HCB There's a reason why some parts of Chapter 25 are disjointed.
There's a reason why some parts of Chapter 25 are disjointed.
The old emperor abruptly stopped in his tracks.
Besides, what emperor isn't ruthless?
If the emperor is not ruthless, the empire will not be stable.
The old emperor: My soulmate, Shen Zhiyi!
The old emperor, now thoroughly understood, waved directly at the young master.
"You, step back."
Author: ...
Before leaving.
"Your Majesty, I must thank you, otherwise history would be missing a record of you."
"What record?"
The author smiled slightly: "Of course, it's Your Majesty's heroic figure."
[No, no, no, of course it's about the old emperor killing the three-and-a-half-year-old prince of the previous dynasty.]
[Hahaha, this old emperor is hilarious! I don't know what's gotten into him. There are records of him killing off the entire previous dynasty's royal family. The historians of the past were sensible; they didn't say they killed them all, only that they killed most of them. But this compiler in the history office, he'll say whatever he wants.]
[What's this called? This is the rabbit from the story of "waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump."]
After a brief interlude, the old emperor resumed discussions with his ministers regarding the division of territories.
"The entire Jiangnan Circuit can be simply divided into Jiangnan West Circuit, Jiangnan North Circuit, and Jiangnan South Circuit."
Oh, our Hunan-Jiangxi-Hubei team is born at this moment.
The old emperor and his court officials: What the hell?
"Well, let's just split Lingnan Road into Lingnan West Road and Lingnan East Road."
I understand, it's our Guangdong and Guangxi!
The old emperor and his court officials: What is this thing again?
As everyone continued to divide the administrative map, Shen Zhiyi kept coming up with strange and unusual words, like some kind of combination name.
Time flies, and another night has passed.
Everyone looked at the brand-new zoning map, exhausted, but they were all very satisfied.
Just then, a sudden yawn woke everyone up.
[My goodness, the area divisions are so neat and orderly, all square and boxy, it looks kind of awkward.]
When Shen Zhiyi was studying geography in high school, she probably became familiar with the rooster map at home from a young age.
When she learned about the division of the African continent and the United States, she felt extremely uncomfortable with it.
Perhaps they've gotten used to the bumpy, uneven edges of their own house.
The old emperor was somewhat displeased after hearing Shen Zhiyi's thoughts.
Because it was he who suggested drawing the lines so neatly.
Look how beautiful this is!
After hearing Shen Zhiyi's words, Prime Minister Wang, who had been drowsy, suddenly had his cloudy eyes light up like light bulbs.
"Your Majesty, this old minister has something to report."
The old emperor waved his hand: "This is the Zichen Palace, there are no formalities here, just speak directly."
"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you bring me the regional division maps of all dynasties."
The regional division maps of each dynasty are preserved in the history museum.
Looking at the map, which was so well preserved, Shen Zhiyi couldn't help but admire it.
[Knowing history is a good habit, and as the official in charge of recording it, I must also shoulder my due responsibility.]
Shen Zhiyi took a deep breath, picked up the brush, and firmly wrote down—
[On the 12th—no, it's already past midnight, it's the 13th, Gui Mao—the Emperor burped five times, farted ten times, sat down and stood up fifty times, and defecated zero times.]
Wow, the old emperor really knows how to hold back!
Those present were both shocked and silent.
Shen Zhiyi, is this all you did in one night?
The old emperor's lips twitched violently as he watched Shen Zhiyi still keeping track of what he had done and how many times he had done it, and he couldn't help but interrupt her halfway through.
“You are concerned about the people, what do you need this from the previous dynasty for?”
Prime Minister Wang bowed with his hands clasped and said, "Your Majesty, besides the royal family neglecting state affairs, another major reason for the previous dynasty was the growing strength of local powers."
Indeed, the old emperor knew it very well.
Because before the old emperor succeeded in his rebellion, he was one of the local powers.
Those present completely ignored Shen Zhiyi's inner thoughts. The old emperor didn't care, but the ministers had to pay attention.
Prime Minister Wang continued, “Your Majesty, please look at the regional divisions of the previous dynasty. The boundaries are neat and orderly. In particular, some places, such as this one, have achieved comprehensive development in culture, economy, politics, and military affairs.”
Shen Zhiyi secretly raised her head.
[The old emperor is familiar with the old emperor; Prime Minister Wang is referring to the place where the old emperor raised his army in rebellion.]
Prime Minister Wang: "..."
He was old and hard of hearing, so he didn't understand what Shen Zhiyi was saying.
A hand, resembling withered tree bark, pointed in a different spot.
"Your Majesty, therefore, in order to prevent power from tilting towards the local areas, I suggest that places with similar cultures be divided into at least two or more circuits. There are also some places that are geographically gateways to other places, and I also suggest that they be separated."
The old emperor's eyes lit up, and the sleepiness that had just surged up instantly vanished.
Therefore, the group considered geographical, economic, cultural, military, and even historical factors and redefined the boundaries.
The result of this division is that the edges of each road are bumpy and uneven, like they've been chewed by a dog.
But the old emperor found it more and more wonderful.
The more Shen Zhiyi looked, the more she understood.
[Damn, I get it now! No wonder some provinces are fragmented! I see!]
[No wonder he's a prime minister; although he's quite old, the wisdom he's accumulated over the years is truly exceptional!]
Prime Minister Wang smiled without saying a word. If it weren't for Shen Zhiyi's comment about how smooth it was, he wouldn't have thought of this.
In the end, Shen Zhiyi also deserves a lot of credit.
"Haha, rewards, everyone gets a reward."
The old emperor was pleased and rewarded everyone with fine wines from the Western Regions, even Zhang Sheren and Shen Zhiyi, who had stood aside without uttering a single word throughout the entire event.
While others are famous wines, Shen Zhiyi is a pot, a pot shaped like a chimney in the middle.
[Damn it, this is blatant discrimination!]
Why is everyone else like wine, but I'm just a pot?!
What does the old emperor mean? Is there some hidden meaning behind this? Does he intend for me to take the blame for him, or for his son, in the future?
The old emperor: He thinks too much every day.
He gritted his teeth and said, "I opened a restaurant in the capital that specializes in serving 'Bo Xia Gong' (a type of glutinous rice cake).
What is this? What is "Bo Xia Gong"?
"Bo Xia Gong is a type of hot pot. The meat is sliced into thin slices and placed in boiling hot broth. The thin slices will cook through very quickly, and the texture and taste are excellent. With this pot, you can eat Bo Xia Gong at any restaurant for the rest of your life without paying any money."
【Holy crap, this is just hot pot!】
Shen Zhiyi looked at the pot in her arms and was very satisfied with it.
She won't drink alcohol, but she'll really enjoy hot pot if you give her a pot!
"The Holy One is wise."
The old emperor was pleased.
"This humble official is also benefiting from Lord Wang's influence."
Prime Minister Wang smiled so broadly he couldn't stop.
The old emperor couldn't hold back any longer: "Shen Zhiyi, why don't you call me Your Majesty?"
Shen Zhiyi's eyes widened. Was this person crazy?!
I don't know if the old emperor is sick, but your son definitely is.
Old Emperor: How did this involve his son again? Is he being cuckolded again?