Yan Suizhi did not expect the emperor to speak so directly. He kept saying that he dared not, saying that all the emperor's grace and favor were the emperor's grace, and as a subject, how could he dare to have any resentment.
Emperor Dezong continued, "My dear Lord Yan, Prince Rui is a man of both civil and military talents, a pillar of the nation, all thanks to your wise guidance. His palace has been renovated. If you find anything unsatisfactory, please feel free to report it to the Ministry of Works and have them make the changes."
Yan Suizhi replied respectfully, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. Everything is fine. Prince Rui is still young and lacks experience. Your Majesty has chosen the wrong person."
Emperor Dezong nodded, clearly a bit exhausted, and reluctantly chatted with the Empress Dowager for a while before taking his leave. Yan Suizhi and Xie Wanyun knelt to see her off and also took their leave.
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Go ahead. You should prepare for the wedding properly. Now that we don't have any elders, it's all up to the two of you to handle it. I'll also send some people over to help."
The two of them thanked him in unison and left.
After his vacation, Yan Suizhi officially took office as the chief minister of the cabinet, which was well-received by the people, and all the civil and military officials in the court congratulated him.
Just after the inauguration ceremony, an urgent military report from the border was received.
It turned out that after being repelled outside the Blue Moon Pass last time, although Mobei did not dare to invade again, it persuaded Wusun, Loulan and other countries to come and challenge.
These small nations had long coveted the Southern Dynasty's wealth, but due to their own lack of strength, they dared not invade. However, the Southern Dynasty's previous attack on the Mobei camp and the killing of several of these nations' hostages had already incurred resentment. Now, with Mobei offering lobbying and the promise of support from behind, both money and personnel, they were tempted. They gathered their forces, and with murderous intent, they marched straight for the border.
The battle report came back, shocking the government and the people. Who would have thought that just after repelling the Mobei family, another wave would come. Is this going to never end?
The court had just finished a war. Although it won, the military expenditure was too high and the court was no longer able to make ends meet. The Minister of Revenue Wu Anzong kept complaining that he had no money.
Emperor Dezong had been feeling listless and lacking energy since Huang Yanjing's death. Although angry at the military report, he had no desire to send troops.
Back then, he'd killed the Xie family out of fear that their achievements would overshadow their own. Now, seeing Liu Sheng's recent victory, and hinting at the Xie family's momentum, he felt a lump in his throat. If he won again, wouldn't he be another Xie Zhongming?
As for these invading small countries, there is no need to be afraid of them. They are just greedy for money. It is better to give them some sweet treats and make them withdraw.
So, the emperor ignored the court officials' angry requests for troops and directly sent Regent Han Cheng to negotiate peace, causing an uproar in the court.
As the newly appointed Prime Minister, Yan Suizhi was the one everyone placed their hopes on, hoping he would persuade the emperor to send troops to fight. Yan Suizhi submitted several memorials requesting the court to send troops, but they were all sternly rejected by the emperor, leaving him at a loss.
On this day, Emperor Dezong came out of the upper study and saw the eunuchs from the Queen's palace waiting outside. They said that the Queen invited His Majesty to have dinner with them. He didn't want to go at first, but after thinking that the Queen was the Empress, he had to give her some face.
So he went to the Queen's palace.
The palace where the queen lives is not close to the upper study. After passing through the three main halls of the former dynasty, there is a long palace road.
He had been feeling tired lately and didn't want to walk, so he took a sedan chair and had it carried by several eunuchs. It was already sunset, and Dezong felt a little drowsy when he sat on it. He forced himself to look around, but all he saw was the dusk, and the long palace road was dim.
Emperor Dezong's heart suddenly began to beat rapidly, making him feel uneasy. He asked, "Why haven't you lit the lamp yet?"
His personal eunuch Jinzhong replied, "Your Majesty, it is not yet time to light the lamps."
Dezong angrily said, "It's so late, I can't even see the road clearly, why can't you light the lamp?"
Jin Zhong was puzzled. Was it getting late? The sun hadn't even set yet, and the afterglow of the setting sun was still lingering in the corners of the walls. Why couldn't he see clearly? Could it be that the Emperor was truly ill?
He looked at the emperor worriedly, only to see that his face was filled with anger, his eyes somewhat confused. For some reason, he suddenly had a bad premonition, and his heart inexplicably felt a chill.
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