Your Majesty, oh, Your Majesty! This old minister truly underestimated you!

For a moment, Zhu Cilang felt a surge of irritation and simply waved his hand.

"You may withdraw."

"This old minister takes his leave."

Xue Guoguan cupped his hands in a bow and then departed.

The Hall of Literary Glory.

As usual, the grand secretaries of the Cabinet were busy managing their respective official duties, and Senior Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru was no exception.

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Zhou Yanru felt his eyelids twitching continuously all day, as if some ill omen were about to befall him.

Suddenly, Cabinet Minister Zhang Sizhi, who had earlier stepped away to attend to personal matters at home, rushed in with a panicked expression.

Clutched in his hand was an object that turned out to be none other than the *Great Ming Daily*!

"This is bad! This is terrible! Everyone, a major crisis has occurred!"

Zhang Sizhi shouted at the others.

Hearing this, Zhou Yanru glared at him and rebuked sternly:

"What is the meaning of all this commotion? Have you forgotten what place this is?"

As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Wang Chengen's direction, signaling Zhang Sizhi to shut his mouth.

Zhang Sizhi instantly snapped to his senses, abruptly clamped his mouth shut, and even slowed his pace, putting on a nonchalant facade.

Wang Chengen naturally noticed the commotion over here, but he pretended to see nothing and remained standing quietly in his place.

Zhang Sizhi strolled over to Zhou Yanru's side and cautiously slipped the *Great Ming Daily* into Zhou Yanru's hands.

"What are you doing?"

Zhou Yanru felt utterly baffled. He had never seen Zhang Sizhi act this way; acting all sneaky and furtive like a common thief.

However, Zhang Sizhi offered no explanation. Having shoved the newspaper into Zhou Yanru's hands, he simply walked away.

Curiosity gnawing even deeper at his heart, Zhou Yanru pulled out the *Great Ming Daily* and began to read.

At first glance, he was merely curious, wondering who had come up with such a novel creation that seemed somewhat similar to the imperial gazette.

Yet, the moment his eyes locked onto the headline, Zhou Yanru froze.

As he read further down, his shock deepened. By the time he finished reading the front-page article, his complexion had turned ashen and grim to the extreme!

At that very moment, he finally understood why Zhang Sizhi had lost his composure just now!

Damn it!

What on earth was going on here?

Who the hell came up with this thing?

To actually spell out their covert conspiracy in broad daylight like this—this was tantamount to taking their lives!

This would not do! He had to figure out what was behind this device!

Thinking this, Zhou Yanru hurriedly feigned a look of fatigue.

"This cabinet minister is somewhat tired and will go take a brief rest."

With those words, Zhou Yanru rose, clutched the *Great Ming Daily*, and strode out, casting a meaningful glance at Zhang Sizhi as he passed.

Zhang Sizhi caught the hint immediately and hastily addressed the others:

"Pardon me, gentlemen, but this cabinet minister is also a bit fatigued. I shall go rest for a moment as well!"

Having said that, Zhang Sizhi hurried out in a rush.

The remaining three grand secretaries exchanged puzzled looks.

However, paying little heed to the matter, they quickly resumed their respective tasks.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yanru and Zhang Sizhi had arrived in a private chamber reserved specifically for the grand secretaries of the Cabinet, usually used for taking temporary rests.

Upon seeing Zhang Sizhi appear, Zhou Yanru angrily brandished the *Great Ming Daily* and demanded:

"Damn it! What in the world is going on here? How did this kind of thing even emerge?"

Zhang Sizhi wore an equally anxious expression.

"I have no idea how this happened either. According to the servants in my estate, this thing suddenly popped up this morning."

"Furthermore, it swept through the entire capital with lightning speed!"

"Right now, everyone in the capital is discussing this *Great Ming Daily*. Moreover, at all the major taverns, teahouses, inns, and other densely populated areas in the capital, people are recounting the contents published in the paper."

Hearing this, Zhou Yanru felt a chill wash over his entire body.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that their foolproof stratagem could be dismantled with such effortless ease.

"Have you found out who is behind this?"

Zhou Yanru asked through gritted teeth.

Zhang Sizhi shook his head.

"It remains unclear for now, but according to reliable intelligence, this *Great Ming Daily* appears to be the work of Xue Guoguan!"

"Do you remember what Xue Guoguan said earlier?"

"I suspect that what he mentioned back then was precisely this matter!"

What?

Hearing this, Zhou Yanru's expression shifted once more.

If Xue Guoguan was indeed involved in this, did that not mean the mastermind behind the *Great Ming Daily* was none other than the Chongzhen Emperor?

After all, Xue Guoguan had stated earlier that the Emperor and the Crown Prince had entrusted him with a task!

The next second, a thought struck Zhou Yanru, and he hurriedly flipped through the *Great Ming Daily* in his hands once again.

Before long, he finally confirmed his inner suspicion!

The person behind the *Great Ming Daily* was unequivocally the Chongzhen Emperor!

Because the publication contained not only imperial edicts, but also official appointments and transfers of court officials, alongside various other state policies!

Without the Chongzhen Emperor's explicit consent, who would dare to boldly print such matters in plain sight?

At this thought, Zhou Yanru could not help but curse inwardly!

Damned Chongzhen, what on earth are you trying to do?

First, you released Xue Guoguan and mobilized the Guanning Iron Cavalry, and now you have even seized control of public opinion among the common folk!

How did the Chongzhen Emperor suddenly become so formidable after falling gravely ill?

They had been caught completely off guard!

For a moment, Zhou Yanru's mind was in total chaos, utterly at a loss as to how to handle the situation.

At his side, Zhang Sizhi continued to ask:

"So... what on earth should we do now? Everyone in the capital is currently revoking and cursing us for spreading rumors earlier. Our previous plan can surely no longer proceed!"

Hearing this, Zhou Yanru said bitterly:

"What plan? The moment this *Great Ming Daily* came out, all rumors ceased to exist. To continue making a fuss now would simply be asking for humiliation!"

"We have lost this round, and we have lost miserably!"

At the same time, Zhou Yanru could not help but marvel inwardly:

Your Majesty, Oh Your Majesty!

You truly make this old minister look at you in a completely new light!

Though absent from the court, you still command every single movement within it, and you have effortlessly defeated us to boot.

This old minister truly underestimated you in the past...

From beginning to end, Zhou Yanru never connected any of these events to Zhu Cilang. After all, in his eyes, Zhu Cilang was merely a youth of thirteen or fourteen; how could he possibly possess such profound political acumen?

These deeds could only have been orchestrated by the Chongzhen Emperor himself...

Thus, in Zhou Yanru's mind, the Chongzhen Emperor suddenly assumed an unfathomable and inscrutable aura.

However, what Zhou Yanru and Zhang Sizhi did not know was that at this very moment, hidden within a concealed niche newly carved into the wall of this very room, a young eunuch was silently crouching, intently listening to every word of their conversation.

Once they departed, the eunuch pushed open a secret door on the opposite side and stepped into a secluded side hall.

Roughly a quarter of an hour later, this young eunuch stood before Zhu Cilang, recounting the gist of the conversation they had shared.