I play the role of Jiajing in Zongwu: What crime have I committed?

"Is this really none of your business?"

Xiao Jingxuan hurriedly kowtowed, his voice trembling.

"Your subject is innocent! Your subject knows nothing about this matter; it was all Minister Lou's doing..."

Lou Zhijing looked up abruptly upon hearing this, his cloudy old eyes filled with disbelief.

He opened his mouth, then slumped down and lowered his head again.

Zhu Houcong was so angry that he laughed, flicked his dragon robe sleeve, and kicked Xiao Jingxuan in the shoulder.

Caught off guard, the prince stumbled to the ground, his golden crown clattering onto the gold bricks before rolling a great distance.

"This is outrageous!"

Zhu Houcong's temples bulged with veins as he pointed at the limp crown prince and roared, "You wretched child! Do you really think I can't find out?"

"Most of the profits from those private fireworks workshops ended up in your Eastern Palace's pocket."

Xiao Jingxuan, his hair disheveled, was struck dumb upon hearing this.

"Your subject... Your subject..."

[Recite a famous quote from Emperor Jiajing, imitate Emperor Jiajing +1, reward: Martial Arts Golden Elixir]

"What do you need so much silver for? Hmm?"

"Pave the way with BRICS? Win people's hearts? Plot to seize power?"

Upon hearing these words that struck at the heart, the Crown Prince trembled violently and hurriedly crawled to Zhu Houcong's feet.

"Your subject would never dare!"

"You don't dare?"

Zhu Houcong abruptly shook him off.

"I've heard that you give away handfuls of gold beans to everyone you meet outside the palace. You might as well give up your surname Xiao."

"I'll change your name to Jin Douzi."

"Father, have mercy!"

Xiao Jingxuan suddenly went berserk and banged his head on the ground, drawing blood from his forehead.

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong! Please, Father, do not depose me!"

Zhu Houcong coldly watched as the crimson bloodstains spread across the gold brick before speaking.

"Go back and spit out all the silver you've swallowed. From this day forward, you are confined to the Eastern Palace. Until the year-end grand ceremony, I do not wish to see you step out of the palace gates again."

"Your subject will go right away! Right away!"

Xiao Jingxuan staggered to his feet and scrambled away.

In his panic, he tripped over the hem of his robe and fell heavily onto the threshold.

Zhu Houcong stood with his hands behind his back, coldly watching Xiao Jingxuan stumble and disappear outside the palace gate before slowly turning around and walking to Lou Zhijing, who was still kneeling on the ground.

He leaned down and asked softly, "Lou Qing, did you understand the conversation between me and the Crown Prince just now?"

Lou Zhijing trembled, swallowed hard, and said in a hoarse voice, "This old minister...understands."

"Good that you understand."

Zhu Houcong straightened up and lay back down on the soft couch.

"What my Great Liang Dynasty lacks most are wise people."

"Remember this: in this Great Liang Dynasty, only I will ever have the power to command the winds and rain."

"If anything happens to you, only I can protect you."

"Once you're in the cabinet, think carefully about which chair you should be sitting on."

Lou Zhijing kowtowed deeply, the dull thud of his forehead striking the gold bricks echoing throughout the hall.

"Your Majesty, my loyalty is as clear as the sun and moon; I will serve you with my life from now on, without ever wavering."

Upon seeing this, Zhu Houcong's tone returned to calm.

"Alright, I'm in a good mood today and don't want to pursue this matter. You will hand over the private fireworks workshop to Chen Chun, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration."

"Yes!"

Zhu Houcong nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand, saying, "You may all leave."

Lou Zhijing then staggered away from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

A short while later, when Yan Song entered the Six Ministries with the imperial edict in hand, the officials were discussing the rumors that the Crown Prince had been reprimanded in court.

After all, the blood on his forehead couldn't be hidden.

After he finished reading the imperial edict that "Lou Zhijing is hereby promoted to Grand Secretary of the White-Haired Pavilion, to write petitions, and to guard the Wenhua Hall for consultation," the Six Ministries fell silent.

This is far more than just writing Qingci (a type of folk song).

The Wenhua Hall is right next to the Yangxin Hall, and the staff there are on duty to answer questions, clearly giving them the privilege of meeting the emperor at any time.

Just after noon, the paper mills in Jinling City suddenly became packed with people.

"Shopkeeper, ten more reams of the finest green rattan paper, please!"

"I'm so sorry, sir, all of my shop's stock has been bought up by Lord Wang of the Ministry of Rites..."

"You bastard! I'll pay double the price!"

In less than a day, the price of paper in Nanjing skyrocketed.

The price of Qing Teng paper at "Mo Xiang Zhai" in the south of the city skyrocketed from one tael of silver per ream to ten taels, yet it was still snapped up.

