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

Late autumn of the second year of the Xuande reign.

Inside the Forbidden City, the leaves of several century-old ginkgo trees have turned completely yellow.

As the autumn wind rises, it sweeps up the golden hues covering the ground and brushes against the carved white marble steps, revealing an indescribable atmosphere of peace and tranquility.

Under the rule of this young emperor, and with the strategic planning of Gu Yannian in the Grand Secretariat, the Ming Dynasty flourished.

The national treasury is full, and the borders are secure.

In Jiaozhi, Chen Dingyuan's navy blockaded the border and engaged in black market acquisitions.

Just as Gu Yannian had predicted, he completely drained the Li Li rebels' supplies.

Good news kept coming from the southern frontier, and without losing a single soldier, chaos had already begun to break out within Jiaozhi (Vietnam).

The rebel army, with corpses strewn across the fields, was surrendering in droves to the border of the Ming Dynasty.

With nothing to do in the world, the years in the deep palace seemed to stretch on endlessly.

Inside the Thousand Autumns Pavilion in the Imperial Garden.

Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, was not wearing a dragon robe today, but only a brocade casual dress.

He sat casually cross-legged on the Luohan bed covered with a Western Regions velvet carpet, holding a thin stalk of cudweed in his hand.

He was intently fiddling with the contents of a clay pot in front of him.

"Bite it! Yes, bite its wing root!"

Zhu Zhanji's eyes shone brightly, and his fair face was flushed with excitement.

Even his forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat.

Inside the earthenware jar, two robust crickets were locked in a fierce battle.

One of them was entirely black, with a head as big as a bucket and a jaw like cast iron.

Each pounce was exceptionally fierce, forcing the other green-backed cricket to retreat repeatedly.

With a final, pitiful cry, it was defeated.

"What a formidable general! Truly unparalleled in bravery and strength!"

Zhu Zhanji clapped his hands and laughed, casually tossing the rat-whisker grass onto the table, his eyes filled with the joy of victory.

A young eunuch standing beside the Luohan bed immediately approached with a beaming smile upon seeing this.

She held a warm, damp cloth in her hands and handed it to the emperor to wash his hands.

This eunuch was fair-skinned and beardless, with darting, shifting eyes.

With an undeniable shrewdness, he was none other than Wang Zhen, who was currently quite favored by the emperor.

"His Majesty has the keenest eye!"

Wang Zhen flattered in a high-pitched voice.

"This iron-headed creature was a tribute sent to the capital by the Suzhou prefect via express courier, covering 800 li. It is said that a strange man from the countryside of Suzhou Prefecture captured it after guarding it in a crevice of an ancient tomb for three days and three nights."

"Such a divine object can only be so majestic and invincible if it is imbued with His Majesty's dragon aura!"

Zhu Zhanji wiped his hands and nodded slightly, clearly pleased.

He grew up in the palace and military camps, and after ascending the throne, he was busy with countless affairs of state.

Now that the world is at peace, his hobby of cricket fighting has become his greatest pleasure in relieving fatigue.

"This Suzhou prefect does have some filial piety."

Zhu Zhanji picked up his teacup and casually asked.

"The men must have gone to great lengths to catch this cricket, right?"

"His Majesty's benevolence extends to all corners of the world, and it is only natural for his subjects to show him respect. There is no need for them to put in any effort. To be able to make His Majesty smile is the greatest blessing they can have."

Wang Zhen, observing people's expressions, sewed his words together flawlessly.

Just as the emperor and his minister were enjoying themselves in the Thousand Autumns Pavilion.

A series of steady, powerful footsteps echoed along the bluestone path outside the pavilion.

Gu Yannian was dressed in a purple-red python robe and wore a black gauze hat, with his hands tucked into the wide sleeves.

They walked leisurely into the Imperial Garden.

Beside him stood Yang Shiqi, the second-ranking cabinet minister, whose face was filled with worry.

Yang Shiqi has been suffering greatly these past few days.

The emperor's obsession with cricket fighting has become a hot topic of conversation throughout the court and among the people.

Several censors even privately expressed their deep sorrow and indignation.

He was prepared to risk his life to submit a memorial remonstrating against the emperor, vehemently criticizing him for indulging in frivolous pursuits.

As a senior minister entrusted with the care of the emperor, Yang Shiqi knew that although Zhu Zhanji was intelligent, he had an extremely fierce temper.

If the officials were to speak out against the emperor, it would likely lead to another bloody storm.

