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

Beijing!

Before dawn, the white marble square in front of the Qianyuan Hall was already packed with people.

The autumn wind swept in from Taiye Pond, making the robes of the civil and military officials flutter loudly.

But no one dared to back down.

The topic of this morning's court session is the ominous phenomenon that has been causing unrest in various state governments for the past few months.

Minister of Rites Meng Yanlun stepped forward first and read out one by one the thick stack of urgent reports submitted by various prefectures and counties.

From the Ghostly Cry Tomb in Qingzhou to the Dry Well in Yangzhou, from the Broken Stele in Jiangxi to the Ancient Tomb in Yingchuan, the atmosphere in the hall grew more solemn with each recitation.

After he finished reading, Sima Lie, the Minister of War, stepped forward and offered a solution from the perspective of the Ministry of War.

He suggested increasing the number of local troops stationed to assist civilian officials in their inspections, but there was a deeper intention hidden in his words.

The Ministry of War can take this opportunity to expand its troop deployment in the local areas, and there are good reasons for this.

Where yin energy overflows, there are often nodes in the earth's veins; stationing people there serves both as patrol and defense.

The Second Prince, Zhou Xun, stood in the ranks of military officers, his expression unchanged, but his fingers, which were hanging in his sleeves, twitched almost imperceptibly.

By reinforcing local troops, the Grand Commandant's office could legitimately place people in various prefectures and counties.

Minister of Revenue Shen Jingzhi also stepped forward to add that the various prefectures and counties were currently consuming a large amount of their stockpiled resources to suppress the evil spirits.

Glutinous rice, peach wood, cinnabar, and realgar are not normally included in regular tax expenditures, and local areas are already struggling to make ends meet.

He suggested that the imperial court allocate a special fund, which would be centrally allocated by the Ministry of Revenue, but local officials would be responsible for purchasing the goods themselves.

Upon hearing this, the eldest prince, Zhou Cong, nodded slightly, and the Ministry of Revenue allocated special funds.

The cabinet would then have the authority to approve the money, and it would be up to them to decide which state or prefecture to use it in and how much money to allocate.

The Third Prince, Zhou Ying, stood in the line of imperial relatives without saying a word.

He noticed something.

Everyone is talking about how to deal with evil spirits, but no one is talking about the opportunities that might be hidden behind these evil spirit events.

It wasn't until Zhou Qian asked the ministers what their opinions were on sending a prince to inspect the provinces that the matter was brought to a close.

He stepped forward to pay his respects, his voice not loud, yet it carried clearly throughout the hall.

"Your subject believes that sending princes to inspect the regions can not only allow the emperor to tour the country on his behalf, but also appease the people."

"It also allows us to conduct on-site inspections of the effectiveness of yin energy management in various places during the inspection process, and to summarize the scattered effective experiences of various prefectures and cities."

"Compile a unified governance charter and distribute it to all state governments for reference and implementation."

"Your subject is willing to go to Yangzhou in person to share the Emperor's burdens."

After he finished speaking, he bowed and withdrew, and the hall fell silent.

The eldest prince frowned slightly; he had originally intended to suggest that the cabinet should coordinate the allocation.

He took control of the inspection power, but unexpectedly, his third brother volunteered to go to Yangzhou.

Everyone knows that Yangzhou is a key hub of the Grand Canal, a major tax-paying area, and also one of the regions with the most frequent occurrences of supernatural events recently.

If we could seize the inspection rights in Yangzhou, it would be like planting a flag in the most prosperous part of Jiangnan.

The Second Prince, Zhou Xun, stepped forward almost simultaneously and declared in a loud voice, "Your subject is willing to go to the northern border for inspection."

"Recently, there have been reports of unusual disturbances of the Yin energy in various towns in the northern border region. Moreover, the northern border is directly facing the Hu people, so the border defenses cannot be relaxed."

"Your subject has been trained in the Grand Commandant's office for many years and is familiar with military affairs in the northern border. It is a good opportunity for me to investigate the two important matters of border defense and Yin Qi."

The fourth prince, Zhou Bin, followed closely behind and volunteered to go to Jiangxi.

He was only punished with confinement a few months ago, and he was eager to make a name for himself as soon as he was released.

His reasons were also impeccable: "Jiangxi is a land of fish and rice, and recently there have been frequent strange occurrences of yin energy. Moreover, the aftermath of the Duan Xi case has not yet subsided. Your subject is willing to go to Jiangxi to investigate the governance of yin energy and to investigate the rectification of officialdom."

The Fifth Prince, Zhou Gui, stood in the line of imperial relatives, hesitated for a moment, and still did not step forward.

He had only been married a short time and his foundation was still weak, so Taibao Yuwen Lie had given him instructions beforehand.

Observe more, talk less, and don't act unless you're absolutely certain.

Zhou Qian sat upright on the dragon throne, taking in the reactions of all the princes. His face remained expressionless, but his mind was already racing.

The second son wants the northern border, the third son wants Yangzhou, and the fourth son wants Jiangxi.

The selection of these three locations was very deliberate.

