After rebirth, she discovered the space golden finger

Chapter 623 The Chosen One (8)

"Zhao Chen, you think you can compete with me for the throne? Humph! You overestimate yourself!"

Zhao Li glanced at Zhao Chen with disdain, sneered, and made no attempt to hide his arrogance. He raised his blood-dripping sword, pointed it at Zhao Chen, and walked towards him step by step...

Zhao Chen unconsciously clenched his fists. His heart was beating slightly faster as he looked at Pei Yun beside him with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

Pei Yun calmly raised his hand and waved it, and the sword in Zhao Li's hand was instantly flung away by an invisible force, falling into a corner of the hall.

Those around him couldn't help but gasp, staring in disbelief at Pei Yun. Zhao Li was also startled, feeling as if his hand had slipped from his control, forcing the sword in his hand to fly away. He retreated repeatedly, looking at the woman in front of him with fear on his face.

Zhao Chen laughed triumphantly: "Zhao Li, you killed the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince, so don't even think about leaving the palace today!"

Zhao Li snapped out of his daze. To hide his fear, he said guiltily, "Zhao Chen, I don't know where you got your helper from, but I have the Imperial Guard and the soldiers of the Xishan Camp. What makes you, a prince with no power base, think you can compete with me? Even if your helper is capable, can she really take on ten thousand men single-handedly?"

"Then add me!" The Sixth Prince Zhao Yi walked in from outside and came to Pei Yun's side.

Everyone looked over at the sound and were even more surprised to see Zhao Yi.

Zhao Li's pupils contracted, and he squinted at Zhao Yi: "Sixth brother, are you sure you want to go against me?" Zhao Yi has the Qin family behind him, and Zhao Li didn't dare to offend him in the past, but now, judging from the situation, the Qin family is clearly on Zhao Chen's side.

"Master Pei, the men brought by the Qin family are already waiting outside the city..." Zhao Yi said, bowing to Zhao Chen. "The Qin family is willing to obey Your Majesty's orders."

These words stunned everyone present once again. This action clearly showed that the Qin family had pledged allegiance to Zhao Chen. However, they were puzzled as to why the Qin family did not support Zhao Yi as emperor.

This was the first time Zhao Chen had ever heard someone address him as "Your Majesty," and at that moment, an unprecedented sense of satisfaction welled up in his chest.

Zhao Li's face was so gloomy it could drip water. He exuded a fierce aura and stared at Zhao Chen and Zhao Yi with piercing eyes. He raised one hand, and Wang Wei, the commander of the Imperial Guards, and his men, who had received the signal, immediately surrounded them and pointed their bows and arrows at Pei Yun and the other two.

"Hmph! Distant water can't quench a nearby fire. The palace is now full of my people. As long as I kill the three of you, would the Qin family dare to betray the country?!"

As soon as Zhao Li finished speaking, the imperial guards around him shot out arrows, and Wang Wei, who was highly skilled in martial arts, drew his bow and shot an arrow at Pei Yun.

In an instant, hundreds of arrows simultaneously attacked Pei Yun and his two companions in the center. The ministers who were watching from the sidelines quickly hid in corners to avoid being accidentally injured.

Zhao Chen and Zhao Yi's hearts tightened. Although they knew Pei Yun's abilities, as mortals, they still couldn't suppress their fear in the face of the dense attacks.

But the next moment, everyone was completely shocked. Pei Yun simply took a step forward without making any move, and a hemispherical transparent water curtain appeared around the three of them. All the arrows that touched the water curtain fell to the ground as if they had hit a wall, before they could even get close to the three of them...

However, this was not the end. The woman known as "Master Pei" waved her sleeve again, and the surrounding imperial guards were all sent flying and fell to the ground, including Zhao Li.

Zhao Chen's eyes lit up. He took the opportunity to pick up the sword that Zhao Li had just used, walked up to Zhao Li, and stepped on Zhao Li's chest.

"Zhao Li, those who kill will be killed. Over the years, you have secretly instigated the conflict between the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince, causing countless innocent lives to be lost. Today, you should pay for it!" With that, he raised the sword in his hand and plunged it into Zhao Li's chest.

Zhao Li was powerless to resist. He never imagined that the one who would ultimately be the one to suffer was not him, but Zhao Chen. His eyes, filled with hatred, stared at Zhao Chen, blood gushing from his mouth, his words broken and intermittent: "Zhao Chen...you...you will...get...retribution..." His neck twisted, and his breath died.

"Why haven't you surrendered yet!" Zhao Chen swept his gaze around at the people with disdain.

Except for Pei Yun and Zhao Yi, everyone else bowed their heads and knelt down: "Your subjects pay their respects to Your Majesty!"

……

Half a month later, Zhao Chen officially ascended the throne. He immediately appointed Pei Yun as the Grand Preceptor and Zhao Yi as the Prince of Qi. He also bestowed lavish rewards upon the Qin family and changed the era name to Anyuan.

In the first year of the Anyuan era, the first decree issued by Zhao Chen was to reduce taxes and corvée labor, allow the people to recuperate, and alleviate their burdens.

For the next three years, in order to stabilize the turbulent situation of the previous years, Zhao Chen worked diligently and conscientiously. Every morning, he would listen to the memorials presented by his ministers, and after that, he would review the memorials, consult with Pei Yun, and often keep the ministers in his study to discuss matters, often until late at night.

