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Chapter 520: Marriage (Part )

Jiang Shaohua's words were quite encouraging.

Princess Baohua cheered up and responded, "Thank you for your comfort and advice, cousin. I don't understand the affairs of the country, and I know nothing about war. I hope everything will be as my cousin said, and Daliang will prosper."

At this moment, a familiar figure appeared in front of everyone.

Empress Dowager Zheng's eyes lit up: "Did the emperor summon you back to the court?"

The visitor was none other than the Minister of War, Duke Anguo.

After receiving the emperor's oral order, Duke Anguo entered the palace without delay. With sweat on his forehead, he bowed deeply and said, "Yes, Your Majesty's grace is so great that I am deeply grateful." He then bowed and greeted several distinguished girls.

Empress Dowager Zheng said, "Since the Emperor has urgently summoned you to the palace, there must be something important to discuss. Go in quickly. When you are free, come to Jingyang Palace to talk."

Duke Anguo bowed in response and hurried into the Zhaohe Hall.

At this time, Prime Minister Wang, Minister Ji, and several military generals were in the Showa Main Hall. Emperor Taihe, whose body had not yet recovered, sat on the dragon throne with a frown on his face.

Duke Anguo stepped forward, knelt down, and bowed deeply: "This old minister greets the emperor."

Emperor Taihe waved his hand, signaling Duke Anguo to stand up. "Save the formalities. Something big has happened in the court. I have asked you to come to the palace to discuss countermeasures. Come on, please take a seat."

Duke Anguo took his seat with tears of gratitude, and bowed to the ministers.

Prime Minister Wang opened his mouth and told the story of Rouran Khan Fu Mingdun sending a letter to the country asking for the princess' hand in marriage.

When Duke Anguo heard this, he was furious and cursed the shameless Rouran Khan, but his heart suddenly felt relieved.

No wonder the emperor urgently summoned him back to the court. This was to prepare for the Rouran invasion, and the Ministry of War needed to dispatch troops as soon as possible to respond. Minister Wang and Minister Ding were not famous enough, so he had to stay in the Ministry of War.

The impeachment for selling official positions was naturally not mentioned. General Zuo was reinstated and in charge of the army again. Wang Yi was released from prison and returned to his ancestral home safely. His return to the court as the Minister of War was not so conspicuous.

"Minister Zheng, the Ministry of War should immediately send an official document to the border troops, ordering them to prepare for war with all their strength." Emperor Taihe said in a deep voice: "Also, dispatch more troops to support the border troops at any time."

Duke Anguo calmly responded.

General Zuo wanted to volunteer, but Prime Minister Wang glanced at him calmly and shook his head. General Zuo had no choice but to shut up.

Sure enough, Duke Anguo immediately suggested that the Yongwei Battalion prepare to support the border troops.

The Yongwei Battalion is the elite of the garrison in the capital, half of whom are cavalry, and the chief commander, General Song, is a steady and prudent veteran. It is indeed appropriate for the Yongwei Battalion to send troops to reinforce. Most importantly, General Song is one of the few neutral factions in the court, and can also be said to be a faction loyal to the emperor.

Emperor Taihe thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

General Song was not afraid of the Rouran cavalry at all. He seemed quite happy to hear about the battle. He bowed and loudly accepted the order: "I will obey your order."

……

An hour later, all the ministers dispersed.

Emperor Taihe held on for half a day, now exhausted, he said weakly, "Please invite the Imperial Grandmother and the eldest sister in."

Eunuch Ge looked distressed and whispered, "Your Majesty is not strong enough, why don't you take a rest before meeting the Empress Dowager and the Princess."

Emperor Taihe sighed, "It's OK for the Empress Dowager, but my elder sister must be uneasy when she heard about the marriage. I have to comfort her. Okay, no need to say more, please let them in, I can handle it." Eunuch Ge reluctantly accepted the order and left. A moment later, Empress Dowager Zheng and her entourage entered the main hall.

Jiang Shaohua had the best and sharpest eyesight, and he immediately noticed something was wrong: "Is the emperor too tired and feeling unwell?"

Emperor Taihe said with a pale face: "I'm fine..."

Before he could finish his words, his body swayed.

Everyone was shocked. Jiang Shaohua reacted the fastest, leaping forward and holding onto Emperor Taihe's arm. With the help of this support, Emperor Taihe managed to stabilize his body, then smiled bitterly and said, "My body is useless."

Empress Dowager Zheng and Princess Baohua gathered around with anxious looks on their faces, and Jiang Wanhua and Jiang Yuehua also hurried forward to show concern for the emperor's health.

Jiang Shaohua let go and stepped back calmly.

Doctor Ji came in hurriedly with a medicine box, gave acupuncture to Emperor Taihe, and said, "Your Majesty is fine for now, but you should not worry too much, it's best to rest in bed."

Eunuch Ge and two other eunuchs helped Emperor Taihe to lie down in his bedroom. Empress Dowager Zheng was worried, so she went in with Princess Baohua to accompany him. The three generations of grandparents and grandchildren obviously had something to say.

Jiang Wanhua and Jiang Yuehua were tactful enough not to follow them in and get in the way. When they saw that Jiang Shaohua didn't go in either, they felt much more at ease.

That’s right, since we all have similar status, we should advance and retreat together...wait!
"Cousin Shaohua, where are you going?" Jiang Wanhua was a little surprised: "It's already noon, aren't you going to have lunch with us?"

Jiang Shaohua smiled and said, "I plan to go to the Ministry of Revenue today, so I'll just have lunch there. My two cousins ​​don't have to wait for me."

Jiang Wanhua and Jiang Yuehua watched Jiang Shaohua leave, and were both very upset. There is no need to elaborate.

Jiang Shaohua had neither the time nor the desire to compete with the two of them.

Over the past month, she has inspected the four government offices of the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Justice, using both soft and hard tactics to crack down on them one by one, and has achieved considerable results. Of course, she cannot give up halfway.

……

"What? The princess came to the Ministry of Revenue?"

Minister Ji had just returned from the palace and had barely sat down in his chair when he heard that Jiang Shaohua had arrived.

Minister Ji was so surprised that he couldn't help but grumble, "How can a girl be so powerful that she won't let anyone have a rest for a day?"

After complaining, you still have to greet the other person politely.

Minister Ji was famous for his bad temper. In fact, being in charge of the Ministry of Revenue was the most laborious job, and it was hard to have a good temper when sitting in this position. Just like Feng Changshi of the Nanyang Palace, when he cursed, even Chen Changshi had to avoid him.

Jiang Shaohua was also very polite and respectful to Minister Ji, and said with a smile: "I know the Ministry of Revenue is the busiest. The other ministries have all gone on inspections, and the Ministry of Revenue cannot miss out. I am here today just to take a casual look around, Minister Ji, don't be nervous, just focus on your own business."

How could Minister Ji not be nervous?

Which government office doesn’t have some shady dealings?
The Ministry of Revenue was in charge of the national treasury. The amount of money and grain that went out of the Ministry of Revenue every year was a very huge number, and the account books in the Ministry of Revenue were piled up like a mountain. Even Minister Ji himself couldn't tell how many of the numbers in so many account books were true and how many were false. It was also an indisputable fact that all the officials in the Ministry of Revenue were well-off.

The Nanyang County government adopted an iron-fisted and impartial attitude and conducted a strict investigation of the Ministry of Revenue, which was completely unable to resist.

Minister Ji forced out the most amiable smile of his life: "My Lady, where would you like to start? How about I have someone bring all the account books for the past year?"