Chapter 19 Partisan Struggle

On the dragon throne, Emperor Jinghe remained calm, and the stalemate continued.

Emperor Jinghe's gaze finally fell on the princesses in the front row.

She first looked at the Second Princess Ling Yao: "Yao'er, what do you think?"

Ling Yao stepped forward, her demeanor gentle and her words tactful: "Your Majesty, I believe that expanding the territory of the Horse Ranch is appropriate, and military equipment is a vital national asset. As for properly compensating the people for their land and providing them with more relief, both can be achieved."

They spoke eloquently, offending no one, but in reality, they tacitly approved the expansion of the territory.

Emperor Jinghe remained noncommittal, turning his gaze to the Third Princess, Ling Xuan: "Where is Xuan'er?"

Ling Xuan straightened his face and spoke earnestly: "Your Majesty, I believe your concern for the people is commendable, but your concern for strengthening the nation should not be taken lightly. The key to this matter lies in how to establish a fair compensation system and ensure its implementation, so as to both strengthen national defense and avoid hurting the people's hearts."

She passed the difficult problem back to the officials in charge.

After the two princesses finished answering, the gazes in the hall seemed to fall on the fifth princess, Ling Wei, who was standing to the side as if she were lost in thought.

Emperor Jinghe remained silent for a moment before speaking: "Wei'er."

Ling Wei blinked, her face showing a thoughtful expression.

"Your subject... after listening for a while, is a little confused."

She frowned slightly, looked at the Vice Minister of Works, and asked in a puzzled tone, "Your Excellency just said that the land belongs to the imperial family?"

The Vice Minister of Works was taken aback, and hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, that's right. Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the emperor. The pastures of the Horse Pasture were bestowed by the Emperor Taizu, so they are naturally royal property."

"I see..." Ling Wei's confusion deepened. She tapped her temple with her knuckles and murmured softly, her voice not loud, but enough to be heard in the quiet of the hall, "Royal horses trample royal land, so aren't the trampled seedlings also royal seedlings?"

She complained, as if talking to herself, "What a mess! It's always our side that's losing out."

The stalemate was suddenly resolved, as if enlightened.

Censor Fang's mind suddenly clicked. "That's right! Since your Cai faction keeps talking about the imperial family, then let's settle accounts with the imperial family!"

She immediately seized the opportunity: "What the Vice Minister says is absolutely right. Under heaven, all land belongs to the king. Therefore, the seedlings trampled by the horse ransacking station are naturally His Majesty's seedlings! The damaged fields are also His Majesty's land! The grain that should have been added to the national treasury in the future is also His Majesty's grain!"

Furthermore, the warhorses trampling on the hard ground could damage their hooves, thus harming Your Majesty's military equipment! This action is entirely detrimental to Your Majesty, and I implore Your Majesty to severely punish those who are ruining Your Majesty's legacy!

The angle has been completely reversed.

In the queue of Qingliu people, several people immediately realized what was happening and stepped forward:

"What Lord Fang says is quite right. As it is royal property, it should be managed well. How can it be destroyed so violently?"

"This is not expanding the land, but squandering it."

"To damage His Majesty's property and harm His Majesty's instruments—their intentions are despicable!"

Officials from the nobility faction quickly chimed in: "So that's how it is. It's called horse breeding, but in reality, it's destroying farmland. In the end, it's the royal family that suffers. This precedent must not be set!"

The situation reversed instantly.

The Vice Minister of Works and the Cai faction were dumbfounded, their faces turning red and white in turns.

They had intended to use their royal status to intimidate the other party, but to their surprise, the other party took the hat, flipped it back, and did so with great precision and force.

Now, refuting it is not an option, nor is not refuting it.

On the dragon throne, Emperor Jinghe glanced at his daughter, who seemed to be lost in thought again, and tapped her fingertips lightly on the armrest.

That's enough.

The emperor's voice, filled with authority, silenced the commotion in the hall.

