Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"What? No way! I won't agree!"

Upon hearing that Shen Lang wanted to take over two major cases—salt tax embezzlement and missing household registrations—Jiang Mengxuan refused without even thinking.

"Ah Lang, I will never agree to this no matter what. No, absolutely not."

Shen Lang knew that Jiang Mengxuan was worried about him getting into trouble, but he still patiently explained to her.

"Xuan'er, I know what you're worried about. If it were before yesterday, I would never have gotten involved in such a big case."

But things are different now. We are husband and wife. Chu is your home, and it is also my home. Now, our home is being ravaged by a bunch of termites.

Do you think I could just sit idly by? As your husband, I cannot and would never allow myself to watch my wife toil away while I comfortably enjoy a life of leisure in the harem.

To be honest, if this were a time of peace and tranquility, I would gladly let you support me without me having to do anything. But right now, the Great Chu still has many problems waiting for us to solve together.

Many things shouldn't be your responsibility alone; let me handle them. Liu Wu can't handle such a big case; all he can do is bring all the local evidence to the imperial court.

But do you think the entire court would react upon seeing that evidence of guilt? Impossible. They, too, wouldn't dare easily offend the local powerful clans.

The case ultimately resulted in the scapegoating of a few insignificant individuals, and the political situation in the Great Chu remained unchanged.

What difference does it make whether or not such an investigation is conducted?

Jiang Mengxuan listened quietly to Shen Lang's analysis, and had already tacitly accepted his idea.

But they still didn't want to see Shen Lang implicated in this matter.

“Ah Lang, you have already done enough for me and for the Chu Kingdom. Really, even if you do nothing now, no one will say anything.”

Jiang Mengxuan sighed softly.

"Because I'm really afraid something will happen to you."

Shen Lang laughed: "Xuan'er, don't you trust me? From the day I joined the Jingwei Division, I've never been afraid of anything."

Jiang Mengxuan shook her head: "But the situation is really different now."

"Nothing is different."

Shen Lang smiled slightly.

"Only by eliminating local corrupt officials and promoting truly talented individuals can the country steadily get back on track. Liu Wu can do it."

I, Shen Lang, am the son-in-law of the Emperor of Great Chu, and a Duke of the State, supported by the taxes of countless people. Why can't I be one?

Jiang Mengxuan remained silent, her phoenix eyes opening and closing slightly.

Clearly, they are still considering whether or not to involve Shen Lang in such a huge vortex.

"Xuan'er, do you still remember what you promised me back then?"

"Of course I remember. I won't interfere with your work until the results are in."

"That's fine then, don't worry."

Shen Lang gave her a reassuring smile.

"I will handle everything properly and give our home a fresh start."

“Ah Lang”.

Jiang Mengxuan's eyes welled up with tears as she gripped his hand tightly.

"I feel so happy to have met you and be with you."

"Silly girl, we'll be even happier in the future."

Their foreheads touched lightly, their eyes shining only for each other.

This scene was witnessed by Qingwen, who was clearing away the dishes. She covered her face and quietly withdrew from the palace gate.

……

Three days later, at the Taiji Hall.

"Long live my emperor, long live my emperor!"

After a few days of rest, the morning court session resumed.

Jiang Mengxuan sat back on the dragon throne with a beautiful face.

The festive atmosphere had not yet dissipated, and everyone in the hall was still immersed in the joy of the Empress's wedding.

However, their joy will soon fade.

"My lords, my wedding is over, and now I should continue to focus on state affairs. Is there anything you wish to report to me in the next few days?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Youcai, the Minister of Works, immediately stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I have calculated the cost of the palace and gardens that the Empress Dowager requires to be built, including the total cost of all materials and labor."

It will cost approximately 30 million taels of silver. Given the tight schedule—it must be completed before the Empress Dowager's next birthday—an additional 10 million taels of silver will be needed.

This is the account book calculated by your humble servant and the officials of the Ministry of Works. Please take a look, Your Majesty.

