Of course, the most important thing is that she is smart and capable, so she can understand things so thoroughly.
Shen Qianchen thought without any modesty.
The ancients always taught people to be humble. There are countless sayings like "Pride brings harm, humility brings benefit", "If a person is full of contentment, what is the point of not taking harm? Be careful! Be careful", etc. However, Gu Jue said that unnecessary humility is nothing but hypocrisy, and Shen Qianchen deeply agrees with him.
As she spoke, her delicate face was radiant with energy, and her phoenix eyes were shining with a dazzling light, a brilliance and beauty that was difficult to describe.
Shen Qianchen already had a plan, and said confidently: "I plan to cut off half of the people."
There were too many people in the palace and it was too messy, she didn't like it.
In the past, she thought it was a lie that the emperor had three thousand beauties in his harem, but she didn't expect that there were three thousand palace maids in the harem alone, and that was under the premise that the concubines had already taken away a group of palace maids.
Shen Qianchen counted on his fingers and said, "All palace maids over 25 years old can be released. That means we can release 500 people. Then we will cut off a group of people who are too young. The youngest is only five years old..."
Of course, it is impossible to reduce the number of people by age alone, so it would be best if a palace maid voluntarily left the palace. Others can also leave through marriage and other means.
"We have to give some pensions to the released palace maids." Shen Qianchen counted the money in her mind. Giving out a large sum of pensions at once would indeed cost a lot of money, but it was better than supporting so many idle people. She couldn't help but complain, "Alas, the national treasury is really poor."
Shen Qianchen felt that no one would believe it if he told others that the treasury of the Great Qi Dynasty was even poorer than that of the North.
In her previous life, when she was in the Northland, the Northland was very prosperous. Later, the Northland was given to Qin Yao. It was with the help of the Northland that Qin Yao took back the Northwest. Then the Northland and the Northwest were connected, and they had the confidence to fight Gu Lang.
Shen Qianchen casually mentioned some scattered little things, saying whatever came to her mind. She told Gu Jue these not to ask or discuss with him, but simply to tell him what she had done recently.
This is a tacit understanding between the two of them. She likes to talk to him, and he likes to listen to her, and occasionally responds with a casual remark.
The subtle fragrance from her body seeped into his lungs, and Gu Jue felt a little tipsy, as if he was drunk without any alcohol.
When the two of them were alone, the servants and maids always avoided them. Perhaps only the black cat that had just moved from Prince Chen's Mansion to the Imperial Palace and was promoted to the Royal Cat dared to disturb them.
"Meow?" Look, the black cat, which had not yet entered the Qianqing Palace, saw a stranger outside. It hid behind the corner vigilantly, looking at the person with curious eyes.
The cabinet elders who heard the noise subconsciously looked at the black cat with snow-white hooves. Prince Li recognized the cat and said casually, "This is the cat raised by the princess."
The black cat didn't run away. It tilted its face and continued to look at them.
I have to say that this cat is very easy to raise. Many cats need some time to adapt to a new environment, but Yueying has adapted very well whether it was moving from the Chu family to Prince Chen's Mansion with Shen Qianchen last year, or moving from Prince Chen's Mansion to the Imperial Palace this time.
It is very satisfied with its own "territory", which is bigger than each other.
The confrontation between the man and the cat didn't last long. Jingfeng came out and smiled as he stretched out his hand to ask for permission: "Prince Li, everyone, please."
So, Prince Li, Prime Minister Zhang, Minister of Rites Yang Xuanshan and others followed Jingfeng in.
They were not surprised that there was someone else in the study. After all, there were many people who came to see Gu Jue every day. What surprised them was that this person was the Princess of Chen.
"Meow?" The black cat seemed to be chasing them. Its nimble and graceful body appeared on the windowsill. It continued to look at Zhang Shoufu and others, its green eyes wide open.
With the support of two masters, the black cat became bolder and didn't even hide itself. Its tail was swinging behind it.
When the man and the cat made eye contact, Zhang Shoufu and the others didn't know what expression to make, so their faces were wooden, as if someone suddenly laughed during an extremely solemn ceremony, and the solemn atmosphere was invisibly broken by the swinging cat's tail.
