Chapter 123 (No further information)
A cool breeze wafted through the bedroom, accompanied by a lingering, pleasant fragrance.
Emperor Yuanming leaned against the headboard, his massive body sprawled on the spacious dragon bed, his swollen eyelids and pale, bluish face clouded with gloom. The moment she entered the bedroom, he grabbed a memorial and threw it at her.
"Consort Hui, you are truly despicable! I have doted on you, protected you, and given you wealth and honor, yet you are still not satisfied and want my throne and the empire!"
Emperor Yuanming roared, his face turning purple. The fear of betrayal and utter despair made him tremble uncontrollably.
Jiang Ling already had a general idea of what was going on. Because of the ongoing disputes in court involving Vice Minister Zhao and his associates, Prince Xian and Grand Secretary Wei had complained about her before Emperor Yuanming. Prince Xian, as the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court and a member of the Xiao imperial family, would never side with her. Grand Secretary Wei, being a learned scholar, always adhered to the rules and regulations.
Emperor Yuanming was inherently indecisive and easily swayed. Although Jiang Ling disapproved of their actions, he was not angry.
As usual, Jiang Ling used the first move of his tried-and-true method: to comfort Emperor Yuanming, "Your Majesty, no matter what, your health is of utmost importance. Anger will harm your body. Please take a breath first."
Upon hearing his body exhale through his nostrils, Emperor Yuanming's expression softened considerably.
Seeing that her plan had worked, Jiang Ling bent down, picked up the memorials, and glanced at them. They were memorials accusing her of interfering in politics. She only read one, then picked up the others and put them in the box containing the memorials.
"Your Majesty, is it Prince Xian or Grand Secretary Wei who is speaking ill of me behind my back?"
When Emperor Yuanming saw that Jiang Ling didn't take it seriously, his anger, which had eased slightly, surged again. He pointed at her angrily and said, "What do you care who spoke ill of you? Do you think they wronged you? You summoned the Council of State Affairs, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Personnel without authorization. Wang Zhengshan of the Ministry of Personnel is not satisfied with you and has stopped attending court!"
"They're obviously talking badly about me. These memorials..." Jiang Ling leaned against the box, picked one up, casually used it as a pad, and shook his head with a tsk.
“I can write a thousand books a day without any substance, wasting ink, paper and paper. Prince Xian and Grand Secretary Wei called me interfering in politics, and I summoned the Council of State Affairs on my own. I was right under the Emperor’s nose, with him day and night. The Emperor knew about my summoning of the Council of State Affairs, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel. Their real intention was to scold the Emperor for being confused.”
After several months of recuperation, Emperor Yuanming's leg had improved somewhat, and he was able to get out of bed and slowly take a few steps. However, he was always terrified when he moved, as his leg could not bear the weight, and he was afraid of injuring himself again, so he remained lying still. In the blink of an eye, a day had passed quickly.
Emperor Yuanming was somewhat dizzy. Jiang Ling seemed to have mentioned this matter to him, but he couldn't quite recall it. The heartfelt words of Prince Xian and Grand Secretary Wei echoed in his ears, and his expression changed again. He angrily said, "They dare! I'll exterminate their entire clan! Stop trying to deny it. You've been nowhere to be seen all day long. Where have you been?"
Jiang Ling sat down on the brocade bench and said calmly, "Your Majesty, please don't be anxious. I will explain everything to you one by one."
Emperor Yuanming, with a stern face, glanced sideways at Jiang Ling and said, "Don't try to fool me."
Jiang Ling knew Emperor Yuanming's thoughts perfectly well. He was suspicious and paranoid, his mind and heart were empty, he was afraid of trouble, and he hoped that the dragon throne beneath him would be stable and that he could be the supreme ruler in peace.
"Your Majesty, Minister Wang is claiming illness and not attending court; he is guilty."
Jiang Ling laid out her conclusion first, leaving Emperor Yuanming stunned. She wouldn't allow him to spout nonsense, and interjected, "This matter arose because of Vice Minister Zhao and his associates. I previously told Your Majesty that Vice Minister Zhao and his associates had wronged me, and I must clear my name. I ordered an investigation into their resumes. Both the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel have records. The investigation revealed that Vice Minister Zhao's performance evaluation was falsified, yet he was promoted to a high-ranking position in the central government. When Vice Minister Zhao was promoted, Minister Wang was still the Vice Minister of Personnel. This matter has little to do with him, but Minister Wang is afraid of investigating others, so he cannot escape blame. The Ministry of Personnel is a highly sought-after department; in the year of the imperial examinations, newly appointed officials await their appointments, and the doors and thresholds of the Ministry of Personnel and the residences of officials are practically worn down."
