Chapter 397: State affairs and housework did not let her go
The two hadn't seen each other for many years, and Shen Yihuan had changed a lot. Now she was no longer the delicate daughter of a wealthy family. She had become neat and capable. She was wearing a dress and sitting on a chair with her back straight. She lowered her eyes and thought about something, revealing a calm and composed look.
As soon as Lu Xueyin came in, Shen Yihuan heard the noise and immediately stood up and saluted.
Lu Xueyin waved her hand casually and said with a smile: "When ancient people met, there was no need for excessive courtesy."
Shen Yihuan thanked her and looked at Lu Xueyin boldly. Although the lady was now a woman, she was still a man when she last saw her. But the familiar eyebrows and gentle eyes confirmed that it was still the same Lord Lu she knew.
Lu Xueyin asked, "Is everything okay at home? How are the people in Yanquan County doing?"
Shen Yihuan said respectfully, "Your Majesty, everything is fine. Now our Yanquan County can be said to be the most prosperous place in the entire Ningguo. The people are grateful for Your Majesty's grace."
This is the truth. Lu Xueyin changed the lives of all the people in Yanquan County with her own efforts.
Lu Xueyin smiled and said, "I just gave them a chance. The most important thing is themselves."
But this opportunity is the most precious. Many people spend their entire lives waiting for this opportunity.
Shen Yihuan said seriously: "I don't know about others, but my family has changed because of Your Majesty. This time, Your Majesty allowed me to go to the capital, and the elders in my family are very proud."
When Shen Yihuan became the manager, the Shen family had some complaints, feeling that it was detrimental to her reputation. However, as Lu Xueyin's status rose and the workshop's importance grew, these complaints gradually became less frequent.
Now that Lu Xueyin has summoned her to the capital, even Shen Shiqian doesn't have this honor. The Shen family has praised her even more. They urged her to get married two years ago, but now they don't.
Zu Xingwei secretly informed the Shen family that Lu Xueyin was likely going to use Shen Yihuan and let her serve as an official in the court. To serve as an official in the court was something the Shen family had never achieved in eighteen generations. The whole family wanted to worship Shen Yihuan.
Anyway, Shen Yihuan personally felt the huge changes brought about by Lu Xueyin.
Lu Xueyin said, "That's because you've done a great job. You've managed the workshop in perfect order and have always been innovative. I remember your contributions. I summoned you to the capital this time because I want you to go to the Ministry of Works." After a pause, she said, "Let me be frank. The officials in the current Ministry of Works are passive and the technology is stagnant. Zhen is very dissatisfied, so he wants someone to change this situation. The Ministry of Works is of paramount importance to the country, more important than the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue. Only by improving the skills of the Ministry of Works can we change the lives of the people, and even improve the fate of the people and the fate of the country. I entrust this important responsibility to you. Do you dare to accept it?"
Shen Yihuan's eyes sparkled. Lu Xueyin had always valued craftsmen, and it was foreseeable that Lu Xueyin would strongly support the Ministry of Works in the future. This department was so important, yet His Majesty entrusted it to her, indicating a trust in her.
Shen Yihuan nodded without hesitation: "I dare! If your majesty dares to give it to me, I dare to take it!"
Lu Xueyin smiled. She sincerely admired the intelligent and courageous woman.
Lu Xueyin said, "Well done! You are worthy of being the one I favor. This road is not easy to walk, but don't be afraid. Go ahead, I'm behind you."
So Shen Yihuan was tricked into going to the Ministry of Industry.
The beginning of Zhaoxi was a signal that with an empress, there would be female officials. Lu Xueyin would gradually start to employ female officials and improve the status of women.
Although they had been prepared for this, many conservative court officials still found it difficult to accept, causing a small disturbance.
However, under Lu Xueyin's strong suppression, these disturbances and criticisms did not cause much impact.
Now Lu Xueyin’s entire focus is on ensuring the safety of the people.
During the morning court session, Lu Xueyin sat on the dragon throne, her expression solemn. "Now that the war has subsided, Ningguo must prioritize stable development. The most important responsibility for me and you is to ensure that the people have enough food and clothing, and live and work in peace and contentment."
These eight words are easy to say, but all officials know how difficult they are to do.
Lu Xueyin said, "I know that achieving this is not easy. It requires the unity of me and all of you, my dear ministers. I hope that you will work together with me to ensure that the people live and work in peace and contentment, and to create a prosperous era together."
"Your Majesty obeys!"
No matter what they thought in their hearts, they had agreed now, and Lu Xueyin began to issue various government orders.
