The Empress remarried, and I retaliated by wiping out the court.

Amidst the wind and snow, a graceful figure in a light green dress slowly walked into the Golden Palace.

Li Yanran had completed the disaster relief work in Shandong a day earlier, and Ye Wudao had specially allowed her to rest for a day before finally summoning her to court today.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"

"No need for formalities!"

Ye Wudao nodded slightly. "How is the disaster situation in Shandong?"

Li Yanran cupped her hands in reply:

"Your Majesty, the granaries in all prefectures of Shandong have been reopened."

"Your Majesty, I have allocated a total of 750 shi of grain from the capital, which I purchased at a price of 400 wen per shi, costing a total of 300,000 taels of silver."

"All the grain has been delivered to the disaster victims without missing a single grain. In the prefectures and cities we passed through, no one dared to withhold even a single grain of grain or charge an extra penny. Now the refugees have been returning to their hometowns one after another, order has been restored in the disaster area, and the potential for riots has been basically quelled."

Upon hearing this, many veteran officials' expressions changed slightly.

Not a penny less!

These four short words felt like a slap in the face to everyone.

What is the imperial court most afraid of when it provides disaster relief?

It's not that there's a shortage of grain, but rather that there are layers of deductions.

One million shi of grain was deducted from each layer of officials it passed through, with everyone trying to skim a profit, and no one reporting anyone else.

Everyone being greedy equals no one being greedy.

This had long been an unspoken understanding among officials, but Li Yanran, or Ye Wudao, squeezed all the profits out of them!

But they dared not say why.

Once they confess, they'll admit they embezzled!

Ye Wudao nodded in satisfaction: "Excellent! Hundreds of thousands of disaster victims in Shandong have survived, and my beloved concubine has made a great contribution. She truly deserves the title of Minister of Rites bestowed upon her by me!"

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

Xiao Linyuan took a step forward and said in a deep voice:

"I do not deny that Empress Li has made contributions to disaster relief, but disaster relief is disaster relief, and the Ministry of Rites is the Ministry of Rites. The Ministry of Rites is in charge of the rites and laws of the country, the imperial examinations, and the court ceremonies. This has nothing to do with disaster relief. Even if the two empresses are good at governing the people, they may not understand etiquette."

Ye Wudao looked at Li Yanran: "My beloved concubine, he said you don't understand. What do you think?"

Li Yanran remained calm and answered with neither servility nor arrogance:

"I cannot agree with what the Regent has said. The Ministry of Rites is in charge of five matters: rites and regulations, sacrifices to ancestral temples, the imperial examination system, diplomatic relations and investiture, and education."

"Since childhood, I have been taught by my grandfather. I have been familiar with the Great Yan Rituals, the Rites of Zhou, the Book of Rites, and the Book of Rites. I can recite the procedures for sacrifices, court ceremonies, investiture standards, and the imperial examination process fluently."

Xiao Linyuan's eyes turned cold: "So what if you know a little about the Ministry of Rites? You've never worked there, you don't even know what its subordinate agencies do or which way their doors face!"

Xiao Linyuan wasn't stupid. He had heard of Li Yanran's talent and knew that she had a photographic memory. He knew that if he tried to compete with Li Yanran in terms of talent, knowledge, and cultivation, he would only be asking for trouble.

But when it comes to bureaucracy, he is miles ahead of Li Yanran. What does a woman who has never been an official know?

"Is that so?" Li Yanran sneered and retorted, "May I ask, Your Highness, what is the responsibility of the Left Secretary of the Ministry of Rites?"

"This..." Xiao Linyuan was taken aback. He only knew the general idea, and he really didn't know how to explain it in detail!

Li Yanran continued, "The Left Secretary of the Ministry of Rites is in charge of honorary titles for civil and military officials, bestowal of honors upon noblewomen, and the ceremonial procedures for court assemblies."

"The Right Secretary of the Ministry of Rites is in charge of all matters related to schools, the imperial examinations, the provincial examinations, and the metropolitan examinations."

"The Office of Guests and Receptionists is in charge of receiving tribute missions from foreign tribes and foreign envoys..."

"Was there any mistake in what I said?"

The entire Golden Palace was completely silent, and the officials from the Ministry of Rites looked at each other in bewilderment.

Even though they hadn't seriously summarized the specific work content of some departments, Li Yanran described it perfectly!

She truly deserves to be called the number one talented woman!

Xiao Linyuan's face was grim.

When it comes to the ability to talk, he's completely outmatched!

The dignified regent was rendered speechless by a woman in her early twenties when it came to matters concerning the Ministry of Rites.

Ye Wudao laughed and said, "Minister Xiao, I see you know nothing, so why are you pointing fingers and giving orders?"

"Alright! The matter has come to this. Li Yanran will be the Minister of Rites from now on. There's no need to discuss this further!"

Xiao Linyuan gritted his teeth, but he was helpless in the face of Ye Wudao's aggressive attitude.

He knew that he had already lost this round with the Ministry of Rites, so he decided to try a different round!

Xiao Linyuan suddenly cupped his hands and said, "Since Your Majesty has made your decision, I will naturally obey. However—the matter of the Ministry of Rites can be postponed, but the rebellion in Henan cannot be delayed for even a moment!"

"The rebels have already captured Chenliu, Qixian, and Weishi counties. If we delay any longer, I fear the entire Henan Prefecture will fall into their hands!"

"Your Majesty, I request that you dispatch the Imperial Guards to quell the rebellion and appoint Duan Pengju, the Left Vice Minister of War, as General Zhen'an! This man is a seasoned veteran, familiar with military affairs in Henan. If he leads the army to quell the rebellion, the rebels will surely be wiped out within a month!"

After Xiao Linyuan finished speaking, the military and civil officials behind him all spoke at the same time: "The Regent's words are reasonable. Please make your decision, Your Majesty!"

Ye Wudao's gaze was icy as he stared intently at Xiao Linyuan!

That old bastard, he actually dared to set his sights on the Imperial Guard!

Not long after the Imperial Guards were taken into his hands, Xiao Linyuan wanted to use the pretext of suppressing the rebellion to take them back!

But unfortunately, there was nothing he could do!

He had the title of emperor, but no real local administrative power.

If he were to send troops directly, local political forces and powerful families would obstruct him at every turn...

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad, but the problem is, the rebels won't wait for anyone.

Every second he is hindered, the rebels' power will increase.

Xiao Linyuan had anticipated this, which is why he made this request.

"Excellent!"

Ye Wudao took a deep breath and said indifferently, "As for sending troops, we shall do as the Regent says."

"But I would like to remind some people who are used to living a life of luxury to be careful. Once the rebels become powerful, the wealth they have accumulated over generations will turn to ashes in the blink of an eye..."

To Xiao Linyuan's faction, Ye Wudao's words sounded more like a show of bravado masking inner weakness after being compromised.

Even the Imperial Guards are being handed over; what is this if not cowardice?

They replied smugly, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Xiao Linyuan calmly looked at Ye Wudao, who remained unfazed, but inwardly he became wary.

Several times he saw the light of victory, but Ye Wudao always managed to intervene halfway and ruin his entire plan!

His intuition told him that Ye Wudao was definitely holding back his anger!

There must be something he overlooked!

Immediately, Xiao Linyuan felt relieved.

Once Ye Wudao sends out the Imperial Guards, they will be like a tiger with its teeth pulled out. With just a little effort, he can pull Ye Wudao off the throne!

The victory lies with him!