Emperor Yuanming had heard about the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel, but for the sake of maintaining stability in the court, he pretended not to know. Seeing Jiang Ling raise the issue, he immediately said in a deep voice, "This matter is of great importance; do not act rashly!"
I will not act rashly.
Jiang Ling answered affirmatively, and after Emperor Yuanming breathed a sigh of relief, she continued, "I have never targeted anyone, much less Minister Wang. Alas, it is a pity that although Minister Wang is a scholar, he has probably long forgotten the integrity of a scholar. He did something wrong and deliberately used the excuse of not attending court to coerce the emperor."
Emperor Yuanming glanced at Jiang Ling, who laughed and said, "Your Majesty, a country has its laws, and a family has its rules. Since Minister Wang is not in good health, why not let him retire and return home to recuperate? There are countless talented people in the world. I have heard that there are still many people in the capital waiting for their positions. Running water does not stagnate. Minister Wang has served as Minister for several years. It is time to move him around and let the water flow."
Jiang Ling then used her second tactic, not giving Emperor Yuanming a chance to object, and said, "I am not familiar with any of the officials in the court. Your Majesty, who do you think is suitable to manage the Ministry of Personnel? How about selecting someone from the Imperial Academy? The Imperial Academy is a place for teaching and educating people, and they still retain some integrity."
Emperor Yuanming initially disagreed, but unconsciously followed Jiang Ling's words and began to think about the officials of the Imperial Academy. After a moment's thought, he said, "The Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, Jiang Gong, is erudite and rigorous in his studies. He has experience governing local areas and is barely competent. However, we must not make hasty decisions and must prioritize stability."
Jiang Ling couldn't help but feel secretly pleased when she heard the name Jiang Gong. She had read Jiang Gong's articles when she was choosing a teacher for Xiao Yunzan and Xiao Yunlang. She couldn't judge the quality of his writing, but she liked that his articles were simple and down-to-earth, and it was rare to see them containing concrete facts rather than the usual critical essays.
Jiang Gong was a rare pragmatic official, and Jiang Ling, regardless of his faction, could at least get things done. The more officials like him in the court, the better.
Without revealing his intentions, Jiang Ling subtly suggested that Emperor Yuanming consider replacing the Minister of Personnel. He then changed the subject, saying, "Your Majesty should have seen the testimonies of Yang Ying and the others. I suspect that Prince Xian and the others are blaming me again. It all started because of me, Your Majesty, is that right?"
Grand Secretary Wei did not say that, but Prince Xian did indeed allude to Jiang Ling in his words, saying that she was stirring up trouble in both the court and the palace.
Emperor Yuanming was clear-headed about this matter and could not possibly blame Jiang Ling. The Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and Prince Xian all signed the agreement, and it was all in black and white; blaming Jiang Ling was a far-fetched argument.
"As I expected. Considering that Prince Xian is an elder and is getting senile, I will let it go."
Jiang Ling generously let it go, and Emperor Yuanming secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If she hadn't, Prince Xian would have been humiliated.
"What does Your Majesty intend to do?" Jiang Ling asked tentatively, seeing Emperor Yuanming's droopy eyelids and thoughtful expression. "Does Prince Xian have any ideas?"
Emperor Yuanming sighed and said, "The crimes of Lady Liu are beyond redemption; she deserves to die ten thousand times over. Prince Xian said that incidents in the inner palace are frequent, and it is not advisable to deal with her in a grand manner now. Grand Secretary Wei also thinks so. In the past, Vice Minister Liu enjoyed a high reputation among scholars. He was an upright official and a good person, and I greatly admired him. When I was young, Vice Minister Liu taught me calligraphy, so he can be considered my teacher in calligraphy. I have been resting in bed recently and often think of you, Father. Consort Liu..."
Ning Mei pondered for a long time before finally making up her mind: "In a couple of days, when things have calmed down in the court, I'll send Huang Liang to grant her a proper burial. Just say she passed away due to illness."
After listening to his long speech, Jiang Ling thought he would demote Consort Liu to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Unexpectedly, he still wanted Consort Liu dead.
The emperor is the most ruthless. Jiang Ling couldn't tell whether she was happy or sad. She didn't have time to distinguish. She got up and went to the box to rummage through it. She said, "Your Majesty, I saw the memorial earlier. Wuzhou Prefecture has suffered from floods. What can be done? The people are suffering again."
