The Demon Prince

The winds of Kyoto have begun to blow.

In less than half a day, three new signs were hung on the outer wall of the Prince's Mansion.

The three departments are: the Ministry of War's Office for Investigating Old Accounts of Pensions, the Ministry of Rites' Office for Verifying Documents, and the Office for Allocating Old Weapons by the Ordnance Bureau.

Zhao Yuanbao stood at the door, looking up for a long time:

"Our palace is now half like a mourning hall and half like a government office."

Chen Manfu, carrying a stack of account books, walked by and kicked him in an annoyed manner.

"Shut up, the old prince is listening in the mourning hall."

The courtyard was soon bustling with activity.

White banners, blue smoke, deep within the mourning hall, nine coffins, but outside the hall, tables are arranged in three rows.

Shen Yan flipped through old files from the Ministry of Rites on the left. Although he was still ill, he was becoming more and more composed in his work.

The military officer sent by Li Shunhua checked the roster of the Ministry of War on the right.

Zhao Yuanbao led the accountant to count the silver notes, the abacus clicking away.

Chen Manfu, accompanied by several old servants, issued passes, registered, and directed the passing officials.

The Prince's Palace, like a chariot of will-o'-the-wisps, has begun its rapid advance.

Xiao Xingyue stood under the corridor, watching the people coming and going.

The wind passes through the banners, and it also passes through the heart.

He used to only want the people of Kyoto to keep an eye on him, whether it was his absurd and shameless behavior or his ostentatious and attention-grabbing displays of arrogance.

He lives in the spotlight, so those shady characters will have no scruples, and he won't die quietly.

But that's not enough now; it's not enough for just him to be seen.

The Xiao family cannot be left with only Xiao Xingyue, and the Zhenguo King's Mansion cannot be left with only nine coffins.

He wanted to remind the entire capital that the Xiao family still existed.

The goal is to instill a sense of awe in those who have crossed the threshold of the Xiao family when they see this plaque again!

It is our duty to restore the glory of the Prince's Palace!

At least as his only son, he has an unshirkable responsibility.

Outside the gate, the minor officials had already formed a long queue.

Chief Xu knelt at the front, holding three diaries in his arms. Sun Ting stood behind him, clutching a bunch of keys in his hand.

The lower-ranking officials behind him were also very anxious, wanting to have a heart-to-heart talk with Xiao Xingyue as soon as possible.

When Xiao Xingyue came out, the area outside the courtyard gate fell silent instantly. The minor officials held their breath, not daring to utter a sound, waiting for Xiao Xingyue to speak.

Xiao Xingyue posted a new rule on the door panel:

Listen carefully.

Proactively providing clues, and each verified clue, will reduce the sentence by one level; if it leads to the involvement of officials at the level of supervisor or above, the offender may be allowed to remain in service while under punishment...

If a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine or higher can be identified, the family will be protected from being implicated...

Those found to be involved in major cases across six departments will be replaced after the investigation is completed, based on merit.

The phrase "select the best to fill vacancies" made the lower-ranking officials' eyes turn red with envy.

This isn't just about saving their lives; it's about giving them a path to advancement.

Why do these minor officials usually follow Cao Bi and Lu Chengzhang?

Because you have no connections, because if you're not greedy you'll be out of place and starve, and if you don't follow your superiors, you'll forever be stuck struggling in the mud.

But now, Xiao Xingyue has shown them another path.

Betraying one's superiors is a way to atone for one's crimes. The more thorough the investigation, the more secure one's life becomes, and the faster one's promotion!

The lower-ranking officials immediately responded to the call.

"Your Highness."

"I will certainly investigate."

"Even if I sell my ancestral graves, I will still bring up old grievances."

"Working for your life."

The investigation bureau's office at the Prince's Mansion was bustling with activity, while the original offices of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites were deserted.

In the side courtyard of the Ministry of War, two clerks sat at the entrance, with a pot of cold tea in front of them. There were hardly any people drinking tea, and even fewer coming to do business.

The situation was even worse at the Ministry of Rites; the sign at the entrance was being blown around by the wind.

An old clerk was dozing off at his desk when he heard footsteps and suddenly looked up.

It wasn't the minor official who came to hand over the accounts, but a group of brocade-clad attendants.

The young man at the head of the group was dressed in a lake-blue brocade robe, with a white jade belt around his waist and a folding fan in his hand.

He is indeed handsome, but the arrogant air about him... is also quite handsome.

Gu Chenjun, son of the Minister of Revenue.

