After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

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……

The night was pitch black at midnight.

Like a sheet of ink.

The moonlight in the sky seemed to have been washed clean by ink, clear and bright, as pure as jade, flowing down like water, draping Nanjing in a layer of shimmering silver light.

Under the strict curfew imposed by the Imperial City Military Command, the once bustling city was now as quiet as a still lake, like a wild horse turned into a docile wife.

However, the capital city has many wealthy households.

Even in the deep of night, many houses still generously use lamp oil, their dim yellow lights adorning the city.

Some families invited prostitutes and entertained guests in their mansions, some discussed matters late at night in secret rooms, and others studied by lamplight in their rooms.

Joy, secrecy, longing... countless undercurrents surge and collide beneath this calm lake. These emotions and clashes will intensify over the next two months, and it will take a considerable amount of time before the undercurrents finally find some peace.

Prince Xin is about to ascend the throne.

This major event, which caused a great stir a year ago, has finally come to fruition thanks to His Majesty's methods, which were first swift and decisive, and then subtle and pervasive.

It caused a stir in Nanjing, but didn't really create any real waves.

After all, high-ranking officials who opposed this matter were either imprisoned, dismissed from office, or transferred away from the capital within a year.

His Majesty's terrifyingly strong resolve led the cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Qin, and the three powerful princes to maintain a tacit silence.

After six months of silence on the four mountain peaks, the transfer of imperial power became a consensus among everyone, hanging over the court like a dark cloud.

When the raindrops that had condensed in the dark clouds finally fell and everything settled down, even the courtiers who had previously expressed their opposition breathed a sigh of relief.

Holding onto their reluctance to part with His Majesty and setting aside their unease about the turmoil, they began to look forward to the arrival of the new ruler.

They couldn't help but start running around, starting to gather, and starting to think about whether they could have a better position in the new dynasty.

The entire day at Prince Xin's Mansion was spent in such a lively atmosphere.

Even at midnight, the Crown Prince's Office was still brightly lit. The officials, both high and low, had been discussing matters all day, yet they showed no signs of drowsiness; on the contrary, they were full of energy.

The matters they are discussing today are no longer the empty talk of the past, but real military and national affairs.

All previous ambitions will begin to be put into practice from today onwards. Even though his expression remained as calm as a mountain, his excitement and nervousness couldn't help but show in his words and arguments.

After all, most of the officials in the Crown Prince's palace are young, and some of them even passed the imperial examination a few years ago, and are only a few years older than His Highness.

At such a young age, they were favored by His Majesty and selected to enter the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. If everything goes smoothly, in another twenty years or so, they might all be called Grand Secretaries.

The council meeting today was quite chaotic, with matters concerning the ancestral worship ceremony in seven days, His Highness's enthronement ceremony in a month, disaster relief efforts in various regions, and even a case involving a prince's heir who injured someone, requiring His Highness to issue an edict to reprimand him.

Although there were arguments, different opinions and analyses, and sometimes His Highness had to make the decisions personally, the imperial decree was still eventually drafted.

With each decree drafted, the expressions on everyone's faces inevitably relaxed a little, and they felt a little more pleased.

The power that the sacred texts had promised them for so many years had finally come to fruition.

Behind every decree, there are countless people who hoard countless sums of money to carry it out, turning events into the way they had discussed... Such power inevitably breeds pride and smugness, to the point that even their arguments take on a smug tone.

In the main hall of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Zhu Cuiwei, dressed in a bright red, round-necked jacket embroidered with a golden five-clawed dragon, sat dignifiedly at the head of the table.

The meeting below was mainly organized by Sun Chengshan, the Grand Master of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

At the age of fifty, Sun Zhanshi possessed great ambition and talent, and was the most trusted advisor of the Emperor on the new laws.

My elder brother's health no longer supports him in fighting against the old laws and the various vassal kings. After I ascend the throne, I will have Grand Tutor Sun join the cabinet to assist me and carry on my elder brother's ambitions.

Zhu Cuiwei glanced at the more than twenty officials of the Eastern Palace below the hall, and silently pursed her pink lips.

Not only Sun Chengshan, but also Chen Yuezhi, the Junior Chamberlain, Liu Zhi, the Assistant Minister, Xu Longdao, the Director of the Imperial Secretariat, Lu Machang... all these officials, big and small, were arranged by the Emperor for her.

The emperor even arranged vacancies in the court.

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites... who was also the original owner of his own Ning Mansion, had his position vacated by his elder brother, the Emperor. This position was suitable for Xu Longdao.

A position for a physician has become vacant in the Ministry of Revenue, and Chen Yuezhi is a suitable candidate for it.

However, Lu Machang was the second-place scholar in the imperial examination in the fourth year of the Tianqi reign and served as an editor in the Hanlin Academy for three years. In terms of seniority, he was actually stronger than Chen Yuezhi. Therefore, this matter needed to be discussed again with Grand Secretary Sun.

