Purple Palace.
Today's morning court session in the Purple Palace was different from previous ones. Besides the courtiers, there were actually more than a dozen guards standing on either side of the hall. The guards didn't hold swords, but wooden clubs.
The ministers were trembling with fear when they went to court. What was the emperor up to? He made the court look like a government office.
Zhao Huan sat on the dragon throne with a stern expression: "My dear ministers, the troops from all over the country have already advanced towards the capital. I will personally lead the army on a certain day to recapture the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun!"
The ministers murmured, and one of them stood up and said, "I am Zuo Heng, the Minister of Rites. I have an objection. Your Majesty..."
"Come here, drag him out. Twenty lashes of the cane!"
Two guards came out from the side, held up the left crossbar and walked out of the hall.
The ministers' faces paled. This tyrant emperor was acting arbitrarily again. There were always those who weren't afraid. If you have the guts, beat them. The historians will record it. If you're not afraid of being a dog emperor with a terrible reputation for eternity, then beat them.
"Your Majesty, Minister of the Left, Cai Mao, disagrees with the Emperor personally leading the army. Your Majesty..."
Zhao Huan interrupted him as usual: "Drag him out and give him thirty lashes with the cane!"
Another person stood up and said, "Northern Circuit Chief Zhao Ye objects."
"Drag him out and give him fifty strokes of the cane!" Zhao Huan stood up and said coldly, "Anyone who dares to continue to object will be beaten to death!"
Zhao Huan looked around with a stern gaze. The ministers below were silent, their heads bowed.
Zhao Huan waved his hand and all the guards retreated.
"Okay, no one objects. My dear ministers, let's discuss the issue of collecting gold. Meng Gurao!"
"I am here!"
"Before the troops move, the food and fodder must go first. Your Ministry of Revenue will be responsible for collecting the food and fodder."
"I obey the decree!"
"Ministry of Works, coordinate the equipment, horses, boats, carriages, and uniforms of each army. Ensure that all armies are supplied as quickly as possible."
A minister stood up and bowed, saying, "I obey your command."
"Privy Councillor Ma Deren, I demand your attention. You must enforce my orders immediately and convey every one of my military orders to all armies without error."
The newly appointed Privy Councilor Ma Deren was promoted by Zhao Huan himself, and Ma Deren worked diligently after taking office.
Ma Deren bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty is leading the army in person. I believe that for the sake of the nation and the people, a successor should be appointed as soon as possible."
This remark awakened the ministers from their dream, and the ministers below began to offer their suggestions.
The establishment of a crown prince was a matter of great importance to the state, the foundation of the country. Zhao Huan was in the prime of his youth, and with only one prince at the moment, the establishment of a crown prince was of little significance, and the ministers were not in a hurry.
But even with all the preparations, the emperor could not guarantee any eventuality. If Zhao Huan did not appoint a crown prince soon, there would be no one in the capital to oversee the country. This would inevitably endanger the country, and the ministers were no fools.
Zhao Huan and the Empress's child, Zhao Chen, was young. If he was not given the title of Crown Prince, Zhao Huan would have been courting death by personally leading the army. If he died, the princes would be eager to take the throne.
Both Zhao Gou, Prince of Kang, and Zhao Kai, Prince of Yun, were not easy to deal with. Especially Zhao Gou, who had many generals under his command and had to be guarded against.
Ministers petitioned Zhao Huan to appoint a crown prince as soon as possible. The Minister of Personnel, Wang Shiyong, was even more blunt: "Your Majesty, the Deputy Minister of Personnel, Mu Wengan, has a daughter who is only sixteen years old and is still unmarried. She is virtuous and beautiful. If Your Majesty were to lead the army in person, you should first find a concubine."
Zhao Huan, feeling a pang of regret, remained silent for a moment. The ministers below were quite agitated, offering their opinions one after another, and Zhao Huan pretended to agree, but remained undecided.
The matter of appointing a crown prince could not be delayed, as it was the foundation of the country. Zhao Huan immediately decided to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth and the ancestral temple three days later, appointing Zhao Chen as the crown prince.
