"Not only that, there's one more thing." Zhang Jun paused beside the empty government office, glancing at the office behind him and then at the intersection a few hundred steps ahead where a crowd had gathered. He shook his head solemnly. "Do you know that Han Shizhong's attendant came to find me this morning?"

Liu Ziyu immediately nodded. "Just now, when you found me, you also said that it was fortunate Han Shizhong was thoughtful and didn't let the attendant mention the summons last night, otherwise you would have been in trouble today."

"Then do you know what the attendant said to me?"

"Please enlighten me." Under the bright morning sun, Liu Ziyu's previous resentment dissipated somewhat.

"The attendant told me that Grand Commandant Han had heard that His Majesty was living frugally, always giving away as rewards the items that subordinates offered as tribute, so much so that he had nothing useful by his side. He even only lit one candle at night sometimes... Then he said he had some spoils from recent battles that he wanted to offer as tribute, but he was afraid His Majesty wouldn't accept them, so he asked me how to proceed?"

"It must be what he saw with his own eyes last night." Liu Ziyu suddenly realized, recalling Zhang Jun's earlier account, and then sighed. "I've been traveling with you for many days and have heard some rumors, but I didn't expect His Majesty to be so frugal..."

"It's not just frugal." Zhang Jun became even more helpless. "Yanxiu, your perspective really needs to be broadened... In times of national crisis, who isn't living frugally? Here in the temporary capital, many people haven't received their salaries for half a year, yet they bring their families. Before arriving in Huainan, they treated a bit of ginger and fermented soybeans as a treasure. Is that not frugal? Even you, Liu Ziyu, after settling your family, rushed from the Southeast to the temporary capital, traveling thousands of miles on horseback. Is that not frugal? I only ask you, why don't *you* feel frugal?"

"My father committed suicide to serve the nation in its crisis. My second brother's family moved slowly, and my sister-in-law and three nephews all died in the chaos. With national hatred and family feuds, how could I care about being frugal?" Liu Ziyu blurted out.

"Doesn't His Majesty also carry the weight of national hatred and family feuds?" Zhang Jun sighed again.

Liu Ziyu looked around and saw a squad of imperial guards in armor and carrying swords walking away in the distance. Only then did he frown slightly. "Does the imperial family also have such sentiments? Moreover, there's the strange incident of the well... I heard that since then, His Majesty has rarely been moved by matters in the north and doesn't try to rescue the two Emperors, seemingly at odds with his father and brothers."

"Is that how it's rumored in the Southeast?" Zhang Jun paused noticeably.

"Before the Shouchun victory, such rumors were already spreading, and they've only increased since then. But they're being spun in a positive light, because, from the Southeast's perspective, what good reputation could the two Emperors possibly have?"

"That's fine then." Zhang Jun couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Actually, everyone here in the temporary capital knows that His Majesty's words are quite disrespectful towards the two Emperors. He previously refused to negotiate peace with the Jin and forbade any discussion of rescuing the two Emperors before recovering the two rivers. The other day on the road, he even said that the Jingkang Disaster was due to the two Emperors surrendering to fate... Given that attitude, it's understandable that the Southeast would have such rumors. But Yanxiu, think about it, if he didn't harbor resentment, why would he say such things? And if he has resentment, then he still cares to some extent. It's just that what His Majesty cares about may not be just one person."

"That makes some sense." Liu Ziyu also took a deep breath. "The Jingkang Incident is truly a shame unprecedented in history. It's understandable that His Majesty would have resentment and hatred because of it... However, isn't it a good thing that His Majesty has such a Goujian-like ambition?" (Goujian: 勾践, King of Yue who endured hardship to avenge his kingdom)

"It's a good thing, but it's also not a good thing." Zhang Jun shook his head repeatedly. "That's the key point I want to make. In my opinion, it's right for His Majesty to focus on restoring the realm and avenging the shame, but what if he only has the thought of restoring the realm and avenging the shame and doesn't think about anything else? You, Liu Ziyu, with your national hatred and family feuds, are irreconcilable with the Jin, but do you not care about your relatives, family members, hometown, and old friends? A few days ago, when Jianzhou was in turmoil, didn't you ask me about related matters? All the ministers in the temporary capital, who doesn't want to have a higher official rank? Even Prime Minister Lü, who is usually humble and accommodating, didn't he readily accept Nanyang when he heard that Prime Minister Li wouldn't be coming? But what about His Majesty?"

"His Majesty..."

"Prime Minister Lü told me that His Majesty was extremely selfish before and after falling into the well... But in my opinion, His Majesty was undoubtedly selfish before falling into the well, but all his actions afterward have shown no selfish desires. He seems to embody perfect altruism, or perhaps public and private interests are so intertwined that they are indistinguishable." Zhang Jun said solemnly. "One piece of evidence is that ever since His Majesty fell into the well, he has been single-mindedly focused on resisting the Jin and restoring the realm, casting aside wealth, treasures, women, and even his personal safety."

