After the late emperor passed away, the new emperor ascended the throne and, as was customary, properly arranged for all of the late emperor's many concubines to be sent out of the palace.
With the departure of these concubines, the once bustling and beautiful harem suddenly became deserted, with more than half of it empty.
Since going to the temple to pray for blessings did not require a large number of palace maids and eunuchs to accompany them, the masters left the palace with only their most trusted and closest confidants.
In this way, only the high and mighty Empress remained in the vast palace.
Meanwhile, the number of palace maids and eunuchs remained large, and their presence seemed somewhat excessive compared to the somewhat empty and desolate palace at this time.
Seeing this, Jiang Chuwei immediately issued an imperial edict: all palace maids who are twenty-five years of age or older may be released from the palace and return to their freedom.
As for those under the age of twenty-five who still wish to leave the palace, they only need to register and will receive twenty taels of silver to leave the palace.
Jiang Chuwei did not make any special requests regarding the eunuchs in the palace.
Anyone who voluntarily chooses to leave the palace to make a living on their own will be allowed to leave.
Those who had nowhere to go for the time being or wished to continue serving in the palace were all allowed to remain in service.
For the elderly eunuchs, Jiang Chuwei prepared courtyards in the suburbs of the capital. Those who wanted to go could go, and those who wanted to return to their hometowns could receive twenty taels of silver to return home.
After all, if eunuchs left the palace to make their own way in the world, their lives would inevitably be more difficult and arduous.
Moreover, the palace always needs manpower to handle various affairs, so as long as someone is willing to stay, they can all stay.
The eunuchs and palace maids were all moved to tears; the Empress had given them the freedom to choose.
Those who stay will feel at ease, while those who choose to leave the palace will be happy.
The affairs of the inner palace were all handled by the Empress, while the court was a scene of bustling activity, especially Lin Muheng, who was busy all day long.
It should be noted that during the reign of Emperor Rongsheng, the national treasury of Daqing had already become empty.
For a country as large as this, there is an urgent need for substantial financial investment in all aspects, from military development and improvement of people's livelihoods to the repair of infrastructure.
Faced with such a grim situation, Lin Muheng knew that the only way to restore Daqing's former glory was through thorough reform.
Therefore, he was determined to carry out a large-scale overhaul and reform of the entire court, as if a storm was about to sweep in.
Fortunately, the ministers in the court were somewhat self-aware.
They knew in their hearts that the current Divine Martial Emperor was not so easily fooled, and if they did not have real talent and learning, they would not be able to get away with it by just sweet talk.
As a result, some ministers who felt inadequate or worried about being implicated chose to resign and retire.
At the same time, the downfall of King Jin and his faction has freed up many key positions.
Thus, the imperial court in Daqing underwent an unprecedented reshuffle.
In just a few short days, the Daqing Dynasty underwent a dramatic transformation.
Meanwhile, neighboring countries are making moves.
The Nanning Kingdom, unrepentant, once again attempted to send a large number of beautiful women as tribute, hoping to please and curry favor with the newly enthroned Emperor of Daqing.
Their thinking was simple: when the emperor was still the Prince of Yu, he was always able to remain steadfast and unmoved by the temptations of various beautiful women.
Things are different now. Prince Yu has transformed into the ruler of a country. Even if he has a fierce empress like a she-devil in his household, probably no one would dare to interfere with the emperor's practice of taking in concubines.
Upon hearing that the Kingdom of Nanning was about to present beauties to the emperor once again, Lin Muheng frowned and issued an order without hesitation: "Issue my decree that they must immediately turn back and not set foot in the capital!"
His voice was authoritative and cold, clearly indicating that the emperor was suppressing his anger.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey." Jiang Hai hurriedly replied respectfully.
He was a newly promoted Vice Minister of Rites, and he knew the weight of this responsibility, so he dared not slack off in the slightest.
However, just as Jiang Hai was about to get up and leave, Lin Muheng suddenly raised his hand, signaling him to wait a moment.
Lin Muheng's gaze narrowed slightly. After a moment of thought, he continued, "Wait a minute. Send back all the women from Nanning Kingdom who are currently in the harem as well."
"Yes! Your humble servant will obey Your Majesty's decree." Jiang Hai hurriedly turned and left to carry out the imperial order.
Seeing this, Ye Feng, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth slightly. This emperor of Nanning was truly a complete coward, actually trying to use beautiful women as a diplomatic tool to smooth things over.
Unfortunately, while others might not know, these close guards were well aware that the Emperor would not even glance at any other woman except for the Empress.
The women who came from Nanning were placed in remote and desolate palaces by the late emperor after they entered the palace, and were trapped there like caged birds.
Lin Muheng had been considering how to deal with them.
He knew, of course, that even if he killed these people, the Nanning Kingdom would not dare to provoke him again.
He transferred Jianghe to southern Xinjiang.
The Nanning Kingdom has cast a shadow over the rivers.
They have not dared to cross the border recently.
The women from Nanning in the palace, lacking access to information from the outside world, were completely unaware of any intelligence about Daqing.
In this way, Lin Muheng naturally didn't need to worry about any news leaking to Nanning Kingdom.
These women are just being kept in the palace and wasting food.
However……
In fact, Lin Muheng already knew their ultimate fate.
Princess Nanning, who came with them, was implicated in Prince Jin's rebellion and was executed by beheading early on.
Given this, how could the Emperor of Nanning easily let go of the women who came with Princess Nanning?
He absolutely could not allow them to return to Nanning unharmed.
As for the fate of these people, that was beyond Lin Muheng's concern and consideration.
After all, he has many more important and urgent matters to attend to.
Sure enough, a few days later, Lin Muheng received the news.
On their way back to Nanning, the women's carriages plunged off a cliff at the same time, and none of them survived.
Lin Muheng didn't even raise his head. He had heard that the Emperor of Nanning was both stupid and wicked before.
Lin Muheng thought for a moment, "Let's go, let's go meet the Second Prince of Nanning."
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