We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

"Your Majesty, the Feng Kingdom merchant caravan has arrived in the north. General He Conglong has traveled through four counties. Feng Kingdom's goods are very popular among the people of the north."

"Oh?" The emperor on the dragon throne opened his eyes slightly. "Yes, Fengdi is poor, so this will give Prince Feng an additional source of income."

"Your Majesty," someone else stepped forward and said, "Although it was your will to open up Fengguo to trade, the items sold by the Fengguo caravans are extremely luxurious, worth more than gold."

"This thing is called glass, and it's said to be even more transparent than colored glaze. Northern nobles spare no expense for it, and the Feng State merchant caravans make a fortune from it."

"Your Majesty advocates frugality, and everyone in the court lives frugally. It is inappropriate for Prince Feng to rely on such extravagant items to make money!"

The prince heard it clearly outside the palace, but there was no expression of gloating on his face.

He knew Emperor Qing too well, and he knew the court under Emperor Qing's control too well.

Since Li Che became a vassal, no matter what mistakes he made, the emperor would just let them go and never actually punish him.

The ministers did not dare to advise against this, and even recently a group of "Wang Feng Party" supporting Li Che has emerged.

Even if Li Che was sensible and offered the recipe to his father, his father would not hesitate to credit him with great merit, just like he had offered the formula for gunpowder.

Emperor Qing now values ​​Li Che far more than any other vassal king.

How could we possibly bring that guy down with just such a small thing?

Sure enough, before the prince entered the hall, he heard a young voice indignantly say:

"This is nonsense, it's actually rebellious!"

All the ministers turned around and saw a minor official in a blue official uniform jumping out from the back of the train, glaring at the man who had just impeached the king.

It was Huo Duanli, the third son of Prime Minister Huo, a close minister of the newly appointed emperor and the head of the Gunpowder Bureau!

A minor official of the sixth rank was not qualified to attend the court meeting, but the emperor liked him and was very interested in the Gunpowder Bureau.

He would inquire about the development of the Gunpowder Bureau almost every day, and would summon Huo Duanli to the palace every time. After a long time, he simply gave him the power to attend court sessions.

The censor saw that the person who refuted him was only a minor official, and because Huo Duanli's criticism was so harsh, his face flushed and he immediately retorted:

"You are a mere sixth-rank official, not even qualified to attend the court session. His Majesty has allowed you to attend, but you are not grateful. How dare you speak nonsense about state affairs?!"

Huo Duanli remained calm and said bluntly:

"I have made a mistake and will face the punishment from the etiquette officer later. But you, a worthless old man who has been doing nothing but eating and drinking, are more deserving of punishment than I am for speaking such rebellious words!"

"I... I'm a censor. What's wrong with reporting something based on hearsay?"

Just as the censor was about to continue his outburst, he suddenly saw a familiar figure appear behind Huo Duanli and immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

The ministers looked towards the door and saw that the prince, who had been bedridden for many days, had finally come to the morning court. They all bowed and saluted.

The ministers of the prince's party were even more pleased.

Emperor Qing, sitting on the dragon throne, simply glanced at the Crown Prince and asked slowly, "Are you okay?"

The prince quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I am fine."

"Yes." Emperor Qing nodded. "Return to your seats, you two continue."

Seeing Emperor Qing's indifferent attitude, the prince felt even more angry, but he still had a respectful look on his face and slowly walked to his seat.

Huo Duanli first bowed to Emperor Qing, then bowed to the north and asked the censor:

"I would like to ask, since your Highness Feng Wang left the country, besides the prince's salary, has he ever asked the court for a single soldier, a single grain of grain, or a single penny?"

"This... is not true."

"Well, let me ask you again. Are there any laws in the court prohibiting vassal princes from engaging in business, prohibiting vassal princes from selling valuables?"

"nor."

"Is His Majesty's caravan competing with the people for profit, and making huge profits from them?"

The censor wiped the sweat from his face and remained silent.

"But are you forcing people to buy glass by forcing them to buy it, putting a knife to the necks of those powerful families?"

The censor was a little dazed and looked at the newly arrived prince for help.

Huo Duanli frowned upon seeing this and shouted, "I'm confronting you, look at what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is doing!!!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall looked unusual.

