spend time

As soon as Jiang Shaohua finished speaking, Wang Jin immediately bowed and took his leave.

Zheng Chen's eyebrows jumped, and a trace of anger flashed in his eyes. Jiang Shaohua's condescending attitude and tone were really irritating. He really treated him as a small secretary!
Unfortunately, he didn't have the chance to fight back.

Emperor Taihe also said: "I want to talk to my cousin, you can leave for now."

Zheng Chen had no choice but to accept the order.

After the servants left the bedroom, they were silent for a while. They used to live in the East Palace with the emperor, but now they each have their own residence in the Zhaohe Palace. After a busy day, they should have gone back to their bedrooms to rest. However, too many things happened today, and everyone had a lot to say.

Li Boyuan was the first to suggest: "I'll ask the imperial kitchen to send over some side dishes, and we'll have dinner together."

Zheng Chen nodded in agreement.

Wang Jin had been staring at Zheng Chen closely recently, so even though he was not interested in eating or drinking, he just agreed with a smile.

Not to mention Jiang Yi. He was well-known in the palace for his love of eating, drinking and having fun, and never missed any party occasions.

The imperial kitchen was efficient. In just one stick of incense, eight dishes, four cold and four hot, were served, along with a pot of wine.

"We have to get up early to work tomorrow, so it's not advisable to drink too much. Let's have a few drinks to relieve our fatigue." Li Boyuan smiled and poured the wine himself.

He is the oldest among the four and will marry the Princess of Dongping County at the end of the year. Perhaps because the wedding date is approaching, he is still in high spirits every day, even though there are frequent incidents in the palace. The Zheng and Li families were about to fall out before, but the relationship between him and Zheng Chen was not affected too much. It must be said that his biggest advantage is his open-mindedness.

The four of them raised their glasses and drank.

Zheng Chen and Wang Jin have always been at odds with each other, but they can't quarrel all the time even if they see each other every day. For example, now, each of them has a lot of thoughts in their minds and is not in the mood to quarrel, so they are much calmer.

Jiang Yi suddenly sighed, "I really admire cousin Shaohua. As soon as she arrived, she asked the prime minister to return to the palace. Today's court meeting went smoothly and the efficiency was more than ten times higher. No wonder the emperor trusts and respects her so much."

Li Boyuan curled his lips and said, "We have been working for the emperor and sharing his worries. We are just low-ranking officials, and our words are not taken seriously. Those important officials in the court are polite on the surface, but in fact they don't take us seriously at all. They just think we are second-generation ancestors who rely on family favors."

This truth made Zheng Chen and Wang Jin feel embarrassed.

Jiang Yi, on the other hand, was a little unconvinced: "In terms of blood relationship, I am the emperor's direct cousin, closer than cousin Shaohua, so why am I not as good as her?"

Li Boyuan rolled his eyes unceremoniously: "What else can you do besides pouring tea and serving snacks all day long?"

Jiang Yi was so angry that he immediately changed to a larger wine glass and started drinking with Li Boyuan.

Li Boyuan was not afraid at all, and grinned, showing his big white teeth: "Come on, come on, I'm not afraid of you."

The two of them were noisy and drinking like children. Wang Jin found it interesting and took the initiative to pour wine for them. Zheng Chen watched coldly and sneered in his heart.

Yes, in terms of blood relationship, Jiang Yi and Emperor Taihe have the same grandfather and are cousins. It is precisely because of this that Emperor Taihe has always been wary of Jiang Yi.

When the King of Gaoliang was young, he suffered from a sudden illness that damaged his brain and he missed the throne. Otherwise, Jiang Yi might be the one sitting on the throne now.

What conspiracy was hidden behind that old incident? Empress Dowager Zheng, who was the queen at the time, knew it best.

After Emperor Taikang ascended the throne, he did not allow King Gaoliang to go to his fiefdom on the grounds that he was physically ill, and kept the father and son in the capital. It is said to be a favor, but isn't it a bondage? Jiang Yi is obviously intelligent, but he is lazy and neglects his studies. He is not good at civil and military affairs. He is by the emperor's side, but he doesn't care about government affairs at all. How much of this is true and how much is pretended, who can tell?
Emperor Taihe trusted Jiang Shaohua more. First, Nanyang County was powerful and Jiang Shaohua was very scheming. Second, Jiang Shaohua was a woman and posed no threat to the throne. Emperor Taihe was naturally relieved.

"Zheng Zixuan, why are you in a daze? Come and have a drink." Jiang Yi shouted, "Wang Silang, pour him some wine." Wang Jin smiled and reminded, "There is a court meeting tomorrow, and we all have to be busy. Don't drink too much."

Jiang Yi grinned and said, "What are you afraid of? It won't interfere with your work."

……

In the emperor's bedroom, there was another peaceful scene.

Jiang Shaohua said softly, "There's no one else here, just me and my cousin. I'll say a few words from the bottom of my heart, no matter how serious it is, don't blame me, cousin."

"But it doesn't matter."

"The several Zhongshu Sheren were my cousin's study companions when he was young, and each has his own strengths." Jiang Shaohua said slowly: "Li Boyuan is cheerful and open-minded, Wang Jin is thoughtful and meticulous, and Zheng Chen is even more resourceful. Even Jiang Yi looks playful, but he is actually very thoughtful."

Hearing the last sentence, Emperor Taihe's heart was moved and he looked at Jiang Shaohua deeply.

The phrase "there are ravines in his chest" is very meaningful when applied to Jiang Yi.

Jiang Shaohua looked back calmly: "But they each have their own standpoints and think too much. They are not purely loyal subjects. They can't share the worries of their cousin wholeheartedly. They even argue over one or two trivial matters."

Isn’t it? When they talk about small things, they will become big things, and the arguments are no different from those in the court.

Emperor Taihe laughed bitterly and mocked himself: "In the final analysis, it is because I am useless. I can't even control the few trusted people around me."

The biggest dilemma facing Emperor Taihe is that he has no one who can really be used.

This was the truth, and Jiang Shaohua did not comfort him against his will. He was silent for a moment and whispered, "If you trust me, let me help you to rectify the atmosphere of shirking responsibilities and doing things inefficiently in the court. I will also help you to deal with the several Zhongshu Sheren who have different thoughts."

Emperor Taihe: "..."

Emperor Taihe looked at Jiang Shaohua in astonishment. He actually had a vague premonition, but he didn't expect Jiang Shaohua to say it so frankly.

"Nanyang County has soldiers and food. I, the Princess of Nanyang, am the head of the vassal kings. There are courtiers in the court who support me. My words carry weight in the court." Jiang Shaohua said calmly, "This is one of them."

"Secondly, I will not stay in the capital for long. I will return to Nanyang County in a few months. The ministers will have less resistance to whatever I say or do, and everything will go much more smoothly."

"Third, I am a woman, and occasionally I can extend my hand a little further, which will not affect the overall situation. My cousin doesn't need to worry too much."

These three reasons are all very powerful.

Especially the last one, which is the most critical.

A woman, no matter how powerful she is, has no influence on the throne of Emperor Taihe. If Jiang Yi dared to say such words, he would immediately be regarded as having wolfish ambitions.

Emperor Taihe found that he was almost convinced: "As for the Imperial Grandmother..."

"I will convince my great-aunt." Jiang Shaohua and Emperor Taihe looked at each other: "Cousin, will you believe me?" (End of this chapter)