"I don't have a perfect solution yet, but first I need to send all the extra palace maids and eunuchs out of the palace, then get the Shadowless Pavilion sorted out. Also, in the next couple of days, besides entertaining the Ji family, I also need to entertain the noble ladies of Northern Lu. I didn't know anything about the Northern Lu royal family before, but now I do. I'm sure those women, who have more money than the country, are no pushovers. I will definitely win a perfect victory against them. You must all do your best to prepare for this."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Shi Mei and Shi Lan received the imperial decree and, following Hai Ling's instructions, summoned the chief eunuch of the inner palace.
"Your servant Zhang De greets Your Majesty the Empress."
Zhang De was the chief eunuch of the Inner Court, in charge of all sorts of miscellaneous affairs in the palace, including the eunuchs and palace maids. Hai Ling looked at him; he had a rather fierce appearance and was clearly not a kind person. However, in front of Hai Ling, he lowered his head and dared not make the slightest mistake. Rumor had it that this master was not a good person, and he did not want to fall into her hands.
"Get up."
Hai Ling spoke calmly, saying that this kind of person would eventually be kicked out, but since she hadn't caught him doing anything wrong, she naturally wouldn't do anything to him.
"I summoned you here to ask how many eunuchs and palace maids there are in the palace now."
Shi Mei and Zhang De had mentioned this matter before, so he brought over two large registers, one for eunuchs and one for palace maids. When Hai Ling asked about it, he respectfully presented the registers. Hai Ling glanced through them but didn't look at them much. She then asked Zhang De, "I'm asking you a question, not asking you to hand over the registers. How many eunuchs and palace maids are there in the harem?"
The voice was sharper than before, and Zhang De trembled. He tried hard to remember how many palace maids and eunuchs there were, but he couldn't recall them at all. Since the late emperor fell ill, the harem had been in chaos, with the concubines scheming against each other and vying for power. Countless eunuchs and servants had secretly died, so he really couldn't remember. In addition, the new emperor rarely paid attention to the affairs of the eunuchs and palace maids. Recently, he hadn't even looked at them or investigated them, and had only been busy drinking and gambling.
He thought that bringing the roster would be enough to get away with it, but he didn't expect the Empress to be so strict, and he became timid.
"There should be nearly a thousand eunuchs and more than eight hundred palace maids."
Originally, there should have been more, but many people died during the struggle for the throne among the crown princes. After Zhang De finished reporting, he began to wipe his face with his sleeve. He did not expect that the Empress would be so difficult to deal with. He was still unsure if he could pass the test. Sure enough, as soon as he had this thought, Hai Ling's voice became even colder than before.
"Zhang De, as the chief steward of the Inner Court, how can you not even know how many eunuchs and palace maids there are in the palace? How are you managing things?"
"This servant deserves to die, Your Majesty, please spare this servant this once."
Hai Ling didn't want to touch him right now, so she just glared at him coldly: "Take it back and find out immediately. Also, the names on this list are not valid. Go and check how long it has been since the list was updated. There are no records of people who have died from illness in the palace. How can you determine the number?"
Zhang De knelt on the ground, his body trembling. This master was too powerful. With just a glance, he knew how long it had been since he had looked at the roster or investigated such matters. He pleaded again, "This servant will go and investigate right away. Please give this servant a chance, Your Majesty."
"This is the only time. If it happens again, I'll be the first to kick you out."
When Hai Ling spoke, Zhang De finally breathed a sigh of relief. Not daring to be careless, Shi Mei handed the two lists to Zhang De. Zhang De held the lists, said his respects, and left, his legs trembling violently.
After he left, Shi Mei asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, why didn't you punish him?"
"Let him do some things for me first, then I'll find a reason to deal with him later."
She could find an opportunity to deal with this kind of person at any time, but for now, she would make him do some things for her.
After dealing with this matter, they exchanged a few more words. The Emperor had actually returned, which showed that he was still thinking about the Empress. That's why he came to Qingqian Palace whenever he had a spare moment. Shi Mei and the others had ambiguous expressions on their faces. This time, without waiting for the Emperor's instructions, they voluntarily withdrew.
As soon as Ye Lingfeng walked in, he saw the worry flash across Hai Ling's eyes. He strode over, hugged her tightly, and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Or did you get upset with the Empress Dowager?"
