[Alas... In short, when Imperial Censor Wang saw Lady Wang again, she was in the slave market. By then, Imperial Censor Wang had been appointed to the Hanlin Academy, and although it was only a minor official position, he was doing a very good job!]
"By the way, Guagua, after Imperial Censor Wang entered the Hanlin Academy, did he go back to his hometown to visit Lady Wang?"
Yes!
Everyone wants to know if Imperial Censor Wang ever went back to his childhood sweetheart after he became successful.
[Host, Imperial Censor Wang is a man of high moral character. How could he not have gone to see her? He even prepared betrothal gifts to marry Lady Wang, but when he returned, he was dumbfounded! The engagement was called off!]
The officials couldn't help but shed another tear of sympathy for Imperial Censor Wang.
What a cruel twist of fate!
[Guagua, please continue.]
Upon hearing this, Imperial Censor Wang went directly to Madam Wang's house. However, her parents were shameless and said that they would use Madam Wang's younger sister as a substitute for her in marriage, whether as a wife or a concubine. Later, when he heard that Madam Wang had been sold into a brothel, Imperial Censor Wang was so angry that he almost fainted!
He rushed to the brothel in town to redeem Madam Wang, but when he arrived, she had already run away!
The madam was quite shrewd, trying to find a way to say that she hadn't mistreated Madam Wang, and that Madam Wang's absence from the brothel was an accident!
From then on, Imperial Censor Wang embarked on a journey to find Lady Wang.
Emperor Jingyuan: A man of great loyalty and affection.
[Guagua, what a touching love story! Imperial Censor Wang finally reunited with Lady Wang! That's wonderful!]
[Sigh... Host, Madam Wang was sold several times and mistreated. Although she was eventually brought into the mansion by Imperial Censor Wang, who took great care of her, she always felt that she was not worthy of him. Even after Imperial Censor Wang punished those evil people, Madam Wang could not let go of her resentment.]
At that time, the person who helped Imperial Censor Wang was the Supervising Censor Chu He. This is why, after spending several years in the Hanlin Academy, Imperial Censor Wang did not enter the Six Ministries, but instead chose to become an Imperial Censor.
Because it was Lord Chu He who impeached all those corrupt officials, wealthy merchants, and others!
Therefore, Imperial Censor Wang is now very keen on impeaching people!
He would not allow any mistakes to be made by the officials of the Great Yan.
Shen Mingzhu: ...
"Guagua, I am a good official, right? Look, even Censor Wang didn't impeach me."
[Host, of course you're a good official! You're the most lazy and good official ever!]
All the officials couldn't help but laugh when they heard Guagua's last sentence.
The heavy atmosphere of the hall suddenly felt much lighter.
[Alas... I hope Lady Wang can resolve her inner turmoil and grow old with Imperial Censor Wang! Life passes by in the blink of an eye; don't dwell on the past, but enjoy the present and the future.]
All the officials in the court nodded in agreement.
That's definitely the case.
[Guagua, we've been chatting for so long, I'm starving! We can't eat in the main hall, my stomach can't take it!]
[Host, why don't you eat something? Look, the minister in front of you is taking out pastries from his sleeve and secretly eating them.]
Let me see!
The ministers also whispered among themselves and looked around.
Which adult is so inconsiderate as to eat pastries in the main hall? If I don't like him, I'll report him to the authorities later.
Someone: Uh...
I choked!
Someone please save him!
Let me drool!
It's him!
[Oh dear! Zhou Haolin, the Left Vice Minister of War, choked!]
Jian Wenzheng, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, was standing right next to him. Upon hearing this, he slapped Jian Wenzheng on the back.
"Pfft~"
A piece of pastry was spat out!
Zhou Haolin's face turned completely red; he had clearly choked quite badly.
The people around him watched him with expressions of amusement.
How bold!
Doesn't he see there's a ruthless compiler like Shen Mingzhu in court these days, ready to spill the beans at any moment?
He even dared to eat some pastries secretly!
Zhou Haolin looked at his superior, Minister Ye Tianming, with a face full of shame.
Minister Ye glared at him fiercely, then turned and stood there solemnly without saying a word, while actually observing the surrounding movements at all times.
Seeing that no one came forward to expose them, they instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, once this matter concerning the Ministry of War was exposed, he, as the Minister of War, would lose face.
[Guagua, everyone saw what happened, aren't you going to do anything about it? Does this mean I can bring pastries to court from now on?!]
Emperor Jingyuan's expression changed. From now on, it's outrageous for ministers to bring pastries to court and eat them at the same time!
Immediately, some astute officials came forward to impeach Zhou Haolin, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and in the end, Emperor Jingyuan punished him by deducting one month's salary.
"This will not happen again!"
Zhou Haolin: "Yes, Your Majesty!"
All the officials covered their mouths and laughed, except for the Ministry of War.
