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Chapter 476 Brother and Sister
Jiang Shaohua silently followed Empress Dowager Zheng to the Zhaohe Hall.

Emperor Taihe was recuperating in bed and did not see any outsiders. There were only a few people in the palace who were qualified to visit the emperor. Outside the Zhaohe Palace, there were many imperial guards guarding, all wearing armor, holding weapons, and with sharp eyes, a murderous atmosphere.

In this solemn atmosphere, Jiang Shaohua stepped into the Showa Hall.

"Your servant greets the Empress Dowager!" Eunuch Ge came to greet her. When he saw Jiang Shaohua, he was a little surprised, but he didn't show it on his face: "Your servant greets the princess."

"Get up." Empress Dowager Zheng asked, "Is the emperor awake now?"

Eunuch Ge replied in a low voice: "The emperor drank the medicine and fell asleep not long ago."

Empress Dowager Zheng paused and said, "I will wait outside until the emperor wakes up before entering the bedroom."

Emperor Taihe's illness should not be worried about, and he should sleep more and rest more. Jiang Shaohua and Empress Dowager Zheng waited for an hour and a half.

Emperor Taihe finally opened his eyes and woke up. With the help of the eunuchs, he slowly sat up. His eyes fell on Jiang Shaohua's face.

Jiang Shaohua bowed and said, "Shaohua greets His Majesty."

"There are no outsiders here, just call me cousin." Emperor Taihe was obviously out of breath, and his voice was weak. He hadn't left the bedroom for a month, and his face had become much paler, but he hadn't lost weight, and he was even fatter than two years ago.

Jiang Shaohua responded softly and sat down on the chair beside the bed.

"You wrote to me about coming to the capital. I am not strong enough to write by myself, so I asked my grandmother to write a reply." The speed of Emperor Taihe's speech was obviously not as fast as before. He would pause for a moment after speaking for a while. I don't know if it was because of the lack of energy or the slowness of his thoughts: "Since you are here, stay for a few more days."

Jiang Shaohua responded with a sigh of relief.

Seeing the Emperor Taihe's appearance at this moment, I knew that Empress Dowager Zheng was not exaggerating. The Emperor Taihe might not be in danger of death, but he could no longer toil and work hard, nor worry and think too much.

But being the emperor is the most physically and mentally exhausting job in the world. What should Emperor Taihe do in the future when he is in such a state?
Emperor Taihe was obviously aware of the current predicament and smiled bitterly at himself: "I am really not a qualified emperor. The court is in such a mess because of my mediocrity and incompetence."

Although it is true, at this moment all I can do is to comfort her with kind words.

Jiang Shaohua cheered up and soothed him gently: "My cousin is a little unwell and needs to rest. Don't worry about these things for now. When he recovers, we can deal with those disobedient officials."

Emperor Taihe laughed bitterly again: "I can't suppress Prime Minister Wang, nor can I do anything to Duke Anguo. What use am I to you!"

It is really inappropriate to say this in front of Empress Dowager Zheng. Who doesn't know that Duke Anguo is a knife in the hands of Empress Dowager Zheng?

The reason why the Daliang court was in such a mess today was because Prime Minister Wang and Empress Dowager Zheng had been fighting endlessly and refused to give in. Apart from some neutral officials, 60% of the officials were involved in factional struggles, and there were also fence-sitters and those with low official positions who could only cheer and cheer... The chaos in the court all came from this.

The Empress Dowager Zheng's face was not very good. Because the emperor was recovering from illness, the Empress Dowager Zheng endured it this time and said nothing.

Jiang Shaohua continued to comfort the depressed emperor: "Things haven't gotten out of hand yet, don't be discouraged, cousin."

Emperor Taihe looked at Jiang Shaohua, but his words were directed to Empress Dowager Zheng: "I plan to send someone to the palace to ask the Prime Minister to return to the court."

Empress Dowager Zheng finally couldn't help it: "I have sent people twice, but Prime Minister Wang just refused, saying that he was too ill to stay in bed. Do I have to go to his house to invite him?"

Emperor Taihe sighed, "Prime Minister Wang is the Prime Minister of Daliang, the head of all officials. If you want to invite him back to the court, you have to send someone of importance. What does it mean that the Empress Dowager sent a palace maid to go?"

This is no different from humiliation. No wonder Prime Minister Wang refused to return to the court.

Jiang Shaohua quickly glanced at the Grand Empress Dowager Zheng, wondering why she hadn't mentioned such an important matter just now? The Grand Empress Dowager Zheng's thoughts were exposed, but she was still confident: "If Prime Minister Wang is loyal to the court, he shouldn't care about these details."

Emperor Taihe: "..."

No wonder Emperor Taihe's condition hasn't improved. Being so sullen and aggrieved all day long is unbearable even for a healthy person.

Jiang Shaohua complained in his heart, and whispered: "If my cousin trusts me, I will go to the palace!"

Emperor Taihe was stunned, but Empress Dowager Zheng had already objected: "No! How can you, a princess of Daliang, bow your head like this? Just let a few Zhongshu Sheren go."

Jiang Shaohua replied, "It is inconvenient for Wang Sheren and Zheng Sheren to go. Li Sheren is rough and not good at speaking. The Prince of Gaoliang is impulsive and reckless. It is useless for them to go. I am the Princess of Daliang. I have enough status and can represent the face of the Empress Dowager. I can also make some promises on behalf of the Emperor. It would be best if it succeeds. Even if it fails, Prime Minister Wang cannot speak ill of a girl. Therefore, it is most appropriate for me to go."

That being said, it is indeed very appropriate.

Empress Dowager Zheng thought for a moment and asked Emperor Taihe, "How about letting Shaohua give it a try?"

Emperor Taihe was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly: "Then I'll have to trouble cousin Shaohua to make the trip." After a pause, he continued: "Tell Prime Minister Wang that I will reinstate Zuo Feng and let him take charge of the military power again. Wang Yi's official position will be lost, but his life will be safe."

So, there are no fools. Emperor Taihe saw everything clearly and knew where the problem lay.

Jiang Shaohua replied sternly: "Shaohua will definitely try his best to persuade Prime Minister Wang to return to the court."

Empress Dowager Zheng couldn't help but mutter, "The mistakes that Duke Anguo made should also be forgiven!"

Emperor Taihe twitched his lips.

Jiang Shaohua said softly, "Since we have to invite Prime Minister Wang back to the court, Duke Anguo will have to endure the grievances for a while. It won't be too late to deal with it after the court is settled."

This is exactly what Emperor Taihe wants.

Emperor Taihe nodded in approval.

Empress Dowager Zheng was unhappy and snorted.

Jiang Shaohua pretended not to hear and chatted with Emperor Taihe for a while with a smile, saying that Nanyang County had made a lot of money from selling grain seeds this year.

Emperor Taihe's brows relaxed and he began to smile: "It would be best if I could make money. In the past two years, Nanyang County has donated so much grain to the court, and the Ministry of Revenue has written many IOUs that have not been repaid. Speaking of which, I really feel guilty towards my cousin."

Jiang Shaohua smiled softly and said, "I am very happy to be able to share my cousin's worries."

"There is one more thing I need to tell my cousin. Earl Changning and I are engaged. The wedding date is set for three years from now."

Emperor Taihe nodded and said, "When they get married in a few years, I will confer the title of Marquis of Changning on him."

The emperor's words are true.

Jiang Shaohua immediately thanked the emperor for his grace on behalf of Cui Du.

Empress Dowager Zheng frowned and wanted to say something, but then she held it back.