The Demon Prince

The expressions of the military officers in the hall all changed. Some of them had only come to see Xiao Xingyue make a fool of himself, but upon hearing this, their fists hardened!

They also have soldiers behind them, and their own men have been killed or wounded. Today it is the old troops of the North, but tomorrow it may be their turn!

An old military officer, his eyes reddening, stepped forward:

"Your Majesty, I also have something to report regarding what the Eighth Princess said."

Two captains under my command who died in battle three years ago have yet to receive their pensions, and it is still being provided for by this old servant!

Another general gritted his teeth:

"I have it too.

The Ministry of War kept saying they were verifying the documents, and it took three years! Three years, then another three years!

Other people's children are already working in the fields, but we haven't seen a drop in money yet!

Cao Bi's old followers turned pale. How did the fire spread to them?

They came to force Xiao Xingyue to hand over the list, not to have Li Shunhua bring up old grievances!

Li Shunhua closed the document, her anger deepening.

"Father, I request an imperial decree to investigate the old pension accounts of the Ministry of War, not just for the Xiao family, but for all the soldiers of Great Xia!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many people in the military ranks stepped forward simultaneously.

"I second that opinion."

"I second that opinion."

"I second that opinion."

Looking at Li Shunhua, Qin Zhenyue finally felt a deep sense of relief.

This is Qin Zhenyue's granddaughter, and she is also the person who will command the army in the future of Great Xia.

If Qin Liangyue were in the palace, she would probably be furious.

The emperor looked at Li Shunhua, his expression momentarily complicated. He had given this daughter the right to fight, but the first time she stood formally before the hearts of the army was through Xiao Xingyue's scheme.

The emperor's gaze fell upon Xiao Xingyue:

"Xiao Xingyue, now? Have you chosen your person?"

Xiao Xingyue cupped his hands in greeting:

"no."

The hall fell silent. Those who had been waiting to hear names were completely dumbfounded.

The censor was the first to react:

"What does Your Highness mean by this? His Majesty has ordered you to propose temporary candidates, yet you say you have none? Are you disobeying the imperial decree?"

An official from the Ministry of Rites also became anxious:

"The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites cannot be left without a leader. Since the Crown Prince is incapable of proposing a name, he should report back to His Majesty as soon as possible. How can he be allowed to make a fool of the court?"

Xiao Xingyue bent down, pulled a file from the dossier, and slammed it onto the floor of the hall.

"Making a fool of the imperial court? Who delayed the payment of pensions to wounded soldiers for four years?"

Another one falls:

"Who is it that has dragged the funeral procession of the Prince of Zhenguo's mansion all the way to the capital without even beginning?"

The third one fell:

"Who removed pages from the Ministry of Rites' old reception records, causing the archives to be incomplete?"

The fourth statement fell: "Who made it so that after Lu Chengzhang's death, the Ministry of Rites remained completely ignorant?"

He chuckled.

"Father, I do not intend to choose the Minister."

Boom! These words struck like thunder, more powerful than any of the previous grievances!

An old minister nearly tore off his beard:

"Not selecting a minister? Absurd! With two vacancies, how can there be no one to fill them?"

His Majesty ordered you to draft the candidates, and you dare to change His Majesty's decree! How dare you!

Xiao Xingyue remained composed and dignified, facing the emperor:

"Father, you heard it just now too. If the Eighth Princess hadn't brought it up today, how many people in the court would have pretended not to know about the matter of compensation?"

He pointed in the direction of the Ministry of War:

"The main beam of Cao Bi is not straight, and the beam below is crooked like this."

"If we randomly appoint a minister now, will we have him audit the accounts, or will we have him deliver a final verdict on some filth?"

Cao Bi's old followers turned pale; some wanted to refute, but couldn't utter a word.

What are you refuting? That you didn't suppress the compensation? But the case file is right there on the floor!

To say Cao Bi is innocent? Cao Bi's body is already cold!

Xiao Xingyue then turned his attention back to the Ministry of Rites:

"The Ministry of Rites is the same; Lu Chengzhang is dead, and the Ministry of Rites has a lot of old cases."

The documents regarding Gou Li's compensation, the old records of receiving foreign guests, the registration of tribute medicines, and the regulations for sacrificial rites—which of these do not need to be examined?

"What if we elect a minister now, and the investigation reveals he's one of our own?"

The remnants of the Ministry of Rites lowered their heads even further, muttering to themselves, "My little ancestor, please, stop talking!"

The hall was eerily quiet!

Qin Zhenyue's expression changed little by little; he suddenly understood.

This kid had no intention of taking the blame; he wanted to dismantle the pot and share the burden.

The emperor also sat up straighter:

"So, what do you want?"

Xiao Xingyue bowed:

"Your subject requests that the Ministry of War be temporarily abolished and a Minister be appointed instead, and a Commissioner for Investigation of the Ministry of War be appointed instead."

Everyone in the hall was taken aback.

The Ministry of War's Investigating Commissioner? What kind of thing is that?

Xiao Xingyue continued:

"General Qin Zhenyue is nominally in charge, Princess Li Shunhua is assisting, and your son is in charge of supervising the old troops in the northern border and the old accounts of military equipment."

All military records, pensions, arms allocations, and old border defense files handled by Cao Bi during his tenure were thoroughly investigated.

These words completely enraged the old guard of the Ministry of War.

"No."

"General Qin already holds a high position and wields great power; how can he interfere with the Ministry of War's investigation?"

"Although the Eighth Princess has the right to fight, she has no military experience."

"Young Master Xiao also has a personal grudge against Cao Bi from the old case."

"This is inappropriate!"

Xiao Xingyue looked at the man: "You object to the investigation?"

The man choked:

"I am not against the investigation, but the personnel chosen are unsuitable."

Xiao Xingyue nodded:

"I understand. An investigation is fine, but not you."

Someone inside the hall almost burst out laughing; that person's face turned red.

"Your Highness, do not make false accusations!"

Xiao Xingyue ignored him and turned to face the emperor again:

"Father, General Qin has enough prestige in the army."

The Eighth Princess has just been given the right to fight, and today she spoke up for the soldiers again. Her assistance in the Ministry of War's investigation will reassure the military officers.

"Your Majesty, I am only investigating the Xiao family's old accounts, avoiding suspicion without completely abstaining. Is that reasonable?"

Qin Zhenyue's lips twitched. "Reasonable my ass!"

You're using me as a shield! What a cunning little rascal!

But after Qin Zhenyue laughed in anger, he inexplicably felt a sense of relief.

The emperor stared straight at Xiao Xingyue, a sense of helplessness finally rising in his heart. Xiao Xingyue had really turned this mess into an investigation of the government.

This kid's move is more than just striking a snake with a stick; he's using someone else's strength against them. What a clever tactic!

Xiao Xingyue then pulled out a second stack of files:

"The Ministry of Rites will not appoint a new Minister for the time being, and will instead establish a Bureau for Investigation within the Ministry of Rites."

The officials from the Ministry of Rites turned green with rage. "You're still coming?"

Xiao Xingyue said:

"Shen Yan is in charge of document review, the Consort Shu's faction provides old files, and the Beitang gentry are responsible for providing tribute medicine and examining injuries. The three parties are temporarily granted the right to access the old archives of the Ministry of Rites and to review relevant files."

Someone in the civil official queue immediately frowned:

"Although Shen Yan is the newly appointed top scholar, he is still relatively inexperienced."

Xiao Xingyue replied:

"He is inexperienced, so he is clean."

"You're very experienced, how about we set an example and investigate you first?"

The civil official's face stiffened, and his colleague immediately took half a step to the side, indicating that he was disclaiming any involvement...