The wives of the concubines are empresses

Because the new emperor had ascended the throne, the Ministry of Rites rushed to prepare for the funeral of the previous emperor, and at the same time had to prepare for the coronation ceremony of the new emperor. The entire Ministry of Rites was extremely busy.

After lunch, Shangguan Wanjun felt sleepy and took a half-hour nap on the couch.

"Your Majesty, several ministers request an audience!"

Shangguan Wanjun woke up in confusion and looked at Eunuch Lin with sleepy eyes.

"Who is there?"

Eunuch Lin said respectfully, "Taifu Yun, Right Prime Minister, Minister of Revenue, Minister of Works, Minister of Supreme Court, and Grand Secretary."

Shangguan Wanjun reluctantly sat up and said, "Go ahead."

She had lost all desire in life. At only fourteen years old, she still had to meet with ministers and handle government affairs. The thought of it gave her a headache.

Several ministers entered the hall one after another, and Shangguan Wanjun forced herself to face everyone.

"I see you, Your Majesty."

"No courtesy, please sit down!"

The ministers thanked the emperor.

Originally, Shangguan Wanjun was planning to sit in a dignified manner, but after thinking that she was now the emperor, not a princess or queen, she decided to sit cross-legged so as not to appear so restrained.

"What is the purpose of your request for an audience, ministers?"

Taifu Yun bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the late emperor has passed away, and you must begin to handle government affairs. I think from today on, you should start attending classes every day."

Shangguan Wanjun said calmly, "Does the Grand Tutor have any rules?"

"I think it would be a good time after the court session every day."

Shangguan Wanjun had a blank expression: Are you trying to tire yourself to death?

"There's no need to be so anxious. More haste makes waste. Let's do it in the afternoon. After my lunch break, I'll have more energy and I think I'll remember what I learned better."

Taifu Yun also thought it made sense and said, "Then I will obey the emperor."

Shangguan Wanjun nodded with satisfaction in her heart: Fortunately, he is not an old stubborn person.

"Please sit down and rest for a while. After the ministers have finished explaining their purpose, we will rest for half a minute and then start studying."

Master Yun was stunned: He didn't expect that the emperor would ask him to study today. This was beyond his expectations, but he was very satisfied.

After all, the emperor is young and has never experienced the affairs of the court, so it is better for him to learn early.

"The minister obeys the order."

"Well, eat some cakes to fill your stomach so you can have enough energy for class later."

After Shangguan Wanjun waited for Master Yun to respond, she looked at the others.

"Five ministers, please explain your purpose one by one."

The Right Prime Minister bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I wonder if there are any other requirements for the enthronement ceremony. I can talk to the Ministry of Rites and we will discuss it."

Shangguan Wanjun was troubled by the thought of the coronation ceremony. "Prioritize frugality. Modify the dragon robe to the one used by the late emperor. Don't burden the Shangyi Bureau. Let them work at a normal speed. For now, just make a new set of court robes. I'll wear the rest of the old ones first."

The Right Prime Minister was shocked and said, "Your Majesty, this is unacceptable."

Shangguan Wanjun looked at him and said, "I have just ascended the throne and have many expenses. I must be frugal. If the Prime Minister disagrees, you can donate several hundred thousand silver taels to the national treasury to relieve the pressure on the Ministry of Revenue. I am sure the Minister of Revenue will be happy to do so."

The right prime minister was choked and had to shut up in disappointment.

Shangguan Wanjun said impatiently, "Next."

When the Minister of Revenue heard the emperor's words, he felt a little relieved, thinking that if the prime minister was really willing to donate, he would definitely accept it.

The emperor was right. There are many places to spend money when you first ascend the throne.

"Your Majesty, the treasury is somewhat empty. I wonder if you..."

Before he could finish, Shangguan Wanjun looked straight at him.

"No money?"

The Minister of Revenue wanted to kneel down when he heard this, but he said awkwardly, "Yes, but not much."

"How much exactly?"

The Minister of Revenue reported uncomfortably, "Less than ten thousand taels."

