The princess was ordained by Heaven.

The Duke of Zhuguo only has one son. If his son dies, he will lose his title as well…

The ministers couldn't help but steal glances at the emperor's expression.

However, nothing was observed.

[Actually, bookstores were also found in some places, but the local officials dealt with them promptly and shut them down immediately. The people of the Brown Kingdom were also cunning; they knew that the officials in those places were not to be trifled with, so they never went to those places again.]

To put it bluntly, they are bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong. But who would have thought that the most crucial capital city of the Great Yong Dynasty would be the one they could bully so easily?

The officials in the capital were so ashamed they wanted to disappear.

They've been sitting high in the halls of power for too long. How can they discover the filth right under their noses if they don't even look down?

If it weren't for Zheng Xun and her heartfelt words, they might still be immersed in a beautiful dream of peace and prosperity.

The courtesan knows not the sorrow of a fallen nation.

It turns out that the businesswoman was actually myself.

"The Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Finance are to be fined one year's salary as a minor punishment to serve as a warning," the Emperor said, hands behind his back. "Rise. Now, what are your thoughts?"

Marquis Chang Le bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, the Guanshu Shop cannot be moved at present."

An impatient minister immediately jumped out to retort: ​​"Since the Yiguan Bookstore is harmful and useless, why not get rid of it and keep it? Does that mean that the Yiguan Bookstore has also given you, Marquis Chang Le, a share?"

Marquis Chang Le ignored him and continued, "Taking action now will only alert the enemy. It would be better to investigate all the problematic bookstores first and then wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Grand Master of Ceremonies Jiang Weiguo, with a booming voice, jokingly said with a smile, "If we wait until we find out the truth, it will be too late."

【Oh my God!】

The ministers were startled by her ghostly tone, and some even shuddered on the spot, fearing that she would release some earth-shattering news.

This old man looks like Zhong Kui (a legendary Chinese mythological figure).

Everyone:...

The emperor's lips twitched slightly; he was both angry and couldn't help but find it amusing.

What's most frustrating is that Zheng Xun can only think about it in his heart; he can't even say a word to her.

Marquis Chang Le took a moment to suppress his laughter. Once he regained his composure, he continued, "Your Majesty, influencing people's thoughts with books requires a long and sustained effort. Moreover, this is the Great Yong Dynasty, where they cannot act openly. Therefore, a few more days or a few less days make little difference."

[Yes, yes, yes, instead of rushing to pack up and visit the bookstore, why not hurry up and check on your own home first? Go back and see if your children have read any of those anti-books, or your house might catch fire!]

Ministers:...

Thank you, Reminder Hero, thank you for always hitting the nail on the head.

Even the emperor was a little worried. His daughter was very intelligent, so his son shouldn't be that stupid, right?

Only Jianyang remained calm and composed, because she had no children.

For example, the daughter of that Physician Xu in the Ministry of Works, tsk tsk, she's a devoted reader of anti-government books...

The sky over Physician Xu collapsed gently.

Liao Hongsheng pulled a ruler from his sleeve: "This kid, he still needs to be disciplined..."

Doctor Xu took the ruler in a daze, and was shocked to realize that the world had gone mad in ways he could not have imagined.

So... why did Grand Secretary Liao carry a ruler with him when he went to court?

And where exactly did he pull that thing out from?!

The Minister of War shook his head: "The most important thing right now is how to mitigate the impact of the Yiguan Bookstore, and how to prevent it from happening again."

He was all too familiar with how these courtiers would often veer off into unrelated topics, and he still needed to remind them. He said that the court couldn't function without him.

The Minister of Revenue bowed and said, "I have a plan. After we find out who the culprit is, why not burn the books and the person in front of all the people?"

"Burning people? Fang Xunshan, what's wrong with you now? Do you even deserve the name your parents gave you?"

“First of all, the name was given by a fortune teller, not by my parents,” the Minister of Revenue said calmly. “Secondly, the people burned were naturally those from the Brown Kingdom who had infiltrated Dayong, as a warning to others. What’s wrong with that?”

Those who read the books may not understand what is wrong with the content, but the court's firm stance makes it clear that these books are off-limits.

With the intention of redeeming himself through meritorious service, Qin Duzhi actively offered his advice: "Your Majesty, I suggest establishing a department to bring the bookstore business under the control of the court. At the same time, we should ask the Hanlin Academy to write books. They can use storytelling to incite the people of our Great Yong, and we can also use books to expose their true colors."

[Tan Duzhi is indeed a talented person, but he is too soft-hearted and slick. He doesn't want to offend anyone, and he won't budge until the fire is on his back. He's a perfectly good person, but he's lived like a turtle that's never left his side.]

Having served under Minister Fang for so many years, I don't know why I haven't learned even the slightest bit of what he taught me.

The prince smoothed his hair, concealing the upturned corners of his mouth.

Don't follow Minister Fang's example. One Minister Fang is enough for the court. If another one comes, he might just turn the Fengqin Hall upside down.

What kind of good person would say something like "burning people"?

However, no matter how capable Qin Duzhi is, it's a waste for him to hold an official position without doing his job. It would be better to execute him and replace him with someone more capable.

Where did this living Yama come from?!

Qin Duzhi's scalp tightened, his knees buckled, and he immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, I am willing to share your burdens!"

The emperor stroked his chin.

So this is the trick to deal with Qin Duzhi? He understood!

He nodded slightly: "Then let's leave it to Chief Qin. Within three days, you must draft a set of regulations."

With tears streaming down his face, Qin Duzhi agreed. He wanted to cry and already had a premonition that his leisurely days of paddling around would be gone forever.

He really wanted to go on strike, but as soon as the thought of slacking off crossed his mind, a chill ran down his neck.

[Oh, so you've changed your mind? Tsk, what a pity.]

Qin Duzhi: !!!

What are you regretting? Tell me, what are you regretting?!

"Tao Heng, Qiu Pan, and Sun Jingfu, I hereby appoint you as Imperial Commissioners, ordering you to act at your discretion and travel to the eighteen provinces to assist in the investigation of the book-related disaster. I hope you will devote yourselves wholeheartedly to eliminating these long-standing abuses!"

"I accept your order!"

Then, the ministers discussed the details, and an hour later, the small court assembly adjourned.

Tao Heng and Zheng Xun naturally ended up together.

Zheng Xun smiled and said, "Congratulations."

Tao Heng's contribution was indispensable, and now that he has been entrusted with an important task, he can be said to have soared to great heights.

Tao Heng did not show much joy, but calmly and humbly cupped his hands and said, "Without the princess's support, I would not be where I am today."

Zheng Xun accepted it readily, and then said somewhat heavily, "You have already offended the forces behind Yiguan Bookstore, so this mission may not be easy."

Tao Heng said solemnly, "I didn't enter the officialdom through the orthodox path, so I can't just avoid all the risks. If I perform well this time, I will truly catch His Majesty's eye. Moreover... I also need achievements to shut up my future colleagues."

The young man was handsome and upright, with a calm demeanor, but his words and eyes revealed his ambition.

Zheng Xun wanted to pat him on the shoulder, but he wasn't tall enough, so he could only pat his arm instead: "May everything go smoothly for you on your journey."

Tao Heng bowed and said, "I will certainly live up to your expectations."