The Empress's No.1 Lackey

Chapter 989 - 559: Discussing the World atop Gancao Platform

The carriage didn’t move fast, both sides proceeded side by side, just right for conversation.

Mrs. Ning nodded, and unexpectedly, a charming young girl jumped out beside her, it was Miss Ning, the daughter of Ning Zechen, with a baby-fat face and sparkling eyes, she called out:

"Sister Pan’er, let’s go play together later."

Zhao Pan, who was also in the carriage, cheerfully stretched her neck and responded.

The two young girls chatted animatedly, talking across space.

You Jinhua and Mrs. Ning showed helplessness, feeling quite troubled by their daughters who lacked the elegance of a noble lady.

Amidst the jokes and laughter,

both families had already left East City.

Outside East City was East Mountain, the terrain was gentle, almost like a dirt slope, with numerous pavilions scattered along the mountain path, offering excellent scenery.

This area was called "Le You Garden".

Furthermore, on the mountain, there was an Observation Platform built by an emperor of three hundred years ago, named "Gancao Platform".

As soon as the two families arrived, they saw many carriages stopped ahead and a large crowd gathered.

Scattered within Le You Garden.

"Wow, so many people," Zhao Pan jumped off the carriage, looked at the bustling crowd, and marveled.

The innocent and lively Miss Ning also ran over, her big eyes sparkling, suddenly saying:

"It’s a pity Father isn’t here. In past autumns, Father would take us on a boat to play on the canal."

Upon hearing this, the lovely women You Jinhua and Mrs. Ning, walking behind, their beautiful eyes shadowed with sadness.

Ning Zechen was in the Eastern Front Battle Zone, Zhao Douan in the Western Front Battle Zone, both bearing heavy responsibilities, unable to return to the Capital to reunite with family.

You Jinhua forced a smile, walked over to comfort, "Governor Ning isn’t here, you still have your Aunt and Sister Pan’er with you."

The graceful and gentle Mrs. Ning also nodded with a smile.

Zhao Pan, being a few years older, considered herself the elder sister, grabbed Miss Ning’s little hand, and said with a smile, "Yes, you have us."

Miss Ning’s look of disappointment slightly eased, she quickly said:

"My mother said my father doesn’t come back; he has no conscience. Sister Pan’er, your brother doesn’t come back, does he have no conscience too?"

Zhao Paner: "..."

You Jinhua: "..."

Mrs. Ning’s body slightly shook, her face turned pale, and she hurriedly stepped forward to cover her daughter’s mouth, making an attempt to smile:

"My little girl doesn’t know how to talk, don’t take it seriously..."

"Boo hoo hoo..." Miss Ning tried to struggle, her mother suddenly slapped her on the bottom, and her eyes instantly welled with tears.

Feeling wronged: her mother said Father had no conscience, right?

...

At this moment, at the highest point in Le You Garden, where the scenery was the best.

This was where Gancao Platform stood.

Today, the Empress of Great Yu, Xu Zhenguan, arrived with her ministers to celebrate with the people.

On Gancao Platform, a canopy was set up, tables and chairs arranged, yellow silk-covered tables lined with plates of melons, fruits, and pastries.

Xu Zhenguan, in a dragon robe, with a golden crown, was majestic, graceful, and incomparably beautiful.

Her long, phoenix-like eyes on her fair face gazed at the distant East Mountain scenery, where the autumn mountains were either red or yellow, with large fields of chrysanthemums in full bloom, the sky clear and the air fresh, offering excellent views.

Beside the Empress, Sun Lianying, wearing a python robe and a hat, holding a horsetail whisk, replaced Mo Chou’s ecological position.

On the Empress’s other side, led by Yuann Li, the ministers of the six ministries, along with court officials of third-rank and above led by Ma Yan, were seated in order.

Also accompanied by fourth-rank officials such as Sacrificial Official Mei from the Imperial College.

Grandmaster Dong Xuan, being old, did not come to ascend the heights.

"After this autumn, winter will not be far away, and it has been three full years since I ascended the throne," Xu Zhenguan withdrew her gaze from the beautiful scenery in the distance, speaking amidst the serene music with a sense of emotion.

Before the others could echo her sentiments, the Empress shifted the topic, saying:

"The Capital is located in the north, where crops mature late; at this time, over by the Huai River, it should be the autumn harvest. If it were in previous years, before the early winter, the grain transport ships to the Capital would have clogged the docks, but this year, I’m afraid not a single grain will be delivered."

Hearing this, the ministers on Gancao Platform all felt a deep heaviness in their hearts.

The Minister of War was the first to speak:

"Your Majesty, you are concerned about state affairs, and so are we. However, not long ago, Minister Xue decisively defeated Jiancheng rebels, and with Minister Xue’s abilities, before winter, he may capture half of Huai River, which is bountiful; just the stored grain can sustain us through the winter."

Other officials also spoke in agreement.

Only the Minister of Revenue, in charge of finances and grain, remained silent, anxiously tugging his beard.

Xu Zhenguan shook her head, knowing that these words were merely for comfort.

The war ahead was not something that could be won just by the mere clash of tongues of these capital officials.

As Emperor, she had seen the memorial personally written by Xue Shence, where he clearly recounted the details of the campaign and expressed concerns about the upcoming battle situations.

According to Xue Shence’s judgment, his victory at Huai River contained elements of exaggeration.

There were factors of Prince Jing voluntarily giving way.

In other words, Prince Jing had no intention of fighting to the death with Xue Shence, nor did he reveal the elites of Jiancheng Road.

Clearly, Prince Jing understood that the court’s greatest weak point was resources, and what was most lacking was time.

Therefore, he would rather cede some territory, but keep his strength to buy time, waiting for the court to run into problems due to material shortage, and then use his elites to counterattack.

And the grain and gold from the three counties Xue Shence reclaimed had already been moved by Prince Jing in advance.

In other words, what Xue Shence recovered was nothing but voids and burdens of three counties.

On the surface, it was a great victory, yet the actual situation was far less optimistic.

These things... people outside didn’t know, but the ministers of the six ministries naturally did.

What seemed like a flourishing scene, with a grand war situation, in essence, the court was already on the verge of collapse.

Whenever Xu Zhenguan thought of these matters, she couldn’t sleep, feeling only a heavy heart and powerless all over.