Left with no other choice, he went to the Jianji Hall to find Gu Yannian.

They were hoping that this powerful prime minister could dissuade them.

"Your humble servants Gu Yannian and Yang Shiqi pay their respects to Your Majesty."

The two stopped outside the pavilion and bowed in greeting.

Upon seeing that they were two key ministers of the cabinet, Zhu Zhanji's smile immediately faded.

He coughed lightly, signaling Wang Zhen to gather the clay pottery jar aside.

"My two esteemed ministers, please excuse the formalities and take your seats."

Zhu Zhanji straightened his body.

"Does the Cabinet have any important matters to report today?"

Yang Shiqi had just sat down when he hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

My gaze unconsciously drifted to the earthenware jar on the corner of the table.

Gu Yannian, however, seemed completely unaware of the pottery jar's presence, his expression serene and calm.

He took a memorial from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

"Your Majesty, this is a joint memorial submitted by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works. The dredging project of the Linqing to Jining section of the Grand Canal has been fully completed. In the first month, the lock fees paid by merchants along the route amounted to 450,000 taels of silver."

"The Ministry of Revenue has verified the amount of silver. Half of it will be used for routine maintenance of the river, and the other half will be allocated to the Taicang granary."

Gu Yannian spoke calmly and gently, recounting this great news that concerned the nation's economy and people's livelihood.

Zhu Zhanji was overjoyed to hear that the silver had been deposited into the treasury.

"Excellent! Prime Minister Gu's strategy of using commerce to support industry is truly a treasure trove. Minister Yang, you've looked so worried these past few days, is there something troubling you?"

Yang Shiqi, having been singled out by the emperor, gritted his teeth, stood up, and bowed, saying:

"Your Majesty, this old minister... this old minister dares to speak. Recently, there have been rumors circulating in the capital that Your Majesty has been collecting all sorts of exotic insects from across the land in the palace, and is enjoying cricket fighting day and night."

"Even more local officials, in order to curry favor with the emperor, imposed exorbitant levies and extorted valuable crickets to send to the capital."

"This old minister believes that this trend must not be allowed to continue. Indulging in frivolous pursuits will only lead to the loss of ambition and, I fear, harm Your Majesty's wisdom!"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere inside Qianqiu Pavilion instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Wang Zhen shrank his neck, secretly breaking out in a cold sweat.

Zhu Zhanji's face darkened, and he slammed the teacup heavily on the table.

The imposing aura of an emperor instantly spread out.

"Yang Shiqi! You old pedant, you're meddling way too much!"

Zhu Zhanji coldly rebuked,

"I review memorials day and night, governing this realm. Now the world is at peace, and the national treasury is full. I merely play with a few insects in my spare time to relax. Does that make me a foolish ruler?"

"Are those censors and officials just bored and have nothing better to do, or do they think my sword is dull?!"

Yang Shiqi was so frightened that he immediately knelt down on the ground.

His forehead touched the cold bluestone slab, but he still steeled himself and said:

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This old minister is not criticizing Your Majesty, but rather it is a matter of the ruler having certain preferences, which those below will surely pursue even more fervently."

"Local officials, under the guise of offering crickets as tribute, are actually wasting public resources and causing immense suffering to the people!"

"Nonsense!"

Zhu Zhanji, enraged, laughed and pointed at Wang Zhen beside him, saying...

"Ask Wang Zhen. This iron-headed cricket was a gift from the Suzhou prefect out of filial piety. It never cost a single penny of the national treasury, nor did it cause any hardship to the people or waste resources."

Wang Zhen immediately knelt down and echoed his sentiments.

"Your Majesty, please understand that Grand Secretary Yang has simply believed the rumors circulating outside. The officials below are all using these little items out of their own pockets to amuse Your Majesty; there is absolutely no intention of disturbing the people."

Yang Shiqi was trembling with rage, and pointed at Wang Zhen, cursing:

"You eunuch, with your clever words and flattering manner, you have deceived the Emperor!"

It seemed that a stalemate was about to break out between the emperor and his ministers.

Gu Yannian, who had been sitting upright like a mountain, suddenly let out a soft laugh.

The laughter sounded particularly abrupt in the tense atmosphere of the pavilion.

Zhu Zhanji turned to look at Gu Yannian, frowning as he said:

"What are you laughing at, Prime Minister Gu? Do you also think I'm indulging in frivolous pursuits and neglecting my duties?"