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

Zhu Qizhen cried so hard he was hoarse, burying his head in Sun's brocade quilt, his whole body convulsing.

Seeing her son in such a miserable state, Mrs. Sun was heartbroken and burst into tears.

She quickly hugged him and comforted him.

Although she is now the Holy Mother Empress Dowager.

But in the central government of the Ming Dynasty, her power was suppressed.

In the previous dynasty, Gu Yannian held absolute power.

In the inner palace, there was also the reclusive Empress Dowager Zhang, who was in charge.

Empress Dowager Zhang always valued rules and regulations, and her trust in Gu Yannian even surpassed that in her daughter-in-law, Madam Sun.

"My son, don't cry, don't cry. You are still young, please bear with him for a few more years."

Sun gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with resentment.

"When that old scoundrel Gu gets old, and when those old ministers in the court retire, this world will ultimately be yours to rule."

Just as the mother and son were embracing and weeping, the curtain of the side hall was gently lifted.

Wang Zhen walked in with a bandage wrapped around his head and his face swollen and red.

He was terrified by Gu Yannian's cold gaze in the court today.

After returning to the palace, he banged on the gate a few times.

He put on an act of being wronged to gain sympathy from the mother and son.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty... This servant deserves to die. This servant failed to protect Your Majesty's dignity!"

Wang Zhen knelt down in front of the bed and cried even more bitterly than Zhu Qizhen.

Zhu Qizhen lifted his head from Sun's embrace and, seeing Wang Zhen's appearance, his hatred intensified. He gritted his teeth and asked:

"Wang Zhen, tell me, what exactly is that old scoundrel Gu? What gives him the right to be so arrogant and domineering?"

"When Father was alive, he listened to him, and now Grandmother listens to him too. Does this mean the Ming Dynasty is just a family affair for him to rule?"

Wang Zhen wiped away his tears, his eyes darting around.

A hint of inflammatory resentment flashed in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, you may not know this. That old scoundrel Gu has been in the Ministry of Revenue for twenty years, and the nation's finances are all under his control. Most of the seven ministers and nine ministers in the court are people he promoted back then, people who came from humble backgrounds."

"He's effectively silenced all the officials with gold and silver!"

Wang Zhen stepped forward, lowered his voice, and his voice carried a chilling undertone.

"Your Majesty, you are the Son of Heaven, the master of the land. That old traitor is now controlling you, preventing you from wielding military power and squandering funds, claiming it's for the good of the nation. But in reality..."

"The real intention is to raise you into a good-for-nothing who knows nothing, so that the Gu family can lord it over the court for generations to come!"

"He dares?!"

Zhu Qizhen slammed his hand on the edge of the bed, his small face contorted with extreme anger.

Wang Zhen's words precisely struck the most sensitive nerve in the young emperor's heart.

In Zhu Qizhen's view, Gu Yannian had tormented him in various ways over the past few years.

Make him plan until his hands swell, make him dig in the wasteland of Xiyuan until he vomits blood, make him eat black flour cakes that even dogs won't eat.

All of this is absolutely not some kind of magic formula for governing the country!

This is clearly Gu Yannian "abusing" him!

They were deliberately tormenting him, the crown prince.

It was using the cruelest means to shatter his pride.

So that he would live in Gu Yannian's shadow for the rest of his life, willingly becoming an obedient puppet!

"You old scoundrel...you've gone too far in bullying me!"

Zhu Qizhen pinched his thigh hard, his eyes shooting out two vicious glints.

"I've remembered. Wang Zhen, you keep a close eye on him in secret! One day, I will reclaim the power that is rightfully mine."

"When that time comes, I will lock him up in the darkest prison, make him do abacus work every day, and if he can't balance it, I will whip him to death with an iron whip!"

Empress Dowager Sun listened to her son's fierce words from the side.

Although it was somewhat thrilling, I acquiesced.

Within this deep palace, the struggle for interests and power has always been bloody.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, in the duty room of the Wenhua Hall.

The heated floor kept the area warm and cozy, completely blocking out the blizzard outside.

Gu Yannian took off his heavy python robe.

He was dressed in a simple, light blue outfit and sat by a small red clay stove.

A pot of aged Huangdiao wine was warming on the stove.

Several fresh chestnuts were roasting next to the stove, emitting an enticing sweet aroma as the temperature rose.

[Ding! Today's attendance complete. Attribute point gained +1.]

A crisp system notification sounded in my mind.

Gu Yannian remained calm, but a thought flickered in his mind.

I casually added this attribute point to "Spirit".

In an instant, a very subtle coolness flashed through my mind.

His spiritual perception unfolded invisibly at that moment.

Like an invisible net, it instantly covered the entire Forbidden City.

Under the perception of this vast network, in the side hall of Chengqian Palace, one could hear Zhu Qizhen's heart pounding with anger, Wang Zhen's whispers filled with flattery and resentment, and even Empress Dowager Sun's sighs.

Everything was clearly and completely imprinted in his mind.

He heard the young emperor swear that he would imprison him in the imperial prison and whip him to death with an iron whip.

Gu Yannian not only didn't get angry, but instead chuckled.

He slowly used the tongs to pick out a roasted chestnut, peeled off the shell, and put the golden, soft chestnut meat into his mouth.

"This kid is much more petty than his father."

Gu Yannian patted the crumbs off his hands, a playful glint in his eyes.

How could he not know that Zhu Qizhen hated him?

He saw through every single one of this cunning schemer's little tricks.

But he doesn't care.

His original intention was indeed to preserve the foundation of the Ming Dynasty.

In order to prevent this future "Great Ming War God" from annihilating 200,000 elite troops at Tumu Fortress.

But mortals are mortals after all.

How could a nine-year-old child understand the principle that "if you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight"?

Zhu Qizhen felt that he had been greatly wronged.

He felt he was being mistreated and sidelined by the prime minister.

"Let him hate me then. In all these long years, to have an emperor who constantly tries to kill me, yet I have no choice but to obediently sit in the Wenhua Hall calculating on an abacus, is a form of amusement."

"It has added some amusement to my boring days."

Gu Yannian picked up his wine cup and took a small sip of the warm yellow wine, which had a mellow and rich flavor.

You want to kill him?

Want to take back power?

Then this kid needs to memorize the multiplication tables better than anyone else.

The next morning, the snow stopped.

The rising sun cast a blinding light on the snow-covered Forbidden City.

Inside the Wenhua Hall, the stove was not yet fully lit, and the air was chilly.

Zhu Qizhen, who had been emperor for less than three days, was once again forced to sit at his desk.

He rubbed his red and swollen eyes, looking at the two-inch-thick "List of Losses of Post Stations and Carriages in Various Provinces in the First Year of the Zhengtong Reign".

Tears welled up in my eyes uncontrollably.

Gu Yannian walked steadily into the hall, fanning himself with a folding fan.

"Your Majesty, today is the first spring imperial examination of the first year of the Zhengtong era. Although the national mourning period is not yet over, government affairs cannot be neglected."

Gu Yannian walked to the desk.

A heavy ruler was placed on the table, making a crisp "clang" sound.

Zhu Qizhen trembled and glanced at the ironwood ruler with some fear.

"Grand Tutor... I... I was somewhat exhausted from yesterday's enthronement ceremony. Could you perhaps..."

Zhu Qizhen tried to use his status as emperor to gain some leverage.

"cannot."

Gu Yannian coldly interrupted him and took his seat in the main seat.