The Qin, Jin, and Feng Wang factions secretly sneered, while the Crown Prince's faction secretly cursed the censor for his incompetence. The Crown Prince hurriedly stepped forward to apologize, "Father, this matter has nothing to do with me."

Emperor Qing glanced at the prince coldly.

He naturally knew that the prince had been suffering from a leg disease in recent days and was in excruciating pain, so he was definitely unable to plan this matter.

It is most likely that the prince's followers are taking advantage of the situation and want to cause trouble for Prince Feng.

"Prince, please step back. I will make the decision myself." Emperor Qing said calmly.

The prince limped back to his seat and glared at the censor, who was immediately filled with fear.

I wanted to take this opportunity to show my loyalty to the prince, but I didn't expect it to backfire.

"Even so, even so..." the censor argued unwillingly, "The prince possesses such a treasure, but instead of presenting it to Your Majesty, he profits from it privately. This is also an act of unfilial piety!"

Huo Duanli sneered and refuted word by word:

"Your Highness Prince Feng needs to prepare his army to defend against the Khitan and Shiwei in the north. The cost of materials is more than a million. Why not sell glass to cover the military expenses?"

"You, a censor in the capital, have never contributed an ounce of effort or offered a single strategy for the frontier war, yet with just a few words you slander these righteous actions as money-making schemes!"

"Do you know how much equipment and armor that money could have forged, and how many lives it could have saved?! Do you also know how much that glass item cost, and how much craftsmanship it took?"

"Knowing nothing, yet he rebels against his superiors, plotting crimes for personal gain, and yet he claims to be righteous! Censors may report on rumors, but they cannot convict people of crimes they haven't committed."

"You are a wretch, a man of old age, who has accomplished nothing in his life, and is only able to talk nonsense. I have never seen such a shameless person, and I am ashamed to serve in the same court as someone like you!"

Huo Duanli spoke righteously and sternly, his logic was clear, and his voice was loud and lingering.

The censor felt as if there was something blocking his chest, and he could neither spit it out nor swallow it.

"You...you, you, you are so rude, how could you..."

In a fit of rage, he sat down on the ground, foaming at the mouth and his hands and feet twitching.

When Emperor Qing saw this scene, the smile in his eyes faded and he made a gesture to the commander of the guards at the door.

The guards came forward and pulled him away, one on the left and one on the right.

Everyone knows that this person is useless and has no future.

As a censor, his duty is to criticize people, but he can't even criticize a young boy. What kind of censor is he?

His Majesty the current emperor hates people who are just sitting in office and doing nothing the most. Such an incompetent person will no longer have a seat in the court.

Huo Duanli calmly walked to the center of the hall and bowed respectfully to the Emperor Qing, who was sitting at the top of the hall. "Your Majesty, I know I am guilty of causing a disturbance in the hall. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Emperor Qing looked at him coldly and said sternly, "I gave you the power to govern, not to let you quarrel with others. This is so outrageous and disrespectful to society. You should be punished!"

"Since this is your first offense and you've sincerely admitted your mistake, I'll fine you three months' salary. Do you accept the penalty?"

"I accept the punishment and thank Your Majesty for your grace."

The prince's mouth twitched when he heard this.

It's the same again, pick it up high and put it down gently!

His own people were so angry that they fainted and their future was ruined.

Li Che acted so disrespectfully, but was only fined three months' salary?

Biased! Extremely biased!

The emperor on the stage continued, "My Lords, what do you think? Should the court ask Prince Feng for the formula for this glass?"

The ministers below the stage were all silent, quickly wondering what the emperor was thinking.

Qin Huizhi glanced around, gritted his teeth, and stepped out, saying, "I believe that all land under heaven belongs to the king. Feng State is also part of Daqing, and the King of Feng is your majesty's son."

"Things obtained from serving the king should be handed over to the court and should be nationalized to benefit the people of the world."

Qin Huizhi started the conversation, and other ministers immediately came out to support him:

"Master Qin is absolutely right! Glass is a rare treasure. If it can be widely produced, it will surely promote the prosperity of all industries. Although the King of Feng is a vassal king, he is only a minister of the court. How can he enjoy this benefit alone?"

"Your Majesty, the King of Feng possesses the secret formula for glass and is profiting enormously. I believe that this technology, which benefits the nation and its people, should not be monopolized by the State of Feng."

