Prince Rong was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table.
"Hmph, that so-called golden road you mentioned is clearly a road to death. Do you really think I'm senile?"
If it were as simple and easy as you say, people would have already gone to the Western Regions to trade, and we wouldn't still be here today.
"I'm just old, not senile. The matter of taking back my fiefdom is out of the question."
Zhao Minggeng's expression changed at this moment.
"Is Prince Rong only concerned with his own comfort and disregarding the legacy left by his ancestors?"
Or does the prince want to see the Divine Dragon Kingdom fall into turmoil?
The people are suffering so much that they are on the verge of collapse, and the national treasury is so empty that it is running a deficit.
If foreign invaders were to attack and the court were unable to provide sufficient funds and provisions, the people would suffer immensely.
How could Prince Rong be so heartless?
If Your Highness dares to agree today, then please forgive my rudeness.
Tomorrow I will certainly convey to His Majesty what Your Highness said today.
The prince has been away from the capital for many years, and must surely miss the capital city dearly.
Why not stay in the capital and enjoy a peaceful and comfortable life?
The Emperor will certainly arrange a job for the Crown Prince, and as for your precious grandson, arrangements have already been made at the Imperial Academy.
From today onwards, I will be staying at the Imperial College.
Rest assured, the Imperial College will take care of all your food and other necessities.
Although our court is poor now, we can still afford to support a few members of the royal family.
Your humble servant takes his leave.
Zhao Minggeng's words were nothing but threats.
To put it bluntly, no matter how eloquently you try to persuade people about reducing the power of the princes, you just can't convince them.
After all, this matter involves not only money but also power.
A fiefdom allows one to utilize not only local tax revenue but also the local army.
To put it more bluntly, if a vassal king harbors rebellious intentions, a mutiny is very likely to occur.
Now, they just cancel it like that, who would agree to that?
Zhao Minggeng's smug and self-satisfied expression infuriated Prince Rong.
This is the first time in my life I've ever felt so humiliated.
How could Prince Rong possibly swallow this insult when he was suddenly threatened by an insignificant minister?
So, at a command, the guards blocked the entrance.
“How dare you, you petty scoundrel, disrespect me! Seize him!”
Crackling sounds filled the air, and a few breaths passed.
Instead of the scene that Prince Rong had envisioned—Zhao Minggeng being captured—all of Prince Rong's guards were taken down.
Moreover, their postures were remarkably similar: they were all kicked down and ended up crashing against the wall.
Zhao Minggeng's gaze swept around.
"Your Highness, should we summon all the secret guards? I believe I still have a fighting chance."
Prince Rong's fingers trembled with anger, "You, you..."
This time, Zhao Minggeng didn't leave; he turned around and sat back in his previous seat.
“Prince Rong, your gold mine must have filled your coffers quite a bit over the years, right?”
Furthermore, of the 3,000 laborers who were conscripted by the prince in the form of forced labor, are three or four tenths still alive?
Does Your Highness really think His Majesty is unaware of your little tricks?
If the prince agrees to reduce the power of the princes today, then a trace of his bloodline can still be preserved.
Otherwise, what the prince did in his fiefdom was not a crime punishable by confiscation of his property and extermination of his entire clan…
Prince Rong was so frightened that his face turned completely pale.
If it weren't for the experience of fighting for the throne back then, which toughened my nerves, I would surely be dead by now.
He desperately wanted to deny it, but since Zhao Minggeng could say it, it meant he already had evidence; otherwise, how could he have explained it so clearly?
It includes the address, the year it started operating, and who it was run by—all of which match up in a way that even its rightful owner, the master of the business, doesn't remember.
Prince Rong desperately wanted to faint, so he wouldn't have to face these terrible things.
But Zhao Minggeng kept pinching his hand. If he dared to faint, that bastard Zhao Minggeng would probably just pinch him awake.
Struggling is futile, there's no need to struggle.
Prince Rong wrote a letter requesting that his title of prince be immediately revoked and that his fiefdom be returned.
Zhao Minggeng happily took the letter from Prince Rong and praised him repeatedly for his patriotic heart.
By following the same method, they could always find some weaknesses in others, thanks in large part to the Emperor's investigators.
If it weren't for bringing all these princes to the capital,
This kind of coercion and bribery won't work; if someone says they're going to rebel, they might rebel.
At least you can't get the person by going to the local area.
The royal relatives who were tricked by Zhao Minggeng into signing agreements to relinquish their fiefdoms
The eldest sons and grandsons in the family received excellent treatment and were truly well taken care of.
As for the matter of going to the Western Regions to do business, it was not a deception. It was indeed led by the imperial court, which provided funding, and other people could invest and participate.
If you're worried about not making money, you can wait and see.
The imperial entourage has already set off with various glass products, silk, tea, and other goods.
As for the gold that Prince Rong had previously mined, it was taken over by the army as Prince Rong applied to reduce the power of the princes.
Those family members who commit crimes should be arrested according to the law.
They really show no mercy whatsoever; no wonder the current emperor is so ruthless.
The descendants of the Rong family have 2,000 lives on their hands. If the main culprit is not caught, how can the people's anger be appeased?
In fact, on the very day that Prince Rong was threatened by Zhao Minggeng, he had already planned to return to his fiefdom.
