Chapter 022 A Bolt from the Blue

"Your Highness... Your Highness? It's time to get up and wash up."

Qin Zhaoyue slowly woke up.

I was a little frightened last night and was in an unfamiliar environment. I tossed and turned and it took me a while to fall asleep.

Last time she slacked off at work and lost 10,000 taels of silver, she couldn't afford it, so she had to get up.

Who would have thought that even though she was dressed like a princess, she could still understand the sadness of working people.

When she opened her eyes and saw the broken ink again, she felt very unhappy. She couldn't help but curl her lips and said, "Your face was really not pretty when I saw you this morning."

Broken Ink: ...

In the Huangji Palace, Qin Zhaoyue put her hands in her pockets and yawned.

Xiaojiu's childish face was full of worry, "Sixth sister, you can't fall asleep again this time."

Qin Zhaoyue waved his hand: "You tell me, who can afford to spend ten thousand taels for a nap?"

The other three imperial sisters also had very strange expressions on their faces. In the end, they did not agree to let her hide beside the pillar and pulled her in front of Xiaojiu so that at least there would be someone to keep an eye on her.

Not long after, the empress went to court, and the focus of the day was still the flood.

"Which of you, my dear minister, can go and provide disaster relief?"

Originally this matter was very tricky and no one was willing to go, but now all officials know that most of the money for disaster relief has been raised.

You will have the confidence and can earn fame and political achievements, so why not do it?

Moreover, many people here have secretly spent a lot of money, so if not now, when will they fight for it?

The court then changed from the dullness of the past few days, and many parties recommended candidates.

Censor Huang Yanzhi was the first to step forward, his snow-white beard trembling like a silver spear:

"I recommend Wu Mingyuan, the Chief Engineer of the Ministry of Civil Affairs! Wu, the Chief Engineer, supervised the construction of the Yongding River for three years and is well versed in hydrology."

He had something else to say. There was another very important reason why he recommended Wu Mingyuan:

A branch of his clan is a major grain merchant in Canglong East Road. If he is ordered to provide disaster relief, he will definitely take advantage of the situation to stabilize grain prices.

Before he finished speaking, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs interrupted him and said:

"Has Mr. Huang forgotten that this flood affected three prefectures and sixteen counties? How can disaster relief be compared to overseeing bridge repairs?"

The purple gold fish bag clattered as he turned around. "I recommend Zhou Yunli, the second son of the Earl of Zhongqin."

Zhou Yunli's mother's family was related by marriage to the disaster-stricken Hanoi Prefecture Governor. If he was sent to provide disaster relief, it would be more convenient for the local people.

Lin Han, the Imperial Censor of the Ministry of Punishment, snorted coldly: "You sons of noble families, do you know how much a bushel of rice costs? I recommend the new runner-up, Gu Xuezhou!"

The Duke of Zhenguo scoffed, "If you can't even handle the government affairs of a single state or county, how can you talk about disaster relief? It's simply ridiculous!"

…

There was a fierce quarrel in the court. The interests of the six ministries, nobles, civil and military officials, powerful families, and poor families were all intertwined and complicated.

There are few people who give sincere advice, and most of them represent their identities and the people behind them.

Qin Minghuang remained silent throughout the whole process, tapping lightly on the dragon head of the dragon throne with his fingertips.

[What a waste of energy, arguing, as if you guys can really make the decision.]

[Look at the prime minister, he's as steady as an old dog. Eh? Could that old man be asleep?]

[Damn, everyone says drugging his son was a tactical move. I wonder if the old man will hold a grudge.]

[I don't think so. I didn't really touch him that much...]

The veins on the empress's forehead were faintly visible.

After a cup of tea, the arguing gradually died down.

Because they found that His Majesty did not express his opinion at all, as if he was not satisfied with any of the recommended officials.

After the silence settled, Qin Minghuang looked towards the front and asked, "Prime Minister, who do you think should be sent to provide disaster relief?"

