I play the role of Jiajing in Zongwu: What crime have I committed?

That look clearly said, "Try barking again if you dare!"

Among the military officers, Marquis Xie Yu of Ningguo saw Chen Yuanzhi cower and immediately sensed something was wrong.

As a supporter of the Crown Prince's faction, he keenly sensed the danger.

With the Crown Prince still under house arrest and no one in the court to take charge, the Crown Prince's faction was a disorganized mess.

He doesn't care about whether it's a state religion or not; can a state religion compare to Guojiao (a famous Chinese liquor brand)?

But the position of the Ministry of Rites is too important.

The crown prince was neither the eldest son nor the legitimate heir; he only obtained the position of heir thanks to the favor shown to him by the Yue family in the harem.

If someone stirs up trouble today and makes the Empress outshine the Yue family at the year-end ceremony, then tomorrow someone will dare to bring up the Crown Prince's birth.

This door must never be opened!

Furthermore, Chen Yuanzhi, the Minister of Rites, must be retained.

As long as he remains in power, the crown prince will forever hold the moral high ground of "propriety".

The Great Liang Dynasty governs the country with propriety. As long as the Ministry of Rites remains on the Crown Prince's side, no one can shake the position of the heir apparent.

Xie Yu was well aware of the risks involved and took the plunge.

"Your Majesty, I have a matter to report!"

"explain."

"Your Majesty, I impeach Left Censor-in-Chief Tian Dezhi for making baseless accusations and harboring treacherous intentions!"

Xie Yu's voice was as loud as a bell, echoing throughout the hall.

Upon hearing this, Prince Yu immediately stepped forward.

"Lord Xie, you are mistaken. As an imperial censor, it is simply Lord Tian's duty to report matters based on hearsay."

Xie Yu said unhurriedly, "His Majesty just said that Minister Chen served two dynasties and was in charge of the Ministry of Rites for decades."

"I ask all the civil and military officials, who else understands etiquette and regulations better than him?"

"The regulations for this year-end ceremony are of great significance to the court and the royal family. Whether the coming year will be smooth or not depends entirely on this, and it cannot be taken lightly in the slightest."

"There are many provisions regarding the sacrificial rites, and the Minister of Rites is the most qualified to speak on how to interpret them."

"You, Tian Dezhi, dare to impeach me? You're like a dung beetle yawning, what a big mouth you have."

Tian Dezhi was rendered speechless by Xie Yu's sarcastic remarks, his old face turning bright red.

His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word.

"That's enough!"

Zhu Houcong said calmly, "Xie Yu, the imperial court has its own rules. Your mouth is full of rhymes; do you want to take the imperial examination?"

"I was momentarily enraged, which is why I spoke so carelessly. But I do suspect that someone is instigating Tian Dezhi's actions to undermine the order of the court!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Yu's expression changed drastically, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

He thought to himself that Xie Yu's move of cutting off the fuel supply from under him was ruthless.

This directly targeted factional strife.

Xie Yu was also very pleased with himself, as Emperor Liang was most wary of court officials forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices.

Given his suspicious nature, if this gets involved in factional strife, he'll surely blame everyone equally, and the matter will eventually fizzle out.

On the dragon throne, Zhu Houcong looked down at Xie Yu, who was jumping around.

It's like watching a self-important clown.

"Xie Yu, stop rambling on!"

He said slowly, "Don't drag every little thing into factional strife. Where do all these factions come from in my Great Liang court?"

This question left Xie Yu frozen in place.

He was completely dumbfounded, looking up at Zhu Houcong on the dragon throne in disbelief.

Who is this person?

Is this still the same suspicious Emperor Liang?

Is he still the same Emperor Liang who had to be wary of even his own son?

Upon hearing this, Prince Yu, Xiao Jinghuan, was overjoyed and immediately stepped forward.

"Father, you are wise."

"Lord Ning just said that no one in the court understands etiquette better than Minister Chen, but our Great Liang is founded on etiquette, how can we tolerate the slightest ambiguity?"

"Your subject believes that without distinguishing between different aspects of etiquette, one cannot understand its meaning."

"Since the two sides are at odds, why not invite some renowned scholars from the countryside to discuss the matter with Minister Chen face-to-face in the imperial court?"

These words were like a stone thrown into water, creating ripples.

Zhu Houcong laughed and said, "Jinghuan, are you going to discuss etiquette in the imperial court?"

"Discussing rites by renowned scholars has always been the orthodox approach."

"It can both verify whether there are any omissions in the ritual procedures over the years, and also determine whether the hierarchy in the palace has been neglected."

"Please grant me permission, Father Emperor."

Xie Yu's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. Over the years, Prince Yu had cultivated relationships with many prominent figures. In terms of etiquette, Chen Yuanzhi might not necessarily be able to win.

He was about to object when Zhu Houcong suddenly clapped his hands and laughed.

"Well said, 'propriety is not clear without discernment'!"

"Since you, Jinghuan, have such an interest, then so be it."

