Chapter 267 Commanding the Three Divisions
End of year festival.

Shen Qingzhou was wearing an official robe and standing in the second row. In front of him was an altar with a tripod on it. The gunpowder in the tripod had disappeared. It had to be said that the Jiangzuo League had many masters.

Originally, Yan Yujin's father, Lord Yan, wanted to take advantage of the year-end sacrifice to blow up Emperor Liang. There were many reasons for this, the most important of which was that his aunt, Lin Shu's mother, who he admired, was married to Emperor Liang.

He could just marry her, but because the Lin family was too powerful and the Crown Prince Xiao Jingyu was too promising, with all the officials following him, he was afraid in his heart. With his tacit approval, Xie Yu and Xia Jiang were able to commit the Chiyan bloody case.

Lord Yan has been patient for so many years, and this year he plans to take action. During the final sacrifice, he wants the abbot of Xuantian Temple to make some rules. He has long been bribed by Lord Yan and directly created black fire in the cauldron.

However, it was discovered by Mei Changsu. He has now persuaded Lord Yan, and the black fire in the cauldron has disappeared. However, after the black fire disappeared, a piece of black paper was buried deep inside.

Shen Qingzhou had written a poem on it, the most important line of which was "I am still sleeping when the sun is at noon. I am not a god, but I am better than a god." However, it was covered with ink and others could not see it.

As Emperor Liang lit the fire paper in his hand and threw it into the furnace, the fire paper flashed a light that no one else could see.

Emperor Liang suddenly wanted to yawn, but he held it back. At this moment, Shen Qingzhou only felt that the energy in his body was being consumed.

This was his method. He just wanted Emperor Liang to sleep more. Otherwise, it would be troublesome for him to be promoted. Especially if he wanted to be promoted to the highest official position, he didn't want to wait any longer.

[Song of Righteousness: The host attacks the emperor of a country, causing some turmoil, deducting talent × 200000]

This also means that the talents gained from doing things next time, at least two hundred thousand will be deducted.

With these two hundred thousand, he could be promoted directly to a higher position.

【Civil rank: Jinshi (842563/1000000)】

Originally it was more than 730,000, and Chen Yuanzhi from the Ministry of Rites also stepped down, and a reward of 100,000 talents was given. It seems that this group of people have more selfish desires than public spirit, otherwise, Shen Qingzhou's points should have been deducted.

There is nothing you can do about the emperor. It is normal for him to have some status as the emperor of a country, and his personal desires outweigh his public spirit. But if you take action against him, you will cause turmoil.

In fact, Shen Qingzhou could have easily killed Emperor Liang, but there was no need to. That would have caused chaos in the world. Although he was confident of success, it would be too much trouble to fight for supremacy again.

The Emperor Liang slept soundly that night after the final sacrifice. The next day was a court meeting, and even with Eunuch Gao's urging, it was still delayed a lot.

Emperor Liang did not think that someone had taken action against him. He just managed to sleep a little, and after waking up, he felt very energetic.

However, when it came to the court meeting, he yawned one after another again. The Crown Prince and Prince Yu were a little concerned but did not take it seriously as the court meeting was already quite early. Then, as in the past, the party struggles began, which was to recommend a new Shangshu.

The head of the Ministry of Revenue is Shen Zhui, and the remaining Minister of Justice, Cai Quan, has not yet taken office. The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites both stepped down not long ago. Now they are relying on the original system to maintain their position. They will definitely discuss it again after the new year. However, this is the last court meeting before the new year, and they cannot be allowed to continue like this. The purpose of this court meeting is to take stock of the year's harvest.

"Your Majesty, our Daliang has achieved fruitful results this year. Although there have been occasional setbacks, the overall situation is very good, especially Jinling City. The amount of silver that entered the national treasury this year is more than one million taels, which is three times more than last year." Shen Zhui really admired Shen Qingzhou.

Don't worry about whether he is a rookie or not, but he really does things. The previous Jingzhao prefect did not have his ability. Although Shen Qingzhou is capable and has a greater chance of stepping down, he is just working for the people below him.

Shen Qingzhou did not challenge the order. Jinling City was developing well and had kept enough silver for future use. The remaining small amount went into the national treasury. After all, it was the capital city, so it couldn't be much worse.

In fact, in his opinion, the department store and residential buildings were only officially opened on New Year's Day. If they were delayed for another month, at least the national treasury could add another million taels.

