In November of the fifth year of the Zhaoming era, an explicit imperial edict was issued from the court, appointing Minister of War Zhong Zhiwei as the chief commander of the Dingyi Border Camp. The former chief commander of the Right Camp, Wen Xun, was reassigned to the Left Camp. Former Assistant Secretary Gao Changjian was transferred to the Right Camp as its army supervisor. Tao Jing, the army supervisor of the Central Camp, became the chief commander of the Right Camp. Du Daosi was appointed as the Inspector of Qing Province. New talents such as Qin, Cui, Wei, Ruan, Ming, and Fan, who had distinguished themselves in battles and had been serving as commanders in the Central Camp, were all appointed to official positions in the Ministry of War.
Upon arriving in Jianzhou, Zhong Zhiwei was granted the additional title of Middle Grand Master. Before being dispatched to the frontier, she was directly promoted to Great Middle Grand Master, signifying that this transfer was a mark of the Emperor’s trust and regard, rather than her displeasure.
Additionally, the appointments of Wen Xun and Tao Jing were noteworthy. Wen Xun, a member of the imperial clan, excelled in both military strategy and martial arts. Her transfer to the western frontier was expected to suit her well. As for Tao Jing, being the heir of Tao Jia, it had previously been inappropriate for him to hold significant military power while his father served as General of Chariots and Cavalry. Now that Tao Jia had ascended to the position of one of the Three Excellencies, there was no longer a need to restrain Tao Jing, and he was granted the position of chief commander as compensation.
As for Gao Changjian, his appointment left many perplexed – he was a civil official through and through.
Taking advantage of his attendance at the imperial court, Gao Changjian personally declined the appointment before the Emperor. However, Wen Yanran smiled and said, “I am well aware. But since there have been no wars in the southern region for the past two years, what harm is there even if a civil official is sent?”
Gao Changjian immediately understood. The construction of both the canal and the city of Taikang relied heavily on the troops of the Right Camp. The Emperor’s decision to send him there took into account his experience in the Ministry of Works. His role would be to assist the officials on both sides in properly completing the canal and the auxiliary capital.
Craftsmen did not hold high status, and the Ministry of Works ranked only average among the six ministries. However, Gao Changjian had a modest disposition and would never look down on his colleagues simply because of differences in expertise or background. He was content to take on an auxiliary role.
As for Du Daosi, although she had originally served as a drafter alongside Gao Changjian, she had spent more time in the Emperor’s service and had previously been renowned as one of the outstanding talents of the southern region, alongside Cui Xinbai. She was directly appointed as a provincial inspector. Wen Yanran’s original intention had been to place her in Yong Province, but unfortunately, according to court regulations, officials could not serve as chief administrators in their home regions, so she had to be assigned to a somewhat more distant location.
No one at court knew that the Emperor had deliberately placed Gao Changjian, who was unfamiliar with military affairs, into the Right Camp, primarily to clear obstacles for Xiao Xichi’s eventual separatist rule in the future. Fortunately, her authority was so great that even if the court officials found it puzzling, they would not raise any objections.
The reassignments of local officials involved a multitude of complexities. The court needed to carefully assess each individual’s abilities, background, familial relations, and more before making evaluations and assignments. As the Emperor, Wen Yanran had to cross-reference the reports processed by the Ministry of Personnel with the intelligence submitted by the City Bureau to stay informed about the situation across various regions. It was not until the New Year that the arrangements were finally settled.
During this period, the officials of the Ministry of Personnel, frequently summoned to the imperial palace, could not help but feel a myriad of emotions. Although the Sovereign had spent some time idling in the suburbs after General Zhong’s return, once she began working, she was once again the familiar figure they knew best.
Heavy snow fell, blanketing the entire city of Jianping in an endless expanse of silver white.
This was the fifth New Year gathering Wen Yanran had experienced since her transmigration.
Perhaps because the player had grown accustomed to such routines, the system had not issued any prompts for similar activities in a long time.
Early this morning, Wen Yanran ascended the heights to perform the sacrificial rites, accompanied by the assembled civil and military officials. She then returned to the city to receive the formal congratulations of the ministers. Now seated upright on the imperial throne, she gazed downward through the tassels of her crown. Within and beyond the hall, she saw only the prostrated figures of her ministers. Those officials positioned at a distance were reduced to mere vague silhouettes, blending into the solemn backdrop of the Taiqi Palace.
Gazing upon this scene before her, Wen Yanran found herself momentarily seized by the illusion that supreme power was truly in her grasp, and that peace reigned across the land.
After the audience concluded, the tribute emissaries from various regions ascended the hall in turn to publicly report on the state of governance in their respective localities, including matters such as registered households, land yields, and tax revenues.