Because Minister of War Ye Tianming's face was ashen, none of them dared to laugh.
Shen Changyuan wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He felt his back was soaked.
Imperial Censor Wang stood there motionless, seemingly lost in thought.
[Ahhh, Guagua, I feel like I'm incredibly strong right now, I could kill a bull! Hahaha…]
The demonic laughter echoed in the ears of everyone in the hall.
Everyone turned and secretly glanced at Shen Mingzhu.
[Guagua, what's wrong with the ministers? Why are they all looking back? What's behind us? Should I look back too?]
After saying that, he even pretended to look back.
[Host, what are you looking back at?]
[Guagua, what do you know? Everyone's looking back; there must be something amazing. We may not know what it is, but we must stick together! That way, we can better integrate into this big group!]
The entire court was somewhat embarrassed.
The system didn't pay much attention to those minor details, but instead spoke with great interest.
[Host, how's it going? Isn't the Power Pill amazing? You're incredibly powerful now! Passing the martial arts championship won't be a problem!]
[Guagua, young ladies shouldn't be so violent. They should be ladylike and dignified, or they'll be laughed at!]
Everyone: ...
She diligently studied and compiled the true knowledge of propriety.
A powerful tonic?
What?
Is it a pill that makes you stronger?
If the soldiers could obtain the Power Pill, wouldn't they be invincible?
Shen Changyuan couldn't help but look at her intently. The father and daughter's eyes met, and Shen Mingzhu smiled sweetly at her father, gesturing and mouthing that she was fine and there was no need to worry about her.
Shen Changyuan turned his head, his words carrying a heavy weight.
The court session ended quickly!
General Tian Xuezhou deliberately brushed past her, then slowly slowed his pace and leaned towards her. However, Shen Mingzhu reacted quickly and pushed him three meters away.
"Bang!"
General Tian Xuezhou fell heavily to the ground.
He swallowed the mouthful of blood that rose to his lips.
Everyone stared in disbelief at what was happening.
Shen Mingzhu stood frozen, thinking, "Where's her father at this time?!"
[Daddy, Daddy, come quick! Your little darling seems to have gotten into trouble!]
Shen Changyuan hadn't gone far when he heard Shen Mingzhu's call and ran all the way over.
"Mingzhu, what's wrong?"
"Father, I accidentally pushed General Tian. I really didn't mean to!"
General Pei Siyan looked at Shen Mingzhu with shining eyes. He helped General Tian up and said with a smile,
"It's alright, Shen Mingzhu, don't worry, he just need to rest!"
Shen Changyuan, "Are you really alright?"
Tian Xuezhou: "Minister Shen, i am okay!"
"That's good! That's good!"
Shen Changyuan exchanged a few pleasantries with a smile, then gave Shen Mingzhu some instructions.
"Mingzhu, you should go to the Hanlin Academy and do your duty properly. Don't think too much, don't look at things too much! Never mind, you can just go to the Hanlin Academy and take a nap. I'll come find you when you get back!"
"Understood, Father!"
Before leaving, Shen Changyuan poked her head hard.
"Stay put in the Hanlin Academy."
"Oh, I see! By the way, Father, are we going to see His Highness the Crown Prince again today?"
Shen Changyuan slapped his forehead. Yesterday, Shen Mingzhu said she was going to give Crown Prince Yan Beichen some kind of recovery pill, and then the Crown Prince would wake up.
After thinking for a moment, he said,
"Go to the Hanlin Academy first, and wait for your father to come find you. We'll go to the Crown Prince's residence together. Stay put and don't cause any trouble!"
"I know, Father. What trouble could I possibly cause!"
well...
Didn't you see it?
Wang Yushi is still hanging his head, looking like a big, listless dog that's had its bone stolen.
General Tian in front of us needs someone to help him walk.
As for Zhou Haolin, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, he hurriedly ran off first.
Grand Secretary Su Huaiyuan chuckled and stepped forward, saying with a smile,
"Shen Mingzhu, shall we go back to the Hanlin Academy together?"
"Alright, Scholar Su."
After saying that, they had already arrived at the palace gate.
Shen Mingzhu nimbly boarded the carriage, while Su Huaiyuan, who was moving slowly behind, was simply lifted up by Shen Mingzhu.
Shen Mingzhu: ...
[Guagua, am I that strong?]
Startled, Shen Mingzhu quickly put Su Huaiyuan down.
"Lord Su, I'm so sorry, I've been growing a bit stronger lately. Please don't mind, my apologies!"
Su Huaiyuan waved his hand, indicating that he didn't mind.
Soon, everything that happened to Shen Mingzhu was reported to Emperor Jingyuan.
"What do you, my esteemed ministers, think?"
All eyes turned to Shen Changyuan.
"Your Majesty, my daughter is young and ignorant. Last night, my wife and I didn't know what she bought in her room. We only knew that she wanted to buy a recovery pill for His Highness the Crown Prince. We never expected that she would also..."