"My dear Minister Shen, you have made an invaluable contribution in this matter and you must reward me. Let's talk about it." Emperor Liang was happy. This was the capital city. How many prefects of Jingzhao Prefecture only thought about having a good end and did not dare to do anything. With the appointment of Shen Qingzhou, the GDP of the capital city doubled, which was scary.

He was also willing to support Shen Qingzhou, because he was neither a member of the Crown Prince's party nor a member of the Prince Yu's party. He did want to train an heir, but he also liked the kind of impartial minister who was only loyal to the court and was responsible to him. He asked the Crown Prince and Prince Yu to decide what the reward would be.

"Father, Lord Shen has never asked for anything, but as long as it's a reward from Your Majesty, it's all good." Prince Yu said, and he also mocked Shen Qingzhou.

Shen Qingzhou was well-known for not accepting gifts. This was a rule he had set since he was in Sanyang County and he had always abided by it. However, what Prince Yu laughed at was that he had used silver in the past. Shen Qingzhou had spent money to become an official, but he couldn't expose it, so he accepted the gift anyway.

"Prince Yu is wrong. If Princess Nihuang was not unwilling, and if our father had granted the marriage to her, do you think Lord Shen would have no desires or requests?" When the prince said this, many people wanted to laugh.

In the court, the Prince's party, Prince Yu's party, and even some neutral people were all very distant from Shen Qingzhou.

It's not just the Prince's Party and Prince Yu's Party that do bad things. Being neutral doesn't mean you're a good person. They're unwilling to go along with the crowd, but they just don't want to place a bet in advance.

Shen Qingzhou didn't take it seriously. He only had the stain of participating in the martial arts competition for a bride because of her beauty. So what? He didn't regret it.

"Ha." Emperor Liang was about to say something when he suddenly yawned again.

"Father, you are overworked." The prince wanted to show some concern.

"It's okay, Jingyan, what do you think?" His words made many people look at Prince Jing who didn't say much. The land annexation started with Shen Qingzhou attacking the Duke of Qing, but the subsequent annexations in various places were all done by Prince Jing. Unknowingly, Prince Jing's status improved a lot.

"Lord Shen should be very happy with whatever reward our father bestows." Prince Jing offended Emperor Liang just because he spoke for the Red Flame Army, but that doesn't mean he is a fool.

In the end, he was rewarded with a bushel of pearls. The emperor's reward had more symbolic significance than practical significance.

After the court meeting, Emperor Liang went back to his bedroom drowsily, and the imperial physician hurried to follow him. By now, Crown Prince Yu, Prince Jing, and others had discovered that something was wrong.

Emperor Liang himself also discovered it, but after careful examination, he found that he was just sleepy, and his complexion seemed to have improved, which was completely normal. Shen Qingzhou had been using his talent continuously. He had done experiments when he was writing it. In fact, there was no particularly big noise, and it was too difficult to make someone fall asleep without waking up.

New Year's Eve.

Shen Qingzhou's family reunited and returned to their original residence. Some close relatives came, but it was impossible for all of them to come. He also received a dish rewarded by the emperor.

The new year passed like this, and on the second day, a piece of news was heard that one team of people who had delivered vegetables yesterday had been killed outside the imperial city. Emperor Liang was furious and beat Meng Zhi with twenty sticks, and asked him to find out the truth within a month.

In fact, many things went according to the original plan, and some progress was much faster than before. For example, if Shen Qingzhou had not acted quickly and collected evidence, the matter of several Shangshu could have been delayed for a long time, and the results might not have come out until now.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Shen Qingzhou played with his dog all day, except for a trip to the mansion a hundred meters away, where the patriarch lived, and then returned to the mansion.

There were quite a few people who wanted to pay New Year's greetings, but his door was closed and he did not receive any visitors at all. People who had known him for a long time knew this.

On the second day of the New Year, Xuan Jingsi came to his house and asked about his whereabouts on New Year's Eve. Well, the assassin's swordsmanship was extremely high. No one could really figure out his martial arts until now, but he definitely used swordsmanship. It was well known that his beauty was like jade and his sword was like a rainbow. He swept eight opponents with one sword.

On the third day of the first lunar month, he was summoned directly to the palace. It was not because he had any doubts, but mainly because he had some responsibility for what happened in the capital. The imperial city was also in Jinling City, but if Emperor Liang was not in trouble, he would not have punished Shen Qingzhou. There were imperial guards surrounding the imperial city.

