Chapter 251: Like Taking an Ultimate Great Nourishment Pill
Appointing the Six Ministers was no small move. It was bound to make others suspicious.
But let them be suspicious. There was no reason for her, the Empress, to fear such petty schemers.
The slightest stir in the court was enough to give those with ulterior motives a headache. Xiao Li wouldn’t make an appearance anyway, so she’d let them guess.
Xiao Li personally wrote the letters of appointment. Less than an hour after they were sent out, she met with her five Chiefs of Staff, all except for Rong Qing, who was still at Longxi Gully.
The five men couldn’t believe it when they received their appointment letters. Only now, seeing Xiao Li sitting there with their own eyes, did they believe it was all real.
"We, your subjects, pay our respects to Your Majesty. We congratulate Your Majesty on your recovery and good health."
Xiao Li raised her hand. "Rise."
The five men rose. Tang Shuyu was the first to speak, smiling. "Our patience has finally been rewarded. At long last, we have awaited Your Majesty’s awakening. Great fortune always follows great adversity. In the future, Your Majesty will surely enjoy robust health and a long, worry-free life."
The others chimed in with their own well-wishes. Xiao Li listened with a smile, and once they had finished, she had them take their seats.
’Since everyone is here, they should at least have a meal before they leave.’
During the banquet, Xiao Li didn’t discuss politics. Instead, she asked them how they had fared over the past two years.
Now that their careers were established, their family lives also needed to be settled. Marriage and children were essential parts of life, but there was one condition: they had to treat women well.
Xiao Li wasn’t making any demands; she was just making small talk.
She only touched on the topic lightly, not pressing the issue. After all, everyone knew Xiao Li had been in an unhappy marriage.
The Prince Consort had treated her coldly and was involved with someone else. In the end, she had killed him with her own hands and eradicated his entire clan.
With that kind of deterrent, who would dare treat their wife poorly? They would have to have a death wish. Of course, none of them currently had wives; they were too busy to even think about getting married.
Most importantly, with the Empress in a coma, it would have been rather inappropriate for them to get married, have children, and hold celebrations.
But now that the Empress had awakened, all of that could be set in motion.
After they chatted and had mostly finished eating, the banquet was cleared away, and the formal meeting began.
Xiao Li saw herself as a CEO and these men as the managers of her various enterprises. A CEO’s job was to set goals, state requirements, and then review the results.
While she was in a coma, they had done a good job of completing the goals she had previously set. Now, it was time to propose new ones.
When it came to the nation, Xiao Li had her own management style, with clear ideas and definite objectives. She had summoned them not for discussion, but to issue directives.
Fortunately, they were all familiar with her style. Upon hearing the new government decrees, each of them was brimming with enthusiasm and eager to get started.
Although they could predict that they were about to be extremely busy, this feeling of being pushed to their limits was actually quite nostalgic.
A good job didn’t just push you; it also brought growth and experience. When each goal was accomplished, it came with an immense sense of satisfaction and achievement.
Of course, the premise for all this was having an Emperor who knew how to appreciate talent and who was both visionary and capable.
Together, they were building a powerful nation, constructing the ideal country they had once envisioned.
Xiao Li even presented them with many benefits they wouldn’t have dared to imagine.
In the past, their ideal of a King was someone wise, brilliant, magnanimous, and benevolent. But that was just a fantasy held by the common people, who had no idea what changes such a monarch could actually bring to a nation.
Now, to that once-vague fantasy, the Empress had provided the most perfect answer.
Decisive in action, fair and just, benevolent and beneficial to the people.
The Empress didn’t need to emphasize her noble status or put on the airs of an Emperor. When her policies bore fruit and her abilities brought happiness to countless people, the populace would naturally support her, the officials would pledge their loyalty, and they would revere her as a deity.
Even her gender, which had been criticized at the beginning, had now become something special.
Because she was the Empress, she had given the nation a new life. Because she was the Empress, she was different from the Emperors of all past dynasties. She truly saw what the country needed, truly changed the country, and was nurturing a new golden age.
