After Su Wanwan recovered from her illness, she continued to handle palace affairs at Jiangxuexuan.
Because many of the responsibilities that Li Rong used to be in were transferred to Zhang Yong, He Ying often went to find Zhang Yong.
Zhang Yong was very indifferent, but he was also conscientious in his duties and arranged things in an orderly manner.
All the problems that could be solved were solved, and those that could not be solved were explained for reasons, either according to palace rules or established precedents, and each one was convincing.
He Ying couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty's gift of that plate of jade cake was well worth it. Even without the Emperor's support, your prestige in the palace remains undiminished."
Su Wanwan smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying.
He Ying was somewhat downcast and offered gentle advice:
"Recently, there have been many beauties coming and going in Xiaoyuan. Your Majesty should focus more on the Emperor."
It's not worth it for the Empress to lower herself to curry favor with Zhang Yong for such a paltry benefit; it would have been much easier to curry favor with the Emperor.
Su Wanwan paused for a moment, then changed the subject:
"The harem is empty; it's time to add some new concubines."
He Ying was startled and quickly tried to dissuade him:
"Your Majesty, why are you doing this?"
"His Majesty is just temporarily unable to see the light; he still cares for His Majesty. Instead of trying to persuade him to come back, why is Your Majesty arranging for new concubines?"
Su Wanwan spoke calmly:
"Whether he turns around or not is irrelevant; love and affection are the most useless things in this world. Prepare the carriage and proceed to Renshou Palace."
He Ying's eyes dimmed, and she dared not try to persuade him any further.
The Empress is utterly heartbroken.
I have no more expectations of the Emperor.
So be it.
Without expectations, there is no disappointment or sadness.
With more women in the harem in the future, the empress won't have to suffer so much distress.
...
When Empress Dowager Wang saw Su Wanwan's visit, she couldn't help but sneer, speaking in a sarcastic tone:
"The Empress has time to come and see me."
What good is the emperor's favor?
Only half a year later, the Empress lost favor, miscarried, and it was said that her health was also damaged, making it difficult for her to conceive again.
Su Wanwan remained calm and composed. "Your Majesty, I am unworthy to bear an imperial heir and have failed my ancestors. I have come to request the imperial decree to select concubines to fill the harem for the benefit of our offspring."
Wang looked at Su Wanwan with some surprise and said sarcastically:
"The Empress is quite virtuous now."
"If Grandmother has no objection, I will go and consult the Empress Dowager."
Su Wanwan remained indifferent, completely ignoring the sarcastic tone in her words.
"Wait a minute." Wang suppressed her anger, her eyes flashing.
"Han Fu, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, is he one of your men?"
Su Wanwan slightly raised her eyelids, "What makes you say that, Grandmother?"
Wang snorted coldly, "What a Han Fu! He has been stirring up unjust cases in Huguang. The investigation started when the late emperor ascended the throne. It was found that the garrisons had accumulated a total of six million shi of unpaid taxes and grain. More than a thousand officials were investigated and punished. Wasn't this instigated by you behind the scenes?"
Su Wanwan smiled gently.
"What, has some of your relatives in Huguang been implicated?"
The board landed on my body, and I finally felt the pain.
Wang was so angry that she gritted her teeth: "You clearly know that Marquis Dingxi, Jiang Ji, is related to the Wang family by marriage, yet you still target him like this. What are your intentions?!"
The task of making up for the outstanding grain payments fell to Jiang Ji, the current commander-in-chief of Huguang.
Jiang Ji is still ill, so he can only let Han Fu do whatever he wants, with his henchmen being arrested or punished.
Many families have gone bankrupt and emptied their savings in order to pay the grain tax.
Wang was so angry that the fat on her cheeks trembled:
"The Jiang family's entire fortune has been used to pay tax debts, leaving them with nothing. Are you satisfied now?!"
Not only that, Marquis Liu Wen of Anyuan was stripped of his position as the Commander-in-Chief of Guangdong and Guangxi, and the one million taels of official silver he had managed to seize was also taken back.
All six thousand people involved in the robbery of the official silver were killed, resulting in the near annihilation of the trusted henchmen of the Jiang and Liu families, severely weakening their strength.
They were killed.
More than 6,000 people were all killed as silver thieves and traitors, without even a chance to surrender.
Fortunately, those people were just hired assassins, and the Wang family's title and foundation still existed.
She, the Empress Dowager, is still alive and has a chance to start over.
Su Wanwan's eyes were calm, and her tone was light and non-aggressive.
“Grandmother, Heaven is watching what people do. The Jiang family still holds their titles, so it’s not impossible for them to make a comeback.”
"Please take good care of yourself."
Wang's pupils contracted sharply, her eyes flickered, and she swallowed the rest of her words.
Su Wanwan seemed to know her inside and out, having already seen through her thoughts.
Once the Wang family loses its title, the entire family is completely finished.
Even if she were still alive, she would be nothing more than a rootless duckweed, at the mercy of others.
What a Su Wanwan.
They'll hold back a trick in their plan, and won't kill their opponent with a single move.
If people have something to look forward to, they won't resort to desperate measures or fight to the death.
Wang watched quietly as Su Wanwan bowed and left.
His eyes were very complicated.
This couple, one is adept at feigning weakness and manipulating people's hearts, the other is ruthless and decisive, killing people without leaving a trace.
When the two of them work together, no one can get through to them.
Now, she and the Wang family are barely clinging to life and dare not make any further moves lest they invite even more severe retaliation.
Only by waiting for the right opportunity and rallying other forces to cooperate can there be a chance to turn defeat into victory.
Su Wanwan didn't say anything more and went to see Empress Dowager Zhang.
Empress Dowager Zhang was immediately invigorated upon hearing about the upcoming selection of concubines.
"The Empress is truly virtuous and understanding. This is a wonderful thing, how could I possibly refuse?"
Su Wanwan suffered a miscarriage, and the Imperial Hospital said that the Empress would have difficulty conceiving again.
We should take advantage of this opportunity to seduce a few more beauties. If one of them gains favor and becomes pregnant with the emperor's child, her future will be secure.
The news of the talent show brought a lively atmosphere to the long-quiet palace.
In just half a month, twelve beautiful and charming young women were selected, each with their own unique charm, ranging from plump to slender.
However, the emperor remained indifferent and offered no response, which made Empress Dowager Zhang feel uncertain.
"Empress, since the Emperor is not returning to the palace, why don't you take these twelve young ladies to the West Garden to show him?"
Su Wanwan naturally agreed.
...
Lu Xingjian was meeting with Han Fu, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who was returning from collecting grain from Huguang.
"I am fortunate to have fulfilled my mission and have collected more than 2.2 million shi of grain from Huguang, enough for the soldiers to use for several years."
"Due to the drought in the territory, there is a remaining debt of four million shi of grain. We request that the collection be suspended and made up next year."
"250,000 shi of grain will be transported from Huguang this year to prepare for famine relief, and 400,000 taels of silver for various matters have been escorted to the capital."
This sum of money, which was raised through the much-criticized practice of "selling official positions," was the money raised from these cases.
Lu Xingjian praised:
"When Hubei and Hunan are prosperous, the whole country is well-fed. Han Aiqing, you have worked hard."
This year, Hubei and Hunan suffered from drought. Not only did Han Fu not ask the imperial court for money and grain to provide disaster relief, but he also sent money to the capital. Han Fu's "robbing the rich to help the poor" operation is truly commendable.
However, the "selling of official positions" was a large-scale and infamous operation, but the profits were actually quite small, amounting to only 400,000 taels of silver.
It's really useless.
It's far less quick and convenient to take advantage of the wealthy.
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