"The Ministry of Revenue is spending more than it earns this year. Since Prince Feng has found a way to generate income, he should help the country."

All the ministers rose up to attack him, seemingly with righteous words, but in fact they were all eyeing the huge profits of Glass.

It's not that everyone is targeting Li Che. This year is a bad year and every department is short of money.

Judging from the popularity of glass in the north, it must be a business that can quickly make a profit. How can everyone not be envious?

However, Li Che at this moment is no longer the Li Che who had no foundation in the court half a year ago.

But then a man stepped out of the ranks, stepped forward, and said, "Your Majesty, I think otherwise. Prince Feng has served the frontier with great dedication and hard work. Without military funds, how can he defend against the enemy? Prince Feng developed the glass formula himself. How can the court confiscate it without reason and discourage the soldiers on the frontier?"

Everyone looked closely and saw that it was Huan Ze, the current Minister of Revenue.

He also has another identity, a disciple of the Left Prime Minister Huo Tao.

Huo Tao has already been bound to Li Che, so as a disciple, he is naturally a born supporter of the king.

"Minister Huan is absolutely right. Your Majesty commands a large force, guarding the northeastern gateway. Without sufficient financial resources, it will be difficult to maintain peace on the border. While the benefits of glass are certainly important to the nation and its people, maintaining stability on the border is even more crucial. Your Majesty, please reconsider this."

This person is Duan Yi, the Minister of War.

He was not a disciple of the Left Prime Minister, but he came from a military background and was close to the princes who were full of martial virtues. He was considered to be a member of the Prince of Yan's party.

Qin Huizhi frowned upon hearing this. "Lord Huan, Lord Duan, are you planning to disregard the people of the world for the sole purpose of fulfilling the selfish interests of the vassal kings?"

Before Huan and Duan could refute, another person stood up.

"Lord Qin, your words are wrong. Glass may be useful, but a stable border is the foundation of a nation. If the vassal king can use this to alleviate their immediate crisis, why wouldn't the court be happy to do the same?"

"Besides, if the formula is nationalized, production and distribution will require careful consideration. How can we rush into anything?"

This person is Yang Yi, the Minister of the Interior.

There is no need to say much about this person's identity. He is an old minister of the previous dynasty.

This identity alone is enough to make him choose to side with Li Che's camp.

In the court, the two factions were deadlocked, arguments continued, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense.

The officials then discovered that the "Wang Feng Party" headed by Huo Tao had grown to a large scale in a short period of time and had a certain say in the court.

Is that King Feng already so powerful?

Emperor Qing looked at the two quarreling parties, his face remaining calm.

After a moment, he coughed lightly, and the hall suddenly became quiet.

But everyone listened to the emperor slowly speaking: "Everyone has their reasons for what you said."

"I believe that Prince Feng has made invaluable contributions in defending the border. Since the court has not been able to provide him with any financial support, he should stop hindering us."

The officials felt a pang of fear, thinking that His Majesty was going to favor Prince Feng again.

All the ministers responded in unison: "Your Majesty is wise."

"There's no need to discuss this further. However, there's something I'm quite concerned about," Emperor Qing said suddenly with great interest. "You said earlier that the person leading the Fengguo caravan was called He Conglong?"

The ministers were simply confused.

It was Qin Huizhi who stepped out and said, "That's exactly the man."

"He Conglong," Emperor Qing repeated softly, "but that's the He Conglong who guarded Chaoyang City and trained the new soldiers?"

All the ministers looked at each other.

Everyone has watched Feng State's battle reports repeatedly and has some understanding of Feng State's generals.

Such as the general who won the battle of Xiangping, Yue Yun, a natural cavalry general in white clothes and robe, and Yang Xuan, a female general who is as brave as any man.

Even Wang Sanchun, the fierce general who was born a criminal, was remembered by everyone.

But this He Conglong...it seems that he was not mentioned in the battle report. He was not a famous general of Feng State.

But why is Your Majesty so familiar with him and seems to admire him?

"This man is quite good. I am quite curious." Emperor Qing smiled. "Where is the Fengguo caravan now?"

Someone immediately replied, "We have arrived in Yuzhou."

"Send an order to He Conglong, and have him gather the remaining goods and sell them in the capital."

"Just say that I want to meet him and make sure all his goods can be sold in the capital."