Emperor Yuanming felt dizzy upon hearing this. He raised his hand to rub his face and said dejectedly, "The reports of disasters from various prefectures and counties keep coming in. There are floods, droughts, insect plagues, and snow disasters. There is never a moment of peace."
Although the Great Yin Dynasty did not wage war, in the feudal agricultural era, farming depended entirely on the weather. Natural disasters were unavoidable, and the imperial court was stretched thin, resorting to robbing Peter to pay Paul during peaceful times.
Jiang Ling was well aware of the current state of the court and understood Emperor Yuanming's frustration. She picked up the box and walked over, saying, "I will select all the memorials about calamities for the Emperor."
Upon seeing this, Emperor Yuanming quickly said, "Take it away, take it away! I have no mind to review it!"
"Your Majesty, what should we do?"
Jiang Ling widened his eyes and feigned helplessness, then began to use his third move, saying, "How about I hand it over to Zheng Xiang and the others in the Council of State Affairs? They are paid by the emperor and should be loyal to him; these are their duties. They should share the emperor's burdens and solve his problems."
Emperor Yuanming quickly replied, "What you say is very true. I will entrust the task to Prime Minister Zheng and the others. I need to focus on my health and not be disturbed."
Jiang Ling responded, holding the box and curtsying, "Your Majesty, it's getting late. I'll go serve Your Majesty the meal. After Your Majesty's meal, please have a good afternoon rest."
Emperor Yuanming waved his hand, "Go, go. It's hot. Have the imperial kitchen make some cold noodles and serve them."
Jiang Ling carried the box out of the house, and Huang Liang came to greet her with a nervous expression. Seeing that she was safe and sound, he felt relieved.
"Your Majesty, the box is heavy. Let me carry it for you." Huang Liang smiled broadly and reached out to take the box.
"It's alright, I'll carry it myself. The Emperor has something to entrust to you."
Jiang Ling told Emperor Yuanming about his handling of Consort Liu: "Go and replace all the people, and send reliable palace maids and eunuchs to keep an eye on her. The Emperor wants cold noodles in the morning."
Huang Liang was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses and muttered to himself that he was getting senile.
Consort Liu, a mere concubine, had long lost power and died quietly from illness, without even causing a ripple.
Huang Liang first summoned a eunuch to serve the meal, saying, "His Majesty prefers sweets, so add more honey." After instructing the eunuch, he then went to select people to go to Rouyi Palace.
Jiang Ling returned to her study and began to review the memorials, categorizing them according to importance and urgency. She then summoned Minister Jiang and others from the Council of State Affairs to discuss the matter together.
As evening approached, Zheng Xiang and his entourage took their leave. Jiang Ling, however, returned to his study with a pile of documents, accounts, and files.
Looking at the pile of books on her desk, she realized this was only a small part of it. To finish it all, even if she had hands all over her body like a centipede, she would be exhausted to the point of near death.
There were many matters to attend to in the previous dynasty. In the afternoon, Jiang Ling and Prime Minister Zheng were busy, basically acting as teachers, instructing them step by step on how to do things, so the progress was slow.
Wenjuan and the others were not up to the task. They could barely manage to copy documents, but they were helpless when it came to matters of state and taxes.
If she had free time, Jiang Ling could teach them, but now she was too busy to teach them at all.
Jiang Ling also had to deal with Emperor Yuanming, so he needed helpers.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Ling took a deep breath and quickly made up his mind. He said to Wen Juan, "Go and invite Consort Lin here."
Consort Lin quickly followed Wen Juan and said with a smile, "The matter of the palace maids leaving the palace is going smoothly, Consort Hui can rest assured."
Jiang Ling nodded, gesturing for Consort Lin to sit, picked up a memorial and placed it in front of her, smiling slightly as she said, "Your Majesty, look, what is this?"
Consort Lin stared intently at the memorial, her expression gradually becoming agitated. Suddenly, she looked up and stared directly at Jiang Ling, "This is a memorial!"
Jiang Ling smiled and said yes, her voice calm yet carrying a seductive quality that made Consort Lin's heart nearly leap out of her chest. "Would Your Highness like to open it and take a look?"
Without hesitation, Consort Lin reached for the memorial. She tried her best to control herself, but her breathing still became rapid.
This was a memorial; she had read it before and found nothing particularly remarkable about it.
This is not a memorial; this is the entire realm, the supreme power of the court!
She was involved in palace intrigues but never truly touched upon or gained real power!
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