Chapter 935: Executive Power
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Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Everyone from the Xie Residence was shocked.
After a while, Old Master Xie said, “Isn’t the Empress Dowager… exposed…”
The emperor sealed the palace and did not leave. The Empress Dowager had the responsibility to a.s.sist the court. All matters in the court were discussed and drafted by the cabinet officials and handed over to the Empress Dowager to decide. It was not considered the use of exclusive power.
However, if it was privately decided, there was the suspicion of exercising exclusive power.
The seal on this piece of paper was a little intriguing.
Yu Youyao’s heart skipped a beat. “The Empress Dowager is quite fair in her handling of matters, and her rewards and punishments are also clear. Whether the matter of conferring an additional t.i.tle has been discussed with the cabinet has also been set in stone.’
Everyone in the Xie Residence understood the deeper meaning.
Old Master Xie nodded. “That’s true. There are only two secondary aides in the cabinet. Elder Han has lost his power. The royalists are powerful, but the weak can’t overcome the strong. Not only did Little Yao’er alleviate the drought for the Imperial Court, but she also promoted national policy. You brought peace and stability to society. You were originally conferred the t.i.tle of princess. With the word Eldest’, it will only add some honor and wealth. Why should the court officials offend the Empress Dowager regarding such a matter?”
The Empress Dowager and the Empress were in charge of the internal and external mingfu and had the right to reward them.
If the emperor wanted to confer an edict, he had to listen to the opinion of the Empress or the Empress Dowager first. The content of the edict was also drawn up by the Empress Dowager or the Empress and handed over to the emperor to be issued.
The Empress Dowager’s actions were not too out of line.
Old Master Xie agreed deeply. “The court officials know the scheme behind the Han family of Xi’an very well. The Empress Dowager did not hide her anger. No one will provoke her at this juncture.”
How important was the Empress Dowager’s status? How could the Empress Dowager tolerate the Han family of Xi’an trying to provoke the Empress Dowager’s authority?
Giving Little Yao’er a gift expressed the Empress Dowager’s determination to stabilize the country and suppress the Han family in Xi’an.
It was for the world to see.
She wanted everyone in the world to know that the dignity of the Imperial Court, the heavenly might of the royal family, and the authority of the Empress Dowager could not be provoked.
Princess Shaoyi, who had pushed for the national policy to settle the refugees and alleviate the drought, had been undisguisedly rewarded heavily. It was also to let the world know that the Imperial Court’s determination to promote the national policy and settle the refugees and alleviate the drought was unquestionable. This was to calm the hearts of the people.
Anyone like the Han family of Xi’an who wanted to look down on the court for their own interests, provoke the dignity of the royal family, and cause chaos in the country would end up like the Han family of Xi’an.
“Right now, the most important thing is to successfully promote national policy, settle the refugees, relieve the drought, and stabilize the country. The key to all of this is Little Yao’er. The reason why they rewarded her heavily is also to stabilize the situation in the North. Without exception, all those who obstruct it are going against the Imperial Court.”
As long as the court officials were not stupid, they would not jump out at this time to object to the Empress Dowager’s decision.
Otherwise, once they were beaten into the “Han Party”, they would be beyond redemption.
Xie Xun also said, “Last year, during the water disaster in Zhejiang, although the refugees received relief from the Imperial Court and civil society organizations, the relief was only temporary. There was a lot of sand in the flooded land, and it would take less than a year and a half to plant food. However, Little Yao’er ordered someone to promote the planting of sweet potatoes in the affected areas of Zhejiang. The affected commoners relied on planting sweet potatoes to grow their food for the second half of the year. The shadow of the water disaster in Zhejiang also dissipated because of the high yield of sweet potatoes.”
Food was the most important thing for the people. Since ancient times, there had never been a crop as cheap as sweet potatoes.
This was also why the Imperial Court valued the promotion of sweet potatoes.
At the same time, the treasury was empty, and the Imperial Court was unable to help with the disaster. However, they could not ignore the lives of tens of millions of commoners. Otherwise, there would be resentment everywhere, and riots and uprisings would happen frequently.
Where would the huge military expenditure come from if the Imperial Court sent troops to quell the chaos?
In this chaotic situation, the Great Zhou Dynasty was in danger.
At this juncture, not only could Princess Shaoyi and King Yue Fei step forward, but they could also give tens of millions of refugees a way out.
The royal faction spared no effort to support Little Yao’er.
It was also why Little Yao’er could obtain such great dignity by trying to grow sweet potatoes.
“Little Yao’er came to Liaodong because of a righteous cause, but she was almost framed by the Han family of Xi’an. She has really suffered a huge grievance. The Han family’s case in Xi’an has been made known to the world. Under everyone’s scrutiny, it’s impossible for the Imperial Court to pretend that nothing happened. They definitely have to be grateful and appease her.
Otherwise, it’s really unreasonable to reward you.”
This was a clear reward from the standpoint of the country.
Who dared to object?
Old Madam Xie sighed softly. “Although Little Yao’er has been conferred the t.i.tle of the Eldest Princess, just thinking about all the schemes in the palace makes me feel like a fishbone is stuck in my throat. I wonder how many tricks are hidden behind this supreme honor. Just thinking about it makes me shocked.”
Yu Youyao agreed wholeheartedly.
Old Master Xie frowned. “Since ancient times, how can one obtain benefits from the royal family in exchange for nothing? No matter how much we get now, we’ll definitely be ordered by them in the future. Previously, Little Yao’er took out most of her a.s.sets to receive the t.i.tle of County Head.”
The family looked at the bright yellow phoenix-embroidered imperial edict on the table and sighed helplessly.
The atmosphere in the room became a little heavy.
It was clearly a supreme honor in the eyes of outsiders, but no one was happy.
At this moment, Yu Youyao smiled. “Fate will naturally take its course in the future. From the looks of it, it’s a good thing that I’ve been conferred the t.i.tle of the Eldest Princess. I think soon, once the news gets out, the n.o.bles in the North who still have hope won’t be able to sit still anymore.”
The reason why the n.o.bles restricted the va.s.sal lords was because the Imperial Court wanted to restrain them so that the va.s.sal lords would not gather their troops and shock their masters.
The n.o.bles were fearless.
However, the person who wanted to suppress the n.o.bles now was the Empress Dowager, who was in charge of the court. She represented the Imperial Court.
The cover of the n.o.bles was gone.
The matter of the Han family being overthrown was even more logical.
Old Master Xie took a look at the rewards placed at the side. “The Empress Dowager’s rewards are all rare tributes, but they mostly revolve around Little Yao’er’s clothes, food, shelter, and transportation. There are also many precious spices and medicinal herbs mixed in. She knew that the Liaodong area is bitterly cold, so she specially ordered someone to prepare them.” It was obvious that she was still considerate.
However, no one knew how much she cared about Little Yao’er. At the very least, he would still protect Little Yao’er without harming her own interests.
Yu Youyao also realized this.
Then, Old Master Xie looked at the rewards on the other side. “Most of the
Empress’s rewards are flashy but insubstantial. They’re all extremely rare. Any one of them is a rare treasure.” At this point, he paused for a moment and became a little more serious. “The meaning of ‘colluding’ is obvious. You have to consider it carefully.”
When he said the word “colluding”, his tone was a little complicated, revealing an unusual meaning..