This was Chen Ji’s fourth visit to the palace.

If the Ning Dynasty was a giant spanning four thousand *li* of mountains and rivers, then the Forbidden City, enclosed by crimson palace walls, was the giant’s scarlet heart. The Grand Secretaries and ministers who entered and exited from here were the blood of the Ning Dynasty.

Blood flowed endlessly, and no one knew what the giant was thinking.

Chen Ji followed Shan Niu, walking along the palace road between red walls and golden roofs. Along the way, *Jie Fan Wei* and eunuchs, seeing Shan Niu, retreated to the sides of the palace road and stood with their hands down, only daring to look up after he passed.

Some quietly peeked at Chen Ji, wondering which clueless youngster dared to enter the palace drunk to meet the Emperor, and quickly lowered their heads after a glance.

Chen Ji stumbled and walked slowly, so Shan Niu turned back, silently grabbed his belt, and continued into the palace, holding him with one hand and Liao Zhong with the other.

Chen Ji turned his head and saw Liao Zhong, whose neck was the only part he could move, twisting his head to glare intensely at him.

He drunkenly reached out, across Shan Niu’s waist, and patted Liao Zhong’s forehead: “Stop staring, those wide eyes are scary.”

After saying that, he chuckled foolishly. Liao Zhong’s eyes were bloodshot, as if he wanted to pop them out.

Shan Niu brought Chen Ji and Liao Zhong to the outside of Renshou Palace, not rushing through the hanging flower gate, nor even entering the courtyard of Renshou Palace. He simply stood quietly outside.

Inside, a *Tang Guan*’s booming voice could be heard: “Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has stated the truth. He merely mistook Chen Ji for the main assailant. The incident was sudden, and it was not a grave error for the Crown Prince to speculate. We only need the *Si Li Jian* to retract the arrest warrant.”

“Your Majesty, the assassination during the Spring Hunt has nothing to do with the Crown Prince. The true mastermind is someone else.”

“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince’s only mistake this time was fleeing first out of fear of battle. However, the Crown Prince was forcibly taken away by Liao Zhong, who is an *Xing Guan*, so the Crown Prince had no recourse. Therefore, fleeing first out of fear of battle is Liao Zhong’s fault, absolutely not the Crown Prince’s.”

“Liao Zhong was originally a convicted prisoner. It was only by your great imperial grace that he was allowed to serve as the Crown Prince’s strategist. Who would have thought this villain would be greedy for life, afraid of death, and so insidious and malicious, leading to such a grave mistake!”

“Your Majesty, the foundation of the nation must not be shaken!”

“Your Majesty!”

This *Tang Guan* did not mention the Crown Prince’s intention to kill Chen Ji, nor the assassins disguised as *Jie Fan Wei*, nor why Liao Zhong fled. He only thoroughly exonerated the Crown Prince, attributing the crime of fleeing first out of fear of battle solely to Liao Zhong.

Liao Zhong’s expression was initially fierce, but gradually the ferocity faded, leaving only a look of desolation on his face.

Chen Ji drunkenly turned to Liao Zhong: “Now you are also a discarded piece.”

But at this moment, Shan Niu, standing still and holding the two, suddenly spoke: “The Liao family has produced four *Jin Shi*, and one *Bang Yan*. Liao Bo served as *Li Bu Shi Lang*, Liao Cheng as *Shan Zhou Tong Pan*, and Liao Bin as *Tai Yuan Fu Tong Zhi*. The Liao family was granted three *Jin Shi* archways erected in their hometown, and their ancestral home still displays the imperial plaque ‘Zhong Qin Zheng Zhi’. They can truly be called a pillar of our Ning Dynasty.”

Liao Zhong remained expressionless, as if he hadn’t heard anything.

Shan Niu continued: “When the *Nei Xiang* learned of your Liao family’s misfortune, you spent all your family wealth to bribe the then *Zhang Yin Da Tai Jian* Wang Bao, allowing one son to escape castration and live in seclusion in Jinling under a changed name. This is the last branch of the Liao family’s lineage.”

Only upon hearing this did Liao Zhong’s expression finally change, his eyes trembling slightly.

Shan Niu looked down at the back of Liao Zhong’s head: “Liao Zhong, when you threatened others’ weaknesses, you should have known that you also have weaknesses. The victor is king, the loser is bandit. If you lose, you lose. Whether you play a young scholar or a clown on stage, you must take your bow gracefully.”

With that, Shan Niu lifted his knee, hitting Liao Zhong’s chin, which straightened his jaw.

Liao Zhong hoarsely asked: “What does the *Nei Xiang* want?”

