Su Muqing, while not overtly nepotistic, did place more trust in her old friends. After all, having spent a longer time together, her old friends were more amenable to her ways of handling affairs.
Especially since she occasionally produced items that did not belong to this world and could not be explained by common sense. At Su Muqing's current status, she no longer wished to explain the origin and usage of the items she brought out one by one. At this juncture, another advantage of her old acquaintances became more apparent.
In fact, it wasn't just Su Muqing who thought and acted this way. A large majority of people in the imperial court had also accompanied her from the no-man's-land to the construction of Huaxia City. In their private hearts, they were somewhat displeased with the newly appointed officials.
Precisely because Su Muqing inadvertently revealed her favoritism, the people below followed suit, secretly forming "new factions" and "old factions." Over time, this led many newly appointed officials to feel a deep sense of grievance.
They believed that their underperformance was not due to a lack of ability compared to these old acquaintances. They simply lacked a bit of luck and met His Majesty later, which led to their unfair treatment.
The locust plague that appeared in Guangping Prefecture this time was seen by many of the new faction officials as a golden opportunity to showcase their talents. They could achieve something and let His Majesty see that they were no less capable than the others.
New faction ministers stepped forward one after another, recommending themselves to Su Muqing for this task. Seeing these people arguing back and forth, with the potential to erupt into another quarrel at any moment, made Su Muqing immensely vexed.
However, since she occupied the throne, she had to learn to balance the court. Both the new and old factions had to be appeased, otherwise, their enthusiasm would be easily dampened.
"Seeing how much Your Excellencies care about the common people, We are deeply comforted. As Lord Shen has said, disaster relief is an urgent matter. Fortunately, General Leng Kui returned to Yaoking a few days ago, and Lord Le Xiong will also be inspecting work in the newly built prefectural city soon. Both of these individuals are capable. How about..."
Before Su Muqing could finish speaking, Shen Chengfeng, the Assistant Minister of Revenue, knew that His Majesty intended to hand over all the matters to the old faction. His expression immediately turned unsightly, and his heart was filled with indignation.
He considered himself handsome and distinguished. While his literary and martial skills might not compare to Huo Qiyuan, he was undoubtedly an outstanding figure among the young talents of the world. Many noble daughters and daughters of officials in the imperial city of Yaoking favored him.
Another reason for Shen Chengfeng's unwillingness to give up and his desire to compete for recognition was that he was one of the candidates chosen for Su Muqing's consort. Furthermore, he was a very well-qualified one. He firmly believed that if the Empress were to accept multiple consorts, he would definitely be selected.
However, what Shen Chengfeng did not expect was that Regent Huo Qiyuan was so intolerant. Although more than half of the ministers in the court had advised His Majesty to establish a harem, Huo Qiyuan obstructed all of them. In the end, he even forced the Empress to personally announce that no one was allowed to discuss the selection of a consort again.
"Reporting to His Majesty, Your humble servant believes that the locust plague has caused severe crop failure, and the situation is already dire. If unscrupulous merchants hoard goods at this time, Your humble servant fears it will incite riots. Therefore, the trip to Guangping Prefecture is not only to provide disaster relief but also to help the common people restore their farming and return to normal life as soon as possible. General Leng, as a military officer, is undoubtedly skilled in leading troops into battle, while Lord Le is obsessed with architecture and not very knowledgeable about agriculture. Your humble servant was born into a farming family and has been exposed to farming and animal husbandry since childhood. I am confident in helping the common people restore their vitality. Therefore, I request to personally go to Guangping Prefecture, eat with the people, and alleviate their hardships. I hope Your Majesty will grant this request!"
Shen Chengfeng spoke with great passion and eloquence, his arguments well-reasoned and his analysis clear. Many officials in the great hall stepped forward to second his motion.
"Your humble servants implore His Majesty to appoint Lord Shen as Imperial Envoy to go to Guangping Prefecture for disaster relief, in order to appease the hearts of the people!"
"I second this!"
"I second this!"
Seeing so many people supporting Shen Chengfeng, Su Muqing found it difficult to completely ignore them. It seemed that she had to change her strategy and could no longer delegate tasks exclusively. Therefore, she decided to let the new and old factions cooperate.
However, this meant she could no longer use shortcuts to travel, and the relief grain could only be transported wagon by wagon. Otherwise, if Shen Chengfeng questioned it, it would be another troublesome matter.
Finally, with Shen Chengfeng's persistent efforts, Su Muqing had to relent and entrust him with the responsibility of disaster relief in Guangping Prefecture. General Leng Kui would then lead a thousand elite soldiers to escort him along the way and provide assistance.
With such an allocation of tasks, the new and old factions no longer raised any objections.
In the imperial study, Su Muqing felt a little embarrassed. She had only just brought Leng Kui back from a thousand miles away. Now, after his child had been born for only three days, she had to send him out again, and it was likely that he would be away for a long time before returning.
"Third Brother Leng, I am truly sorry. You returned less than five days ago, and Sister Cui Ping has just given birth, yet I am immediately sending you out on official duty. I hope you don't blame me for this arrangement. You are the person I trust most, and you are also familiar with the Qiankun Bag and the usage of many tools. Lord Le is hot-tempered and often clashes with Shen Chengfeng. Therefore, at this moment, I truly cannot find anyone more suitable than you."
Leng Kui lifted his robes and knelt on one knee. He placed his fist on his heart with a solemn and earnest expression and said, "Your Majesty's words truly humble this subordinate. Your Majesty entrusting me with such an important task is a testament to your trust in me. As a subject of Huaxia, this subordinate naturally prioritizes the common people. Furthermore, this subordinate is immensely grateful that Your Majesty has allowed me to return to the capital to accompany my wife during her childbirth. Now that the country requires it, this subordinate will spare no effort!"
"Third Brother Leng, there's no need for this. We have been together for so many years; we are like family. We understand your loyalty to Prince Regent and to Us."
Leng Kui thumped his chest vigorously, demonstrating his sincerity. "This subordinate considers himself most fortunate to have met the Prince Regent and Your Majesty in this lifetime! There is no need for further words; it is all in my heart. However, this subordinate has one request. Since my wife fell ill, she has been arguing with her mother-in-law. This subordinate is worried that if I leave Yaoking, their relationship might become strained."
"You can rest assured about this. During this period, I will have Rongrong temporarily reside in the General's mansion to help you take care of Jingyu and Sister Cui Ping, so she does not need to return to the palace to serve. She is meticulous and efficient in her work, and she is also familiar with both of them. I believe that with Rongrong assisting your paternal aunt and mediating between the two of them, their relationship will not worsen. Moreover, whenever I have time, I will personally visit Sister Cui Ping and Jingyu at the General's mansion. As Sister Cui Ping's condition improves, her relationship with your paternal aunt will also gradually warm up."