Chapter 501: The new Emperor's first request must be agreed to

Prince Zhong finally obtained the throne, and the court ministers were jubilant, just short of setting off firecrackers to celebrate.

On that very day, as Prince Zhong attended his first temporary government meeting in his capacity as heir to the throne to determine the enthronement ceremony and the funeral arrangements for Emperor Taixing, people discovered a familiar face beside him: Xie Changling!

Prince Zhong personally proposed a suggestion to Li Liangcheng, "Minister Xie has excellent talent and learning; his future was delayed before because of me. Now that the dark clouds have dispersed, I want to let Minister Xie enter the Secretariat to observe governance, pour tea and water for all you ministers, and learn how to govern. I wonder what Minister Li thinks of this?"

The future emperor's first request to him was to arrange for his trusted aide to enter the Secretariat. As the prime minister, what could Li Liangcheng say?

Naturally, he agreed!

It was impossible to refuse.

Even if Prince Zhong proposed to use two million taels of silver to do something, he couldn't refuse.

As an old minister, a mature official, one would never refuse the new emperor's first request. One could even say that the new emperor's first three requests could not be refused and must be satisfied. Even the most excessive requests must be agreed to verbally. One could delay or prevaricate later, but one absolutely could not refuse verbally.

"Minister Xie is a pillar of the state; his ability to enter the Secretariat is a blessing for the court and even more so a blessing for the people of the world."

Prince Zhong was very satisfied upon hearing this.

"Minister Xie, from now on, follow Minister Li and work; remember to observe more, think more, and learn more; do not speak casually. You are still young and lack experience. If there is anything you don't understand, boldly consult Minister Li."

"This subordinate pays respects to Minister Li! From now on, I will follow Minister Li's instructions!" Xie Changling assumed the posture of a junior, extremely respectful. He didn't have the slightest attitude of wanting to throw his weight around by relying on the future emperor's power. He was like a humble gentleman, modest, low-key, and knowing when to advance or retreat.

Li Liangcheng was indeed very satisfied, and the slight dissatisfaction from before vanished. He tentatively recognized Xie Changling; this child might be worth cultivating.

Immediately after, Prince Zhong brought up the second matter, "The Old Ancestor said that the late Emperor's death is suspicious, and I am very uneasy in my heart. How to handle this matter still requires Minister Li to think of a plan."

"Does the Old Ancestor have evidence?"

"The Old Ancestor's words are absolutely aimed at a target. The Old Ancestor said the late Emperor's death is suspicious, so it must be suspicious. Alas... I only hate that I was humble and lowly at the time, unable to share the late Emperor's worries, and failed to discover the abnormality in time. In short, the Old Ancestor will thoroughly investigate this matter. It might not be peaceful in the palace tonight, so Minister Li should not go back and stay in the palace instead. I have already ordered the palace attendants to arrange food and lodging. The country is in danger, and the court cannot do without Minister Li; I hope Minister Li will take care of his health and help me with all his strength."

"Your Highness speaks too seriously. This old minister should share your worries; these are all this old minister's duties."

The monarch and minister talked happily, initially determining the tone of their future relationship. Whether they would remain so harmonious in the future or turn against each other was a matter for the future. At least for now, the court finally had a backbone, and the court could function.

That night, it was indeed not peaceful in the inner palace.

The Inner Palace Supervision and the Imperial Stable Supervision, led by Qiu Defu, organized a large group of people and began to arrest palace attendants in the palace on a large scale. The Twenty-Four Offices and the palace attendants beside the imperial consorts were not spared.

They held a list in their hands, arresting people according to the list, and every arrest was accurate.

The list was given by the Old Ancestor.

The Old Ancestor had interrogated several important prisoners in advance; in the hands of a Grandmaster, no one could hide secrets. A list was produced.

The officials who stayed in the outer court of the palace that night were all alarmed, gathering at the great hall one after another, not knowing why, guessing for a long time without guessing the truth.

