I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Chapter 383: Chapter 161: A Slap and a Sweet Date

The matter of the military review was still pending when the Emperor decreed that Prince Zhenbei lead his troops south. This time, the courtiers offered no opposition, maintaining a tacit silence.

The Right Minister glanced at the Left Minister, who stood with his eyes downcast and a long, preoccupied expression, before slowly looking away.

Grand Tutor Qin’s old malady had flared up, so he had requested leave to recover at home.

The Six Ministers looked to the Left and Right Ministers for their cue. When they remained silent, the others naturally held their tongues.

The only one who felt he had narrowly escaped disaster was the Minister of Revenue. He had been terrified the two Prime Ministers would lock horns, leaving him caught in the crossfire. If the Emperor became enraged, he would undoubtedly be the first sacrifice.

The Emperor then ordered an overhaul of the Capital Guard: to purge the old and weak, and to repair their equipment.

Purging the old and weak didn’t just refer to the infirm. The Emperor’s true targets were the parasites on the payroll, those collecting salaries for non-existent soldiers.

The order to repair equipment was a concession to the courtiers, a chance for them to quickly patch the holes in their books. He would let the matter slide this once, but if they failed, he, the Emperor, would not simply overlook it.

But patching the holes meant spitting out what they had already swallowed. And who would be willing to do that?

And so, disputes arose.

The Emperor had cast his bait. Now he just had to wait for this group to turn on each other over silver and see who would bite first.

Upon hearing the first decree, Minister of War Qiao Tai wanted to play dead. If the Emperor pursued the matter, he would be the first one to fall. Now that he was being given a chance to fix things, he had to grit his teeth and do it, headache or not.

When he thought about who was actually collecting those ghost salaries, he wished he could just resign and return to his hometown.

’If I can’t purge who needs to be purged and remove who needs to be removed,’ he thought, ’I might as well turn myself in for punishment before Your Majesty even has to ask.’

Just as he was thinking this, his own Assistant Minister, Hu Cheng, suddenly stepped forward. He presented a memorial, arguing that the Imperial Palace’s Inner Guard should be investigated just as thoroughly as the Capital Guard. He claimed that the Inner Guard had even more men falsely drawing rations, draining the national treasury, and thus must be investigated without exception. "Anyone found collecting a ghost salary," he declared, "should be struck from the rolls and sent back to their place of origin!"

Qiao Tai: ...

After all his precautions, he never expected to be stabbed in the back by his own man!

Qiao Tai shot Hu Cheng a venomous glare, but Hu Cheng simply lowered his eyes.

What else could Qiao Tai do? His own subordinate had put him on the spot. He had no choice but to agree.

With this commotion from the Ministry of War, the court instantly erupted into a clamor once more.

Seated high on his throne, Feng Yi watched his esteemed courtiers squabble like market shrews. A mocking smile touched his lips.

Once they had argued themselves out, Feng Yi finally spoke. "I hereby order the Cabinet and the Six Ministries to purge the Capital Guard. Anyone unfit for service, anyone who has embezzled military funds, any incompetent beneficiary of nepotism, and anyone using soldiers as personal servants—all are to be dismissed!"

The Right Minister had already prepared for this. The moment the Emperor finished speaking, he stepped forward, bowed, and declared, "This servant accepts the decree."

The Left Minister: ...

’You cunning old fox!’

What else could the Left Minister do? He had no choice but to immediately follow suit.

The Left and Right Ministers were now more at odds than ever, yet the Emperor had ordered them to oversee this matter together. It was a clear move to have them keep each other in check.

The Left Minister sighed. ’The Emperor has truly grown up,’ he thought. ’He’s no longer the naive, clueless boy he once was.’

The Minister of Revenue and the Minister of War shared a moment of sympathetic dread. They exchanged a look before quickly averting their eyes. The task would ultimately fall to them, a thankless job guaranteed to make them powerful enemies. The very thought was infuriating.

