Chapter 402 The Imperial Court
In the Golden Palace, Xie Shang, dressed in the noble robes of a crown prince, stared coldly at the ministers below him with piercing eyes. The emperor had not held morning court for some time, and the crown prince had been in charge of the government. The ministers had gotten used to it.
His Highness the Crown Prince arrived a little late today, but no one dared to object, for the Crown Prince before them was not someone to be trifled with.
Court affairs continued. Since Minister Zhao had been removed from office, the Ministry of Revenue had been managed by two Vice Ministers. The ministers had a heated discussion about who should succeed him as Minister of Revenue.
Imperial Censor Zhu respectfully said, "Lord Shu has worked diligently in the Ministry of Revenue for so many years. I propose that Vice Minister Shu be appointed as the Minister of Revenue."
As soon as Imperial Censor Zhu spoke, a group of people stood up to second his opinion.
At this moment, a minister suddenly said, "Lord Shu has been in the position of Vice Minister of Revenue for a long time, following the established procedures without achieving anything significant. His abilities are clearly limited. However, the position of Minister of Revenue is of paramount importance. Entrusting it to an incompetent person would likely leave the Ministry of Revenue in a state of chaos. Therefore, I propose that Vice Minister Jiang succeed him as Minister of Revenue. Although Vice Minister Jiang has not been in the Ministry of Revenue as long as Lord Shu, his abilities and efficiency are evident to all."
Jiang Jinyan took leave, so he did not come to the court today.
Upon hearing this, the ministers also said, "We second that proposal."
When Jiang Jinyan arrived at the imperial court, he did indeed accomplish a great deal and gained the approval of the emperor and the crown prince.
Xie Shang sat steadily on the dragon throne, listening to the ministers' petitions without uttering a word. He knew exactly who to appoint.
It would be reasonable to replace him with the senior Vice Minister Shu, but he wants to use talented people, not fools. The former Minister Zhao had done so much underhanded work, and no one in the Ministry of Revenue knew about it. They were trying to fool everyone.
If it weren't for Zhao's cleverness in confessing and turning himself in, and if the entire Ministry of Revenue had been investigated, how many people could have withstood the scrutiny?
He naturally wouldn't say these things in public; the Ministry of Revenue was already in chaos, and it couldn't afford to become even more chaotic.
Furthermore, given that Jiang Jinyan is on leave at home, it would be inappropriate to appoint him as Minister of Revenue at this time.
Xie Shang said in a deep voice, "The matter of who should serve as Minister of Revenue is indeed of great importance. I will ask my father to discuss it before making a decision. If there is nothing else, let's adjourn the court!"
"Yes," the ministers replied respectfully.
After the court session, Imperial Censor Zhu approached Xie Shang privately and said, "Your subject pays respects to the Crown Prince."
"No need for formalities." Xie Shang thought to himself: He had just punished Zhu Zhenzhen, and now Imperial Censor Zhu was making things difficult for him.
Imperial Censor Zhu said, "I am not targeting Vice Minister Jiang, but he does need more experience. Lord Shu has been steadily working in the position of Vice Minister, and he naturally has his own methods for managing the Ministry of Revenue, which is why I made this suggestion."
Xie Shang smiled and said, "I will consider Imperial Censor Zhu's suggestion. The Zhao family's case has not been brought up in court. Other ministers may not know, but Imperial Censor Zhu is well aware of it."
"I am also considering the overall situation. I am afraid that people are talking about Jiang Shilang, who is so young, taking up the position of Minister. There has always been a lot of controversy about Jiang Shilang, both inside and outside the court."
Imperial Censor Zhu advised, "The Minister of Revenue is the most important position among the six ministries. If it is given to the Jiang family, they will truly have the final say in the court. So Your Highness, please think it over!"
Shu Lang had no connection whatsoever with Imperial Censor Zhu. He was merely looking at the issue from a fair and impartial perspective. If these words were spoken to the Emperor, the Emperor would certainly consider them seriously.
With the Crown Prince's intelligence, he had considered these matters clearly. He could not hand over the position of Minister of Revenue to the Jiang family simply because he favored the Crown Princess.
These are things that cannot be said in the imperial court, but who in the court doesn't think the same way?
Xie Shang went to the Qianqing Palace again and happened to meet the Empress coming out. He bowed respectfully and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
"The Crown Prince has arrived. Your father is asleep. Let's not disturb him for now!" Empress Cheng said. "I'll stay with your father for a while. His headaches are becoming more and more frequent. Physician Mei just gave him acupuncture, but he told me to rest more. The physicians are also helpless."
Xie Shang listened quietly. The imperial physician had already made a diagnosis of his father's illness, and now he just hoped that his father could live a comfortable day.
He couldn't make direct decisions on many things because the emperor was still the emperor.
He wondered what his father would do if he were in charge: his father recognized Jiang Jinyan's abilities.
But when it comes to actually giving him real power, his father might consider things more deeply.
He even guessed that his father had personally dismissed Minister Zhao and left the position of Minister of Revenue vacant, because his father wanted him to make the decision himself.
Xie Shang clenched his fingers, and suddenly he had an idea. He talked with the Empress for a while, and the Empress talked about matters of the inner palace. She never participated in court affairs, which was the reason why the Emperor trusted the Empress the most.
Empress Cheng said, "Imperial offspring are of paramount importance to the royal family. Your mother has never stopped your father from favoring the other concubines. The Crown Princess is quite sensible in this regard. Your mother now spends more time with your father, hoping to make up for all the years we've spent together..."
"I've heard that you favor Zhu Zhenzhen. The Zhu family has been helpful to the Crown Prince, and the Empress Dowager is very happy about that. It's just that her womb is not cooperating." Empress Cheng continued earnestly, "Your Highness, please don't neglect the people in the Eastern Palace. If they can give our royal family a son, they will have made a great contribution, no less than the contributions of the ministers in the court."
"Your subject understands."
When Xie Shang escorted Empress Cheng back to Qianqing Palace, the Emperor was still asleep, so he didn't go in to disturb him and returned to Chenxi Palace.
The servants all paid their respects, and he strode to the main hall. Jiang Fenghua was not there, so Hongxiu quickly served tea and snacks, saying, "This servant has already sent someone to invite the Crown Princess. Your Highness, please have a cup of tea."
Xie Shangchao sat down in the grand chair before asking, "Where did the Crown Princess go?"
"Something happened to the young mistress of the Eastern Palace, and the Crown Princess went to offer her condolences to each of them." Hongxiu spoke with great finesse; the young mistresses were indeed precious.
Xie Shang immediately became interested. "What happened? How should we offer our condolences?"
"Yesterday, Consort Zhu was punished by the Empress, and then she fell ill after being sent back. The Crown Princess went to the Yuling Palace." She added, "And the other concubines are also terrified because of this..."
Xie Shang listened slowly to Hongxiu's report, feeling that the Crown Princess was indeed virtuous. However, she was just a concubine, so there was no need for her to flatter her or be wary of her.
Imperial Censor Zhu did not want Jiang Jinyan to become the Minister of Revenue. What he feared was not Jiang Jinyan, but the power held by the Crown Princess. The Jiang family had no real power, so even if a concubine made a mistake and fell ill, she had to take care of her with utmost care.
Zhu Zhenzhen was punished by him and then forced to kneel by the Empress. This time, Imperial Censor Zhu did not offer any greetings, but instead brought up the position of Minister of Revenue.
Did he really believe that the imperial court and the harem were inseparable?
A cold glint flashed in Xie Shang's eyes. He drank his tea and left, saying to Hongxiu, "Tell the Crown Princess that I will come over tonight."
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