Eunuch Ma hurriedly went inside to serve him.

"Your Majesty, this servant is here."

After these days, Xiao Jingzhao was quite satisfied with Eunuch Ma. As the court became more stable, he gradually began to lower his guard against the people serving him.

After his arm wound healed, the Imperial Guards were no longer stationed outside the palace.

"Summon the guards in to receive orders."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Eunuch Ma bowed and withdrew.

Xiao Jingzhao was worried that Jiang Shuyue, a woman, would be too busy managing such a large restaurant, so he asked Xiangyang to find a capable and trustworthy person.

There has been no sign of Xiangyang since yesterday, and we have no idea where he went to look for him.

Xiang Song went to the yamen to select the inner curtain official to go to the examination hall to prevent anyone from engaging in favoritism and corruption.

A moment later, a man dressed as a guard followed Eunuch Ma in.

The guard clasped his hands in a fist salute and knelt on one knee. "Your Majesty, your subordinate has arrived. Please give your orders."

Xiao Jingzhao looked up and instructed, "The Empress Dowager and the Princess should be arriving in the capital soon. Send a team of people to the first post station outside the capital to wait for them."

The guard clasped his hands in greeting and said, "I will immediately lead a small team to meet you."

Thinking of his second younger sister's playfulness, Xiao Jingzhao added, "There might be delays on the way, and we might arrive in the capital a few days later."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will bring the Empress Dowager and the Princess back to the palace safely."

Seeing the guards walk away, Eunuch Ma bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Cining Palace has been renovated. Would Your Majesty like to take a look at which palace would be suitable for the two princesses to stay in?"

The vast harem is now empty, with only palace maids and eunuchs coming and going to clean it every day.

Xiao Jingzhao opened the drawer, took out a piece of paper, and looked at it again and again.

After a moment, he said to Eunuch Ma, "Choose two palaces near Cining Palace. Yonghe Palace will be for the eldest princess, and the palace for the second princess will be named Changle Palace."

The second younger sister is still young, and she will probably still cling to the Empress Dowager as before. It would be better to let her live closer to the palace where the Empress Dowager lives.

Eunuch Ma quickly bowed and said, "This servant obeys. Your Majesty is wise and mighty. The titles bestowed upon the two princesses are truly beautiful."

Flattery will get you everywhere, and even though Eunuch Ma wasn't always flattering the emperor, he was very perceptive and could tell that the new emperor was a pragmatic and wise ruler.

If he acts like the chief eunuch of the previous dynasty, I'm afraid my time as chief eunuch will soon be over.

Xiao Jingzhao put a lot of thought into these two titles.

His younger sister has a quiet and gentle personality, and he hopes that she will be happy in the future, find a suitable husband, and live a harmonious and beautiful life together forever.

My second sister is as mischievous as a monkey, carefree and without a care in the world. She can pretend in front of him, but she'll reveal her true colors in no time.

He hoped that his second younger sister would have a smooth and happy life.

After handing over all the details, Xiao Jingzhao suddenly remembered something.

He's already dismissed the Minister of Revenue, but the Vice Minister of Revenue hasn't even come to report on the matter at the Minister's residence.

He asked Eunuch Ma, "Has the Minister's residence been emptied?"

Eunuch Ma hurriedly said, "This servant will go to the Ministry of Revenue to inquire right away."

After receiving his orders, Eunuch Ma left, and Xiao Jingzhao took out the roster he had compiled and began to look at it.

The position of prime minister has been vacant for a long time, which is not a good thing. He needs his right-hand men to share his burdens.

The selection of the Minister of Revenue from among the newly appointed top scholars and successful candidates in the imperial examinations was already a breakthrough from tradition.

The prime minister still has to be selected from among the senior officials of the court.

He no longer followed the old convention of appointing a minister who was second only to the emperor.

After much deliberation, he decided to decentralize power, creating a tripartite balance of power among court officials who would supervise and check each other.

After a short while, Eunuch Ma brought in an official from the Ministry of Revenue.

