"His Majesty requests that Chen Langzhong compile a memorial of the words spoken by the gentlemen below in the Secretariat Pavilion, and he will review it together with the memorials sent from the Imperial Academy." On the third floor of the Secretariat Pavilion, the Grand Supervisor of the Inner Attendants, Lan Gui, bowed respectfully to the people inside. "Then, please be patient and return to your work and studies with the gentlemen of the Imperial Academy as soon as possible... Do not cause trouble for the Chief Ministers, and do not disrupt order. Matters of great importance to the military and the state, both north and south of the river, in the central government and local areas, must be diligently attended to."

"This subject understands." Chen Kangbo nodded slightly, but then asked again with a serious expression, "May I ask, Grand Supervisor Lan, is that all His Majesty said?"

"Yes." Lan Gui nodded immediately.

Seeing this, Chen Kangbo simply nodded and said nothing more.

Zhao Ding, unable to bear it any longer, interjected, "Grand Supervisor Lan, may I ask where His Majesty is at this moment? And what is he doing?"

"Not daring to conceal anything from Chancellor Zhao, when the commotion broke out here just now, His Majesty was making drawings in the stone pavilion by the fish pond..." Lan Gui answered without hesitation.

"Making drawings?" Zhao Ding was stunned for several breaths before inquiring blankly, "Making what drawings?"

"Drawing the 'Yuji Tu' (Traces of Yu Map) and the 'Huayi Tu' (Map of the Chinese and Barbarians)." Lan Gui explained earnestly. "His Majesty has been working on these two maps for the past few days..."

"Could they be the famous maps of Pei Xiu and Jia Dan?" Zhao Ding reacted after another moment of astonishment.

It was not his fault for being slow to react; rather, the information from His Majesty had a surreal quality to it. In fact, not only Zhao Ding, but almost everyone in the Secretariat Pavilion was in a state of slight bewilderment.

It must be understood that the *Yuji Tu* was a geographical map emphasizing hydrology and mountain ranges, while the *Huayi Tu* was a geographical map emphasizing administrative divisions. The former was created by Pei Xiu of the Western Jin dynasty, and the latter by Jia Dan of the Tang dynasty. They were recognized as the standard geographical models of the time, belonging to the category of professional and high-end knowledge that made these scholar-officials' heads spin just hearing about it.

"Precisely."

Lan Gui was earnest. "This matter actually began before the Jingkang Incident. At that time, the Supreme Taoist Emperor issued an edict, ordering people to recreate the *Yuji Tu* and *Huayi Tu* according to the old maps of Pei and Jia, to be collected in the Secretariat Pavilion, engraved in stone, and then placed in the Forest of Steles in Chang'an, as well as in the Mingdao Palace and Dongxiao Palace..."

Hearing the words "collected in the Secretariat Pavilion," everyone couldn't help but look around at the empty surroundings.

"As a result, by the time of the Jingkang Catastrophe, these two maps were originally completed, and ninety-nine percent of the stone engravings were already done, only the inscription on the back of the stele had not been written. However, precisely because of this, when the Secretariat Pavilion was demanded by the Jin people, these two maps were spared disaster because they had stone engravings..." Lan Gui continued to explain unhurriedly. "A few days ago, His Majesty heard that you were holding daily meetings in the Secretariat Pavilion and asked about related books and miscellaneous items. He then found two stone tablets in the corner of Yanfu Palace and specifically brought them to the stone pavilion to observe. But for some reason, after one glance, His Majesty directly said that the detailed parts of these two maps were extremely detailed, but they were too distorted in the areas of Jingdong and Liaodong. The upper reaches of the Yellow River and the Western Xia region were also somewhat biased, and the Guangxi and Nanyue areas were even more absurd. The deliberate magnification of the Chang'an, Luoyang, and Tokyo line was equally ridiculous, so he wanted to personally correct them... However, for some reason, the more these two maps were corrected, the more mistakes there were, and now they have been carefully corrected for four or five days."

The people in the Secretariat Pavilion looked at each other again, not knowing what to say... What could they say?

It wasn't that they couldn't say anything; on the contrary, there was too much to say. After all, at this sensitive moment, anything this Majesty did would inevitably arouse speculation. The *Yuji Tu* and *Huayi Tu* could certainly be interpreted in many ways, such as the wholeness of the Nine Provinces and the unity of the world. And His Majesty's inquiry about the collection of the Secretariat Pavilion could also reveal something, at least indicating that His Majesty was well aware of the situation here. Moreover, the 'distortion' of Jingdong and Liaodong could be interpreted in many ways.