"My dear Shen, who do you think is responsible for this? There was another arson in the palace last night." Emperor Liang asked tentatively. The fire last night made him very frightened and felt insecure. This is the imperial palace.

"Your Majesty, I have thought about this matter, and I think it is just a figment of your imagination. Someone is deliberately making trouble in order to weaken Your Majesty's trust in the Imperial Guards. If you think about it carefully, it is nothing more than a party struggle." Shen Qingzhou's words made Emperor Liang look at Shen Qingzhou in surprise. He knew that you were bold, but you said so.

"Factional strife, do you think it was the Crown Prince and Prince Yu who did it?" Emperor Liang also became serious, thinking that he was just a useless person. He had some guesses, but he yawned immediately.

"Your Majesty, no one knows the inside story of this matter except the person behind the scenes. I am just guessing. It is even possible that someone has framed me. Anything is possible." Shen Qingzhou said.

"You are known as a detective in Tanzhou, and you have solved many cases in the capital. If I leave it to you, do you have the confidence to handle it?" Emperor Liang said. This was his purpose. Shen Qingzhou offended people from two sides, so naturally no one would help him.

"Your Majesty, my status is not high enough. During the investigation of the case, I may be involved in too many matters. I am afraid I cannot control myself." Shen Qingzhou said.

"They say you are a righteous person, but it seems you are a little cunning. What do you want?"

"Your Majesty, if we only use the token, I'm afraid that the timing will be delayed. It would be best to find someone from the royal family who can solve the case with your Majesty's order."

"Who should the person from the royal family be?" Emperor Liang was already a little angry. They said you would not get involved in party disputes, but now you are about to reveal your true colors. Is it Prince Jing? The emperor is suspicious of everything.
"Your Majesty, I think Huai Wang Xiao Jingli is the most suitable."

"Prince Huai." Emperor Liang was stunned. He certainly knew that this useless son had the same temperament as his younger brother, Prince Ji. He had neither the power of his mother in the harem nor supporters from the outside world. In fact, he himself had never thought about the throne and wanted to be an idle prince.

He originally thought that Shen Qingzhou would talk about Prince Jing. He knew in his heart that Prince Jing was capable, and with some things that happened during this period, he had some supporters. However, compared with the power of the Crown Prince and Prince Yu, it was nothing worth mentioning.

But if Shen Qingzhou said it was Prince Huai, then there would be no problem at all. However, this kid is really cruel. He even suspected Prince Jing. It's a good thing, a lone minister. However, this guy is also cruel. Isn't this making Prince Huai offend Prince Yu and the Crown Prince?

However, if you think about it carefully, Prince Huai is indeed the best choice. He has never thought of becoming an emperor. Because he is obsessed with the world of entertainment, those princes and ministers will not support him at all. Even Prince Yu and the Crown Prince will not make things too difficult for him. He is a good choice.

……

"Father, this." Prince Huai was summoned into the palace. When he heard that he was asked to solve a fire case in the palace, his scalp went numb.

He was just an ordinary prince, who lived a life of idleness and waiting for death. How could he have such ability? His mother was Concubine Hui, the concubine who was bullied by the Queen and often copied scriptures.

He had an elder brother, Prince Ning, who was the third oldest. When the plague broke out, Prince Ning was about the same age as the second oldest. The second oldest was the Queen's biological son. In the end, Prince Ning became lame, but he survived, while the Queen's son was gone. This was not the reason why Concubine Hui was targeted. This was human nature. Being targeted in the palace and having no help from outside, he had given up on himself long ago. Who would have thought that he would be targeted again?

However, Emperor Liang felt more relieved when he saw him like this. He had already investigated and found that Shen Qingzhou had never met the Prince of Huai. As for the merchants that the Prince of Huai knew in the brothel, Shen Qingzhou did not let his close relatives go.

Shen Qingzhou entered the palace again and met Prince Huai in the palace. Prince Huai was wearing loose clothes, even a little unkempt, but Shen Qingzhou didn't care, as he had achieved his goal.

When he left, the stars were shining brightly, the moon was dark and the lights were dim, and the sky was about to dawn. This is another poem about sleeping. Imperceptibly, Emperor Liang became even sleepier. He couldn't die. This was exactly what Shen Qingzhou wanted. He didn't deduct his talent this time. Anyway, he had already fought. As long as he didn't kill him, it wouldn't be a big problem.

"Sir Shen, this matter of solving the case." Prince Huai blamed Shen Qingzhou a little bit, as this matter had nothing to do with him.

