Who put the yellow robe on me?

Jiang Chen tried to calm himself down. "Father, please forgive me. I meant no offense. It's just that I've been thinking about the situation around Daliang recently, and I don't feel optimistic."

Emperor Liang frowned, his eyes shooting towards Jiang Chen like lightning: "Oh? Keep talking!"

Jiang Chen decided to take a gamble and quickly bowed, "Father, in today's world, the seven kingdoms are constantly at war. Northern Qiang, Western Regions, Southern Chu, Eastern Qi, and Daliang all share land borders. East Goryeo in the northeast and Bashu in the southwest also covet Daliang, the Central Plains."

"Although there are four great generals guarding the east, south, west and north, the annual military expenditure is incalculable."

"Among them, the northern Qiang are warlike, the western regions are ruthless, the southern Chu is open to commerce, the eastern Qi is fond of pleasure, the Goryeo are scheming, and the Bashu are devoted to literature."

Having said this, Jiang Chen secretly glanced at Emperor Liang, and seeing that his brows had relaxed slightly, he continued,

"The Northern Qiang Kingdom combines the two warring ethnic groups, the Qiang and the Xiongnu. Currently, they are led by the General Zhenbei and the eldest son of the Zhong family. They have been engaged in constant warfare for years. However, due to the distraction of Goryeo, there have been no major conflicts between the Northern Qiang and Daliang."

"Southern Chu and Bashu will focus on trade, while the General Zhennan will focus on border defense."

"Dongqi is a secluded corner of the country, with a constant stream of scholars and poets, and they also love musical instruments. Daliang can have long-term cultural exchanges with them."

"The Western Regions conquered the Former Yan two years ago, and their morale is currently high. Troop movements along the border with Daliang are frequent."

Emperor Liang's expression softened slightly, and he nodded, his gaze fixed on a cluster of blooming peonies. "Well said. Where do you think the most dangerous place is right now?"

Jiang Chen breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had made the right bet this time, and continued.

"The most dangerous place right now is the Western Region. This is why there are unusual movements in the Western Region's military defenses."

"The most unstable area is Northern Qiang. If East Korea cannot contain Northern Qiang, they will mobilize their forces southward and harass Daliang."

After hearing Jiang Chen's words, Emperor Liang looked into the distance, unable to calm down for a long time, and slowly said: "Chen'er, it seems that you can gradually share the worries of Daliang!"

"Three years ago, when the Northern Qiang attacked Daliang, General Zhong led all his elite troops to fight to the death. I thought the Crown Prince could also help me."

"I didn't expect that at the most important moment, Jiang Cheng, that rebellious son, would instigate the fourth brother to join the rebellion."

"Poor Third Brother, in order to protect the emperor, he died together with Jiang Cheng. Alas, I shouldn't have made that rebellious son Jiang Cheng the crown prince!"

"Chen'er, do you know why I haven't appointed a crown prince again recently?"

Jiang Chen heard Emperor Liang muttering to himself, and he felt that this old man actually didn't believe it was easy...

"I don't know!" He knew that it was not appropriate to be too smart in front of the emperor.

Emperor Liang turned around, stared into Jiang Chen's eyes, and said word by word:

"That's because I haven't found anyone I can trust!"

Jiang Chen's scalp tingled when Emperor Liang looked at him, and a chill ran down his spine...

"Father, your majesty is so wise and powerful that he will surely shine like the sun and the moon, and live as long as the heavens!"

Jiang Chen immediately flattered him, but he could see the fatigue in Emperor Liang's eyes.

"Aren't you going to Tianlu Palace? It's getting late, hurry up. I'm tired, Zhao Ji, please go to Fengtian Palace!"

"Farewell, Father!"

"Get going! Return to the palace!"

……

Jiang Chen adjusted his mood and stepped into Tianlu Palace.

Inside the Tianlu Palace, scrolls and ancient books filled the entire room, and the scent of ink filled the air.