Shan Niu calmly replied: “The *Nei Xiang* instructed that if you give him what he wants, he can leave a branch of your Liao family’s lineage and send your family’s ‘Zhong Qin Zheng Zhi’ plaque to Jinling. You are a clever man; you will guess what the *Nei Xiang* wants shortly.”

Liao Zhong laughed bitterly: “The *Nei Xiang* doesn’t want to be criticized, so he wants me to guess even such a big matter?”

Shan Niu casually said: “If you guess wrong, we will send the remaining members of your Liao family to the *Jiao Fang Si*, the men as slaves, the women as prostitutes.”

He carried the two through the hanging flower gate.

Outside Renshou Palace, the Crown Prince knelt prostrate beside the Monument of Filial Piety, his white robe as spotless as ever.

Inside Renshou Palace, lights gleamed, and gauze curtains swayed. The smoke from hundreds of incense candles coiled at the ceiling, resembling a celestial palace.

The Crown Prince heard footsteps and looked back. The moment he saw Liao Zhong, he calmly met his gaze, his eyes like a deep, verdant lake.

Liao Zhong did not look at the Crown Prince, perhaps unwilling or daring not to.

As Shan Niu carried Chen Ji past the Monument of Filial Piety, he casually tossed him beside the Crown Prince, and without looking back, instructed: “Wait here.”

Beside the Monument of Filial Piety, Chen Ji did not prostrate, but sat cross-legged on the ground, his head nodding, seemingly utterly drunk.

The Crown Prince looked sideways and slowly spoke: “Drunken self-defilement, losing composure before the Emperor, wanting to be a blundering, lucky youngster? That’s a good strategy. But everyone here in Renshou Palace at this moment is shrewd; they won’t believe it, and neither will I. I know exactly what kind of person you are.”

“What do you want to hide with this?” The Crown Prince, kneeling nearby, pondered, “Are you afraid someone will ask how you survived the encirclement by the *Wu Chang Bing Ma*? How you captured Liao Zhong? Who exactly used the *Wu Chang Bing Ma* to kill you? These are secrets you cannot and dare not explain, aren’t they? I underestimated you.”

The Crown Prince waited for Chen Ji to reply, but the next moment, Chen Ji lay down on his back beside him, exhaling alcohol fumes towards the sky, with no intention of acknowledging him.

Chen Ji lay down, the Crown Prince knelt.

The Crown Prince looked up into Renshou Palace, gazing distantly at the figure seated on the throne behind the gauze curtains, but could not discern the person’s face: “Sometimes I envy you. I sincerely envied you when I heard you severed ties with *Chen Da Ren*. But I cannot, I must be a good Crown Prince, and also a good son…”

Chen Ji rolled over, turning his back to the Crown Prince: “What are you mumbling about? Scratch my back.”

For a moment, the Crown Prince was unsure if Chen Ji was truly drunk or feigning it.

After a long silence, he smiled: “Youthful spirit may be beautiful, but you ultimately don’t understand what kind of person my imperial father truly is. I understand him best. A Crown Prince whose wings have been clipped, rather than truly being abolished, is better used to exchange for something. Chen Ji, this deep palace court is no different from the livestock market; only in the livestock market are prices clearly marked, while here the prices must be guessed. My imperial father will seize every opportunity to achieve what he wants. Neither you nor I are in his eyes; in his eyes, there is only this empire.”

Chen Ji, with his back to the Crown Prince, slowly opened his eyes.

The furnace fire within him burned, and the strong liquor evaporated into steam, his eyes clear and sharp.

Shan Niu brought Liao Zhong to the outside of Renshou Palace, but he merely waited at the palace threshold, not rushing to speak or enter Renshou Palace, as if waiting for the *Bu Tang* to finish their arguments.

The clamor inside Renshou Palace suddenly fell silent. The Grand Secretaries and *Tang Guan* in the hall turned to look, silently gazing at Shan Niu, and at Liao Zhong in Shan Niu’s hand.

Some had shifting expressions, some looked relieved, others showed no discernible emotion.

In the silence, the Emperor, who had been silent all night behind the gauze curtains in Renshou Palace, finally spoke, yet made no mention of Shan Niu and Liao Zhong outside the palace: “You’ve been arguing all night, take a break, let’s discuss official matters first… Who wants to speak first?”

