Jiang Shuwan served the old lady two dishes that were easy for the elderly to digest. As she looked down to drink her porridge, she noticed that it was barley and red date porridge for dinner.
Does Pei Yanzhi not like Job's tears?
She looked at Pei Yanzhi sitting opposite her with a puzzled expression. He was quietly eating porridge spoonful by spoonful.
To eat without speaking and to sleep without talking is truly the conduct of a gentleman.
Liu Yunyan asked somewhat angrily, "Why is it barley and red date porridge? My cousin has never liked barley. Someone, quickly change it for him..."
"It's alright, I'll eat what the old lady eats."
"..."
Liu Yunyan was taken aback for a moment, but immediately softened her voice, "I'll listen to my cousin."
Jiang Shuwan: "..."
She stole a glance at the old lady, but the old lady seemed not to hear her. The old marquis, with his martial style, ate and drank heartily, not caring about anything else.
After the meal, everyone moved to the tea room.
It was dark and the road was slippery, so Liu Yunyan went back.
Pei Yanzhi and the old Marquis sat in the hall drinking tea, while Jiang Shuwan was also on the side, serving the old lady milk.
Since the elderly person had trouble sleeping at night, Jiang Shuwan decided to give them a bowl of milk every night before bed.
Seeing how thoughtful she was, the old Marquis nodded in satisfaction.
Jiang Shuwan was still young, and when he sent Wen Shi to Lotus Manor, he was actually worried that Jiang Shuwan wouldn't be able to take care of everything inside and outside the house.
Now everything is in good order, and Jiang Shuwan even has time to manage the old lady's meals. She is very happy with this daughter-in-law and even gave her some advice, "His Majesty has stripped Consort Gao of her position as assistant in charge of the six palaces, and the Empress has regained control of the harem. When you enter the palace in the future, you must be more careful."
"Yes, daughter-in-law understands."
Jiang Shuwan nodded obediently, but her heart was churning with intense emotions.
In her previous life, the Empress also regained control of the harem, but certainly not now.
It's like a butterfly flapping its wings; everything happens ahead of schedule.
There's also Pei Yanzhi, who, before becoming Grand Secretary, had worked in all six ministries.
However, according to the timeline of his previous life, he should be at home preparing for the imperial examinations now.
Now he has been appointed by the old emperor as a sixth-rank official, which is equivalent to entering the officialdom ahead of schedule.
I really don't know what kind of bloody storm it was.
Inside the room, the old Marquis talked with Pei Yanzhi for a while, mostly about how he should be cautious now that he was starting his job.
From their conversation, Jiang Shuwan also learned that the Sixth Prince was indeed ignorant of commercial taxes, and all matters were handled by Pei Yanzhi.
Pei Yanzhi also selected several officials from humble backgrounds who agreed to increase commercial taxes to form a new commercial tax team, including the Yao family, the maternal family of the Sixth Prince's Consort Li.
However, Vice Minister Yao was not in the team; only his son, Yao Zhijie, was present.
Yao Zhijie used to work in the Ministry of Revenue, which was in charge of finance, so it was a good fit for his major.
Given that the Sixth Prince is now the de facto CEO, it's only natural that he would select members of the Yao family to join the team and give them some experience.
Therefore, the old Marquis spoke of these things only briefly and without giving them much thought.
Jiang Shuwan, however, secretly kept a watchful eye on things.
In his previous life, when Pei Yanzhi held immense power, Yao Zhijie was often by his side.
I heard they were classmates before.
So, when exactly did they form an alliance?
Jiang Shuwan glanced at Pei Yanzhi without saying anything. After helping the old lady to sleep, she saw Pei Yanzhi standing outside waiting for her.
The young man, dressed in a light blue casual robe that reached the ground, with his hair half loose and half tied up, stood gracefully in the middle of the path, holding a lantern in his hand. The scene was so beautiful it could be a painting.
Jiang Shuwan took a step back.
She had read many supernatural tales before, including terrifying stories where monsters transformed into handsome young men, lowering people's guard before swallowing them whole.
"What's wrong?"
Hearing his concerned question, Jiang Shuwan shook her head and asked softly, "Why is the young master here? Did the old lady say something to you?"
Before going to bed, the old lady called Pei Yanzhi over for a chat, the content of which was known only to the two of them.
"It's nothing, just a casual greeting."
As soon as he said that, Jiang Shuwan knew he wasn't going to tell her.
It didn't matter; she wasn't particularly interested in knowing.
With her head down, Jiang Shuwan and Pei Yanzhi walked forward side by side.
The delicate palace lantern in the young girl's hand illuminated the road, and even though the road was slippery from the rain and the night was dark and windy, she walked very steadily.
When they arrived at the entrance of Jiang Shuwan's courtyard, just as they were about to part ways, the boy suddenly spoke.
"Father believes that His Majesty's return of power to the harem is an attempt to elevate the Empress and the Crown Prince. What do you think?"
Why are you suddenly talking to me about politics?
The key point is, I'm not involved in political infighting.
Jiang Shuwan clenched her fists with some worry. She was a manager with a technical background who later started her own company.
She's good at running companies and industries, but asking her to analyze this...
Hmm!
She has to analyze things, no matter how difficult they are!
After all, she's already in this position; if she doesn't improve, is she just waiting to be torn apart by others?
Besides, this also reflects her value.
The more outstanding she is, the more secure her position will be in the Marquis's household.
Furthermore, it would also be a good opportunity to test Pei Yanzhi's current strength.
Thinking about these things, Jiang Shuwan's gaze deepened.
In his previous life, when Pei Yanzhi was working at the Ministry of Revenue, he also reformed commercial taxes.
In addition to increasing commercial taxes, he also implemented a tiered tax system, meaning that the more money a merchant earned, the more taxes they paid.
This idea was so ahead of its time that she even went out of her way to look it up.
However, Pei Yanzhi was almost twenty-five back then, but he is only twenty-one now. He also has no experience working in other government offices. Can he really formulate a commercial tax law like the one in his previous life?
Jiang Shuwan recalled the memorial she had submitted to the old emperor, which was full of data. The specifics of how to increase taxes were not something she could intervene in with her current status.
"Cough cough."
Jiang Shuwan coughed twice and stood by the courtyard. The girl raised her eyes slightly, speaking while secretly observing the boy's expression.
"I have also heard some news recently. I heard that because of the commercial tax, Consort Gao and the Empress have a better relationship than ever before, and they have even joined forces with the eldest prince and the crown prince in the court."
"I dare not presume to know His Majesty's thoughts, but I think that if a father wants to do something and neither of his sons supports him, then His Majesty would not be happy."
"Therefore, I don't think His Majesty necessarily intends to elevate the Crown Prince and the Empress."
"The Empress and Consort Gao have always been at odds. Their relationship had finally eased up a bit, but His Majesty immediately dismissed Consort Gao from her position as assistant in managing the six palaces. It seems that these two consorts hate each other to the extreme right now, and the faction of the First Prince and the faction of the Crown Prince are likely to start fighting again."
After hearing her finish speaking, Pei Yanzhi's previously unmoved emotions began to stir, and the young man looked at her with eyes as deep as a still pool.
He didn't say anything, he just looked at her.
Jiang Shuwan felt her skin crawl under his gaze, and just as she was about to run away, the boy raised his right hand.
He held the lamp in his left hand and gently rubbed her head with his right.
"Don't be so honest next time. If someone asks you, just say you don't know."
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