The 'Involution King' Second Female Lead Quits [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: A Heart Blacker Than Mine!

It wasn’t until Li Jianwei returned from the morning court that Shu Heng, who was lying in bed, slowly woke up. The unfamiliar decor around her made her a little stunned at first. When she realized where she was, Shu Heng’s face immediately turned crimson.

After getting up and looking around to make sure no one was there, Shu Heng untied her inner clothes and looked down at her skin, which was supposed to be fair and without any marks. Thinking about how His Majesty had left marks on her while calling her “Little Minister Shu” last night, Shu Heng hurriedly put her clothes back on.

When she caught a glimpse of her clothes neatly hung on a carved clothes rack, Shu Heng deftly threw off the quilt and got out of bed. Aside from her legs feeling a little weak the moment she touched the ground, Shu Heng quickly got dressed and suppressed most of the shame she felt.

The waiting palace maid also came in with a basin of water and other washing utensils at this time. She didn’t show the slightest bit of surprise at Shu Heng’s presence and acted naturally. The palace maid was natural, but Shu Heng was not. Especially when she saw a clear bite mark on her chin in the mirror, the expression on her face was one of helplessness.

Why did His Majesty bite me here? I can’t even cover it with my clothes. What should I say if my colleagues ask me about it?

Shu Heng was trying her best to think. Then, she saw His Majesty, who had left the bite mark on her, walking in from outside.

“Your Majesty,” Shu Heng bowed.

“My Little Minister Shu is awake. How do you feel? Do you feel any discomfort?” Li Jianwei asked as she approached, a smile on her face. She also tidied up Shu Heng’s collar.

“Your subject’s body is not uncomfortable. It’s just, Your Majesty…” Shu Heng pursed her lips, and her voice became much softer. “Your Majesty, could you please not leave marks in such obvious places next time? Your subject is worried that it will affect Your Majesty’s reputation.”

“Why would it affect my reputation?” Li Jianwei raised an eyebrow. “First, I didn’t frame a loyal official. Second, I didn’t add taxes to the people.”

“Is Little Minister Shu’s request too strict? Do you want me to not have any desires at all?” Li Jianwei asked, pressing closer step by step. Finally, she used her height advantage to almost wrap Shu Heng in her arms.

“That’s not what your subject means…” Shu Heng was forced to lean against a pillar, and her face turned red again. “It’s just that Your Majesty is about to implement a new policy. Your subject is worried that I will become a target for them to attack Your Majesty…”

“It’s okay. I will solve this problem,” Li Jianwei said, pinching Shu Heng’s chin and kissing her. “Little Minister Shu, have breakfast with me. I’m hungry.”

Shu Heng mumbled her assent. The blush on her face didn’t fade until after they finished their meal. Shu Heng originally planned to use some powder to cover the mark, but she was stopped by her Majesty. She could only try her best to keep a straight face as she went to the Hall of Literary Glory to perform her duties.

When the other two Grand Academicians saw the clear mark on their colleague’s chin, they understood what had happened, but neither of them had the guts to tease Shu Heng. They just talked about military and political affairs as usual. This slowly put Shu Heng at ease. Regardless of whether they really saw it, as long as they didn’t break the unspoken rule, she could continue to pretend to be oblivious!

…

Just as Li Jianwei had predicted, the easiest step to implement the new policy was to pass it in the court and issue edicts to various places. The difficulty of implementation in the capital, Taiyuan, and the Northern Frontier was very low. The officials there had basically been purged by Li Jianwei. Their loyalty to her, the monarch, was beyond question. The difficulty of implementation in Jiangxi was also relatively low. That was where Li Jianwei’s ancestral home was, and the Li family’s influence in this area was not low. At the very least, there would be no overt problems.

In all other areas, the difficulty of implementation was medium or higher. Especially in the prefectures thousands of miles away from the capital, they seemed to be convinced that Li Jianwei was beyond their reach and were fearless. Since Li Jianwei could predict that the implementation of the new policy would encounter problems, she naturally prepared corresponding measures. For example, she established the Censorial Guard, a total of three thousand people, who were chosen from her personal guards and reported directly to Li Jianwei, the Emperor. Not only did they have the power to supervise, arrest, and judge, but they were also allowed to execute first and report later when the evidence was conclusive. In short, the Censorial Guard was a group of Imperial Commissioners with more people and relatively lower ranks. They were a sharp blade that Li Jianwei used to strengthen her centralized power over the local areas.

