Princess Qing He had initially intended to expose the hypocrisy of the high-ranking officials of the Gongyiwei in person, but halfway through her speech, she found it tedious. So, she directly brought up the topic that interested them.
As expected, when Princess Qing He revealed she had a way to resolve the crisis, the gloomy faces of Gongyiwei and the others immediately broke into hopeful smiles, looking "kind and amiable"!
"What method?"
"Your Highness, Princess, you must help us, help our Great R Empire!"
Several cabinet ministers asked impatiently.
"Your Highness, Princess!" Gongyiwei said seriously, "If you can truly resolve this crisis, then our cabinet will owe you a great debt! In the future, no matter what you need our help with, we will fully support you! Even, we are willing to help you become the next Empress of the Great R Empire!!!"
Upon hearing the Prime Minister's words, the eyes of the other cabinet ministers lit up, and they nodded in unison. Although the current Emperor held little real power, it was still a position that royal family members enthusiastically pursued. Even though female members were not eligible, with a little effort from their cabinet, they could always change that!
Princess Qing He smiled charmingly and, unexpectedly, asked on the spot, "Prime Minister, do you truly mean that?"
Before Prime Minister Gongyiwei could reply, his trusted ministers patted their chests and responded with utmost certainty.
"Of course! As long as Princess Qing He says it, our cabinet will fully support you!"
"That's right! Empress? Although the current constitution does not allow female members to ascend, if you give us a month or two, we can amend this constitutional clause!"
"Your Highness, Princess, you are truly the savior of our Great R Empire!"
In a few words, the cabinet ministers became radiant. Prime Minister Gongyiwei also nodded confidently. With their efforts and the backing of their respective families, making Princess Qing He empress was indeed not difficult!
The Chief Cabinet Secretary, standing to the side, curved the corners of his mouth into a mysterious smile, looking somewhat amused. After Gongyiwei began negotiating with Princess Qing He, he had not spoken a word.
Princess Qing He also curved her beautiful eyes slightly, smiling rather slyly. "Since you ministers are so earnest, I will be direct."
Several ministers said in unison, "Your Highness, Princess, please speak!" Empress? Hahaha... looking at this beautiful princess, she quite enjoys power! The ministers were already beginning to celebrate in their hearts.
However, Princess Qing He's words made them freeze on the spot!
"I want to be the Prime Minister!" Princess Qing He said with a smile, her smile appearing very innocent.
"No asked…"
"Wait a minute!!!"
Several ministers nodded repeatedly, about to blurt out their agreement before fully hearing Princess Qing He's words. However, by the time they reacted, their minds seemed to short-circuit, buzzing like thunder.
Thinking they had misheard, they looked at Princess Qing He with shocked expressions.
"Your Highness, Princess, what, what did you just say?"
"She, she seems to have said she wants to be Prime Minister!"
"No way? Did we hear correctly?"
They cautiously stole glances at Gongyiwei's expression, seeing him with a blank face, but a cold glint flashing in the depths of his eyes!
The ministers quickly tried to ease the atmosphere, saying, "Your Highness, Princess, you must be joking, right?"
"Your Highness, Princess, such a joke cannot be made!"
However, Princess Qing He spoke again, "You heard correctly, I indeed want to be the Prime Minister, the next leader of the Great R Empire. With my leadership, our R country will become a Great R Empire in the truest sense of the word!!!"
For a moment, silence fell upon the living room. The cabinet ministers, who had been smiling all along, now had extremely unpleasant expressions.
One Prime Minister, one cabinet! If Gongyiwei stepped down, these ministers would also lose their power. Generally, a new Prime Minister was nominated by the power-wielding families behind them. This way, no matter who became Prime Minister, the fundamental interests of their families would not be affected.
And now, Princess Qing He's request and approach would inevitably change this "unspoken rule." From their personal perspectives or those of their backing families, it was something they were unwilling to see.
This seemingly innocent princess actually harbored such great ambition!!
In an instant, the ministers silently moved behind Gongyiwei, implicitly showing their stance.
Facing their sharp and intimidating gazes, Princess Qing He's exceptionally beautiful face still wore a sweet smile.
With a hint of teasing, she said, "What? Didn't you ministers just say you would support whatever it is? So now... who supports? Who opposes?"
Support? Bah! The ministers sneered. To stab someone in the back and demand a lion's share? To force us out? We might as well defect to that guy Bai Ye!!!
However, just as they were unifying their front to resist, someone stepped forward, a smile filling his face, and said, "I support!"
Gongyiwei and all the cabinet ministers turned back in astonishment, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"Matsuno!!!"
"You!!!"
The person who stepped forward was precisely the Chief Cabinet Secretary who had remained silent – Matsuno Usagi!
[The author is back!]