"Madam, I suddenly remembered that I have some matters to attend to, so I must take my leave now. Please forgive me."

I was too ashamed to stay any longer, so I had to find an excuse to leave.

Taking concubines has existed since ancient times, but no one has ever thought about it from such a bizarre perspective, and even deliberately wrote a poem to mock it. It's simply insidious!

As expected of a banished immortal, his thoughts are different from those of us mortals.

Seeing Liu An, who disregarded all decorum and hurried away, Jiang Nuan couldn't help but smile.

They're all shameless old men, old and decrepit, yet they don't care for their wives, only targeting delicate young women. They're so spoiled!

Liu An returned home and had not calmed down for a long time. He even sent away the page who came in to serve him writing materials.

The more I think about it, the more embarrassed I feel; the more I think about it, the more ashamed I feel.

"No way, it's something the whole world is doing, why should I be the only one to lose face?"

After saying this angrily, he curled the corners of his mouth into a smile, and then sent the poem to the capital.

In the back hall of the government office, the two Grand Secretaries who had driven Qi Yong away were whispering among themselves.

"That scoundrel Qi Yong, he's gone to Shandong this time, don't even think about coming back easily." Grand Secretary Zhong said through gritted teeth, "That eunuch left us with such a huge problem, he deserves to die."

"The Emperor wanted to keep Liu An in his position as Grand Secretary; Qi Yong just added fuel to the fire."

"If it weren't for Qi Yong's stage, His Majesty wouldn't have been able to keep us here, let alone bestow upon us the title of Protector of the Nation!" Grand Secretary Zhong asked with a pained expression, "When will His Majesty understand our good intentions?"

"Now that the treacherous officials have fled far away, it is a good opportunity for us to exact our revenge."

"Absolutely."

As the two were talking, a yamen runner reported that a letter had arrived.

Whose letter was it?

"Letter from Grand Secretary Liu".

"Liu An has sent another letter?" Grand Secretary Zhong frowned deeply. "How will he embarrass himself this time?"

Since the last incident, he has been unable to view his colleague in a normal way.

Even though few people knew about Liu An, who had brought shame upon the entire court, Liu An was someone Liu An disdained to associate with.

"No rush, let's wait and see," Elder An said in a deep voice. "If he still fails to live up to expectations this time, we don't need to accept his letters anymore."

He was utterly disappointed in this junior he had once placed high hopes on. He had groveled before the emperor and then handed over his hard-earned achievements for nothing. Nobody else could do that!

"Let me see it."

Grand Secretary Zhong had barely finished reading the letter when he was so angry that he spat out a mouthful of blood. "Liu An, you just wait!"

Upon seeing this, Elder An's expression changed, and he hurriedly said, "Let me see."

What kind of letter could make someone so angry they'd vomit blood? Is it the same as last time?

Upon realizing this, Grand Secretary An hurriedly snatched the letter away.

After reading it, the once neat letter instantly became a crumpled ball. "How dare this brat humiliate us like this!"

An eighteen-year-old bride and an eighty-year-old groom, their white hair contrasting with their red makeup; a pair of lovebirds in the quilt, a pear tree in full bloom overshadowing a crabapple.

He remembered the blatant irony!

Without hesitation, the two Grand Secretaries, their tempers flaring, stormed into the Imperial Study to lodge a complaint.

"Your Majesty, Liu An has insulted us with such vulgar words. Please, Your Majesty, take righteousness."

On the dragon throne, Ji Xuan almost burst out laughing after reading it.

He coughed twice to suppress his laughter before explaining to the two ministers, "My dear ministers, you misunderstand. This poem is not meant to mock you two, but was written by the Lady Protector of the Nation to warn him."

After speaking, Ji Xuan pointed to a line of text at the very bottom that was so small it was almost invisible.

cough!

Grand Secretary Zhong swallowed the blood that was about to spit out.

They had actually been tricked, and by someone they had just been looking down on.

He'll remember this grudge!

Liu An, right? I'll send him a big gift in a few days.

He was already resentful that he was appointed Protector of the Nation, since he was inferior to him in both seniority and ability. Why did he receive such a great benefit just because of Tian Zhe Xian?

How could these old ministers, who had served the Great Zhou with utmost care and trepidation, bear this?

"Your Majesty," Grand Secretary An said, struggling to suppress his barely contained anger, and managed an apologetic smile, "This matter was our fault. We were wrong, we wrongly blamed Grand Secretary Liu. Please forgive us, Your Majesty!"

“It’s alright,” Ji Xuan said with a sympathetic look at the two of them, speaking slowly and deliberately, “I think the Lady Protector’s poem is excellent and should be circulated throughout the world to warn people.”

He wanted to see who would dare to mistreat a young girl after this poem was written.

Ji Xuan disliked this trend very much.

Despite their advanced age, these old men refused to cultivate their moral character and instead competed with each other to take concubines. Some even held a concubine-taking banquet every month, which was extremely ostentatious.

This extravagant trend is detrimental to the nation's future, yet its impact is too great to be curbed.

Unexpectedly, Ji Xuan encountered such a masterpiece of poetry, and he couldn't help but clap and cheer without regard for his image.

"What?!" Grand Secretary Zhong exclaimed in surprise, "His Majesty intends to issue a proclamation to the entire world?"

No, absolutely not.

If the whole world knew this poem, wouldn't he be unable to even leave his house?

“Your Majesty is wise, I agree,” Grand Secretary An pondered for a moment, then spoke decisively, “This old minister is willing to share Your Majesty’s burdens.”

"Very well, this matter will be left to Anqing."

"Your subject obeys the decree."

After the two left the palace, Grand Secretary Zhong could no longer contain himself and complained, "Brother An, this is absolutely unacceptable! You're so foolish!"

"Foolish?" Grand Secretary An curled the corner of his mouth. "Just you wait and see."

In the days that followed, the capital city quietly underwent changes.

Upon learning the news, officials began to quietly reduce the number of concubines in their harems. Those concubines with children were properly settled, while those without children had their contracts released. Those who had no other options were simply given away.

Grand Secretary An did an excellent job. Except for the concubines who had borne him children, he released all the others from the mansion and personally arranged their marriages, finding them suitable homes.

Upon learning this, Grand Secretary Zhong looked at the sky with melancholy and said, "I am far inferior to you."

Sending one occasionally is a sentimental gesture, a way of exchanging favors.

To personally arrange marriages for these beauties would be tantamount to handing over one's own hat.

Dozens or even hundreds of them at once—only a ruthless person like Grand Secretary An could withstand that.

When the secret guards reported these things to Ji Xuan as anecdotes, he was also very surprised, "No wonder An Qing's position is so stable."

To be able to do what others cannot, and to endure what others cannot endure—this is the mark of a dragon among men.

"Master, that song hasn't been circulated yet. Should we give it a push?"

"No need, we need to give them some time to cover their faces, there's no rush."

We've waited this long already, a few more days won't make a difference.

If there were a few more ruthless figures like Grand Secretary An, the population might increase by several thousand next year, and in a decade or so, they would become pillars of the nation.

"Little Yuanzi, come here."

"This servant obeys your command."

"Go to the storeroom and find some things to send to Grand Secretary An. Tell him that I am grateful for his noble character and integrity."

"This servant obeys your command."

After pondering the meaning of those words, Xiao Yuanzi immediately understood Ji Xuan's plan.

They really made full use of Grand Secretary An.

Using him to pass on the poems and essays, and then using him as a target, I wonder if Grand Secretary An will be cursed to death.

An Ge Lao was well aware of the consequences of his actions, and that was exactly the effect he wanted.