Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 94: Shengwu’s rule finally ushered in its heyday!

[In February of the 21st year of Shengwu, the Xiongnu learned of Chang'an's intentions and attitudes and expressed extreme surprise and confusion.]

[They sent envoys to the capital again, and after receiving Chu Shizhao's imperial edict again, they realized that Chu Shizhao's attitude was firm.]

[As the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Chu Shizhao insisted that he had no daughters, only five sons. If the Xiongnu wanted to marry, they could only marry their daughters to the Great Zhou Dynasty. Otherwise, no discussion was allowed.]

Chu Shizhao has spent more than 20 years governing the empire, and the Great Zhou Dynasty has been stable and improving. You, a Hun, have just finished a civil war and you want to come to our Great Zhou Dynasty to take advantage of you.

Not only did it want to marry a woman from the Zhou Dynasty, it even wanted to steal Chu Shizhao's daughter.

is it possible? !

Chu Shizhao has not yet given birth to a daughter. If he really has one, he will treasure her very much.

Furthermore, Chu Shizhao didn't even have the desire to find a palace maid to pretend to be a princess and marry her off.

The truth exists only on the blade of one's own sword.

I, Chu Shizhao, might as well take the initiative. As long as you, the Huns, show your attitude, if you are truly willing to marry your daughter to us, then you can marry your daughter to us. If you are not willing, then it only shows that you are not sincere.

Moreover, Chu Shizhao only accepted this kind of marriage.

There is no need to discuss other methods.

[In March of the 21st year of Shengwu, the Eastern Zhou Dynasty established by Chu Shizhao ushered in its first heyday.]

[This new dynasty experienced all kinds of chaos in the early years of Shengwu. Among them, Emperor Shengwu Chu Shizhao gradually unified the situation of division between the north and the south and revived the almost completely destroyed Former Zhou Dynasty. He fought in the south and the north, conquered the uprising army in the south, and defeated the warlords in the north who had their own troops. With his outstanding military exploits, Chu Shizhao completely disintegrated the Jiedushi system. ]

[In selecting officials, Chu Shizhao established a subject-based examination system for selecting officials. In the bureaucratic system, he adopted the Cabinet System and the Examination System.]

【Chu Shizhao successfully established a large-scale and well-organized bureaucracy on his own. He also worked hard to govern the country, advocated frugality, developed production, and carried out a series of reforms in various fields of society, playing a positive role in weakening the power of local tyrants and strengthening central power.】

[He vigorously promoted papermaking and navigation, which improved the skills of the craftsmen of the Great Zhou Dynasty, dug the Grand Canal, and compiled the "Shi Zhao Xin Shu" to be passed down to future generations. ]

【Therefore, within more than 20 years of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the country entered a peaceful state. The registered population increased greatly, warehouses were well stocked, and households were well-fed. People in the north and south were able to rest, and society was unprecedentedly prosperous. Historians called it "the rule of Shengwu."】

【You have ushered in a new golden age. 】

【Your civilization has reached a new level. 】

[In May of the 21st year of Shengwu, the grassland had experienced a long period of chaos and strife. The Xiongnu royal court was now more of an ethnic group than a single ethnic group. Among them, there were not only Xiongnu people, but also Xianbei people and Rouran people. The Xianbei Khan who unified the grassland decided to submit to the emperor and gave the new title of "Saint Khan" to Emperor Shengwu Chu Shizhao.]

[And this Khan also gave him a name from the Central Plains, calling himself "Yuwen Gongde".]

[“From the sky below, to the earth above, wherever the sun and moon shine, there is only the Holy Khan. Today is a great day, may the Holy Khan live a thousand years, just like today.”]

[Soon after, Yuwen Gongde married his wife's youngest sister, Ashina, into the Zhou Dynasty and promoted her to be Chu Shizhao's concubine. Rangan Khan also gave her a Central Plains surname, Yuwen Zhaoyue.]

[The title "Sheng Khan" given to Yuwen Gongde by Chu Shizhao means a saintly, virtuous and wise monarch.]

[From this moment on, Emperor Shengwu Chu Shizhao was not only the founding emperor of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, but also the nominal monarch of the Xiongnu royal court. This was the first case of a Chinese emperor being the monarch of a foreign nation.]

[“Everywhere the sun and moon shine, wherever the rivers flow, wherever the subjects go, all are the territory of our Great Zhou.”]