Daughters should avoid their fathers when they grow up, and sons should avoid their mothers when they grow up.
Shen Mingzhu is already grown up, and they cannot stay by her side all the time.
All Long Er knew was that Shen Mingzhu was going to buy something at the mall, but no one knew what she was going to buy.
In addition, since Emperor Jingyuan had already given Long Er to Shen Mingzhu, as an emperor, he could not keep having his subordinates contact Long Er.
It is said that he has now changed his name to Shen Weiming and is doing quite well.
Looking at the ministers kneeling below, Emperor Jingyuan spoke slowly.
"Defu, please have seats for all my beloved ministers. It's too cold for you to be kneeling on the ground!"
Fortunately, this time all the ministers were seated on stools in the Imperial Study.
As soon as Shen Changyuan sat down, Emperor Jingyuan looked at him.
These past two days, Shen Changyuan felt like everyone is watching him like a sieve! Especially after Emperor Jingyuan learned about the Power Pill.
The Great Yan Dynasty was about to enter the Little Ice Age, and the entire dynasty was preparing for it.
Now, in addition to storing grain, the people in every prefecture, county and village of the Great Yan Dynasty are also mobilizing everyone to go into the mountains to dig wild vegetables and dry them. They bring home anything that is edible and can be stored for a long time.
Shen Mingzhu knew nothing about any of this.
Today, she exchanged all her points for sweet potato and potato seedlings. All the seedlings, loaded onto trucks, were planted on the estate of the Marquis of Changping and were taken care of by dedicated staff.
After finishing these tasks, Shen Mingzhu closed her eyes and pretended to sleep in the Hanlin Academy. Shen Changyuan still hadn't arrived by noon after lunch.
After hearing what Shen Mingzhu had said during her visit, Shen's mother smiled and said...
"Mingzhu, your mother understands. She will visit Madam Wang at the Imperial Censor's residence and try to help her resolve her inner conflict."
"Mom, I know you're the best!"
Shen Mingzhu and Madam Shen lingered together for a while before reluctantly leaving the Hanlin Academy.
[Guagua, what's my dad doing? Why hasn't he come to find me yet?]
[Host, the court is very busy right now. Your father, as the Minister of Revenue, is in charge of the national treasury. He needs to repair dikes, prepare grain and fodder, supply the army, and stockpile winter grain. All of these things require money. Now that the national treasury is empty, Minister Shen is helpless and can only be besieged.]
[Guagua, has the gold that Minister Xiao hid not been found yet?]
[That's right, those Imperial Guards would never have imagined that the Golden House was hidden in the Xiao family ancestral hall, and the switch was the ancestral tablets of the Xiao family! Hahaha...]
[That's true. These days, ancestral rites and laws are paramount. As long as there's one descendant of the Xiao family, they won't allow the Imperial Guards to touch their ancestral hall and tablets. Who would have thought? The Golden House is hidden beneath their old Xiao family ancestors' ancestral tablets, guarded by the Xiao family's ancestors themselves. This Xiao Zhengjie is truly a talent!]
[Hahaha...]
"Cough cough cough..."
The scholar Su Huaiyuan next door coughed a few times without realizing it.
[Guagua, what happened to Scholar Su next door?]
[Hi, host, it's nothing. He just choked on his tea.]
Oh dear, he's already an adult, doesn't he know how to be careful?
Su Huaiyuan glanced around the room, smiled, took another sip of tea, placed the teacup on the table, and continued to bury himself in his official duties.
Shen Mingzhu was really tired. After waiting all morning, she finally drifted off to sleep.
When I opened my eyes again, all I heard was the system screaming!
[Aaaaaah!!! Host, Emperor Jingyuan's Imperial Guards have found the Golden House! All the gold has been taken!]
[Ahhh! Gold, gold!!!]
Waaaaah... Waaaah... That was the military pay I left for Xie's army!
[Host, what should we do?]
[Guagua, make it cold! My heart is so cold!]
Hearing the wails from next door, the entire Hanlin Academy fell silent!
[Guagua, the Xie family army is loyal to the country, but this winter their supplies and rations will be withheld by the imperial court. What should we do?]
[Host, let's plant more sweet potatoes and potatoes, and support them more! Besides, Madam Shen has already written to your maternal grandmother's family in Jiangnan, the Wu family, and they have already donated a batch of grain to the North.]
That's good, that's good! I'll be happy once my sweet potatoes are successfully harvested!
At that moment, everything that happened to Shen Mingzhu appeared on the memorial in Emperor Jingyuan's hands.
Emperor Jingyuan nodded.
After thinking for a moment, he glanced at Shen Changyuan.
"Minister Shen, I will send someone to take you to the Crown Prince's residence to cooperate with the Crown Princess."
"Yes, Your Majesty."