Joy of Life: Starting by clinging to the eldest princess's coattails!

Chapter 58 The Eldest Princess: They need to be interrogated properly.

As they exited Changle Palace, Su Shenzhi stopped Li Yunrui in the corridor.

"Your Highness," he bowed and said, "Now that His Majesty is in a coma, there are several long-standing matters in the court that urgently need to be decided. I urge Your Highness to move to the Taiji Hall for discussion."

Li Yunrui paused slightly, the hem of her dark palace dress brushing against the bluestone slabs.

She turned her head to the side, her eyes slightly upturned: "What does Prime Minister Su mean?"

"Regarding the rewards for the western expeditionary army," Su Shenzhi said, "His Majesty has been back in the capital for over a month, and the rewards for military merits have yet to be decided, which has already caused some discontent within the army. If this matter is delayed any longer, I fear something untoward may happen."

Li Yunrui's lips curled slightly.

She knew about this, of course.

Before His Majesty fell into a coma, these memorials discussing the bestowal of titles and honors had already piled up in the Imperial Study, and now it is estimated that only the final stamping is needed.

Now that the throne is vacant, Prince Jing will definitely decline, leaving only the eldest princess, who has also been granted the power to assist in governing, to make the decision.

"Then let's go to the Taiji Hall." Her voice was soft, revealing no emotion.

Upon hearing this, Prince Jing immediately cupped his hands in greeting:

"Your Majesty, I truly do not understand these political affairs, so I will not participate. If there is anything I may need, please send someone to convey my message."

Li Yunrui glanced at him and nodded slightly: "...Alright, Brother Jing, please do as you please."

The group then headed towards the Taiji Hall.

As you step through the palace gates, sunlight streams in through the tall, carved wooden windows, casting long shadows on the polished gold-brick floor.

The dragon throne sat high above, but it was empty.

Li Yunrui's gaze lingered on that chair for a moment before shifting away and walking towards the sandalwood chair that had been prepared below the steps.

The chair back is carved with intricate lotus scroll patterns and is covered with a bright yellow cushion.

She slowly sat down.

Su Shenzhi, Qin Ye, and Chen Pingping, who was in a wheelchair, sat down to her left. The six ministers and Fan Jian stood on either side, their hands at their sides.

Eunuch Hou stood respectfully beside Li Yunrui.

The hall was very quiet.

At that moment, Li Yunrui suddenly felt as if the entire Qing Kingdom was truly in her hands.

This feeling gave her a sense of disorientation.

She quickly regained her senses, raised her eyes, and looked at Su Shenzhi. Her voice was exceptionally clear in the empty hall:

"Prime Minister Su, and all other ministers, please speak, what is it that requires my decision?"

Su Shenzhi did not speak immediately, but turned to look at Qin Ye beside him.

Qin Ye stood up and bowed to Li Yunrui.

The Privy Councilor, who was about fifty years old and had a resolute face, said:

"Your Highness, His Majesty has returned victorious from the western expedition, and the rewarding of the meritorious generals has been delayed for more than a month."

"I have discussed and drafted the matters concerning the promotion of generals at all levels, the reward of soldiers, and the compensation for those who died in battle with Prime Minister Su, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Revenue. The memorial is here, awaiting final approval."

He took out a memorial from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

Eunuch Hou quickly stepped forward, took the document, and bowed as he handed it to Li Yunrui.

Li Yunrui took the document, unfolded it, and her gaze stopped when she turned to a certain page.

Yan Xiaoyi.

The position proposed by the Privy Council and the Ministry of War is: Deputy Commander of the Kyoto Garrison Division, responsible for the daily military affairs of the Kyoto Garrison Division.

Li Yunrui's fingertips gently brushed over the three characters "Yan Xiaoyi".

Yan Xiaoyi was her student.

If His Majesty had not fallen into a coma, this position would indeed be suitable.

