How could she possibly have a chance to say no?
Even though he kept Ma Ji in the palace, she was not allowed to mention her.
After washing up, the two went to bed. Lu Xingjian's dark eyes shone brightly in the night, showing no signs of sleepiness.
He held her hand tightly.
“My wife, we’re married now, so we’re going to spend our lives together. You can’t just abandon us again.”
Su Wanwan thought to herself, "Life is so long, and there are so many changes. Who can say what will happen in the future?"
She simply didn't have the energy to argue with him about these trivial matters, so she pretended not to hear, closed her eyes, and quickly fell asleep.
Lu Xingjian, however, stared at her profile, his eyes remaining closed for a long time.
When Su Wanwan woke up the next day, Lu Xingjian was dressed in casual clothes and meeting Liu Jin of the Directorate of Ceremonial in his study.
"Order the two Guangzhou counties to transport the coffins of Annam's envoy Nguyen Quan and others back to their country." Lu Xingjian frowned as he issued his first decree in recent times.
Liu Jin cautiously raised her eyes to look at Lu Xingjian, somewhat confused about the emperor's intentions behind issuing this decree.
"Remember, send people from the Eastern Depot to keep an eye on things. Report back truthfully whether Marquis Anyuan is outwardly compliant but inwardly disobedient or truly loyal."
Lu Xingjian's tone was somewhat sinister.
He wanted to see whether Marquis Liu Wen, the Commander-in-Chief of Guangdong and Guangxi, listened to him, the emperor, or to that old woman, Lady Wang.
Liu Jin was largely relieved and quickly reported:
"Last November, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs inspected the annual reports of Guangdong and Guangxi and found 770,000 taels of silver and grain, which were intended to be transported to the capital for national use."
"As a result, Chen Jin, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief who was in charge of military affairs in Guangdong and Guangxi, obstructed the transport of silver and grain to the capital in various ways."
"If His Majesty orders Marquis Anyuan to assist in overseeing this matter, it will be a good test of his loyalty."
Lu Xingjian immediately agreed.
The imperial court is now dirt poor.
After the treason case last year, most of the money looted from the suspected criminals' home has been spent.
The nine sides kept asking for money.
If they don't pay, they'll give this emperor a hard time.
However, the silver from various regions made all sorts of excuses and refused to be transported to the capital.
It's so frustrating.
Liu Jin then reported the military situation: "The northern barbarians have stationed their grazing lands on the border, stretching for more than thirty miles, and have not retreated for a long time."
"The Ministry of War requests that a minister with a long history of talent and experience in border affairs be appointed to oversee military affairs in Xuanfu, Datong, Yansui and other places. He shall be temporarily assigned to manage the border affairs and shall be allowed to carry out all border defense reforms at his discretion. All officials below the rank of garrison commander shall be under his command."
Lu Xingjian frowned and looked at Liu Jin: "Does the Ministry of War have any recommended candidates?"
The border troops in Xuanfu, Datong, Yansui and other places are now in a state of panic due to the border reserve inspection. They are like a powder keg, and one careless move could trigger an unrest.
At this critical juncture, the Tatars' border incursion is a classic case of "taking advantage of my weakness to kill me."
If not handled properly, it could trigger a war.
"As the Emperor predicted, the result of the court meeting was that Wen Gui, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and concurrently the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, would be appointed."
Lu Xingjian nodded expressionlessly.
"Then issue an imperial edict appointing Wen Gui as governor of Xuanfu, Datong, and Yansui, and ordering him to take office immediately."
Heeding Su Wanwan's advice, he withdrew from the limelight.
However, this does not mean that he truly allowed his officials to manipulate the political situation.
Wen Gui was originally the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, serving as the Governor of Yansui. He had only been summoned to the capital to serve as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War for a little over a year.
With him back to quell the unrest, the situation in Yansui should stabilize.
Moreover, Wen Gui is a capable minister.
When he served as the Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shaanxi, he investigated and recovered more than 500,000 taels of tax grain left behind by fugitives from eight prefectures.
With him mediating on the front lines, the border storage verification process may proceed more smoothly.
In Datong, there was a General Wen Gong.
Xuanfu has the Duke of Anguo's Mansion.
Only by dealing with these three people can the three towns of Datong, Xuanfu, and Yansui be stabilized.
Dayan Khan of the Northern Yuan Khanate is now in his thirties, in the prime of his life, and ambitious.
If he were to unite with the left and right wings of the Mongols and march south together, the court, given its current situation, would absolutely not be able to withstand it.
He must stabilize the situation in the border town as soon as possible.
Su Wanwan passed by the study door and saw that he was busy, so she went to the dining room.
Lu Xingjian caught a glimpse of her fleeting figure, glanced at Liu Jin who was still not planning to leave, and said indifferently, "Is there anything else?"
Liu Jin was startled and quickly reported:
"Minister of War Liu Yu reported that a grain transport ship heading south on the Grand Canal had been intercepted, but fortunately all six notorious bandits were captured."
"Minister Liu requests that Xiao Bin, Liao Peng, and others be awarded meritorious service..."
Upon hearing the name "Xiao Bin," Lu Xingjian's pupils contracted slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He impatiently interrupted Liu Jin:
"You report such trivial matters? Do you think I'm keeping you around to do nothing?"
Liu Jin's heart tightened, realizing he had somehow offended the emperor, and he hurriedly took his leave.
This was something Liu Yu specifically submitted to request the Emperor's judgment. Is there some hidden reason behind it?
Su Wanwan had just scooped out two bowls of porridge when Lu Xingjian came over.
His face still carried a hint of ferocity:
"These guys report all sorts of trivial and ridiculous matters to me."
He glanced at Su Wanwan without making a sound.
He wasn't sure if Su Wanwan had heard the conversation just now.
Su Wanwan didn't react much, but just joked:
"They're not used to you delegating so much authority all at once; there's always an adjustment period."
Lu Xingjian sat down next to her and changed the subject:
"Liu Yu is very savvy. He had his son recognize Liu Jin as his godfather, so that any urgent matters from the Ministry of War could be reported through Liu Jin."
His hand caressed her waist with ill intent, his tone suggestive: "After dinner, shall we go to the hot springs?"
Last night, he was worried that she couldn't handle it, so he held back and only made love briefly.
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