Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 200 Returning to Beijing to Report on Work, Changes in Emperor Yongjin

[As soon as this statement was made, there was an uproar in the court. The ministers were panicked and stated that they had nothing to do with the matter.]

Chu Shizhao continued, "I believe that most ministers are loyal to the court. I just hope that everyone can behave themselves and work together to maintain the stability of our Great Zhou."

[Emperor Yongjin nodded: "You did the right thing. I will send someone to investigate this matter thoroughly."]

[After the court session, Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren each returned to their respective residences, each wondering whether the other really had any ill intentions.]

【Chu Shizhao arranged his men to continue collecting evidence against Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren, and at the same time made friends with some neutral ministers to expand his support in the court.】

There were no flaws in Chu Shizhao's deduction this time in the general direction.

By creating conflicts, he successfully alienated Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren, and used the topic of collusion between foreign forces and ministers to divert the court's attention from himself, while establishing himself as someone who cared about the court.

But he also knew that this was only the initial result. If he wanted to consolidate it further, he would have to add more fuel to the fire!

[On the way to the capital, Chu Shizhao not only sent secret letters to Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren to create conflicts, but also arranged for his confidants to contact some ministers who had conflicts of interest with Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren.]

[After arriving at the capital, at the city gate, Chu Shizhao was greeting Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren, and he deliberately revealed that he knew some secrets about them, but he didn't point them out.]

[Entering the Imperial Palace's study, Chu Shizhao gave a detailed report on the disaster relief situation, presented detailed intelligence on foreign forces, and proposed his own response strategy.]

【After reading this, Emperor Yongjin was very impressed: "Shi Zhao, you have considered everything very carefully. I will leave this matter to you."】

[In the court, Chu Shizhao strikes while the iron is hot and proposes some reform suggestions. The court officials all express their support, but Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren are unable to unite to oppose because they are suspicious of each other. ]

[During the discussion of reform proposals, Chu Shizhao cleverly directed the topic to Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren, implying that they were inactive or had selfish motives in certain matters.]

[A minister stood up and accused Chu Shiyu: "Your Highness, you seemed to be a bit slow in handling some government affairs before, which led to some delays. I wonder what the reason is?"]

[Chu Shiyu hurriedly explained: "This is a misunderstanding. The situation was complicated at the time..."]

[Before he could finish, another minister accused Chu Shiren: "Second Prince, I heard that you were biased towards your own forces in the allocation of certain materials. Is this true?"]

[Chu Shiren's face turned red: "Absolutely not, this is slander!"]

Chu Shizhao pretended to mediate: "My dear ministers, there may be some misunderstandings. We are all doing this for the good of the court. We should still seek peace."

[In fact, he was secretly pushing the situation forward, putting Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren in a completely passive position.]

No conversation along the way.

A few days later, Chu Shizhao and his men entered the capital.

However, as soon as they arrived at the city gate, they saw the third prince Chu Shiyu and the second prince Chu Shiren waiting there with a group of followers.

Sure enough, everything was just as I had deduced.

Since he already knew the other party's thoughts, Chu Shizhao immediately went up to him with a smile on his face.

"Second brother, third brother, I am only here to report to the emperor. I am really sorry to bother you two to wait here."

Hearing this, Chu Shiyu waved his hand with a fake smile.

"Fourth brother, what are you talking about? You have done a great service by returning from disaster relief this time, and you deserve a grand welcome."

Chu Shiren also echoed: "Yes, fourth brother, you have worked hard. Is your journey smooth?"

Chu Shizhao knew clearly that the two were being hypocritical, but he still said with tears of gratitude: "Thanks to you two brothers, I have a smooth journey."

"The success of this disaster relief effort is entirely due to the strong support of my two brothers. Shi Zhao will definitely remember this."

"When I meet my father, I will speak well of my two brothers."

Chu Shizhao's bland compliment really made Chu Shiyu and Chu Shiren slightly stunned.

Originally, they thought Chu Shizhao had forgotten about this matter long ago, but they didn't expect that this guy actually still remembered it. For a moment, the two of them had to swallow back the excuses they had prepared.

Just some insignificant small talk.

Afterwards, everyone went to the palace together.

Along the way, Chu Shizhao seemed to be defenseless as he talked to the two of them.

