Chapter 317: Chapter 317: The Senior Grand Secretaries on the Left and Right

Xiao Yunjing lost interest in handling political affairs, thinking that important matters could be dealt with in court the next day anyway.

So he returned to Taiqing Palace and went to the small bed of the three babies. Because they had been drinking Spiritual spring water since birth, they could now sit up. They were sitting in their small bed playing when, seeing Xiao Yunjing approach, all three little ones raised their heads to look at him.

Xiao Yunjing smiled at them fondly, patting their little heads, then reached out and picked up Little Le’er.

Little Le’er was the noisiest. Unlike the other two, who played quietly by themselves, Little Le’er was always demanding attention and would cry if he didn’t see his parents.

Now held by Xiao Yunjing, he grinned broadly at him, saliva dribbling from the corners of his mouth.

Xiao Yunjing wiped the saliva away for him, pinched his little cheek, and kissed him.

“GIGGLE GIGGLE…” Little Le’er laughed, his father’s beard tickling him.

Xiao Yunjing sighed wryly. Children were so carefree and worry-free. They didn’t know to search for their missing mother, nor did they understand the sorrow of it all.

After playing with Little Le’er for a while, he put him back on the bed and asked the nanny, “Have the little princes been quiet?”

The nanny curtsied and replied respectfully, “Your Majesty, the little princes have been very well-behaved. Your Majesty can rest assured that we will take good care of them until the Empress returns.”

The nanny and the other two had been inside Gu Qingli’s Space. Although they did not know the specific details of what had happened, they knew that something was currently amiss with Gu Qingli. Otherwise, the little princes, who were usually inseparable from Gu Qingli, and the Emperor would not have moved here.

“Alright, then you take good care of the little princes. If you need anything, come to me directly.” Xiao Yunjing granted them the same special privileges as Wuqing and her three companions. He knew that these three were very loyal to Li’er.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the nanny and the other two responded respectfully. This content belongs to novel⟡fire.net

“Where are Wuyou and her two companions?” Xiao Yunjing asked as he was about to leave, just then remembering he hadn’t seen the three of them.

The nanny replied, “Your Majesty, Wuyou and her companions are boiling milk for the little princes.”

Gu Qingli had released two dairy cows much earlier. However, preparing food for the three little ones had to be done personally by Wuyou and her two companions. This was Gu Qingli’s instruction; the task was not to be delegated to others. The safety of the three little ones was paramount.

“Oh, alright then.” With that, Xiao Yunjing left the room.

「The next day, at the morning court session.」

After dealing with some urgent matters on the spot, Xiao Yunjing asked Minister of Revenue Ming and Gu Xicheng to stay behind.

Gu Xicheng had already surprised the officials by attending the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony the day before. His daughter then being proclaimed Empress made their jaws drop. Only then did they realize the purpose of the recognition banquet Gu Xicheng’s family had held a few days earlier.

Everyone in Capital City knew that Gu Xicheng’s legitimate daughter had supposedly died suddenly when she was just a few months old. It turned out she hadn’t died but had simply been lost. She had only recently been found and acknowledged, and then, within a few days, in a dramatic turn of events, she had become the Empress of the Daqian Dynasty. Such a legendary tale truly astonished the people of Capital City.

Today, the Emperor asked Lord Gu to stay behind, probably to restore him to his original position. At this, everyone looked at the current Senior Grand Secretary Zheng with sympathetic eyes. With Lord Gu’s official restoration, where would Lord Zheng go?

The current Senior Grand Secretary Zheng had been promoted by Qingchen from the Ministry of Personnel. This man was not exceptionally capable, but he possessed a remarkably sharp tongue. He hailed from the Zheng Family, one of the four great families of Capital City. The Zheng Family was the former Duke of Zheng’s residence; after the ducal title was made hereditary without demotion through generations, it became the current Marquis Zheng’s residence. Senior Grand Secretary Zheng was himself Marquis Zheng. Seeing the sympathetic gazes of all the ministers, he said nothing and walked straight out of the court hall.

He knew that with Gu Xicheng’s return, his position as Senior Grand Secretary was likely untenable. After all, compared to Gu Xicheng, his qualifications and abilities were no match. Moreover, Gu Xicheng was now the Emperor’s father-in-law. Although he was from an old aristocratic family and could contend with Gu Xicheng based on this strength, there was no guarantee the Emperor wouldn’t immediately issue an edict bestowing honors upon the Gu family. Though the Gu family were new nobles, their backing was exceedingly strong.

There were other matters he could strive for, but to contend with the Emperor? That would be courting death. So, he left quickly. He might as well make the most of his time and do his job well for as long as he could.

「In the Imperial Study.」

Xiao Yunjing handed a neatly organized stack of documents to Lord Ming. These detailed Gu Qingli’s previously mentioned seedling cultivation and transplanting methods, the design for the stirring bucket, the technique for sweet potato vine cuttings, and the construction plans and uses for greenhouses. Xiao Yunjing had personally compiled all of this; having been directly involved in these processes, he understood the details better than anyone.

“Lord Ming, these must be distributed before the spring plowing so that the farmers can prepare,” Xiao Yunjing instructed. “Aside from the Northern Borderlands, this is to be implemented nationwide. If there is resistance to implementation, use force.”

Xiao Yunjing would not give those obstinate individuals any chance to resist. He intended to enforce these measures so that after seeing the results this year, they would willingly adopt them next year without government coercion. Daqian’s food and shelter problem had to be solved this year; there was no room for those recalcitrant troublemakers to cause issues.

Lord Ming looked at the thick stack of papers in his hand and quickly skimmed the contents. As he read, he felt a mix of delight and apprehension. He had never heard of such planting methods before, but the Emperor’s order had to be carried out, even at the cost of his life.

He bowed and said, “Yes, Your Majesty. I will attend to it immediately.”

Xiao Yunjing nodded. “Go on then. This matter cannot be delayed; spring plowing is just around the corner.”

“Yes.” Lord Ming bowed and exited.

After Lord Ming left, only Xiao Yunjing and Gu Xicheng remained. Xiao Yunjing gestured to a nearby chair and said, “Please have a seat, Father-in-Law.”

Gu Xicheng did not stand on ceremony. After sitting down, he detailed the situation in the Northern Borderlands to Xiao Yunjing.

After listening, Xiao Yunjing nodded; the development in the Northern Borderlands was within his expectations. He said, “Father-in-Law, your contributions are undeniable. Upon your return, My intention is to restore you to your original position. What do you think?”

Gu Xicheng pondered for a moment. He understood what it meant when he was asked to stay behind. However, there was already a Senior Grand Secretary, and he felt it wouldn’t be right for him to oust the man immediately upon his return.

So he asked, “What about Lord Zheng?”

Xiao Yunjing waved his hand. “In the past, there was only one Senior Grand Secretary, second only to the Emperor. The power in the Senior Grand Secretary’s hands was too great. My intention is to establish Left and Right Senior Grand Secretaries, thereby dividing the power in half. What do you think, Father-in-Law?”

Gu Xicheng regarded Xiao Yunjing with admiration. His son-in-law, the Emperor, had grown up in a remote village and was a military man, yet he turned out to be a person of both courage and strategy!

He said, “This method is indeed excellent. It not only distributes power but also prevents a single voice from dominating. If that is the case, I am willing to serve as Senior Grand Secretary again.”

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.