I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

No one in the hall dared to say anything more, and all the officials bowed and received the decree.

Zhao Guoqiang, however, remained standing.

If everyone in the Ministry of Rites is busy with disaster relief, there is still a major issue that no one is taking care of.

"Your Highness, officials from the Ministry of Rites and educational administrators at all levels have been dispatched to provide disaster relief. Who will preside over this year's imperial examination?"

Before Lu Yuan could speak, Lu Cangqiong, who was sitting above him, had already settled the matter for him.

"Let the Crown Prince preside over this!"

"Father, this is my first day as Crown Prince."

Lu Yuan turned to look at Lu Cangqiong.

"Disaster relief, the Northern Liang, investigating officials, and now the imperial examination—are you really not afraid of exhausting your subject to death?"

Lu Cangqiong pushed the memorial from the Ministry of Rites in front of him.

"Those who are capable should do more."

"You proposed sending scholars to provide disaster relief, but the Ministry of Rites is short-staffed, so it is natural that you should be in charge of the provincial examination."

Zhao Guoqiang also bowed.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is skilled in both literature and martial arts, making him perfectly suited to preside over the imperial examinations."

Lu Yuan glanced at him.

"Minister Zhao, who just said it was against etiquette?"

"I just said that it was against etiquette to offer a seat before the Emperor."

"The Crown Prince presiding over the imperial examinations is a precedent set in every dynasty."

Zhao Guoqiang answered in a very serious manner, as if he hadn't been the one who had previously voiced his opposition.

Lu Yuan accepted the memorial.

"Alright, I'll accept it."

"But the rules for the imperial examinations must be changed."

Just as several officials from the Ministry of Rites were about to step forward, Lu Cangqiong raised his hand to signal them to step back.

"Go back and prepare."

"No one is allowed to rest tonight."

"Before the morning court session tomorrow, all the money, grain, weapons, and personnel needed for disaster relief should be sent to the palace."

The six officials exited the Hall of Mental Cultivation in turn.

When Xie Guangkun walked outside, he was still chasing after Liu Neng, demanding money.

Liu Neng held the Ministry of Revenue's account books in his hand, constantly muttering that the national treasury was out of money.

The argument between the two could be heard outside, and it took quite a while before the sound stopped.

There were only Zhou Fu, Lu Yuan, and Lu Cangqiong inside the hall.

Lu Cangqiong had Zhou Fu bring the national treasury accounts and threw them in front of Lu Yuan.

"The disaster relief will likely cost about 500,000 taels of silver!"

"The northern border's weaponry, provisions, and troop deployment will require a total of one million taels!"

"The Ministry of Revenue only has 170,000 taels of silver available for use."

Lu Yuan casually flipped through a few pages.

He had less money left in the account than he had expected.

"Wasn't Father quite wealthy when he was fighting wars?"

"War costs even more money!"

"After ascending the throne, building palaces, repairing official roads, providing disaster relief, and supporting the army—all of these require money."

Lu Cangqiong's finger gently tapped the last page.

"The snow salt, liquor, cement, and weapons you offered should also be converted into cash."

"The Ministry of Works has already established workshops."

"But the imperial court doesn't have suitable people to manage the trade routes!"

"I'm entrusting this matter to you."

Lu Yuan closed the ledger.

"Your Majesty, I will first go and talk to the merchants in the capital."

"If they are willing to sell things for the imperial court, give them some profit."

"If they dare to take the opportunity to drive down the price, we'll replace them with a different group."

"Once we catch our breath, we'll establish our own Ministry of Commerce."

Lu Cangqiong gave another reminder.

"The major trading companies in the capital are all backed by members of the imperial family and court officials!"

"Especially the Hung Hing."

"They control the trade in cloth, medicine, and grain in the north, and your elder brother, the Prince of Xiang, also has a share."

Lu Yuan took a piece of paper and wrote the three characters "Hongxing" on it.

"Perfect!"

"Your subject enjoys making friends with rich people the most."

Meanwhile, the scene inside the Ministry of Justice's prison was quite different.

