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

Inside the Weiyang Palace in Jinling City.

"Your Majesty, those involved in the salt tax embezzlement cases in various parts of Jiangnan have been successively escorted back to the capital. We request Your Majesty to decide how to deal with them."

Zhu Kui stood trembling in the center of the hall as he spoke to Jiang Mengxuan, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.

Shen Lang was truly ruthless, uprooting the entire Jiangnan officialdom in one fell swoop without any regard for the feelings of the Six Ministries.

Now, I just hope this matter ends here, and that I can use my power to try my best to protect some people, otherwise whatever they reveal, my family may also be implicated.

Jiang Mengxuan noticed Zhu Kui's unease and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

She had carefully read both account books that Shen Lang had sent, and many people in the court had also been implicated in them.

Zhu Kui, in particular, appears to be a very upright person, but in reality, he colludes with local powerful families in private and has received bribes totaling millions over the years.

The Empress would naturally not keep such a person around.

However, he still has one last thing to do for himself.

"Now that the person has been taken to the capital, Minister Zhu, you and the Court of Judicial Review will conduct a thorough interrogation. I will have the relevant evidence delivered to you."

You must examine it carefully and make sure there are no oversights.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will certainly act impartially and will not let anyone escape justice."

When Zhu Kui said this, he didn't dare to raise his head even slightly, for fear that the Empress would notice something amiss.

As Shen Lang's actions in Jiangnan became more frequent and his attacks more forceful, he became genuinely afraid.

Now, thousands of officials involved in the case have been escorted to the capital from the three prefectures. The Ministry of Justice's prison is almost overflowing. Who can guarantee that among so many people, how many will succumb to the pressure and confess themselves?

Thinking of this, he turned his gaze to Ye Mo, who was not far away.

"We can only consult our mentor about this matter. We can only ask him to consider our teacher-student relationship and protect the Zhu family."

……

After the court session ended, Jiang Mengxuan remained in the imperial study, reviewing the memorials that had piled up over the past few days.

Beside her was Changsun Yang, who had been promoted to the third-rank Imperial Censor, who was waiting for the Empress to ask questions with a flattering expression.

Two quarters of an hour later, Jiang Mengxuan closed the memorial, looked up at Changsun Yang and said, "Censor Changsun, how have you felt these past few days traveling around the capital?"

Changsun Yang said, "Your Majesty, I have been traveling around Jinling these past few days and have gained a lot, but there are still many things I don't understand."

Jiang Mengxuan smiled and said, "Not to mention you, there are many things I don't understand, but I do know that the current state of the country is beneficial to the nation and will not cause any harm."

Changsun Yang cupped his hands and replied, "Your Majesty's intentions are clear to me. I will write a letter immediately and send it to Guanzhong, instructing the local aristocratic families to replicate the industrial zone, so as to stabilize the northwestern frontier."

"It's good that you understand my intentions. Take some time to go back to Chang'an and tell them what I mean. This is a list that I and the Duke of Zhenguo have drafted together. Go back and take a look."

Changsun Yang immediately accepted the register handed to him by the Empress, but without opening it, he bowed and thanked her, saying, "Your humble servant, on behalf of the various tribes of Guanzhong..."

"Thank you for your trust and for disregarding past grievances, Your Majesty. From this day forward, I will do my utmost to serve you faithfully and never dare to harbor any disloyalty again!"

Jiang Mengxuan smiled slightly: "Imperial Censor Changsun, I believe you are loyal to me and to the court, and the same is true for the various ethnic groups in Guanzhong."

Therefore, do not disappoint me. Once this matter is resolved and the court is reformed, I intend to appoint you to oversee affairs in Guanzhong.

Changsun Yang immediately knelt down, tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty, you have treated the powerful clans of Guanzhong so well. If I do not express my opinion, I would be blinded by greed."

In return, I will offer 250,000 hectares of farmland to re-register the tenant farmers under my name.

He also called upon all major clans to contribute funds to repair Chang'an City, so as to restore the former glory of the Great Chu Dynasty as soon as possible.

Jiang Mengxuan quietly looked at Changsun Yang. He could give up such a large amount of wealth, not because he was kind-hearted, but because he wanted to gain more benefits.

