An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

When several old ministers wanted to raise questions, the eldest granddaughter was also in the portrait, and the Minister of Rites, who had a great chance of becoming the Crown Princess, also wanted to argue.

Lord Feng, who had been promoted to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, stepped forward to testify, "I have checked the records of that year. Although the silver for disaster relief that the Fourth Prince robbed was later replaced with grain, the people did not benefit from it. Instead, it ended up in the treasury of the deposed Crown Prince and Grand Tutor Peng, a bunch of corrupt officials. The money that was recovered also went back into the national treasury. The Jing, Tao, and Cui families played an indispensable role in this whole thing."

When Lord Feng stepped out, he held a stack of yellowed account books in his arms, the edges of the pages so brittle they threatened to break. Every time he turned a page, a soft snap, like a dead branch breaking, echoed through the hall. When he read the words "dog official," his eyes twitched, evidently filled with hatred.

"I think everyone has heard of this matter. The people of Jian'an County and Jiujiang County, as well as the officials who came after, can all testify to it. A simple investigation will reveal the truth."

His voice was low, but every word was like a nail, driving into the cracks between the golden bricks. Suddenly, a breeze blew past outside the hall, making the golden rings on the bronze crane's neck jingle violently, as if echoing his words.

Xu Zize also recounted the stories of Jing Chunxi risking his life to save him several times, including how the late emperor's edict was found, but he concealed the supernatural powers that Jing Chunxi possessed.

As for the secret in Daqing Mountain, he didn't reveal it because he didn't know his father's decision.

When he spoke of the "last will of the late emperor," he lowered his voice, as if afraid to disturb the dragon sleeping on the palace beam. One of the ministers quietly raised his head to look at the golden dragon relief behind the throne. The dragon's eyes were wide open, as if it was listening too.

"As for the opening of granaries in Jiangnan, the punishment of corrupt officials, and the arrest of traitors, these matters have been reported back from Jiangnan in the past few months. Jing Jiachunxi's contributions have not been concealed. I believe that even if the officials present are blind, they will not be deaf."

He raised his hand, pulled a letter from his sleeve, and unfolded it with a snap. The sunlight reflected from the paper made several old ministers nearby squint their eyes. The dense red circles on the letter looked like clusters of small flames.

At this time, Prince Jing, who was already a little exasperated and unable to help, also jumped out to speak for his step-granddaughter Jing Chunxi, "I think some people are not deaf or blind, but pretending to be asleep."

Prince Jing's hair and beard were unfurled, and his purple-gold crown tilted to one side, revealing his graying temples. As he strode forward, the golden bricks clattered under his court boots like war drums.

As soon as these words were spoken, all the ministers were shocked.

With a loud splash, like water splashing into a frying pan, the hall erupted in a commotion. Some whispered to each other, others covered their mouths with their sleeves, but Prince Jing stood erect, like a drawn sword.

"How did you all strive for the title of Marquis Rong'en? You've truly forgotten. It was earned through the merits of my son and me. And because of this, the daughter of the Jing family, who is pregnant with my son's child, doesn't even have an imperial decree. Have you ever seen my Prince Jing's Mansion ask for any other rewards from the Emperor?"

When he said "my son," his voice choked, and tears welled up in his eyes, but they quickly dried up with anger. He raised his hand and pointed directly at the group of old officials in the clan affairs office, his fingertips almost poking their noses.

Seeing this furious old man get angry, the people in the court talked about it, and recalled what happened a few months ago, "It is indeed so."

"Your Highness is magnanimous, otherwise those two children would be pitiful, having to be fostered and relying on the Jing family and Prince Jing's Mansion."

Officials have admitted that this incident did happen.

The discussion was like a tide, one wave rising after another. Some nodded, some bowed, and the faces of the old patriarch and several veteran officials turned from pale to blue, and finally as purple as eggplants.

"Then, then, the Emperor should also appoint a crown prince immediately. It is inevitable that the Crown Prince will enter the Eastern Palace. He is not young anymore and cannot be alone. Both the Emperor and the Crown Prince should produce more children for the royal family. The selection of concubines is definitely necessary."

The old antique from the clan house was furious and approached the emperor and Xu Zize.

He slammed his crutch, and the jade beast on the end of the crutch hit the gold brick, breaking a corner. The crisp sound made the hall suddenly quiet.

"Your Majesty, although the Jing family army is sure of victory, there is still a city in the northern border that has not been completely recaptured, and the soldiers are still fighting hard."

Xu Zize paced forward and bowed to the emperor. "Even if we return victorious, the people of Northern Xinjiang and Southern China still need to be appeased, and the Daqing Dynasty still has a lot of work to do."

He turned back to the crowd again, "Instead of trying every possible way to save the Emperor and relieve his worries, you ministers are trying to insert people into the Emperor's and my court. What is your intention? Now you want a piece of the action?"

As he saluted, his back was as straight as a pine tree. As he finished speaking, he flicked his long sleeves, as if waving away dust blowing towards him. The bronze crane in the corner of the hall finally stopped shaking its neck, as if it too was intimidated by this aura.

He turned and walked forward, "Your Majesty, if the Northern Frontier is not stable and the people of Daqing are unable to live and work in peace, then Xiaokang will not be fit to be the Crown Prince. As for marrying a wife, that should be discussed after everything is settled. Xiaokang's heart is not in this."

His voice was low, but it resonated like a thunderclap across the palace ceiling. The emperor leaned forward slightly on his throne, the tassels of his crown swaying slightly, the beads clashing against each other with a crisp sound, and he nodded slightly, his heart filled with joy.

"I think the eldest prince is right. I agree with him. Right now, there is so much to be done. We should not use the vast sums of money in the national treasury on major royal affairs."

When the emperor spoke, his voice was hoarse but powerful, like the roots of a great tree sinking into the mud. As he finished speaking, the hall fell into a utter silence, and even the agarwood in the beak of the bronze crane seemed to freeze.

Finally, the emperor decided to confer the title of Princess Anping on Jing Chunxi of the Rong'an Earl Mansion, and reward her with a thousand taels of gold, ten thousand taels of silver, and thousands of acres of land.

The clan office and the ministers no longer dared to raise any objections and all agreed.

The old eunuch unfurled the bright yellow imperial edict, his voice shrill yet clear across the hall beams. Just as Jing Chunxi's name was read, a ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds outside the hall, illuminating the gilded characters "Anping" on the edict, blinding the eyes. The old Zongzheng opened his mouth, but only a breath of foul air escaped, like a leaky old bellows.

Since the appointment of a crown prince failed, the matter of selecting a crown princess naturally came to nothing and no one dared to mention it again.

The court drum sounded again, and the ministers filed out one after another, their boots making uneven sounds as they stepped on the gold bricks.

Xu Zize walked at the end and looked back at the throne. The eyes of the golden dragon relief were still wide open, but there seemed to be a hint of imperceptible weariness.

As for why he hadn't requested the marriage, he thought it was enough for his father and mother to know his feelings. He couldn't push those old guys too hard.

Anyway, Xi'er was still young, so it was okay to wait a year or two before remarrying. This was also the reason why he strongly requested the title of Princess Anping. At least in the future, no one would dare to question whether the girl was worthy of him.