Liu Si lived in a quiet palace. Deshun arranged people to serve her well, and all expenses were given to her in the same manner as those of a concubine.
In the past, when Prime Minister Liu was still alive, Liu Si had never enjoyed such good treatment, not to mention that now she was only the daughter of a fifth-rank official, and her family was far worse off than here.
However, Liu Si was not happy. Instead, she felt that the emperor's casual admission of her was a humiliation. Even if he wanted to allow her into the palace, he should have done so step by step like other concubines. How would others view her now?
Moreover, after she entered the palace, Tao Rui didn't come to see her and didn't seem to value her. Their two families even had a feud. She kept thinking about how she would win Tao Rui's heart in the future in this palace.
The best thing would be to preserve all the beautiful memories, to make Tao Rui feel that she was special and irreplaceable. But this matter must not be known to anyone else. Ideally, there would be a favored concubine who would bear the brunt of the situation until she could build her own family into a powerful force.
This was an accident, but also an opportunity. She would surely rise to the top. This was much better than marrying the youngest son of a fourth-rank official.
Liu Si was just closing her eyes in thought when the personal maid who had entered the palace with her quickly walked in and whispered in her ear, "Miss, the Emperor is here!"
Liu Si opened her eyes, quickly adjusted her hair and dress, and went to greet him at the door. However, she deliberately added a touch of coldness and resistance as she saluted, determined to test the emperor's attitude and bottom line so she could better manage the situation.
"Your Majesty, long live the Emperor."
Tao Rui stopped a few steps away from her and nodded at her, "Please stand up. Deshun, please invite Miss Liu to the pavilion to chat and prepare some good tea."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Deshun replied. After Tao Rui walked towards the pavilion, he smiled and invited Liu Si over. He also revealed two pieces of information at the right time, "Miss Liu, don't be afraid. The Emperor, remembering their childhood friendship, specially invited Miss Liu to the palace to have a talk."
This was completely beyond Liu Si's expectations, disrupting her rhythm and making her seem very passive. She could only follow Tao Rui and sit in the pavilion.
Tao Rui looked at her and said, "Back then, I contracted a contagious disease. My father ordered Prime Minister Liu to take me to the Liu family for treatment. So, I lived there for more than half a year. Back then, I often played with Miss Liu. Does Miss Liu still remember?"
Liu Si didn't quite understand what he meant, so she just lowered her head and replied, "Your servant remembers."
Tao Rui started to make up a lie. "A while ago, my grandmother passed away. I was feeling sentimental for a while, thinking of all the friends I'd had over the past eighteen years. I sent someone to investigate, and they discovered that Miss Liu wasn't doing well at home. How can this be? My playmates must all be happy and prosperous."
"Tell me, what can I do for you? How about I make you a princess? Then no one will dare to bully you."
Liu Si instantly raised her head, her eyes widening uncontrollably. What did that mean? She wasn't given the title of Consort, but Princess? Could it be that the Emperor had taken her into the palace because he had a crush on her?
Tao Rui smiled and said, "I know I said I wanted you to be my princess when we were young, but aren't you already engaged? I can't separate you and Young Master Yang. How about you become a princess? I'll grant you a princess's mansion, more magnificent than my sisters', how do you say?"
Liu Si immediately came to her senses and stood up to decline. "Your Majesty, I thank you for your concern. I am doing well at home and have not suffered any injustice. As a girl from the boudoir, I cannot accept the title of princess without merit. I am very lucky that Your Majesty remembers me."
She was still a little overwhelmed. It turned out that the emperor knew that she was engaged, but he had no romantic feelings for her at all. She had been racking her brains to think of a way to deal with the situation in the past two days, but it was all wishful thinking.
For a moment, Liu Si felt very ashamed, especially since she had secretly told the maid about this matter. She inexplicably felt a sense of shame.
Tao Rui nodded in agreement. "That's right. If I make you a princess, there will be opposition in the court, which will give me a headache. So what do you want? Think carefully before answering. After all, you are a woman and will be getting married soon. I won't ask you these questions again in the future."
Liu Si understood clearly that Tao Rui meant that this was the only time he could get the benefit, so she should think it over before answering. If she didn't want anything, she would never get another chance.
