In the blink of an eye, it was already May.
There was only one month left before the interstellar fleet arrived on the Resource Planet.
May 4th, the imperial palace of the capital.
Midsummer was approaching, and the imperial garden was filled with lush greenery and fragrance. Occasionally, birds and beasts chirped, elks leaped, and koi fish swayed. It was like a picture of spring.
It was intoxicating.
The Pavilion of Return at the corner of Lake Tai was heavily guarded. The most distinguished emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty, Ouyang Shuo, was currently chatting happily with several ministers.
Such a scene was truly rare.
If the status of the ministers were outside, they would be the pillars of the empire.
They were Bai Hua, the Protector-General of the Southern Border, Feng Qiuhuang, the Protector-General of South Asia, Sieging Lion, the Protector-General of West Asia, Mulan Yue, the Protector-General of Africa, and Suanni, the Protector-General of America.
These five people were the five Protector-Generals of the borders of the empire, and they were also members of the [Alliance of Mountains and Seas]. They were old acquaintances of the emperor.
Their friendship had lasted for ten years.
A week ago, all the high-ranking officials of the Imperial Court in the capital, the six Garrison Protectorates, a Jiedushi, and the twenty-two provincial governors of the Huaxia region had all received an imperial edict to enter the capital to participate in the Imperial Court Conference.
In the army, except for the commanders of the eight war zones and the commanders of the three fleets, they also received the decree to enter the capital.
At this critical juncture, everyone knew that something big was about to happen when the emperor summoned all the ministers to the capital. Therefore, no one dared to be negligent. After arranging their work, they hurried to the capital.
All the ministers of the empire gathered together.
Before the court conference, Ouyang Shuo met with a group of ministers alone and gave them instructions, setting the tone for the most profound change that was about to happen in the Great Xia Dynasty.
The conversation with the five Protector-Generals was the last and most crucial one.
During these past few years, it wasn't just Ouyang Shuo who'd gotten married and established his own business, the Suanni and Siege Lion had gotten married and had children as well. Coupled with their relatives, numerous illustrious clans had faintly been formed around them.
They were the rising stars in the circle of the empire, but they could not be ignored.
Once Ouyang Shuo left, the attitude of these five people towards the empire would be crucial. It was related to whether the empire could maintain its current territory or even take another step forward.
If they didn't cooperate, things would be a little difficult.
In the returning pavilion, Ouyang Shuo, who was sitting in the seat of honor, put down the wine cup in his hand. He looked at the five good friends in front of him and said with some emotion, "Time really passes quickly. In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed."
In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed. Everyone was no longer young and inexperienced.
What a great change!
Bai Hua and the others nodded in agreement. Their faces were slightly intoxicated, as if they were reminiscing about the ten years they had spent in the game. There were simply too many stories there.
Sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy, there was no lack of any.
Apart from certain banquets and occasions, Ouyang Shuo rarely drank alcohol in the past few years. He usually drank tea. Today, he made an exception because he wanted to have a thorough chat with them.
Otherwise, he would not be at ease.
"The children have all grown up, and I have also grown old." Ouyang Shuo's eyes narrowed slightly.
These words weren't entirely out of politeness or probing. It was because in Ouyang Shuo's eyes, Bing 'er was also a' child 'that he had brought up. Seeing that Bing' er was about to rise to the top, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
As for Yu 'er and Luo' er, they were only five years old this year. They were at least ten years away from becoming adult directors.
When Lao Ai heard this, he smiled and said, "Your Majesty is still in the prime of your life. How could that be?" Such compliments were said very smoothly and not at all abrupt.
Even Bai Hua and the others didn't think much of it.
In the end, time still drew an invisible line between them. There was a difference in seniority between them.
Ouyang Shuo waved his hand and casually asked, "In June, I will lead a team to Hope Planet to open up the wilderness. What are your plans?"
Silence!
A strange silence!
At this moment, the air seemed to freeze and suffocate everyone.
His Majesty's calm tone seemed to contain the power of a thunderbolt. Even the five Protector-Generals couldn't help but tremble as they tried to figure out the meaning behind His Majesty's words.
This was a multiple-choice question, but also a question of life and death.
When the cunning rabbit is dead, the hound is cooked. When the birds are dead, the fine bow is hidden.
Drinking wine to release the military power
One by one, historical allusions flashed through their minds like lightning.
They could not be blamed for their suspicions. Before the court held the court conference, there were already faint rumors in the court that the Emperor was going to carry out a purge and remove all obstacles in order to successfully place the King of Chu on the throne of regent.
Weren't the five of them the biggest obstacles?!
There were also some who weren't afraid, such as Bai Hua, who directly replied, "I want to go too." His expression was firm and his attitude was sincere. It was obvious that he wasn't being perfunctory.
"Yes, we will all go with His Majesty."
The Siege Lion and the others expressed their stance one after another. They were afraid that His Majesty would misunderstand.
Ouyang Shuo just smiled. No one could tell what he was thinking. "Forget it. You guys should stay in the game world and guard the Xia Kingdom for me. The matter of Hope Planet doesn't require your help for the time being. "
Hearing this, some people secretly heaved a sigh of relief. There were also some who weren't convinced.
"I still insist on going." The one who spoke was Bai Hua, his expression stubborn.
