Chapter 80: Civil and Military Abilities, Sword in Hand It was not yet light in the morning. Zhou Zhen woke up early, an hour earlier than usual. Maybe it was because he had trouble sleeping all night. Until there was some daylight outside the window of the south study. He forced himself to sleep for a while. Otherwise, we won’t be able to finish tomorrow’s tasks. I managed to catch up on an hour's sleep and finally regained some energy. He rubbed his sleepy eyes, checked the memorials, and then stacked them neatly aside. Zhou Zhen stretched, yawned, and walked out of the South Study.

open the door. The eunuch who was changing shifts bowed quickly, and several personal eunuchs followed behind him. Zhou Zhen waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to be so formal. The rules of the palace were hard to break, and more than a dozen palace maids and eunuchs knelt at his feet. along with! When Zhou Zhen got up, this magnificent imperial palace began to become busy. Palace servants shuttled between the corridors, delivering various messages and orders. There is no other reason! This Zhou Zhen is the current emperor, his reign title is Zhenghe, and he was the second prince back then. Zhou Zhen rubbed his face and sighed. "Being an emperor is not as comfortable as being a rich man." But the steps did not stop! After the Yangxin Palace is the Fengxian Palace. Zhou Zhen glanced at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, which was originally the place where the emperor reviewed documents and met with ministers. The West Room was where the emperor reviewed memorials and had discussions with the military ministers. Zhou Zhen thought that he needed two rooms to meet ministers and review memorials. , it’s really troublesome! then! He ordered that all documents be moved to the Southern Study so that he could handle government affairs more conveniently. The ministers in the court complained about this, believing that it was not in accordance with etiquette, but Zhou Zhen responded with a smile: "I've bowed to everyone, so please give me some courtesy." Naturally, the ministers did not dare to do so, as it was impossible for an emperor to salute his subjects. No one tried to persuade the emperor anymore and just let him do what he wanted.

It's strange! In his early years, the second prince Zhou Zhen committed many "chicken-stealing and dog-stealing" crimes. The most famous incident happened once when he disguised himself as a commoner to rob someone else's bride, but was eventually chased and beaten by the common people. He fled in a panic and returned with a bruised face. The queen at that time was heartbroken and demanded that these people be severely punished, but Zhou Zhen pleaded for mercy and no one was held accountable. I originally thought that after Zhou Zhen inherited the throne, he would need more encouragement to be diligent. However, what is unexpected is! Zhou Zhen's diligence far exceeded that of the previous emperor. He often reviewed memorials in the Southern Study until dawn, neglecting both sleep and food. Quite true! As a result, the Hall of Mental Cultivation gradually fell into disrepair and became a place for some young eunuchs and palace maids in the palace to have secret meetings. Zhou Zhen was quite interested in this and often brought his personal eunuchs to "investigate". Seen a lot! He even became familiar with several of the young eunuchs and palace maids and knew them like the back of his hand. In particular, one of the young eunuchs took advantage of his position in the East Factory to have affairs with several palace maids and eunuchs. Zhou Zhen felt very sorry when he saw this! He originally supported the couple, a young eunuch from the East Factory and another palace maid. Alas, what a wrong payment! Arrived at Fengtian Temple Located on the east side of the inner court of the imperial city, it is the ancestral temple where the royal family worships their ancestors. Fengxian Hall was first built in the early years of Yongxiang, that is, after Huizong was hunted by the north wind, it was quickly rebuilt in the south. It later underwent several renovations and became an important place for the royal family to worship their ancestors. However, today is not a day for sacrifice. However, Zhou Zhen was upset and decided to come to Fengxian Hall to seek some peace and quiet. When he walked outside the Fengxian Hall. Quite unexpected. Someone is waiting here. He was also an acquaintance - Xie Chun'an, the Minister of Rites. He was in charge of the Ministry of Rites, one of the six ministries in the court, and had a prominent position, which could be called a heavenly official. He looked to be in his fifties, with a little beard on his chin and not much gray hair. His hair was meticulously groomed and his face was solemn, looking quite energetic. When Zhou Zhen saw Xie Chunan, his face lit up with joy. I'm not the only one who can't sleep! "Xie Shangshu, why are you so early today?"

