Chapter 180: Chapter 180

"Congratulations, Lord Chancellor!"

With a face full of smiles, the eunuch Cai handed over the imperial edict with both hands, flicking the duster in his hand as he spoke cheerfully: "By the way, before coming, His Majesty specially instructed that, due to the recent enthronement affairs, you, Lord, have indeed been working hard. There is no need to trouble yourself with this matter again. We have known each other for many years, so those formalities can be disregarded. Everything can proceed as usual..."

As always, considerate to his subordinates.

Who said military men were rough?

Since he was showing sympathy, An Ning was happy to accept and immediately took the edict with a smile.

Only after the group of eunuchs disappeared from sight did the Chu family members in the front courtyard gradually rise, only to kneel down in unison the next second and salute: "Your humble servant greets Lord Chancellor!"

Yes, the Chancellor — to be precise, the Left Chancellor. The other person was undoubtedly Xie Heng.

The rules in Great Liang resembled those of the ancient Qin dynasty. In court, the left side was customarily regarded with the highest respect. That is to say, from now on, the person before them was the true head of the civil officials, second only to the emperor, standing above all others...

Perhaps because the sun was too glaring today, seeing the man in Confucian robes, the "eldest son" favored even by Mingyu, Chu Laoye almost staggered and nearly fell to the ground as he stood.

The Chancellor! He had never dared to dream of this before! If this...

However, to outsiders, especially those who were unaware, this expression looked like pure over-excitement.

Not to mention Lady Jiang beside him busily helping him up, repeatedly saying that Laoye was overjoyed, and then the various visiting brothers showered compliments without repeating themselves.

Yet all their words implied:

"Hey, Brother Chu, truly congratulations! Look at you, so happy you can hardly speak clearly!"

"I get it, I get it, a family with a prodigy! If my Old Lu had Brother Chu's luck, I'd probably be flat on the ground and unable to get up by now, hahaha..."

"With a Chancellor son , Brother Chu will truly have nothing to worry about in the future, just wait to enjoy your blessings!"

"By the way, now that the Chancellor has reached the age of adulthood, does Brother Chu have any plans?"

"Not to hide it from Brother Chu, I have a young daughter under my knees..."

"Brother Chu, my daughter was even raised under your watch! Chun Niang, do you remember? She played with Lord before!" Of course, these people all knew that given the current status, the official wife was out of reach even with flattery, but they still wanted to consider other options.

Little did they know, the more they talked, the more the man before them stiffened: "An'er has not yet come of age, no rush..."

Even though his heart was sometimes in heaven, sometimes like being boiled alive, Chu Wen Yuan could only wear his usual smile, not daring to show the slightest flaw.

Still, despite their smiling and flattering faces, privately they spat venom twice over.

What nonsense! This Old Chu really looks down on us “poor friends” just because of one success!

Hmph, what a show-off!

Of course, it was undeniable that jealousy made up the majority of their feelings.

Ignoring the turmoil in the father's mind, An Ning was calmly arranging her crimson official robe in front of the bronze mirror.

If this independent regime had any downsides, it was the early morning court sessions every day.

The new dynasty was just established, constantly accepting allied states, inevitably making affairs complicated. With external enemies watching closely, even someone like An Ning who was used to giving orders and acting as a hands-off manager found herself busier every day.

Fortunately, it was not just her; the other "hands-off" manager, Xie Heng, was no better.

How long had it been? He had already taken sick leave several times.

An Ning sighed at being a step late: "..."

Luckily, Emperor Jianyuan, Xiao Qi, was somewhat aware of the personalities of his two "left and right arms."

Not only was the morning court time deliberately pushed back, but unless necessary, the grand court meeting was held only once every seven days.

It was also difficult for him; being with his two confidants almost every day, he still managed to maintain such diligence and energy daily—it was impressive.

But at this moment, the emperor’s tone noticeably softened.

Putting the memorial aside, Xiao Qi rubbed his brow lightly: "Zi'an, I have seen the petition from Fenglin County recently. What do you think?"

