If we were to say who is the most powerful and proud person in the court right now, it would surely be Zhang Jun.

The emperor intended to reward him lavishly. When he was in Huaixiang Town, he had already been given an official position and gold. After he returned to the capital, he even rewarded him with a mansion in the capital.

Plus countless fields.

Zhang Jun really didn't expect that he could get these, and he was flattered for a moment.

For this purpose, he secretly visited Zhao Ji in private.

I just want to see what the situation is and whether I should accept these rewards.

Zhao Ji smiled heartily, waved his hand and said: "The emperor really wants to reward you. These are not hot potatoes. They are things that others want but cannot get!"

Only then did Zhang Jun feel at ease to accept these things.

After rewarding those who deserved to be rewarded, the emperor did not let go of those who deserved to be punished.

During the morning court session, the Minister of Personnel was tied up and dragged into the hall step by step.

This time the emperor was really angry and asked the eunuch to read out the Minister of Personnel, every amount of corruption and every official position sold.

Every time he read it, the Minister of Personnel became more dejected. In the end, he lay on the ground with a pale face, trembling all over, and said nothing.

The emperor snorted coldly, looked at the officials below and said: "I have always known that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish, but just because I know something doesn't mean I approve it!"

"Wang Yu's fate today in this palace is to serve as a warning to all of you. I don't want any of you to be treated like this in this palace next time!"

"Wang Yu's fault is not just buying and selling official positions. I also know that some of you have close contacts with Wang Yu. This time, I will give you a chance."

"As long as you donate the money you embezzled or accepted in bribes to Zhao Ji within three days, I will not pursue the matter any further. If you keep your little fortune, I will let you know whether money is easy to earn or life is hard to keep!"

On this morning, the emperor did not even call for the end of the court session, but simply walked out in anger.

Zhao Ji lazily followed the emperor away.

Speaking of the commotion in the court today, the emperor did this after discussing it with Zhao Ji in private.

In just three days, many people sent money to Zhao Ji anonymously. Although they were anonymous, Zhao Ji knew who it was just by yawning.

This also made Zhao Ji more aware of how powerful the people under the emperor, led by Yueying, were.

At least no one can compare to him in collecting intelligence.

So sometimes Zhao Ji always doubts the emperor. Is it really that he doesn't know what the princes are doing secretly?

Or even if you know it, you still want to see if there is any outstanding successor who can stand out?

The Minister of Personnel Wang Yu was eventually beheaded at Caishikou and his body was hung for three months.

The residence of the Minister of Personnel was the second place where Zhao Ji’s property was confiscated.

Compared to a small vice minister, the Shangshu is still the Shangshu after all. What Zhao Ji copied this time is beyond the reach of the three vice ministers.

The emperor waved his hand with satisfaction and put the confiscated items into the national treasury. It is no exaggeration to say that the national treasury became rich all of a sudden.

Currently, two of the six ministries have vacancies for the position of Shangshu.

It stands to reason that people should be added as soon as possible. After all, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel are both important departments in the court.

One manages money, the other manages people.

If these two departments are without a helmsman, there will definitely be trouble, whether in the short term or the long term.

The emperor also had a headache. After the wave of buying and selling of official positions by the Minister of Personnel Wang Yu, the emperor was somewhat hesitant to employ people.

In addition, although these two people were killed as an example to warn the monkeys, there are definitely still some parasites in the mess of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue.

These are also what the emperor wants to eliminate, but he is somewhat powerless.

The emperor summoned Zhao Ji into the palace late at night because of this matter.

"Lord Zhao, if you have suitable candidates, why not recommend them? Otherwise, leaving these two positions vacant is not a long-term solution!"

The emperor said with a worried look on his face.

Zhao Ji wanted to speak, but when the words came to his lips, his heart moved: "I have been an official for a short time, and I don't know many people in the court. I really don't know who is the right candidate!"

Zhao Ji had been kneeling on the ground until now, but the emperor had not spoken a word to ask Zhao Ji to get up. After hearing what Zhao Ji said, the emperor slowly stood up and walked to Zhao Ji to help him up.

Taking advantage of this brief physical contact, Zhao Ji heard the emperor's inner thoughts.

[That's right. If Zhao Ji said that he has a candidate in mind, I'm afraid he is forming a clique for personal gain. There are really few people under his command who are content! ]

[However, Zhao Ji was sincere in what he said. He is still trustworthy as before. As expected, it is better to have smart people like Zhao Ji! ]

After Zhao Ji stood up, he did not immediately let go of the emperor's hand, but pretended to be puzzled and asked: "The Prime Minister is the head of all officials. Doesn't the Prime Minister have anyone to recommend for this matter?"

Before the emperor could utter a single word, his inner voice came through.

[The Prime Minister now has great power in the court. He was also involved in the buying and selling of official positions. How dare I use the candidate he mentioned at this time!]

The emperor thought so in his heart, but he said on the surface: "The Prime Minister naturally has his own considerations, but I also need to listen to more people's suggestions!"

"After all, if ordinary people were placed in these two positions, I would not feel at ease!"

As the emperor spoke, he let go of Zhao Ji's hand and reached out to take out a list.

"The first few pages are the candidates recommended by the Prime Minister, and the last few pages are the people currently available in the court. Have you ever dealt with any of them? Do you have any comments?"

Zhao Ji knew that the emperor now trusted him, so he also had a say in this matter.

Now that you all have the right to speak, you’d be a fool not to push your own people, or people you admire, to the top!

"I have taken a closer look and I have two candidates!"

Zhao Ji stretched out his hand and tapped on the list. Those two people were not Zhao Ji's men. However, when Zhao Ji was investigating the Ministry of Personnel, he discovered that these two adults seemed to be hiding something.

At a time when there were so many people in the court and extravagance and bribery were prevalent, these two ministers did not value socializing. After finishing their duties, they liked to do charity.

Zhao Ji also had some private contact with these two people.

They can be said to be loyal ministers. Most importantly, these two people are not greedy and will not engage in corruption or bribery.

The emperor also listened carefully to Zhao Ji's reasons for recommending these two people.

Although the imperial edict was not written on the spot, Zhao Ji felt that it was almost correct.

The Prime Minister saw that the two vacant positions in the court were so important.

They were also secretly hoping that the emperor would help their people ascend to the throne.