Su Wanwan has lost a lot of weight and looks listless and dispirited.
Wearing a dark blue jacket and dressed neatly, she exuded the majesty of an empress.
Upon seeing Lu Xingjian, he merely bowed and prepared to return to the inner courtyard.
There was no intention to communicate at all.
When Lu Xingjian saw her, he paused slightly, his gaze lingered on her for a moment, and then he walked away without looking back.
Seeing the two people's cold demeanor, He Ying was filled with worry.
"Your Majesty, you should ask the Emperor how he's been lately. He looks like he's lost a lot of weight."
Su Wanwan's expression turned cold as she walked towards the inner courtyard, asking:
"The Imperial Wardrobe says that the various types of silk, gauze, brocade, and shimmering fabrics stored in the inner treasury have been used up. Do you have any countermeasures?"
He Ying's expression tightened slightly: "These used fabrics are mainly embroidered with dragons, bulls, flying fish, unicorns, lions, and the sleeves and knees, as well as the chest and back with bulls, flying immortals, and celestial deer, etc., all of which were woven during the reign of Emperor Yingzong."
"The late emperor rarely bestowed rewards upon people, but the current emperor is constantly giving them gifts."
Su Wanwan paused slightly, her brows furrowing.
"The Suzhou and Hangzhou textile bureaus are both too busy to attend to these matters. Since it is the Emperor who wants to reward someone, let him figure it out himself."
Crane Shadow was so frightened that he stuck out his tongue.
Is the Empress deliberately challenging the Emperor?
Well, she dared not try to persuade him any further.
The more you try to persuade them, the angrier they get.
He Ying personally went to the front yard to report this matter.
When Lu Xingjian returned, it was already late at night. Upon hearing the news, he didn't refute it, but instead coldly said:
"knew."
He Ying's heart leaped into the air, then she felt a pang of disappointment.
They were once an extremely loving emperor and empress, but in the blink of an eye, they became a resentful couple who refused to yield to each other.
She had been hoping that the Emperor would take the initiative to visit the inner palace, and perhaps the two of them would reconcile.
Who could have predicted that even the emperor wouldn't step down?
The Empress and her family suffered greatly, almost to the point of extermination, and she was in a vulnerable state of mind, needing comfort from others.
At this time, the emperor even started a cold war with her.
That's incredibly inconsiderate, cold-hearted, and heartless.
Even as a palace maid, she felt heartbroken.
Before leaving, she asked one of the accompanying guards a question out of curiosity.
"Where did His Majesty come from so late?"
It just so happens that the guard today is an acquaintance, Guo Xun, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Wuding.
Guo Xun looked troubled, but he simply gave a wink towards the northeast.
He Ying was full of doubts, but she also kept it in mind.
Lu Xingjian kept his word and immediately instructed the Ministry of Works to find a solution to the problem.
The Ministry of Works was in a real bind.
These matters were generally handled by the Hangzhou and Suzhou Textile Bureaus.
How did this fall on the Ministry of Works?
But they didn't dare to refuse.
The lessons learned from the Ministry of Revenue are still fresh in our minds.
Anyone who dares to disobey will be demoted or imprisoned.
In the end, the Ministry of Works found a precedent from the reign of Emperor Yingzong and assigned these textiles to Nanjing and the Suzhou and Songjiang prefectures in Zhejiang Province, instructing them to weave them according to the established pattern.
I was terrified.
Not long ago, Wen Gui, the governor of Xuanfu, borrowed silver from the Taicang granary to repair the border, but the Ministry of Revenue refused.
The reason is that in previous years, Xuanfu and Datong border areas had borrowed silver from Taicang due to a shortage of salt reserves, intending to repay the debt with the salt price from the Hedong Transport Office, but the debt has not yet been fully repaid.
This time, they've touched a tiger's tail and gotten themselves into trouble.
The imperial edict ordered people to thoroughly investigate the unresolved old case in the Ministry of Revenue using magnifying glasses.
Finally, a series of officials from the Ministry of Revenue were punished for the crime of delaying the reporting of documents.
The Vice Minister of Revenue was demoted to Nanjing, the Director was demoted to Assistant Magistrate of Nan'an, and the Assistant Director was demoted to Prefect of Raozhou.
Even the current Minister of Revenue, Gu Zuo, was fined three months' salary.
Given the recent example from the Ministry of Revenue, how could the Ministry of Works dare to reject the emperor's wishes?
...
The next day, just as Su Wanwan was about to go out to handle palace affairs, a young eunuch obediently came over and knelt in front of her.
"This servant, Zhang Ju, has come to serve Your Majesty by imperial decree."
Su Wanwan was slightly taken aback.
Zhang Ju was the clever eunuch who faked his death to escape and return to the capital to report that a million taels of official silver had been stolen.
It was quite an achievement that he managed to escape all obstacles and pursuers and return to the palace.
If Su Wanwan hadn't happened to run into him that day, Zhang Ju would probably have been in grave danger.
Su Wanwan needed a brave and resourceful assistant like him, so she kept him on.
"From now on, you will follow me."
If Lu Xingjian hadn't given the order, even if she was satisfied with Zhang Ju, she wouldn't have dared to snatch the Grand Eunuch's people.
Wei Yun was an extraordinary person to stand out among the two capitals and thirteen provinces, and to be the first in Guangdong and Guangxi to obtain one million taels of government silver to be transported to the capital.
Zhang Ju kowtowed in gratitude: "Please, Your Majesty, bestow upon me a name."
Su Wanwan pondered for a moment: "If you want to follow me, there is only one requirement you must remember—loyalty. From now on, you will change your name to Zhang Zhong."
Having learned from Yan Rong's betrayal, she still dares not trust those around her too much.
Even with the loyal and devoted Heying, she did not fully reveal her secrets.
Su Wanwan couldn't help but sigh.
In terms of loyalty and protection towards her, who can compare to Xiao Bin?
However, on the other hand, she also felt some resentment towards Xiao Bin.
If he hadn't sent the child to the Su family, she wouldn't have had to endure all that pain and suffering.
She dared not recall those days.
My heart aches uncontrollably whenever I think about it.
But what has she done herself? What gives her the right to blame others?
She could do nothing, and dared not do anything.
I fear that even the slightest rash action could bring about an even greater disaster.
She was too impulsive.
He shouldn't have been so willful as to run back to the Su family's house.
Lost in thought, Su Wanwan went to the palace.
Jingtianzhai is not yet fully renovated, and she is handling palace affairs in Jiangxuexuan, located in the eastern part of the palace's rear garden.
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