"Your Majesty, I am here to apologize." Zhang Weixian said hurriedly.

After hearing this, Zhu Youxiao laughed, put down the fishing rod in his hand, and said in a gentle tone: "What happened today? Nothing happened in the court, right? Or am I being mean? Why are all of you coming here to apologize? Duke Dingguo just left, and you're here. Tell me."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Weixian cursed Xu Xi in his heart, then said, "Your Majesty, what I want to talk about is actually related to Duke Dingguo. The day before yesterday, Duke Dingguo came to my house and told me some things."

"Duke Ding said he wanted to do something to serve His Majesty. Of the three dukes in the capital, two have joined the General Staff, but he hasn't. He wanted to ask me why, but Your Majesty is dissatisfied with his actions? As a minister, I naturally dare not speculate on His Majesty's intentions."

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Zhang Weixian without saying a word, but his eyes told it all.

This glance made Zhang Weixian very embarrassed.

Zhang Weixian's face flushed slightly, but he still continued, "I said at the time that I knew nothing about this matter and I didn't care. But Duke Dingguo refused to leave my house and even brought up the matter of the old generation. I really had no choice."

"There's no other way, so you just gave him this idea?" Zhu Youxiao turned to look at Zhang Weixian and said in a heavier tone.

"Your Majesty, this idea of ​​apologizing was not mine." Zhang Weixian quickly stood up and said anxiously, "This was entirely Duke Dingguo's own decision. It has nothing to do with me."

"Really?" Zhu Youxiao asked with a hint of doubt.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhang Weixian quickly explained, "At that time, I was thinking about the General Staff Office and what it should do next, and I thought of Zhanwo."

"The imperial court has been facing tight budgets in recent years, but the salt merchants have been raking in the dough. Using these merchants, the nobles and relatives of the imperial family have been amassing vast sums of wealth, which is truly detrimental to the court's reputation and causing losses to the treasury, leaving the court with no funds to spend. I'm thinking of addressing this matter."

"When Duke Dingguo came to my house, I told him about this matter. I told him to go back and write a memorial, and I would sign it. We would jointly petition for this matter. Firstly, we could win over some of the nobles, and secondly, it would be a way to win over Duke Dingguo and give him a chance to serve His Majesty and the country."

"But who would have thought that Duke Dingguo would be so..."

Having said this, Zhang Weixian couldn't continue and was so angry that he was gasping for breath. This was not something he showed on purpose, but he was really angry.

"You have a good plan." Zhu Youxiao snorted coldly.

"I am guilty." Zhang Weixian quickly knelt on the ground and said.

"Alright, get up!" Zhu Youxiao sighed, waved his hand and said, "I'm not the kind of person who doesn't care about human feelings. Although your approach is inappropriate, I can understand."

"Duke Dingguo came to me and said that the occupation of his home was quite serious. He only discovered it a few days ago, so he wanted to return the money."

After hearing what Zhu Youxiao said, Zhang Weixian cursed in his heart.

What an idiot! This is a hopeless case!

You can learn from anyone, but you try to do things like Zhu Chunchen. If this news gets out, you will be scolded to death!

Although the estate tax is a cut of flesh, it is still a small amount of money after all.

The money for the salt is really a lot of money. How many people will hate you if you do this?

If you speak out openly, you can claim to be righteous. Even if someone is dissatisfied, they dare not say anything on the surface; if you force it, those people will have no choice but to endure it.

If I were to take the initiative now, what if His Majesty doesn't push me? Wouldn't that be putting yourself in a difficult position? What would those people do to me then?

Do you really think that the title of Duke can stabilize the situation?

If you really offend someone to death, you will end up dead.

You must have power to get things done. When you have power, no one dares to oppose you; when you lose power, you will have gotten things done.

Now that I have lost my righteous status and cannot obtain power, isn't this courting death?

"Your Majesty, I truly did not ask Duke Dingguo to do this. I simply wish to discipline the nobles and relatives. They have gone too far in recent years, neglecting the imperial court and indulging in sensual pleasures all day long. This is truly a disgrace to our ancestors."

Zhang Weixian quickly said, "But who could have imagined that Duke Dingguo would do such a thing for his own selfish gain?"