Prime Minister

Chapter 49 [To Whom Can I Talk]

Outside Yongyefang.

A man in his thirties stood like a javelin, blocking Xue Huai and Li Shun's horses.

Xue Huai gestured to Li Shun not to be nervous, then dismounted and approached him.

The man cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Xue Shidu."

Xue Huai returned the greeting and said, "Brother Guard, I am grateful for your help last time, and you even escorted me back to my residence afterwards. I originally wanted to thank you in person, but I was afraid of causing you unnecessary trouble, so I had to hold off for the time being. I didn't expect to run into you here today. Please tell me your name, brother."

The man's cold gaze softened. As a guard in the princess's residence, he was used to the arrogant attitude of nobles. He did not expect that this aristocratic scholar, who was rumored to be arrogant, would actually remember him and be so humble. So he lowered his head slightly and said, "My name is Jiang Sheng."

Xue Huai praised, "The river flows as firmly as a rock, surpassing even the bravest warriors; what a fine name!"

Jiang Sheng was completely bewildered. As a rough and uncouth martial artist, he was completely unfamiliar with such refined language. He only felt that it sounded very impressive, and his previous cold and fierce aura disappeared instantly. He cupped his hands again and said, "Thank you for your praise, Xue Shidu."

Xue Huai smiled slightly and asked, "Brother Jiang, did you come here specifically to wait for me?"

He wasn't trying to win people over, and the guards of the princess's residence wouldn't be bought off with a few nice words.

Xue Huai only wanted to be kind to everyone and respect everyone he didn't have a major conflict with, hoping that he would be rewarded in the future.

“I am but a lowly guard, unworthy of the title of Xue Shidu. Please just call me by my name.”

Jiang Sheng quickly waved his hand, then said solemnly, "I am here on His Highness's orders to invite Xue Shidu to the villa for a chat."

Xue Huai was not surprised by this, but he felt that Princess Yun'an was not trying to hide anything at all, and had actually sent someone here directly. This meant that she already knew about it when he entered Yongye Ward.

Being watched is certainly unpleasant, but considering the strange incident of falling into the water by the Nine Bend River, and the fact that the mastermind behind Gu Heng and Liu Pingshun has not yet been caught, Xue Huai does need this kind of surveillance and protection for the time being.

In any case, before you become strong, your life is the most important thing.

There is hope only when you are alive.

The Green Green Villa and the Dayong Ward where the Xue family residence is located are not far apart, so this trip can be considered convenient.

Arriving at this quiet and elegant manor once again, Xue Huai's heart was as calm as still water, and his steps were steady.

As he entered Xiexiu Pavilion, he immediately saw Jiang Li sitting in the main seat.

Whether it was his imagination or not, Jiang Li's makeup seemed quite formal today, compared to the light makeup she wore on their previous meetings.

The twelve-panel moon-shine brocade palace dress was noble and elegant. The silver-red cloud brocade jacket had black fox fur trim on the front, and the fur surrounded her alabaster neck. The snow-blue piping made her lips appear even paler.

Those noble-looking phoenix eyes now held a serious and cold gaze, a stark contrast to their previous gentle and kind demeanor.

Xue Huai was slightly puzzled, but still bowed as usual and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Although Jiang Li seemed aloof, she didn't deliberately give Xue Huai a hard time, and said calmly, "Please sit down, Xue Shidu."

Xue Huai, sitting at the lower end, took the initiative to say, "The successful conclusion of the Ministry of Works' corruption case is largely thanks to Your Highness's intervention in persuading the Prince of Dai. On behalf of my master, I thank Your Highness."

Hearing this, Jiang Li remained calm and said, "This is a deal we made. Since I have made a promise, I will do my best. You don't need to take it to heart."

"Even so, I must thank Your Highness, otherwise this matter would not have been resolved so quickly."

Xue Huai's expression was sincere. He really didn't quite understand the reason for the princess's emotional change, but that didn't stop him from expressing his gratitude.

Jiang Li looked up at him for a moment, then suddenly sighed softly, "Xue Huai, why do you underestimate Minister Shen? Even if I couldn't persuade the Fifth Prince, he must have a way to break the deadlock."

Xue Huai naturally couldn't speak ill of Shen Wang in front of her, so he could only vaguely say, "Human strength has its limits."

Jiang Li shook her head slightly.

After a moment of silence, she said, "I thought the same way as you before, but after recalling the details these past few days, I've realized that things aren't as simple as I thought."

"What does your Highness mean by this?"

"Let me ask you, did Vice Minister Shen have prior knowledge that he would be taking over the Ministry of Works?"

Xue Huai recalled Shen Wang's few words in the carriage after they came out of the Imperial Study that day, as well as his calm demeanor at the time, and hesitated before saying, "My master did not say it explicitly, but he should have had some idea."

"That's what I don't understand."

Jiang Li stood up, slowly walked to the window, turned to Xue Huai and said, "Minister Shen has cultivated his reputation for over twenty years, and now he is the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, only one step away from entering the Grand Secretariat. Why should he go to such lengths to achieve his goal?"

"Does Your Highness mean that if my master only wanted to enter the cabinet, he wouldn't have needed to get involved in this mess?"

Xue Huai pondered carefully, then shook his head and said, "But Your Highness should know that my master is investigating the case by imperial decree, and the decision-making power is not in his hands."