In fact, most people didn't think that His Majesty had the ability to correct these two maps at all, but instead believed that this Majesty's veiled criticism was more significant... But the problem was that the Secretariat Pavilion was on the verge of a political upheaval, and those things seemed insignificant.

The key was that His Majesty ultimately expressed his hope that the chaos would not affect the operation of the court, which was a relief to some extent.

In fact, as Lan Gui babbled on about the trivial matters of the two maps, Lu Haowen, Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, and others personally led Grand Supervisor Lan and Chen Kangbo downstairs, and easily calmed the originally boiling state downstairs.

Even Chen Kangbo, holding the boot, bowed slightly and went straight back.

Subsequently, the Imperial Academy students, after receiving the imperial decree and submitting their memorials, also dispersed, and a riot was immediately quelled.

However, the apparent order could not conceal the undercurrents beneath the surface... A sudden petition, launched simultaneously by the Secretariat Pavilion and the Xuande Tower, coupled with Chen Kangbo's public declaration of a political manifesto, had already formed a *de facto* political riot. It could not be ignored for its enormous political significance simply because His Majesty later sent people to pacify it.

It could only be said that through this incident, the pro-war faction within the bureaucracy and gentry class was undoubtedly revealed, and they had also formed a distant echo with His Majesty at the top, causing many people to feel anxious about the situation.

Leaving aside the others, that evening, Chancellor Zhao Ding of the Department of State Affairs returned home. After much thought, he felt restless and could no longer maintain the demeanor of a prime minister... But soon, he received an invitation that he found somewhat unexpected, yet within expectations. He immediately disguised himself and went out in the twilight to keep the appointment.

It was none other than Zhang Jun, the Privy Councilor, who had rarely invited his old friend Zhao Ding to his residence for a chat.

Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, and Hu Yin, who was in Guanzhong at this time, were old friends who had shared hardships during the Jingkang Incident, when they fled to the Imperial Academy to escape the war. Then, they simultaneously glimpsed opportunity during His Majesty's well-plunging crisis in the Mingdao Palace, and were subsequently favored by His Majesty and rose through the ranks in succession.

However, by this time, all three had already reached the pinnacle of their careers, but it was difficult to have the same frankness and intimacy as they had in the past, sharing a plate of ginger and fermented soybeans... According to rumors, Zhao and Zhang were already in a state of rivalry, irreconcilable.

Of course, this was somewhat absurd. At most, the two were in opposition, far from the factional struggles before the Jingkang Incident.

And to be honest, this situation was not necessarily a case of being able to share hardships but not wealth. To a large extent, it was because the three had seized the opportunity, and once they reached this position, it became difficult to continue confiding in each other... Because at this point, who didn't have their own group of people? Who didn't have their own political views? Who didn't have their own ambition to leave a name in history?

And how could there be no different views and approaches between people? Once there were differences or structural contradictions, whose opinion would prevail?

Of course, no matter what, this round of peace talks had brought the two together again in times of trouble.

"How does Brother Yuanzhen view today's events?" After all, the two were such close friends. Meeting in private, there was no unnecessary formality. Zhang Jun directly set up cool tea under the grapevines in his yard, dismissed the servants, and then got straight to the point. "What exactly is His Majesty's intention?"

"I have also been thinking about this matter." In front of Zhang Jun, Zhao Ding no longer had the demeanor of a prime minister during the day, but was panting incessantly, clearly showing a state of anxiety. "Today's events were definitely not orchestrated by His Majesty. Most likely, those people colluded on their own, with at most Wang Shu, Chen Gongfu, and Hu Anguo and others giving a slight push..."

"Actually, there is also three parts of my younger brother's indulgence in this." Zhang Jun suddenly interjected, being honest. "Although I did not participate, I can be considered to have turned a blind eye."

"I've already said that the key to today's matter is not in the matter itself. Even if you were somewhat encouraging behind the scenes, it has nothing to do with our current conversation." Zhao Ding shook his head repeatedly. "The key today is that pro-war advocates are, after all, a minority among the officials and scholars in the capital, but smoldering until today, they have become a prairie fire. And the military, especially the preparations around Tokyo, are mostly people from the Two Rivers region. There is no reason for the military to be so calm when things are happening here? What Hu Shijiang mentioned today is actually too late. Unless..."