However, Jiang Mengxuan does indeed need a powerful clan like Changsun Yang to drive the industrial development in the Northwest. Compared to the future of the entire Great Chu, the benefits that Changsun Yang wants are insignificant.

"Imperial Censor Changsun, please rise and speak. Since you have such a heart for the country, I will not let you suffer."

Alright then, the Changsun family will be in charge of the Northwest mining area and the railway factory.

In addition, the processing plants for military supplies such as clothing and food will also be managed by your Changsun family.

As for the newly planned livestock farm, the selection of personnel will also be up to you.

Upon hearing this, Changsun Yang was overjoyed. Each of these positions was a lucrative one, and they were closely related to the industrial progress currently being promoted by the Empress.

Wealth and benefits were secondary; the key was that the Changsun family gained the trust of the royal family, and thus became a royal family with real power!

This is crucial for the long-term interests of the family.

"Your Majesty, I thank you!"

Changsun Yang made a move to kneel down again.

But Jiang Mengxuan quickly stopped her: "I haven't finished speaking yet, Imperial Censor Changsun, don't be in such a hurry to thank me."

"Yes."

Changsun Yang immediately bowed his head in response, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.

The Empress said, "I heard that your daughter, Changsun Ying, is already seventeen years old?"

Changsun Yang replied truthfully, "Your Majesty, I will turn seventeen in two months."

Jiang Mengxuan smiled faintly: "I have heard that your daughter seems to have some unspeakable thoughts about my husband, and I have also heard that she seems to have some complaints about my marriage?"

puff-

Changsun Yang immediately knelt down.

"Your Majesty, Ying'er is being unreasonable. It's all because I've spoiled her since she was little. I beg Your Majesty to consider her young age."

"Please spare her this time. I promise she will never bother the Duke of Zhenguo again."

Jiang Mengxuan smiled faintly: "I didn't mean to blame you, Imperial Censor Changsun, there's no need to worry. It's only natural for a woman to admire and be attracted to a man."

But now that Shen Lang is my husband, I advise her to give up this idea as soon as possible. Do you understand what I mean?

"Your Majesty, I understand. Please rest assured, I will find her a suitable marriage as soon as possible."

"Ah."

Jiang Mengxuan was satisfied with what Changsun Yang said.

"I will act as matchmaker. My elder brother, the Prince of Jing, has just turned twenty this year and is still unmarried. If Imperial Censor Changsun does not mind..."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing this marriage upon me!"

Changsun Yang immediately knelt down and bowed in excitement.

Being able to form a marriage alliance with the royal family would bring enormous benefits to the future of the family.

Seeing this, Jiang Mengxuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Ever since learning that Changsun Ying had confessed her feelings to Shen Lang in Chang'an, this matter has been like a thorn in her heart.

She didn't consider herself a jealous woman, and she believed that Shen Lang would not betray her.

But anything can happen. What if Shen Lang thinks he's unromantic and gets seduced by these glamorous and shameless women?

Jiang Mengxuan can only feel at ease if she gets Changsun Ying married off quickly.

If she still doesn't know when to stop, then it's not advisable to let another beautiful skeleton be added to this world.

Jiang Mengxuan was never one to believe in the idealized notion of a "white moonlight" like Liu Ruyan. She would never share anything that belonged to her, whether it was power or love, with an outsider.

A woman's man can only love her; if anyone dares to covet her, she won't hesitate to completely destroy him, body and soul.

"In that case, I will send someone to Jingzhou to deliver the marriage certificate in a few days. Imperial Censor Changsun can also give your daughter a heads-up as soon as possible."

"Wei Chen takes orders."

"Go back."

"Your humble servant takes his leave."

After Changsun Yang left, Jiang Mengxuan, seeing that no one was around, quietly took out a book called "The Art of the Bedchamber" from the drawer of the imperial desk and began to read it discreetly.

When she saw the vivid picture, she couldn't help but blush.

"Is that even possible? Can I use anything containing it?"

She closed the book and tried to calm herself down.

After a moment, it seemed as if he had made up his mind.

"Considering how hard he's worked, let's reward him when he gets back to Beijing. After all, we're husband and wife, it's okay to change things up once in a while, right?"