Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Fourth Prince sat at the head of the table, looking sullen. Below him sat the Thirteenth Prince, Li Wei, Tian Wenjing, Zhang Tingyu, Longkodo, and Ortai.
After carefully pouring tea for the officials, Su Peisheng quietly withdrew.
After reading the memorial, the Fourth Prince, with a gloomy face, suddenly slammed it on the table and angrily rebuked, "Look at this, aren't all these reports from the common people?"
The Thirteenth Prince picked up the memorial on the table, glanced at it casually, and his expression instantly changed. It was full of rumors slandering the Fourth Prince, every sentence cutting to the heart. Even the Thirteenth Prince felt uncomfortable reading it, let alone the Fourth Prince.
Holding the memorial, the Thirteenth Prince said to the Fourth Prince, "Fourth Brother, these words clearly didn't spread naturally. Someone must have deliberately framed us. Leave this matter to me; I will find out who is behind this. If I catch them, I'll make them suffer a thousand cuts..."
Fourth Master glanced at Thirteenth Master with satisfaction, and his anger subsided somewhat.
Li Wei thought for a moment and said to the Fourth Prince, "I agree with the Thirteenth Prince's words. We must take strong measures so that these people know they cannot discuss the royal family in private. This will also serve as a warning to those with ulterior motives; the royal family will not tolerate this matter..."
Zhang Tingyu frowned, deep in thought, and tried to dissuade him, saying, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, although the rumors are excessive, severe punishment is not the solution. Silencing people's mouths doesn't guarantee you can silence their hearts. Therefore, suppression is not the best method..."
The Thirteenth Prince grew anxious and said to Zhang Tingyu, "Then tell me, what should we do? Have you even read what these rumors are saying? Fourth Brother's ascension to the throne was legitimate and rightful; such fabrications and slander cannot be tolerated. I cannot accept such vicious accusations as altering the will and forcing his brother to kill their mother. It's too unfair that Fourth Brother is being burdened with such infamy for no reason..."
Seeing that the Thirteenth Prince was furious and Zhang Tingyu was speechless, Longkodo stepped in to persuade him: "Lord Zhang only meant that blocking isn't the best solution. We should be thinking of better ways to dispel these rumors. Thirteenth Prince, please don't be angry..."
Seeing that the Thirteenth Prince was indeed furious, the Fourth Prince said, "Thirteenth Prince, let's hear everyone's opinions first..."
Thirteenth Master then sat down, too angry to speak.
Tian Wenjing then said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the best way to dispel these rumors is for Your Majesty to personally set an example, letting the world see that Your Majesty is a diligent, benevolent, and filial emperor. Then the rumors will naturally crumble, and those with treacherous intentions will have no way to retaliate..."
The group nodded in agreement with Tian Wenjing's statement. After his anger subsided, Thirteenth Master also realized that he had been too impulsive and had not thought things through as thoroughly as Tian Wenjing.
After listening to Tian Wenjing's opinion, Fourth Master secretly made up his mind.
After pondering for a while, he said, "I think Lord Tian's words make sense, so I have decided to reduce taxes, grant a general amnesty, and truly benefit the people. Although the national treasury is not full at the moment, we must implement this even if we have to tighten our belts."
The group exchanged glances, agreeing that this was the best solution. Because the Fourth Master was very determined, and this was a beneficial thing for the people, no one objected.
In fact, the day the Empress was imprisoned by the Thirteenth Prince in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, she was pleading with the Fourth Prince to pardon some people who had committed offenses, including Lady Wuya. Naturally, the Fourth Prince did not grant the Empress's request at the time.
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