Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

Hua Yunhong remained silent, then slowly stood up. He adjusted his plain cloth robe and walked over to the tray. With withered fingers, he reached out and steadily lifted the jade cup.

His hands didn't tremble at all.

He raised his eyes, his gaze seemed to penetrate the wall, looking towards the north, the land he had devoted his entire life but was ultimately unable to protect.

There were no last words, no anger, no resentment. Only a dead silence.

He raised his glass and drank the clear liquid in it.

The jade cup slipped from his hand and fell to the thick carpeted floor with a dull sound.

Hua Yunhong's body swayed, and a streak of dark red blood slowly trickled from the corner of his mouth. He fell backward, his eyes still open, gazing at the exquisitely carved and painted rooftops. The light in his pupils quickly dissipated, ultimately transforming into an eternal, empty, dead silence.

The king of the sacred tree who once dominated the north eventually ended his ambitious, crazy and tragic life in a quiet cage in the enemy's capital, Kyoto, in a relatively "decent" but extremely humiliating way.

His death put a cold and complete end to the signing of the oath, and the flames of war in the north were truly extinguished.

Although the war subsided, a deeper sense of unease began to quietly grow under the fabric of the empire.

With the emperor's triumphant return, it gradually surfaced.

At the beginning, when Qin Ming led the dusty but murderous black-armored cavalry, he once again stepped into the towering city gate of the capital.

He was keenly aware that the atmosphere of this imperial capital was different from the tense feeling of surviving a disaster and sharing a common enemy when he left.

There was a sense of...overly relaxed, even a bit frivolous, air in the air.

The triumphal cheers were still loud, but they seemed to be mixed with more anticipation for the rewards of victory rather than awe for the cruelty of war.

The prosperity of the city recovered very quickly, even more bustling than before the war. There was singing and dancing in taverns and singing halls every night, and the trend of luxury was on the rise.

Qin Ming's brows, hidden under his visor, furrowed slightly.

Huangji Hall, the great court meeting.

Civil and military officials lined up on both sides, chanting "Long live the emperor!" and praising his achievements endlessly. However, Qin Ming, sitting upright on the dragon throne, swept his cold gaze across the faces of the emperor, some sincere, some frightened, some flattering, and some with hidden worries, and easily caught the undercurrent beneath the calm surface.

"Your Majesty has pacified the northern border, conquered the southern border, and made the western border submit. Your achievements are unparalleled throughout the world. You are truly a sage king throughout the ages!" A minister stepped forward, his voice excited, but his eyes flickered, as if he was eager to set the tone.

"I second the proposal! Your Majesty has been engaged in wars for years and has suffered immense hardships. Now that the empire has been settled, it is time for you to recuperate and start anew with the people..." Another person interjected. Although his words were high-sounding, they subtly revealed his intention to persuade the emperor to "stop fighting" and "enjoy peace."

What's more, several ministers in charge of finance and grain transport were evasive and vague in their reporting on the national treasury's revenue and expenditure and grain and fodder reserves, trying to cover up some shocking figures with reasons such as "huge losses after the war" and "tax reductions and exemptions in various places."

Qin Ming listened silently, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the armrests of the dragon throne, making a light and regular tapping sound. Each tap seemed to strike at the hearts of the ministers, making the atmosphere in the hall gradually depressing.

During the time he was away from Beijing, it seemed that some people had forgotten the coldness of the blade and began to indulge in the illusion of peace, and even... took the opportunity to reach out and hollow out the foundation of the empire.

"Are you done?" After the last minister finished his report, Qin Ming's cold voice finally rang out. It was not loud, but it instantly suppressed all the whispers.

There was dead silence in the hall.

"I've been away from the capital for only a few months," Qin Ming slowly stood up, his black dragon robe fluttering in the wind. "But I've heard that prices in the capital have skyrocketed, especially for grain and salt. The canals for the grain transport are silted up in many places, and the grain is being stored more than half a month later than in previous years. The documents requesting pay and weapons from various military garrisons are piling up on the desk of the Ministry of War, and the responses are being delayed."

Every time he spoke, the faces of the officials concerned turned paler.

"What's more,"

Qin Ming's gaze was like a real ice cone, piercing the Minister of Revenue fiercely.

"The imperial edict for tax reductions and exemptions has already been issued to the three northern states. However, I received a secret report on my way that some county officials are secretly disobeying the order, fabricating pretexts and levying additional 'suppression funds' and 'people's pacification donations'! This has caused widespread public resentment!"

With a thud, the Minister of Revenue could no longer hold on and fell to his knees, trembling all over. "Your Majesty, you are wise! I...I failed to observe! I will die!"

"A thousand deaths?" Qin Ming's voice suddenly turned cold. "If a civil uprising breaks out, what's the point of you dying a thousand times?!"

He glanced at the hushed ministers. "Rest and recuperate? Start anew with the people? It seems to me that some people want to turn the peace won with the blood and sacrifice of my soldiers into a breeding ground for their own selfish ends and a life of luxury!"

"Preach my will!"

The voice was firm and unquestionable.

"First, the Censorate, the Privy Council, and the Ministry of Revenue are to immediately establish a 'Post-War Audit Office', which I will personally oversee! Thoroughly investigate disaster relief funds in the northern border, military expenditures in the southern and western border regions, and grain and salt prices in the capital and elsewhere! Anyone found guilty of corruption, dereliction of duty, or exploitation of the people, regardless of rank, will be executed immediately. Their property will be confiscated, and their families will be exiled!"

"Secondly, the Ministry of Works and the Grand Canal Governor's Office are ordered to dredge all major canals within one month! If delayed by one day, the chief officer will be punished with fifty strokes of the cane! If delayed by three days, the officer will be dismissed and investigated!"

"Third, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue must work together to account for and allocate all outstanding military pay and military equipment within three days! Any further delay will result in the officer in charge being punished for disrupting military operations!"

"Fourth, order all prefectures and counties to post notices to reassure the people and strictly emphasize my decree of tax reductions and exemptions! Anyone who dares to fabricate additional charges will be punished equally with the local officials and the officials involved! They will be executed immediately!"

"5. Effective immediately, all government offices in the capital will reduce expenses and lay off redundant staff. All non-essential banquets, singing and dancing, and construction activities will be suspended! Violators will be severely punished!"

Five consecutive decrees, like five bolts of thunder, struck heavily on the heads of all the officials in the hall!

No one expected that the first grand court meeting after His Majesty the Emperor's triumphant return would not be about bestowing rewards or celebrating success, but... a thorough reckoning and purge!

Those officials who had originally hoped to get away with it, now looked ashen and trembling. However, those honest officials who had originally been worried about state affairs but dared not speak out, their eyes sparkled with excitement!

"Your Majesty is wise!" Prime Minister Chen Shimao bowed first, his voice filled with a hint of relief.

"Your Majesty is wise!" The ministers responded in unison, but their voices were different, some loud, some trembling.

Qin Ming scanned the entire audience coldly:

"Whether you are wise or not does not lie in your words, but in your actions. I will wait and see."

The court meeting ended in an atmosphere of oppression and fear. The emperor's iron fist, once again, announced his return in the most direct way, and also awakened the dreams of all those who tried to fish in the troubled waters after the war.