Chapter 1308 An Miaoyi’s appearance is worrying!
After being shocked, Ye Mingsheng gave Chu Zhiyi's remarks some serious thought!
Ye Mingsheng thought that Chu Zhiyi's idea, such as killing so many people that a river of blood would flow, so that no one would dare to oppose the reform proposal, although it sounded a bit too extreme, but if you think about it carefully, it might make sense.

The reason why the reforms have not been implemented during this period and it always feels like there are a lot of resistances is perhaps that one of the important reasons is that I am too careful about my reputation and too soft in my attitude towards reforms. I appear to be full of concerns in many aspects and not as decisive as before!

After realizing his problem, Ye Mingsheng began to think about ways to correct it. He also seriously considered Chu Zhiyi's strategy of using Zhang Zhiwen as an example to scare the monkeys!

Zhang Zhiwen was promoted from the position of Deputy Governor of Hebei and Henan to the position of Governor of Youyan before Ye Mingsheng's southern tour. Although Ye Mingsheng spent most of his time on the southern tour inspecting various places, he was still very concerned about the situation in Youyan because Youyan guarded the capital.

During the one year that Zhang Zhiwen served as the governor of Youyan, he generally did a lot of work. The first was spring plowing. Basically, there was no large-scale abandonment of land in Youyan, and all the farmland that could be used to grow grain was planted with grain. During the summer rainy season, Zhang Zhiwen also performed remarkable results in dealing with floods caused by rain.

In addition to the above, Zhang Zhiwen also performed well in promoting the development of industry and commerce. This directly led to the fact that under Zhang Zhiwen's leadership, the taxes paid by Youyan to the court reached a new high, paying more than 100,000 taels of silver than in the past...
Because of this incident, the Minister of Revenue Cui Shao praised Zhang Zhiwen to Ye Mingsheng, praising Ye Mingsheng for his keen eye for talent and his ability to promote talents, just like a Bole and a thousand-mile horse, allowing a thousand-mile horse like Zhang Zhiwen to be fully utilized in the Daqian Dynasty and have a place to display his abilities.

Ye Mingsheng was somewhat pleased with this and was quite satisfied with Zhang Zhiwen's work. He felt that he had lived up to his training. This was also an important reason why Zhang Zhiwen only laid off 30 people to cope with the work and why Ye Mingsheng did not reprimand him immediately.

Therefore, Chu Zhiyi now proposed to use the incident of Zheng Ping to ask Ye Mingsheng to execute Ma Su with tears and use Zhang Zhiwen as a warning to others. Ye Mingsheng was reluctant to do so. After all, Zhang Zhiwen was still very talented and was a rare talent. It was not easy for Daqian to cultivate someone who could do practical things. Ye Mingsheng felt that it was too extravagant to use such a person as a warning to others!
So recently, Ye Mingsheng has been a little hesitant about how to deal with Zhang Zhiwen and Gu Sansi in the Zheng Ping incident. Should he use Zhang Zhiwen as an example to scare the monkeys as Chu Zhiyi suggested, and use his head to warn the provincial governors and prefects in various places.

However, Zhang Zhiwen's memorial was something Ye Mingsheng had not expected. Zhang Zhiwen had actually come to his senses and gave up his previous wait-and-see attitude. While Ye Mingsheng was surprised, he also felt that Zhang Zhiwen's behavior was worthy of encouragement. After all, it is a great honor to admit one's mistakes and improve oneself...
Although he didn't know why Zhang Zhiwen had such a big change, Ye Mingsheng felt that he could summon Zhang Zhiwen to listen to his more detailed thoughts and see whether he really supported the reform.

If Zhang Zhiwen really turns over a new leaf and no longer acts as a fence-sitter like before, Ye Mingsheng thinks he can let him go. After all, as the saying goes, it is easy to get thousands of soldiers but difficult to get a good general. Although Zhang Zhiwen has his flaws, he is also a capable person, so Daqian still needs him!
However, if Zhang Zhiwen just wants to give in to others and continue to be a fence-sitter, then even if Ye Mingsheng admires his talent, he must not let him off easily. He must behead him and display his head in public to warn the provincial governors and provincial inspectors in various places not to deal with the task of reform!

After deciding on the idea of ​​dealing with Zhang Zhiwen, Ye Mingsheng also began to consider how to deal with Gu Sansi. Although Gu Sansi was indeed unlucky and was the one implicated in the Zheng Ping incident, as the Minister of Personnel, he recommended a corrupt official, so naturally he could not escape the blame!
Ye Mingsheng also intended to use this incident to warn Gu Sansi, so that he, the Minister of Personnel, would not continue to be so lazy.

So after comprehensive consideration, Ye Mingsheng decided to demote Gu Sansi, the Minister of Personnel, by two levels, from the first rank to the second rank. In addition, Ye Mingsheng would also fine Gu Sansi half a year's salary and ask him to write a self-criticism and submit it.

Ye Mingsheng felt that writing a self-criticism was a good way of dealing with the matter. Previously, He Jingyun went crazy because he was not conferred the title of Duke, so he had someone bring the evidence of his crimes in front of him, and then had someone watch him review the evidence one by one, so that He Jingyun would know what good things he had done.

After reading the evidence and realizing the mistakes he had made, He Jingyun calmed down and wrote a very sincere letter of self-criticism to Ye Mingsheng, saying that he had become complacent after conquering the south and had lost himself in the process. He hoped that Ye Mingsheng would forgive him!
After reading He Jingyun's self-criticism, Ye Mingsheng was deeply touched. After so many years as a monarch and his subject, he was willing to believe that He Jingyun's self-criticism came from the heart, and that he was not just fooling himself by using a false pretense because he was afraid that he would kill him.

Therefore, with He Jingyun's successful experience, Ye Mingsheng also hopes that Gu Sansi can realize his mistakes in this incident, learn lessons and make changes. His own reform cause also needs Gu Sansi to contribute.················
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March 11, Yijing, Imperial Palace

An Miaoyi woke up slowly after her nap. Seeing that An Miaoyi woke up, the maid beside her immediately prepared An Miaoyi's favorite cakes and tea, as well as several of An Miaoyi's favorite novels.

However, at this time, An Miaoyi, the Queen of Daqian, did not enjoy a sunny afternoon tea as usual. She looked at the sweet-smelling pastries on the plate, and her beautiful eyes revealed a little confusion. She preferred sweets, so An Miaoyi also prepared a special pastry chef in the palace, who made a variety of pastries for her to enjoy on weekdays.

In the past, what An Miaoyi liked to do was to sip tea, eat pastries, and read her favorite novels after a nap. In An Miaoyi's opinion, this time was very comfortable and it was a time that belonged only to her. She could do what she liked instead of worrying about the huge mess of things in the palace!

But things are different now. Ye Mingsheng has announced that he will start the first beauty contest after the new dynasty in order to enrich the palace and expand the Ye royal family.

Although it was Ye Mingsheng who was in charge of the talent show, Ye Mingsheng was busy with many things on a daily basis. Many military and national affairs needed Ye Mingsheng to deal with and he had no time to worry about the talent show. In addition, Ye Mingsheng's talent show this time was largely based on political considerations, so Ye Mingsheng handed the talent show over to An Miaoyi!
In Ye Mingsheng's opinion, since An Miaoyi is the queen and the master of the harem, then he should let An Miaoyi worry about the selection of women and let An Miaoyi decide for him which women can enter the palace...

In this way, the power of the talent show came into the hands of An Miaoyi. An Miaoyi was very welcome and satisfied with Ye Mingsheng's decision.

Although Ye Mingsheng has always refused her participation in family affairs, An Miaoyi is relieved that Ye Mingsheng still trusts and respects her when it comes to family matters!

An Miaoyi didn't feel anything about the talent show at first, but after seeing those young and beautiful girls, An Miaoyi's mood inevitably became complicated.

Although An Miaoyi understood very early that those who use beauty to seduce men will lose their love when their beauty fades and their love ends, she also deliberately planned to cultivate her own people in the court and build her own political influence to make her position as the queen and mistress more secure!
However, as a woman, she is naturally more sensitive to factors such as appearance and age. In the past, An Miaoyi has always been confident about her appearance and figure. Unfortunately, beauties since ancient times are like famous generals, and they are not allowed to see white hair in the world. Time and childbirth still have some impact on An Miaoyi's appearance.

