After the separation, the family had a lot of fish and meat every day, and the best was furious

The virtuous concubine had never given Xiao Chu such serious instructions before, and her sudden behavior made Xiao Chu very frightened.

The virtuous concubine was also equally frightened. She originally thought that she had won the battle and that the emperor would not care about anything else except attending court.

It was not until these two days that she realized that she had underestimated this man, a man who endured humiliation and pretended to know nothing even though he knew everything. He was so scary.

He was also able to accurately find the lost property of the Ministry of Revenue, which showed that he had started planning early on.

At the end of her game, Concubine Xian discovered that the person holding the chess piece was not herself at all.

The Zhang family is gone, the Minister of Revenue has also fallen, and the Ministry of War is not on the same page with them at all.

From all these signs, there was nothing that Concubine Xian couldn't understand. The Emperor was gradually disintegrating her power.

"Mother, are you still hiding something from me? Will I die if I can't take that position?"

Xiao Chu couldn't understand why, even if he didn't ascend the throne in the future, he was a prince and would have a fiefdom. The worst result would be that he could only live in his fiefdom.

But how could it be so serious coming from my mother's mouth?

"You will die. You will definitely die. Do you understand?"

The virtuous concubine was hysterical and the two quarreled. The chief eunuch came over and shouted outside the hall.

"Propagate His Majesty's decree, Madam Consort Xian, Seventh Prince, please accept it..."

It was rare for the eunuch to stand up straight in Yanshun Palace, and this time he didn't even have to pretend.

Concubine Xian, Prince Xiao, and all the palace maids and eunuchs in Yanshun Palace knelt down.

The head eunuch opened the imperial edict with satisfaction and read it out: "By the will of Heaven, the Emperor decrees that the Seventh Prince, Xiao Chu, has accepted bribes of gold from the national treasury.

You knew the truth but did not report it, and even protected the former Minister Lu Yi. I am concerned that you have not harmed any innocent people, so you can be spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape the punishment of living.

The Seventh Prince Xiao Chu, stop all court affairs and be under house arrest for three months. During this period, you are not allowed to step out of the Prince's Palace without my permission.

No one is allowed to visit. Anyone who disobeys the order will be sentenced to death. The emperor decrees..."

This punishment may seem light, but for Xiao Chu, it was like a blow to the head.

In three months, those ministers who supported him were afraid that they would be in danger, and he had lost most of his power in the court.

"Seventh Prince, please accept the order!"

Xiao Chu gritted his teeth and endured it, the veins on his forehead popped out, but he had to accept this imperial edict.

Because in the eyes of outsiders, the emperor only put him under house arrest, but only he himself knew that such punishment was fatal.

After reading the imperial edict to Xiao Chu, the eunuch took out another one.

"By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor decrees that Consort Xian, as the mother of the Seventh Prince, lacks moral integrity and even exploits a branch of the Zhang family to run a pawnshop, which is used to secretly hide bribes.

What the virtuous concubine did was immoral. In consideration of the fact that Zhang gave birth to a prince for the royal family, I will remove the title of virtuous concubine today and demote her to a beauty.

According to the beauty system, two palace maids and one eunuch were confined to Yanshun Palace for three months to copy Buddhist scriptures for the people. This was ordered by the emperor...”

The virtuous concubine appeared calm on the surface, but her heart was like a cloud jumping into the mud.

Demoted from a concubine to a beauty, she no longer has the Zhang family behind her, but as long as she survives, she still has a chance to turn the tables.

"Xianfei, oh... no, it's Concubine Zhang, please accept the order!"

After the imperial edict was delivered, the chief eunuch still had to watch them make all the arrangements in Yanshun Palace. Zhang Yuanhua was no longer a concubine, so naturally she could no longer enjoy the treatment that a concubine should have.

But Zhang Yuanhua would not let it go like this. The emperor was seriously ill. As long as she gave him a few more prescriptions, he would die.

......

All the affairs of the previous dynasty and the harem were cleared up, and the entire court was free of those whining things.

In the Hanlin Academy, Shen Qingzhou, who had finished organizing his books, had a painting in front of him. It was the design drawing of the Yunzhou Dam.

The emperor gave them the approximate location and a drawing. Anyone who could draw a design according to the drawing and then make some modifications on the spot could build it.

These are just drafts. If someone has a good design, after the Minister of Works nods, they can go to the site to take a look and then design the final plan.

Kong Yi saw that Shen Qingzhou had been racking his brains for this picture these days, so he leaned against Shen Qingzhou and teased him.

"Shen Qingzhou, do you really want to go to the Ministry of Works? Isn't our Hanlin Academy good enough? The Ministry of Works is tiring and thankless. Plus, you're just a new official, why are you so anxious to get promoted?"

Shen Qingzhou certainly didn't want to miss such a good opportunity, and the emperor also wanted to hand over the dam project to him.

Only when you stand higher can you protect the people you want to protect.

"I am a common man, don't you think so, Brother Kong?"

Kong Yi smiled and shook his head: "As for me, I'll just hide in this Hanlin Academy and work as a compiler. I don't want to think about anything else. I still like this comfortable life."

The editors in the Hanlin Academy do not have things to do every day, and have a large part of their time free, which is perfect for a free-spirited person like Kong Yi.

Cui Taihe also came over to take a look at the drawing drawn by Shen Qingzhou. This kind of design requires more than just good drawing.

There are many details, including structure, and you need to understand what materials are used, as well as the changes in water levels in the river throughout the year.

In addition to being knowledgeable, Shen Qingzhou has also collected a lot of books on this subject in the Hanlin Academy in recent days.

"Yes, Qingzhou, you are very talented in architectural design."

Shen Qingzhou always gives Cui Taihe a refreshing feeling. He has long known that Shen Qingzhou will not stay in the Hanlin Academy for too long.

If his design really caught the eyes of the Minister of Works and His Majesty, it would be the result of his own hard work.

"I just learned this temporarily. There's a lot of material here, so I still need to consult Master Cui."

In just ten days, Shen Qingzhou drew up the first draft, and many officials in the court took the design drawings to the Ministry of Works.

Shen Qingzhou was no exception. It was not until the next morning court session that the emperor finally announced who would be responsible for building the dam.

"I have carefully reviewed the drawings submitted by my dear ministers and have consulted with Minister Zhong of the Ministry of Works. We have selected the most suitable design for the construction of the Yunzhou Dam."

After the emperor finished speaking, all the ministers involved in the design felt nervous and expectant.

It was only when the Minister of Works, Lord Zhong Lian, took out the map that they understood what the sky opening meant.

Not to mention the details of the design, even the drawings are drawn smoothly, with every line flawless.

The valve design, drain outlet design, and material are also clearly marked, and it can also be estimated how much money it will cost to build the dam.

Not only the engineering work is taken into consideration, but also the labor costs are calculated. This is obviously a professional design drawing.

"This was designed by someone from the Ministry of Industry, right?"

At the back of the hall, an adult was discussing in a low voice with the person next to him.

"Well, apart from the people from the Ministry of Works, who else is so professional? It seems that the position of the Minister of Works is not something that everyone can do."

Another person also agreed: "This is a master, I wonder which official in the Ministry of Works drew this?"