When they got to the front gate, they realized that...
The houses that had been arranged for them were already surrounded by soldiers, making escape extremely difficult.
The bodyguards who had always been by his side had also long since disappeared.
Only then did Prince Rong truly behave himself.
This is the first time Zhao Minggeng's fighting prowess has been displayed to the public.
It is said that almost everyone who sparred with him was kicked out.
The imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy have recently been stationed in the living quarters that were originally used to house officials from various regions.
Zhao Minggeng brought the memorials from various regional princes requesting the reduction of their power to a lower level to the emperor, who laughed heartily upon reading them.
"I really didn't misjudge you. I never expected that the problem that had been troubling me would be solved by you so easily."
"Do you want an official position or money as a reward?"
Zhao Minggeng was weak and listless.
"Your Majesty, I am now a thorn in the side of all the royal relatives. I wonder if they will retaliate against me in a fit of anger."
Oh, you should reward this humble subject with some gold, silver, or jewels instead.
"I'll give it to my daughter to play with; she'll love it, and my granddaughter will love it too."
Seeing Zhao Minggeng's half-dead state, the Emperor couldn't help but laugh.
"I've heard that Minister Zhao is highly skilled in martial arts, and that he was surrounded by dozens of experts without showing any signs of defeat."
"Why not have them spar with my guards and broaden my horizons?"
Zhao Minggeng really wanted to say, "I'm not a monkey show performer."
He swallowed back his complaints and changed the subject.
"Your Majesty is wise. I am merely stronger than others, but in reality, I have no martial arts skills whatsoever."
Those guards who were defeated by me can only be described as having underestimated the enemy.
After all, in their eyes, I am merely a scholar, not even as good as a spineless coward.
The Emperor laughed heartily upon hearing this, "I never expected my dear minister to have such a humble side."
What could Zhao Minggeng say? He really felt that he was incompatible with being an official. What was the point of being modest? He was just making enemies.
He was genuinely afraid of incurring someone's wrath and having someone assassinate him.
He wasn't afraid, but he had a large family to consider.
He was afraid that his family would be implicated because of him.
Thinking of his two quiet sons, he felt worried, as did his relatives who were officials far away from home.
I regret it so much.
Why bother becoming this damn official? Wouldn't it be better to be a wealthy man in the countryside?
Zhao Minggeng reflected again and felt that he had made the wrong choice.
But now is not the time for him to reflect. Having boarded the emperor's pirate ship, can he ever get off?
A series of chain reactions caused by the reduction of the power of regional military governors
Those were officials who had previously been close to various vassal kings, and they were quickly arrested for various reasons.
There were a large number of new official vacancies in the imperial court.
These deficiencies naturally need to be filled as soon as possible.
The families of the Minister and Vice Minister of Personnel have been extremely busy lately, all trying to secure substantive positions for their younger relatives and family members.
Zhao Minggeng and his son-in-law Xu Dongsheng were truly a breath of fresh air, showing no concern whatsoever for their relatives who continued to serve as county magistrates in various regions.
According to Huang,
"What's the point of all this fuss? Do you really think those substantive positions are so easy to fill?"
Who knows what kind of trouble they might have caused? I won't get involved.
Besides, given our family's luck in getting into official positions...
What kind of nice place do you think that person in the palace can arrange for our family?
Other families are lucky to have one or two officials, but how many do we have? Including my granddaughter's husband, we have eight county magistrates.
Think about it carefully, do you think this official position can help you get promoted?
It's impossible for them to rise much higher.
If you all become prefects, our family's power will be too great, which is a bit frightening.
Especially since the second granddaughter's husband is a prince.
Forget it, let's all keep quiet and consider this as keeping Qinglin safe.
Being the wife of a prince's family has too much influence; it's not a good thing.
Don't say that I, your old woman, lack ambition. Even though no one in our family holds a high position, I, your old woman, feel that things are good enough for us now.
Putting everything else aside, we don't need to worry about the marriages of our children and grandchildren anymore.
There's no need to worry about the granddaughters losing their freedom after they get married.
Therefore, neither of you is allowed to plead for those people outside.
Well, such a great opportunity for promotion was snatched away by Huang's few words.
Calculate the area of psychological trauma suffered by the sons of the Zhao family.
In reality, the members of the Zhao family who served as county magistrates in other areas were quite content with their current situation.
After all, the county magistrate ensures good weather, abundant harvests, and excellent public security and economy.
They're also deeply loved by the people; only a fool would bother with that.
Even if you get promoted, what good will it do you?
The salary was a bit high, but the Zhao family wasn't short of money.
When managing the county's economy, one can always conveniently open a shop for their own family along the way, right?
If the magistrate's family wants to do a profitable business, who can stop them?
The ability of the Zhao family to make a fortune without resorting to bribery or breaking the law is their skill.
Especially the brothers Zhao Qingfeng and Zhao Qingluan, both of whom married women from merchant families, and not just any merchants, but women from extremely successful businesses.
A talent for business seems to be innate.
With her husband's status as a source of support and financial backing, how much money couldn't she make?
As for the illusory matter of promotion, it's better not to think about it.
It's just a matter of kowtowing to the prefect a few times every year when it's time to report on one's work. What's the big deal?
No matter how high your official rank, you have to kowtow; there's no escaping this.
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