[Congratulations on unlocking a new skin - Shengwuzhizhi·Chu Shizhao. ]

The screen showed a panoramic bird's-eye view, from the narrow corridor of the palace to Chu Shizhao's throne. On both sides of the palace stood civil and military officials with different expressions.

There is the great general, Duke of Jin Li Jin, who is stroking his beard as if in thought and looks calm; there is the General Zhenxi Lan Shu, who folds his arms and looks towards other people from time to time with a fierce look in his eyes; there is the General Dingbei Han Gu, who is unusually calm, handsome but silent; there is the General Fuguo Yang Fang, who has a sad face, is ashamed and secretly lowers his head; and walking slowly with a rebellious look is Huan Jie, the Governor of Liangzhou and Protector General of the Western Regions.

Wen Yu and Huan Sheng stood on the left and right of Chu Shizhao. They were originally Chu Shizhao's left and right pushe, equivalent to the left and right prime minister. Later, Chu Shizhao abolished the positions of left and right pushe and the prime minister system, and implemented the "cabinet system", which has now evolved into a cabinet led by Wen Yu.

Chu Shizhao's eldest son, Chu Jibang, smiled as if bathed in spring breeze and talked with the ministers.

But the final scene was frozen on the emperor Chu Shizhao, who was standing with his back to the world, wearing a crown and a gilded black dragon robe. After taking a last short breath, he turned around and sat on the dragon throne in a majestic and domineering manner.

That once young and heroic face has now become more and more weathered, but the only thing that has not changed is the indomitable sharpness.

The moment Chu Shizhao sat down, all the ministers immediately sat up straight.

[“Long live the emperor——”]

[In June of the 21st year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao sent envoys to Zhou to establish "diplomatic relations" with various neighboring countries.]

[“Zhou’s troops are approaching, do not dare to move. If you move, your country will be destroyed!!!”]

[The Zhou envoys were arrogant and acted arrogantly when they were sent to various places. They regarded themselves as the masters of the great states and exercised the power of the masters of small states as envoys of great states.]

[The thirty-six countries in the Western Regions did not dare to be enemies and submitted to the mighty imperial power of Chu Shizhao. For a time, after the Zhou envoys set out, the countries they visited were willing to pay tribute to the Zhou Dynasty in the name of vassalage.]

[In August of the 21st year of Shengwu, the culture of the Great Zhou Dynasty reached a new height.]

[Congratulations on triggering a new golden opportunity event - "Dragon and Tiger List"]

【As culture became more popular and literacy rates improved, after Chu Shizhao wrote the book "Shizhao's New Book", the Great Zhou Dynasty ushered in a period of contention among hundreds of schools of thought, and families from all over the country exchanged their family knowledge to jointly promote education, culture, and learning. 】

[In the imperial examination of the 21st year of Shengwu, Wen Yu, who was good at literature and took the principle of governing the country with a broad mind, was temporarily appointed as the chief examiner of the Ministry of Rites.]

[In this imperial examination, a total of more than 388 scholars participated, and a total of 24 Jinshi were admitted. The "Book of the Later Zhou" has biographies of 9 officials, 4 officials served in the six ministries and entered the cabinet, and were listed as the Seven Elegant Scholars of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.]

[The Seven Elegant Scholars of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, also known as the "Seven Great Men of Literature of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty", were passed down to later generations due to their outstanding character and literary talent.]

Chu Shizhao took a look and found that most of these Jinshi had talents and knowledge that exceeded their internal affairs capabilities.

Most of them have an intelligence of over 70 years old, and their domestic affairs ability is mediocre, only around 40, and some even have an ability of only over 30 years old.

However, this is not always the case. There is a man named Lu Ji, whose talent and knowledge are 91 points and his initial internal affairs ability is 82 points.

This type is easy to use right away, but it has a bad temper.

Chu Shizhao is not afraid of your bad temper, but he is afraid that you are troublesome and unskillful.

Just keep the rest.

It’s not like we can’t afford to support these people.

Poor abilities can be trained.

Perhaps by the time Chu Shizhao's son reaches his generation, these people's ability to handle domestic affairs will gradually improve. Now Chu Shizhao is mainly focusing on morality.

Officials with higher moral standards are less likely to create false cases and wrongful convictions. They are also more responsible and less likely to engage in corruption.

What Chu Shizhao least expected now was that the surrounding countries would fall so fast.

It may be the war in South Vietnam, where Lan Shu, a general who dared to do big things, had a deterrent effect by suppressing the rebellion with force.

Since he didn't come here to cause trouble, and instead came to acknowledge Chu Shizhao as his son and become his son, then Chu Shizhao had no reason to send troops.

Attacking these extremely poor brothers may mobilize the consumption economy, which is more cost-effective than defeating them.

[In the 22nd year of Shengwu, ordinary people in the Great Zhou Dynasty began to try to sail abroad. Not long after, a place called "Yi Island" was discovered, and you named it "Taiwan". ] [Although this behavior further accelerated the civilian shipbuilding industry and expanded the navigation skills, it also caused many adventurous people to die at sea. ]

[In the 23rd year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao established a tribute system. This tribute system was a political order system with a strict hierarchy, with the Central Plains Empire where Chu Shizhao was located as the main core. The Central Plains Dynasty regarded itself as the Celestial Empire, and through enthronement, combined with Chu Shizhao's ideological system, it was expanded layer by layer.]

【Since the porcelain, silk, and tea produced by the Great Zhou Dynasty were all products unique to the Central Plains Dynasty, they were in great demand in surrounding countries.】

[So during the tribute process, these tribute-paying countries exchanged their own specialties for the "luxury goods" of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.]

[“The barbarians serve China according to the common etiquette, and use small things to serve big things. This is the same principle from ancient times to the present.”]

[Chu Shizhao established the Central Plains Dynasty where the Eastern Zhou Dynasty was located as the political center, and he ordered officials to secretly use the defective porcelain, silk, and tea in the Great Zhou Dynasty for tribute transactions.]

[After accepting the submission or recognition of these countries or regions, Chu Shizhao strictly controlled the outflow of goods from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. ]

[The Xiongnu royal court was in great need of commodities such as tea to maintain the health of the tribe, and according to Chu Shizhao's request, they had to provide extremely high-quality war horses in exchange for tea.]

[After Goguryeo conquered Silla and Baekje, it gradually expanded its power in the Liaodong direction. They yearned for the Eastern Zhou Dynasty under Chu Shizhao and learned their clothing, food and travel, so they had a high demand for silk. ]

[After Chu Shizhao opened up the tribute system, these countries were willing to present their specialties to Chu Shizhao as "subjects", exchanging silver and gold for porcelain, silk and tea from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.]

[For a while, the desire for these deals was so great that the foreign states, which had only nominally expressed their submission, all sent their important officials to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty to visit Chu Shizhao.]

[Under Chu Shizhao's rule, the Eastern Zhou Dynasty finally reached its heyday! ! ! ]

【All nations come to pay tribute!!!】

Four golden words are shaking on the screen!!!

[In the 24th year of Shengwu, Li Jin died of illness in Chang'an. Upon hearing the news, Chu Shizhao personally carried the coffin for the great general who was in charge of the court. Chu Shizhao personally selected Li Jin's posthumous title - Zhongwu, and enshrined him in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.]

[At the end of the same year, Wen Yu also developed a hidden illness during the long years of digging the Grand Canal. Soon, he resigned from Chu Shizhao and proposed that Lu Ji, a newcomer who had just emerged in the court, take over such a project.]

[After Wen Yu requested to retire and return home three times, Chu Shizhao had no choice but to agree with his tearful request. ]

[When leaving the capital, Wen Yu's hair was all white. He was also crying. He held Chu Shizhao's hand and said, "I am lucky to be your envoy. I have no regrets in this life."]

[“If there is an afterlife, we will be king and subject again.”]

【“I will take my leave.”】

[Seven days after Wen Yu left the capital, he died on the way back to his hometown. Later, Chu Shizhao learned that Wen Yu had been seriously ill. He had wasted too much energy on the construction of the Grand Canal. He had been sleepless day and night, eating little and working too hard. How could he last long like this?]

【However, Wen Yu did not want Chu Shizhao, who was already full of ambition and had achieved his goal, to feel sad for him, so he bowed and left first.】

[“If I lose Guo You, no one will share my worries anymore. If I lose Wen Yu, no one will help me plan for the country anymore.”]

[“The flowers in the palace are blooming in my hometown, but they are not as good as Wen Yu’s to accompany my feelings.”]

[Looking at the peach tree that Wen Yu personally planted in Chu Shizhao's palace when they returned to Chang'an together, the peach tree is now growing more and more lush, and it happened to be planted on the road that must be passed. The palace servants should have moved it away, but Chu Shizhao sighed softly - "This was given to me by Wen Gong, don't move it."]

【So, this peach tree remained in the palace. 】

[In the 25th year of Shengwu, Yang Fang proposed that he wanted to return to Qinzhou to stand guard for the innocent people who were massacred.]

