen Zhiyuan had once, in front of all the civil and military officials in the court, bluntly advised his father that "his lust for power was too strong, and his refusal to give power to the prince might lead to disaster."

As a result, he was dismissed from his official position by his father, demoted to a commoner, and retired to the mountains.

It turns out that someone had seen through my father's paranoia long ago.

If the emperor had listened to Shen Zhiyuan's advice, would there have been no fratricide and no palace coup?

Li Zhaoyi had mixed feelings, feeling regret for her father but also curious about Shen Zhiyuan.

"Taifu Xu," Minister of War Zhou Lei frowned, "Chen Zhiyuan was a traitor deposed by the late emperor. Now that Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, summoning him out of retirement would be difficult to convince the public, and would also be detrimental to the late emperor's reputation."

"Lord Zhou is wrong!" Grand Tutor Xu retorted, "Lord Shen spoke out frankly and made suggestions back then, all for the sake of the country, not out of personal gain.

"Now that the nation is in crisis, how can you abandon the country because of personal grudges? If the late emperor is still alive, he will surely understand your majesty's painstaking efforts!"

Other ministers also began to discuss the matter. Some supported Grand Tutor Xu's proposal, believing that Shen Zhiyuan was indeed talented in governing the country.

Some were concerned about Shen Zhiyuan's status as a "traitor" and worried that calling him out would cause controversy.

Li Zhaoyi looked at the ministers arguing below, her fingers tapping lightly on the armrests of the dragon throne.

She thought of the "more than 10,000 casualties" reported from the northern border, the miserable situation of the refugees in the south, and her father's stubbornness back then.

Perhaps, this "traitor" who was deposed by his father is really the hope of saving this country.

"Teacher Xu," Li Zhaoyi's voice rang out, and the court fell silent in an instant. "You said Shen Zhiyuan has the talent to govern the country. Do you have any evidence?"

Grand Tutor Xu quickly replied, "Your Majesty, when Lord Shen was the Minister of Personnel, he rectified the administration of officials, severely punished corrupt officials, and thus cleaned up the atmosphere in the officialdom.

He also proposed the policy of "light taxes and levies, and giving the people a rest" to allow the people to live and work in peace and contentment.

Although the late emperor dismissed him, he also secretly adopted many of his suggestions.

This is exactly what we need, a minister like Lord Shen who is brave, resourceful, and has the world at heart!"

Li Zhaoyi nodded, having made up her mind.

She knew that summoning Chen Zhiyuan out of seclusion would inevitably cause controversy, and she might even be accused of "going against the wishes of the late emperor." But compared to these, the country and the people were the most important.

"I have made up my mind," she said, standing up, her voice firm. "I will immediately draft an edict to summon Shen Zhiyuan to the capital to assist me in handling state affairs. If anyone accuses him of being a 'traitor' again, he will be punished for disobeying my order!"

"Your Majesty, please think twice!" The opposing ministers knelt down to advise him.

"No need to say more," Li Zhaoyi's eyes swept over the ministers below with a hint of unquestionable majesty.

"I trust Grand Tutor Xu's vision, and I also trust Shen Zhiyuan's character. If he can truly contribute to the country, I don't care whether he was once a 'traitor'; if he can't, I will have my own way."

Grand Tutor Xu smiled with satisfaction. He knelt on the ground and said loudly, "Your Majesty is wise and wise! On behalf of the people of the world, I thank you!"

Seeing Li Zhaoyi's resolute attitude, the other ministers did not dare to object anymore. They all stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I obey your order."

After the court meeting, Li Zhaoyi returned to the Yangxin Palace and looked at the rising sun outside the window, feeling both anticipation and anxiety.

She didn't know whether Shen Zhiyuan, whom she had never met before, would accept her call, nor did she know whether her decision was right or wrong.

She picked up a pen and wrote her name on the edict herself.

"Eunuch Zhang," she handed the imperial edict to him, "immediately send someone to deliver this edict to Shen Zhiyuan's retreat and ensure he returns to the capital."

"I obey your order." Eunuch Zhang took the imperial edict, turned around and left quickly.

As the window frames of the Hall of Mental Cultivation were dyed light gold by the twilight, Li Zhaoyi was still clutching the unsent second imperial edict, her fingertips pinching the edge of the rice paper into deep wrinkles.

There was only a single lamp in the hall, illuminating the empty desk in front of her. The eunuch who had been sent to deliver the first imperial edict in the morning had just returned, and all he brought back was Shen Zhiyuan's light-hearted words, "I am a country boy from the mountains and countryside, and I am afraid I will disappoint the emperor's expectations."

"I'm afraid of failing to live up to the emperor's expectations?" Li Zhaoyi repeated these four words in a low voice, with a self-deprecating smile on her lips.

She clearly heard from the eunuch's hesitation that Shen Zhiyuan didn't even open the imperial edict. He just asked the village boy to pass on a message and then turned back to the house.

Did he think that she, the empress, was too young to be bullied, or did he simply disdain to set foot in this bloodstained court again?

Eunuch Zhang came in with a bowl of hot porridge. Seeing her staring at the imperial edict in a trance, he gently advised: "Your Majesty, Lord Shen has been in seclusion for many years.

