After some personnel changes, several people were able to find their place and created a lot of value for Nanliang.
Feng Ke devoted himself to agriculture and cultivated many new varieties. The sweet potato has been upgraded from 1.0 to 3.0, solving the problem of famine for farmers.
In an era when food was the most important thing for people, Feng Ke was a god in the eyes of the people because he helped starving farmers fill their stomachs.
He also left a brilliant mark in history books and became a minister worshipped in the Taimiao.
After Yan Xing joined the Ministry of War, he was appreciated by his superiors for his flexible mind.
After his boss married his daughter to Yan Xing, Yan Xing rose to prominence by relying on Mount Tai, and finally became the Minister of War in middle age. He controlled the logistics of the entire army and provided escort for the soldiers on the front line.
During Xu Jing's reign, he fought wars against the Later Zhao and Tubo, and annexed the two countries in one fell swoop, achieving national integration and unification.
Jin Zihan and others also joined the army to fight, made great military achievements, and were granted the title of marquis based on their own strength.
Going to war inevitably requires a large amount of silver, money, and food supplies.
Regarding the issue of money, Song Yongzhen, the Minister of Revenue, had something to say. The imperial court had established many schools over the years, and the other five ministries were no pushovers, demanding money without batting an eyelid.
If it weren't for his and Lin Jiahe's hard work, the national treasury would have been empty long ago.
Fortunately, Enke provided him with several professional talents. Song Yongzhen led his students to make money every day, and finally filled the huge hole in the country.
Lin Jiahe is indeed a master at making money. The two of them worked together to not only solve the treasury problem, but also provided a lot of help for the subsequent war.
During Xu Jing's reign as emperor, the country was truly peaceful and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment.
The status of merchants also improved, and the economy reached the top level at that time.
In addition, the status of women was also improved. After Bai Lu and others became female officials, women were no longer satisfied with studying in private schools and began to yearn for the outside world.
Xu Jing issued a decree allowing women to open female households and allowing capable people to serve as officials in the court.
Colleges were no longer privately owned by men; women also had independent colleges to attend.
Although this policy was opposed by court officials, some even banged their heads against the pillars to implore His Majesty to change his mind.
But Xu Jing still did it despite the great condemnation of the world, and not only did he do it, but the effect was also quite good.
Although men and women were not equal in all aspects in the feudal era, women did move from behind the scenes to the court, and could be seen in both the court and the market.
Reform doesn't happen overnight; it subtly changes people's attitudes. He used his own way to advance the course of history. Fortunately, he shouldered all kinds of pressure and brought Southern Liang to a glorious moment in history.
Compared with the intensity of the reform, his marriage to Zhou Siheng seemed insignificant.
Xu Jing knew that the old stubborn Lan Xiang would not agree to him marrying a man as his queen, so he bribed several masters to give Zhou Siheng the fate of a phoenix.
In short, as long as Xu Jing married Zhou Siheng, Southern Liang would continue to prosper.
How could an old stubborn man who had been in the officialdom for many years easily believe the words of a charlatan? Prime Minister Lan strongly opposed it and even threatened Xu Jing by banging his head against a pillar to make him think twice.
How could Xu Jing compromise so easily? He asked Ling Xiao to find a meteorite, engrave the master's fortune-telling words on it, and bury it in Nanshan.
When they went to Nanshan to offer sacrifices to the heavens, a strange phenomenon occurred in the sky, revealing a stone that had been buried long ago.
It happened to be a bumper harvest that year, and as the folk rumors became more and more popular, the people believed that only if the emperor married the son of the Zhou family would the country prosper and the harvest be plentiful.
With the support of the people, Prime Minister Lan had to compromise and only asked Xu Jing to take a concubine for the sake of the country, but his request was rejected.
The hostage left behind when Xu Jing became emperor solved the problem of offspring very well.
As long as the three children were carefully nurtured, one would surely become a successful person. One would be his successor, and the other two would become the crown prince's right-hand men. It was a profitable deal no matter how you looked at it.
In this way, Xu Jing got his wish and married Zhou Siheng as his queen, and he was by her side for the next few decades.
Xu Jing also managed to stay with Zhou Siheng for his entire life, never leaving him.
In that era when aristocrats practiced monogamy and had multiple concubines, the emperor and empress loved each other and stayed together for the rest of their lives, setting a good example for the world.
This time, Zhou Siheng left earlier after all.
He was already exhausted before he was forty.
This was a common occurrence in ancient times when the average life expectancy was less than 50 years old, but for a modern man like Xu Jing, it was still too early.
Even though Zhou Siheng is middle-aged, he is still handsome and elegant, and his charm is as good as before.
He tried hard to open his eyes and saw the person he had been with for many years through his blurred vision.
His Majesty is still so handsome and beautiful.
He did what he promised, and although there were occasional bumps and quarrels, it did not affect his deep love for him.
Zhou Siheng was glad that he had a confidant who could go through thick and thin with him and spend the rest of his life with him.
"Your Majesty." Zhou Siheng took great pains to hold his hand and said, "Promise me that you will not marry."
"Don't worry. I don't want anyone else except you."
"That's good." He knew that he was selfish. He had always loved him and occupied all of him.
Even if he died, he wanted to try his best to keep a place in his heart.
If possible, he would like to be with him in the next life and be the only one in his mind.
Unfortunately, it is not possible.
He is content to have a close friend to accompany him through his short life.
Seeing him close his eyes with a smile, Xu Jing knew that his life's purpose had been achieved.
No one can escape birth, aging, sickness and death. Death is not necessarily the end but may be the beginning of reunion.
He hoped that one day in the future, even if Zhou Siheng lost his memory, he would still fall in love with him without hesitation and spend the rest of his life with him. Then everything he did would be worth it.
After taking care of the funeral, Xu Jing focused on training a successor.
He devoted all his efforts to cultivating his three children, and he believed that one of them would eventually inherit his throne.
Now all three children were adopted under his name. The eldest, Huaiying, was a kindhearted man, but cowardly and easily gossiped about. The second, Huai'an, had an unpredictable personality and was a bomb ready to explode at any moment. Only the third, Huaishen, possessed both civil and military talents, and was barely passable.
After four or five years of nurturing, the children gradually grew up, and more people began to gather around them.
Forming cliques for personal gain was very common in all dynasties. Xu Jing watched coldly as the forces around him moved closer to the three children and each chose their side.
Choosing a prince is like buying stocks. If you choose the right one, you can lead your family to prosperity. If you choose the wrong one, you will be ruined and your family will die.
Xu Jing watched coldly, ignoring the little movements below. He only taught what he was supposed to teach, and since the three brothers could at least coexist peacefully on the surface, he turned a blind eye and pretended nothing had happened.
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