Chapter 221 Infrastructure System: New Changes...
"Let it be so—Zhao Fuman." After hearing the opinion, Emperor Hongren raised his hand and instructed the chief eunuch to grind ink and draft the decree.
Soon, with a flourish of his pen, Emperor Hongren wrote an imperial edict. He admired it for a long while before reluctantly waving his hand, steeling himself to avoid seeing it and letting Zhao Fuman take it to the Minister of Rites.
"Please proclaim the imperial decree, Your Excellency." Eunuch Fu Man's smile deepened, beaming with joy.
The Minister of Rites respectfully received the imperial edict and turned to prepare to read it aloud in the main hall. Not only did he intend to do so, but he also wanted the officials in charge of rites to go to the various palace gates to read the edict aloud, so that the whole country could celebrate and the news could be spread throughout the land.
"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..."
"I, by the mandate of Heaven, rule over all people, and the heir apparent is of paramount importance to the nation. My eldest son, Chengming, is of noble character and possesses both virtue and talent..." The Minister of Rites read aloud in a grand and eloquent manner. The main point of this imperial edict was to expound on how outstanding Qi Chengming was and how capable he was of shouldering great responsibilities. It detailed his past achievements.
As he read on, the Minister of Rites felt a surge of pride: "..."
Although it was His Highness Prince Rui who initially tried his best to win him over, he eventually took the bait!
He truly has excellent taste!
This new ruler has even successfully appointed him as the crown prince!
"...Now that he is established as Crown Prince, an auspicious day shall be chosen to offer sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and construction of the Eastern Palace shall commence. It shall be proclaimed to the world that the Crown Prince may wear apricot-yellow robes and ride in a dragon-flagged golden sedan chair. When the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers receive an edict from the Eastern Palace, it shall be as if I were personally present. All prefectures and counties shall transcribe this edict and issue it immediately. Post notices shall be made to inform the people... This is the imperial decree."
"Your subject... obeys the decree!"
At this, all the civil and military officials knelt down in unison, obeying the imperial decree. They prostrated themselves on the ground, and not one dared to express any dissent; they were completely submissive.
Qi Chengming, his head slightly lowered in a daze, felt his heart surge with emotion as he listened.
He hadn't yet truly grasped the feeling of being the crown prince, or rather, becoming crown prince was merely a necessary step on his path to the throne; he didn't feel overly excited or anything particularly special. But…
But as he listened to the imperial edict, and heard how much the Crown Prince's power had expanded compared to that of ordinary princes, Qi Chengming gradually felt his heart soar, as if it were swaying beautifully.
However, he expressed deep skepticism about the clause in the imperial edict that "when receiving an order from the Crown Prince, it is as if I were personally present."
Emperor Hongren has already shown a strong possessiveness and xenophobia regarding power. Would he really be granted such great power? Or is this how previous emperors have always issued decrees, leaving Emperor Hongren with no choice but to say so? In reality, if Qi Chengming really dared to do such a thing…
After thinking for a moment, Qi Chengming calmed down and regained his composure.
What follows is the confrontation with the most powerful person in the imperial court, and there will be a long way to go.
really.
After announcing the important matter of the Crown Prince's appointment, Emperor Hongren sat upright and casually took out a new imperial edict—it seemed to have been written in advance—and handed it to Eunuch Fuman to read.
Grandpa Fuman was also taken aback after reading the contents.
The civil and military officials below were filled with curiosity, but the hearts of the reborn ministers sank. The initial excitement of witnessing history subsided slightly, and they began to think about what would happen next.
"My sixth son is the legitimate son of the Empress. He is kind, honest, and filial. He is hereby granted the title of Prince of the County, with the title 'Ning'... and Wanzhou as his fief. So be it!" After reading the decree, Eunuch Fuman looked at the sixth prince standing there, the young man looking shocked and bewildered, as if he had been hit by a pie.
"Your Highness Prince Ning, shall we receive the decree?" Eunuch Fu Man approached him in a kind tone and gently reminded him.
