As the shouts of the courtiers in the Golden Palace subsided, Qin Chuan's voice rang out again calmly.
"A decree is hereby issued, appointing Zhu Xizhou, Minister of Revenue; Lai Mingchuan, Vice Censor-in-Chief; Xiao Yue, Minister of the Court of Judicial Review; and Wang Jiayin, Minister of Rites, to the cabinet for deliberation. Zhu Xizhou will serve as the Grand Secretary, and the position of Second Grand Secretary will remain vacant for the time being. Xiao Yue is not currently in the capital and will be appointed to the cabinet upon his return. All cabinet ministers must work together to create a great and prosperous era!"
Among these people, the main reason for choosing Zhu Xizhou as the chief minister was because of his compassion for the common people.
He once revealed the truth of history: as long as ordinary people have food to eat, they will not rebel.
Although his thoughts were also motivated by the desire to protect the interests of the ruling class of the Great Qian Dynasty, such a person was a rare talent. He was upright in his thinking and reliable in his work, and was barely qualified to be the chief minister.
Lai Mingchuan, though originally just a minor censor, dared to speak his mind and was not afraid of offending his colleagues. Such a person is upright and capable.
However, compared to Zhu Xizhou, he still lacked the composure and boldness to handle major events.
As for Xiao Yue, she has always been very capable and also commands the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Although she is a woman, the officials dare not have any objections.
Wang Jiayin, on the other hand, had neither made any great achievements nor any major mistakes; he had done a decent job. The reason for bringing him into the cabinet was twofold: firstly, to fill the quota, and secondly, because he was well-versed in etiquette and manners, and his talent was also considerable, so he could be put to use.
After removing the Left Chancellor Mou Xianke and the Right Chancellor Li Zongmin, Qin Chuan instructed Xiao Li to stop implementing the chancellor system, planning to abolish it and establish a cabinet to assist in handling government affairs.
After all, the world is so vast and there are so many national affairs. If an emperor has to be involved in everything, he will inevitably die from overwork after only a few years.
"Focusing on the major issues and letting go of the minor ones" and "prioritizing key tasks" were the emperor's main priorities.
Qin Chuan didn't intend to use any imperial balancing techniques; instead, he only employed people who were truly dedicated to their work and had no intention of playing any game of balancing left and right.
What he needs to do now is to quickly achieve unification, improve the productivity of the current society, and raise the living standards of the people.
Once the imperial edict was drafted, he checked it and, finding its meaning accurate, announced the end of the court session.
I originally wanted to bring up the "Hangzhou dike breach case" to give Minister of Works Yang Weicong a warning, but since today was his first day on the throne, I didn't want to get angry, so I didn't mention it.
After the court session, accompanied by Zhu Xizhou, Lai Mingchuan, Wang Jiayin, and Xiao Li, they went to the West Garden Cabinet.
Qin Chuan stood before the imperial desk and said to the three men, “From now on, you will be my cabinet ministers. You must serve the people wholeheartedly and never seek fame or fortune or engage in corruption. If you do a good job, you will be rewarded with generous allowances for integrity. But if you dare to break the law, don’t blame me for being ruthless. Do you understand?”
The voice was calm and indifferent, yet it sent chills down the spines of the three men.
"We will certainly serve Your Majesty with utmost loyalty!"
The three of them knelt down in unison and said in unison.
Qin Chuan smiled slightly, "Get up. If you need to add more personnel in the future, just inform me."
After the three of them got up, Qin Chuan left them in the cabinet to handle the memorials, and then returned to his palace with Xiao Li.
...
As His Majesty left, Wang Jiayin flattered Lai Mingchuan: "I remember just a month ago, Lord Lai was only a seventh-rank censor. In the blink of an eye, you have entered the cabinet."
"Thanks to the great fortune of Grand Secretary Zhu and Minister Wang, although I have entered the cabinet, I am only a minor fourth-rank Vice Censor-in-Chief. You two are the true ministers of the state, while I am but a stream. How dare I look up to you two towering mountains!"
Hearing Lai Mingchuan's words, Zhu Xizhou couldn't help but glance at him.
Everyone says that Censor Lai is upright and honest, but look how well he put it! This man is truly talented, far beyond what the word "upright and honest" can describe.
Wang Jiayin chuckled twice, "Lord Lai, don't underestimate yourself. His Majesty values you and will never let you remain only a fourth-rank Vice Censor-in-Chief. You'll definitely be promoted in the next few days!"
...
"My husband, it seems you are more suited to be emperor than I am. Look how majestic and handsome you are!"
Inside the bedchamber, Xiao Li fiddled with Qin Chuan's dragon robe while calling over Wan Chun, Mu Xia, and other palace maids to take a look.
Wan Chun glanced at it briefly, then immediately lowered her head shyly and said, "Your Majesty is truly like a celestial being descended from heaven. This servant dares not look too long, for fear of being blinded by your divine light."
"..."
Hearing this flattery, Qin Chuan couldn't help but glance at Wan Chun a few more times out of curiosity.
As expected of a second-rank female official, her temperament and appearance are both outstanding.
That's really a very pleasant thing to hear!
No wonder everyone wants to be emperor; being emperor must be so comfortable!
Upon seeing this, Xiao Li immediately understood, pursed her lips, and revealed a meaningful smile.
Meanwhile, Muxia, standing to the other side, awkwardly lowered her head, stealing a glance at Wanchun with a rather meaningful look in her eyes...
It's as if to say, "You've said all the nice things, what do you want me to say?"
The moment His Majesty looked at Wan Chun, she, a fellow palace maid, knew in her heart that Wan Chun might receive His Majesty's favor tonight...
However, judging from His Majesty's attitude towards the "former Emperor" and the noise they made during their intimate moments, she still envied Wan Chun quite a bit...
"My husband, I won't stay with you tonight."
Xiao Li smiled and whispered in Qin Chuan's ear, "Tonight... let Wan Chun sleep with you."
Qin Chuan was actually thinking about the wives of the Prince of Yan. When he played the duet with Jiang Yao, she could reach the climax with him at the same time, and her beauty surpassed that of all his wives. That was what he wanted tonight.
Even though Jiang Yao's wife was unavailable, he still missed her soft, supple body...
To be honest, he wasn't very willing to sleep with Wan Chun.
However, since his empress wife had made this arrangement, he couldn't very well refuse, so he could only nod in agreement.
It was evening.
Springtime.
On the dragon bed, Wan Chun, clean and beautiful, blinked her bright black and white eyes. Seeing Qin Chuan approach, she immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, this servant is ready..."
"Hmm...not bad."
Qin Chuan lifted her fair chin and leaned down...
The matter is over.
Qin Chuan didn't hold her while she slept, and she obediently got up, put on her clothes, and prepared to leave.
"Where are you going? Lie down." Qin Chuan glanced at her and gestured with his lips.
She lay there with a flushed face, and after a while, she realized that the Empress had also come to bed.
"My husband, are you satisfied?"
The dragon bed was very large, more than enough for three people to lie on. The Empress lay directly in Qin Chuan's arms and asked gently.
Qin Chuan didn't want to speak his mind, because the only feeling Wan Chun gave him was that he was restrained and nervous, that the two of them were not harmonious, and that she was awkward in doing things...
Faced with his wife's question, he nodded insincerely.
"Then shall I take her as a concubine?"
The Empress's wife asked in succession.
Qin Chuan nodded indifferently. He had already decided not to favor her much. Although she was sweet-talking, she was really not sweet when it came to sex.
He still had other wives in his heart.
The Empress, who had closed her eyes, suddenly opened them again. "In a few days, shall we bring Su Ruyan to the palace?"
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