Ouyang Shuo's eyes flashed with a trace of warmth. He patiently said, "This time, the number of people going to Hope Planet should be small. Compared to Hope Planet, the game world needs your protection more. "
It was better not to cause too much of a commotion when establishing an outpost base.
What outsiders didn't know was that after Hope City was destroyed by the beasts, the starship hovering in space had used satellites to track the fire dragon and the Titan Giants.
The conclusion was that these top-notch beasts wouldn't move easily. If Hope City hadn't developed to the point where it threatened the survival of the beasts, it wouldn't have met with such an unexpected disaster.
Keeping a low profile was Ouyang Shuo's basic strategy.
Of course, the threat was always there. No matter how low-key they were, they couldn't hide from this earth-shattering crisis.
What had to be faced would eventually have to be faced.
"I can only be at ease with you guys around." Ouyang Shuo encouraged them. "You guys can be considered Bing 'er's elder brothers and sisters. Only if you guys assist her well will she be able to stand firm."
"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty!" Tao Wu and the others expressed their gratitude.
Only Bai Hua remained stubborn.
Seeing this, Ouyang Shuo sighed in his heart. "How about this, I will set a deadline."
"Ten years."
"We used ten years to build a super empire. I hope that you guys can also assist Bing 'er for ten years and manage the five protectorates well so that they can be completely integrated with the empire's core. "
"When the empire no longer needs to establish protectorates, it will be the day that you guys head to Hope Planet and assist me in expanding the territory of Hope Planet."
"How about it?"
Bai Hua and the others looked at each other and nodded solemnly.
Ten years.
It was a brand new cycle.
Perhaps they wouldn't have thought that the ten-year pact set by the six of them would become the cornerstone of the stability and prosperity of Xia Dynasty. It had resisted the storms that targeted the empire again and again.
The historian Tang Pei wrote in the History of Xia, "His Majesty's ten-year pact is more powerful than the authority to release troops with a cup of wine. It has created a brand new meritorious service allocation model."
Thus, a new page was opened in the history of the empire.
…
The next day, in the main hall of the palace.
The sky had just brightened. The civil and military officials who were invited to attend the court meeting woke up early. They took a bath and changed their clothes. They were solemn as if they were going to attend the sacrificial ceremony.
In front of the square, the officials stood in twos and threes, chatting with each other while waiting for the palace gate to open.
"Tingyu, over here."
Jiang Shang, the Cabinet Secretary, took the initiative to call Zhang Tingyu, the Deputy Minister of Administration and Chief of Personnel Administration, to his side for a talk.
This scene was quite eye-catching.
The court officialdom had a strict order and hierarchy. Officials of different ranks would rarely be in the same circle. For example, the officials seemed to be in twos and threes, and their positions seemed to be very messy, but in fact, they were orderly.
Apart from the civil and military officials, the group of civil officials consisted of the six Inner Pavilion Elders, the other officials from the capital, the six Protectorates, and the provincial governors.
There were also officials from the capital who stood together with familiar governors. That was also equal in status.
Basically, they would not jump out of this general framework.
Although Zhang Tingyu was a second-rank official, the significance of being called over by the Cabinet Secretary for a talk was not ordinary. For a moment, many pairs of eyes were faintly looking in Zhang Tingyu's direction.
Some seemed to be chatting, but in fact, they had been paying attention from the corner of their eyes.
Because at this particular point in time, any trace of abnormality could contain a great deal of information.
As important officials of the empire, how could they be indifferent?
A trace of thought flashed in the eyes of some officials. Obviously, they had some guesses.
They remembered that in addition to the position of Deputy Minister of Administration, Zhang Tingyu also held the position of Grand Tutor of King Chu. When it was almost certain that King Chu would become the regent, Zhang Tingyu's status as Grand Tutor of King Chu would naturally rise.
It was natural that he would be put in an important position.
Thinking of this, some officials were extremely envious and regretted that they did not get this position. Speaking of which, who would have thought that the Eldest Princess, who was still ignorant of worldly affairs a few years ago, would suddenly rise and become the successor of the empire.
Although he had become the focus of attention, Zhang Tingyu himself was calm and did not show any abnormality. He respectfully walked over and greeted the Cabinet Elders, neither servile nor overbearing.
In history, Zhang Tingyu was also a person who had been in charge of the cabinet. How could he have stage fright?
Just as it was bustling, the palace doors opened.
The officials stopped chatting and orderly walked into the main hall according to the order of civil to the left and military to the right, waiting for the court to begin.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
After another half an hour, Ouyang Shuo, wearing a crown and a dragon robe, slowly walked into the main hall under the call of the female officials and stood in front of the Dragon Throne.
King Chu, Ouyang Bing, had been following behind Ouyang Shuo. There was no expression on her face, only her fists hidden in her long sleeves showed her nervousness.
Ouyang Bing was very clear about what today's court meeting meant to her.
After entering the main hall, Ouyang Shuo stood beside the civil officials, in front of Jiang Shang.
This was not overstepping the rules.
Although Jiang Shang was the Cabinet First Minister, Ouyang Bing was King Chu. She was also a First Minister and was the Eldest Princess of the royal family. Naturally, her status was higher than Jiang Shang's.
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