"Don't worry, Shen Zheng will handle this matter. He just needs the identity of King Huai. King Huai can wait with peace of mind."

In fact, Xuan Jingsi also had a task in this matter, but Shen Qingzhou deliberately invited King Huai to suppress them.

A few days later.

"His Majesty."

"Father, Father." Xiao Jingli called a few times in a low voice, and Emperor Liang fell asleep again. In the past few days, His Majesty's sleep time has been getting longer and longer, but he is in excellent health.

"My dear Minister Shen, can you tell me? Why are you here?" Emperor Liang pulled himself together and looked at Shen Qingzhou. He also found that there were quite a few people in the room, including the Queen, Concubine Yue, the Crown Prince, and Prince Yu.

Just now, every time he met Shen Qingzhou, he had to accept Shen Qingzhou's sleeping attack. This time, it reached the critical point.

"Your Majesty, you were drowsy just now and were receiving Prince Huai and Lord Shen, when the Crown Prince and Prince Yu suddenly asked to see you," said Eunuch Gao.

Emperor Liang was so smart that he understood immediately that Prince Yu and the Crown Prince had been keeping an eye on him. As for the messenger, it must have been the two in the harem. They were afraid that he would die suddenly and they would not be around, right?

He could feel that although he was sleepy, he felt much better when he was awake, which was why he did not kill the imperial physician.

He has been the emperor for so many years, so he must be under pressure. Shen Qingzhou's technique allows him to sleep well, which is actually good for his health.

"Father, I have searched everywhere for famous doctors and finally found a rare one. He is just outside the palace." Prince Yu spoke first.

"Father, I have specially requested a medicinal herb and asked the imperial physician to check it. I think it may be beneficial to your condition." The prince followed closely.

"You are so thoughtful, so let him in and have a look." Emperor Liang said. Although he was in good spirits, he couldn't stay like this forever.

Shen Qingzhou was watching the show here. He didn't know why Emperor Liang didn't kick him out. However, looking at Prince Huai next to him, he felt like a disappointed iron with a useless person. He was too timid and didn't even dare to talk to his own father.

"Your Majesty, this is a symptom of dizziness. Your Majesty is in good spirits, but after all, you are old. For this symptom, you just need to rest well and don't overwork yourself."

Shen Qingzhou was amazed when he heard this. He felt that the Crown Prince and Prince Yu were waiting for this opportunity. So what if they wanted to give it a name? The most important point was that they wanted Emperor Liang to have more rest.

In fact, my talent is lost every moment, but my ability to recover can catch up.

All I can say is that the royal family is the royal family. If Emperor Liang himself had not been extremely skilled in the use of power and tactics, and had not acted with righteousness in mind, or if the prince had not had no competitors, perhaps he would have died with his current symptoms.

"Okay, Lord Shen and I have something to talk about. You guys can leave first." After Emperor Liang said this, only three or four people were left in the hall: Eunuch Gao, Emperor Liang, Shen Qingzhou and Prince Huai.

"My dear Minister Shen, what do you think? I need to rest for some time. Between the Crown Prince and Prince Yu, who can take on the heavy responsibility?" Emperor Liang also had an idea, or rather, he was convinced. He really wanted to take a good rest for some time, and also wanted to take this opportunity to see who would jump out.

"This matter is decided by Your Majesty alone. I dare not say more." Shen Qingzhou understood it immediately. This means he wants to be the sixth in command, okay?

"Prince Huai, if you were to take my place temporarily during this period of time, would you dare?" Emperor Liang's words made Prince Huai tremble and unable to utter any words.

The more he was like this, the more relieved Emperor Liang was. He was too tired. Not only the doctors found by the Crown Prince and Prince Yu, but also people from Medicine King Valley came. Everyone summarized his symptoms as being that he was overworked before. After all, it really did no harm to his body, and he also wanted to rest for ten days or half a month.

However, he did not want to give this power to Prince Yu and the Crown Prince. One of them was capable, and the other was righteous. What should he do if they use this time to develop?

As for Prince Jing, it is not a good idea either. He is very capable, but the more this happens, the worse it gets. Prince Huai is then stood out. He has no power, and even if he is in power temporarily, he can't do anything.

As for the affairs of the court, he knew it well. Anyone could be missing, even the emperor himself. The death of the imperial guards and the fire in the palace made him a little worried.

