The Grand Secretary has no heir? His concubine gives birth to triplets.

"This is too ruthless. If this book gets out, Brother Lu's reputation will be ruined."

Although Jiang Guo'er and Xue Lingyi said those things, they watched with great interest.

They were huddled together, heads close together, watching, when suddenly there was a "thud".

A thin, begonia-colored letter paper fell out from the pages of the book.

Xue Lingyi bent down to pick it up, glanced at it only once, and then handed it to Jiang Guo'er.

The letter paper had a line of text written in tiny, fly-like characters.

"Is it good? Don't worry, I only wrote this one book, and it was never printed."

"But if he ever crosses me again, then who knows!"

Jiang Guo'er was taken aback at first, then she and Xue Lingyi exchanged a glance, and the two of them laughed so hard they almost fell over under the grape trellis.

"This Miss Wang is really someone who won't suffer even the slightest loss."

Jiang Guo'er turned the letter over and over and looked at it twice, her eyes stinging from laughing.

"I really don't know what good things Lu Yunzheng did in his past life to be able to meet such a clear-headed and interesting girl."

Xue Lingyi took a sip of her flower tea and used a handkerchief to wipe away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes.

Jiang Guo'er deeply agreed.

The young ladies of noble families in the capital are all bound by the rules of female conduct, so it's rare to encounter someone as bright and outspoken as Miss Wang.

In contrast, Xie Yuan, the younger brother of the Minister of Works, was famous, but he was only good at writing pretentious and affected poems.

"From what I see now, that Young Master Xie is probably not good enough for Wang Yan."

Xue Lingyi put the storybook back into the box and nodded.

"Yes, Wang Yan's personality deserves someone more vibrant!"

As the two were chatting, a long, drawn-out sound of bells and drums suddenly came from the direction of the imperial city.

Jiang Guo'er's smile faded slightly as she turned to look beyond the high walls and eaves.

Today is the coronation ceremony of the new emperor.

……

On the same day, at the end of Mao Shi.

The Forbidden City, Fengtian Hall.

The imperial guards stood solemnly on both sides of the steps, with golden maces, axes, and banners standing silently in the morning light.

The official from the Court of State Ceremonial led the procession in a loud voice, and the civil and military officials lined up according to their ranks, bowed their heads, and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

The Minister of Rites, holding the late emperor's edict, slowly walked out.

The eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs unfolded the imperial edict, his high-pitched yet clear voice echoing throughout the magnificent hall.

Zhou Di sat upright on the dragon throne.

He wore a twelve-chapter robe and a twelve-tassel crown, the jade tassels of which obscured most of his expression, revealing a pair of calm eyes that were unlike those of a child.

The imperial edict has been read aloud.

The late emperor's mother was honored as the Grand Empress Dowager, and the late emperor's concubine was honored as the Grand Consort.

Empress Xiao Yuzhen, the late emperor's wife, and her birth mother, Consort Hui, were honored as Empress Dowagers of the two palaces. The inner court was divided into the East Palace and the West Palace based on their respective residences.

After the court ceremony concluded, Zhou Di raised his hand.

"If any of you have a report, please present it."

As soon as he finished speaking, a censor from the Ministry of Revenue stepped forward, holding a tablet, and prostrated himself on the ground.

"Your subject has a memorial to present!"

"The imperial harem is teeming with women, incurring considerable expenses. The national treasury is currently empty, and the Third Prince has reached the age where he can establish his own residence."

"I believe it would be better to establish a residence for the Third Prince outside the palace, and invite the Imperial Concubine to live with him outside the palace."

"In this way, the royal education can be demonstrated, and the expenses of the inner court can be reduced."

The hall fell silent.

Many people had their eyes downcast, but their peripheral vision was fixed on the throne.

Everyone wanted to see how this newly enthroned ten-year-old king would handle the situation.

Zhou Di looked at the official in charge of the imperial secretariat and lightly tapped his fingertips on the imperial desk.

"You make it sound so easy for the Censor to say that."

Before he transmigrated, he worked his way up in the system, dealing with hypocritical people like this every day.

If the information he memorized is correct, this official was originally from the lineage of the Dowager Consort.

Nominally, it was about reducing expenses, but in reality, the Dowager Consort, seeing that she had risen to power, feared being ostracized by the Empress Dowager and wanted to use the Third Prince's name to leave the palace and enjoy a life of leisure.

Incidentally, they also took control of the princes' residences and built their own power base outside.

Zhou Di cleared his throat, leaned forward slightly, and his childish voice rang out in the empty hall.

"As far as I know, according to the regulations of our dynasty, building a separate residence for a prince, from land acquisition and foundation laying to the raising of the beams, would require at least 30,000 taels of silver just for the materials from the Construction Bureau."

"If you also include the construction of gardens, waterside pavilions, and all the furniture and furnishings, even 50,000 taels of silver might not be enough."

A fine layer of sweat beaded on the forehead of the censor, clearly not expecting that the ten-year-old emperor would know so much detail.

Zhou Di's tone was calm, but every word was cold and sharp.

"Fifty thousand taels of silver is enough for the Dowager Consort and the Third Prince to live comfortably in the palace for several years, according to established regulations."

