Quick Transmigration: Leisure

Princes are no longer a rarity in this palace.

June.

The fourth son of Consort Zhao, the twelfth prince, was born smoothly. This further fueled the fire for Prime Minister Ye's faction, which was now almost at the height of its power.

Consort Qiong, on the other hand, steadily cared for her son and daughter, devoting more of her energy to raising the Eighth Prince and managing palace affairs.

Ye Ruilan's third son, born ten years after Chongze, was the Ninth Prince.

They already have four princes.

The second eldest prince, Lian Congzhan, is already ten years old and is highly regarded by His Majesty, who always takes him on his tours.

The third prince was not only proficient in both civil and military affairs, but also loving towards his younger siblings, deeply respected by the palace staff, and a role model for the other princes.

Therefore, Prime Minister Ye naturally attracted many allies.

There were also the maternal families who had given birth to princes, who had long ago brought their grandchildren and sincerely pledged allegiance to Consort Zhao's faction. It could be said that some dirty deeds didn't even require any action; a single glance was enough for people to rush to pledge their loyalty.

But this is only the surface.

Ye Ruilan's body gradually couldn't keep up with the continuous childbirth.

Not only do they have to take good care of the children at all times, but they also have to devote themselves wholeheartedly to them.

They also face multiple pressures, including insufficient energy, weak constitution, recurrent illnesses, and the loss of their youthful and beautiful figures.

Therefore, palace affairs were gradually brought under Ye Linghua's control.

In addition, her eighth prince remained "sickly and weak".

He devoted himself entirely to the classics, history, philosophy, and literature, and had absolutely no interest in martial arts or military strategy.

Ye Linghua has yet to announce any further news of pregnancy.

This made Prime Minister Ye gradually lower his guard, thinking that no matter which concubine was in charge of palace affairs, they were still in his own hands.

Even though Ye Ruilan had resentment and doubts, she could not stop Prime Minister Ye from taking further action against her.

Instead, it frequently disrupted the previous dynasty.

Indirectly helping the female lead clear obstacles.

With civil officials clearing the way, attention naturally turned to the military generals.

The main military forces in the court today are all generals who followed Grand Commandant Xia back from the battlefield.

Most of them were quite old and very straightforward. They always kept in mind the Grand Commandant's instructions to not participate in the power struggles within the imperial court and to serve the country wholeheartedly.

Because they knew that loyalty was required, Lian Shaoyuan did not choose to eliminate these forces after taking power.

They only wanted to firmly control the Xia family, who could influence them.

But each generation has its own pursuits, and when life becomes too peaceful, people forget how hard they worked to achieve that tranquility.

Several of the grandchildren of veteran generals, through their privileged backgrounds, passed the military examinations and obtained minor but sinecure positions.

Perhaps reality was too different from the stories of their ancestors; they neither fought with fervor nor indulged in a life of luxury. Their salaries were barely enough to support a few extravagant outings to restaurants to boast.

Thus, they became the perfect targets for being bribed with money.

So Xia Youmi is making money to make herself unhappy.

In the original story, the female protagonist didn't win people over with money; she displayed extraordinary wisdom on several occasions.

There are also many scenes featuring male supporting characters, after all, the emperor of the enemy country also wants to place his own people among the military generals.

They were of the same mind.

This is also a huge obstacle to the relationship between the male and female protagonists.

Now, it's merely a shortcut fraught with hidden dangers that has revealed Ye Linghua's predicament and true nature. Perhaps without the support of the male supporting character, the fog surrounding the male and female leads' emotions has never been cleared up, and they only foolishly allowed Lian Shaoyuan to manipulate them until things truly broke down.

......

Jinluan Palace.

Xia Youmi knelt at the lower end. Lian Shaoyuan's eyes were unfriendly, exuding a strong sense of oppression.

But it couldn't suppress his taut back.

"Your Majesty!" Xia Youmi said with a serious expression, unusually not pretending to be angry; she was genuinely furious.

