Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

"I have a plan..."

Lacey invited the two back to their seats and began to make arrangements in hushed tones.

……

The next morning, Laisi ignored the impeachments and attacks that were about to be launched in the court. Instead, he bypassed the cabinet, took a newly written memorial, entered the palace, and went straight to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to request an audience with the Emperor.

At that time, Zhenlong had just received a report from his spies that the political climate in the capital had changed drastically overnight.

His face didn't look good.

As an emperor, he was happy to see his ministers checking and balancing each other, and he was also used to factionalism and the suppression of dissent in the court.

However, Xun Huiming's methods this time went a bit too far.

They forcibly twisted a major case of treason with irrefutable evidence into a power struggle between the old and new factions, even dragging the princes into it and fabricating the story of "fighting for the benefit of their maternal clans."

This is no longer a simple partisan struggle.

Instead, it is shaking the foundations of the nation, and is attempting to confuse the emperor!

In particular, where does this put him, the emperor,?

Is he a foolish ruler who can't even distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and would doubt a son who has just made great contributions based on a few unfounded rumors?

Zhenlong felt a sense of disgust towards Xun Huiming.

However, at the same time, he did indeed, as Xun Huiming had hoped, begin to examine Lai Xi's motives in a subtle way.

Did Yan Xi really not join forces with Mu Zheng and the others?

Was his eagerness to bring down Huang Shih-chung truly driven by a desire for justice?

Just as Zhenlong was pondering this, the eunuch announced that Prince Qin, Yanxi, requested an audience.

"Let him in." The true dragon composed himself, reverting to his unfathomable imperial demeanor.

Laisi entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation and performed a proper salute.

"My son, I will meet my father."

"Flat body."

The emperor looked down at his unusually composed son and asked calmly, "Weren't you busy reorganizing the canal transport? What brings you to the palace today?"

One sentence pointed out his suspicion of "not doing his proper job".

Lacey seemed oblivious to the deeper meaning in his father's words. He took out a memorial from his sleeve, presented it with both hands, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I have come here regarding the matter of the Grand Canal."

"Oh?"

The emperor gestured for the eunuch to take the memorial.

He didn't look immediately, but stared into Lacey's eyes and asked, "I heard it's quite lively outside right now."

Lacey met her father's gaze calmly and replied, "Your subject has also heard some gossip."

"However, people can say whatever they want, and I can't control them."

"Your Majesty has entrusted you with the important task of managing the Grand Canal, and I must do this well in order to live up to your trust."

He didn't argue, but simply stated his attitude of being wholeheartedly dedicated to his work.

This "the innocent are innocent" attitude actually lessened Zhenlong's scrutiny.

If Yan Xi were to immediately start crying and claiming that he had been wronged and begging his father to intervene, the True Dragon would think that he was guilty and eager to distance himself from the situation.

"You're quite composed," Zhenlong said noncommittally before turning his gaze to the memorial in his hand.

The title of the memorial is "In order to solve the problem of the stagnation of the canal transport, please expand the scale of the work-for-relief program".

Zhenlong raised an eyebrow slightly.

He quickly browsed through it.

The contents of the memorial are as follows:

Due to the outbreak of the Huang Shizhong case and the subsequent investigation, the entire canal transport system in the Gyeonggi region was brought to a state of semi-paralysis.

A large number of ships were stranded at the docks, and countless goods could not circulate, causing goods outside the city to rot and prices inside the city to skyrocket.

Even more seriously, tens of thousands of boatmen, laborers, and dockworkers lost their jobs as a result. With their families to support, they had no means of livelihood and began to gather around the capital, becoming a huge destabilizing factor.

The memorial stated: "Rumors are frightening, but hunger and cold are even worse; it is better to fill the bellies of the people than to silence them."

Upon seeing this, the dragon's pupils contracted slightly.

What a wonderful saying: "It's better to fill the bellies of the people than to silence them!"

These words struck a chord with him.

What he cared about most was never who was right or wrong, but the stability of the country and its people.

Laisi's memorial addressed the most pressing issues—people's livelihood and stability.

Next, Lacey proposed a solution in his memorial.

He requested his father to once again use the imperial treasury and allocate a portion of the funds from the confiscated property of Huang Shizhong as a special fund.

Led by the Canal Transport Rectification Office, a comprehensive work-for-relief project was launched along the major canals in the Beijing area.

On the one hand, large-scale recruitment of unemployed boatmen and laborers was carried out, and they were organized to participate in projects such as river dredging, dock repair, and road widening.

Let them earn enough money and food to support their families through their labor.

On the other hand, these projects were necessary measures to regulate the canal transport system and improve logistics in the capital.

This move kills two birds with one stone.

It can both immediately appease the unemployed people and eliminate the hidden dangers of social unrest, and push the work of rectifying the canal transport from the paper survey to the actual construction stage.

The best part is that this plan perfectly avoids all the political rhetoric.