"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!" The official respectfully performed the kneeling ceremony.

Xiao Jingzhao slightly raised his hand. "Rise."

He then inquired, "Has the Minister's residence been reclaimed?"

After rising, the official bowed slightly, not daring to look directly at the emperor's face, and said with his eyes lowered, "Your Majesty, Chief Clerk Jiang has already returned to his residence and came to the Ministry of Revenue yesterday to report for duty."

"Hmm, well done."

...

At night, the lanterns on the eaves of the Jiang residence swayed in the night breeze, and the quiet corridors were deserted.

Outside the Shumo Pavilion, Jiang Shuyue watched as the light in front of the window went out, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Miss, the young master has gone to rest, you don’t need to worry,” Qiuju said in a low voice.

"Shh! Let's go back and talk." Jiang Shuyue made a shushing gesture and quietly walked back.

Jiang Shuyue was worried that Su Jin was having trouble sleeping due to pre-exam anxiety, so she came over to check on her.

She wrote several poems for Su Jin to memorize, and Su Jin memorized them perfectly in just one day.

Some of the topics were about mountains and rivers, others about scenery, and so on. According to Jiang Shuyue's calculations, she should be able to guess at least one of the topics correctly.

Back at Xingyue Courtyard, Qiuju put down the lantern in her hand and said, "Young Master Su has been personally taught by Master Su since he was a child. As long as he performs normally, he should be able to pass the imperial examination or something."

“I’m worried he won’t sleep well and won’t be in good shape tomorrow.” Jiang Shuyue walked into the room and glanced at the hourglass.

To ensure Su Jin gets a good rest, Su Nan and Sui Sui both went to Nangong Zeyue's courtyard to rest tonight.

Jiang Shuyue was thinking about taking Su Jin to the examination hall early the next morning. She said to Qiuju, "You go and rest. I'm going to sleep too."

Seeing Qiuju go next door, Jiang Shuyue took off her outer clothes and slipped into the space.

Just as she was about to walk towards the stream, she caught a glimpse of mist swirling around one side of the Spirit Spring Pool. Jiang Shuyue walked over and saw a hot spring pool appear about half a zhang away from the Spirit Spring Pool.

The hot spring pool was crystal clear, and she could even see the color of the stones underwater. She was overjoyed. Had something changed in the space again?

She squatted down and splashed the hot spring water with her hands; the temperature was just right.

She took off her nightgown and slowly walked downstairs.

She used to bathe in streams and such, and couldn't bear to bathe in the Lingquan Pool. Now that there's a hot spring pool, she can finally soak in it often.

After soaking in the hot spring, I felt completely refreshed. After wringing out my hair, I went to sleep in the space.

The next day, at dawn, the area in front of the examination hall was bustling with traffic, and officials were outside maintaining order.

Qiuju lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the scholar waiting in line for inspection, carrying a quilt on his back and a basket in his hand.

Seeing that Su Jin showed no sign of nervousness, Jiang Shuyue picked up the bundled quilt and said, "Sister will see you to the door."

Su Jin took the blanket and slung it over her shoulder. "Sister, don't go. There are too many people here. I can manage."

The area in front of the examination hall was packed with people, mostly men who were there to see the examinees off. He was afraid that someone might accidentally bump into Jiang Shuyue.

Just as Qiuju was about to get up, Gao Mu reached out and picked up the large food box at the carriage door. "Miss and Qiuju, don't get out of the carriage. I will take Young Master Su there."

Looking at the huge crowd at the entrance of the examination hall, Jiang Shuyue nodded.

He patted Su Jin's arm again, "Don't be nervous, don't worry about the result, just do your best."

Su Jin couldn't help but laugh and said, "Sister, you've said it three times already."

Jiang Shuyue rubbed her forehead. "I was just nervous."

Su Jin jumped out of the car, waved to Jiang Shuyue, and turned to follow Gao Mu.

"Young Master Su."

A familiar voice rang out from the crowd.