spend time

The detailed rules for the military exercise were discussed repeatedly before they were finally finalized. Then they were copied into several copies, one was presented to the emperor, one was kept in the Ministry of War, and the other four were sent to General Bao, General Zuo and four others.

As for the border troops, they had to guard the border, so this military exercise was of no use at all. However, the emperor also had strict requirements for the border troops to train. The Ministry of War continued to be busy, and did not mention the details of the training and assessment for the border troops.

Furthermore, the garrisons in various places cannot live a carefree life. The imperial court has allocated enough military funds this year, so the garrisons must also be trained.

Therefore, the Ministry of War had to continue to work overtime and hold meetings...

Minister Ding and Minister Wang tended to stay in the yamen for a long time and not go home. The military yamen was brightly lit every night.

The Ministry of Revenue is no less impressive.

Song Yuan, the commander of the Song army, had already confiscated the property of the Dongping Palace. Except for the farms and shops that could not be moved, all the gold, silver, jade, jewelry, antiques and curios that could be moved were transported to the Ministry of Revenue. The Ministry of Revenue had to count and register each item and put it into storage. How could it not be busy?

Minister Ji repeatedly instructed the officials of the Ministry of Revenue: "You must register and count the entire amount. If there is any mistake, go to the palace and apologize to the emperor."

"Even Prime Minister Wang couldn't save Doctor Wan. Think about it carefully. If there is any mistake in the mission, who can save you?"

There were officials in the Ministry of Revenue who were members of the Empress Dowager Party. When they heard this, they were a little dissatisfied. The emperor was rude to Prime Minister Wang because Prime Minister Wang no longer went to court to handle government affairs. The Empress Dowager in the harem had to be respected and flattered by the emperor. If he gave some gifts to the Empress Dowager in private, would the emperor also execute him?

This official, who held a lower position, was a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue. He had defected to the Empress Dowager several years ago.

He held a low position, but enjoyed a good salary, and often showed filial piety to the Zheng family and the Empress Dowager. Relying on his strong backing, he left behind a batch of the most precious treasures when he was counting the people, and then quietly sent them to the Jingyang Palace.

Naturally, these little actions could not be hidden from Minister Ji.

Minister Ji was so angry that he called the official named Jiang over and gave him a severe scolding.

Jiang Yuanwailang did not feel guilty and responded confidently: "Sir, I have not taken any bribes. The treasures I left behind are all for honoring the Empress Dowager. The property of the Prince of Dongping's Mansion originally belonged to the royal family. The emperor was concerned about the national treasury and allocated all the money to fill it. I withheld a portion and sent it to Jingyang Palace. It is not like it was left somewhere else."

Seeing Mr. Jiang's stubborn character, Minister Ji sneered, "You rely on your backers in the palace and don't take my words seriously. Well, I will go to the palace in person and report this to the emperor. Let's see how the emperor will deal with it!"

After saying that, he turned his sleeves and left.

……

Before Minister Ji entered the palace, the news about Tang Youyin had already been delivered to the palace.

After hearing the news, Jiang Shaohua sneered, "This Jiang Yuanwailang is not that brave. He must have secretly instructed Jingyang Palace before, so he openly intercepted some treasures and sent them to Jingyang Palace."

Empress Dowager Zheng was unwilling to sit idly by and watch all the property of Prince Dongping's mansion go into the national treasury, and she wanted to get a piece of the pie.

Song Yuan, who had just rested for a day and was working hard, frowned and whispered, "The Empress Dowager's actions will weaken the emperor's prestige."

Jiang Shaohua has been on the throne for less than three months. A new official has to do his best when he takes office, and when a new emperor ascends the throne, he naturally has to show all kinds of means to intimidate his ministers.

What Empress Dowager Zheng did was simply a hindrance.

Dealing with Empress Dowager Zheng is different from dealing with Prime Minister Wang. Jiang Shaohua used Wang Jin and gave Prime Minister Wang certain political promises in exchange for Prime Minister Wang's silent concessions. Empress Dowager Zheng was also caught in a sore spot because of Zheng Chen's treason and defection, and she has been relatively well-behaved in the past few months. Now suddenly this happened. To put it simply, it was just asking for some money and property, which was not worth turning against each other, but ignoring it was not okay. How to deal with this matter requires a sense of proportion.

Jiang Shaohua pondered for a moment and came up with an idea: "Wait for Minister Ji to enter the palace and listen to what he has to say first."

Minister Ji went to the palace to see the emperor and explained the whole story first. Then he made his position clear and wanted to severely punish Jiang Yuanwailang.

As long as Jiang Shaohua goes along with the situation, the matter will be over. By using Minister Ji to deal with Jiang Yuanwailang, when Empress Dowager Zheng gets angry, Jiang Shaohua can shirk responsibility and pass the blame to Minister Ji. Empress Dowager Zheng cannot do anything to the Minister of Revenue because of such a small matter.

Minister Ji took the initiative to "take the blame" for the emperor, which was also a display of his loyalty.

Jiang Shaohua said in a gentle voice: "I understand Minister Ji's intention. However, this matter cannot be handled in this way. I have never had the habit of letting my subordinates take the blame."

"As for Jingyang Palace, I will go and explain the matter to the Empress Dowager."

Minister Ji was stunned for a moment: "Your Majesty, I am not afraid of being scolded by the Empress Dowager..."

Jiang Shaohua smiled slightly: "I know, but I can't watch a loyal and capable minister being humiliated. I will handle this matter myself."

As a veteran official who had served in the imperial court for several decades, including the Minister of Revenue for more than ten years, it was impossible for Minister Ji not to see that the emperor was trying to win over his officials.

But at this moment, his heart was still burning.

Even my eyes felt a little sore.

Yes, the emperor was coaxing you. But you are an old official in your 50s or 60s who can only do your job barely enough. The emperor did not immediately find a capable confidant to replace you, but was willing to teach you and coax you. How could you not be grateful?
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your consideration." Minister Ji bowed deeply to express his gratitude.

Jiang Shaohua smiled and ordered: "Minister Wang, you will help Minister Ji to get up on my behalf, and then send him back to the Ministry of Revenue. And pass on my oral order that from today on, Jiang Yuanwailang will be transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to serve, and his official rank will remain unchanged."

Wang Jin bowed and accepted the order.

Minister Ji was a little surprised. He looked up and wanted to say something, but then he thought, Mr. Jiang had brought this upon himself. The emperor was already showing mercy for the sake of the Empress Dowager.

You have to bear the consequences of your own actions!

……

An hour later.

Jiang Yuanwailang was struck by lightning and blurted out: "I am an official of the imperial court. How can I work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs? This is against the rules of the imperial court!"

He was a Jinshi who passed the imperial examination twice. He worked ten years to become a fifth-rank official. He took refuge with the Empress Dowager in order to have a backer and get promoted faster.

Where is the Imperial Household Department?
It was a place that managed the money and internal affairs of the royal family. Most of the people employed there were eunuchs, standard servants of the royal family who obeyed orders. Moreover, the official rank of the Imperial Household Department was also different from that of the court officials. The emperor could use whomever he wanted, and dismissed them with just a word.

How could he have ended up in a place like that? (End of this chapter)