They were young and still full of passion. Born in this most unique of eras and having tasted the bitterness of life at the bottom, they were willing to join the Empress in building a golden age of Taiping.
Seeing the five of them, faces flushed and looking as if they’d just taken a panacea of Great Nourishment, Song Junzhan couldn’t help but chuckle.
’As expected,’ he thought, ’only the Empress can handle them.’
Over the past year, he had personally seen these five men work themselves to the point of collapse, crying out that it was killing them.
Now, after just one meeting with the Empress, they were completely revitalized, as if they could fight on for another three hundred years.
Of course, he was in no position to talk. He wasn’t much better off himself.
For over a year, he had been living like a walking corpse, sustained only by faith. It was only when the Empress awoke that he felt truly alive again.
Besides the Six Ministries, Xiao Li also met separately with Wang Yizhu and Wang Wanqing.
Their appearances hadn’t changed, but the change in their demeanors was earth-shattering.
Wang Yizhu had fallen in love with Xiao Li’s style of practical, narrow-sleeved attire. Her aura was capable, her presence poised and sharp—she already had the look of a powerful woman in the political arena.
The immaturity in Wang Wanqing’s eyes had also faded. She had transformed from a young girl into a mature young woman with a heroic spirit in her gaze.
Having been summoned together, they already had a suspicion in their hearts. When they indeed saw Xiao Li, they were overcome with joy, but they suppressed their delight and bowed first.
𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
"Your subjects, Wang Yizhu and Wang Wanqing, pay our respects to Your Majesty."
They bowed, declaring themselves subjects.
Not a subject’s daughter, nor an imperial consort, nor a subject’s wife—but simply, a subject.
Xiao Li rose and went over, extending her hands to help them up.
"It’s been a year. Did you miss me, sister-in-law?"
Xiao Li’s sudden playful remark made Wang Yizhu pause for a moment before breaking into a smile. "I have naturally missed Your Majesty terribly. Seeing you today has put my heart at ease."
Xiao Li suddenly leaned in and hugged her. "You’ve worked hard."
Wang Yizhu’s eyes trembled, and her voice choked up. "Your Majesty..."
Xiao Li patted her on the back. "I fought and killed my way to the top. They fear me, so they respect me. You don’t have that same iron fist, and they all outrank you, so you must have faced many more difficulties and trials. You did very well, sister-in-law. I’m proud of you."
Tears streamed down Wang Yizhu’s face, but she was smiling. "With those words from you, I would have no regrets... even if I were ground to dust."
Xiao Li personally handed her the letter of appointment. "Starting tomorrow, you will go to the Ministry of Personnel. Three months after that, you will go to the Ministry of Criminal Justice. I will keep the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs vacant, waiting for the day you reach it."
Wang Yizhu dropped to both knees to receive it. "I, your subject, thank you for your sacred grace."
Wang Wanqing had been watching eagerly from the side. Once her aunt took the appointment letter and stood up, she cautiously edged closer to Xiao Li.
’Is it my turn now?’ she wondered.
"Your Majesty..."
Xiao Li glanced at her and couldn’t help but chuckle, then generously opened her arms. "What are you waiting for? Come here."
Wang Wanqing could hold back no longer. She threw herself into Xiao Li’s arms, hugging her tightly and burying her face in her shoulder, trembling and sobbing.
Xiao Li was a little taller than her, just enough to envelop her in a hug. She held her, gently patting her head, but her words were feigning annoyance. "You’re a grown-up now, why are you still such a crybaby?"
’My clothes are going to be ruined.’
"So delicate!"
Wang Wanqing didn’t care. Being held by Xiao Li, all she wanted to do was cry her heart out.
Oh, how she had missed Your Majesty.
For over a year, she had been on pins and needles, terrified that Your Majesty would never wake up.
If Your Majesty had died, she wouldn’t have wanted to live anymore.
The overwhelming longing finally found an outlet, pouring out uncontrollably. "SOB... Your Majesty... I really... missed you so much..."