Chapter 27 Hu Ruzhen and Zhao Mengjing

The following day, Zhu Houcong, wearing a black fox fur cloak, stood with his hands behind his back on the white marble steps in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The north wind howled past, carrying fine snow; this was the first heavy snowfall of the winter.

The sky was filled with fluttering snowflakes, covering the vermilion palace walls and gilded halls with a layer of pure white.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! A timely snowfall promises a bountiful harvest; it seems this year will be another good one!"

Yan Song stood to the side, his sleeves tucked in, a perfectly timed smile on his face.

Zhu Houcong reached out and caught a snowflake, watching it slowly melt in his palm.

He then laughed and said, "Auspicious snow? Do you know that the heavier the snowfall, the better it can conceal the treacherous schemes beneath the surface?"

Yan Song's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bowed.

"Your Majesty is wise, and this old servant is foolish. I only see the pleasant snow scene, but I cannot fathom its deeper meaning."

"Get up. How many copies of the Qingci have been collected in total?" Zhu Houcong casually brushed the snow off his sleeve, but his gaze fell on the snow falling all around him.

In the past two days, sheets of green paper have been arriving in droves, one after another, with red-painted paper piled up in the hands of the eunuchs and then carefully presented to the emperor.

Zhu Houcong also casually flipped through a few of them, and they were filled with phrases like "auspicious clouds surround the palace" or "purple aura comes from the east".

The language is ornate, and some of the words even reveal a blatant obsequiousness.

Yan Song was hunched over, his face plastered with a fawning smile.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, there are a total of one hundred and thirty-nine portions."

"Several officials from the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Personnel submitted more than three copies each, and even the upright scholars of the Hanlin Academy submitted their own."

"Quite a few, indeed. My ministers are truly eager for advancement."

Zhu Houcong's lips curled into a playful smile.

The prosperity of the world is for profit; the hustle and bustle of the world is for profit.

He had anticipated this scene.

On the other side, Meng Zhi gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, opening his mouth several times as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

He desperately wanted to tell the emperor before him that those selected in this way were all sycophants and not a single honest person among them.

Finally, he couldn't help but clasp his hands in a fist and say, "Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should."

"Then don't say it," Zhu Houcong said without turning his head.

Meng Zhi's dark face flushed crimson, but he could only mutter, "Yes."

Zhu Houcong glanced at Meng Zhi out of the corner of his eye; how could he not know what Meng Zhi wanted to say?

It's nothing more than the same old clichés like "those who flatter their superiors should not be used" and "flatterers are not good ministers."

But what he needs right now are precisely these opportunistic scoundrels.

Who told me I'm the villain? Who among the heroes is on my side?

Besides, who says that petty people can't be used?

These people are all talented, and they speak very well. They are much easier to use than someone like Prince Jing.

In this way, one can both obtain rewards and make a clever move to thwart Mei Changsu.

why not?

You, Mei Changsu, aren't you clever?

A brilliant strategist, a renowned scholar of Jiangnan, whose fame spread throughout the land.

I admit I'm not as smart as you, so what? I'll just switch tracks and play around with something else.

If you want to turn all six ministries into your people, then I'll create a cabinet and bring all the petty people that you and Jingxiao Jingyan despise into the cabinet.

Anyway, given Xiao Jingyan's unyielding nature, even if Mei Changsu were to use his silver tongue, he could never persuade him to associate with these people.

Thinking of this, Zhu Houcong narrowed his eyes.

"I'd like to see how you plan to play this game of chess."

Upon returning to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Zhu Houcong ordered his men to spread out the mountain of petitions.

Although he was illiterate, he had studied Chinese for over a decade, so he could still discern the elegance or lack thereof in these writings.

Moreover, whether the poem is well-written or not is not up to him to decide.

Soon, the four petitions were selected separately and neatly stacked in the center of the imperial desk.

The first document was from Lou Zhijing, the Minister of Revenue.

This person has already been severely reprimanded, and with his shrewdness, he naturally knows what to do next.

The second document came from He Jingzhong, the Minister of Personnel, who was a follower of Prince Yu.

Since they had chosen someone to be the Crown Prince's man, they naturally had to give Prince Yu a reward.

In the imperial court, there always needs to be a balance.

When his gaze fell on the last two petitions, Zhu Houcong's fingertips paused slightly.

Censors Zhao Mengjing and Hu Ruzhen.

"Zhao Mengjing... Hu Ruzhen..." He murmured the two names, then suddenly laughed out loud.

What a familiar combination!

If these two people truly possess the abilities of those two, then this cabinet will become quite interesting.

"Yan Song,"

Zhu Houcong suddenly spoke.

"Summon these four men to the Emperor."

"This old servant will take care of it immediately," Yan Song replied, bowing.

"Xuan Louzhijing, He Jingzhong, Zhao Mengjing, and Hu Ruzhen are hereby granted an audience!"

As Yan Song's shrill voice pierced through the palace gates, four ministers filed in.

"Your Majesty is in good health."