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On the day General Zuo returned, Her Majesty the Empress conferred upon him the title of Marquis Weiyuan.

On the day Chen Changshi returned to Beijing, Her Majesty the Empress appointed Chen Changshi as the Prime Minister of Daliang.

Such an honor and favor from the emperor was enough for Weiyuan Hou and Prime Minister Chen to remember for the rest of their lives. The officials in the court talked about it with great relish, and they couldn't help but feel jealous.

They also want such a holy favor!

Dong Shangshu, who had always been on good terms with Prime Minister Chen, was particularly envious. However, he had already prepared himself mentally. If Prime Minister Wang had not been holding on, Chen Changshi would not have had to wait for more than a year and would have been the Prime Minister long ago. Putting aside the Prime Minister, he, the Minister of Rites, was firmly in the second place among the civil officials, and he should be content.

With a new prime minister, the Daliang court quickly took on a new look. At the grand court, Prime Minister Chen stood at the head of all officials. At the small court, Prime Minister Chen did not speak, and the officials had to wait patiently.

A new official has three things to do when he takes office. Prime Minister Chen knew this well and was not in a hurry to show his friendly and gentle side. He quickly established his prestige as the prime minister by leveraging the power of the emperor.

Some gossipers privately discussed the differences between Prime Minister Wang and Prime Minister Chen.

"When Prime Minister Wang was in office, he was overbearing and dictatorial, and would not tolerate any questioning. If you want to ask Prime Minister Wang for leniency, you have to spend a lot of money."

"This Prime Minister Chen is just the opposite. He doesn't accept any gifts sent to him and returns them all. He does everything impartially. He is even more difficult to serve."

Isn't it more difficult to serve?

For all officials, forming cliques and fighting for personal gain are what they are familiar with and good at. Prime Minister Wang's tactics have been going on for decades, and everyone has long been accustomed to them.

The current Prime Minister Chen handles everything impartially, which means that they can no longer fool around and have to work hard. Over the past year or so, the new emperor has ascended the throne, and the atmosphere in the court has long changed. However, the emperor cannot keep an eye on everyone, so they always have some breathing space.

When Prime Minister Chen came to power, he was really rude. In less than two months, he dismissed three officials who were just sitting there doing nothing.

Prime Minister Chen was not worried about not having anyone to use. The Daliang Dynasty had a hundred newly-appointed Jinshi, and there were many officials waiting to be replaced. He could just pull out a few rotten carrots and pick some suitable ones to fill in.

This series of measures taken by Prime Minister Chen was a warning to all officials. The officials became more cautious and diligent in their duties.

Minister Zhang was the most depressed.

The promotion of officials below the third rank was originally the responsibility of the Ministry of Personnel. Today, Prime Minister Chen is constantly making personnel changes, which is like reaching a hand into the Ministry of Personnel. But he, the Minister of Personnel, cannot object. The Prime Minister is the head of all officials, and the six ministers must listen to the Prime Minister. In the past, Emperor Taikang was weak, and Prime Minister Wang was in charge of the government. When Emperor Taihe was in power, although there were two parties fighting for power, Prime Minister Wang was still in charge of the daily affairs of the court.

The one sitting on the dragon throne now is the ruthless and tough Empress Zhaoping. The new Prime Minister has the trust and support of the Empress, and he makes drastic changes in personnel. No one dares to object, nor do they have the right to object.

In the blink of an eye, it is the end of the year.

Her Majesty the Empress changed into her daily clothes, quietly left the palace, and went to the Prince of Nanyang's Palace.

No, it should be said the Prime Minister's Mansion.

That's right, the Empress waved her hand and awarded the former Nanyang Palace to Prime Minister Chen. Prime Minister Chen wanted to refuse, but the Empress smiled and said, "You and Chen Sheren have been living in the palace for more than a year since you came to the capital. Now I am officially giving the palace to you, so you don't have to be polite to me."

"From now on, when I have some free time and want to go out of the palace, going to the Prime Minister's Mansion will be like going home."

The emperor’s favor is so great that I have no way to repay him, so I can only devote myself to his service.

The plaque of the Nanyang Palace was changed to Chen Mansion. Every day, the visiting cards sent to the Prime Minister's Mansion piled up like a mountain. Compared with the time when Prime Minister Wang was at the peak of his power, it was no less.

The Wang family, which is a few streets away from the Chen Mansion, is now much more relaxed.

Officials are so realistic! They are all busy trying to curry favor with the new prime minister. Fortunately, Wang Zhongshu Ling is there to support the Wang family, so they are not so deserted. At the end of the year, there are still many officials who come to the door to send greeting cards and New Year gifts. Even those with high positions don't come to the door easily, and most of them are middle and low-level officials.

Prime Minister Wang was unhappy and had to sneer in front of his son: "Look! The court officials have sharp eyes. The emperor praised you before because of this prime minister. But you lost your mind and kept urging me, your father, to leave the court as soon as possible."

"Now that I have truly stepped down, no one will take you seriously anymore. They will all go to flatter the new prime minister."

Wang Jin knew that his old father was unhappy, so he smiled and comforted him, "Prime Minister Chen is the emperor's trusted minister. When the emperor was the Princess of Nanyang, he was on patrol for half a year every year, and the internal affairs of the palace were all managed by Chen Changshi."

"I have only been a minister to the emperor for more than a year. Chen Changshi has been working in the Nanyang Palace for more than 30 years. How can we compare them?"

"In the officialdom, seniority is earned slowly, and the trust between the emperor and his subjects is also built slowly."

"This is what my father taught me. I have always kept it in mind."

Prime Minister Wang was choked and speechless, and snorted.

Wang Jin smiled and changed the subject: "The emperor left the palace to go to the prime minister's residence today for Chen Sheren. We also prepared a generous gift to send to him."

Chen Sheren had a stomachache early this morning, which lasted for half a day, and she gave birth at noon. The emperor got the news and left the palace in the afternoon.

This kind of friendship is truly enviable.

Prime Minister Wang frowned and suddenly said, "Mr. Chen gave birth to a son, who is only one year younger than Princess Bao'er."

"You should also marry quickly and give birth to a son soon. The age difference between you and the princess should not be more than three years."

Wang Jin: “…”

Wang Jin was so amused that he didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Father is thinking too far ahead."

Prime Minister Wang glanced at Wang Jin and said, "This is not a long-term thing. This is a matter in front of us. When the prince was selecting a companion, you were of the right age, so you were chosen to enter the palace to be the prince's companion."

"Children will grow up in the blink of an eye. In a few years, Princess Baoer will start to learn to read, and she will definitely need a companion. Given the Empress's temper, she might make Princess Baoer the crown prince. At least one of the future crown prince's companions must go to the Wang family."

"If you have trouble giving birth, your brothers' families can all pick out suitable ones."

Prime Minister Wang said this in anger.

The prince's companion is not someone you can just pick randomly. He must have a good family background and be favored by the emperor, and he must also be smart and clever enough to catch the emperor's eye.

Wang Jin was silent for a moment and nodded in response.

Prime Minister Wang immediately said, "I will write a letter to the Cui family and move up the wedding date by half a year. Choose an auspicious day in April for you to marry your wife." (End of this chapter)