The peasant girl has a private space, and her husband is handsome.

Emperor Qi Jing laughed wildly, looking up at the sky, "Hahaha, thank God for protecting my Great Qi!"

It is better to share happiness than to enjoy it alone, so Emperor Jing of Qi asked Eunuch Fu to deliver the letter to Prime Minister Feng.

"My esteemed ministers, a great victory at Yinguan City! Prime Minister Feng, after you've read this, please share it with others so that everyone can share in the joy."

Prime Minister Feng breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, it was good news!

But Silver Pass City is so fragile! How could there possibly be good news when 20,000 defenders are fighting against 100,000 northern barbarians?

Prime Minister Feng was puzzled, but after reading the letter, he realized that the defeat of the enemy at Yinguan City was actually orchestrated by Miss Su from Qinghe County.

Could it be that Miss Su is truly favored by the heavens, and that any battle involving her can turn out well?

Moreover, the battle report sent by General Shen was full of praise for Miss Su, attributing all the credit to her.

That Miss Su is truly skilled; she knows how to win people's hearts so well that General Shen completely overlooked his own contributions and handed all the credit to Miss Su.

Previously, Prime Minister Feng was worried about the fall of the Great Qi Dynasty, so he prayed to Heaven for help, thinking that whoever could defend Yinguan City should be promoted and given a title. But now that it was Miss Su who helped defend Yinguan City, Prime Minister Feng did not want the emperor to reward him.

The ministers circulated the latest battle report among themselves, and everyone was very happy.

No one wanted the stability of the Great Qi territory more than they did.

Because these civil and military officials were the core of power in the Great Qi Dynasty, they enjoyed power, wealth, and preferential treatment that ordinary people could not enjoy.

If the Great Qi is destroyed, their life of wealth and luxury will be gone forever.

When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain intact?

Of course, a small number of ministers were truly loyal and concerned about the country and its people, and they stepped forward to request His Majesty to reward the meritorious officials.

"Your Majesty, Miss Su has rendered outstanding service and deserves a great reward!"

"Your Majesty, Miss Su is truly a prodigy and deserves to be given an important position!"

Prime Minister Feng, not wanting to hear any of this, quickly changed the subject, standing in the center of the hall and raising his arms to shout: "Your Majesty is wise; the victory is all due to Your Majesty's boundless blessings."

All the civil and military officials knelt down and shouted, "Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty's blessings are boundless!"

Emperor Jing of Qi felt that winning a battle at the beginning of the new year was a good omen.

"The Battle of Yinguan City was fought brilliantly, and I must reward those involved. General Shen said that Miss Su from Qinghe County deserves immense credit for repelling 10 Northern Barbarian troops, and I intend to—"

Prime Minister Feng was the first to stand up and object, saying, "Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

General Shen can be commended, but Miss Su from Qinghe County absolutely cannot be commended.

Although Prime Minister Feng also felt that the young girl was indeed very capable, it was a pity that she was born a woman! That was the biggest mistake!

The rules set by our ancestors must not be broken. If women were to be granted official positions, the entire Great Qi would descend into chaos.

Once this precedent is set, other women will surely follow suit and will no longer be content to remain confined to the inner quarters.

At that time, the women will turn the private quarters of these pillars of the nation upside down, and sooner or later they will ride roughshod over men.

Therefore, Prime Minister Feng insisted on never allowing women to be granted official positions. This was his bottom line and he would not change his mind even if the sky were to fall.

"Your Majesty, you must not grant that Miss Su an official position! Giving an official position to a woman will plunge the country into chaos."

Emperor Jing of Qi was furious that the prime minister of the country was talking nonsense, saying that granting official positions to women would cause chaos in the country.

In Emperor Jing of Qi's view, the world had long been in chaos.

The border is in chaos, and the situation with the King of Huainan is also a major headache. Moreover, according to the latest intelligence, the Southern Yue Kingdom is eyeing the border with hostility and has amassed a large army there, which is definitely not a good sign.

The Western Xia Kingdom should have come to the Great Qi Kingdom to pay tribute before the New Year, but the New Year has passed and they still haven't sent the tribute. It's clear that they no longer take the Great Qi Kingdom seriously.

Emperor Qi Jing grew angrier the more he thought about it, snatched the whisk from Eunuch Fu's hand, and threw it forcefully at Prime Minister Feng.

If the late emperor hadn't said that the prime minister shouldn't be changed arbitrarily, as it would shake the foundation of the country, he would have stripped Prime Minister Feng of his official position long ago.

This is absolutely outrageous!

"Prime Minister Feng, step back and wait for me to finish speaking, or I will punish you for disrespect."

