“Lord Sun, your thinking is too outdated. Even children know that the current emperor is only in his forties. A man at forty is in his prime, the best age. Yet you propose that a prince tour the country for the emperor. What do you mean by that? Could it be that you, Lord Sun, have sided with one of the princes?” His words were incoherent, yet they silenced the assembled officials. The logic was sound, but saying it aloud was another matter entirely.

"How dare you!" Sun Ganzheng shouted angrily.

However, Huo Baichuan had already walked to Lu Yuan's side, looking at him with a half-smile. Lu Yuan dared not confront the future leader of the Huo family head-on. The emperor had invited the Huo family members, clearly intending to offer them high-ranking positions and generous salaries. He was bitter, not knowing when Lord Yang would be able to attend court.

He gave a forced laugh and asked, "Sir, may I ask your surname?"

Lu Yuan glanced at him, then at Emperor Mingde, who was watching Huo Baichuan's every move with great interest, a faint smile playing on his lips. Lu Yuan felt a chill run down his spine and muttered, "His surname is Lu."

"Oh, Lord Lu, you just suggested that Prince Hui go on an inspection tour of the country? I wonder what you mean by that? How much benefit did Prince Hui give you? I heard that Prince Hui is in charge of the Imperial Clan Court and is the head of the royal family. What, do you want Prince Hui to replace him?" After he finished speaking, he no longer looked at Lu Yuan's pale face. Lu Yuan felt like dying. He really didn't think that way. To be fair, the current emperor is benevolent and can be considered a wise ruler.

Huo Baichuan gave him no chance to explain. After finishing, he cupped his hands and said to Emperor Mingde, "Your Majesty, I believe that Prince Yong is the most suitable candidate. As everyone knows, Prince Yong has been favored by the late Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and Your Majesty, his elder brother, since the day he was born. He has grown up in a greenhouse. As the saying goes, one should be loyal to the emperor even if one is eating the emperor's food. Prince Yong has already returned his fiefdom. His family is actually quite poor. It is time for him to go out and earn money to support his family. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Yong blushed to the back of his neck and said awkwardly, "Your Majesty, I am a dignified man of seven feet tall. What Young Master Huo said is quite something."

His words conveyed a deep sense of grievance.

"Your Highness, is it appropriate for you to lodge a complaint in front of me?" Huo Baichuan took out the licorice from his waist and stuck it in his hair crown, as if he were chatting casually.

"Hahaha." Emperor Mingde laughed heartily, tears welling up in his eyes. He waved his hand and said, "Young Master Huo, you should stop calling yourself a commoner. I hereby appoint you as a Minister. Which ministry do you wish to serve in?"

The officials felt extremely resentful. Having a good family background was good, but to be ranked as a minister at such a young age was something they might not be able to achieve even after a lifetime of hard work.

After Emperor Mingde finished speaking, he did not forget Yan Shiren. Yan Shiren knelt down behind the others. Hearing that Emperor Mingde was going to appoint officials, and that Huo Baichuan was only in his early twenties and was already being given the position of Minister, while he was over fifty, he wondered what official position the emperor would give him. If he were about the same age as Huo Baichuan, it would be fine, but now that there was a big age difference, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. He was representing the Yan family.

Before he could wait long, he heard, "I am deeply saddened by the matter of Wang Kuanqi. Minister Yan will succeed Wang Kuanqi. My empire still needs the help of you virtuous ministers." After Emperor Mingde finished speaking, Liang Yunsi brought out his official robes and seal and stood before the assembled officials.

Yan Shiren stepped forward, knelt down and kowtowed, "Your subject will certainly do his utmost to repay the Emperor's grace."

Liang Yunsi smiled and handed the official robes and seal to Yan Shiren. "Lord Yan, His Majesty had the Ministry of Works prepare the official robes long ago, just waiting for your arrival."

The ministers, upon hearing this, exclaimed: "Just now you said you were deeply saddened by Wang Kuanqi's situation!"

Yan Shiren accepted the official robes and seal, then kowtowed again. Emperor Mingde excused himself from the formalities and stood up, standing alongside Sun Ganzheng and others.

The officials sighed inwardly. Wang Kuanqi had barely stepped down when someone else immediately took his place, demonstrating how volatile things could be in officialdom.

Liang Yunsi, also carrying his official robes and seal, approached Huo Baichuan and asked, "Lord Huo, which department are you going to?"

Huo Baichuan bypassed Liang Yunsi and asked Huo Baichuan on the dragon throne, "Your Majesty, does this mean that whichever department I choose, I can appoint as its Minister? If that department already has a Minister, must I yield my position?"

The officials felt a deep sadness, especially the ministers. They had endured so much hardship to finally become ministers, only to have to give way to a mere greenhorn. They wished Huo Baichuan would die in the womb.

Emperor Mingde nodded, "Yes." Although doing so would cause dissatisfaction among other families, he believed that the Huo family could handle it. If they couldn't even hold onto the position of Minister, then the Huo family would be finished.

All the ministers looked at Huo Baichuan. Almost everyone thought he would choose a minister and force the current minister to step down. Several ministers secretly prayed that Huo Baichuan would not want their positions.

Seeing that he did not answer for a long time and that the smile on his face had disappeared, Emperor Mingde asked, "Does Minister Huo think that the position of Minister is too low?"

"No, Your Majesty, I'm angry," Huo Baichuan said coolly.

Emperor Mingde was puzzled, but his ministers felt that he was ungrateful. So what if he was from the Huo family? Did the Huo family think they could disregard others?

"Why are you angry?" Emperor Mingde asked again with great patience.

Huo Baichuan took the licorice off his head and put it back in his belt. "I've been looked down upon, Your Majesty. Do you think I should be angry?"

“Lord Huo, His Majesty has already bestowed upon you the position of Minister, which is an act of divine grace. Lord Huo should thank His Majesty for this great favor.” Sun Ganzheng couldn’t hold back any longer. For some reason, he had been losing his patience lately, which must have been provoked by that old scoundrel Xie Yun.

"Every scholar in the world knows that the current court has established the imperial examination system, which is the proper way for scholars to enter the court and become officials. The emperor directly gave me an official position without me having to take the imperial examination. I know that the emperor loves talent because I am talented. But the world doesn't know this. The world will only think that the emperor appoints people based on personal preference. After all, I am not as bad-looking as Xu Gong from the north of the city." After saying that, he didn't forget to glance at Wei Tingsi.

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