He knew she was going to see her mother today, and he thought Hailing had gotten into a tiff with her mother. After all, her mother still had reservations about him marrying only Ling'er. Ye Lingfeng thought Hailing had heard something unpleasant and was therefore upset.
Hai Ling shook her head. In fact, there was really nothing between her and the Empress Dowager. There was no difficulty in getting along with her like that of a typical mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. On the contrary, the Empress Dowager liked her very much. Perhaps it was because she liked Ye Lingfeng that she treated her so well as well.
But she did go to the Empress Dowager's place, so she learned that there wasn't much silver in the national treasury. Since she genuinely liked him, how could she not be troubled by his troubles?
"My mother and I are getting along very well. This afternoon, I went to talk to her about laying off the extra eunuchs and maids in the palace, but I heard something else. She saw me doing this and suspected that the national treasury was out of money. Could this be true?"
Hai Ling sat in Ye Lingfeng's lap, looking up at his face. When she saw him open his mouth as if to speak, she knew he was about to say something like, "That's not true."
"Don't treat me like the Empress Dowager. Since even the Empress Dowager knows, I think there must be very little money left in the treasury. I heard that you even paid for our wedding yourself."
This time, Ye Lingfeng didn't rush to deny it. Instead, he blinked his charming eyes and teased Hailing with a troubled expression, "Ling'er, do you regret marrying a penniless emperor?"
"I regret it so much, I regret it so much. I was so greedy."
Hai Ling was genuinely amused by him, and the two chatted back and forth. After a while, Hai Ling stopped her playful antics and said seriously, "I have quite a few things on me. If you need them anywhere, you can take them. Things are difficult right now, but they will pass."
How can I use your money?
Ye Lingfeng's imperial domineering aura was on full display, and Hai Ling immediately put on a stern face: "I've already said that what's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours. And if you make this kind of common-sense mistake again, you'll have to memorize the Six Rules for Training Your Husband."
"Yes, I know I was wrong."
Ye Lingfeng pressed his head against Hai Ling's, his beautiful eyes radiating a deep blue light like the ocean, enveloping Hai Ling and rendering her speechless. Ye Lingfeng then leaned down and kissed her, a tender, lingering, and deep kiss.
In fact, Hai Ling didn't know that Ye Lingfeng didn't care about imperial power or status. What he was doing now was simply fulfilling his duties as a person in a position, and he wanted to do his best. He would plan everything well, but it was just a little difficult at the moment.
After a passionate kiss, Ye Lingfeng released Hai Ling and saw that her lips were red and moist. He felt a great sense of satisfaction. Although the affairs of the court were complicated, he did not feel empty or bored as long as he thought of her accompanying him in the palace.
"I will definitely tell you if I need it."
What are your plans now?
Hai Ling asked with concern, reaching out to hug his neck, her bright eyes gazing at him.
Ye Lingfeng chuckled and pinched her little nose: "You're just a worrywart. Don't worry, I'll handle it. I'm planning to do a blood transfusion. First, I'll deal with some of the more outrageous guys, and then replace them with my own people. But to be honest, finding the right people is really difficult."
He had only recently ascended the throne, and given the current situation in Northern Lu, outsiders were just watching the spectacle, while insiders were looking at the intricacies. At a time like this, who would want to get involved in this mess? If things went well, it would at most be the duty of a subject; if things went badly, the whole family would suffer, and they would be ostracized by all the officials. So, finding new blood was not so easy.
"I can recommend someone to you, but whether they'll listen to you or not, I don't know?"
Hailin thought of someone, but she didn't know if that person would be willing to step forward.
"Who?" Ye Lingfeng became interested, wondering who Hai Ling was going to recommend.
“Wenbin, the heir of the Ningnan Marquis’s mansion, is a fine talent. Moreover, I once saved Wenbin’s wife, so the people of the Ningnan Marquis’s mansion are naturally grateful. If you can win over the Ningnan Marquis’s lineage, wouldn’t you have secured a force? You need to gradually divide the power in the court.”
Ye Lingfeng listened to Hai Ling's suggestion very seriously. He didn't know why Ling'er had such strange ideas, but many of them were usable, and he had really struck gold.
"But I've heard that Wenbin is frail and sickly, and rarely appears in public. How could he possibly become an official?"