As a noble, Chen Guanfu's news was clearly more informed than the civil officials.

He whispered to Yu Zhaoan, "It is said that the late Emperor's death is suspicious; the Old Ancestor personally investigated the case and has already found out the truth."

"The truth?" Yu Zhaoan remained skeptical; could the truth really be found out in this matter?

Chen Guanfu smiled mysteriously, "It is said to be related to the cult bandits."

Yu Zhaoan was shocked upon hearing this. Then he breathed a sigh of relief.

He said extremely shocked, "There are cult bandits causing trouble in the palace?"

Chen Guanfu smiled but didn't speak, not saying anything more.

His news was very accurate.

Once the Old Ancestor made a move, he dug out the cult bandits hidden in the palace, directly wiping out their lair in one go, with not a single one escaping.

The cult bandits were hidden in the palace, intending to commit misconduct. Emperor Taixing's death was inseparable from this group of cult bandits.

Emperor Taixing was injured and comatose in the explosion, but not to the point of death. If he had recuperated, he could have woken up. But because someone secretly poisoned him, he finally passed away in a coma.

The truth was revealed, and the ministers were in an uproar.

They never expected that the center of the empire had been infiltrated by cult bandits. Not for a year or two, but for ten or twenty years, twenty or thirty years of infiltration. It was even possible that the late Empress's illness and death were also caused by this group of cult bandits.

Prince Zhong learned that his birth mother might have been harmed by cult bandits, and he cried on the spot, directly stating that he would wipe out all cult bandits in the world. If he didn't kill the cult bandits, he swore he wouldn't be a human.

The court ministers were all dumbfounded, unable to express their shock in words.

The cult bandits killed the late Empress, and decades later killed the old Emperor; the double killing of the imperial couple—this was how awesome.

Saying awesome wasn't appropriate.

It must be said that this was how insane, how shocking. Was the palace security a sieve? So many cult bandits hidden in the palace, causing trouble for decades, generation after generation, and they were never discovered or suspected.

If the Old Ancestor hadn't caught the key figure of the cult bandits and interrogated the truth with extraordinary means, how long would they have been kept in the dark?

The Inner Court guards neglected their duty, the Embroidered Uniform Guard neglected their duty, the Forbidden Army neglected their duty, the Inner Court Twenty-Four Offices neglected their duty, all neglected their duty. Also neglecting their duty was the court, the Three Judicial Offices...

In short, regarding responsibility, no one could run away. Even the clean government office, the Hanlin Academy, had to take the blame. One by one, no one could stay out of it and watch the fun.

The scene was very ugly for a while.

Prince Zhong cried for a while, wiped his tears, and very politely asked Li Liangcheng how to handle this matter?

Li Liangcheng sighed, "It is all up to Your Highness to decide."

Prince Zhong gritted his teeth and said: "These cult bandits are unpardonable; everyone should be executed to the ninth degree, and sliced to death. However, heaven has the virtue of liking life, and I want to learn from the late Emperor's lesson. Imprison these people, and then send them all to be buried with the imperial mausoleum. Exterminate the three clans!"

The implication: bury them alive!

Burying them alive wasn't enough; he also wanted to exterminate the three clans.

It meant not leaving a single living person.

It seemed gentler than the late Emperor's slicing method, but in reality, it was just as ruthless and decisive.

Li Liangcheng's eyes twitched; he seemed to see the shadow of Emperor Taixing on Prince Zhong. I'm afraid the great Confucian scholars who taught Prince Zhong all misjudged Prince Zhong; the so-called humility and acceptance of advice, hehe... let's wait and see. ===== CHAPTER 502 =====

Li Liangcheng's eyes twitched; he seemed to see the shadow of Emperor Taixing in Prince Zhong. I fear that those great Confucian scholars who taught Prince Zhong have all misjudged him; the so-called humility and willingness to accept advice, hehe... let us wait and see.