Chapter 510: Knocking

Chapter 13: The Crown Prince's MercyChapter 510: Knocking

"Well, not bad."

Li Chen nodded in satisfaction and then pointed to a corner of Xizheng Hall. There was a stack of about ten books of memorials. He said, "Just pick a few of those memorials and have a look."

Zheng Bao Rong was a little confused, but he didn't dare disobey the Crown Prince. He picked up several scrolls with a puzzled mind and began to read them.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Bao Rong's face instantly became extremely colorful.

Li Chen leaned back in his chair and said, “These days, the Imperial Censors of the Department of Supervision have been submitting impeachment memorials against you. There are so many of them arriving every day. The memorials list your crimes as using your power for personal gain, oppressing the innocent, and taking advantage of the privileges granted to you by the East Palace to coerce local landlords in the outskirts of Beijing into planting sweet potatoes.”

Those who agree are naturally easy to talk to, but those who don't, you immediately threaten with the Dongchang and the East Palace.

“The most serious time, you even summoned yamen officers from the capital to forcibly requisition land, resulting in a brawl involving dozens of people. Is this true”

Zheng Bao Rong's face contorted in anguish, he hurriedly put down the imperial decree and pleaded with Li Chen in a pitiful voice: "Your Highness, it's a misunderstanding."

"Those who own large tracts of land near the capital city are ostensibly ordinary landowners, but everyone knows that those fields actually belong to officials in court. Those landowners are merely agents put out by these officials to create confusion."

They act arrogantly and domineeringly because they have connections in the court and powerful patrons backing them.

"It is really difficult for me to push things forward. Sometimes, I have no choice but to use the tiger skin of the East Palace."

As for the brawl, it was a misunderstanding. There was indeed a fight, but it was nothing serious, just a few scratches. The other party started it, so I called the yamen officers to keep things from escalating.

Zheng Baorong then let out a breath of relief, and carefully said, "Your Highness, these imperial edicts..."

"Haven't you seen that these memorials have been thrown into the corner by this palace"

Li Chen frowned and said, "This palace knows that being the magistrate of the capital city is not easy. An official in the imperial capital, under the emperor's feet, has always been the most challenging position, and it is also extremely demanding."

"Think about all your exes, counting up the ranks. Each one wasn't someone with a powerful background, the sons of officials from high-ranking families backing them up. That's because in the capital, relationships are so intricate that officials below the third rank wouldn't even dare to claim their official status in the city. This magistrate of the capital, without a truly formidable background, would naturally be squeezed and targeted by various forces."

"What's more, persuading you to promote the cultivation of sweet potatoes is already a difficult task. Now that it's even harder, I initially allowed you some exceptions, letting you operate under the banner of the East Palace. I didn't mind it because otherwise, do you think the Jinyi Guards of the East Factory would just sit around eating their pay Do you think they would tolerate such outrageous behavior"

You put up my banner, and I didn't say anything. That already counts as an acknowledgement. Otherwise, those bigwigs in the capital would have devoured you alive, and you wouldn't be here reporting to me like this. consideration.""It is unheard of for the imperial court to engage in commerce. Moreover, although officials from the Ministry of Revenue are in charge of money and grain and can handle abacuses and a...