The Empress has abandoned me? I'll support a new emperor and destroy your kingdom!

"As for the likes of Empress Lin Chu," Yun Jin's tone turned cold, "did they ever defend the land and protect the people, or resist foreign aggression?"

I, though unworthy, once stood with my soldiers in the northern frontier, guarding the Iron Wall Pass, and wounded the Di chieftain with an arrow.

In the south, he once led eight hundred cavalrymen straight into the center of tens of thousands of rebel troops, quelling the Jingjiang Rebellion!

My actions may not be as virtuous as those of the wise empresses and prime ministers of the past, but I ask myself, have I done right by the late emperor, the court, and the people?

Should the defense of our land and the protection of our people be divided into men and women?

Does that mean the territory defended by women is not territory?

Does a woman's suppression of a rebellion not count as a merit?!

Her voice rose, carrying an air of sternness: "This position of 'Regent Princess' did not fall from the sky, nor was it fought for in the inner palace!"

It was personally bestowed by the late emperor, it was the blood of the soldiers in the northern frontier, it was the merit of suppressing the rebellion in the south, and it was the expectation of this vast land and hundreds of millions of people that led to its election!

"Imperial Censor Yan keeps spouting ancestral laws, but I'd like to ask: which ancestral law states that a princess who has rendered unparalleled service, received the late emperor's edict, and is supported by the people cannot stand up and shoulder responsibility for this country when the nation is in peril and the young emperor is too young?"

The series of questions were reasonable, well-founded, measured, and supported by the indomitable spirit honed on the battlefield and undeniable achievements!

Yan Song and the others were speechless and blushed with embarrassment after being refuted.

They can talk about etiquette and law, and quote classics, but in the face of Yun Jin's real military achievements and the late emperor's edict, those empty principles seem so pale and powerless.

"Your Highness!" Another official stepped forward; he was the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and his voice was urgent.

"Your Highness's achievements are undeniable."

However, governing a country is not the same as waging war; it requires managing finances, clarifying laws and regulations, and understanding the people's livelihood.

Your Highness has been in the army for a long time, and I'm afraid you're not very good at government affairs... Moreover, the national treasury is currently extremely empty, and we need money for military pay in the north and disaster relief in the south.

"Your Highness, do you have any good plan to fill this huge deficit?"

This person stopped dwelling on the "female lead" issue and instead attacked Yun Jin for being "uninformed about government affairs" and "lacking financial management skills," even raising the real problem of an empty national treasury.

This is more practical and more challenging than simply talking about etiquette and laws.

Many officials perked up and looked at Yun Jin.

Yes, you may be good at fighting wars, but are you good at managing money?

Without money, everything you say is meaningless.

Yun Jin looked at the Vice Minister of Revenue and suddenly smiled softly.

This smile eased the tension from before, but it inexplicably made the vice minister feel uneasy.

"Vice Minister Li has asked a good question." Yun Jin nodded and gestured to the female official beside her.

The lady-in-waiting immediately took out a thick memorial from her sleeve and handed it to the eunuch in charge of ceremonies.

"This is a preliminary calculation I had someone do on my way back to the capital, a rough estimate of the national treasury's annual revenue and expenditure, as well as the funds and grain needed for emergency relief efforts at the northern border and in the south," Yun Jin said slowly.

"Since Vice Minister Li is in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, he must know the situation well. Could you please tell all of you in public how much silver is currently in the national treasury, how much tax is owed from various regions, and what the unnecessary expenses of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Imperial Household Department, and other government offices are?"

The Vice Minister Li's expression changed, and he stammered, "This...this is a secret of the Ministry of Revenue, and the amount is enormous, so it's difficult to deal with it in a short time..."

"Is it that you don't know, or that you dare not say?" Yun Jin's tone turned indifferent.

"Then I will speak for you."

According to preliminary investigations, the amount deposited into the national treasury last year should have been 8.5 million taels, but the actual amount deposited was less than 6 million taels.

The amount owed in various places is as high as more than two million taels.

