Outside Yong'an Hall, a large number of officials gathered at this moment. They were sitting in the side hall drinking tea.
These officials were roughly divided into three waves, headed by Zhou Chengping, Guan Hetai and Cheng Wenguang respectively.
They represent the three factions of royal officials, truly proving the old saying that wherever there are people, there are rivers and lakes.
Everyone was chatting among themselves, talking about the things they had met today.
"My lords, you may enter the palace!"
The eunuch's prompt outside the door made everyone in the hall immediately silence their voices, and then they walked out of the side hall.
Then everyone divided into two lines, climbed up the steps in front of Yong'an Hall, and finally entered the main hall.
Yong'an Hall is the most regulated building in the palace, but there are very few opportunities to use it. It is more often used as a symbol of royal power.
Therefore, every discussion in Yong'an Hall is a vital event.
After entering the main hall, everyone stood in their designated positions and then began to wait with bated breath. The hall was extremely quiet.
Suddenly, the officials felt that they were back in the capital. There was no apocalypse like today. They were standing in the Chongzheng Hall, waiting for the emperor to ascend to the throne.
The next moment, the sound of dancing music suddenly started, which meant that Zhao Yanxun was coming.
Sure enough, Zhao Yanxun was seen wearing a purple dragon robe and a black gauze winged crown. Accompanied by several eunuchs, he slowly walked out from behind the screen on the left side of the hall.
He stepped up to Danbi, and after Zhao Yanxun sat down, he heard Huo An shout: "Ascend to the court!"
Note that what Huo An calls here is "Shengchao". "Shengchao" is a word that can only be used by the emperor. Strictly speaking, Zhao Yanxun overstepped his bounds.
Except for Zhou Chengping whose expression changed slightly, everyone else showed no change and went straight to salute.
But even Zhou Chengping was kneeling down with everyone at this moment.
Why didn't he blow up his hair? Because Zhao Yanxun accepted the emperor and was worthy of the emperor's honor.
What's more, the situation inside the pass is still unknown. If the capital has been occupied by monsters, it would be logical for Zhao Yanxun to succeed him as king.
In fact, if Zhao Yanxun really wanted to become emperor wholeheartedly, no one would stop him at this time, and no one could stop him.
However, the trick of proclaiming himself emperor is meaningless. Even if he proclaims himself the captain of the ball, he will not be able to change the current situation where zombies are rampant.
"No gifts, stay on your own terms!"
After the officials stood up, Zhao Yanxun said: "I informed you yesterday that you should prepare your own situation reports. Today, all the ministers are sharing information!"
"Be the first to come to the Bookstore!"
After being called upon by Zhao Yanxun, Dian Shuzheng Wu Hong took the initiative to step out of the train, then took out a document and read it aloud in the hall.
In this day and age, information communication is very inconvenient, and the information that each department has is only known within the department.
Therefore, many of the information read by Wu Hong were unknown to other officials present.
A few minutes later, Wu Hong's situation report was completed, followed by Huang Zhongchang from the Justice Office, and then the Treasury Management Office...
Everyone listened carefully and obtained the information their departments needed, but Zhao Yanxun was the most relaxed.
He had grasped the general situation and was drinking tea slowly at the moment, waiting for the officials to complete their report.
For more than half an hour, all officials, including the Longyou Department, reported on their errands.
When everyone returned to the train and stood solemnly, they heard Zhao Yanxun say: "My dear friends... the situation is very good now!"
"Since the monster broke out, the palace has gone from a desperate situation to what it is today. Every time I think about it... I find it incredible!"
"It's all thanks to you that we can find a glimmer of hope in the last days!"
Unexpectedly, just after Zhao Yanxun finished speaking, someone heard someone say: "I cannot agree with what Your Highness said!"
Everyone looked intently, but it was the chief envoy Cheng Wenguang.
Everyone was suspicious. As a surrendered faction, Cheng Wenguang had been flattering Zhao Yanxun a lot. Why did he sing the opposite tune today?
But Cheng Wenguang's next words directly dispelled everyone's doubts.
"Honor the heaven and earth, Your Highness sincerely moves the heavens; take care of the people, Your Highness loves them as your own children; eradicate monsters, Your Highness takes the lead..."
"Without His Highness, there would be no way for the soldiers and civilians of Yuanyang to survive, let alone for the ministers and others. Yuanyang can be what it is today... This is all the result of His Highness, how dare the ministers and others steal the house!"
After Cheng Wenguang finished what he said, other officials started to complain one after another, saying that they did not dare to take credit.
"Although I have meritorious service, you and others also have meritorious service!" Zhao Yanxun said with a smile.
Cheng Wenguang's flattery was straightforward, but it still made Zhao Yanxun feel happy.
After the hall became quiet, Zhao Yanxun continued: "You must all know that after these days of strangulation, a large number of monsters outside the city have been cleared away!"
"The situation is improving now, but the crisis still exists... As you just heard, the food in the city can still last for four months!"
Picking up the tea cup again, Zhao Yanxun asked slowly: "How to deal with...Do you have any good ideas?"
Everyone present was good at flattering, but when it came time to offer advice, they became extremely cautious.
There was silence in the hall for a while, but Cheng Wenguang stood up and said: "Your Highness, I thought... there are two ways to increase revenue and reduce expenditure!"
"Tell me about it!"
"Needless to say, intercepting the flow, the palace rations food to the people in the city. If it is really a last resort, reducing the ration is also a feasible way!"
Zhao Yanxun hummed and did not comment on this. This attention was too ordinary.
Seeing that Zhao Yanxun was not interested, Cheng Wenguang continued: "The so-called open source means looking outside the city..."
"The monster appeared in May. Two months had passed since the spring plowing, and new seedlings had been planted everywhere. Now the time is ripe!"
"So I thought that I could send people out of the city to collect the grain outside the city and plant new grain next spring!"
This is also Zhao Yanxun's idea, but Cheng Wenguang's idea sounds like fantasy to others.
In the view of other officials, even though a large number of zombies have been cleared outside the city, it is impossible to clean them all, and it is simply not feasible for people to go out of the city to harvest food.
The whole point is that the fear zombies bring to officials is too profound.
"Sir, if you go out to the city to collect food, don't you have to die if you encounter monsters?" Zhou Chengping said.
In Zhou Chengping's eyes, Cheng Wenguang liked to make shocking remarks to show that he was different, but he did not care about the lives and deaths of the people at all.
"You can send soldiers to protect you!" Cheng Wenguang was not afraid at all when faced with doubts.
"Who will protect the soldiers whether they are alive or dead?" Zhou Chengping pressed.
"The Gongzheng Institute can build more military chariots so that the soldiers can take shelter if they are in danger of being defeated!" Cheng Wenguang said calmly.
Then he put aside Zhou Chengping and continued to speak loudly: "Your Highness, the way of the world today is to sail against the current or retreat if you don't advance. If you are afraid of wolves in front and tigers in back, you will only be trapped in Yuanyang City!"
"His Highness once said that the only way to survive is to break out of the city... Please give your Highness a clear understanding of what I said!"
Zhao Yanxun did not rush to express his position, but looked at the other officials and said, "What else do you have to say?"
In fact, everyone present is not stupid and understands that what Cheng Wenguang said is feasible.
Therefore, Guan Hetai was the first to speak: "Your Highness, your Majesty's plan is feasible. Although there are many difficulties and twists and turns, as long as the whole city is united and your Highness makes wise decisions, we will be able to overcome all difficulties!"