Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 485: Turning the Tables (Part 1)

An hour later, Jiang Shaohua finally withdrew from the Emperor’s bedroom.

Eunuch Ge, who had been waiting outside the bedroom for a long time, hurried in with the decoction to serve Emperor Taihe.

Emperor Taihe absentmindedly drank the decoction, then lay flat on the Dragon Couch, his gaze unconsciously falling on the layers of curtains.

Eunuch Ge had been beside him since he was six years old, serving him daily in matters of clothing and meals. Truly speaking, Eunuch Ge was the person he trusted most.

"In your eyes, what kind of person is Shao Hua, my cousin?" Emperor Taihe suddenly asked.

Eunuch Ge hesitated slightly, then answered in a low voice, "Your servant dares to say, the Commandery Princess is the most formidable lady I’ve ever encountered in my life."

Without exception.

Even when the Grand Empress Dowager Zheng was young, she didn’t possess the depth and means of Jiang Shaohua.

Emperor Taihe smirked slightly and smiled, "Anything else? Feel free to say it. There’s no one else here, speak as deeply as you wish, I won’t blame you."

Eunuch Ge was familiar with Emperor Taihe’s temper and boldly continued, "The Commandery Princess’s brilliance lies in her ability to assess the situation, gauge people’s hearts, and grasp the right balance."

"When the late Emperor passed away, the Commandery Princess came to the Capital City for the funeral. She stood firm against Prime Minister Wang, appeared especially filial to the Grand Empress Dowager, and showed exceptional care to Your Majesty. That was because Nanyang County was not stable enough, lacking in strength, so she needed to rely on the Grand Empress Dowager and Your Majesty to establish herself in the court. She had to borrow Prime Minister Wang’s influence to assert her presence."

"Just from this, one can see the depth of the Commandery Princess’s strategy and calculation."

"Now that Nanyang County is prosperous and ample in resources, the Commandery Princess is renowned, with Nanyang County hailed as the Northern Land’s shining jewel. The Commandery Princess has enough strength to move freely. Yet this time coming to the Capital, her attitude towards Prime Minister Wang is much softer, actively going to the Prime Minister’s Mansion to act as a lobbyist. In today’s court meeting, the Commandery Princess showed her edge, suppressing the ministers, even making several proud secretaries bow and accept her commands."

"The subtlety in her handling is superb. Your servant admires her greatly."

Emperor Taihe acknowledged with a sound, remained silent for a long while, and then said, "She proactively approached to help alleviate my worries, and I have already supported her. I hope I haven’t misjudged her."

Eunuch Ge was startled inside but showed no astonishment on the surface, responding, "The Commandery Princess will eventually return to Nanyang County, by then she will watch over Nanyang County with Elder Changning handling daily affairs. Her influence on the court will naturally be limited."

Emperor Taihe closed his eyes and said no more.

Eunuch Ge discreetly wiped his forehead and stepped forward to tuck in the blanket for the Emperor.

...

Jiang Shaohua had returned to Jingyang Palace.

The Grand Empress Dowager had been keeping an eye on Zhaohai Palace, so naturally, today’s matters in Zhaohai Palace could not escape her notice. Jiang Shaohua did not wait for the Grand Empress Dowager to inquire, she started speaking on her own.

The Grand Empress Dowager reacted directly, "The Emperor needs to recuperate and cannot be troubled. Since you are here, you shall help the Emperor ease his worries. Attend the court meetings daily and keep an eye on them."

In the Grand Empress Dowager’s perspective, Jiang Shaohua was her own person. With Duke An unable to attend court and unsuitable to appear, only Jiang Shaohua could suppress Prime Minister Wang.

The Grand Empress Dowager’s response was anticipated by Jiang Shaohua.

Jiang Shaohua smiled gently and replied, "Rest assured, Grand Aunt, I will do my utmost to relieve the worries of my cousin."