Pei Xuanyun lowered his eyes and spoke without thinking:

"The Wanmin Division coordinates finances and grain; the Xuan Ge Division prevents riots by disaster victims; and the Tian Gong Division is responsible for civil engineering and water conservancy."

This is as good as saying nothing, it's just a compromise suggestion.

As a veteran of two dynasties, the prime minister of Fenggetai, and the only first-rank official in the court, Pei Xuanyun's position was unshakable, and he played a vital role in raising funds for disaster relief this time.

When Qin Zhaoyue proposed the strategy of killing the chicken to scare the monkey, he hinted that cooperation was needed for this strategy to succeed.

Pei Xuanyun only said the four words "spend money to avoid disaster" on the surface, but in fact he was using his position as prime minister to guarantee those officials.

Simply put: Once you accept my disaster relief funds, you can't cause me any trouble.

It is equivalent to an implicit version of indulgence, aimed at those officials who feel guilty.

The Empress of China certainly couldn't bring this matter to light. If Pei Xuanyun hadn't acted as a bridge, fundraising would never have been so smooth.

Not only that, some officials who cared about the country and the people did good deeds and secretly donated a lot of disaster relief funds, which did not appear to cause any impact on the law.

If Pei Xuanyun did not have such a reputation, or if Pei Xuanyun did not cooperate, the effect of killing the chicken to scare the monkey would not be so good.

The empress was obviously dissatisfied with such perfunctory advice and asked, "Who is worthy of being the chief envoy?"

Pei Xuanyun: "Choose an heir to the throne."

The court suddenly became silent.

Everyone argued back and forth, but no one agreed to nominate any prince or princess.

Your Majesty is in the prime of life and has yet to mention the position of crown prince. The factional struggles in the court are not obvious and are all submerged beneath the calm surface of the lake.

Even if they have been recruited or have an inclination, it is impossible for them to speak out openly at this time.

But Pei Xuanyun raised this question at this time. Did he already have a preference? Or was His Majesty interested?

With their minds racing, officials now dared not speak easily.

Qin Minghuang pondered for a moment and suddenly said:

"Draft an imperial decree to appoint Gu Tingyun, Junior Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, as the Chief Envoy for Disaster Relief, with the Princess and the Fifth Prince as Deputy Envoys.

Meng Jian will lead 5,000 imperial guards as escorts, and the other officials from the three departments... Pei Qing, please draft a memorial."

"Disaster relief is urgent and cannot be delayed. We will draw up the list today and set off tomorrow."

Pei Xuanyun was quick to follow good advice.

The conversation between the prime minister and the empress was so smooth and natural that the officials were unable to get a word in for a while.

It is understandable that the eldest princess was appointed as deputy envoy, as she is good at military affairs.

The five thousand guards can only provide protection along the way. If the victims riot, the princess can mobilize the garrison troops nearby.

But the fifth prince... the second prince was obviously the most outstanding, but His Majesty chose the less famous one.

Since the matter involved the royal heir, no official dared to speak easily. If they rashly expressed their position at this time, they would only become a target.

Besides, one thing cannot decide anything. They are more concerned about whether this means that His Majesty intends to appoint a crown prince.

The three chief and deputy envoys have been decided, but the members of the other three departments have not been decided yet, and the power is in the hands of the prime minister.

Many people have started to think about it and may want to compete for it, especially those who have been silently contributing to disaster relief.

Qin Minghuang's move was also a way of returning a favor. Without Pei Xuanyun's full cooperation, fundraising would not have been so smooth.

I thought everything was settled, but then I heard her speak again, "The Sixth Princess will accompany you."

Qin Zhaoyue:!!!

What the hell? She's traveling with him?

I suddenly shuddered, and all my sleepiness disappeared.

"Your Majesty, I can't do this!"

Qin Minghuang glanced at her lightly and said, "Cure your sleepiness and laziness."

Without waiting for Xiaoliu to say anything, she stood up and left.

