Chapter 26: Qin Feng, you’ve certainly got plenty of clever tricks up your sleeve!-Império Ming: Depois que Revelei Minha Viagem no Tempo, Velho Zhu Ficou Atordoado(Do seu lado)

Qin Feng had been enjoying a rare moment of leisure in the Imperial Palace recently. His life was quite comfortable, requiring only that he deliver lectures to the princes. He knew that Emperor Zhu intended to keep him there, as the matter regarding the river courses remained unresolved. Once that was settled, he would have to return to the Shanglin Garden to continue his research on hybrid rice.

Qin Feng’s lessons were always engaging, and the princes enjoyed them immensely. Having introduced them to the subject of geography last time, today he had moved on to chemistry. The princes were deeply immersed in the novel world of memorizing the Periodic Table of Elements when they were interrupted by Wang Jinghong, who arrived in a frantic hurry.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Grand Tutor Qin! His Majesty has issued an urgent summons to the Wuying Hall!"

It was not the first time they had been summoned to discuss matters in the Wuying Hall, but it was rare for the Emperor to call for both Qin Feng and Zhu Biao at the same time. Qin Feng sensed that the Emperor must have encountered a thorny problem to summon him and the Crown Prince with such urgency.

Upon arriving at the Wuying Hall, Qin Feng saw the Emperor pacing back and forth, his face etched with worry. Zhu Biao remarked, "I have rarely seen Father so troubled."

"I suspect His Majesty is still fretting over the river course issue; otherwise, he would have let me return to the Shanglin Garden long ago."

Zhu Biao asked, puzzled, "Didn't Father want to appoint you as the Governor of Riverways? If you were to take that post, wouldn't the river issues be easily resolved?"

Qin Feng replied, "It is likely not that simple. I imagine he is once again worried about the lack of funds and grain."

"I wanted to ask you, have you thought of a way to generate revenue for the treasury? If you cannot come up with a solution, it will make things even more difficult for Father regarding the rivers."

"Your Highness, these matters are interconnected. If one link remains broken, nothing else can be accomplished. For now, we must first relax commercial policies so that my methods for generating revenue can be effective. Once I have raised the funds, I can support the imperial court in building flood-control dams, and the problems with the rivers can finally be solved."

Zhu Biao sighed, "But Father said that in order to relax commercial policies, the river issues must be resolved first."

Qin Feng spread his hands and said, "Then we are finished. Isn't this a dead end? Without relaxing the policies first, there is no way to resolve the river issues." He paused, then added, "Let us go in and hear what Father has to say."

After the two entered and offered their salutes, the Emperor waved his hand, signaling them to sit. Seeing the distress on the Emperor's face, Zhu Biao asked with concern, "Father, are you still worrying about the river situation?"

The Emperor took a deep breath and said, "I summoned you here to tell you that the Duke of South Korea has just visited me. He does not wish for me to appoint Qin Feng as the Governor of Riverways!"

Qin Feng curled his lip and remarked, "If he doesn't want me to, fine. I have no desire for the post anyway."

"I told him as much—that Qin Feng cannot be the Governor of Riverways, as he lacks the capability."

Qin Feng chuckled, "Your Majesty, I thank you for that. The work on the rivers is arduous and thankless; let whoever wants it take it. I already find the work at the Shanglin Garden taxing enough; why would I consider the position of Governor of Riverways a prize?"

Zhu Biao said quietly, "Sir, I fear it is not that simple. There are many who have their eyes on the position of Governor of Riverways."

The Emperor sighed, "Biao is right. Every year, the court allocates millions of taels of silver to manage the rivers. Inevitably, some will harbor crooked intentions, looking to cut corners and profit from the projects. This recent breach of the Yellow River is likely not just a simple case of a governor embezzling funds; it may well involve a massive web of vested interests. The Duke of South Korea is likely implicated, which is what worries me most!"

Zhu Biao realized, "Father, they do not want Qin Feng to be the Governor of Riverways because they fear he will expose their corruption."

Qin Feng stroked his chin and asked, "Are you suggesting that people have been embezzling the annual silver allocations for the rivers? And that this involves a large number of officials?"

"Exactly!"

Qin Feng was inwardly shocked. This was the Hu Weiyong case! Why had it suddenly become entangled with the river issues? Was it possible that because he was a time traveler, he had altered the course of history?

Noticing the change in Qin Feng's expression, the Emperor asked sharply, "Qin Feng, have you discovered something?"

Qin Feng leaned in and whispered into the Emperor's ear, "Historical records from the future mention a great case from the Hongwu era known as the Hu Weiyong case, which documented the collective corruption of Hu Weiyong and the nobles associated with him."

Hearing this, the Emperor’s face turned deathly pale. Hu Weiyong? How dare he? As the Chancellor of the Great Ming, he dared to engage in corruption and bribery? With his fiery temper, the Emperor roared in anger, "I cannot tolerate even a grain of sand in my eyes! I shall send men to arrest Hu Weiyong and confiscate his estate this instant!"

Seeing the Emperor's sudden outburst, Zhu Biao was bewildered. What had happened to his father? Why this sudden, intense rage? What exactly had the tutor just told him?

Qin Feng hurriedly restrained the Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, we must not alert the enemy! Furthermore, without concrete evidence, arresting Hu Weiyong so rashly would only invite criticism and damage your prestige. Currently, the enemy is in the open while we remain in the shadows. Isn't that how we keep them in the palm of our hand?"

Seeing the mischievous glint in Qin Feng's eyes, the Emperor felt a shiver of caution. Back when the Minister of Justice, Han Shiyuan, had been outmaneuvered by Qin Feng, the Emperor realized that in terms of strategy and cunning, Qin Feng was second to none.

"Qin Feng, what do you intend to do? Let me hear your thoughts."

Qin Feng grinned, "Your Majesty, you only promised them that I would not be the Governor of Riverways; you never said someone else couldn't be."

The Emperor sighed, "Do not speak to me of the Governor of Riverways; I am still fretting over it. I do not know who to promote. Must I really place that mediocrity, Li Zhen, in that position?"

Qin Feng suggested with a smile, "Why does Your Majesty not send one of your own sons to act as the Governor of Riverways?"

The Emperor looked at Zhu Biao and shook his head, "No! The status of the Crown Prince is too conspicuous; he is definitely not the right candidate!"

"I am not speaking of the Crown Prince; I am speaking of Your Majesty's other sons."

The Emperor looked up sharply, a smile gradually spreading across his face. "Hahaha! Qin Feng, you have quite a few clever ideas, don't you?"

Qin Feng rubbed his nose and laughed, "If you appoint one of the princes as the Governor of Riverways, it will surely silence many critics. If you then send me to assist the prince in managing river affairs, wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone?"

The Emperor patted Qin Feng on the shoulder, excited, "Qin Feng! You have truly done me a great service. The title of Governor of Riverways is just an empty rank; it matters not who holds it, as long as our own people are the ones doing the work. Qin Feng, it really has to be you; your mind moves so fast. I shall mark this as a merit for you."

Zhu Biao stood by, feeling deeply depressed and scratching his head. He thought to himself, *What on earth are Father and the tutor talking about?*