spend time

Prime Minister Wang suddenly realized that he had always underestimated the girl in front of him.

He had always thought that she wanted to be the sharpest blade in the hands of the Grand Empress Dowager Zheng. Now it seems that her target is not the Grand Empress Dowager Zheng, but the Emperor Taihe on the throne.

Emperor Taihe was mediocre in talent and vision, but he was young and hot-blooded. In short, his ability was far from worthy of his position, so he could not control his ministers. He fainted due to the infighting between the parties, and the disease inherited from the previous emperor broke out, so he had to stay in bed to recuperate.

If things had continued in this way, he, as the prime minister, would have naturally returned to the court, taken charge of the overall situation, and naturally held on to power.

Jiang Shaohua happened to come, and he came just in time. In just a few days, he used various means to suppress the ministers, stabilize the situation, and stabilize the people's hearts. Now, he has come up with many clever tricks to slowly gather the imperial power into the hands of Emperor Taihe.

Fortunately, she is just a woman. If she were a man, the one who should be worried would not be him, the prime minister, but the Emperor Taihe on the dragon couch...

A series of thoughts flashed through my mind.

Prime Minister Wang showed a grateful smile on his face: "Your Majesty trusts me so much, I will definitely live up to your high expectations and do my best to share your worries."

Jiang Shaohua smiled slightly and personally escorted Prime Minister Wang out of the Zhaohe Hall. His attentive and polite attitude was like that of a junior to a respected elder.

Zhang Shangshu held the assessment form in his hand and looked at Jiang Shaohua's figure going away. He felt complicated and it took him a long while to say, "Let's go too!"

Dai Shangshu behind him echoed: "There is still half a day left, just in time to go to the government office to work."

Dai Shangshu is nearly 70 years old, the oldest among the six ministers. On weekdays, the affairs of the Ministry of Justice are mostly handled by the two assistant ministers, and they don't worry about it much. Now, holding the hot assessment form in his hand, even Dai Shangshu can't sit still.

The ministers were in different moods. After exchanging a few words of greeting, they hurriedly left the palace and returned to their respective offices.

……

After Jiang Shaohua sent Prime Minister Wang out of the palace, he did not turn back, but took a carriage to the Duke of Anguo's Mansion.

The unfortunate Duke Anguo had been reflecting on himself behind closed doors, submitting one petition after another to apologize. But the Emperor Taihe was on his bed recuperating and had to rely on Prime Minister Wang, so he could not take care of him for the time being. It was also inconvenient for Empress Dowager Zheng to plead for him at such a sensitive moment.

The Duke of Anguo's Mansion was not closed, and news from the palace continued to flow into the Zheng Mansion.

Duke Anguo was very clear about what had happened in the palace in the past few days. He was as anxious as an ant on hot pan, pacing around in his study.

When he was not in the court, the Empress Dowager's party had no leader. Jiang Shaohua's arrival was just the right time to fill this vacancy. Moreover, Jiang Shaohua was obviously more trusted by the emperor, and all the measures he used had to be based on the full support of Emperor Taihe.

To put it bluntly, Emperor Taihe tacitly allowed Jiang Shaohua to suppress the ministers in the name of imperial power. As the Son of Heaven, he was willing to give up part of the imperial power, which was a frightening signal.

How could Duke Anguo not be anxious?
If this continues, his influence will be greatly reduced when he returns to the court in the future. Even his influence on Empress Dowager Zheng will be greatly weakened.

"My Lord, the princess is here to visit you."

Duke Anguo was startled and turned his head suddenly: "Jiang Shaohua is here?"

Since when, people mentioned Jiang Shaohua without even mentioning her title. This was because Jiang Shaohua's brilliance was too great, and she had long since overshadowed Princess Baohua and others in the palace. Even the powerful officials of Daliang were particularly respectful when they mentioned the princess. "That's right, I wonder if the Duke wants to see her?" The staff carefully observed the expression of the Duke of Anguo.

Duke Anguo made a quick decision: "Since she has come here on purpose, how can I avoid her? Please come into the study... Forget it, I'll go and greet her in person."

Now, even Prime Minister Wang would have to be polite to Jiang Shaohua. Duke Anguo had a grudge in his heart, so he had to be warm on the surface.

Duke Anguo quickly adjusted his mood and walked out of the study with a smile on his face.

Jiang Shaohua, dressed in the dark princess's uniform, had skin as white as snow, gleaming eyes and eyebrows, and came with a smile.

Duke Anguo was already over 40 years old, but he was also dazzled by this beauty, thinking that it was no wonder that Zheng Chen was obsessed with her and couldn't let her go. Which young man could forget such a girl?

"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you." Duke Anguo bowed.

Jiang Shaohua extended his hand to support him lightly, and said with a gentle smile: "From the perspective of the Empress Dowager, I should call you my cousin. In the past, when I was in Nanyang County, my cousin took care of me, and I am very grateful. Today, I have some free time, so I came to visit my cousin. Please don't be so polite and unfamiliar with me."

Look at how affectionately he calls me "cousin". If you don't know, you would think they were very close friends before!
Duke Anguo sighed in his heart, but smiled happily and said, "My lord, I will accept your kindness. Please come into the study and have a seat."

After entering the study, the two sat down and the beautiful maid brought them some good tea. With the aroma of tea, Jiang Shaohua and Duke Anguo exchanged pleasantries and inevitably mentioned the impeachment in the court that day.

Duke Anguo sighed with shame on his face, "To be honest, it's all my fault for not being able to judge people well. I actually took Wang Pei, that wicked bastard, as my confidant, and got stabbed in the back in the court."

"Now I've fallen into a mud pit and there's no way to get out of it."

The evidence was irrefutable, the price list of selling official positions was clearly laid out, and some low-ranking generals came forward as witnesses. How could this be cleared?
If he could have washed himself away, Duke Anguo would not have stayed in "self-reflection behind closed doors" for more than a month.

Jiang Shaohua sneered in his heart, but he tried to comfort him in a gentle voice: "No one is perfect. My cousin was deceived and made some mistakes. He will correct them in the future."

Duke Anguo sensed something, his eyes lit up, and he looked over hopefully, "Please, Princess, speak up for me in front of the Emperor. Allow me to remain useful and serve the Emperor."

Jiang Shaohua said: "My cousin is loyal, and the emperor knows it. However, the court cannot do without the prime minister at the moment, so my cousin can only be wronged for a while. After the case of General Zuo and Wang Yi is dealt with, it will not be too late for my cousin to return to the court."

Duke Anguo did not dare to show his disappointment, and responded repeatedly: "No, no, I will just take it as a long vacation and rest more at home."

"Fortunately, the princess is here. She can help the emperor relieve his worries and stabilize the court. With the princess here, Prime Minister Wang and others can't cause any trouble."

The straightforward compliment from Duke Anguo made Jiang Shaohua smile slightly: "Uncle, you are too kind. I am just a girl, and if it weren't for the emperor's full trust and support, how could I have such great ability?"

Wow! That's too modest! Daliang has been established for 200 years, and there is only one amazing girl like you.

Duke Anguo complained in his heart, but his smile became more attentive.

...(End of chapter)