Upon hearing this, Ji Xuan suddenly had a bad feeling.
He coughed lightly and quickly stopped her, "Anqing, don't be impulsive. Important matters in the court cannot be handled without you. I will send Qi Yong to handle them."
“I can go there myself,” Qi Yong also felt that Jiang Nuan was too strange. “Elder An is old and frail, so don’t bother with such trivial matters.”
“Indeed,” Grand Secretary An slowly stroked his beard, “It is indeed somewhat inappropriate for an old minister to intervene.”
Judging from Liu An's relentless pursuit of his goal, this matter is definitely not going to be given up so easily.
If I fail to persuade them to come back, wouldn't I lose all face?
Thinking this way, he gave Qi Yong a rare kind look, "Eunuch Qi and the Lady Protector of the Nation are on good terms, so it's more appropriate to entrust this matter to you. Please be sure to bring Grand Secretary Liu back."
"I will do my best."
Qi Yong didn't dare to say anything boastful.
Jiang Nuan wasn't one to follow the rules. He was afraid of making a boastful statement and being proven wrong, which would make him a laughingstock.
“This matter cannot be delayed any longer,” Grand Secretary Zhong explained with an embarrassed expression. “I urge Your Majesty to send someone to depart immediately.”
It's best to resolve this now before many people know about it; otherwise, they'll become a complete laughingstock.
"Your words are reasonable," Ji Xuan nodded slightly and then instructed, "Qi Yong, go and make preparations now, and do not delay important matters."
"Yes, ma'am!"
After Qi Yong left, An Zhong and the other person breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your Majesty, I still have official business to attend to, so I will take my leave now."
"Do as you please, my dear minister!"
Back at the government office, Grand Secretary Zhong finally lost his temper. "What's going on? Why is Liu An suddenly being appointed as the steward? Has Brother An received any news?"
"I received news that there were unusual phenomena when the imperial edict was being delivered. Some people suspected that the Lady Protector of the Nation was indeed a banished immortal. At the time, I didn't take it to heart, but now I think it might be related to this."
"You believe in such low-class tricks, Brother An?"
“There’s no smoke without fire, so this shouldn’t be baseless,” An Ge said in a deep voice. “However, it’s very likely that this is just a way to create a mystery.”
"That idiot Liu An, can't he even see through such a simple trick? He still wants to stay there as a manager, it's laughable."
"No, perhaps the Lady Protector of the Nation really does have some tricks up her sleeve," Grand Secretary An said objectively. "She is favored by the Emperor and Liu An is completely devoted to her. Even that eunuch Qi Yong has praised her repeatedly, which shows that she is no ordinary person."
"What? Brother An, you also believe she's a banished immortal?"
“I don’t believe it, but this person is indeed not to be underestimated,” he paused, then said seriously, “We can’t always look at her as a con artist.”
Upon hearing this, Grand Secretary Zhong was speechless. "I did not consider her a fraud, but I felt that this woman was too arrogant, actually claiming the title of 'banished immortal' for herself."
That's utterly shameless!
"His character may be flawed, but his abilities are beyond question. The latest batch of fine salt has been launched, priced at twice that of coarse salt, and it sold out in just two days. Once it gradually decreases in price and replaces coarse salt, the people of the Great Zhou will no longer have to eat that bitter and astringent coarse salt. This achievement cannot be erased by a few words of slander from us."
Taking benefits from others and then gossiping about them behind their backs—just thinking about this made Grand Secretary An blush with shame.
He, a scholar who was influenced by sages, actually spoke ill of others behind their backs like a gossipy woman. He has fallen, truly fallen!
Upon hearing this, Grand Secretary An suddenly felt ashamed of his self-righteous accusations.
Yes, regardless of whether this person is a fraud or not, she has indeed made fine salt affordable for the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty. This is an achievement that he himself might not be able to accomplish even if he worked hard for a hundred years.
Even knowing the woman was a fraud, he couldn't be rude because of this.
With a long sigh, Grand Secretary Zhong hesitated, "What should we do now? Should we let Liu An stay there? If he can please the Lady Protector of the Nation and produce some things to benefit the people, that would be a good deed."
Suddenly, I realized that this wasn't so bad.
It was a bit embarrassing and also a bit unfair to Liu An.
No, Liu An did it voluntarily, he wasn't aggrieved at all!
After a long silence, Elder An spoke up, "I have also considered these matters."
However, they ultimately dared not be so shameless.
"Brother An, do you have any concerns?"
"Nothing more than the integrity of a scholar."
"Brother An, do you mean," Grand Secretary Zhong's eyes gleamed, "that Liu An should stay by the side of the Protector of the Nation?"
"It's not impossible."
After saying that, the two exchanged a knowing glance and revealed a meaningful, sly smile.
Liu An didn't want to be a Grand Secretary, but they couldn't bear to give up the position. They absolutely couldn't lose face, so they could only make Liu An suffer.
"However, we still need to make a show of it," Elder An instructed. "If Qi Yong fails to bring the person back, we must instruct people to impeach him. We absolutely cannot allow him to belittle himself as an elder."
"This humble official takes Grand Secretary An as his leader."
Ji Xuan had many guesses about the two Grand Secretaries' thoughts.
He was not optimistic about Qi Yong's mission and did not take it seriously.
"Just offer a few words of advice, don't take it too seriously. If Grand Secretary Liu doesn't want to come back, there's no need to force him. Just prepare a generous gift and send it over with him."
"This servant understands. Is there anything else Your Majesty requires?"
"How are the construction of the Marquis of Liuxian's residence and the Lady Protector's residence progressing?"
"His Majesty has too many demands; it will take at least six months to complete the construction."
"Send more people, at most three months. I'm only giving them three months."
"I'll try my best to finish it within three months," Qi Yong said with a hint of envy. "If Lady Jiang knew that His Majesty had done so much behind the scenes, I wonder if she would appreciate it."
That heartless woman probably won't appreciate it.
She might even blame her master for disturbing her peace and quiet.
“I don’t care. Her contributions to the Great Zhou are indelible,” Ji Xuan said calmly. “As long as she doesn’t harbor any rebellious intentions, I will treat her as a national hero and give her unparalleled honor and glory to her entire family.”
"Your Majesty is wise."
Qi Yong felt somewhat grateful to the late emperor.
It was precisely his incompetence that forced out such a wise ruler.
This is a blessing for the imperial court, and a blessing for the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.
The Huang family.
After confirming that someone would stay, Jiang Nuan began to treat Liu An's health at any cost.
All kinds of porridge, vegetables, and medicine were nourishing foods soaked in well water. In just a few days, he changed completely.
“This is a new prescription from Doctor Gu,” Jiang Nuan explained, pointing to the herbal soup behind her. “After you finish this bowl, go see him to have your pulse checked.”
"Madam, why did you come in person?" Liu An stood up uneasily. "I can take this medicine, please don't worry."
"I need to talk to you. Come to the backyard after you finish taking my pulse. It's time to start planting."
"I see," Liu An said with a sudden realization. "If the madam has any instructions, she can simply have a servant say it; there's no need for her to come over specifically."
“Okay, they’ll tell you later,” Jiang Nuan said after a moment’s hesitation. “If there’s anything you don’t like, just say so, and I’ll try my best to make it to your liking.”
She felt a tiny bit guilty about bringing back a high-ranking official to manage affairs.
However, it must be said that Liu An is really useful.
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