Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage

Xiao Ge was taken aback at first, but when he realized what was happening, he couldn't help but burst into laughter, saying, "This Zhao Zhiwei, she even screwed over herself."

Wouldn't that be digging her own grave? Zhao Zhiwei also had a stake in Grand Princess Shangde's textile factory.

"Your Majesty, Consort of the Prince of Qi is no fool. Why wouldn't she make money if she had the chance? She simply has a heart that cares for the country and its people," Qi Xugu quickly said.

Although the Emperor said it, he couldn't let the Emperor take it too far and make fun of Zhao Ruxi.

Xiao Ge waved his hand. "I know, I know."

How could he not know? He'd made a fortune off Zhao Zhiwei. That girl was like a Midas touch; her money-making ability was unbelievable.

As he spoke, he glanced at Qi Xugu.

If Zhao Zhiwei were to become the Minister of Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Revenue probably wouldn't be constantly complaining about being poor to him.

Qi Xugu felt a chill run down his spine under the Emperor's gaze for some reason, and quickly asked, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Xiao Ge replied dismissively, her thoughts returning to what Qi Xugu had mentioned.

He thought for a moment, then looked up and instructed Eunuch Zhang, "Send someone to summon Shangde."

Qi Xugu then realized that the Emperor planned to cooperate with Grand Princess Shangde Zhao Ruxi, using the profits from the textile factory to build water conservancy projects for the Great Jin.

He sighed, "Your Majesty, cooperating with Grand Princess Shangde isn't difficult. As long as the location is suitable, and she wants to open more textile factories, building dikes is no problem at all. Grand Princess Shangde is also willing to give back to the court. The problem is, having the money requires someone like Consort of the Prince of Qi, who can design a very comprehensive water conservancy plan."

Xiao Ge glanced at him. "Don't the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works have any talent in this area? A bunch of men are receiving salaries from the court, but they can't do anything. We have to rely on Zhiwei to do the work? What use are you?"

Qi Xugu's long speech today was actually aimed at recruiting Zhao Ruxi to work in the Ministry of Revenue.

He felt it was a waste for Zhao Ruxi to stay at home every day.

Although the Prince of Qi had not yet recovered, she had to stay home to serve her husband. But what were the imperial physicians for? What were the servants for? Every day, a large group of people surrounded the Prince of Qi, leaving Zhao Ruxi confined there; he felt it was a complete waste.

Some time ago, the emperor purged the court, Ministry of Revenue, as the second most important department and the purse strings of the court, had the most people removed.

Although more people were brought in later, their skill level was far inferior to the original group.

Fortunately, the coup occurred at the beginning of the new year, when the autumn grain collection statistics, year-end financial settlements, and the beginning-of-year budget had all been calculated; otherwise, the Ministry of Revenue would have been in serious trouble.

Qi Xugu was getting old and, seeing the chaotic Ministry of Revenue, he was simply unable to manage it. So he set his sights on Zhao Ruxi.

Zhao Ruxi was not only skilled in arithmetic, but also a top scholar in the imperial examination, with impeccable family background, and was the Consort of the Prince of Qi. As long as the Prince of Qi's health was still promising, no one in the entire court could rival them in terms of power.

It would be perfect to bring her into the Ministry of Revenue as his deputy.

But he had only laid the groundwork, and the fire ended up burning him.

He had no choice but to kneel down and say, "Your Majesty, we are incompetent and beg for your forgiveness."

"Alright, alright, rise." Xiao Ge knew that blaming these people was pointless.

He had never thought his subordinates were incompetent before; wasn't it only because Zhao Zhiwei wasn't there to contrast them?

"Alright, stop wasting your breath on me. What do you want from all this talk? Just say it," he said.

Qi Xugu dared not beat around the bush any longer and said directly, "Your Majesty is aware of the current situation of the Ministry of Revenue. Consort of the Prince of Qi is extremely skilled at accounting. I humbly request Your Majesty to send her to work at the Ministry of Revenue."

Before Xiao Ge could speak, he quickly added, "I know that His Highness Prince of Qi is not in good health, and it is not appropriate to have Consort of the Prince of Qi out doing things. However, some things do not necessarily have to be done in the government office. Princess Qi only needs to be in charge of one aspect, instruct the subordinates to do it, and keep an eye on the overall situation. There is no need to spend too much energy on it."

Xiao Ge initially wanted to refuse outright, but after thinking about it, she kept quiet.

He said, "Let me ask Zhiwei what she thinks."

Half an hour later, Grand Princess Shangde arrived. Xiao Ge discussed the water conservancy project and the construction of the textile factory with her, then asked, "What do you think of me letting Zhiwei return to officialdom?"

"I naturally agree, and I imagine Zhiwei would be willing too. It's just that people in the court might gossip. After all, Little Five is in this situation now. Instead of staying home to serve her husband, she's out in public; the gossip could drown her."

Xiao Ge sighed, "Why does Zhiwei have to be a woman? It's such a hassle."

Grand Princess Shangde rolled her eyes at her brother. "What's wrong with women?"

"I don't think women are bad. It's just that I feel Zhiwei is very talented, but I always hesitate to use her," Xiao Ge sighed.

Zhao Ruxi was the top scholar in the imperial examination. He achieved such good results in just half a year as a local official. If he were a man, Xiao Ge would definitely keep him by his side and train him well. He would become his right-hand man in the cabinet in the future, with a bright future.

But now even getting a government position is so difficult.

Grand Princess Shangde rolled her eyes at him again. "What I meant was not that you should be timid. You are the emperor, if you want Zhiwei to take up an official post, who would dare to say anything? What I meant was that people will gossip about her, so you have to do your job properly."

"How do we do it properly?" Xiao Ge asked.

"You invite her, she declines; you invite her again, she declines again; you invite her a third time, and she finally agrees. In this way, no one dares to gossip about her."

Xiao Ge's eyes lit up, and he looked at Grand Princess Shangde with surprise. "Oh my sister, I've only just realized that you're quite a talent."

If the person in front of her wasn't the emperor, Grand Princess Shangde would have slapped her brother twice.

What kind of expression and tone is that? Does that mean she was a complete idiot before?

"Alright, I understand," Xiao Ge said.

He had originally intended to have Grand Princess Shangde make a trip to Prince of Qi's Residence to inquire about Zhao Ruxi's opinion, but now he no longer planned to do so.

He wanted to go through the proper channels and have court officials visit him three times in a formal manner.

The next day, after the morning court session, he kept the cabinet ministers behind to discuss matters, and finally told them about Qi Xugu's request.

"What are your thoughts, my esteemed ministers?" he posed the question to them.

Among the current officials of the Three Ministers and Six Departments, Kang Yannian, Wu Huaisi, and Gong Cheng are all Zhao Ruxi's senior brothers, so they naturally avoid speaking to each other to avoid suspicion.

The others looked at each other, not daring to say a word.

"Are you kidding? The Emperor just finished purging the court, and Zhao Zhiwei is the Consort of the Prince of Qi, who might even be the future Crown Princess. Whether she can take up an official post is none of their business."

But not speaking won't do either.

"I agree," Zhang Changshen was the first to express his opinion.