Attendant-in-Ordinary Mu?
The Empress Dowager called me Minister Mu?
She...she tacitly approved of me referring to myself as "your subject"?
Mugalo felt as if his heart was about to float away.
And she was full of passion.
Back in the attic, Mugalo ordered his maids to bring in piles and piles of documents.
She began to carefully study the data from the past thirty or even fifty years, as Xie Yuan had requested.
Mugaluo wasn't as good at math as Nanling, but she had a special talent—painting!
She doesn't paint traditional Chinese ink paintings, nor does she paint meticulous flower-and-bird paintings.
After seeing many battle reports sealed by the Ministry of War, she was able to draw corresponding maps based on those brief descriptions and the maps she had seen in her father's and uncle's studies.
For example, the marching route of the army, the location of the battle between the two sides, and the escape and pursuit routes, etc.!
She reorganized all the materials according to her own ideas.
Blueprints, text, and—
"Minister Zheng, have the accounts been sorted out? I need the data from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue records from the twenty-third year of the Yuande era!"
Even amidst his busy schedule, Mugalo did not forget to urge his colleagues on.
But what exactly is the title of this Zheng Shizhong?
The other female attendants couldn't help but raise their heads when they heard Mugalo's words.
They looked at each other suspiciously, both seeing question marks in each other's eyes.
Even "Zheng Shizhong" himself—the Princess of Nanling—didn't even look up from the abacus, still busy calculating.
"Princess Nanling! Minister Zheng!!"
Helpless, Mu Jialuo had no choice but to call her by her official title as Princess Nanling, as well as her full name!
Yes, Nanling's father's surname was Zheng, and he was a member of the Zheng family of Xingyang.
However, Princess Yongchang's presence was too strong and too powerful, and Nanling's biological father had died early.
In many families in the capital, when they mention Nanling, they think of Yongchang's daughter, the late emperor's niece, and the Princess of Nanling who was raised in the palace.
As for her family and her name, they are rarely mentioned!
Even in Nanling, she was used to being called Princess or by the title "Nanling".
Hearing Mugalo's repeated calls, she finally raised her head. "You called me?"
Was that "Zheng Shizhong" who was calling me just now?
Nanling's usually timid face no longer showed any trace of inferiority, but was instead filled with a different kind of confidence and composure focused on her work.
"Of course! Is there another Zheng Qing here?"
Mugaluo is impatient and has a short temper. He can't stand girls like Nanling who are delicate, timid, and indecisive.
It wasn't until they both came to work for Xie Yuan and witnessed firsthand Nanling's amazing ability to use both abacuses simultaneously that Mu Jialuo gradually changed her opinion of this coward she had previously looked down upon!
We may not be best friends yet, but we are fairly harmonious colleagues.
Mugaluo and Nanling were no longer strangers, and they would chat occasionally, or travel together when leaving the palace.
Therefore, Mu Jialuo could roll her eyes at Nanling directly, and Nanling, seeing Mu Jialuo like this, didn't think that she was angry with her!
"The main problem is that you just addressed him as 'Minister Zheng.' I—I—"
Nanling smiled sheepishly and offered a brief explanation.
"What happened to Zheng Shizhong? Wasn't it you?" Mu Jialuo seemed unusually serious today, pressing him with a somewhat aggressive tone.
Nanling paused for a moment, then said with a hint of uncertainty, "I...I am indeed Her Majesty the Empress's lady-in-waiting, but—"
The position of female attendant was not a proper official post.
They have no power.
This is more like an empty title!
It's one thing to say it in the inner palace, but if someone outside calls themselves "Attendant-in-Ordinary," they'll probably be ridiculed.
Although the other four female attendants did not speak, their expressions showed that they agreed with Nanling's idea.
Seeing this, Mugalo became even more concerned.
"But what? A court attendant is a court attendant!"
"And all this time, have we just been holding the title without doing anything?"
Mugaluo pointed to a pile of documents on his desk, then pointed to Nanling and the other four female attendants one by one—
“I have checked the palace’s guards, rotations, salaries, weapons, supplies and so on over the past ten years.”
“Nanling, you’ve recalculated all the palace accounts from the last ten years.”
"And Lady Wang (Wang Yu's daughter-in-law) has thoroughly investigated the years of service, reward and punishment records, and years of service of the palace servants."
"And you... are in charge of the renovation of buildings and staffing at several temporary palaces, including Tangquan Palace and Beigong Palace..."
Mugalo recounted the "merits" of all six female attendants, including himself, as well as the concubines of the late emperor who joined later.
Nanling couldn't help but gape, "We've done so much?"
From accounts to personnel to supplies, even a small palace has so many things to manage!
This is not just a simple matter of palace affairs.
The emperor has no private affairs.
The palace wasn't just for women; it also housed emperors.
Therefore, in a sense, these female attendants and officials were also serving the sage.
And, indeed, tangible results have been achieved!
"Yes! I didn't pay attention when I was doing it, I just thought it was like doing housework at home! I didn't expect that I would do so much!"
The other female attendants and ladies-in-waiting also looked astonished.
After the initial surprise, there was also a subtle sense of pride and honor!
Who says these women can only do trivial things?
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