Chapter 237: Has He Grown Up?

Large study on the second floor.

The prince told him the follow-up of the dance house case. Dozens of officials were punished at once, and official positions in the court were vacant. Many people were promoted, which was considered a happy event.

Zong Jincheng thought of something and asked quickly, "Will the bosses of those departments that have problems be punished as well?"

He recalled that the last time the head of the Censorate did not want the Crown Prince to continue investigating because he was worried that it would lead to too many cases. Although it was wrong for officials to be too self-interested, this problem had to be solved.

The prince nodded and said, "Yes, but the punishment will be relatively light, ranging from a few months to a few years of salary, and the official position will not be removed."

The little devil asked tentatively: "Wouldn't a few years of salary fine be too heavy? They live on their salaries. Without any money coming in for a few years, would they be tempted to commit corruption?"

The prince raised his eyebrows slightly and asked in surprise, "You can think of this?"

Zong Jincheng nodded and said, "Because I have been preparing for a debate between good officials and bad officials these past two days. I am on the side of the bad officials. I have learned a lot about the lives of bad officials and found that some of them were forced to become bad people in the beginning."

"Debating good officials and bad officials?" The prince raised his eyebrows and smiled, "This is a good way to learn."

Zong Jincheng said proudly: "This was all thought up by my mother. Isn't it amazing?"

"It's really powerful." The prince chuckled, "So you think a few years of salary deduction is too heavy? Then how should it be punished?"

Zong Jincheng tilted his head and thought: "Demoted? At least I still have the money."

The prince said: "But for some people, it takes decades to get promoted to a higher position, which is not as good as a small fine."

"Ah..." Zong Jincheng said worriedly, "Then can't all of them be punished? They are just department heads, and they didn't do the bad things themselves. I always feel that they are innocent to be punished like this."

The prince did not rush to deny his idea, but guided him: "In the officialdom, there is a saying called "not strict in governing subordinates". If there is no punishment for department heads, they will know that their subordinates make mistakes but will not stop them. Because they will not be implicated, they will not need to offend their confidants. What will the officialdom become?"

Zong Jincheng thought about it...it would probably be even more chaotic than it is now.

Well, Your Highness has a point.

Zong Jincheng asked again, "Then Your Highness, when you talked to me about the appointment of officials last year, you mentioned that officials who don't do practical work can be demoted, transferred, promoted in name only but demoted in reality, etc. What exactly is the last method?"

His Highness said at the time that he was still young and would wait until he was older before telling him. Now it has been almost a year, so he should be considered grown up, right?

The prince's eyelashes trembled slightly. He seemed to hesitate for a while, but finally told him the answer: "Assassination."

The little devil's eyes widened.

The prince continued, "Those officials who cannot be dealt with openly should be dealt with secretly, and they should be killed in accidents, at the hands of enemies, or by suicide out of fear of punishment, in places where they will not be suspected by the court."

The kid clenched his fingers and sweat broke out on his palms.

No wonder His Highness thought he was too young last year and refused to teach him this. It turns out it is so bloody and cruel.

The prince had been observing his expression, always paying attention to whether the kid was uncomfortable. If he really couldn't accept it, he would say that he was joking just now. It was normal for a nine-year-old child to not accept it...

Unexpectedly, Zong Jincheng raised his little face and continued to ask: "Then, Your Highness, who was the one who did the assassination? Was it the secret guards?"

The prince raised his eyes slightly and a smile slowly formed at the corners of his mouth.

This child is truly a natural...

The prince said softly, "The people in power have secret guards around them. In addition to protecting themselves, they are also sent out to perform various tasks. However, assassinating officials is a shameful thing and cannot be discovered, so the people in power like to use others to kill people."

"By whose hand?" the little devil asked, "The enemies of those officials? But aren't their enemies good officials? Would good officials have the intention to harm others?"

The prince laughed and said, "Why do you think... all the bad officials should be in the same camp?"

Zong Jincheng opened his eyes wide and opened his mouth slightly. The thread in his mind that had been untangled suddenly became clear.

"Let them fight each other, let them kill each other, and then... the fisherman will benefit."

The prince nodded, confirming his idea.

Zong Jincheng was encouraged and said excitedly: "I pushed it correctly, I learned it, it's so simple!"

The prince chuckled and said, "The principle is simple, but it is difficult to implement in practice. It requires a good degree of control, otherwise if the snipe and the clam collude with each other, the fisherman will be in trouble."

The little devil nodded fiercely and said, "Okay, I'll remember that!"

The prince continued to talk to the kid for a long time until it got dark in the evening, then he stood up and was about to leave.

Because he was too engrossed in the conversation, Zong Jincheng didn't notice that there was anything wrong with him. Only now, with the lights lit outside the mansion, did he realize that His Highness' lips were a little pale.

The kid said anxiously, "Your Highness, you look so pale. You must be tired after staying with me all day. Why don't you change it to half a day in the future? A whole day is too long."

The prince smiled and shook his head, saying: "No, I still think a day is short. I have to make good use of my time. I can't..." I can't wait until Luo Jingfeng comes back.

It has been almost a year since the Chu army went to war. General Pingxi was extremely brave. Not only did he put down the initial rebellion, he also led his troops directly across the Jiliu River and counterattacked to capture an enemy city.

Luo Jingfeng replied that the battlefield situation was very good and that we should seize the opportunity to pursue the victory and defeat the enemy so that they would not dare to invade again and our territory would become larger and larger. The morale of the whole army was greatly boosted, and the people of Da Chu, who had been oppressed by the enemy for hundreds of years, felt proud.

But the more brilliant Luo Jingfeng's military exploits became, the greater the threat the Luo family posed to the imperial court.

Jincheng, you need to grow up faster...

The kid pouted and said with his head down: "Your Highness, I will definitely study hard, but you also have to take care of yourself. If you are not feeling well, don't make another trip. I can go to the East Palace."

The prince touched his dissatisfied face and said with a smile: "I know, I will do what I can."

After seeing off His Highness, Zong Jincheng stayed alone on the second floor and did not come down. He reviewed what the Crown Prince had said in his mind while looking through the window at the carriages and pedestrians coming and going on the street.

The world is at peace and the people live and work in peace and contentment.

But, when will His Highness' health recover?