Chapter 3617: The Most Favoured Woman in the Inner Palace (36)
Chapter 3617: The Most Favoured Woman in the Inner Palace (36)
To say the concubines of the inner palace were pitiable was not entirely accurate.
At most, they were just widows. They still lived in luxury with fine food and silk. Their greatest hardships were merely loneliness and boredom, which was a far better lot than that of the common people who often went hungry.
Fu Min’s expression was full of struggle. Finally, she produced an imperial decree and explained, “I never intended for this decree to see the light of day.”
Ning Shu took the document and opened it. Ao Tianze had named Fu Min the grand dowager empress.
The grand dowager empress?
That was a full generation higher in seniority than Ning Shu’s own rank of dowager empress.
Ning Shu closed the decree and handed it back to Fu Min. “It is just a title. I do not mind.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. I never actually desired to be the grand dowager empress.” In reality, there was no practical difference. It was a hollow title that wouldn’t actually grant Fu Min any real power.
Besides, Ao Tianze was already dead.
“Aside from the decree, is there anything else?” Ning Shu looked at Fu Min and repeated, “Is there anything else?”
There was still the shadow guards, but Fu Min shook her head. “There is nothing else.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Then I shall speak plainly,” Ning Shu said calmly. “The late emperor had his shadow guards, but now that he is gone, they have vanished without a trace. Do you know where they are? This organization is the state’s primary source of intelligence. I know the late emperor gave it to you, but I ask that you hand it over to the current emperor. A ruler cannot be deaf and blind, unable to see or hear what is happening in his own land.”
Fu Min bit her lip, her expression fraught with hesitation. This was the final gift the late emperor had given her for her own protection.
Ning Shu continued, “I harbor no ill will toward you, nor do I wish for you to lose your life needlessly. I can leave several shadow guards to protect you. I know what your concerns are.”
Fu Min sighed. She didn’t dare to oppose Ning Shu, who was now the regent dowager empress.
She reached into her collar and pulled out a black jade pendant. “It is this.”
Ning Shu took the pendant, which still held the warmth of Fu Min’s body, and smiled. “Thank you. Rest assured, I will protect you. You have no real enemies in this inner palace, so you needn’t worry about anyone targeting you.”
“I thank the dowager empress.” It could be said that the dowager empress had now stripped away everything the late emperor had left her.
Ning Shu tucked the pendant away. “The shadow guards stationed outside your hall shall remain there to protect you.”
Fu Min was startled to realize that Ning Shu had known the guards were there all along.
Her impression of Ning Shu was that she was a woman of profound depth—someone unfathomable and slightly terrifying.
Now that she had control of the shadow guards, Ning Shu locked the pendant in a box. When the little emperor was old enough to take power, she would give it to him. It would serve as her insurance for a peaceful retirement. Having bargaining chips in hand was always a good thing.
Dowager Consort Xuan truly did not want to go to court anymore. She told Ning Shu directly that her body couldn’t take the strain and she simply wasn’t up to the task. She came up with every excuse possible to stay away.
Ning Shu didn’t say much. These people always looked at those sitting on the dragon throne with envy and resentment, yet when given the chance to sit there themselves, they wanted to quit as soon as things got difficult.
The next day, Ning Shu resumed her routine of waking up in the dead of night to prepare herself and the child for court.
The boy was now old enough to sit up and crawl, but because the court sessions were so early, he usually spent the entire time sleeping. Ning Shu had to hold him the whole time. Dowager Consort Xuan lacked Ning Shu’s physical strength. After several days of holding the child for over two hours at a time, her arms had been left throbbing with pain.
“If there are matters to report, speak now. Otherwise, the court is dismissed,” the head eunuch shouted.
Once again, Scholar Gu stepped forward. “Your Highness, the Rong tribes have been constantly harassing our borders. As the weather turns cold, they will cross into our territory to plunder.
“The frontier army requires grain, but the treasury is empty. We are at a loss for how to proceed.”
Ning Shu gave an expressionless ‘oh’ and asked, “Does this request for ‘grain’ require actual food or silver?”
“Silver. The soldiers’ salaries must also be paid in silver,” Scholar Gu replied.
Ning Shu’s mouth twitched. She said tonelessly, “That means you don’t actually lack grain. If you were truly starving, you would be asking for food, not silver.”
Among the border generals, there was always a certain amount of corruption and embezzlement of military pay. These ‘blood-suckers’ were constantly demanding money from the court.
“Furthermore, as the weather turns cold, the soldiers require cotton clothes for warmth. All of this requires money,” Grand Secretary Li added.
Ning Shu gave another ‘oh,’ then said, “And have you come up with a strategy?”
“The military pay must be issued,” Prince Li stated. “The frontier army is vital to the security of the empire.”
“Oh. Then issue it.” Ning Shu’s expression was cold.
“But the treasury is empty,” Prince Li reminded her.
“And telling me the treasury is empty is supposed to help? I cannot conjure silver out of thin air,” Ning Shu said coldly. “The three of you are regents meant to handle these matters, yet you bring me no solutions and simply dump the problem in my lap. What do I need you for? I might as well be the sole regent myself.”
“We are incompetent!” the three regents cried while dropping to their knees. The rest of the officials followed suit in a rustling wave.
Ning Shu gave a mental ‘hah.’ She looked down at the snoring Ao Yong. She still didn’t know who the boy’s real father was. She wondered if it had been just one shadow guard who had bedded the concubines for Ao Tianze, or several?
Tsk.
Ning Shu ignored the kneeling ministers, her mind wandering through these distracting thoughts.
“We are incompetent! We beg the dowager empress’ forgiveness!” the officials wailed once more.
Ning Shu hummed. “I forgive you. Rise.”
“The security of our borders is at stake. I must take the liberty of insisting that the military funds be disbursed. Otherwise, the Rong tribes will continue to burn, kill, and pillage,” Prince Li argued.
Ning Shu simply replied, “It is only because the border generals are incompetent.”
If it had been the Ning Shu of the past, she would have simply chopped off any hand that dared to reach into her territory. She would have beaten the enemy until they were terrified.
However, the Rong were a nomadic people who didn’t produce their own goods. In the winter, if they lacked grain and their livestock died, it was a threat to their entire tribe’s survival. Hunger and the instinct to survive would drive them to desperate measures. To fill their bellies and stay alive, they were capable of anything.
Ning Shu suddenly said, “It will soon be the emperor’s first birthday.”
The officials were stunned. So what? How could the birthday of a toddler compare to the crisis at the border?
“Your Highness…” Prince Li said, sounding helpless.
Ning Shu continued, “Each of your families must prepare a lavish gift. I expect a tribute that will satisfy the emperor.”
Scholar Gu broke into a cold sweat. This dowager empress was far too unreliable. Demanding birthday gifts for the emperor in the middle of a court session? It was maddening. If the border issue wasn’t resolved, the only ones who would suffer were the common people living there.
“Your Highness, this matter can no longer be delayed. If it is pushed back any further, I fear it will trigger a mutiny in the army,” Scholar Gu said, bowing deeply.
He was truly anxious. As a scholar from a humble background, he understood the hardships of the common people far better than the others.