Uncle Ma's anger surged, but he still suppressed his rage and argued his case rationally:

"Li Daban, Madam Wen and many other women witnessed Empress Su deliberately making things difficult for Shi Niang and condoning the palace maids' intentional humiliation of her, which led her to commit suicide. Shouldn't the Empress apologize?!"

Steward Li's tone grew increasingly cold:

"Ma Shiniang spoke rudely first, and the Empress's small punishment is already a sign of her kindness and virtue."

"Has Lord Ma already forgotten so quickly about Princess Ma's assassination attempt on the Empress?"

"Don't think that just because Her Majesty the Empress has no temper, the Ma family can treat the palace as their own home and act recklessly!"

Manager Li ignored Uncle Ma and left in a huff.

He still has the aftermath of the White Lotus sect incident in Shanxi to handle, so there's really no need for him to expend his energy on the Ma family's mess.

Uncle Ma was so angry that his face turned ashen, but he dared not retaliate. Just as he paid the bill and was about to leave, someone approached him with a smile: "Master Ma, it's an honor to meet you!"

Uncle Ma asked with a puzzled look, "And who are you?"

The visitor ushered him into the private room, saying, "Please come in, let's have a drink and chat."

In a corner of the lobby, Liu Qi lazily toyed with the wine glass in his hand, taking in the whole scene.

...

Lu Xingjian ordered that the results of the investigation in Yansui be presented to him as soon as possible.

Xuanfu and Datong are too close to the capital, and they are mutually supportive and colluding together, so it is not advisable to act rashly.

However, the Wen and Ma families wanted to cause trouble at this critical juncture of the investigation, and he would not let them run rampant. He had to "make an example of them."

The last grain inventory check in Yansui was halted halfway through because the officer in charge resigned. This time, it's time for the officers and soldiers of Yansui to suffer a similar fate.

The investigation revealed that over 36,000 shi of grain and chaff, and over 33,320 bolts of cloth, were found to be soaked and rotten in warehouses in Yansui and other places.

The officials in charge of grain, including Song Li, the supervising inspector, and Xiong Xiu, the governor and right vice censor-in-chief, were all investigated and punished for their incompetence.

This gave the officials a real fright, and they were all waiting for the first demonstration of this investigation to be implemented.

Lu Xingjian asked the Ministry of Revenue for its opinion.

Minister of Revenue Gu Zuo, a cunning and shrewd old man, smoothed things over:

“According to the law, the matter should be punished, but the time has passed, many officials have been transferred or resigned, and they have presented their arguments. We request Your Majesty to make a decision.”

They shifted the blame back to the emperor.

Lu Xingjian remained silent for a while before finally making a decision:

"The Empress is pregnant, and I wish to accumulate blessings for the imperial heir."

"Then we'll skip the interrogation and interrogation. If the grain, fodder, and cloth are all rotten, let them replenish them. If there's any usable cloth, we'll still use it at a discounted rate."

The officials breathed a sigh of relief and repeatedly praised the Emperor's wisdom, the Empress's long life, and the early birth of an imperial heir.

This was the first time the Emperor had publicly mentioned the Empress's pregnancy.

By waiving imprisonment and only requiring compensation for losses, the punishment is much lighter than the last investigation.

The Ministry of War also discovered that 280,000 taels of silver had been given to Yansui over the past ten years for purchasing and raising horses. An imperial edict was issued ordering the town's patrol officers to strictly supervise the feeding of the troops to prevent any loss of food, and those who violated this order would be punished.

Now, as the outcome of the Yansui case was announced to the world, news of the Empress's pregnancy also spread to the nine border regions.

Everyone said that the Empress's pregnancy was a great blessing to the border troops.

With the Yansui model case, the subsequent border troop inspections had a basis to follow, making a lot of noise but little action, and were able to clear up all the bad debts that had been there for years.

Gu Zuo's eyes flickered, and he said again:

"I have heard that Xu Jin, the Minister of Personnel, has submitted a memorial requesting to retire. Bai Yue, the Vice Minister of the Left, has had three months' salary deducted, and the officials in charge of personnel selection, assistant ministers, and principal clerks have all had five months' salary deducted. I do not know what crime they have committed."

