This Really Is Happy News

"The medicinal herbs from the Xiong State are of very high quality!"

The new emperor was relieved that when he boasted, he mentioned that the medicinal herbs in the side hall were for Zhang Xuezhou to practice with.

These were the best medicinal materials he could muster at the time, and they differed in quality from those procured by the Empress Dowager.

The medicinal herbs that Hongku brought to the Great Han Dynasty were of higher quality than those requisitioned by the Empress Dowager.

"The Hundred Thousand Great Mountains are a gathering place of spiritual essence, and the medicinal herbs that grow there are of high quality," Zhang Xuezhou said. "If we exclude the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains region, the Xiong State is also considered a harsh and cold place!"

"If only we could take over the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains!"

The new emperor sighed.

But the new emperor could only dream about it.

Li Guang had been stationed in the north for many years, and his army had repeatedly attacked without success, sometimes even getting lost in the mountains.

If it can serve as a shield for Xiong State, then it is certainly not a benevolent place.

"If Your Majesty is interested, you can give it a try in the future!"

Even conquering the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains wouldn't guarantee control over its resources. The Xiong State relied on many demonic birds to gather these medicinal resources from remote mountainous areas, a skill that herb gatherers could hardly replicate.

However, Zhang Xuezhou did not discourage the new emperor, who knew little about the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

He was even quite pleased that the new emperor had this idea.

If the Great Han Dynasty retaliates against the Xiong State, and the Xiong State's army suffers setbacks in battle, Zhu Jiuyin might consider moving the Hunyuan Formation to change the terrain of the mountainous area, allowing Zhang Xuezhou to potentially profit from the risks.

"The Xiong State is a major threat. Many within their ranks claim to be the legitimate successors of Chinese civilization and have been trying to return here. Sooner or later, we must expel them completely!"

The new emperor took a deep breath.

The current attitude of the imperial court towards the Xiong State is dominated by the pro-peace faction, which even led to the peace agreement reached with the Xiong State six months ago.

The agreement was verbal, but the gifts from the Great Han Dynasty were genuinely sent out.

The current strategy of the Great Han Dynasty is to contain the vassal kings, suppress the Nanyue remnants of the Qin Dynasty, and gradually annex the Western Yi regions that were out of control during the Zhou Dynasty. It has not considered targeting the Xiong State.

However, the new emperor was well aware that the Xiong State was a real threat, and a major war between them was inevitable sooner or later.

The idea of how to defeat, expel, or annihilate the Xiong State in a complex situation existed as early as the reign of Emperor Gaozu.

Only by eradicating the root of the Xiong State can the Great Han Dynasty eliminate some of the hidden dangers posed by double-dealers; otherwise, no matter how many times they are arrested, they will never be completely eradicated.

"Your Majesty is right!"

Zhang Xuezhou praised it repeatedly.

Clearly, mutually beneficial trade presented the new emperor with new opportunities.

Hongku takes back the pills, they will end up in the hands of a select group of powerful individuals. The new emperor, on the other hand, will not only have a greater variety of pills, but will also distribute them among those who have contributed to his cause, thus promoting a number of people.

This test not only who gets the best deal, but also how they use it.

The new emperor had already made arrangements beforehand.

Although his methods of selecting talent were not as dazzling as those cultivated by the Empress Dowager, the people he trained were genuinely skilled in Divine Ability abilities and military prowess.

As things accumulate, this kind of development is like a snowball rolling downhill.

Not every cultivator is like those fearless sorcerers of the Yedie River Holy Land, nor does every cultivator possess the physical body of a great demon impervious to arrows.

A Tian Fen at the True Self Realm is remarkable, but only a handful of people are needed to kill a high-level cultivator like Tian Fen who has flaws.

From the perspective of individual upbringing, the Empress Dowager's approach to education was correct.

From the perspective of collective training, Xin Di felt that his approach was not bad.

As for which side is superior, the new emperor believes that the day will come sooner or later to find out.

"To be honest, what is your success rate in refining the Creation Pill?"

Hongku left with the elixir, and the new emperor and Zhang Xuezhou spent the night in Shanglin Garden. The new emperor also kept thinking about Zhang Xuezhou's abilities.

"How can any elixir be guaranteed?" Zhang Xuezhou shook his head repeatedly. "Young Master Li left in tears. I really can't guarantee a high success rate!"

"Oh? Did Master Li also ask you to refine pills?" the new emperor asked in surprise.

"He came to me asking me to refine the Law Power Creation Pill. I threw in two hundred portions of materials, but not a single one was formed," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Why don't you try a different furnace? It's such a waste that Qin Furnace No. 8 destroyed two hundred portions at once," the new emperor said.

"Qin Furnace No. 8 can produce top-grade pills!"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head.

