Prince 09

Only the Prince of Chu wore a miserable expression. "Big brother, how are we supposed to do this... I couldn't finish all these even if you killed me."

Prince Xiang patted Fang Zhiyi on the shoulder. "Boss, why don't you just go and admit you were wrong? This is clearly aimed at you."

Prince Qi shook his head. "It seems that in Imperial Father's heart, the most suitable person is still eldest brother."

Fang Zhiyi's gaze swept over the three of them. The expressions on their faces ranged from indifference to relief to agony, but the previous jealousy was entirely gone.

"It's not entirely impossible to handle... but it's going to cost extra." Fang Zhiyi smoothly extended his hand.

The Prince of Chu had the distinct feeling of being played by both his old man and his big brother.

However, Fang Zhiyi's subsequent actions truly opened his brothers' eyes. He pulled the spectating Prince Xiang and the eager-to-learn Prince Qi together, swiftly sorting the official documents by category.

"Second brother is more familiar with military and political affairs. You're responsible for reviewing this stack. Do an initial screening, and set aside any questionable ones to discuss at the end."

"Third brother, your expertise is here. These are all livelihood issues. Handle them the same way Second brother does."

"Old Four, you take care of the rest. Remember, for trivial matters and repetitive content, just write a direct reply and toss them aside. Prioritize major issues."

Prince Qi looked at Fang Zhiyi suspiciously. "Big brother, what are you going to do?"

"Me? I have to compile everything at the end! I will review everything you screen out. Did you think I was taking your money for nothing? Remember, civilian livelihood has the highest priority, followed by military affairs, and finally judicial matters."

Prince Qi suddenly saw the light. He clapped his hands together, as if he had grasped a profound truth.

Prince Xiang grumbled, "I don't even have to oversee the state, yet I still have to do this. I'm really suffering here."

Fang Zhiyi laughed. "For that, you have to blame the old man. He wants to hold everything in his own hands. Actually, if we just optimized the functions of the Six Ministries and the process of submitting memorials, our workload would be significantly reduced."

The Prince of Chu grimaced. "This is just too much... Big brother, what kind of life were you living before?"

As they were speaking, the door was pushed open. The Prince Wei stood at the doorway with a bewildered look. "Um... Fourth brother, you were looking for me... Greetings, Big brother, Second brother, Third brother..."

Fang Zhiyi stepped forward and affectionately threw an arm around his shoulders. "Old Five, it's your turn to oversee the state next month. It's not a bad idea to let you familiarize yourself with the process in advance, right?"

The Prince Wei nodded, but swallowed hard when he saw the piles of documents on the desk.

"Another coolie," Prince Xiang muttered. "I never realized before that the boss's ability to con people was this formidable."

Prince Qi didn't stop what he was doing. "Big brother has always been smart. Did you think he was like you?"

"Old Three, what do you mean by that?"

Seeing that the two were about to start bickering again, Fang Zhiyi smacked each of them on the head. "What? Not enough memorials? Should I go get you some more?"

"No need, no need."

"It's all that old man's fault. He became the emperor and just torments us all day."

"Hehe." Old Five's chuckle drew the attention of the others.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Old Five felt a bit embarrassed. "I just realized that it's been a long time since the five of us gathered together like this. The last time was when Big brother was sick."

As his words faded, the men in the room looked at each other, then lowered their heads and got back to work.

"Idiot."

"You're the idiot."

"No respect for your elders, huh?"

"Don't throw memorials! Who threw that at me?"

The two servants guarding the door exchanged a glance. Were they hearing things? It sounded like the Crown Prince and the princes were fighting inside? No, it sounded like they were actually quite happy.

"Anyway, you must remember, no matter who becomes emperor in the future, if you don't want to die of exhaustion, this simplified process I'm talking about is absolutely necessary. Memorials must be categorized into urgent, routine, and those needing review. Urgent matters take priority. Routine matters are generally replied to in a weekly batch. Matters needing review are usually handed over to the Ministry of Justice for review before being reported, so the emperor only needs to look at the results."

"If you still find it too complicated, you must delegate power to the Six Ministries. Just require them to submit regular summary reports. Don't be reluctant to let go of power, otherwise, they will come to ask for instructions over every little thing, and it will annoy you to death."

"In case of an emergency, temporary disposal power must be delegated to the local Surveillance Commissioner to avoid having everything reported upwards, which not only wastes time but also delays matters."

The others watched Fang Zhiyi as he processed the memorials they had reviewed while lecturing them, their faces full of admiration.

In the past, they just thought the boss was the Crown Prince merely because he was born earlier. Now it seemed he was truly awesome.

"Big brother, you speak as if you've been an emperor before." The Prince Wei immediately started kissing up. He had already foreseen what his life would be like next month; he needed to pull this relationship closer right now.

Fang Zhiyi shot him a sidelong glance. "Flattery is useless; I only work for money. I only have these insights because I've experienced it myself. Otherwise, look at me—what do you think happened to my health?"

Prince Xiang frowned. "The old man is really..."

"He's old. Even if he wanted to change, he couldn't. But I hope you can remember my words. This is for your own good, and for the good of everyone."

Prince Qi asked, "Big brother, I want to ask: if delegating power leads to subordinates deceiving their superiors and hiding the truth..."

"Do you think there's no deceiving superiors if you don't delegate power? This kind of thing has existed since ancient times and can't be completely cured. But it can be deterred. For example, establish a supervisory department responsible for monitoring all officials, reporting directly to the emperor..."

"I know about that," Prince Xiang said with some pride.

"That's on the surface. In secret, you establish a special intelligence agency under the direct jurisdiction of the emperor, whose sole task is to keep an eye on every official."

Prince Qi inexplicably felt that his big brother in front of him was a bit ruthless.

"Actually, whether these agencies are good or bad depends on whether the emperor is good or bad. The emperor is human after all, and no human is perfect. Therefore, we can only try our best to be a good emperor, ensuring that the people of the world have food to eat and clothes to wear."

Finally, Fang Zhiyi added, "I'll say it again: I'm not going to be the emperor. Whichever of you hits the jackpot, remember to arrange a wealthy fiefdom for me to be a vassal king. Ideally, the kind where I don't have to take responsibility for anything and just collect money every month."

Fang Zhiyi happily earned his money while also attempting to mentor a future emperor.

Inside the Imperial Palace.

Zhang Dafu hurried into the study.

"Your Majesty! The Crown Princess requests an audience!"

The old Emperor's face darkened. "I won't see her." He was currently quite annoyed with Xu Ruyi, the reason being Fang Zhiyi's unintentional complaint last time. He hadn't expected that this accidentally arranged marriage would bring in someone like her.

"But Your Majesty, she... she said she wants to present a treasure on behalf of the Crown Prince!"

"A treasure? What kind of treasure have I not seen? Tell her to leave."

"Yes." Zhang Dafu hesitated for a moment and turned to leave.

"Wait, she said she is presenting it on behalf of the eldest?"