His gaze then swept over the assembled officials, and he asked, "Is there anyone else who wishes to petition regarding the appointment of Master Xiaomeng as the Imperial Preceptor?"

The Fengtian Hall suddenly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Chen Yuanzhi only said a few extra words, and now he's about to lose his official position.

Who the hell would dare to mess with this?

It’s not like life is too long.

Seeing his ministers fall silent in fear, Zhu Houcong smiled with satisfaction.

"Since no one objects, let us announce Master Xiaomeng."

"Master Xiaomeng, the leader of the Xuan Tian Sect, requests an audience!"

Before the eunuch's high-pitched singing had even finished, a figure in blue gracefully entered the palace, bathed in the morning light.

With each step Xiaomeng took, faint lotus flower shadows bloomed on the bluestone ground.

She was surrounded by a pure and ethereal aura, as if she were completely out of place in this corrupt world.

Zhu Houcong smiled and said, "Master Xiaomeng, from this day forward, you shall be the Grand Preceptor of my Great Liang, ranking above the Three Dukes."

Xiaomeng gently flicked her wide sleeves and bowed slightly.

"Your subject obeys the decree."

Chapter 66 Mingli doesn't want to reward him with anything.

No one in the court objected, and it was only natural that Xiaomeng became the Imperial Preceptor.

Prince Jing, Xiao Jingyan, frowned deeply, his gaze fixed on the Tianzong Sect leader who had suddenly risen to prominence in the court, ranking alongside princes.

This woman looks to be no more than twenty years old, yet she has already reached the Grandmaster realm.

And in just ten days of fasting and ritual, she managed to gain the Emperor's trust.

Could it be that some kind of soul-capturing technique was used?

Just then, Xiaomeng seemed to sense something and suddenly turned her head.

"Your Highness Prince Jing, I have long admired you."

Xiao Jingyan snorted coldly and said calmly, "Now that the Imperial Advisor has taken up a position in the court, he should remember that the Liang court cannot tolerate such heretical and misleading doctrines."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze.

Everyone knows that Prince Jing is upright and honest, but no one expected that he would dare to embarrass the newly appointed Imperial Preceptor to his face.

Xiaomeng was taken aback when she heard this.

No!

He must be sick!

That little mouth looks like it's been filled with shit.

Those with great talent must possess an unyielding spirit.

Given her personality, she wouldn't care about Prince Jing or anything like that.

He gave a dismissive smile and immediately launched into a confrontation.

"The superior man, when he hears of the Way, diligently practices it; the average man, when he hears of the Way, is half-convinced and half-doubtful; the inferior man, when he hears of the Way, laughs loudly at it. If he did not laugh at it, it would not be the Way."

After saying that, he glanced sideways at Prince Jing and then casually added another sentence.

"With Prince Jing behaving like a lowly scholar, he's clearly nothing but a fool!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingyan's face turned ashen, and his aura suddenly became fierce.

He turned around and glared angrily at Xiaomeng right in front of the entire court.

"Jingyan!"

The next second, Zhu Houcong's brows furrowed suddenly, and he reprimanded him unhappily.

"Don't you have any manners?"

"You've been back in Beijing for so many days, how come your temper hasn't improved at all?"

Xiao Jingyan froze, and quickly said, "Your subject knows his mistake!"

Zhu Houcong snorted coldly before waving his hand.

After Prince Jing returned to court, Zhu Houcong's expression softened slightly, and he turned to Lou Zhijing and said, "The Imperial Preceptor discussed with me yesterday that Sanqing Mountain in Raozhou is a place of outstanding natural beauty and is most suitable as the ancestral home of Taoism."

"Lou Qing, your Ministry of Revenue should draft a plan for the palace renovations as soon as possible."

Lou Zhijing was about to accept the order when he heard Xiao Jingyan's voice again.

"Father!"

"Next year, our Daliang will be building water conservancy projects and dredging canals, which will require money everywhere."

"If we were to undertake any more large-scale construction projects now, it would only burden the people and waste resources. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!"

These words carried weight and authority. Several officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works nodded in agreement. They had sensed something was amiss as soon as Zhu Houcong spoke.

Unexpectedly, Prince Jing dared to speak so bluntly and contradict him.

Zhu Houcong frowned slightly and turned his gaze to Lou Zhijing.

"Lou Qing, is there any money left in the Ministry of Revenue's budget for next year?"

Lou Zhijing's forehead was immediately covered in fine beads of sweat.

He stammered, "Your Majesty... well... all the expenditures for next year have been approved, but I still need to reconcile this particular expenditure with my colleagues in the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong lightly tapped the dragon table, then turned his gaze to Yan Song.

"Yan Song, how is the construction progressing at the Wanshou Palace?"

"Your Majesty, I've been keeping a close watch on it day and night. The craftsmen are working in three shifts, and it should be completed in three months at the latest."

"Yes, the Jiangzuo Alliance has done a really good job."

Zhu Houcong nodded slightly, showing no reservation in his praise.

At this moment, Zheng Bichang, one of the ministers, heard this, her eyes lit up, and she came up with a good idea.