The news of the investiture of a king reached Ji Province.

The housekeeper was very pleased.

He felt much more at ease now.

The king has been granted the title of king, and the position of Grand Commander of the Army and Cavalry has been relinquished.

From now on, just stay quietly in the capital, be a prince, and stop worrying about Ji Province.

In a great mood, Butler Qian hummed a tune and swayed his head as he walked toward the backyard.

"Old Qian," He Youyou called out to him as she saw him pass by.

"Madam, is something the matter?"

"I have something to ask you," He Youyou said.

"Please ask, Madam."

Have you ever been to the capital?

Butler Qian: ...

In the imperial study, Emperor Zhao Changheng was also in a good mood.

After bestowing a title upon Zhao Changqing, one worry was finally put to rest.

The prince had a residence and would no longer live within the palace walls.

The Yue Prince's Mansion was a fine residence he had carefully selected, and he spent a fortune renovating the interior, making it luxurious and comfortable.

Moreover, he specially bestowed upon Zhao Changqing a travel pass, allowing the King of Yue to enter the palace to meet the emperor at any time.

From now on, the two brothers can often be together and relive the days of brotherly love and respect they once shared.

Life suddenly became wonderful.

Zhao Changheng was overjoyed. He found the Second Prince to be handsome and intelligent.

Just as he was feeling quite pleased with himself, Crown Prince Zhao Wenyi presented him with a memorial.

"Father, look at this memorial. It mentions that the craftsmen who make items for the royal family this year have produced a great many items, far exceeding the needs of the royal family and various government departments. The official in charge of this matter would like to ask your opinion on whether the surplus items can be sold in the market. This would not only avoid wasting resources, but also increase the revenue of the craftsmen's workshop."

Zhao Changheng listened with great satisfaction and nodded repeatedly.

The official who wrote the memorial always rambled on and on when he submitted his reports.

Even the smallest thing can be rambled on into a long, drawn-out story.

They're rambling on and on, never getting to the point.

Going in circles often leaves people completely confused.

Zhao Changheng always hated reading his memorials.

Despite repeated criticisms, human nature is hard to change.

Once a personality is formed, it is extremely difficult to change it.

I've been holding back for years.

Today, he deliberately came up with an excuse because he didn't like reading this person's memorial. He pretended to be testing the Crown Prince's knowledge and asked the Crown Prince to help him read the memorial and summarize its main content for him.

Unexpectedly, the young prince, after reading the memorial, was able to explain the whole story in just a few sentences.

He is a promising young man.

Zhao Changheng was very satisfied with his eldest son, who in every way resembled a qualified heir.

Look at the eldest son, then look at the second son...

The second son was wielding a long, white jade paperweight like a sword.

It's unbearable to look at.

Never mind, I'm in a good mood today. A moment of patience will bring peace, and taking a step back will open up a whole new world.

Zhao Changheng suddenly became interested and asked a question.

"Wenqi, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

When Zhao Wenqi heard his father ask him a question, he immediately stopped what he was doing and put the paperweight back on the table.

"Father, are you referring to what my elder brother, the Crown Prince, just mentioned? The matter of taking unused items from the palace to sell in the marketplace?"

Hey……

Zhao Changheng was slightly surprised.

Zhao Wenqi seemed to be just messing around, but I didn't expect him to actually take this to heart.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm asking about. What do you think? Selling the extra items will bring additional income to the palace. I think it's a good idea."

Unexpectedly, Zhao Wenqi's face tightened, and he seemed to disagree: "Father, there is an old saying: officials should not compete with the people for profit."

Upon hearing this, both Zhao Changheng and Crown Prince Zhao Wenyi were taken aback.

They rarely heard such a decent sentence from the Second Prince.

First of all, this sentence is relevant to the topic!

It's a big improvement to get to the point without rambling or going off on tangents.

Furthermore, this statement is quite profound and philosophical.

This makes it even more precious.

After listening, Zhao Changheng became excited: "Hey, second brother, tell me more about it?"

Zhao Wenqi blinked: "That's all."

"That's it?" Zhao Changheng was dumbfounded. "It sounded so good, how could it just disappear?"

Zhao Wenqi said helplessly, "There's nothing I can do but memorize this one sentence. My aunt said that memorizing even one out of ten sentences is still learning something. If I keep memorizing, I can accumulate many sentences in a year."

Zhao Changheng was completely confused.

What aunt? What do you mean by memorizing one sentence out of ten?

However, his second son is doing very well, and he should try his best to guide him.

"Wenqi, could you explain to me what it means to 'officials should not compete with the people for profit'?"

This issue has really run into a minefield.

Upon hearing that he didn't need to elaborate and only needed to explain the meaning, Zhao Wenqi immediately perked up.

Because He Youyou had told him this herself, and she had said it very vividly, he understood it.

"What I mean is, it's not easy for ordinary people to earn a living, so why does the government have to come and steal this little bit of business? The pancakes are only so big, not even enough for one bite per person. If the government suddenly comes and takes half of them, who will get the rest? Either half the people will starve to death, or everyone will be half-dead from hunger."

Zhao Changheng: The words may be rough, but the principle is sound.

The Crown Prince, who had been listening attentively, was inspired and, after hearing Wenqi's words, immediately added his own thoughts.

“Father, I understand my second brother’s meaning and can help him elaborate. Compared with private merchants, the government already has a lot of power. If they operate and sell these items like ordinary people, they will inevitably use their power, which will inevitably lead to a situation where one party dominates and fair competition will not be possible. In the end, it will only cause private merchants to be unable to profit and leave the market.”

Zhao Changheng strongly agreed: "What you said makes a lot of sense. This matter needs to be carefully considered to avoid inciting public resentment. Even if it really has to be sold, it must be strictly regulated to prevent the abuse of power, oppression of the people, and forced buying and selling."

Seeing his father and brother chatting happily, the second prince felt that there was nothing for him to do.

After thinking for a moment, he picked up the paperweight from the table and continued playing.

Zhao Changheng: How come nothing stops you from having fun?

Just then, a palace attendant reported that Liu Shili, the Minister of Justice, requested an audience.

"Announce."

Liu Shili came this time to report on the progress of the previous treason case.

Because the key to this matter lies in the Second Prince's breakthrough, Zhao Changheng specifically instructed the Ministry of Justice to report to the Imperial Study after any breakthrough in the case.

The Ministry of Justice organized a large number of people to investigate the life trajectories of the people involved in the case. Through careful investigation, they finally discovered some clues.

As expected, the suspect, emboldened by his immense wealth, became somewhat carried away and created a list of official titles for the courtesans in the brothel.

The list did not include the name, only the surname and official rank, so it was not obvious that it belonged to a woman.

For example, Prime Minister Zhang, Minister Liu, Imperial Censor Wang...