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

The emperor asked his ministers to donate money.

The entire hall immediately fell silent.

Emperor Qi Jing was somewhat displeased by the atmosphere. It was clear that the ministers were unwilling to donate money. "Normally, you ministers are all very enthusiastic in discussions about anything, so why do you all fall silent when it comes to donating money?"

Some ministers were willing to donate money, but they didn't want to be the first to do so.

If the first person to step forward donates too little, His Majesty will dislike them; if they donate too much, it will cause public outrage, because if you donate too much, everyone else will have to follow suit and donate more.

Prime Minister Feng was wealthy, but in his eyes, people were divided into noble and lowly. Only the outstanding deserved relief, while the lowly and useless disaster victims did not.

But Vice Minister Luo really had no money.

His wife recently suffered a stroke and has been taking expensive medicinal herbs to care for her, which is very costly.

Moreover, his eldest son was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice, where he spent a considerable amount of money bribing officials.

The situation is extremely difficult.

The donation of silver needed a leader. Emperor Qi Jing looked at the civil and military officials, hoping that someone would take the initiative to donate, preferably more than five thousand taels, so as to set a good example.

"I have decided that anyone who donates 80,000 taels of silver will be granted the position of an eighth-rank county magistrate."

The Empress's father, Duke Anguo, was the first to step forward: "Your Majesty, this old minister is willing to donate seven thousand taels of silver for disaster relief."

Emperor Jing of Qi nodded, expressing his approval of Duke Anguo's actions.

As expected of the Empress's family, they are very reliable in their work.

Minister Qin was the second to step forward. "Your Majesty, I am willing to donate three thousand taels of silver."

He was delighted that his grandson Qin Changfeng had obtained an official position. Originally, his grandson was a spoiled brat, and he thought he had no future. Unexpectedly, after going to Qinghe County, he was completely transformed.

Seeing that Minister Qin had donated so much, Prime Minister Feng and the other ministers could only reluctantly donate their own money.

Although donating 80,000 taels of silver could buy an official position for the younger generation in the family, they dared not do it.

Aside from established aristocratic families, it's hard to imagine that other officials would be suspected of embezzlement if they were to contribute such a large sum of money.

Therefore, donating several thousand taels of silver is the most appropriate amount.

Vice Minister Luo was terrified: "It's all over! The Duke of Anguo and several ministers have donated several thousand taels of silver. Others will definitely follow suit and donate a large sum of money."

As the Vice Minister of Works, he holds a high-ranking position. If he donates too little, His Majesty will surely dislike him.

It turned out that the vice ministers of the other six ministries had donated one thousand taels of silver each, so he could only grit his teeth and donate one thousand taels as well.

Alas, not a single person in my family is capable; not only can they not pass the imperial examinations, but they also don't know how to make money.

If any of the younger members of his family had even a tenth of the skills of that Miss Su from Qinghe County, he would be laughing in his sleep.

Prime Minister Feng felt bad about the three thousand taels of silver he had donated, and he wanted to make the young girl from Qinghe County pay for it.

He planned to squeeze a hefty sum out of Su Qianqian, suggesting, "Miss Su owns a large-scale black stone mine; she must have made a lot of money. I'm sure she'll donate more than we do."

The others in Prime Minister Feng's faction quickly stood up to echo his words, wishing they could empty Miss Su's pockets.

"Miss Su has excellent disaster relief capabilities, and I believe the amount of money she donated must be substantial."

"Miss Su also owns the Gu Family Teahouse, which is a fortune that makes a fortune every day. Her wealth is beyond the reach of ordinary people."

Su Bing stepped forward and said, "Your subject is willing to donate 80,000 taels of silver."

This was something Su Qianqian had arranged beforehand: if a donation of less than 100,000 taels could buy an official position, then she would buy one for her brother.

Su Bing's voice wasn't loud, but it shocked everyone.

Because this number exceeded everyone's expectations.

In an instant, all the civil and military officials looked at Su Bing.

Prime Minister Feng was very envious: "Eighty thousand taels of silver, donated without batting an eye. It's so good to have a daughter who knows how to make money!"

Prime Minister Feng wished he could immediately seize the wealth held by Miss Su, but he knew that the time was not yet right. He still needed to use the young girl to deal with the Prince of Huainan.

Once the King of Huainan is defeated, the young girl will lose her value to His Majesty, and that will be the perfect opportunity to seize her wealth.

I believe His Majesty will not object to using the profits from the Black Stone Mine to replenish the national treasury.

At the same time, Prime Minister Feng also envied Su Bing for daring to spend money to buy an official position. As the prime minister, he also wanted to buy an official position for his youngest son. Although he had the money, he dared not take out 80,000 taels, fearing that the emperor would suspect him of embezzlement.

