Prime Minister

Chapter 194, Section 193: [Praying for Blessings]

About an incense stick later, only Shen Wang remained in the imperial study.

The Emperor glanced at Zeng Min and said indifferently, "Give Minister Shen a seat."

"Your Majesty, I—"

Shen Wang had barely begun when the Emperor interrupted, saying, "Xue Huai's great achievement this time is largely thanks to you as his teacher. I know some things are best left unsaid, but I cannot pretend I don't see your selfless contributions behind the scenes."

Having said that, Shen Wang naturally couldn't refuse any longer and could only express his gratitude and take a seat.

The emperor picked up his teacup to moisten his throat and said with a touch of emotion, "I have almost forgotten when the last time the Grand Secretary spoke frankly in public was."

After becoming the Grand Secretary, Ning Hengzhi gradually toned down his sharp edge and rarely made a personal appearance like he did today in his attack on Sun Yan.

Shen Wang quickly deduced the deeper meaning from the emperor's exclamation.

From Xue Minglun's dismissal last year to Chen Yan's involvement in the Lianghuai Salt Case, a large number of Ning Party officials have been investigated and punished in the past year or so. Among them are three high-ranking officials of the third rank or above, and countless mid-level officials.

On the surface, this was a great achievement of the upright faction represented by Shen Wang and Xue Huai. However, Shen Wang knew very well that the real reason was that the corruption case in the Ministry of Works had crossed the emperor's bottom line. The emperor could not stand by and watch the Ning faction seize power in the court, which is why Shen Wang and Xue Huai had room to maneuver.

Ultimately, the prevailing winds in the court are always a concrete manifestation of the emperor's will.

Ning Hengzhi's attitude was one of retreat after retreat. Last year, he did not help Xue Minglun get away with it. At the beginning of this year, he took the initiative to push the newly appointed Vice Minister of Rites, Yue Zhongming, to the emperor. Just now, he even petitioned the emperor to severely punish Chen Yan.

But that doesn't mean he'll stay in retirement forever.

Ning Hengzhi's move against Sun Yan was intended to remind the emperor that if things continued this way, he might not be able to suppress the discontent of the Ning faction officials.

The emperor certainly didn't want to see the Ning faction completely collapse, so he accepted the knife handed to him by Ning Hengzhi, making it impossible for the over-sixty-year-old Sun Yan to stand in the court any longer. He believed that soon Sun Yan's memorial requesting retirement would be presented to the emperor.

After clarifying these points, Shen Wang cautiously said, "What Grand Secretary Sun said was indeed somewhat ill-considered."

The emperor looked at him with satisfaction. Over the years, without his support, Ouyang Hui would probably have been able to make a fool of himself without the help of Ning Hengzhi and the other two Grand Secretaries. The ministers and vice ministers would have made Ouyang Hui look bad. And this Minister Shen in front of him would definitely be able to gain a foothold in the cabinet.

"Fine, considering his advanced age, I will at least give him some dignity."

With a single, simple sentence, the Emperor sealed Sun Yan's fate in his official career. Then, with great interest, he said, "Minister Shen, Fan Dongyang's memorial has confirmed Xue Huai's merits. What do you think I should do to reward him?"

This is a difficult question to answer.

Shen Wang's relationship with Xue Huai was too close, and any response might displease the emperor. Therefore, after a brief moment of thought, Shen Wang frankly said, "Your Majesty, the new salt transport policy in Lianghuai has just been implemented, and Yangzhou also needs to revitalize its people. Both of these matters are closely related to Xue Huai. I believe that seeing things through to the end is the right way. Moreover, Xue Huai is still very young. We might as well wait until he has completed the tasks assigned by Your Majesty in a down-to-earth manner, and then reward him for his contributions."

"That being said, if the court makes no response, I fear the world will say that I am cruel and ungrateful. However, Minister Shen's considerations are thorough. Forcing growth is never a good thing. Letting him settle down and temper his character is not a bad thing either."

The Emperor smiled calmly, his tone tinged with amusement: "Xue Huai has a very methodical approach to his work in Yangzhou. Fan Dongyang mentioned the newly established salt commission in Yangzhou in his memorial. It may seem unremarkable, but in fact, it has a complete system and plays a significant role. This shows that Xue Huai is not only a sharp sword to eliminate abuses, but also a master at handling the aftermath and establishing new systems."

"It is all thanks to Your Majesty's teachings that Xue Huai has been able to live up to the Emperor's grace."

Shen Wang responded calmly, then said in a natural tone, "Your Majesty mentioned Yangzhou. I have also recently learned of a small matter that is quite touching."