Lu Xingjian frowned: "Is that so?"

He had someone summon Xu Jin, the Minister of Personnel.

Xu Jin was over seventy years old, with a tall and imposing figure and an upright character. He was dismissed from office during the reign of the late emperor, but was recommended back to serve in the Ministry of War by Liu Jian after Lu Xingjian ascended the throne.

"Your Majesty, not long ago, the position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice in Nanjing became vacant. There was no officially appointed Assistant Minister to fill the vacancy, so this old minister, as is customary, recommended two Acting Principal Officers to fill the vacancy."

"The Minister of the Imperial Household believed that this was not in accordance with the court system. I, the old minister, believed that I had done nothing wrong, but the imperial edict repeatedly criticized me. I could only take the initiative to apologize."

Lu Xingjian paused for a moment.

The key point is in the words "internal approval".

Nowadays, apart from matters concerning the Ministry of War, he has handed over all the power to approve imperial edicts to Liu Jin.

Therefore, this was Liu Jin deliberately making things difficult for Xu Jin.

He lowered his eyes, concealing the shadow that had settled in his pupils.

"Very well, since that's the case, Minister Xu should just return to his hometown and enjoy his retirement."

Xu Jin raised his eyelids, gave Lu Xingjian a deep look, kowtowed and took his leave.

This incident caused an uproar in the imperial court.

Liu Jin's title of "Standing Emperor" is unparalleled.

In the power struggle between the Grand Chancellor and the Minister of Personnel, the Emperor ultimately sided with Liu Jin without any principles.

Such supreme favor and trust are truly frightening.

However, Lu Xingjian did not completely let Liu Jin go.

Liu Jin's proposal to reassign Liu Yu, the Minister of War, to the position of Minister of Personnel was rejected by Lu Xingjian.

Liu Jin said nothing, and left with a trembling and fearful expression, kowtowing in apology.

In the instant he lowered his head and turned around, a ruthless and sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

...

It was late at night.

Lu Xingjian caressed Su Wanwan's slender waist, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

"It's been three months, it should be okay now, right?"

Looking at his handsome face, which seemed to harbor ill intentions, Su Wanwan had no romantic thoughts.

"Can't Minister Liu see through your intentions?"

Lu Xingjian reached out to untie her sash, saying absentmindedly, "So what if I know?"

"I didn't force him."

"Whether he chooses to maintain a proper distance or reveal his ambitions is entirely up to him."

Su Wanwan held his hand with a complicated expression:

"Aren't you afraid he'll come and take advantage of you?"

Lu Xingjian narrowed his eyes and said with a hint of disdain:

"A eunuch, is he worth your breath?"

Lu Xingjian didn't struggle. He lazily lowered his head, parted his thin lips slightly, and used his teeth to bite her sash, gently pulling it open.

A strand of hair fell across his cheek, adding a touch of messy beauty to his angular face.

That nonchalant, relaxed demeanor is just too alluring.

Seeing that Su Wanwan was staring at him, he raised an eyebrow slightly and said with a teasing smile:

"When it comes to sheer power, who can compare to the Su family?"

Su Wanwan's breath hitched suddenly.

What do you mean?

Lu Xingjian's eyes dimmed slightly, probably because he felt she was a bit of a spoilsport. He raised his hand to ruffle her hair and scolded her:

"Look at you, you get so nervous just from saying something."

"My lady, why be so cautious in front of me?"

As he spoke, he pulled her into his arms and nuzzled her intimately.

"Let's do something different today."

Su Wanwan let him do whatever he wanted, and slowly became dazed.

He didn't force her; he just let her be.

The greed in people's hearts stems from getting things too easily, which makes them take chances and think about getting more.

In other words, Sujiaju has been in a high position for many years and knows how to advance and retreat as the times change.

Otherwise, he probably would have embarked on the path of inflated ambition for power long before Liu Jin.

The next morning, before dawn, Meng Yue stumbled and knocked on the door, his face streaked with tears.

"My master has passed away!"