Princess Promotion

Xiao Liang's fingers gently slid across the brand new official robe, and the sheen of the fabric shone in the morning light.

Xiao Liang's face was filled with unconcealable joy, and his eyes were shining with infinite longing for the future.

This official robe is not just a piece of clothing to him. It is a place he has won independently of his family's power through his own ability.

Originally, with the power and influence of Lord Xiao, it was almost a natural thing for Xiao Liang to enter the court as an official.

But if possible, he would rather rely on his own abilities rather than his parents.

However, Xiao Liang also noticed the changes in his father and grandfather in the court in recent days.

Their expressions were no longer as confident and calm as usual. Instead, they looked a little listless, as if a storm was about to come.

He remembered that the palace maid who delivered the official robes a few days ago told him to pack his own bags and enter the palace for a month for observation before being officially assigned an official position.

This was unprecedented in previous dynasties. Some people said that this was the empress's attempt to win over the hearts of the people and cultivate her own team.

But Xiao Liang felt that things that could be easily guessed were generally not what the empress wanted to do.

At daybreak, Xiao Liang went to court with Lord Xiao. As soon as he arrived at the palace gate, he found eunuchs waiting there.

Behind him stood a group of people wearing the same standard official robes as him. Xiao Liang said goodbye to Lord Xiao and walked towards the eunuch.

Elder Xiao looked at Xiao Liang's receding back, feeling a little complicated.

In the end, I didn't say anything. I just hoped Xiao Liang could hold on.

There is a saying that goes, going to court is like visiting a grave, so Lord Xiao went to the Ministry of Revenue to visit a grave.

Elder Xiao, who has been cultivating his mind and temper for many years, couldn't help but want to curse recently. Yao Chuguang is simply not a human being. He treats them like beasts of burden every day.

He had to hurry up and review yesterday's official documents. If he kept pointing out Yao Chuguang's mistakes at his age, he would be too embarrassed to continue his position as a cabinet minister.

The eunuch held the list and pen and asked Xiao Liang with a smile, "Is this the newly crowned number one scholar, Master Xiao Liang?"

Liang Xiao nodded: "That's me."

The eunuch drew a circle on the list and said, "Mr. Xiao, please wait aside. Once everyone is here, I will lead you all into the palace."

This entry into the palace was different from the previous ones. Even servants could not be brought along. Liang Xiao carried his own bag and joined the team.

A few more people arrived one after another, and the eunuchs registered them one by one.

Another half hour passed, and the eunuch closed the roster and said to everyone, "Everyone's time has come. Please follow me into the palace."

Everyone consciously formed two long lines and followed the eunuchs to the side door of the palace.

Outsiders entering the inner palace are required to have their bags searched and their bodies searched to ensure that they are not bringing any contraband into the palace.

Liang Xiao was standing at the back of the queue, and by the time it was his turn, half of the group had already arrived.

At this time, a young man ran over breathlessly, shouting: "Wait a minute."

Li Qing hurriedly ran into the palace gate, his breathing rapid and beads of sweat hanging on his forehead.

The man ran up to the eunuch and took several breaths before speaking, "Newly promoted candidate Li Qing is reporting in. Sorry, I live a little far away."

Li Qing almost stumbled over to the eunuch and said apologetically, "Newly-appointed candidate Li Qing is here to report. I'm really sorry for being delayed on the way."

Xiao Liang stood aside and glanced at Li Qing's clothes inadvertently. He saw that the clothes were not only worn out, but also had several conspicuous patches on them.

Xiao Liang immediately understood that Li Qing's family must be very poor. They probably couldn't even afford to stay in an inn near the imperial city, so they could only choose to live in a B&B in the suburbs far away from the city.

However, the actual situation was even more difficult than Xiao Liang had imagined.

Not only could Li Qing not afford to live in a house in the suburbs, even the most basic accommodation became a problem.

He had searched everywhere in the imperial capital, hoping to find a free woodshed or stable as a temporary shelter, but the reality was cruel. Even stables charged fees.

In desperation, Li Qing could only look for a dilapidated temple in the wilderness outside the city to barely shelter from the wind and rain.

Xiao Liang frowned slightly. If the eunuchs strictly followed the rules, they would not give the late Li Qing a chance to sign in.

Then Li Qing might really miss the opportunity to enter the palace. If someone else encountered such a thing, they could just bribe the eunuch with some silver and the matter would usually be resolved.

However, judging from Li Qing's appearance, he probably couldn't come up with the money, so Xiao Liang was just about to pay for it himself to help Li Qing.

However, to Xiao Liang's surprise, the eunuch did not show any intention of making things difficult.

