Chapter 781 The Imperial Advisor is Stunningly Beautiful (8)

"Your Majesty is mistaken. I can only be the one who provides the funds; it is Your Majesty who will actually do the work."

As the imperial advisor, all she needs is for the people to know about her abilities.

What the emperor truly desires is the support of the people.

The Emperor said, "Wouldn't I be taking advantage of the Imperial Advisor?"

“I eat the Emperor’s food, live in the Emperor’s house, and even the people serving me are the Emperor’s people. I also receive a monthly salary from the Emperor. What do I need so much money for?”

The Emperor was deeply moved. The Imperial Advisor had done all this for him, yet this man still dared to covet the Imperial Advisor. He truly deserved to die!

The emperor came in a hurry and left in a hurry.

He was busy sending people to open shops in other places, and also busy finding suitable places to take in homeless beggars. In short, he had to do everything the Grand Preceptor had asked for and he could not let the Grand Preceptor down.

...

Five days later, in the Golden Palace.

During the morning court session, the fourth-rank censor, Lord Xi, submitted a scathing memorial impeaching his in-laws.

What are you referring to?

Officials patronizing prostitutes.

The official rank of a fifth-rank assistant minister is indeed too low. It would be too troublesome to find fault with his work. After all, the two of them are not in the same department, so let's start from other places.

It is illegal for officials to patronize prostitutes.

According to the laws of Canglan, officials who frequent prostitutes will be demoted three ranks.

Of course, the premise is that there must be solid evidence, and coincidentally, Lord Xi did have it.

No, to be precise, it was his wife who helped him get it!

Ever since her daughter returned home, Madam Xi had sent people to follow Fang Ming. But as soon as he heard that his wife had gone back to her parents' home, he immediately went to his lover outside.

Mrs. Fang took her daughter and went to catch them in the act, catching them in bed together.

Xi Yuying scratched both of their faces, and immediately afterward, she proposed a divorce.

As for whether the mother-in-law was faking illness—after hitting her, Xi Yuying proposed a divorce, but Fang Ming disagreed, and even more so, he disagreed with Xi Yuying taking her daughter away. The two argued fiercely for a long time, and the news also reached the Fang family. The seriously ill Madam Fang personally came to the scene, but she showed no signs of illness.

Then Madam Xi also beat Madam Fang.

Not only that, she also forced Fang Ming to sign the divorce papers and gave their daughter to Xi Yuying.

But Lord Xi couldn't swallow this insult.

The two families have become enemies.

Rather than risk being retaliated against by the Fang family one day, it would be better to just kill him. So the couple discussed it and sent someone to investigate this Lord Fang. They were shocked to find that the father and son were cut from the same cloth.

Fang Ming kept a mistress, and his father was even worse. He didn't care when his wife was beaten and went to brothels to sleep with prostitutes.

There were a lot of people watching in the brothel, so he couldn't even try to deny it.

On that very day, Lord Fang was demoted, and no matter how much he protested his innocence, it was no use. The Emperor pointed at him and sent him to the north to be a minor seventh-rank county magistrate.

There was nothing he could do; the emperor disliked him, so he was demoted four ranks and ordered to set off immediately today, with a deadline set for his arrival.

It's also a great opportunity to see the massive snowstorm in the North, which is quite thoughtful.

Lord Fang didn't dare to stop for even a quarter of an hour. Upon arriving home, he hurriedly instructed his servants to pack his clothes and money, load them onto the carriage, and the whole family set off at noon that day, leaving only the steward in the capital to handle the remaining matters.

It took him a full twenty years to rise from the seventh rank to the fifth rank after passing the imperial examination.

Having regained his rank of seventh grade overnight, he knew he would probably die in his post in the north.

However, he didn't blame anyone else, only himself for failing to properly manage his son. If it weren't for his lustful desires and keeping a mistress, his in-laws wouldn't have sought revenge. Therefore, after arriving in the North, Fang Ming's status as the legitimate son plummeted, and the woman carrying his child was frequently tormented by Madam Fang, ultimately miscarrying before the child was even born.

The departure of the Fang family members caused no stir except for a few sighs from acquaintances.

A charity hall did open outside the city.

The Charity Hall is divided into two parts, one of which is the Education Hall.

It houses orphans under the age of twelve.

They have to learn to recognize characters and do chores with their teachers every day, so they are never idle, but they are well-fed and well-rested every day.

The other part is a nursing home.

They took in only elderly people who had no children and were homeless.

These people aren't really free to do nothing. Those who are healthy have to do some work they are capable of every day, and the person in charge will pay them wages.

When the charity hall was first established, it took in nearly two hundred people, and that number is increasing every day.

On the contrary, it seems that all the beggars in the capital have disappeared overnight.

...

On New Year's Day, a palace banquet is held, and officials of the fourth rank and above are allowed to attend with their families.

They need to arrive at the palace around 5 o'clock. The palace banquet will start at 6 o'clock (5 o'clock in the afternoon), and there will be song and dance performances and delicious food to taste.

It's quite rare that the Imperial Advisor also attended this event.

Her seat was arranged next to the Emperor, and on the other side was the Empress Dowager. Today, she was wearing a red Taoist robe, which was unusual for her. Her hair was tied up high, and her face was clearly not made up, but it was as white and tender as jade, with not a single hair visible.

Even though she was dressed in red, just sitting there gave off the feeling of an immortal descending to earth.

The two royal princesses sitting below were far inferior to her.

Other officials' daughters didn't even dare to compare themselves to the Imperial Preceptor; they could only look up to him in awe.

Several ambitious young men even blushed with embarrassment at the thought.

Those who cultivate the Tao can get married. If they can marry, no, if they can marry the Imperial Preceptor, then everything in this life is truly worthwhile.

No, no, no, even if I could only have one night with the Imperial Advisor, my life would not have been in vain.

All the officials knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times.

The Emperor told them to rise.

"Today is the New Year's Eve banquet. I celebrate with all my ministers and we enjoy this festive occasion together. You have all worked hard this year. Today, everyone can drink to their heart's content and not leave until you are drunk."

After speaking, the Emperor picked up the nine-fairy-themed glass wine cup in front of him and toasted the Empress Dowager, wishing her eternal youth.

After finishing this cup, the emperor then toasted all the officials sitting below, and they all raised their cups and drank together.

Just then, an urgent report came from outside!

The Emperor abruptly stood up from his seat. "A letter has arrived from the North! Summon it immediately!"

The messenger's voice carried from afar, "Report! The heavy snow in the north has stopped! The heavy snow in the north has stopped!"

Messengers were not allowed to enter the main hall normally. The message had to be handed to the guards at the hall entrance, who would then present it to the eunuch on duty, who would then present it to the emperor.

But today's situation is special, and this person was taken directly into the main hall.

After traveling at breakneck speed for three and a half days, they finally arrived in the capital. Countless horses were exhausted, let alone the people.

The soldier was cold, tired, and exhausted. He was barely holding on by his last breath. After presenting the letter, he collapsed to the ground.

"Your Majesty, the blizzard that has raged in the north for half a month finally stopped three days ago!"

The Emperor took the letter and quickly read it. After reading it, he exclaimed three times, "Good, good, good! Today is New Year's Eve, and the snow in the north has stopped. It can be considered a double blessing. Eunuch He, reward the soldiers handsomely."

"Take him downstairs to eat something and warm up. I have questions for him after the palace banquet."