The emperor looked at him and said, "Oh? What is it?"

Shen Wang slowly said, "Your Majesty, there is a salt merchant in Yangzhou named Shen Bingwen. His Guangtai Company is quite famous in Jiangnan, and Shen Bingwen himself is known as a righteous merchant."

"Shen Bingwen?"

The Emperor pondered for a moment and said, "I have heard of this name. Back when Minister Xue was in charge of Yangzhou, Shen Bingwen was his right-hand man. Minister Shen suddenly brought up this person today, so something must have happened?"

Shen Wang said, “Your Majesty, Shen Bingwen is deeply grateful for the Emperor’s boundless grace, which has enabled the salt administration of Lianghuai to be efficient and the trade routes to be smooth. His patriotic fervor is surging, and he intends to provide a batch of fine boats and skilled boatmen to alleviate the pressure on the Grand Canal for the court. In addition, Guangtai Shipyard is willing to donate 300,000 shi of grain and 100,000 new winter clothes to the court to reward the soldiers on the nine borders.”

Leaving aside the boats and boatmen, the 300,000 shi of grain and 100,000 winter clothes alone are worth a fortune, roughly estimated to be at least 200,000 taels.

The imperial court wouldn't be overjoyed by two hundred thousand taels of silver, but for a merchant to do such a feat would naturally be seen as proof of the emperor's reign.

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in the Emperor's eyes, and he said meaningfully, "It is rare to see merchants with such sincerity, but I did not expect that they could actually persuade you to speak on their behalf."

Shen Wang smiled calmly and explained, “Your Majesty, I have heard that Shen Bingwen acts in a very traditional way, rarely exploiting the local people and doing many good deeds. Now that he is able to devote a huge sum of money to serving the country, I think it is his true intention, and it is also the result of Your Majesty’s clean-up of officialdom, restoration of the world, and the support of the people.”

These words made the emperor's expression relax.

In fact, he had already guessed the reason why Shen Bingwen did this. If the daughter of the Shen family merchants wanted to marry Xue Huai, who came from a noble family and had a promising future, she would inevitably have to endure a lot of criticism, and even Xue Huai's reputation might be affected. But if the good reputation of the Shen family was recognized by the court, others would naturally not dare to say anything.

In this light, Shen Bingwen seems to be a man of deep feelings, and it is truly remarkable that he would go to such lengths for his daughter's happiness.

only……

The emperor hesitated slightly, but then he realized that whatever Shen Bingwen's original intentions, his actions at least demonstrated the prosperity of the era. A slight smile appeared on his lips as he slowly said, "Shen Bingwen is grateful for the emperor's grace and cares about the country. He is indeed a man of great understanding. How can I let such a righteous man down?"

Shen Wang felt reassured and respectfully said, "Your Majesty is wise." "Sending grain and winter clothing to the border is a very good thing. As for assisting the canal transport, the canal transport commissioner's office has its own regulations, which can be adopted as appropriate."

The Emperor first drew a line, then looked at Shen Wang and said, "Since Minister Shen is already aware of this, how about I entrust this matter to you for supervision? All the money, grain, and supplies to be handed over will be verified by the Ministry of Works and reimbursed by the Ministry of Revenue. As for that righteous merchant Shen, I already know what he wants. Once the grain, fodder, and winter clothing have been safely transported to the border and verified to be correct, I will commend him."

Shen Wang rose and bowed, saying, "Your subject accepts the decree. Your subject will certainly handle this matter properly, so as not to fail the sincere heart of the righteous merchants among the people, nor to fail Your Majesty's benevolent and compassionate intentions towards your subjects."

The emperor nodded with a smile.

The emperor and his minister talked for a while longer before Shen Wang bowed and took his leave.

Less than a quarter of an hour had passed when the Emperor was about to go to the inner palace for a short rest when Zeng Min suddenly stepped forward and reported, "Your Majesty, Princess Yun'an requests an audience."

Yun'an?

The emperor frowned slightly. He had just agreed to the request of the Shen family in Yangzhou, which inadvertently helped push Xue Huai and Shen Qingluan's marriage. He had previously hinted at the marriage to Jiang Li, and this girl's arrival was quite timely.

"Declarate it."

The emperor ultimately did not refuse, after all, in his view these matters concerning children were really nothing.

A moment later, Jiang Li, dressed in a magnificent palace gown, entered the imperial study and respectfully bowed, saying, "Greetings, Imperial Uncle."

"No need to pay tribute."