Everyone first bowed to Gu Jue and Shen Qianchen. They thought Shen Qianchen would avoid them and let them talk about business, but Gu Jue said indifferently: "If you have something to say, just say it."
His attitude was very clear. He told them not to be too secretive and even confidential state affairs could be made known to Shen Qianchen.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Zhang Shoufu and others were all stunned.
Although they all knew that the Prince of Chen had great trust in this young princess, somewhat similar to the respectful relationship between Emperor Renzong and Queen Mother Yin in the past, it now seemed that this trust was heavier than they had imagined.
No matter what will happen in the future, at this moment, Prince Chen is willing to share his power with his princess and is willing to trust her with his back.
Yang Xuanshan and others felt an inexplicable emotion in their hearts and exchanged glances with each other.
Prime Minister Zhang hesitated for a moment, but still reported: "Your Highness, this is the ceremony for the coronation ceremony."
Prime Minister Zhang presented a memorial to Gu Jue. This was the ceremonial program that was drafted after three days of discussion between the cabinet elders and Prince Li. Because Gu Jue was not the son who inherited the throne from his father, the ceremony was somewhat different from the conventional coronation ceremony. In particular, all the steps that eulogized the previous emperor were cancelled. No one would be stupid enough to make things difficult for Prince Chen.
Gu Jue read the memorial quickly, while others glanced at Gu Jue or Shen Qianchen subtly out of the corner of their eyes.
In this study room full of masculine atmosphere, Shen Qianchen was a bright spot in the green, the only female member. But she did not feel uncomfortable at all, she drank two sips of tea calmly, and did not avoid suspicion, but leaned over to take a look at the memorial, then withdrew her gaze in boredom.
While Gu Jue was reading the memorial, Prime Minister Zhang also went over the ceremonial procedure again in his mind. He was about 70% sure that there should be no big problem with the memorial. However, when Gu Jue looked up, his eyebrows raised, and his expression revealed a hint of dissatisfaction before he said anything.
His cold gaze made everyone feel uncomfortable and solemn.
According to regulations, the new emperor must first ascend the throne, and then issue an edict to enthrone the queen. The next step is the ceremony of establishing the queen.
However, everyone thought that Gu Jue's words now seemed to be asking why the enthronement and the establishment of the queen were not on the same day. Was this their illusion?
Prime Minister Zhang and others looked at each other, and they subconsciously turned their gaze to Prince Li, who knew Gu Jue best among them.
Prince Li knew better than anyone else how much Gu Jue valued Shen Qianchen. Besides, Shen Qianchen saved Gu Nanjin, so Prince Li was very fond of his niece-in-law. He nodded slightly, confirming everyone's guess.
Minister of Rites Yang Xuanshan gritted his teeth and replied, "Your Highness, according to the rules, the ceremony of establishing the queen should be..."
"I don't care about rules and etiquette." Gu Jue interrupted Yang Xuanshan directly, his voice was still neither loud nor soft, his tone was steady, there was no anger in his voice, but he revealed an unquestionable dominance, "According to what I said, the coronation ceremony and the queen's ceremony will be on the same day and at the same time."
Yang Xuanshan was stunned again. He had originally wondered whether Gu Jue wanted to hold the ceremony of establishing the empress right after the ceremony of enthronement, but he did not expect that Gu Jue actually meant this.
There has never been such a rule in any dynasty!
Yang Xuanshan was not only shocked, but also felt unbelievable and unable to agree.
The king is the master, the ruler of the world.
However, Gu Jue put the ascension to the throne and the establishment of the queen together, which was equivalent to raising Shen Qianchen to the same level as him in front of the people of the world. Yang Xuanshan couldn't help but think of the fact that Wu Zetian was named the Queen of Heaven by Emperor Gaozong of Tang and was called the Second Saint together with Emperor Gaozong of Tang.
This is too much favor! Yang Xuanshan felt that it was inappropriate, and his eyes could not help but look at Shen Qianchen, hoping that Shen Qianchen could personally reject Gu Jue.
Shen Qianchen didn't look at Yang Xuanshan. She hooked one of Gu Jue's hands from under the desk and nodded at him, meaning that she would listen to him.
