Dad, open the door. I'll bring your mistress back for you.

"You are still waiting for grandfather in the study so late. Did something happen in the palace?" In the Shen family's study, Shen Huaizhong looked at Shen Chuning and asked.

Shen Chuning rubbed her sleepy eyes and said, "Grandfather, at the banquet in the Imperial Garden today, the Empress Dowager mentioned the selection of a concubine for the Crown Prince."

Shen Huaizhong nodded. "The Crown Prince is old enough to choose a concubine. Does the Empress Dowager have anyone she likes?"

"It was not clear which girl was chosen, but after the banquet, only the family of Prime Minister Huang and the family of Minister An remained."

Shen Huaizhong frowned. "The An family is the late queen's family, and Miss An was chosen by the late queen herself. The prince must take her into consideration when choosing a concubine. However, her father is only a doctor in the Ministry of Rites. Giving Miss An a concubine is already a great honor for her."

"Sir Huang is already the Right Prime Minister. Logically, to maintain a balance of power, Your Majesty should choose a girl from the Left Prime Minister's Su family. Why would you choose the Huang family?"

"Given the status of the Huang family, they will definitely give the Crown Prince's wife the position. If this happens, the Huang family will be promoted to another level. I'm afraid even His Majesty will not take it seriously." Shen Huaizhong said worriedly.

Shen Chuning looked at Shen Huaizhong's frown and cautiously reminded him, "Grandfather, is it possible that Prime Minister Huang and Prime Minister Su are political enemies on the surface, but are actually one and the same?"

Shen Huaizhong shook his head. "They have always had different political views. This is well known to everyone in the court."

Shen Chuning continued to remind him, "Grandfather, please think carefully. Have you accomplished all the important things that are beneficial to the Huang Xiang faction?"

Shen Huaizhong's hand suddenly paused as he tapped the table. "It seems that His Majesty has learned of their close personal relationship. In that case, only one of Prime Minister Huang and Prime Minister Su can remain. They have both been with His Majesty since he was still in the palace. Rashly dismissing them would hurt this old minister's feelings. The most likely option is to use the position of Crown Prince's wife in exchange for Prime Minister Huang's retirement."

"Grandfather, then the position of Prime Minister will be vacant."

"If there is a courageous emperor, neither Prime Minister Huang nor Prime Minister Su can stay. If the two are really in cahoots, dismissing one will only mean moving him behind the scenes. However, considering that our Majesty is willing to exchange the position of Crown Princess, it is likely that Master Huang will find a decent excuse to step down, and Prime Minister Su will take over as Right Prime Minister, leaving the position of Left Prime Minister vacant."

Shen Chuning saw that her grandfather had analyzed the events of her previous life almost perfectly in just a few words, and she felt a surge of admiration in her heart.

"Grandfather, are you interested in that position?" Shen Chuning asked.

"It would be a lie to say I have no intention. Throughout my grandfather's career, he was most often called Uncle Shen, not Lord Shen. No matter how well he did his job, there were always people who said it was due to nepotism. Now that there's an opportunity before us, we have to fight for it."

"A Ning just feels that we should take a step back at this time."

In his previous life, after Prime Minister Huang retired and returned to his hometown, Shen Huaizhong made great efforts to get the position of Left Prime Minister, but the position fell on the head of the Minister of Personnel Shangguan Heng.

Shen Huaizhong stared at Shen Chuning, as if trying to read her true thoughts from her eyes. "You clearly have the opportunity to be second only to the emperor, and you told your grandfather not to fight for it?"

Shen Chuning explained, "It's not that we're not letting Grandfather fight for it, it's that we're not letting you fight openly. If you want the position of Left Prime Minister, you'll need numerous officials within the court to speak for you. If there are too many people speaking for you, it could be interpreted as you're capable and popular, or it could be interpreted as forming a clique for personal gain. If our analysis is correct, then His Majesty is at his most sensitive and suspicious right now, and Prime Minister Huang was sent down for this very reason. Aren't you simply walking into a trap?"

