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

The first month of the tenth year of the Xuande reign.

The capital city experienced a snowfall that was the heaviest in thirty years.

A fierce wind, carrying shredded snowflakes, howled and swept across the entire Forbidden City.

Layer upon layer of flying eaves, towering palaces.

Everything was completely covered by this boundless white snow.

The world was a vast expanse of white, with only the mournful music that occasionally drifted from the direction of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, carrying far away in the wind and snow.

That was Zhu Zhanji, the Xuande Emperor, who was only thirty-six years old and in the prime of his life.

Ultimately, they couldn't survive the harsh winter.

The late emperor passed away, and the entire country was draped in mourning.

Inside the Fengtian Hall, the new emperor's enthronement ceremony was hastily held in an almost oppressive and solemn atmosphere.

Zhu Qizhen, the eldest son of Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji, was only nine years old.

He was dressed in a twelve-symbol robe that was several sizes too large, and wore a heavy twelve-tassel crown.

Supported by a group of eunuchs, he staggered onto the lacquered, gold-painted dragon throne that symbolized the supreme ruler of the world.

The reign title was set as "Zhengtong".

The young Zhu Qizhen sat on the large dragon throne, feeling dizzy from the dangling tassels of the crown.

Through the gaps in his jade tassels, he looked with fear and helplessness at the mass of officials kneeling below the steps.

And at the head of all civil and military officials, he stood closest to the dragon throne, even half a body length above the rest of the courtiers.

It was the Grand Secretary, dressed in a crimson brocade robe and holding an ivory tablet.

Gu Yannian.

At this time, Gu Yannian's authority in the Ming Dynasty had reached an unprecedented and unparalleled peak.

With Xia Yuanji's triumphant return to his hometown, the Qingliu faction was uprooted due to the major case of military settlements in Shandong.

Most of the ministers and officials in the central government were pragmatic talents promoted by Gu Yannian.

More importantly, Empress Dowager Zhang, Zhu Zhanji's mother, trusted Gu Yannian implicitly.

When he entered the palace to mourn, he publicly took Gu Yannian's hand and entrusted the young new emperor and the Ming Dynasty to this "veteran of three dynasties".

At the beginning of the new dynasty, Grand Secretary Gu Yannian was appointed to rule as regent, wielding immense power.

"If you have something to report, please do so; otherwise, the court may adjourn."

Wang Zhen's sharp voice, tinged with a hint of deliberate suppression, echoed in the main hall.

He is now the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

They should have been in a position of great power and prestige in this new dynasty.

But whenever he caught a glimpse of that purplish-red figure out of the corner of his eye, a cold sweat would break out on his back.

Zhu Qizhen shifted his position on the dragon throne.

Two small feet in satin shoes dangled in mid-air, unable to reach the gold bricks on the ground.

Looking at the kneeling officials below, he suddenly felt an overwhelming surge of excitement.

"My father has passed away... I am now the emperor! The master of the world!"

Young children have incredibly quick minds.

He recalled the past four or five years when Gu Yannian used an abacus and ledgers in the Wenhua Hall.

Even the miserable years of being tortured by iron shovels in the desolate Western Regions.

A surge of triumph welled up within me.

"Now that I'm emperor, I no longer need to use an abacus! I hereby issue an imperial edict to burn all the account books in the Wenhua Hall!"

"I also intend to appoint Wang Zhen as Grand General and send him to fight beyond the Great Wall!"

Thinking of this, Zhu Qizhen couldn't help but puff out his chest.

He placed his hands on the armrests of the dragon throne and cleared his throat.

He shouted in a voice that he thought was authoritative, but was actually extremely immature:

"My beloved ministers, rise! I am overjoyed to ascend the throne today. By my decree, each of the three armies of the capital garrison shall be rewarded with ten taels of silver and two bolts of silk!"

"Furthermore... Wang Zhen, Director of Ceremonial Affairs, is hereby appointed..."

"Your Majesty, you mustn't."

Inside the main hall, a calm and gentle voice, yet carrying an undeniable air of authority, abruptly interrupted the young emperor.

