Chapter 48 048 I have a plan.

Although a plan had been devised to drive the troublesome Prince Zhong out of Chang'an, it couldn't be implemented immediately; a suitable opportunity had to be found. With the winter solstice approaching, the Ministry of Rites had already begun intensive preparations for the southern suburban sacrifice to Heaven, and Emperor Zhao Jialing didn't want anyone to cause trouble at this time. Of the twenty-two annual sacrifices in this dynasty, the winter solstice sacrifice to Heaven at the Circular Mound Altar was ranked first, and Emperor Zhao Jialing had never interrupted the southern suburban sacrifice to Heaven since his ascension to the throne.

However, those annoying whispers still need to be stopped.

Those nobles and military officials just wanted a "sweet treat," didn't they? Just give it to them.

So, at the court assembly the following day, Zhao Jialing proposed that the portraits of the twelve founding heroes be enshrined in the Qilin Pavilion.

There's an old system to follow in having portraits of meritorious officials painted. During the reign of Emperor Taizu, there were a total of eighteen meritorious officials, but that's just a saying; they were called the eighteen founding fathers. Now, Your Majesty wants to enshrine twelve of these founding fathers in the Qilin Pavilion. Who will be removed from the list in the end?

It was an established practice to have portraits of meritorious officials displayed in the palace, and the court officials wouldn't necessarily oppose even this, but they still argued amongst themselves. The subject of their argument, of course, was who the "Twelve Meritorious Officials" were. But the number of meritorious officials who followed Emperor Taizu of the Great Yong Dynasty in conquering the empire far exceeded twelve. When it came to their contributions, aside from a few exceptionally outstanding individuals, there was little disagreement, and the arguments only intensified as the list grew longer. Now, with six to be removed, who would be the unfortunate ones?

Logically, this should have been a matter for the descendants of the founding nobles to argue about; as their descendants, how could they not try to save face? But the civil officials also got involved. In their view, since they were the ones who established the national system, the selection of the twelve meritorious officials should naturally follow their standards. Those who strategize within the command tent are far more meritorious than those who win battles a thousand miles away—wasn't that already established during the reign of a certain emperor?

Few of the dukes conferred by Emperor Taizu during the founding of the dynasty are still alive.

Duke Zhang Fen of Yan... he committed a crime not long ago. His ancestors were indeed meritorious, but not to the point that he was indispensable. Besides, Zhang Fen himself has no official position, so he has no chance to bring honor to his ancestors. Duke Zhang Fen, please step aside.

Duke Li Qia of Qin had nothing to worry about. His ancestor was incredibly strong and powerful, a fellow townsman of Emperor Taizu, and had followed him from the very beginning, repeatedly daring to take enemy generals' heads amidst the chaos of war. Furthermore, his mother, the Empress Dowager, was also from the Li family, and his son Zhaoci was extremely capable, far superior to the useless son of the Duke of Yan. He stood calmly among the court officials, appearing as if he relied on His Majesty's will and would remain obedient and unassuming.

As for Duke Lu, he is a member of the imperial clan, and his ancestors were brothers of Emperor Taizu, so there's no need to worry. Duke Ying's ancestors were undoubtedly the most meritorious officials, so there's no need to fret either. It's the Marquis of Huaihai, who was stripped of his dukedom, and Duke Cheng, who inherited his title at a young age but only served as a junior official in the Ministry of War, who are somewhat anxious.

Although none of them could fill all twelve positions in the court, who knew if His Majesty would grant them the honor? They had gathered to discuss it not long ago, and now the thought made them uneasy. If they caused the ancestors' achievements to go to waste, they would be sinners for all eternity, unable to face their ancestors even after death!

What should we do in this situation? There's no other way but to shift the blame elsewhere.

Who will take the blame? We'll just have to wrong the Duke of Yan. Well, not exactly wrong, he's just wicked! His character is truly appalling, Zhang Fen! All the bad things in the capital are done by your Zhang family, aren't they? The nobles were giving Zhang Fen, who hadn't attended the regular court session, a thorough dressing-down of everything they knew and didn't know.

