"Good, good." Prince Yu was very satisfied.
The prince's face darkened.
Zhao Lin actually dared to flirt with Prince Yu in front of him. He was courting death!
Li Chengqian winked at the Crown Prince, who had no choice but to suppress his anger and said with a forced smile, "Second brother, you have good intentions."
Prince Yu chuckled and said, "I can't help it. I just can't stand that kind of betrayal and abandonment. Lord Zhao is so capable, and I admire his talent, so I want to help him. I hope I'm not disturbing you, my brother."
"Haha, how can you disturb me when you say that?"
The prince laughed, but his expression became even gloomier.
The officials around him all took a few steps back consciously.
Because Emperor Chengping was celebrating his birthday, many local officials came, including more than a dozen governors, plus some idle princes and nobles, forming a huge crowd blocking the palace gate.
The Crown Prince and Prince Yu stood face to face, surrounded by a circle of people, like street performers.
Fortunately, a eunuch came over at this time and said, "The time has come. Please enter in order, everyone."
The ministers immediately straightened their clothes and divided into two groups, civil and military, according to their rank, and entered one after another.
This time, Emperor Chengping sat on the dragon throne without being late, and he was not invited back despite repeated attempts.
"If you have something to report, report it early. If you don't, leave the court." Zhu Zhongyan shouted.
"I have something to report." Zhao Lin immediately stepped out and said.
"Speak." Emperor Chengping said.
Zhao Lin knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, Zhao Lin, rose from humble beginnings. Fortunately, the Emperor personally selected him as the top scholar. I have since been appointed prefect of Qingzhou, governor of Jiujiang, and governor-general of Liangjiang. Now, I am also the governor-general of the nation's rivers. This is four promotions in two years, unprecedented in history. Your Majesty's grace is immense, and I am filled with gratitude and trepidation. I can only repay your kindness by devoting myself to your work until my death."
Zhao Lin kowtowed three times.
Emperor Chengping waved his hand and said, "This is what you deserve. Get up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Before Zhao Lin could stand up and return to the line, the former river governor, Prince Rui Li Zhengnian, came out, knelt down, and cried, "Your Majesty, I don't know what I have done wrong to be dismissed and investigated. There must be some scoundrel who is slandering me. Please investigate."
Emperor Chengping was furious and said, "As the governor of the river, you failed to discipline your subordinates. You sat back and watched your subordinates extort money without doing anything. How many people have you driven to death? And you dare to say you don't know what you did wrong?"
Li Zhengnian choked and said, "This was all done by my subordinates. I was not aware of it. Even if I am wrong, it is not enough to dismiss me from my post and investigate, right?"
"Who said we are investigating you? We are just dismissing you from your post and letting you go home to retire. Anyway, you are old and it is time for you to go back and enjoy your retirement." Emperor Chengping said impatiently.
Li Zhengnian cried, "I have been the Governor of the River since the twelfth year of Chengping, and it has been fourteen years now. I have worked diligently and without slacking off. Even if I want to go back to spend my remaining years, this should not happen. How can I face the late Emperor after my death? Your Majesty, please revoke your order and give me a chance to atone for my sins."
"Your Majesty, Lord Li is absolutely right. Although he has been negligent, he should not be punished so severely. Please give him a chance to redeem himself." An official stood up and said.
"Mr. Xu Yue, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Works." Fu Wenqi whispered, and his voice floated into Zhao Lin's ears.
Zhao Lin didn't know these people, so Fu Wenqi had to give him some hints so that he would know who was the enemy and who was the friend.
The prince's expression changed.
Xu Yuegong, the Deputy Minister of Works, was his man.
It was wrong for him to stand up against Zhao Lin when he had already had a friendly conversation with Zhao Lin.
As soon as Lord Xu Yue finished speaking, another official stepped forward and said, "I second the motion. First, Lord Li has made no contributions, but he has worked hard. We shouldn't treat an old man who has dedicated his life to the court this way. Secondly, even if Lord Li steps down, we can't hand over such an important position as the Governor of the River to Zhao Lin. I'm not saying Zhao Lin is incompetent, but he's too young to handle the heavy responsibility of the Governor of the River."
"Minister of War Gao Wuwei."
Fu Wenqi's voice floated into Zhao Lin's ears again.
The prince's expression changed again.
Gao Wuwei is also his man.
Although many people don’t know, they will definitely reveal it to Zhao Lin, and then Zhao Lin will hate the prince.
"These two bastards!" The prince's face looked extremely ugly.
The prince looked at Prince Yu, only to see him smiling at him.
It was worth it to throw out two unimportant chess pieces and alienate the prince and Zhao Lin.
The prince took a deep breath, then suddenly stepped forward and said in a loud voice, "Father, I have something to say."
"If you have to fart, do it quickly." Emperor Chengping was already extremely impatient.
The Crown Prince said, "I believe that although Prince Rui made some mistakes, he has made great contributions. This is indeed inappropriate for his treatment. It would be better to grant Prince Rui an honorable retirement, which would also be a great favor from the Emperor."
Li Zhengnian was originally happy because he thought the prince was speaking for him, but when he heard the second half of the sentence, his face immediately darkened and he glared at the prince fiercely.
But the Crown Prince didn't care about a man who had lost his power, even if that man was from the same family as him. Instead, he continued in a serious tone, "As for the position of Governor of the River, although Zhao Lin is young, he has done a great job in everything he did since he took office. I think he can take on this position."
Emperor Chengping was delighted and nodded, saying, "Well said."
Prince Yu hurried forward and said, "Your Majesty, your eyes are sharp. Zhao Lin is exceptionally capable and extraordinary. He is the right person for the important position of Governor of the River."
Immediately, many officials echoed this.
They all knew Emperor Chengping's temper.
Emperor Chengping would not make a decision, but once he made a decision, he would stick to it no matter how absurd it was.
It’s just like the last time I gave Zhao Lin the Qingzhou military flag.
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