The wives of the concubines are empresses

Shangguan Wanjun, who returned to the palace with the silver, finally felt less sad.

"Eunuch Lin, summon the Minister of Revenue to the palace."

While waiting for the Minister of Revenue, Shangguan Wanjun practiced calligraphy seriously.

When she felt her hands were cramping from practicing, the Minister of Revenue arrived.

"I see you, Your Majesty."

"My dear, please don't be polite. Please take a seat!"

"I thank the emperor."

When he saw the 100,000 taels of silver, he was stunned.

"Your Majesty, this is..."

Shangguan Wanjun said calmly, "Half of the savings and shop income I had when I was a princess was given by my mother."

The Minister of Revenue was moved when he heard this, "The Emperor and the Empress Dowager are a blessing to the people of the Yuan Dynasty."

Shangguan Wanjun smiled and said, "I wish I wouldn't be a tyrant. I don't have such great ambitions and abilities."

The Minister of Revenue sobbed when he heard this.

"Your Majesty, you are too modest."

Shangguan Wanjun disagreed. "Lianxiang, hand the registration book over to the Minister of Revenue."

The Minister of Revenue was stunned. "Registration book? This is..."

Lianhua explained, "The emperor has ordered the removal of unwanted items from the palace. You can sell them openly, which will also increase the national treasury's revenue."

The Minister of Revenue felt sad when he heard this: The Emperor really...cares so much about them and the people.

The Minister of Revenue left the palace with 100,000 silver coins and some old items from the palace.

After the Minister of Revenue left, Shangguan Wanjun put her chin in her hand and thought about other things.

Lianhua Muxiang served quietly on the side, adding tea and serving water to the emperor when necessary.

It was only the third day since she arrived, but she felt like decades had passed, as she had transformed from a princess into an empress. She felt deeply ashamed.

She had lived in the deep palace for a long time, with no one to rely on. Her mother was temporarily in charge of the harem, so she was not afraid. But the court was also a place where people were eaten without leaving any bones. How could she manage the country well?

It is difficult to be a woman, and it is even more difficult to be an empress.

What she lacks most right now is people. She doesn't know anyone in the court, which makes her feel very constrained.

Without people on hand, many things become difficult to accomplish.

It was already dark, and Shangguan Wanjun frowned as she looked at the pile of memorials.

Lianhua was quietly grinding ink, and Muxiang would help by handing over what her master needed from time to time.

After Shangguan Wanjun finished dealing with a memorial, she looked up and looked at her two maids.

"Lianhua and Muxiang, you must grow up quickly and work for me. I have no one to rely on right now, and it's a headache."

Lianhua and Muxiang both knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, it is your fault that you are incompetent."

Shangguan Wanjun sighed softly, "If we want to survive, we must strengthen ourselves. Since we are alive, we must live a good life, otherwise we will just linger on. Do you understand?"

The two nodded, not quite understanding what she meant. Shangguan Wanjun didn't ask them to understand right away, as they all had a process of growth to go through.

"Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The two helped each other up and looked at each other silently.

Lianhua was calm and looked at her master, "Your Majesty, we can learn whatever you want us to do."

Mu Xiang also expressed her own thoughts: "I will learn it too."

Shangguan Wanjun nodded in satisfaction. "Well, now I have two generals. Now that I have ascended the throne, I must have female officials around me to take care of my food, clothing, housing and transportation."

The two nodded and said, "Your Majesty is right. How about I take charge of the imperial kitchen?"

Shangguan Wanjun was stunned. "Why did you think of the imperial kitchen?"

Mu Xiang smiled shyly, "I like to eat, and it seems that only the imperial kitchen is suitable for me."

Lianhua frowned, "You are so useless. Our masters are all empresses. Can't you set your sights a little higher?"

Listening to her words, Shangguan Wanjun sneered.

"Lianhua, what you said makes sense. Your goal is indeed a bit small, but you can't get fat in one bite. You have to take it step by step. At least you have an idea and a goal now, which is also a kind of progress."

Mu Xiang was flattered by the praise. "Then your Majesty, how do you tell me to manage the imperial kitchen? I will obey you."

Shangguan Wanjun smiled with satisfaction, "Not bad, both superiors and subordinates like obedient ones."

