In the end, Shen Mingzhu was carried onto the carriage.
Shen's father looked at Shen Mingzhu, who was still asleep after entering the carriage, and took a sip of tea.
"Mingzhu, wake up!"
Shen Mingzhu opened her eyes, glanced at Shen Changyuan, and said softly,
"Dad, I'm going to sleep a little longer. Wake me up when we get there!"
After saying that, she closed her eyes.
Shen Changyuan called out twice more, but seeing that Shen Mingzhu showed no signs of waking up, he simply closed his eyes to rest as well.
He went to bed too late last night and didn't get much sleep.
Last night, not only did Shen Changyuan not sleep for long, but all the ministers of the Great Yan Dynasty, including the emperor, empress, and concubines in the harem, did not sleep.
Soon, they arrived at the palace gates!
"Mingzhu, wake up quickly, get out of the carriage, we've arrived!"
The arrival of the Shen family's carriage immediately attracted everyone's attention.
The faction led by the Second Prince Yan Yunxuan, in particular, stayed far away, fearing they might be affected.
Su Huaiyuan was delighted; seeing Shen Mingzhu was like seeing a treasure.
I'll be working with her at the Hanlin Academy soon!
He still greatly admired Miss Shen's talent!
The thought of being able to enjoy some melon seeds together makes him very happy.
"Minister Shen~"
"Scholar Su, please take good care of me!"
"You're too kind, we're colleagues."
Su Huaiyuan smiled at Shen Mingzhu, looking extremely friendly, just like a strange uncle!
Of course, this is how Shen Mingzhu sees it.
In the eyes of the other ministers, Grand Secretary Su was polite, humble, caring for his subordinates, and a very good colleague.
Soon, the ministers will enter the court!
Shen Mingzhu followed her father, Shen Changyuan, who, because of her rank, made her stand at the door.
"Mingzhu, stand here properly and remember not to have any wild thoughts. Just focus on attending court."
Shen Mingzhu responded listlessly in a soft voice.
"I understand, Father. You should work hard and try to do more for the Emperor."
Shen Changyuan: ...
He looked around and stood helplessly in the first few rows.
Sigh... the difference between people is so vast. I can only stand at the door, while my dad is standing in the front row!
The long road ahead is hopeless; let's just look to the heavens!
I wasted my breath giving those instructions!
The other ministers covered their mouths and chuckled.
Emperor Jingyuan arrived very soon!
The first day of the official court session began.
While the other ministers were engaged in heated discussion, Shen Mingzhu, in the background, was taking a nap and dreaming.
"Pfft~~~"
A loud, stinky fart woke Shen Mingzhu up instantly!
yue～～～
Shen Mingzhu's screams echoed throughout the entire hall.
Who's so inconsiderate as to release a fart bomb in the main hall?!
[It stinks! I feel like throwing up!]
[Guagua, quickly find out which shameless minister is so shameless! He's so annoying! He almost made me throw up my food from yesterday!]
The people who were attacked by the fart bomb also wanted to find this minister!
A certain adult: ...A social death!
Emperor Jingyuan also listened intently, and the thought that his trusted minister had openly farted in the main hall made him quite unhappy.
Even the discussions in the imperial court have quieted down considerably.
Everyone's ears perked up, eager to know who this undignified minister was.
Shen Changyuan was furious!
He completely forgot the advice he had given his daughter to be careful with her words and actions!
[Host, this is General Tian Xuezhou, the Grand General of Chariots and Cavalry. His family has been eating too many radishes these past few days, hence the increased smelly bomb production!]
In an instant, all the ministers' eyes turned to Tian Xuezhou.
Tian Xuezhou: My lifelong reputation has been ruined in an instant!
He was so angry that he wanted to cover his face and disappear into the ground!
[Guagua, is he a high-ranking official of the second rank, eating radishes at home every day?]
The system said with a hint of sympathy,
[Host, General Tian's family is extremely poor! Don't be fooled by his clean and tidy official robes; in reality, this is the only decent thing he wears! Aside from his robes, everything he wears, from top to bottom, is patched layer upon layer, including his underwear and socks!]
Shen Mingzhu was shocked and looked at Tian Xuezhou with a hint of sympathy.
[Guagua, he's a high-ranking official of the second rank, eating radishes every day. Could he have some kind of bad habit that makes him so poor?]
He's so poor! He's so poor!
Emperor Jingyuan looked at General Tian, whose face was red and neck thick with embarrassment, and especially at the civil officials, some of whom looked at him with disdain.
Military officers are indeed crude and vulgar!
The four princes at the front looked at the General of Chariots and Cavalry with pity, but it didn't matter. They would help him after the court session. After all, he was a second-rank military officer who commanded the army in the western suburbs and was a powerful general.
Host, don't laugh at him! He's so poor because of your grandfather!]
Upon hearing this, everyone was even more shocked!
What's going on? Aren't my maternal grandfather, uncle, and two older brothers in the north?
[Sigh... Host, your maternal grandfather was very poor! The north is bitterly cold, and the military rations, medicine, and clothing issued by the imperial court are never enough. General Tian was originally your maternal grandfather General Xie's deputy. General Xie even saved his life on the battlefield. He knows the actual situation in the north very well, so he uses all of his salary, except for daily living expenses, to buy medicine, food, and clothing and send them to the north. That's why he was very poor!]
Shen Mingzhu was filled with respect and said, "I'm sorry, General Tian, I spoke too loudly just now!"
The more Emperor Jingyuan listened, the more his brows furrowed.
While the provisions for the garrison troops in various regions were not plentiful, they were not so scarce.
What exactly happened?
[Guagua, is the amount of grain the emperor provides really that bad?]
[Host, your maternal grandfather, General Xie, loves his soldiers like his own children. Some wounded soldiers who retired from the battlefield were unable to make a living, so General Xie would use his own salary to subsidize them and give them food, etc. In particular, he also sponsored some of the orphans of fallen soldiers.]
General Tian did the same; most of the supplies he sent went to the orphans of the fallen soldiers!
[Guagua, my maternal grandfather is so great! General Tian is also amazing!]
All the generals: General Xie is worthy of our respect!
Learn from General Tian!
Emperor Jingyuan: I see.
After listening, the system continued.
[So, host, this is why the North is now as impregnable as a rock! With your maternal grandfather, General Xie, around, the barbarians dare not act recklessly!]
Hehe~~~ My maternal grandfather is amazing!
[By the way, Guagua, you just said that the imperial court wasn't providing enough provisions for my maternal grandfather. Why is that? Does the court not trust my maternal grandfather?]
Emperor Jingyuan's eyes widened.
Shen Changyuan: My life is over!
Just as Shen Changyuan was about to kneel down and beg for forgiveness, Minister Su grabbed his arms and whispered, "Let's hear it first."
[Host, what are you thinking! Do you think Emperor Jingyuan doesn't want a prosperous and powerful nation, and a happy and prosperous people?]
Even the landlords didn't have surplus grain! That's why your maternal grandmother, Madam Wu, had to spend a large sum of money from the merchant guild every year to support the northern regions; otherwise, they would have starved to death long ago!
[Guagua, my maternal grandmother is doing well too!]
System: ...Look at how high my eyes are rolling!
[Host, each general has their own supply channels; otherwise, they wouldn't survive on the meager rations distributed by the imperial court.]
At this moment, Emperor Jingyuan was somewhat embarrassed.
"Cough cough cough..."
[Guagua, don't we have sweet potatoes and potatoes? Sweet potatoes can yield dozens of bushels per acre, and most importantly, they're easy to grow, easy to store, filling, and delicious!]
Instantly, everyone in the hall stared in disbelief!