Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

"You brat! Stop right there!!" Xiaoxing shouted when she saw this.

There were just too many people, and in the blink of an eye, the little beggar disappeared without a trace.

Gu Qionghua's face was ashen.

She is very unhappy now.

How could she possibly meet the legendary Lady Shen while wearing such filthy clothes?

Damn little beggar!

"Princess..." Xiao Xing said cautiously.

Gu Qionghua: "Let's go back to the manor and come again tomorrow!"

"But if there are still so many people tomorrow..." Xiao Xing frowned. "I heard that Madam Shen's Zhiwei Restaurant is doing very well. What if some fools come along again?"

"Let's go see the magistrate of Ping'an County early tomorrow morning!"

Gu Qionghua already had a plan in mind.

Once she found the county magistrate, she revealed her identity as a princess, and the magistrate sent his men to escort her to find Shen Qing.

Therefore, the people on the street naturally dared not approach and disturb them.

......

One night passed.

The next day, the emperor got up very early, which was unprecedented, and sat on the dragon throne, waiting for the morning court session to begin.

He arrived even earlier than all the other ministers.

All the ministers stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with shock.

After all, the emperor has not attended court for several years. Although Gao Quan Hong was dealt with yesterday, given the emperor's personality, he is unlikely to attend court again.

What's wrong with me today? Have I gone mad?

Surely it couldn't be that the emperor has reformed himself?

When the white-haired old minister He Song entered the main hall and saw the emperor, he was so excited that his eyes filled with tears.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty has finally seen the light! Gao Quan Hong died a good death, a truly splendid one! Before, it was Gao Quan Hong who misled you. Now that Gao Quan Hong is gone, Your Majesty has become even more wise!"

"In that case, this old minister has done his duty to the late emperor!"

He Song was overjoyed, and his words moved the other ministers deeply.

Finally, finally, the imperial court is finally going to return to normal!

Finally, it's no longer a time when eunuchs rule!

For these loyal ministers, the dawn has finally broken!

"Ahem~" The emperor above cleared his throat.

"I have two main matters to discuss at court today."

"Firstly, regarding the position of Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, after careful consideration, I believe Zhao Gou is the most suitable. Therefore, Zhao Gou will take over all of Gao Quan Hong's duties and powers."

"From now on, Zhao Gou will preside over the court assemblies, and I will no longer attend."

He had no desire to attend the morning court session or anything like that.

This is the perfect time to sleep in; lying down is the most comfortable thing to do.

He wouldn't have come today if it weren't for the delicious food.

After the emperor finished speaking, he gestured for Zhao Gou to step forward.

It was Zhao Gou's first time serving as the Grand Eunuch, and he was still a little awkward with so many court officials under him.

I felt lightheaded, as if I were walking on a cloud, like I was dreaming.

Is he... second only to the emperor?

Why do I feel a chill? I'm a little scared...

Zhao Gou looked closely and saw that it was He Song, the old minister from earlier, who was now glaring at him fiercely.

It was as if he were some kind of bewitching enchantress.

He instinctively shrank his neck and took a step back.

"Your Majesty, you can't skip court! If you don't attend court, those opportunistic scoundrels will start causing trouble..." He Song said, his neck stiff, trying to awaken the emperor's conscience.

The emperor waved his hand, directly interrupting He Song:

"If you have any questions, you can discuss them with Zhao Gou. If you are really unsure, then Zhao Gou can come and ask me."

"Right, Zhao Gou?"

Zhao Gou quickly nodded: "Yes, yes, yes, Your Majesty is right. This servant is just a messenger."

"But..." He Song frowned.

What is all this? Needless to say, Zhao Gou is definitely the second Gao Quan Hong.

"Alright, it's decided then and there." The emperor made the decision directly.

The court officials were disappointed, but many others were secretly delighted.

Pei Yuan had long seen through it all; the emperor was completely rotten and incapable of reforming himself.

But it doesn't matter, this guy surnamed Zhao is easier to handle than Gao Quan Hong.

"Now, let's talk about the second matter," the emperor above spoke again.

The courtiers were all absorbed in their own emotions and had no interest in listening to the second matter.

If the emperor doesn't even attend court, what's the point of listening to music?

It was nothing more than building palaces, selecting beauties, and a series of other absurd things.

"I dreamt of the late emperor yesterday."

"The late emperor held my hand and said that the feng shui of the palace was bad, blocking good fortune and harming the country. He said we needed to find a better place as the new capital and build a new palace!"

The emperor became more and more excited as he spoke, his face turning completely red.

"The late emperor said that Ping'an County has excellent feng shui and can serve as the new capital, and the best location for the imperial palace is right next to the Zhiwei Restaurant!!"

This sounds like...moving the capital?!

Should we build a new capital city? Or a new imperial palace?

Are you crazy?!

The ministers looked at each other, their faces showing unprecedented shock.

Good heavens, so this is what they were waiting for.

No wonder he came to court. I thought he had reformed, but it turns out he had something big going on!

What a terrible tragedy!!

An eerie silence fell over the court.

The relocation of the capital was even more frightening than the shattering of the imperial seal.

If the imperial seal is broken, it can be repaired, a few people can be killed, and at most a new one can be carved.

Although it's unlucky, it's only psychological and won't cause any actual disaster.

But what about moving the capital?

This really costs money.

Building palaces, constructing capital cities, repairing roads, and so on—each of these required immense effort and resources.

Not only will the poor suffer, but the merchants in the capital will also suffer.

In short, it's all downsides and no upsides.

If there is any advantage, it is that the emperor can enjoy Shen Qing's delicacies every day.

"Your Majesty! You must reconsider! Moving the capital is a momentous event. You must be having a strange dream. The late Emperor would never have such a dream!"

"Your Majesty, you don't have to attend court if you don't want to. You can just enjoy yourself in the harem, but please don't do anything reckless!"

The silence was broken by the mournful cry of the old minister He Song.

The old man was crying and snot streaming down his face, kneeling on the ground and almost kowtowing his head until it was raw.

Oh dear, oh dear! If he had known this would be the outcome, he would have preferred that the emperor never hold court again.

He's begging for it.

This is absolutely insane!

As soon as He Song spoke, all the civil and military officials knelt down, and the crowd shouted:

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

"Relocating the capital is a major undertaking, not something to be taken lightly!"

"Ping'an County is just a small county town; how can it possibly be worthy of being the capital of a dynasty!"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!!!"

"..."