Zhang Fen was the one who had objections to Mingde Academy.

Zhang Fen was the one who privately complained about the injustice of the sages.

It was still Zhang Fen who secretly exchanged gifts with the Prince of Zhong.

What a misfortune for the family, old Yan Gong.

Those founding nobles who were dishonest had long since been labeled traitors, died, and had their titles stripped. The remaining few seemed to have had their abilities diluted along with their bloodline; they were practically incapable of achieving anything significant, and as for causing trouble—they hadn't reached the point of losing their titles. Of course, the current Duke of Yan, Zhang Fen, was an exception.

"Outrageous!" Zhao Jialing feigned fury after hearing the court officials' accusations. She had long disliked that old scoundrel Zhang Fen, but previously, using him as a scapegoat would have alienated the nobles, who would have thought she was making a mountain out of a molehill. Now, however, it was the nobles themselves who brought it up, and it had nothing to do with her. Sigh, she was simply trying to be a wise ruler, ordering the relevant officials to investigate thoroughly after receiving the news.

How can there be parasites in the imperial court?!

As for the selection of the "Twelve Meritorious Officials", Zhao Jialing had a plan in mind.

The system aims to train her in the majesty of a ruler, with a focus on watching documentaries from the reigns of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong.

How could she not know who the heroes were? She could even depict the faces of the people with meticulous brushwork, making them lifelike.

The court officials couldn't reach a conclusion, so Zhao Jialing announced his preferred candidate.

That's fair enough, but as expected, the Duke of Yan wasn't among them.

Xie Lanzhao said, "Previously, only men could inherit titles, and several people had their titles revoked because they had no male heirs. Your Majesty has shown leniency and allowed women to inherit titles. I believe that the remaining families should be selected to reinstate their titles, to show Your Majesty's favor towards meritorious officials."

If those families could regain their titles, they would be His Majesty's confidants, and would even remember Xie Zhongshu's recommendation. Their intentions were blatantly obvious. Many court officials wanted to object, but couldn't articulate their reasons.

Previous examinations on the inheritance of titles and the bestowal of favors have clearly stipulated that women can inherit titles, and this cannot be used as a basis for refusal. But does that mean that once a title is abolished, it should never be reinstated? But to remember one's ancestors without protecting one's descendants would not sound good.

The courtiers who wanted to hurl a few curses had to suppress their displeasure and shut their mouths in a huff, unable to utter a word for the time being.

Zhao Jialing agreed to Xie Lanzhao's proposal without hesitation.

Now that she's grown up, she can understand things intuitively without Xie Lanzhao having to explain them to her.

How can this not be a meeting of minds?

"Third Prince, look at me and Xie Qing, our feelings are deep and our understanding is profound. Without me, where would Xie Lanzao find such a good ruler?"

Zhao Jialing became smug, speaking to the Wise Ruler System in his mind: [If my elder sister were here, how could she not suspect Xie Lanzao? Only I, with whom she shares a deep and unwavering love, have no doubts!]

The system couldn't take it anymore: [Is this sentence used correctly?]

A collective gasp filled the court. His Majesty's heartfelt words were intermittent, rarely heard lately, let alone his sincere and affectionate declaration of love to Xie Lanzhao.

The court officials remained silent, but some, amidst their astonishment and reflection, suddenly had a thought. Xie Lanzao was still hindering their efforts in court. What if they petitioned His Majesty to establish an empress, and then, on the grounds that "the empress should not interfere in politics," banish Xie Lanzao from the court? It seemed...it seemed plausible. Even if it failed, His Majesty wouldn't be furious, would he?

Within a few days, a memorial concerning the emperor's lifelong affairs was presented directly to Zhao Jialing.

Zhao Jialing was most impatient with these memorials urging her to select people, wishing she could swing the memorials and slap the faces of those who submitted them—but this time, when she saw someone recommend "Xie Lanzhao," she exclaimed "Eh!" and couldn't help but gasp. Half of her body felt tingly and numb, unable to distinguish whether it was joy or anger.