"Your subject... Your subject kowtows to thank Your Majesty for your great favor!" The Sixth Prince was almost overjoyed. For nearly a year, he had been shrouded in the fear of becoming a commoner sooner or later, teetering on the brink of collapse, almost driven mad by the torment. He never expected that his father would now bestow the title of prince upon him.
He accepted the imperial decree and expressed his gratitude, then lowered his head and secretly glanced gratefully in the direction of his second brother.
Over the past year, his temperament had been almost completely worn down. No matter how he thought about it, he knew that he was the son his father was most disappointed in. So, to suddenly single him out and confer a title on him, especially during the investiture ceremony of his elder brother, the crown prince, was clearly an attempt to use him as a tool in the future.
If he hadn't secretly allied with his second brother long ago, he would have felt incredibly bitter and resentful when he received the decree, yet he had no choice but to obey it willingly.
Things are different now.
He should be grateful, and he knows who he should be grateful to.
"..." The Seventh Prince, as the only prince without any support at the moment, stared intently at his father, waiting.
However, he received nothing in return.
Upon hearing His Majesty's whisper, Eunuch Fuman straightened his back, flicked his whisk, and announced loudly, "Those with matters to report, speak now; those without, court is adjourned—"
The seventh prince's gaze, fixed intently on the emperor, grew deeply wounded, and his father refused to meet his eyes again. The young man's face burned with shame and humiliation, and he nearly burst into tears.
Why……?
Both of his elder brothers were granted the title of king, so why did his father forget him?
He himself is still young, but he was once the most beloved son of the Emperor! Now he is the only one left in such an awkward position... Even if the Sixth Prince was made a prince to restrain the Crown Prince, can the Sixth Prince stand up for himself? Although he is the legitimate son, what else does he have besides that?
The Seventh Prince was momentarily overwhelmed with emotion, clenching his fists to compose himself. But unwilling to admit defeat, he quickly regained his composure and turned his attention to the Sixth Prince beside him, forcing a smile as he congratulated him, "I haven't yet offered my congratulations to Brother Ning..."
The six emperors' bullets couldn't suppress the second brother, isn't this exactly what's in his favor?
He shouldn't be discouraged. Assisting his sixth brother is a new path. In the future, with his talent, it won't be his job to assist his sixth brother...
The seventh prince was secretly plotting something in his heart, but the young boy acted as if nothing was amiss.
"..." Qi Chengming glanced at his two brothers, each with their own thoughts, feeling speechless yet quite disgusted.
Do you really think he doesn't know where Wanzhou, which was granted by Prince Ning, is located?
This is Luoyang, only about 400 li (approximately 200 kilometers) from Wanzhou! A day's journey by post or fast horse is possible. In case of any emergency, a large army can immediately storm the capital and purge the emperor's inner circle. Wanzhou is practically in the heart of the capital's outskirts. Which emperor would dare to enfeoff his brother's fiefdom so close to his own vital territory?
One could argue that this was because His Majesty loved his eldest son and didn't want him to be far away, but the location of this fiefdom is delicate and truly intriguing.
Fortunately, he and the sixth prince had secretly formed an alliance, and for a short time they could still trust each other and were not provoked by Emperor Hongren.
Otherwise... this would mean a life-or-death struggle between him and the Sixth Prince, implying that either the whetstone or the knife would eventually break!
Qi Chengming remained expressionless as he thought this; his mental fortitude had been greatly strengthened. The young man lowered his eyes, opened the infrastructure system, and calmly began to openly slack off in the court—
Sure enough, something unusual happened here.
A prominent new notification appeared on the panel: [Identity changed, loading...]
Within seconds, the panel underwent a complete transformation.
Qi Chengming clicked on each one and looked at them. The first one was [Personal Information]:
[Name: Qi Chengming]
Gender: Male
Age: Sixteen
Identity: Feudal Prince → Crown Prince (Partial Ruler)
Fiefdom: Liuzhou → Dingguo (? Explanation ①)
Health: 10, currently at its maximum (healthy peers have an immunity level of 10).
Reputation: 1.64 million...
