Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Wanchun Pavilion is a good place to view the scenery in the Imperial Garden. Shen Zheng looked a little further away and the Queen's gentle voice came into her ears.

"How is the matter of the charity foundation going?"

Shen Zheng didn't expect that the Queen was looking for her for this matter. After retracting her gaze, she said truthfully: "Your Majesty, the charity foundation is run in a mode of cooperation between the court and private merchants. There are many reputable merchants in the capital. After careful consideration, I chose to cooperate with the Fifth Family with a little selfishness, and recommended the Fifth Family's head, Fifth Nazheng, as the chairman of the foundation to jointly manage the charity foundation with the court."

"Selfish?" The Queen suddenly laughed, glanced at the Emperor not far away, and lowered her voice and said, "Lord Shen, tell me what your selfish motive is."

Shen Zheng did not lower his voice, but said in a normal voice, "Although I have not been in contact with the Fifth Na Zheng for a long time, he will be a reliable ally."

Then she told the queen about the deeds of the Fifth Nazheng.

"He is a capable person." The Queen smiled and said, "I heard that the granddaughter of the Fifth Nazheng went to the county government under Liuyang Prefecture to serve as the chief clerk. I wonder if you have heard about it?"

Shen Zheng nodded and said, "Her name is Diwu Tanwei. She is a woman who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. When I was firing colored glaze in Tongan County, she helped me a lot in finding raw materials. If it weren't for her, I might not have been able to fire colored glaze before the Queen Mother's birthday."

"Cold on the outside, but warm on the inside..." The Queen seemed to be thinking about Diwu Tanwei's appearance, "If you are there when she returns to the capital in the future, bring her into the palace and let me take a look at her."

Shen Zheng was slightly surprised when she heard this.

The Queen's words may sound frivolous, but as the Queen, how could she make a promise so easily?

For the Fifth Tanwei, this may be an opportunity.

"Weichen took note of it."

The queen smiled and nodded, then looked outside the pavilion again.

The palace servants who followed them were still waiting there, with their heads lowered, their expressions nervous but also a little excited.

The Queen said, "The merchants are under the control of the Fifth Family, but what about the court? Has Lord Shen made up his mind?"

Shen Zheng followed her gaze and had some guesses in her mind: "Your Majesty, please feel free to speak."

The Queen paused for a moment, "Then I'll just say it straight."

After a moment of silence, she continued, "Master Shen, please listen first. If you think it is not feasible, you must speak directly. Don't let me delay the foundation's charity work just because I am the queen."

Shen Zheng nodded: "I understand."

She guessed that the queen wanted these palace servants to participate in the foundation.

"These people are all old people in the palace." The queen looked at the palace servants, "Some have served me, some have served my mother, and some have served the concubines. They are all capable, but they are not young anymore. I wanted to ask them to leave the palace and find a good place for them, but those who have stayed in the palace..."

Some are unwilling to go out, some dare not go out, and some are reluctant to leave their masters.

"Letting go of the palace maids is just like the marriages in the folks nowadays. They keep on keeping on, but they become enemies after keeping on." The Queen was helpless. "There are many new people in the palace, and even more old people. I was worrying about this matter when you, Lord Shen, happened to come to Beijing and proposed this kind of charity by the foundation. So I want to ask you, can you let these palace maids participate in it?"

Before Shen Zheng could speak, she continued, "There are actually many rumors about the palace among the people. It is said that this huge palace looks magnificent, but in fact, it is the burial place of countless people."

Shen Zheng scratched her ears and cheeks after hearing this.

Is this something she can listen to?

"The Queen..."

Just as he opened his mouth, he was interrupted by the Queen: "These rumors are actually true."

Shen Zheng: "......Mother."

Isn't it okay for her to recruit those palace servants for the foundation...

"But it's also very one-sided." The Queen was amused by her reaction. "In short, this harem is not a place where people's lives are taken lightly, but it is undeniable that the palace maids who can leave the palace safely have no problems in terms of character or personality. And this is why I want to recommend this group of people to you."

Shen Zheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, back to the topic.

In the eyes of the Queen, this move was to stuff people into the foundation, which was suspected of "interfering in politics", so she gave Shen Zheng the opportunity to refuse in advance.

But in Shen Zheng's eyes, the Queen's move was undoubtedly a timely help, solving her and the foundation's urgent needs.

After thinking for a while, she asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, are these people joining the foundation in the name of the court?"

The Queen hesitated for a moment, "I haven't made up my mind yet. If it's in the name of the court, I'm worried..."

She was worried that some court officials would say that she, as the queen, was too controlling.

In name, she was the empress of the emperor, the mother of princes and princesses, and the mother of the Zhou dynasty.

But in fact, she and the court both knew it clearly.

She is just the queen of the palace.

Many people in the court were watching her every move, especially those who had concubines in the palace. Whenever she extended her hand to the harem, court officials would jump three feet high in front of the emperor the next day.

"Your Majesty, don't worry." Shen Zheng said directly: "Allowing the palace maids to participate in the foundation is a great act of kindness. If any lord insists that your Majesty's actions are wrong, I will pay a visit to the other party and have a good talk with him."

However, she definitely cannot go alone, so she still has to bring her "elderly bodyguards" with her.

The Queen's eyes suddenly brightened as she looked at her. "Are you serious, Lord Shen?"

Shen Zheng raised three fingers.

The queen smiled and said, "There is no need to swear. I believe in Lord Shen."

Shen Zheng retracted her finger, "I have always believed that Your Majesty is the queen of all the people of the Great Zhou. It is wrong for Your Majesty to treat her own people as nothing just because of a simple sentence of 'interfering in government affairs'."

The regulation that "the harem cannot interfere in politics" is a constraint of etiquette and law on the surface, but deeper down it is about maintaining the stability of imperial power and patriarchal authority.

In the imperial and patriarchal society, women were excluded.

To put it nicely, women are responsible for being "beautiful", but to put it practically, women are not worthy of it.

The saying "men and women are different" has led to a gender division of labor between men and women. However, in a patriarchal society, this division of labor is no longer fair and is even elevated to the level of "natural law."

For many years, women have suffered from institutional discrimination, while men have thrived in the patriarchal society.

It was not until the current emperor ascended the throne that this unfair balance tilted slightly.

And now that the Queen has proposed to allow palace ladies to participate in the foundation, it is clear that she has the support of the Emperor.

Otherwise, the emperor would not have summoned her into the palace, nor would he have allowed her to be alone with the queen.

"I have made up my mind." The Queen looked up at Shen Zheng, her expression more determined than before, "These palace servants will join the foundation in the name of the court."

She is the queen of the Great Zhou, and she also has to lead people to do something for her and your majesty's people.