Chapter 120 (No further information)

Wenjuan deftly cleaned up the water under the ice chest, whispering, "Your Highness, Qingtan told me earlier that she plans to leave the palace when she turns eighteen or nineteen. Sanni'er and Yao Aicao, who do menial tasks, are also eager to leave the palace and return to their hometowns. Sanni'er and Yao Aicao are fine; I don't know them well. They're already twenty this year, and neither of them is particularly clever; they won't amount to much if they stay in the palace. But Qingtan, that girl—I never expected her to be so clever on the outside but so foolish on the inside. I was so angry that I gave her a good scolding. Her family is dirt poor; they sold all her sisters to build houses and get married for her two brothers. What's the point of going back home? She'll have eaten the bones!"

Jiang Ling raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "How did Qing Tan reply to you?"

Wenjuan said, "That girl didn't say anything. A'Ruo has a straightforward temper. Ask her if she wants to get married. If she wants to get married, she doesn't need to go back to her poor family. She can ask the Empress to grant her a marriage in the capital and she can become a lady in a grand and glorious way! Qingtan turned around and left in anger. I don't know what she was thinking."

Jiang Ling hummed in response, "What about A'Ruo and the others? Does anyone else want to leave the palace?"

"Zishan Dangui said she was still young and hadn't thought that far ahead, so she wanted to save more money for herself. A'ruo was very enthusiastic about her job as a female official, and she couldn't be beaten away."

When Wenjuan mentioned A'Ruo, she couldn't help but smile. She peeked outside and said, "Qin Fu and the others are very envious. They say that only palace maids can leave the palace, but eunuchs can't. Even Huang Liang made a few sarcastic remarks. I told them that it wouldn't be difficult for them to leave the palace, and that there are many people who are envious of their jobs. Qin Fu immediately called her 'good aunt' and said that he didn't want to go out and begged me not to tell Your Highness."

Qin Fu had served Xiao Yunzan since childhood. He had an honest appearance but was clever inside. Like A'Ruo, he was obsessed with becoming an official. He was usually very diligent and secretly crammed for the position of a powerful and prestigious commander.

They were concerned about scarcity, not equitable distribution; if Qin Fu and Huang Liang thought this way, one can imagine what the other eunuchs thought.

Jiang Ling had already made plans, and had discussed them with Consort Lin. She intended to release the palace maids first, then the eunuchs. She also had another plan: to change the structure of the palace.

Just then, Emperor Yuanming's voice rang out from inside the bedroom: "Guards!"

Earlier, Emperor Yuanming had been dozing off after receiving acupuncture. When Jiang Ling saw him wake up, he got up and went into the room. Wen Juan hurriedly put down her gourd spoon and followed behind him, curtsied, and offered tea, saying, "Your Majesty, please have some tea."

"We haven't seen each other all day. What are you whispering about?" Emperor Yuanming took the teacup, his eyes darting back and forth between Jiang Ling and Wen Juan.

Jiang Ling said, "I was discussing with Wen Juan the matter of releasing the palace maids. Has the Emperor woken up?"

Wenjuan was quick-witted. She quickly knelt down and said gratefully, "His Majesty has decreed that palace maids may leave the palace. Everyone is extremely grateful to His Majesty. His Majesty is benevolent, and the people of the world are blessed. It is my good fortune to be able to serve in the palace."

Emperor Yuanming felt more refreshed by Wen Juan's praise than if he were eating iced dessert on a hot summer day. He raised his chin with a smug look on his face and asked, "Are you also planning to leave the palace?"

Wenjuan hurriedly replied, "This servant is willing to stay in the palace and serve Your Highness for the rest of my life."

Emperor Yuanming looked at Wenjuan with great compassion and said, "For the sake of your loyalty, I will arrange a marriage for you. Hmm, you are a bit old, and the military officers are already married, so you can only be a second wife. However, this is not a bad thing for you. Once you marry into the family, you can manage the household affairs. With my bestowal of this marriage, your husband's family will certainly not dare to neglect you."

Wenjuan's mind went blank for a moment, her face turned deathly pale, and she froze, forgetting to respond.

“Your Majesty, Wenjuan is a useful person to me, and I will not agree to marry her off.”

Although Jiang Ling wasn't worried that Wen Juan would be randomly chosen by Emperor Yuanming, she still felt a wave of nausea. She waved to Wen Juan, "Go and do your work now."

