Le charme d'une femme puissante se répand à travers le monde

Chapitre 6

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Zhang De's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure: "Young Master, please forgive Zhang De for not understanding the situation and for misunderstanding Cui'er."

"Uncle De, everyone in the Yun family knows that Yue'er's current situation is awkward. Although Father has never worried about the loyalty of the people in the Yun family, for Yue'er, apart from Father, Brother, and Uncle De, there is only Cui'er and Hong'er, who have been her companions since childhood. The two of them are not only Yue'er's personal maids, but also Yue'er's confidants. Only when they are by Yue'er's side can Yue'er feel at ease. I hope Uncle De can understand Yue'er. Hong'er and Cui'er are not good at manners, so please scold them if you wish. As for the rest, I hope Uncle De can take good care of them."

These words truly came from the bottom of my heart. In the Yun household, everyone knows I went to court in Yun Feng's place. Although the Yun household isn't large, it's not small either; with so many people, gossip is inevitable. I've always been uneasy, afraid that someone with ulterior motives might spread rumors, and then disaster would befall us. But people as shrewd and capable as Old Man Yun and Uncle De seem to trust everyone in the Yun household completely, without a single suspicion. I can only feel helpless. However, for me, if Cui'er were also injured, and Hong'er hadn't recovered, sending a maid I didn't know to take care of me would definitely make me suspicious and anxious. I've always been this way; I only trust and care about those close to me. As long as those who aren't close to me are far away, I might worry occasionally, but I won't dwell on them.

Zhang De seemed to be carefully considering my words, and finally seemed to have made a decision: "It was Zhang De who was overthinking things and did not consider the young master's feelings. I hope the young master will forgive me. Cui'er and Hong'er will always be by the young master's side. As for the others, the young master does not need to worry too much. Everyone in the Yun family will be the most loyal protector of the Yun family."

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I always feel that Zhang De seems to be particularly tolerant and caring towards me.

Cui'er and Hong'er followed me back to my room. Looking at them, I felt a pang of guilt. It seemed as if even a casual decision I made could bring them unforeseen disaster. This feeling was truly unpleasant.

"Cui'er, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Sit down and have something to eat." Cui'er was in a hurry to find me, so she must not have eaten. I gestured for her and Hong'er to sit next to me.

To my surprise, instead of sitting down, they both knelt down in front of me with a "thump".

Oh my god! What's going on here? I don't like kneeling before people, and I especially don't like being kneeled before. I got up to help them up, but they stubbornly refused.

“Young Master, Cui’er failed to take good care of you today and deserves to be punished. I never expected Hong’er to come and beg you. Cui’er and Hong’er have served you since we were little, and you have always treated us kindly. But in this mansion, how can a master plead for his servants? Today, you made things difficult for Steward Zhang in front of so many people. If this gets back to Master, I’m afraid it will cause you to be angry with him.” As Cui’er spoke, she started to cry and even pulled Hong’er, intending to kowtow.

I quickly stood up and stepped aside, feigning anger, and said, "Get up, all of you! In this courtyard, you're not allowed to kneel and kowtow to me all the time. Or do you not even listen to me anymore?"

Cui'er and Hong'er thought I was really angry, so they quickly got up.

"Stop crying, you've ruined my good mood. Hong'er, your injuries haven't fully healed, so if you're not feeling well, go lie on my bed for a while. Cui'er, sit down and eat something. Don't bother the cook. I packed some dishes from Yaoyue Tower; if you don't mind, eat some of my leftovers."

When the two girls heard what I said, they stopped crying, but they just stood there, stunned, not moving. I glared at them fiercely a few times before they reluctantly obeyed.

"You two, one of you lie down and the other sit and eat. I have something to tell you, so listen carefully. And no matter what I say, don't get excited or cry, understand?" I saw Hong'er and Cui'er nod obediently.

“Hong’er, last time you were punished, I was unconscious and had a fever, so I know you suffered. From now on, neither you nor Cui’er will suffer like that again.” I glared at Hong’er a few more times, finally silencing her words.

"From now on, whether inside or outside the manor, unless the master is present, the usual rules between master and servant will be disregarded. In private, I have never treated you as maids, and you should understand that. You don't need to stand on ceremony with me anymore. If you encounter any difficulties or suffer any grievances, just tell me. If you don't expect me to stand up for you, who else can you expect?"

"Also, there aren't many people in this mansion, but there aren't few either. Apart from you, I can't fully trust anyone else. You need to keep an eye on the people around you for me. If you find anyone suspicious or unreliable, you must tell me immediately. Everyone in this mansion, especially in this garden, must be trustworthy. Do you understand?" Given my current situation, I have to be prepared for the worst at any time. "You don't need to worry too much. If anything really happens in the future, I will definitely take care of you first."

The two girls opened their eyes wide and nodded hurriedly, which made me breathe a sigh of relief.