The northern border is an important border town, Yangzhou is a hub for canal transport, and Jiangxi is a land of fish and rice.

Each person chose a location that happened to be the area where their power was strongest or the area they most wanted to infiltrate.

He leaned back on the dragon throne, his fingers slowly tapping on the armrest. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke: "I have heard all that my ministers have reported."

"Strange occurrences are happening everywhere, the people are uneasy, and I cannot eat or sleep in peace."

"It is an ancestral rule for princes to travel on behalf of the emperor. Since you are all willing to share my burdens, I am very pleased."

He paused, then suddenly changed the subject, "But who you send and where you send is not up to you."

"Grand Tutor, draft a plan for me, clearly specifying which prefectures each prince will visit, what rank of attendants he will be assigned to, and what he will be inspecting."

"Present to me for my perusal tomorrow."

After speaking, he stood up, flicked his sleeves, and left the court.

After the court session ended, the ministers descended the white marble steps in twos and threes, whispering among themselves.

Marquis Zhao Xi of Wu'an walked to the side of the fourth prince Zhou Bin and said in a low voice that His Highness had done an excellent job in volunteering to go to Jiangxi.

Although the Jiangxi salt and iron scandal resulted in the loss of several key figures, the foundation remained intact, making it a good opportunity to reorganize the Jiangxi officialdom during the inspection tour.

Zhou Bin nodded slightly and replied in a low voice that as long as he could go to Jiangxi, he could make it impossible for Xu Jie to move an inch.

The eldest prince, Zhou Cong, walked side by side with Kong Yan at the front, asking the Grand Tutor what his father meant by the phrase "It's not up to you to decide."

Kong Yan, twirling his prayer beads, said, "Your Majesty intends to seize control of the allocation of inspection duties."

What Your Highness needs to do right now is not to argue, but to go back and have the Ministry of Revenue draft a detailed disaster relief funding plan.

No matter which prince goes to Yangzhou or Jiangxi, he cannot avoid the Ministry of Revenue's money. Whoever is in charge of the money is the real inspector.

Grand Commandant Zhou Jing walked slowly, leaning on his bamboo cane, while Zhou Xun followed beside him and asked in a low voice.

The Grand Tutor will definitely push my elder brother to go to the prosperous Jiangnan region. The Grand Tutor's disciples are all over the Jiangnan officialdom, and my elder brother would be perfectly suited to go there.

Zhou Jing remained noncommittal, only saying that the Grand Tutor's plan was shrewd, but His Majesty's strategy was much grander.

Your Highness should just focus on doing a good job of inspecting the northern border. The northern border defense is not something anyone can interfere with. No matter how many disciples the Grand Tutor's Mansion has in Jiangnan, they can't extend their influence to the northern border.

In the courtyard of Guihua Lane, the Third Prince Zhou Ying sat alone in his study, flipping through the list of officials to be transferred from the Ministry of Personnel that Liu Wenzhao had sent over.

Liu Wenzhao had already made arrangements in the Ministry of Personnel as instructed, placing several of his own people in the positions of magistrate and sub-prefect in Yangzhou, Luzhou, and Taizhou, the prefectures along the Huai River.

He told Liu Wenzhao that the inspection was just a formality, but the real issue was placing his own people in the system.

Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the Yin Sha, various prefectures and counties are increasing the number of officials responsible for patrolling and suppressing the unrest, making it the perfect time to place their own people.

Liu Wenzhao nodded in agreement, and then said there was one more thing.

It seems that the Taibao Mansion is also preparing to place its own people there. Yuwen Lie has already drafted a memorial for the Fifth Prince to inspect Qingzhou.

The reason given was that Qingzhou had the heaviest yin energy, and the Fifth Prince was refined and steady, making him a suitable candidate to appease the people.

Zhou Ying was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Yuwen Taibao is paving the way for the fifth prince, but it doesn't matter. The fifth prince's destination, Qingzhou, is adjacent to the fourth prince's Jiangxi, so they can keep each other in check. He should take care of things in Yangzhou first."

After Liu Wenzhao left, Zhou Ying sat alone by the window, gazing at the cold moon in the autumn night.

Suddenly, I remembered the message that Shangguan Jin Hong had sent a few days ago.

Several strange incidents have recently occurred at Tongzhou Wharf. When cargo ships were moored at night, the boatmen heard a dull knocking sound coming from the bottom of the water, as if someone was ringing a bell at the bottom of the river.

After investigation, the workers' association discovered that the sound originated from a previously undiscovered dark cave deep underwater at the dock, where grayish-white powder was faintly visible floating up with the bubbles.

Shangguan Jin Hong had already had wooden stakes driven around the cave entrance to temporarily seal it off.

He wrote a reply to Shangguan Jin Hong, instructing him to guard the secret cave, not to make a fuss or venture into the water to investigate, and to report any unusual activity immediately.

After putting down his pen, he stared at the candlelight in silence for a long time, and suddenly felt that the chaos of Yin energy sweeping through the Great Zhou was both a crisis and an opportunity.

As long as he can make the right moves in this game, Zhou Ying can transform from an obscure prince into a powerful figure that no one can ignore.