When the palace steward Zhang Yurui saw Jiang Chen coming, he immediately stood up from his seat and greeted him respectfully.

"Your Highness the Sixteenth, you have come to Tianlu Palace. What instructions do you have?"

Jiang Chen smiled slightly. "I was just named the Prince of Yan, and now I'm preparing to leave the palace and build a mansion, so I came to Tianlu Palace to look up some documents from the Ministry of Works regarding the construction of the mansion."

Zhang Yurui was slightly surprised. "Oh? Your Highness the Sixteenth Prince, oh, no, it should be Your Highness the Prince of Yan. Why don't you just ask the Ministry of Works to build the palace?"

Jiang Chen replied calmly, "Although I've been crowned king, I haven't officially taken over yet. If I'm too high-profile, it might seem abrupt."

Zhang Yurui immediately bowed his head, appearing extremely attentive. "Your Highness is right. If you need anything in the future, I will do my best."

"Okay, okay." Jiang Chen nodded, then walked towards the document library and began to look through the documents related to the Ministry of Industry.

Time passed. Jiang Chen flipped through the documents for a while and gradually frowned. "Are the Ministry of Works documents here incomplete? I remember there were a few documents but I can't find them. Were they borrowed by other officials?"

Zhang Yurui was stunned, as if he was a little embarrassed. "Although Tianlu Palace is Daliang's library, few people borrow the Ministry of Works' materials. Your Highness, please wait a moment. I will go check the records."

Not long after, Zhang Yurui brought back the "Tianlu Borrowing Record Handscroll" with a hint of anxiety on his face: "Your Highness, someone in Tianlu Palace did borrow the Ministry of Works' documents, but I'm not sure if it's the one you need."

Jiang Chen's doubts deepened, and he asked, "Oh? Which documents did you borrow?"

Zhang Yurui swallowed his saliva, looking a little nervous. "I borrowed the 'Structural Diagram of Suzhou City Tower', the 'Design Drawings of Liangzhou Tower', and the 'Overview of the Nickel City Wall'."

"Oh? Who borrowed it?" Jiang Chen asked relentlessly.

Zhang Yurui said tremblingly, "I'm afraid the documents your Highness is looking for aren't for the palace and the mansion?"

Jiang Chen took out the imperial commissioner's token, slammed it on the table, and said coldly, "Stop talking nonsense! Otherwise, I'll send you to the Ministry of Justice prison!"

Zhang Yurui was so frightened at this that his legs went weak and he fell to his knees with a thud: "Your Highness, spare me! I was foolish! Please explain!"

Jiang Chen had no time to care about Zhang Yurui's panic. He directly opened the "Tianlu Borrowing Record Handscroll" and found the borrowing records of relevant personnel.

The borrowing record clearly stated that five days ago, Xu Jingzhu borrowed the "Structural Diagram of Suzhou City Tower", Zheng Jiangcheng borrowed the "Design Drawings of Liangzhou Tower", and Cheng Zhusheng borrowed the "Overview of Nickel City City Wall".

The Minister of Works Xu Jingzhu, the Left Vice Minister of Works Zheng Jiangcheng, and the Right Vice Minister of Works Cheng Zhusheng.

Well, the three most powerful people in the Ministry of Works actually came to Tianlu Palace to borrow documents, and the documents they borrowed were all about the structure of the fortress between Daliang and the Western Regions.

Jiang Chen suddenly felt uneasy. His intuition told him that the secret hidden in these three documents must be related to the spies from the Western Regions.

He calmly placed the Tianlu Borrowing Record Handscroll back on the table and said in a deep voice, "Manager Zhang, I only came to look at the documents related to the establishment of the palace today. I know nothing else. You didn't take out the Tianlu Borrowing Record Handscroll, right?"

Zhang Yurui was already frightened out of his wits: "Yes, yes, yes! His Highness the Sixteenth Prince only looked at the documents regarding the establishment of the palace, and didn't read anything else... He didn't see anything..."