The next day, Xue Rui accompanied Yu Shu to the Supreme Court. Even though he had half-coaxed and half-scared a group of officials to go home, there were still many important officials of the previous dynasty imprisoned here, such as Duke Jing and Count Zhong and Yong. Which one of them wasn't a person of high status and power in the past? Now that they were prisoners, they didn't even have a chance to turn around.
Xue Rui could give Guo Huaian and the others a way out because of their old relationship, but he would not easily let go of these people who had thrown stones at the Xue family when they were in trouble and Yu Shu was in trouble.
In the prison, the Celestial Commissioner and dozens of officials had been imprisoned for more than ten days. No one was allowed to visit them and they could not hear any news from the outside. They only knew that a while ago, some people had been released one after another and had submitted to the new dynasty.
From the day they came in, they had been holding their breath. Even if their hearts were trembling and they became more anxious every day, but until the last step, no one dared to disobey Yu Shu's orders. Even if the country had changed hands, without news of her, without knowing whether she was dead or alive, no one dared to make a decision.
In the few years that woman had been in power, her methods were unyielding, even more than the previous Ren Da. She had cleaned up the twelve prestigious families in the twelve prefectures. Now, the high-ranking officials left behind by the Celestial Commissioner all followed her lead. Even if there were people who had disloyal thoughts, they had to think about the consequences of betraying her. If she was lucky enough to escape this time, when she made a comeback, they would only be worse off than they were now.
As a result, when the country was about to be destroyed, the Celestial Commissioner became the hardest bone. In the eyes of the old officials who had already escaped, wasn't it just Yu Shu's fierceness?
"Wang Ye, this way, the people are all locked up in front."
In the lifeless prison cell, the sound of a person's voice was exceptionally clear. As a series of footsteps approached, the Yi officials locked in the cell all pricked up their ears and looked in the direction of the approaching person. Their hearts were filled with fear, afraid that it was someone who came to ask for punishment.
It was broad daylight outside, and the light from the skylight shone on the narrow corridor. When they clearly saw the two figures walking side by side in the middle of the corridor, they could not help but stare blankly and get up from the ground.
They had seen King Ping of the Yan Kingdom before. It was not that they did not suspect that he was the eldest son of the Xue family, who had been missing for many years. His appearance was very similar, but no one dared to say it out loud. But now, what made them dumbfounded was the finely dressed girl who walked beside him unscathed.
"Tao-Taishu!" someone cried out excitedly.
Wen Shaoan was the first to rush to the cell door. When he saw the appearance of Yu Shu, he almost cried tears of joy. Everyone knew that he was the most obedient subordinate under her, and many people mocked him behind his back, saying that he was a vicious dog in front of her door. But who knew that if he did not follow a master like her, with his family background, he would never be able to make a name for himself in this life. How could he become the Shaoqing of the Taicheng Department at such a young age? Since he had received her kindness, it did not matter if he was called a dog by others.
"It's great that you are safe and sound."
Yu Shu nodded to him comfortingly. She glanced around at her subordinates in the surrounding cells. Looking at their sallow and emaciated faces and shackled faces, she knew that they had suffered a lot this time, but they were able to hold on until she appeared. It was very rare.
"You have suffered a lot. I will bring you out now." Then she nodded to Xue Rui and signaled the jailer to open the cell door and let them out.
Good news fell from the sky. The Celestial Commissioner and her subordinates did not expect that she would release them as soon as she appeared. They were immediately surprised and felt that their savior had come. They had not clenched their teeth and endured these days in vain.
"Taishu, are … are you going to let us go home?"
Yu Shu looked straight ahead, folded her hands on her abdomen, and announced with a dignified expression, "The previous dynasty has passed, and the Yan Dynasty has replaced it. This is the mandate of heaven. I am honored by the call of the current emperor, and now I am willing to submit to the current dynasty and resume the position of the Great Commissioner. Are you willing to follow me, to revive the Celestial Commissioner, to assist the current emperor, and to benefit the people of the world? "
Everyone was shocked again. They looked at each other and did not know what to do. If this had happened half a month ago, they would have been in a dilemma. However, it was said that those who went out earlier had all been reinstated. Now that Yu Shu had spoken, if they didn't agree, would this group of officials who had lost their country die for their country?
"I would rather follow the Taishu."
"Me too."
The first to respond were Wen Shao 'an and Xin Ya. Wen Shao' an was not a big deal, but Xin Ya was the most cunning one among the Celestial Commissioner's subordinates. After Yu Shu came to power, even the highly respected Cao Zuoling was uprooted by her. Only he was still sitting in the position of the Left Judge, unmoved.
In the corner, Ren Qiming sighed softly. He looked at Yu Shu's calm expression and knew that An Dynasty was doomed. She could not protect the Sacred Ancestor's empire, but she could protect the Celestial Commissioner. He did not know if it was a blessing or a misfortune.
"We will follow the Taishu's orders." Ren Qiming could not help but think: If Zhu Gong's spirit is in heaven, will he regret handing the Celestial Commissioner to her?
Seeing that the chiefs and adjutants of the three departments and two bureaus had nodded, the rest of the people did not hesitate anymore. They all bowed and responded to her call. Just like this, Yu Shu easily recruited a group of officials to work for her again. It was obvious that if these people wanted to establish a foothold in the new dynasty, they would have to rely on her.
The corners of her mouth curled up slightly as she raised her hand. "Dispense with the formalities."
Xue Rui stood behind her with his hands behind his back and waited for her to show her grace. Then he walked forward and said with a straight face, "You should be glad that Official Yu pleaded for you. Otherwise, there would not be such a good thing. Not only was you pardoned, you were also restored to your positions. You should really go out and ask how many princes, dukes, and marquises are still in this prison waiting to be dealt with. Hmph."