This gave her a sense of urgency. Tao Rui was still waiting for her answer, and her mind was even more confused, not knowing how to respond.
Previously, she had thought about putting on airs and gradually testing Tao Rui's bottom line. She kept a low profile and didn't show up in the palace. She didn't want to accidentally become a target for someone like her who was barely Tao Rui's childhood sweetheart. She also wanted to refuse Tao Rui's rewards again and again, making Tao Rui understand that he had forced her into the palace, not that she had come on her own initiative.
But now, if she didn't ask for the benefit, she would have no chance. She could politely refuse and continue to be arrogant, leaving a good impression on Tao Rui. But as Tao Rui said, she probably wouldn't have the chance to see the emperor again in the future, so what was the point of leaving a good impression?
There were three sisters in her family who had fought openly and secretly for the dowry countless times, and with her stepmother being the head of the family, her life was really not easy.
These thoughts turned around in Liu Si's mind, and she quickly replied, "Your Majesty's intentions are kind, and I dare not refuse. I am about to get married, and I only hope that I will live a healthy and happy life in my husband's family in the future."
This was a very skillful way of saying it, making it seem like he wanted nothing, yet also like he wanted everything. How could the emperor guarantee her well-being and happiness in her husband's family? Wasn't it just to support her? To put it bluntly, this meant protecting her for the rest of her life.
However, Tao Rui acted as if he didn't understand. He clapped his hands and laughed, "That's easy! I've read stories. If a girl wants to live well in her husband's family, as long as she has a large dowry, her parents-in-law don't scold her, her husband doesn't take concubines, and she has a few children, then she will have no worries for the rest of her life."
Without waiting for Liu Si to think, he summoned Deshun and instructed, "Go and prepare a fine dowry for the Liu family, comparable to the daughter of the Regent. Then go to the Yang family and announce the decree, ordering Young Master Yang to never marry another woman in his lifetime, and for the Yang family to refrain from scolding or embarrassing Miss Liu. Also, have the Imperial Hospital prepare the finest tonic for fertility and prosperity, and give it to Miss Liu daily."
Deshun's expression went blank for a moment. He knew his master was a bit off-key, but he hadn't expected him to be this off-key. This...wasn't helping Miss Liu actually harming her?
Liu Si also thought of it and hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Your Majesty, you cannot..."
"Oh? Miss Liu, do you think what I did is inappropriate? Who in this world dares to disobey the imperial edict? What's wrong with this?" Tao Rui's face turned cold in an instant, like a tyrant with changeable emotions, and the look he gave Liu Si was very sharp.
Liu Si was startled and said hurriedly, "I dare not. I am saying that my father is only a fifth-rank official, while the Regent's daughter is the Empress Chen. I dare not give her the same dowry as the Empress Chen. In the future, if my parents-in-law, brothers, and sisters-in-law scold me at my husband's house, it must be because I have shortcomings that need to be corrected, and I should accept it. My husband took a concubine to expand his family..."
Tao Rui narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "You mean, you agree with your husband taking more concubines and expanding his family? You like your parents-in-law to discipline you strictly? Then I can also issue such an imperial decree as you wish."
Liu Si's face changed when she heard this. If things turned out like this, how could she ever have a good life again? She immediately knelt down and apologized, "That's not what I meant. I'm just not good at speaking. I just want to live a peaceful and happy life in the future."
"Then it should be as I said." Tao Rui said rather capriciously, "Since you don't dare to compare your dowry with the Concubine Chen, then it's as you wish. Deshun, find out what the highest dowry is for the daughter of a fifth-rank official in this dynasty, and compare it to that.
Also, whether Miss Liu is happy or not in the future, I cannot interfere in the affairs of other women. You should choose a well-behaved nanny and have her follow Miss Liu. Oh, and find out what official position Miss Liu's father holds. I will give him a promotion, and he will be able to protect his daughter.
"Alright, the other orders remain unchanged. You go and deliver them yourself, and send Miss Liu back safely. If Miss Liu has been wronged, I will only ask you, do you understand?"
"I have remembered everything. Your Majesty, rest assured that I will make sure this matter is foolproof."
Tao Rui nodded and stood up. "In that case, I will leave now. Miss Liu is a woman waiting to be married, so it's not appropriate for her to see other men. As we say goodbye today, I wish Miss Liu all her wishes come true and a smooth life."