Mu Xiang felt more confident.

"It's not enough to just manage the Imperial Kitchen, but I'll manage it for now, but the chief manager of the Imperial Kitchen will remain unchanged. We have to cut down on the expenses of the harem, and it would be best if we could get some more money to fill the national treasury."

Mu Xiang was stunned when she heard this. "We're cutting expenses, but we still need to make money?"

This was completely beyond her expectations.

In a blink of an eye, the funeral arrived. Shangguan Wanjun, as the only child of the late emperor, wore mourning clothes and stood at the front to preside over the situation.

She held an incense stick and bowed respectfully.

When the late emperor's coffin left the palace, Shangguan Wanjun's face remained calm and she felt relieved.

Her coronation ceremony is in two days, and she has been very tired these days.

During lunch, the Minister of War sat at the table.

The 39-year-old Minister of War raised his eyes and looked at the young girl who was having her meal.

"Why don't you eat, Lord Shangshu?"

"Ah, no, I didn't eat." Suddenly, he was discovered.

"Relax, I don't eat people, it would be bad to torture them with a meal."

The Minister of War sweated profusely. "Your Majesty is right."

After finishing their meal, the two sat on the couch and chatted face to face.

"I have been serving as the Minister of War for several years."

The Minister of War bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it has been exactly three years."

"How does it feel?"

The Minister of War was stunned. "May I ask what the Emperor is referring to?"

Shangguan Wanjun raised her eyes and looked at the Minister of War with a smile.

"Just talk about it, just treat it as a chat to pass the time."

The Minister of War bowed and said, "Yes, then I will tell you. The Ministry of War is a very busy department. After all, we have to recommend talents to the emperor from time to time. This is related to the stability of the country, so the selection of talents is very important."

Shangguan Wanjun nodded. "That makes sense. Who are the generals now?"

The Minister of War thought for a moment and said, "There are General Xuanwei and General Huaiyuan..."

Shangguan Wanjun listened carefully and drank tea from time to time.

"The military pay is also in short supply right now, but the Ministry of Revenue has no money."

He gets a headache whenever he thinks about this, as military pay is a big deal.

"Besides military pay, what else is missing?"

"food."

Shangguan Wanjun pondered for a moment, "Which places are short of food?"

The Minister of War thought carefully and said, "Yunzhou, Lizhou, and Nanzhou are all border fortresses."

Shangguan Wanjun felt solemn. "How much grain is there in the treasury?"

The Minister of War shook his head. "I don't know the exact number, but it's not much."

Shangguan Wanjun had a headache.

"Eunuch Lin, have the Ministry of Revenue compile all the grain data for me. I'll need it at court tomorrow morning."

Eunuch Lin bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The Minister of War thought of the silver and immediately said, "Your Majesty, the issue of military pay cannot be delayed for too long. I heard that you donated all the private silver you had when you were a princess to the national treasury?"

Shangguan Wanjun smiled slightly.

"He's well-informed. I'm afraid he knew it a long time ago."

The Minister of War sneered, "Yes, you see..."

"Report to the court tomorrow morning. I will ask the Ministry of Revenue to go out."

Upon hearing this, the Minister of War immediately stood up and knelt to express his gratitude.

"My lord, thank you, Your Majesty."

After the Minister of War took his leave, Shangguan Wanjun began to teach in the study again.

She raised her eyes and glanced at Master Yun. "Master, I am currently learning to read and write. Let Lianhua and Muxiang come along."

Master Yun was shocked, but he quickly calmed down and asked seriously.

"Your Majesty, please give me a reason."

Shangguan Wanjun said seriously, "I have no one under my command, so I must cultivate my own people so that I won't be constrained in every way. What do you think, Master Yun?"

Master Yun nodded, but this reason was not enough to convince him.

Seeing that Taifu Yun didn't say anything, Shangguan Wanjun said again, "Since I am the emperor, I must have some female officials around me. Taifu, you should understand the importance of female officials."

Master Yun bowed and said, "Yes, I understand. Then let them study together."

Lianhua Muxiang's face lit up with joy, and she bowed respectfully to Taifu Chaoyun.

"Thank you, Master."

Master Yun waved his hand and said, "Find a chair and sit down. Time is running out and we can't waste it."