Prime Minister Feng noticed that the veins on Emperor Qi Jing's hands were bulging, indicating that he was truly enraged. It would be best to back down for now.

So he quickly returned to the queue.

The others in Prime Minister Feng's faction originally intended to stand up and oppose him, but seeing that Emperor Qi Jing was angry, and seeing Prime Minister Feng give them a look to signal them not to be rash, they all shrank back.

"I have already decided that General Shen and Miss Su's father will each be promoted one rank."

Defeating the 100,000-strong Northern Barbarian army was a tremendous achievement; a promotion of only one level was too little, as he should have been promoted three levels in a row.

Even so, some people still jumped out to oppose it.

Minister Luo knelt down abruptly in the center of the hall: "Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

Duke Anguo, furious, pointed at Minister Luo's nose and said, "Minister Luo, I think you're the one with grievances. Your own son and grandson are disappointing, so you're jealous of that young girl. If that girl were a descendant of your Luo family, would you still be targeting her like this?"

"Your Majesty, even if he were a descendant of the Luo family, I would still stand up and object today. Your Majesty, I have heard that Su Bing was originally a farmer. If he is promoted too quickly, I fear the people will complain! Your Majesty, Su Bing has no talent whatsoever and is unfit to be an official!"

Minister Luo wept bitterly, appearing as a loyal minister deeply concerned for his country and its people.

Duke Anguo, having prepared a backup plan, said unhurriedly, "Minister Luo, I heard that your eldest son is involved in a murder case on New Year's Eve and has been arrested and imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. Since you are so righteous and outspoken, you will surely ensure that the Ministry of Justice handles the matter impartially, won't you?"

The incident involving Vice Minister Luo's eldest son occurred on New Year's Eve, and many ministers in the court heard about it.

It is said that Luo Shilang's eldest son was harassed by a father and son beggars from out of town. In a fit of anger, he killed the two men, and was caught in the act by Dong Yong, an assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, and a minor official of the Ministry of Justice.

Therefore, Luo Shilang's eldest son was arrested and imprisoned before he even had a chance to plead his case.

Emperor Qi Jing was furious. He ran down the steps and kicked Minister Luo to the ground.

"Minister Luo, it's not your place to give orders. How can you sweep the world if you can't even sweep your own house? Minister Luo, you can't even manage your own family, yet you have the nerve to question my decision. You should suspend your duties and go home to sort things out at home first."

Luo, the Vice Minister, never expected to be suspended from his post for talking too much. Filled with remorse, he collapsed onto the cold ground like a rag doll.

It's all over, it's all over. He's been suspended from his post. He finally managed to climb to the position of Vice Minister of Works.

No one can say for sure whether he will be reinstated. If the emperor is displeased, he might never be reinstated.

Seeing this, the other ministers dared not be the first to speak out.

Because if they dared to step forward, they would definitely suffer the same fate as Vice Minister Luo. Vice Minister Luo was truly pitiful.

Duke Anguo felt a sense of satisfaction looking at Minister Luo's miserable state.

For such a great achievement, it would be more appropriate to be promoted three ranks. You, Vice Minister Luo, couldn't keep your composure after only one promotion. It's no wonder you were suspended. This is a typical case of being unable to stand seeing others do well.

Minister Luo returned to the Luo residence in a daze.

In previous years, the Luo family mansion was bustling with people during the Lunar New Year.

But this year, because the eldest son Luo Kang was arrested and imprisoned by the Ministry of Justice, the Luo family did not have a single guest, making it unprecedentedly quiet.

As soon as Vice Minister Luo entered the mansion, he knelt before the ancestral tablets and wept bitterly.

"What did I do wrong? Why are you doing this to me, God? You're not fair, God—"

Thunder is usually not heard around the Lunar New Year, but a bolt of lightning suddenly appeared in the sky.

A thunderclap resounded through the sky, startling Mrs. Fan, who was peeping from outside, so much that she knelt down outside the window with a thud.

She clasped her hands together and muttered, "It's all the old lady's fault, it's all the old lady's fault. She's cold-blooded and doesn't acknowledge her own son. It has nothing to do with me. God, please don't mistake me for someone else..."

Minister Luo was so frightened by the lightning that he dared not complain about the injustice of Heaven anymore.

He summoned his trusted confidant—Fan Dajiang, the son of Fan Mama.

He handed a thousand taels of silver notes to Fan Dajiang, saying, "Take this money and use it to bribe officials in the Ministry of Justice. Don't let Kang'er suffer too much inside."

After all, he was her own son whom she had raised since he was a child. How could she bear to let her son suffer in prison?