Everyone felt guilty and afraid after hearing his words. They were in awe of Yu Shu, but also felt an indescribable sense of gratitude.
After that, Xue Rui released all the people in these cells, and he registered them before handing them over to Yu Shu. There were a few other female officials that were locked up at other places, and she personally made a trip there as well to bring them out.
The women who could become the Celestial Commissioner were naturally not ordinary weak women. Madam Lv and Situ Qinglan were the best among them. They were more patient than the men. Finally, when Yu Shu appeared, they did not cry or make a fuss. They chose to follow her without a word.
*
*
*
The next day, the two seals on the door of the Celestial Commissioner Building were removed and people were restored. The news that Yu Shu was back in charge of the Celestial Commissioner Building spread like wildfire and shocked everyone in the court. However, no one dared to criticize her or point a single word at her. Firstly, on the day when the Yan army invaded the capital city, everyone knew that Yu Shu had bravely saved the Emperor. Secondly, during the celebration banquet in the palace, King Ping had cleared her name in front of everyone. Even the Emperor of Yan had personally praised her character. Whoever wanted to scold her for being treacherous had to look at themselves in the mirror first.
At the same time, the war in the north subsided and a large number of refugees poured into Zijing Pass. However, there was not much food in the national treasury and it was unable to provide disaster relief. King Ping's faction advocated allocating food for disaster relief first and at the same time, dispatching troops to the south to collect food. This could also wipe out the remnants of the previous dynasty in one go. The other faction opposed the waste of food and suggested that the refugees should be driven to the south to reduce the pressure on the national treasury.
Both sides insisted on their views and were in a stalemate. To put it bluntly, the national treasury was empty and there was no money. A group of people wanted to rob while a group of people wanted to save.
Just when the Emperor of Yan was in a mess because of their quarrel, there was a turning point. The Celestial Commissioner Building, led by Yu Shu, donated a million taels of silver to fill the national treasury. The aristocratic families of the twelve prefectures in the capital responded. Those who had money and those who had food donated food. In just a few days, more than five million taels of silver and three hundred thousand dans of food were raised. It was considered to have solved the urgent problem of the imperial court.
The Emperor of Yan was overjoyed and immediately issued a decree to allocate food for disaster relief. On the other hand, he issued a letter of enlistment and appointed an imperial envoy and a general to go to the south to collect food and enlist people along the way.
This time, Yu Shu took the lead in donating money and food and earned a good impression in front of the Emperor. After that, she was praised in the court for her deep sense of righteousness and even asked the historian to note it down for her. The aristocratic families of the twelve prefectures, who were forced to bleed but did not get any benefits, could only pinch their noses and accept it. They treated it as spending money to avoid the disaster.
No matter how many people were scolding her behind her back, Yu Shu still did what she wanted. From her point of view, these entangled aristocratic families of Yi were one of the root causes of the decadence of the previous dynasty. Because of the existence of the Celestial Commissioner, they abused their privileges and amassed wealth without limit. They were rich but heartless, standing between the imperial court and the people. However, they did not benefit either the country or the people. As time passed, they became the country's parasites.
When the Great Yan was founded, it was not like the previous dynasty that advocated Yi learning. In addition to her interference, the Emperor paid attention to her, not the Celestial Commissioner. This caused those aristocratic families of Yi learning to lose their support and foundation. They could no longer plunder the people's wealth unscrupulously. Sooner or later, the aristocratic families of Yi learning would fade out of the sight of the imperial court and go into decline.
Yu Shu did not think that what she did was wrong. There was a reason for the popularity of Yi learning 300 years ago, and there was also a reason for the decline of Yi learning 300 years later. When things reach an extreme, they will move in the opposite direction. When the flourishing reaches the extreme, it will decline. Just like the saying of Yi, "Life is Yi." Life is endless. Everything goes in a cycle.
.....
After the disaster relief was over, Yu Shu brought the Chun Jun Sword to the palace to meet the Emperor. Of course, it was the "Chun Jun Sword" from Dragon Tiger Mountain, not the rusted sword that she had secretly kept.
Although it was a fake, it was still a sword that could cut through iron like mud. Otherwise, it would not have fooled Zhu Muzhao's eyes.
The Emperor of Yan waved it in his hand and easily cut off a corner of the dragon table. The eunuch who was serving at the side was so scared that his legs went soft. He knelt on the ground and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please take care. Don't hurt the dragon body!"
"Hahaha!" The Emperor of Yan laughed happily, ignoring the servant's crying and pleading. He fiddled with the sword in his hand and said to Yu Shu, "Such a divine weapon is worthy of my majesty."
From his tone, it seemed that he did not doubt that the sword was fake.
Yu Shu waited for him to enjoy it enough before saying, "This thing is related to the Book of Mystery Fairy Six Rens. In order to avoid alerting the enemy, Your Majesty, please don't show the Chun Jun Sword to others easily."
The Emperor of Yan waved his hand at her, "I know." Then he looked up and smiled at her, saying, "Minister Yu has made two great contributions. What reward do you want? Tell me."
Yu Shu bowed her head and said, "It is my duty as an official to share the emperor's worries. I have no other request."
"That won't do. I have always been clear about rewards and punishments." The Emperor of Yan held back his laughter, "I see that you are still alone at this age. You must have very high standards and don't like ordinary people. It just so happens that I have a sworn brother. He is a talented man with both the pen and the sword. What's even rarer is that he's clean and honest. He doesn't have any close friends by his side. How about I bestow him to you as your husband? What do you think? "
Yu Shu was stunned for a moment, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry as she raised her head to glance at the Emperor. She was clearly aware that he was playing tricks on her and Xue Rui, yet she couldn't help but reveal a smile, and she lifted the hem of her skirt as she bowed from the bottom of her heart.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
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