After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

One official ship sailed south into the sea, while another official ship continued along the river, methodically patrolling the waterway.

After the incident of jumping into the river, Jiang Wenqing was considered to have made a name for himself in front of Minister Wu of the Ministry of Works.

In any case, he's no longer an invisible member of the inspection team.

With Huangfu Zhongwen as a new friend, Jiang Wenqing, like a husky that has strayed into a pack of wolves, tries to act like a wolf himself.

Butler Wen and Mr. Sun were the only two people besides Jiang Wenqing who knew the truth about the "jumping into the river," but so what? The two of them would never undermine their master.

Let this secret remain a secret, yes, that's right! Their leaders are the kind of people with a strong sense of righteousness!

Minister Wu's memorial was sent back to the capital by express courier, and it is now placed on the emperor's desk.

Judging from Emperor Zhao Yong's expression, he clearly hadn't had time to read the contents yet.

Finally putting down what he was doing, he remembered the memorial that had been sent in this morning. What trouble had Minister Wu encountered?

"Jinxi, where is Minister Wu's memorial?"

"Your Majesty, this is an urgent document from Minister Wu, delivered over 800 li."

The chief eunuch Jin Xi unfolded the memorial and placed it in front of the emperor.

Emperor Zhao Yong read through the memorial quickly, his face growing increasingly grim.

He seized the official boat, drove away the Ministry of Works, threw away documents, and forced a court official to jump into the river. His whereabouts are still unknown. What a rebellious son!

Minister Wu's memorial suffered a terrible fate; it was mercilessly thrown to the ground by the emperor.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Has Minister Wu encountered any trouble?"

As the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Court, he should not have inquired about the affairs of the court, but Jin Xi had followed Emperor Zhao Yong of the Great Zhou Dynasty since childhood, unlike other eunuchs.

The question was not intended to interfere in court affairs, but simply out of concern for Zhao Yong, and to avoid upsetting his master.

"Minister Wu has more than just encountered trouble. Hmph, it's fortunate that we gave him a token before he left the country, otherwise, an official of our Great Zhou would be the first in history to patrol the waterways on foot!"

"Ah? Your Majesty, what do you mean by this? Shouldn't the officials of the Ministry of Works have switched to waterway halfway through the journey?"

This is how things are done every year. Could it be that... could it be that the official ship broke down en route?

Jin Xi could only guess at this: if the official ship hadn't broken down, what reason would there be for the Ministry of Works officials and craftsmen to walk?

Emperor Zhao Yong sneered, "Jin Xi, go and investigate what the Tong family has been up to lately?"

If it were just an official boat that was damaged, that would be one thing; we could just replace it with another. But this was clearly something that the fourth son, that good-for-nothing, had deliberately created.

The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War, along with their officials, artisans, and soldiers responsible for protection, totaling two or three hundred people, were all driven off the ship by his rebellious son.

How will the world view him, and how will they view the Zhao family's empire?

If he hadn't obtained his position legitimately, he feared it would have incited a rebellion among the people and officials, jeopardizing the stability of the nation.

Upon hearing the emperor's order, Jin Xi was startled but dared not utter a word, and simply accepted the command to carry it out.

Zhao Yong stood up and paced back and forth, muttering, "I thought the fourth prince was just a bit playful, but I never expected him to dare to do something so audacious."

Zhao Yong ordered the recall of his fourth son, Zhao Hongsheng, even though he had no idea where the rebellious son was and could not issue a warrant for his arrest.

Left with no other choice, the Minister of War was urgently summoned to the palace to discuss the matter.

After all, in addition to the officials from the Ministry of Works, officials from the Ministry of War were also forced off the ship, so it was most appropriate to discuss this matter with the Minister of War.

The Minister of War hurriedly entered the palace and respectfully bowed to the Emperor.

Emperor Zhao Yong waved his hand to signal him to rise, and then had a chair brought over.

This was a privilege that even Prime Minister Liu did not receive, but Minister Lin of the Ministry of War and Minister Wu of the Ministry of Works did as well. This was Zhao Yong's way of treating his people well.

"My dear minister, do you know that Minister Wu and his men have encountered trouble in Shu?"

