Moreover, there were precedents in previous dynasties where imperial concubines had left the palace to perform official duties upon imperial decree. When Jiang Tian was busy with agricultural matters, the officials were merely surprised and did not raise any objections.

Perhaps it was inconvenient for the Emperor to do these things, and he didn't trust anyone else around him, so he entrusted them to his concubines.

Compared to the officials with their own agendas, the common people were much happier.

When the emperor sends his concubines to work in the fields, doesn't that show that he cares about them?

Even his most beloved wife, his former principal wife, was sent out to work in the fields. Having such an emperor is truly an immense blessing.

With the emperor keeping the people in his heart, how could they possibly fear difficulties in the future?

As a result, Zhao Jing gained a good reputation.

Jiang Tian was the same.

As a noble lady and the emperor's favorite concubine, even though her reputation was tainted and she could not be made empress, she was still the most powerful woman in the palace.

It is said that she held the power of an empress in the harem.

The people were equally grateful to a noble woman of high rank and power who was busy with food matters that were not her concern.

Jiang Tian wasn't just busy for nothing; a few months later, the grain yield of the farmland she was overseeing doubled.

Jiang Tian then continued her efforts and introduced many new grain varieties.

Everyone knows that everything she did was to ensure that more people had enough to eat.

Food is the most important thing for people. Although Zhao Jing reduced corvée labor and abolished many miscellaneous taxes after ascending the throne, they could not survive without food in the fields.

Now, Jiang Tian has brought them good news.

It's unclear when exactly, but people have been quietly referring to Jiang Tian as a Bodhisattva.

She single-handedly led the increase in food production; if it weren't for her improved farming methods, they might still be starving.

Such a woman was like a celestial being sent from heaven, and so the legend of Jiang Tian suddenly began to circulate among the people.

Some people even dreamed that a deity told them that Jiang Tian was a fairy who came to the mortal world to undergo tribulation.

I heard that Jiang Tian had a very tragic life. As a noblewoman, she married a sickly man. After the man died, she remarried and was later humiliated. She even served as a servant to a tyrannical emperor.

As expected, "Heaven will entrust great responsibilities to this person," and she will surely suffer many hardships.

Unbeknownst to many, Jiang Tian's prestige among the people grew to an extremely high level, and many people secretly erected statues of her and enshrined them in their homes.

Jiang Tian has done more than just this one good deed.

In this feudal era, women had a low social status.

While busy with farm work, Jiang Tian also made time to do what she could to improve the status of women.

For example, they were taught to read and write, and were taught textile and other skills for free. Men who mistreated their wives were severely punished and publicly shamed.

She herself was a role model; her willingness to go out and make public appearances inspired many noble ladies in the capital to follow suit.

She alone sparked a trend, giving many young women a wider range of activities.

As a result, her reputation improved even more.

Seeing that the time was right, Zhao Jing announced that he would be crowning her empress.

The officials have become much more obedient during this period.

They realized that the emperor could no longer act according to their wishes.

They cannot control him; instead, they are controlled by him.

Zhao Jing sits on the throne as a symbol of power; how could he possibly be manipulated by others?

When he proposed to make Jiang Tian empress, the officials were not immediately opposed, but rather confused.

They were well aware that Jiang Tian currently enjoyed great prestige among the people.

But the officials who were with the emperor knew best what kind of person he was.

He can't do a losing business; if he gives away one pound of meat, he'll have to take back ten pounds later.

Many people were deceived by his appearance, thinking he was weak and easy to bully, only to regret it later.

Logically speaking, the empress he was to marry must be someone who would benefit his conquest of the empire.

It's understandable that Jiang Tian was a favored concubine, but is she qualified to be empress?

Who says his principal wife has to be empress? Besides, wasn't he unwilling to marry her in the first place?

They truly couldn't understand why the emperor had suddenly changed his mind.

Don't think they don't know; Jiang Tian has cheated on him more than once.

Even so, would he still make her his empress?

The officials murmured amongst themselves, but remained silent.

They had nothing to say.

Previously, Jiang Tian was indeed unworthy of the position of empress in every way. If Zhao Jing wanted to make her empress, it would definitely cause a lot of trouble, and those stubborn ministers would not agree with this empress.

But now Jiang Tian has made great contributions and is extremely popular among the people. Even his wife and daughter in the family admire her highly.

As for their identities... living in a chaotic world, Zhao Jing was originally from humble origins and plotted his way to the throne. If we were to emphasize Jiang Tian's lowly status, it would only anger the emperor.

After all, the emperor was somewhat unpredictable; if he wanted to exile them, it would be very easy for him.

Apart from a few truly honest officials, these officials were anything but clean.

Putting everything else aside, they weren't exactly loyal people. If they were, they should have followed the previous emperors to their deaths when they were overthrown.

People like them prioritize profit above all else.

If they weren't still of value to the emperor, they would have been beheaded long ago.

Because they value their lives, no one would easily do anything that would cost them their job.

After much deliberation, even though there were occasional dissenting voices in the court, most people remained silent.

The officials' thinking was simple: the emperor was willing to ignore the troubles caused by being cuckolded for the sake of this woman and marry an unfaithful empress; what else could they say?

Those censors had also been subtly instructed to keep quiet.

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