Before anyone could react, Zhang Zhuo, in his red official robe, stepped forward and bowed: “Your Majesty, our Ning Dynasty’s tax system follows the two-tax law of the previous dynasty, which now has many drawbacks. One major drawback is the multitude of tax items: land tax, head tax, various miscellaneous taxes, and the common people also have to perform corvée labor for the government, suffering immensely. The second major drawback is chaotic collection: collecting goods in kind and labor not only incurs high transportation costs but also provides opportunities for officials to embezzle. The third major drawback is uneven burden: powerful landlords own vast amounts of land but evade taxes by virtue of their official status, shifting the burden to the common people… Your Majesty, the implementation of new taxes is imminent, but we still need to find a few places to trial it and see the results. If the results are good, then it can be implemented throughout the north and south.”

Emperor Ning sat behind the gauze curtain and asked indifferently: “What do you ministers think?”

After a brief silence, Grand Secretary Chen looked towards the door.

Liao Zhong was held in Shan Niu’s hand, like a blade poised at the necks of the Grand Secretaries and ministers.

He slowly rose from his embroidered stool: “Your Majesty, the unscrupulous gentry of Luzhou are increasingly rampant in seizing common people’s land. It is precisely there that new policies should be trialed to observe their effectiveness.”

Emperor Ning did not speak.

After a long time, Grand Secretary Hu also slowly rose, his voice hoarse: “Shan Zhou and Yang Zhou can also be considered.”

Emperor Ning casually said: “Let it be so. Draft an imperial decree: By the petition of Zhang Zhuo and other ministers, deeply considering the national economy, observing the people’s conditions, consulting ancient and modern practices, and broadly collecting opinions, the ‘Yi Tiao Bian Fa’ is hereby approved as requested. The Ministry of Revenue shall issue documents to all prefectural and county officials, reverently accepting Our will, and meticulously manage it. For those places chosen for trial, land acreage must be surveyed, household registers clarified, old quotas verified, and new regulations established. Any powerful rogues who obstruct or corrupt officials who deceive and conceal shall be treated as defying imperial decrees. Proclaim this both domestically and abroad, so all may know.”

Wu Xiu, standing nearby, took a deep breath and bowed: “Your humble servant obeys the decree. I shall go at once…”

Before everyone could catch their breath and carefully ponder this imperial decree, they heard Emperor Ning speak again: “Draft an imperial decree: We believe that the governance of an emperor lies in acquiring worthy individuals. Zhang Zhuo possesses profound knowledge, upholds integrity, and is loyal to the monarch and devoted to the nation, hence he is a trusted confidant. Zhang Zhuo is hereby promoted to Minister of Personnel and Grand Academician of the Wuying Palace, to lead the new policies.”

Renshou Palace once again fell silent.

The ministers exchanged glances; His Majesty had used this opportunity to bring Zhang Zhuo into the Grand Secretariat!

Everyone knew that Zhang Zhuo’s entry into the Grand Secretariat was a foregone conclusion, but no one expected it to happen so quickly!

Some wanted to remonstrate, but they looked at Liao Zhong outside the door, then at the unmoving Grand Secretaries, and had no choice but to drop the idea.

Even then, it was not over.

The evening breeze outside the hall stirred the gauze curtains. Emperor Ning, seated on the throne, spoke again: “We hear the Qi family has a daughter, Zhaoyun, who is virtuous and benevolent. Grand Secretary Qi, would it be good to betroth her to Prince Fu as his principal consort?”

Grand Secretary Qi was slightly startled, then whispered: “Your Majesty, this is a blessing for my Qi family.”

Emperor Ning’s words now carried a hint of a smile. He beckoned to Wu Xiu: “Draft an imperial decree: Grant a marriage to Prince Fu, with the ceremony to be held next spring. Also, this boy should also go and gain some experience; draft an imperial decree for him to investigate the salt tax in the south. If he can’t figure it out, he doesn’t need to return.”

The first two imperial decrees were rigorous and proper, but when it came to Prince Fu, they were somewhat hasty, combining a granted marriage with a tax investigation, without a clear official position or specific duties.

It only said to investigate the salt tax, but not to what extent it would be considered “figured out.”

The three decrees, though never explicitly mentioning the assassination, seemed to revolve around it in every sentence.

The Grand Secretaries understood, but the ministers were still somewhat bewildered, and could only wait until they returned home to slowly ponder and analyze.

It was only when the dust had settled that Emperor Ning looked up towards the palace gate: “Who is outside the hall?”

Shan Niu reported in a deep voice: “Your Majesty, Liao Zhong has been brought.”

Emperor Ning calmly asked: “Where is Chen Ji?”

Shan Niu stepped aside, revealing the courtyard of Renshou Palace behind him.

Everyone looked over in unison, seeing Chen Ji lying motionless on the blue bricks, as if asleep.