Chapter 89 New Ideal Way Out

Dongshan Port.

The coast of Dongshan Port stretches for more than ten miles and is lined with shops and warehouses built by the government. As long as it is not a thousand miles of ice in winter, this place is bustling with people every day. Fleets and caravans come and go from the south and the north, and chambers of commerce from various industries from Songjiang City set up camp here.

The roads in Dongshan Port are straight and horizontal, and their names follow the convention of Songjiang City. Except for the road along the port called Binhai Road, other roads in the city are named after directions, such as East Street, West Street, South Street, and North Street.

The government offices and chambers of commerce of various industries in Dongshan Port are all on North Second Street. There is only one household on North First Street, and that is the Prince Qi's Mansion.

Prince Qi and Princess Qi only come here a few times a year. Apart from a few familiar servants from Prince Qi's mansion who come out to buy firewood, rice, oil and salt, they rarely see anyone else.

Today was different from usual days. As soon as the sun rose from the sea level in the morning, I saw several servants sweeping the streets with brooms. After a while, the gate of the palace was opened, and several people in the gatehouse carried stools and basins and wiped the gate inside and out clean.

After a while, the shops on the street opened, the fishermen who had gone out fishing early returned to the harbor, and the people from nearby came into the city to sell fresh goods. The steward of the palace took people to buy the first batch of top-quality goods.

Officials who had just arrived at the yamen on North Second Street saw many people coming and going on the street behind them. One clerk, unaware of the situation, asked, "Usually that street is so quiet. What's going on today?"

"I don't know. There's only one mansion on the street, the Prince's Mansion. The servants are so diligent. Could it be that the Prince is coming?"

Several officials transferred from Songjiang City to Dongshan Port laughed and said, "You guys guessed it right. It must be the prince or princess coming."

The young clerk said excitedly, "Are you serious? I've been working in the government office for over half a year and have never seen the prince and princess in their true appearance. This time I'm going to see them."

"This time we can definitely see it. The prince's palace is on the innermost street. The prince and princess will definitely pass by our government office when they enter the city."

"Hahaha, forget it. The back street of the palace is the city wall of the North City Gate. Even if the prince and princess come, they will definitely enter the palace from the back street and will not pass by our government office."

The person who spoke was a clerk under Governor Tian. He knew that the prince and princess had come to Dongshan Port several times this year, but each time they entered the palace from the back street and never passed through the city. The prince and princess did not show up, and other people did not even know that the prince and princess had been to Dongshan Port.

"Hey, the prince and princess are visiting our Dongshan Port, why don't they come to our yamen for an inspection?"

"What are you inspecting for? Why do you need the prince and princess to come for such trivial matters? Those annoying people from the Supervisory Office are so omnipresent. It's not enough to have them watching you, but you still need the prince and princess to come?"

In order to supervise the officials of Songjiang City, Songjiang City established a new supervisory office a few years ago.

The officials all knew that everyone in the Supervisory Yamen was very capable and could kill corrupt officials, but no one knew who was in the Supervisory Yamen. They only knew that they only obeyed the orders of the prince and princess and had enormous authority.

The more mysterious the officials of the Supervisory Yamen are, the more frightening they are. Now, when the Supervisory Yamen is mentioned, no one, from officials to clerks, is in the mood to joke. They all start to reflect on themselves, thinking that they should not have made any principled mistakes.

Tian Jiaxuan stepped through the gate and looked around. "What time is it? Why aren't you on duty yet? What are you doing here?"

A few timid officials bowed and hurried away. Tian Jiaxuan's clerk came over and said with a smile, "Governor, everyone just saw that there was a lot of commotion on North First Street behind us, and they all guessed that the prince and princess were coming."

Tian Jiaxuan smiled and nodded: "You all have very quick minds."

"Is it really coming? Is it the prince or the princess?"

"Everyone, come on, calculate the time, we'll probably be in the city at 10pm."

As Tian Jiaxuan walked towards his governor's office, he said to the clerk, "Go and urge them to get all the documents that need to be processed today delivered before noon. I will be away from the office this afternoon. If there is anything, ask them to come back tomorrow."

"Yes, I'll report it right away."

In the eyes of many "unappreciated" officials in Dongshan Port, Governor Tian is only in his thirties, and it has not been ten years since he participated in the official selection in Songjiang City. However, he has been promoted from a small official in the tax office to the current position of Governor of Dongshan Port. This is because the Tian family and the princess's family are old friends, and the princess has promoted him all the way, which is why he has such a successful career.

Few people would frankly admit that they were inferior to others. Even though everyone could see that Dongshan Port was thriving under the governance of Governor Tian, ​​they would still feel that it was not that they were inferior to Governor Tian, ​​but that they had no background and had not met anyone who was willing to promote them.

At the beginning of noon, after completing his official duties for the day, Tian Jiaxuan gave a few instructions to his subordinates and hurried to the west city gate with them, causing many people to cast envious glances at him.

Tian Jiaxuan, still wearing his official uniform, was not afraid of the heat and rode out of the city on his own. At the west gate, he met Han and his entourage. Han bowed and said with a smile, "I greet the Governor."

Tian Jiaxuan dismounted and said with a smile, "Manager Han, you're too polite. Where are you going?"

"Hahaha, of course we'll go wherever the Governor goes."

Shopkeeper Han had just returned to Dongshan Port from Jiangnan half a month ago. When he got off the ship, he asked someone to send a letter to the princess. A few days later, Liu Zhong replied, and Shopkeeper Han learned that the princess was coming to Dongshan Port. After calculating the distance, he estimated that she would arrive in the next two days.