Unfazed, I passed my second morning court session without incident. That strange emperor didn't keep me around today; he listened quietly to the ministers' routine reports on minor matters without uttering a sound. I listened obediently, since no one asked for my opinion. My position as prime minister is, in reality, just a figurehead. I don't have much to do. Memorials from all over the country go directly to the emperor, who, more unpredictable than a fox, handles everything. My two nominal subordinates, the Left and Right Vice Ministers, are veterans of three reigns, but those two white-bearded old men are the real power holders. Why would they allow a newcomer like me, with no merit or virtue, to act arrogantly and domineeringly?

However, I had something to do after court. Yesterday, I was asked to temporarily take charge of the affairs of the Minister of Agriculture. Vice Minister Han has already had his son-in-law organize the materials and the matters he is currently handling, and he is just waiting for me to take over today.

Oh, and something to be happy about: I ran into Mu Qinglin outside the palace gates this morning. He nodded at me and gave me a casual smile, which I returned with a really bright smile, leaving everyone present stunned. Looks like my efforts yesterday weren't in vain, hehe.

As they left the Qianqing Hall, the group had already spontaneously formed small groups of twos and threes, chatting as they walked. Mu Qinglin was surrounded by four or five people, heads bowed and voices hushed, discussing something unintelligible. Mu Qinglin, however, stood tall and proud, smiling without uttering a word. Tch, judging by his arrogant demeanor, he seems to be doing quite well.

“General Mu,” I called out loudly.

Upon hearing my voice, almost everyone stopped in their tracks, turning their heads, sideways, or around to look at me, their eyes filled with surprise and curiosity. Hmph, this is exactly the effect I wanted. Don't let their increasingly white hair fool you; their curiosity is just as intense.

When I called him, Mu Qinglin stopped, turned around, raised an eyebrow at me, and a smile appeared in his eyes. "Is there something you need, Prime Minister Yun?"

I deliberately moved slowly toward him, and the people who were originally surrounding him consciously made way for me. In this way, the crowd's view was immediately cleared, and they could see my every move and Mu Qinglin made more clearly.

"This is what I promised General Mu yesterday, and I dare not forget it." I took out a gleaming gold ingot from my pocket and handed it to him.

This time, Mu Qinglin's smile wasn't just in his eyes; his entire face rippled like a stone thrown into a lake, his lips curving into an indescribable air of charm. Ahem, I admit, the word "charming" carries a strong personal bias. Actually, his smile is very handsome, bright, and instantly soothing. It's truly hard to associate such a man with the general who has conquered battlefields.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Mu Qinglin calmly accepted my gold ingot.

Then I took out a small piece of silver from my sleeve and handed it to him.

"This?" This time it was his turn to be surprised. He looked at me for a while, frowned and thought for a moment, and finally asked me with a blank look.

I stepped forward, shoved the silver into his hand, and as I walked past him, I muttered, "This is the interest and travel expenses." Then I turned and walked away without looking back.

"Hahaha..." Mu Qinglin's loud laughter came from behind me. I couldn't help but turn around and saw a laughing madman, a group of people who were dumbfounded, and what seemed to be a bright yellow figure at the corner of the side of the Qianqing Hall!

A bright yellow figure? I rubbed my eyes and looked carefully, but there was nothing there. Maybe I was just seeing things.

Clouds Drunk and the Moon Slightly Sleeping (Revised Edition) Volume One: When We Met, We Were All Joyful and Involved in Politics

Chapter word count: 4822 Update time: 08-12-20 15:49

Political

Since taking on the position of Minister of Grain Supply under Li Yuhan, I've been working day and night, with overtime becoming a regular occurrence. I never imagined that the position of Minister of Grain Supply would be so demanding, overseeing the nation's grain and taxes, which means controlling the country's economic lifeline and the state's treasury. Frankly, it's a very lucrative post. If anyone could stay in this position for three to five years and remain incorruptible, I would definitely erect a golden plaque inscribed with "Dragon Shining Over the Nation, Hai Rui" for them. Of course, if that day ever comes, I will certainly persuade the foxy Emperor Long beforehand to reimburse all the costs of making the plaque.

My current situation is somewhat awkward. Originally, the position of Director of Grain Supply was directly under the Right Vice Minister Han Xuanqi. Any major events or ideas I was unsure about would be reported to the Right Vice Minister, and work arrangements, progress, and results would also be reported to him regularly. However, now I hold the position of Director of Grain Supply concurrently as Prime Minister, and the Right Vice Minister is subordinate to the Prime Minister. His work should normally require him to report to me daily (although that old man Han Xuanqi has never done so). Logically, as the concurrent Director of Grain Supply, I should report to Han Xuanqi for instructions. Emotionally, how could I, as Prime Minister, report to my subordinate? I fear that even if I wanted to report, that old man Han would feign polite refusal.