Fenglin County was one of the counties under Great Liang. Last year, floods destroyed nearly half the farmland, but the court was slow to act.

Until a large number of people had perished, the awaited relief grain was mostly moldy, and mixed with stones so much that there was more stone than grain.

Obviously, most had been embezzled on the way.

The desperate people had already stormed the county office last year. Now it was managed by a righteous leader surnamed Zhong, one of the rebel leaders.

Without detecting any hesitation from the other side, An Ning smiled as usual, holding the earlier document: "Fenglin County is located along the Hang River's main route. Although not fully connected in all directions, it links several commercial routes. Both the terrain and other factors make it entirely beneficial to the current Great Qi without any harm."

"I am aware, but the former emperor in the capital..."

After a long silence, Xiao Qi sighed softly: "I do not wish to sever ties too harshly!"

These words carried some melancholy. Emperor Liang Zhao was known for his libertine nature, with many private favorites and numerous children. Xiao Qi was the seventh son, a position that was awkwardly in the middle.

Above him, the emperor had long since stopped expecting much from his children. Below him, he was no longer a young child who could enjoy his presence and family affection in old age.

His birth mother was just a beauty sent from below, who died early when he was young.

Otherwise, a royal prince would not have to rush to the military camp at barely ten years old to fight for his future.

Just like when they first met, the man before her was only in his early twenties but already exuded the fierce aura of one fresh from the battlefield.

"Those years, although Father did not favor me, he never treated me harshly..."

Saying this, Xiao Qi chuckled lightly before looking at An Ning: "Zi'an, have I said too much irrelevant things today?"

Holding the just-received memorial, An Ning shook her head gently: "Your Majesty, this is but human nature..."

Without further questioning, Xiao Qi shook his head and finally personally stamped the document.

After all, the current situation allowed no room for hesitation.

It was March; the air still carried a slight chill.

As she stepped out of the palace gate, a cold wind swept in, and An Ning instinctively wrapped her cloak tighter.

"Lord Chu, Lord Chu, please wait..."

Not far away, a young eunuch dressed as a court attendant quickly caught up, holding a thick deerskin cloak: "His Majesty just noticed the wind picking up and feared Your Lordship might be inconvenienced on the road. He specially sent this garment to you."

"The weather has turned quite chilly recently. Please take care of your health, Lord! Do not catch a cold!"

Seeing the eunuch’s gaze on his hand, the attendant lifted a tightly wrapped small jade-green jar with a silly smile: "Look at today’s weather. I suppose Lord Xie’s symptoms are worsening again. His Majesty is quite worried..."

The breeze carried a faint scent of herbal medicine. Familiar with medical knowledge, An Ning quickly recognized it was a prescription for cough.

Hmm... This must be what the Imperial Medical Department has been busy with lately.

The new dynasty was just established with insufficient personnel. Even Xiao Qi himself was reluctant to cause too much harm to his people. Most in the palace were still guards, and the few eunuchs were those brought over from the Jin Wang Mansion earlier.

Watching the eunuch’s quick retreating figure, An Ning shook her head and smiled wryly: Having these two "left and right arms" was truly the emperor’s fortune!

Even Tongzi inside her sea of consciousness clicked his tongue: "It was one thing before, but now that he is emperor, this person worries a lot!"

"By the way, host, I thought you would favor a decisive, no-nonsense ruler, like the Emperor of Great Zhou next door!"

"Somehow, this one... hmm..."

In short, he was not like the warlords he had imagined before.

Adjusting her cloak, An Ning was noncommittal: "Whether a warlord or a benevolent ruler, each has its merits, right?"

"In any case, with such a reputation to restrain him, this kind of ruler is better than an unpredictable lord!"

Besides, who said chaotic times must be ruthless?

In An Ning’s view, as long as the path is well chosen and the persona maintained, the benefits might not be worse.