Liu Si's entire body was tense, hatred growing in her heart, but she maintained a faint smile as she bowed to Tao Rui and said goodbye, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I also hope that Your Majesty is in good health and that everything goes well."
"Yeah." Tao Rui, like a polite man, did not even glance at the married woman and quickly left the palace with his men.
Deshun also asked Liu Si to get on the sedan chair and send her out of the palace.
Liu Si revealed her true emotions only when she was sitting alone in the sedan chair. She pinched her palms with her nails, leaving deep marks, and her face was full of hatred.
This emperor is a complete tyrant and a fool! She clearly wanted the protection of the imperial power, but he actually issued such an order for some reason. What does this make the Yang family think? Even the princess didn't explicitly forbid the prince consort from taking concubines or forbid the prince consort's family from scolding the princess.
She became the only one like this. Not only would the Yang family have a problem with her, but everyone in the capital would make fun of her. She had spent so much effort to please the Yang family, but now it was all over!
Tao Rui didn't understand all this, but he did listen to the dowry. Originally, compared to the dowry of Concubine Chen, the amount was the same as that of the empress. But now, the maximum dowry of the daughter of a fifth-rank official? I'm afraid it's only one-fiftieth of Concubine Chen's.
And what about the dowry nanny? She had to respect the emperor's gift of a maid for the rest of her life, even if she was a servant. If she wanted to do something in secret, she had to be careful not to let the nanny find out. This was simply asking for trouble.
As for her father's promotion, if her father loved her, she wouldn't have a bad life. With her stepmother whispering in her ear, I'm afraid that after her father's promotion, all the benefits will go to her stepsister.
Liu Si was at the age of a flower bud, and Tao Rui was so angry that she felt a dull pain in her chest and was extremely depressed.
On the surface, these things seemed to be very good for her, but in reality, they were definitely digging a big hole for her! The hateful man had no idea about the affairs of the harem. The emperor, that idiot, came up with such a bad idea, and the people around him didn't know how to persuade him. He deserved to be bullied by the regent.
Deshun personally sent the person back to the Liu family. When Liu Si got off the carriage, his face was still very ugly, but he tried to force a smile.
Deshun, facing the somewhat uneasy Liu family, directly read out the imperial decree, promoting Liu's father from the fifth rank to the fourth rank, and appointing him to the Ministry of Revenue as Assistant Minister. Furthermore, the eldest daughter of the Liu family and the emperor were childhood playmates, and they shared a deep friendship, so the emperor bestowed upon her a large amount of wealth as a dowry.
After Deshun finished reading the imperial edict, he hurried back to the Yang family. The Liu family was quite frightened. After all, Prime Minister Liu had just been overthrown. Could it be that with the death of the Empress Dowager, the Emperor would use their family again?
Liu Si was interrogated, almost as if she were being questioned by three judges, about what had happened since she entered the palace. She herself couldn't quite explain herself, and couldn't understand what Tao Rui was thinking. But to make things easier for herself later, she played the role of a lie, saying that the emperor valued their childhood friendship and knew she was having a hard time, so he issued this imperial decree.
Liu Si's stepmother's heart skipped a beat as soon as these words were spoken, and Liu's father also felt a little uncomfortable. The other sisters of the Liu family became jealous, secretly regretting why they had not seized the opportunity back then.
Liu Si took this opportunity to complain about her stepmother to her father and successfully got double the dowry, which made her stepsister and half-sister jealous.
Liu's father then gathered several ministers who had previously served Prime Minister Liu, and discussed and speculated on the emperor's intentions. The Minister of Revenue still held real power. No matter what the emperor wanted to do, if Liu's father obtained this position, he could once again expand the Liu family's influence.
Prime Minister Liu had been overthrown not long ago, but his influence still lingered. Those who had previously pledged their allegiance to Prime Minister Liu had already been ostracized by other factions. If they saw hope again in the Liu family, they would naturally be willing to unite and see if they could make further progress.
The Liu family was in an uproar, while the Yang family was in disbelief. No one in the world had ever received such an imperial edict. What kind of person had they married? An ancestor? The key question was, what was going on between Liu Si and the Emperor? Why had the Emperor suddenly issued such an imperial edict after only two days of bringing her into the palace? Liu Si must have said something to the Emperor!