She didn't have any special thoughts about these. She just thought that their wedding was very hasty. Gu Jue once said that it shouldn't be like this. He felt that he shouldn't be the groom who barely arrived before the wedding... So this time, let him make the arrangements, and she just had to obey.
When their eyes met, Gu Jue's brows softened a little.
From the perspective of others, Princess Chen looked unexpectedly calm and composed. She was neither overjoyed nor overwhelmed by Prince Chen's proposal... It seemed as if it was a matter of course.
There were turbulent waves in the eyes of Yang Xuanshan and others.
On the surface, Shen Qianchen, the Princess of Chen, was bestowed upon her by the late Emperor Gu Lang in order to humiliate the Prince of Chen. But over the past year, they had actually seen that the Princess of Chen had repeatedly clashed with the late Emperor for the Prince of Chen, and had caused the late Emperor to suffer greatly at her hands.
Obviously, they heard that Princess Chen was the second daughter of a concubine, but the strange thing was that after Mrs. Chu, Shen Zhi, divorced Chu Lingxiao, she not only took away the legitimate son, but also removed the name of Princess Chen from the Chu family's genealogy, and entered the Shen family genealogy along with Shen Zhi and her son.
Neither the Prince Chen's Mansion nor the Duke Mu's Mansion planned to keep the secret any longer, so all the mansions in the capital now knew that Chu Lingxiao had conspired with his concubine to pass off a concubine's son as the legitimate heir.
The Princess of Chen is now the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's family, and there is no flaw in her identity. Of course, she is qualified to be the principal wife of the Prince of Chen, and she is also qualified to become the empress of the current dynasty.
They had no opinion about Princess Chen, they just simply felt that the ceremony of establishing the queen should not be too grand.
If this kind of ritual is used to establish a queen, wouldn't the other concubines in the harem be suppressed by the queen, resulting in one person dominating the harem?
It is a good thing for the emperor and empress to have a deep relationship. It is beneficial to have children. If they give birth to a legitimate eldest son, they don't have to argue about whether to establish the eldest son or the eldest son. However, whether it is the court or the harem, checks and balances are important. If the empress is allowed to dominate alone, won't there be no one in the harem who can check and balance her? !
Everyone's expressions were stern, and they all felt that this matter could not go according to Prince Chen's wishes.
Yang Xuanshan winked at Prime Minister Zhang, so Prime Minister Zhang had no choice but to bite the bullet and advise: "Your Highness, please think twice."
He had only said five words, and before he could say more, he saw Gu Jue's expression changed.
The nobleman who was gentle as jade just now, with noble bearing and elegant manners, is now like a different person. His eyes are fierce, as cold as a sword drawn from its sheath, and as majestic as a mountain pressing down on one's head, with a certain arrogance that looks down on the world.
"What I say is what I am saying, you just need to listen." He spoke slowly and clearly, with a deafening force that made his attitude very clear and explicit.
Zhang Shoufu and others all shuddered and took a deep breath of cold air. Some even felt their fingertips go numb and for a moment they had the illusion of being in a biting cold wind.
Gu Jue has been very gentle since the day he forced the emperor to abdicate. Even when he heard that 65,000 soldiers from the military camp were wiped out by the Black Armor Army, it was just hearsay to the civil officials present.
Gu Jue's army had never destroyed the capital, nor had it massacred the palace, which gave people the illusion that he was gentle and taciturn.
They almost forgot that Gu Jue was the King of Chen, known as the "King of War", the King of Chen who killed the Red Di people in the north and made them tremble with fear! He was completely different from the previous emperor Gu Lang.
In a dynasty, there will be a founding monarch, a maintaining monarch, a revival monarch, and even the final monarch who destroys the country. The change of dynasties is an inevitable trend in history.
To say something disrespectful, if the former emperor Gu Lang had the stupidity of a king who lost his country, then Gu Jue had the ruthlessness and courage of a king who founded his country. When the Great Qi Dynasty was on the road to decline, the emergence of a monarch like Gu Jue would surely reverse the country's decline, make him a king who would revive the country and create new glory.
With such a monarch on the throne, perhaps God does not want Da Qi to be extinct, or perhaps the ancestors of the Gu family are here to bless Da Qi!
(End of this chapter)