Daily life in the academy

A few days later, rumors spread in Sheng'an City that the prince's assistance in governing the country had caused the wrath of heaven and brought disaster to the people.

Rumor has it that the prince has an ominous sign, the Ziwei star has fallen, and there is someone else in the Ming Dynasty. The people jointly petition to depose the prince and protect the peace of the Yan Kingdom.

Somehow, this rumor reached the ears of Queen Murong in the harem. Both the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi were her children. After much worry, she finally fell ill due to excessive thinking.

Yan Yunrui has always loved Queen Murong. The deep love between the emperor and the queen can be regarded as a good story in the State of Yan.

"Your Majesty, Minghe and Lang'er are both my children. You must not let anything happen to them. Minghe has been steady and self-reliant since he was young. How could someone... someone frame him like this and even make the two brothers turn against each other." Queen Murong's eyes were filled with tears, and she held Yan Yunrui's hands tightly with both hands.

Yan Yunrui soothed her, "Queen, just rest and recuperate. I will find a way to properly handle the Crown Prince's affairs and will never let anyone with ulterior motives harm the Crown Prince."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The man in front of her was the same man she remembered from her youth when they first met. He was still as handsome and reliable. Queen Murong finally smiled.

Yan Yunrui ordered the palace maids: "Take good care of the Queen, and don't let anything go wrong."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After Yan Yunrui came out of the Queen's bedroom, he went straight to Taiji Palace for the morning court.

"If you have a petition, please proceed. If you don't, please leave the court." Wang Changqing's sharp voice echoed throughout the hall.

Imperial Censor Zhao Cheng said in a clear voice, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to submit."

Yan Yunrui: "What's the matter?"

"Last night, the Censorate received a petition from over a hundred individuals, all requesting Your Majesty to appoint a new Crown Prince. I believe the Crown Prince is intelligent, benevolent, and filial. He has not made a single mistake since assisting in government affairs. He is truly a virtuous man. The Astronomical Office must give everyone an explanation."

Zhao Cheng's words were eloquent. He wasn't part of the prince's faction; he was the Imperial Censor directly under His Majesty. However, the prince's abilities were evident to all, and he was destined to be a wise ruler. How could a single, unfounded remark affect the future of Yan State?

He Liming stood up and argued, "This is the result of the deduction of the calendar by the three officials of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau: Wuguan Baozhangzheng, Wuguan Jianhou, and Sili, based on the changes in astronomical phenomena. Your Excellency, are you questioning the competence of the officials of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau?"

It's such a big hat to put on.

"The Si Tian Tai is so capable, why didn't they predict the epidemic in Sheng'an City in advance? Did they allow the epidemic to ravage the entire capital, causing widespread resentment among the people? Could it be that your Si Tian Tai deliberately concealed the news and accepted bribes?"

One hit.

As the Imperial Censor, Zhao Cheng supervised the ministers and was very eloquent.

He Liming had no way to defend himself and could only palely accuse: "Your Excellency, you are being unreasonable and talking nonsense..."

"Whether it is true or not, we will know it once we investigate. Your Majesty, I hope you will be clear-headed."

Huang De, the Minister of Personnel, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the people have already petitioned us, and we must give them an explanation."

Yan Yunrui sat at the top, watching the court officials below speak with passion, resentment, or worry and concern, and he couldn't help but sneer in his heart, thinking that they were just doing it for their own interests.

silence...

Wang Changqing coughed lightly and reminded: "Your Majesty..."

Yan Yunrui came back to his senses. "Since that's the case, let's appease the people first and suspend the Crown Prince's official duties. Crown Prince, do you have any objections?"

Crown Prince Yan Minghe maintained a gentle smile on his face: "Your son has no objection."

"Okay, then let's do this. Ever since you started assisting in government affairs, you've been busy all day. Now is the perfect time to rest up in the East Palace for a while."

"Yes, Father."

Zhao Cheng: "Your Majesty, someone needs to take over the Crown Prince's government affairs, otherwise it will be difficult to make progress."

Yan Yunrui hummed and said, "Regarding this matter, I still need to consider it and choose a suitable candidate to take over."

"Your Majesty..." Huang De bowed, "I do have a suitable candidate to recommend."

"Oh? Who is it? Huang Qing, please tell me."

"I recommend His Royal Highness Prince Gong."

"Why?"

"Originally, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi was one of the candidates, but he is also one of the protagonists of this incident. It would be unfair to recommend the Prince of Qi. Prince Hong is still young, so only His Royal Highness the Prince of Gong is most suitable to act for the Crown Prince for a period of time."

As soon as Huang De finished speaking, he felt a very sharp gaze from the majestic eyes above him, as if trying to see through him, and cold sweat broke out on his back.

Yan Yunrui was silent for a long time, then waved his sleeves and said, "Let's do it this way. I'm tired."

"Retreat—"

East Palace

The prince's guest, Zhang Yizhenhou, was in the study. He had heard about what happened in the court at this time, and when he saw the prince return, he hurried to greet him.

"Your Highness, have you really been dismissed from your position?"

Yan Minghe smiled and nodded: "This matter was ordered by my father himself."

"Now it seems that it is clearly the Prince of Qi or the Prince of Gong who are using the epidemic to plot against you. Wouldn't your compromise only serve their purpose?"

"Brother Lang and I are born of the same mother. He would never harm me like this. As for Prince Gong... assisting in government affairs is not easy. Let's wait until he can secure that position."

Zhang Yizheng was not very pleased with this statement: "But if Prince Gong has a capable person behind him, once he gains the approval of the ministers in the court, it will be difficult for you to accumulate reputation again."

Yan Minghe: "So what if Prince Gong has talented people? Could they be more than my own? If there really are so many talented people, their intentions will be obvious. What will the court officials think then? What will the emperor think?"

"Can.."

Zhang Yizhen wanted to give him some more advice, but Yan Minghe interrupted him.

"Don't worry too much, sir. I have my own considerations. I can't talk with you today. I have to go visit my mother."

Zhang Yizheng quickly bowed and said, "Farewell, Your Highness."

He kept watching the prince's back. His Highness was tall and majestic, with extraordinary temperament. He would definitely achieve great things in the future. It was good that he cared about the people, but it was a pity that he was too gentle, which might cause trouble in the future.

Ministry of official affairs

Minister of Personnel Xiao Zhuoxian looked at Vice Minister Huang De, who was usually honest and respectful to him. The latter lowered his head slightly and let him look at him. His expression was no different from when he was listening to his scolding on any other day.

So, Huang De was never of the same mind with him, but was just pretending?

Xiao Zhuoxian asked in a deep voice, "What is your intention today?"

"Are you talking about recommending Prince Gong?" Huang De asked knowingly.

"Besides this, is there anything else?"

Huang De bowed and said respectfully, "I understand your Excellency's doubts. I recommended Prince Gong to the court. First, the people's petitions need an explanation. Second, Prince Qi and the Crown Prince are brothers. If recommending Prince Qi causes a quarrel between the two brothers, I believe that this is something Your Majesty does not want to see. Third, Prince Gong is not capable of great service. Even if he replaces the Crown Prince in assisting government affairs, he will certainly not undermine the Crown Prince's position in the slightest."

Xiao Zhuoxian wondered why Huang De hadn't been so eloquent before. However, this was a good reason. He was silent for a moment and said, "I won't pursue this matter for now. You must discuss this with me in the future."

"Yes, I understand."

Xiao Zhuoxian watched Huang De slowly leave, thinking that he had to be on guard against this person in the future.