From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 937

Ziwei Palace, Zhou Yuan has been here countless times, but the scene is almost the same every time.

The elder sister sat on the chair, reviewing the memorials piled on the table.

Looking back, Zhou Yuan realized that the elder sister was indeed too diligent in these years.

Even on the Mid-Autumn Festival, she did not rest. Sitting here seemed to be her fate, her cage.

Her soul was shackled on this small table, unable to be freed.

Looking at her trembling shoulders due to sobbing, and her long hair falling, covering her tired face, Zhou Yuan could not help but sigh.

He walked over, walked to the front of Empress Zhaojing, and gently hugged her shoulders.

Empress Zhaojing raised her head, wiped her tears randomly, and forced a smile.

She said in a slightly flustered voice: "Junior brother, you are back. Look, there are many memorials here, all about the reform of the native system. Deng Su has done a great job in the southwest."

She picked up a pile of memorials and put them aside, then pointed to another pile and said: "These are the progress and results of the new law in the Central Plains. After more than two years of intensive cultivation, the trend there is positive and worth learning from. We are summarizing our experience and continuously promoting it to other provinces."

Zhou Yuan interrupted her: "It's midnight, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Empress Zhao Jing was slightly startled, then whispered: "Now there are many things to do, the pressure of government affairs is great, and the cabinet members are dissatisfied. I have to do things."

Zhou Yuan said: "Xiao Zhuang said that you have slept very little in the past four or five months. You either sleep for one or two hours or stay up all night."

"In a month, you only sleep for about ten days, and the total is only more than 20 hours."

"Big sister, your body will not be able to bear it."

Empress Zhao Jing whispered: "Don't talk about this, my inner strength is deep Thick, not afraid. "

"Look, little brother, these memorials on the far left are about opening the sea. Many ministers have different opinions, and they are not nonsense. Before this, I didn't know that they had studied opening the sea so deeply. As long as we integrate their views, we may be able to get a complete system. "

"This is the memorial about the salt administration. Although Tang Yichao is young, he has done a really good job. This person can be trained as a cabinet minister in the future."

"Oh, yes, there is more!"

She stood up and took another stack of memorials from the shelf behind her, and said excitedly: "Look, these are memorials sent by Datong Town, Jizhou Town and Jinan Prefecture. Regarding recruiting soldiers, military training and joint military exercises, Min Tianrui and Wang Xiong have unique views. "

"You can't imagine, in just a few months in the south, they have already..."

Zhou Yuan couldn't help interrupting: "Senior sister! It's midnight! Let's take a break!"

He saw the bloodshot in Empress Zhaojing's eyes and saw that her face seemed to be stained with a layer of gray.

Empress Zhao Jing said: "Let's not talk about that for now. Let me tell you, the tax returns of various provinces have been submitted this year. The autumn tax will be transported to the capital within a month and then the Ministry of Revenue will arrange for its distribution."

"We have been waiting for this money for a long time. Now I don't even have the money in the treasury. Haha, the monthly salary of those female officials has been owed for two months."

"When this money arrives, I plan to increase investment in the Military Equipment Bureau. You are right. This is an era of weapon replacement. Only with guns and cannons can we have confidence."

"And... and... Oh, yes, Xingguo, I adopted Xingguo as my adopted son. You know, I don't have any children."

"By the way, Gansu Town reported that the Tatar Tumed, Ordos, and Yongshaobu tribes have been a little restless recently. I suspect that the Turpan Khanate and the Yarkand Khanate are behind it. They have divided the Khoshut tribe and are now very strong and their ambitions have expanded. I think..."

Zhou Yuan shouted: "Guan Miaoshan!"

Empress Zhaojing stayed where she was.

Zhou Yuan twisted her shoulders, held her face, and said, "You are sick, do you know? You can't hold on any longer, do you know? How many things are in your heart?"

Empress Zhaojing opened her mouth and murmured, "No...no, I just...I just want to be of some use."

"Junior brother, you see these memorials, I am reviewing them very carefully, I...I am useful, right? I can help you, right?"

"I really have the ability to handle government affairs well, I can really help you share the pressure, although...although you have got my body, you have got everything, but...but I have more than just a body, I also have wisdom, my ability in government affairs is really good."

"You said that even if you will always let me be the emperor, right?"

"You said that I am the emperor of the world, you are my emperor, right?"

"Now that you have defeated the island pirates, the Portuguese and the Dutch,Lanren, you have got me all, will you still let me be the emperor? "

"Will you abandon me?"

Zhou Yuan looked at her and said calmly: "Is that position so important?"

"No, it's not..."

Empress Zhaojing said quickly: "I don't care much about this position, but I want to do something, I want to do something for Dajin and the people."

"I can't be a little woman, I can't do that, everything I have learned and grown up in all these years is for the benefit of the people, I can't serve people, I can't be your wife."

"You have got me, all of me... You... You must not break your promise, and you must not let me go!"

"Although I am not as good as you, I can't save the world, but I am really a wise monarch, I am very good at handling government affairs, you must be very impatient with those chores, I can help you."

"I am a wise monarch! I work hard and love the people. I have no reason to abdicate..."

Zhou Yuan raised his hand, wanting to slap her to wake her up, but he held back.

He felt sorry for her, but he couldn't bear to hit her.

The elder sister was not wrong, she was just sick.

There were many sources of her illness, and he was one of them.

Zhou Yuan thought that he had no right to hit her.

Power, power, do people own you, or do you own people?

Emperor, emperor, is it people who are emperors, or is it the emperor who is bewitching people to do it?

The elder sister has been emperor for twelve years. The longer she sits, the more reluctant she is to give up this position.

Has she been so power-hungry from the beginning?

Absolutely not.

It's the problem of this position. It's like poison, which will constantly erode people's hearts, change people's appearance, and distort people's souls.

It gradually destroyed Guan Miaoshan and gradually nourished Empress Zhaojing, so that the elder sister couldn't tell who she was, and couldn't tell herself. What do you want?

Her original intention was to work hard for this world, and she might think so at this moment.

But deep in her soul, the imperial power has been put under deep and heavy shackles.

She didn't realize that she was seriously ill.

Zhou Yuan looked at her haggard face, and her delicate face was full of anxiety and fear.

Zhou Yuan did get her body, but also deprived her of her only sense of security.

After depriving her, Zhou Yuan did not give her enough comfort, but quickly went south to continue to build great achievements.

Every great victory made Empress Zhaojing happy, but also made her more afraid.

She felt that she had no trump card and could only be slaughtered. She began to be afraid and became twisted...

It's not her fault for all this, really not her fault.

What should be blamed? You and I have the answer in our hearts.

Zhou Yuan held Empress Zhaojing's hand and said in a deep voice: "I want to take you out of the palace."

"Out, out of the palace? Where to? "

Empress Zhaojing was slightly stunned, and was dragged out by Zhou Yuan.

She shouted: "No, don't take me away, don't take me away from this place."

"I have to do things, and these memorials need to be reviewed. They need me to review them."

She couldn't tell whether she needed those memorials or those memorials needed her.

But Zhou Yuan was still pulling her out.

He said in a deep voice: "Xiaozhuang, don't follow us. Tomorrow you go to Deng Bochi and tell him that His Majesty has something to do and will be out of the palace. The return date is uncertain. Let him form a temporary team to review memorials and handle government affairs."

"Everything will be discussed, but he has the final decision-making power."

Empress Zhaojing shouted: "How can you leave these things to Deng Bochi? He is your political enemy."

Zhou Yuan said in a deep voice: "Without the demand for political identity, where can there be political enemies."

"Let's go, Senior Sister, let's leave here and go to a place where no one can find us."