The most crucial Ministry of War was also dealt with by the Emperor, who had long ago transferred Jia Shi'an back to the capital and assigned him to the position of Right Vice Minister.

Furthermore, after I ascend the throne, the Minister of Personnel will retire to make way for the Grand Tutor... But the old fox doesn't intend to give way now; he insists on waiting until I ascend the throne so that I will owe him a favor...

Sigh... Zhu Cuiwei thought about these things silently, and after a while, she sighed quietly.

A new emperor brings a new court. After ascending the throne, he will make arrangements for the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and promote some people. Then he will grant a general amnesty and release some former officials from prison. Next, he will reinstate some famous officials who were dismissed by his elder brother and recall some exiled officials who were banished to remote and impoverished areas... This is what his elder brother meant by bestowing favors.

Thus, having placed his people in the cabinet, the six ministries, and the Censorate, Sun Chengshan finally had a semblance of a foundation for his work. This prevented the new laws from crumbling at the mere suggestion of Grand Secretary Qin's Censorate.

"Your Highness, gentlemen," Sun Zhan Shi stood up, stroking his beard, his voice slightly hoarse, "we only have this one last matter left to discuss today."

The commotion in the hall gradually subsided, and even the young scholar who had been arguing most fiercely looked somewhat dejected.

The Crown Prince's advisor, Xu Longdao, said with a wry smile, "Grand Tutor Sun, in my opinion, let's stick to the old plan regarding Black Tiger Mountain. Although Black Tiger Mountain isn't a crucial route for the Northern Dynasty's southward advance, it is located near Yunhu Lake, which connects to the Yangtze River. Guarding Black Tiger Mountain from being occupied by bandits would protect the vital supply route... This argument is barely acceptable. Let the expenses be a little higher."

Junior Chamberlain Chen Yuezhi sneered, "Xu Zanshan, you are mistaken. If simply spending more money could solve the problem, this matter wouldn't be causing us such a headache. The difficulty in guarding Black Tiger Mountain lies in how to hold it. If we squander countless sums of money and grain, and then the bandits attack the mountain, the garrison troops scatter like birds and beasts, ultimately giving the entire mountain a free ride to the Yunhu bandits, then I dare ask Xu Zanshan, where is His Highness's face? Where is the court's face?"

Xu Longdao said irritably, "Young Master Chen, if you have an idea, then offer it; if you don't, then keep quiet. What good does this sarcastic talk do?"

Chen Yuezhi snorted coldly: "Having no idea is better than having a bad idea."

Xu Long ignored him, cupped his hands to Sun Chengshan, bowed to Zhu Cuiwei, and then simply sat down.

Sun Chengshan paused for a moment, then said, "Gentlemen, there's no need to be shy. Today is indeed the time to come up with a solution to the Black Tiger Mountain matter. Chen Zhanshi's objection is reasonable, but Xu Zanshan's words are also mature and prudent. If there really is no solution, we will follow Xu Zanshan's method."

Now the hall became lively again, and everyone spoke freely. But as they talked and argued, their ideas were all the same. Xu Long said that if the garrison soldiers were really so incompetent, they should just send the Beijing garrison instead... This was just a fit of pique. Sending the Beijing garrison would make the Grand Tutor lose all face.

In the meantime, some suggested sending a battalion of recruits or recruiting a new battalion.

But this was quickly rejected by Zhongyun Liuzhi, who said that if the recruited soldiers of Yunhu Camp were sent, how could they prevent the bandits from becoming too powerful? Even if a new battalion of soldiers were recruited, there would still be a commander. How could they prevent the commander from using the Yunhu bandits to constantly ask the court for money and grain?

Back then, Li Chengliang of Liaodong raised an old servant, which caused a great disaster for the world. The phrase "raising a bandit to enhance one's own power" has since become an extremely severe accusation... After Liu Zhi said this, everyone could only sigh in their hearts, not knowing what to suggest.

Banditry has existed since ancient times. Actually, it's not a big deal. If it were banditry elsewhere, people wouldn't be so concerned.

But Black Tiger Mountain is a matter of face for both the Grand Tutor and Prince Xin.

In the Battle of Black Tiger Mountain, the Grand Tutor calmly broke the deadlock, and with years of cultivating his reputation, he smoothly transitioned from governor to the imperial court.

After His Highness ascended the throne, only the Grand Tutor could secure the position of Minister of Personnel.

As long as the garrison troops can hold out for two or three years, and the Prince Xin's faction can consolidate its power, then the occupation of Black Tiger Mountain is no big deal.

However, if he couldn't hold out for that long, the Grand Tutor, as the governor, would most likely be attacked by the chief minister of Qin and the faction of the three princes.

Once the Grand Tutor is removed from his position as Minister of Personnel, the entire new legal system... the crowd's eyes couldn't help but turn resentful... and their own positions would be in jeopardy.