Shen Huaizhong blew his beard and glared, "Are you going to let me watch helplessly as that position is given to Shangguan Xiaoer?"

Shen Chuning comforted him, "If you don't fight for it, it may not be yours. After all, you still have your relationship with the Queen Mother and His Majesty. And even if Lord Shangguan takes the position of Left Prime Minister, he may not be able to stay there for long."

If Shen Chuning remembered correctly, in her previous life, Shangguan Heng only held the position of Left Prime Minister for more than three years and less than four years, and in the end, it was her grandfather who took that position.

"Have you heard any new news?" Shen Huaizhong asked.

"I haven't heard any news. Aning is just guessing. Lord Shangguan has the support of a powerful Jiangnan clan. He has promoted many southern officials to the position of Minister of Personnel, which can suppress officials from other regions. Southern officials also score highly in performance evaluations. If this continues, there will be backlash sooner or later. I also heard that every out-of-province official who returns to the capital to report on their work must pass Lord Shangguan before they can see His Majesty. I don't know how many twists and turns there are."

Shen Huaizhong looked at Shen Chuning with regret and said, "Why do you have to be a girl? If you were a boy, my Shen family would have been prosperous for a hundred years."

Shen Chuning waved her hands repeatedly, "Grandfather, our Shen family has almost reached the top of the ladder in terms of being a minister. We can't even dream of going any higher. Besides, even if I were a man, I wouldn't be able to get the top spot in the imperial examination like my elder brother."

……

On the fifth day after the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, the Empress Dowager's imperial edict was sent to the Huang and An families at the same time.

I have heard that the Right Prime Minister, Huang Fu Lingyun, is virtuous, diligent, and submissive, a true domestic servant with a virtuous character. I am deeply pleased to hear this. Now that the Crown Prince has reached the age of twenty, it is time for him to marry, and a virtuous woman should be chosen as his match. Huang Fu Lingyun is still unmarried and a perfect match for the Crown Prince. Therefore, I hereby issue an imperial decree to grant her the title of Crown Princess. All ceremonial arrangements will be handled jointly by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Observatory, and an auspicious date will be chosen for the wedding.

[I have heard that the Minister of Rites, Anfu Zhiyao, is a woman of pure and gentle character, modest and reserved, and of unparalleled appearance. Therefore, I have issued an imperial decree to grant her the title of Crown Prince's concubine, to be married on the same day as the Crown Prince's principal wife.]

At the same time as receiving the Empress Dowager's decree, the An family also received an imperial decree from the Emperor, promoting Lord An to the position of Minister of Rites.

The An family was in great joy. Lord An was promoted, and An Zhiyao was canonized as the prince's concubine.

An Zhiyao also knew that with her father's official position, the position of the Crown Prince's wife was not something she could aspire to, but after all, she and the Crown Prince were cousins, so she was still a little unwilling.

A few days after the Huang family received the Empress Dowager's decree, Prime Minister Huang claimed to be ill and stopped attending court. His Majesty even went to the Huang residence in person to visit him.

Some people say that Prime Minister Huang does not take Your Majesty seriously. Your Majesty went to the Huang Mansion in person to invite him, but was unable to persuade Prime Minister Huang to come out of retirement.

However, half a month after Prime Minister Huang claimed to be ill, he submitted a letter to His Majesty requesting to retire and return home. After receiving the letter, His Majesty initially withheld it and waited for two days before approving it when Prime Minister Huang submitted his second letter of resignation.

During the time when Prime Minister Huang claimed to be ill, Shangguan Heng secretly met with many officials.

In order to avoid attracting attention, these officials entered Shangguan Mansion sporadically from the corner gate late at night. If Shen Huaizhong had not sent people to keep an eye on Shangguan Heng, they would not have noticed this at all.

At the same time, the emperor called Shen Huaizhong into the palace late at night.