Talented individuals under his command...
Qi Chengming's eyes widened suddenly. Fortunately, the nine-tasseled crown he wore had beads hanging down beyond its length, obscuring his upper face and casting a shadow that concealed his subtle expressions. No wonder those in power liked to wear these to court... they were indeed very useful.
Qi Chengming was surprised. How did his prestige become so high? Was it calculated based on population? Or according to some other method...?
However, there was a red dot on the [Fiefdom] section, and Qi Chengming couldn't control himself, subconsciously clicking on it to read the explanation: [When not the actual controller of the 'State,' the semi-ruler's control over the main fiefdom appears and disappears, manifesting as a '?'.]
That makes sense.
Qi Chengming suddenly understood.
A half-ruler, half-emperor, is essentially someone who shares power with the monarch. Therefore, before he successfully ascends the throne and becomes emperor, his character panel will not directly show that his fiefdom is Dingguo.
Qi Chengming also opened the list of talents under his command and glanced at it briefly.
Compared to the original list, an empty search engine icon has appeared above the talent list.
In fact, when Qi Chengming was originally the Prince of Rui, this list had already become quite long... and over the years, many more subcategories had gradually emerged to help him remember it. For example, "the capital," "local areas," "Silver Island Prefecture," and so on.
At that time, many officials in the court sought refuge with him, and Qi Chengming knew the names of the leaders. He also remembered the backgrounds of those vying for official positions in his prefecture. There were also some obscure officials who had been on this list since before he was exiled to Liuzhou…
Qi Chengming initially thought it was a problem with the infrastructure system, but later he realized that these people might be potential supporters who had been misled by the "emperor's beloved son" rhetoric. With this in mind, Qi Chengming wouldn't ignore this group.
...Now that he has been appointed Crown Prince, this "talent list" has become terrifyingly long. Numerous detailed subcategories popped up all at once, scrolling densely like malfunctioning code. The categories have become incredibly diverse, including "Capital," "Liuzhou," "Jizhou," "Yangzhou," and so on...the entire Dingguo is included in the classifications.
Qi Chengming casually clicked on the list of "Jizhou".
A familiar name near the front of the line immediately caught his eye: Ma Qianjin.
That unlucky third-place finisher this year.
He then looked through the talent lists of several other places, and many familiar or unfamiliar names appeared.
"…!" A surge of pride welled up in Qi Chengming's chest, making his heart race and his fingertips tremble slightly. All the talents in the country were now within his grasp!
He had a sudden thought and decided to try out the newly added search engine.
I searched through several categories but couldn't find Shen Congting. I don't know if he wasn't one of my subjects or if he was just lost in a sea of talent. Qi Chengming searched and surprisingly found his name in the "Capital City" category.
Unlike before, clicking on a person's name will now display a one-sentence description.
Shen Congting:
Shen Shuzhi, a cousin of the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the seventeenth year of the Hongren reign, was an official in the Ministry of Works.
Qi Chengming felt a sense of curiosity. Hmm, if he hadn't checked, he wouldn't have known that this dark horse was actually related to Shen Shuzhi. More and more new talents whose names hadn't appeared in the original story were emerging; this feeling was quite novel.
Qi Chengming followed the same method and opened the [Territory] map.
Similar to the talent list, Qi Chengming originally felt that his actual territory was already large enough, but now he has updated it to cover the entire Dingguo region, forming a comprehensive map.
But this time Qi Chengming did not feel happy; instead, his brows furrowed and his face darkened.
Which ancient person could have seen the entire landscape of the country like him? Nor would anyone have felt the same way he does now—horrified by what they saw.
On the map of Dingguo, after removing complex factors such as mineral deposits, population, and terrain resource distribution, the most basic display only includes a general overview of the state as "good" or "bad".
Green represents prosperity, yellow represents a moderate state which was considered very healthy development in ancient times, and red represents danger and disaster.
But now...
The map is a scene of devastation, with vast, dense patches of scarlet red stretching as far as the eye can see. Anyone with trypophobia would be terrified right now.
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