Minister of War Shen Jingzhong, seeing the situation, hurriedly stepped forward and said to Bai Qingyan: “Princess Zhenguo, this person has always been of such temperament, it was not intentional, please…”

“The Minister need not plead for this subordinate.” Before Shen Jingzhong could finish, the Ministry of Revenue Inspector interrupted Shen Jingzhong’s words, lifted his head to glance at Bai Qingyan, knelt on both knees, and with an air of facing death unflinchingly said: “This subordinate is Wei Bugong.”

Bai Qingyan looked at Wei Bugong, whose gaze was clear and clean, and spoke: “From this day forth, Wei Bugong shall be the Minister of Revenue. You shall oversee the disaster relief matters in Chongluan Ridge and Shuijiang City. I grant you the authority to act first and report later, putting the people first in all things! In this disaster relief… if you can spare the people from the suffering of cold and hunger, then this position of Minister of Revenue shall be yours permanently!”

Wei Bugong’s pupils trembled slightly, unable to react immediately to how the position of Minister of Revenue had suddenly fallen upon his head.

However, Wei Bugong also understood clearly that Princess Zhenguo was saying… in this disaster relief, she would not allow any common people to starve or freeze to death! It was currently the fifth month, so freezing to death was unlikely, but to prevent people from starving to death would require the official overseeing disaster relief to have extremely strong methods and be upright and iron-blooded, to deter those officials below who intended to profit from national calamity.

Therefore, Princess Zhenguo could not choose an official with an aristocratic family background to handle disaster relief. Aristocratic families had deeply intertwined relationships – one could say that pulling one thread would move the entire body. Relying solely on brute force without considering the entire clan would not work. As for him, Wei Bugong… born of humble origins, though he had no concerns to worry about, he also had no backing. Making this disaster relief work well would also be difficult!

The Jin court had been corrupt for a long time, and those officials waiting to profit from national calamity circled like wolves. With him alone having empty hands… whether he could fight them to mutual destruction was questionable.

The good thing was that Princess Zhenguo had given him the authority to act first and report later. As long as he had iron-blooded methods, he would stake his life this time… Once the disaster relief was completed, it would count as contributing to the people.

“Wang Xiping!”

Wang Xiping outside the door, hearing Bai Qingyan’s call, immediately entered the hall: “I command you to lead thirty thousand soldiers and accompany Minister of Revenue Wei Bugong to Chongshan Ridge and Shuijiang Pass for disaster relief! Follow all of Minister Wei’s orders, protect Minister Wei’s safety well. Minister Wei’s commands are my commands, Bai Qingyan’s commands. Any who violate this shall be executed without mercy!”

Wei Bugong looked up in shock. He had just been thinking that he had no backing, but in the blink of an eye… Bai Qingyan had given him thirty thousand soldiers as backing!

“This general receives your command!” Wang Xiping knelt to receive the order, his voice echoing throughout the hall.

“Minister Wei?” Bai Qingyan looked toward Wei Bugong.

Wei Bugong hurriedly kowtowed to accept the command: “Wei Bugong receives the command! I shall not fail Princess Zhenguo’s expectations!”

“Time is urgent, go arrange the grain transport immediately! Whatever personnel you need to mobilize, just tell General Wang Xiping!” After Bai Qingyan finished speaking, she didn’t spare Wei Bugong another glance and set about handling the matter of Fenping Prefect’s rebellion. She walked down the high steps, handed the memorial in her hand to Chancellor Lu, “This memorial avoids the important and dwells on the trivial, seeming more like accusing the Fenping Prefect of rebelling because of his wife’s death!”

As Wang Xiping and Wei Bugong emerged from the great hall together, the hundred officials began passing around that memorial, and the discussion within the hall grew increasingly loud.

Wei Bugong stepped out of the great hall and couldn’t help but turn back to glance at Bai Qingyan inside the hall, somewhat bewildered. In what capacity was Princess Zhenguo commanding the hundred officials? As a princess… or as… an emperor?