Unexpectedly, when Zhao Huan returned to Funing Palace, there was a beautiful girl sitting inside.
The girl looked about sixteen or seventeen years old and seemed a little uneasy sitting there.
The girl has an oval face and fair skin, and she looks very charming sitting there.
"Who are you?" Zhao Huan asked, somewhat baffled. A beautiful young woman had actually arrived at Funing Palace. Who was so bold as to do that?
The girl was a little shy and stood up and saluted: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
"Concubine?" Zhao Huan was shocked. Whose concubine?
At this moment, a dress officer hurried in from outside. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this lady is the daughter of Mu Wengan, a deputy minister of the Ministry of Personnel. She was sent to the palace by the Empress Dowager."
Ten thousand alpaca horses galloped over Zhao Huan's head. Wang Shiyong had just finished speaking at the morning court when Queen Mother Zheng sent her into the palace. What the hell?
Zhao Huan pulled the official over and whispered, "Does the Queen know about this?"
The official in charge of clothing nodded in fear: "I know, I know."
"So what did she say?"
The clothing official stammered, "The Empress didn't say anything."
Zhao Huan was puzzled. She didn't say anything. This was unlike her.
In fact, Zhao Huan had no idea that in this era when women had a low social status, what else could Zhu Lian do but shed tears in the deserted harem.
"The Queen Mother has arrived!"
The eunuch's voice was heard outside the door, and the door opened with a creak. It was Queen Mother Zheng.
So everyone hurriedly paid their respects.
"Your servant greets the Queen Mother!"
Empress Dowager Zheng walked to the front of the hall with her head held high and turned to sit down. The various hairpins and hairpins on the phoenix crown, who knows what they were used for, jingled crisply. Well, that was more symbolic, symbolizing the supremacy of imperial power.
"Huan'er, I heard that you are going to lead the army in person?"
Zhao Huan did not dare to hide it: "That's right."
"Well, the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. I can't say much about what you want to do. But you are about to lead the army, and the matter of taking a concubine cannot be delayed any longer. I also know that I don't like complicated etiquette."
Empress Dowager Zheng paused, a look of annoyance on her face. "Actually, I don't like it either. The Emperor is eager to fight a war, but the harem is equally important to the fate of the nation. So I sent Mu Xin, the youngest daughter of Mu Wengan, a member of the Imperial Court, to the palace."
It turned out that the girl's name was Mu Xin. Mu Xin raised her head and found Zhao Huan looking at her, and her face turned red.
Empress Dowager Zheng finally revealed a hint of a smile. "Xin'er, I held you in my arms when you were little, and now you've grown up so quickly. You must serve the Emperor well. I'll be leaving now."
Mu Xin stood up and respectfully saw Queen Mother Zheng off, and the two said goodbye.
Taking a concubine had always been Zhao Huan's dream. But his romantic luck came so suddenly that Zhao Huan lost all desire.
After Empress Dowager Zheng left Funing Palace, Zhao Huan looked at the young woman in front of him, Mu Xin. Just as he was about to say a few words to her to cultivate some feelings, the imperial robes officer shouted out inopportunely, "Your Majesty, please bathe and change your clothes!"
Damn, this was too fast. He hadn't even exchanged a few words with this girl, and she was already bathing, changing clothes, and sleeping with him? Zhao Huan felt like a stud.
…
The Jin Kingdom went to the capital Huining Prefecture.
After more than three months of preparation, Wanyan Sheng once again sent out two armies, east and west, to march south in two directions.
The so-called Huining Alliance was just an agreement between the two countries to delay time in preparation for war, and it had little practical significance.
After Zhao Huan ascended the throne, both Song and Jin were like fighting roosters, ready to go to war at any time.
The difference is that the Song Dynasty was afraid of the Jin army and only knew how to defend, not attack. After Zhao Huan came to power, he was eager to fight and always wanted to fight a big battle with the Jin army.
PS: The update is a little late, sorry. There will be another update in the evening, and the first two updates are still stable.
As a failed writer, I get too few recommendation votes every week, so I would like to ask for your recommendation votes, big guys.
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