Liu Jiaci could roughly guess what they wanted to say, but he was always serious and upright in public. So when he glanced at the group, he knew that they had planned this in advance and were here today to "inform" him.

What do you all want to say?

The doctors exchanged glances, and the doctor from the Ministry of Revenue, representing the group, said, "It is like this: our Minister is currently in prison, and the Ministry of Revenue cannot be without an official in charge. We would like to recommend the Vice Minister to temporarily assume the position of Minister."

Liu Jiaci understood their unspoken meaning: if he agreed, then Tong Qian would be released safely, and the Ministry of Revenue would be reformed and replaced.

But Tong Qian has been in court for so many years, enjoying the emperor's favor for so long, how could he be so easily overthrown? However, Tong Qian's anger might be directed at him at some point, and if he wins, he will become the new head of the Ministry of Revenue; if he loses, it will be his own good fortune to keep his life.

His indifferent, expressionless eyes swept over the people in front of him. They just wanted to encourage him to fight Tong Qian. Whether he won or lost, they would make room for them to fight for it.

"What does Your Excellency think?" Everyone looked at him expectantly.

Liu Jiaci remained calm and said, "Lord Tong will be released from prison soon and will surely be reinstated. Why are you all in such a hurry?"

They're so anxious because he's about to be released! How many years has Tong Qian been working in the Ministry of Revenue? If things continue like this, they'll be stuck in their positions until they die!

"If you agree, I will naturally find a way to delay it."

Anyway, they're the ones investigating the Tong family's accounts. If they say there's a problem, they can drag it out for several days. Once the Emperor agrees, even if Tong Qian is released, the duck is already cooked; it can't fly away now, can it?

After a moment's thought, Liu Jiaci said, "Then it's up to you all now."

The doctors looked delighted and then went out.

Liu Jiaci already knew that Xie Liwei wanted the Ministry of Revenue's defense map, but this was a secret, and he, as a vice minister, had no access to it. Furthermore, the key to the treasury was not in his possession.

If he wants to help Xie Liwei, he can only do so by gaining more power.

With power, they can do more.

A few days later, Tong Qian grew impatient in prison. He couldn't understand why no one had come to release him after so long. So he summoned the jailer, gave him some money, and learned that a fire had broken out at the Ministry of Revenue a few days earlier, throwing the entire ministry into chaos. In order to help the Ministry of Revenue recover quickly, several doctors had petitioned the Emperor to allow Liu Jiaci, the Vice Minister of Revenue, to temporarily take over as Minister.

Tong Qian suppressed his anger. With each new emperor comes a new court; if he were to leave, those opportunists would soon be defecting to others.

It's ridiculous that I treated them quite well on a regular basis!

Little did he know that the officials in the Ministry of Revenue secretly hated him to the core. He had his own lucrative business, which involved not taking advantage of the Ministry of Revenue, nor allowing their subordinates to do so. That wasn't all; whenever a handsome newcomer arrived at the Ministry of Revenue, he would verbally flirt with her and frequently grope her, incurring the wrath of those lower-ranking officials.

Being flirted with by a woman is considered elegant, but being flirted with by a man is just plain awful!

"nausea!"

Madam Lin, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Song family, turned red with anger after hearing Song Wenyue's request. She claimed that she was suffering from discomfort in her late pregnancy and asked the Emperor to allow her mother to enter the palace to accompany her. Considering her pregnancy, Yuwen Wuji naturally agreed.

Consort Gao Ping had many complaints about this, but she also knew that no one had been born in the harem for the past ten years, so this child was a golden nugget, and Song Wenyue would rise in status because of her son.

Madam Song was initially reluctant to enter the palace, but considering that her daughter was, after all, a child she had raised, and that childbirth was a life-or-death ordeal for women, she felt it was best for her, as the mother, to go to the palace and be with her. Even though their mother-daughter bond had thinned, she couldn't be so heartless out of consideration for their past relationship.

Little did he expect that his good intentions would be taken advantage of by Song Wenyue!

"Have you considered what will happen to the Song family if this comes to light?"

"Then we mustn't let it come to light!" Song Wenyue said fiercely, looking at Madam Song. These past few days, she had secretly stopped taking her pregnancy-preserving medication, and her spirits had indeed improved; the swelling in her legs had subsided. But she knew she couldn't continue like this. The imperial physician came to check her pulse every day, and in time, she would be exposed.

Therefore, the only option is to get this child "born" as soon as possible.

"Mother, you must also consider the Song family. Only by giving birth to a son can I be made a concubine. Once I am made a concubine, I can ask the Emperor to grant my elder brother a minor official position. Do you want to see my elder brother stay at home listless and dejected forever?"

She naturally didn't want to, but switching the prince with a cat was a capital offense of deceiving the emperor!

"No, no!" Madam Lin shook her head vigorously. "I can't let so many members of the Song family take risks with you!"

She stood up agitatedly, her face flushed an unnatural red, as if she were truly furious.

Song Wenyue knew that Lin Shi was useless; she had always been a woman who was easily swayed and lacked courage.

Seeing this, she took a deep breath and pretended to give up the idea.

"Alright, since Mother won't help me, I have no other choice. I just hope that Mother can stay with me in the palace until I give birth. Whether it's a boy or a girl will depend on fate."

Seeing her like this, Madam Song breathed a sigh of relief, but she was still uneasy and fell ill within two days.

Song Wenyue then asked Gao Ping for permission to allow Madam Song to return home to recuperate and for her own mother to come in and take care of her. Although Gao Ping thought she was being nosy, she couldn't refuse.

"Are you keeping a close eye on Consort Song?"

Eunuch Gao nodded hurriedly and said, "Keep a close eye on them. The midwives and wet nurses are all people we found; there won't be any mistakes. When the time comes, we'll remove the mother and keep the child, so Your Majesty can rest easy!"

Gao Ping raised her hand and rubbed her throbbing temples. "Have Mo Yu's family members been settled?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant has made all the arrangements."

"Of the seventy-four people in Mojia Village, Bai'anling, not a single one survived. This is your master's answer to your loyalty."

Song Yaozhu sat in the armchair, looking at the woman locked in the cage with a cold smile.

Mo Yu absolutely refused to believe what Song Yaozhu said. "Impossible! Her Majesty wouldn't do this to me!"

After she was captured by Song Yaozhu and Xie Liwei, she woke up to find herself in a mountain stronghold. The people in the stronghold gave her one meal a day, locked the doors and windows, and no one watched over her.

She tried every possible way to escape, but no matter how many times she ran away, she would be caught and locked up again.

I'm so tired of this cycle of giving her hope only to dash it!

Until last night, the boss had her locked in a cage, saying, "The person who wants the goods is coming to see her tomorrow, so we can't play with her anymore. Lock her up for now."

She knew that it was Prince Xiaoyao and his wife who wanted to use her to serve Consort Fang.

She would never betray the Empress!