I imagine Emperor Long Xiangyu, the Fox, must have anticipated this situation before making this decision. Now that he holds military power, what he probably desires most is financial control. My open entry into the inner circle of Han Xuanqi's group as Prime Minister is like inserting a thorn into Han Xuanqi's heart; he wants to remove it but dares not, and leaving it unremoved will become his fatal wound. He fears me, is wary of me, yet cannot openly shut me out. Meanwhile, I am there on imperial orders, able to restrain him, monitor him, and even gather useful information to one day uproot him completely. Ah, fox, oh fox, cunning fox, your calculations are truly brilliant. Anyway, I've seen the Han family do plenty of wicked things, so I'll kindly help you, you fox.

I spent my days and nights reviewing the accounts of the Minister of Agriculture's income and expenditure over the past five years, and after several sleepless nights, I finally finished reading them all. Well, although my eyes were practically glued to the books, there was no doubt that the accounts were correct. The annual grain and tax targets remained unchanged; if any region failed to pay its share, there was always some kind of disaster or other plausible excuse. In this country, as long as there was an excuse, that was enough. I couldn't help but sigh, being an official in the Dragon Yao Kingdom is really easy! Whether it's good or bad, it's all just your word. There seems to be no oversight or auditing agency. The targets are fixed every year; if you don't meet them, just find an excuse to cover it up, pretend to have a clear conscience, and you're considered a competent official by everyone.

As for expenditures, it was even simpler; everything was clearly stated as being paid into the national treasury. The national treasury was managed by Old Man Han. So I subtly told Old Man Han that I needed the national treasury's income and expenditure ledgers for the past five years, because I needed to verify whether there were any discrepancies between the amounts paid into the national treasury in the ledgers of the Minister of Agriculture and the amounts received by the national treasury. Old Man Han's face turned ashen, but he couldn't find a reason to refute me, so he could only obediently hand over the ledgers for me to study.

I held meetings every three days for officials directly under the Minister of Agriculture, brainwashing them and probing their information. Those who answered my questions disrespectfully, stammered, or even skipped meetings were all dismissed on the spot and sent back to their hometowns. I am the Prime Minister of the country, the head of all officials, with a golden seal and purple ribbon. Did you really think that with Old Man Han protecting you, I wouldn't dare to touch you? Of course, the most important thing is that the fox emperor now wants to target Old Man Han, so with him as my backer, why would I be afraid of your patron, Comrade Han? After dismissing one group of people, another group was naturally promoted. My prime minister's golden seal finally saw the light of day again, and I stamped one official appointment and dismissal document after another with my seal, feeling a surge of satisfaction.

Finally, I sent official documents to the prefects of each state, requesting them to submit a detailed data report within seven days on the local economic situation, commercial trade, and agricultural harvest over the past five years. I also subtly indicated that I had secretly sent people to each state for over half a month to conduct on-site investigations, hoping their reports wouldn't differ too much from those of my investigators, lest I impulsively replace a group of officials in a fit of anger, causing unrest and anxiety throughout the court. Finally, I stamped the official documents with the emperor's seal, signifying that unless one possessed the emperor's jade seal, whose official seal could be more powerful than this one? Besides the emperor, who could change my decision?

To be honest, the work was tough, but being an official felt pretty good, especially being a prime minister. I don't have much desire for power, but this was all so new and exciting for me. Besides, I was forced into it, wasn't I? Hehe. Apart from big shots like Han and Gu, I could easily pin a charge of disrespecting an official or committing insubordination on ordinary officials, and with a flourish of my prime ministerial seal, I could banish anyone I didn't like from my sight. The feeling was comparable to the legendary swordsman. I don't know how prime ministers in the past appointed and dismissed officials in this backwater of Longyao Kingdom, but I didn't submit any reports, write any summaries, put on any pretense of performance reviews, or even report to the ultimate boss, Dragon Fox. I just threw the appointment and dismissal documents directly to Gu Wenxiu, who managed the official files. Whether for official or personal reasons, he paid everyone's wages and sent them packing without a word. He handled things incredibly cleanly and efficiently.

"Minister Yun, what do you think should be done about this?" The dragon fox threw another memorial at my feet.

Hey, Fox Emperor, you've gotten addicted to throwing things around, haven't you? That's too much! For the past two weeks, I've been working myself to the bone for you, even using my precious one-day-a-half-month holiday to work overtime. Instead of giving me some tonics or gold and silver, you've made this memorial fly around like this. Couldn't you just have your Li Fu come and give it to me properly?

Despite my complaints, I resignedly picked up the memorial and examined it carefully. Goodness, Old Han's efficiency is impressive! His son-in-law's case is closed in a flash. 1, 2, 3, 4… a list of charges followed, even more numerous than Gu Wenxiu's previous report. It seems he's quite clever, understanding the fox's intentions behind this move. A "sacrifice the pawn to save the king" strategy is currently the best solution. Tsk tsk, your son-in-law has confessed quite a lot. What are we going to do?