The princess was ordained by Heaven.

"The spies of the Brown Kingdom are contacted one-on-one, and they are all chosen from people who are loyal and righteous. They are made to do things by exploiting their weaknesses. Therefore, these people are particularly tough. I am ashamed that I could only get this much information out of them."

Since he's so tough, how did he even manage to ask that question?

Zheng Xun opened the gossip-eating system with some curiosity.

[First, investigate the prisoner's movements and contacts; in the process, gradually wear down the prisoner's will—a two-pronged approach... These methods are quite conventional.]

"Oh my God!"

Upon seeing the next page, Zheng Xun exclaimed in surprise.

The emperor and Liao Hongsheng looked at her, and she smiled awkwardly: "I just think Lord Liao is very capable."

"Isn't he amazing? Those tortures and methods could scare a kid to death at random. Lord Liao usually seems so friendly and easy to talk to, but when he gets serious, even the King of Hell trembles. His tortures could fill three pages, but he also knows how to manipulate people's hearts. You have someone you care about, right? He specifically targets their weak points."

The emperor looked at the petition and smiled helplessly.

The three people that Jize and Changxiu mentioned were a wealthy merchant, a censor in the Ministry of Revenue, and the director of the Imperial Observatory.

The first two were fine, but the Director of the Imperial Observatory...

This position is neither particularly important nor particularly unimportant, yet it can sometimes have a surprisingly effective impact.

Because of the frequent natural disasters in recent years, the supervisor kept urging him to issue an edict of self-reproach.

He's a damn bastard.

Because of this incident, he never liked the Imperial Observatory. He delegated most of the tasks that the Imperial Observatory should have done to the Ministry of Rites. The Minister of Rites had no choice but to find a talent who was proficient in divination, astronomy, geography, and fortune-telling from some obscure corner to deal with his demands.

Zheng Xun couldn't help but laugh when he saw the list.

Because those on this list were either of insignificant status or disliked by the emperor.

Thinking that Jize and Changxiu could only receive sinecure positions, she was truly impressed: "Did Father Emperor know all along that they were spies?"

They shouldn't be so stupid as to expose everything, right?

"It's simply because they don't please me."

"But didn't they try to please Father Emperor?"

"Of course there is! But what they do is so stupid and annoying. I am the emperor, and all I want is for the people to live in peace and prosperity and for the country to be stable. But those people are not only making things difficult for me, they are also good at flattering me. When it comes to doing practical things, they are all useless. It would be strange if I could look down on them."

Zheng Xun: ...

No wonder the Brown Kingdom was so well-behaved when he was in power.

The Emperor summoned the commander of the Azure Dragon Guard: "Go and arrest them. Don't let any of their residences be missed!"

[That official in charge of household affairs is mine! I want the person I want to kill! My father is unreasonable; he's actually stealing my head!]

Zheng Xun's eyes darted around, as if he had thought of something. Suddenly, he put his hands together and coughed lightly: "Father, actually, there is something I have wanted to tell you for a long time."

The Emperor raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

"Actually, I am born with a divine body for divination, and can foresee the past and the future!"

The emperor clapped exaggeratedly: "Wow, amazing!"

You don't believe me?

"I have complete faith in you," the emperor said earnestly.

Zheng Xun, suspicious of Zhong Minda, said, "I'll make a bet with you. I can figure out where the letters Zhong Minda wrote about treason are. If I'm right, Father, will you grant me one request?"

The emperor nodded reservedly: "Tell me about it."

"The letters accusing him of treason were in the bamboo basket he used to store socks in his dormitory. There was a hidden compartment underneath that could be opened from the bottom."

The emperor looked at Li Zhuo and said, "Go down and go find him as Yuan Jia instructed."

Commander Li understood and knelt to take his leave, then hurriedly went to confiscate the property.

[Have the spies within the Azure Dragon Guard been dealt with?]

[I knew it! The court of the Great Yong Dynasty is a sieve, even worse than the harem. The harem has a Buddha who can't tolerate any injustice, and only Xia Wan managed to sneak in. Well, even if Xia Wan's affair isn't discovered, they'll probably kill her soon.]

Liao Hongsheng pricked up his ears curiously, while the emperor was even more puzzled. How could he not know that there was a great Buddha in his harem?

He went through his harem and found that he didn't know much about any of them, so he gave up.

Well, it seems they won't harm Dayong, so let's leave it alone for now.

After Liao Hongsheng finished reporting his business, he wanted to linger, but the emperor told him to leave, so he had no choice but to reluctantly depart.

He left, and Zheng Xun was about to slip away as well, but then a voice announced that another minister had arrived.

Zheng Xun was numb.

This time, it was Qin Duzhi who came in.

The memorial he submitted last time was rejected, so he made a new one, and he's here today to hand it in.

Zheng Xun glanced at him resentfully, but was startled by his haggard face and blurted out, "Chief Qin, has the Emperor been mistreating you?"

Qin Duzhi's gaze was even more melancholy than hers.

Whose fault is this? It's all your fault, you ancestor!

Could he afford to slack off? Could he afford to be careless? To slack off would be a death sentence! Chen Zhi really died! He didn't want to follow in his footsteps.

The emperor flipped through the memorials, and his tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

“Summon the three Grand Secretaries and the six Ministers…to the palace to discuss the matter.”

Zheng Xun glanced at the sky: "Father, is there anything else for me to do here...?"

"Sit there, don't move, and listen carefully."

Zheng Xun paused for a moment, then tentatively said, "Father, how about I have the Crown Prince come..."

The Emperor glanced at her: "The Crown Princess is pregnant, and the Crown Prince is currently investigating spies in the Crown Prince's residence. He is busy and doesn't have time. Besides, he is him and you are you. If I tell you to sit, then sit and don't make a fuss."

Zheng Xun gritted his teeth indignantly.

It seems she won't have a chance to steal kills.

[This crown prince is really something. How can he take so long to investigate a spy? Is he perhaps reluctant to kill anyone? No wonder, though he is kind, he is too soft-hearted and can't control these wicked men under his command at all. However, for a crown prince to act like this is really... pathetic.]

[In other words, the Emperor was still somewhat affectionate and loyal to his children. In the past, he would have had a crown prince after another. With the crown prince's personality, he would have died a thousand times over. If this country were handed over to him, he wouldn't even be able to keep it under control. It's a difficult situation...]

Tan Duzhi shrank back, not daring to look at the emperor's face.

Although there is no romantic relationship between the current emperor and the empress, they have supported each other for many years. The empress has been responsible for stabilizing the rear for the emperor until the throne is secure.

The emperor was not an ungrateful person, and with his eldest son as crown prince, he could stabilize the court and prevent his other sons from having any unrealistic ambitions that could lead to fratricide.

However, all these benefits are contingent on the crown prince having the ability to shoulder the responsibility of being the heir apparent.

But ironically, the Crown Prince can only be described as a good person.

Good people are not suited to be emperors.

In feudal dynasties, incompetence of those in power was a calamity.

Even the usually steadfast emperor couldn't help but agree at this moment.

He took a deep breath, putting those messy thoughts to the back of his mind. Anyway, he was still young and could live for a few more years. He had plenty of time to correct the prince's temperament.