Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

The moment Shen Jiangliu knelt down to beg for forgiveness, the Qianzheng Hall fell silent for a moment.

At this moment, the person kneeling was very calm.

If he's right, His Majesty probably won't punish him.

From Ning'an to his return to the capital, he was secretly protected by people along the way, and the first thing he said when he was summoned was "not bad".

If His Majesty intends to use him as a tool and then discard him, there's really no need for those words of both kindness and severity to win his loyalty; he will likely still have to use him.

Qin Ji looked at the person kneeling in front of him.

These are rare talents in water management, exceptionally capable, courageous, and fearless. They have offended countless people and have no chance of forming factions in the court. They are a gift from heaven, a loyal and pure minister. It would be a waste not to use them.

Although Qin Ji had many grievances against this junior brother, especially against Jiang Jibai's constant references to Jiang Liu, he still helped the man up with a smile, his attitude friendly and welcoming. "Why do you say that, Minister Shen?"

"Since I have granted you the power to act first and report later, and given you a secret decree to have the General of Ning'an cooperate with your actions, I am giving you the authority to act as you see fit, so that you will not be held back at crucial moments."

"The Ning'an Provincial Governor has committed countless crimes, so killing him is justified."

"Even if you, my dear minister, do not share my burdens, I will still kill you."

The emperor spoke calmly, yet he described the life and fortune of the powerful regional official as mere dust on a desk, even though this official had once been a powerful and influential figure in Ning'an.

Shen Jiangliu suddenly looked up and met a pair of unfathomable eyes, eyes that looked down on the world with an air of superiority cultivated by power.

Facing imperial power for the first time, facing this emperor who was not yet eighteen, Shen Jiangliu didn't know how many times he had broken out in a cold sweat.

Even though the Ning'an Provincial Governor deserved to die, Shen Jiangliu had never realized so clearly as at this moment that the young monarch of Dayin was a born emperor who could wield absolute power and decide life and death with a single word.

"Killing him is fine, so be it."

"To share my burdens."

Shen Jiangliu thought to himself, if he really believed these few light words and started to get carried away and take himself too seriously, the Ning'an Provincial Governor would be waiting for him down below.

His Majesty sees him as a tool to purge Ning'an's officialdom, deeming him useful and willing to protect him. However, if he continues to overstep his bounds, His Majesty may well abandon him.

These words were both a reassurance and a warning.

So young, yet she has so many schemes and tricks up her sleeve. Is she some kind of reincarnated honeycomb briquette, with eyes everywhere she goes?

Shen Jiang swallowed his words, which were tantamount to suicide. "His Majesty trusts me and has granted me the power to execute first and report later, and has also ordered the general to assist me. This is intended to deter villains. I should not have used this power without authorization."

"But Sun Han, the Provincial Governor of Ning'an, was desperate and not only repeatedly ordered his men to ambush and kill people, but also tried to obtain evidence of the murders and destroy physical evidence."

"He is a powerful and deeply entrenched figure. Everyone in Ning'an is either his henchman or in cahoots with him. I am weak and powerless, and I am afraid that I will fail Your Majesty's trust and let him succeed."

"In order to protect the evidence and prevent Your Majesty's painstaking efforts from being wasted, I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure to deter the rest of Ning'an. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

In a critical moment, he decisively killed Sun Han to protect the witnesses, which shows his decisiveness.

Qin Ji had already learned the truth from the secret guards and knew that there was a reason for it, so he didn't intend to pursue it. He just wanted to see how his senior brother would react.

Seeing his pragmatism, Qin Ji was very satisfied. "In times of emergency, one must act expediently. Minister Shen, you handled the task beautifully. I should be rewarding you, not punishing you."

"Don't say things like that again."

Shen Jiangliu was "moved to tears," saying, "Your Majesty's benevolence is as vast as the heavens; I am deeply grateful."

Qin Ji smiled contentedly.

Very well, it seems his cheap senior brother isn't completely clueless.

Isn't that being sensible?

Keep it up.

...

Shen Jiangliu returned to Beijing like a boulder crashing onto the water's surface, shattering the seemingly calm pool into a raging torrent.

His Majesty summoned Shen Jiangliu to the Qianzheng Hall, and the two talked for nearly two hours.

The following day, the shocking Ning'an embezzlement case was presented to the court by Shen Jiangliu and two imperial inspectors, while the case file of the assassination attempt on the emperor by Deng Chang, the former Xuanwei General, was added to the mix.

The entire court was alarmed.

