Chapter 367: Return to the Weary Marquis’ Manor
The Capital was like a vast plain with almost no undulations. No matter how wild a river might be upstream, when it flowed here it would unknowingly slow down. The advantage was that it could nourish broader lands, but the disadvantage was that the progress of all matters became sluggish—urgency was useless.
The court’s operating principle was basically to open channels for advice and select the best options, which usually took a long time. Even a small matter could last three to five days, and if it was a major issue, five or six months fell within the normal range. Large amounts of time were spent on exchanging official documents and supervising whether the documents conformed to regulations.
The Emperor considered the Xiongnu, pirates, Cloud Dream Marsh, and the Western Regions to be the four great troubles, all related to military affairs. Based on this, Chancellor Shen Mingzhi requested that the Ministry of War issue documents commanding generals above a certain rank to submit strategic memorials on schedule. If the Emperor was unsatisfied, the scope would be expanded to require civil officials to also submit memorials. If still unsatisfied, they would solicit from the entire realm, hoping to obtain guidance from hidden civilian experts.
For several months, the court had matters to keep busy with, but results remained elusive.
Han Ruzi couldn’t wait. He had his own methods. Taking advantage of the ministers being busy appointing new officials and collecting strategies, he issued an edict requiring the Imperial Treasury to renovate the Weary Marquis’s residence to serve as a secondary palace for the Emperor and Empress in the Capital.
The Weary Marquis’s residence was now the dragon’s former lair, so the Emperor’s request was not excessive at all. The ministers unanimously agreed. The imperial palaces were countless, spread throughout the realm, but the Emperor frequently visited only a few. No one anticipated that the Weary Marquis’s residence would become the Emperor’s other base.
The Imperial Treasury was responsible for managing imperial property. Qiao Wanfu was transferred here to serve as Deputy Director. Though not the chief position, compared to his role as Granary Commander, this was still a meteoric rise. His first task was renovating the Weary Marquis’s residence. The cost was minimal—just blocking several unnecessary doorways and redistributing rooms to facilitate the guards’ accommodation.
After merely ten days, the Weary Marquis’s residence was ready to welcome its former master.
That morning, Empress Cui Xiaojun arrived first. Seeing that the chickens and ducks she had once raised had now multiplied into flocks, she was delighted and generously rewarded He Yi, the head eunuch who guarded the residence.