The head of the Yang family was a fourth-rank Imperial Censor, whose job it was to monitor and criticize the actions of others. The Emperor's decree, stating that his youngest son was forbidden from marrying another woman and that no one in his family was allowed to criticize Liu Si, was tantamount to accusing his youngest son of being lustful and lecherous, and that his family enjoyed torturing their daughter-in-law.
The entire Yang family has become a joke, and he, the censor, has lost all face!
That same day, Young Master Yang was also interrogated by the three judges. They asked him what was going on with Liu Si. But how could Young Master Yang know? He had even allowed Liu Si to stay in the palace for two days. Who knew if anything had happened between him and the Emperor?
Unable to figure it out, they naturally sent people to the Liu family to inquire, but the Liu family was now considered to have gotten off the hook. This imperial edict did not affect the Liu family at all. Instead, they felt that the emperor valued the Liu family very much and naturally would not say much to the Yang family. The back and forth were full of muddy words, not a single word of use, which made the Yang family very angry.
Not long ago, the Liu family had been incredibly polite to them. Who could blame Prime Minister Liu for his downfall? If Young Master Yang hadn't insisted on marrying Liu Si, and they'd considered Liu Si's perfect manners, why would they have wanted a girl from the Liu family? But now, with Liu's father on the same level as Censor Yang, possessing real power and favored by the Emperor, wouldn't his attitude have changed drastically?
The two imperial edicts had already caused discord between these two in-laws. There was no way around it. Previously, the Liu family was nervous about the marriage, and the Yang family was quite arrogant. Now, the Liu family naturally wanted to show off. Originally, they weren't a harmonious couple.
These two imperial edicts caused a small stir in the capital. Everyone had their own opinions and were guessing what Tao Rui was thinking.
Deshun returned to the palace and personally selected a particularly well-behaved and serious nanny, arranged gold, silver and jewelry as dowry, and sent someone to deliver it to the Liu family. He completed the task perfectly and came back to report to Tao Rui. He also carefully told Tao Rui how the two families received the order.
After listening to what he said, Tao Rui nodded with satisfaction and said, "You did a great job. Take your reward."
"Your Majesty, I thank you for the reward!" Deshun was overjoyed. He had thought that if he found out about Liu Si's engagement, he would be reprimanded. If the emperor was unhappy, he would surely suffer. Unexpectedly, he was not caught off guard in the end and even received a reward. It seemed that he had done a great job in rewarding him.
He was about to take a break when Tao Rui said, "Go find Hai Fuan and ask him to carefully screen the Empress Dowager's people and select those who can be absolutely trusted. Make a list and come to see me tonight."
"...Your Majesty?" Deshun was surprised. A few days ago, the original owner said that he didn't want to see anyone around the Grand Empress Dowager, saying that seeing her would remind him of her. Hai Fuan was the Grand Empress Dowager's capable eunuch. Deshun was suddenly filled with a sense of crisis.
Tao Rui looked at him with amusement: "Just go when I tell you to. Are you afraid someone will take your place? From now on, you will follow me and ask Hai Fuan to do some secret things."
"I'm stupid, I'll go right away." Deshun bowed with a smile and hurried off to find someone himself. This kind of thing must be handled personally. From now on, the two of them will be working together frequently, one openly and one secretly.
As Tao Rui read the memorial, he thought, "This Hai Fu'an is quite capable. He's always been trusted by the Grand Empress Dowager and his work is top-notch." The key is that Hai Fu'an knows all of the Grand Empress Dowager's personnel, including spies and secret guards. The Grand Empress Dowager died suddenly, and these things hadn't been handed over to their original owner yet.
It was rare to have such a ready-made force, so of course it couldn't be wasted. Tao Rui decided to take a look and, if it was useful, take it over directly. This would also make it easier to deal with the Regent. If it really wasn't useful, he would find a way to cultivate it.
This was his first time reading memorials. The original owner did have some memories of this, having been forced to study a few times by the Empress Dowager, but he was too playful to learn much and had no experience. So, he could only say that he could understand it now. If he wanted to govern the country, he still had to learn.
