At the tender age of eight, he was hastily dragged out and made emperor!

"Figured out?"

The next day.

Daxing Hall.

Chu Ling casually tossed the memorial he was holding onto the imperial desk, staring at Liu Chen, who was kneeling and kowtowing, his face showing no joy or sorrow, and even his tone of voice remained unchanged.

"I am guilty."

Liu Chen remained in the kowtow position, his words filled with deep regret and trembling, "I was too selfish, thinking only of my own little family, but forgetting the great Yu."

"I am not only Your Majesty's subject, and a subject of the Great Yu, but also a member of this great family!"

“But before that, there was a group of outsiders who exhausted all sorts of ideas and schemes to seize the benefits of this family. I hesitated because I was afraid of something going wrong and taking responsibility.”

"I have been so stupid, so stupid that I can't even grasp the implications. If something happens to everyone, how can my little family stay out of it? I deserve to die!"

As he spoke, Liu Chen began to cry.

You're not too stupid, you're too smart.

Chu Ling flicked his sleeves, leaned against the cushion, and stared at Liu Chen with a half-smile.

But for Chu Ling, what he needed was someone who was smart but had reservations. Otherwise, Chu Ling wouldn't have given Liu Chen a high position.

Compared to some people, what you've got is nothing.

Chu Ling composed himself and said calmly, "In the present Great Yu, there are countless people who want to seize the benefits of the state. I am not only the sovereign and father of Great Yu, but also the patriarch of the family."

"If I turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to these sordid matters, then the Great Yu will only rot away and have nothing left to do."

Liu Chen, his eyes slightly red, was still kowtowing and weeping.

But I felt a mix of emotions.

He was now very fortunate that Chu Hui, that little bastard, had come to him. Otherwise, if he had really offended the emperor in this matter, he would have been brought down just as easily as he had come up.

This is not critical.

The key issue is that Princess Wu'an's residence and her descendants will be completely excluded from the future.

"Get up."

As Liu Chen pondered, Chu Ling's voice rang out, "Now that you've figured it out, get familiar with the Customs Administration. If you've made a choice, you have to do it well."

"The minister obeys the order."

Liu Chen hurriedly kowtowed and bowed, then carefully rose and walked toward the emperor with his head down.

Chu Ling leaned forward, pulled out a file, and handed it to Liu Chen.

Liu Chen hurriedly took it with both hands. The first thing he saw was the vertical text "Detailed List of Officials and Responsibilities of the General Administration of Customs". Just seeing this, Liu Chen knew that the emperor attached great importance to the General Administration of Customs. This was definitely not a temporary measure set up because smuggling was discovered. Thinking of this, Liu Chen became nervous again.

"Take a look first, and then I will talk to you."

"Yes."

Upon hearing what the emperor said, Liu Chen bowed again in response.

He then took a few steps back before carefully opening it.

Chief Administrator, Deputy Chief Administrator, Supervisor, Clerk, Inspector, Gatekeeper...

General Administration of Customs, Policy Research Bureau, Regional Taxation Bureau, Planning and Development Bureau, Supervision and Discipline Bureau, Tax Supervision Office, Anti-Smuggling Bureau...

The detailed rules and responsibilities of officials, as well as the powers and responsibilities of the relevant departments, were listed in detail in this file, which made Liu Chen tremble with fear as he read it.

Don't mention anything else.

The sheer scale of the Customs Administration's operations in the central and local governments, including its various levels of officials and clerks, was considerable, not to mention the significant impact it would have on the central and local governments once it exercised its powers.

There's only so much power in the world.

If you take more, others will take less.

If the Customs Administration is to be established, cracking down on smuggling is a given, but how to exercise its power effectively so that other authorities adapt to the Customs Administration, rather than the Customs Administration adapting to other authorities, is something Liu Chen must consider carefully.

Finding a starting point is the most urgent task.

Although he knew beforehand that taking on this job would offend people, Liu Chen, having thought it through, still felt a headache after seeing the file.

Since you've chosen to do it, you have to do it well.

The power struggles and battles are a battlefield without visible smoke; it is a matter of life and death, not a place where you can come and go as you please.

"Your Majesty, the Prince Consort Yongning requests an audience."

As Liu Chen was reading and pondering, Li Zhong, the supervisor of Daxing, bowed and entered the hall, respectfully bowing and paying his respects before the emperor.

"Xuan."

As Chu Ling's voice rang out, Liu Chen came back to his senses, but a sense of surprise arose in his heart.

Why is he here?

Could it be that the emperor intends to give him an important position?

What are they trying to do?!

With the arrival of the Prince Consort of Yongning, Liu Chen's thoughts became active. Others might not know this man well, but Liu Chen knew him well. In terms of seniority, he was the Prince Consort of Yongning's uncle.

"Your subject... Luo Zhi greets Your Majesty!"

While Liu Chen was pondering, Luo Zhi, dressed in plain clothes, entered the main hall and bowed to the emperor.

This guy is still the same as always.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Liu Chen, who was embroiled in a web of schemes, and noticed his clothes, and couldn't help but think to himself that he was criticizing them.

"No gifts."

Chu Ling glanced at Liu Chen, then looked at Luo Zhi in front of him and said in a calm tone.

In terms of seniority, Chu Ling should call Luo Zhi "brother-in-law".

