Harem Daily Life

Chapter 737: Sacrificing one's life for the court

Tao Yanyan asked Zhang Fuhai to produce a list. Zhang Fuhai read out the list, "Prince Yong, Prince Jing, Prime Minister Yao, Minister Yuan of the Ministry of Revenue, and Minister Dong of the Ministry of War are appointed as the five regents. Effective immediately, they will assist the Empress in handling government affairs."

The other few can convince the public, but Prince Jing has never participated in politics and even only holds an idle position in the Ministry of Rites in the court. How can he assist in the government?

Seeing that no one was on the eldest prince's side, Censor Zhang raised an objection: "I object. I think this arrangement is unreasonable. It would be more appropriate to replace Prince Jing with someone else."

The others also agreed, thinking that Prince Jing was indeed unsuitable. He was just an idle prince. Did he know how to handle government affairs? Wasn't this a joke?

Tao Yanyan raised her eyebrows. When she first wanted to appoint a regent, she had considered that Prince Yong would definitely be among them. However, it was not appropriate for his family to dominate alone. There had to be someone of similar status to balance the situation. That was why she chose Prince Jing after careful selection.

Prince Jing wasn't at the center of power, but he held a distinguished position. His mother, Consort Duan, was once one of the Four Consorts, and among He Linzhang's brothers, she was the only one who could rival Prince Yong in status. Another factor was that Prince Jing's wife had a good relationship with Tao Yanyan. If anything came up, Tao Yanyan was confident that Prince Jing and his wife would stand by him.

She looked at Censor Zhang, who had raised the objection, and said, "Prince Jing is a man of noble status, insightful, and knowledgeable. I cannot understand why he is unsuitable."

Censor Zhang said, "Government affairs are complex and Prince Jing may not be well-versed in them. We should choose someone else. I think that Minister Ding is more suitable than Prince Jing."

Lord Ding broke out in a cold sweat. Was this Imperial Censor putting him on the spot? Wouldn't he be offending Prince Jing by replacing him as regent?

Lord Ding immediately said, "I am not talented enough to take up the position of assistant minister. Censor Zhang, please recommend someone else."

Tao Yanyan actually had a favorable impression of this sensible Minister of Personnel. She smiled and said, "Lord Ding, there's no need to underestimate yourself. You usually do a good job."

After receiving the Queen's affirmation, Lord Ding instantly felt refreshed.

Tao Yanyan looked at Censor Zhang again and said, "Since Lord Ding is unwilling, do you have any other recommendations, Censor Zhang?"

Censor Zhang pursed his lips and looked at the people around him. Everyone chose to avoid looking at him, some looking at the sky, some looking at the ground, but none of them looked at him, and their rejection was obvious.

Zhang Yushi had no choice but to say, "Your Majesty, I would like to recommend myself."

Everyone: "..."

As expected, it was that stinky and hard stone that was determined to make things difficult for the Queen.

Tao Yanyan picked up the teacup beside her, took a sip, and moistened her throat. "Lord Zhang has to supervise the water conservancy project at the Ministry of Works. Does he really have time to participate in assisting the government? I am not very capable, but I have to summon the regent to help at any time."

Only then did Censor Zhang remember that he still had a burden on his shoulders that he couldn't get rid of.

He glanced at the imperial censors around him. His colleagues' faces were full of rejection. No one was willing to supervise the thankless project for him. They were scholars and did not want to do hard labor!

Censor Zhang was helpless, yet he couldn't let go of this opportunity to spy on the Empress. He gritted his teeth and said, "I'm not afraid of hardship. As long as I can relieve the Empress's worries and be loyal to Your Majesty, I will not hesitate to die."

Everyone: "..."

Censor Zhang is really working hard. He is risking his life to be loyal to the court!

Seeing that he had said this, Tao Yanyan smiled helplessly and said, "Well, then, I will appoint Censor Zhang as one of the regents. From now on, I will have to trouble the six of you to assist me."

Censor Zhang had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly realized that Empress Tao had mentioned "six". He hurriedly said, "Wait, Prince Jing..."

"Dismiss the court!" Eunuch Zhang didn't give him a chance to speak again. He just said it loudly and helped Empress Tao down. Tao Yanyan walked briskly, as if afraid of being harassed by Censor Zhang again, and hurried back to He Linzhang's bedroom.

"Huh, this Censor Zhang is so annoying! Is he always so talkative?" Tao Yanyan asked as she took off her hairpins. She had dressed extravagantly to impress, her hair adorned with so many pearl hairpins that her neck was practically breaking.

The weight on her head was relieved, and she turned her neck before she felt relieved.

Eunuch Zhang said from the side, "Your Majesty, this Imperial Censor has always been like this. Your Majesty has been quite annoyed with him before. Well, his actions today have established him as a diligent, loyal, and filial character, but is he really not afraid of working himself to death?"

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "It's nothing more than that he's worried about me and wants to keep an eye on me. Come on, let it come."

The maids brought up the lunch, which was prepared according to the emperor's regulations, with five dishes and a soup, a very rich meal. However, Tao Yanyan had no appetite. She ate a little quickly and went to the inner hall to visit He Linzhang.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty woke up for a while this morning. I have already told Your Majesty the current situation and also told you that Your Majesty went to court. Your Majesty had some millet porridge and drank a bowl of medicine, and then fell asleep." Doctor Wang reported from the side.

Tao Yanyan walked forward and sat beside the bed, looking at He Linzhang's face. Although he had some blue stubble, it couldn't hide his handsomeness.

Doctor Wang withdrew respectfully, leaving the space for the emperor and empress.

"Your Majesty, you work so hard every day. It must be tiring to deal with those court officials. They are all so cunning and cunning. The letter has been sent. I just hope that Doctor Liu can find the Nether Grass as soon as possible. Once your poison is cured, I can have a rest." After she finished speaking, she yawned. She didn't get enough sleep after getting up early to attend court, so she was very sleepy at this time.

She simply took off her coat, lay down beside He Linzhang, hugged his waist and slept for a while.

When He Linzhang woke up, he found a soft and clingy kitten in his arms. He gently patted Tao Yanyan with his uninjured arm. Tao Yanyan slowly woke up and froze in shock when he opened his eyes.

But she came back to her senses in an instant and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, are you awake? Are you feeling unwell?" After saying that, she calmly stroked the top of his head, feeling so heartbroken that she couldn't breathe.

The sudden appearance of white hair among the black hair was too conspicuous. Obviously, before she went to bed, He Linzhang didn't have any white hair.

She even wondered if she had slept for several years.

He Linzhang was still a little weak. He raised his hand and touched her face. "You've worked hard. When I get better in a few days, you can rest well. By the way, are the children okay? Were they hurt that day? Have they been crying and looking for me these days?"

Tao Yanyan held his hand and said, "They are all fine. With Your Majesty's protection, they are all unharmed. When Your Majesty feels better in a while, I will bring them to visit Your Majesty."

Tao Yanyan felt very uncomfortable. She was afraid that she would burst into tears if she continued talking, so she buried her head in his arms, said no more, and just hugged him tightly, not wanting to think about whether she would have more white hair tomorrow.