Thunderous applause resounded throughout the entire Eastern Chu court.
Although the lower-ranking officials could not see Xuan Yuanzhan's map display, they understood what was going on simply by listening to Xuan Yuanzhan's explanation.
When the Holy King was seven years old, he entered the fiefdom of Xiangnan. Within five years, he had managed to control the floods in Xiangnan, freeing the people of the south from disaster and providing them with surplus grain to pay taxes. At the age of twelve or thirteen, he had already foreseen this hidden calamity and devised a countermeasure in advance. Moreover, he began to plan and implement the brilliant plan of diverting water from the south to the north, which would benefit both the people of the north and the south.
It must be said that this Holy King is absolutely a man of extraordinary talent! No wonder the Emperor likes the Holy King so much. Even if the Holy King were just an ordinary minister, let alone his illegitimate son, the Emperor would still like such a talented minister!
Xuanyuan Peng looked at Xuanyuan Zhan with admiration and couldn't help but applaud along with the other officials: "Diverting water from the south to the north, what a brilliant idea! Zhan'er, I was right about you; you have the talent to govern a country!"
Xuanyuan Zhan bowed humbly to Xuanyuan Peng: "Your Majesty flatters me; I am unworthy of such praise!"
Xuanyuan Peng smiled and gave him a reproachful look: "Hey, I discovered long ago that you have great talent for governing the country. The entire Eastern Chu court is no match for you. If you are not worthy of the title, who is?"
Xuanyuan Zhan: "..."
Xuanyuan Zhan didn't say anything modest.
The courtiers: "..."
The ministers all lowered their heads in shame.
The Emperor had said this more than once before. They used to think that the Emperor was favoring the Holy King, but now it seems that they are indeed inferior to the Holy King, and are far behind him!
When Xuan Yuan Yu and Xuan Yuan Zhi heard Xuan Yuan Peng's high praise for Xuan Yuan Zhan, their faces turned green.
Father Emperor is determined to pass the throne to Xuanyuan Zhan, paving the way for him like this!
The two were right. Xuanyuan Peng had indeed been paving the way for Xuanyuan Zhan all this time. Seeing more and more officials in the court trusting Xuanyuan Zhan, he felt very gratified, which meant that his paving was quite successful.
He had actually anticipated this outcome. Even in a place like the imperial court where factions are clearly divided, the strong can still attract many followers.
Undoubtedly, Zhan'er is a strong person. As long as he spends more time in the Eastern Chu court, he will eventually attract many officials to follow him.
Although as an emperor he did not like his sons forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices, Zhan'er was an exception. He hoped that Zhan'er could have his own faction instead of being isolated and helpless in the court.
"Now that the Holy King's plan to divert water from the south to the north is underway, the drought and famine in the north can be considered to have a fundamental solution. As for whether or not to distribute grain to suppress bandits, it's getting late today, let's discuss it again tomorrow morning. Court adjourned!"
"Your Majesty, we respectfully see you off!"
After the court session, Xuan Yuanzhan still followed Xuan Yuanpeng to the Imperial Study.
Upon entering the imperial study, Xuanyuan Peng couldn't help but praise Xuanyuan Zhan: "Zhan'er, you are so clever. At only eleven or twelve years old, you've already thought of such far-reaching matters and come up with such a brilliant method as diverting water from the south to the north. How did your brain develop to be so intelligent!"
Xuanyuan Peng praised Xuanyuan Zhan excitedly, with the kind of doting and pride that still treated him like a child.
Looking at the excited and proud expression on Xuanyuan Peng's face, Xuanyuan Zhan thought of the pill again and said bitterly, "You favor me so much because I'm your son?"
Xuanyuan Zhan's words amused Xuanyuan Peng, especially his phrase "your son," which pleased Xuanyuan Peng even more: "Of course, so you finally admit that you are my son?"
Seeing Xuan Yuanpeng's excited expression, Xuan Yuanzhan curled his lips in disgust and deliberately said, "How can you be so sure that I am your son?"
Without a second thought, Xuanyuan Peng proudly declared, "I am a man. Do you think I don't know whether you are my son or not? Look at your eyes, aren't they exactly the same as mine? Xuanyuan Kun doesn't have eyes like those!"
These words made Xuanyuan Peng feel smug again.
Ya'er probably likes his eyes too, because she often stares into them in a daze, especially when they are close.
Looking into Xuan Yuanpeng's gray eyes, which were just like his own, Xuan Yuanzhan felt a complex mix of emotions once again.
If those eyes of his are real, then there is no doubt that he is his son.
But if his eyes are fake, then...
Xuan Yuanzhan suddenly looked away, somewhat unable to meet Xuan Yuanpeng's eyes.
Xuanyuan Peng, unaware of Xuanyuan Zhan's unusual behavior, sighed softly, "Although your plan should be able to eradicate the famine in the North, the famine is severe now, and we can't just ignore it!"
Xuanyuan Zhan nodded: "Indeed, we cannot ignore this, especially since in addition to the famine, there are also bandits running rampant in the north. The people of the north are currently suffering terribly and living in misery. If the court does not intervene, there is a risk of other disasters."
Xuanyuan Peng shared the same thought: "What do you think if I send you to the north to suppress bandits?"
Going to the north to suppress bandits is definitely a good opportunity for Xuan Yuanzhan to win over the hearts of the people. Moreover, with Zhan'er's strength, he believes he can definitely quell the bandit problem in the north.
However, the situation is special now. His wife is pregnant and will give birth in a few months. He is really worried that he is unwilling to go.
After a long silence, Xuanyuan Zhan finally spoke: "If Eastern Chu truly needs me, I will not hesitate to do so!"
Ning'er was pregnant, so he couldn't leave, but the banditry in the north couldn't wait any longer.
If Xuanyuan Peng insists that he go, he can go to the North, and he will finish suppressing the bandits as soon as possible and return as soon as possible.
If the bandit suppression operation drags on for a long time, he will definitely rush back when Ning'er gives birth.
In short, he wouldn't miss Ning'er's delivery.
"Well done!" Xuan Yuanpeng patted Xuan Yuanzhan on the shoulder with satisfaction.
He was really afraid that the man wouldn't agree, but fortunately, he wasn't blinded by his children's affairs.
Xuanyuan Peng thought of another difficult matter and frowned, saying, "There is one more thing I hope you can give me some advice on."
Xuanyuan Zhan raised his eyes and looked at Xuanyuan Peng: "What is it?"
Thinking of this, Xuanyuan Peng's face fell. "It's about the Su family army. Previously, Consort Su handed the military tally of the Su family army to me, and I gave it to General Cao to take command. I thought that with Su Renzhong's tally, the Su family army would submit to me, but they completely disregarded General Cao and still refused to submit. I'm extremely troubled by this. Tell me, what should I do to completely subdue the Su family army, or should I just take them all away..."
Xuanyuan Peng made a throat-slitting gesture, his eyes filled with malice.
Whether or not to keep the Su family army was a real headache for him!
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