I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 171 Exchange
Yin Wei looked up at the sky. So early?

With a flick of his whisk, Eunuch Zhou announced, "Today, as soon as the palace gates open, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager will summon the Prince's family members to the palace for a chat."

"Thank you for informing me, Father-in-law," Yin Wei said, bowing slightly.

Eunuch Zhou stepped aside to avoid him, then turned and went into the hall to continue serving.

Inside the imperial study, Emperor Sheng'an sat on the dragon throne, looking down at the woman kneeling on the ground.

"Zhaoshan, do you know what you're saying?"

“Zhao Shan knows,” Tang Zhao sobbed, “but Zhao Shan is a weak woman, she really cannot bear the heavy responsibility of managing Wuwei. I beg Your Majesty to take back the fiefdom of Wuwei.”

Emperor Sheng'an lowered his eyes and said, "The prefect of Wuwei reported that Wuwei was able to resettle more than 100,000 disaster victims. You deserve the greatest credit."

"Your Majesty is wise. What does Zhaoshan, a mere woman, know?" Tang Zhao said aggrievedly. "The resettlement of the disaster victims was done by Prefect Lu of Wuwei Prefecture, and the stabilization of the people's hearts is thanks to Your Majesty's wisdom. Zhaoshan's only role is to collect money!"

"But Your Majesty, Zhaoshan really has no money left!" Tang Zhao knelt up, her eyes red as she spoke of her grievances. "Zhaoshan and her birth mother used their dowry to help the disaster victims, and the money they earned from selling soybean oil recipes is almost gone."

"Every day when Zhaoshan opens his eyes, hundreds of thousands of people are waiting for him to eat. Zhaoshan is really going to collapse!"

Looking at the woman's haggard appearance, Emperor Sheng'an became even more certain that the rumored Princess Zhaoshan was no different from any other ordinary woman in the inner quarters.

Besides being good at business.

Emperor Sheng'an picked up the teacup on the dragon table. "I remember the Liuli Workshop you owned, which made a fortune every day."

Tang Zhao nodded. This damned emperor was indeed after her glass workshop. Fortunately, she was prepared.

"Your Majesty, the Liuli Workshop is making a fortune every day, but it no longer belongs to Zhaoshan."

Emperor Sheng'an's eyes were deep and thoughtful. "Who does it belong to?"

Tang Zhao said sincerely, "Zhao Shan has already presented the glassmaking technique to the Empress Dowager as a birthday gift."

Emperor Sheng'an was astonished.

"Zhao Shan is just an ordinary woman. All she asks for is a loving husband and children. Of course, if her husband is capable enough to grant her a title and make her children wealthy, that would be even better."

Tang Zhao didn't say what she really meant, "So, what does Zhaoshan need so much money for?"

"Instead of leaving the Glazed Tile Workshop in Zhaoshan's hands, it would be better to offer it to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty. His Majesty is wise and powerful, and the Glazed Tile Workshop will surely play a greater role in His Majesty's hands."

Emperor Sheng'an remained silent for a long time.

Tang Zhao bowed again, "Your Majesty, please consider the craftsmanship of glassmaking and reclaim Zhao Shan's fiefdom of Wuwei."

"Nonsense!" Emperor Sheng'an sighed. "I granted you Wuwei as your fiefdom to reward you for resettling the disaster victims. Now that the victims have been resettled, if I were to go back on my word and take back Wuwei, what would the people of the world think of me?"

Of course, he utterly despised it! Tang Zhao cursed inwardly but looked up anxiously. He was about to say something more when he heard Emperor Sheng'an say, "You presented glass art to the Empress Dowager to celebrate her birthday, which shows your filial piety."

“I received a memorial from Prince Xuan a few days ago, saying that you have been away from the Northwest for a long time and have no one to take care of you, and you are even lonely. I have decided that once the Empress Dowager’s birthday is over, I will allow you to set off to return.”

Tang Zhao was about to speak again when Emperor Sheng'an waved his sleeve to interrupt, "Kneel down and take your leave."

Tang Zhao knelt on the ground without moving.

Zhou, the chief eunuch, stepped forward and helped the woman up, whispering, "Your Highness, His Majesty's decree has been made; you cannot disobey it!"