However, there were many issues, big or small, that could not shake the foundation of the country for the time being, so he just had to figure them out one by one. After all, he had managed immortal sects and large enterprises in the past, so he would not be completely blind.
While he was reviewing the memorial, the Minister of Rites came by and presented him with the mourning rules. Tao Rui carefully reviewed them and made a few revisions, stating that he and the concubines must strictly observe mourning, as must the descendants of the Grand Empress Dowager, while everyone else only needed to pray for blessings.
The Minister of Rites tried to persuade Tao Rui to change his mind or shorten the three-year mourning period, but Tao Rui refused and told him to convey the emperor's order immediately. The Minister of Rites had no other choice but to post a notice, so that everyone would know that the emperor would have to observe mourning for three years. If the emperor later changed his mind, the emperor would not think he was wrong and would definitely punish him.
The ministers were all a bit worried. Without the Empress Dowager, the Emperor was left with no one to look after him. If someone knew nothing and made random imperial decrees, it would definitely cause chaos.
Tao Rui felt that the less visibility they had, the better, as this would facilitate his exploitation. Furthermore, it would be best if he could disrupt the situation before the Regent and his men could react. For example, he could promote Liu's father and give him real power. This way, some of the power originally belonging to Prime Minister Liu would temporarily align with Liu's father, rather than being completely disbanded. This would then somewhat restrict the Regent's ability to do anything he wanted.
The original Minister of Revenue was actually one of the Regent's men. He had Liu's father take that position, casually replacing the former one with a sinecure. This way, step by step, he supported more people who were not loyal to the Regent, and as one strengthened the other, the Regent's power would naturally weaken. Furthermore, the factions he supported were not the same, so they would only unite against the Regent, not for other purposes, and would not pose a threat to the court in the future.
Tao Rui had just arrived when he used a random punch to kill the master. This move was quite effective. After all, he was a playboy, right? What he did was normal. This was much better than the beacon fire trick.
However, he didn't review memorials seriously, only memorizing the contents and making comments casually, with the bottom line being to avoid causing damage or confusion. If he suddenly handled memorials well, then something was wrong.
He read the memorials for an hour and then complained of a headache. He asked Doctor Li to give him acupuncture and massage, and then he took a few pills.
It's no wonder that after the life-saving artifact removed the poison from Doctor Li, he felt that the massage was quite enjoyable. All the fatigue from being busy all day long was gone, and he felt so comfortable that he felt drowsy.
Just because of Doctor Li's skills, he had to keep the patient for a while longer.
Later, the decree he had the Minister of Rites issue reached everyone. Naturally, the various palace mistresses were quite unaccustomed to this. Three years of mourning had never been heard of in any dynasty. Especially the Empress Dowager, who had just become the most honored woman in the land, and yet she wasn't even given the chance to shine? She hurriedly sent for Tao Rui to have dinner.
Tao Rui listened to her reasons for urging him to retract his decision, his mouth dry. He talked for a full quarter of an hour, then retorted with a single sentence, "Your Majesty, are you trying to make me break my promise? The notice has been posted, and my people know about it. The emperor's word is final, and yet Your Majesty, are you trying to make me break my promise to the people?"
The Queen Mother was startled and said quickly, "That's not what I meant."
Tao Rui's face turned cold and he said, "What do you mean, mother? You don't want to observe mourning for the Imperial Grandmother? Mother, if the Imperial Grandmother hadn't chosen me, you wouldn't be the Empress Dowager today. I hope you will respect the Imperial Grandmother."
"Your Majesty, I have absolutely no intention of disrespecting the Grand Empress Dowager."
"That's good." Tao Rui said calmly, "My Queen Mother must be overwhelmed with grief, and she's always thinking things through. What she said to me these past two days was very inappropriate. In my opinion, my Queen Mother should just focus on taking care of her health and not worry about these trivial matters. I have my own reasons for doing things, and I'm no longer a child who needs an elder to rule behind the scenes."
The Queen Mother was startled, her expression changed. Seeing Tao Rui about to leave, she hurriedly explained, "I have absolutely no intention of interfering in government affairs..."
Tao Rui stood up and said, "Your Majesty, you shouldn't have that either. Your Majesty's temperament is more suited to raising flowers and entertaining birds. I will order someone to find some fun toys and send them to you. You don't have to worry about it in the future."