"Unless His Majesty had made arrangements and spoken words beforehand, otherwise I can't think of anywhere else to go." Zhang Jun interjected. "Also, today His Majesty only sent a Lan Gui to easily suppress this riot, and then there were the words spoken in the stone pavilion that day, which shows that His Majesty's mind is made up, and he is destined to do something... Brother Yuanzhen, to be honest, I am already at a loss!"

"Who isn't at a loss?!" Zhao Ding shook his head repeatedly, but then picked up the cool tea and gulped down a large mouthful.

"Brother Yuanzhen, I advocate war, you advocate defense; I am young, you are old; I am in charge of the Privy Council, you are in charge of all affairs under heaven; I hope to become a Ge Liang through a northern expedition, you hope to assist in the restoration and achieve the career of Wang Dao... But today, we must cross the river together in the same boat." Zhang Jun took a deep breath, and then became serious. "Now we are in my private residence, and not a single servant is left around. You speak first or I speak first?"

"I will speak first." Zhao Ding heavily put down the tea bowl and gritted his teeth. "And I will say a blasphemous remark... His Majesty must never commit patricide and fratricide!"

"Correct! We must never let His Majesty commit patricide and fratricide... This is fundamental! It is also a major concern in my younger brother's heart!" Zhang Jun nodded heavily, but then became apprehensive. "But what if? I thought about it. Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, Li Yanxian, Yue Fei, and Wu Jie are all considered appropriate, but what about Qu Duan, Zhang Rong, and Li Qiong's troops? Qu Duan is disobedient, Zhang Rong is from a bandit background and was forced into rebellion by the Supreme Taoist Emperor, and Li Qiong's troops and the Eight Character Army under his command are mostly Hebei refugees with deep hatred for the Jin people... What if His Majesty really does it?"

"Do our best and leave the rest to fate." Zhao Ding was also somewhat dejected. "If all else fails, we will bear the infamy, and we must not let His Majesty bear this reputation. Since ancient times, there has been no enlightened ruler who committed patricide. Emperor Taizong of Tang only killed his brothers who were vying for the throne, and his father was only imprisoned..."

"If all else fails, that's the only way, but will the people of the world believe it if we bear this burden?" Zhang Jun was also dejected. "It would be better to let the Jin people deal with it in the north..."

"Absurd!" Zhao Ding immediately reprimanded. "Let alone whether such a thing can be concealed from the people of the world and the obvious historical records? Just say that His Majesty is so intelligent, how can he not know the advantages and disadvantages? Even if he hates the Two Sages, he may not do so... If we really do this, it will backfire. If His Majesty loses the hearts of the people and the world is unstable, wanting to launch a northern expedition again will be a distant dream, and we will also be eternal sinners."

Zhang Jun shook his head repeatedly: "Then we should make some preparations, otherwise it will be too late to regret it if things become urgent."

"Let the Supreme Taoist Emperor go to the Mingdao Palace when he returns! Let Yuan Sheng go to the Dongxiao Palace!" Zhao Ding said with gritted teeth.

"What about the two Empresses Dowager?"

"Send them to Yangzhou!"

"What about the imperial clan? They are all His Majesty's own brothers, sons, and nephews..."

"If they cannot protect their fathers and brothers, all princes and dukes will be deprived of their titles and sent to the Dongxiao Palace together!"

"The Dongxiao Palace is in Jiangnan, across the river from Yangzhou. The three Empresses Dowager, Yuan Sheng, and the imperial clan are all in the southeast..."

"Then let Empress Dowager Zheng go to the Mingdao Palace, and Empress Dowager Wei stay in Tokyo..."

"..."

"..."

In this way, the two spoke in turn, setting many blasphemous policies with gritted teeth, but in the end, they were just preparatory words that remained on the surface.

"Leaving aside the extreme theory of patricide, I think His Majesty intends to make the peace talks unsuccessful." Zhao Ding took a long time to calm his heart after those violent remarks.

"Liu Yu?" Zhang Jun blurted out, as if he had already thought of this.

"This is the most obvious point." Zhao Ding responded seriously.

"Indeed." Zhang Jun said with emotion. "His Majesty emphasized that the Two Sages should be returned unconditionally first, and then the five counties of Jingdong should be the main condition for the peace talks. This is obviously a delay tactic. Then he sat back and watched the peace talks become a big deal, probably wanting Liu Yu to be alert and take the initiative to attack... If this is the case, the peace talks will naturally fail. His Majesty can continue to maintain a pro-northern expedition stance and give an explanation to the pro-peace crowd... Why don't we also cooperate with His Majesty and delay it?"

