The legitimate daughter was reborn, and the emperor’s little Jiaojiao went crazy.

Cleaning up the harem, this issue is very much to Cen Yuan's liking.

The cleaner the harem was, the less likely it was that Emperor Mingde would be murdered. He had discussed with Shi Anxia that if the person who poisoned was not Li Qinghui, there would be other dangers.

After all, there is no truth about the previous life, so we can only rely on speculation and inference.

Once the inference is wrong, it can be fatal.

In other words, the life and death of Emperor Mingde was always their top concern.

Secondly, cleaning up the harem could also disrupt the Empress Dowager's position. As long as the Empress Dowager found out that Emperor Mingde was making a big move, she would speed up the pace of her rebellion.

Cen Yuan asked, "Are you really willing to let the concubine go free?"

Emperor Mingde frowned, "Why are you reluctant? Those girls were sent to the palace when they were teenagers and locked up in this place until they died of old age. It's really a pity. They deserve a better life. Whose life is not life?"

Cen Yuan thought, no wonder the Emperor Mingde in the previous life ordered the disbanding of the harem after his death and not to let anyone be buried with him. It turned out that he had this idea from a long time ago.

I have to say that the more I come into contact with Emperor Mingde, the more I like this emperor.

It was rare to find a wise ruler in ancient times who could do what he did.

Cen Yuan said, "Flood disasters have occurred one after another in Suzhou, Huaizhou and Fenzhou. As long as the Imperial Astronomical Observatory submits a petition saying that there are too many women in the harem and the imperial mausoleum, causing the accumulation of yin energy, and the floods are caused by them. Your Majesty will have an excuse to dismiss the palace maids first, and then dismiss the concubines who are willing to leave the palace."

This was not a random idea. Similar events had occurred in the long history of the spatial dimension of his hometown.

It sounds absurd, but it works. As for the fact that there are still floods after the disbandment, so what?

To put it bluntly, this is a struggle for power.

If Emperor Mingde were still isolated and helpless like when he first ascended the throne, he would be unable to do anything.

Now, with the support of ministers headed by Tang Chuyu, the situation is naturally different.

Emperor Mingde nodded repeatedly as he listened to Cen Yuan's analysis, feeling that the other party was not only quick-witted but also knowledgeable.

Then he thought, fortunately he was a friend and not an enemy, otherwise he would really be afraid of him.

In fact, in the early years, some censors had suggested that the expenses of the harem were huge, especially for the palace maids guarding the imperial mausoleum, who were numerous and had nothing to do.

The money spent on these palace maids every year could solve the flood problem of a city.

But the veteran ministers, led by the Empress Dowager, strongly opposed it, saying that it was the face of the royal family and could not be touched.

Now, it's time to move.

On this day in the court, the Imperial Observatory made a prepared suggestion to Emperor Mingde: the imperial city is filled with too much negative energy and the palace maids in the harem and the imperial mausoleum should be dismissed.

As expected, the old ministers still opposed it as usual. Some even wanted to splatter their blood on the pillars of the Golden Palace to express their admonition with their own death.

The Minister of Revenue Tang Chuyu stepped out and listed a long list of numbers. He also ordered people to bring the record books and make the numbers public on the spot.

I don't know if I don't see it, I'm startled when I see it.

No wonder the treasury is always empty and the officials of the Ministry of Revenue are complaining about not having enough money every day. With such huge expenses, no matter how much money there is, it will not be enough.

More and more officials are joining this group. Please ask Your Majesty to save money and reduce the number of staff.

The voices gradually became louder than those of the veteran ministers.

The veteran ministers were frightened. Since when did so many officials in the court appear to be competing with them?

It was clear that a few years ago, as soon as they opened their mouths, Emperor Mingde had to swallow his anger no matter how reluctant he was.

Tang Chuyu was in his prime, so he had to occupy a high position. He was so powerful that he could almost move the entire court with just one sentence.

When did this happen? How did Tang Chuyu become the Minister of Revenue? And how did he set a precedent that he could inherit the title before the old Duke died? And he inherited the title without downgrading it.

This is... weird!