The Gu family and the Fifth Princess's family are related by marriage, and he has been extremely attentive to the Fifth Princess's residence over the years.

At a banquet hosted by his own faction, he once publicly declared that the Fifth Princess was unparalleled in wisdom and talent, and that all men in the world should look up to her.

His words were grand and righteous, but his purpose was self-evident: he wanted to marry the Fifth Princess, become her consort, and even rise to the position of emperor!

When news of the deaths of the eight sons of the Xiao family reached the capital, he laughed at a banquet, saying that it was good that they died, as the Xiao family would be less affected and the court would be more peaceful.

Later, when Xiao Xingyue proposed to marry nine princesses, Gu Chenjun mocked him, saying, "A toad trying to swallow nine phoenixes is like trying to burst its belly."

Today, he originally intended to first give the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites a piece of his mind, and take back some of the debts before Xiao Xingyue could get his hands on them.

To my surprise, the house was so empty upon entering that it looked like it had been ransacked.

Gu Chenjun frowned: "Where is he?"

The clerk in the Ministry of War smiled obsequiously:

"Young Master Gu, they've all gone to the Prince's residence."

Gu Chenjun paused, fanning himself.

Which princely residence?

The servant whispered, "It's that toad that wanted to swallow the Nine Heavens Phoenix."

Gu Chenjun sneered:

"Xiao Xingyue? All those people went to his place?"

"Yes."

Upon hearing the reply, Gu Chenjun's smile grew even colder: "It's quite lively."

He turned and walked out:

"Since we've already gone to the Prince's Mansion, I'll go take a look as well."

Inside the Prince's Palace of Zhenwang.

Shen Yan's expression grew increasingly solemn.

Three ledgers were laid out in front of him: one for the Ministry of War's relief efforts, one for the Ministry of Revenue's post-disaster repair and overall planning, and one for the Ministry of Works' old ledgers for post roads and warehouses.

The three accounts, placed together, appear completely unrelated.

However, the same sum of money, like a snake, emerged from the Ministry of War, changed its skin at the Ministry of Revenue, and finally crawled into the Ministry of Works.

Shen Yan looked up:

"Your Highness, this isn't right."

Xiao Xingyue glanced sideways.

Shen Yan pointed to one of the pages:

"This sum of money was first changed to temporary military equipment damage, then it flowed through the Ministry of Revenue, nominally becoming a disaster relief fund, and then allocated to the Ministry of Works, on the grounds of post road reconstruction, warehouse repair, and bridge reinforcement..."

But after going through so many twists and turns, the final destination of this money was not recorded in the accounts.

"I don't understand."

Xiao Xingyue glanced at it and chuckled: "Money laundering, huh?"

Shen Yan was taken aback: "Money laundering? What do you mean?"

"Dirty money doesn't look good in the Ministry of War. Just change the name, go around in circles, and it'll be clean when you come back."

Xiao Xingyue tapped the account page with his fingertips:

"I've always wondered why all the minor officials are so greedy and fat."

The high-ranking officials' accounts were spotless, proving that corruption was indeed more sophisticated.

They're all in cahoots.

If the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War have been infiltrated by the lamplighter, how can the other parts of the Six Ministries be clean?

Thinking of this, Xiao Xingyue asked Zhao Yuanbao:

"Which ministry—the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works—has the most people?"

Zhao Yuanbao was prepared.

Ever since the night Xiao Xingyue killed Gu Linyuan, he has been tasked with gathering information about the nine princesses and the forces behind them.

He pulled out a small booklet and flipped through it quickly:

"Your Highness, the Fifth Princess has the most people in the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works."

To be precise, it was the Fifth Princess's maternal clan, her powerful followers, and those who wanted to elevate her to the throne; they all infiltrated the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works.

Shen Yan was puzzled:

"Why do the first few princesses rarely appear in public, while the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth princesses seem to have more connections with the crown prince?"

Zhao Yuanbao whispered:

"Because the first, second, third, fourth and fifth princesses were born early, the power base surrounding them had already been formed, and the main positions of the six ministries and nine temples had been basically divided up."

Everyone is betting on the princess as if she were a prince.

Those born in the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth years are later and have a smaller chance of seizing power. Their backing is more complex, and they mostly rely on the maternal lineage for support.

To put it bluntly, according to the Crown Prince, the first five are finished products, while the last four are... well, potential stocks.

Just then, the gatekeeper rushed in:

"Your Highness, Gu Chenjun, son of the Minister of Revenue, requests an audience."