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

In the winter of the seventh year of the Hongxi reign, snow fell heavily.

Amidst mournful white mourners and sorrowful music, the Ming Dynasty bid farewell to the benevolent emperor who had ushered in a seven-year golden age.

After the national mourning period, the snow outside the Fengtian Hall was swept clean.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites conducted the enthronement ceremony of the new emperor in an orderly manner.

As the music played, the Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji, in his early thirties, dressed in imperial robes and wearing a crown, stepped onto the steps that symbolized the supreme ruler of the land.

The new emperor received the congratulations of all his officials and changed the following year to the first year of Xuande.

The atmosphere of the Xuande reign was completely different from that of the Hongxi reign.

Emperor Hongxi was kind and gentle, and advocated allowing the people to rest and recuperate.

Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, accompanied his grandfather, Emperor Yongle, on northern expeditions from a young age, shooting eagles with a bow and arrow, revealing an unyielding and martial spirit in his bones.

He sat upright on the dragon throne, his gaze sharp as he surveyed the assembled officials below.

The overwhelming imperial aura secretly alarmed many veteran officials.

At court meetings, the primary task is to appease the officials and establish a clear central government.

Minister of Revenue Xia Yuanji stepped forward with tears streaming down his face, holding the retirement petition he had prepared high above his head.

He was already old, and the blow of the late emperor's death had left his body unable to support the heavy burden of managing the nation's finances.

Zhu Zhanji looked at this veteran minister who had served three emperors, a hint of reluctance flashing in his eyes, but he also knew that forcing him to stay would be of no use.

He comforted her gently and bestowed upon her generous gifts of gold, silver, and jade.

He was granted permission to return to his hometown in honor, and officials along the route were ordered to provide proper escort.

After Xia Yuanji stepped down, the atmosphere in the court immediately became subtle.

The position of Minister of Revenue was vacant.

More importantly, the power of the cabinet had not been fully clarified before the late emperor passed away.

Now that a new emperor has taken the throne, who will ultimately take the position of head of all officials?

Zhu Zhanji turned his gaze to Gu Yannian, who was standing in the front row with a calm and composed expression.

"Minister Gu."

Zhu Zhanji spoke slowly, his voice echoing throughout the hall.

"Your humble servant is here." Gu Yannian stepped out of the queue and bowed slightly.

Zhu Zhanji gazed at this extraordinary minister who had amassed a fortune for the Ming Dynasty and said in a deep voice, "When the late emperor was alive, he often said that you, my dear minister, possessed extraordinary talent. In the past seven years, the transfer of silver from Jiangnan, the dredging of the Grand Canal, and the tea-horse trade have all been great achievements that will benefit future generations."

"Before his death, the late emperor specifically entrusted me with the management of the Ming Dynasty's assets."

The emperor straightened his posture slightly and issued the decree in a loud voice.

"By imperial decree, Gu Yannian, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, is promoted to Minister of Revenue and concurrently Grand Secretary of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Effective immediately, he shall enter the Grand Secretariat as its chief minister, in charge of governing the state!"

These words shocked the entire court.

Since the abolition of the prime minister in the Ming Dynasty, although the cabinet ministers held high positions and wielded great power, most of them were noble civil officials from the Hanlin Academy.

He rose directly from a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Revenue, who was in charge of money and grain, to become the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, holding both financial and political power in his hands.

This level of power is comparable to that of the prime ministers of the Han and Tang dynasties!

Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and several other cabinet ministers exchanged glances but remained silent, none of them stepping forward to object.

Gu Yannian's achievements are undeniable.

The mountains of silver piled up in Taicang were his strongest backing.

Moreover, the influence of the late emperor's edict still lingers, so who would dare to offend the new emperor at this time?

Gu Yannian's face remained calm, his deep eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

He knew that from the moment Zhu Gaochi entrusted him with that heavy responsibility, he could not shirk the position of Grand Secretary.

He knelt down calmly and performed the grand salute with proper decorum.

"Your humble servant Gu Yannian accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude. He will certainly devote himself wholeheartedly to the cause and live up to the trust placed in him by the late Emperor and Your Majesty."

From this day forward, the power center of the Ming Dynasty welcomed its new master.

Wenhua Hall, the office of the Grand Secretariat.