"The proposal to expand the territory of the Horse Pasture Administration is to be postponed. Officials who destroyed crops shall be investigated and severely punished. Damaged fields shall be compensated double. Court adjourned."

The message was concise and to the point.

Emperor Jinghe rose and left, and all the officials bowed.

In the front row, Prime Minister Tsai stood quietly. Her hair was gray, her posture was slightly hunched, and her face was kind. She looked like a gentle old lady from an ordinary family.

As the court session ended, she raised her relaxed eyelids, her gaze fixed squarely on Ling Wei, who was turning around to her side.

Almost simultaneously, Ling Wei casually turned her head and glanced over.

Their eyes met.

Ling Wei's face didn't show any particular expression; she only casually tugged at the corners of her mouth.

A deeper smile immediately spread across Prime Minister Cai's deeply lined face. He raised his hands and bowed respectfully towards Ling Wei.

Immediately, the two looked away and turned around.

The moment she turned around, the faint smile on Ling Wei's face vanished without a trace, and the gentle wrinkles on Cai's face also smoothed out slightly, the deep composure honed by generations of court officials being concealed in his lowered eyelids.

The officials retreated like a receding tide, and Ling Xuan turned around with a smile on his face: "Five..."

Huh? Where is everyone?

The person she wanted to talk to was walking briskly at the front; she was always very enthusiastic about attending court.

Ling Wei was walking forward when she heard hurried footsteps and panting shouts behind her: "Fifth Prince! Fifth Prince! Wait! Wait for this old minister!"

After catching his breath, Imperial Censor Fang bowed deeply to Ling Wei, his voice filled with emotion: "Your Highness's words today have awakened us from our slumber and helped us break through this predicament. This old minister...is eternally grateful!"

Ling Wei: "Huh? What?"

Seeing her completely out of sorts, Imperial Censor Fang's excitement turned into a helpless sigh.

She glanced around, lowered her voice, and began to ramble on about the Qingliu faction's weakness and the Cai party's aggressive tactics. Her tone was somber and full of worry.

As Ling Wei listened, her gaze gradually drifted off again.

Imperial Censor Fang, his throat parched from speaking, glanced up and saw Ling Wei lost in thought. He couldn't help but raise his voice: "Fifth Prince!!"

Having come from the Censorate, his voice, honed through years of impeaching court officials, was incredibly loud, making Ling Wei's eardrums ring.

She subconsciously rubbed her ears: "Ah, Lord Fang, I'm listening."

Imperial Censor Fang asked expectantly, "What important matter is Your Highness pondering?"

Perhaps the Fifth Prince is simply hiding his true abilities, and after that stroke of genius just now, he is now thinking about a more profound plan.

Ling Wei, with a thoughtful expression, slowly said, "I'm thinking about my second sister..."

Censor Fang's eyes lit up. Sure enough, the Fifth Prince must have noticed the connection between the Second Princess and the Cai Party. She suppressed her excitement and waited for what was to come.

Ling Wei continued, "My second sister has so many young men in her household... how exactly did she arrange them?"

She frowned. "Speaking of which, I'm already having trouble with just two... Lord Fang, have you heard of any good folk remedies?"

"Your Highness—!!!"

This sound was several times louder than the previous one, startling several nearby officials who turned to look.

Ling Wei felt an echo starting in her ears.

Imperial Censor Fang seemed to choke on his words, unable to speak for a long time.

She stared at the prince who was humbly seeking her advice, and in the end, all the words she wanted to say turned into a powerless sigh.

She bowed, then turned and left.

After taking a few steps, she suddenly turned back. Ling Wei looked at her with suspicion as she returned.

With a stern face, Imperial Censor Fang squeezed out a sentence through clenched teeth at an extremely fast pace: "Zhuque Street, Huichun Hall, third courtyard, east wing room, find Doctor Chen."

After saying that, she flicked her sleeve again and left without looking back. Her back view exuded a resolute determination that left her speechless with anger.