Meanwhile, the northern border region urgently needs an additional 1.5 million taels of silver in military pay this year.

The preliminary estimate for disaster relief and reconstruction in the south is 800,000 taels of silver.

The regular expenses for the salaries of officials and military pay in various regions also require three million taels.

Based on this calculation, the shortfall is close to four million taels.

Minister Li, was my calculation correct?

She has such a clear understanding of the national treasury figures!

They even calculated the exact gap!

A murmur of surprise rippled through the hall.

Li, the Vice Minister, was drenched in cold sweat. He hadn't expected Yun Jin to be so meticulous in her studies.

"As for unnecessary expenses," Yun Jin continued, her voice calm, yet every word was piercing.

"Last year, the palace spent an extra 300,000 taels on procurement, sacrifices, and rewards."

The Guanglu Temple spent 200,000 taels of silver on receptions and banquets.

The Ministry of Works misappropriated 150,000 taels of silver for several non-urgent matters.

Furthermore, there were numerous corrupt practices among local officials, such as offering "ice tribute," "charcoal tribute," and "special tribute," which cost countless sums!

"If this silver were saved, how much could be enough to pay the border troops? How many famine victims in the south could be saved?"

With each point she made, many officials paled a little more.

These are all unspoken "customs" in officialdom, but now that this princess has exposed them in court, her intentions are self-evident.

"Your Highness, please see the truth!" Minister Li knelt down with a thud. "I...I have failed in my duty! But these problems have been accumulating for a long time, not something that happened overnight, and they involve many people. It will take time to clean them up!"

"It is precisely because these problems have been accumulating for so long that we need to take drastic measures and impose severe regulations!" Yun Jin's voice suddenly turned stern, her gaze sweeping across the entire room like lightning.

"With the nation in peril, northern barbarians rebelling in the south, people displaced, and the national treasury emptied to this extent, some people are still spouting nonsense about 'ancestral rites and laws' and obsessing over 'the distinction between men and women'! Do they think that by clinging to these empty words, money will fall from the sky? That the rebels will retreat on their own? That the northern barbarians will be grateful?"

She stood up, her left arm injured, but her posture was upright, like a pine tree in the snow.

"Now that I sit in this position of regent, I will act as regent!"

Empty talk harms the country, while hard work builds it!

If I don't understand something, I can learn it!

But what needs to be done must be done!

The problems that need to be eliminated must be eliminated!

The expenses that need to be saved must be saved!

Those who deserve punishment for corruption must be punished!

She paused, then took another prepared imperial edict from the female official and handed it to the eunuch in charge of ceremonies: "Summon it!"

The eunuch in charge of ceremonies quickly unfolded the scroll and, in a high-pitched and solemn voice, read aloud:

"The Regent Princess decrees: The nation is facing financial difficulties and numerous problems have arisen. Only swift and decisive measures can alleviate the people's suffering."

The Bureau of Inspectors is hereby established to investigate matters concerning the nation's finances, taxes, official corruption, and favoritism.

Su Che, the former principal of the Jing'an Division, was specially promoted to the position of Director of the Qingli Division, a fourth-rank official, in charge of all affairs of the division. He was granted a royal warrant and a royal banner, and had the authority to investigate first and report later, and to make decisions on the spot!

Anyone who embezzles public funds, misappropriates state funds, or exploits the people, regardless of their official rank, will be severely punished once verified!

All recovered embezzled funds and fines shall be confiscated and prioritized for military pay in the northern frontier and disaster relief in the south! All officials at all levels must fully cooperate with the Qingli Division's investigation and must not shirk their responsibilities or obstruct it; those who violate this order will be treated as accomplices! So be it!

Finally, the name "Su Che" was used instead of "Su Zhe".

Establish the "Office of Clean Officials"! Headed by Su Che!

They have the right to investigate first and report later! The recovered embezzled funds will be used for military pay and disaster relief!

A series of thunderclaps exploded in the sky above the Zichen Palace!