In fact, he had been secretly paying attention to the every move of his two brothers.

……

In the royal palace, in the royal study.

Emperor Yongjin still sat on the dragon throne.

When he saw Chu Shizhao and others arriving, he nodded slightly at them.

"Shi Zhao, my son has worked hard on this journey."

Although Emperor Yongjin spoke politely, Chu Shizhao, who was familiar with the virtues of his father, did not forget etiquette because of his own achievement.

He immediately knelt down and saluted.

"Your son Chu Shizhao pays respect to the emperor, and wishes the emperor good health."

"Get up. You have played a great role in the disaster relief in Jinyang. Come on, tell me the details."

Looking at Chu Shizhao who was looking humble below, Emperor Yongjin spoke with a satisfied smile.

Chu Shizhao stood up and reported in a clear and orderly manner on all matters related to the disaster relief process, including the flood situation, measures taken, difficulties encountered and how they were resolved.

Emperor Yongjin listened and nodded slightly from time to time.

It is obvious that Emperor Yongjin was very satisfied with Chu Shizhao's performance this time.

"I am very pleased that you have achieved such results in this disaster relief, but..."

The next second, Emperor Yongjin, who had been smiling, suddenly turned gloomy.

"You were too harsh in your disaster relief efforts. You even went so far as to attack the aristocratic families. How do you explain this?"

Listen to what the other party said.

Chu Shizhao was not panicked at all.

He first cleared his throat, and then respectfully repeated the system's deduction.

"Father, the situation was urgent. The flood was raging and the lives of the people were in danger."

"Those aristocratic families are only out of their own selfish interests, inciting the people to cause trouble and hindering the disaster relief process."

"Under such circumstances, if I do not take strong measures, the disaster may not just get out of control. If those homeless refugees are pushed into a corner, they may even rebel!"

"I took the initiative in an emergency. I didn't want to disappoint my father and the people, so I had to do this."

"I am fully aware that this move may cause some controversy, but this was the only solution I could think of at the time."

"If Your Majesty is worried about not being able to give an explanation to these noble families, I am willing to take the blame!"

After saying that, Chu Shizhao knelt on his knees, looking as if he was ready to be dealt with.

Seeing the other party like this, Emperor Yongjin, who had originally planned to preach, suddenly didn't know how to start.

In his opinion, although those aristocratic families hold the economic lifeline of the Great Zhou, this is not an excuse for them to disregard the law. After all, the Great Zhou still belongs to them, the Chu family.

It would be fine if those aristocratic families acted arrogantly on a daily basis, but now that such a severe flood had broken out in Jinyang, they actually wanted to interfere. This really showed that they did not take him, the Emperor of the Great Zhou, seriously.

If I don't knock them down again, these guys might really think I'm scared.

Thinking of this, Emperor Yongjin said in a deep voice: "My son is right."

"It's really not your fault!"

"I actually think that those aristocratic families are going too far now, and it's time to give them a beating."

"However, these guys hold the economic lifeline of our Great Zhou in their hands. Even if we want to take action against them, we can't be impatient."

"I will consider this matter again later."

It has to be said that Emperor Yongjin does have some tricks up his sleeve.

It was just a few simple words to put the matter behind us.

However, all this was already expected by Chu Shizhao.

If you don't become a householder, you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are.

Although Emperor Yongjin was the emperor of the Great Zhou, he also had his difficulties.

It is very rare that this matter has such a result.

Just when Chu Shizhao thought that his report was about to end.

At this time, Emperor Yongjin, who was sitting on the dragon throne, spoke again.

"By the way, I heard that you were personally involved in this disaster relief effort and were always at the forefront. I wonder if you found any other problems during this disaster relief effort?"

When Emperor Yongjin said this, Chu Shizhao couldn't help but smile.

coming!

With his intelligence, how could he not hear the hidden meaning behind Emperor Yongjin's words?

This is clearly an examination of myself!
It seems that this personal trip to the disaster relief has really made his image in the eyes of Emperor Yongjin much more prestigious.

Otherwise, the other party would not ask me these questions that only emperors would consider.

The next second, Chu Shizhao took out the report he had prepared in advance.

