Chapter 11 Wearing Shen Hegui's clothes, the cotton wadding was swept away and he came to the lonely side...

Just as she was about to step forward to argue, Shen Hegui, having finally had enough of the show, spoke up.

"Feng Gou, take Editor Lu downstairs to change his clothes. Also, bring a broom and dustpan so that Editor Lu can clean up the cotton wadding that's leaking out of his pants." Don't think he can't tell that Lu Wensheng deliberately shook those few times; the cotton inside is still quite new.

"Yes." Feng Gouzhao replied habitually, then suddenly remembered something and looked at Shen Hegui with a conflicted expression.

He could only get clothes from eunuchs or palace maids, which... none of them would be suitable for Lord Lu to wear!

Feng Gou immediately thought of Shen Hegui as well.

Shen Hegui leaned slightly forward and said in a low voice, "Give Lu Wensheng my spare clothes to change into." Considering that he bought the dog back then, it wouldn't hurt to help Lu Wensheng as well.

Seeing that the blame hadn't fallen on him, Lu Wensheng held his head high and, like a victorious fighting rooster, glanced at the old official before following Feng Gou to the back hall to change his clothes.

The farce ended, and the morning assembly finally returned to normal.

The rear hall.

Lu Wensheng originally wanted to change her clothes herself, but Shen Hegui was tall and had long arms and legs, so the clothes were a bit too big for her and she had to ask Feng Gou for help.

Feng Gou was also in a hurry to go to court, so he dressed Lu Wensheng in Shen Hegui's clothes like a nesting doll.

The Venerable One's clothes could not be damaged, so Lu Wensheng could only roll up the sleeves, pull up the hem, and clench it into a ball in his hand.

The dress was a very light blue, embroidered with lifelike orchids in silver-gray silk thread. It was very elegant and was one of the dresses that Shen Hegui often wore.

Lu Wensheng lowered his head and sniffed the sleeve, saying, "This dress smells so good. What kind of fragrance was used to scent it? It's delicate and elegant with a mellow finish. The fragrance must have been very expensive."

Feng Gou replied with a smile, "Your Highness doesn't like incense, so this is probably Your Highness's natural scent." He could occasionally smell it too. The scent was too faint for him to appreciate.

Lu Wensheng fell silent. She had originally wanted to buy some from Feng Gou to use for fumigation, but when did Shen Hegui become so fragrant?

Once her thoughts were set in motion, they were hard to put back. She imagined the scene of placing Shen Hegui on a giant incense burner and almost couldn't help but laugh.

Feng Gou handed the court tablet to Lu Wensheng: "The belt is fastened. Lord Lu, please come with us."

"Okay." She was still imagining all sorts of scenes of using the Shenhe Gui as incense, and without thinking much, she followed Feng Gou out.

After passing the screen behind the Golden Throne and exiting the curtain, Lu Wensheng realized something was wrong. Feng Gou was a eunuch, so he would naturally take the shortest route back to stand next to Shen Hegui.

She was a court official; she should have gone around and entered through the main gate of the palace.

Feeling the intense gazes coming from all directions, Lu Wensheng's ears turned red uncontrollably.

She gripped the clothes in her hands tightly, tiptoed, and decided to shamelessly go downstairs.

Lu Wensheng lowered her head: It's okay, there's still one person who hasn't seen her make a mistake yet!

"Editor Lu." A soft voice suddenly came from behind her. "Come stand by me after you've finished sweeping the cotton."

Lu Wensheng watched as the official, who had been bowing his head to report, slowly raised his head to look at her.

Lu Wensheng: "..." Well, the last one is gone too.

You son of a bitch, I hate you! Tonight I'm going to raid your ancestral grave and empty out all the gold and silver treasures inside! If I hadn't gotten a spanking, I wouldn't be in all this mess!

Lu Wensheng turned around, his gaze falling precisely on the upright Feng Gou, and he replied almost unconsciously, "Yes!"

Lu Wensheng: "..." It's better not to go to court!

Feng Gou almost lost control of his expression. Shen Hegui's lips couldn't help but curl up slightly, but he immediately suppressed it.

The officials, seeing Shen Hegui's cold and serious face, forcefully suppressed their laughter.

The broom and dustpan were both new and very easy to use. Lu Wensheng quickly swept up the cotton wadding. The little eunuch who was standing by saw that she had finished sweeping and neatly packed the cotton wadding into a linen bundle and handed it back to Lu Wensheng.

She didn't understand why the little eunuch was doing this, but it wasn't the right time to ask, so she could only carry him.

