Yun Ruofeng then turned and faced the crowd by the riverside, loudly declaring, “There are six ministeries in Nanzhao that have been managed by this Prince. Now, this Prince will let His Majesty manage the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Works, and Ministry of Rites.”
However, Su Xi-er knew that in the six ministries, the Ministry of War, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Personnel were the most important. However, now that Lianchen could manage three ministries, he had a lot more power than before.
Guan Xiang kowtowed. “The Literary Association follows Grand Tutor Liu; since he is no longer with us, Your Majesty will be his successor. From now on, the Literary Association is willing to follow the instructions of Your Majesty.”
After hearing Guan Xiang’s words, Yun Ruofeng’s heart sank violently. The Literary Association represents the scholars of Nanzhao. In the past, most of the students who took the Imperial Examinations were from the Literary Association. If this is the case, the Ministry of Personnel will be hard to control in the future.
Ning Lianchen was the happiest. He knew that this was all planned by his Imperial Elder Sister. Imperial Elder Sister has taken some power back for me. I will need to find a way to retrieve the rest of it myself!
“Guan Xiang, please get up. This Emperor is also Grand Tutor Liu’s student, and will follow his teachings. I will definitely not let the citizens of Nanzhao down!” Ning Lianchen stopped and glanced at Yun Ruofeng. He then said loudly to the civilians by the riverside. “We will reduce the taxes. This Emperor will think about the details tonight and make the public announcement tomorrow.”
All the civilians cheered when they heard this announcement. All the scholars also nodded and complimented Ning Lianchen for being a good emperor.
The corner of Su Xi-er’s mouth raised slightly. Reducing the taxes will limit the amount of funding that the Ministry of War can receive. Even if the six ministries are separate, they can still affect each other with their actions and keep each other in check.
Perhaps Yun Ruofeng didn’t think that Ning Lianchen would reduce the taxes so quickly when he decided to pass the Ministry of Revenue to him.
With all civilians and dignitaries from other countries around, Yun Ruofeng couldn’t express the frustration in his chest. He was forced to keep a fake smile on his face. “We will follow Your Majesty’s orders. However, if Your Majesty is confused about anything after receiving the three ministries, you need to ask this Prince.”
Ning Lianchen raised his hand and patted Yun Ruofeng’s shoulder like how an emperor would politely treat his official. “Don’t worry Prince Yun, this Emperor will manage them well. I won’t disappoint your kindness. Commander Wei still needs to investigate the case of the Wei Miss’, and you need to look into Grand Tutor Liu’s death. Prince Yun, thank you for your hard work!”
The hidden meaning in Ning Lianchen’s words could only be understood by Yun Ruofeng, but even if the latter was dissatisfied, there was nothing he could do.
Pei Qianhao suddenly remarked, “This Prince envies Prince Yun. It’s a joyful thing to assist a capable emperor.”
Yun Ruofeng knew that he was being mocked, so he smiled and replied, “Prince Hao, although the Emperor of Beimin is young, time will pass very fast. At that time, you won’t need to envy this Prince.”
“That’s right. At that time, this Prince will be glad to relax.” At this moment, Pei Qianhao saw the figure in the cyan dress. Now I see why Su Xi-er hid from me. As my maidservant, she is hiding in a crowd of civilians to denounce Prince Yun. If Prince Yun had known about this, he would think that Beimin was meddling in Nanzhao’s matters.
Ning Lianchen laughed brightly. “Guan Xiang, please get up quickly. Today is the last day of the state banquet, so you should take all the scholars to the Water Caltrop Riverside Restaurant. The Ning Imperial Household will pay for all your food and drink.”
Guan Xiang kowtowed to pay his respect. “Many thanks to Your Majesty!” He signalled to the rest of the scholars when he got up before the group began to head towards the restaurant.
Ning Lianchen raised his hand. “Start the drumming!”
The team of drummers obeyed the decree and started to drum rhythmically.
A bright glint flickered across Su Xi-er’s eyes. She looked at Ning Lianchen, who was standing on the Dragon Boat and coincidentally also looking in her direction. She nodded back at him when he smiled at her, then left the crowd slowly.
When she was leaving the crowd, Pei Qianhao saw the side of her face. The Su Xi-er I know is very different from the one I see now. It seems that she is doing very well without me.
The sound of drumming became louder and louder, creating an excitement among the civilians that in turn led to them beginning to clap and cheer.
Yun Ruofeng stood on the Dragon Boat with a heavy heart from the beginning until the end.
