"Your Highness, the Second Prince is going so far away, aren't you worried?"

"What's there to worry about? Besides, he's not alone; the First Prince is with him too."

Caixia looked at her mistress. Her mistress had really changed. She wasn't like this before. In just a few years, her mistress had come to trust the eldest prince so much. Before, they were like enemies. Did her mistress no longer want to fight for the eldest prince's position?

Consort Zhuang knew exactly what her personal maid was thinking. She put down the little trinket in her hand, sighed and smiled: "Caixia, it's not that I don't want that position, but that I don't have the ability to compete with the Empress."

"But the old general still commands 200,000 troops at the border. How can Your Majesty not have a chance of winning?"

"Have you forgotten about the last time a group of bandits raided the border? They were called bandits, but they were actually the elite troops of Yan testing the waters. Jiang Zhen was only a few years old, yet he managed to kill them all."

"But isn't this all thanks to the Third Prince? What does it have to do with the Empress?"

“Without the skills the Empress taught him, could Jiang Zhen have won so easily? Even my father had never seen those methods before.” Consort Zhuang laughed as she spoke. “I have seen them, but I never thought that knowledge could be applied to the battlefield. No wonder the Empress is so dedicated to training them; they are indeed very intelligent.”

"Your Majesty, how can you praise someone else's child like that?"

"That's true. Not only is the third prince a brilliant military strategist, but the fourth prince, Jiang Jun, who went to the south, also opened up ports there. The things that were transported to the capital a few days ago were all brought back by ships he sent out to sea."

"The Fourth Prince is only fourteen this year!"

"Yes, the Fourteenth Prince already has such talent. I guess even Consort Xian didn't expect her son to have such abilities. The Fifth and Sixth Princes will soon be thirteen. I wonder what arrangements Her Majesty the Empress has for them."

Consort Zhuang became more and more emotional as she spoke. If it weren't for the Empress, they would probably be fighting to the death by now, and the court wouldn't be as harmonious as it is now. She even began to think that things might be better without His Majesty.

In recent years, since His Majesty has not visited the inner palace, she has finally learned what a happy life is like. She can listen to the Empress's lectures, play mahjong with Consort Shu, Consort Li, and Consort Zhen, or read storybooks.

To be honest, Consort Xian was indeed a talented person before entering the palace. Her stories were really good. I heard that they sold very well outside the palace and earned her a lot of money, which made her very envious. It was a pity that she could not write like that.

Moreover, in recent years, there have been more and more novelties coming from outside the palace. Just those cosmetics alone are enough to keep her trying them for half a day. I heard that this cosmetics shop is actually the Empress's business.

Looking at the Empress who was now extremely satisfied, Caixia was genuinely happy for her. It was just a bit of a pity that the First Prince had the Empress's help, while the Second Prince was not lacking in anything.

"Don't feel sorry for me. Neither I nor your Second Prince have said anything. Actually, over the past few years, I've come to realize that that position isn't so easy to hold." Consort Zhuang said with a cold laugh, "Look at His Majesty now, what about him?"

"Your Majesty..."

"I know what you're afraid of. Don't worry, the harem is now completely under the Empress's control. No one will tell him. Caixia, I don't think being the emperor is very interesting anymore. I'm always worried about this and afraid of that. Even if I sit on the pinnacle of power, I'll still be subject to constraints."

"But ultimately it is different. If the Second Prince does not sit on that position, future generations will never have the chance again."

"How many generations can that last? Caixia, no dynasty lasts forever. There's no need to risk your life for unborn offspring. Ming'er and I are doing very well now. The Empress and the Crown Prince are not tyrannical people, and they won't discard the Zhuang family after they've served their purpose. I have no reason to take risks."

"Isn't Your Majesty afraid that people's hearts will change?"

"Others may not be able to guarantee it, but as long as Her Majesty the Empress is alive, I believe that the Crown Prince will not disobey Her Majesty the Empress's orders."

Caixia's gaze was complicated. How proud the Empress had been before, but now she had become a loyal follower of the Empress. However, it seemed that it wasn't just her own Empress; all the other palaces were the same. Indeed, the Empress's charm was very great. Even the palace maids and eunuchs considered it an honor to learn the knowledge taught by the Empress.

In Fengyi Palace, Song Xia was also planning where Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu should go for training. They were thirteen years old, which was relatively young compared to modern people, but in this dynasty, they were princes, so they could not be viewed with ordinary eyes.

After thinking for a long time, she decided to listen to their own opinions.

Jiang Rui and Jiang Gu exchanged a glance, then Jiang Rui spoke first: "Mother, your son wishes to go to the Ministry of Works."

Jiang Gu's eyes widened. How could Fifth Brother interrupt him? Fifth Brother knew perfectly well that he had many creative ideas that he wanted to realize at the Ministry of Works.

"Mother, I also want to go to the Ministry of Works."

Song Xia sighed and said, “Here’s what we’ll do. The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War will both give you the title of ‘staff officer.’ The Ministry of War will ask me for more people. Your third brother only stayed for less than three months before he went to the border. Those weapons need someone to keep an eye on their improvement. You can discuss going to both sides.”

"Yes, Mother."

"Even if you go to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works, you can't fall behind in your studies. I will check on you regularly."

Jiang Rui and Jiang Gu looked dejected. They had thought that having something to do like their older brothers would reduce their homework! Recently, their mother had been assigning increasingly difficult homework. Although it was tiring to learn, it was truly useful in real life.

"You may all leave. I will have someone send a message to the Six Ministries about this matter later. You can report for duty tomorrow."

"Your subject obeys."

After they left, Song Xia continued to review documents with her head down. Ever since she involved Jiang Jin in court affairs three years ago, those old guys from the previous dynasty would actually come to her for advice on things they were unsure about. Once it happened the first time, it happened the second time, and now she was involved in more and more political affairs.

The lady-in-waiting said with concern, "Your Highness, please rest for a while. You haven't had a break all day."

"Let's wait until we've seen all of this before we talk about it. Xiao Jin and Xiao Ming's trip to Jiangnan will definitely expose a large number of corrupt officials. I need to select who can replace them."

"Isn't Your Highness afraid that those salt officials will resort to desperate measures?"

"I trust them both. As role models for the princes below, they have always been the most responsible. Xiao Jin is calm and steady, and Xiao Ming is sharp and decisive. There won't be any problems."

"Your Majesty, I am afraid that someone will report this to His Majesty."

Song Xia paused, explaining that under Master Qingfeng's persuasion, His Majesty had been staying away from Taiji Palace for a long time, but if someone were to force their way in...

She sneered. Now that the princes have grown up and the court is in order, it seems that whether His Majesty is present or not is no longer so important.