Parting

"Let's travel to the North, seek the Venerable One's method for rapid cultivation in the Xieluosi River, and participate in the hundred-year agreement in Western Kunlun!"

Zhang Xuezhou had four important plans. The first one, involving A Qiao's childbirth, had already begun at this moment of lucidity, and it was also coming to an end very quickly.

Although some unexpected setbacks gave Zhang Xuezhou a headache, there were always solutions.

"I haven't even paid you a visit to offer my congratulations, and you've already come to ask for it!"

Zhang Xuezhou acted swiftly; he took the "Censor" badge and entered the palace to see the new emperor.

Firstly, he wanted to get the wet nurse back. The royal family was more reliable in handling such matters than Zhang Xuezhou running around the streets asking for help. Secondly, he also wanted to get the official document to remove A Qiao from her lowly status.

Secondly, Zhang Xuezhou needed to temporarily leave for a period of time, since he didn't know how long the journey would take.

His reasons were either to take care of his wife and children or to cultivate himself, and he would delay as long as possible.

"Your Majesty, you didn't even know my wife had given birth! I rushed over to share the good news!"

Faced with the new emperor's criticism, Zhang Xuezhou showed no sign of being shy and instead brazenly admitted it.

"This is the first time I've ever seen someone announce good news and then directly ask for a gift, even specifying a name," the new emperor complained.

"Some people give gifts as icing on the cake, while others give gifts as a lifeline. I think Your Majesty is quick to respond to my needs," Zhang Xuezhou said. "The wet nurse wouldn't let my premature baby starve to death at home, and Aqiao wouldn't have been freed from his lowly status, nor would he have been born a slave!"

The Great Han Dynasty had some special regulations regarding place of origin. If a woman did not become the principal wife, her children's place of origin would follow that of their mother.

For example, Wei Qing's father, Zheng Ji, was a renowned county official, but Wei Qing's mother was of low social status, which resulted in Wei Qing's status being of low social status.

Becoming a proper wife is not easy. For example, a woman of low social status like Aqiao must first be freed from that status if she wants to become a wife; otherwise, she can only be a concubine, and her children will also inherit that status.

Once a man has money and status, he will have many women around him and many offspring.

This regulation may seem rigid, but it is extremely beneficial for protecting the legitimate inheritance of the Aristocratic Clan families, preventing their family property from being constantly divided and thus declining.

Let alone Aristocratic Clan families, even ordinary people wanted to keep their meager savings and strongly supported this household registration system.

Zhang Xuezhou also followed the system of the time and did not show anything special or unacceptable.

Taking advantage of the auspicious occasion of childbirth, he also obtained an official document to change A-Qiao's lowly status.

"I thought you would ask for gold, silver, and Law Treasure, but I didn't expect you to ask for so little," the new emperor sighed. "If only people in this world were as easily satisfied as you!"

"Then I'd also like to ask for some gold, silver, money, and Law Treasure!"

"I'm not giving it to you!"

Upon seeing Zhang Xuezhou's easily satisfied nature, the new emperor quickly lost his composure and had no choice but to change his tune.

"Put it all on your son's head," the new emperor said. "I won't renege on my promise. When he's a little older, he can come to the palace as a study companion. He'll have the same teachers who taught my daughter!"

"That's a good idea!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded repeatedly.

Within the Great Han Dynasty system, the education provided by the imperial family was undoubtedly the most advanced in society at that time.

Education is far more important than the temporary convenience of money.

Zhang Xuezhou couldn't even control himself, let alone his children. The new emperor's guarantee truly relieved him of his worries.

Compared to what Zhang Xuezhou had expected before coming to the palace, the new emperor's gifts were indeed quite generous and exceeded Zhang Xuezhou's expectations.

How long will your current training last?

After personally writing the decree, the new emperor finally spoke to Zhang Xuezhou.

"I don't know how long it will take either," Zhang Xuezhou said softly. "It feels like only two days have passed since you told me to rest more last time!"

Two days!

The new emperor let out a long sigh.

For Zhang Xuezhou, time was indeed a bit too tight.

