The abandoned concubine who transmigrated woke up shouting "Long live the widow!"

But two days passed without any progress, and neither side was willing to give in. During the morning court session, the emperor listened to the Ministry of Revenue's report and remembered the empress's words.

That evening, after hesitating all day, the emperor arrived at Yue'an Palace.

The retired emperor knew that the emperor must have come for something, so he sent the children to the backyard.

"Father, what are your thoughts on this hunting trip and contact with the delegation?" the Emperor asked.

The retired emperor glanced at his eldest son. Back then, because of his quick temper, he had hoped that this crown prince could be more gentle and kind, but he never expected that the kindness would go a little too far.

Sometimes I feel that this emperor is a bit indecisive.

"Their second prince, Wanyan Junhao, is straightforward; he speaks his mind! But the imperial advisor and the seventh prince are not simple; they're both cunning and ruthless!"

The retired emperor knew that the emperor was beating around the bush again, so he continued to ask, "Is Your Majesty encountering some problem? Regarding the mission?"

"Hmm! The negotiations have made no progress at all." The Emperor did not hide anything.

"Your Majesty, it's time to replace the person in charge of the Ministry of Revenue!"

The Emperor looked at the Retired Emperor with a puzzled expression. "Father, Hu Yu has been an official for many years. He is related to Prime Minister Zou and Minister Wang. It might not be wise to take action against him!"

"You are the emperor, so whatever you say is good, is good! What has that An Wenguang accomplished besides currying favor with the officials above him? What's the point of keeping him around?"

The Emperor recalled the scene of the retired Emperor chasing An Wenguang in the court, and realized that his father was here to settle old scores.

"But if we remove them, who can be stronger than them?" the Emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, we must dismantle the power of Prime Minister Zou's faction, breaking through them one by one, starting with An Wenguang. I think Li Huan, the prefect of Qingzhou, can replace An Wenguang," the retired emperor said.

The Emperor shook his head. “No, if Li Huan enters the Ministry of Revenue, he will be the next Jing Zhiyuan, and Zou Ting’s faction will definitely target him.”

"Your Majesty, do you know why I appointed Li Huan? Besides his incorruptibility as an official, it is also because he is Jingxue's maternal uncle. Currently, the only one who can check Zou Ting's faction is Jingxue, and they dare not easily touch Li Huan," the Emperor Emeritus said.

The emperor didn't say anything.

The Emperor Emeritus continued, "After the delegation leaves, find a pretext to remove An Wenguang from his post. As for where to place him, Your Majesty can decide. Also, when you have time, meet with your brother-in-law, Lu Zijing, and have him participate in next year's imperial examination!"

"The court needs some new faces. Those cunning old foxes should be dismissed! Otherwise, Bei Ye really has no future or hope!"

"But...but it might not be so easy to move them!" the emperor said, frowning. These were the same people he had when he ascended the throne, the ones his father had left him. He hadn't considered this issue before making a major overhaul.

"Your Majesty, I don't expect you to act immediately, but you need to start planning!"

The emperor hadn't expected that his own problem hadn't been solved, and his father had given him an even bigger challenge.

"Father, what do you think about letting Jingxue attend the negotiation meeting?" the Emperor asked.

“Sure! That girl doesn’t play by the rules, she should be able to break the deadlock. Let her go, don’t worry! The other side will definitely suffer.” The Emperor Emeritus said confidently.

The emperor said worriedly, "I'm afraid that girl will make some demands later, such as releasing Jingzhiyuan."

"Your Majesty, we didn't let Jingzhi die back then, so we'll definitely release him later, but it's not time yet." The retired emperor's expression was extremely serious.

The Emperor sighed. "Father, to be honest, I get a headache just looking at Jingxue. If it weren't for Jing Zhiyuan as my trump card, I really don't know if I could have controlled that girl. And the third prince too, he..."

"Alright, Your Majesty, let's take things one step at a time. That girl is indeed capable, and very capable at that. I only kept her alive because I saw that she hadn't harmed anyone."

"Father, is the lucky star that Master Yuantong mentioned Jingxue?" The Emperor was still uneasy.

"Your Majesty, if this girl is used properly, she's far more than just a lucky charm! The biggest problem now is how to keep her by the Third Prince's side without worry," said the Retired Emperor.

"Shall we call the third brother back to discuss this?"

"No need! Leave this to me. I'll discuss it with Doctor Baili when I have time. Doctor Baili has just returned and doesn't know Jingxue yet, so let's take it slow!"

Since his own father kept saying to take it slow, the emperor had nothing more to say and had no choice but to take his leave.

The next day, Jingxue, who was drawing blueprints at Yichun Palace, received an imperial edict from the Emperor, instructing her to attend a negotiation meeting with the Ministry of Revenue the following day, along with a price list.

Jingxue was speechless. She was receiving the salary of a princess, thirty taels of silver a month, plus a small fief, yet she was entrusted with the heavy responsibilities of the court.

Isn't this appropriate?

"Eunuch Fu, what does His Majesty mean by telling me to prioritize the interests of our dynasty? Furthermore, how can the officials of the Ministry of Revenue bear the thought of His Majesty entrusting me with the negotiation? Also, if I complete the negotiation task according to the price His Majesty has given me, what reward will His Majesty give me?"

Fu Hai flicked his whisk and said, "Your Highness, you should just do as His Majesty says, there's no problem with that. This servant doesn't know anything else."

Jingxue: Never mind, I didn't ask!

In the afternoon, the Imperial Guards delivered a huge stack of negotiation documents from the Ministry of Revenue. Jingxue thought even the King of Hell's Book of Life and Death didn't have that many.

I flipped through it casually and was amazed at how meticulous the ancients were. They wrote down the entire process of a product's production and sale in incredible detail. Little did they know, this approach wouldn't work against the Tartars of Cangbei; you should have used a simpler, more direct method.

What Jingxue didn't know was that when the Emperor announced the decision to allow Princess Zhan to participate in the negotiations in court today, everyone in the Ministry of Revenue looked extremely grim.

Even Censor Li Wenqing and Minister of Personnel Wang Hansheng stepped forward to object. The emperor had basically decided that Jingxue was a lucky star, so he spoke with great confidence.

"My two beloved ministers, if you feel that Princess Zhan is not a suitable candidate, then you may also participate in the negotiations. As long as you can reach a result that satisfies me, then I will reward you. What do you say?" the Emperor said.

“Your Majesty, this is against reason. How can women participate in court affairs?” Li Wenqing said.

At this moment, Prime Minister Zou and Wang Hansheng said, "We reiterate our opinion!"

Before Ye Muchen could speak, Prince Rui, Ye Muchi, said, "My lords, during times of war, women can fight on the battlefield, so why can't they participate in politics? The Dowager Lady of the Ningguo Duke's family is a prime example; she was a woman who was just as capable as any man. How can you say that women can't do this or that now?"

Li Wenqing retorted, “That’s different! The Prince Consort’s father is already suspected of colluding with the enemy Cangbei. It would be inappropriate for her to participate in, or even take charge of, negotiations with Cangbei! If Your Majesty insists on this, I will kill myself by crashing into a pillar in Qingyang Palace.”

His words shocked everyone present. Imperial Censor Li was openly challenging Princess Zhan! And he went to such great lengths; it seemed he had a deep grudge against Princess Zhan.

Oh my god! They're mortal enemies, right? But I haven't heard anything about what happened.