"Withdraw from the court."

Qin Zhaoyue rushed out, but was stopped by the imperial guards and could not move forward at all.

"Your Majesty! Let's discuss it, discuss it again!"

All the civil and military officials watched this scene and turned away silently.

Of course she does. She even dares to fall asleep during court. Is she the only one who is sleepy?

Just sleep, how dare you snore?

If she hadn't been a princess, she would have been charged with misbehavior in front of the palace.

Qin Zhaoyue didn't realize one thing: even though she had fallen asleep during the morning court session, no censor had impeached her...

No one thought that the Sixth Princess would be a threat. Seeing Pei Xuanyun walk out of the Huangji Palace, they all rushed out.

"I don't accept it. Why should I go?"

"I've already been fined 10,000 taels. I want to see His Majesty!"

"I can't go. I can't get out of bed, Your Majesty!"

…

The third, fourth and ninth brothers gathered around the eldest princess, looking at the struggling sixth brother, speechless for a moment.

"Big sister, what is happening to the Queen Mother..."

The eldest princess held her forehead with her hand. She didn't expect that her mother would send Xiaoliu to accompany her.

Although the issue of appointing a crown prince had not been explicitly mentioned before, the open and covert struggles among the royal heirs had already begun.

If the empress only had one generation, the reforms that Qin Minghuang had worked so hard to make would most likely collapse in an instant.

The history of women taking the imperial examinations and serving as officials is too short, and only a few of them can now stand in the court.

The highest rank is only the fourth rank, let alone the main rank, there is no woman among the six minor ranks.

If one wants to thoroughly implement the concept of gender equality, the second generation can only be a female emperor, so Qin Minghuang's favoritism towards the princesses is blatant.

The Princess Group and the Prince Group are naturally two different camps, and the competition within the Princess Group has never stopped...

Well, it’s mainly a competition between the eldest, the third and the fourth, and the sixth and ninth have nothing to do with it.

But after the Imperial Study made its comments, this internal competition suddenly melted away like ice and snow.

The position of Empress... doesn't seem so attractive...

At this time, the Princess Group was in a very strange state.

The open and covert fighting has died down, but they cannot stop fighting, otherwise the throne will fall into the hands of the prince, which is absolutely unacceptable.

At least there has to be a smooth transition to the second generation, the imperial examination system for women must be stable, and women must have a place in the court.

Although the eldest, third, and fourth brothers did not make it clear, there was less internal friction.

The four princesses exchanged glances, and three of them understood.

He just fell asleep in the court. I don’t know why they think it’s “just” or “nothing more”. Anyway, it doesn’t seem like such a big crime for Xiaoliu.

The reason she was forced to go with them to provide disaster relief was definitely not because of punishment, but most likely because Xiaoliu had caught the Queen Mother's eye again.

"No, eldest sister, third sister, fourth sister, what are you looking at each other for? What do you mean? Speak!"

The eldest princess reached out and touched her little head. "It's okay, you don't need to know."

Xiaojiu: ???

"I'm going to cry! I'm going to cry!"

Outside the imperial study, Qin Zhaoyue was almost crying in anxiety.

"Your Majesty! Queen Mother! Mother! Please meet me, Mother!"

"I can't go, I really can't go!"

The heart-wrenching wails continued for a long time. All the guards and secret guards around were silent, and they wished they could poke out their ears.

Calling His Majesty "Mother"... Although that's true... the Sixth Princess is a little too brave.

Two Qingluan Guards blocked her on the left and right. No matter how she moved, dodged, jogged, pretended, or looked at the plane... she tried every trick, but the distance between them was not shortened at all.

The sound of "mother" was still ringing in his ears. Qin Minghuang tilted his head slightly, took a sip of the sour plum soup with crushed ice floating in it, and said: "Mother, mother ...

Crow's feet? Old mother?

"ha……"

Refreshing!

The eunuch Su Quan couldn't help but shudder. His Majesty's smile was... so scary...