He listened to Pei Yun's advice, elevated the status of the Ministry of Agriculture, and ordered people to find skilled farmers and craftsmen who could make agricultural tools. Grain was the foundation of the people's livelihood, so he increased grain production, ensured that the people had enough to eat, and increased the population of Zhao.

For this reason, he also outwitted and fought against the powerful families, forcibly seizing a lot of land that they had previously acquired. Pei Yun once told him that land annexation was one of the reasons for the demise of a dynasty.

He encouraged business exchanges and cooperation with other small neighboring countries in various aspects, including economics, and relaxed restrictions on merchants to some extent.

He also improved the imperial examination system and the Imperial Academy, suppressing powerful families while supporting the rise of children from poor families and commoners.

This is no easy feat. These powerful families are not to be trifled with; they have extensive networks and immense power. When they unite, the threat they pose can overthrow a dynasty.

If it weren't for the fact that he had built his own shadow guards over the years, and that Pei Yun had been collecting secrets from various aristocratic families, using this information to divide these families, sometimes warning them and sometimes winning them over, it would have been possible to maintain a balance among the various forces.

This process took a full thirteen years before he finally pulled the dynasty, which was constantly falling into the abyss, back on track. The atmosphere in the Zhao state changed, and there were more signs of vitality.

In the thirteenth year of the Anyuan era, Zhao Chen established his eldest son as the crown prince and appointed Pei Yun as the crown prince's tutor to teach the prince.

In the fifteenth year of Anyuan, Zhao Chen spent the whole morning meeting with the Left Chancellor, the Minister of Revenue, and other court officials to discuss arrangements for the Grand Canal transport. He listened to the officials arguing in front of him all morning, but in the end, no plan was finalized.

Zhao Chen originally wanted them to stay for lunch and continue, but people from the Empress Dowager's palace, acting on the Empress Dowager's orders, invited him to come.

Zhao Chen had no choice but to adjourn the meeting and rush to the Empress Dowager's palace.

"Mother."

The Empress Dowager's palace had already ordered the imperial kitchen to prepare lunch. Empress Dowager Zhuang smiled and pulled the Emperor to sit down. Having suffered greatly in the Cold Palace, she had been pampered and lived a life of luxury in recent years. Her face was no longer old and haggard, but rather had gained a more dignified and noble appearance.

"My son, you've worked hard. Eat more. These lotus seed dumplings were your favorite when you were little..."

Zhao Chen sighed inwardly, put down his chopsticks, and said, "Mother, please speak your mind..."

"The other day I summoned your aunt to the palace and also saw your cousin Zhen'er. She is exceptionally beautiful and intelligent. It's time to add a confidante to your harem!"

"Since the Empress Dowager likes her, then let's bring her into the palace..." Zhao Chen said indifferently. He did not pursue beauty excessively, but he never refused beauties sent to him from various directions.

In his view, this was a sign that all forces were submitting to him, and he would not allow Consort Yu to control the harem like his father had; he would hold power firmly in his own hands.

Empress Dowager Zhuang laughed and continued probing, "It's like this, I heard the court is currently discussing the Grand Canal transport, and your uncle... also wants to do his part to help you..."

Zhao Chen's face instantly darkened, and he said bluntly, "Uncle's reach is a bit too far. He's already the emperor's brother-in-law, yet he's still not satisfied. It's like a snake trying to swallow an elephant!"

"You child!" Empress Dowager Zhuang's face fell when she heard him speak so harshly. "He's your own uncle, a member of the Zhuang family. Would he harm you? He was just helping you..."

"Mother, who do you think you can fool with these words! The Zhuang family was originally just an ordinary commoner. An ignorant and incompetent person dared to interfere in important matters of the court. Last time, he even used the name of the Emperor's brother-in-law to accept bribes from those scholars, almost causing a major incident. If it weren't for Mother's sake..."

That was the first time he had gone against Pei Yun's wishes to protect Zhuang's eldest brother-in-law. Of course, this was not because he valued family ties, but because after a long period of wielding power, he realized for the first time that his power was being constrained, and as the emperor, he felt uncomfortable.

Several years ago, he rarely consulted Pei Yun. Since then, he has tried to avoid Pei Yun in matters of state, preferring to discuss them with the court officials.

"Emperor..." Empress Dowager Zhuang wanted to say more, but Zhao Chen stopped her from continuing. He didn't even need to eat and got up to leave.

After leaving the Empress Dowager's palace, Zhao Chen couldn't help but ask, "Is the Imperial Preceptor in the Eastern Palace?"

"Your Majesty, I heard that the Imperial Preceptor took the Crown Prince to pay respects to the Prince of Qi today..." the eunuch said, bowing.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Chen's face darkened. Just then, a beautiful melody of a zither drifted from the Imperial Garden, and Zhao Chen looked towards the source of the sound.

Who is playing the piano?

"Your Majesty, it should be the newly appointed Consort Wang."

"Let's go take a look..."

The first time Zhao Chen saw Consort Wang, he felt that her eyebrows and eyes resembled someone else's. This touched his deepest, most unspeakable secret. The next day, Consort Wang was bestowed the title of Lady Wang.