At present, the officially registered household counts in the eastern, western, and northern regions remained consistent with past figures – a fact that greatly astonished many officials. In the early years of the Emperor’s reign, the court had engaged in repeated military campaigns, and after the wars subsided, large-scale construction projects had been undertaken. In reality, the population had significantly declined. For the figures to show no decrease, it could only mean that either the Ministry of Revenue had falsified the accounts, or that the efforts to uncover unregistered households across the regions had proven remarkably effective.
As the head of the Ministry of Revenue, Lu Yuanguang had an even deeper understanding of the situation. Local powerful families often colluded with one another, and even if they were subdued temporarily, they could easily revive. If local officials did not want these powerful families to revert to their old ways after their departure, they had to strike harshly against their entire clans. In doing so, they would inevitably earn a reputation as oppressive officials, risk retaliation afterward, and cause a sharp decline in the reserve of local talent. A better alternative was to relocate the able-bodied members of these clans to the south. Once they had completed their corvée labor, the influence of these powerful families would be greatly diminished, making it difficult for them to contend with local officials.
Thus, the Emperor had to initiate large-scale construction projects at this time in order to give these people something to occupy them.
As a result, the population of the southern region also saw a significant increase.
One by one, officials stepped forward and withdrew. When the tributary envoy from Wu Province came forward, he first performed the grand ceremonial bow. After reporting on the state of his prefecture, he proclaimed loudly, “Now that the waterways between Jian and Yong have been connected, the Inspector of Wu Province has specially recruited skilled craftsmen and presents a shipbuilding plan to Your Majesty.”
Since the canal had been built and the construction of the auxiliary capital had begun, the court would undoubtedly start shipbuilding in the near future. Local officials, gauging the Emperor’s intentions, had decided to preemptively present the plans to win favor.
The ministers in the court heard a light laugh from the Emperor above, who then accepted the gift, appearing to be in quite a good mood.
Wen Yanran was naturally in a good mood – even though she had been quite unbalanced in her studies back in the day, she knew well that a canal, combined with dragon boats, could deliver the most devastating critical strike to the stability of the realm.
There were plenty of perceptive people in the world, and the Inspector of Wu Province was far from the only one willing to contribute to shipbuilding. Any local official whose jurisdiction had a developed shipbuilding industry dispatched tributary envoys to present craftsmen and blueprints.
After the audience in Qianyuan Hall concluded, a banquet followed. Just as evening arrived, lanterns had already been lit early throughout Taiqi Palace. The palace lamps, cast in the shape of bronze trees, were adorned with countless candles. Their brilliant flames flickered, shining so brightly as to be almost dazzling, as if rivers of fire were cascading down the imperial steps.
Wen Yanran raised her golden goblet filled with fruit juice and took a sip. Turning to the State Preceptor beside her, she said with a smile, “Brother, you once divined that I would become the Sovereign. Did you also calculate how many years I would reign?”
This was a rather delicate topic, yet Wen Jingmei remained composed. “Though I have not made such a calculation,” he replied, “I can roughly surmise it. The longest-reigning emperor of the Great Zhou dynasty ruled for fifty years. Your Majesty ascended the throne in youth and is also well-versed in medicine, so naturally, your reign shall be even longer.”
If an auxiliary capital were to be completed entirely from start to finish, it would take over a decade or even several decades. However, to build it merely to the point where it could be used by the Emperor, it would not take nearly as long.
In the seventh year of the Zhaoming era, the city of Taikang was initially completed. The inner imperial city and the palace complex had been constructed according to the Emperor’s requirements. Since the southern region was abundant in water while the Great Zhou revered fire, the Emperor named the palace complex Taizheng Palace, with its main hall designated as Hanhong Hall.
At the same time, the canal’s waterways from Yong Province to Yu Province and Qin Province had also been fully connected, and the first batch of dragon boats was officially launched for trial runs.
Wen Yanran discovered that the wisdom of the ancients in shipbuilding was not to be underestimated. People of this era were already capable of constructing towering multi-decked warships over thirty meters high. Although the Great Zhou had not engaged in naval warfare for many years, there was still a considerable reserve of vessels in the Jianzhou region.
The new dragon boats were reconstructed based on these multi-decked warships, with the Jingyuan playing a significant role in the process. Every year, large quantities of rubber grass were transported from the west. Apart from the portion consumed in the Emperor’s alchemical practices, the rest was used in the construction and maintenance of ships.
During the spring hunt that year, the Emperor did not go to the Northern Park. Instead, she traveled to the canal to witness the launching of the dragon boats.
Although the dragon boats were adorned with considerable brass decorations, they did not particularly impress Wen Yanran. The fundamental reason was that the Imperial Household, believing the Emperor to be pragmatic, had dared not indulge in extravagance. However, Wen Yanran interpreted it differently – as a modern person, she had seen photos and videos of aircraft carriers, so it was only natural that ancient multi-decked warships failed to astonish her.
