"Emperor, this..."
In the imperial study, a middle-aged man dressed in crimson court robes presented four or five morials: "Emperor, these are the morials reviewed by the Empress. Please take a look... here, and also here..."
He pointed out the details: "The Empress is exceptionally brilliant. She deliberately left these flaws to avoid appearing too intelligent in front of Your Majesty. If she didn’t consider Your Majesty’s feelings, she could have handled everything flawlessly on her own."
The Emperor chuckled softly: "I knew it. Every ti she stirs up my frustration, it’s just to divert my attention."
But after all, he was the Emperor. How could he be so easily fooled?
It was simply that he adored Yue'er and was willing to play along, pretending to be oblivious.
"Emperor, the Empress is truly a prodigy. Look at her proposed governance philosophy: 'To enrich the people is the foundation; the key to enriching the people lies in frugality.' Such political insight is not uncommon among n, but for the Empress, who was raised in the inner chambers and only learned the arts of the boudoir, to have such profound understanding is truly remarkable."
"And here, see... 'The way to govern a nation must begin with enriching the people. When the people are wealthy, they are easy to govern; when they are poor, they are difficult to govern. How do we know this is so? When the people are wealthy, they cherish their hos and value their livelihoods. When they cherish their hos and value their livelihoods, they respect authority and fear punishnt. When they respect authority and fear punishnt, they are easy to govern. When the people are poor, they beco restless and neglect their hos. When they are restless and neglect their hos, they dare to defy authority and break the law. When they defy authority and break the law, they are difficult to govern. Therefore, a well-governed nation is always prosperous, while a chaotic nation is always impoverished. Thus, those who excel at governing a nation must first enrich the people, and then rule them.'"
In other words, to govern a nation, one must first ensure the prosperity of the people.
Prosperous people are easier to rule, while impoverished people are harder to rule.
Prosperous people will live peacefully in their hotowns and value their livelihoods. When they value their livelihoods, they will respect authority and fear punishnt, making them easier to govern.
Impoverished people will beco restless and neglect their hos, daring to defy authority and break the law, making them harder to govern.
Thus, in peaceful tis, the people remain prosperous, while in turbulent tis, the people remain poor.
Therefore, the people must first be enriched to make governance easier.
This was not the kind of insight one would expect from a woman raised in the inner chambers. Even many officials in the court might not possess such understanding.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many corrupt officials in the Great Yan Dynasty.
Those who only seek to enrich themselves are the root cause of the court losing its authority and the people’s trust.
The Emperor studied the morials carefully, his playful smile fading as he straightened up, his eyes never leaving the docunts: "To describe her as a woman of the inner chambers is already underestimating her. Her intelligence is sothing even I admire."
In fact, he felt sowhat inferior.
Previously, Yue'er had ntioned "Great Harmony Under Heaven." When he asked what it ant, Yue'er explained that she had read about it in Lord Jiang’s study.
But later, when he subtly discussed the topic with Lord Jiang, he realized that Lord Jiang only had a superficial understanding and didn’t truly grasp the concept of Great Harmony Under Heaven.
This proved that it wasn’t sothing from Lord Jiang’s study but rather Yue'er’s own insight, gained through extensive reading.
She was simply afraid that her brilliance might make him wary, so she pretended to be naive and adorable, gradually lowering his guard.
Now, he fully understood Yue'er’s true nature, but he was already deeply entangled in the web of affection she had woven. Even knowing her formidable skills, he loved her dearly.
"Emperor, this cannot go on!"
The official in crimson robes wore a look of panic: "When the mother is strong, the child is weak; when the mother is weak, the child is strong. The more capable the Empress becos, the more the Crown Prince will rely on her. If this continues, the Jiang Family’s influence will grow too powerful, fostering ambition, which is detrintal to the nation!"
"Minister Xie, you speak too soon."
The Emperor smiled: "Jiang Yankun is a smart man. He knows that if he dares to harbor even the slightest disloyal thought, I can annihilate the Jiang Family in an instant. Yue'er’s achievents are beyond anything he could have imagined. Right now, he is only filled with fear. How would he dare to influence my son?"
He could elevate the Jiang Family to great heights out of love for Yue'er, but he could also bring them crashing down for the sake of his son.
However, the Jiang Family was, after all, Yue'er’s maternal family. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to harm them.
If rumors spread that Yue'er had fallen out of favor, leading to disrespect toward her, that was not what he desired.
Because he knew that Yue'er and the Jiang Family’s ambitions were limited to wealth and status, not the supre power above the throne, he allowed Yue'er to use her intelligence in state affairs and permitted Jiang Yankun to seek benefits for his family, as long as it didn’t affect the Crown Prince.
After all, if it weren’t Jiang Yankun, it would be soone else.
At least both Yue'er and the Jiang Family would prioritize the Crown Prince’s interests.
Since indulging anyone was inevitable, why not indulge the woman he loved?
Scholar Xie sighed: "But human desires are endless. Can Your Majesty guarantee that the Empress will never harbor ambitions to replace you?"
The Emperor’s wise eyes sparkled like stars: "That is my concern, Minister Xie. There’s no need for you to say more."
This was a clear indication that he would follow this path to the end, heedless of anyone’s advice.
*Creak—*
The door of the imperial study opened. As Scholar Xie stepped out, several ministers gathered around him: "Well? What did the Emperor say? Will he take back the Empress’s authority?"
"Isn’t it obvious? Of course, he will. The Emperor isn’t foolish. How can he allow a woman to dominate him? That would destabilize the court."
Jiang Yankun snorted coldly: "I’ve never heard of anyone, with the Emperor present, daring to rise above him. No matter how much authority the Empress has, it’s granted by the Emperor. Have you ever heard of the Empress presiding over court affairs from behind a curtain?"
As soon as he spoke, all the officials who had aligned themselves with the Jiang Family began arguing with the others at the entrance of the imperial study.
Though they didn’t necessarily support the Empress’s authority, they were eyeing positions as advisors to the Crown Prince, hoping to secure influential roles in the future.
*Bang!*
*Crash!*
The door of the imperial study was struck by sothing heavy, and the sound of shattering porcelain pierced the air. The ministers, who had been loudly quarreling monts ago, fell silent.
Realizing that their argunt had been overheard by the Emperor, they froze.
The door opened again, and Wang Dequan flicked his horsetail whisk: "The Emperor has decreed that those who insulted the Empress will be fined three months’ salary and receive fifteen lashes. If this happens again, the punishnt will be severe. As for those who recklessly implicated the Crown Prince, the Investigative Bureau will investigate, and they will be dismissed and prosecuted."
Another wave of lantations followed.
Now, there was no need to test the Emperor’s stance. Those who offended the Empress and the Crown Prince had no way out.
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