Wei You began to ponder.

Yuan Xiu said, "What are you thinking? Don't worry about saying something different from what Chen Changyun said. Just say what you see."

"yes……"

Wei You lowered his head, not daring to pause, and said, "Everyone in the Right Prime Minister's residence respects the Eldest Princess very much. The number of servants in the residence is not large, probably only one-fifth of that in the Left Prime Minister's residence. The Right Prime Minister's wife is strict in managing her subordinates, and the residence's expenses are very frugal."

Yuan Xiu asked doubtfully, "Isn't Zhao Cheng supposed to be a spendthrift?"

“That’s right!” Wei You nodded and said, “During my time in Yanchuan City, I lived in the Central Office. Every day, in addition to learning about the situation from Yanchuan officials, I also went to the countryside to observe the people’s conditions and listen to their opinions. I learned that the Right Prime Minister’s Office was very frugal, but Zhao Cheng was extravagant.”

"Does he have a bad reputation in Yanchuan?"

"Oh no! But..."

Yuan Xiu kicked Wei You and said, "Stop dawdling!"

Wei You chuckled and continued, "Zhao Cheng's reputation used to be bad, but it improved somewhat after he repeatedly caused trouble for the Southern Zhou spies. However, when Zhao Cheng returned to Yanchuan last time, he was collecting protection money everywhere, and his men were all thugs who bullied men and women, so his reputation worsened again. Later, his subordinate, Park Wudi, got involved in the incident of the Xue family's young master assaulting someone. To stand up for Park Wudi, he mobilized his troops to cause trouble and had Lian Zhongyi pressure the Ministry of Justice to execute those who assaulted people. This, by a twist of fate, aligned with public opinion and improved his reputation again..."

“This guy…” Yuan Xiu thought for a moment and said, “He acts recklessly and doesn’t care about his reputation at all. No wonder his public image is so inconsistent.”

"I heard he's started a wine business; he must be short of money, right?"

“He’s definitely short of money!” Wei You chimed in, “I’ve also heard that he used to gamble with people, and those were bets of thousands or even tens of thousands of taels of gold!”

"What a waste... Even I feel sorry for the Right Chancellor! By the way, his 'Immortal Wine' has a good reputation. Get me some quickly, I want to taste it to see if it's real or not. After all, my elder sister married him, I can't let him make some fake wine to harm the people just to make money."

"yes……"

Yuan Xiu then asked, "And the Right Chancellor? What is the Right Chancellor's reputation like?"

Wei You couldn't help but think for a moment and said, "There are very few comments about the Right Chancellor in Yanchuan City; you can hardly hear them."

Why is that?

"Because the Right Prime Minister almost never goes out and stays at home all day."

"Oh? He has no dealings with officials in Yanchuan?"

“No!” Wei You said firmly, “I live in the Central Secretariat and can see it clearly!”

"Do the officials in Yanchuan dislike him?"

"No, that's not true. Some officials did visit him, but he refused them all."

Yuan Xiu closed his eyes, remained silent for a while, and said, "The Right Chancellor still has a sense of propriety. When it comes to retirement, one should have the awareness to take care of oneself in retirement."

After a while, Yuan Xiu took his legs off the ground, sat up straight, and asked, "How many soldiers does the Right Chancellor's Office have?"

"three hundred."

"Are you sure there haven't been any increases?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the first thing I did upon arriving was to secretly check the number of the imperial guards, and there were no new additions."

"I can't find the problem..."

Wei You lowered his head and softened his voice, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive my bluntness, but the Right Prime Minister's residence is peaceful and harmonious. The Right Prime Minister is indeed living a life of leisure. He is now eager for the Eldest Princess to give birth soon so he can enjoy his grandchild. There is nothing to fear from Yan Chuan."

Yuan Xiu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You did a good job. I'll reward you tonight."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Alas... I just miss my elder sister so much..."

Wei You said, "Your Majesty, now that Ye Dan has fallen, there is no worry in the north, and Southern Zhou has made peace with Da Jing, so there is no war on the border. If you really miss the Princess, you can go out for a walk!"

"I'm going to Yanchuan?" Yuan Xiu shook his head and said coldly, "Although the Right Prime Minister's Office only has three hundred soldiers, they are soldiers! Former Dragon Spearmen!"

"I won't go. I'll have my sister bring the baby to see me after she gives birth!"

Wei You lowered his head, not daring to speak again.

...

The Left Prime Minister's Residence.

"Reporting to the Left Chancellor, Attendant Chen has just left the palace with his officials."

"Okay, you can go now."

Wen Hu snorted coldly and said, "As expected, His Majesty arranged for Zhou Nuo and Dian Chen first."

Yu Changsi stroked his beard and said, "In His Majesty's eyes, the Clerk is the cleanest. I just don't know how His Majesty will arrange for the Clerk. Sha County Earl, take a guess?"

“Of course, he’ll stay by my side.” Wen Hu didn’t think much of it and said, “Dian Chen is a fierce general. You didn’t see him fight Mr. Xu. He fought like he was risking his life! If it really came down to a fight to the death, although he might not be a match for Mr. Xu, he could very well defeat Zhou Chuan. I guess His Majesty will probably make Dian Chen his bodyguard first, cultivate a good relationship with him, and give him small favors every now and then. When the opportunity arises, he will put him in charge of the army.”

Yu Changsi's eyes lit up, and he said, "Lord Shaxian is right! In military affairs, His Majesty used to rely on Zhao Huan, then on Yuan Zhang, and now on the Left Chancellor. The lack of capable people in the army has always been a worry for His Majesty. Dian Chen is his breakthrough point. If I'm not mistaken, those ten martial arts graduates will most likely be assigned to suitable positions in the army by His Majesty for training."

“And then there’s Zhou Nuo…” Yu Changsi smiled and continued, “His Majesty knew about her relationship with Zhao Cheng, yet he still heavily relied on her. This was a risky move, as he learned about the Right Prime Minister’s residence through the Eldest Princess!”

“Our Emperor has grown up,” Wen Tai, seated in the main seat, said. “He is also becoming more and more imposing!”

"Hu'er, His Majesty will make arrangements for Xu Qingshan in three days. What do you think about this?"

Wen Hu said, "No matter what the arrangement, let Mr. Xu comply. If His Majesty needs someone, we'll give him to him. After all, we're all serving the court!"

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