Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

"Third, immediately issue the 'Comfort Relief Edict': All 'new grain taxes' are abolished! All previously collected taxes are returned in full! If already deposited into the treasury, the Ministry of Revenue will allocate compensation from the treasury! For all boatmen and laborers who die as a result of the 'new grain taxes' or the oppression of grain officials, each household will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver and 10 dan of grain, and their families will be exempted from taxes and labor service for five years! For those injured, the government will provide medical treatment and provide them with pensions!"

"Fourth, order the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Water Resources to immediately select personnel to survey the canal towpath. Allocate funds for repairs to dangerous areas, adding handrails and stone resting platforms! From now on, wages for canal boats on the road must be clearly defined and paid in full. Any deduction or flogging is strictly prohibited! Violators will be charged with murder!"

The four decrees, like four bolts of lightning, split the gloom that had enveloped the canal! Dismissal and interrogation were to settle accounts with the culprits; the appointment of an imperial envoy to take over was to restore order; the return of taxes and generous relief for the dead and wounded was to provide compensation and comfort; the repair of the towpath and the strict establishment of regulations were to ensure long-term peace and stability!

"Your Majesty is wise!" The clerks recorded excitedly, their voices trembling slightly.

"Shadow Seven."

"The minister is here."

"You are to personally lead a team of Tingfeng Guards, bearing my personal order, and immediately march south to Huai'an. 'Invite' Lu Yuandao on his way. I want to see him... brought to the capital alive for trial." Qin Ming's voice was icy. "Anyone who dares to obstruct or silence us along the way will be killed without mercy."

"Yes!" A cold light flashed in Ying Qi's eyes, and he took the order and left.

The decree was transmitted to all the states and counties along the canal at an accelerated speed of 800 miles.

When Censor Lin Hao read the imperial edict and displayed the gold medal in the lobby of the Huai'an government office, the entire grain transport system was shocked! Those once-domineering grain transport officials, tax collectors, and even the grain merchants who colluded with them were pale and many of them collapsed to the ground.

At the same time, the "Edict on Relief of Grain Duties" stamped with imperial seals and red ink was posted at the gates of various prefecture and county government offices. At first, the people were in disbelief, watching from afar and whispering among themselves. It wasn't until the officials brought out boxes of copper coins and bags of grain, loudly calling out names according to the list, that the crowd erupted in excitement!

"Old Wang's family! His Majesty grants one hundred taels of silver and ten stone of grain! Five years of tax exemption!" the bailiff shouted.

A ragged, dusty woman, holding two skinny children, staggered out of the crowd. She took the heavy silver and grain bags, her hands trembling violently as turbid tears welled up in her eyes. She fell to her knees with a plop, kowtowed desperately toward the capital, and a hoarse, untuned wail emanated from her throat: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace! Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace! Master... did you hear that... Your Majesty... Your Majesty has made the decision for us..."

Her cries infected everyone around her. More and more families of the boat trackers who had lost their loved ones received the life-saving money and food, and their cries, cries of gratitude, and kowtows merged into one.

The injured and disabled trackers were taken in by the government and given medical treatment. Works officials and craftsmen soon appeared on the treacherous towpaths along the canal, surveying the terrain, driving stakes, and laying out lines in preparation for repairs.

Like a flood finding an outlet, the long-suppressed public grievances turned into an overwhelming gratitude to the Emperor. Shouts of "Holy Lord!" and "The Holy Son of Heaven sees the world!" spread rapidly along the canal.

Of course, there were those who didn't believe it, and there were also clerks who tried to withhold compensation and pretended to obey. But soon, the imperial guards and Audit Department officials brought by Lin Hao dealt with several such incidents with ruthless force. After several heads fell, all officials understood that this time, the emperor was serious and there was no room for compromise.

The canal, the lifeblood of the empire, finally began to recover after a period of tragic bloodshed and a hearty vindication. The call still rang out, but it was less hoarse with despair and more reassuring with the reward of hard work.

Inside the West Warm Pavilion, Qin Ming received Lin Hao's report on the smooth distribution of compensation and the gradual easing of public sentiment. He put the report aside, his gaze returning to the map, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

The boatman's bleeding stopped temporarily.

But when Qin Ming set his sights on the border, a strange thing happened within the empire.

That night, Ying Qi suddenly came to the palace.

"Your Majesty." Ying Qi's voice was deeper than usual. He stepped out from the shadows, no documents in his hand, but his expression was unusually solemn. "The 'Tingfeng Guards' have reported that there's unusual activity at the 'Shenjifang' in western Beijing."

Qin Ming didn't look up. He wrote a sharp crimson stroke on the Ministry of Works' memorial on the planning of the new post road. His voice was calm and even: "Talk."

"Three days ago, an old craftsman in charge of mixing 'fierce oil' and saltpeter in the workshop, drunk, slipped and fell into the quenching pool... his body was never found." Ying Qi's voice was flat, yet a chilling tone lingered. "Late last night, patrolling outside the workshop found two watchmen with their throats slashed by a knife, abandoned in a dark alley. Upon investigation, it was discovered that these two were not on duty last night, but were instead found outside the Shenji Workshop."

Qin Ming paused slightly with his crimson brush. Shenjifang, the empire's most secretive facility, specialized in the research, development, improvement, and casting of artillery and other firearms. Directly under the Ministry of Industry, it was heavily guarded by imperial guards, forbidding even the slightest official from approaching. The veteran craftsman's "misstep," the night watchman's silence... this was anything but ordinary.

"Also," Ying Qi continued, "In the past two weeks, there's been a slight discrepancy between the amount of refined iron and copper consumed within the workshop and the number of cannon barrels produced. Although the officials handling the work explained it as forging losses,... according to undercover observations, there's no corresponding scrap in the scrap pit."

"The accounts don't match the actuals..." Qin Ming's eyes flashed coldly, "Are there any signs of outsiders sneaking in?"

"The walls are high and thick, and the security is tight, with countless sentries and covert sentries. We haven't seen any signs of forced entry." Ying Qi paused. "However... seven days ago, a batch of high-quality charcoal from Jiangnan arrived at the warehouse. The person escorting it was a deputy minister of the Ministry of Works... who was recommended by the new Governor of the Grand Canal, Lin Hao."

Lin Hao recommended him? Qin Ming's fingertips tapped unconsciously on the imperial desk. Lin Hao was a man of integrity, and the person he recommended must be a capable official, but... what a coincidence. Just as the canal transportation was stabilized, the Ministry of Works sent charcoal, and then something happened at the Shenji Workshop.

"Your Majesty," Ying Qi lowered his voice, "Although the Hunxie tribe in the northern border was defeated, the Black Khanate in the western region has had frequent exchanges with Persia and the Arabs in recent years. Their envoys...last year, under the guise of paying tribute, stayed in Beijing for two months and had close...friendship with certain members of the imperial family. The Black Khanate...is renowned for its skilled craftsmen."

Black Khanate…Royal Family…Shenjifang…

Several seemingly unrelated clues were instantly connected into a cold vein in Qin Ming's mind - foreign countries coveted, insiders echoed, and the target was directly aimed at the sharpest fang of the empire: artillery!

A wave of icy anger instantly swept through Qin Ming, and the temperature in the warm room seemed to drop sharply. The artillery was a national treasure that he had poured countless efforts into, sweeping across the world and establishing his dominance! There was no room for error!

He slowly stood up and walked to the huge map of the empire. His eyes fell on the direction of the Western Regions, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle.