Su Wanwan wasn't in the mood for that, and absentmindedly pushed him away: "We'll talk about it later."

She hadn't opened the secret letter Liu Qi had given her yet, and was thinking of finding an opportunity to read it herself.

Lu Xingjian gave a cool laugh, but the smile didn't reach his eyes:

You can see the good in others, but you can't see the good in me.

"They never treated me like their husband."

Su Wanwan was a little annoyed by his constant nagging.

Did she feed the dog all the food she cooked herself for lunch?

"If you need to get things done, hurry up. Once you're done, go back to Xiaoyuan to sleep."

She simply kicked people out openly.

He was young and unwilling to take concubines, so he could only seek relief from her when he needed something.

But she had gotten used to being alone these days and didn't want him hanging around in front of her all the time.

It's best to leave as soon as you've finished your business.

Lu Xingjian's forehead veins throbbed, and he stopped making a scene.

If the two of them start arguing again after just one day of making up, the servants will probably be delighted to see them make a fool of themselves.

He thought for a moment and changed the subject: "Are you short of money?"

Su Wanwan raised an eyebrow, completely bewildered: "What do you mean by that?"

Lu Xingjian said, "The Ministry of War submitted a memorial stating that the 800,000 salt permits of the Lianghuai Transport Office could not be sold. The reason given was that there was a famine in Jiangnan and fewer people were consuming salt, and that the Textile Bureau was smuggling salt."

Su Wanwan pursed her lips, looking at Lu Xingjian warily.

"That's right, I instructed them to engage in the smuggling of salt."

Now, she has replaced the people in both the Suzhou River and Hangzhou textile bureaus.

The profits from smuggled salt were extremely high, making it a very quick way to amass wealth.

She changed the subject: "Didn't he say that the real reason why no one wanted salt certificates was because more than a hundred households in Nanjing were burned down because the Eastern Depot forced salt merchants to hand over their salt certificates?"

"This has broken the rules. Which wealthy merchant in Jiangnan would dare to risk being targeted by the authorities and use their money to buy salt permits?"

"Can we blame only the smuggled salt industry?"

Lu Xingjian's dark eyes deepened.

He was actually the ultimate beneficiary of the Jiangnan salt merchants case.

He never expected that Ma Yongcheng and his ilk would be so unscrupulous, implicating so many ordinary people.

However, if he were to do it himself, he would probably use swift and decisive measures to deter the scoundrels, but he would try his best not to harm the innocent.

Who wouldn't be hated for taking someone's money?

But the imperial treasury was empty, so where did those incredibly wealthy salt merchants in Jiangnan get their money from?

Su Wanwan continued, “My uncle wrote a letter saying that there was a drought in Jiangnan this year, but it was man-made disasters that outweighed natural disasters. The powerful families hoarded grain, leaving the common people who suffered from the disaster to struggle for their lives, which was forcing the court to take a stand.”

She paused, then looked at him earnestly: "Your Majesty, if you continue to delegate power like this, I'm afraid the people in the south will rebel against the officials."

Lu Xingjian narrowed his eyes, unmoved by reason, and with a hint of resentment.

"You were the one who told me to relinquish power so I wouldn't become a target. Why are you advising me to take it back now? It's too late."

Su Wanwan pondered the words "too late," unsure of their meaning.

Has the situation spiraled out of control?

But he didn't seem to be being sidelined.

"The Ministry of War's Censor impeached the Duke of Anguo, saying that he had been neglecting his duties due to long-term illness and requested that a strategist be selected to replace him."

Su Wanwan's expression gradually became serious.

This means someone is plotting to seize military power.

Zhang Yonggang was stripped of his power, and then the Duke of Anguo was impeached.

It's easy to tell who the beneficiary is.

"Then what should we do?"

Lu Xingjian nonchalantly pushed her onto the bed, pulled back the covers, and lay down flat.

“I have already asked the Duke of Anguo to submit a memorial explaining himself.”

