"Your Majesty thought that he had specially ordered Lord Zhang to impeach the Vice Minister of War in court today so that I could move up my position!" Ye Jingchen said with a smile.

The emperor's expression immediately turned serious.

He did not instruct Zhang Li to do so.

However, it is estimated that the court officials would share the same view as the Crown Prince.

If you carefully weigh the pros and cons, Zhang Li didn't handle this matter very well.

He hates people who act on their own initiative!

"Zhang Li's son, Zhang Zhe, is currently a secretary in the Ministry of War. The evidence he collected regarding the embezzlement of military funds by the vice minister of the Ministry of War is evidence against him. When you go to the Ministry of War, you must pay attention to this person," the emperor said.

Zhang Zhe?

Ye Jingchen's expression was somewhat subtle.

Back then, on the drill ground of the Western Hill Palace, he lied to Zhang Zhe, saying that he was from the Duke of Anguo's mansion. Later, he even attended several gatherings of the younger generation in the capital as a member of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, intending to see if there were any other useful people.

He did discover a few talented individuals, but the one who impressed him the most was Zhang Zhe.

Zhang Zhe seemed to regard him as a rival and wanted to compete with him in every way. However, there was a six or seven-year age gap between them, and Zhang Zhe disdained bullying the younger one. In every match, he would let Ye Jingchen have a few moves, and as a result, he lost repeatedly but fought on despite repeated defeats.

Their competitions included, but were not limited to, archery, strategy, poetry, and mathematics...

Zhang Zhe excelled in these aspects, but his only weakness was probably in the area of ​​rites and music.

Actually, Ye Jingchen's weakness is music theory. If Zhang Zhe were to compete with him in this area, it would be hard to say who would win!

Unfortunately, Zhang Zhe knew that he was from a prominent family, so he assumed that he was proficient in all six arts of a gentleman and did not want to show off his skills in front of an expert. He never even thought of comparing rites and music.

He'll definitely run into Zhang Zhe after he goes to the Ministry of War, which is kind of awkward.

After having breakfast at Chengqian Palace, Ye Jingchen left the palace and went to the government office.

This time, before Ye Jingchen even revealed his identity jade pendant, the guards bowed respectfully to him.

Along with the guards, bowing in greeting was a middle-aged man who identified himself as a secretary in the Ministry of War, who was waiting at the entrance of the government office to greet him.

"You go back first, I need to go to the Ministry of Personnel first," Ye Jingchen said to the official in charge of the Ministry of War.

"Please lead the way." This was said to the guard.

The guards led Ye Jingchen in a state of fear and trepidation.

The Ministry of War official stretched out one of Er Kang's hands, watching helplessly as Ye Jingchen's figure disappeared before his eyes.

"Why is Your Highness here at the Ministry of Personnel instead of reporting to the Ministry of War?" Yan Xu asked, his beard bristling and eyes wide with anger.

"Naturally, I came to see Jingming, and also to deliver something for Father Emperor." Ye Jingchen said, handing the food box he had been carrying to Ye Jingming.

Ye Jingming took the food box, opened it, and found that it contained pastries.

The food box wasn't large, but it was divided into three layers, displaying three different kinds of pastries.

"Father specifically instructed me to bring you these; they're all flavors you like," Ye Jingchen said.

Ye Jingming chuckled. Pastries were indeed his favorite, but he guessed that his father probably didn't know his preferences. The one who truly knew their tastes was his elder brother.

"Thank you, Father! Thank you, Brother!" he said.

“You used to be all alone in the government office, which must have been quite boring. Now that I’m here too, we can keep each other company,” Ye Jingchen said to Ye Jingming with a smile.

"Okay," Ye Jingming agreed.

"Then I'll head to the Ministry of War first." Ye Jingchen waved to him and walked away briskly.

As Ye Jingming watched his elder brother's departing figure, he unconsciously tightened his grip on the food box in his hand.

In truth, when the imperial appointment for his elder brother was announced at the morning court session, he did feel a moment of sadness, but it was only for a moment.

He was well aware of both his elder brother's standing in their father's eyes and his brother's own abilities.

He will not allow himself to be influenced by his mother and presumptuously try to seize what does not belong to him!

The current state of brotherly love and respect is already very good!

“Everyone’s gone, stop looking. Pastries should be eaten while they’re fresh!” Yan Xu said, stroking his beard, but his eyes were fixed on the food box in Ye Jingming’s hand.

All the officials of the Ministry of War, from top to bottom, gathered together to welcome the Crown Prince.

Zheng Mingxuan, Minister of War, is also the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince.

Ye Jingchen often forgets that he has these six teachers!

It is a major taboo for the crown prince to have too close a relationship with powerful ministers.

Although his father chose these six powerful ministers as his nominal teachers to protect him, if he were to have a close relationship with these six, it would likely arouse his father's suspicion. Therefore, he simply pretended that he did not have these six powerful backers.

Anyway, this backer was given to him by his father, and it's just a matter of his father's word to take it back, so it makes no difference whether he has it or not.

But now that he has entered the court, these six teachers can no longer be left hanging.

When Ye Jingchen met the Minister of War, the Minister of War first respectfully bowed to him as a subject, and then Ye Jingchen respectfully bowed to him as a disciple.

He had more than just Zhang Zhe as an acquaintance in the Ministry of War; there was also the Marquis of Zhongyong, Yun Shu's father.

Because of his status as a companion to the Crown Prince, Yun Shu was closely connected with the Marquis of Zhongyong's family. They shared both glory and misfortune. Unlike the Duke of Zhenguo's family, the Marquis of Zhongyong's family was not suspected by his father, so his interactions with the Marquis of Zhongyong's family were open to the public.

"Lord Marquis!" He greeted the other party separately during the greeting.

In addition, he smiled at Zhang Zhe in the crowd.

After exchanging a glance with him, Zhang Zhe looked away, seemingly somewhat angry.

Ye Jingchen didn't care; it was indeed he who had concealed his identity first.

Zhang Zhe is a capable person, and it's tolerable for such a person to have a bit of arrogance.

As the second-in-command of the Ministry of War, the Vice Minister of War already wielded immense power. Furthermore, Ye Jingchen was the Crown Prince, so when he stood there, his influence over the Ministry of War immediately surpassed that of the Minister of War.

But this is not what Ye Jingchen wanted to see.

Being a high-ranking official is no easy task; the responsibilities can be overwhelming, and he certainly doesn't want to bear them.

"I know very little about the Ministry of War and will not interfere rashly. Everyone need not worry about my status. What happened before will remain the same in the future!" Ye Jingchen's words were extremely polite, but at the same time, they made his position clear.

"Your Highness need not belittle yourself. Since His Majesty has sent you to the Ministry of War for training, it is because he believes in your abilities. Everyone in the Ministry of War will cooperate with Your Highness and follow your lead!" the Minister of War said with a smile.

Ye Jingchen's lips curled slightly; this old man was trying to harm him!

If he is truly an arrogant and ignorant person who uses his status as the crown prince to pontificate about the country, wouldn't he be blamed for everything if something goes wrong?

He came to the Ministry of War only to ensure that the war preparations and military supplies in the northern frontier were in place, so that the soldiers in the northern frontier could fight against the northern barbarians without any worries. He had no intention of getting involved in the internal struggles of the Ministry of War.

"Although I have temporarily assumed the position of Vice Minister, I am completely unaware of my responsibilities. Lord Zheng, why don't you send someone familiar with the affairs of the Ministry of War to accompany me first, so that I can get used to it?" he asked rather impolitely.