Perhaps he really doesn't have the heart for politics, so you don't have to force it. Right now, matters in the north and south are urgent, so you need to take care of your health first."

Li Zhaoyi raised her eyes, and the red bloodshot under her eyes was particularly obvious under the light.

She took the bowl of porridge but did not move her chopsticks. Her eyes fell back on the battle report on the table. Another city was lost in the north, the defending general committed suicide, refugees poured into Yanmen Pass, and the food and grass could not last more than ten days.

The floods in the south were even worse, and there were reports of cannibalism.

"Taking care of yourself?" She smiled bitterly and put the bowl of porridge aside.

"Eunuch Zhang, do you think those refugees who died of starvation would care about my health? Do those soldiers who died in battle wait for me to slowly 'take care' of them?"

Just as he finished speaking, hurried footsteps were heard outside the palace. A guard stumbled in, knelt on the ground, and said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, this is not good!

Urgent news from the northern border: The Xiongnu attacked Yanmen Pass at night. The defenders fought hard, but... but the food and fodder were cut off. I'm afraid Yanmen Pass... won't survive the night!"

"What?" Li Zhaoyi stood up suddenly, and the chair slid back half a foot, making a harsh sound.

She rushed to the guard and grabbed his arm, her fingertips turning white from the force. "Didn't they say the food supply could last for ten days? How did it suddenly run out?"

"It's...it's the team transporting food and fodder that got robbed. The robbers claim to be refugees, but in reality...it's like they're spies from the Xiongnu!"

The guard's voice gradually faded. "The commander said in his report that if there are no reinforcements tomorrow, he will lead the remaining troops to live and die with Yanmen Pass."

"We live and die together..." Li Zhaoyi let go of her hand, staggered back two steps, and bumped into the table.

The pen, ink, paper and inkstone on the desk fell to the ground with a crash, and the ink spread on the rice paper like a thick pool of blood that could not be dissolved.

She looked at the ink stain and suddenly remembered her father's appearance before his death. Her father was also like this at that time, leaning weakly on the dragon throne, looking at the fire outside the imperial study, and said, "I can no longer protect this country."

Is she going to have to watch helplessly as her father did, the foundation laid by her ancestors, crumble step by step in her hands?

"Your Majesty, please don't panic!" Eunuch Zhang quickly supported her. "Grand Tutor Xu is still waiting outside the palace. How about...invite him in to discuss countermeasures?"

Li Zhaoyi shook her head. Although Xu Taifu was loyal, he was old and weak. Facing the Xiongnu cavalry, he could only do nothing.

The ministers in the court either advocated moving the capital to avoid disaster or insisted on fighting the Huns to the death. But no matter which path they took, someone was needed to coordinate the overall situation and convince the people.

And this person is only Shen Zhiyuan.

She walked to the desk, picked up the pen on the ground, and spread out a new piece of rice paper.

Her fingertips trembled slightly with nervousness, and ink dripped onto the paper, but she didn't bother to wipe it off and wrote the second edict stroke by stroke.

This time, she no longer gave orders in an imperial tone, but lowered her posture, recounting the tragic situation in the northern border, and begged Shen Zhiyuan to come out and help for the sake of the people of the world.

"Eunuch Zhang," she folded the written edict and stuffed it into the brocade box.

"This time you go in person and make sure to see Shen Zhiyuan himself and hand this edict to him. Tell him that if he is willing to come out of seclusion,

I am willing to take him as my teacher and listen to his advice on everything, even if... even if I have to kneel down and apologize to him, I am willing to do so."

Eunuch Zhang was stunned. He had followed the late emperor for many years and had never seen an emperor willing to lower himself so much for a minister.

He looked at the earnestness and despair in Li Zhaoyi's eyes, and his heart ached. He quickly took the brocade box and said, "I will obey your order and will not fail in my mission!"

After Eunuch Zhang left, the palace returned to silence. Li Zhaoyi sat at the desk, picked up the war report from the northern border, and read it over and over again.

The defending general wrote in his report, "The people in the city are all willing to defend the city gates with the soldiers, and no one is willing to surrender." This sentence was like a needle, piercing her heart and making her ache.

She remembered that when she was a child, her father took her to inspect the northern border. At that time, Yanmen Pass was bustling with people, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the soldiers were in high spirits.

But now, this once impregnable fortress is about to fall under the iron hoof of the Huns, and those people who once welcomed it with smiles are about to become slaves of a conquered nation.

"Father, what should I do?" She asked softly in the empty hall, and finally couldn't hold back her tears.

She had always forced herself to be strong, forced herself to be like a qualified emperor, but in this boundless darkness and despair, she was just a fifteen-year-old girl, longing for someone to reach out and help her.

A sleepless night.

At dawn, Li Zhaoyi received the news from Eunuch Zhang that she had met Shen Zhiyuan. However, after Shen Zhiyuan read the imperial edict,

He only said, "If Your Majesty really cares about the people, you should learn to shoulder the country by yourself instead of relying on others," and then returned the edict to him.

Another rejection.

Li Zhaoyi held the rejected edict with cold fingers. Shen Zhiyuan's words were like a hammer, shattering her last hope.

Yes, the country is hers, and the responsibility is hers. Why should she expect others to bear it for her?