"Your Majesty, please fulfill your promise to your brother!"

Lian Shaoyuan sat on the dragon throne, his expression complex.

"I have no intention of going back on my word."

"Your Majesty, then the Ministry of Revenue should act according to the imperial decree! Instead of repeatedly making excuses and shamelessly claiming to abolish my grandfather's old practices," Xia Youmi declared loudly. At this moment, she couldn't consider whether her harsh attitude would disgust the male lead and cause him to refuse her request.

If they remain silent, they will gradually die a slow death.

She didn't pursue the matter of confiscating her cash and taking away her business in Suzhou, but that was a backup plan to avoid alerting the enemy and thus preventing her from directly undermining them.

But now, the war in the northern border is critical, and the loss of food and supplies is a matter of great importance, not something external or a few lives.

The incident occurred in July.

Xia Youmi was still discussing with Qi Xuan how to find a breakthrough for the male and female leads and retaliate.

However, a sudden and fierce war broke out in the northern border region.

The enemy troops suddenly and stealthily cut in from the rear, encircling the entire army.

For a time, the soldiers guarding the border were trapped inside.

In such a situation, it is obvious that there are treacherous individuals colluding from within and without.

Even Shao Yuan was furious; his plan certainly wouldn't actually force him to abandon the city. It was the enemy general who took advantage of the small opening in our army's defenses.

As for whether it was the male supporting character who did it, Xia Youmi couldn't guess; she just wanted to go and provide support.

The news spread like wildfire, with all sorts of rumors circulating.

Many people also spread panic among the common people, saying that the Xia family had betrayed the country and would destroy it.

The number of generals volunteering for the campaign never stopped, but the selection of the right person remained a subject of endless debate.

An elderly military officer from the Xia family wanted to accept the order, but was refused on the grounds that he was too old.

Those younger members of the family who were more successful faced numerous obstacles. Some were hindered by external factors, while others were prevented from risking their lives by their closest relatives.

They are constantly fighting on all sides.

Xia Youmi didn't care which side provided support, as long as the food and reinforcements were delivered and the crisis was resolved.

However, the day after hearing the news, a message was received from the Shen family.

The Ministry of Revenue does not recognize the precedent set by Grand Commandant Xia and will no longer pay for the grain and fodder raised by the merchants themselves.

They could only go to the granary to release grain or to buy grain and supplies when orders came down from above and special funds were allocated.

By the time this whole process is completed, the daylily is already cold.

Furthermore, since the previous practice was to transport the goods first and then pay for them, and given the peace and stability of the country in recent years, military grain reserves have become scarce and have long been allocated to disaster relief in various regions.

If we don't follow the old ways, nothing will work.

What's most infuriating is that the Ministry of Revenue's words were spread around.

Now, even with the explanation that grain could be transferred ahead of time, most merchants are unwilling to take the risk easily.

What if they deny it later?

They were merchants and needed the government's backing.

In desperation, Xia Youmi could only reply to the letter instructing the Shen and Xia families' merchant caravans to gather all the provisions. The previously stored provisions would be sent directly north along the trade routes, while the purchased provisions would remain on standby to accompany the reinforcements.

Perhaps their own strength cannot compete with that of all the merchants in Kyoto, but every little bit helps.

In addition, we must prevent malicious price gouging.

Then, she sent a message to Eunuch Chang, saying that she wanted to see Lian Shaoyuan.

First, he was told he was discussing important matters with his ministers. Then, as night fell, he received only one message: he would do his best.

She had to break into the Golden Palace for three consecutive days before she was finally allowed to see it.

In the past few days, the topics of discussion in the imperial court have been gradually changing. There have even been reports of military officers being assassinated, and others jointly impeaching the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War.

The one who truly held the reins and even influenced Lian Shaoyuan's actions was Ye Linghua's people.

Recalling the female lead's words, she said.

If it weren't for their wholehearted allegiance, they would rather see the Xia family fall.

Replace them with our own people.