Wen Juan finally regained her senses and fled as if escaping. Emperor Yuanming frowned upon seeing this and said unhappily, "What? Do you perhaps think that her becoming a second wife would be a disgrace to her?"

"Yes," Jiang Ling admitted without hesitation, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Emperor Yuanming was caught off guard and choked on his words, glaring at Jiang Ling and saying, "Nonsense!"

"A seventh-rank official is before the prime minister's gate, while a third-rank official is before the emperor's gate, and even then, they must be close ministers of the emperor. For a third-rank official to marry a widower military general, that would require the Minister of War, the Privy Councilor, and a Grand General!"

When Jiang Ling started talking nonsense, he both praised Emperor Yuanming and used metaphors in a way that made it impossible for him to refute.

After holding it in for a while, Emperor Yuanming glanced at him sideways and said, "Hmph, you're just being biased!"

"Your Majesty, the palace maids are all very grateful to you. Alas, it's just that the eunuchs are somewhat dissatisfied."

Jiang Ling frowned and sighed, "Some things have happened in the palace recently. Your Majesty, I'm worried about your health and wondering how to tell you."

When Emperor Yuanming heard about the incident, his expression became impatient. He said, "There's never a moment of peace. This is a curse upon me. I'm afraid I'll die of anger!"

"Pah! Pah! Pah!" Jiang Ling spat a few times in all directions, then clasped his hands together in a frantic prayer, "All you gods and bodhisattvas, please, please, please don't count!"

Emperor Yuanming, who was initially furious, was immediately pleased to see Jiang Ling's concern for him. He said gently, "Alright, alright, I will not mention that word again. Tell me, what exactly happened?"

"Your Majesty, please don't be angry," Jiang Ling said deliberately in a serious tone. Emperor Yuanming looked at her with tenderness in his eyes and nodded in agreement, "I promise you I won't be angry."

Jiang Ling's cheek twitched, and she recounted Yang Ying's plan to instigate the guards to cause trouble. "Yang Ying claims he was instructed by Consort Liu, but his words cannot be entirely trusted. There are constant incidents in the inner palace, and the court and the people inside and outside are watching. The investigation into Consort Liu in the past did not yield any results. Your Majesty, why don't you take this opportunity to investigate her as well?"

Upon realizing that the matter involved collusion with the palace guards, Emperor Yuanming could no longer remain calm. His expression immediately changed, and he said coldly, "You audacious scoundrels, arrest them and interrogate them thoroughly to see what their true intentions are!"

Jiang Ling reassured him, "Your Majesty, rest assured, Yang Ying and the others have all been captured. The Chuigong Hall is now guarded by the Imperial Guards, an impregnable fortress, not even a mosquito can get in. The palace is now peaceful and quiet. I have ordered the Imperial City Envoy, the old Prince Xian, the Minister of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and Grand Secretary Wei to interrogate them together, and they will surely get to the bottom of the matter."

When Emperor Yuanming heard that Jiang Ling had been dealt with properly and that he no longer needed to worry, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You damned bastard, you really never give me a moment's peace. Don't let him get away with this easily; you must wipe them all out in one fell swoop!"

Jiang Ling agreed, saying, "Your Majesty, the guards are probably resentful that the palace maids can leave the palace while they cannot. The palace has its own city, and the capital has its own city gates. The city walls are impregnable; even if a rebel army were to rise up, they wouldn't be able to take it down in a month or two. The guards who are working for the palace have become a threat to those who are right next to them. This matter must be changed."

"Reform?" Emperor Yuanming frowned. He was weak and, upon hearing something that required thought, immediately said with displeasure, "Just kill the disobedient guards. What can a few eunuchs do to rebel against Heaven?"

"His Majesty once taught me to use a balanced approach, to keep things in check."

Jiang Ling ignored Emperor Yuanming, skillfully flattering him before revealing her purpose: "The use of eunuchs in the harem is based on the fact that, apart from the emperor, the harem consists entirely of women and children. Using palace maids and eunuchs serves the same purpose. Half of the eunuchs are selected, and the other half are chosen from robust palace maids. Furthermore, the guards are frequently rotated; for example, after serving for a year, they are transferred to other posts. In this way, the palace maids and eunuchs check and balance each other, and the rapid rotation prevents them from forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices."

"This method is not bad. You can make the arrangements." Emperor Yuanming saw that Jiang Ling's words made some sense. In his eyes, the eunuchs and palace maids were all servants, and it didn't matter who did the work. So he quickly agreed.