As he spoke, the eunuch took the account book from Li Youcai and quickly handed it to Jiang Mengxuan.

Jiang Mengxuan took a look and exchanged a glance with Shen Lang, who was standing at the head of the official column.

Seeing Shen Lang slightly close his eyes, he then closed the ledger and began to speak slowly and deliberately.

"Our Great Chu upholds the principles of benevolence and filial piety, and we cannot ignore the Empress Dowager's requests. However, with tens of millions of taels of silver at stake, I do not know how to scrape together the funds."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Lang immediately stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has been a model of virtue for the nation, devoting her entire life to the harem of the Great Chu. It is only natural that she wishes to move to a new palace to retire in her old age."

Our Great Chu is a nation of benevolence and filial piety. If we fail to fulfill her wishes, we risk becoming a target of criticism from the people. Your Majesty should fund the construction of a palace for the Empress Dowager so that she may spend her remaining years in peace.”

Jiang Mengxuan sighed: "How could I not know what the Duke of Zhenguo said? My mother raised me to adulthood..."

Now that she is old and needs to build a garden to enjoy her remaining years, how could I possibly spoil her enjoyment?

However, my imperial treasury is currently insufficient, and I truly cannot produce such a large sum of silver.

Upon hearing this, all the officials remained silent.

Anyway, this has nothing to do with us, so why bother?

Many officials were even drowsy.

But soon, Shen Lang's next words kept them awake.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is also the Empress Dowager of our Great Chu Kingdom. On such an important day, all subjects of the land should do their part to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday."

Before Shen Lang could finish speaking, the officials from the six ministries all twitched, instinctively sensing something unusual.

"In my opinion, if only Your Majesty shows filial piety, it is merely family filial piety and is insufficient to demonstrate the majesty of the Empress Dowager."

Moreover, the construction of the palace is not merely His Majesty's personal matter; it should involve the participation of all officials within the palace.

Only in this way can we demonstrate the utmost loyalty of our dynasty to the Empress Dowager!

Upon hearing this, all the officials were completely stunned.

Does Shen Lang mean that all six departments should contribute to the cost of repairing the garden?

What a loss!

Lin Yu, as the Minister of Revenue, was in charge of the nation's finances and grain.

He immediately sensed something was wrong and was just about to step forward when he heard the Empress speak.

"The Duke of Zhenguo is right. The Empress Dowager is not only my mother, but the mother of all people in the world. Therefore, I will set an example."

"For this palace construction, I have funded a year's worth of the imperial treasury's harvest, and I will have it sent to the Ministry of Revenue shortly."

"His Majesty!"

Lin Yu was immediately flustered and at a loss for what to do. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Shen Lang shout.

"Your Majesty's filial piety is as clear as the sun and moon. We, the officials, will certainly do our utmost to present the Empress Dowager with a birthday gift that she will never forget!"

After he finished speaking, he turned to the officials.

"My lords, I think you all share the same thoughts as me, don't you?"

Instantly, all the civil and military officials were as if they were on a barbecue grill, their faces turning red with suppressed rage, yet they could not utter a single word of rebuttal.

If you oppose it, you will be disloyal and unfilial, and you will lose your official hat.

If they don't object, where will the money for repairing the garden come from?

This is utterly devastating and morally offensive.

How come I never noticed before that Shen Lang actually had such methods?

Jiang Mengxuan suppressed a laugh as she scanned the room before making her final decision.

"Since none of you have any objections, then let's proceed as planned. Minister Lin, I'll leave the task of raising funds for the garden's construction to the Ministry of Revenue to negotiate with the other ministries."

"Your Majesty, minister..."

"Retreat."

Jiang Mengxuan didn't give Lin Yu any chance to explain, and directly walked down the jade steps with a flick of her phoenix sleeve.

Shen Lang then followed.

After the Empress left, the Taiji Hall erupted in chaos.