"Father, during the disaster relief process, I discovered that some court officials colluded with local forces for personal gain, which caused problems in the allocation of materials and seriously affected the progress of disaster relief."

"I have obtained some evidence. I have written down the specific circumstances and the names of the people involved in the report. I hope that you can thoroughly investigate this matter and rectify the situation."

When Chu Shizhao said this, Emperor Yongjin's face darkened.

"There is such a thing! Submit the report to me."

Emperor Yongjin looked at the list in the report. Although his expression was serious, he was very happy in his heart.

You have to know that with the power Chu Shizhao has now, there is no need for him, a provincial governor, to report to himself about the trivial matter of punishing these corrupt officials. As long as he wants, even if he executes them first and reports later, I probably won't be able to say anything.

However, Chu Shizhao not only did not act on his own, but also reported the matter to himself in secret.

This shows how long-term this boy's vision is.

As for the ability to prioritize things, not all of his sons can do it.

However, if one wants to be a qualified successor, this alone is far from enough.

Although Emperor Yongjin usually looks like a tyrant who doesn't care about state affairs, no one in the entire Zhou Dynasty dares to say that he is a tyrant and incompetent.

At the beginning, he was able to stand out from many princes and inherit the Zhou Dynasty. It is absolutely impossible to say that he had no tricks at all.

It’s just that some people like to show off their talents in front of the world, while some people are naturally low-key and like to hide their shortcomings.

Coincidentally, he, Emperor Yongjin, is the latter.

What's more, the Great Zhou is now prosperous and peaceful.

Most of the ministers in the court can perform their duties. Although there may be some minor mistakes occasionally, they are not serious.

Under such circumstances, it seems that there is nothing wrong for Emperor Yongjin, the emperor of the Great Zhou, to cultivate some hobbies and pursue immortality.

If the Crown Prince had not suddenly rebelled before, Emperor Yongjin would probably still be living a perfect life, hanging out in the harem all day and ignoring state affairs.

Ever since Emperor Yongjin ordered the prince to be imprisoned.

Originally, he was still worried about having no one to share his burden.

He never expected that the talent of his fourth son was not inferior to that of his eldest son who he had carefully cultivated for many years.

If this guy were more cautious, it would not be impossible to pass the throne of crown prince to him.

It's a pity that this kid still lacks experience, and his attention to things is still a little lacking. It seems that I will have to give him some advice in the future.

Just as he was thinking about how to give Chu Shizhao some advice.

At this time, seeing that Emperor Yongjin had not yet expressed his opinion, Chu Shizhao spoke again.

"Father, in addition to the findings reported in the report, I also have some immature suggestions for this disaster relief. I wonder if I should share them or not?"

Hearing this, Emperor Yongjin couldn't help but raise his eyebrows: "Oh? Tell me about it."

"Your Majesty, through this disaster relief, I realized that our Great Zhou still has many shortcomings in water conservancy construction and local governance."

"Therefore, I, your son, would like to make some bold suggestions for reform. I hope that your Majesty will grant your approval."

"Then why don't you tell me what the shortcomings are?"

It was obvious that Emperor Yongjin was completely attracted by the topic of his son at this moment.

Seeing that the other party was interested, Chu Shizhao cleared his throat before continuing.

"Father, I believe that we should first strengthen the construction and maintenance of water conservancy facilities, set up a special water conservancy department, send capable officials to take charge, and regularly inspect and repair dams and rivers, etc."

"Secondly, in local governance, we must strictly select officials, strengthen supervision and assessment of officials, and eliminate corruption."

"Furthermore, we should encourage agriculture and sericulture, reduce taxes on the people, and allow them to live and work in peace and contentment."

Just a simple disaster relief operation can reveal so many problems.

It has to be said that Chu Shizhao's performance report this time really surprised Emperor Yongjin.

If it weren't for the fact that his own son had rebelled before, Emperor Yongjin would have wanted to pass the throne of crown prince directly to Chu Shizhao.

As the saying goes, once bitten by a snake, one will be afraid of ropes for ten years.

After experiencing the prince's rebellion, Emperor Yongjin, who is now like a frightened bird, is very satisfied with Chu Shizhao's performance this time, but he does not dare to draw conclusions easily.

People's hearts are hidden, who knows if his son has any other thoughts in his mind.

(End of this chapter)