Not to mention, just looking at the forces that have pledged allegiance in recent days, although it was partly because of Qi’s recent prosperity and ample grain, it was also due to this ruler’s considerable reputation.

Moreover, this person was generous to others. An Ning knew that if it were someone else, she would not have such great power now.

"Hah, I just think you work hard, host!"

"If you were in Great Zhou, you'd definitely be more relaxed and comfortable."

"You really overthink!" An Ning rolled her eyes. "Believe it or not, if I were in that place, it would be much harder for me to take the lead, by several folds."

"And Tongzi, why do you think a prince who fought his way from the battlefield to this position at barely ten years old would be soft-hearted and indecisive?"

Being meticulous with trusted subordinates? Leaning back with eyes closed in an extremely comfortable sedan, An Ning clicked her tongue: In history, there have been many such emperors, even more so, and sometimes annoyingly affectionate.

Honestly, they were much more considerate than those so-called “true love” concubines!

Because of a slight delay, An Ning returned to the mansion at dusk.

Early spring, the sky was already dimming.

Still, the Chu family’s main courtyard remained lively:

"Lo... Lord, you’re back!"

"I heard from Second Madam that you’ve been coming home late these days. I suppose it’s due to busy court affairs..."

"Second Brother-in-law specially came over. Is there anything else?"

Cutting off the clumsy small talk, An Ning continued toward her room without slowing her steps, though her mind was pondering.

Her Chancellor’s mansion was almost completed; it seemed she should move out soon.

As for whether the eldest son moving out would cause any bad rumors...

She trusted Chu Laoye to handle it.

Unaware of being despised by the person before her, Jiang Dalang rubbed the corner of his garment nervously. He wanted to say something but froze as if gagged when meeting An Ning’s gaze.

By the time he came to his senses, the person had already disappeared.

Thinking of his earlier embarrassment, Jiang Dalang secretly despised himself.

Beside him, Chu Erniang pointed at him with a face full of frustration: "Tell me, what is going on?"

"You speak so well at home, but why do you turn into a big mouth around my brother?"

"Such a good opportunity... you, you, you—ugh, stupid to death!"

Even being scolded by his wife, Jiang Dalang dared not reply, especially thinking of his brother-in-law just now.

This was the legendary Lord Chancellor!

Though connected through Second Madam, Jiang Dalang had only formally met this little brother-in-law a handful of times.

When An Ning officially took office, the two older sisters had already arranged marriages, and Chu Yunjie, the eldest sister, even had children, so there was naturally no room for complaint.

But Second Sister was still unmarried back then. After this event, she couldn’t help but think more and even once considered canceling her previous engagement.

The reason was naturally that the families were now mismatched. On the surface, it was incompatibility in birth dates.

However, before she could speak, the informed Chu Laoye scolded her harshly:

"What’s this? Your birth dates haven’t even been checked, and your tail is already raised to the sky? This is an official family. Don’t you think about what they want in a family ?"

"Not to mention the bad reputation you carry!"

If before, Chu Laoye might have tried reasoning, now, knowing such a big problem, he feared any mistake and became even more cautious in his daily affairs.

Yet, the unlucky daughter was still causing trouble.

After being scolded, Second Sister’s newly formed thoughts faded.

But obviously, due to a lifelong longing for official life, she was not about to resign herself quietly.

An Ning listened and simply let it be.

In her memory, regardless of the reasons, the two older sisters had treated the original owner fairly well, so she did not mind them benefiting and living more comfortably.

They were kind to the original self, but it was clear that from childhood to now, the original self had given much more in return.

Since her wishes did not include these two, she would not go out of her way.

On the other hand, seeing her brother’s cold attitude, Second Sister recalled the past years and thought more.

On the way back, she could not help but mutter:

"Could it be that the mother’s affair from years ago is why my brother is mad at them now?"

"Sigh!" Thinking of this, Second Sister was both angry and regretful: "Mother really was ill, what could third brother’s talent possibly bring? In the future, who else can she rely on but eldest brother..."

"Mother was truly delirious from her illness!"