"That's true." Liu Ziyu was also thoughtful. "For example, Li Boji (Li Gongxiang) is now being kept in the Southeast, and people in the Southeast say he is suffering in silence because His Majesty has entrusted him with the imperial heir and the Empress Dowager. As a subject, what can he do but dedicate himself to the task? But conversely, which emperor would entrust the implicit power of succession to a subject if it weren't for resisting the Jin? But..."

"But such behavior is not something a twenty-year-old can handle!" Zhang Jun finally said what he really wanted to express. "His Majesty is too tired... When Prime Minister Li was here, he was like a puppet. During the battle of Shouchun, he was strained to the breaking point. And once he marched west, he was uneasy, afraid of not doing well. You must realize, when you and I were twenty years old, how could we possibly shoulder the fate of the world?"

"But His Majesty is, after all, the Emperor."

"The Emperor is still a person, and the current Emperor was simply enjoying a carefree life before he turned twenty." Zhang Jun was even more helpless. "All of you only think of him as the Emperor and believe he should be a sage, but you don't see him as a person... One moment, a powerful person wants him to be a wooden carving. The next moment, a seasoned official criticizes him for being too reckless in resisting the Jin and tells him to consider the overall situation. And the next moment, a rash person thinks he should be wise and divine. Don't you know that if you continue like this, one day the Emperor will snap and return to his former self in Nanjing (Shangqiu), choosing laundry maids and avoiding war at all costs? Then what will you do? Will you push that Prince Xin from Wuma Mountain in the north or the imperial heir in Yangzhou who is only a few months old onto the throne? Would Han Liangchen and Zhang Boying agree?!"

Liu Ziyu frowned slightly, clearly not wanting to get involved in this topic, but he had to ask, "So, you want me to stay and strengthen the central government?"

"What else?" Zhang Jun smiled wryly. "Given the current situation, as a subject, one can't exactly choose concubines for His Majesty or advise him to pay less attention to state affairs and get more sun, right? The only thing we can do is try to recommend talented people, let someone like you, Yanxiu, stay by His Majesty's side, help him plan, and reduce the problems His Majesty encounters when doing things..."

Liu Ziyu sighed loudly, clearly persuaded, but he couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed.

"No matter what, the safety of the world now rests on this one person. Only when His Majesty is stable can the world be stable!" Zhang Jun pleaded earnestly. "Why wouldn't I want to go out and govern a region and do something great? But at least we have to wait until His Majesty is completely settled here and there are established rules, right?"

Hearing this, Liu Ziyu could only nod reluctantly and say no more.

Moreover, much of what Zhang Jun said was based on his own speculation. As His Majesty's personal advisor and the top confidant among the civil officials, his bias towards His Majesty was obvious. Even though Liu Ziyu had a very good relationship with him these days, he didn't completely trust him.

However, one sentence Zhang Jun said hit the key point: His Majesty, after the Shouchun victory and the journey west, was clearly somewhat uneasy and unsure of what to do... This was only natural, because Zhao Jiu had never seriously been a proper Emperor, nor did he know how to be one.

As soon as he arrived, he was immediately isolated by a few people. After finally breaking free, he just sat there and waited for Li Gang. When Li Gang came, he was a puppet. After Li Gang fell ill, he finally reached his breaking point and decided to break the pot and go to the Huai River, relying on Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun to fight a battle... After winning the battle, His Majesty Zhao also calmed down and, logically, should be a proper Emperor. However, firstly, the roads were unstable, and Nanyang couldn't be secured, and no one was in the mood to teach His Majesty how to do things. Secondly, the Shouchun battle added some color to His Majesty Zhao, and not everyone had the courage to teach him how to be the Emperor. Thus, the current state of restlessness arose.

And this was precisely one of the important reasons why His Majesty Zhao made the confusing decision to leave Wanyan Yinshuke. He seemed to believe that the 'proper thing' of resisting the Jin was only fighting battles, so he was somewhat happy to hear of the enemy.

Returning to the present, His Majesty Zhao himself, perhaps because of dullness or because he was in the middle of the situation, didn't think so much. On the contrary, that day he slept soundly until the afternoon and first received good news, then became invigorated - nothing more than that Zong Ze, the Tokyo Regional Commander, Deputy Commander of the Grand Marshal's Office, and Privy Councilor, sent another memorial, and the content of the memorial was uplifting.

Grandpa Zong's dispatch stated very clearly that he had completely recovered Huaizhou, and Qingzhou and Weizhou in the eastern part of Shandong Province were also confirmed to have been abandoned by the Jin. Now a man named Li Cheng was occupying them... In short, the large-scale withdrawal of the Jin army was a certainty. As long as His Majesty Zhao occupied the cities and defended them securely, there was absolutely no need to worry about Wanyan Yinshuke, who might continue to attack, but would definitely retreat north if he couldn't succeed.

Of course, at the end of the letter, he couldn't help but ask His Majesty Zhao again, would he come to Tokyo?

