Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

In the winter of the first year of the Xuande reign, snow fell thick and fast.

The entire capital city was shrouded in a blanket of silver.

After the results of the imperial examination were announced, the atmosphere in the court quietly changed.

Those pragmatic individuals whom Gu Yannian single-handedly promoted from among the unsuccessful candidates were like a breath of fresh air.

They quickly filled key positions in the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers' offices, as well as in local prefectures and counties.

They were not good at poetry and prose, but they were very familiar with agriculture, water conservancy, finance and taxation.

Driven by this influx of fresh blood, the massive chariot of the Ming Dynasty began to operate with increasing stability.

However, where there is joy, there is also sorrow.

In the eastern part of the city, inside the residence of Jian Yi, the Minister of Personnel, the floor heating in the study was scorching hot.

But it couldn't dispel the gloom on the faces of the people inside the room.

"Your Excellency, this is unbearable!"

Liu Guan, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, slammed his teacup on the table, splashing tea everywhere.

"Yesterday, the Ministry of Revenue issued a document dismissing more than a dozen prefects and county magistrates in the Jiangnan and Shandong regions for failing their examinations. Those who replaced them were all commoners who had passed the recent special imperial examination!"

"Gu Yannian is trying to uproot our entire Qingliu faction!"

Jian Yi sat upright in the grand chair, his face as gloomy as the leaden clouds of midwinter.

He was twirling two glossy walnuts in his hands, making an annoying rubbing sound.

"What's the panic?"

Jian Yi snorted coldly, a venomous glint flashing in his eyes.

"Gu Yannian, relying on the emperor's favor, wields absolute power. But he must not forget that this vast world cannot be governed by a few naive youngsters who know how to calculate."

"Doesn't he boast of unparalleled financial management and a overflowing national treasury? I'd like to see what he'll use to mend the foundations of this Ming Dynasty if a major hole were to appear!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Guan's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward, lowering his voice to ask, "What does the Minister mean...?"

Jian Yi stopped fiddling with the walnuts, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

"Gu Yannian only focused on the cash in Taicang, but forgot that the true lifeline of the Ming Dynasty was the military farms. The Taizu Emperor established the garrison system, with the soldiers of the nine border regions allocating three-tenths of their time to defend the cities and seven-tenths to farm, in order to achieve self-sufficiency."

"But now..."

Jian Yi's lips curled into a cold smile.

The Ming Dynasty had enjoyed a long period of peace, and the local military farms had long been seized by local gentry and generals.

Those military households who should have been farming the land were reduced to tenant farmers for generals and local powerful families.

In the granaries of the military settlement, even the rats were skin and bones from hunger.

"I have secretly contacted the Shandong Provincial Governor and the Commander of Dezhou Garrison. In the next few days, they will submit a memorial stating that Gu Yannian's implementation of the silver-for-merchants policy has led military households to abandon farming for business, resulting in a complete crop failure in Shandong's military farms this year!"

Jian Yi slammed his hand on the table, revealing the true nature of the scheme.

"At that time, the border troops will run out of food and will inevitably mutini. This grave crime that threatens the foundation of the nation is entirely due to Gu Yannian's policy of favoring commerce over agriculture!"

"We then jointly impeached the emperor in court, forcing him to open the imperial granary and allocate three million taels of silver to Shandong to buy grain and quell the rebellion."

"As long as the silver in Taicang is spent like water, his facade of being a brilliant strategist and financial genius will crumble on its own!"

Liu Guan was deeply moved and clapped his hands repeatedly.

"Brilliant! Not only can we divert the disaster eastward, but we can also allow our former protégés and subordinates in Shandong to take the opportunity to pocket a share of the three million taels of disaster relief funds. It's truly a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy!"

The conspiracy quietly took shape in this warm and cozy study.

Three days later, in the Forbidden City, at the Fengtian Gate, the morning court session was held.

Amidst the wind and snow, all the officials, dressed in thick fur cloaks, stood beneath the imperial steps.

Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, sat upright on the dragon throne, his face dignified.

As soon as the court assembly began, the Office of Transmission hastily presented a red-headed memorial delivered by express messenger.

"Your Majesty! The Shandong Governor and the Dezhou Garrison have sent an urgent message! This year, Shandong is suffering from a severe drought, resulting in a complete crop failure in military farms. Several border granaries, including those in Dezhou Garrison and Jinan Garrison, are running out of grain."

"The army is running out of food, and the soldiers are filled with resentment, with the threat of mutiny looming! We earnestly request the court to quickly allocate grain for relief!"

These words shocked the entire court.

Zhu Zhanji frowned and suddenly stood up.

"The military farms suffered a complete crop failure? Didn't the Ministry of Revenue report the autumn harvest accounts for Shandong a few days ago, saying that the weather was favorable? How could the military farms have yielded nothing!"

Jian Yi seized the opportunity, strode out of the ranks, holding his official tablet, tears streaming down his face.

"Your Majesty! This old minister is guilty for failing to promptly perceive the local people's plight. However, the root of this disaster lies not in natural disasters, but in man-made ones!"

Jian Yi suddenly turned around, pointing his finger directly at Gu Yannian, who stood at the head of the assembled officials, his expression still calm.

"Since taking office, Chief Minister Gu has favored commerce over agriculture and promoted the silver-for-treasure system. This has led to a great decline in the social atmosphere. Seeing that merchants and gentry are making a fortune every day, military households have no interest in farming and have abandoned their fields to engage in buying and selling."

"The fertile farmland of the military settlements lay fallow, naturally resulting in a complete crop failure!"

Immediately afterwards, as if receiving a command, more than a dozen censors from the Censorate knelt down in unison and loudly echoed their orders.

"Minister Jian's words are quite right! Grand Secretary Gu has been so greedy and has forgotten the fundamentals that the border troops have run out of food. This is a policy that will ruin the country! I implore Your Majesty to open the imperial granary immediately and allocate three million taels of silver to Shandong to purchase military rations in order to reassure the troops."

"He also issued an edict abolishing the laws of silver exchange and mutual trade, emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce to rectify the imperial administration!"

The impassioned denunciations of the censors echoed throughout the main hall.

They've mastered the art of subverting expectations and turning the tables on others.

The blame for the local gentry's encroachment on military farms was unfairly placed on Gu Yannian's new policies.

They should take this opportunity to empty the national treasury and abolish the new laws that cut off their source of income.

Zhu Zhanji's face was ashen.

Although he trusted Gu Yannian.

However, such a major event that shakes the morale of the army, if not handled properly, could indeed cause widespread chaos.

"Prime Minister Gu."

Zhu Zhanji took a deep breath and looked at Gu Yannian.

"What is your explanation for the situation in Shandong? Is it possible that the Ministry of Revenue will provide funds and stipends to quell the unrest?"

Amidst a chorus of condemnations and sneers, Gu Yannian leisurely dusted off his crimson python robe and stepped steadily out of the queue.

His handsome face showed no sign of panic, not even a furrow of his brow.

Those deep, unfathomable eyes swept indifferently over the kneeling censors and the grief-stricken Jian Yi.

"His Majesty."

Gu Yannian spoke in a calm tone.

"The complete crop failure in the military settlements of Shandong was not due to a natural disaster, nor was it because the military households abandoned farming for business. Rather, it was because a group of 'rats' devoured it all."