The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

"You plead for the two princes today, but what will you do tomorrow? My enfeoffment of my sons is a matter for the emperor's family and also a matter of national law. All the cabinet ministers agree with it. Now you are colluding with those inside and outside the court, trying to guess the emperor's intentions, and chattering incessantly. Do you want to play the role of those who make decisions?"

This was a huge accusation, and the dozen or so ministers immediately knelt down, repeatedly protesting, "We dare not!"

"Hmph!" Zhou Ziming snorted coldly, his words carrying a merciless ruthlessness.

"I and my princes are of one mind, like father and son. Now you dare to speak so arrogantly about the size of the fiefdoms, are you not trying to sow discord between the emperor and his sons? Such treacherous officials deserve to be punished! Issue an edict that, effective immediately, all these people shall be stripped of their posts and their official seals shall be revoked. The Eastern Depot shall conduct a thorough interrogation. Those who have formed cliques for personal gain or plotted rebellion shall be severely punished without exception. Except for the Second Prince, who shall remain in the capital to observe mourning for his parents, the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince shall immediately go to their fiefdoms and shall never return to the capital without an imperial decree!"

The dozen or so ministers were stunned. They thought they would at most be reprimanded, but they didn't expect to be forced to play Candy Crush with their entire families.

He quickly begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! I spoke without thinking, but my loyalty to the Great Zhou is as clear as day, Your Majesty!"

The wailing echoed throughout the court, drawing the attention of all who heard it.

Former colleagues are about to be imprisoned, and may soon die in the execution grounds. One can't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow for the passing of a fellow human.

But Zhou Ziming was determined to make a swift and decisive move, to crush all dissenting voices with force, and to make an example of someone as a warning to others.

Therefore, their pleas for mercy were of no use whatsoever.

Others dared not step forward to plead for them, for fear of being implicated and also being identified as accomplices.

A decisive minister, seeing that the situation could not be resolved peacefully, seized the opportunity to break free and shouted loudly, "My loyalty is as clear as the sun and moon!"

After saying that, he smashed his head against a pillar in the main hall and died.

Before he died, he felt only deep regret, realizing he shouldn't have succumbed to temptation.

Only after this person died did the others realize what was happening and try to follow suit, but the guards had already firmly captured the person.

They weren't given that opportunity.

The guard who had let his guard down and was freed by the minister to commit suicide was quickly gagged and dragged away by the other guards, suffering the same fate as the minister.

The hall was completely silent, the bloodstains spreading and staining the floor crimson.

Soon, palace servants stepped forward and quickly and quietly washed it clean.

The Third Prince, provoked, his expression shifting between anger and rage, could no longer contain his emotions. He spoke with a hint of sarcasm, "Father, the ministers were merely speaking a few words of justice for me. Why have they provoked your fury? I know I am born of a concubine and am far younger than the Crown Prince, so I have never harbored any ambition to claim the throne. Yet, Father is so sensitive to my every word and action, and so biased in the distribution of fiefs. This truly chills my heart. I don't need this fiefdom in Shu. It would be better to grant me the empty title of Prince of Xiaoyao, so I can live a carefree and happy life!"

After hearing this, Zhang Ping'an wanted to retract his previous assessment. This third prince was as reckless as ever, and he wondered who had taught him to say those words.

Such remarks are tantamount to courting disaster.

Challenging the emperor's absolute authority and questioning the fairness of his actions is inherently irrational.

Zhou Ziming was clearly furious, sneering repeatedly as he angrily said, "Are you questioning my impartiality?"

"Isn't it true? I'm afraid Father Emperor knows better than anyone else!" The Third Prince Zhou Zhuo reacted aggressively, his sneer even louder than Zhou Ziming's.

He had been harboring resentment for a long time.

He felt that he no longer needed to endure it after enduring it until today.