The first thing was to keep the people safe. Because of the war, a large number of people had died in the fighting or due to displacement, and the population had dropped sharply. So Lu Xueyin began to plan to promote marriage and childbirth.
Have more children and increase productivity.
But how can you have children without money? So Lu Xueyin began to issue orders to reduce taxes, reduce business taxes, and vigorously support merchants. With more merchants, there will be more jobs, and the people will have jobs and income.
Money has to flow.
Then it’s time to suppress the bandits.
Six months after Lu Xueyin's wedding, reports of bandits robbing merchants and travelers began to arrive one after another from various places. Furthermore, it seemed the robberies had been going on for quite a while, and they had already happened during her wedding.
However, Lu Xueyin had just ascended the throne and married, a time of double happiness. Who would dare report such a disastrous event to His Majesty at this time? The localities collectively concealed the incident, which, unexpectedly, only emboldened the banditry everywhere.
Banditry and robbery were rampant everywhere, and Lu Xueyin was in the process of vigorously developing her business. How could she tolerate such a thing?
Lu Xueyin flew into a rage during the morning court session.
"Half a year, a full half a year, to submit a report. Is this what you officials do?!" Lu Xueyin said angrily, "Master Gao, you need to give me an explanation."
Gao Ming felt bitter. He had never expected something like this to happen. But in this case, he was careless after all.
The banditry wasn't somewhere they'd been before; otherwise, with Lu Xueyin's base, it wouldn't have been possible to conceal it. It was all places Lu Xueyin had never been to. As the saying goes, poor places breed bad people, and the poorer the place, the more likely it is to happen. The local officials weren't Lu Xueyin's supporters, so of course they didn't dare report it, which is why this happened.
But this incident was indeed his fault, so Gao Ming stepped forward to apologize: "This is my dereliction of duty. Your Majesty, please give me a chance to make amends." He thought for a moment and immediately offered a solution: "I will leave the capital and investigate the scene of the crime. Your Majesty, please send troops to cooperate with me to eliminate the banditry."
Lu Xueyin also meant this. She thought for a moment and said, "Zu Xingwei, please step out."
Zu Xingwei immediately stood up and said, "I am here."
Lu Xueyin had conferred upon him the title of New Ning Earl, though not a Marquis, but he was quite content with it. He had no complaints about not being as good as Tan Feng and the others, after all, his background was not glorious, and he was not as good as those who had followed Lu Xueyin from the beginning.
If Lu Xueyin treats him the same as Tan Feng, Ji Ping and others, why?
Lu Xueyin said in a deep voice, "I order you to lead the army to assist Lord Gao in suppressing the bandits. Leave the capital immediately."
Zu Xingwei replied solemnly, "Yes, I will obey your orders."
Lu Xueyin said coldly, "The magistrates of Changning, Liuyang, and Jianghong counties who concealed the truth and failed to report it are all dismissed, and their superiors are also dismissed and investigated! Anyone who dares to conceal the truth or whitewash the situation in the future will be dismissed and investigated, and I will punish them severely! The Minister of the Chancellery who failed to supervise will have his salary deducted for half a year and be removed from office!"
These are the county magistrates of the three places who concealed the truth. Even Gao Ming was punished this time, which shows that Lu Xueyin was really angry.
After dismissing the court, Gao Ming left in a hurry. He had to arrange the next official business and prepare to leave the capital.
Zu Xingwei, on the other hand, was in a leisurely mood. He had been back in Beijing for so long that he was a little tired. It was a good opportunity for him to go out and suppress some bandits. Maybe he could get a promotion when he came back.
Zu Xing was very happy.
Then someone came up to him and whispered, "My Lord, His Majesty's partiality is too obvious. Anyone can do this bandit suppression mission? Why does he have to let you go? You followed His Majesty to conquer the country, and you have made great military achievements. But now you are ranked lower than Marquis Wu'an and Marquis Yongyi. I feel sorry for you."
Zu Xingwei took a closer look and recognized the man. He said nonchalantly, "I don't think it's unworthy. I'm just a peasant. It's my great honor that Your Majesty thinks highly of me and uses me. Your Majesty has been so kind to me. How could there be any partiality? The fact that you made me an earl is because I didn't do well enough and my contributions weren't great enough. It has nothing to do with Your Majesty!"
The favorite: “…” Damn, why can’t this die-hard fan come to his senses?
Zu Xingwei said: "I have something else to do, so I'll leave first. See you later..." Although it is very likely that we will not be able to see each other again.
After Zu Xingwei finished speaking, he turned around and left, but he did not go home. Instead, he returned to the palace and went to the imperial study to ask to see Lu Xueyin.