"This doesn't even include the annual salaries of the chief clerks, ceremonial staff, guards, and other personnel that will be added to the palace after the establishment of the palace!"

"You keep talking about reducing expenses, but now you want me to take out tens of thousands of taels of silver all at once."

"Is it that you don't know how to do accounting, or do you think... I'm too young to understand anything?!"

His words were barbed and intimidating.

The official was rendered speechless by the rebuttal, broke out in a cold sweat, and repeatedly kowtowed to beg for forgiveness.

"Your Majesty, I am foolish and have failed to consider things thoroughly... Please forgive me!"

"Step back." Zhou Di waved his hand, too lazy to look at him anymore.

Below the imperial steps, Pei Yan wore a bright red robe embroidered with gold pythons, with a jade belt around his waist, his figure as upright as a pine tree.

He subtly gave Zhou Di a look, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his expression aloof, but he showed no intention of speaking.

Zhou Di's gaze swept over the assembled officials.

"There is something I must clarify in court today."

She paused, her childish voice carrying throughout the entire hall.

"Four years ago, Marquis Dingyuan, Murong Kui, was convicted of treason and collusion with the enemy, and the Murong clan was subsequently exterminated and beheaded."

"Just two days ago, I received a secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The secret letters, witnesses, and even the previous disaster relief grain case involved in this case are suspected of being forged and framed."

A series of suppressed gasps filled the hall.

The case of Marquis Dingyuan was an ironclad case personally decided by the late emperor.

The blood of the 108 members of the Murong family had long since dried on the execution ground.

Now, on the very first day of the new emperor's ascension to the throne, he wants to reopen old cases?

Zhou Di slowly gripped the edge of the imperial desk.

"If loyal ministers are wronged and wicked people gain power, the laws of the court become a knife to kill."

"Now that I have ascended the throne, I must give an explanation to the people!"

"By imperial decree, the Court of Judicial Review, the Censorate, and the Ministry of Justice are to conduct a joint trial and reopen the old case of Marquis Dingyuan! The Northern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard shall assist in verifying the witnesses and physical evidence, ensuring there are no errors!"

"Pei Qing".

Zhou Di looked at Pei Yan.

"Present the evidence you have gathered in court."

Pei Yan then stepped forward.

His voice was slightly hoarse. "Back then, the disaster relief grain allocated by Marquis Dingyuan to the Heishui area was embezzled by a junior officer named Gou Liuzhi and resold outside the country."

"The testimonies of Gou Liuzhi and Liu Quan corroborate each other. The people who forged official documents, bribed witnesses, and spread rumors have all been identified."

Pei Yan raised his eyes, his gaze passing through the court officials and landing on the front of the Ministry of War's procession.

"Lu Bingde, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, is the eldest son of Lu Xiu, the Minister of War."

"And the business behind that batch of relief grain was Lu Bingde's brother-in-law."

"More importantly, the person who impersonated Murong Kui, accepted one hundred taels of gold from the Chidi prince, and promised to cooperate with him in colluding with the enemy was none other than Lu Bingde!"

After he finished speaking, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

With a thud.

Lu Xiu, who was over sixty years old, suddenly collapsed to his knees on the gold bricks.

"Your Majesty is wise! Prime Minister Pei is wise!"

He kowtowed repeatedly, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"This old minister is utterly loyal to the court! Even if my son is unworthy, he would never dare to frame the Marquis of Dingyuan, who commands a large army in the northern border!"

"This must be a deliberate attempt to frame and destroy the Lu family!"

Pei Yan remained silent.

The fingers hidden in the sleeve slowly tightened.

Lu Bingde would have needed to mobilize a lot of people to do something like this, and he didn't believe that Lu Xiu was completely unaware of it.

Zhou Di pulled a file from the imperial desk.

"Minister Lu, there's no need to rush to cry foul." Although her voice was still young, it already carried a great deal of authority.

"The confessions of Gou Liuzhi and Liu Quan are here, as are the old accounts of the business."

"As for the Red Di prince... you all probably don't know, but General Sima Di captured him several days ago and ordered him to be secretly escorted to the capital!"

"He has confessed to everything."

Lucius opened his mouth, and the last trace of color drained from his face.

Zhou Di's gaze swept over the officials in the hall.

"The Marquis of Dingyuan has guarded the northern border for more than ten years, protecting the territory of the Great Chu and the people of the northern frontier."

"If even such a loyal minister can be framed, who will be willing to defend the city for the court in the future? Who will be willing to shed blood and sacrifice themselves to protect the country and its people?!"

"This case must be thoroughly investigated!"

The courtiers all knelt down.

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

Zhou Di's gaze returned to Lu Xiu.

"Minister Lu, I will give you a chance, considering your advanced age and your status as a veteran of three reigns."

Lucius raised his head in fear, a glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes.

"Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty!"

Zhou Di rested his small hand on the edge of the imperial desk, his tone calm but cold.

"The Imperial Guards have been ordered to go to the Lu residence to arrest the person."

"You'd better think this through. You're covering for your rebellious son and sending the entire Lu family to prison with him."

"Should we prioritize the greater good over family ties and leave the Lu family one last chance to survive?"

A desperate sob escaped Lucius's throat.

His shoulders and back slumped down little by little, and he collapsed onto the cold gold bricks.