Li Jianwei only discussed the establishment of the Censorial Guard with Shu Heng. Afterward, she issued an edict through the Inner Cabinet, splitting the three thousand people into one hundred small teams and sending them to different areas for inspection. The ranks were not set high. The captain of the small team, the Censorial Commissioner, was only a seventh-rank official, and the rest were ninth-rank officials. Therefore, the officials in the capital did not oppose it too much. As for the local officials opposing it? Sorry, they had no right to oppose it.

…

“This is outrageous! This is outrageous! How dare you forcefully enter my residence and search it! I’m going to write a memorial to impeach you!” A county magistrate who was being searched said angrily. At this time, the county magistrate had no idea how much power the Censorial Guard had. He was still trying to threaten them to stop their brutal search. The former dynasty had a rule that officials would not be punished by torture, and they had a lot of privileges, which also indirectly amplified the officials’ greed, making them dare to do anything.

“My lord, we found two boxes of silver with unknown origins,” the Censorial Guard reported.

“Take him down! Question him immediately! If he refuses to cooperate, I can execute him first and report later!” The Censorial Commissioner said, directly drawing his saber from his waist. The other thirty Censorial Guards who followed also drew their weapons. “We are here on His Majesty’s order to inspect various places! We have the right to execute first and report later when we encounter corrupt officials!” The Censorial Commissioner gave a final warning. “If you resist, it will be considered treason, and I have the right to kill you on the spot!”

The words “His Majesty” were still very intimidating to the local officials. After seeing the captain take out a special badge, the guards who were originally ready to confront them looked at each other. Some of them were uneducated, but they knew the power of the words “considered treason.” Therefore, they didn’t dare to step forward.

Similar situations appeared all over the country. The Censorial Guard was not conducting a blanket search but was specifically targeting the places that were particularly uncooperative with the new policy. When dozens of local officials were put in jail to await judgment, the smart ones had already seen Li Jianwei’s determination to implement the new policy. The new Emperor had just ascended the throne, and the air of ruthlessness and bl00d had not yet dissipated. If they were to be stubborn, she might even send troops directly. It was important to know that there were still eighty thousand peacekeepers stationed in the Jiangnan area. Although these people were not as powerful as the Northern Frontier Army, their commander was personally trained by their Emperor, and their obedience was beyond question.

…

“Your Majesty, a county assistant can temporarily handle the affairs of the local county office, but if this continues for a long time, it will definitely hollow out the power of the county magistrate. If we wait until the additional imperial examination is over to send people to fill the vacancies, those without experience might suffer a loss,” Shu Heng reported, standing beside her Majesty. The more efficient the Censorial Guard was, the busier she was as the Senior Grand Academician. Sometimes, Shu Heng wished she could split into two and work more than twelve hours a day. Of course, Shu Heng didn’t mind being busy. She just felt very fulfilled. This power to change the fate of the people made her feel sweet.

“It’s fine. I will let people recommend candidates for those vacant positions,” Li Jianwei was much more relaxed than Shu Heng. The more officials were dismissed, the more well-behaved the officials in the capital became. At least in the places Li Jianwei could see, they didn’t dare to do anything.

“I don’t mind giving them a little benefit. In the future, if the people they recommend have problems, I can also hold them accountable,” Li Jianwei explained. “Sometimes you need to think long-term and exchange short-term benefits for long-term ones.”

Shu Heng slowly blinked. She understood the reasoning. She just didn’t expect His Majesty to have thought it through so thoroughly. After all, in the beginning, His Majesty had dealt with all the officials who coveted the imperial power.

“Your Majesty, the Yangzhou Prefecture needs special attention. According to the report from the Censorial Guard, the aristocratic families in that area are extremely united, and their private guards and servants add up to more than a thousand people,” Shu Heng said seriously. “The Prefect of Yangzhou has not been found to have any problems for now. The Censorial Guard is preparing to change their identities and go undercover for a while to see if they can find anything.”

