After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

Yang Shen was so frightened that cold sweat broke out on his back.

He never expected that the Hongzhi Emperor, who was known for his benevolence, would ever lose control like this.

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Since Your Majesty has identified the problem, then let's resolve it."

The Hongzhi Emperor nodded: "Good! Well said! How should we resolve this?"

Yang Shen said, "I don't have any brilliant solutions. It's just a matter of treating the symptoms, not the root cause. If wealthy households are hiding their land holdings, then we'll measure the land area. If the people are overwhelmed by taxes, then we'll reform the tax system."

The Hongzhi Emperor stared at him: "You make it sound so simple. These are all ancestral rules. How can they be changed?"

Yang Shen took a deep breath and asked, "Your Majesty, I dare to ask, the founding emperor established a rule that anyone who embezzled sixty taels of silver would be beheaded and their skin used as straw. Is this considered an ancestral rule? Is it still in effect today?"

The Hongzhi Emperor was stunned.

Yang Shen said, "The so-called ancestral system is nothing more than a shield for certain people. When the ancestral system is in their favor, they invoke it. When the ancestral system is not in their favor, they turn a blind eye to it."

The Hongzhi Emperor remained silent for a long time.

Snowflakes landed on his head, but he seemed oblivious.

After a long silence, he spoke slowly, his tone now calm: "What you say makes sense. I would really like you to give it a try, but unfortunately, you are just a scholar and cannot become an official."

Yang Shen bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am ashamed! I am only fifteen years old, and the last autumn imperial examination is two years away, when I will be only seventeen. If I am fortunate enough to pass, I will participate in the spring imperial examination at eighteen. However, there are many talented people in the Ming Dynasty, and I dare not guarantee that I will pass."

The Hongzhi Emperor looked at him and suddenly snorted, "You're quite modest, aren't you!"

Yang Shen lowered his head and said, "I am well aware of my own limitations!"

Just then, footsteps sounded in the distance.

Zhu Houzhao ran over from the wool workshop, holding a cashmere sweater in his hand.

Xiao Jing and the others tried to stop him, but before they could even reach out, Zhu Houzhao had already rushed over.

"Father! Father!"

Zhu Houzhao, holding up the cashmere sweater, said excitedly, "This is a new design from the wool spinning workshop! Look, if Mother wore it, she would be so happy!"

The Hongzhi Emperor looked at his son and then remembered the words of the old woman in the thatched hut.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke: "Crown Prince, come here!"

Zhu Houzhao sensed something was wrong and subconsciously took half a step back: "Father, I haven't caused any trouble..."

"Come here!"

Zhu Houzhao then took two steps forward.

The Hongzhi Emperor looked at him and slowly said, "Didn't you want to build a summer palace?"

Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up instantly: "Father, you agree?"

The Hongzhi Emperor said, "A temporary palace is definitely not an option! You're not emperor yet, so think of another name."

Zhu Houzhao scratched his head and thought for a long time: "Then... build a leopard house? It just so happens that there is nowhere to put the leopards that are tributes from foreign countries. Your son can help Father Emperor raise them."

The Hongzhi Emperor nodded: "Alright! But I won't give you any money; you'll have to figure it out yourself."

Zhu Houzhao immediately looked at Yang Shen.

Yang Shen nodded slightly, indicating that money was not a problem.

Zhu Houzhao patted his chest and said, "Father, rest assured, I will raise those leopards well for you!"

The Hongzhi Emperor looked at him with a deep gaze and said, "I allowed you to live outside the palace, not to raise leopards. Aren't you going to build a development zone? This place will be called the Hunhe Development Zone from now on. You will have to learn from the grassroots level, and let Minister Yang teach you how to govern a region."

Zhu Houzhao was taken aback, then overjoyed: "Excellent! I love studying with my tutor, Yang!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Jing walked over from a distance and stopped a few steps away: "Your Majesty, Wang Sizhi and Zhang Yushi have arrived."

Yang Shen quickly said, "Your Majesty, it's cold outside. Please come back inside to talk."

Emperor Hongzhi nodded and followed Yang Shen back to the merchant guild's office.