Xun Huiming's faction could say that Lai Xi's investigation was motivated by ulterior motives, but could they say that Lai Xi's distribution of food to the starving people was a sinister act?

Can they stop the imperial court from appeasing tens of thousands of unemployed and displaced people?

No.

Anyone who dares to say this or do this is going against the people and disregarding the fate of the nation.

After reading the memorial, Zhenlong remained silent for a long time.

He looked at Lacey with a complex expression in his eyes.

He discovered that his son's political acumen and skill had far exceeded his expectations.

"Alright." The dragon spoke slowly, uttering only one word.

He placed the memorial on the imperial desk and said in a deep voice, "Do as you say. I will order the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Revenue to allocate the necessary funds and provisions immediately."

"You are fully responsible for this matter."

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty!" Lacey bowed deeply, a great weight lifted from his heart.

……

When the news spread that His Highness the Prince of Qin had once again expanded the scale of the work-for-relief program and set up recruitment points at major docks in the suburbs of Beijing to recruit unemployed people to repair waterways and build docks, the entire Baizao was in an uproar.

Those who were still arguing about whether the King of Qin was a vanguard of the old party were suddenly stunned.

The boatmen and laborers who were starving due to the suspension of canal transport saw it as a savior and flocked to the recruitment point from all directions like a tide.

"His Highness the King of Qin is recruiting again!"

"Same old rules, thirty coins a day, three catties of coarse rice, and two meals of white flour steamed buns!"

"Hurry up! If you're late, there won't be any spots left!"

The success story of Anyefang has long been known among ordinary people.

His Highness the King of Qin is a man of his word, a living bodhisattva who distributes money and provisions in kind; this is a consensus among everyone.

Suddenly, the banks of the canal on the outskirts of Beijing became bustling with activity.

Under the command of Zhang Cheng and officials from the Ministry of Works, 1 able-bodied men were systematically engaged in the construction project.

The rumors and gossip about the King of Qin had no effect whatsoever in the face of mountains of white steamed buns and heavy sacks of rice.

A dark-skinned, thin man who was queuing to receive his wages couldn't help but spit when he heard people around him gossiping about the "Qin King's struggle for the throne."

"Who cares about vying for the throne! Whoever can feed me is a good prince!"

An old boatman next to him nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right!"

"With the canal transport suspended for a while now, my whole family is almost starving!"

"Now that His Highness the Prince of Qin has found a way out for us, anyone who speaks ill of him again will be the first to get angry with me!"

"That's right! We ordinary people just agree with this!"

People's sentiments are just that simple.

As the work-for-relief project in Laixi was in full swing, the rumors that Xun Huiming had instructed to spread were debunked on their own.

The people have seen the benefits with their own eyes and felt the advantages firsthand. They are more willing to believe what they see and eat than those unfounded conspiracy theories.

As the project progressed, the previously blocked waterways were gradually dredged, and the dilapidated docks were renovated one by one.

The flow of goods in the capital began to recover at a visible speed.

Vegetables and fruits from outside the city can finally be transported into the city.

The soaring prices in the city have begun to slowly decline.

The entire city of Baizhao was revitalized because of this project.

Qin King Yanxi's prestige also reached a new peak during this substantial construction project.

Countless people spontaneously erected a longevity tablet for him and worshipped it morning and night.

The outcry for "King Qin's benevolence" completely drowned out all the rumors and gossip.

…Easy F phosphorus device peeling feed neon four five flow 4…

The Grand Tutor's Mansion, inside the study.

Xun Huiming listened to his disciple's report, and his expression was not very good.

"It is better to fill the bellies of the people than to silence them..."

Xun Huiming murmured the same sentence repeatedly, his expression somewhat complicated.

He had thought about this before.

For the first time, he realized that he couldn't quite see through this second prince who was only in his early twenties.

"Grand Tutor, what... what should we do now?" a trusted disciple asked cautiously.

"The King of Qin's prestige has soared thanks to his work-for-relief program, and no one believes the rumors we spread before."

Xun Huiming remained silent for a long time before slowly exhaling.

"I underestimated him..."

He waved his hand wearily and said, "Pass down the order to everyone to stop and not do anything else, lest he find something to use against them."

"So... we're just going to let it go like this?" The student was somewhat unwilling.

"Otherwise what?" Xun Huiming gave him a cold look. "Do you want to go against the hunger of tens of thousands of starving people?"

The student immediately dared not utter another word.

Xun Huiming closed his eyes and leaned back in the armchair.

I guess I've lost this round.

The King of Qin thus gained legitimate control over tens of thousands of laborers and a huge amount of special funds.

Zhang Cheng from the Ministry of Works and Lin Yue from the Court of Judicial Review also became his right-hand men.

What's even more frightening is that his popularity among the people is already showing signs of surpassing that of the crown prince.

All of this made Xun Huiming feel a sense of crisis.

He supported the eldest prince Yanwu and promoted reforms in order to realize his political ambitions and to establish a new order under his leadership.

But now, the rise of the King of Qin has completely disrupted all his plans.