Since being entrusted with the important task of "overseeing the country" by the monarch several months ago, Zhang Li has not had a single day of rest.
Of course, he was never idle when he was assisting Jin Fengluan before, but now he is even busier. However, unlike before, his current busyness does not make him tired but rather more energetic.
Even when dealing with various chronic and difficult diseases from top to bottom, Zhang Li did not feel troubled. On the contrary, he was finally able to give full play to his talents.
Things that I wanted to do but couldn't do before, and policies that I wanted to implement but were always blocked by Jin Fengluan, can now be done, and with exceptional ease.
The court officials did not object to this; they all seemed to have become more agreeable. This was certainly related to the elimination of the treacherous officials, but more so because it was now a brand new, thriving dynasty, and everything was moving forward with promise.
In Beiliang, with the inclusion of Beiku Grassland, people had already moved there several months ago, and animal husbandry is thriving. Perhaps it is still some distance from the goal of "everyone living in peace and contentment, free from hunger and cold", but it is not far off.
As for Xijing, with the invasion and defeat of Tuyuan Kingdom and the establishment of a new dynasty after the fall of the old one, no one in Xijing, young or old, ever mentions "division and rule" anymore. After all, the battle in Xijing has given them a glimpse of the future. They are now exceptionally united and proud to be "Yan Kingdom people." This is the essence of the saying, "No pain, no gain."
As for the East China Sea, Japan's invasion plan was completely thwarted. There are no more Japanese pirates in the entire East China Sea region. Not only that, even the Japanese pirates' stronghold, the island nation of Japan, has been wiped out!
When Zhang Li received the news, he was quite shocked. He did not expect that the royal army would be so swift in its military campaigns. In less than a month after arriving in the East China Sea, it took the opportunity to attack Japan and accomplish something that no dynasty had ever done before.
This was truly exhilarating. Zhang Li couldn't help but marvel at how decisive and swift his emperor's actions were, never hesitant or indecisive. He had truly kept the promise he had made to him.
Now that Your Majesty has fulfilled his promise, I, as the acting regent, should do my utmost to complete his mandate, manage state affairs in an orderly manner, and bring blessings to the people.
Tonight, as usual, although it was late at night, Zhang Li was still reviewing memorials under the lamplight.
In fact, after these past few months of sorting things out, he has become quite adept at it, handling almost everything, big or small, with ease. This is not only due to his years of experience as an official, but also related to the fact that Yan Kingdom has undergone a complete reshuffle.
In the previous dynasty, because Jin Fengluan was jealous of talent and only cared about maintaining imperial power, almost all important official positions were held by the Jin family. Below the main family were the collateral branches, who also "benefited" by obtaining various official positions.
As the saying goes, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too. How can this bureaucratic system be sound under such internal and external corruption? After bringing down the Jin family, what Zhang Li is doing now is simply to remove the branches and twigs they left behind and entrust them to capable people.
There are civil and military examinations, and the re-selection process will surely uncover those with real talent. Not long ago, a general named Zhao Zheng came into Zhang Li's view.
This was once a subordinate of General Xiong Qian, or even his deputy. However, during the Battle of Bailiyuan, Zhao Zheng abandoned the darkness and joined the light, using a rather complicated scheme to trick Xiong Qian into opening Zhongnan Pass, allowing the royal army to enter the pass without losing a single soldier.
Zhao Zheng's purpose in coming here was to seek a position. He said he wanted to serve in the capital, but he was humble. He said that he was a criminal and was already extremely grateful for His Majesty's leniency. He only asked for a minor official position, even if it was an eighth or ninth rank, he would be grateful to tears.
Zhang Li thought this was indeed a talented person, and giving him a minor official position would be a waste of his abilities. However, he couldn't make a decision on what to do. In the end, his daughter gave him advice, saying that it would be disheartening to demote someone who had redeemed himself through meritorious service, but if he were given a higher position, how would other officials view him? Therefore, he suggested giving him a position of equal rank and promising him, "If you remain loyal to your duties, you will be employed in a suitable position in the future."
My daughter's suggestion was indeed more appropriate.
And this was not the first piece of advice she gave.
"Father, it's late."
Zhang Li, who was reviewing memorials, looked up and followed the sound.
Unbeknownst to me, my daughter had already placed a bowl of tea beside the table.
"It's still early." Zhang Li smiled, put down his pen, and rubbed his sore wrist.
Dressed in elegant clothes, Zhang Zisheng placed the teacup in front of Zhang Li, walked behind him, and said while pressing his shoulders, "It's getting late."
“I know you are diligent in your work, but I don’t know that human strength eventually runs out. If you have to approve a lot of things, then you should do your best. But I see that you are always like this. Overwork will make you sick, which is not a good thing.”
"In just a few months, your hair has turned much whiter."
Hearing this, Zhang Li smiled wryly to himself, picked up his teacup and said, "Zisheng, it's not advisable to drink tea at night."
"It's calming tea. You know that, yet you still say it on purpose." Zhang Zisheng punched Zhang Li's shoulder and said with a helpless reproach.
Zhang Li took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, leaned back in his chair, and suddenly exclaimed, "I never expected that in less than a year, the dynasty would have changed."
"And unlike the early days of previous dynasties, our Yan Kingdom was born into an unprecedented period of prosperity."
"But beneath this magnificent scene, dangers still lurk everywhere, leaving no time to catch one's breath." Zhang Li exhaled a heavy breath.
Zhang Zisheng's hand suddenly stopped, but after only a moment she continued to rub her father's shoulder: "Father, are you worried about the matter in Nangang?"
"Um."
"A message sent from Nangang a few days ago said that His Majesty intends to engage in a major battle with the armies of the various nations."
"We just resolved the issue of Fusang, but who knew that other countries would come? How can we not be worried? Why do we have so many disasters?"
Zhang Li rubbed his temples and continued:
"If a country can assemble a fleet to sail across the ocean, its national strength must be considerable. Even if not everyone lives in peace and prosperity, surely the people shouldn't be starving or lacking warm clothes?"
“You stay in your country and live your life, we’ll live ours. We’re separated by such a vast sea, why bother each other?” He shook his head, completely bewildered.
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