Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

February 1st.

Two vice ministers of the Court of State Ceremonies went to court, and the Court of State Ceremonies was bustling with activity.

The Ministry of Agriculture and the Taicang Office distributed stipends of rice in order, and the officials grumbled as they received their rice, complaining bitterly.

"Wow! Rice that's been stored for two years!"

"The Imperial Household Agency provides a year's worth of rice!"

"Is the Court of State Ceremonial offending you by showing favoritism?"

The angry voices of the officials echoed, but they could not shake the resolve of Pi Yangqiu, a ninth-rank supervisor of the Taicang Bureau.

"Oh, so the Court of State Ceremonial is complaining about the quality of the rice. Gentlemen, take it back."

Pi Yangqiu's voice was full of arrogance.

The protests gradually subsided.

Unfortunately, protesting is always the weakest and most powerless form of expression.

Mu Zhancheng and Bei Menshuang's gazes shifted to Dou Fengjie, who stood with his arms crossed.

"The Tang Dynasty is so poor, yet it still pays us salaries. This is not right."

"I request that the Ministry of Agriculture present my salary to the Emperor on my behalf, as a token of my sincere gratitude."

Dou Fengjie spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I second that!"

Mu Zhancheng and Bei Menshuang shouted in unison.

It's pointless to shout; the officials of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs only number about sixty, not enough to cause any real trouble.

"How could such an event be complete without the emcee's office?"

The addition of over a hundred emcees put Pi Yangqiu in a difficult position.

The tactic of "presenting it to the emperor" is exceptionally ruthless; not only would the Grand Canal Magistrate be ineffective, but even the Minister of Agriculture would be powerless against it.

What? The Minister of Agriculture can prevent officials of the Court of State Ceremonial from presenting gifts to the emperor?

If he presents a gift, wouldn't his deliberate attempt to harass the Court of State Ceremonial be exposed?

The officials who pushed things along behind the scenes are likely to be unscathed, but those like Pi Yangqiu who foolishly charged ahead might not be so lucky.

No matter how much Pi Yangqiu softened his stance or promised to replace the grain with new grain, the anger of the officials in the Court of State Ceremonial had already been ignited by Dou Fengjie, and it was impossible to quell it.

Liu Shan and Changsun Huan, the Vice Ministers of the Court of State Ceremonies, returned from court and watched the spectacle with their arms crossed.

The Taicang Bureau has been disgusting more than once or twice. The worst time was when the grain almost turned to rotten bran.

Everyone uses their power to do things, but there should be a limit, right?

After learning a lesson from Dou Fengjie, they'll probably remember it better in the future.

Wu Shiling, the Vice Minister of Agriculture, wore a bitter expression, beads of sweat dripping from his graying hair: "Colleagues of the Court of State Ceremonial, this matter is the fault of the Imperial Granary Office. I will immediately order the Imperial Granary Office to exchange the grain!"

Unfortunately, nobody paid any attention.

At this point, what's needed is not to try to smooth things over!

Today the Court of State Ceremonial has let the Taicang Administration off lightly, but tomorrow the Taicang Administration will continue to disgust people!

Minister of Agriculture Dou Jing appeared with a dark expression: "Dou Fengjie, what do you want?"

Dou Fengjie clasped his hands, adopting an official demeanor: "Reporting to my superior, the Court of State Ceremonies, out of compassion for the court's difficulties, has voluntarily offered its stipend of rice to the Emperor."

Dou Fengjie emphasized the word "difficult".

This brat won't even call me "uncle" anymore!

Dou Jing forgot that after Dou Gui died, apart from the funeral, not a single steward from his household had ever been to Longzheng Ward.

Dou Jing and his brothers turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to the trouble caused by Princess Yongjia.

How could this possibly earn Dou Fengjie's respect?

"Let's call off the grain exchange at the Taicang Bureau." Dou Jing adopted the condescending attitude of an elder, attempting to suppress the situation.

"Does the Ministry of Agriculture think that the emperor is not worthy of receiving gifts from the Court of State Ceremonies?" Dou Fengjie persisted, readily slapping a accusation on him.

"Or perhaps the Ministry of Agriculture believes that the Minister of State Ceremonies is lacking, and therefore the Ministry of State Ceremonies is weak and easily bullied?" Changsun Huan snorted lightly, his nostrils flaring.

