Even emperors have it tough, so don't be too picky about the entries.

Han Cao straightened his clothes and stepped forward.

He bowed to Chen Shao and said:

"Your Majesty, this snowfall is merely a coincidence."

"It is not uncommon for autumn to suddenly turn cold and for a light snowfall to fall; this is recorded in many books."

He turned to look at the officials and smiled:

"My lords, do not let the temporary celestial phenomena disturb your peace of mind and give those with ulterior motives an opportunity to take advantage of you."

He spoke in a measured and even manner, sounding as if he were defending Chen Shao.

But they insisted on associating the officials with the words "snow" and "celestial phenomena."

Sure enough, his words of advice did not only fail to reassure many people, but their expressions became even more subtle.

Chen Shao looked up at the sky, expressionless, seemingly lost in thought.

The rest of the people held their breath and waited.

Before long, Eunuch Wei rushed over.

"Your Majesty, Zhang Jiao requests an audience."

After being captured by Chen Shao, Zhang Jiao was sent to the Imperial Observatory.

Their main task was to observe celestial phenomena and predict floods, droughts, winds, and rains; in other words, they were weather forecasters.

Zhang Jiao was indeed a man of great courage.

The victor is king, the loser is villain; one must accept defeat.

Aside from the initial few days of adjustment, I gradually adapted to the new job.

They did an even more successful job.

He has already made quite a name for himself, and it is said that he has taken on several disciples who specialize in celestial phenomena.

He had met Chen Shao, but did not perform the full kneeling ceremony.

Despite his busy work ethic, he still harbored the stubbornness of a ruthless leader.

He simply nodded slightly.

He had clearly discovered why it had suddenly snowed, and was about to tell him everything when Chen Shao interrupted him.

"Snow in September signifies a great injustice in the world."

Chen Shao patted the back of his hand, signaling him not to continue, then turned to face the officials.

"Since I ascended the throne, I have never feared weapons or evil spirits."

"Now that Heaven's will is clear, I will personally investigate this case thoroughly."

"Eunuch Wei, issue this decree: From this day forward, anyone inside or outside the capital who witnessed or heard anything strange last night may report it to the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Anyone who knows something but fails to report it will be punished as an accomplice."

"A curfew has been imposed in the capital for the past few days. The Five City Garrison and the Embroidered Uniform Guard are also on patrol day and night. Any abnormalities must be reported immediately."

Han Cao felt the time was right.

So I stepped forward and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, relying solely on a thorough investigation at this time will likely yield little result in the short term."

"The city is now in turmoil, and people are restless. If this continues, the capital region will fall into chaos on its own, even without external attacks."

"In my opinion, the most urgent task is to investigate the case and also to reassure the people."

"It would be best to invite a master to perform a ritual to appease the heavens and put people's minds at ease."

Chen Shao was somewhat surprised.

It was utterly unbelievable that these words would come from the mouth of the head of all officials.

"Prime Minister Han, haven't you always been someone who doesn't believe in this stuff?"

Han Cao smiled faintly: "This old minister did indeed not speak of strange phenomena and supernatural beings before, but ever since witnessing Your Majesty's many miracles—Panlong Ridge, Liaocheng, crossing the Milky Way... who in the entire court, and even the whole world, can still not believe it..."

"Although I am a scholar who has studied the classics, I know that the will of Heaven is subtle and cannot be determined by human effort."

"The timing of this snowfall may seem normal to the imperial court, but the common people will not think so."

"Instead of letting them speculate wildly, it would be better for the imperial court to step in and invite a master to set up an altar to exorcise evil spirits. This would appease the people and also force those demons and monsters hiding in the shadows to the light."

Chen Shao's gaze lingered on his face for a moment.

A chill crept into my heart.

On the surface, however, he pretended to be completely unaware.

He deliberately hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying:

"Although I have some basic knowledge of Taoist magic, I am indeed not good at such trivial matters as exorcising evil spirits. Does Prime Minister Han have any suitable candidates?"

Han Cao quickly said:

"This old minister dares not make such a recommendation."

"I've only heard that there's a strange person in the city, who is said to have come from the far west of Pinglu, and is most skilled at suppressing evil spirits and capturing ghosts."

"This old minister has never met this person. It was only because of the sudden events at court today that I dared to bring it up. If Your Majesty finds it inappropriate, please pretend that this old minister never said it."

Chen Shao sneered inwardly. Just now he said he dared not make a recommendation, but now he even found out where the person came from.

Han Cao, Han Cao, what kind of trouble are you up to now?

"How does this person compare to Master Guo?"

Han Cao felt a sudden tightness in his back, then laughed:

"Your Majesty is wise. This old minister only wishes to share Your Majesty's burdens and dares not think of anything else. If this person is useless, Your Majesty may kill him without complaint."

"That won't do. Since they are highly skilled, would it be the act of a tyrannical ruler for me to kill them indiscriminately?"

"Prime Minister Han, you are in charge of finding this person and bringing him to see me first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

......

After the court session ended, Chen Shao kept Yu Qi'an and Shen Qingci behind.

One of them is the gunman, and the other is the moneybag.

Chen Shao needed them to handle some important matters.

The door to the Imperial Study was closed.

Chen Shao immediately pulled out several rolls of blueprints from his sleeve and spread them on the imperial desk.

These were all drawn by him personally using fine charcoal pencils.

The lines are intricate, and the dimensions and mortise and tenon structures are densely marked on it.

It's obvious that he has a very high level of expertise.

This was thanks to the Yongle Encyclopedia, which allowed him to instantly acquire knowledge from it.

Shen Qingci was learned and talented, and was immediately attracted after just one glance.

She couldn't help but exclaim:

"This...this method of compartmentalization, I've only seen half a sentence about it in ancient fragments. How does Your Majesty know about it?"

"Never mind how I found out, you two, one providing the money and the other the manpower, secretly built a large ship. I'll need it in the future."

Yu Qi'an gave a bitter smile:

"Your Majesty, such a sophisticated ship is probably not crafted by any skilled artisans in the North."

"That's not a problem. I'll go to the south to make the arrest. You all need to prepare in advance."

After discussing this, Chen Shao brought up the upcoming naval battle.

The three discussed for a long time, but the snow stopped at some point, and the sky gradually darkened.

The meeting finally ended.

At this moment, Shen Qingci suddenly remembered something.

After such a long discussion, His Majesty has not mentioned the rumors at all.

"Your Majesty, the ghost stories in the city have caused quite a stir, why aren't you worried at all?"

"Urgent? Of course it's urgent! But this matter can only be handled after dark."

......

Two hours later, Chen Shao, dressed in black, appeared on the roof of the palace, moving swiftly with the agility of a ghost.

He himself was secretly surprised.

"You know what, this 'gentleman on the thief' really is born to be a thief."

The next moment, he touched the ground with his toes and rose up like a feather.