Tao Rui left after he finished speaking. The Queen Mother sat there for a long time, unable to recover. She dismissed the palace servants and grabbed her most trusted maid and asked, "What does he mean by this? Is he trying to warn me? Is he trying to be on guard against me?"
The nanny whispered, "Empress Dowager, you previously requested official positions for your father and brother, and now you want the Emperor to retract his order. I'm afraid the Emperor will be unhappy. He has just come to power, and he probably doesn't like people not following his will. Why don't you raise your concerns later?"
The Queen Mother was unwilling to accept this and said, "That old woman, what has she done to my son? He has no respect for me as his mother. I have finally made it this far, but I still can't help my father and brother at all. How will they view me?"
Tao Rui walked outside, and the system told him what the Queen Mother had said. Tao Rui was speechless. This biological mother hadn't had much affection for the original owner, yet now she was thinking of a loving mother and a filial son. When the original owner was sick with an infectious disease, the Queen Mother refused to approach, not even showing her face. Instead, she went to the late emperor and cried, trying to curry favor and keep him for several days. She thought that since the original owner could no longer be kept, she needed to quickly give birth to another child.
If she doesn't have a loving mother, what's the point of having a filial son? Besides, she only visits him every day to make herself famous and gain benefits for the family. She doesn't show any genuine love at all, so he doesn't bother to give her any benefits. If the Queen Mother gets too arrogant, who knows how much trouble she'll cause him in the future. Anyone who wants to bully others in his harem is just dreaming.
After sending the Empress Dowager away, Tao Rui went back to meet Hai Fuan alone and listened to Hai Fuan's report on the Empress Dowager's power. It was already dark, and he told others that he had met Hai Fuan after he had gone to bed.
Tao Rui silently calculated the time and sighed to himself, "Being a good emperor is really hard work. I still need to eliminate dissidents as soon as possible and develop various departments so that I can relax and have some free time."
Hai Fuan, a man in his forties, had served the Grand Empress Dowager for thirty years. He was slightly chubby, with a constant smile on his face, appearing benevolent, yet in reality, he was steady, precise, and ruthless. In the original script, when the original owner died, Hai Fuan attempted to save her, but unfortunately, Liu Si, having grown stronger by then, had captured Hai Fuan and his few remaining followers.
Hai Fuan was so loyal and always protected the original owner for the Empress Dowager because the Empress Dowager had been very kind to his entire family. He voluntarily entered the palace to work for the Empress Dowager, and his younger brother also followed his instructions outside the palace and did a lot of things for the Empress Dowager. The two brothers were extremely reliable.
Tao Rui met the man in person without hiding anything. After a few exchanges of words, he confirmed that Hai Fuan was available. Hai Fuan was shocked, and was surprised that Tao Rui was pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger.
Tao Rui saw Hai Fuan's expression change slightly and smiled faintly, "Grandmother has been fighting with them. I'm just a playboy and they can let their guard down. If I had the appearance of a wise ruler, they would probably be more cautious and bully us, the grandfather and grandson."
Hai Fuan bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty is wise."
Tao Rui sighed again, "Of course I'm also afraid that the Imperial Grandmother will be unhappy. After all, when I was young, I knew nothing, and it was the Imperial Grandmother who handled government affairs for me. Over the years, the Imperial Grandmother has become accustomed to it. If I could do these things myself, the Imperial Grandmother would probably be idle and uncomfortable. After all, we are of the same mind, and I am willing to have a few more years of leisure. I just didn't expect that I would tire the Imperial Grandmother. If I had known this..."
Tao Rui didn't say anything more, his face showing grief. Hai Fuan was somewhat moved and tried to persuade Tao Rui not to grieve too much.
He hadn't expected the emperor to be so sensitive. It made sense, however, that if the emperor had performed exceptionally well while the Grand Empress Dowager was still alive, then... it was unclear whether the Grand Empress Dowager would have tolerated such an emperor. Who would be willing to give up the throne after sitting in it for so long?
Of course, Hai Fuan couldn't have completely believed Tao Rui's words. He thought he was thinking about the Empress Dowager, but he also regretted tiring her out. More likely, Tao Rui was afraid that the Empress Dowager would deal with him, so he hid his abilities to protect himself, and perhaps even rejoiced that the mountain above his head had fallen.