Jiang Li quickly retorted, "But he can protect himself. If he only investigated the Water Conservancy Bureau, His Majesty would be very satisfied, Xue Minglun would be more than happy, and Grand Secretary Ning would only turn a blind eye, not like it is now. Although you brought down Xue Minglun and made Grand Secretary Ning lose an arm, Vice Minister Shen was also dragged into the quagmire of the Ministry of Works, and it will not be so easy for him to get out smoothly."

Xue Huai knew that Jiang Li only wanted to clarify the situation and did not harbor any prejudice against Shen Wang. However, from his perspective, Shen Wang had fulfilled all the duties of a teacher, giving him the opportunity to show himself and shielding him from most of the storms.

Even fathers and sons are no different.

Jiang Li didn't mind Xue Huai's silence and slowly said, "Minister Shen has remained calm all these years and has never gone all out like this. In my opinion, choosing Xue Minglun as his target will not benefit his path to the cabinet at all, but will instead attract suppression from Grand Secretary Ning. Logically speaking, he should have chosen a Grand Secretary other than Grand Secretary Ning and Vice Grand Secretary Ouyang for his first move, which would have greatly increased his chances of entering the cabinet."

Xue Huai remained silent.

Seeing this, Jiang Li said bluntly, "I think the Ministry of Works' problems are more complicated. This is the root of Minister Shen's tireless efforts. I just don't know what secrets the Ministry of Works is hiding."

Silence fell over the room.

After a moment, Xue Huai looked up at Jiang Li and said seriously, "Perhaps, Your Highness, you have overcomplicated a simple problem."

Jiang Li frowned slightly, looking puzzled.

Xue Huai explained, “Your Highness, is it possible that my master simply wanted to do something practical? Now you know what kind of mess Xue Minglun and others have made of the Ministry of Works, and how many poor people have been harmed. Perhaps my master knew he would get involved in the Ministry of Works, but this would make it easier for him to do something practical for the Great Yan and its people, so he didn’t hold back this time.”

Looking at his sincere expression, Jiang Li realized that the two of them had a big difference in their perspectives on the issue.

The other party was a learned and noble scholar who had always cared about the common people, while she had grown up in the capital and had seen too much deceit and treachery. No matter what she encountered, she was used to analyzing things through the lens of conspiracy and trickery.

Xue Huai then said, "To put it another way, the positions of Grand Secretary Ning and Second Grand Secretary Ouyang are now as secure as Mount Tai. The cabinet is their territory. Even if my master were to squeeze in, he would most likely become a clay figurehead Grand Secretary. It would be better for him to work in one of the Six Ministries, where at least he could make some achievements."

"You certainly speak without restraint."

Jiang Li smiled irritably and teased, "Aren't you afraid I'll tell these words to the current cabinet members who are just clay figures?"

Xue Huai also smiled and said, "I believe Your Highness would not do such a thing."

Jiang Li certainly wouldn't.

Putting aside the fact that she saved his life, after Xue Huai guessed her thoughts and learned that her inner conflict was related to the deceased King Qi, the two of them were in the same boat.

Jiang Li used her connections to help Xue Huai navigate the difficulties and obstacles in officialdom. Once Xue Huai reached a certain high position, she would then help her investigate those old stories.

As for why it has to be Xue Huai, he himself may have questions, but Jiang Li cannot tell him for the time being.

"That's enough, we don't need to argue about this anymore."

Jiang Li returned to the main seat and sat down, frowning as she said, "Now let's talk about Xue Shidu's future."

future?

Xue Huai had already thought about this issue. He would stay in the Hanlin Academy peacefully for the time being, and try to find an opportunity to be sent out next year. On the one hand, he would enrich his resume and broaden his horizons, and on the other hand, he would temporarily stay away from the troubles of the court.

Jiang Li said solemnly, "As the ancients said, 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' You have only taken the first step, and you have already become completely lax. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"What makes you say that, Your Highness?"

Xue Huai was puzzled. He had just finished handing over the case files of the Ministry of Works' corruption case yesterday, and last night was the first time in nearly two months that he had slept so soundly.

He dared not relax at all during this period. Every day when he opened his eyes, his mind was filled with files, ledgers, conspiracies and schemes, and faces with smiles that he could not tell were real or fake.

Jiang Li asked, "You've just been promoted, now is the perfect time to repair your relationships with your colleagues in the Hanlin Academy, how can you be thinking of taking leave again?"

"Your Highness, you have truly..."

Xue Huai thought for a long time, looked at the princess who was obviously a year or two younger than him, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Thank you for your encouragement, Your Highness. I will keep it in mind."

"If you really have something important to do, then that's fine."

Jiang Li turned her head away from him and said softly, "The pleasures of the heart are the graveyard of heroes. Don't you understand this?"

The land of gentleness?
Xue Huai looked at Jiang Li's profile and suddenly noticed that her fair earlobes were slightly red.

She seemed oblivious to Xue Huai's gaze, her fingertips twisting the tassel of her light blue ribbon, her jade-white neck slightly turned, but her shoulder line taut and straight.

After a long silence, Jiang Li coughed lightly, turned to meet Xue Huai's gaze, and asked, "Do you understand?"

"Uh……"

Xue Huai suppressed the strange emotions in his heart and nodded, saying, "Your subject understands."

"That's good."

Jiang Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief and resumed her previous aloof demeanor.

(End of this chapter)