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

Wang Zhen felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He scrambled to his feet and turned to Gu Yannian, kowtowing three times heavily.

"This servant is deeply grateful to Your Excellency for saving my life! I will serve you like a slave, repaying your kindness with utmost loyalty and gratitude!"

"Wherever Your Excellency points, this servant will bite!"

Gu Yannian looked down at this future powerful eunuch.

The sound was so soft that only the two of them could hear it.

"Eunuch Wang, behave yourself. If you dare to conceal this from me again and present those treacherous and disastrous matters before the Emperor..."

"Next time, I will personally crush your bones inch by inch."

The terrifying pressure contained in that calm tone made Wang Zhen's soul tremble.

He lowered his head deeply and bit his lip hard.

This fear was etched into his very bones.

From now on, he may hold absolute power.

Before this prime minister, one can only be a vicious dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy.

Half a month later.

The capital city, the Western Garden.

A nominal "Royal Cricket Conference" was solemnly held.

Officials from more than a dozen prefectures in Jiangnan, carrying the finest crickets they had collected, gathered in the capital, filled with dreams of promotion and advancement.

Zhu Zhanji sat high on the viewing platform.

He coldly watched those officials below, who usually spouted righteousness and morality, now arguing heatedly over a mere insect.

Meanwhile, in Jiangnan, a thousand miles away.

Chen Jian, a senior official in the Ministry of Revenue, led over a hundred chief accountants and was protected by three thousand soldiers.

The authorities seized the residences of the officials who had traveled to Beijing as if by divine intervention.

The walls were smashed open, and the floor tiles were torn up.

Boxes of gleaming silver ingots, stacks of blood-stained land deeds.

The sunlight exposed the ugliest true colors of these corrupt officials.

A total of 2.3 million taels of stolen silver were seized from more than a dozen prefectures!

The Suzhou prefect's house alone yielded a staggering 150,000 taels of silver.

When Chen Jian's urgent report arrived at Xiyuan, the absurd cricket gathering was coming to an end.

After reading the secret report, Zhu Zhanji slammed the blood-stained report hard into the face of the Suzhou prefect.

"Two million three hundred thousand taels! You traitors! Using my name, you've been exploiting the people of Jiangnan like this!"

"If I do not kill you all today, how will I appease the world!"

The joyful laughter in the West Garden instantly turned into piercing screams.

The Imperial Guards rushed into the area like wolves and tigers.

Those officials who were dreaming of promotion and wealth just moments before were stripped of their official robes and shackled.

The Suzhou prefect and other culprits were brought to justice by imperial decree of Zhu Zhanji.

Right outside the West Garden, in front of the entire court, he was skinned alive, stuffed with straw, and his head was displayed to the public.

The officialdom in Jiangnan was undergoing an unprecedented purge.

After this battle, Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, completely gave up his cricket fighting habit.

He finally understood that any small whim of the emperor, magnified by the corrupt officials below, could turn into a catastrophe for the people.

He looked at Gu Yannian, who stood beside him with a calm expression.

In addition to respect, I also felt a deep sense of reliance.

With this Grand Secretary in charge, the corrupt officials hiding in the shadows would never be able to stir up any trouble in the Ming Dynasty.

As the sun sets, a thrilling drama of power struggles comes to a close.

Gu Yannian walked out of the West Garden, the evening breeze ruffling his purplish-red python robe.

This purge not only replenished the national treasury.

Furthermore, by taking advantage of Wang Zhen's weakness, they firmly brought the inner court's power under the cabinet's control.

He has completely turned the tide of the court's political game.

Passing by the street corner of Xuanwufang.

A fragrant aroma of roasted sweet potatoes wafted through the cold wind. (The sweet potatoes were already planted by the protagonist in the previous chapters, so please don't scold me~~~please!)

Gu Yannian stopped in his tracks.

"Uncle, pick the sweetest one."

He took out two copper coins.

Holding the piping hot roasted sweet potato, Gu Yannian took a bite. It was soft, sweet, and warmed him right to the core.

On this long and endless road to immortality, there are schemes and plots that turn the world upside down.

Ultimately, nothing can compare to the warmth of human touch in the dead of winter.

With steady steps, he walked towards the quiet little courtyard.

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

In less than half a day.

The Forbidden City's rolling yellow tiles and red walls were covered with a thick layer of white snow.

Inside the Kunning Palace in the inner palace.

The earthen ceiling was warm, yet it exuded a cool and indifferent aura.

