The Female Psychology PhD Who Time Traveled to the Royal Harem

This year's New Year's banquet was much more low-key than in previous years. After a reunion meal between the monarch and his ministers, everyone dispersed.

Jiang Yankun's status within the Grand Secretariat rose another notch after the New Year.

Master Jing, after all, was getting on in years. Serving as the Grand Tutor was already quite taxing, and he truly lacked the energy to oversee the affairs of the Grand Secretariat.

For the past six months, it had been Jiang Yankun handling the official documents of the Grand Secretariat.

Of course, it wasn't all smooth sailing.

The Jing family had only recently cleared their name and returned to the capital with their honor restored. Naturally, there were a few ambitious individuals within the family.

They all hoped that Master Jing would groom members of the Jing family to take over the Grand Secretariat in the future, allowing them to wield significant influence in the imperial court.

"Grandfather, what exactly are you thinking? Why would you rather promote someone from the Jiang family than one of our own?"

"Jiang Yankun has the Empress paving the way for him. Why would Grandfather need to worry about him?"

"The Grand Secretariat is the key to the imperial court, a matter of utmost importance. Father, what exactly are you thinking?"

"Elder Brother, don't speak to Father like that. Father must have his reasons. Father, please explain!"

"Hmm..."

The old man let out a heavy sigh through his nose. Compared to the vigor he had shown when he first arrived in the capital a year ago, his cheeks now bore deep signs of weariness.

The additional wrinkles at the corners of his eyes also spoke of his exhaustion.

"Then ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‍tell me, why am I not promoting our own family but instead elevating Jiang Yankun?"

What did Father (Grandfather) mean by that?

Was he saying that the Jing family was inferior to Jiang Yankun?

But with Master Jing at the helm, the Jing family couldn't possibly make any mistakes!

The eldest son of the Jing family pondered for a moment before speaking seriously: "Father, are you worried that Jiang Yankun, being the maternal grandfather of the Crown Prince, might cause the Crown Prince to hold a grudge against the Jing family in the future?"

But Master Jing was the Crown Prince's great-grandfather and his teacher. Shouldn't the Jing family be the closest to the Crown Prince?

"Perhaps... could this be the Empress's doing? Her ambitions are too great. Not only does she want to sit as an equal to the Emperor, but does she also intend to manipulate the Crown Prince in the future and control him?"

"Bang!"

A copper wine jug crashed to the ground, startling everyone. Master Jing's face turned ashen. "Who is it that wants to control the imperial court and manipulate the Crown Prince? Who is the one with the greatest ambitions? Do you all think I'm a senile old fool?"

This family had always been ruled by Master Jing. Whatever he said was law. His sudden outburst of anger caused everyone present to shrink back in fear.

"Fa... Father, what... what are you doing?"

Master Jing snorted coldly. "I may be old, but my mind is still sharp. It's you who are not thinking clearly."

"Do you think the Empress became the Empress solely because of the Emperor's favor? Do you think the Emperor is so blinded by beauty that he would lose his senses? You underestimate the Emperor and overestimate yourselves."

"Though the Empress resides in the inner palace, she possesses the talent to govern. She stands as an equal to the Emperor because her abilities are no less than his. Do you think the Emperor is so easily swayed by beauty that he would share his power with just anyone?"

"If she had the ambition to declare herself Empress Regnant, none of you would be a match for her after the Emperor's passing. It is precisely because the Emperor knows she has no intention of overthrowing the dynasty, and that everything she does is for the sake of Great Yan and the Crown Prince, that he delegates power to her. When the Emperor is too exhausted to handle affairs, the Empress steps in. What can you do for the Emperor?"

"All you do is obsess over the position of Grand Secretariat Chief. What else can you do?"

"What are your ambitions? To wield absolute power? To make everyone fear you? To control the imperial court and become the next Chief Minister Song?"

The fate of the previous Chief Minister of the Grand Secretariat was well known throughout Great Yan.

No emperor would tolerate being threatened by his ministers, and the future Crown Prince would be no different.

The reason Jiang Yankun was made Chief Minister was not only because he was the Crown Prince's maternal grandfather, but also because he was a man who knew his place, understood the gravity of situations, and could play the fool when necessary.

Between the Crown Prince and the Chief Minister, there was also the Empress, a stabilizing force. In the future, the relationship between the monarch and his ministers would surely be harmonious.

Just as a harmonious family leads to prosperity, a united monarch and ministers lead to a thriving nation.

The members of the Jing family hung their heads in shame.

Master Jing was still the clear-sighted and sharp-minded Master Jing, not at all the senile old man they had feared he might become with age.

Master Jing sighed. "Moreover, this is also the Emperor's will."

With these words, the Jing family understood Master Jing's decision even more.

They needed to take advantage of the Emperor's guilt toward the Jing family and show the utmost compliance with his decisions. This way, when the Crown Prince ascended the throne, the Emperor would remember the Jing family's loyalty and instruct the Crown Prince to look after them.

And the Crown Prince, grateful for Master Jing's teachings, would also take good care of the Jing family.

Everything Master Jing was doing now, though it seemed like he was paving the way for Jiang Yankun, was actually leaving a path for the Jing family's future.

When Jiang Yankun returned to the Grand Secretariat the next day, he noticed that those who had previously been somewhat resistant to him were now much more respectful.

As for the reason, he didn't care to delve too deeply.

Sometimes, being a little oblivious was better for oneself.

As long as these people would serve him in the future, it didn't matter who they had followed before.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

If they didn't serve him, it didn't matter either. Another imperial examination was coming up in three years, and the Hanlin Academy would welcome a fresh batch of talented individuals eager to serve the court. Those newcomers would be much easier to work with than the old guard.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

Dozens of figures clad in white, wearing white hats, swiftly crossed the snowy mountains, their skis gliding rapidly over the snow.

The wind and snow stung their eyes, but they wiped them clean with the rabbit fur scarves around their necks and continued their rapid descent.

"General Shi, once we cross this mountain, we'll reach the foothills of Yuejian Village in the border town of Fusang."

"Leave eight men at the foothills to provide support. The deputy general and I will enter the town to investigate."

It wasn't just Goguryeo and Fusang who planted spies in Great Yan; Great Yan also left its own agents in their territories.

When Shi Ruojun first left the palace, she had been worried about being recognized as a woman.

But after enduring months of wind, rain, and violent snowstorms, her skin had become dark and rough, losing all traces of a woman's delicacy and fairness.

Following Third Yan's advice, she also wore a layer of soft armor beneath her clothes. Even if a soldier impulsively patted her chest, they would only feel the hard armor.

As Third Yan had said, she was now indistinguishable from a man.

Shi Ruojun felt both pleased and displeased.

She wanted to be a female general, not a man.

But at least she could console herself with the fact that she no longer had to fear her identity being exposed.

After months of life-and-death experiences, the black-armored guards had formed a deep bond with her.

Now was the critical moment. She would kill the King of Fusang and prove to the world that she was a woman.

A woman could also be a general, charging into battle and taking the heads of her enemies.

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