But this is understandable. A naive and kind person cannot survive in the palace. The death of the Empress Dowager was not entirely due to exhaustion, and had nothing to do with Tao Rui. He still had to follow the orders of the Empress Dowager and protect the emperor.
The two men established a master-servant relationship, and Tao Rui also obtained a list of trustworthy individuals. It was quite a large number, with hundreds of people from the palace alone, ranging from maids in the laundry department to imperial concubines. There were people from all walks of life and positions available. This made it much easier for him to do what he wanted or understand the harem.
Tao Rui immediately gave Hai Fuan his first task. "When the concubines enter the palace, they must have people they can use. You will screen these people out. When the opportunity is right, I will release a group of palace servants and send them all away."
Hai Fuan suggested: "Some nails can be used to spread false information or know their little tricks. It is probably not appropriate to eliminate them all."
Tao Rui nodded. "You take care of it. Draw up a list of those to keep and those to be eliminated. Don't alert the enemy. Keep an eye on Concubine Chen, Concubine Rong, and the Empress Dowager. I don't want to see them cause any trouble."
Hai Fuan's eyelids twitched, he accepted the task calmly and retreated quietly.
The Empress Dowager, the Emperor's biological mother, was also on this list. It seemed his earlier guess was correct; the Emperor wasn't one to care about family affection, and he didn't care about his biological mother either. However, this made her look more like an Emperor, and more like the Grand Empress Dowager.
Tao Rui carefully read the list several times, found a secret compartment to hide it, and began to practice. Before practicing, he took two pills to soothe his heart. He was so tired here, and none of those who were looking for trouble would have an easy time.
Taoist Master Xuanji suffered from insomnia again, but he was still very energetic. He himself was surprised, as he thought he was excited about successfully gaining the trust of the Dog Emperor.
The next day at court, the Regent accused Tao Rui of issuing an imperial edict in front of everyone. Although his words were very tactful and he did not directly accuse him, everyone could hear his meaning, and he was very disrespectful to Tao Rui.
Tao Rui, of course, didn't hesitate. He stood up and walked down, confronting the Regent and asking, "How about we switch? How about you go up and sit?"
No matter how powerful the Regent was, he could not show off. He had to grit his teeth, kneel down, and bow his head to Tao Rui, "I dare not."
Tao Rui stood there, looking down at him for a full quarter of an hour. The entire court was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and the ministers even breathed softly. Regardless of whether the emperor was stupid or not, he was still the emperor. He could kill or demote anyone with a single word, and they had no choice but to obey. Unless they rebelled on the spot, even the regent couldn't just rebel now; the consequences were too great. So they had to be careful not to be targeted by Tao Rui.
However, Tao Rui suddenly spotted someone. He said coldly, "Just now, you were the first to bring up my will, weren't you? Is it because you, like the Regent, think I can't be emperor?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have absolutely no such intention..."
The Regent also frowned and said, "Your Majesty, I have no such intention."
The others knelt down and said in unison, "Your Majesty, please calm down."
That person was the first to bring up this matter at the behest of the Regent, so he was naturally the Regent's man. Tao Rui simply said, "It's not your turn to tell me what I want to do. Come, take off his hat and order him to leave the capital within three days."
Before the man could beg for mercy, the people called by Deshun took off his hat, blocked his mouth, and dragged him out.
The Regent said coldly, "Your Majesty, you treat ministers so arbitrarily. Aren't you afraid of chilling the hearts of your subjects? We have always been loyal and dedicated to your Majesty. Now, when your Majesty is unhappy, you dismiss him from his post, and when you are happy, you arbitrarily promote him. This behavior is really..."
"Really?" Tao Rui sat back on the dragon throne and said coldly, "Who said I was careless? I clearly thought it over carefully. Regent, you are not my inner lord, so how do you know I haven't considered it carefully?"
The Regent said, "When the Emperor promoted Cheng Bin, he didn't even know his name or rank. How could he be so cautious?"
Tao Rui raised an eyebrow and said in a scoundrelly tone, "Didn't I ask him? After he answered, I carefully considered it and promoted him. Why? Who said that careful consideration should take ten days or half a month? Look, the capable ones are promoted, and those who don't perform well are demoted. How simple is that? Do you think that if I promote someone, I will let him stay in that position for life?"
