Ye Panjiu smiled, "It's a good opportunity to see how well Ling'er is learning to write."
The group planned to bring gifts when they went home, so they decided not to send anything back this time.
Three days after Sun's shop opened, all three shops reverted to their original prices on the same day.
There were certainly criticisms, but the majority of people were eating it while feeling the pinch.
Ye Panjiu didn't go to see the three shops again. After thinking it over, she had a new idea and started writing letters again.
It has been seven days since Su Yan left on the seventh day of the lunar new year. Occasionally, when I think back to that farewell at the pavilion, it feels like a lifetime has passed.
Whether time passes quickly or slowly is relative to the events themselves.
The snow had stopped falling in the capital, and Su Yan resumed his hectic schedule, barely touching the ground.
Ever since Princess Shengping attended court, the morning court sessions have been filled with endless arguments.
The three princes also sensed something unusual. They changed their previous confrontational stance and united to launch a collective attack on Sheng Ping.
Ning Xuan receives at least a basketful of memorials every day criticizing Shengping.
The number of complaints increased daily, with even a ninth-rank county magistrate from a thousand miles away submitting a memorial criticizing Shengping's court attendance.
When he first saw it, he was so angry that he smashed the vase in the imperial study.
Upon hearing the news, Sheng Ping immediately took his maid and took the memorials away, reading them one by one.
She knew that understanding the enemy's thoughts and feelings would definitely be to her advantage.
If she found a question tricky or difficult to answer, she would ask Ning Xuan.
Ning Xuan would usually explain things to her and teach her more about the art of being an emperor.
Then let Su Yan teach her a small class, so that she can properly teach the balance that rulers need to learn.
Therefore, Shengping made rapid progress and became increasingly invincible in his debates with the court officials.
The ministers kept repeating the same things: that the ancestors wouldn't tolerate it, and that it was against the rules.
Shengping is only sixteen years old this year, which is the time when he is most energetic. He can talk from beginning to end during an early morning court session without getting tired at all.
She had enough self-suggestion that even when a courtier brought up the name of her deceased birth mother, she did not yield in the slightest.
If my mother were alive, I would only be proud of her!
Ning Xuan sat on the dragon throne, feeling proud of his daughter, but his face showed displeasure. "Shengping is like this now because I spoiled her too much. I want to punish her. What do you all think is the best way to punish her?"
The hall immediately fell into a deathly silence.
Di Yushu's head ached from thinking so much. He went through all the punishments for princesses throughout history, and finally came up with the most vicious one: "Your Majesty, a few years ago, the Liao Kingdom intended to form a marriage alliance and asked to marry a princess of our Great Liang. If the princess could marry into the Liao Kingdom, spread the culture of our Great Liang, and make the Liao Kingdom submit to Great Liang, it would be a truly great achievement."
Ning Xuan was so angry that her chest ached. She gripped the dragon throne tightly to prevent herself from picking up the memorial and throwing it at his face.
Su Yan stepped forward and replied, "Minister Di is truly getting old and his memory is failing. The Liao Kingdom sought a marriage alliance a few years ago; rushing to do so now would only make Great Liang a laughingstock. Besides, Great Liang is not afraid of the Liao Kingdom; why would it need a princess to save the country?"
Sheng Ping replied, "It's not that I'm unwilling to make peace through marriage. If the Great Liang needs it, I will put aside my personal interests for the greater good and be loyal to the country! But at this moment, it is more important to strengthen the Great Liang and weaken the Zhou Fan!"
His words impressed some ministers who had not strongly opposed Shengping's attendance at court.
Su Yan replied again, “Your Majesty has a suitable method. Your Majesty often wants to personally oversee the Six Ministries, but is unable to do so. Why not punish Princess Shengping this time and have Your Majesty go to the Six Ministries for a training session?”
When the Six Ministries faced a common difficulty for the first time, Wang Helu lost his composure and said urgently, his beard trembling, "Your Majesty, I am alarmed! There are many people from the Six Ministries, and I am afraid that they may harm Princess Shengping's health."
Sheng Ping bowed to him and said, "Thank you for considering my case, Minister Wang, but now that I have gone to court, I should treat everyone the same."
Di Yushu's mind was in a mess, but he felt that it was a good thing to let Sheng Ping come to the Six Ministries.
In the main hall, there are very few people who can criticize a person. But once she arrives at the Ministry of Rites and the doors are closed, everything will depend on what he says.
The top leadership of the Ministry of War was firmly in Ning Xuan's hands, and everyone listened to Ning Xuan without question.
The Ministry of Works had the least power among the Six Ministries and was usually afraid to speak out on matters concerning imperial relatives.
The Minister of Justice was a master of opportunism; seeing that no one else spoke, he also kept quiet.
The Minister of Personnel glanced at one of the princes in front of him and immediately understood. "Your Majesty," he said, "I believe that what Prime Minister Su said is not advisable. The three princes and the three dukes have all been reprimanded by Your Majesty for their previous encroachment on farmland. It would be better for them to go to the Six Ministries to study with Princess Shengping."
None of the Six Ministries dared to claim they were completely clean and invincible, like an ironclad fortress. Since Sheng Ping was being punished openly but rewarded secretly, he should naturally be treated equally.
Wang Helu was anxious. Other ministries could focus on personnel issues, but the Ministry of Revenue involved real money. How could the numbers be filled in one go?
Ning Xuan waved his hand, "Minister Shen is right, then so be it, court adjourned!"
Putting everything else aside, the three princes were all endlessly grateful to the Minister of Personnel.
Even though he is a prince, he cannot interfere in the Six Ministries without a reason. A tremendous opportunity has fallen from the sky.
Sheng Ping smiled and said, "Then let's each rely on our own abilities."
When she was fourteen, Ning Xuan chose a place next to the palace to build her princess residence.
She did not reside there permanently, but mostly lived in a side hall of the palace.
Today, Shengping is leaving the palace to return to the princess's residence. Her visit to the Six Ministries was planned in advance, but she still needs to discuss the Six Ministries with her advisors.
His frequent visits to the Imperial Study were too conspicuous.
The second prince always wore a smile, showing no airs of a prince, and spoke amiably with the ministers surrounding him.
He glanced at Sheng Ping's back, and the corners of his lips turned up even wider.
"There's no need for everyone to worry too much. The law doesn't punish everyone, and if the water is too clear, there will be no fish."
These words eased the tension among some officials, but those who had served the Second Prince longer were on edge.
This year has truly been an eventful one, with one thing after another, leaving no room for peace and quiet.
After bidding farewell to the two or three ministers at the Meridian Gate, Shengping boarded his carriage.
Although she was a princess, her carriage was very simple and not decorated much.
The carriage headed toward the princess's residence as usual.
Sheng Ping was reading a book. After a while, he closed the book and slowly slid the dagger out of his sleeve, but still kept it hidden in his sleeve.
This wasn't the usual route to the princess's residence, but before getting into the carriage, she noticed that the driver was the same one as always.
This only means that the driver is probably dead, and someone else is driving the carriage.
The person who was secretly following her has remained silent, and may have already been dealt with.
With a neigh from the horse, the carriage came to a sudden stop, and Sheng Ping's back slammed heavily against the back of the carriage.
The pain contorted her face, but she didn't utter a sound. She picked up the book and slowly lifted the carriage curtain.
The book was pinned directly to the carriage by an arrow.
Sheng Ping quickly withdrew his hand, his bright eyes fixed on the iron on the bow and arrow.
If they can use iron arrows, the people who came are determined to kill her. She has to stall for time and try to survive.
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