“Yangzhou…” Li Jianwei picked up a memorial and played with it. “No need to be so troublesome, Shu Heng. You help me write a secret edict. Let them take the secret edict to the garrison to get two thousand soldiers and search the Prefect’s mansion directly under the pretense of colluding with the ‘King of Cheng’.”

“If they resist, just treat the Yangzhou Prefecture as a target for rebellion,” Li Jianwei added.

Shu Heng blinked, feeling a strange sense of security. This was the decisive Majesty she knew. “Your subject will go and do it now.”

…

The first year of the Taiping era passed peacefully amidst the constant busyness of the Censorial Guard. As the first Spring Festival of the new dynasty, Li Jianwei didn’t mind having a New Year’s Eve dinner with the ministers and then giving out some gold melon seeds as a reward. The Minister of Rites, who was good at flattery, did not miss this great opportunity and asked Li Jianwei for her calligraphy in front of the ministers so that he could be constantly showered in imperial favor.

How to put it, maybe this was the innate body for flattery. Even if Li Jianwei knew he was just trying to please her, she would still be in a better mood because of it. So Li Jianwei generously fulfilled the Minister of Rites’ request and immediately had a brush and ink ready to write the character ‘Fu’ (fortune) for him. However, when it came to the signature, Li Jianwei gave the brush to Shu Heng and had her write it on her behalf. Then, she took out her personal seal and stamped it on the paper.

After the Minister of Rites’ lead, the other ministers also wanted to follow suit, but most of them were rejected by Li Jianwei. Only the ministers she trusted relatively got a ‘Fu’ character written by her personally. Rarity makes things more valuable. This was the Emperor’s calligraphy and the Senior Grand Academician’s signature. If everyone had one, wouldn’t it become worthless?

After the ministers left the imperial palace, Li Jianwei took Shu Heng to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, ready to share a bed and do some happy things. Some things were not the first time she had done them, but it didn’t stop Shu Heng’s body from still being sensitive, reacting as intensely as the first time. Shu Heng was also making progress. Her kissing skills had improved a lot. She learned how to breathe while kissing, so she wouldn’t be out of breath in a short while.

But the small weakness of having poor stamina had not been remedied. Shu Heng was already very busy with state affairs every day and couldn’t find time to exercise. The only exercise that made her sweat was when she was having fun with her Majesty.

“Little Minister Shu, I haven’t had my fill yet. What should I do?” Li Jianwei asked, mischievously leaving a mark on Shu Heng’s face. Why are you trying to hide? Little Minister Shu, why can’t you be more open about it?

“Your subject… your subject will try harder tomorrow…” Shu Heng’s breathing was short. The remaining pleasure in her head still made her feel light-headed.

“Little Minister Shu, do you want to be my Empress?” Li Jianwei asked without any warning.

Shu Heng’s mind struggled to work. “Your Majesty, this is not a trivial matter. We need to consider it carefully.”

Although all the civil and military officials knew that her relationship with His Majesty was not ordinary, no one dared to publicize this. The people outside could at most only know that the Senior Grand Academician Shu Heng was highly valued by His Majesty. But if His Majesty made her the Empress, it would be different. It would have to be announced to the entire world and corresponding rituals would have to be held to inform Heaven and the ancestors.

“Little Minister Shu is unwilling?” Li Jianwei was not satisfied. She opened her mouth and bit the red plum on the snowy peak. Shu Heng suppressed the moan that was about to overflow and coaxed her. “Your Majesty, the country is not yet stable. Your subject just thinks there’s no need to rush.”

This explanation was barely acceptable. Li Jianwei didn’t continue to torment her Little Minister Shu. After calling for hot water to wipe her body, she held her and fell into a deep sleep.

During the Spring Festival, all officials had a day off. Li Jianwei, as the Emperor, was no exception. She decided to use this rare time to let her Little Minister Shu exercise properly. When she was exercising at the training ground, Li Jianwei also saw her sister and the personal guard she had chosen as her teacher.

“Your subject greets Your Majesty,” the personal guard bowed when Li Jianwei approached.

“Sister,” Li Wan’s address was no different from before. This was also Li Jianwei’s request. She didn’t need her own sister to kneel down to her all the time.

“Your coming-of-age ceremony is in a few months. Do you want to have a big celebration?” Li Jianwei asked.

Li Wan thought for a moment and then shook her head. “Let the Ministry of Rites handle the imperial examination. I don’t want to be too ostentatious at this time.”