Feng Yi’s expression remained placid, but inwardly he was exhilarated. He used to be so full of reservations, always conscious that these were powerful courtiers. During court sessions, he, the Emperor, had always been willing to show them deference.

But for what?

Feng Yi sneered inwardly. He finally understood now. He was the Emperor; all he had to do was give the orders. If the job wasn’t done right, it was a sign of their incompetence.

And the incompetent should step aside for the worthy!

The more unyielding the Emperor’s stance became, the deeper the furrows on the Left and Right Ministers’ brows grew, which only made the Emperor happier.

Back in Taiji Palace, Feng Yi could no longer maintain his composure. He burst out laughing. How exhilarating!

His months of planning had not been for naught. He had long been vexed by the incompetents in the Capital Guard; their ranks should be filled with the young and strong.

Feng Yi was in high spirits, so he went to Wangyou Palace for lunch and gave Song Yunzhao a brief summary of the events at court.

Song Yunzhao was genuinely surprised and immediately began to applaud. "Your Majesty has always respected the senior courtiers, but they have squandered your grace. You did the right thing! Even I feel gratified just hearing about it."

"You think so, too?" Feng Yi asked with a smile.

Song Yunzhao nodded. "Of course. It’s just like if Nanny Yu, Xiangxue, and my other attendants all worked against me. How could I live my life? If they don’t obey, I simply replace them."

’She always makes perfect sense,’ Feng Yi thought. The analogy was apt. They truly were kindred spirits, always on the same wavelength.

"I plan to overhaul the Capital Guard. What are your thoughts?" Feng Yi asked, looking at Yun Zhao with a smile.

Song Yunzhao laughed. "Your Majesty, you’re asking me about such a major affair of state? I wouldn’t know. However... I do think it’s human nature to be competitive and want to get ahead. This is especially true for military generals. As the saying goes, ’Scholars don’t compete to be first, but warriors never accept second.’ You could use a system of rewards to motivate them to strive for excellence."

"A system of rewards?" Feng Yi looked at Yun Zhao. "Explain in detail."

"Doesn’t Your Majesty do this all the time? I’m just following your example," Song Yunzhao said, her eyes wide.

Feng Yi paused, taken aback.

Song Yunzhao quickly continued, "Every time I’m promoted, Your Majesty rewards my attendants. Now that I am with child, you’ve even doubled their rewards. Naturally, they are utterly loyal to me. And with you protecting me, Your Majesty, they wouldn’t dare to be disloyal. Human nature is the same everywhere. It must be the same in the military, right?"

Feng Yi grew pensive.

Song Yunzhao continued her gentle persuasion. She couldn’t afford to give the Emperor the impression that she was unnervingly clever and someone to be wary of. So, she skillfully attributed the brilliant idea to him, adding her next words in a tone of pure admiration.

"Doesn’t the army hold martial competitions? Your Majesty could change them from an annual event to a quarterly one. You could reward them based on merit and proclaim their achievements throughout the realm to make them famous. I imagine that with the promise of wealth and fame, no man would shy away from the challenge."

"To be rewarded by the Emperor himself... if I had such an opportunity, I would wish I had been born a man just so I could compete and bring honor to my ancestors."

"And what parents don’t get competitive about their children? When other people’s sons are winning awards every quarter while their own son keeps falling behind and disgracing the family, you can be sure they’ll be at home with a stick, pushing him to do better."

"Didn’t Your Majesty say that many of those collecting ghost salaries are sons of noble families in the capital? If you just dismiss them and send them home, they’re bound to feel resentful. This way, Your Majesty can show them grace by giving them another chance. As long as they can prove their own merit and earn their way back in, you can re-enlist them."

Feng Yi gave Song Yunzhao a peculiar look. ’Her methods are a bit ruthless,’ he thought. It was the classic "slap them, then offer a sweet date." But it sounded incredibly satisfying. And those people would even have to be grateful to him for it.

Seeing the glint in the Emperor’s eyes, Song Yunzhao knew her words had hit their mark.

The Emperor was tempted!