Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

His voice was low, but it instantly suppressed all the noise. "When he secretly communicated with foreign vassals and provided the enemy with weapons and armor, causing wars to rage across the northern border, soldiers to bleed on the battlefield, and civilians to become displaced, where was the dignity of the royal family?"

"When the Ningyuan garrison commander, Meng Zhi, suffered over ten wounds and, exhausted, committed suicide rather than surrender, where was your 'kindness'?"

"When the Hunxie tribe's cavalry trampled over the corpses of my Daqian people, brandishing weapons forged with the gold and silver he bribed them with, and slaughtered our soldiers... Minister Zong Zheng, tell me, how should I understand the word 'caution'?"

These three questions were like three thunderclaps, making Zong Zhengqing's face pale and his whole body tremble. He fell to his knees with a plop: "This old minister...this old minister is stupid...Your Majesty, please calm down..."

Qin Ming slowly stood up and glanced at the princes and officials of the royal family who were silent as a mouse.

"I will give you respect." His voice was icy, "But respect is earned by one's own efforts, not by relying on the protection of ancestors or by covering up for each other!"

He suddenly grabbed the sheepskin copy of the evidence on the case and threw it hard in front of Zong Zhengqing!

"The evidence is right here! Every detail, every item, clearly stated! You don't understand? Or... don't want to understand?!"

"In your eyes, the evidence obtained by the soldiers of the Northern Territory with their blood is not worth the fleeting words of 'royal dignity'?!"

"Alright! Since you want to see the truth, I'll let you see it clearly! Shadow Seven!"

"I'm here!" Ying Qi appeared in response.

"All officials who have handled the transfer of military equipment to the Hedong Garrison since last year must be arrested! All the military equipment in the Hedong Garrison's inventory must be unpacked and inspected! All captives from the Hunxie tribe wearing our standard armor and using our powerful bows and crossbows must be brought to the parade grounds and confronted with these witnesses and account books!"

"I will re-examine the arms case in the hall of this clan government! Let everyone in the world see who is responsible for this act of treason and betrayal! How many evil spirits are hiding behind this!"

The emperor's voice was like a thousand years of ice, filled with unquestionable determination and... a hint of chilling murderous intent! He wanted to pour the blood and fire of the northern border directly into this hall of the clan residence that tried to maintain a false sense of respectability!

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall fell into a dead silence! All members of the imperial clan turned pale! They had no doubt that with the Emperor's means, he could definitely do it! By then, it would likely implicate more than just the Prince of Huaiyang! The entire imperial clan, and even the imperial court, would face an unprecedented purge!

"Your Majesty, please calm down! We acknowledge our guilt!" Led by the Minister of Imperial Clan Affairs, all the old princes and officials knelt on the ground, kowtowed repeatedly. "The evidence is irrefutable! Huaiyang Prince Qin Zhang has committed treason and collusion with the enemy. His crimes are heinous and, according to the law... he must be... sentenced to death! We... have no further objections!"

Qin Zhang collapsed completely to the ground, his face ashen.

Qin Ming looked down indifferently at the clan members and important officials who were kneeling on the ground. There was no joy of victory in his eyes, only frozen fatigue and indifference.

"Draft an edict," he said slowly. "Huaiyang Prince Qin Zhang is guilty of treason. The evidence is conclusive. He shall be expelled from the clan register, demoted to a commoner, and granted a white silk garment. His accomplices shall be severely punished according to the law, with no leniency."

"Minister Zongzheng, you are old and incompetent, and are no longer capable of fulfilling your duties. You are to be dismissed from your post and confined to reflect on your mistakes. The Zongrenfu...it's time for a change of personnel."

Once the decree is issued, the dust settles.

Qin Ming no longer looked at anyone, turned around, and strode out of the solemn hall of the clan residence. The morning light shone through the tall porch, illuminating his dark robes, but it couldn't dispel the palpable loneliness and oppression that permeated him.

The royal family, the hardest bone, was broken by him in the most brutal and direct way.

However, the empire still had a long way to go. The implementation of the New Deal, the aftermath of border troubles, and the accumulated problems of grain transport.

The panic of the officials...

Countless questions were still piled up on the huge imperial desk, waiting for his review and decision.

He raised his head and looked at the towering palaces and pavilions in the imperial city, his eyes as deep as the abyss.

Late at night, a huge map of the northern border stretched across the palace wall, with Zhang Fei's figure reflected on it.

That shadow, like a dormant beast, silently enveloped the empire. The white silk of Huaiyang Prince Qin Zhang and the trembling of the clan office were like a stone dropped into a deep pond. Before the ripples had dissipated, a more turbulent undercurrent was already quietly surging.

"Your Majesty." Ying Qi's voice was a little deeper than usual. He stepped out from the shadows, holding not a military report but a thin, wax-sealed letter. "The letter received by the 'Bronze Box' today... is unusual."

Qin Ming didn't turn around, his gaze still fixed on the map marking the locations of several recently joined grassland tribes, his red pen silently turning at his fingertips. "Read."

"The letter is... written in blood." Ying Qi's voice was calm. "It's a complaint... against the current Grand Canal Governor, Lu Yuandao. He claims... in the three months since taking office, not only has he failed to rectify the grain transport system, but... he's escalated it. He's colluded with Jiangnan's three major grain merchants, manipulating grain prices, passing off inferior goods as good ones, and forcibly collecting 'new grain taxes,' forcing dozens of canal trackers to death... At the end of the petition, there are over a hundred bloody fingerprints, seemingly a joint petition from... the canal workers along the coast."

Click.

The red pen in Qin Ming's hand broke with a sound.

He slowly turned around, and in the candlelight, his face was terrifyingly calm. Only in his deep eyes, the icy anger was like a crack in the abyss, revealing a cold flame that was enough to burn everything.

"Lu Yuandao..." He repeated the name softly, as if chewing a piece of ice. "I remember him. Born into the Jiangnan Lu family, he won the third place in the imperial examination and served in various prefectures and counties. He was known as a 'capable official'. He was strongly recommended by the Prime Minister and personally appointed by me as the Governor of the Grand Canal."

"Yes." Ying Qi bowed his head. "Before taking up my post, I swore before Your Majesty that I would eliminate the long-standing problems in the grain transport system and see results within three months."

"What a 'clerk'! What an 'effective' one!" Qin Ming's voice suddenly rose, like an icy blade scraping across glass. "He forced the boatmen to death, manipulated grain prices, and imposed new taxes and old ones... He eliminated the people's livelihood! He achieved results stained with blood!"

He slammed his palm on the imperial desk, and the mountain of memorials trembled!

"My new policies! My Audit Department! The people I killed! The blood I shed! Is it just to foster such corrupt officials?! Is it just to allow these parasites to change into more sleek appearances and continue to gnaw at my throne?!"

Anger, like a tangible chill, instantly swept through the entire warm room, causing even the candlelight to flicker and nearly go out. Ying Qi lowered his head and held his breath, not daring to make the slightest sound.

After a brief outburst, Qin Ming quickly regained his frightening composure. He took a deep breath, and the icy anger was forced back into the depths of his eyes, transforming into a deeper determination.

"Evidence?" he asked, his voice returning to its usual hard, cold tone.

"The blood letter is the evidence. However... Lu Yuandao was extremely cautious and kept his accounts flawless. The local authorities tried to cover up for him. Currently... there is no concrete evidence." Ying Qi reported truthfully.