Wei Bugong, due to his stubborn nature, had been suppressed in the Ministry of Revenue for many years. He had always been one to disobey when orders were unreasonable… but today, he was willing to follow Princess Zhenguo’s commands wholeheartedly. Though she had a woman’s body, she displayed the majestic authority of an emperor’s decisive judgment.

He pressed his lips together, startled by the four words “imperial majesty.” He withdrew his gaze and hurriedly followed Wang Xiping down the steps to inventory the emperor’s private treasury and prepare to transport grain.

Wei Bugong felt that it should be because everything Princess Zhenguo said and did was for the people, which made him admire her from the bottom of his heart, so he was willing to follow Bai Qingyan’s commands.

Bai Jinxiu led troops guarding outside the hall. Having just learned that Ji Tingyu had already led people out of the city to pursue Prince Liang and the Grand Princess’s party, she received a report from her subordinates saying they had found the Crown Princess and the little Imperial Grandson. Prince Liang had sent people to kill the Crown Princess and little Imperial Grandson, but they happened to rescue them. They had kept the news secret and came to ask Bai Jinxiu how to handle the situation.

Bai Jinxiu pondered for a moment, then said with downcast eyes: “First, invite them out of prison and arrange for them to live in a clean residence. Don’t let the word leak out. To the outside world, just say… this little Imperial Grandson and Crown Princess have already been killed by Prince Liang.”

“Yes!” Bai Jinxiu’s subordinate received the command and left swiftly.

Li Mingtang, carrying his robes and with disheveled appearance, hurried forward and asked Bai Jinxiu to step aside for a private word.

Bai Jinxiu stood with her hands behind her back, positioning herself with Li Mingtang at a spot slightly to the side of the great hall entrance. She heard Li Mingtang say: “The matter of Princess Zhenguo ascending to the throne, if it is to be done, must never be spoken by Princess Zhenguo herself. Whether through threats to the hundred officials or gentle persuasion, it requires someone unrelated to the Bai family to do it!”

Bai Jinxiu looked at Li Mingtang sideways: “Minister Li… is this self-recommendation?”

Li Mingtang bowed deeply to Bai Jinxiu: “Li Mingtang lacks talent, but wishing to preserve my entire clan’s lives, I am willing to exert myself for Princess Zhenguo.”

“Good!” Bai Jinxiu smiled and nodded, “Then… let me see Minister Li’s heaven-reaching abilities.”

“It’s not that I, Li Mingtang, have heaven-reaching abilities, but rather that I understand too well the nature of this officialdom and noble aristocratic families. They have been able to survive for so long… because they understand how to go with the flow, just like the ivy climbing the corner of the palace walls. They never mind what surname the master of this palace bears, as long as that master can lend them walls to depend on and climb, they will use this as a foundation to grow… to strengthen! They would never do anything that would result in mutual destruction.” Li Mingtang looked at Bai Jinxiu’s attentive expression and smiled again, “Naturally, the Bai family… is not such a family.”

It was precisely because the Bai family was not such a family, precisely because each member of the Bai family stood tall and upright with iron bones and integrity, that they ended up with all the men of the family perishing.

But it was also precisely because the Bai family had such character that they now had a situation that no other family possessed.

“Then I shall quietly await Minister Li’s good news.”

Just as Bai Jinxiu finished speaking, the dust-covered Lin Kangle, accompanied by a general wearing Liang Kingdom armor, hurried toward the great hall.

Lin Kangle, seeing Bai Jinxiu, raised his hand in salute to her, took a deep look at Li Mingtang, who was bowing to him, then led the general in Liang Kingdom armor into the great hall.

“This general Lin Kangle and General Yang Wei, following Princess Zhenguo’s command, led thirty thousand soldiers to rush to the Nine-Tiered Platform and rescued four hundred and eighty children who were sent to the Nine-Tiered Platform. The court forcibly conscripted within a time limit those sent to the Nine-Tiered Platform… or the rebelling commoners who went to rescue the children, learning that this general and General Yang were dispatched by Princess Zhenguo to rescue the children sent to the Nine-Tiered Platform… and to order the cessation of work at the Nine-Tiered Platform, have all surrendered… totaling seven hundred and ninety-two people!”

The great hall suddenly fell into complete silence.