Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

After being expelled from the Ye family and repeatedly humiliated by Shen Lang, coupled with the backlash from the failed system mission, Ye Fan angrily came to the Song Kingdom to seek official employment.

Upon seeing Ye Fan's arrival, Zhao Huan was so excited that he was practically incoherent. He immediately appointed Ye Fan as Imperial Censor and granted him free access to the palace.

From that moment on, Zhao Huan and Ye Fan shared the same food and slept in the same bed.

For a full month, the two were inseparable, even going to the toilet together.

In the Song Kingdom, Ye Fan finally felt respected and received the treatment he deserved.

Zhao Huan showed great favor to Ye Fan and personally arranged a residence for him in the palace so that they could meet often.

Ye Fan was quite satisfied with his current situation.

After nearly a month of living a life of extravagance and debauchery, Ye Fan decided to make a big move in the Song Kingdom.

That is, reform.

"Your Majesty, every dynasty throughout history has relied on reform to strengthen its nation. If the Song Dynasty wishes to change its current situation, the only way is through reform!"

During the court assembly in the main hall, Ye Fan presented Zhao Huan with a set of eloquent proposals for reforming the Song state.

Zhao Huan greatly appreciated this and, following Ye Fan's words, immediately addressed the officials, saying, "Imperial Censor Ye is right."

The situation of our Great Song Dynasty is now precarious; it is time for change. If no reforms are implemented, how will the Great Song Dynasty continue in the future?

As soon as he finished speaking, all the officials nodded in agreement.

Ye Fan was secretly pleased and smug when he saw that his suggestion had been adopted.

Zhou Xianwu asked, "May I ask, Imperial Censor Ye, what reforms do you intend to implement to make the Song Dynasty stronger?"

Ye Fan spoke eloquently: "The current perilous state of the Great Song Dynasty is the result of many years of accumulated evils. It's like a festering sore that must be painfully removed before the clouds can part and the sun can shine through, allowing it to be reborn."

The Song Dynasty is currently lacking soldiers, officials, and bureaucrats. Only through comprehensive reforms from top to bottom can the Song Dynasty become strong and prosperous.

Zhou Xianwu: "Then how should we reform?"

Which country is the most powerful in the world today?

"Naturally, it is the Kingdom of Wuzhao."

"Then let's adopt the Wu Zhao national policy to replace the existing laws of the Great Song Dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, the officials who had previously strongly supported Ye Fan instantly turned grim.

Zhao Huan, however, was completely unaware of the reasoning and believed that whatever Ye Fan said must be true.

After all, it was Ye Fan who persuaded the Jin soldiers to retreat with just a few words.

If we don't trust him, who can we trust?

Zhou Xianwu pressed further: "Will you adopt the national policy of Wuzhao Kingdom to replace the existing laws of the Great Song Dynasty?"

“That’s right!” Ye Fan said confidently, “The territory of Wu Zhao is three times the size of Da Chu and ten times the size of Da Song, and its influence is second to none on the entire continent.”

Our Great Song Dynasty should emulate the reforms of Wu Zetian and Zhao Mengfu, adopting entirely new systems to strengthen ourselves.

Zhou Xianwu frowned even more deeply: "Where does Imperial Censor Ye intend to begin?"

"Naturally, it involves all aspects."

Ye Fan began pacing back and forth in the hall, offering his suggestions to the civil and military officials on both sides.

"The Song Dynasty was weak, primarily because of its outdated official system. To be frank, the recommendation system had too many drawbacks and was no longer suitable for providing useful officials for the Song Dynasty."

Only by holding imperial examinations to select capable individuals can the imperial court be revitalized.

Upon hearing this, the gazes of the aristocratic families in the court towards Ye Fan instantly turned cold, and their impression of him underwent a complete 180-degree change.

Recommending scholars to the court was a privilege of the aristocratic families. If the imperial examination system were abolished and replaced with the civil service examination, wouldn't they lose their power?

Ye Fan was unaware that he had inadvertently offended many noble families in the hall, and continued to passionately discuss the state of affairs.

"The imperial examinations did not distinguish between scholars and commoners. A selection process was conducted every three years, with the imperial court directly selecting all capable individuals to fill positions in the officialdom."

