Chapter 807 A Dream of Youth 339

"Your Highness, Princess De'an has arrived." Not only Princess De'an, but also Princess Jiayue came to pay her respects. Those who were closer to her could come earlier to offer incense.

Princess De'an waved her hand, dismissing the other palace servants, and grasped Yan Xi's hand. "Good child, you are a sensible girl. Your aunt has already made arrangements for your royal aunt and the others. If you have time, please go and tell your royal uncle."

The moment Prince Duan was in trouble, Yan Xi sent a message to Princess De'an, asking her to protect Princess Duan and her child, which showed that she trusted Prince Duan.

"The Empress Dowager sent the Imperial Guards to keep an eye on Uncle Duan. Apart from the Empress Dowager's head maid and the Imperial Physician Jiang, no one else can enter."

This is to protect Prince Duan.

Princess De'an sighed. Everyone says that life is unpredictable, but the changes in the situation are too great. The Northern Jin invaded the Great Zhou. Before this external threat was resolved, someone took advantage of the emperor's illness to seize power and profit.

"Yes, Auntie asked Jiayue to stay and keep you company. You must take good care of yourself... Your father loves you the most, so don't make him worry." After saying that, she got up and went to the Empress Dowager's bedroom.

Jia Yue glanced at the palace servants in the distance, sat down between the two, and whispered, "The Minister of Works has been dismissed and is currently being tried at the Dali Temple."

"What did he do wrong?" Xiang Youyi didn't know much about court affairs.

"The supplies that were supposed to be sent to Hedong were embezzled by him. Vice Minister Xie discovered the absurdity and presented the evidence in court. At this critical moment, the Minister of Works has incurred the wrath of the Prime Minister."

Yu Xiang despised corrupt people the most.

Jia Yue knew all this because her brother worked at the Dali Temple.

Yan Xi did not react to this, because some of the evidence Xie Wangzhi presented was collected by her. However, she had been wondering where the Minister of Works had transported that part of the supplies.

After all, neither she nor Xie Wangzhi has been able to find out yet.

It seems that this Minister of Works is probably one of King Zhao's men. After all, raising an army requires a lot of capital. If King Zhao had nothing, Yu Tong would follow him.

Yan Xi guessed that it was likely that not only the Ministry of Works had people associated with Prince Zhao, but also the Ministry of Revenue. Unfortunately, she didn't have anyone in the Ministry of Revenue, otherwise she could have found them.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager and the Prime Minister were also discussing this matter. The Prime Minister handed over the list in his hand, and Xie Wangzhi's name was listed first.

"It seems that Lord Yu thinks highly of this Vice Minister Xie."

Yu Xiang stood respectfully at the lower end, but shook his head upon hearing this. "It was not my recommendation, but Lord Shi who recommended Vice Minister Xie. With Vice Minister Xie's talent and the merits he has made over the years, he is more than qualified to serve as Minister of Works."

The reason His Majesty didn't mention promotion before was mainly because Vice Minister Xie was young, and the plan was to send him out for a couple of years to gain experience and hone his skills. At this time, with internal and external troubles, having Vice Minister Xie as Minister would allow the Ministry of Works to operate more quickly, since the situation in Hedong cannot be delayed.”

Not only Xie Wangzhi, but also Xie Ning, were always suppressed by the emperor. A fine sword needs to be sharpened, and so does a person.

Otherwise, given Xie Ning's repeated outrageous actions, the impeachment memorials from censors who couldn't win arguments with him would have piled up on the emperor's desk, but the emperor suppressed them all because the benefits Xie Ning brought him were enough for the emperor to break some worldly rules for him.

Xie Ning single-handedly took on the great responsibility of the Women's Pharmaceutical Factory. Not only did she train a group of female doctors with extraordinary medical skills, but one-third of the medicines produced in the entire factory were based on formulas provided or improved by Xie Ning.

Otherwise, how could the people at the pharmacy be so convinced of Xie Ning's abilities?

Not to mention Xie Ning's contributions during the western expedition.

There was also the instrument that Xie Ning and Bai Jianzheng of the Imperial Observatory improved together, which had predicted two disasters, but they just didn't publicize it.

Needless to say, the Ministry of Works' looms were also a major contributor. Xie Ning's designs and improvements to the looms generated countless profits for the court, as the looms were not only for cotton but also for other silk fabrics and satins.

Did the emperor and his ministers really agree to Xie Ning's selection of female officials simply because they couldn't out-argue Xie Ning?

Although the Empress Dowager disliked Lord Shi, she did not deny his talent, nor would she take her dislike out on Xie Wangzhi.

"Then let's go with him."

The Empress Dowager pinched the bridge of her nose. She was even more annoyed when the topic of the war in Hedong came up. The order to mobilize troops had been issued, but whether Hedong could receive support was another matter.

Therefore, the court still had to send someone to supervise the army, but it was difficult to choose the right person. When the Empress Dowager saw that Yu Tong had ignored Hedong and returned directly to the capital to help Prince Zhao seize the throne, she almost fainted from anger.

But she couldn't punish Yu Tong for his crimes.

After all, she needed to buy time, not only worrying about the war in Hedong, but also summoning troops from all directions back to the capital to defend the emperor.