Drunk Bamboo

The prince set out from the imperial palace with a group of people in a grand procession. The people stood on both sides of Suzaku Street, admiring the prince's majesty.

"I heard that this time the prince went to the imperial mausoleum to offer sacrifices on behalf of His Majesty. It really is a harmonious relationship between father and son, and a peaceful country!"

"Yes, there were rumors not long ago that His Majesty and the Crown Prince were not on good terms. It seems that they were all rumors."

"I also heard that someone framed the prince for corruption."

"How is that possible! The prince is honest and upright, your ears must be damaged."

"I didn't believe it either. I also suspected that my hearing was not working properly, so I went to see a doctor that day. The doctor said it was fine. It seems that I need to find another doctor to take a look."

"The prince is the heir to the throne. If we have a king like him in the future, we can finally live a peaceful life."

……

In the eyes of the people, there is excitement and admiration, as well as expectation and hope.

There is hope for the future.

The emperor stood on the palace wall and watched the team slowly leave.

Until the team disappeared, he still stood there, looking at the palace, the houses, the passers-by, the nearby trees, the distant mountains, and the blue sky.

"The vast mountains and rivers are peaceful and prosperous. The world I govern will probably be recorded in history books as a wise ruler?"

The emperor asked Luo Yuan and Zhang Xinghe beside him.

Luo Yuan: "Your Majesty is wise and wise, and is a holy monarch."

Zhang Xinghe: "Your Majesty's merits and virtues will go down in history."

"You are all officials who are recognized as honest and fair in the court. I believe what you say. What others say is either insincere or flattering. None of them are sincere."

"In the court, I trust Prime Minister Luo and Minister Zhang the most." The emperor retracted his gaze and emphasized the following sentences.

Luo Yuan and Zhang Xinghe said in unison, "We are loyal to our emperor and patriotic, and we will perform our duties faithfully."

"The Crown Prince will go to the Imperial Mausoleum to offer sacrifices on my behalf. It will take two or three months to go back and forth. The dam projects on both sides of the river cannot be abandoned halfway. Do you two ministers have suitable candidates to supervise the next dam project?"

The emperor knew how important the dam project was.

If this thing is accomplished, it will add another meritorious service to the history books and go down in history.

People in later generations only knew that it was he, the emperor, who built the dam, allowing the people on both sides of the river to live a stable life.

No one knows how much sweat and time people have put into this.

And this is the fame he needs.

Luo Yuan pondered for a moment and replied, "The positions of the Minister and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works are vacant and there is no time to fill them now. For the time being, all the affairs of the Ministry of Works will be handled by Vice Minister Wen alone. If he is transferred from the Ministry of Works to Jiangbei County, the affairs of the Ministry of Works will be in chaos."

The emperor seemed to be trying to recall. "Surname Wen? I remember that the deer antler chair that the late emperor loved the most during his lifetime lost its luster due to age. None of the ministers of the Ministry of Works could restore it to its original state. Finally, a minor official came up with a solution. I think his surname was Wen."

"It's been eight years, and Your Majesty still remembers him. His name was Wen Xing. Your Majesty even made an exception and promoted him to the position of Vice Minister of Works." Eunuch Dong echoed, but in fact he was adding explanation for the emperor.

The emperor nodded with satisfaction.

Luo Yuan also admired the craftsmen in his heart. "Minister Wen is from the Wen family, a great craftsman in Nanmi. His ancestors were all skilled craftsmen, but few of them served as officials in the court."

The emperor's eyes twinkled, and he said happily: "Since the Ministry of Works cannot do without people, and the position of Shangshu is vacant, Wen Xing is capable and has been the Minister for many years, so he is the most suitable person to take the position of Shangshu."

There have been many disputes over the position of Minister of Works in the court these days, and now this Wen Xing has suddenly appeared, which is just right. He has no party in the court, and he was appointed as a minister by the emperor's grace. Now he has become a minister by the emperor's mouth, and he will definitely follow the emperor's lead in the future.