"That's true, but this plan is too shallow... You think, we all made guesses as soon as we came up, and even Li Zhongcheng reminded His Majesty on the spot not to follow small paths." Zhao Ding reminded slightly. "I don't think this kind of behavior is like His Majesty's actions."

"But His Majesty did not agree to Li Zhongcheng's words." Zhang Jun still insisted on his own opinion. "It can be seen that His Majesty at least has the intention to follow the trend."

"That's true." Zhao Ding also frowned and nodded, but then suddenly remembered something. "But judging from the meaning of Ulin Dazanamo, the Jin people don't seem to care?"

"Perhaps they are used to being arrogant?" Zhang Jun also frowned.

"Never mind him. Looking at it now, His Majesty's intention, at its most extreme, is to wait for the return of the Two Sages and then commit patricide and fratricide; at its most casual, it is to lure Liu Yu to take the initiative to attack... But I think His Majesty would neither abandon the overall situation for personal grievances, nor would he place his hopes on such unorthodox methods." Zhao Ding sighed quietly. "It's more in the middle."

"What is in the middle?" Zhang Jun shook his head repeatedly. "Clearly, he has the power to decide with one word, but he still allowed the peace talks, and then secretly informed the army, and asked us five if we would be willing to follow him to Mount Bagong... What exactly does His Majesty want to do?"

"Do you also have times when you can't figure out His Majesty's intentions?" Zhao Ding couldn't help but smile.

And Zhang Jun also smiled at this time: "Brother Yuanzhen is thinking too much... If I say one thing, I have never truly figured out His Majesty's intentions since the Mingdao Palace, do you believe it or not?"

Zhang Jun is recognized as His Majesty's number one confidant, and it is well known that he relied on speculating on His Majesty's intentions to rise from the Mingdao Palace to the position of Privy Councilor at the young age of thirty. Therefore, these words seem somewhat false at this time.

However, interestingly, Zhao Ding, the greatest political opponent of Chancellor Zhang, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded heavily: "I believe it... Because I have never understood His Majesty's intentions either! Even if His Majesty told me personally, I would always find it a little difficult to believe, and I would always feel that His Majesty had some words that he couldn't fully express."

That said, the banks of the Yellow River are not like Huainan, and there is no plum rain season. The rain that causes everything to mold in early summer passes quickly. It was now a time of brilliant stars. The two spoke at length, and when it came to His Majesty's intentions, they fell silent, simply borrowing the shadows of the layers of grape leaves under the grape trellis, and gazing at the stars overhead, each lost in thought.

"His Majesty is too difficult, and too hard." After a long silence, Zhang Jun, who was constantly looking at the stars overhead, suddenly spoke again. "No one knows him, no one understands him, the country is broken and the family is destroyed, life and death are on the line, the court is full of corrupt officials and old customs, bandits are everywhere, and the Jin people are always pressing on from the outside."

"That's why you and I are afraid that His Majesty will really do something just in case..." Zhao Ding also answered, gazing at the starry sky overhead. "Li Guang and those people actually have good intentions and public-mindedness, but they can't help but want to make a name for themselves. When their blood rises, they don't care about anything, they just want to show themselves off."

"Are you any better than Brother Yuanzhen? If you and Liu Dazhong, Hu Shijiang, and those people are to be described in detail, you are all capable and honest officials, but you can't help but want to go back to the old ways, and you are always thinking about that rich and prosperous era. Chen Kangbo's words today smashed all of you to pieces."

Zhao Ding wanted to sarcastically retort that the other party and Lu Zhi and those people were rash and incompetent, and were even more of a burden to His Majesty, but he was ultimately more cultured than Zhang Jun, so he simply bypassed this point and sighed in his heart while looking at the starry river:

"So, what exactly is His Majesty seeking?"

"Brother, what do you say we are seeking after all this hard work of fighting north and south?"

Under the same Milky Way, thousands of miles away, within the territory of Ganzhou, the southernmost part of Jiangxi Road, among the mountains and fields, Zhang Xian, who was resting on the side of the road and then fell into deep thought while looking at the countless stars overhead, suddenly spoke.

"Go home!" Yue Fei, who had withdrawn his gaze from above, turned to face him, blunt and clear. "But we must go back upright, taking everyone back together! Our current move south is actually still moving north!"

Zhang Xian nodded heavily, unable to express his agreement.