There is nothing wrong with this statement. As an emperor, of course he can promote those he likes and demote those he finds incompetent. But with promotions and demotes like this, won't the court be in chaos?
An old imperial censor, a third-rank official and also a subordinate of the Prince Regent, received the Prince Regent's gaze and immediately said sternly, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven. You should be cautious in your words and deeds and set an example for all the people. How can you demote or promote officials based on your personal likes and dislikes? This will inevitably cause panic in the court and the people will be unable to rest easy. If this continues, our country will be in danger. Please reconsider, Your Majesty!"
Tao Rui called out, "Censor Yang, please tell me about this..." He looked to the side, and Deshun came closer and said, "This is Censor Wang."
Tao Rui nodded and said, "Censor Yang, please tell me, is what Censor Wang said correct?"
Yang Yushi's scalp tingled. He hadn't pledged allegiance to anyone, or perhaps he had been leaning towards Prime Minister Liu's side. Otherwise, he wouldn't have considered marrying into the Liu family. Now that he was facing the Regent's men, how could he dare to say that Yushi Wang was wrong?
But just as he was about to speak, Tao Rui looked at him and said, "Yushi Yang, please think carefully before you speak."
Yang Yushi's heart shuddered, thinking of the previous imperial edict. With that imperial edict, he had no hope of further promotion. Before, he relied on the prime minister, but the prime minister fell. Now, he could only rely on the emperor, not the regent.
He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I think what Censor Wang said is wrong."
"Oh? Tell me about it."
"The world belongs to the Emperor. As the ruler of all people, the Emperor will not treat the promotion or demotion of officials as a joke. I believe that the Emperor's decision has its own reasons."
Tao Rui smiled and said, "Well said, reward!"
Censor Wang received another look from the Regent, his expression changed, and he stood up and said, "Your Majesty is so confused, I, an old minister, can only die to prove my loyalty. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider!" After that, he rushed straight to the pillar!
The ministers near the pillar naturally tried to stop him. Censor Wang's head hit the pillar, breaking his skin and causing a stream of blood to flow. He looked quite miserable with tears streaming down his face.
He choked up and said, "Your Majesty, please think twice, Your Majesty, please think twice..."
Two more officials under the Regent knelt beside Censor Wang, seemingly unable to bear the consequences, and said in unison, "What Censor Wang said makes sense. Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
Tao Rui watched coldly, slowly turning the ring on his thumb, watching the two men without saying a word. After the two men spoke a few times, they broke out in a cold sweat and fell silent.
The only sound left in the court was Wang Yushi's sobbing, which inexplicably felt a bit ridiculous. Who wouldn't know he was just pretending? Unexpectedly, the emperor didn't buy it.
Censor Wang also broke out in a cold sweat. He had no way to end the situation, so he had to pretend to faint.
The Regent said, "Is Your Majesty willing to see this outcome? Censor Wang is devoted to his master, what's wrong with that? At such a young age, he still wants to die to prove his loyalty..."
Tao Rui's expression was uncertain. He said in a deep voice, "He used to be devoted to his master, but now that he's old and his brain isn't working properly, let him retire and return home. These two seem to have a very close relationship with Censor Wang and are very worried about him. They're even lying and insisting that what he said was right. It seems they, like Censor Wang, are also mentally unstable.
In this case..."
The Regent quickly interrupted him, "They are all trying to persuade the Emperor."
"Remonstrate is a good word. Is opposing the emperor remonstration? Is questioning the emperor remonstration? In the court, Censor Wang and Censor Yang have different opinions. If I listen to Censor Wang, will Censor Yang also remonstrate? If everyone of you remonstrates, how can I govern the country?" Tao Rui said coldly, "Remove these three people from their posts. Deshun, find someone to keep an eye on them. Order these two to escort Censor Wang back home. There must be no mistakes."
Censor Wang and the other two instantly turned pale, while the Regent was seething with rage. Tao Rui had dismissed four of his men during a morning court session. How dare this brat?!
Tao Rui looked at the civil and military officials, and he was very calm. They were worried that a random punch would kill a master.
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