“Then do you want to try to participate in the metropolitan exam?” Li Jianwei asked a different question.

Li Wan was very tempted, but she was self-aware of her own level. “Sister, you might as well let me take the military exam. I might be able to become a chiliarch.”

“If you really want to, it’s not impossible. Anyway, the military exam doesn’t have gender restrictions,” Li Jianwei said with a smile.

Compared to the imperial examination, the reform of the military examination was much simpler. It only needed to allow women to register. The final selection was based on real ability. From a national perspective, the number of women enlisting in the army was not high. If they were to set a minimum number like the imperial examination, it would only be counterproductive.

“Then if I pass the exam, what kind of official will you make me, Sister?” Li Wan became interested.

Li Jianwei looked back at Shu Heng, who was struggling to stand in a horse stance, and patted her sister’s head. “What do you want?”

Li Wan blinked. “Can you let me join the Censorial Guard? I don’t want to be the commander. I just want to be a small team captain, a Censorial Commissioner, with twenty to thirty people under me.”

“I am the commander of the Censorial Guard. If you can really pass the military exam, I’ll make you the deputy commander and allow you to choose a hundred people for your own use,” Li Jianwei was very generous.

“Really!” Li Wan raised her voice.

“The monarch doesn’t go back on their word!” Li Jianwei replied.

“Then can I also have my teacher as my subordinate?” Li Wan asked, her gaze falling on the personal guard who had been teaching her for about two years.

“As long as Bingjun is willing,” Li Jianwei remembered the personal guard’s name. She had once blocked an arrow for her on the battlefield, and her loyalty was impeccable.

Li Wan immediately asked, “Teacher, are you willing?”

Sun Bingjun lowered her head. “Your subject is at the Princess’s disposal.”

The first exercise of the new year ended with Li Wan’s cheers and Shu Heng’s slightly trembling legs. To help her Little Minister Shu develop a good habit of exercising, Li Jianwei personally massaged her legs so that Shu Heng wouldn’t have trouble walking the next day.

…

The first provincial exam of the Li Dynasty was held as scheduled in August. The gender ratio of the candidates was three to one, a number that exceeded the expectations of many ministers. Women who wanted to participate in the provincial exam needed a guarantee from a seventh-rank official. In the local areas, a seventh-rank official was a county magistrate, the head of a county. How could they guarantee so many women?

Not long after, the ministers found the answer. A seventh-rank official could not only be a local county magistrate but also a Censorial Commissioner of the Censorial Guard. Because the edict did not specify that an official could only guarantee one candidate, this led to the number of female candidates in the autumn exam accounting for a quarter of the total number.

When they found that there was no way to remedy it, the ministers could only comfort themselves in their hearts that even if there was a loophole, it was only this one time. It was harmless, harmless! Compared to the male candidates who had been studying for the imperial examination for more than ten or even dozens of years, the female candidates were at a clear disadvantage. They had access to the Four Books and Five Classics, but the more professional policy essays were very new to them. They had only been learning about things like water conservancy, taxation, military campaigns, and local governance for a year or two.

But even with their disadvantage, the female candidates’ answer sheets were beautiful in the end.

“There were a total of fifteen exam centers for this provincial exam. There were 23,567 candidates, and a total of 915 people were selected. Among them, 251 were women, and the rest were men,” Shu Heng reported the final numbers. The minimum number of women to be selected in the provincial exam was ten, which was much lower than the metropolitan exam. The current data showed that even without a minimum number, women could still pass the exam better than men.

Shu Heng: “There were a total of 163 female candidates who received a guarantee from a fifth-rank official. If all the women who became juren this time go to the capital to take the exam, there will be a total of 414 female candidates in the metropolitan exam in March of next year.”

Li Jianwei showed a satisfied smile. “I will grant fifty taels of silver to each of the 251 women who became juren as travel expenses. Inform the prefects of each place that they must ensure that they arrive at the capital safely to take the exam.”

“If I hear that a certain juren had an accident on the way or did not arrive at the capital for various reasons, the local officials will be held accountable according to their place of origin,” Li Jianwei warned.

Shu Heng answered calmly. “Should we also grant silver to the male juren so that the people know that Your Majesty treats everyone equally?”

