On the dragon throne, a man in a black robe embroidered with dense dragon patterns was bowing his head and putting on a folding cloth.

The Jiangnan region was plagued by floods, and various regions submitted memorials requesting disaster relief funds. As batches of funds were allocated, the disaster did not lessen. Instead, the refugees created by the floods wandered around, causing unrest throughout the country.

The man held a brush and dipped the tip in cinnabar to make annotations. His hands were long and slender, with distinct knuckles that were not thick or large, and were exceptionally well-proportioned and beautiful.

"Another memorial regarding the floods in Jiangnan?"

Ke Min, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, walked in from outside and knelt down in front of the man.

The two spoke familiarly, but he never forgot the proper etiquette.

The man on the dragon throne picked up several other documents and quickly skimmed through their contents.

He leaned back lazily and said, "Hmm, the content they write is all pretty much the same."

After bowing, Ke Min stood aside and said, "At least when a stone is thrown into water, it makes a sound. But when these batches of pay are sent out, there's not a sound at all, and the refugees have even run away."

“Those with ability have no real power, while those without ability have taken up positions. When problems arise, they dare not let the capable ones out there for fear of stealing the limelight. Of course, nothing can be accomplished.” The man in the black robe put down the memorial in his hand. “Issue an imperial decree to remove Wang Ben from his position as Chief Water Conservancy Officer and appoint Qin Mian to take over.”

The chief eunuch next to him went out to deliver the imperial decree, and everyone else was driven out by Ke Min, leaving only Ke Min and him in the room.

Jiang Yan rested his head on the back of the chair, closed his eyes to relax, and asked, "How's the investigation going?"

Ke Min organized the information he had found, "I led people to visit every street and alley in Pingyang, and inquired around the places where Your Majesty used to live. The information is pretty much the same as what Your Majesty said."

The candles inside the hall burned brightly, and the palace maids trimmed the wicks in time. Everything had to be prepared for Jiang Yan, who was dressed in imperial robes, to review the memorials. There could be no mistakes, otherwise it would be risking one's life.

The candlelight flickered, casting a warm glow on Jiang Yan's pale, jade-like face, but it couldn't melt the chill in his eyes.

In the vast imperial city, he was the only master. He was so lazy that he didn't even bother to tie his hair up; his black hair hung down, and he only wore a black net headband.

No matter what he wears, no one will dare to say a word, as long as he is not afraid of death or dragging his family down with him.

Ke Min continued, "I think that although those people's statements are surprisingly consistent and seem to make no problem, upon closer examination, they are completely illogical."

Jiang Yan glanced at him. "What do you mean?"

“The surrounding people all gave the same answer: they all said they only remembered a child who lived there, which must have been you, Master.” Ke Min couldn’t understand why. “Although the courtyard was not large, it was not something that a child like you could afford. Yet the people didn’t seem to think anything was wrong. When we pressed them for details, they realized what was going on, but they couldn’t say anything more.”

"However, that happened so many years ago. Pingyang has been through several wars, and only a few original households remain. Who could remember things from so many years ago so clearly after so many changes?"

Those people obviously couldn't do it, but he could.

Jiang Yan realized that there was something wrong with his memory. Starting from his time in the Zaoyang area, he traced back from the end to the beginning, and the gaps in his memory continued all the way to when he ran out of the brothel.

He has always had an exceptional memory, able to remember everything he sees. When his memory suddenly faltered, he had no choice but to investigate.

Jiang Yan shifted her gaze to the window, where green vines climbed up the window frame, their veins delicate and hidden in the gloom.

Kemin stood there for a while but his master didn't say anything. Then he found that his master was staring at the vines on the window.

He frowned. "How can these people be so irresponsible? All sorts of vines have climbed up the Imperial Study and they haven't even trimmed them. They must be tired of living."

After saying that, he wanted to hire someone to punish the people who managed the garden.

"This is a red camellia."

Ke Min: "Huh?"

Jiang Yan dismissed the people Ke Min had called in, giving Ke Min a disgruntled look. "I told the people in the greenhouse not to prune the plants."

Ke Min was terrified of his master's sudden glance. Seeing Jiang Yan's displeasure written all over his face, he was almost ready to kneel down and admit his mistake, cold sweat pouring down his face.

He recalled the vast expanse of red flowers in the Imperial Garden, unlike those in other imperial cities. As far as he knew, the imperial gardens of other emperors were filled with a hundred flowers, and they would cultivate whatever was rare to highlight their royal status.

When they arrived at their master's place, the war had just been quelled and the palace where he lived had not yet been repaired. So he first ordered with a stroke of his vermilion brush to remove all the flowers in the imperial garden and replace them with those bright red flowers that bloomed in dazzling colors.

He and his group of secret guards have been constantly on the move since the founding of the dynasty. Too many shady things have been entrusted to them, requiring them to eliminate the remaining members of the faction and resolve potential threats to the Jingguo Kingdom as soon as possible.

Now that things have calmed down, the world is at peace, and the signs of a prosperous era are faintly visible, he has finally had some free time.

I've passed by the Imperial Garden a few times, and it happened to be during the flowering season, with large swathes of bright and dazzling red flowers blooming in the garden.

Looking at it from afar, it is truly breathtaking.

Unfortunately, he was in a hurry and didn't have time to take a closer look.

Ke Min quickly admitted his mistake: "Red Camellia, I will remember it."

No one responded to him, and Jiang Yan stared blankly at the few green leaves.

Standing outside the window, Shu Yun's gaze shifted from the green leaves to Jiang Yanyi's beautiful face. Having been the ruler for several years, the temperament of a superior was unmistakable, profound and serious.

The emperor's desk was piled high with memorials, and even after he finished reviewing one pile, another pile kept appearing.

Jiang Yan possessed extraordinary talent, studied under the Confucian master Guan Qin, and mastered the art of ruling a nation. He traversed a chaotic world, stood out among a group of heroes, swept away the Three Kingdoms and established the Jingguo Kingdom, and his name will be remembered for eternity.

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