Shangguan Wanjun looked at him directly when she heard the number and asked, "Are you kidding me?"

The Minister of Revenue folded his hands and said, "I dare not. After the late emperor's funeral and the emperor's coronation ceremony are over, there will only be 10,000 taels left."

Oh, it’s so difficult to be a Minister of Revenue.

Shangguan Wanjun wanted to hit someone at this moment. "Which steps can be omitted in the coronation ceremony?"

The Minister of Revenue was shocked. "None of them are suitable for omission. Please think twice."

Shangguan Wanjun clenched one hand into a fist under the coffee table and calmed down to think.

"Entering and exiting the city gates will incur an additional one cent for each person and horse, and one cent for each stall. These must be registered daily and inspected by the Ministry of Revenue. I will also conduct random checks."

Right now, she could only think of these two ways to increase revenue for the national treasury.

Suddenly, she thought of something. "If anyone is willing to pay twenty cents at once to set up a stall, they can save ten cents. The government will encourage people to set up stalls. If they can keep doing so for more than a month, the government will make banners for them to promote the stalls."

The Minister of Revenue was stunned when he heard this, but he was still very happy because he made some money.

"next."

"Your Highness, the Minister of Works, is short of money..." The Minister of Works' voice grew smaller and smaller.

Shangguan Wanjun frowned. "The unused inventory can be sold for cash. It doesn't need to be handed over to the Ministry of Revenue. It can be directly subsidized by the Ministry of Works. But it must be recorded clearly. If it is not done well, the relevant personnel will be beheaded."

The Minister of Works was stunned: Why does the emperor come and mention my head right away?

The Dali Temple Minister did not wait for Shangguan Wanjun to speak and introduced himself. "I am the Dali Temple Minister. There are too many cases piling up and not enough staff. I would like to ask the emperor to send someone to rescue and assist."

"I'm not familiar with the rest, so I can't give you an answer. However, you can post a notice recruiting interns to assist in investigating and sorting out the case. All participants will be incorporated into future work experience. Those with experience will be given priority in the imperial examinations, regardless of gender or wealth. If you do a good job, I will reward you handsomely."

The Dali Temple Minister was stunned, but felt that what the emperor said made sense.

The other ministers were all thinking about what the emperor had said.

Shangguan Wanjun raised her eyes and glanced at the last person. "You are the Grand Secretary, what do you want?"

"Your Majesty, I have made several major discoveries in my book..."

After hearing his words, Shangguan Wanjun finally smiled.

"Finally, I heard some good news."

The Grand Secretary was delighted and looked up to see the Emperor taking off his hairpin.

"It's a good idea. This is a reward. I hope you won't disappoint me. Do a good job."

The Grand Secretary was extremely nervous and terrified. He felt so honored that the Emperor rewarded him with something. This was probably the first person he was rewarded by the Emperor.

Eunuch Lin stood aside and saw that the Grand Secretary did not respond, so he quickly reminded him.

"Grand Secretary, you are so happy, hurry up and take it, don't let the emperor..."

The Grand Secretary was startled and hurried forward to take it respectfully.

After they left, Shangguan Wanjun felt a splitting headache.

"Master, I will rest for half a minute."

Taifu Yun bowed and said, "No hurry, Your Majesty, please rest first."

Shangguan Wanjun looked at Eunuch Lin and said, "Prepare the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. I want to listen to Master Yun's lecture later."

Eunuch Lin bowed respectfully and went to prepare.

After studying for an hour, Shangguan Wanjun finally knew twenty characters. She was really exhausted.

After Eunuch Lin sent Tutor Yun away, Shangguan Wanjun closed her eyes and rested.

Lianhua felt sorry for her master and hurried forward to give her a massage.

"Your Majesty, are you okay?"

Shangguan Wanjun nodded with satisfaction, "It's comfortable. Thank you for your hard work, little fairy."

When she heard the word "little fairy", Lianhua lowered her head shyly.

After returning home, Master Yun thought about what he had heard and seen that day and felt very relieved.

The new emperor is quite capable. If he works hard to teach the emperor, he will surely help the emperor reach a higher level.