After the eldest sister-in-law of a fishing family became a widow, her disabled younger brother-in-l

"Now that the Wutong Pharmacy is spread throughout Wanqi, you ministers should know that it is a property of the Jiang family."

Song Jinglan said in a deep voice, "Wutong Pharmacy has always been run by Jiang Yuyue. During the war in Shuozhou, Wutong Pharmacy supplied medicinal herbs to the front lines at an extremely low price. Minister Qin of the Ministry of Revenue, who is in charge of financial revenue and expenditure, should be well aware of this."

Song Jinglan's gaze swept over the assembled officials, finally settling on Qin Jishan, the Minister of Revenue.

Qin Jishan was suddenly called out and had no choice but to stand up quickly. Although he was also somewhat dissatisfied with the fact that Jiang Yuyue was to be made empress, he dared not be negligent when asked about it and could only answer truthfully.

"Your Majesty, that is indeed the case. Over the years, Wutong Pharmacy has provided medicinal herbs to the government at low prices, which has indeed saved the national treasury a great deal of money."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the court officials became somewhat subtle. Those who had previously harbored objections had no choice but to suppress their dissatisfaction. Song Jinglan had already said so much, and even if they wanted to refute him, they could no longer find any suitable reason to object.

As Song Jinglan noticed the voices below gradually subsiding, he glanced at the crowd and then slowly said:

"Not only that, the entire Jiang family is extremely kind. Even Jiang Yuyue's maternal grandparents, who are over seventy years old, are still providing free medical care to the people and soldiers in Shuozhou. If anyone doesn't believe it, they can send someone to Shuozhou to inquire and see if what I said is true."

Upon hearing this, all the officials looked terrified and said in unison, "Your Majesty, we dare not!"

Upon seeing this, Song Jinglan's expression softened slightly, and then he asked, "Do any of you ministers have any objections to my decision to make Jiang Yuyue Empress?"

In the current situation, very few people dare to speak out against it, but Zhou Wencheng, the Minister of Rites, still gritted his teeth and stood up. Although his tone was still extremely respectful, his words still implied his disapproval of the matter.

“If His Majesty appreciates the character of the Jiang family, there is no need to make such a big fuss about making the Jiang family’s daughter the Empress. Granting the Jiang family an official position or a title would be enough to show respect. There is really no need to elevate the Jiang family’s daughter to the position of Empress!”

Jiang Feili frowned upon hearing this, and was about to speak up for him again when Song Jinglan spoke first.

"Oh?"

Song Jinglan's tone hardened slightly, "When did I ever say that the act of bestowing the title of Empress was to commend the Jiang family for their actions?"

"This……"

Zhou Wencheng was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to answer. Song Jinglan's patience was clearly not as good as before, and his tone was not friendly at all. "Five years ago, when I was still Prince Jing, I was ambushed by Song Chengyan and poisoned with a strange poison. In order to cure the poison, I had no choice but to leave the capital and go to Jinling under the pretext of investigating the case. It was in Jinling that she, Jiang Yuyue, saved my life."

"More importantly..."

At this point, Song Jinglan paused slightly, "I had a son with her four years ago, and I have decided to make him the Crown Prince. Jiang Yuyue should rightfully sit on the Empress's throne."

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in shock, clearly not expecting things to have progressed to this point. Previously, the officials' biggest concern was the issue of offspring, but Jiang Yuyue was the mother of Song Jinglan's only child, and now they really couldn't think of any other reason to stop her from becoming empress.

"Zhou Aiqing".

Song Jinglan's gaze fell on Zhou Wencheng, his tone carrying a hint of pressure, "Are you satisfied with my answer?"

At this point, if Zhou Wencheng were to object again, it would be disrespectful. He could only bow slightly and say, "I will obey Your Majesty's decree."

Seeing that even Zhou Wencheng, who had voiced the strongest opposition, had compromised, the other officials could only echo, "We will obey Your Majesty's decree."

This scene eased Song Jinglan's expression slightly. He said in a deep voice, "In that case, the decree to appoint the empress will be announced to the world today. The matter that you ministers have been worried about for so long can finally be put to rest."

The news of what happened in the court today quickly spread throughout the capital. The news that Jiang Yuyue, the eldest daughter of the richest man in Jiangnan, would be crowned empress on the fifteenth of this month immediately spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.

As this news spread, some people appeared out of nowhere, all praising the Jiang family's good deeds over the years. These people were clearly arranged by Song Jinglan.

Xiao Liu rushed in excitedly, her face beaming with undisguised joy. She exclaimed with delight, "Miss! I heard the imperial decree to make you Empress has really been issued! That person truly intends to make you Empress!"

These words made Jiang Yuyue, who was holding Jiang Qimo's hand and patiently teaching him to write, pause in her actions, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

She really didn't expect Song Jinglan to act so quickly.

"I also heard that today in court, His Majesty was very protective of you, Miss, in front of the ministers!"

Xiao Liu winked and smiled, her tone tinged with a hint of teasing, "It seems His Majesty's feelings for you are truly extraordinary!"

These words surprised Jiang Yuyue even more. She was aware of the awkwardness of her status. As the daughter of a merchant, let alone marrying into the royal family, even families with a little bit of standing might not look up to her. Even her previous marriage into the Xie family, which was somewhat impoverished, was considered a very high-status marriage.

Therefore, when Song Jinglan was still Prince Jing, Jiang Yuyue always maintained a clear self-awareness due to her background. She knew that the two of them were worlds apart, so she never had any illusions about him marrying her as his principal wife.

But who could have imagined that Song Jinglan, now the emperor, would still be able to defy public opinion and elevate her to the position of empress?!

Hearing this, Jasmine couldn't help but sigh, "Miss, His Majesty is truly devoted to you. You two already wasted so many years because of a misunderstanding, and now His Majesty is so sincere..."

Miss, you should think this over carefully.

These words touched Jiang Yuyue's eyes. She admitted that she was indeed somewhat reluctant to admit her mistakes. She had been wronged by the Xie family in her previous life, and even though she had taken revenge, it was impossible for her not to be afraid. However, if she were to be wary of the innocent Song Jinglan because of the Xie family, that would really be wrong of her.

As the emperor, Song Jinglan possesses the wealth of the entire world. If he didn't truly care for me, why would he go to such lengths?

Perhaps she really has made mistakes all these years.