Bab 157: Compensation?
(T/L: Alright, a quick edit here. Wang Hua's previous position would be 'Chancellor' from now on, and now his current elevated position is 'Prime Minister')
Watching Mo Fan's body gradually dissipate, the Empress woke up from her cultivation in the dream.
She murmured to herself, "Was it really a dream?"
Inexplicably, she felt a strange sense of trust toward this guy who had never shown her the reverence she was used to. Since that was the case, she decided to follow his advice—after all, things couldn't get any worse.
***
The Empress's decree was soon sealed and sent to the Chancellor's mansion.
The gates of Wang Hua's mansion opened wide, welcoming the arrival of the imperial decree.
Wang Hua led everyone in the mansion to kneel respectfully and listen to the decree. After receiving it with both hands, he said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great favour!"
"Congratulations to the Prime Minister. We shall return to the palace to report," the eunuch said respectfully in a high-pitched voice.
Unlike other close attendants of the emperor who could flaunt their power, no one in Tianxuan dared to be presumptuous in front of this man. Even the Empress had to give him some face.
Wang Hua hurriedly stepped forward and quietly asked, "Your Excellency, why did Her Majesty suddenly bestow such great favour?"
His keen instincts immediately sensed something unusual. The position of Prime Minister was the pinnacle for a minister.
Wang Hua was well-read, and in the history of Tianhan Continent, those who reached the position of Prime Minister often met unfortunate ends.
They were either soon accused of rebellion and executed, with their families wiped out, or they were posthumously honoured after death.
At best, if the reigning emperor favoured them too much, leading to a lack of rewards for the next generation, they would voluntarily retire and return to their hometown, hopefully dying peacefully.
Otherwise, they would meet a miserable end.
If it were simply the Empress's favour, that would be one thing, but Wang Hua felt something was off. In these perilous times, such significant favour had a deeper meaning.
The eunuch with a pale face and sinister expression gave a creepy smile, "Prime Minister, Her Majesty is inscrutable. How could this servant guess Her Majesty's thoughts?"
Wang Hua nodded. The Empress's thoughts were indeed hard to fathom. Invincible in the world, her words were law; there was no reasoning with her.
It was understandable that those in the palace didn't know.
"Then... how is Her Majesty's mood recently?" Wang Hua asked again.
"This..." The eunuch's face showed some difficulty.
Wang Hua's expression turned displeased, "Even to me, you can't say?"
The eunuch pondered for a moment before speaking in a low voice, "Her Majesty seems to be in a good mood recently. Occasionally, she even takes a short nap. Beyond that, this servant does not know."
Wang Hua hurriedly bowed in thanks, "Thank you, Your Excellency. Her Majesty's good mood makes us ministers happy as well."
"Indeed! The Prime Minister's loyalty and courage are admirable! If the Prime Minister has no other orders, this servant will return to the palace to report."
"Take care, Your Excellency."
After the emissary left, the people gathered at the gate of the Prime Minister's mansion cheered enthusiastically and knelt to Wang Hua, shouting, "Greetings, Prime Minister! Long live Her Majesty! Long live Tianxuan! Long live the Prime Minister!"
In Tianxuan, ordinary people generally didn't need to kneel to officials, except when encountering the empress.
Previously, when Wang Hua was the Chancellor, people only needed to bow to him, not kneel.
Now that Wang Hua was promoted to Prime Minister, a rank above princes and second only to the Empress in Tianxuan, the people knelt to show their respect and congratulations.
Wang Hua thanked them with a smile and apologized, "I apologize, everyone. My mansion is poor and has nothing to offer. The wealth bestowed by Her Majesty will be given to you all."
Hearing this, the people cheered even louder. That was ten thousand taels of gold and a thousand bolts of silk!
Wang Hua truly lived up to his reputation as a wise and virtuous Chancellor, giving away such wealth without batting an eye.
For a time, Wang Hua's prestige in Tianxuan reached its peak.
With the Imperial Academy fanning the flames, everyone in Tianxuan praised Wang Hua as a saint, the pillar of the empire, the backbone of the nation, the parent of the people, and other such accolades.
After a long time, with everything dispersed, the gates of the Prime Minister's mansion closed once again.
As he turned around, the smile on Wang Hua's face instantly turned to a grim expression.
He already knew that Hua Ge and Zheng Tao had been secretly investigating his files. Through the assassination case on Chang'an Street, Wang Hua had regained the upper hand. Recently, despite Hua Ge and others exhausting all means, they had found nothing and had retreated quietly.
However, the fact that Hua Ge dared to investigate him surely meant it was under the Empress's orders.
So what was the meaning of this reward?
A warning? Intimidation? Or... compensation?
Based on the information revealed by the envoy just now, the Empress had been in a good mood recently.
Cultivators typically didn't need sleep and often used cultivation to relax. It was common for them not to sleep for hundreds of years. Sleeping was generally a way to relax.
When the eunuch mentioned that the Empress had slept several times in recent days, it indicated that her mood was not bad at all.
If Hua Ge and his team had found any incriminating evidence against him, Wang Hua, the Chancellor of the nation, being a spy, how could the Empress be in a good mood? It would have been surprising if she hadn't directly come to the mansion to execute him, let alone being in the mood to sleep.
Therefore, it was very likely that his series of schemes had cleared his name, and Hua Ge and Zheng Tao had found no useful information.
Only then would the Empress feel relieved, happy that the Chancellor she had trusted to manage the kingdom was not a traitor.
This reward of the Prime Minister's position might indeed be the Empress's compensation.
The more Wang Hua thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Those in high positions were always extremely confident in themselves, especially someone like Wang Hua, who was a top-tier individual in an enemy camp, possessing unparalleled intelligence and self-assurance.
He had a mysterious confidence in his own judgments and feelings.
With this thought, his expression finally relaxed, and he walked towards the inner hall with his hands behind his back.
His son, Wang Yong, approached to congratulate him, "Congratulations, Father, on your promotion to Prime Minister!"
Wang Hua's expression remained calm as he softly replied, "How many Prime Ministers have you seen who ended well?"
Wang Yong's face froze upon hearing this. He was well-read and naturally knew the fates of past Prime Ministers.
Hearing his father's words, he was startled, "Father, could it be..."
Could it be that the Empress was planning to take action against their family?
Seeing his son's panicked look, Wang Hua shook his head without saying a word. His child, true to his name, was too moderate and lacked the necessary insight, making him unfit for great responsibilities.
Wang Yong, in a panic, said, "Father... Our Wang family has been loyal for generations. How could Her Majesty do this to us?"
Wang Hua sighed, "Who said the Empress was going to act against us?"
"Then it's..." Wang Yong's face immediately showed surprise.
"Nothing, it's not something you should worry about. No matter where or when, always remain humble and cautious. Don't let this decree make you arrogant," Wang Hua didn't answer him directly.
To be safe, his true identity was unknown to his descendants. Even his wife didn't know the truth.
Ignoring his son, he walked back to his study alone.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone