A Scummy Alpha Emperor Transmigrated and Marked the Powerful Prime Minister - Chapter 26

“Lu Siling!”

Lin Jiayue stood up huffily with her hands on her hips. Luckily, she hadn’t grown to 1.8 meters yet, or she would have hit the roof of the carriage.

Lu Siling looked up at the tall figure before her. “Sit down.”

“Oh.” She sat down obediently, then scooted a bit closer to Lu Siling’s side. She poked Lu Siling’s arm with her finger. “I really don’t want to do the homework.”

“Your Majesty is naturally free to choose not to.”

Lu Siling’s words brought a flash of joy to Lin Jiayue’s face, but then she caught sight of Lu Siling’s expression. She downed the tea in her cup and lowered her head helplessly. “Fine, fine. I’ll do it.”

Lu Siling had said she could choose not to, but that expressionless face was terrifying.

Lin Jiayue pretended not to notice and nudged closer to Lu Siling bit by bit. Just as they were about to be pressed against each other, Lu Siling set her teacup down on the side table with a sharp clack of porcelain on wood.

Lin Jiayue immediately stopped moving. She gave Bai Heng a helpless smile; she had only wanted to scoop the dog into her lap, she didn’t want to do anything else.

“By the way, where are we going now?” She hadn’t really had any fun yet; it would be a waste to go straight back to the palace. Who knew when she’d be able to get out next time?

Lu Siling placed Bai Heng on the floor. Watching the dog immediately charge back into Lin Jiayue’s arms, she snorted inwardly. Traitorous beast.

“Good dog.” Lin Jiayue was very satisfied with Bai Heng’s initiative. The person and dog had formed a deep bond in a very short time.

Lu Siling watched them and answered coldly, “The Palace.”

“But I haven’t played yet.” It was too early to go back; it was only afternoon. The tavern on her itinerary was said to be the most popular in the capital—even high-ranking officials couldn’t get a table. She had specifically had Zhang Huairou book a private room. “Teacher Lu, let’s go back after dinner. I promise to be back before the palace gates lock.”

Lu Siling didn’t quite understand. What dish could possibly be better than the Imperial cuisine? “Where does Your Majesty wish to go?”

“Longmen Spring Tavern.”

She’d heard it was incredibly popular and that every Zhuangyuan (Top Scholar) throughout the dynasties had left their calligraphy there. It was essentially the ‘Scholars’ Tower’ and had existed for hundreds of years. She wondered if Lu Siling’s calligraphy was there; if so, she definitely wanted to see it.

Lu Siling was silent for a moment. “Do you know the background of the chef at Longmen Spring?”

“What background?” She had no idea.

“He is the grandson of an Imperial Chef from the reign of Emperor Xuan.”

“And?”

Looking at her “clear and foolish” gaze, Lu Siling lowered her eyes to hide her thoughts. “His skill is inferior to that of an actual Imperial Chef.”

Lin Jiayue understood. “You mean the chef at Longmen Spring is a descendant of the Imperial kitchens, and their dishes are famous for mimicking the Palace menu?”

“Mhm.”

No wonder Zhang Huairou had looked at her with such a hesitant expression. For an Emperor to leave the palace specifically to go to a tavern whose selling point was ‘Imperial food’ sounded absurd.

Lin Jiayue lost interest instantly. “Then what about the fruit-wood charcoal roasted duck at Menglong Lane? Or the ‘Three Climbs and One River,’ the ice bowls, the oven-roasted lamb…?”

She rattled off dozens of dishes like a professional storyteller performing a comedy routine. At the end, she added, “Oh, and Lily Bulb porridge. A true Lily (Yuri/Baihe) has to drink Lily porridge.”

Lu Siling: “?” What?

She didn’t quite understand that last sentence, but she understood one thing: Lin Jiayue’s heart and mind were entirely focused on food. She didn’t want to go back simply because she wanted a good meal?

Lu Siling furrowed her brow. It seemed she truly didn’t know where the best food in the capital was hidden.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Jiayue tilted her head, staring at the furrow in her brow. She asked a pointless question: “If I smoothed out your brow, would you hit me?”

The stern, cold, and stodgy Grand Chancellor was beautiful, but a Grand Chancellor troubled by worries was something she didn’t want to see—not because it wasn’t pretty, but because she didn’t want her to be unhappy.

Lu Siling’s brow furrowed even deeper. The dog Emperor was actually flirting with her—she truly needed to be put in her place.

Silence stretched through the carriage. Lin Jiayue gave a dry laugh; Lu Siling already disliked her so much, why would she allow her to get close? If she actually reached out her hand, Lu Siling might not just hit her—she might kill her. “I’m just joking.” Lin Jiayue bared her white teeth and laughed sillily, like a fool.

Since Lu Siling clearly didn’t want to engage in small talk, they might as well talk business. “Just now Teacher Lu said you wanted me to write an essay on ‘The Way of Balance’… is it to balance the Cui family against the nobility?”

Lu Siling’s eyelids flickered slightly. “Continue.”

“Regarding the assassination, many people suspect the Cui family, so most eyes are fixed on them. The Cuis have been losing ground—Cui Bai lost his office, Cui Yuan was recalled. Their current strength has plummeted. When Teacher Lu had me go to the Secretariat the other day, we ‘happened’ to meet Li Ping and Sun Xiuyuan on the way, and Li Ping expressed his loyalty right then and there.”

“I think, Teacher Lu, you want me to accept their submission. But submission requires the right attitude; we’ll have to see what they do after the New Year. By declaring their support early, they become high-ranking ministers once I take power. Although it’s not the same as being a ‘founding merit official,’ they are the first wave to join me. I must rely on them, otherwise, what would future defectors think? Therefore, giving them important roles is inevitable. But at that point, the court changes from being dominated by the Cuis to being dominated by the nobility. To me as the Emperor, and to you as the Grand Chancellor, there is no difference.”

“So, before we are able to wipe out both sides in one go, we must balance their power. Make it so neither can suppress the other, forcing them to rely on my strength. Today I want the Cuis to win, so the Cuis win; tomorrow I want the nobility to win, so the nobility win.”

At that point, she, having taken power, would surely hold a portion of the authority to mediate the struggle between the Cuis and the nobles.

Lu Siling replied, “You’ve overlooked one problem.”

Lin Jiayue’s eyes lit up, as if she had been waiting for the correction. “Right, I did.” She asked with sparkling eyes, “Teacher Lu, if I can answer it, can you cancel one assignment?” She was willing to risk it for the sake of good food.

Lu Siling was speechless. She finally stared into her eyes seriously, and seeing she wasn’t joking, she nodded. “Fine.”

“Thank you, Teacher Lu!” Lin Jiayue bowed with mock solemnity, unable to hide the flash of triumph in her eyes. “Teacher Lu says I overlooked one problem. You want to say that… I overlooked you, didn’t I?”

“Exactly. Without you, Teacher Lu, simply maintaining balance and letting the two families fight endlessly would allow me to slowly seize power and eventually eliminate them both. But the problem is, with my current authority, it’s very hard to suppress both houses. You, however, are different. You are the Grand Chancellor. As long as the two houses are balanced, you can suppress them both at any time. You can control the Great Zhou court more quickly and accurately than I can as the Emperor—exercising the Imperial power by proxy.”

The Emperor’s power was currently fragmented, not held in a single person’s hand. Even if Lu Siling held more power, she was still one person, not a family or a massive faction. Therefore, despite her strength, things had been difficult for Lu Siling because the influence of those two houses permeated the court and they could easily defy her in secret. But by making the Cuis and the nobles fight each other, Lu Siling could seize even more power—the kind of power where people simply have to obey. Being already in possession of great authority, she could play the role of the “balancer” much better than Lin Jiayue could.

Lu Siling lowered her head and laughed softly. It was a rare laugh, but in truth, it was full of self-deprecation. “Since Your Majesty knows, then what should be done?”

Kill her? Likely so. No Emperor allows such a powerful minister to exist. But so what? What she wanted was for the reforms to succeed; what the Emperor thought didn’t matter. If the dog Emperor ever dared to make a move, she would dare to commit regicide.

Lin Jiayue could feel the murderous aura radiating from Lu Siling. She nonchalantly rested her elbow on the table and propped up her chin with her hand. “Whatever Teacher Lu wants, I can give.”

Even your life? The words circled on Lu Siling’s tongue but ultimately went unspoken. She didn’t trust the young Emperor; she only thought she was lying to her. Surely the Emperor didn’t think she’d fall for such talk twice.

“Your Majesty’s essay on Balance is… waived.”

Lu Siling’s voice was cool and distant, but to Lin Jiayue’s ears, it sounded like celestial music.

“Thank you, Teacher Lu! Teacher Lu, you are truly as kind as you are beautiful.” Lin Jiayue was not stingy with her praise. She even grabbed Lu Siling’s sleeve and gave it a shake, her mouth running a mile a minute. “I knew Teacher Lu wouldn’t be so heartless to me. You and I are simply a perfect match of sovereign and subject—one mind, one soul, one heart, one body…”

She suddenly hit a snag and threw together a nonsensical phrase: “…deep in love as sovereign and subject.”

Lu Siling’s deep eyes instantly became stern, and the corners of her eyes flushed red—it was hard to tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. Dog Emperor! I will definitely kill this bastard!

“Teacher Lu?” Lin Jiayue smiled obediently, being even better at acting cute than Bai Heng.

Lu Siling looked at her quietly. “Your Majesty is so frivolous, it is simply absurd.”

Being scolded, Lin Jiayue tugged Lu Siling’s sleeve sheepishly. “I was wrong, Teacher Lu.”

Admit it instantly, do it again next time.

Lu Siling yanked her sleeve away, then pulled back the carriage curtain to speak to Guang Wei outside. “Go eat.”

“Yes, My Lady,” Guang Wei replied, and the carriage took a turn.

Lin Jiayue peaked out of the window through a tiny slit. The street vendors were already packing up. She scooted close to Lu Siling as if nothing had happened. “Why are they stopping?”

Lu Siling followed her gaze. The street that had been bustling was quickly becoming quiet. She didn’t suspect anything; the young Emperor lived in the deep palace and it was normal for her not to know these things. She didn’t want to acknowledge Lin Jiayue, but Lin Jiayue was looking at her with “puppy eyes” full of a desire for knowledge. She answered anyway. “This street is only allowed to have vendors in the morning.”

“Why?”

Silence was the only reply. Lu Siling didn’t understand how this bastard could have so many questions. Lin Jiayue watched her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

“Because the officials on duty in the palace are ending their shift.”

Got it. Because many officials commute by palanquin or horse; if the vendors don’t leave, the departing officials would be stuck in traffic.

Lin Jiayue shook her head. “When officials finish their shift, some are hungry, some want to bring something home. If they meet a vendor, how could they not spend a bit of silver?”

Money is only valuable when it circulates; uncirculated silver is no different from a rock. “Exchange of silver and goods—if no one spends money, how can the people be prosperous? The flow of money links all industries. The government takes from the people and spends it for the people; only then can Great Zhou be stable. Spending money is the foundation of stabilizing the country.”

“When officials spend money on their way home, they’re surrounded by colleagues; they’d be too embarrassed to haggle, so they’d spend more. The people can earn a bit more, and their lives will be better. I think these stalls should stay. Besides, if you don’t let the rich spend money, how will the poor get any? The street vendors can only make them spend so much; if you want them to really spend, you have to go the ‘high-end’ route.” Like luxury goods.

As she spoke, Lin Jiayue thought of more ideas, like how to make the rich spend money in a way that the funds could enter her own private treasury.

Lu Siling pondered seriously and quickly understood her meaning. The wealth and power of the Great Zhou were concentrated in the hands of a few; only by making these people spend their wealth could the state be stable. Lin Jiayue’s idea was to make people want to spend voluntarily. Lu Siling’s usual method was to force them to hand over their wealth. Her reforms had been doing exactly that, but with poor results.

It sounded like the young Emperor understood these things very well—even having ways to take money from the noble clans and gentry without shedding blood.

When Lin Jiayue finished and saw Lu Siling was silent, she called out, “Teacher Lu?”

Lu Siling suddenly snapped back to reality, sizing her up with a look that made Lin Jiayue a bit nervous. Sure enough, Lu Siling spoke in a low voice that allowed no refusal: “Your Majesty, return to the palace tonight and write down what you just said. Write it in full, and send it to me.”

Lin Jiayue: “?”

Is she even human? She just waived one essay only to have her write a proposal. But then again, this didn’t feel like homework—it felt like the Grand Chancellor was asking for her advice.

The Grand Chancellor asking her for advice? Heh… feels good.