Luo Yuan and Zhang Xinghe were both surprised for a moment, but they soon figured it out.

"Yes, I obey your order." Eunuch Dong replied with a smile. Wen Xing was really lucky.

The emperor glanced at Luo Yuan and said, "Before the prince left, he recommended a man to me. Prime Minister Luo is familiar with this man, Pei Xiuwen. Do you think this man is feasible?"

Luo Yuan was surprised, his expression unchanged, he said cautiously and sincerely: "Pei Yushi is an upright person, he works rigorously, I just promoted him from the Hanlin Academy. But he is not familiar with the Ministry of Works, and he is not good at socializing. I have a lot of contact with him. If he is promoted again and again and is favored by Your Majesty, I am afraid that the ministers in the court will criticize him and suspect that he is using his power for personal gain to win over the court officials."

After hearing what Luo Yuan said, the emperor was completely relieved about Pei Xiuwen. He originally suspected that he was the prince's man.

"He was recommended by the Crown Prince and appointed by me as the Chief Censor. Who dares to slander Prime Minister Luo?" The emperor immediately gave Pei Xiuwen a fourth-rank official position as the Chief Censor.

"Today is truly a joyous day. Minister Wen and Minister Pei have both been favored by His Majesty and entrusted with important tasks on the same day." Eunuch Dong smiled happily.

The emperor looked straight ahead, making his gaze unpredictable.

Luo Yuan left first, and Zhang Xinghe was left alone.

"I heard that on the night when the Crown Prince entered the Ministry of Justice, Feng Ying of the Ministry of Justice brought people to embarrass the Crown Prince. Fortunately, Pei Zhongcheng stepped forward and waited for you and King Feng to come. Only then did Feng Ying retreat and dare not act rashly."

"Your Majesty knows everything. It is my humble servant's fault." Zhang Xinghe bowed and admitted his mistake, but did not tell the emperor about the matter.

I didn't expect the emperor knew everything.

"Feng Ying is the nephew of the Minister of Justice Feng Xiu. I don't want to see another Han Jian. Xinghe, do you understand that I am leaving you here?"

Zhang Xinghe immediately replied: "I will not let your majesty down. The Ministry of Justice can only be your majesty's Ministry of Justice."

The emperor said in a cold tone, "If they dare to cover up the sky with one hand in the Ministry of Justice, I will never forgive them."

"The minister obeys the order."

After receiving the order, Zhang Xinghe retreated.

When he turned around and raised his eyes, they were full of depth.

The emperor's words of trust and warning were also a warning. The position of anyone in the court was given by the emperor. The emperor could appoint a person, or he could send a person to hell in an instant.

You can be greedy, but you cannot shake the foundation of the country; you can do whatever you want, but you cannot damage the emperor's face; you can abuse your power, but you cannot be disloyal to the emperor.

The emperor watched helplessly as the court struggles and officials became corrupt.

As long as everything seems peaceful.

He was like a spectator, holding a script in his hand, and watching whatever scene he wanted to see.

Enjoy the pleasure of being in power and dominating everything.

He doesn't care what the truth is.

A few days after Zhang Tian and the other three died mysteriously in prison, Han Jian also suddenly hanged himself in the Ministry of Justice. He ended the matter with a hasty "The matter ends here".

There was a hint of resentment in Zhang Xinghe's eyes.

Fu'an Palace

"Your Majesty, Gao Fengyu is here to check on your pulse."

The Imperial Concubine slowly stood up from in front of the Buddha, and Gao Yin was brought in by Xuan'er.

Gao Yin: "My queen, I received a letter from the other side. The herbs are ready. When do you need them?"

The Royal Concubine's eyes were cold, "No hurry, wait until the Crown Prince returns from the Imperial Mausoleum, and then they can reunite and set off together."

Gao Yin smiled sinisterly, "Yes."

It has just begun.

……