Tang Zhao walked out, turning back every few steps, but Emperor Sheng'an pretended not to see him and turned to Eunuch Zhou, saying, "Summon the Prefect of Luoyang."

Tang Zhao returned to the Empress Dowager's palace dejectedly.

"What urgent matter do you have to report to me today, my dear minister?"

Yin Wei discerned the tone of the words and sensed that Emperor Sheng'an was in a very good mood. He decisively abandoned the embellished version he had prepared and reported the An family's affairs in detail.

Zhou Da listened so intently he almost wanted to sigh. What kind of monsters and demons were the ancestors of the An family? How could their descendants be so outrageous: an unvirtuous daughter who seized the first wife's dowry and mistreated her children, a grandson who forcibly took the education of a woman old enough to be his mother, and an old patriarch who even hired someone to commit murder!
Look at Princess Zhaoshan. First, she resigned her fiefdom, and then she presented the Liuli Fang (a type of glasswork). She was more than pleased with His Majesty.

It's true what they say, comparisons are odious, and goods are worthless when you compare them. Tsk tsk.

Emperor Sheng'an shared the same sentiment. He had always looked down on the An family, and now that such an unbelievable thing had happened, his disgust for the An family had reached its peak.

"After the Empress Dowager's death, we will conduct a joint trial with the Ministry of Justice. If the evidence is conclusive, we will punish the offender severely according to the laws of the Great Yu!"

Yin Wei accepted the order and bowed as he withdrew.

At 5:00 PM, the Thousand Autumns Banquet began promptly at Daming Palace.

The Empress Dowager sat high beside Emperor Sheng'an, accepting the kneeling obeisance of the imperial family members and civil and military officials with a kind smile.

"I have a surprise for the Empress Dowager."

"What surprise is it?"

Emperor Sheng'an clapped his hands, and Grand Eunuch Zhou flicked his whisk, "Summon General Gu Ci to an audience!"

Tang Zhao, who was sitting below slacking off, suddenly looked up and saw Gu Ci, dressed in a purple auspicious cloud court robe, stride into the hall, kneel on one knee, and loudly proclaim, "Your subject Gu Ci pays respects to Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager, and wishes Your Majesty a long life, a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand years!"

"Get up quickly!" The Empress Dowager was overjoyed and teased, "This is no surprise for me, it's clearly a surprise for Princess Zhaoshan!"

Emperor Sheng'an laughed heartily.

Tang Zhao stood up and walked to Gu Ci's side, smiling shyly with her head down.

The Empress Dowager's loving gaze fell on Gu Ci. "Please take a seat!"

The palace servants added space behind Tang Zhao's desk, and singers and dancers began to perform for the Empress Dowager.

Tang Zhao whispered to himself amidst the sounds of string and wind instruments, "You really came? His Majesty has already agreed to let me return to the Northwest after the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet."

Gu Ci turned his head and asked, "What did you give me? A cement house or a glass container?"

"The craft of making glass," Tang Zhao shrugged, "is something you can't do without spending money to return to the Northwest."

This world is just so unreasonable!

snort!
Tang Zhao asked in confusion, "But why did His Majesty summon you back to the capital?"

Gu Ci explained, "A month ago, the Northwest Army defeated the Turks, and I returned to the capital on behalf of the meritorious generals to receive their rewards."

The war has begun? Tang Zhao looked Gu Ci up and down. "Are you injured?"

"He suffered minor injuries, but they are not life-threatening."

"If you don't rest properly after your injury, the wound will reopen from all the travel!"

“It’s alright,” Gu Ci said earnestly, looking at the woman beside him. “I said I would take you home, and I will not break my promise.”

Tang Zhao almost wanted to perform brain surgery on Gu Ci to see how the nerves in his brain were structured.

Why are you so stubborn!

Delicacies from land and sea were served to Tang Zhao at the banquet, but he had no appetite. After the banquet ended, he took Gu Ci and returned to the Biyuan Courtyard, which he had not visited for a long time.

Tang Zhao pressed Gu Ci down by the bed, quickly stripped off Gu Ci's clothes, and carefully untied the cloth wrapped around his waist and abdomen. He saw a long, newly scabbed wound running across his chest, with blood oozing from the torn scar.

"What a formidable person!" Tang Zhao exclaimed as he applied medicine to Gu Ci's wound and re-bandaged it.

(End of this chapter)