The new emperor has been in power for half a month, while Zhang Xuezhou has only been conscious for two days during this time.

In other words, Zhang Xuezhou's training time cannot be calculated according to common sense.

While others might spend one to three months in seclusion for intensive training, Zhang Xuezhou would definitely need even longer.

"The Xiong State recently sent envoys to seek peaceful coexistence with us. What is your opinion on this matter?"

Zhang Xuezhou was often absent from public view, sometimes for months or even half a year at a time. The new emperor, after thinking it through, did not dwell on it but instead asked his close advisors for their opinions on certain matters.

Most of the close advisors were aware of the affairs of the court, but Zhang Xuezhou was completely oblivious, so this was a reminder to him.

"Currently, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, Wang Hui, is the leading advocate for war, while the Grand Censor, Anguo, is the one advocating for peace," the new emperor said. "These two are playing opposite roles, each presenting their own arguments, but in reality, they are handing over the decision-making power to me and the Empress Dowager!"

"And what are the conditions?"

The losses from war can be roughly estimated, but peace talks are not simply about shaking hands and making peace; they inevitably involve sacrifices. After all, the Great Han Dynasty has been relatively passive in recent years, and peace talks must require sacrifices to buy temporary peace.

"The envoy demands 20,000 cattle and sheep, 30,000 bolts of cloth, and requests that border markets be open to trade without restrictions on ironware. He also demands 10 boxes each of 26 kinds of medicinal herbs, including century-old Poria cocos, Bletilla striata, licorice root, Scrophularia ningpoensis, and Aconitum carmichaelii." The new emperor replied, "These conditions are not significantly different from those of the past; they are changed every five to ten years!"

"Then they really are stuck at the point of reckoning with the cost of war!"

Zhang Xuezhou did not elaborate on his stance on whether to fight or make peace with the Xiong State.

Since the fall of the Great Qin Dynasty, the Great Han Dynasty and the Xiong State have been the top powers in this vast territory, and have been locked in a protracted conflict for a century.

The Xiong State is not simply a group of barbarians. It includes schools of thought that fled after the Great Qin destroyed many kingdoms, as well as noble Aristocratic Clan who moved away due to dissatisfaction with the rule of the Great Han Dynasty. This has gradually formed a force of human cultivators in many Sacred Land and secret places, with the Yedie River Holy Land as the leader.

These people assimilated with the original fierce people, forming a vast and complex dynasty.

This was also the dynasty that understood the lifeline of the Great Han Dynasty best, and its repeated actions, while painful, never crippled the Great Han Dynasty, were a constant erosion of its interests.

The same applies to this round of peace talks.

From a purely financial standpoint, this would be less damaging than engaging in combat, but the fact that such a large sum is being paid simply for a guarantee of non-aggression suggests that the potential profits from this extortion are enormous.

Although there is room for negotiation, as long as there is any intention to negotiate, it is inevitable that one will suffer losses.

Whether it's war or peace, both will result in losses, the only difference being the extent.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't need to think to understand the infighting in the imperial court.

"Does Your Majesty wish for peace or war?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"From a developmental perspective, I accept the peace proposal put forward by Anguo and others. However, raising a tiger will inevitably lead to trouble. We must drive away the Xiong State and create a buffer zone for conflict to prevent repeated extortion. From this point of view, I agree with what Grand Master Wang Hui said!"

"Does the Empress Dowager want peace or war?"

Anguo was a member of the new emperor's faction, while Wang Hui, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, was a member of the Empress Dowager's faction.

Although the two sides expressed different opinions, this did not represent the true intentions of the new emperor and empress dowager, but merely gave them room to choose.

"Since war and peace are neither up to Your Majesty, why should Your Majesty dwell on it?"

The new emperor answered his own question, but he could not answer the Empress Dowager's question.

This means that even if everyone has the most reliable advice, the new emperor's word may not count.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't want to get involved, and he certainly didn't want to waste his brain cells thinking about the specific details.

But as he pondered it, he felt that the demands made by the Xiong State seemed to contain some familiar elements, suggesting that someone familiar to Zhang Xuezhou had intervened.