dispute

Despite their resounding victory, Ping An did not rest on his laurels. Instead, he turned to Qi Kang and instructed him, "Qi Kang."

"Your servant is here."

"Have people post notices outside the government offices of various prefectures and counties, clearly stating my and Shenzhi's expenses, the treatment of the royal family members, the salaries of meritorious officials, and the percentage and reasons for the reductions. Then have people read them aloud." Ping An paused and added, "Also, when Cui Sugong was in office, his expenses, those of Shen Meiwu, and Cui Lingxian should be listed, so that the people can make a good comparison."

Having said that, Ping An ignored the dumbfounded faces of the princes, ministers, and Cui Shenzhi, and left in a huff.

After leaving the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Ping An angrily led Qiu Yan and Qiao Siyu out of the palace. They found a few storytellers and told them about the events in the court, making sure they were vague and that the story was spread under the guise of the previous dynasty. Ping An also specifically asked them to focus on describing the ugly behavior of the royal family, princes, ministers, and noble families.

After doing all this, Ping An finally felt a little better.

Let them look down on her! Let them bully her! Just wait, she'll make them all pay the price!

But what happens after paying the price?

Ping An was somewhat bewildered.

She attended court, rejected the ministers' proposals, and silenced everyone. So what? Did she gain supreme power? Or is she destined to continue attending court and arguing with the ministers? Is this kind of power... meaningful?

She was puzzled and wanted to ask someone, but she knew she wouldn't get anything out of Cui Sugong, who was such a useless person. So she decided to ask Cui Shenzhi. She returned to the palace and saw the bustling Qianqing Palace.

*****

Because of the incident Ping An caused at the court assembly, Cui Shenzhi was surrounded by princes and ministers who were making a fuss. One said that the sentence should not be reduced, another said that Ping An was too willful and reckless. The voices rose and fell, and Cui Shenzhi could not get a word in edgewise, so the Qianqing Palace was in chaos.

Seeing this scene, Ping An felt a little annoyed. He turned his head and gestured for Qiao Siyu to pick up a vase and throw it forcefully on the ground, attracting everyone's attention.

She smiled in front of everyone, walked in gracefully, and said calmly, "So you all have such strong opinions about my decision. But I've already had someone spread the word. What should I do? How about I issue another decree to clarify things and say that it was just a misunderstanding?"

The people in the Qianqing Palace all shook their heads with ashen faces.

Are you kidding me? The news has already spread. If they embarrass themselves now, what will the world think of them? Relatives who are of no benefit to the country yet insist on enjoying the wealth of the nation? Ministers who have spent years studying only to exploit the people? Nobles who, while not royalty, are practically royalty themselves, living off their ancestors' achievements?

Even if it's true, no one wants to bear such a reputation.

Ping An walked up to Cui Shenzhi and sneered, saying, "Then what are you all still doing here? What, are there so many redundant officials in the court? It seems it's time to sort out who are just freeloaders. After all, even I, as the only princess, have to work. Why should some people be able to take a salary without doing anything and just cause trouble all day long?"

The ministers turned and left.

"And what are you nobles doing jumping around here? Are you really so sure that Shenzhi won't harm you 'accomplices'? Sure, he hasn't seen those lost relatives, but he has been friends with you for over a decade. But I have truly suffered for so many years and have absolutely no good feelings towards the Cui family. Are you sure you want to stay here?"

The nobles fled in panic.

As for the remaining relatives…

Ping An said with a sarcastic tone, "A bunch of useless people who can't carry anything, are either brainless or have trouble taking care of themselves. It's already an extraordinary favor that I'm willing to support you. You don't take my rare mercy for granted and try to push your luck, do you? If so, I'll just have to throw you into the cold palace and let you suffer for more than ten years like I did. Only those who have the ability to survive will be treated kindly."

The relatives blushed and took their leave.

After everyone left, Ping An turned around and looked at Cui Shenzhi, feeling furious.

She didn't know what she was angry about, but she was just really angry!

"Cui Shenzhi! Do you know that you are the emperor? The emperor's majesty is inviolable. How can you allow them to run rampant in the Qianqing Palace?!"

“Ping An, the emperor has never been the Son of Heaven, but merely a ruler of men. He should not be subject to the saying that the majesty of the emperor is inviolable.”

"What a joke!" Ping An slammed his hand on the imperial table. "When the emperor is angry, a million corpses will fall; when a commoner is angry, blood will flow every five steps. The emperor's majesty is inviolable! People should fear the emperor, treat him with utmost respect, and grovel before the emperor, begging for his mercy and obeying his every command!"

Choi Shin-ji sighed, recalling what Qing-ya had said.

"Peace and safety are paramount. Mencius said, 'The people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important.' An emperor who doesn't care about the people is doomed; look at Emperor Yang of Sui..."