The jailer opened the cell door and threw in the old clothes Han Gou had worn when he entered prison.

"Come out."

Han Gou had been locked up in prison for many days, his hair was a mess, and his prison clothes were covered in dirt.

He carried the old clothes to the door, peeked out a few times, and still couldn't quite believe it.

"My dad came to save me?"

"Is it because the Ministry of War pressured the Ministry of Justice that you dare not detain me again?"

The jailer stuffed the release papers into his arms.

"If your father could really save you, would he have kept you locked up until today?"

"Your Majesty has appointed a crown prince and granted a general amnesty."

"You were released because your kidnapping didn't result in any deaths."

Han Gou's face lit up with joy.

"Has the Second Prince finally become the Crown Prince?"

"I knew it, that good-for-nothing Ninth Prince couldn't beat him."

"Once the Second Prince ascends the throne, I will make Lu Yuan kneel before the Han family's gates..."

The jailer kicked him out of the cell.

Wake up.

"The one who was appointed was the Ninth Prince, Lu Yuan."

"Lu Cheng has been stripped of his title and removed from the imperial family; he is no longer even a prince."

Han Gou plopped down on the ground and didn't get up for a long time.

"Who did you say was crowned?"

"Lu Yuan".

"That's impossible!"

Han Gou snatched the release document.

The red seal beneath the document was still very new; it was the golden seal of the Crown Prince overseeing the state.

He stared at the seal several times, and without even changing his clothes, he grabbed it and ran towards the Han residence.

The Han family has supported Lu Cheng for many years, a fact known to many in the court.

Now that Lu Yuan has ascended to the position of Crown Prince, no one can say for sure how long Han Zheng, the Minister of War, can remain in his post.

Inside the Imperial Household Department, Zhao Mingzhu had been busy for most of the day.

First, they cut and selected materials for the clothes, then registered the jewelry and checked the betrothal gifts.

The head nun made her practice the etiquette dozens of times, and if she did something slightly wrong, she had to do it all over again.

Zhao Mingzhu stood in the wrong place several times, but the female official pulled her back to her original position each time.

She finally got a break, and as soon as she sat down, she asked a question.

What tasks did a concubine have to complete before entering the Eastern Palace?

The female official took out the process booklet and looked at it.

"Betrothal, asking the name, accepting auspicious gifts, and exchanging gifts."

"After the wedding date is set, the Empress will bathe and change her clothes, and will be accompanied by the palace matrons to the East Palace."

Zhao Mingzhu didn't care about those formalities at all; she only wanted to know the most important things.

"Is there anything else we need to check?"

"What does Your Majesty mean?"

"For example, the body."

Just as the female official was about to answer, someone behind her suddenly burst out laughing.

"They don't even know the rules of the palace, yet they dare to enter the Imperial Household Department?"

A young woman entered with six maids.

The woman was dressed in a gold-embroidered palace gown, and the ruby ​​jewelry on her head was very eye-catching.

The maids behind them lined up in two rows, each holding a brocade box, totaling more than a dozen.

When the head nun saw the person who had arrived, she quickly stepped forward and bowed.

"Consort Sun".

The woman didn't even look at her, and came to Zhao Mingzhu with her maid.

"I thought she was a noble lady from some wealthy family."

"So it's that wild girl from Fuyuan Escort Agency who spends all her time hanging out with men."

"You didn't come to the Imperial Household Department to take on a job, did you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the maids around her burst into laughter.

"Miss, what else could she be doing here if she's just a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) and not coming to the Imperial Household Department to take on assignments?"

"They can't be here to learn etiquette and prepare to marry into royalty, can they?"

"I heard that when the security company was eating, she was even sitting with the other guards, fighting over meat."

"Look at her hands, they're even rougher than the hands of the woodcutter in the manor."

Zhao Mingzhu had been holding it in since morning, her mind filled with thoughts of Lu Yuan and the Zhao family.

Before she could figure out how to save her family's lives, someone came over and humiliated her.

Zhao Mingzhu picked up the etiquette book from the table and slammed it down in front of the woman.

"Sun Yiqian".

"Shut your stinking mouth!"