Yan Xiaoyi is a top-tier eighth-rank archer and her disciple. Placing him in the Kyoto Garrison Command will not only allow him to gain experience but also help her control the defense of the capital region.

but now……

She raised her eyes, closed the memorial, and looked at Su Shenzhi and Qin Ye, her voice gentle:

"I have no objection to any of the other matters. Only the matter of Yan Xiaoyi..."

"I wish to transfer him to the position of Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards. This position has been vacant for many years. Yan Xiaoyi is exceptionally skilled in archery and is extremely loyal, making him perfectly suited to protect the palace."

Upon hearing this, Su Shenzhi looked at Qin Ye again.

Qin Ye bowed immediately without any hesitation: "Your Highness has considered everything carefully. I have no objection to appointing General Yan Xiaoyi as the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards."

He originally arranged for Yan Xiaoyi to join the Kyoto Garrison Command because he wanted to do the Princess a favor.

Now that the eldest princess has personally asked for the person, he is naturally happy to go along with it.

Li Yunrui nodded in satisfaction and handed the memorial to Eunuch Hou: "Then it's settled. The rest of the rewards and honors shall be carried out accordingly."

"Yes."

Next, Su Shenzhi presented several urgent government affairs matters.

Grain allocation, river repair, border postal relays... Li Yunrui listened to each question, either nodding in agreement or suggesting modifications, his arguments clear and his decisions decisive.

No one dared to mention the Ming family of Suzhou.

By the time the last matter was settled, the sun outside the palace had risen high in the sky.

It's past noon.

After everyone dispersed, Li Yunrui returned to Guangxin Palace.

Chunmei helped her into the main hall.

She sat down on the soft chair, closed her eyes, and her long eyelashes cast two shadows under her eyes.

Two maids immediately stepped forward and gently massaged her shoulders, one on each side.

"Chunmei," she suddenly said.

"This servant is here."

"When will Xiao Wuzi arrive in Kyoto?"

Chunmei did some calculations and said softly:

"According to what he said in his letter, he should have departed from Suzhou in the last two days. It may take half a month to return to Beijing by water."

Li Yunrui did not respond.

She leaned back in her chair, the image of Wu Feng appearing in her mind.

This little man...

It's really surprising her more and more.

In less than three days, he made the arrogant managers and treasurers of the three major workshops and Qingyutang bow their heads.

The idea of ​​auctioning off the rights was exactly what she wanted. It would not only muddy the waters, but also allow her to see the cards up her sleeve and take the opportunity to recruit some talented people.

As for using her identity token to mobilize the Suzhou camp to wipe out the Ming family...

Li Yunrui's lips curved slightly.

Even if she is not currently assisting in governance, she has plenty of ways to silence those old ministers in the court.

Besides, she is now sitting in that chair in the Taiji Hall.

She just couldn't understand what methods Wu Feng had used to make Ye Qingmei's loyal followers submit so readily.

When this little man comes back... I'll have to interrogate him properly.

Just then, Mei Gu walked in quietly and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, lunch is ready. Would you like to eat now?"

Li Yunrui slowly opened his eyes and stood up: "Let's go."

In the flower hall, the round table was already laden with dishes. Steamed sea bass, bird's nest soup, stir-fried venison shreds... each dish was exquisite.

Li Yunrui sat down at the table, picked up her silver chopsticks, and glanced at the dishes on the table. For some reason, she didn't feel like eating.

"Your Highness," Chunmei asked softly, "is the food today not to your liking?"

Li Yunrui shook his head, picked up a shredded piece of venison, and put it in his mouth.

The venison is tender and the sauce is rich and flavorful.

But the next moment, a strong feeling of nausea surged up from deep in my throat.

Her expression changed slightly. She put down her chopsticks, covered her lips with a handkerchief, and coughed softly.

"Your Highness?" Chunmei hurriedly stepped forward.

Li Yunrui waved his hand, took a deep breath, and after a while, the discomfort slowly subsided.

She lowered her eyes, looking at the plate of shredded venison on the table, a faint hint of confusion flashing in her alluring eyes.

What's going on?