Li Jianwei waved her hand. “No. I will only grant this honor to the female juren of this session. I want the people to know that I will value women who become officials.”

“Your Majesty, there’s an urgent report from the Ningbo Prefecture,” a guard came in with his head lowered and spoke in a hurried tone.

“Present it,” Li Jianwei frowned instinctively.

The report was handed to Shu Heng and then to Li Jianwei. It was immediately unfolded. Li Jianwei read it at a glance. After reading the content of the report, she couldn’t help but slam the table. “This is outrageous! How dare these little Japanese pirates invade the territory of my Great Li!”

“Men, summon the Inner Cabinet and the six Ministers for a meeting,” Li Jianwei handed the report to Shu Heng.

Shu Heng read it carefully. In the end, her eyebrows were furrowed even more tightly than Li Jianwei’s. “Your Majesty, most of the navy is made up of generals left over from the former dynasty. Their combat effectiveness…”

“If we can’t win a naval battle, does that mean we can’t win after the Japanese pirates land on the island?” Li Jianwei said. “I also had people training a navy in the Fujian area. It seems it’s time for them to stretch their muscles.”

Half an hour later, the senior officials met in the Hall of Heavenly Purity. The report was handed to them by Shu Heng to read.

Li Jianwei: “I think we must teach the Japanese pirates a good lesson. It’s best to counterattack their homeland and beat them into submission, just like I did with the Xiongnu back then.”

The Minister of Revenue hesitated slightly. “Your Majesty, training a navy takes time. Your Majesty also exempted the people from land taxes last year. The state treasury might not have much silver left.”

“Did I confiscate the property of so many corrupt officials and the state treasury still isn’t full?” Li Jianwei was surprised. The silver from the confiscations last year and in the first half of this year should have been more than ten million taels, right?

The Minister of Revenue bowed and began to calculate the accounts with a clear mind. “Your Majesty allocated two million taels last year to build canals, three million taels for the military expenses of various places, and the funds for expanding schools and recruiting tutors were also allocated from the state treasury…”

Li Jianwei said, “Then is it too late for me to have the Censorial Guard confiscate properties now?”

The Minister of Revenue: …

The Minister of Revenue chose to look at Shu Heng, asking for help with his eyes. Please persuade His Majesty. Confiscating properties every time the state treasury is empty is not a good habit!

Shu Heng cleared her throat. “Your Majesty, the summer tax will be collected soon. The state treasury might be full next month.”

The Minister of Revenue’s eyes widened. She wanted Shu Heng to persuade His Majesty, not to persuade His Majesty to overdraft the state treasury in advance! Managing money was really hard!

Li Jianwei touched her chin. “Hmm, then let’s release a message to the public that I intend to select ten imperial merchants who can enjoy the待遇 of a sixth-rank official.”

“The registration fee is one hundred taels. First, we will select a hundred merchants from each prefecture. Then, they will come to the capital for the second round of selection. The registration fee for that is one thousand taels. I will personally meet the ten who make it to the final round.”

“By the way, the imperial merchants will be re-selected every three years, and the previous imperial merchants can directly participate in the second round of selection,” Li Jianwei added.

The Minister of Revenue began to brainstorm. If they were to select from fifteen prefectures according to the scale of the imperial examination, with a registration fee of one hundred taels, the number of people registering in each place would be more than a hundred. Then, in the first round, the state treasury could get at least 150,000 taels. In the second round, it would be 100,000 taels. Normally, the total income would not be less than 250,000 taels. Meeting the Emperor was a great honor for merchants, who were at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Not to mention that they could also enjoy the treatment of a sixth-rank official. The number of people in the first round might be much higher than he had expected.

The Minister of Revenue was so excited by the calculation that he said from the bottom of his heart, “Your Majesty, why not relax the conditions and select two hundred merchants from the local areas to come to the capital for the re-examination? If an imperial merchant has a sixth-rank official position, the Ministry of Revenue should be responsible for their assessment and training.”

The Minister of Revenue said with a serious face, “Your subject believes that they should pay ten thousand taels of silver to the state treasury every year to prove that they are qualified to serve Your Majesty.”

Li Jianwei blinked. She thought she was already good at exploiting people, but she didn’t expect the new Minister of Revenue to be even more heartless than her.