Chapter 439 That slap in the face really hurts.

The palace gates opened, and Jiang Yu and the Prince of Lingnan ended their seemingly peaceful, but inwardly fraught, conversation.

"King of Lingnan, please." Jiang Yu gestured for the King of Lingnan to go first.

The Prince of Lingnan glanced at him with a slightly darkened expression and stepped into the palace gate. But the instant he turned around, his eyes flashed with an undisguised coldness. He had heard of Jiang Yu's troublesome nature before, but only when he actually faced her did he truly feel the sharpness of this woman, which was far more frightening than the rumors suggested. His hand involuntarily clenched into a fist.

Jiang Yu, walking behind him, had a calm expression, but her composed aura carried a faint but palpable killing intent.

The ministers entered the Taiji Hall in order of rank, with Jiang Yu, the Prime Minister, and the Prince of Lingnan standing at the very front. After the Emperor entered, he glanced at the three men, and after everyone had knelt in obeisance, he fixed his gaze on Jiang Yu and said:

"The Duke of Chu has been working on the restructuring of Jufeng Money Shop and Jufeng Trading Company for some time now. How is it progressing?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu took out a prepared memorial from his sleeve and presented it with both hands. Zhao Fuquan immediately jogged over to take the memorial and handed it to the Emperor. At this moment, the Prince of Lingnan clenched his fist again. The Emperor was showing him no mercy whatsoever.

The first thing he did after attending court was to inquire about the reform of money shops and commercial firms. His trip to the capital this time was to escort his son, who was being punished for privately printing silver notes.

At this moment, Jiang Yu's gentle voice rang out, "The restructuring of Jufeng Money Shop and Jufeng Trading Company is nearing completion..."

Jiang Yu recounted the achievements of the reform of money shops and commercial banks. The King of Lingnan stood aside and listened attentively. When he heard Jiang Yu say, "After the reform, the national treasury has increased its silver reserves by 80 million taels in the past six months," he could no longer maintain his calm demeanor. His eyes bulged in shock, almost popping out of their sockets.

Then a sense of fear welled up inside him. The reason why Lingnan and the imperial court had been able to maintain a stalemate for over a century was fundamentally because the imperial court feared that war would empty the national treasury and damage the very foundation of the government. But now, how could he not be alarmed by the fact that the national treasury had increased its reserves so much in just six months?

Although most of this silver was the savings of ordinary people, the right to issue banknotes was firmly in the hands of the imperial court, and Jiang Yu had also reformed the merchant guilds. If war broke out and the national treasury was emptied, it was believed that it would not take long to recover. Moreover, the imperial court now possessed powerful firearms, making it unlikely that the national treasury would be completely depleted.

The King of Lingnan glanced at the emperor sitting at the head of the table, then turned to look at Jiang Yu, who was speaking eloquently. He was absolutely certain that the two of them were discussing the reform of the merchant guilds and money shops with him.

His hands, hidden within the wide sleeves of his robe, clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked. He never imagined that in just one year, the situation between Lingnan and the imperial court would change so drastically.

He couldn't help but look at Jiang Yu again. She stood in the hall, her tone gentle yet her words resounding. When discussing the details of the reform, she was clear and organized, as if this major event affecting the economic lifeline of Dagan was nothing more than a routine matter for her. Beneath that composed demeanor lay extraordinary wisdom and courage.

He was certain that the current crisis in Lingnan was mostly caused by this woman. Perhaps, a large part of what Jiang Yu had done was aimed at bringing down his Lingnan Royal Palace.

The Prince of Lingnan lowered his gaze, silently taking a deep breath to calm himself and remain composed. He believed that even so, there was a way to break the deadlock. A barely perceptible twitch appeared at the corner of his lips; didn't he still have the Crown Prince as a trump card?

Just then, Jiang Yu finished speaking. He calmly stepped forward, lifted his robe, and knelt on the ground, saying, "I failed to discipline my son properly, which led to his audacity in privately printing banknotes and violating the law. This is my fault. I have now escorted my rebellious son to the capital. I humbly beseech Your Majesty's wise judgment. Whether you punish him or not, I will leave it to Your Majesty's discretion. I will have no complaints whatsoever!"

He knelt on the ground, appearing respectfully confessing his sins. The emperor, seated at the head of the table, lowered his eyelids, his fingers tapping silently on the dragon head on the armrest...

The Taiji Hall was completely silent; even breathing seemed to be suppressed to a whisper. Only the sound of the emperor's fingertips tapping the dragon head echoed repeatedly in the empty hall, so heavy it was suffocating.

After an unknown amount of time, the emperor's somewhat aged voice rang out, "When Emperor Taizu established his rule over the world, your ancestor followed him through hardships and fought bloody battles, making great contributions. Emperor Taizu was grateful for his loyalty and bravery, and specially granted him the title of Prince of Lingnan, making him the only prince in the more than two hundred years of our Great Qian Dynasty. This honor and trust are known throughout the court."

"But in all these years, while you have been stationed in Lingnan, you have rarely come to the capital to pay homage. Now, you have even allowed your sons to privately print banknotes, violating the law. King of Lingnan, are you acting in such a way that you harbor resentment towards the court and towards me?"

The King of Lingnan lowered his head, clenched his teeth, and pressed his head to the ground, his teeth clenched so tightly, "Your Majesty, I am terrified, Your Majesty has absolutely no resentment!"

His voice was low and steady, his forehead almost touching the floor, "I have been unable to frequently come to the capital to pay homage to the emperor these past years. It is because I neglected the proper etiquette between the emperor and his subjects while guarding the territory. It is my fault. I am willing to accept this punishment for negligence and leave it to Your Majesty to decide. I will not shirk my responsibility in the slightest!"

"Hmph!" The emperor snorted lightly.

At this moment, Marquis Chengen stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “Your Majesty, the Lingnan Prince’s Mansion has been stationed in the southern border for generations, and has made meritorious contributions in guarding the land and protecting the border. Now that the Prince of Lingnan has reflected on his mistakes and even brought his rebellious son to the capital to be executed, it is enough to show his respect. I hope Your Majesty will remember the merits of his ancestors in founding the country and the hard work of the Prince’s Mansion over the years, and grant him forgiveness.”

The Prince of Lingnan knelt on the ground with his head bowed. Upon hearing the Marquis of Chengen's voice, his body stiffened. Everyone knew that the Marquis of Chengen was a confidant of the emperor, so why would he speak up for him at this moment?

After a moment's thought, his eyelashes fluttered slightly, and a mocking smile curved his lips. These two, the emperor and his minister, were putting on a show! One was sternly questioning him, while the other stepped forward to plead his case—wasn't it just a way to temporarily humiliate him while simultaneously trying to publicly humiliate him?

However, the slap really hurt. He had never suffered such humiliation in his entire life.

The Prime Minister, standing not far away, had a look of doubt and unease hidden in his lowered eyes. His thoughts differed from those of the Prince of Lingnan. He believed that what the Emperor, the Duke of Chu, and the Marquis of Chengen had done today was not simply to intimidate the Prince of Lingnan and make him lose face.

But he couldn't guess their real purpose for the time being.

Here, after hearing what Marquis Chengen said, the emperor remained silent for a long while with a stern face before saying, "Enough. Considering that your Lingnan Prince's Mansion has been stationed in Lingnan for more than two hundred years, and you have worked hard to protect the borders and keep the people safe, I will temporarily waive the blame for neglecting to pay homage."

The Emperor's tone was calm and authoritative, leaving no room for argument: "But your son's unauthorized printing of banknotes is a serious crime that cannot be lightly forgiven. This matter will be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for handling according to the law, without any favoritism!"