All realms have enabled me to achieve the Great Dao.

Chapter 335 Old Zhu Tells the History of the Song Dynasty

Old Zhu told Zhao Kuangyin what he knew about the history of the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties.

Because Zhu Yuanzhang was not very knowledgeable and knew only a limited amount of history about the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties, he didn't tell Zhao Kuangyin much about the Song Dynasty.

The events Old Zhu recounted about the Song Dynasty were all major ones, such as Zhao Kuangyin's "releasing military power over a cup of wine," the "shadow of the candle and the sound of the axe," and the Jingkang Incident, among others.

It also discussed the impact of the Song Dynasty's emphasis on civil affairs over military affairs, and Zhu Yuanzhang analyzed the situation for Zhao Kuangyin from a historical perspective.

A country should give equal importance to both civil and military affairs. If civil affairs are emphasized over military affairs, border instability will occur. If military affairs are emphasized over civil affairs, it will be detrimental to the governance of the country.

After listening, Zhao Kuangyin fell into deep thought. In that case, he could not use the "banquet to release military power" tactic. But how could he prevent military generals from imitating him and seizing the throne when they held heavy troops?

Zhao Kuangyin looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and asked, "Brother Zhu, how can we prevent military generals from seizing large armies and staging a mutiny?"

The two men discussed how to prevent military commanders from rebelling if they held significant military power.

Zhao Kuangyin himself was a military general, and he knew that once a military general held a large army, his mentality would change and he would develop inappropriate thoughts. That's why he wanted to suppress military generals.

Zhu Yuanzhang built his empire step by step, and he knew his generals well. He was never afraid that they would rebel, and they dared not rebel.

The two men ascended the throne in different ways, so the things they needed to guard against were also different.

Watching the two emperors from different dynasties chat, Zhou Yongcheng didn't interrupt. He listened to their conversation while sipping tea, and at the same time kept an eye on the movements of the river of time.

The two did not stay with Zhou Yongcheng for long before taking their leave.

When Zhao Kuangyin left, Zhou Yongcheng gave him a jade seal, the same one given to Zhu Yuanzhang.

As for how to use the imperial seal, Zhou Yongcheng told him to consult Zhu Yuanzhang.

After leaving the pavilion, Zhu Yuanzhang explained the use of the imperial seal to Zhao Kuangyin. Zhao Kuangyin learned how to use the imperial seal from Zhu Yuanzhang's explanation and marveled that the immortals were truly omnipotent, able to create such a divine artifact.

Upon returning to the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin began to examine the items on the exchange panel.

After familiarizing himself with the imperial seal, Zhao Kuangyin's first priority was to purchase elixirs for cultivation.

He learned from Zhu Yuanzhang that he had died at the age of fifty, which he found unbelievable.

If he really died at the age of fifty, it means that he did not die a natural death, but was murdered.

You should know that he had martial arts cultivation, and his cultivation had reached the Grandmaster level. At the Grandmaster level, one should be able to live for more than a hundred years. Why did he die at the age of fifty?

Zhu Yuanzhang said that he was killed by his younger brother Zhao Guangyi, which made Zhao Kuangyin wary of his brother.

While taking precautions, one should also strengthen one's own cultivation. As long as one is strong, one will not be afraid of others harming him.

In the following period, Zhao Kuangyin practiced Buddhism while handling state affairs.

In the real world, Zhou Yongcheng saw that when Zhao Kuangyin returned to the Song Dynasty, the timeline of the Song Dynasty began to surge.

Without a doubt, it must have been Zhao Kuangyin who came to his temple and changed his fate after returning.

Since Zhao Kuangyin's fate changed, the Song Dynasty would also change accordingly.

On this day, Zhao Kuangyin and Zhu Yuanzhang both arrived at Zhou Yongcheng's Taoist temple.

Zhou Yongcheng was surprised that the two arrived at the same time.

"You two were able to come at the same time, did you plan this beforehand?" Zhou Yongcheng asked.

"Yes, immortal. We agreed to come together today before we left."

"What brings you here today?" Zhou Yongcheng asked.

The two emperors generally wouldn't come over unless there was a specific reason. During this period, they exchanged many things from the imperial seal, especially Zhao Kuangyin, who exchanged the most.

The exchange panel was filled with many rare items, and they all wanted to exchange for them. However, due to the limited national fortune, they could only exchange for the things they urgently needed.

The first priority is definitely cultivation resources. Which emperor doesn't want to live a long life, and which emperor doesn't want his dynasty to last for thousands of generations? So, apart from handling state affairs, they spend almost all their time cultivating.

They also exchanged for books on governance. They exchanged all the books on governance in the exchange panel, wanting to see what good governance strategies were in the artifacts bestowed by the immortals.

"May I ask the immortal, how can the nation's fortune be rapidly improved?" Old Zhu asked cautiously. He had asked this question as soon as he obtained the imperial seal, but the answer he received was too general. Now he wanted to ask in more detail.

The nation's fortune was the money they used to buy things from the imperial seal, so they wanted to ask Zhou Yongcheng if he had any quick ways to improve the nation's fortune.

"Improving national fortune is simple: let the people live a good life, enhance their sense of happiness, expand territory, and so on. In short, national prosperity generates national fortune. The stronger the country and the more prosperous the people are, the more national fortune it will have."

Making a country prosperous and strong sounds simple, but it's not so easy to do.

"Then how can we make the country prosperous and strong?"

"This is what you, as emperors, must do. The jade seal I have given you can help you achieve this. So you must make good use of the jade seal I have given you. Anything inside, if used well, can generate a continuous flow of national fortune."

Any item in the Jade Seal Exchange Panel would have been a rare find in ancient times, especially the grains. Many grains were unavailable back then, and if used properly, it would have been easy to improve the lives of the people.

"Thank you for your guidance, Immortal."

The two men stood up and bowed to Zhou Yongcheng.

Having obtained the answer they wanted, the two left the pavilion.

After leaving the pavilion, the two stood next to the portal and started chatting.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Yongcheng had a sudden thought, and a new pavilion instantly appeared next to the portal.

The portal to time and space is embedded in one side of the pavilion; when they come out of the portal, they will appear directly in the pavilion.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhao Kuangyin found themselves suddenly in an unfamiliar pavilion. Looking around, the portal to time and space was still there, and the environment outside the pavilion had not changed. What had changed was that a pavilion had suddenly appeared in the place where the portal to time and space was located.

"The immortals' methods are extraordinary. We didn't even realize it when a new pavilion appeared beneath our feet," Zhao Kuangyin exclaimed.

"The immortals saw that it was inconvenient for us to stand here and chat, so they conjured up a pavilion for us to sit and chat here."

The two men bowed to the pavilion where Zhou Yongcheng was standing to express their gratitude.

The immortals were so kind to them; they truly had no way to repay them.

The two looked around at the newly appeared pavilion, which was very large, twice the size of their office.

There is a table in the middle of the pavilion, and about ten chairs around the table.

Looking at the chairs in the pavilion, Zhao Kuangyin said, "I have a feeling this place will be quite lively in the future."

"Since you and I can be here, why wouldn't the emperors of the Tang and Sui dynasties be here?"

"I just don't know which Tang Dynasty emperor was qualified to be chosen by the immortals."

"I just want to see if the First Emperor will appear here."

"I do have a guess, but I don't know if it's as I suspect."