Yi Mu slept until the sun was high in the sky before getting up.

Bei Menlin sat at the desk in his bedroom, reviewing the memorials he had received that morning.

He didn't hide it from Yi Mu; the two had already agreed that the throne would go to Bei Men Lin four years later.

Therefore, he has nothing to worry about in exercising his right in advance.

Yimu got out of bed and walked to the desk.

When he arrived at Beimen Lin's side, he saw him throw the memorial in his hand into the brazier.

"how?"

Bei Menlin casually flipped open another memorial, which was a request from the Dali Temple to release the world before the New Year.

The prison is short of space, has too many inmates, and is nearing capacity; some space needs to be freed up.

Bei Menlin sneered and casually tossed the memorial into the brazier.

“These people are useless; they’ll only cause trouble if asked to offer suggestions for the construction of Sufeng.”

Although Yi Mu was unaware of the shady relationships within the court and among the common people, he could still understand the situation by combining the memorial he had just read with Bei Menlin's reaction.

He tentatively asked, "Is the Dali Temple colluding with criminals?"

Bei Menlin was surprised by his insight and shook his head: "It's not that he's colluding with the criminals, it's that he's connected with the forces behind the criminals."

Given that Beimen Mu was previously a puppet emperor who knew nothing, Beimen Lin explained the intricacies of the situation to him.

Places like the Dali Temple, which imprison serious criminals and criminal relatives of the emperor, have officials from the Dali Temple Minister down to ordinary clerks who are all rolling in money.

If you receive too many benefits, it's easy for other thoughts to arise.

Those who genuinely regret their actions can certainly be released.

But those who show no remorse and think of continuing to do bad things after they get out, it wouldn't be too much to lock them up for life.

The trunk of this country is riddled with termites; if they are not cut down, the whole tree will soon rot from the inside, and the edifice will eventually collapse.

Yi Mu moved a chair and sat down next to Bei Menlin.

One of his tasks was to govern the country well before handing the throne to Beimen Lin.

The people lived in peace and happiness, doors were left unlocked at night, and all nations came to pay tribute, just like the Tang Dynasty, which was at the height of its power in history.

He didn't understand the shady dealings among officials and could only rely on Beimen Lin.

The two spent half a day reviewing memorials, compiling a list of officials with ulterior motives onto a single sheet of paper.

These individuals will become the focus of future rectification efforts.

In the back garden, all the invited young ladies and gentlemen had already arrived.

The sixteenth princess wore a pale yellow autumn dress with a velvet trim around the collar, which made her beautiful face even more radiant and charming.

All the young men from prominent families present crowded around her, showering her with attention.

Everyone knew perfectly well what the Empress meant by hosting this autumn banquet.

The Emperor forbade the Sixteenth Princess from being married off to another country because he wanted to find her a good husband in Sufeng.

If these people just put in all their effort to please the princess today, they'll be on their way to instant wealth and power.

The Queen prepared a number of programs, including riddles, shadow plays, and Cuju (ancient Chinese football).

The sixteenth princess was not a traditional young lady who never left her home. She loved playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football) and was not very interested in riddles.

Everyone stood enthusiastically in front of the colorful lanterns, while the sixteenth princess, bored, sought out her close friend to chat with.

Her best friend is the granddaughter of a high-ranking official. On the surface, she is a refined lady, but in reality, she is the most gossipy woman in the Kyoto social circle.

This gossip only extends to the young masters of the capital.

She knew exactly whose son had come of age and who had the most handsome face.

The best friend pulled the sixteenth princess aside and secretly pointed to the man sitting in the corner drinking.

"He is the fourth son of the Minister of Rites, born to a concubine. He is a romantic but also very talented. I heard that he ranked sixth in this imperial examination."

The man was very handsome, but probably because of his lowly status, few people surrounded him.

But he didn't seem lonely at all; on the contrary, he was content and carefree.