Holding the tablet in his hands, Gu Yannian took a steady step forward.

A gentle smile still lingered on his handsome face.

He slightly raised his deep eyes and glanced indifferently at Zhu Qizhen on the dragon throne.

In an instant, the immense pressure, accumulated over countless years and enhanced by thousands of points of spiritual attribute, was unleashed.

It spread throughout the Fengtian Hall like an invisible wave.

Zhu Qizhen's body stiffened abruptly.

The unfinished sentence was stuck in his throat.

Her previously excited face instantly lost all color and turned deathly pale.

That kind of unforgettable fear, the moment I saw Gu Yannian.

It resurfaced wildly from the depths of my memory once again.

"Why not...Prime Minister Gu?"

Zhu Qizhen shrank back, gripping the edge of the dragon throne tightly with both hands, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

Gu Yannian stood below the steps and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"The elite troops of the Beijing Garrison total two hundred thousand men. If each of them is rewarded with ten taels of silver, that's two million taels. Now that the national mourning period for the late emperor has just ended, the funeral and mausoleum construction have already cost a fortune."

"Furthermore, the Northwest Tea-Horse Trade requires capital allocation. Although Taicang has savings, it is not meant for such extravagant spending."

He turned slightly to look at Wang Zhen beside him, his tone gentle yet chilling.

"As for the eunuch Wang Zhen, he only needs to fulfill his duties within the inner court. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty by Emperor Taizu, an ironclad rule has been established that eunuchs are not allowed to interfere in military affairs."

"Your Majesty is young and must not listen to the slander of petty people, lest you ruin the ancestral order."

Wang Zhen, who was in the corner, suddenly knelt down on the ground, his forehead pressed firmly against the cold floor tiles.

He trembled like a leaf, not daring to utter a single word in his defense.

"Minister of Revenue"

Gu Yannian called out.

The current Minister of Revenue is none other than Chen Jian, Gu Yannian's prized student back then.

Chen Jianli immediately stepped out of the ranks, bowed, and said, "Your humble servant is here."

"I present to His Majesty the 'Proposal on the Expenditure of Funds and Grain for the First Year of the Zhengtong Reign,' drafted by the Cabinet yesterday. According to regulations, henceforth, any purchases made by the inner court or rewards from the inner treasury exceeding fifty taels of silver..."

"All funds must be sealed by the Cabinet and approved by the Ministry of Revenue before they can be withdrawn."

Gu Yannian gave the order in a calm tone.

"Your humble servant obeys the decree."

Zhu Qizhen sat on the dragon throne, watching the eunuch place a thick, ink-scented document on the imperial desk in front of him.

It was covered with dense numbers and rules.

Like heavy chains, they bound him, the supreme ruler, tightly to the dragon throne.

There were no rewards, no great generals.

Even if he wanted to take a few hundred taels of silver from the imperial treasury to buy some toys, he had to look after the wrath of this living Yama chief minister!

What kind of emperor is this?!

This is clearly a puppet dressed in a dragon robe.

A puppet tightly controlled by Gu Yannian!

Zhu Qizhen's eyes were red-rimmed, and he bit his lip tightly.

Her two little hands were clenched into fists inside the wide sleeves of her clothes.

At this moment, the fear he felt towards Gu Yannian was mixed with an unprecedented, deep-seated resentment and hatred.

I am the emperor... What right do you have to control me!

When I grow up, I will definitely...

The young emperor screamed wildly in his heart, but on the surface he could only lower his head and humiliatingly squeeze out a few words.

"Then...then we will do as the Grand Tutor has suggested."

After the court session ended, all the officials dispersed.

Zhu Qizhen didn't even have time to change his clothes.

She ran crying all the way back to Chengqian Palace in the inner palace and threw herself into the arms of Empress Dowager Sun.

"Mother! Gu Yannian has bullied me! He reprimanded me in front of so many people in court, and wouldn't even allow me to reward the soldiers!"

"I don't want to be emperor anymore, sob sob sob..."