The emperor immediately noticed the food box Jiang Li was carrying, and the slight displeasure in his heart subsided. He smiled and asked, "What delicious food have you made this time?"

"Yun'an's skills are clumsy, I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Your Majesty."

Jiang Li smiled and placed the food box on the low table next to the imperial desk. Inside were several small and exquisite pastries: lotus seed pastries as clear as jade, layered cakes as white as snow, and almond cream as smooth as warm jade. All of them were of excellent quality.

As she gently arranged the items, she explained in a soft voice, "I heard from the palace servants a few days ago that the Empress Dowager had a poor appetite, so Yun'an thought of making some refreshing and delicious snacks. Today I brought a few for the Emperor Uncle to taste and see which one suits the Empress Dowager's taste better."

The emperor nodded slightly, picked up a piece of lotus seed pastry and tasted it. He found it to be sweet and delicate, with a fragrant lotus seed paste. He couldn't help but praise, "It is elegant and mild, sweet but not cloying. Your grandmother will definitely like it. You are very thoughtful."

"Thank you for your praise, Uncle."

Seeing the harmonious atmosphere, Jiang Li took the opportunity to sit on one side of the embroidered stool brought by the palace servants and personally poured a cup of tea for the emperor.

She was elegant, but a hint of worry lingered between her brows, and she sighed softly.

Upon seeing this, the emperor put down his teacup and asked, "Yun'an, why are you sighing?"

Jiang Li lowered her head slightly and said in a solemn tone, "Uncle, since last winter, Grandmother's sleep has been restless. The imperial physicians have examined her pulse and said that she is old and needs to rest and recuperate. She has taken a lot of medicine this year, but the effect has not been ideal. Yun'an has consulted medical books and also asked several old women who know about health preservation. They all said that the Bodhisattva at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou is the most efficacious, and the Buddhist teachings of the high monks in the temple are more effective than medicine in calming the mind and spirit. The ancient temple is quiet and the Zen atmosphere is profound. If we can sincerely recite scriptures and pray for blessings before the Buddha for forty-nine days, it may help Grandmother to have a peaceful mind and a long life."

The emperor's heart stirred slightly as he gazed into the girl's eyes.

Jiang Li met the Emperor's gaze with clear and sincere eyes: "Yun'an is deeply concerned about the Empress Dowager's health and wishes he could rush to Hangzhou immediately to pray and chant sutras for her before the Buddha at Lingyin Temple. He only hopes that the boundless Buddha's light will shine upon the Empress Dowager, granting her peaceful dreams and good health."

At this moment, the emperor's expression was deep and unreadable. He did not doubt Jiang Li's filial piety, but he also knew that traveling south from the capital to Hangzhou would inevitably involve passing through Yangzhou.

He stroked the teacup without making a sound, and said thoughtfully, "Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou is indeed famous. Your willingness to travel over mountains and rivers to pray for the Empress Dowager is a truly filial act."

Jiang Li looked excited; she seemed not to have expected the emperor to grant her request.

"That's fine."

The Emperor spoke slowly and gently, saying, "The Empress Dowager has raised you, and your filial piety is rare. I will grant your request. After the New Year celebrations, the Directorate of Ceremonial will select capable eunuchs and female officials, and the Imperial Guards and the Jing'an Division will each send a team of elite escorts, along with the guards from your princess's residence, to escort you south to Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou to pray for the Empress Dowager's well-being."

Jiang Li quickly stood up and performed an extremely respectful curtsy, her long eyelashes slightly lowered, saying, "Thank you for your grace, Imperial Uncle! Yun'an will sincerely worship Buddha at Lingyin Temple to pray for the Imperial Grandmother, Imperial Uncle, and the fate of our Great Yan Kingdom! Once everything is arranged properly at the beginning of the year, Yun'an will set off south."

The Emperor nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand: "The journey is long, so please be careful. I will have the Empress take care of things for you later."

"Yes, Yun'an takes his leave."

Jiang Li bowed again and slowly left the imperial study.

The palace doors closed gently behind her, and the emperor gazed at the closed doors with a peculiar look in his eyes.

On the other side, Jiang Li walked slowly with a calm expression, surrounded by a large group of palace maids and eunuchs.

No one knew that her hands were quietly clenching in her sleeves.

The thought of the news from the Xue family that Old Madam Cui had actually agreed to the marriage between Xue Huai and Shen Qingluan stirred up a storm of emotions in Jiang Li.

Her knuckles dug deeply into her palms, a bitter taste rising in her chest like a soaked plum, or like wild grass growing wildly, eventually turning into a raging fire in her eyes.

(End of this chapter)