The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

Zhou Qian sat back on the dragon throne, his fingers tapping slowly on the armrests, the rhythm not fast, but steady and powerful.

He remained silent for a long time before suddenly asking, "Eunuch Cao, you have been in charge of the Hidden Dragon Guard since the reign of Emperor Dezong, serving three emperors. This force has never made a mistake under your command."

"I ask you, have those ancient aristocratic families made any moves lately?"

With his hands on his ebony cane, Eunuch Cao slowly raised his clear eyes, which were not those of a centenarian. His voice was hoarse but steady: "Your Majesty, although I have not been involved in the daily affairs of the Hidden Dragon Guard for many years, some of my old subordinates are still here, and some news can still reach my ears."

"Since Your Majesty has asked, this old servant will pick out a few important matters to address."

"Chen Jing'an, the head of the Yingchuan Chen family, recently hosted a banquet for the newly appointed Vice Minister of Revenue, Fang Xuanling, at his villa in the capital. No one knows what they talked about, but the next day, the Chen family sent a copy of the Wenxiu Method to Lord Fang's residence."

"Zheng Xuan, the head of the Zheng family of Xingyang, also met with Du Ruhui, the newly appointed Vice Minister of Works. Under the pretext of river engineering maps, he presented Du with a handwritten copy of the Commentary on the Waterways Classic with annotations from the Zheng family throughout the generations."

"Both families are trying to curry favor with Your Majesty's loyal ministers, but in my humble opinion, the Chen and Zheng families are merely going with the flow and have no ulterior motives."

"What they gave us was the Dharma and knowledge, not weapons or conspiracies."

Zhou Qian nodded slightly.

He was roughly aware of these circumstances; they had been mentioned in Zhao Gao's secret report and the report from the Xunfengwei.

But what Eunuch Cao was about to say was what he really wanted to hear.

Sure enough, Eunuch Cao paused, his voice suddenly deepening, and his tone becoming unusually solemn: "But there is one family that this old servant believes Your Majesty should pay close attention to: the Li family of Jinyang. They have been quite restless lately."

Zhou Qian's fingers, which were tapping on the armrest, suddenly stopped, and the air in the imperial study seemed to freeze for a moment.

He remained silent for a long while before slowly speaking, his voice carrying a hint of suppressed coldness: "The Li family of Jinyang."

"Of course I remember them. Back then, the most powerful supporters by my elder brother's side were the Li family of Jinyang."

"Their patriarch, Li Chongxi, once said something in public when I left the palace to establish my own residence."

"How dare a concubine's son, born to a palace maid, contend for the throne?"

"But after I ascended the throne, he was the first to submit a memorial acknowledging my submission."

"But I know that he has never truly submitted to me in his heart."

"I have tolerated them for so many years, not because they are well-behaved, but because they hold the iron certificate bestowed by the founding emperor, which I cannot touch."

"Eunuch Cao, you said they've been rather restless lately. Where exactly are they restless?"

Eunuch Cao tapped his ebony cane lightly on the ground, making a dull thud.

The ancestors of the Li family of Jinyang can be traced back to the General Who Guards the North during the previous dynasty, Daqian.

When the Daqian dynasty fell, the ancestors of the Li family were the first to open the gates of Jinyang to welcome the righteous army of Emperor Taizu of Zhou.

He made great contributions to the pacification of the northern border by Emperor Taizu of Zhou.

In return, Emperor Taizu of Zhou granted the Li family the hereditary title of Marquis of Jinyang, allowing their descendants to permanently govern Jinyang.

For three hundred years, the Li family of Jinyang has never produced a single official in the Six Ministries.

But their roots in the North run incredibly deep.

Nearly half of the military horses in the three prefectures and twelve towns of the northern border were bred and traded through the Li family's horse farms.

The Li family holds the lifeline of the northern warhorse trade.

Every year, fine horses purchased from the grasslands were trained at the Li family's horse farm before being sold to the imperial court, with prices increasing several times over.

The Ministry of War of the imperial court knew that this deal was not worthwhile, but dared not bypass the Li family and find another channel.

Because all the horse farms in the North were under the control of the Li family.

All the horse grooms were Li's men, and all the horse trading routes were pioneered by Li.

More importantly, Li also possessed a copy of "The Military Geography of the Northern Border".

It was hand-painted by Li's ancestor when he served as the General Who Guards the North during the Daqian Dynasty.

It not only marks all the passes, water sources, pasture routes, and places where troops can be stationed in the northern border, but also records a lot of detailed information about the nomadic tribes of the grasslands.

This gazetteer is a core secret of the northern defenses; even the maps of the Ministry of War's Bureau of Military Affairs are not as detailed.

The Li family regarded this gazetteer as a family heirloom and never showed it to anyone.

However, before taking office, each governor of the northern border had to personally visit the head of the Li family in Jinyang to request a copy of the local gazetteer.

Without this copy, no governor of the North could hold his position.

Zhou Qian tapped his fingers heavily on the armrest of the dragon throne, his tone remaining calm.