She had to hold the court tablet in one hand and clutch her clothes in the other, and now she could only use the hand that was clutching her clothes to hold the extra bundle.

Although the cotton wadding was light, it was bulky and quite cumbersome. When he took the last few steps, Lu Wensheng made a point of straightening his robes again.

She had been acting recklessly since the beginning of the court session, and now she no longer cared about the opinions of the people behind her.

Look if you want, anyway, you can't really look at the fat on her body.

Shen Hegui was naturally intelligent and capable of multitasking, so he deliberately kept a portion of his attention on Lu Wensheng.

Xiao Xiu's red lips and white teeth were accentuated by his clothes, making him extremely handsome. Shen Hegui had seen all kinds of people, but he had only ever seen one such handsome and flamboyant young man as Lu Wensheng.

No wonder, his sister, who wasn't related to him by marriage, came to demand him the very night he stormed the capital. If Lu Wensheng hadn't been Prince Su's man before, and hadn't been coveting him all along, she would have been a good match, and the child she would have had with that girl Shen Si would surely be very beautiful.

What a pity!

When Lu Wensheng walked safely to Shen Hegui's side, he let out a big breath.

Thankfully, he didn't fall and didn't make a fool of himself again.

Another official came down from below the throne to report on matters. Lu Wensheng did not know his name, but could only judge that he was from the Ministry of Revenue based on his familiar appearance.

The Ministry of Revenue was in charge of both money and grain, and there was a lot of money to be made there. As long as one could put aside one's moral conscience and live a life of ease, one could squeeze out more money and grain than one could ever spend in several lifetimes.

Lu Wensheng had previously been interested in a position in the Ministry of Revenue, and had even subtly expressed to Prince Su her desire to serve there.

Prince Su said nothing at the time, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He only sent her an invitation the next day, with the national treasury's income and expenditure for the past few years attached to the lining of the invitation.

Lu Wensheng read it on the spot, then burned the paper. She felt it was better to be an editor; the entire dynasty was actually less wealthy than her! It was outrageous!

Now, naturally, the Ministry of Revenue official below the throne was pleading poverty, reciting a series of figures, and the entire hall fell silent.

Lu Wensheng glanced at Shen Hegui, seeing that he still had that aloof demeanor, and silently gave him a thumbs up in her heart. Such good manners! If she were sitting in Shen Hegui's seat, she would feel like the sky was falling.

A breeze blew from afar, causing the robes of all the officials in the hall to flutter loudly. Shen Hegui shifted to a more comfortable sitting position.

His Highness the Crown Prince's cool voice echoed in the hall: "I can temporarily set aside the past, but right now the national treasury is short of money and food, and the powerful men in the north and the pirates in the south are constantly causing trouble. What are your thoughts?"

Whispers arose below the throne, then silence returned in an instant.

Shen Hegui's gaze was sharp as a blade, slowly sweeping over the low-hanging official hats of the people below the Emperor's throne, finally fixing on Grand Secretary Zhang Mianzhi: "Lord Zhang, you are a high-ranking official of the country, and having lived a long life, you must have seen a lot. In the current situation, do you have any brilliant ideas?"

All eyes of the court officials turned to Grand Secretary Zhang Mianzhi, and Lu Wensheng was no exception. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but in just one day, it seemed that Grand Secretary Zhang had developed a few more age spots on his face.

And his gait was a bit stiff, as if his trouser legs were stuffed with something.

The thought only flashed through Lu Wensheng's mind for a moment before he was drawn to the ivory tablet in Zhang Mianzhi's hand.

Officials of the first to fifth rank used ivory tablets and wore scarlet official robes, a color scheme that Lu Wensheng had always liked.

In many nights, she had dreamt several times of herself dressed in a scarlet official robe, holding a snow-white ivory tablet, returning home in glory. The powerful uncles and elders of her clan were both resentful and had no choice but to fawn over her. In her dream, she not only tore down all the chastity arches in her hometown, but also found a young and obedient son-in-law for her mother.

Zhang Mianzhi's voice was as steady as a rock, full of vigor: "This old minister is terrified! The solution is simple in theory, nothing more than eight words—increase revenue and reduce expenditure, secure internal stability and resist external threats..."

Standing for a long time made her legs and back tired, so Lu Wensheng quietly moved a few steps, found something to use for leverage, and then kicked the small package that was in the way away.

Standing is so tiring; I wish I could sit during court sessions.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she inexplicably turned her head to steal a peek at the wide, gilded chair with its dragon carvings.

Unexpectedly, that glance met a pair of long, dark eyes.

