Zhao Douan felt an even deeper sense of disdain and disgust for the original master.
Facing the meaningful looks of the people around him, he remained composed, unaffected:
"What does the original master's loss of face have to do with me?"
The elderly palace maid went to report, and after a while, she returned:
"Your Majesty allows you to see her."
"Thank you for the message." Zhao Douan took a deep breath and walked forward through the crowd.
What was to come, had finally arrived.
He recalled the original master's habits quietly: one step, two steps, three steps... After seven steps, his demeanor, temperament, and actions were indistinguishable from the original master.
Politicians are born actors.
At that moment, Zhao Douan exhibited his acting skills to the fullest.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
He knocked on the door.
From inside the tightly closed vermilion carved double doors, a cold voice emerged:
"Enter."
Zhao Douan pushed open the heavy doors with both hands; sunlight wrapped around his body, crawled over the threshold, and ignited the spacious room, where the floor was covered with precious carpets contributed from the Western Regions.
The priceless curio cabinet contained royal official kiln porcelain vases with nearly transparent twin-dragon patterns glimmering brightly.
On a large desk, piles of old brushes accumulated like mountains, and the black water in the white inkstone had dried up.
A woman in a simple white robe was reviewing documents beside the desk.
She appeared to be in her late twenties, with a cool and distant demeanor and cascading black hair. Only half of her face was visible due to her bowed head, yet she was stunningly beautiful with not a single piece of gold or silver jewelry on her, exuding an elegant and majestic aura.
As she focused, her sleeve slipped, revealing a slice of her pale, jade-like wrist, her slender fingers gripped a thick golden-haired brush in a standard grip.
Empress of Great Yu, Xu Zhenguan!
When Zhao Douan saw the Empress, his mind briefly wandered, recalling the day of the Xuan Sect's coup during a heavy snow that covered the royal city.
At that time, the Little Forbidden Army, amid the chaos of battle, glimpsed the Third Imperial Princess in full regalia:
Crowned with a phoenix headdress, draped in a crimson silk cloak with gold and jade, she arrived amidst the snow like a deity, her Jade Dragon Sword sweeping through thousands of soldiers with majestic elegance.
Heart racing, blood boiling...
Zhao Douan bit his tongue tip, forcing himself to look down, cursing inwardly. After years of cultivating resistance to beauty and intrigue, how could he be so affected?
He then realized it was probably the original master's instincts at play.
Initially, the Little Forbidden Army had not been siding with anyone for gain; it was purely the Imperial Princess's beauty that captivated him, an attraction that touched his soul.
Such a superficial man!
While Zhao Douan self-criticized, the Empress, without raising her head from her documents, said indifferently:
"Grind the ink."
"Yes!"
Zhao Douan was slightly surprised but moved beside her to grind the ink.
As he drew closer, a delicate fragrance lingered around him, unsettling his focus.
The two of them, one reviewing documents, the other grinding ink, filled the room with nothing but the rustling sound of paper.
...
After a long while.
Xu Zhenguan suddenly spoke without looking up, "The Prime Minister came to see me just now, do you know why?"
Her voice had texture and a slight magnetism, which reminded Zhao Douan of a voice actor from his previous life.
Zhao Douan, pausing his ink grinding, maintained his composure:
"Your humble servant dared to inquire and learned a bit; did the Prime Minister offer some good strategies concerning rice cultivation?"
Drawing on experiences from his former life, in a flash, he realized that the elderly palace maid might have already reported his "bribery" incident to the Empress.
At this moment, playing dumb was not an option; honesty was the best approach.
Xu Zhenguan responded with a "Hmm," seeming quite satisfied with his answer, but upon hearing the latter part, she responded somewhat nostalgically:
"The Prime Minister came, stating that the Hanlin Academy has a talented individual who proposed a solution to the destruction of the Huai River farmlands."
"A solution that resolves the situation? May I know what it is?" Zhao Douan feigned curiosity.
Xu Zhenguan softly snorted, exposing her thoughts in eight profound words:
"Change combined with relief solves both dilemmas."
Change combined with relief!
Thanks to his previous lifetime's vast experiences as a government secretary and watching historical dramas, Zhao Douan quickly grasped the meaning of this statement.
The current situation was roughly as follows:
The court had attempted to convert rice fields into mulberry fields, but the implementation was flawed, causing a massive emergence of disaster victims.
A genius from the Hanlin Academy believed that the local wealthy could buy the destroyed lands with food supplies.
This would provide the disaster victims with food and allow the wealthy to partner with the government to promote mulberry cultivation, killing two birds with one stone—the so-called resolution of both dilemmas.
At first listen, it seemed a clever solution. Yet, in Zhao Douan's eyes, it was completely ludicrous...
Would the great Prime Minister not see the problem with this?