Princess Yongning, whom Luo Zhishang married, was Chu Ling's half-sister. Her mother was the daughter of the late Duke Liu Yong. This marriage was arranged by Liu Yong when he was still alive, who specially requested favors from Emperor Taizong. This matter caused quite a stir at the time.

Without him.

Luo Zhi was different from the other imperial sons-in-law.

He was born into a commoner family, and his ancestors for several generations had been involved in criminal matters.

As for Luo Zhi, he had been exposed to these things since childhood. The key was that he was very intelligent, so he was quite famous in the local area. Not long after he came of age, Luo Zhi went to Yudu to participate in the imperial examination. By chance, he met Liu Yong, and after a conversation, they became close friends despite their age difference.

That's not even the strangest thing.

The strangest thing is that the selection of candidates for the imperial examination that Luo Zhi participated in was rife with cheating. Unfortunately, Luo Zhi was implicated in it. Of course, Luo Zhi was implicated.

Serious fraud occurred in the selection of imperial candidates, which was no small matter for the Great Yu Dynasty. Therefore, Emperor Taizong was furious and ordered the Crown Prince to personally supervise the case in order to suppress the boiling public opinion.

What happened next was clear: investigation, interrogation, arrest, execution... During this process, Luo Zhi not only exonerated himself through a self-defense letter, but also gained the favor of the Crown Prince, which caused Luo Zhi's name to spread in a small circle.

According to the normal plot, Luo Zhi should have passed the imperial examination with flying colors, entered officialdom, and reached the pinnacle of his life by gaining the favor of the crown prince.

But Luo Zhi failed the exam.

Because of the cheating scandal in the imperial examinations, although the case was thoroughly investigated, for various reasons, the examination questions for this year's imperial examinations were personally written by Emperor Taizong, which greatly increased the difficulty. Moreover, it was this year's imperial examinations that adopted the anonymous grading system for the first time, which changed many things.

It was the extraordinary nature of this year's imperial examination selection that enabled Xiao Jing, the top scholar, to stand out.

Knowing this, Chu Ling felt a pang of emotion. Sometimes fate is just that strange. Xiao Jing and Luo Zhi had both participated in the imperial examinations, but their life trajectories were completely different.

Don’t say anything else.

The mere fact that he was framed by Princess Yongning ruined his career and prevented him from even handling criminal cases related to his ancestors. From then on, he lived in Princess Yongning's residence, and few people knew who he was.

Xiao Jing, thanks to Emperor Taizong's favor, has served three emperors and is now the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, concurrently serving as Minister of Revenue.

The key point is that Xiao Jing is not even forty years old yet.

"You knew about the sealing off of the Six Doors at Princess Yongning's residence, didn't you?" Thinking of this, Chu Ling looked at Luo Zhi and said in a calm tone.

"Your Majesty, I heard about this from the servants of the Princess's residence."

On the other hand, Luo Zhi, upon hearing the emperor's question, raised his hand and bowed.

"Ah."

Chu Ling responded, then added, "The Six Doors has existed since the reign of Emperor Taizu. Its functions are significant, yet the court is powerless to restrain it. Furthermore, after three reigns, the internal oversight within the Six Doors has become virtually nonexistent, leading to rampant corruption and treachery throughout the organization!"

Chu Ling's words caused Luo Zhi to frown slightly.

The emperor was unclear about the meaning behind Luo Zhi's words.

But Liu Chen, standing to the side, widened his eyes.

A terrible thought arose in Liu Chen's mind.

No way! ?

Does the Emperor intend to appoint Luo Zhi to lead the Six Doors?!

Once this idea is born, it is no longer an extension of control.

If that's the case, then what is the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

Wouldn't their powers overlap?

Originally, Liu Chen believed that since the Six Doors had been shut down by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, this huge organization would most likely be phased out from the central government. After all, compared with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Six Doors was not the emperor's direct subordinate, even if doing so would cause quite a stir and shock.

After all, the Six Doors were not only established in the central government, but also in local areas, which is why the Six Doors were such a transcendent existence in the Great Yu Dynasty.

But Liu Chen's thoughts have changed now.

The local authorities of the Six Doors are unlikely to be absorbed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

But this will only create more problems.

"It just so happens that the Prince Consort of Wu'an is also here."

As Liu Chen was lost in thought, Chu Ling pointed at him and said to Luo Zhi, "I intend to thoroughly investigate the smuggling activities of the Six Doors, firstly to uphold the authority of the laws of Great Yu, secondly to eradicate the corrupt officials and parasites of Great Yu, and thirdly to restore order and justice to the world!"

"I know that your ancestors were involved in criminal cases, so I want you to take charge of the Six Doors smuggling case. I will issue an edict ordering the Embroidered Uniform Guard to assist in the investigation. I wonder if you are willing to share my burdens and the burdens of the nation?"

He really is going to be given an important position!

Upon hearing this, Liu Chen still looked at Luo Zhi in surprise.

If Luo Zhi is put in charge of the smuggling case of the Six Doors, then the pressure on the Customs Administration will be relatively less. The key is that with Luo Zhi in the lead, he can hide behind him. This will play an extremely important role in the establishment and prestige of the Customs Administration.

If Luo Zhi performs exceptionally well in this matter, then without a doubt, the official in charge of the Six Doors will order him to take over.

However, the above are merely Liu Chen's speculations and conjectures. Liu Chen did not fully understand one point, which is why he wanted to give Luo Zhi a high position. This involves an important reform, namely the reorganization of the Six Doors!