A flash of ruthlessness appeared in the Grand Empress Dowager’s eyes as she whispered, "The court is unstable now, we rely on Prime Minister Wang to handle affairs for the time being, let him pass for now. Once the court stabilizes, we can find faults with him, undermine his prestige."

Jiang Shaohua nodded in agreement.

The Grand Empress Dowager then felt at ease, happily taking Jiang Shaohua’s hand, "Thankfully you arrived in time, otherwise, with such chaos right now, who knows how we would manage."

"It’s a pity you have to return to Nanyang County; it would be so much better if you stayed in the Capital City by my side."

If she were to stay long in the Capital City, would Emperor Taihe willingly yield power to her? How could the Grand Empress Dowager not harbor apprehensions in her heart?

Jiang Shaohua felt a sneer inside but spoke all kinds of agreeable words, making the Grand Empress Dowager beam with joy.

...

The following morning, the ministers gathered again in Zhaohai Palace.

This time, Jiang Shaohua spoke less, only had the accumulated government documents brought over. There weren’t too many, when stacked, they were only about half a person’s height!

At a rough glance, there were at least fifty or sixty memorials.

Vice Minister Dong thought, this much, on a regular day, would take eight or nine, no, half a month’s time to deal with...

"Today, all these memorials must be addressed," Jiang Shaohua said lightly, "I am here to be the Emperor’s eyes and ears, not to speak much. You all just carry on with the discussions. But unnecessary chatter is not needed."

"Zheng Sheren, make sure to record everything."

Zheng Chenjun showed little expression as he calmly responded.

Minister Zhang, unable to hold his peace, spoke up, "With so much state business, how can it all be handled in such a short time?"

Jiang Shaohua glanced over, "At Nanyang Prince Mansion, Chief Historian Chen and Chief Historian Feng together can handle all affairs. The court’s business is manifold, at least tenfold of Nanyang County, or even more. Yet there are over twenty prominent figures from the Da Liang Court gathered here, all are the backbone ministers of the court. If you can’t handle this much, why not resign and go home straight away?"

Minister Zhang was left with an unpleasant expression.

Jiang Shaohua, however, was courteous to Prime Minister Wang, "I am not well-versed in state affairs, please, Prime Minister, preside over the court discussions."

Prime Minister Wang acknowledged with a sound and gave a look to Minister Zhang, who then fell silent.

The memorials varied in length, state affairs had big and small issues, none particularly urgent. After all, if they were left piled up, how critical could they be?

Normally, ministers could argue over a single affair for half a day, with matters continuing to accumulate, they’d rush through them perfunctorily.

Now, with the Nanyang County Princess watching closely, the secretary scribbling swiftly, every word uttered was recorded, to be presented at the imperial court. The ministers couldn’t dawdle even if they wanted to, the pace of discussions was rapid.

"Wait!" Jiang Shaohua would occasionally interject a minister, "The military funds for this year have already been allocated to the Ministry of War. Why is the Ministry of War still requesting funds?"

The minister voicing this, was none other than Vice Minister Wang who had backstabbed Duke An.

Duke An, as Minister of War, was confined due to the high-priced sale of official positions case, hasn’t appeared yet. The Ministry of War needed someone to manage affairs, and Vice Minister Wang, as the Vice Minister, was naturally brave enough to step forward.

Vice Minister Wang inwardly disdained the Nanyang County Princess’s interference in court affairs, spoke while looking directly at Jiang Shaohua, "The military funds have been sent to the Ministry of War, but it wasn’t the full amount of military expenses. For the last two years, military expenses have been cut repeatedly, Capital City’s garrison troops are paid in full, the border army is somewhat sufficient. However, local garrison troops are currently only receiving half of their wages. If the troops rise in unrest, it would be another rebelion akin to the Pingzhou chaos."

"The memorial requesting funds from the Ministry of War is precisely for this portion of military expenses."

This reason was dignified and well-expressed.

Vice Minister Wang, upon finishing, purposely added, "If the local garrison troops were like the Nanyang Army, it would certainly lead to great turmoil."