Some of the veteran ministers who knew the truth were truly horrified: Feng Nu!

It's Fengnu's luck!

Tang Chuyu’s niece is Fengnu!

As they combed through the information, an even more terrifying incident came to light.

The man that Fengnu married, the young master of Youzhou Luo family... wouldn't that be a rebellion?

He who gets the Phoenix Girl gets the world.

In this world, who can escape the temptation of power?

Emperor Mingde had no idea what the veteran ministers were roaring about in their hearts. He first dismissed a large number of palace maids from the harem, and then dismissed the palace maids guarding the mausoleum.

Next came the concubines who had never slept with the emperor. Many women had been in the palace for more than ten years and had never seen Emperor Mingde.

The Ministry of Rites was extremely busy making proper arrangements and compensation for all those who were dismissed from the palace.

While people in the harem were in panic, some were secretly happy.

Finally, I can leave the palace and see the light of day.

Our emperor is wise! Long live our emperor!

In the house on Fushuang Road, several women were talking about reducing the number of people in the harem.

Today, Tang Chujun invited her besties to come over for a gathering, which was also a farewell party for Xiao Changle's mother, Wang.

A group of women were eating melon seeds and chatting about melons. Whether they were talking or listening, their eyes were sparkling.

Together with their maids, the small hall was packed with people.

It's raining heavily outside.

The one who spoke at this time was Zheng Qiaoer.

She was considered to be the one with the highest status and the widest information in this circle. "I heard that this time, not only the palace maids were dismissed, but also the concubines. The number of people was as high as several hundred."

The one in green is General Xie's wife. "I don't know why so many people were suddenly dismissed?"

"I heard..." Zhao Liren's wife was very mysterious, "There are three reasons."

Yu Sujun became interested, "What are the three reasons?"

Wang came to the party for the last time today, and her temperament was much more cheerful than usual. "I guess one of the reasons is that you are short of money."

Tang Chujun added, "It seems that the emperor has a difficult life. He has a large family and a large business, but he also has many people to support, which costs a lot of money."

She understood this matter. Just look at the pile of things in Shi Chengxuan's backyard, which is really costly, not to mention the large harem of Emperor Mingde.

Madam Zhao nodded, "You are right. Our emperor wants to save money to build bridges, roads and relocate cities. Also, the border soldiers have a hard life. In winter, some of them even share one set of cotton-padded clothes. The emperor said that we should start with him and save money. Now we are rushing to make winter clothes for the soldiers so that everyone can wear warm clothes and have enough food, so that they can have the strength to defend their country."

Mrs. Xie was deeply touched. "You don't know how hard it is for border guards. There are ice and snow in winter and scorching heat in summer. The cold can freeze people to death, and the heat can kill people. Alas! There is a defense line with steep terrain and difficult roads. People call it 'Potianguan'. Going back and forth there depends on ropes."

Everyone sighed and lamented.

"The second reason," said Madam Zhao, "is that the Imperial Astronomical Observatory calculated that the imperial city has a lot of Yin energy. They said that there are too many women gathered together, causing the Yin energy to accumulate. So some of them need to be dismissed."

Everyone looked at each other and fell silent.

As for this kind of thing, if you believe it, it exists; if you don’t believe it, it doesn’t exist.

Emperor Mingde chose to believe it, which meant he wanted to dismiss the troops. If he didn't want to dismiss them, he would naturally not believe it.

Tang Chujun thought that perhaps the Imperial Observatory's statement was arranged by Emperor Mingde.

She didn't know why she thought so, but she felt that Emperor Mingde, who "didn't eat" that day, was smart and considerate, and solved a huge problem with just a few words.

Such a person would not be easily influenced by such words. There was only one possibility, that this was the result he wanted, and he had arranged it with the Imperial Observatory.

As she was speaking, Madam Zhao said in a low voice, "I heard that the emperor has a hidden illness. This is the third reason for dismissing the harem."

"Hidden illness?" Yu Sujun frowned.

Tang Chujun had just met Emperor Mingde not long ago, so he naturally remembered how energetic he was. How could he look like someone with a hidden illness?