In some ways, Changsun Huan's words were just as effective as those of the Minister of State Ceremonies, but he was too lazy to do so.

Liu Shan grinned and said, "Perfect timing. The Court of State Ceremonial is currently discussing who to send to Goguryeo to bring back Qian Gaesomun, the eldest son of Da Dui Lu Qian Tai Zuo, as a hostage to serve as a guard."

"It seems we'll have to trouble the Ministry of Agriculture to send someone."

Dae Dui-ro was the highest official position in Goguryeo, equivalent to prime minister.

Qian Taizuo's original surname was "Yuan," but to avoid using the name of the retired emperor, it was translated as "Qian" throughout the Tang Dynasty, allowing him to enjoy the life of a godfather in the Tang Dynasty.

Young Qian Gaisu was skilled in martial arts and often carried five swords, using this to boast of his superior abilities.

Qian Taizuo valued Qian Gaisuwen highly and even tacitly considered him his successor. The Tang Dynasty wanted him to serve as a hostage guard, but he might turn against him.

Liu Shan's revenge was swift, accurate, and ruthless.

Since the Ministry of Agriculture could not provide a satisfactory answer, it was decided that the Ministry of Agriculture would take on more responsibility for future diplomatic missions.

Dou Jing had a sour face and didn't know how to end the situation.

Those scoundrels in the Taicang Bureau dared to secretly take on Princess Yongjia's job, making things difficult for Dou Fengjie.

Haha, can the Taicang Bureau handle Dou Fengjie's sharp move?

Dou Gui was ruthless when he was alive, and after he died, Dou Fengjie became ruthless.

Wu Shiling glanced at Dou Jing's expression and spoke up to help Tang Zun out of the predicament: "Pi Yangqiu, the supervisor of the Taicang Bureau, is seeking revenge for personal reasons. Remove his official robes, revoke his official document, and send him to the Ministry of Personnel to await further instructions."

Pi Yangqiu's face was ashen.

Originally, he wasn't the one sent by Princess Yongjia, but he just wanted to show off and insisted on offending the Court of State Ceremonial to flaunt his official power.

Now that's bad. After being sent back to the Ministry of Personnel, who knows when he'll be able to get out of this cold bench.

The officials of the Taicang Office quickly exchanged grain for the Honglu Temple, using the same standard as the Taipu Temple.

The real reason Dou Fengjie led the rebellion was that he believed in inequality rather than scarcity.

Dou Jing looked at her cousin Dou Fengjie again, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger, regret, and relief, which finally turned into a long sigh.

Lady Dou has such good taste!

Liu Shan watched Dou Jing's departing figure and chuckled coldly.

Did Dou Jing think this would make the holiday over?

Hehe, the Ministry of Agriculture is just waiting for the envoy to arrive!

After causing a ruckus with his subordinates, Dou Fengjie's prestige in the Court of State Ceremonial rose steadily, surpassing even the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial and becoming second only to the two Vice Ministers of the Court of State Ceremonial.

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The residence of Princess Yongjia.

The glass cup smashed onto the town commander, Daxi Yongchang, and the crimson wine spilled onto his green official robes, with a few drops even splashing onto his cheeks.

Daxi Yongchang, however, seemed oblivious, his ape-like face gleaming with wisdom: "Princess, there's no need to do things that harm others without benefiting yourself anymore."

"If this continues, all the officials who intended to curry favor with the Princess's household will have failed miserably. Who will dare to approach them then?"

"Duke Zan is indeed handsome, but he's not without alternatives. Why be so fixated on him?"

Li Shimin assigned such an ugly subordinate to Princess Yongjia because he was afraid she would go too far.

Yes, looking at Da Xi Yongchang's face makes one feel detached from worldly desires; it's even more effective than becoming a monk.

No matter how open-minded Princess Yongjia was, she had no interest in flirting with this seventh-rank county commander.

Biting her red lips, Princess Yongjia glared at her and said angrily, "Get out!"

What do you, you ugly bastard, know about that feeling of longing and tossing and turning because you can't have it?

Da Xi Yongchang sneered: You were just lustful, you're despicable!

With a folded hand, Daxi Yongchang spoke arrogantly: "If there is a next time, I will submit a memorial requesting to be transferred from the Princess's residence."

"This humble official takes his leave."

Princess Yongjia nearly collapsed.

Dou Fengjie is not letting this princess have her way, and you, Daxi Yongchang, are here to make things worse too!