Empress Hu Shanxiang wore a simple palace dress and no makeup.

He was sitting upright at the rosewood desk, copying the Diamond Sutra stroke by stroke by the dim light reflecting off the snow outside the window.

She had beautiful features and was dignified and virtuous.

She was the principal wife personally chosen by Empress Dowager Zhang for Zhu Zhanji.

However, this virtue and gentleness were seen as nothing more than a dull and tasteless clay sculpture in the eyes of the emperor.

"Your Majesty, please rest. It's freezing cold; you'll hurt your eyes."

The head maidservant brought over a bowl of steaming ginseng soup, her eyes filled with heartache and indignation.

"Chengqian Palace is bustling again today. The Emperor is sending over a flood of rewards, and everyone in the palace is trying to curry favor with Consort Sun."

"You are the rightful mistress of this harem, how can you allow her to overstep her bounds like this..."

Empress Hu paused slightly in the purple brush in her hand.

A drop of rich ink falls onto the rice paper, spreading out to form a jet-black plum blossom.

"shut up."

Hu Shanxiang's voice was soft, yet it carried the authority of an empress.

"Consort Sun is pregnant with the emperor's child and is about to give birth. This is of paramount importance for the continuation of the Ming Dynasty's lineage. It is only natural that His Majesty would bestow such favor upon her."

"Our Kunning Palace should just keep to its proper place and not engage in any petty, jealous, or vulgar behavior."

The palace maid's eyes reddened with grievance, but she dared not say anything more and could only silently retreat.

Hu Shanxiang looked at the drop of ink spreading and let out an almost inaudible sigh.

She had been in the palace for many years, but had no children and no favor, leaving only an empty empress's seat.

She knew all too well that once the woman in Chengqian Palace gave birth to the eldest prince...

The order of things in the harem was about to change.

At this moment, Chengqian Palace was indeed filled with a joyous atmosphere, and the charcoal fire was burning hot.

Consort Sun, with her high, protruding pregnant belly, leaned against the soft couch.

She was incredibly beautiful, and every smile and frown of hers captivated the Xuande Emperor.

She and Zhu Zhanji were childhood sweethearts and had a deep affection for each other.

If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's insistence on interfering back then, the Empress's throne should have been hers.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor just sent Eunuch Wang Zhen to inquire after you again, saying that he will come to see you immediately after the court session."

The palace maid massaged her legs while smiling ingratiatingly.

Consort Sun stroked her belly, a determined glint in her eyes.

She knew Zhu Zhanji's thoughts all too well.

As long as the baby in her belly is a boy.

That living bodhisattva in Kunning Palace who occupies the toilet without doing anything, we'll have to make way for her sooner or later.

The Southern Study of the Qianqing Palace in the former dynasty.

The wind and snow raged outside the window.

Zhu Zhanji was not wearing a dragon robe, but only a white fox fur coat, and was pacing back and forth anxiously in his study.

"Wang Zhen, has Prime Minister Gu not arrived yet?"

Zhu Zhanji stopped and asked with a furrowed brow.

Wang Zhen shrank his neck and quickly replied.

"Your Majesty, I have already sent someone to Jianji Hall to invite him. Prime Minister Gu should be on his way now."

As they were talking, the heavy cotton curtain of the study was lifted.

Wearing a dark cloak, Gu Yannian shook off the snow from his shoulders and walked calmly into the hall.

His face was handsome and gentle, as if the wind and snow of the world and the turmoil of the court could not leave a trace between his brows.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. In this heavy snow, Your Majesty has summoned me urgently. Has something happened at the border or in Jiangnan?"

Gu Yannian took off his cloak and handed it to the eunuch beside him, asking gently.

Zhu Zhanji waved his hand, dismissing those around him.

Only his trusted confidant, Wang Zhen, was left to serve in the corner.

"Prime Minister Gu, please excuse the formalities and sit down. The weather is chilly; have a couple of warm cups of wine with me."

Zhu Zhanji personally pointed to the small table next to the imperial desk.

On a small table sat a red clay stove, warming a pot of fine Shaoxing Nu'er Hong wine, its aroma filling the air.

Gu Yannian thanked the emperor and took his seat.

He picked up the wine cup filled by the eunuch and took a small sip.

The mellow liquor went down my throat and turned into a warm current.

He did not press further, but waited quietly for the young emperor to speak.

He knew that the cabinet had already handled the affairs of the court in an orderly manner.

The only thing that could make Zhu Zhanji so anxious was the complicated and tangled affairs of the imperial harem.