Adhere to the gentleman's principles

Chapter 172 'Where there is a will there is a way'

In the golden autumn of August, the sun was shining brightly and the breeze was blowing gently. In the court, the emperor issued an edict: "Li Ziyan, the Minister of Works, has made outstanding contributions in repairing Sangping City. Since he took office, he has worked hard, abided by morality, and put the people of the world first. He is hereby rewarded and promoted to a high-ranking official position, transferred to the Ministry of Revenue as a minister, and given a gold plaque as a reward."

Li Ziyan knelt down to listen to the decree and kowtowed to express his gratitude: "I thank your Majesty for your grace. Long live the emperor!"

Xu Gong, Zhao Nian and Li Yin, who were standing by and witnessed all this, all knew in their hearts that Li Ziyan's promotion to the right was within their expectations.

Xu Gong smiled and said to the woman beside him, "'Where there is a will, there is a way.' Look at these six golden characters, they are written so beautifully! Madam, your husband has finally become the man you said he was, are you happy?"

Zhao Junning stretched out her finger and gently poked Li Ziyan's head, saying coquettishly: "Look at your character. If His Majesty knew that the official he personally appointed was so childish, he would probably be so angry that he would shake his head and regret why he gave this golden signboard to you!"

Li Ziyan rubbed his forehead helplessly and said defensively: "That's because His Majesty didn't see the real me in front of him! In fact, I only care about your thoughts, my lady. Now that I've been promoted, are you happy?"

Zhao Junning gazed at Li Ziyan's expectant and praising expression, nodded gently, and affirmed: "Of course I'm happy! If you get promoted, I can enjoy it with you, how can I not be happy? My husband is really amazing, he was promoted from the Ministry of Works to the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in one go." Hearing this, Li Ziyan cheered like a child.

Then, Li Ziyan said to Zhao Junning proudly, "Now I'm finally the person you can rely on." Zhao Junning was overjoyed and responded shyly, "Yes, my husband is the best!" The two looked at each other, their eyes full of affection and love.

Then Li Ziyan said, "Jun Ning, tomorrow is an important day - the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet. I heard from His Majesty that he wants to take you and me to meet him!"

Hearing this, Zhao Junning couldn't help but feel suspicious. She raised her head and stared at Li Ziyan, as if trying to read more information from his eyes. After a moment of silence, she finally answered, "Okay."

Behind this brief and firm response, she hides her inner thoughts and decisions. Perhaps for Zhao Junning, this is not just an ordinary palace banquet, but may involve some unknown challenges and opportunities. However, no matter what is waiting ahead, she decided to face it calmly and move forward bravely.

The next day, as night fell and the lights came on, a gorgeously decorated carriage slowly stopped.

"Look! That should be Minister Li's carriage, right? As expected, he becomes extraordinary after being promoted. Even his carriage is so magnificent."

There was a burst of praise from the crowd, but some people did not think much of it: "What's so strange about this? Lord Li's wife is a good businessman, and her business has expanded from Pingliang to Jiaozhi! It is only natural for her to have such a luxurious carriage.

Back then, when Lord Li had not yet entered the government, his family was already very wealthy. He had been riding in a spacious and comfortable carriage to study at the academy since he was a child. How could we, who had never seen the world, understand the mystery?

However, some people are dissatisfied with this phenomenon: "Is this really good? A woman is out in the open all day doing business. I originally thought that Miss Zhao Junning would be a role model of a lady who lives a secluded life, but who would have thought she would behave like this.

So in your opinion, is the wife of Marquis Guangping better at amassing wealth, or is the wife of General Zhao more business-minded? Or is this young but already prominent Madam Li more capable?

"I think there is no difference between the three of them." This sentence was like a stone that caused a thousand ripples, causing people around to whisper.

"How do you know that there is no difference in status? General Zhao's wife and Marquis Guangping's wife are the two most powerful female bosses in our Great Wei. How can this Madam Li be on par with them?" someone asked in disbelief.