The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

The next morning, Zhou Ziming did not attend the court session due to health reasons.

The Crown Prince is now capable of handling state affairs independently, and he often reviews memorials on behalf of the emperor, showing the appearance of a wise ruler.

The morning passed peacefully. As Zhang Ping'an had expected, Zhou Ziming summoned him in the afternoon, presumably to discuss the matter of enfeoffment.

The people inside the Privy Council looked at him, who were working diligently and with a serious expression.

In fact, they were all on high alert, listening intently to the sounds outside.

He would steal glances at Zhang Ping'an every now and then.

The problem lies in the fact that the mothers of the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince are incredibly foolish. They've been quite restless lately, busy helping their respective sons and currying favor with several close court officials around His Majesty.

I just want to go to a good fiefdom.

They didn't try to hide it when giving Zhang Ping'an the gift, and their excuses were quite clumsy.

Therefore, those below were secretly speculating whether Zhang Ping'an would speak up for the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince in front of His Majesty.

After Zhang Ping'an arrived at the entrance, the Grand Eunuch Liang Fu personally came to lead the way.

As they walked, he offered a word of advice: "His Majesty has been in a bad mood these past few days, so Lord Zhang should be careful what he says."

Several years have passed, and Liang Fu has aged considerably. The white hair at his temples is impossible to hide, and he exudes a strong sandalwood fragrance.

For powerful eunuchs like them, very few were able to enjoy their later years after the emperor's death; most died quietly.

After all, they knew too many secrets about the harem.

Only the dead can keep secrets.

Liang Fu had served in the palace for decades and had served two dynasties, so he was well aware of this, which is why his temperament had become quite eccentric in the last two years.

Zhang Ping'an could understand that people have emotions and desires, and the feeling of having a knife hanging over one's head as death approaches is the most torturous.

Now the court officials both fear him and are waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

Liang Fu was well aware of this.

In comparison, Zhang Ping'an was one of the court officials who had a relatively good relationship with Liang Fu.

Liang Fu usually didn't make things difficult for him, nor would he gossip or speak ill of Zhou Ziming.

"Thank you for the reminder, Eunuch Liang," Zhang Ping'an said politely.

"Go in, His Majesty is inside," Liang Fu said softly, then stood guard at the door with a blank expression.

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Zhou Ziming leaned back on the dragon throne, seemingly asleep.

His once robust and imposing physique has become quite flabby in the past two years, his complexion is also poor, and he exudes a faint medicinal fragrance.

Only after Zhang Ping'an spoke and bowed did he seem to wake up.

With a weak voice, she waved her hand and said, "Sit down!"

Looking at Zhou Ziming's pale face and weak breathing, Zhang Ping'an realized that, just as Qian Ying had said, he might not be able to survive the winter.

It's heartbreaking to see.

Zhang Ping'an couldn't help but ask with concern, "Your Majesty, you don't look well. Why don't you summon the imperial physician to take a look?"

Zhou Ziming smiled, his face showing no fear of life or death, but rather a calm demeanor.

"I know my own body well. The imperial physician just came to see me this morning. He only said the same few things over and over again. I've been sick for so long that I've become a doctor myself. Everyone dies eventually, it's just a matter of time. There's nothing to be afraid of. I've summoned you here today, and I'm sure you know why."

"Is it about the fiefdoms of the princes?" Zhang Ping'an pondered.

Zhou Ziming nodded: "Indeed, I know that the court has been speculating about this matter recently. In fact, I have also thought about this matter quite a bit. Among my sons, the Second Prince does not concern himself with politics or worldly affairs, while the Third and Fourth Princes are not yet of age. Their personalities and talents are different and have not yet been formed. If they are all divided up to become powerful fiefdoms, I fear that brothers will fight each other and even kill each other in the future."

However, if we only grant him a nominal title without real power, he will be unable to govern the surrounding areas and quell rebellions for the country. The balance here is truly difficult to strike. My dear minister, you have always been insightful and thorough in your work, so I would like to hear your opinion.”

Seeing Zhang Ping'an's hesitant expression, Zhou Ziming added, "This is not the morning court session. I summoned you to the Hall of Mental Cultivation because you are a trusted minister of mine, and I want to hear the truth."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. In my humble opinion, the Great Kingdom is now peaceful and prosperous, and the Crown Prince is diligent in his duties. He is the prime minister of a wise ruler. Under such circumstances, it is probably not appropriate for the vassal kings to have too much real power. They should be granted fiefs but not land, given titles but not subject to the people, and receive salaries but not manage affairs. Perhaps this is the best course of action!" Zhang Ping'an said the words he had prepared yesterday.

This means that the princes were given honorary titles but no real power.

He knew that Zhou Ziming didn't want to hear any perfunctory words at this moment; what he wanted was a definite stance: whether to grant real power or just a nominal title.

At times like this, playing Tai Chi is useless; on the contrary, it will only annoy those above, who will think that you lack real talent and ability.

So Zhang Ping'an thought about it all afternoon yesterday and finally decided that, given the current situation, it would be best to let the princes hold nominal titles.

After all, it's an open secret that the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince are ambitious. As for the Second Prince, as the saying goes, a barking dog doesn't bite. The Third Prince and the Fourth Prince combined might not be as formidable as the Second Prince alone.

Once these individuals seize real power, Zhang Ping'an always felt that the Crown Prince's position on the throne might not be secure.

In fact, Zhou Ziming understood the reasons perfectly well, but he was just finding it difficult to make a decision.

After a long while, Zhang Ping'an heard Zhou Ziming sigh softly: "Alas, it's difficult! It's easy to conquer a country, but difficult to maintain it. The Crown Prince is still young and lacks experience. If I could live for another ten years, no, five more years, the Great Zhou Dynasty would definitely be more stable, and I wouldn't be having such a difficult decision."

"The Imperial Medical Academy has countless talented people; they will surely find a solution. Your Majesty need not worry too much."

"If the King of Hell wants you to die at midnight, how can he let you live until tomorrow? If I weren't the Son of Heaven, with countless rare medicinal herbs to sustain me, I probably wouldn't be alive now. It's already quite remarkable that I've managed to prolong this for six years," Zhou Ziming said calmly.

Over the years, he has long since accepted it and has no resentment or complaints. He believes that every extra day he lives is an extra day he gains.

What he needs to do now is to clear all obstacles for the Crown Prince.

Zhang Ping'an fell silent after hearing this. Zhou Ziming's words were indeed true. Without the rare medicinal herbs supplied by the Imperial Hospital, Zhou Ziming's frail body might not have been able to hold on for so long.

Since falling into a coma and vomiting blood two years ago, we have consulted countless renowned doctors from all over the country.

"My dear minister, do you still remember the question I once asked you?"

Zhou Ziming suddenly asked a completely unrelated question.

Zhang Ping'an asked in confusion, "What?"

"I want to know what 2012 means. My godfather has mentioned it more than once. I know you know."