The highest rank for a palace eunuch was the fourth rank, which was a full rank higher than the fifth rank for palace maids and female officials.

The imperial palace's rear garden is the safest place in the world. The guards have an easy job, only needing to carry a sword and patrol. If a real fight were necessary, the Great Yin dynasty would have already changed hands.

Jiang Ling successfully divided the power of the guards in two, giving half to the palace maids. From then on, starting with those serving in the palace guards, the ranks and salaries of eunuchs and palace maids were equal.

"As the saying goes, those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose. Whether they are eunuchs or palace maids, they all come from poor families. Some of them have no family and are left in the palace with no ties. When they get old, they will be sent to temples. Although the palace kindly provides them with money and food, alas, temples are austere. How many people are willing to go? When people have no hope, they are prone to causing trouble."

Emperor Yuanming, with a stern face, said in a stern voice: "They dare to cause trouble, unless they don't value their lives!"

"That's practically courting death."

Jiang Ling, somewhat speechless, echoed the sentiment. Looking at Emperor Yuanming's swollen face, she patiently said, "If people have something to look forward to, they'll cherish their lives. Whether it's letting them leave the palace or ensuring they have a future in their old age, they'll consider things more carefully. We'll arrange for them to live out their old age elsewhere. Your Majesty needn't worry about it; the Imperial Treasury won't need to contribute any more money or grain. I'll discuss this further with Your Majesty once things are settled."

No need for him to worry, and so as not to add any burden to the Imperial Treasury, Emperor Yuanming readily agreed, "Alright, alright, since you're not afraid of trouble and creating your own problems, then go and handle it."

"Yes," Jiang Ling said, then casually asked, "Does Your Majesty feel hot?"

Emperor Yuanming, who had been lying still for long periods and served delicacies, had grown quite fat and was extremely intolerant of heat. Jiang Ling, disgusted by his sour smell, placed many ice chests in his bedroom. Emperor Yuanming, lying comfortably, laughed and said, "You've filled the room with ice chests, and I still need a light blanket."

Jiang Ling pointed to the window frame outside, "Your Majesty, look, it's already this late, and the sun is still so strong. It's very hot outside. Just a few steps outside and you're covered in sweat. I saw those court officials, their court robes and boots are soaked through. Your Majesty, please let them change into some lighter court robes. Wearing those long boots, don't they find them smelly?"

Emperor Yuanming immediately frowned and stared at Jiang Ling, warning him, "Stop talking nonsense. Etiquette and rules cannot be changed. How can court officials have any dignity or respect if they dress casually?"

Jiang Ling smiled and fooled Emperor Yuanming, "In the world, only the Emperor should be majestic. The Emperor wears a yellow robe, and that is enough to make him majestic."

Emperor Yuanming was taken aback. Seeing his reaction, Jiang Ling pressed his advantage, saying, "Whether they change it or not is up to them. Let them discuss it themselves. If they want to change it, they can; if they don't, they can't. If they do change it, Your Majesty won't have to smell their stench anymore. If they insist on not changing it, Your Majesty's consideration for the hard work of the court officials is their fault for being ungrateful. What does it have to do with Your Majesty?"

Emperor Yuanming pondered for a moment and said, "Very well, let them discuss it themselves."

Jiang Ling's act of acting first and reporting later was made perfectly transparent to Emperor Yuanming.

The following day, the Imperial Clan Minister, Prince Xian, and Grand Secretary Wei entered the palace to meet the Emperor and inquired about the matter of observing the trial.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuanming was furious and said, "Keep a close eye on things, lest someone try to cause trouble!"

Upon hearing Emperor Yuanming's decree, the two hurriedly went to find Ding Shang. Seeing this, the Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review were even more convinced of the reason for Ding Shang's summons.

When Ding Shang heard that it was Jiang Ling's order, he didn't dare to ask any questions about the palace guards under his command, and carried it out obediently.

Amidst the bustling activity in the imperial court and the inner palace, undercurrents were swirling beneath the surface. Only Qionghua Pavilion remained a secluded paradise, protected tightly by Jiang Ling, peaceful and serene.

After nightfall, the only sounds were the occasional chirping of insects and croaking of frogs; Rouyi Palace was deathly silent.

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Xianfei's hoarse voice finally rang out in the study.

"Granny, where have I treated you badly that you want to retire and leave the palace, leaving me behind? Granny, are you rushing to seek refuge with a new master because you see me fall from power?"

No one answered. Granny Shang lay on the ground, the blood that had been flowing beneath her body had already dried.