Zhao Shen was also surprised that it was a woman who came. He glanced at Zhao Chen, whose eyes were already wide open.
"I have come uninvited, please forgive me, Duke Chong."
"It's alright, come in and talk."
The woman walked in with graceful steps, and as soon as she entered, a light and elegant fragrance wafted through the air.
This is a very beautiful woman, and not only beautiful, she also possesses a unique charm.
Once you take one look, it's hard to look away.
She is so endearing, yet I can't help but want to have her.
There's an indescribable charm in her lingering gaze.
Zhao Shen thought to himself: This woman is definitely not a good person.
He planned to give Zhao Chen a good warning after the woman left, lest he fall into a trap with women and ruin his important plans.
"My name is Lu Wanqing. My ancestral home was originally in Zhuozhou, Yanyun. Due to the war at the end of the Tang Dynasty, my ancestors moved to the area outside the pass and settled in Anxian County, where they were merchants for generations."
Upon seeing her, Zhao Chen's attitude had completely changed. He smiled warmly and asked, "Miss Lu, what brings you here to see me?"
"I have heard that the Duke of Chongguo has the talent to govern the world. Now Xianzhou has become the topic of conversation among the powerful and noble people of the Song Dynasty."
Zhao Chen's face showed a smug look, but he pretended not to know anything and asked, "What do you mean by that, young lady?"
"Just in the past six months, the mink fur from Xianzhou has been sold all over the Song Dynasty. Now everyone knows that under the rule of the Duke of Chongguo, Xianzhou has become a prosperous city, surpassing Shenzhou."
Zhao Chen was secretly pleased, but he pretended to be modest and said, "It's all because the current emperor has such sagacity."
“If it were someone else, they might not have succeeded,” Lu Wanqing said with a smile.
Zhao Shen, who couldn't stand it any longer, said, "Miss Lu, you'd better tell us your purpose quickly. We, the Duke of Chongguo, are very busy with official duties."
"Yes!" Lu Wanqing said, "I have come here because I have something important to discuss with the Duke of Chongguo."
"Speaking."
"My family owns a mine."
Zhao Chen and Zhao Shen exchanged a glance, feeling somewhat puzzled.
Lu Wanqing continued, "There is an iron mine on the mountain behind my home."
Zhao Shen realized what was happening and quickly asked, "How many?"
"I don't know the exact number, it's connected to the mountains."
Zhao Shen's mind raced. This woman lived in An County!
That's right! Could it be the iron ore mine complex in Anxian County that His Majesty mentioned?
Zhao Shen clearly remembered that at the beginning of this year, the imperial court assembled a group of mining teams to enter Anxian County to mine iron ore.
I heard that this was an order personally issued by His Majesty the Emperor, saying that there were vast iron mines there.
But six months have passed, and the mining team has not found the iron ore group that His Majesty mentioned; otherwise, the entire court would have been in an uproar long ago.
Could it be that the iron ore mines are located behind this woman's house?
Zhao Shen put down his chopsticks, stood up, and asked with bright eyes, "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely true, without the slightest falsehood."
Zhao Shen said, "Duke Chong, immediately send men to An County!"
"It's freezing cold, I'm not going anywhere!"
Zhao Shen immediately panicked. "You're not going to pick up this pie that's fallen from the sky?"
Good heavens, how lazy are you!
"Anxian Iron Mine! Anxian Iron Mine!" Zhao Shen said twice.
Zhao Chen was completely bewildered.
"At the beginning of the year, His Majesty specifically requested that the Anxian iron mine be mined, and it was not contracted out to any private merchant group! The mining was personally led by Zhao Mingcheng, the Vice Minister of Works!"
"So what?"
"Zhao Mingcheng dug for a year without finding anything. The officials in the court doubted whether there was really an iron ore there. But His Majesty insisted that there was a large amount of iron ore there. This matter was debated in the court several times. Once His Majesty even got angry! He said that even if the entire mountain in Anxian County was leveled, it would still be dug out!"
Zhao Chen looked puzzled: "Is that so?"
Zhao Shen was so frustrated he felt like vomiting blood. He thought to himself: "Brother, who's going to fight for the crown prince position, you or me? Don't you ever care about what your father does?!"
"That is indeed the case, and this matter is clearly a thorn in His Majesty's side. If you, Duke Chong, find it and cure His Majesty's thorn, you will surely be greatly rewarded!"
Zhao Chen immediately stood up and exclaimed excitedly, "That's it!"
But he immediately added, "It's too cold outside now, let's wait until the snow melts!"
Zhao Shen was anxious: "Once the snow melts, it won't be our turn anymore. Zhao Mingcheng is staying there every day now. I heard that his wife, Li Qingzhao, is worried about him and even resigned from her doctorate at the Hanlin Academy to stay with him. Now the Ministry of Works is digging up mountains everywhere every day."
Zhao Chen was somewhat reluctant: "Why don't you take some people with you?"
"No, you have to come with me. Otherwise, people will have something to say about it. If you go in person, this great achievement will be meaningless."
"Alright, alright, let's go!"
"Prepare the horses!"
Winter in Liaodong is indeed cold. It snowed for more than a month without stopping, and everywhere you could see was a vast expanse of white.
There were no birds in flight, and no human figure.
"Zhao Shen, aren't we taking enough men?" Zhao Chen asked doubtfully. "What if we discover an iron ore mine? How will we mine it?"
"We don't need to dig. Once we find it, we'll tell Zhao Mingcheng and let him dig it up!"
"What's the point of digging if we don't need to?"
Zhao Shen was really getting anxious about Zhao Chen's mind, but he still had to pretend to be patient and said, "His Majesty has already said that this mine is to be mined by the Ministry of Works, so let's not get involved. Right now, His Majesty's biggest headache is that the Ministry of Works hasn't found this mountain. All we need to do is find it!"
Lu Wanqing, standing to the side, thought to herself: This Duke Chong is indeed as Yelü Dashi said, a man of great ambition but little talent. If this man becomes the crown prince, he will surely be just like Emperor Taizong of Song, perhaps even worse than Zhao Guangyi!
Another New Year is approaching.
Looking at the snow scene outside the window, Zhao Huan suddenly had a feeling that it was not real.
He had been emperor for twelve years, but it felt like only yesterday that he had traveled through time.
He couldn't help but recall some things from his previous life.
That's right! I'm from another world. I almost forgot that I didn't originally belong to this world.
I don't know what happened to my parents after I died.
I used to always argue with my father and have disagreements with my mother.
Later, when I became a father myself, I understood how they felt.
Looking out the window, Zhao Huan saw that the Song Dynasty, which had been historically in decline and could only survive by migrating south of the Yangtze River, had become powerful under his rule.
To be honest, Zhao Huan himself did not expect today's situation.
Many things are beyond human prediction.
The Empress took the crown and placed it on Zhao Huan's head: "What were you thinking about just now, Your Majesty?"
"It brings back some memories."
"It's rare to see the Emperor sad."
Zhao Huan remained silent. Sadness was not something an emperor should feel, nor could an emperor be sad.
Originally, it was palace maids who changed the emperor's clothes, but today, during the grand court assembly, Zhu Lian personally came to change Zhao Huan's clothes.
"Your Majesty, it's time for the grand court assembly. Civil and military officials from all over the country are waiting for you."
Zhao Huan took Zhu Lian's hand and said, "Let's go."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