These remnants of Wang Jing's poison in Ning'an are so audacious that they embezzle millions of yuan in river management funds every year. Despite annual calls for reinforcement of the river embankment, the funds allocated by the court are not even one-tenth actually used for the river management.

The immense wealth fueled the greed of insects, which became increasingly audacious, mixing sand and soil into the hemp materials and piling them up so that they were solid on the outside but hollow on the inside. Once the dikes were breached, the Lishui area would be submerged.

Not only that, they assassinated the imperial envoy, intercepted witnesses, and destroyed evidence.

Even when His Majesty was keenly aware of the truth and it was clear that the truth could not be concealed any longer, he actually decided to go all the way and colluded with the orphaned son of Prince Rui to order someone to assassinate His Majesty, attempting to overthrow the dynasty.

This is treason!

The emperor, in a fit of rage, pointed his sword at Ning'an and ordered the three judicial departments to conduct a joint trial, submitting witness testimonies and physical evidence to the Ministry of Justice for verification.

The current emperor is not like he was at the beginning of his personal rule, when he was constrained and had many concerns.

Having ruled in his own right for nearly two years, he holds absolute power, with the power of life and death over others.

When the emperor is enraged, millions will die and rivers of blood will flow.

As the case became clearer, heads rolled on the ground, and hundreds of officials were implicated in Ning'an province alone, not to mention the numerous exchanges between the capital and Ning'an.

The knives at Caishikou were worn dull from all the chopping; countless people had their homes confiscated and were exiled.

The autumn wind is chilly, and the evening rain is drizzling.

Not only the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate, but even the officials of the Ministry of Personnel were in a state of utter chaos.

With so many vacancies to fill, and all the capable people already in place, the positions are still not full. We can't just blindly recommend people; the one sitting on the throne is not someone to be easily fooled.

Fortunately, the Spring Examination will arrive after the New Year, at which time fresh blood will flow in, so there is still some hope.

Furthermore, the selection of the next Ning'an Provincial Governor is no longer a headache for them, as His Majesty personally appointed Minister Yang Xiuyun of the Ministry of Works, instructing him to take up his post as soon as possible.

From Vice Minister of Works to Provincial Governor of Ning'an, his rank rose by half a grade, from the third rank to the second rank.

But moving from the central government to the local level is hardly a promotion.

Yang Xiuyun remained relatively calm.

When His Majesty handed this mess over to him, he held his hand and gave him earnest instructions.

"I know that Ning'an is a tough job, but with such a big case just happened, I really can't put my mind at ease unless I hand it over to someone I trust and can rely on."

"My dear minister, you are my most trusted advisor. Why don't you make a trip to Ning'an for me? Once Ning'an is on the right track, you will surely have a place here with me."

Yang Xiuyun had been in the position of Vice Minister for many years without moving. Judging from His Majesty's words, this appointment as a regional governor was only a temporary measure. Once he had cleaned up the mess in Ning'an, he would be recalled to the court and given an important position. His position might even be changed again.

Even without mentioning this, sharing His Majesty's burdens and doing practical things for the people of Ning'an is the duty of a subject of the Great Yin Dynasty.

He will not shirk responsibility, whether it is a promotion in name only or a demotion in reality.

...

While some were celebrating and others were grieving, Qin Ji was still pondering how to resolve the threat to his identity posed by Shen Jiangliu.

Although he could be sent away to solve the problem, Qin Ji felt that it would be appropriate for him to be appointed as an assistant minister in the Ministry of Water Resources based on his merits in controlling the floods in Ning'an. After all, the talents in flood control should be put to good use.

But if he just hangs around the capital every day, even with Bian Yushu helping him fool people, he's still a ticking time bomb bigger than Yang Xiuyun.

You never know when you might run into Jiang Jibai.

He can't keep someone watching him forever, can he?

As if things weren't going to go wrong, just as Qin Ji was having a headache over Shen Jiangliu's matter, he received a memorial from the Provincial Governor of Sichuan, saying that with the end of the year approaching, he requested to return to the capital to report on his duties.

The matter of my cheap senior brother hasn't been resolved yet, and now there's Bian Yushu's father.

He didn't even dare to imagine what it would be like if Jiang Jibai introduced him to Shen Jiangliu with his left hand and arranged for him to meet with Bian Feibai's father with his right.

Qin Ji picked up his pen to write the four characters "Not allowed to return" on the memorial, but then reluctantly wrote a "Granted" in vermilion ink.

Qin Ji held his head and questioned the meaning of life for a while. Finally, he threw down his pen and went to the Imperial Clan Court to vent his anger on his defeated opponent.