amaotonovel Chapter 42 She was a little homesick.
Chapter 42 She was a little homesick.
"I went home. Master, Madam, and Second Miss are all well. They were just worried about you, but I've already told them not to worry," Peony said, recounting her journey.
Shen Li was standing in front of the table feeding the snake. After feeding it for a few days, the snake had become much more docile, eating at the appointed time every day and rarely making a sound in the quilt.
"That's good." Shen Li twitched her nostrils, feeling both helpless and amused: "This realgar is just going to keep burning for ages."
"Consort Zheng had another nightmare last night. With such a timid heart, why would she harm anyone?" Peony was very puzzled.
Shen Li shook her head, suffocated by the smell, fed the last piece of meat to the little snake, put down the clamps, washed up, and went to sleep.
However, she still couldn't fall asleep while lying in bed. She didn't know if Gu Chang'an would listen to her. She had originally wanted to give the people in the palace a good beating, but now she was actually a little homesick.
Fortunately, Shen Li still has her paintings. Whenever she paints, she feels relaxed and doesn't miss home as much.
For several days, turmoil raged both inside and outside the palace. The former Dali Temple and the Flying Fish Guard seemed to be competing to arrest people, creating an atmosphere of fear and unease. Even the usually vocal and assertive censors had fallen silent.
Every time Consort Zheng went to the Empress's palace to pay her respects, she carried a tense atmosphere. The Empress was so angry that she had a headache but dared not retaliate. With the Crown Prince's confinement coming to an end, she would not choose this time to confront Consort Zheng directly.
But the consequence of not resisting was that the imperial physician summoned him twice, and it was clear that he was quite angry.
Consort Zheng was furious whenever she thought about how she had been forced to compromise. Originally, her anger was directed at Shen Li, but Xia Shiyin's words made her realize that no matter how infuriating Shen Li was, she was just a pawn. The real culprits were the Empress and the Crown Prince.
She was determined to get revenge, otherwise she would not be able to vent her anger.
The emperor still favored Consort Zheng after all. When the previous dynasty made a move against Prince Yi's people, he came to Anhua Palace that night to appease Consort Zheng. Consort Zheng, however, acted understanding and seemed not to be angry at all.
Shen Li and Xia Shiyin were taken to two dinners. During the meals, Shen Li learned a lot about how Consort Zheng treated men. Seeing how Emperor Cheng seemed to enjoy it, she was greatly inspired.
Turns out I'm still too inexperienced; no wonder I couldn't win over Gu Chang'an.
Emperor Cheng was relieved to see that his beloved concubine was very sensible. In his middle age, he finally softened a little and felt that this matter should be brought to a close.
The next day, he summoned the four cabinet ministers, the heads of the six ministries, the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Office of Transmission to discuss how to quell the two major cases.
Which of the officials present didn't understand the implications? The emperor had acted as a peacemaker between the two parties, and anyone who insisted on opposing him at this point would be considered ungrateful.
It's easy to quell these two cases, but it's not easy to give an explanation to the officials and the people, which involves someone having to take responsibility.
Everyone knew perfectly well that bringing up such a matter in this setting would most likely result in both sides being equally blamed.
"The current unrest in the court is the fault of your oversight. As the heads of all officials, have you, the Grand Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel, reflected on your mistakes?" Emperor Cheng questioned.
The head of the cabinet was naturally Grand Secretary Zhou Zhen, while the Minister of Personnel was Consort Zheng's elder brother and Prince Yi's maternal uncle.
"Your Majesty, we are guilty." Zhou Zhen and Minister Zheng both knelt down and begged for forgiveness.
Emperor Cheng naturally wouldn't let it go so easily. He then pointed out the faults of most of the people present, and as a result, a large number of them knelt down.
"Admitting guilt is not difficult; the difficulty lies in how to make amends. Do you have any ideas?" Emperor Cheng vented his anger before finally sitting down, satisfied.
Zhou Zhen then spoke up: "Your Majesty, the previous cabinet had seven members, but now there are only four of us. We are bound to overlook many things. I beg Your Majesty to appoint cabinet ministers to assist the country."
This was certainly not his intention, but it had to be brought up, otherwise he would definitely be accused of authoritarianism.
Emperor Cheng was satisfied with these words, so he asked Minister Zheng again. The old man first tried to persuade the emperor to resign, but the emperor refused. Then, for the first time ever, he proposed to add a Grand Secretary to the cabinet.
This was unexpected by Emperor Cheng, since the Ministry of Personnel had always opposed the proposal, as the majority of the cabinet members were from the Crown Prince's faction, and he did not want the cabinet to grow any stronger.
"Is there anyone suitable for the position of Grand Secretary?" Emperor Cheng asked tentatively.
"I recommend Minister of Rites, Lord Shen," Zhou Zhen said almost without thinking, followed by a string of effusive praises, making it sound as if not using Shen Zizai would be a great loss.
Emperor Cheng nodded slightly. Although the Ministry of Rites did not have as much real power as the other ministries, it was the most prestigious ministry because it was in charge of national rites and laws, the imperial examinations, and foreign relations.
He wouldn't have been able to become Minister of Rites if he hadn't chosen a cabinet minister he favored.
Moreover, he was very satisfied with Shen Zizai's performance this time, and he believed that Shen Zizai's upright character was sufficient for this position.
However, if this idea is to be achieved, it will inevitably require a lot of persuasion from the Ministry of Personnel.
"I second that it is indeed the best candidate for the cabinet," Minister Zheng said immediately.
Upon hearing this, not only was Emperor Cheng stunned, but even Zhou Zhen's eyes showed surprise. He thought that the Prince Yi's faction would object!
Where did things go wrong?
"We second that proposal." The other officials, regardless of their party affiliation, went along with it and immediately knelt down.
Emperor Cheng was even a little unaccustomed to this unexpectedly smooth scene. Was the court still a court if it was quiet and peaceful?
The only person who felt something was wrong about this was Shen Zizai himself.
"There's no need to refuse. Effective immediately, Er is appointed Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion and concurrently Minister of Rites until a suitable head is found in the Ministry of Rites." Emperor Cheng was also afraid that someone would cause trouble, so he immediately issued the decree.
Shen Zi himself had no idea what had happened, and he had already entered the cabinet? He even concurrently served as Minister, which was extremely rare before.
When Gu Chang'an bowed down, a look of joy flashed in his eyes. It seemed that A-Li was indeed doing well in the palace and could still find time to influence the power dynamics between the two palaces.
Who would have thought that painting in the inner palace could influence the political situation?
It's time for him to loosen his grip on those people. Consider that they've finally found a true Buddha this time; otherwise, even if His Majesty intended to downplay the matter, he was confident he could uncover the incriminating evidence.
After the court session, Emperor Cheng felt increasingly uneasy about how smoothly things had gone. He couldn't help but mutter to Wang Ru beside him, "Old man, do you think there's something fishy about this that I haven't noticed?"
"This old servant is ignorant of state affairs, but I feel that Minister Zheng is unlikely to disobey Your Majesty's wishes." Wang Ru naturally understood the principle of not saying much.
Emperor Cheng thought for a moment and nodded: "Yes, my beloved concubine has been doing the same thing lately. Unlike the Crown Prince, who is highly regarded by the civil officials, they can only rely on me, so naturally they dare not be presumptuous."
Wang Ru said no more.
"In the end, they were the ones who suffered this injustice." Emperor Cheng thought of Consort Zheng's recent obsequious and ingratiating behavior, and it was hard not to feel sorry for her.
They should still be given some compensation.