mands a large army and over the years has governed their fiefdoms like ironclad fortresses. Now that the world is in turmoil, if the imperial court's authority weakens and the national power declines...Chapter 1772: Conclusion

"You're welcome."

Zhaoxuanji seemed to ask casually, "How is the battle at the front line going Judging from what Zhou DaRen just described, although we lost Yueya Pass, our army still has hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Even if we take a discount, there should be tens or dozens of thousands left"

Zhou Ping'an smiled and said, "Please rest assured, Zhao DaRen. Everything is under the control of His Highness. Perhaps soon, news of a great victory on the front line will arrive. This is also the confidence that His Royal Highness has to pacify all demons and ghosts within the country."

Zhao Xuanji looked intently at Zhou Ping'an, not missing any subtle expressions on his face. He kept his gaze fixed until Zhou Ping'an finished speaking. Only then did Zhao Xuanji shift his eyes away, saying calmly, "Since that is the case, then it couldn't be better."

Zhou Ping'an smiled and rose to his feet, saying: "Time is of the essence. Lord Zhao, you should prepare here first. This official still has some matters to attend to at the Ministry of Household."

"Could it be that you've cleared out the warehouse to make room for the silver I'm sending" Zhao Xuanji said.

"Lord Zhao, you jest! Even if those silver coins reach the Treasury, there's no way to store them. We need to immediately arrange for their transport out. The money houses in various regions are like springs running dry - they desperately need Lord Zhao's timely rain."

After Zhou Ping'an finished speaking, he bowed to Zhao Xuanji with Zhou Changshou, then took his leave.

Zhao Xuanji didn't stop them, he just sat in the hall watching the two leave.

After the two left, Zhao Xuanji's brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed after a moment. He smiled and said, "Zhou Ping'an has some guts."

From the court to the commoners, even Xu Changqing, would speak to him with utmost caution, carefully weighing his words. Only Su Zheting could converse with him on an equal footing.

But this Zhou Ping'an, he acted as if he had everything under control, and to his surprise, he actually did. This fact particularly interested Zhao Xuanji.

The struggle with Li Chen is something between Li Chen and me.

Li Chen is the crown prince, the crown prince is also the ruler, Zhao Xuanji is a minister, and a powerful minister is also a minister.

Therefore, the conflict between Yin and Li Chen boils down to a struggle for power between the minister and the emperor.

Therefore, for a long time, no one in the court had been able to make Zhao Xuanji feel uncomfortable in his position as a subject.

And today Zhou Ping'an's performance reignited in Zhao Xuanji the old pleasure of competing with others.

"Life will probably be tough from now on."

After leaving Zhao's mansion, on the way to the Ministry of Household Affairs, Zhou Ping'an suddenly exclaimed.

Zhou Changshou smiled and said, “You want to take the lead yourself. No wonder Zhao Xuanji will target you in the future.”

Zhou Ping'an sighed, "Originally, I wasn't planning to take center stage. I just wanted to do some things quietly and be a half-shadowy figure behind the scenes. But today's events leave me no choice. The main reason is that Xu Changqing is not up to the task. Otherwise, why would His Highness the Crown Prince have spared no effort to bring me back from Gansu and Shaanxi to handle this matter To put it plainly, Xu Changqing, as Minister of Household Affairs, is still too inexperienced."

After that, Zhou Ping'an glanced at Zhou Changshou and smirked: "From now on, Zhao Xuanji will definitely keep an eye on me in the court. But it doesn't matter, with you here, you can also help me share a lot of pressure."

Zhou Changshou frowned and said, "I have no intention of taking office. At most, I'll be a counselor in the East Palace."

Just as today's events were beyond my control, so too will there be times in the future when things are beyond your control.

As they spoke, the Ministry of Revenue was already in sight. Zhou Changshou smiled and said, "Alright, we've arrived."chers are a huge expense. In addition to the annual maintenance costs for the academy, just to keep the academy running, a conservative estimate puts the yearly expenditure at no less than 500,000 ta...