Now, the reforms in the local areas are progressing smoothly, and all the princes except for Prince Jing have been removed from their posts. Emperor Mingde speaks with much more confidence now.

The ministers were surprised that Emperor Mingde would respond to their petition in this way, but Guan Heng, Prince Hui, and Lin Chaoying were all promoted by Emperor Mingde, and Yan Shiren and Qiu Chengshi were committed to reform, so naturally they would not object.

If no one in power objects, it will be implemented quickly.

The abolition of the system of recommendation by aristocratic families and the emphasis on the imperial examination system changed the monopoly of aristocratic families on officialdom, thus ushering in a new era in history.

Emperor Mingde may not have been the best to his family, but during his reign, he reduced the power of the princes and implemented reforms, laying the absolute foundation for the prosperous era of Dayong twenty years later.

As emperor, he was undoubtedly a wise and capable ruler.

It can be said that he had no regrets in his life.

Zhao Bi escaped another calamity, but Consort De and the Empress would absolutely not let it go.

Through this incident, Consort De realized a truth: Zhao Bi was more difficult to deal with than the Crown Prince!

Politicians all understand one principle: there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, only permanent interests.

Soon, the women in the palace united again and reached a high degree of consensus on the matter of bringing down Zhao Bi. The court also continued to condemn Zhao Bi.

Zhao Shu watched from the sidelines, showing no intention of intervening. She listened to Emperor Mingde's words and did needlework in the mansion, spending most of her time playing cards with her nephews/brothers.

Emperor Mingde was undertaking sweeping reforms to the imperial examination system and planned to hold the examinations at the end of the year. He was so busy with state affairs that he temporarily forgot about the matter of adopting a son for the Prince Yong's mansion.

As the negative news about Zhao Bi intensified, upon Zhao Bi's return to the capital, his cronies immediately gathered at the Fourth Prince's residence to discuss countermeasures, but none of them could come up with any solutions.

Zhao Bi also secretly entered the palace to see Yi De. Yi De didn't care about this matter. She said calmly, "Bi'er, those who achieve great things don't concern themselves with trifles. Reputation is something people say. The victor is king and the loser is villain. As long as you become emperor, you can rewrite history books at will, and the people must be respectful to you. Bi'er, don't worry about these small gains and losses. You are a person who will achieve great things, and your mother believes in you."

Upon hearing these words, Zhao Bi was struck as if by a heavy blow. He looked at Yi De in disbelief and asked, "Mother, are you asking your son to force the emperor to abdicate?"