Logically, these matters should have been submitted to the Council of State Affairs for the prime ministers to discuss and decide on a punishment. However, Zhao Jialing considered Xie Lanzhao's possible reaction and decided to keep the memorial in the archives without issuing it.

Zhao Jialing silently recited phrases like "tuning the strings of the zither, arranging the marriage certificates in rows" for a while, sometimes smiling and sometimes looking serious. She stroked the folded document, wanting to throw it away but not wanting to, her emotions extremely conflicted.

Zhao Jialing: [Who did this? Isn't this embarrassing for both me and Minister Xie?]

System: [Isn't there a signature on the document?]

Zhao Jialing seemed not to hear these words, and thought to herself: [I know, they are trying to oust Xie Qing and remove her from the court.] She raised her finger and poked at the memorial. She recognized the names on it; they were all people who would impeach Xie Lanzao from time to time, dissatisfied with her autocratic rule.

The system asked: "Does the host not want to?"

Zhao Jialing thought to himself, "Is this something I can simply decide to do and have it happen?"

She is striving for her ideals, and if I am to be her confidant, I cannot hold her back.

High-sounding words couldn't completely stop Fei Fei's thoughts. At least in the middle of the night, when she dreamt of the future through the memorials, Zhao Jialing couldn't help but secretly laugh out loud in bed. Fortunately, the palace servants had gotten used to her strange behavior. At least in public, His Majesty was still normal and showed no signs of going mad. He would have the physicians from the Imperial Pharmacy take a good look at her later.

The memorial had been in Zhao Jialing's hands for about two days. Zhao Jialing was still caught up in the fleeting dream, her eyes filled with a melancholy and a hint of resentment. After discussing state affairs with Xie Lanzhao, Zhao Jialing couldn't resist showing the memorial to her. She complained, "These officials are so absurd, worrying about such unimportant things." As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Xie Lanzhao's expression.

Xie Lanzhao: "..." There was surprise, but not much.

His Majesty's true feelings were spoken in public, completely destroying her innocence. In the eyes of some, she had probably become His Majesty's "private possession."

Those court officials were perfectly normal when they were at their best, but they couldn't help but have moments of madness.

"I understand," Xie Lanzhao said calmly.

Zhao Jialing: "?" That's it?

The matter is not over.

The officials listed in the memorial were immediately impeached by the censors for their lack of moral conduct. Even if the officials themselves were innocent, they would have to take the blame for the bad deeds of their unrestrained relatives.

It's obvious that Xie Lanzhao did this.

Don't they like "family matters"? Then let them be busy with their own family matters.

Zhao Jialing felt guilty and avoided eye contact.

Speaking up for those people? Impossible! They're trying to take away Xie Lanzhao and ruin her ideals—it's outrageous!

The officials who were severely reprimanded by the censor were in a miserable state.

Did you capture the horse's hoof directly in the shot?

Well, controlling the Censorate, turning the world upside down with a flick of the wrist—the methods of this powerful minister in wielding power are truly astounding, especially with His Majesty's support behind him. It's quite a sight.

Time flew by, and the court remained noisy and boisterous, with minor squabbles continuing until the winter solstice, the day for the southern suburban sacrifice to Heaven. The Ministry of Rites worked diligently and did not falter at this crucial moment. After the winter solstice, the court officials would enjoy a four-day holiday, one of the "three days before and four days after" of their regular vacation.

Unfortunately, the joyous occasion didn't last long.

Zhao Jialing figured the time was right and he could start something.

The fireworks had been quietly delivered to Xianling, and a free "strange phenomenon" was obtained from the system, allowing the people near Xianling to "feast their eyes on it".

Zhao Jialing watched the spectacular fireworks display at Xianling through the system's broadcast, as well as the strange phenomenon of "a fairy bestowing nine lingzhi mushrooms and reviving the paralyzed man in bed." The magistrate of Xianling was terrified and sent someone to Chang'an at top speed to report the event.

Good fortune brings great success, while misfortune can lead to certain death!

What exactly was that celestial phenomenon?