He looked at Li Qing calmly, nodded, and said in a calm tone: "Mr. Li, according to the rules, one point will be deducted for being late. Please go to the back and wait in line."

Xiao Liang was a little surprised by the eunuch's attitude, but also relieved. He hadn't expected that, despite strictly enforcing the rules, the eunuch didn't give Li Qing any extra blame.

After hearing the eunuch's words, the tension and uneasiness on Li Qing's face gradually dissipated, replaced by a hint of gratitude and relief.

He bowed to the eunuch to express his gratitude, then walked silently to the end of the line and started queuing.

Inside the palace walls, there was a solemn atmosphere.

The eunuch led a group of newly promoted officials towards the residence.

As the eunuch walked, he patiently explained the daily schedule: "From this day forward, you all should rise at the beginning of the morning, wash and dress before the beginning of the afternoon, and then go to the dining hall for lunch. Before noon, you must report to the imperial study. You will have one day off every five days. You must not violate this schedule."

The eunuchs led everyone to familiarize themselves with the routes leading to important places such as the canteen, dormitories, and the imperial study, ensuring that everyone could reach their destination accurately.

During the process, the eunuch also emphasized: "Except for the designated areas, no one is allowed to enter other places without permission. Violators will face penalty points."

At this time, someone in the crowd asked curiously: "What exactly does the point deduction just mentioned mean?"

The eunuch stopped and explained to the crowd, "You all have ten points. If you violate the rules, you will be deducted points based on the severity of the offense. If the points are deducted to zero, the official will be eliminated and sent out of the palace."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings fell into silence.

Everyone was terrified, knowing that if they were expelled, their official careers would be over and their futures would be ruined.

The eunuch took out a booklet from his sleeve and distributed it to each person one by one.

This booklet records in detail the various rules for deducting points, covering everything from daily routines to standards for handling official business.

The eunuch warned, "Please read this manual carefully, remember every rule in it, and be cautious."

The students received the books with solemn expressions.

You should know that this is no ordinary book, but a guide to your official career and a trust of heavy responsibility.

In this palace, only by abiding by the rules and working diligently can you gain a foothold and achieve success.

As the morning light began to break, the faint light shone through the mist, gently brushed across the palace wall, and shone on the window lattices of the dormitory.

The interior is simple yet elegant, with two beds placed opposite each other and a wooden table in the middle with several books neatly placed on it.

Yesterday, I was led by the eunuchs all day to show myself the way and learn the formats of various documents and memorials.

After returning to the room, the two were too tired to talk. They exchanged a few pleasantries and then went to sleep separately.

Before going to bed, Xiao Liang was still drowsily thinking, no wonder his grandfather and father looked so bad recently, it turned out that it was not something big that happened, they were just tired.

I have to say that Xiao Liang is telling the truth to some extent.

As the morning bell rang, the crisp sound penetrated the quiet morning and awakened the two sleeping people.

Li Qing and Xiao Liang woke up almost at the same time and quickly jumped up from their warm beds.

The sound of running water in the bathroom intertwined with their quick movements.

After getting dressed, the two took out the booklet distributed yesterday and reviewed it carefully, fearing that they had missed any important notes.

After breakfast, the two hurried to the imperial study.

Inside the imperial study, the atmosphere was solemn and the air was filled with the scent of books.

Before they could feel the tension and solemnity, the eunuchs had already led them to the mountain of memorials.

According to the drawing of lots yesterday, Li Qing was assigned to the Ministry of Revenue, while Xiao Liang was assigned to the Ministry of War.

Their task was to classify and organize the memorials before them.

According to yesterday's training, they began to classify: those about weather greetings were put into one category; and those asking for instructions on specific matters needed to be sorted according to importance and urgency.

The two men moved quickly and orderly, shuttling between the memorials. They had to sort them out before the empress arrived.

The sunlight shines through the high window panes into the spacious imperial study. The sorted memorials are spread out on the long tables, like a grand book-drying ceremony.

Xiao Liang was quite puzzled at first, wondering why these important memorials were arranged in this way. Was it to make it convenient for the empress to review them while standing so that she wouldn't feel tired?

Just when Xiao Liang was puzzled, Yao Chuguang appeared at the door of the imperial study. She walked lightly, as if strolling in the garden, past the rows of long tables.

With just a quick glance, she accurately pointed at several memorials and then turned and walked out.

The eunuch who had been standing by saw Xiao Liang still standing there in a daze and hurriedly reminded him, "Hurry up and pick up the memorials that His Majesty just pointed out and follow him!"