So I really envy that Miss Su's carefree attitude.

As soon as Su Bing stepped out of Xuanwu Hall after the morning court session, he was surrounded by people.

Congratulations were heard all around.

"Lord Su, congratulations on your promotion to commander of a thousand households!"

"Congratulations, Lord Su! You have a bright future ahead of you."

Su Bing was not good at speaking, and could only blush and keep saying thank you.

Military Advisor Zhang looked up at the majestic Xuanwu Hall.

The four corners of the eaves are carved with blue dragons, making it exceptionally majestic and spectacular.

Many people never get to set foot in the palace in their entire lives.

If it weren't for Miss Su, he would never have had the chance to step into the palace, receive the emperor's personal commendation, or stand on the Xuanwu Hall.

Having ability alone is not enough in this life; the most important thing is to have benefactors to help you.

Miss Su was his benefactor, and also the benefactor of the entire Zhang family.

The Duke of Anguo was extremely hospitable, inviting Su Bing, saying, "Lord Su, I have long admired your name. Would you have time to visit my residence?"

Duke Anguo originally thought that Miss Su would come in person, but unfortunately she didn't. However, inviting Miss Su's father to dinner is just as good.

Su Bing's face was flushed, and he seemed a bit dull and not good at interacting with people.

Remembering Miss Su's instructions, Strategist Zhang quickly stepped forward to smooth things over and helped her decline.

"Thank you for your kindness, Duke Anguo. But there are still a lot of urgent matters waiting for you to attend to in Qinghe County, so I won't be visiting your residence."

Duke Anguo did not press the matter, exchanged a few polite words, and then left.

He realized that Miss Su's father was not good with words, and if he was too enthusiastic, he might scare Miss Su's father away.

Minister Qin patted his grandson Qin Changfeng on the shoulder, "You little rascal, you've really made something of yourself. You were absolutely unwilling to join the army before, so why did you change your mind once we got to Qinghe County?"

"Grandfather, your grandson will continue to bring you honor."

Minister Qin quickened his pace, caught up with Su Bing, and stepped forward to invite him, saying, "Lord Su, may I have the honor of inviting you to my residence for a chat?"

His grandson owes his success to Miss Su's care, so he especially wants to express his gratitude.

It was again strategist Zhang who politely helped out of the predicament.

Dong Yong and several others also politely invited Su Bing, but he politely declined each time.

Prime Minister Feng and the others noticed that the little girl's father was so popular! Everyone was vying to invite him to dinner.

Having such an outstanding daughter is truly enviable!

Vice Minister Luo said with envy, "This is the first time I've seen someone so popular! I wish she were my granddaughter."

Comparison is the thief of joy! In terms of seniority, he had served as a Beijing official for decades, yet he was not as popular as Su Bing, especially since Su Bing had only been in office for less than three months.

In fact, besides feeling envious, Vice Minister Luo also inexplicably wanted to get closer to Su Bing.

He was terrified by his own true feelings.

Vice Minister Luo and Prime Minister Feng are in the same faction. If Prime Minister Feng dislikes Su Bing, then Luo will naturally dislike him as well. How can they be close?

Prime Minister Feng, however, was not too concerned: "Don't worry, they won't be able to cause trouble for long. Once the Prince of Huainan is defeated, that little girl will lose her usefulness, and her good days will be over. At that time, her wealth will belong to the court, and her troops will also belong to the court. In the end, that little girl will only end up with nothing, having worked for the court for nothing."

Upon hearing this, Vice Minister Luo finally felt somewhat relieved.

After a large group of officials left the palace, they found it bustling with activity outside.

Besides the servants from various households who escorted officials home from court, there were also many brightly colored carriages, clearly the kind of carriages commonly used by young ladies from wealthy families.

Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Personnel pointed to two ornate carriages decorated with jewels not far away and said, "See those two carriages for the ladies? The one with the festive red windows belongs to Princess Zhaohua, and the one with the luxurious purple curtains belongs to the Meng family, one of the five great families. There are also many other carriages belonging to the young ladies of other families. I heard that these young ladies all wanted to come and see Miss Su, but alas, Miss Su did not come at all."

Lord Xue from the Ministry of Rites said, "Yes, Miss Su has captured the hearts of all the noble ladies in the capital. Last night, my daughter told me to make sure I saw what kind of clothes Miss Su was wearing so that she could have one made in the same way."

Everyone was scrambling to meet the emperor, but the little girl, who clearly had the opportunity, didn't care at all.

Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Personnel spoke with a hint of sarcasm, "It seems that in that young girl's eyes, none of us are worthy of even meeting her in person!"