Chapter 850 A Dream of Youth 382
Xie Ning wouldn't leave the palace so soon; she had to draft imperial edicts, and a host of other matters awaited her. The power of this job lay in the drafting of documents, and how the Imperial Secretary drafted the edicts could directly influence the court's value orientation regarding imperial edicts.
By the time Xie Ning finished his business and left the palace, it was already evening. A young eunuch led the way for Xie Ning. A night breeze blew, causing the palace lanterns to sway. The young eunuch slowly raised his head, which had been hanging low.
"Thank you, sir."
The young eunuch called out softly, and seeing that Xie Ning did not stop walking, he continued in a low voice, "His Majesty brought in several new people from the Palace Attendants Bureau yesterday. They are all excellent in both literary talent and learning."
Xie Ning responded softly, vaguely guessing what was going on. Ascending the throne was one hurdle, but securing the throne and controlling imperial power was another.
Only those who actually sit in that position will know that even an emperor cannot always have everything he desires.
Yan Xi could not act according to her own ideas. Her opinions did not seem to matter much to the ministers, who valued the opinions of the Empress Dowager and the two prime ministers more.
In comparison, Yan Xi is like a ruthless tool for approving memorials.
The Hongxiu case left a particularly deep impression on her; if her edicts failed to satisfy those below her, they could reject them for all sorts of reasons.
It was just a small case, but the struggle was all about power.
Yan Xi desperately wanted to have people of her own, not just Xie Ning, but also many more... people who had no foundation and could only rely on the emperor's favor.
Perhaps only someone like that can she trust.
She trusted Xie Ning, who was now a close advisor to the emperor. However, Xie Ning had too many affairs to attend to, and she couldn't possibly do small things. Yan Xi didn't dare to trust anyone else.
Because other people always have powerful backers, their words are biased.
Yan Xi was most dissatisfied with the Chancellor of the Secretariat. Even though they had supported her, it was because they had no other choice and the late emperor had chosen her.
Since the year before last, Yan Xi has been unable to propose any new laws. Even the New Party has been gradually marginalized by the current court, either pushed to the sidelines or transferred out of the capital.
Xie Ning understood Yan Xi's situation, but things couldn't be rushed. The Great Zhou had just experienced a major war with Xili and Beijin, and the people had not yet recovered.
The emperor of the Northern Jin Dynasty died last winter and passed the throne to his young grandson, Gu Yan. Recently, there has been constant harassment on the border.
However, Xie Ning was not afraid of the Northern Jin invading the Great Zhou again, because the gunpowder produced in the military equipment factory was enough to ensure that the Northern Jin would not return. The reason why the Great Zhou did not take action against the Northern Jin was that the people could not bear it.
That's why Xie Ning submitted a memorial advocating for the vigorous promotion of cotton planting, and then reformed the weaving workshops, still requiring registration and quotas for cooperation with official weaving workshops.
However, the restrictions have been lowered; there is no limit to the number of participants, and only fixed conditions are required.
The common people could also grow cotton and make clothes from it. In areas suitable for cotton cultivation, the imperial court also ordered the vigorous promotion of cotton planting.
Not only did they send people to teach the people how to grow cotton, but they also popularized the small textile machines newly made by the Ministry of Works. Although they were not suitable for large textile workshops, they were very suitable for small households.
Of course, we should not neglect grain cultivation in order to grow cotton.
Regarding the popularization of cotton planting, Xie Ning also proposed reforming the performance evaluation and promotion system, stating that inaction is also wrong, and officials should be promoted based on their performance.
However, this proposal is still under discussion and it will take some time before it is formally adopted as policy.
The streets are brightly lit, and the city that never sleeps always has a lively atmosphere.
When Xie Ning returned home, Chen Wanniang was bringing back several cartloads of things. "Mother, what's this?"
"We'll hold a ceremony in a few days and buy some things to decorate the inside and outside of the mansion."
"Are we celebrating Grandma's birthday?" But Grandma Xie's birthday seems to be a long way off.
"No, it's a coming-of-age ceremony for you."
Chen Wanniang gently brushed Xie Ning's temple with her hand, "Bao'er is always busy, and we haven't even had many birthday banquets. This coming-of-age ceremony can't be taken lightly."
In fact, Xie Ning had already reached the age of marriage, but she hadn't held a coming-of-age ceremony yet because she was too busy, holding multiple positions. It would be great if someone could be found to take her place.
But neither of them can be easily sold off.
Xie Ning didn't say it wasn't necessary, after all, this was a big deal.
However, "Although my birthday is not yet over, Mother, you have never stopped giving me birthday gifts. My storeroom in the courtyard is overflowing with them."
"loquacious."
"By the way, Mother, the house His Majesty bestowed upon me is finished. Once it's connected to other buildings, the mansion will be even bigger. But I'll need Mother's help to tidy it up. I only like what Mother decorates the best."
Her sweet words were like honey, making Chen Wanniang extremely happy.
"Then I'll go check on you tomorrow. By the way, you didn't come home at noon today. Cheng'er came looking for you but couldn't find you. If you have time, go and ask him what's wrong."
"good."
Xie Ning didn't know why Chen Yuncheng wanted to see her. She had originally planned to send someone to call Chen Yuncheng tomorrow, but when she thought of the pile of files on her desk, she immediately lost her spirit and told someone to call Chen Yuncheng over now.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