Xiao Liang suddenly realized what was going on. He quickly grabbed the memorial and followed the empress to the Ministry of War office.

Xiao Liang watched as the empress repeated the request in the memorial word for word and gave the Minister of War a solution.

It was not until this moment that Xiao Liang suddenly realized that he had brought these memorials to show to the Minister of War.

The empress could remember all the contents with just one glance. If she was worried that the Minister of War would confuse things, she didn't even need to bring the records with her.

In less than half an incense stick of time, Yao Chuguang had handled all the affairs of the Ministry of War in an orderly manner.

Afterwards, Yao Chuguang walked on and headed towards the next department - the Ministry of Households.

Xiao Liang looked at the empress's receding back, and the shock in his heart was beyond words.

He turned to the Minister of War beside him, his voice filled with disbelief: "Sir, has Her Majesty... always been so efficient?"

The Minister of War looked at Xiao Liang with a look of despair on his face and nodded helplessly.

Finally, someone could understand their collapse. Sometimes the Minister of War really doubted whether Yao Chuguang was a human being.

The gap between people can be so huge that the Minister of War said without exaggeration that the official business Yao Chuguang handled in one day was equivalent to the amount handled by Emperor Qi in a month, and he did it without sleep.

Xiao Liang has been hailed as a genius prodigy since he was young, but at this moment he deeply realized that in front of Yao Chuguang, his talents and achievements were simply insignificant and not worth mentioning.

Ministers did not hold morning court every day. They spent most of their time in their offices, buried in files or writing memorials.

The frequency of court meetings was usually once every five days. Unless there was an urgent national event, the emperor would temporarily summon his ministers to discuss countermeasures.

Today should have been a peaceful day, with ministers busy at their posts as usual.

However, the arrival of envoys from the Western Zhou Dynasty destroyed this peace.

The envoy strode with his head held high and said in a resounding voice, "Western Zhou is a powerful nation and wishes to become a brother state with Great Qi to share a peaceful and prosperous era."

"Brothers must support each other. If Da Qi can generously lend a hand to Western Zhou, I will remember this and repay you in the future."

The ministers' faces suddenly turned ashen, and they were burning with anger, but now the Great Qi was in a precarious situation.

The national treasury was empty, the country had just experienced a war that besieged it both internally and externally, and the turmoil in the court had just subsided. The country urgently needed to recuperate and make a comeback.

Although the ministers felt humiliated, they also understood that it was not appropriate to have a head-on confrontation with the Western Zhou envoys at this moment.

They planned to wait until the envoy left before giving advice to the empress, asking her to endure her anger for the time being and seek long-term solutions.

However, just as they were about to speak, the empress's voice rang out in the hall, cold and firm: "Since that's the case, then let's fight. Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

When these words were spoken, all the civil and military officials in the court were shocked.

Their hanging hearts finally died, and they knew how this mad emperor could be threatened by others.

In the past few months, they have not denied that Yao Chuguang is a genius, and in time he will definitely bring new life to Da Qi.

But no matter how strong you are, you are alone. The ministers don’t believe that Yao Chuguang is so strong that he can conjure up money, food and weapons out of thin air.

Without logistics, it would be useless to fight a war no matter how many people there are. Even people who don't know how to fight know that food and supplies must be sent before troops move.

But in front of the envoys from the Western Zhou Dynasty, they could only suppress their inner opposition and dared not express it.

The Western Zhou envoys first showed a hint of surprise on their faces, and then turned it into a contemptuous smile. They didn't seem to take the empress's words to heart.

One of the envoys sneered and said, "Your Majesty is wise, but war is no joke. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider. Our Western Zhou army is strong and powerful. If we really want to fight, I am afraid that the Great Qi will not be able to bear the consequences."

Another envoy added, "Our original intention is to hope that the two countries can coexist peacefully and achieve mutual benefit. If Da Qi insists on fighting, then we will have no choice but to fight to the end. However, when that happens, the people of Da Qi will probably suffer."

When the ministers heard these words, they felt mixed emotions.

They knew that although the words of the Western Zhou envoys were harsh, they were not entirely unreasonable.

Da Qi does not have enough strength to deal with a large-scale war now.

They knew this, so they came here to take advantage of the situation.

However, Yao Chuguang was not shaken by the words of the Western Zhou envoy. He stood up, his eyes sharp, and said in a firm voice, "Get out!"

Seeing the empress's firm attitude, the Western Zhou envoy said no more, turned around with a sneer and left the hall.

There was a hint of sarcasm and disdain in their backs, as if they had foreseen the future difficulties of Da Qi.