Harem Daily Life

Tao Yanyan didn't care whether the censor was happy or not. It was her first day in court, and she would make anyone who made her unhappy unhappy.

The reputation of the Queen of Diaodiao is not just a casual remark.

Censor Zhang stroked his beard and said, "The Empress supports Your Majesty and provides money, so she is naturally a virtuous Empress. However, His Majesty must make the final decision on important matters. After all, the Empress is only in charge of government for a short period of time, so she should refrain from any unrealistic ideas that might disrupt the normal flow of government."

Tao Yanyan was almost laughing out of anger. It seemed that this was not the first time that Censor Zhang had made things difficult for her.

She said calmly: "I just made a suggestion just now. If we really want to implement it, it depends on how the Ministry of War handles it and comes up with a plan. If the Ministry of War feels it is unnecessary, then it can just not make this plan. It will not affect the current situation." Anyway, even if there is no improvement or reform, Da Zhou is undoubtedly a military power.

The topic of military expenditures dropped at this point, and Censor Zhang continued, "It's February now, the busiest time of the year for all departments. The country cannot be without a ruler for a single day, and the Empress cannot rule from behind the curtain for too long. I would like to ask, Your Majesty, when will His Majesty's injuries heal, and when can he resume court to reassure the people?"

Prince Yong glanced at Tao Yanyan behind the curtain and frowned, saying, "Your Majesty's injuries require rest to avoid any sequelae. Censor Zhang, please be patient and wait."

Censor Zhang was quite polite to Prince Yong. He clasped his fists and said, "I naturally hope Your Majesty will rest and recover. However, the Empress is a woman after all, and has never handled government affairs. Government affairs are very busy, and there are many memorials to be submitted. Can the Empress handle it?"

Tao Yanyan thought of the news her father had sent her, saying that the Crown Prince and Censor Zhang were quite close, and asked her to keep an eye on them. Her eyes darkened, and she asked, "If His Majesty needs to rest for a while, and I'm not good at handling government affairs, what should I do, according to Censor Zhang?"

Censor Zhang was worried about having no one to pass on his message, so since the Empress had asked, he spoke his mind: "I believe that your Majesty's princes are already sensible and sensible. They should be trained and allowed to participate in government affairs as soon as possible."

As soon as he said this, discussions broke out in the court, and the officials whispered and discussed in groups.

Tao Yan remained calm and waited patiently for the other ministers to speak.

Minister Yuan said, "Your Majesty was brought up by the late Emperor when he was only ten years old and taught the ways of ruling. Now the Empress's fourth prince is only three years old. He is too young to be involved in government affairs."

Censor Zhang said, "Your Majesty doesn't have only one prince. The eldest prince is thirteen years old this year and is both virtuous and academically excellent. Why not let him study more and help relieve the worries of Your Majesty and the Empress?"

Minister of War, Lord Dong, said, "The participation of the prince in government is no joke. How can you rashly allow the eldest prince to study government affairs without the consent of His Majesty? Lord Zhang is confused!"

Lord Dong was thinking to himself, you, Censor Zhang, are just short of having the words "I am a member of the eldest prince's party" carved on your forehead.

"Besides, the second prince is thirteen years old this year. If the princes must learn government affairs, the second prince cannot be excluded, right? The second prince is also listed in the royal jade record." Minister of Revenue Yuan added.

After saying this, he glanced at Tao Qian as if to seek credit. "Look, old boss, am I clever? Censor Zhang wants to push the eldest prince to the throne, so I'll push the second prince. The two princes will fight each other, and in the end, your grandson, the fourth prince, will benefit."

Tao Qian: “…”

Haha, then do I have to thank you?

Tao Qian was speechless and lowered his head silently. He had already learned that His Majesty had been poisoned, and his precious daughter was in a very difficult situation. If he insisted on pushing the Fourth Prince into power at this time, he was afraid that his precious daughter and grandson would lose their footing and become victims of the struggle for imperial power in vain.

The more it is at this time, the more we must protect the Fourth Prince. He is too young and ignorant, and we should not put pressure on him.

Censor Zhang chuckled. "The Second Prince was adopted from the common people. Although he's listed in the Imperial Jade Records, he's still different from the princes born to Your Majesty's concubines. The First Prince is still acceptable, but the Second Prince's status doesn't match his. He shouldn't even think about participating in government affairs."

Tao Yanyan was becoming more and more annoyed with Zhang Yushi. How could there be such a speechless person who dared to say that she was not worthy of her Jin'an identity?

"It's only been a short time since the incident involving the eldest prince's maternal grandfather's family. You wouldn't have forgotten it, right, Censor Zhang?" Tao Yanyan said.

Of course, Censor Zhang did not forget that the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery and his son were disgraced for their conspiracy to rebel.

"This... the Rong family did something wrong, what does that have to do with the eldest prince? Besides, the eldest prince was only eight or nine years old at the time, a child who knew nothing. How could he be implicated in the disaster? I hope the queen will not look at the eldest prince with prejudice and not give him a chance."

Tao Yanyan smiled. "I'm just reminding Censor Zhang that you haven't forgotten about the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's Mansion. However, I really don't agree with the idea you just proposed of the princes participating in politics. Whether it's the eldest prince or the second prince, they should focus on their studies right now and not put the cart before the horse. As for the fourth prince, he's indeed young and barely educated, so we can't expect him to do anything. Why don't I propose an idea and let's all discuss it and see if it's a better idea than letting the princes participate in politics and a better solution to the current problem of His Majesty being unable to attend court and me being incapable of handling government affairs."

When everyone heard this, they all held their breath, wanting to hear what the young queen had to say.

Tao Yanyan glanced around, glanced at Zhang Fuhai, and said, "I would like to appoint a few regents to assist me in handling government affairs and reviewing memorials during the period when Your Majesty is unable to attend court. What do you think?"

As soon as she said this, the eyes of several adults lit up, and some even felt that they should be included in the honor list of regent ministers.

The Minister of Personnel stepped forward and said, "I believe this method is indeed feasible. I have here the performance evaluations of all officials in the court over the past ten years. If Your Majesty requires them, I will present them all."

Selecting regent ministers based on their political achievements is indeed an idea, and the Minister of Personnel feels that he has a good job to do again.

Unexpectedly, Tao Yanyan waved her hand and said, "Don't bother. Your Majesty has discussed the matter of the Regent with me before. There are a few who are very much to your liking. I will simply read out the names. If you have any objections, please raise them and discuss them here."

Everyone choked and thought that even if they had objections, they couldn't oppose it on the spot. What if that person really became the regent in the end? Wouldn't he bear a grudge and take revenge on them later?

Haha, this Empress Tao really has never participated in politics, how can she discuss it on the spot? This is called not following the rules and not leaving room for everyone. Empress Tao has not fully learned the art of officialdom.