Linghu An, the Grand Eunuch of the Inner Court, personally directed several palace servants to move Gu Yannian's belongings into the main room reserved for the Grand Secretary.

The affairs of the harem and inner court of the Ming Dynasty were always managed by the Grand Steward.

Linghu An was meticulous in his actions, arranging the duty room in a way that was both elegant and tasteful.

"Prime Minister Gu, these are the urgent documents submitted by various ministries today. Grand Secretary Yang and his team have already drafted preliminary proposals. Please take a look."

Linghu An respectfully placed a stack of memorials, half a foot high, on the large rosewood desk.

Gu Yannian nodded slightly and sat down in the chair.

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

A thought struck him, and he added the attribute points to "Intelligence".

In an instant, my mind became clear, and the principles of all things in the world seemed to weave into a clear net in my mind.

He reached out and flipped to the top of the book of memorials, skimming through it quickly.

In the past, when cabinet ministers handled government affairs, they had to carefully consider every word and repeatedly scrutinize the drafts, for fear that the drafts might go against the emperor's wishes or make mistakes.

However, Gu Yannian's extraordinary wisdom allowed him to achieve enlightenment with just a glance.

This would allow one to see through the vested interests and intricate schemes of local officials behind the memorial.

"The Shandong governor's memorial requesting the allocation of disaster relief grain reported a considerable disaster, but the amount was clearly inflated."

Gu Yannian picked up his vermilion pen and quickly wrote his comments next to the draft proposal prepared by Yang Shiqi.

"Order the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission to re-examine the household registration and distribute grain according to the actual situation. If there is any false reporting or fraudulent receipt, it shall be severely punished."

He reviewed the folded documents at an astonishing speed.

The vermilion brush danced across the folded paper.

In less than half an hour, he had dealt with the stack of urgent documents that had troubled the senior officials for half a day.

Each instruction hits the nail on the head and is written in a concise style.

There was absolutely not a single vague or irrelevant word.

The next day, when these red-embroidered commemorative documents were sent to various ministries, the six ministries and nine ministers were all taken aback.

The newly appointed Chief Minister Gu acts with the force of thunder.

He may appear calm and gentle, but his eyes are sharp as a hawk's, and he has everything under control.

A few days later, Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, summoned Gu Yannian to the South Study of the Qianqing Palace.

The charcoal fire was burning brightly in the study.

Zhu Zhanji was dressed in a close-fitting outfit and was playing with a brand-new firearm made in Xuanfu.

Although he became emperor, his desire to conquer battlefields never faded.

"Prime Minister Gu, come and take a look at this musket."

Zhu Zhanji handed the musket to Gu Yannian, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"This is a new type of arquebus that Yu Qian supervised the manufacture in Xuanfu. It has a long range and great power. I have been very excited these past few days. Since the late emperor stopped the northern expedition, the Ming Dynasty has not fought a war for seven years."

"I have heard that Toghon of the Oirat has annexed several small tribes on the grasslands and his power is growing."

Zhu Zhanji walked to the huge map of the territory and slammed his palm heavily on the area north of the Great Wall.

"I wish to follow in my grandfather's footsteps and, next spring, personally lead a large army beyond the Great Wall to sweep across the grasslands and demonstrate the might of my Great Ming! What does Prime Minister Gu think?"

Gu Yannian gently placed the musket back on the imperial desk, his expression serene, his slender fingers slightly interlaced within the wide sleeves of his robe.

He knew this Xuande Emperor all too well.

A newly enthroned young emperor always needs a resounding victory to establish his inviolable authority.

But war is a bottomless pit that devours gold and silver.

It would be unwise for the Ming Dynasty to waste its hard-earned wealth on playing hide-and-seek with nomadic cavalry on the grasslands.

"Your Majesty is divinely mighty, possessing the spirit of Emperor Taizong."

Gu Yannian spoke in a calm tone, first appeasing Zhu Zhanji's temper, and then changing the subject.

"However, the grasslands are vast, and water and grass grow freely. Tuohuan is cunning; if he hears that Your Majesty is personally leading the expedition, he will surely lead his troops to flee far to the northern desert. Our army is deep in the desert, and the transportation of supplies will be difficult."

"Even if we win, we will only capture a few cattle and sheep, which will not harm the Oirat at all. On the contrary, it will cost us millions of taels of silver in military supplies."