Compared to the recommendation system, the imperial examination system was more fair and just, judging people solely by their talents and not by their appearance, thus enabling the Song Dynasty to attract a large number of useful officials.

"In less than ten years, I predict that the officialdom of the Song Dynasty will be completely transformed!"

Some people were happy while others were saddened by Ye Fan's eloquent speech.

Zhao Huan and some officials were naturally delighted, believing that as long as Ye Fan's ideas were followed, the Song Dynasty would surely be transformed.

The group of people who were worried were divided into two groups.

A group of officials were staunch supporters of the ruling class. Once the imperial examination system was implemented, their own rights would inevitably be affected, a situation they absolutely did not want to see.

Another group felt that Ye Fan's ideas were too far-fetched and did not take into account the current situation of the Song Dynasty at all, fearing that it would cause the Song Dynasty to fall into endless internal strife.

Zhao Huan asked eagerly, "The imperial examination system is certainly good, but the biggest crisis facing the Song Dynasty right now is the threat from the Jin Dynasty. May I ask Imperial Censor Ye, how can we eliminate the crisis between the Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty?"

Ye Fan replied proudly, "The Jurchens are inherently barbaric. If we continue to compromise, it will only intensify their greed. The Song Dynasty should unite as one to fight them to the very end!"

Zhou Xianwu: "Imperial Censor Ye makes such light of things. What can the Jurchens do to our Great Song Dynasty?"

Even ordinary merchants and vendors know this perfectly well, so isn't Censor Ye's statement redundant?

What should the Song Dynasty do now to avoid a repeat of the humiliation of besieging the capital twice last year?

Ye Fan: "Of course, it's time to train the troops."

Zhou Xianwu: "It seems that Imperial Censor Ye and I have the same idea."

Then, Zhou Xianwu took out a memorial and presented it to Zhao Huan.

"Your Majesty, this is the list of military supplies I have prepared for the court to resist the invasion of the Jurchen cavalry."

The only solution was to purchase large quantities of weaponry from the State of Chu and hire officers at high salaries to train a new army in Bianjing.

When the new army is fully trained, the Jurchens will no longer be a major threat to our Great Song Dynasty.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huan immediately felt that it made sense and was about to agree when Ye Fan stopped him.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Lord Zhou's words are inappropriate."

Zhou Xianwu frowned: "What does Imperial Censor Ye mean by this?"

Ye Fan ignored Zhou Xianwu and looked at Zhao Huan: "Your Majesty, the firearms of the Chu Kingdom are nothing but ingenious tricks and cannot demonstrate the military strength of the Song Dynasty at all."

Only an army centered around martial artists can be invincible and achieve victory from afar.

Zhao Huan's eyes lit up, and he nodded: "Imperial Censor Ye is right. Firearms are ultimately not something that can be brought to the table."

Even if we defeat the Jurchens with firearms, they must still be extremely resentful. Our Great Song capital should rightfully defeat them in a righteous and honorable manner.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xianwu became anxious: "Your Majesty, if we train according to the methods of the Chu army, we can form an army in a few months, which is much shorter than the time it takes for a martial arts army to form an army."

Ye Fan replied, "Lord Zhou, what kind of fighting power can an army that has been formed in just a few months have? The Chu Kingdom is only gaining a temporary advantage; it won't last long. It's better to follow the proper procedures."

The main force of the Wu Zhao Kingdom's army relies on an elite military force. If our Great Song Dynasty invests its military funds in elite troops, we can naturally achieve the same success as the Wu Zhao Kingdom.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huan felt it made perfect sense and quickly clapped his hands, saying, "Yes, yes, what Imperial Censor Ye said makes sense, makes perfect sense! But where can we find such martial artists?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan smiled and replied, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have already informed my fellow disciples to come to Bianjing City in advance. Judging by the time, they should be arriving soon."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a woman's excited voice rang out from outside the palace gate: "Fan'er, is that you?"

Ye Fan turned around and saw a stunningly beautiful woman, dressed in a snow-white dress, rushing towards him without regard for anything else.

Before long, the woman threw herself into Ye Fan's arms.

"Fan'er, your teacher really misses you."