A moment later, Wang Shouren and Zhang Shi entered and bowed.

The Hongzhi Emperor looked at Zhang Shi and said, "Minister Zhang, I have read your memorial."

Zhang Shi bowed and said, "Every word I have said is true, and I dare not deceive you."

As he spoke, he took out a stack of silver notes from his sleeve and presented them with both hands: "There is nothing wrong with Wang Sizhi's accounts, but the local wealthy households seem to want Wang Sizhi to leave. These are the gifts from those wealthy households to the old minister."

The Hongzhi Emperor took it, glanced at it, and casually tucked it into his robes, saying, "I gladly accept it!"

He then turned to Wang Shouren and said, "Minister Wang, since you took office as the magistrate of Wuqing County, what have you seen and heard, and what should be done next? Tell me about it."

Wang Shouren said solemnly, "When I first arrived in Wuqing County, the treasury was severely depleted, and the people had just suffered from floods, so the situation was very bad. I then started a work-for-relief program, building roads so that the people could participate in production and at the same time create value for Wuqing County."

"At the same time, I also investigated the issue of hidden land in Wuqing County. According to my investigation, Wuqing County has a total of 423,000 mu of registered land, but my on-site inspection revealed that the actual cultivated land is at least 600,000 mu, with nearly 200,000 mu of hidden land."

The Hongzhi Emperor frowned: "So many?"

Wang Shouren replied, "The case of the former magistrate Cheng Zhirong digging up the dike implicated and punished several gentry. More than 30,000 mu of hidden land were discovered. I intend to take this opportunity to conduct a county-wide investigation, remeasure the land, and resolve the issue of hidden land first."

"Next, we will work with the Hunhe River workshop area to vigorously develop handicrafts and utilize the canal wharf to transform Wuqing County into a transit hub for merchants from the north and south. I am confident that within three years, the people of Wuqing County will become prosperous."

After listening, the Hongzhi Emperor remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Your plan is excellent. Go ahead and do it. If you encounter any problems, you can bypass the Shuntian Prefecture and the Ministry of Personnel and report directly to me. Of course, you can also come here to see the Crown Prince."

Wang Shouren bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

At this point, a weight was finally lifted from his heart.

The test for the Hongzhi Emperor is finally over, and now he can go all out.

As it turns out, Yang Shen was right; sincerity is always the most effective method, no matter the circumstances.

The Hongzhi Emperor added, "Power isn't given to you for nothing; I want to see results!"

Wang Shouren took two steps back, knelt down, and bowed his head: "Your subject is willing to sign a military pledge: if the expected results are not achieved within three years, your subject will voluntarily submit his resignation and accept any punishment!"

The Hongzhi Emperor nodded in satisfaction: "I await your good news!"

Without lingering, he went out, got into his carriage, and also brought Zhang Shi back to the capital.

Zhu Houzhao stayed behind, extremely excited, and asked, "Yang, the study companion, and Wang, the director, what's next?"

Yang Shen said, "Your Highness, I wish to help you build the Leopard House. May I ask how large Your Highness intends to build it?"

Zhu Houzhao gestured with his hands and said, "When raising leopards, the bigger the better, of course!"

Yang Shen thought for a moment and said, "Then let's build a zoo!"

"A zoo... what's that?"

"It's about raising all sorts of animals, like His Highness's leopard. We can even sell tickets so that people can come and visit."

"Really? There are two tigers, a fox, a white crane... oh right, and a rhinoceros too!"

"Let me think about it... This zoo needs some careful planning..."

"Director Wang...wait, where's Director Wang?"

Zhu Houzhao turned around to look, only to find that Wang Shouren had vanished.

Yang Shen said, "Director Wang has a tough battle to fight, so Your Highness should not disturb him for the time being."

Zhu Houzhao became excited again: "Who are you attacking? Why didn't you call me?"

"Um……"

Yang Shen pondered for a moment and said, "The current situation does not require Your Highness to intervene."

Zhu Houzhao was somewhat disappointed: "In the future, if something like this happens, remember to inform me in advance!"