In the past, An Miaoyi didn't think it was a big deal because she saw Bai Yuanyuan, Murong Qingwu and others grow old with her. But this time, when she saw those 17 or 18-year-old girls who were full of vigor and vitality, An Miaoyi was actually a little envious of their youth. When she thought of those girls, An Miaoyi made up her mind and thought about the maids and ordered:
“Those pastries are given to you as a reward. Share them among you…”

Hearing An Miaoyi say this, several maids were a little surprised. After all, these were An Miaoyi's favorite pastries. However, seeing An Miaoyi's unquestionable look, several maids thanked her profusely and shared the pastries.

Although they didn't know why the Queen did this, the maids were still very happy. After all, these pastries were carefully made for An Miaoyi by the imperial chef. They were very sweet and tempting. These maids stayed next to these pastries every day and were drooling over them.

But unfortunately, they were only maids of low status and were not allowed to eat the pastries carefully made by the imperial chefs. So on weekdays they could only swallow their saliva and imagine what these pastries tasted like in their dreams. But now they can finally get what they wanted, and everyone is very happy.

Just as several maids took the cakes and left the room to share the food, An Miaoyi took a sip of tea, and then her right hand touched her lower abdomen intentionally or unintentionally. Although it was covered by a wide robe, An Miaoyi could clearly feel that there was a little fat on her lower abdomen.

Realizing this, An Miaoyi couldn't help but frown. In the past, because of her natural beauty, An Miaoyi never had any anxiety about her appearance. She didn't have any concerns about eating and drinking on weekdays, and her figure was still well maintained.

However, as she gets older, her metabolism slows down, and An Miaoyi likes to eat sweets, so she has some extra fat. Although it is not much, just a little bit, it is still a wake-up call for An Miaoyi.

An Miaoyi has decided that from today on, she will eat less sweets to restore her figure. She cannot accept herself becoming a yellow-faced woman···············
Just when An Miaoyi picked up the novel and was about to enjoy an afternoon tea without cakes, Qiqige came to her side.

Seeing Qiqige's mysterious look, An Miaoyi couldn't help but ask:

"Why do you look like that? What happened?"

In response to An Miaoyi's question, Qiqige raised two jade fingers and said with a smile:

"Which of the two pieces of news would the Queen want to hear first?"

"Casual!"

Qiqige also said after hearing this:

"The news of the court splitting up the Dadongsheng Company has spread out. Currently, this news is spreading rapidly in Yijing. I don't think the whole of Yijing will know this news in seven days!"

"Although the news that the court is splitting up the Dadongsheng Company has spread, not many people know that the court intends to buy back Dadongsheng's bonds. In order to avoid losses, some people in the Yijing market have already started selling Dadongsheng's bonds at a 30% discount!"

"So, Queen, if we buy these Dadongsheng bonds at 70% off, or even lower, when the Ministry of Revenue buys back these bonds, we will be rich!"

Upon hearing this, An Miaoyi was a little moved. Because of the boast she made last time, when Murong Qingwu took out 30,000 taels of silver to expand and upgrade the imperial palace, An Miaoyi had to abide by the agreement and took out 60,000 taels of silver and handed it over to the Ministry of Revenue.

Even though she knew that Ye Mingsheng was right, that she was the queen and Jingren was the crown prince, and that this palace would be for her son and other descendants to live in in the future, this money came from her own small treasury after all, so An Miaoyi couldn't help but feel a little pain in her heart!
Therefore, if there is a chance to recover blood, An Miaoyi will not let it go. Thinking of this, An Miaoyi thought for a while and continued to ask Qiqige:
"Did Ren Hai tell you about this?"

Qiqige nodded without hesitation and said:

"Well, Ren Hai told me that the Ministry of Revenue will soon buy back these bonds in order to stabilize the market, so in just over a month we can earn tens of thousands of taels of silver..."

(End of this chapter)