Xie Chunan was an important official in two dynasties and had the merit of following the emperor. Now he is the prince's tutor and can enter the palace without any worries. A personal eunuch has already whispered a reminder: "Master, thank you, sir, for getting here in just one hour." Xie Chunan met Zhou Zhen respectfully. He looked at Zhou Zhen who looked like he hadn't slept well, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, did you not sleep well last night?" Zhou Zhen was very surprised! Minister Xie rarely smiles, and he rarely smiles throughout the year. His colleagues in the court even jokingly called him "coffin face" and teased him that the Ministry of Rites was not suitable for him and he should go to the Ministry of Justice. Zhou Zhen and Xie Chunan walked into the hall. Over the years, the incense has continued to burn. The sandalwood is strong! Zhou Zhen took the burned incense handed to him by the eunuch and gently inserted it into the incense burner on the incense table. Bow three times! As the smoke rises. The entire hall was shrouded in a solemn and dignified atmosphere. After doing all this. Zhou Zhen said somewhat complacently: "When the Shaobao family and his son came to the capital, my father did not sleep all night." "Lu Shaobao is coming to Beijing again today!" "I slept for an hour. Do you think I slept well?" Xie Chunan said calmly: "The older you get, the harder it is to fall asleep. If Your Majesty were as old as the late emperor, you would also not be able to fall asleep." Zhou Zhen smiled helplessly and said, "Thank you, sir, you want to ruin my show again, right?" Xie Chunan stood aside, not saying anything. Zhou Zhen's eyes wandered around the hall. Gazing at the portraits of the previous emperors of Daqing, including the hunted Huizong, although he was ranked last. The first one in the center is! The founding father of Daqing, the legendary great ancestor who "beheaded the three-headed snake to establish the world". Daqing was founded more than 450 years ago and has gone through more than a dozen emperors, but only two of them have their portraits left next to the founding ancestors. One is Emperor Jing, who is known as the founder of the revival of the dynasty. He established the national policy of having scholars and officials govern the country, ruled the country with culture, promoted Confucianism, and made the national culture prosperous. The other was Taizong, who went south to annihilate the Rong Qiang and east to conquer the Gao Li. He used military prowess to expand the territory and brought the country to its peak. These two emperors were father and son, one civil and one military, and together they laid the foundation for Daqing. Although the later emperors of Daqing also made some achievements, they were ultimately unable to surpass the achievements of these two emperors. Zhou Zhen retracted his gaze, turned to Xie Chunan, and asked: "Thank you, sir. How did you know I would come here?"

Xie Chunan replied calmly: "Your Majesty, whenever there is an important event, you will come to Fengtian Hall." Zhou Zhen nodded and said with a smile: "Thank you, sir, you are very good at judging people..." “So accurate!” Xie Chunan quickly bowed and said, "I dare not." Zhou Zhen waved his hand and said, "Master Xie and I are in the same boat. We don't need to pay attention to these empty formalities." This time! A eunuch walked in and respectfully reported: "Master, Lu Shaobao has gone to the West Factory now." Zhou Zhen nodded and said, "Got it!" After saying this, he fell into deep thought again. Xie Chunan stood quietly by the side without saying a word. There was only one eunuch left in the hall, bending over to serve, and the entire hall fell silent again. Zhou Zhen said seriously: "What do you think will happen to the Empress Dowager?" Xie Chunan said: "Kill Lu Shaobao to bring peace to the world." Zhou Zhen sneered: "What she calls bringing peace to the world is nothing more than borrowing someone else's sword. She doesn't know that she will destroy the sword in her own hand!" "Having no sword in hand and having a sword in hand but not using it are not the same thing." This is no longer a respectful term. Zhou Zhen continued to ask: "What's the news about Bei Feng?" (End of this chapter)