Leaving aside the important intelligence in the first half, the polite tone in the latter half almost made Zhao Jiu cry with joy... It must be known that he had been traveling for a full half a year since he crossed over, and Grandpa Zong had sent him, His Majesty Zhao, a total of twelve invitations, asking him to return to the old capital to settle down, averaging one every half month.

The previous eleven were all about national righteousness and loyalty, such as 'the momentum of the ancestors' great unification is difficult to achieve,' and 'small palaces have been built for the two Emperors, and His Majesty can live in the old palace.' Every sentence accurately poked at someone's spine, and the moral kidnapping was so smooth that His Majesty Zhao found it difficult to explain. In addition, there were so many soldiers and supplies in Tokyo, waiting for His Majesty to arrive and reorganize the six armies to cross the river and conquer the north!

But this time, such a polite invitation was the first time His Majesty Zhao had seen it.

What did this mean? This meant that after the battle of Shouchun, after His Majesty Zhao's swift and decisive actions, and after walking all the way to Ruyang, the leading marshal of the world, who was now stationed in Tokyo in the north, was finally beginning to trust him, Zhao Jiu!

Only out of pride was he still stubbornly continuing to invite him. Of course, at seventy years old, being a little proud was completely understandable.

In short, this spring of Jianyan 2 was a time when the Jin Dynasty was further prospering and expanding, and the Song Dynasty was further declining and losing control... After all, the eastern and western parts of Shandong Province, as well as the western and eastern parts of Guanzhong, were swept through, causing widespread losses of soldiers and generals. Local scholars and commoners went south one after another, and the city's stores were looted. At the same time, the cities in Hebei that insisted on resistance were constantly being uprooted.

However, if we only consider His Majesty Zhao and his entourage, although there were still some waves, the general situation was still improving.

This was mainly because soldiers and horses had been gathered, people's hearts had been somewhat united, and according to the statements of Zong Ze, Han Shizhong, and Liu Ziyu, as long as they dealt with it properly, Wanyan Yinshuke was not a major problem. Then, establishing a base in Nanyang would be visible to the naked eye.

The significance of a stable secondary capital to the entourage was self-evident.

The situation in the following days developed roughly in this way. Without mentioning the storms on the periphery, let's just say that here, with the recruitment personnel sent out by His Majesty Zhao, many defeated soldiers, bandits, and righteous armies in the Cai Prefecture surrendered one after another and then uniformly accepted the amnesty of the entourage.

Among them, although Han Shizhong was not in a hurry to unify and reorganize due to the uncertain movements of Yinshuke, seeing the map change from enemy territory to his own territory, everyone's sense of security was still significantly improved.

After another day or two, good news came from Tang Prefecture and Yingchang Prefecture - the various independent armed forces there, although they didn't agree immediately, as Liu Ziyu said, essentially had no reason to refuse, but were mostly hesitant and watching. Presumably, as Han Shizhong and Wang De quickly led their troops to press them, perhaps they would also make up their minds.

However, on this very day, the eighth day of the third lunar month, His Majesty Zhao was playing chess with Liu Ziyu, a newly promoted close advisor, while discussing the 'land registration' issue when he suddenly saw an unexpected official.

"Your subject, Hanlin Academician Lin Jingmo, greets Your Majesty!" The young Academician Lin was panting and pale. He was led in by Lan Gui, the chief of the inner palace, and as soon as he saw His Majesty, he bowed and said something quite shocking. "Your subject traveled to Biyang in Tang Prefecture and received the news that Fan Zhixu in Nanyang was terrified and, a few days ago, actively asked the monk Zong Yin, who was stationed at Wuguan, to come out of the pass to save him. As a result, Zhao Zongyin led thousands of soldiers out of the pass and was easily defeated by a detachment of the Jin army northwest of Nanyang. Zhao Zongyin knew he had committed a great crime and did not return to Wuguan or go to Nanyang, but fled to Xiangyang to join Fan Qiong! Wuguan is probably lost!"

Under the eaves, Zhao Jiu pinched a chess piece and remained silent for a while, not even showing anger.

"In that case... Isn't Nanyang in danger?" Liu Ziyu, who had already stood up to avoid Academician Lin, blurted out. "Because the Jin can now safely attack Nanyang and then calmly return to Guanzhong from Wuguan."

Zhao Jiu still didn't speak, just felt somewhat powerless... What could he say?

Han Shizhong, Zong Ze, Liu Ziyu, and even himself and the others had done their best, and the panting Academician Lin in front of him had even risked his life before, but they still couldn't withstand a troublemaking monk.

"Your Majesty!" Academician Lin hesitated for a moment, then forced himself to speak again. "Liu Yan has gone to Ruzhou in the north to find Grand Commandant Han... He told me to be sure to tell Your Majesty to be careful that the Jin will not go to Nanyang, but will instead take advantage of the situation to seize Ruyang! Because since the Jin have a way back in the west, the previous arrangements to cut off the Jin army's retreat in Ruzhou and Yingchang Prefecture in the north have become a burden."

His Majesty Zhao suddenly raised his head, but surprisingly did not show too much panic: "I, I know."