spend time

May, the fifteenth year of Zhaoping.

Her Majesty the Empress, who had been on patrol for four years, finally returned with a group of civil and military officials.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince led all the court officials to welcome them outside the city gate.

When the mother and daughter met again, they were both surprised.

"I haven't seen you for a few years. Bao'er has grown into a big girl."

"After four years of separation, my mother doesn't look any older. On the contrary, she looks younger and more beautiful."

The fourteen-year-old Crown Prince Jiang Ning was tall and slender, with eyes as clear as the moon. He was like a newly grown tree, full of energy and vigor.

The 31-year-old Empress Jiang Shaohua has been traveling outside for four years, but she does not show any sign of fatigue. Her face is smooth and her spirits are high. She looks younger and more energetic than four years ago.

Cui Du couldn't help but quickly stepped forward and held his daughter's hand: "Bao'er, Daddy is back too."

Jiang Ning's face was filled with joy and he called out "Father".

The family of three reunited and there was endless joy.

Ma Shenyuan, the prince's companion, has now grown into a young man with a handsome face and a gentle temperament with a hint of the youthful shyness that is typical of young people.

Ma Shenyuan walked up to Chen Jinyu and gently called out "Mother".

Chen Jinyu choked up and responded, reaching out to hold her son's hand: "In the blink of an eye, you have grown up so much."

Prime Minister Chen, who was standing by, glanced over with a smile and said, "When you were posted in Yuzhou, Kang Ge'er had just learned to speak. You stayed in Beijing for less than half a year, and then followed the emperor on an inspection tour, and it took you four years to come back. For you, it was just a blink of an eye, and your son grew up."

The person who really put in the effort to raise the child was his great-grandfather.

Chen Jinyu looked at her grandfather with white hair and felt more guilty: "My granddaughter is unfilial and has caused you to suffer."

Jiang Shaohua also looked over, his tone also full of guilt: "I have been away for four years. Thank you, Prime Minister, Minister Feng, and all the ministers in the court for your hard work."

When the emperor opens his mouth, the weight of the words is completely different.

Prime Minister Chen replied solemnly, "The emperor inspected Daliang, executed corrupt officials, rectified Daliang's officialdom, led the army in person at the border, annihilated the Rouran barbarians, and dominated the grasslands. The one who worked really hard was the emperor."

Minister Feng, who also had a head full of white hair, took over the conversation with a serious face: "What I have done is all my duty, so it is not hard work. Your Majesty has a body worth millions of gold, and he has been working hard outside to expand the territory of Daliang and establish a great cause that will last forever. This old minister congratulates the emperor!"

Minister Dong and others all praised the Empress's achievements.

During these four years, Jiang Shaohua's prestige in the court increased instead of decreasing while he was on patrol. He reorganized the garrisons in various places, replaced many generals, and killed corrupt officials, all of which frightened the officials. When the news of the great victory in the grassland war reached the capital, the people were excited, and no one among the officials privately muttered nonsense such as the emperor was not in the capital and was running around.

He was a truly wise emperor who could maintain domestic peace and resist foreign aggression, and made all the tribes on the grassland submit and pay tribute.

Jiang Shaohua laughed: "Stop talking, everyone. If you keep bragging, I will lose my mind and really think I am the wisest ruler in history."

"All of you follow me back to the palace. I will hold a banquet in the palace today to celebrate with all of you."

All the ministers responded loudly and escorted Her Majesty into the city gate.

In the past few years, with the crown prince in charge, the court officials were relatively stable and there were no unusual movements. However, now that the empress had returned, the officials felt particularly at ease. Jiang Ning looked at his mother's heroic figure, looking down on the world, and a sense of pride and admiration rose in his heart.

I wonder when she will be able to have the charm and grace of her mother.

The palace gates were wide open, and Queen Mother Li led a group of concubines and Prince Ping and his wife to welcome them.

After not seeing each other for several years, Empress Dowager Li had a lot to say to Jiang Shaohua. However, in front of everyone, she couldn't say much.

Jiang Shaohua smiled and said, "Tomorrow I will go to Ning'an Palace to pay my respects to my mother."

Empress Dowager Li relaxed her brows and laughed, "Okay, I'll have breakfast prepared and wait for the emperor to come and eat together."

……

Jiang Shaohua never drinks, but today he broke the custom and offered three glasses of wine to all the ministers. He smiled gently and said, "I have been on patrol for four years, and I have entrusted all the important matters of the court to you. You have lived up to my high expectations. The court affairs have run smoothly in the past few years, and this is all thanks to you."

"I toast you three cups."

The ministers were flattered and toasted. Minister Dong was so excited that he burst into tears: "In the past few years, I have missed the emperor every day. If the emperor wants to leave the capital for inspection again, I am willing to follow him and serve him at his side."

This Minister Dong's skill in flattery has reached perfection and is becoming more and more profound.

The ministers were secretly complaining and wishing that the words just now had come from their own mouths.

Jiang Shaohua smiled and comforted the excited Minister Dong: "Minister Dong is old, how can he stand the hardship of traveling. Let the young officials take care of the trivial matters. With Minister Dong in charge of the Ministry of Rites, I can leave the capital for inspection with peace of mind."

Minister Dong was so delighted by the emperor that his face was flushed with joy.

Minister Yang, Minister Ding and others were unwilling to be left out, and they stood up and toasted the emperor.

"In the past few years, the Ministry of Justice has never had a backlog of cases, and there have been very few false and wrongful convictions. This is all thanks to Minister Yang."

"When the border was at war, the Ministry of War acted decisively and immediately sent reinforcements. I will always remember Minister Ding's contribution."

Jiang Shaohua joked casually and appeased the ministers who were vying for favor one by one. The Empress did not ignore the Minister of Personnel Wang who had been silent all this time, and said with a smile: "I will open a market at the border, and Ma Yaozong will temporarily manage a bunch of affairs. The Ministry of Personnel needs to send some people, and we need to choose smart and capable ministers, preferably those who are proficient in Rouran language. These matters will be taken care of by Minister Wang."

Wang Jin, who had been the Minister of Personnel for four years, was already middle-aged, with a short beard, handsome, elegant, and calm. Upon hearing this, he smiled and cupped his hands in response, "I will prepare the list when I return and present it to the emperor."

Jiang Shaohua smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Minister Wang. I want to see the list within three days."

Of course, we cannot ignore Prime Minister Chen and Shangshu Feng, who worked the hardest and made the greatest contributions.

As the emperor, Jiang Shaohua was not in a position to stand up and toast. He gave the two dishes in front of him to Prime Minister Chen and Minister Feng respectively: "I remember that the Prime Minister likes fish the most, and Minister Feng likes beef the most. I didn't touch these two dishes, so I gave them to the Prime Minister and Minister Feng."

The emperor is so busy with state affairs that he is always concerned about the country's major affairs, yet he remembers even this little thing clearly.

Prime Minister Chen and Shangshu Feng were both impressed and stood up together to express their gratitude.

Jiang Shaohua smiled and said, "The Prime Minister and Minister Feng are not only my right-hand men, but also the courage and confidence that enables me to leave the capital for a tour. It is my blessing to have you."

Jiang Ning thought, no wonder the Prime Minister and Minister Feng always said that she still had a lot to learn. Just the ability to coax ministers would be enough for her to figure out for three to five years. (End of this chapter)