Chapter 2 — Brother Poinsettia Forced Me to Replace Him as Official

I deliberately forced my voice to be low, imitating my brother Tham Tri Hanh's usual tone.

"About the flood in Jiangnan, the plan you presented to me two days ago, I have seen it."

Two days ago? That was the plan proposed by brother Tham Tri Journey. What did he suggest? I don't know at all.

"There's something I don't understand. Please explain it to me thoroughly."

Thorough explanation? Explain what the hell! There was a buzzing sound in my head, like it was exploding. Fifty taels of silver is not enough. Absolutely not enough. This job is worth five hundred taels of silver. But now it's too late to say anything, all the civil and military officials in the court are looking at me. I took a deep breath, forcing my brother Tham Tri Hanh's calm "everything is in the palm of your hand" expression on my face ——

"Your Majesty, this matter... please let me think more."

This is the universal answer that my brother taught me. Thank heaven and earth. Tieu Duc raised his eyebrows and said nothing. I thought this was over. Then the speaker ——

"Okay, then after court ends, you go to the Royal Study Room. I'll wait for you to finish thinking and tell me personally."

When the tide ends, my legs are weak. It's really done. Completely done. Royal library??? Face to face with the Saint alone??? I don't even know what plan my brother Tham Tri Hanh wrote!! I was so panicked that I had no control over myself. On the surface, I pretended to calmly walk out, but in my head, I was frantically spinning - Should I pretend to be sick? Pretend to faint? Or run away directly? While I was thinking, a voice came from behind ——

"Lord Shen, congratulations. Your Majesty summoned me alone, which shows how much people value you."

I turned my head to look back. The person who spoke was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a dark red official robe, with a smile on his face, but his eyes were like a poisonous snake. Prime Minister, Trieu Binh. Older brother once told me about this person - his arch-rival.

"Have you thought carefully about how to answer Your Majesty?" Trieu Binh smiled meaningfully: "If you don't answer well, don't blame the old man for not reminding you first."

I looked at his smiling face and suddenly I was no longer panicking. Don't know why. Perhaps —— compared to having my identity exposed in front of the emperor, being seen as a joke by this kind of person makes me more uncomfortable. I imitated brother Tham Tri Hanh's hateful expression, the corners of my lips curling up: "Thank you General Trieu for your concern, I don't dare bother you with your worries." After speaking, I turned around and left. As soon as I took three steps, I immediately regretted it. Why am I pretending to be a big-tailed wolf? What to do now?! Royal library! The Emperor is waiting for me!!! I almost ran to an empty corner of the palace wall, took out a small piece of paper from my chest - This is the "life-saving brocade bag" that my brother Tham Tri Hanh gave me, written on it: If you encounter an emergency situation, please open this piece of paper. My hand trembled as I opened it. There was only one line on it:

"Improvise as needed, trust me."

Tham Tri Hanh, you are truly a bastard!!! I almost tore the piece of paper and swallowed it. Believe me? What do you believe in me? Believe I can take our whole family to the execution ground?! But things have come to this point, I can only harden my scalp and continue forward. In front of the door In the royal study room, after the eunuch informed me, he let me in. When I stepped over the threshold, I almost tripped and fell - not because of nervousness, but because these pair of mandarins were a bit wide, my brother's feet were bigger than mine. Luckily I was able to stand firm again. I raised my head. Tieu Duc sat behind the desk, holding a chapter in his hand, not looking at me. I found a chair to sit down with my back straight. The person put down the medal and looked towards me. Those eyes looked like they were interrogating a prisoner.

"In the water disaster in Jiangnan, you proposed to use merit instead of relief, mobilizing local farmers to build dikes, and at the same time opening warehouses to stabilize food prices. I ask you - if the local officials obey on the surface, but behind the scenes do the opposite, using poor quality goods to replace them, how will you handle it?"

I heard you understand. Every word is understood. But put it together —— I don't know the answer. My mind turns around very quickly. Taking credit for relief... corrupt officials... what to do... Isn't this a matter of supervision? Although I don't understand court affairs, I used to manage the books at home! Brother Tham Tri Hanh's monthly spending money is all taken away by him to gamble, how do I manage it? I asked Aunt Ly next door to help me keep an eye on him! One out of three!

"Your Majesty..."

As soon as I opened my mouth, I tried to lower my voice and keep a calm expression:

"I think we can set up royal historians to patrol, not going through the local area, directly broadcasting to the heavens. Rotate once a month, don't let one person stay too long in one place, to prevent collusion between officials and merchants."

Having finished speaking, I immediately shut my mouth. Don't dare say another word. Because we are afraid of saying too much and making too many mistakes. Tieu Duc looked at me. Looked for a long time. It took so long that I thought someone would call the guards to drag me out. After that, he said one sentence —— He threw the medal on the table and leaned back in his chair.

"Tham Tri Hanh, I have known you for three years. Today is the first time I feel that you are... a bit different from before."

There was a "thud" in my heart. Not the same? Not the same anywhere?!

"In the past, when you talked, you always cited classic scriptures, a bunch of nonsense. Today, on the contrary, it's more concise."

I can't learn the way my brother Tham Tri Hanh speaks in style.

"Recently I read a few more military books." I stiffly made up: "I feel that when marching and fighting, we should pay more attention to words and thoughts, and work should be the same."

Tieu Duc looked at me again. That look sent chills down my spine. But he didn't ask.

"Okay, go back down. Regarding the establishment of the Royal Guard Patrol position, please prepare a detailed charter tomorrow and present it."

I stood up, bowed, turned around —— The moment I stepped out of the Royal Study Room, I felt like I had just returned from the King's Palace. Heart pounding. Fifty taels! Tham Tri Hanh, you owe me five hundred taels!!!