Before Eunuch Cao could answer.

Zhou Qian continued.

"Ever since my elder brother failed in his bid for the throne, although the Li family outwardly submits to me, they have been secretly cultivating their own power in the northern border."

"My Northern Border Governor has been replaced three times, and each one had to go to Jinyang to pay his respects before taking office."

"Even if my Ministry of War wants to buy warhorses, it still has to consider the Li family's opinion."

"My Grand Commandant's Office needs to formulate a defense plan for the northern border, and we still need to refer to the Li family's 'Gazetteer of Military Locations in the Northern Border'."

"Tell me, does this world truly belong to the Great Zhou, or to the Li family?"

Eunuch Cao spoke slowly, advising, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

"The Li family is powerful, but not uncontrollable."

"Over the years, this old servant has had the Hidden Dragon Guard keep a close eye on the Li family's every move and has discovered that they have a fatal weakness."

"The Li family's roots are in the north, but the northern barbarians have been having a rough time lately."

"The major battles fought by Huo Qubing and Li Wenzhong in the northern border severely damaged the main force of the Hu people and disrupted the warhorse trade between the Li family and the grassland tribes."

"The Li family's warhorse business has suffered significant losses in recent years. To make up for the deficit, Li Chongxi's only son, Li Shaoyuan, has been frequently active in Jiangxi recently."

"It seems that they are secretly supporting Duan Xi, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Jiangxi, hoping to get a share of the salt and iron tax revenue in Jiangxi through Duan Xi."

"Duan Xi was recently impeached and was eager to find a patron, so Li Shaoyuan took advantage of the situation and the two sides hit it off immediately."

"If Your Majesty wants to put the Li family in a bad light, you don't need to directly attack the northern border. Just dig deep into the salt and iron case in Jiangxi, and you will naturally find the root of the Li family."

Zhou Qian's eyes suddenly turned cold.

A murderous intent that had been suppressed for many years flashed across his eyes.

His voice, however, was calm, so calm it sent chills down one's spine: "Good. Very good."

"When I was still a prince, the Li family supported my elder brother to oppose me. After my elder brother failed to seize the throne, they have been quiet for so many years."

"I thought they had learned their lesson, but it turns out they're just finding another place to continue their aggression."

"I tolerated them back then, not because I was afraid of them, but because I had just ascended the throne and my foundation was not yet stable."

"I've been on the throne for almost thirty years now, do they still think I'll continue to tolerate this?"

Eunuch Cao tapped his ebony cane lightly on the ground and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, this old servant has something to say, but I don't know if I should."

"The Li family are descendants of founding heroes, and they possess an iron certificate bestowed by the founding emperor, making them untouchable."

"But the Li family also has many enemies. The Chen family of Yingchuan and the Li family have had many conflicts in the warhorse trade in the northern border."

"The Zheng family of Xingyang has always looked down on the military style of the Li family, and the private salt trade routes of the Lu family of Fanyang have also clashed with the Li family's northern trade routes."

"If Your Majesty wishes to take action against the Li family, you do not need to do it personally. You only need to let these families check and balance each other, and the Li family will naturally be restrained."

"If Your Majesty is still worried, this old servant can have the Hidden Dragon Guard cooperate with Xu Jie in Jiangxi to thoroughly investigate Duan Xi's line of work, following the clues all the way to Li Shaoyuan."

Zhou Qian remained silent for a long time before his fingers began to tap slowly on the armrest again, the rhythm much slower than before, but more steady and powerful.

He finally spoke, his voice regaining its usual composure and authority: "I know what I'm doing regarding the Li family's affairs."

"You just said they have a fatal weakness, that Li Shaoyuan, who interfered in the salt and iron case in Jiangxi."

"My Deputy Inspector Xu Jie is investigating Duan Xi's case. Let Xu Jie continue to dig deeper until he reaches Li Shaoyuan."

"The Hidden Dragon Guards will cooperate from the shadows, and their identities should not be revealed unless absolutely necessary."

"In addition, let the Chen family know about the Li family's movements in Jiangnan."

"Chen Jing'an has just shown goodwill to Fang Xuanling and is worried that he has no opportunity to express his loyalty to me."

"If the Chen family of Yingchuan can help me with the warhorse trade in the northern border, I will not mind giving them more benefits."

He remained silent for a long while after speaking, then looked up at the window. The sky was already turning a pale white, and the night had passed just like that.

He slowly stood up, walked to Eunuch Cao, bent down and personally helped the old eunuch, who had served three emperors, up. His voice was filled with emotion: "Eunuch Cao, you have served three emperors and have been loyal to the throne. I trust you."

"If there is any news from now on, come directly to me."

"I have sat on this dragon throne for nearly thirty years, and only now do I realize how many undercurrents lie beneath it."

"But I am not afraid. The founding emperor was able to suppress the dragon vein for three hundred years by himself. Although I am not even a fraction as good as the founding emperor, I can still protect this foundation."