After being refined using his standardized process, Qin Furnace No. 8 achieved a very high success rate in alchemy.

However, Zhang Xuezhou and pharmaceutical manufacturing involved a trial-and-error process. Before he could successfully debug the process, he destroyed so much material that it was heartbreaking for the new capital.

Despite Zhang Xuezhou's destruction of materials, the new emperor had to admit that Zhang Xuezhou was skilled in alchemy and medicine making.

If the national treasury is full, the new emperor would be very happy for Zhang Xuezhou to squander it, but in the initial stage, he would need to save as much as possible.

The new emperor couldn't help but tentatively ask Zhang Xuezhou if he could entrust the Hongku batch of medicinal herbs to other Alchemist for refining.

"No problem!"

Zhang Xuezhou repeatedly patted his chest to assure him.

As a representative of the court officials who preferred to lie low, Zhang Xuezhou felt that it was better to do less trouble than more trouble. After all, it was very good to get benefits without doing any work. He had no interest in alchemy lately, and it would be better to hand it over to other Alchemist to refine in batches rather than forcibly refine two or three batches.

"If only all court officials were like you!"

Zhang Xuezhou's absence lasted a very long time, so long that the new emperor would get a headache whenever he thought about it.

But Zhang Xuezhou was a truly hard-working man; even while recuperating from illness, he managed to close a large international trade deal.

Zhang Xuezhou might think that negotiating such a deal would be easy, but the new emperor had sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions seven or eight years ago, and Zhang Qian's fate was still unknown. The new emperor had also sent many other missions, either for trade or alliances, but none of them had been able to successfully complete their missions.

The new emperor's praise was not just empty words, but a genuine expression of his wish.

If there are any loyal and capable officials, the new emperor has no interest in managing them. He can do whatever he wants and doesn't need to consult him on everything.

"The court is full of capable people, and what I have done is insignificant. If Your Majesty would be so kind as to reward me, I am preparing for my wedding soon, and it would be wonderful if you could bestow some money upon me!"

Zhang Xuezhou knew very well that the new emperor's praise was genuine, but he also knew he couldn't take it too seriously and agree with it.

On the contrary, Zhang Xuezhou had to directly claim credit for the achievements to avoid the new emperor harboring resentment and having other ideas.

There needs to be a purpose in doing anything, especially when it comes to achieving merit. It is abnormal to be free from greed for money, lust, and the desire to raise offspring.

As Zhufu Yan said, the purpose of becoming an official is to make money; this was the prevailing social environment and values Great Han.

Hongku took the elixir away, and the new emperor took the medicinal herbs that Hongku brought. Zhang Xuezhou, who was in charge of connecting the dots, got nothing in return. If Zhang Xuezhou hadn't asked for anything, it would have been a problem with his mindset.

"You're getting married? Are you serious?" The new emperor asked curiously, getting out of bed and looking at Zhang Xuezhou who was lying down.

"Very real," Zhang Xuezhou nodded. "I'm going to get the marriage certificate done right away!"

"This... this is wonderful news! Congratulations!"

Zhang Xuezhou had been married for less than two years, and his child was less than a year old. He was preparing to sign a marriage contract, not to take a concubine. The new emperor knew very well that Zhang Xuezhou had divorced and remarried, and was preparing to take a principal wife.

Although the gifts for the wedding and the birth of the child were somewhat frequent, the new emperor was still very happy that Zhang Xuezhou was getting married again. After all, the first woman Zhang Xuezhou married lacked a family fortune and had a lowly status, so she could not be of any use to Zhang Xuezhou.

If Zhang Xuezhou were to hold a wedding banquet, he could prepare a generous gift to offer his congratulations.

"Which family's woman are you marrying this time?"

The new emperor was also quite curious about which official in Chang'an City Zhang Xuezhou had arranged to marry his second wife.

"A betrothal!"

"It seems there are no righteous families in Chang'an City?"

"Yi Shuo is a physician at Changxin Palace. She's an excellent acupuncturist and can even treat my illnesses!"

"A royal physician?"

The new emperor took a deep breath, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou had once again married a woman with little Lineage support.

Zhang Xuezhou's marriage brought no change in status and prevented him from climbing the ranks among the nepotistic officials in the court.

Of course, a medical officer would be very helpful to a patient like Zhang Xuezhou.

The new emperor felt somewhat regretful about Zhang Xuezhou's criteria for choosing a spouse, but he was also very relieved.

As long as Zhang Xuezhou did not form cliques through marriage, Zhang Xuezhou would remain the most loyal talent by the emperor's side no matter how much he wandered around. Even if he left for a long time, he would not need to be re-examined, and the new emperor would not suspect that Zhang Xuezhou had any ill intentions in establishing trade relations.