[After weighing the pros and cons, Chu Shizhao finally rejected Yang Fang's request, which made Yang Fang cry bitterly in the palace. He knelt at the Dongzhou Gate outside the imperial city until Chu Shizhao agreed to let him go to Qinzhou.]

[“Your Majesty, this is my last wish. If I cannot fulfill it, I would rather die.”]

[After Li Jin and Wen Yu passed away, Chu Shizhao wanted Yang Fang to stay in the capital to assist his crown prince Chu Jibang.]

[However, under Yang Fang's tearful plea, Chu Shizhao had no choice but to send Yang Fang to Qinzhou.]

[In the 26th year of Shengwu, the construction of the Grand Canal was finally completed, which made the communication between the north and the south more smooth. Chu Shizhao felt that his health was getting worse day by day, so he began to focus on training his offspring. ]

[In order to prevent his sons from fighting each other, Chu Shizhao sent his sons to remote places one by one.]

Chu Shizhao ordered Li Fengning's eldest son Chu Jimin to be enfeoffed in Lu County, Huan Yi's eldest son Chu Jiyue to be enfeoffed in Jinyang, and Huan Yi's second son Chu Jibing to be enfeoffed in Chengdu, leaving only the youngest Chu Jixue and the eldest son Chu Jibang by his side.

[In the 27th year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao fell seriously ill. Empress Yin Meiyu accompanied him day and night and took care of him. The disease progressed very quickly and even Yin Meiyu's medical skills could not bring him back to health. Yin Meiyu had no choice but to ask Dou Li to secretly look for doctors everywhere and not to spread the news of Chu Shizhao's illness.]

[Inside the bedroom, Yin Meiyu was beside Chu Shizhao, constantly comforting him: "Brother Zhao, the disease can be cured."]

【However, Chu Shizhao smiled calmly and shook his head in relief.】

[“Destiny is in the hands of heaven, not man. To take a three-foot-long sword and conquer the world from a humble background is already determined by heaven. Why should you cherish your life so much?”]

[“If I die, I will bury you in my old home. You and I will be like when we first met. I will not let you down in this life.”]

【The Queen burst into tears.】

As the scene dimmed, Yin Meiyu's eyes became slightly moist, and everything in front of her seemed as if she were actually there.

Chu Shizhao's actions were aboveboard. He never killed a single meritorious official in his life. He was worthy of the soldiers, the ministers and generals who worked for him, and also worthy of her as the queen.

Since he was appointed as the crown prince, Chu Shizhao's status and attitude towards the crown prince have never wavered in the slightest. Even when he was on the verge of death, he treated her as before and showed his deep affection.

He pursued the king's hegemony, but he did not lose his ideals. He perfectly practiced his own ideals throughout his life. This is completely worthy of the high evaluation - "Since the Three Dynasties, only Shengwu Yun has surpassed all the kings."

Chu Shizhao said that it was his good luck to meet him.

But Yin Meiyu felt that this was also her good luck.

In the 28th year of Shengwu, Chu Shizhao died of illness in Chang'an. What he left to his descendants was a prosperous era of Shengwu, where all nations came to pay tribute, politics was clear, the treasury was full, granaries in various prefectures were overflowing, the army was almost complete, the court was full of brave ministers, and the culture was open. 】

[“The sun, the moon, the mountains and the rivers are still here, don’t cry, everyone, go slowly, don’t miss me”]

Chu Shizhao looked at his eldest son Chu Jibang, his eyes becoming increasingly blurred. He forced himself to stay conscious and said his last words, "Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever the rivers flow, wherever the subjects go, all belong to the territory of the Great Zhou."

【His voice gradually fades.】

[“You must not lose the dignity of our powerful Zhou. I would rather die in battle and lose my country than give up my throne.”]

【This sentence, spoken by Emperor Shengwu Chu Shizhao on his deathbed, also shaped the long history of the entire Eastern Zhou Dynasty.】

In front of the screen.

Chu Shizhao looked at his five sons who had grown up gradually, and a look of worry slowly appeared on his face.

Next is the deathrattle effect of [Six Dragons].

After Chu Shizhao died of illness, once the five sons started fighting, no one could stop them.

As long as you get really angry, it will be a life-and-death fight.

Chu Shizhao did everything he could. He followed the system of primogeniture and supported Chu Jibang to ascend the throne with all his strength.

If unrest still occurs even with such a huge advantage, then it can only be Chu Jibang's own problem.

(End of this chapter)