Minister Lin had barely touched the chair when he stood up again: "Your Majesty, I am unaware of this matter. Zhang Feng has not yet sent back any news."

Zhang Feng was the commander who led the Ministry of War to protect the officials. He was also the Vice Minister of War and a capable subordinate of Minister Lin.

Jin Xi, who was beside the emperor, recounted the events, and Minister Lin's expression was quite interesting.

"Your Majesty, have Minister Wu and the others settled in yet?"

Minister Lin did not comment on what the Fourth Prince had done. He was merely a subject, and the prince's affairs were for the prince's father to handle; it was not his place as a subject.

The Fourth Prince went too far this time. He drove away the officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War. This is no child's play.

The officials of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War were acting on imperial orders.

Is the Fourth Prince being willful? No! He's slapping his own father, the Emperor, in the face!

This shows a disregard for imperial authority and is a provocation against his father, the emperor. By challenging both imperial and paternal authority simultaneously, the fourth prince is incredibly stubborn.

I wonder if the Tong family and Minister Tong know about this. If they do, then things will get interesting.

However, Minister Lin guessed that Minister Tong was probably unaware of the situation. That old fox was indeed cunning, but he was definitely not stupid.

The Minister of War wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Your Majesty, what should we do next? Although the Fourth Prince is usually mischievous, he wouldn't be so audacious. Could there be some misunderstanding?"

Minister Lin didn't want to plead for the Fourth Prince Zhao Hongsheng, but if he didn't say a word, he would appear heartless and cold-blooded.

So, shall we just say a few words in a perfunctory manner? Anyway, His Majesty won't listen.

As expected, Emperor Zhao Yong snorted coldly, "Misunderstanding? Minister Wu's memorial is written very clearly, how could it be false?"

Could a mere minister, dozens of officials from the Ministry of Works, and numerous artisans and soldiers possibly conspire to frame him?

Minister Lin, of course, would not continue to defend the Fourth Prince Zhao Hongsheng, and took this opportunity to stop the conversation and change the subject.

"Your Majesty, it's fortunate that you gave Minister Wu and his men a special order, which allowed us to quickly dispatch new official ships. Otherwise, so many people would have had to live in the wilderness."

He was sent on official business by imperial decree, but was thrown off the ship by the emperor's son. Not to mention how embarrassing it was, he was also seriously hurt.

I heard that a county magistrate surnamed Jiang was thrown overboard by the fourth prince, and it was a senior official from the Ministry of Works who jumped into the river to rescue him.

When the people were pulled out of the water, they were half dead. All their personal belongings, luggage, and clothes had been left on the ship.

Of all the officials who were dismissed, Magistrate Jiang suffered the most, losing not only his wealth but also his life.

"Yes, if it weren't for that, I would feel even more guilty. Fortunately, Minister Wu checked the documents and the materials from the previous inspection of the river were not damaged."

At this moment, Zhao Yong felt both guilty and satisfied with Minister Wu and his entourage. Everyone must have been furious when they were thrown off the official ship.

Even in his anger, he still prioritized matters of state, which shows that Minister Wu led the Ministry of Works very well.

What surprised Emperor Zhao Yong the most was Magistrate Jiang, whom he had always believed had been won over by the fourth prince.

This person was actually thrown directly into the raging river and almost lost his life.

It's true that the fourth brother tried to win this person over, but the fact that this person still threw himself into the river proves that the Chiang family did not accept the fourth brother's offer.

Hmm, it seems I should reassess the Chiang family. Their choice is truly worthy of their reputation as a family of integrity.

"Jinxi, are the two new attendants Jiang family sons-in-law?"

"Yes, when you set the standards for the Imperial Diarist, only these two people met them. Their appearances, if not outstanding, were unmatched in the entire Hanlin Academy."

"Okay, I understand. There's no need to have anyone continue monitoring us."

Zhao Yong's opinion of the Jiang family changed, and naturally, his opinion of the two sons-in-law of the Jiang family also changed.

Moreover, after observing them for some time, I found that these two attendants not only did not do anything wrong, but were also extremely cautious and never made a mistake.