He paused for a moment, then added, "However, the Duke of Anguo is indeed getting old and his health is not very good."

Su Wanwan's eyes flickered, and she said seriously:

"Then I will invite Lady Anguo to the palace to admire the flowers tomorrow."

It seems that Lu Xingjian intends to have the Duke of Anguo relinquish his military power.

Lu Xingjian raised an eyebrow, a smile appearing in his eyes: "My wife is truly intelligent and perceptive, able to understand the meaning behind a melody, a truly virtuous and capable wife."

Su Wanwan rolled her eyes at him. "You're telling me this just so you can get me to step in?"

“That’s not necessarily true.” Lu Xingjian kissed her cheek. “I can also ask Gu Ziyu to pass on a message.”

With the passing of Steward Li, he mainly handed over the finishing work on the Prince of Jin's side in Shanxi to Gu Ziyu.

Recently, there have been many cases of the Generals of the State and the Generals of the State being demoted from the lineage of the Prince of Jin.

...

Lady Anguo was in good spirits, her gray hair was neatly combed, and her tone was sincere and gentle. She did not pretend to be deaf or dumb.

"Your Majesty's invitation must have a reason for it. Please speak freely."

Su Wanwan was surprised and didn't beat around the bush.

"I heard that the Duke of Anguo is unwell. I have just acquired a ginseng. Please take it back with you and let the old man take good care of himself."

Lady Anguo sighed: "My lord has spent his life on the battlefield, suffering countless injuries and illnesses. He really needs to recuperate."

"Then take good care of yourself. The younger generation can handle things outside," Su Wanwan said meaningfully.

Lady Anguo blinked and nodded solemnly, "Your Majesty is right."

The two chatted for a few more minutes. Just as the Duchess of Anguo was about to take her leave, Lu Xingjian sent over some gifts, all of which were good medicinal herbs for the Duke of Anguo to use for recuperation.

The next day, Duke Anguo submitted his resignation memorial.

Lu Xingjian answered decisively and accurately.

On the contrary, the entire Gu family was filled with anxiety.

Fearing that the Duke of Anguo's mansion, which had been prominent for decades, would be disliked by the emperor, they first seized power, then confiscated the property, and the Gu family would be finished.

The arrogant "Nine Thousand Years Old" in the court now has a lot of opinions about the Duke of Anguo's mansion.

Wen Shuyi is already showing signs of pregnancy, and Gu Ziyu is currently not in the capital, leaving her without anyone to rely on.

These days, the Gu family only wants her to focus on her pregnancy and hasn't even given her a chance to send a message back to her parents' home.

Since the last assassination attempt on the Empress, all the maids and servants she brought from her maiden home have been replaced by the Gu family.

Gu Ziyu rushed back to his family home, first visiting his grandparents and offering words of comfort:

"The Emperor was very satisfied with your performance this time and rewarded you handsomely. It shouldn't be because he was dissatisfied with the Gu family."

Duke Anguo and his wife were both amused and exasperated.

"Silly child, you can't even figure out the key to this?"

“After his daughter married into the Duke of Ying’s mansion, You Tai was no longer in charge of guarding the palace.”

“Now that he has become a palace guard, it is only natural for our Gu family to step down.”

The Imperial Son-in-Law You Tai, the Duke of Yingguo's family, and the Duke of Anguo's family were all noble families who shared glory and honor, and they stood on equal footing with the eunuch clique.

It is now clear that the emperor has entrusted the safety of the palace to the nobles.

The power over the capital's military would naturally have to be transferred.

Gu Ziyu understood immediately, but frowned, "Why did Your Majesty suddenly have such a thought?"

Every change is inevitably accompanied by danger.

The emperor wouldn't have gone to such lengths unless it was absolutely necessary.

Duke Anguo sighed and earnestly admonished his descendants:

"Now that the Ninth Prince has caused such a mess in the court, the Emperor is probably just taking precautions."

"The descendants of the Gu family must remember that they must never be greedy for power and power and lose their sense of proportion."