The Minister of Revenue's face turned a deep shade of liver again!
He was already over fifty years old, and as a minister of a department, he was undoubtedly a high-ranking official in the imperial court.
Regardless of his age or status, he had not experienced such shame and resentment for many years!
Unfortunately, he couldn't retaliate and could only passively take the beating—he really didn't remember!
As the Minister of Revenue, it is ultimately a dereliction of duty for him to be so unfamiliar with the accounts of his own department.
Although Empress Xie directly accused him of being a mere figurehead, he actually carried out an "on-the-spot execution."
The Minister of Revenue wished he could faint immediately so he wouldn't have to face such an embarrassing and awkward situation.
"..." Xie Yuangao sat on the throne and glanced indifferently at the Minister of Revenue, who was ashamed and teetering on the brink of collapse.
She didn't push the matter to the brink, and instead said, "Minister Zheng, you speak!"
Holding the abacus in his hand, Nanling felt increasingly confident.
First battle won!
His first appearance in the imperial court was met with thunderous applause.
Well, okay, although not a single official in the court cheered for her.
However, it was precisely the silence of these courtiers, all of whom were old enough to be her fathers or grandfathers, that further proved her success.
She left everyone speechless!
"I will obey!"
Nanling bowed and responded, then answered earnestly, "Five years ago, the late emperor campaigned against the Turks, mobilizing 200,000 troops in total."
"It took a year and consumed a total of about 420,000 shi of grain."
Nanling remembered the accounts he had calculated very clearly.
Although Xie Yuan only asked about the quantity of grain, Nanling was still able to tell him the quantities of all other categories.
The court was silent.
The three ministers, Wang, Cui, and Zheng, had faces ashen, revealing neither joy nor anger.
However, they still suspected that Empress Xie had "cheated".
The examiners set the questions, making it too easy to cheat.
All she needed to do was tell the questions and answers to the students she favored in advance, so they could memorize them beforehand and complete the task smoothly!
Of course, such speculation could easily be interpreted as being a "sore loser".
Given their positions as prime ministers, they could not raise any objections.
So, a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties stepped forward from the ranks of officials.
"Your Majesty, I am Dugu Yong, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. I have a few questions to ask Princess Nanling."
Since the goal is to "deliberately find fault," Xie Yuan shouldn't be the only one setting the questions.
These officials also had to test this so-called "Zheng Shizhong".
Hmph, a mere girl like her, enjoying tea, admiring flowers, and playing polo and backgammon with a group of young ladies is far better than showing off in the imperial court.
This is definitely not a place for women!
Unfortunately, Empress Xie was cunning and unexpectedly brought up some old grievances.
And the Minister of Revenue was indeed muddle-headed and incompetent, actually stumped by the question...
Don't be afraid!
It's just digging up old records and searching data, they can do that too!
Xie Yuan's eyes flickered.
She knew, of course, that this was a counterattack from the court officials.
but--
Did they think that this would turn the tables and embarrass the ladies-in-waiting?
impossible!
Her ladies-in-waiting spent nearly a month dealing with those documents every day in order to seize this opportunity.
They wouldn't say they could recite it perfectly, but they could still remember the specific amounts.
Of course, this is Nanling's battlefield, and whether or not to fight depends on Nanling's wishes.
Nanling held his head high, with unprecedented pride and confidence.
She said in a deep voice, “Minister Dugu, you are too kind. I dare not ask for your guidance, but please speak frankly if you have any questions!”
A gleam of satisfaction flashed in Dugu Yong's eyes: Good! This is your own choice.
If you're stumped by my questions and end up crying in a moment of panic, don't blame me!
"As the princess just mentioned, five years ago, the late emperor sent out 200,000 troops to fight against the Turks."
Dugu Yong was not only the Vice Minister of War, but also a general who led troops in the great battle five years ago.
As someone who experienced it firsthand, Dugu Yong was intimately familiar with it without even needing to consult any materials.
Nanling nodded, indicating that he had indeed said that.
Seeing that Nanling "acknowledged" the situation, Dugu Yong continued to ask, "Then, does Princess Nanling know how many armies there are in total, and how much food and fodder each army has been allocated?"
"And what about subsequent supplies? How many times will there be, and how much each time?"
Nanling: ...Hehe, I thought I was going to get some really difficult questions.
After all, Nanling was only a math genius; she was a complete novice when it came to military campaigns.
Although Dugu Yong's questions were slightly off-topic, they were all within Nanling's area of expertise.
Without hesitation, Nanling recited all the figures he had researched and calculated recently.
Dugu Yong: ...Absolutely perfect!
Did these women really memorize all the old information from the past few years?
The three ministers, Wang, Cui, and Zheng, glanced at Dugu Yong indifferently.
It's as if to say, "Are you deliberately letting the water flow?"
Dugu Yong said he felt wronged.
What kind of water did he put in?
Although Princess Nanling is noble and has an unreasonable and shrewish princess mother behind her, the Dugu family is not afraid.
Dugu Yong and Nanling were not closely related.
Even if they are relatives, when it comes to the dignity of these grown men, Dugu Yong will not easily give in!
After Nanling finished answering, he saw that Dugu Yong was unwilling to speak, and knew that he was feeling frustrated.
Nanling seemed to have followed suit with his mischievous ways, and urged mischievously, "Minister Dugu, why aren't you saying anything? Is there something wrong with what I said?"
Dugu Yong was called out and had no choice but to answer.
His expression was stiff, his tone awkward, and he mumbled, "No!"
The courtiers: ...They actually managed to stump the female officials?
It's obvious that they lost the first round of the competition.
Hearing the chatter of his colleagues, Dugu Yong felt a little embarrassed.
He tried hard to recall, attempting to find a question that the female officials shouldn't be good at.
right!
He was just out of his mind and was led by the nose by Empress Xie and her ladies-in-waiting.
Princess Nanling could recite clear figures as soon as she opened her mouth, which showed that they had studied these accounts in advance.
He even asked questions related to the accounts; wasn't that just helping the other party "shine"?
Once he realizes the problem, Dugu Yong will correct it in time.
He gritted his teeth, thinking bitterly: You can calculate the accounts! You can manipulate the numbers! But what about the military?
What about marching, fighting, and deploying troops?
You're probably all laymen.
Hmph, these young girls, they've only read a few books and can do a few numbers, and they think they know who they are!
Now, Dugu Yong will let these people know that important matters of the court are not just simple arithmetic, but also important military affairs.
Fortunately, Xie Yuan didn't know what Dugu Yong was thinking, otherwise he would have secretly laughed: "You really do get exactly what you want. Are you sure you're not 'foreign aid' that I invited?"
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