Shen Hegui turned his head at some point and was quietly looking at him, his calm and unwavering eyes witnessing all her little movements.

Lu Wensheng: "..." She had a bad feeling that she was doomed. Back in school, when the teacher called on her, Shen Hegui always had this look in his eyes!

With 80% understanding and 20% scrutiny, one leaves no room for escape.

Lu Wensheng subconsciously straightened his back and breathed softly, as if that would allow him to dodge the attack.

Shen Hegui tapped his fingertips very lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne. "Lu Qing!"

As expected. Lu Wensheng closed his eyes.

"Stand still." Shen Hegui's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly. "Are you tired?"

The clamor below, ranging from cost-cutting to appeasement and marriage alliances, has subsided.

Lu Wensheng once again enjoyed the spotlight.

I will never let you go, you dog prince! She is determined to find Prince Su and help him become emperor!

"You're cursing me in your heart?" Shen Hegui narrowed his eyes.

"Your Majesty, I dare not! I am not tired! I am terrified!" Lu Wensheng immediately slid to his knees and admitted defeat. There was no other way; under the power of authority, he had no choice but to bow his head.

"You are also a proper Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and come from a family of merchants. The national treasury is short of money. What ideas do you have to solve this problem?" Although Lu Wensheng is usually arrogant and unreliable, he has indeed given Prince Su many good ideas in the past. There are also those examination papers. He doesn't believe that Lu Wensheng doesn't have good ideas hidden in his heart.

However, this idea might be difficult to persuade him to change, and he needs to think of a good way to do so. As for Prince Su, he needs to find him and deal with him as soon as possible, otherwise these court officials will never give up and will continue to hope that Prince Su will return to fulfill their ambition of being remembered for their loyalty for all time.

“Your subject…” Lu Wensheng drawled, taking the opportunity to try to get down and stand back at the door.

Shen Hegui's long eyelashes fluttered, and he saw through her thoughts at a glance, interrupting her in time: "Let's talk right here."

Lu Wensheng was forced to put down the foot he had just raised.

Shen Hegui is such a difficult person! From now on, going to court will be like going to a funeral!

Lu Wensheng concealed the sorrow welling up in his heart and said, "I am eighteen this year, and Lord Zhang is eighty, which is more than four times my age. I think Lord Zhang's approach of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure is very good. I don't understand the concept of appeasement, but I do understand the concept of marriage alliance."

"If Your Highness wishes to adopt this suggestion, you may bestow the title of County Princess or Prefecture Princess upon the daughter of Lord Lu and send her for a marriage alliance. Whoever came up with the idea must send their daughter; she cannot be a concubine's daughter, nor an adopted daughter. She cannot be from a collateral branch of the family, nor can she be an imposter; she must be the daughter of the principal wife. Our Celestial Empire will never accept princesses for marriage alliances! We will never accept ceding territory, paying tribute, or paying indemnities!"

As soon as Lu Wensheng finished speaking, a loud "Good!" suddenly rang out from the ranks of military officers.

Luo Jiangsheng was also looking up. He looked up and, for the first time, looked at Lu Wensheng seriously.

In his memory, this imperial examination graduate was always unreliable, always slacking off, fighting cocks, climbing walls and beating dogs, doing all sorts of improper and unreliable things, and he was very close to all sorts of people in Yanjing.

Right now, he has a very strong premonition that if His Highness can properly nurture Lu Wensheng, he will surely become a pillar of the nation in the future.

"I'm asking about the national treasury's lack of funds. What are your thoughts?" Shen Hegui deliberately leaned forward, his gaze darkening as he exerted pressure on Lu Wensheng.

Lu Wensheng, a novice official, subconsciously glanced sideways at the assembled officials: Ideas? Just shut down all the corrupt officials in Yanjing!

The shrewd Shen Hegui took in her behavior. He knew what Lu Wensheng was thinking. He had indeed had this idea at first, but if they were all killed, who would do the work? How would the country function? Moreover, if they were hastily confiscated, the hidden radishes would still be there. Perhaps the small radishes would absorb nutrients and grow into big radishes in the future, becoming a new hidden pain in the court.

Standing on the shoulders of giants, Lu Wensheng did have some good ideas, but she couldn't say that the national treasury was short of money and that fundamental solutions required reforms. She didn't have the confidence or the courage to do so.

Right now, she couldn't answer Shen Hegui's question, so she could only take a step back and choose to help Shen Hegui solve other problems, hoping that he would stop clinging to her and go and make things difficult for others.

A note from the author:

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Can I beg you to add this to your favorites by rolling around and acting cute?

Please remember this fragrance!