Harem Daily Life

The children hadn't been unused to Jin'an's departure. Before, Jin'an went to school during the day and only came home to have dinner with them at night. After dinner, the children would play together for a while before going to bed. Now, the playtime after dinner was shortened. Since Jin'an no longer lived there, nothing else had changed, so there hadn't been much change.

Only Yu Cheng had a look of deep resentment on his face. He resigned himself to doing the homework assigned to him by his second brother, and envied Yunuo for being able to play freely with He Xiaobao.

Tao Yanyan also felt a sense of emptiness in her heart. She ordered people to clean the house where Jin'an once lived every day, as if by doing so, Jin'an had never left.

He Linzhang came over that night and saw that she was still depressed after several days. She seemed to have no interest in anything. He comforted her, "Children have grown up and will eventually leave their parents. Jin'an just moved to a new place, but he is still in the palace. You can see him anytime you want. Don't be upset, okay?"

Tao Yanyan sighed: "Come to think of it, Jin'an is only twelve years old, still young. I wonder if he can get used to living in Huayang Palace." In modern times, a twelve-year-old is only a sixth-grade elementary school student.

He Linzhang smiled and said, "Don't worry, he comes here every day. You can see that he looks good."

Tao Yanyan also knew that no matter how worried she was, her child would eventually become independent, and she could not hinder her child's growth.

"Okay, then I'll get used to it slowly. Now Jin'an is leaving, and in the future Xuan'er and Yue'er will get married one after another. In the end, the children around them will go on to live their lives one by one, and only Your Majesty will be left to accompany me." Tao Yanyan leaned into He Linzhang's arms, feeling extremely soft and tender.

He Linzhang stroked her shoulder and said, "Well, I will always be with Yan Yan, forever."

The Ministry of Works needed to spend a huge amount of silver to build water conservancy projects. However, almost all of the indemnity paid by the State of Yan after its defeat was invested in these projects. Furthermore, the court also allocated additional silver for drought relief in the north. This further strained the already scarce treasury.

Fortunately, under Tao Yanyan's management, the royal property has had a relatively stable annual income over the years, bringing in a large amount of silver, which is enough to support the national treasury when it is tight, so that He Linzhang is not so stretched.

Unfortunately, Qi Yizheng and his men went to Yanyun Mountain but gained nothing. Even with the treasure map, they could not find the entrance to the treasure.

Seeing everything come to a standstill, He Linzhang felt extremely depressed.

Recently, officials have been keeping their heads down during court sessions, fearing a reprimand from His Majesty if he's displeased. However, some people, however, have been unconvinced and have gone so far as to bring up irrelevant issues in court, posing a serious threat to His Majesty's defenses.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report!" Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Censor Zhang walking out of the queue, holding a tablet and speaking with a serious face.

He Linzhang frowned slightly upon seeing this and asked, "What does Minister Zhang want to report?"

Censor Zhang raised his head, looked directly at the emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, I wish to impeach the Minister of Works!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the court erupted in an uproar, with everyone whispering to each other. Minister Yuan glanced at Lord Tao, as if to say, "See, I told you that Censor Zhang was against you, the Tao family. Nine out of ten impeachments were directed at you, the Tao family."

Tao Qian concealed the expression in his eyes and said nothing.

He Linzhang's expression darkened. He asked gravely, "Why did Minister Zhang impeach them?"

Censor Zhang replied, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Works has undertaken several major projects in recent years, costing the people money and labor. This year, amidst the drought in the north, they've also been developing water conservancy projects. While seemingly for the benefit of the people, they're actually wasting their time and energy! Driven by political achievements, they've completely disregarded the lives of the people, blindly pursuing the scale and quantity of projects, leaving the people suffering."

He then submitted a memorial: "This is the evidence I have collected. The Ministry of Works has requisitioned a large number of civilians, yet the progress of the project has been extremely slow. I suspect someone is deliberately wasting the court's money and enriching themselves in disguise."

His words were like a bombshell, causing an uproar in the court. The ministers discussed the matter, some expressing agreement, others expressing doubt, putting Tao Qian at the center of the controversy.

Tao Qian stepped forward, his face solemn and serious, and addressed the emperor, "Your Majesty, ever since I was appointed Minister of Works by Your Majesty's grace, I have always been diligent and dedicated to my duties, toiling day and night without the slightest thought of slacking off. Regardless of the size of the project, any project I have undertaken has been rigorously reviewed and strictly supervised, and I have never sought personal gain from it. I hope Your Majesty will understand."

Censor Zhang chuckled and said, "But the evidence I've collected shows that the Ministry of Works requisitioned civilians for labor, with wages categorized into different levels. May I ask, Lord Tao, what is your wage standard? Why do you give one person more and another less?"

Tao Qian said calmly, "If Censor Zhang were to delve deeper, he would know that our Ministry of Works has a set salary standard: more work, more pay, less work, less pay. We set a monthly project plan. If the target is met, the full amount will be paid. If it is not, 10% will be deducted. The payment will be made after the project is completed. I don't know where Censor Zhang gathered this so-called evidence, but I can say in front of the entire court that there is absolutely no self-interest."

The Minister of Revenue, Lord Yuan, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue is involved in verifying the use and amount of funds for all projects of the Ministry of Works. The disbursement of silver and money is also well documented. I am willing to trust Lord Tao and the Ministry of Works."

Censor Zhang said, "Oh, everyone knows that Lord Tao originally worked under Lord Yuan. You were the one who brought him up, so of course you're on his side."

Lord Yuan angrily said, "Zhang Yushi, are you still going to wrongly accuse me and Lord Tao of protecting each other? Even though you Yushis are reporting rumors, you can't speak without thinking!"

As soon as Lord Yuan said this, other people who had suffered greatly from the impeachment of the censor also expressed their support.

"Yeah, every time they criticize others for not doing this well or that well, they just open their mouths, and then you see what they do?"

"We work so hard for the court, and even the smallest mistake is picked out to impeach us. It's like nitpicking and looking for trouble."

"Let them do it, believe it or not. I don't believe they can do it perfectly and without any mistakes."

He Linzhang's head hurt from their noise. He raised his hand, but no one stopped. It was not until Eunuch Zhang shouted that the court officials stopped arguing.

He Linzhang glanced at Eunuch Zhang who had just shouted "Quiet". Eunuch Zhang was embarrassed and gave a flattering smile.

He Linzhang raised his eyebrows and said in a deep voice, "I have just read the so-called evidence you mentioned, Censor Zhang. You have spent a lot of effort to collect this. It is really hard for you."

Censor Zhang's legs trembled. His Majesty seemed to be praising him, so why did it sound so creepy?