Lu Xueyin looked at him in confusion: "Why do you come to see me instead of going back to pack your bags?" She was in a bad mood.
Zu Xing exaggerated what had just happened. "It was Han Guang from the Censorate. He kept trying to sow discord between me and Your Majesty. It was obvious he had ill intentions. But how could I fall for his tricks? Your Majesty personally bestowed upon me the title of Earl, and Your Majesty has been so kind to me. I am so grateful that I have no way to repay you. I would even give my life to repay you. How could I possibly listen to his provocations..."
Lu Xueyin rubbed her forehead and said, "Alright, alright. I know your loyalty and I won't misunderstand you."
Zu Xingwei paused, still unsatisfied, and then said, "Your Majesty, my loyalty to you is evident to all. I will now withdraw and not disturb Your Majesty any longer."
Lu Xueyin curled her lips and said, "I understand. You can go back first. Be careful on your way to suppress the bandits this time."
Your Majesty cares about him, Your Majesty loves and respects him! Zu Xingwei's eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly, wishing he could grow a tail to wag.
Zu Xingwei left with satisfaction.
Lu Xueyin thought about it, then asked someone to send something to Zu Xingwei's house. Zu Xingwei was even more grateful, and then went to his concubine's room to start making a baby.
He wants to support Lu Xueyin's call. His Majesty said that more children should be born now, and he can do it too!
Lu Xueyin took a deep breath. It seemed that there were still many people in the court who were ready to make a move.
It was probably her decision to employ female officials that caused dissatisfaction among many people.
Lu Xueyi sneered, a censor, nothing to be afraid of, just watch them jump around.
It was not easy to be an emperor. In addition to state affairs, she also had to deal with family matters.
Lu Xueyin was handling official business when a palace servant came running in to report: "Your Majesty, something bad has happened! Something bad has happened! The Queen Mother and Master Lu are arguing!"
Lu Xueyin immediately understood that Lu Chenyang was going to Lingnan. Truth cannot be hidden, Lu Xueyin understood this, but what had she done wrong?
Lu Xueyin didn't want to go, and the eunuch beside her said cautiously: "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is very angry, I'm afraid it will hurt the Phoenix..."
This is her biological mother, she can't not go.
Lu Xueyin had no choice but to go to the Cining Palace. As soon as she reached the door, she heard Wang's roar: "You hid it from me, just thinking of killing first and asking for permission later. When the time comes, there will be no way I can stop you. Don't call me! How can you still regard me as your mother?"
Lu Xueyin hurried in and said, "Mom, don't be angry. If my brother makes you angry, tell me and I will punish him for you."
Wang looked at her, even more angry: "You too, such a big thing, you and them colluded to hide it from me." As she spoke, her eyes reddened: "What's the point of having children? They are just here to collect debts."
Lu Xueyin quickly said, "Mother, I am still very filial and respectful. I am the emperor now. If you say this, won't people say I am unfilial?"
Being unfilial is not a good reputation. Even if she is the emperor, she will probably be scolded to death.
Wang's tone was noticeably weaker, but she was still angry: "Yes, yes, I can't tell you. As a mother, I can't tell you anything for you. But you can hide it from me and hurt my heart."
As she spoke, tears fell from her eyes. She was really sad.
Lu Xueyin and Lu Chenyang exchanged a glance and then took the scolding. Finally, Wang Shi saw that they were really annoying and kicked them out.
Lu Xueyin had no choice but to call Zhaoxi over to comfort her. Zhaoxi always coaxed Wang Shi and it worked. Zhaoxi was the most favored one in Wang Shi's eyes.
The brother and sister were driven out and squatted together at the gate of the Cining Palace, looking pitiful and helpless, like children abandoned by their mother.
This is indeed the case.
Lu Xueyin glanced at Lu Chenyang with resentment: "It's all your fault. You made my mother blame me too."
Lu Chenyang immediately admitted his mistake: "It's all my fault. I got you into trouble."
Lu Xueyin asked, "I don't think it's easy for Mother to agree to your relationship. You should make preparations early."
After a pause, she said in a deep voice, "We haven't been by our mother's side to fulfill our filial duties in the past few years, and I've always felt guilty. Now that our family is finally reunited, I don't want to worry her anymore."
Speaking of this, she thought of her troublesome father. Lu Xueyin had originally sent someone to pick up her father to go to Beijing, but he ended up traveling and having a blast. When passing through Quzhou, he suddenly decided to go to Lingnan and took his men there, and he hasn't returned yet.
Wang was alone in the harem. Lu Xueying was busy with state affairs and had no time to accompany her often. Lu Xueying felt very guilty towards Wang.
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