She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

The admiral understood Prince Yu's meaning: they were being told to protect themselves.

He was frantic: "Your Highness..." Are you going to sit here and wait to die?

Before the Admiral could finish speaking, Prince Yu interrupted, "No need for further words." His eyes were cold. "You must not act on your own. I have already made arrangements. Just wait for the results."

Emperor Jing'an was drawn to the Third Prince because of his compassion for the people.

Since the Third Prince is so concerned about the people and wants to improve their lives in order to win their hearts, then he will lend the Third Prince a hand and have him offer more agricultural suggestions to Emperor Jing'an.

The admiral originally wanted to persuade him further, but seeing that Prince Yu's mind was made up, he said no more and quickly left Prince Yu's residence.

Prince Yu watched the Admiral's departing figure, then summoned his attendants and gave them a few instructions.

He has always been cautious and never takes chances.

-

Imperial Palace, Taiji Hall.

Emperor Jing'an and the Third Prince were sitting in the inner hall, discussing matters concerning the people's livelihood.

"Father, last year the Great Zhou suffered a famine, and the people had no harvest. It was only thanks to your effective governance that the people did not die of famine. However, because of this, the court is now facing a situation of food shortage." The Third Prince said with a worried expression, "After much thought, I believe the most fundamental reason is that the grain production is low, so the people pay less tax, and the national treasury is not full."

"If the people increase their grain production, not only will they pay more taxes, but they will also have surplus grain in their hands. Even if there is a famine in the future, the court will not be under too heavy a burden, and neighboring countries will not be eyeing the Great Zhou with covetous eyes because of the Great Zhou's food shortage."

"After I had this idea, I took it upon myself to come up with some ideas with the officials in the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works. If we want to increase grain production, the main thing is to improve agricultural tools, water conservancy, and the land system."

At this point, the Third Prince, as if presenting a treasure, handed a stack of unbound Xuan paper to Emperor Jing'an.

"Father, please give me some advice."

Looking at the Third Prince's expectant expression, Emperor Jing'an couldn't help but chuckle: "It's kind of you to have such a thoughtful intention." Speaking of which, he couldn't help but mention something: "You suggested a few composting methods before, and I had someone test them first, and they were extremely effective."

The next moment, when Emperor Jing'an realized how the Third Prince knew how to compost, the smile on his face vanished completely.

Because the prince had been cutting back on the third prince's food, clothing, and other necessities, it was one of the prince's eunuchs who had someone buy vegetable seeds and cultivate a piece of wasteland to grow vegetables. To make the vegetables grow better, the third prince and the eunuch racked their brains, trying to come up with ways to fertilize them.

Perhaps because there were more types of vegetables to grow, the Third Prince discovered that the yield of vegetables varied depending on the type of land.

So he summoned the officials in charge of agricultural administration, raised this case, and received their reply that crop yields were indeed closely related to the right time, the right place, and the right produce.

However, they haven't fully grasped the subject yet, so it hasn't been implemented in the general public.

It was precisely this point that made Emperor Jing'an even more certain that he had not made the wrong choice. The Third Prince had suffered hardships and lived a life no different from that of ordinary people, and he understood even better how to seek the well-being of the people.

Emperor Jing'an carefully perused the document and found that it covered topics such as farming techniques, improvements to agricultural tools, improvements to irrigation systems, and the diversification of fertilizers.

After looking through them one by one, he nodded in satisfaction.

When Emperor Jing'an turned to the next page and saw the proposal on the land system, he couldn't help but frown: "Private land ownership will infringe on the interests of officials and powerful gentry. Not only will it be difficult to implement, but it will also bring you future troubles."

The third prince said dejectedly, "Your Majesty is not very knowledgeable and did not think of these drawbacks. I only wanted to ensure that all the people had land to cultivate. Fortunately, Your Majesty is far-sighted and has been watching over me."

At this point, the Third Prince smiled, his expression a mixture of anticipation and nervousness: "Your subject wishes to stay with Father and learn from you how to bring the greatest benefits to the people without causing turmoil in the court."

Before Emperor Jing'an could answer, he hurriedly said, "After I have improved all these agricultural policies under your guidance, I will return to my residence and study diligently with my teachers."

Emperor Jing'an looked at the Third Prince, whose eyes were filled with affection, as if he wanted to get close to him but was afraid of being rejected. He relented and said, "This is the only time. There will be no next time."

His children had never been so close to him before; they only felt awe towards him.

The Third Prince seemed surprised that Emperor Jing'an would agree, and was so happy that he forgot himself. He moved to sit down next to Emperor Jing'an and said, "Your subject knew that Father Emperor was the best. He is no different from any other father in the world."

Emperor Jing'an was amused by the Third Prince and looked at the Third Prince sitting beside him affectionately with a smile in his eyes. The majesty that had been tainted by power dissipated, leaving only a gentle demeanor.

The Third Prince breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Emperor Jing'an was not displeased with his actions.

Emperor Jing'an was a benevolent ruler. Because Princess Yizhen saved him, he doted on Zhao Yi, which shows that he valued relationships highly. A person who values ​​relationships would naturally hope that his children would adore and be close to him.

At this moment, the eunuch's voice rang out from outside the hall: "Your Majesty, Minister Lin of the Grand Secretariat requests an audience."

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince sat back in his original seat.

Emperor Jing'an frowned slightly, wondering what the cabinet members wanted to see him at this hour.

As if struck by a sudden thought, Emperor Jing'an said, "Summon Lord Lin into the hall."

Lord Lin handed a memorial to Emperor Jing'an, saying, "Your Majesty, when I was handling memorials and documents, I came across this memorial. This matter is of great importance, and I dared not delay, so I immediately sent it to you for your decision."

Emperor Jing'an took the memorial, opened it, and read: "Prince Yu was stripped of his power at the morning court session, and upon returning to his residence, he summoned Commander Tan of the Beijing Garrison. Your Majesty, I believe Prince Yu harbors treasonous intentions and humbly request Your Majesty to make a decision on this matter."

He did not believe that the king was currently harboring rebellious intentions.

However, in order to prevent any future problems, he had to purge Prince Yu's close advisors to avoid a situation where fathers and sons would kill each other or brothers would turn against each other.

After all, there is only one throne, and it can only be given to one of the sons; it is impossible to treat them equally.

One gave power, the other could only give money.

If he continues to grant power to each of his sons after establishing the crown prince, he is feeding their ambitions and sowing the seeds of future problems for the heir apparent.

Emperor Jing'an said coldly, "Draft an edict: Tan Rui, the military commander of the Three Thousand Battalions, has abandoned his post without authorization. Immediately relieve him of his duties."