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

When Kong Yan presented the regulations for assigning princes to patrols to the emperor, only he, Zhou Qian, and Zhao Gao were in the imperial study.

He personally drafted this charter last night after repeated consultations with several Grand Secretaries during his cabinet duty.

Every arrangement has been carefully weighed.

The eldest prince went to Jiangnan, where the most concentrated group of the Grand Tutor's students and former officials were. They were skilled in government affairs and could make good use of their talents there.

When the Second Prince went to the northern border, the military power of the Grand Commandant's mansion was deeply entrenched, and no one was more familiar with border defense than him.

The third prince went to Yangzhou. He had been trained in the Ministry of Personnel and the Imperial Horse Administration for many years and was adept at handling the affairs of the Grand Canal and the salt and iron industries.

The fourth prince went to Jiangxi, where he had suffered setbacks, and he took the opportunity of the inspection to regroup and rebuild his strength.

Kong Yan believed that this charter was impartial, taking into account the strengths and spheres of influence of each prince.

It also takes into account the urgency of managing Yin energy in various regions, so His Majesty should not be able to find any fault with it.

Zhou Qian opened the regulations, his gaze slowly sweeping over the neat lines of official script, his face expressionless.

After reading it, he neither approved it nor rejected it; he simply placed the document lightly on his desk.

Leaning back on the dragon throne, his fingers tapping slowly on the armrests, he suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"Grand Tutor, your plan is very well-thought-out."

"The eldest prince went to Jiangnan, the second prince went to the northern border, the third prince went to Yangzhou, and the fourth prince went to Jiangxi. Each prince went to the place they were most familiar with."

"But I think that sending them to the places they are most familiar with would certainly allow them to make the most of their strengths, but it would also defeat the purpose of the inspection."

"The inspectors are those who patrol on behalf of Heaven."

"To act as an imperial inspector means to step out of one's comfort zone, to see places one has never seen before, and to hear the words of people one has never heard before."

"If each prince only goes to the places he is most familiar with, what kind of inspection is that? That's called going home."

Kong Yan's heart tightened, but he didn't reply.

Zhao Gao stood beside the imperial desk, whisk in hand, his gaze slightly lowered, his mind clear as a mirror.

His Majesty's words, though not harsh, completely overturned the Grand Tutor's proposed plan.

Zhou Qian took out a vermilion brush from the brush holder, spread out a blank sheet of Xuan paper, and began to give instructions one by one.

His voice was not loud, but every word was clear, each word like a chess piece falling on a chessboard.

"Crown Prince Zhou Cong is inspecting the northern border."

"The northern border directly faces the Hu people, and the border defense cannot be relaxed. Moreover, recently there have been frequent strange movements of Yin energy in various towns in the north. It is a good opportunity to let Cong'er go and see what the real border is like."

"He has been observing the administration of the cabinet for many years and is skilled in government affairs, but he has never been to the northern border. A prince who has only seen the border defenses in memorials will never become a true king."

Kong Yan's fingers, which were hanging in his sleeves, clenched slightly.

The northern border is the territory of the Grand Commandant's office. Sending the eldest prince to the northern border is tantamount to placing him within the second prince's sphere of influence.

This is not an inspection; this is a test.

"The Second Prince, Zhou Xun, is on inspection tour of Jiangxi."

"Recently, there have been frequent strange occurrences of yin energy in Jiangxi, and the aftermath of the Duan Xi case has not yet subsided. Xun'er has been trained in the Grand Commandant's office for many years and is good at handling practical matters. It would be a good opportunity for him to go to Jiangxi to give things a good makeover."

"The fourth prince, Zhou Bin, also went to Jiangxi."

"Fen'er spent the last few months in confinement reflecting on her mistakes. Now that she's been released from confinement, it's time for her to go out and do something meaningful."

"Let him be Xun'er's deputy, so he can gain some experience."

Kong Yan's heart sank.

The Second Prince is most familiar with the Northern Border, yet His Majesty refuses to allow him to go there.

The Fourth Prince's power in Jiangxi had just been largely wiped out by Xu Jie, yet His Majesty insisted on sending him back to Jiangxi, to serve as the Second Prince's deputy.

This was to allow the second prince to encroach on the fourth prince's territory, to subject the fourth prince to the discipline of the second prince, and to bind the two at odds together to check and balance each other.

"The Third Prince, Zhou Ying, is on an inspection tour of Qingzhou."

"Qingzhou is the hardest-hit area in this disturbance of yin energy, and the people are uneasy and their livelihoods are in ruins."

"Ying'er has demonstrated solid practical skills during his time at the Ministry of Personnel and the Imperial Horse Administration, making him the most suitable candidate for Qingzhou."

"Also, the seventh prince is still young and should go out and see the world. Let him go with Ying'er."

Upon hearing this, Kong Yan fully understood His Majesty's plan.

The Third Prince volunteered to go to Yangzhou, which was within his sphere of influence, but His Majesty refused to let him go and instead sent him to Qingzhou.

The seventh prince was not yet an adult and had no power base, so he was placed in the third prince's inspection team.

It can serve a supervisory role without triggering any factional conflicts.

Your Majesty's move was flawless.

"The Fifth Prince Zhou Gui and the Ninth Prince Zhou Xing inspected the important granary towns in the northern border, and were responsible for pacifying the people and supervising disaster relief."

"Both of these kids are steady and reliable, so it's good that they can look after each other."

Kong Yan's heart stirred slightly.

The fifth prince had just gotten married, and his father-in-law was Zhou Bangyan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, with the Grand Tutor's Mansion backing him up.

The Ninth Prince... He never took the Ninth Prince seriously. His Majesty sent the Ninth Prince to the Northern Border, mostly as a side effect, since the Ninth Prince was helpless and posed no threat in the court.

"The Sixth Prince, Zhou Ke, will accompany the First Prince to the Northern Border."

"The Eighth Prince also went to Jiangxi with the Second Prince and the Fourth Prince to gain some experience."

Zhou Qian put down his vermilion pen, handed the rewritten allocation plan to Zhao Gao, and said calmly, "Read it to the Grand Tutor."

Zhao Duan held up his whisk and read the new regulations one by one.

After the reading was finished, the Imperial Study remained quiet for a long time, with only the sound of autumn rain hitting the banana leaves outside the window.

Zhou Qian leaned back on the dragon throne, looking calmly at Kong Yan, and suddenly asked, "What does the Grand Tutor think?"

Kong Yan remained silent for a long while, then slowly cupped his hands and said only four words: "Your Majesty is wise."

He was a veteran official of two reigns, having served Emperor Shizong and Emperor Zhou Qian for nearly twenty years. He knew this emperor all too well.

Zhou Qian was able to break through the encirclement of eight princes and ascend the throne not because of luck, but because of his precise understanding of people's hearts.

This new charter is less a matter of patrol assignments and more a carefully designed political game.

Each prince's partner was carefully chosen, and no prince could comfortably stay in his own territory.

There is a delicate balance of power within each inspection team.

With all the princes dispatched, His Majesty could sit in the capital and quietly watch them check and balance each other, compete with each other, and expose each other's weaknesses in the provinces.

This is a trial, a test, and a silent elimination process.

"Since the Grand Tutor has no objection, then let's draft an edict according to this regulation and announce it at the morning court tomorrow."

"I will also assign each of them two officials from the Imperial Observatory to accompany them to survey the earth's veins and deal with yin energy."

"All garrison troops and government offices in each prefecture must cooperate with the inspections and must not shirk their responsibilities."

Zhou Qian picked up a vermilion pen and wrote two characters on the new allocation plan.

"Approved."

He paused, then suddenly looked up at Zhao Gao and asked, "By the way, how old is Lao Jiu this year?"

Zhao Gao bowed and replied, holding his whisk, "Your Majesty, the Ninth Prince is eleven years old this year."

"Eleven years old." Zhou Qian leaned back on the dragon throne, tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest twice, and gazed at the old locust tree outside the window, rustling in the autumn rain, remaining silent for a long time.

Over the years, the Ninth Prince has stayed quietly in the palace, never causing trouble, never taking sides, never showing favor to anyone, and never complaining to anyone.

Sometimes he even forgot that he had this son.

But when we dined at Ningcui Pavilion last time, the third brother mentioned the ninth brother.

It is said that Lao Jiu discovered that the map of the northern border was wrong, and even compared it with several geographical records.

A child who was ignored in the palace quietly studied the map of the northern border more carefully than the Ministry of War.

This thoughtfulness and composure should not be buried in the deep palace.

"It's time to let him go out and gain some experience."

He withdrew his gaze, his voice softening slightly, "Have the Imperial Household Department prepare his luggage. It's cold in the north, so bring him several warm clothes."

"Also, have the Imperial Guards send a few reliable veterans to accompany and escort us. Not too many, so as not to draw attention."

"He is my son, and also a prince of the Great Zhou. It's time for him to go and see the land of the Great Zhou."