This time, with the added gamble from Shen Qingzhou and the arrival of the Crown Prince and Prince Yu, he made the decision to give power to the Crown Prince or Prince Yu. He was afraid that the first thing they would do after taking power would be to bring him down.

After listening to Shen Qingzhou's report for a long time, Emperor Liang made a decision.

"I plan to let Prince Huai take charge of my orders temporarily."

"Father, you absolutely cannot do that." The prince said hurriedly. While his father was recuperating, shouldn't he be the regent?

"Father." Prince Yu also objected. He would be very happy if there were no harem affairs. Prince Huai was a waste and had no strength. Even with Ling Xin, he would be suppressed.

But he and Prince Ning are brothers from the same mother, and he is not afraid of his mother being targeted by the Queen. However, he also finds it troublesome if the other party, who has some power, attacks him.

However, what he and the Crown Prince did would only confirm Emperor Liang's thoughts. That was it, the Prince of Huai was isolated and helpless and could only rely on himself, so he felt at ease.

"You want me to take back the imperial edict."

"I dare not." The Crown Prince and Prince Yu knew that the matter was already decided.

Prince Huai was relieved. His father would only rest for about a month. There were still seven or eight days until the Lantern Festival, so he didn't have to go to court. There wasn't much to do.

"Your Highness, don't worry too much. I will definitely support Your Highness in the court." Shen Qingzhou said.

"Thank you, Lord Shen." Prince Huai seemed to have a little bit of support in his heart.

After the Lantern Festival, in the court.

The throne was empty, but there was a small chair next to it, on which sat Prince Huai. Although he had no power, he had an imperial edict, and Emperor Liang had just announced this matter in public yesterday.

All the officials were puzzled. His Majesty looked so energetic, why did he suddenly ask the useless Prince Huai to handle government affairs for him for a few days? Could he do it? What was His Majesty going to do?
"Prince Huai, the positions of the ministers of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Rites are vacant. The positions of ministers are extremely important. I recommend..." The prince stepped out directly. This showed that he did not take Prince Huai seriously at all. He even wanted to take this opportunity to directly secure the position of minister.

Prince Yu also had the same idea. When his father was alive, he was arbitrary and arbitrary, but if Prince Huai agreed, his father would have to consider it a little.

"This." Prince Huai was a little dumbfounded.

“Prince Huai…” The entire court seemed to have turned into a vegetable market. No one, including those who were neutral, looked favorably upon Prince Huai. If it weren’t for the conflict between Prince Yu and the Crown Prince, he wouldn’t even dare to think about becoming the regent.

"Everyone, it is inappropriate to have such a noise in the court." Shen Qingzhou's words were spoken with thunderous eloquence, and they were clearly imprinted in everyone's ears. There was indeed silence.

"Lord Shen is right." Prince Huai said. In the entire court, he was the only one who knew Shen Qingzhou, and he had no choice but to do so. He was Shen Qingzhou's only supporter.

"Lord Huai, Lord Shen is not in these important places, so it's natural that he can speak lightly. Without a decision maker, what if something goes wrong? Can Lord Shen be held responsible?"

"Prince Huai, the matter of the Shangshu is of great importance and must be appointed by His Majesty. As for the affairs of the three ministries, the Zhongshu Province and the Shangshu Province should work hard, and I don't think anything serious will happen." Shen Qingzhou suggested.

"Lord Shen, you are joking. Each department has its own rules." An old man stepped out. He was neutral and was not willing to get involved in such matters.

"Lord Shen makes it sound easy. If you have the ability, why don't you take on the responsibilities of these three departments?" said the prince.

"If His Majesty the Prince of Huai has no objection, I can take care of him temporarily."

"Prince Huai, I think this is feasible." Prince Yu did not object. It just so happens that he couldn't find any evidence against you, so he brought it to his doorstep. If there is a mistake, you will die. He had offended many powerful people before, but Emperor Liang also mediated for him. Is he a lone minister?

"Prince Huai, I agree." Many people understood Prince Yu's meaning, and the Prince's party and Prince Yu's party united again.

Prince Huai asked again, and seeing that Shen Qingzhou was not joking, he agreed. He was timid to begin with.

Shen Qingzhou felt a pang in his heart. They wanted to find his weak spot, but he should not forget his background. The purge of the three departments came, and they caught him before they could catch him.

This seemed like a joke, but everyone tacitly wanted to get rid of Shen Qingzhou. He had secured his seat in the government office, and it was difficult to find a sore spot. These three departments were like sieves everywhere.

(End of this chapter)