“That’s because he was stupid.” Ping An interrupted Cui Shenzhi, looking disdainful: “The Qin Dynasty had heavy corvée labor and taxes, as well as harsh laws and punishments, but was the world in chaos when Qin Shi Huang was alive? Who dared to rebel against him? If Qin Er Shi hadn’t been a fool who was manipulated by Zhao Gao, the Qin Dynasty wouldn’t have perished after only two generations.”

“Ping An, if Qin Er Shi hadn’t colluded with Zhao Gao to usurp the throne, the Qin Dynasty wouldn’t have perished after only two generations. But that was because Qin Shi Huang’s chosen successor was Prince Fusu, and he practiced ‘benevolent governance,’ unlike the ignorant Qin Er Shi and Zhao Gao, who continued to oppress their subjects with harsh laws and severe punishments because their accession to the throne was illegitimate.”

Ping An puffed up her cheeks in anger.

"Alright, alright! It was meddling, but I'll have someone put up a notice at the palace gate saying that you, the emperor, love it when people point fingers at you and curse you, and let the whole world curse you!"

Cui Shenzhi then realized that Ping An's previous words were not a continuation of the court debate, but rather that he thought the ministers were bullying him and was deliberately protecting him. He was worried that Ping An would be bullied in the future.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but laugh.

“Ping An, you don’t need to worry about me. The ministers don’t usually come here so aggressively. Most of the time, they discuss national affairs calmly.”

Upon hearing this, Ping An reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and her fur stood on end.

"Nonsense! I wasn't worried about you! I just couldn't stand how weak you were!"

After saying that, Ping An, without waiting for Cui Shenzhi's reply, hurriedly lifted her skirt and ran away.

Behind him was Choi Shin-ji's hearty laughter.

*****

Although Ping An ran away, she still rushed back angrily after hearing that Cui Shenzhi had summoned several ministers again.

She wasn't worried about Choi Shin-ji! She was worried that the ministers might complain about her to Choi Shin-ji because they had opinions about her!

However, she couldn't get a word in edgewise about what Cui Shenzhi was talking about this time. She had never heard of any of these things, such as which river channels needed to be diverted, which towns needed to be garrisoned, or which laws needed to be amended. So how could she say anything? She could only watch helplessly as Cui Shenzhi talked eloquently with the ministers.

The ministers, however, were unaware of these things.

Seeing Ping An sitting to the side with an unfriendly expression, they couldn't help but recall the verbal battle in the imperial court. They subconsciously felt that Ping An was thinking of ways to cause them trouble, so they all kept a low profile and became much more respectful when speaking to Cui Shenzhi.

— Cui Shenzhi always respected them greatly and never put on airs as an emperor in front of them, so when they discussed national affairs with Cui Shenzhi, they always unconsciously adopted a somewhat arrogant attitude.

While the ministers were complaining bitterly about Ping An, the common people had different opinions about him because of his previous actions.

*****

The people noticed that the notices posted outside the government office seemed different from usual; there were several at once, each densely covered with writing, and they all curiously gathered around.

"Sir," an old man mustered his courage and stepped forward to ask, "Could you tell us what this notice says?"

"Of course, I would have read it even if you hadn't asked. The imperial court has ordered that what is written on the notice be read to everyone."

Then the constable began to read aloud the words on the notice.

When the people heard about Ping An and Cui Shenzhi's spending habits, they were filled with doubt and envy.

I wonder why this was written on the notice; I envy them for being able to spend more money on food, clothing, and daily necessities than they could earn in a lifetime.

Then they heard about the treatment of the royal family members, the treatment of the dukes, marquises, and ministers, and were so surprised that their pupils dilated and their mouths gaped open.

Looking back at Cui Shenzhi and Ping An's expenses at this point, it's nothing compared to what they spent.

Upon hearing about the expenses of Cui Sugong, Shen Meiwu, and Cui Lingxian, and then looking at Cui Shenzhi and Ping An, the people couldn't help but sigh.

This couple is so frugal... The two of them combined don't even compare to the treatment of Princess Cui Lingxian, let alone Emperor Cui Sugong, who is known for his extravagance, or Consort Shen Meiwu, who is known to all. Even the salaries of some ministers and descendants of founding heroes are higher than theirs.

Upon hearing that Cui Shenzhi had exempted Nanzhou from taxes for ten years and was unwilling to increase the burden on the people, Ping An took the lead in reducing his own expenses, along with the treatment of the royal family, princes, and ministers. He was deeply moved.

What a wonderful young couple! The husband made a promise worth a thousand pieces of gold for the people, and the wife set an example by not wanting to add to their burden.

In addition, the stories about the court that Ping An had the storyteller spread made the people full of praise for Cui Shenzhi and Ping An. This made those who were resentful because of Ping An's actions and wanted to cause trouble have to suppress their anger.

Meanwhile, one person was getting increasingly agitated by the contents of the notice; that was Cui Lingxian, who was traveling with Lu Fengping.