We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

late at night.

Emperor Qing sat on a soft Hu chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the mahogany table beside him, humming the tune that was the "Feng Wang Po Zhen Yue" played at the evening banquet.

At this moment, there was a sound of soft footsteps outside the door, and Emperor Qing opened his eyes.

"Your Majesty, the two adults have arrived." Huang Jin said in a low voice.

"come in."

Two people walked into the house. They were Huo Tao and Zhu Chun.

"See Your Majesty."

"Well, don't be so polite."

Emperor Qing pointed to the seats and motioned for the two to sit down.

"Huang Jin, go make some tea for the two of you. The tea from Feng State is clear and really good. Try it."

Huang Jin agreed, bowed and walked out of the room. After a while, he came back with three cups of tea that had been brewed long ago.

The bright yellow tea soup is clear and bright, the tea leaves stand upright, and you can smell a fresh fragrance.

Huo and Zhu picked up the teacup and took a sip. It was indeed fragrant and pleasant, and their eyes lit up.

Emperor Qing did not drink, but just played with the glass teacup in his hand, and said intentionally or unintentionally:

"I asked Lin'er, this Fengguo tea uses fresh tea leaves bought from the interior of the country, using only a single bud and a single leaf. It then goes through the steps of withering, rolling, and drying, which is why it has such a refreshing fragrance."

Zhu Chun praised, "This tea is indeed different from the tea I usually drink. It is sweet and refreshing, with a long aftertaste. If it can be sold to the imperial capital, it will surely fetch a good price."

"It's more than just tea." Emperor Qing's eyes lit up slightly. "We arrived in Chaoyang City today, and you should have seen it too. Fengguo has many things I've never seen before, and they're beyond my expectations."

Zhu Chun was slightly startled, realizing that Emperor Qing was using tea to bring up a topic that seemed to have a profound meaning.

Huo Tao just drank his tea sip by sip without saying a word.

As he grows older, the veteran minister seems to become more and more calm and rarely expresses his opinions.

"Zhu Chun, what do you think of the Fengtian Army and the Daqing Army?" Emperor Qing suddenly asked again.

Zhu Chun showed hesitation, and after a long pause he finally spoke: "That... depends on which army we're competing against."

"After all, the Fengtian Army is a perpetually victorious force, possessing an absolute advantage over the garrison troops of various prefectures. While other frontier armies also frequently engage in combat, I'm afraid they can't match the Fengtian Army."

Emperor Qing raised his eyes to look at Zhu Chun: "How does it compare to my imperial guards?"

Zhu Chun's expression froze, and he whispered, "It seems we've met our match."

Emperor Qing shook his head and said with a smile: "Old friend, you are not telling the truth."

It’s not Zhu Chun’s fault. Emperor Qing had the same idea before going to Fengguo.

No matter how powerful the Fengtian Army was, it was just a new army that had been formed less than two years ago. How could it compare with its own imperial guards?

Even those who had seen the Fengtian Army guards who came with Li Che in the imperial capital thought they were the best of the best, elite troops deliberately brought here for the sake of face.

After all, when Emperor Qing goes on tour or reviews the troops, he will make deliberate preparations and select elite troops to save face.

It was not until he actually arrived at Fengguo and met the cavalrymen who came to welcome him, the Chaoyang Army who were guarding the city, and the veteran security soldiers who were patrolling that Emperor Qing realized how wrong he was.

Not to mention the elite cavalry, the Chaoyang Army guarding the city were new recruits, but they all stood like spears, walked and sat with military demeanor, and were no less capable than the elite Qing Army.

Although those injured and retired veterans have become security personnel, their murderous intent has not been erased.

As long as Fengguo needs them, they can pull them out and immediately form an army with strong combat power.

Emperor Qing couldn't imagine how powerful the Fengtian Army would be if every soldier was like this.

Zhu Chun thought about it and decided to say something good for Li Che: "Your Majesty, Feng State is located on the border after all, and has the important task of guarding against barbarians. If the Feng Army was not so elite, I am afraid it would not have been possible to win so many battles and even destroy the Khitan."

Emperor Qing glanced at him and said nothing.

He was not worried about the strength of the Fengtian Army.

In other words, compared to other things he saw in Chaoyang City today, Fengguo’s military strength was not that important.

"Mr. Huo, do you have any thoughts on today's events?" Emperor Qing asked Huo Tao.

Huo Tao opened his cloudy eyes and said slowly, "What does Your Majesty mean?"

"The factory." Emperor Qing chuckled. "The people's hearts, government affairs, talents... everything I saw today."

Huo Tao pondered for a moment, then said calmly, "There is no better era of great peace than this."

Zhu Chun looked over in surprise. Huo Tao's evaluation was indeed very high.

An era of great peace...How many eras of great peace have there been throughout history?

"Yes," Emperor Qing sighed. "After unifying the country, I still have great ambitions. I don't think governing the country is difficult at all. I just want to make a big move. Not only must I surpass the previous dynasty in military achievements, but I also want to achieve success in civil governance."

"But now, ten years have passed. Although I work diligently every day and believe I have never slacked off, the people of the world are still suffering miserably. There has not been much improvement."

"Ten years of hard work by me and the civil and military officials at court are not as great as Che'er's achievements in just one year as king?"

After saying this, Emperor Qing sighed, looking somewhat disappointed.

"Your Majesty, this is biased." Huo Tao shook his head slightly. "Your Majesty governs the entire world, while Prince Feng governs only one place, and all we see is Chaoyang City."

"Governing the world is far more difficult than governing a single place."

"Also, although Chaoyang City is wealthy, what His Royal Highness Prince Feng has done is unique and too shocking. It may be applicable in Feng State, but not necessarily in Daqing."

After all, Huo Tao was an old minister who had served as a marquis and a prime minister. He had a sharp eye and could see through Emperor Qing's true thoughts at a glance.

Emperor Qing was jealous... Seeing the achievements made by Feng State, he began to feel restless.

However, reform is not that easy.

Especially since Daqing still uses the system of the previous dynasty, the people's hearts are still unstable and there are still internal contradictions, so it is not appropriate to carry out large-scale reforms.

"Yes... The system is difficult to change. I can see the drawbacks, can't the officials in the court see them?" Emperor Qing's expression was complicated. "It's just that the interests involved are so complicated that I'm unwilling to take the risk."

"However, if things continue as planned, how will Daqing be any different from the previous dynasties that perished?"

"After reaching its peak, prosperity will decline and then collapse, and the people of the world will eventually be in war and chaos."

Hearing Emperor Qing's words, Huo Tao's cloudy eyes lit up slightly: "What does your majesty mean?"

Emperor Qing stood up with his hands behind his back. Although his face showed no expression, there was a hint of excitement in his eyes.

"This set of etiquette has been used for hundreds and thousands of years. Perhaps it's time to change it."

"I've had this idea for a long time, but I've never had a direction. What I saw in Chaoyang City today made me feel a long-lost excitement."

"Chaoyang City was able to build a prosperous and peaceful world in this barren land outside the Great Wall. Why can't Daqing do the same?"

Zhu Chun looked surprised and asked, "Your Majesty, are you planning to implement the Fengguo system in Daqing?"

Emperor Qing nodded slightly, then looked at the two men and said, "You two are both my most trusted ministers. I would like to ask you a question."

"Feng Wang... can you trust me?"