Manager Han could only estimate a rough date and had no idea when the princess would arrive. He thought that since he had nothing to do anyway, he might as well go to the teahouse outside the west city gate with some old friends to have tea and chat, and wait to welcome the princess.

Shopkeeper Han didn't know the exact time the princess would arrive, but when he met Governor Tian, ​​he hurried over, which meant that the princess would be here soon.

Manager He, Mr. Cao, Manager Zhang and others who had known Manager Han for many years all greeted Governor Tian, ​​and Tian Jiaxuan nodded politely to them.

These are all ordinary merchants in Songjiang City. It is not entirely correct to say that they are ordinary, because they have been doing business with the princess many years ago and regard the princess as the head of the medicine store.

Manager He and others have this kind of relationship with Princess Qi. In Songjiang City and Dongshan Port, as long as they don't do anything wrong, the officials in the yamen will give them some face.

It was also because the reputation of Manager He and his group of people who were doing well in Songjiang City spread to the south. People outside knew that the Prince Qi's Mansion would not suppress merchants, so more and more businessmen came to Dongshan Port to do business in recent years.

Governor Tian Jiaxuan has always been very kind to them, whether because of Princess Qi or out of gratitude for their contributions to Dongshan Port.

Tian Jiaxuan said, "Since we are all here, let's go together. The prince and princess will probably be here soon."

Shopkeeper He said happily, "The prince is here too?"

Tian Jiaxuan asked, "Do you think only the princess is coming?"

The other shopkeepers looked at Shopkeeper Han. Shopkeeper Han stroked the half-inch beard he had grown over the past two years and said, "Don't look at me. I also heard from Liu Zhong that the princess was coming. He didn't say whether the prince would come or not."

Tian Jiaxuan walked in front, leading the horse, and said with a smile: "In addition to the prince and princess, the young master has also come."

The head of the Cao clan shouted, "Is this true? The young master is about five or six years old now. We brothers haven't seen him yet. We must meet him today."

Shopkeeper Han said proudly, "I've seen the young master many times. He looks smart. When he grows up, I think he will be a promising child."

Shopkeeper He curled his lips and said, "Who are you? Do you think you can say that you are the young master?"

Shopkeeper Han snorted softly, "Old He, I'm not saying anything bad about you. The more nothing there is, the more you care. The princess is different from you. I've been working for her, and she's never said anything like you in all these years."

Tian Jiaxuan praised casually, "That's because Manager Han is capable and has done a good job. The prince and princess always look up to capable people."

Shopkeeper Han was happy again and winked at Shopkeeper He, saying, "Look, the governor also says that I, Old Han, am capable."

Shopkeeper He retorted, "Don't wink at me. If you have the guts, go to the government offices in Suzhou Prefecture and tell them. Believe it or not, they'll beat you out before you even step foot inside."

Tian Jiaxuan heard this and said, "Why do you say that? I remember that the governor of Suzhou, Shen, was a kind official who cared about the people. He had always had a good reputation among the people. I heard that he even accepted the Ten Thousand People Umbrella."

Shopkeeper Han sighed, "It's too late. Prefect Shen retired due to illness. The new Suzhou prefect is a ruthless man. Not only did he raise taxes on businesses, but he also allowed officials to exploit merchants like chickens, taking everything they wanted and even taking their lives. Zhang has only been in office for less than four months, and he's already made Suzhou a mess. Now, even shopkeepers who sell goods from different regions don't like to go there anymore."

After doing business for a long time, there will definitely be human relationships involved. In the past, when Manager Han and his colleagues went to Jiangnan to do business, they all believed that it is better to do business with familiar people than with new ones. Whether purchasing or selling goods, they mostly dealt with the managers of Suzhou Prefecture who they had dealt with for many years.

Suzhou Prefecture has a new prefect named Zhang, so they may not be able to go there in the future. After reporting to the princess in person this time, he decided not to stay in Suzhou Prefecture next time he goes to Jiangnan, and he would look for another cooperative manager.

The details are difficult to describe in a letter. Manager Han originally planned to watch the port unload the goods and then return to Songjiang City to report in person. He did not expect that the princess would come to Songjiang City, which saved him the trouble.

Cao Dadang also sighed: "As merchants, we are afraid of being robbed by bandits on the road, and then we are exploited by corrupt officials when we get to the place. The money we have worked hard to earn becomes our sin. If they rob us, they will scold us and say that no businessman can be unscrupulous and look down on us."

Tian Jiaxuan smiled but said nothing. What Manager He said was right, but it was only right for him. As far as he knew, there were many dishonest merchants.

Shopkeeper He secretly kicked him, and then the head of the Cao family reacted and said with a smile, "Governor, I'm not talking about you. The officials under the rule of the prince and princess are all very reasonable and have never bullied us."

Shopkeeper Han was different from ordinary merchants, so he dared to speak his mind. He smiled and said, "Our princess treats everyone equally. We common people are afraid of getting into trouble, and the officials are afraid of being targeted by the Supervisory Office."

"They want to be honest officials, and we should be honest people too!"

"Everything is fine. Everyone follows the rules. They don't worry about being bullied or having no place to complain. Everyone lives in peace and contentment."

Tian Jiaxuan listened to all these words and took them to heart. He had heard similar words many times in the past few years. It was obvious that the people under the rule of Prince Qi's Mansion lived and worked in peace and contentment.

He had thought countless times whether other places in the Great Zhou Dynasty could become like Songjiang City one day, but his father told him that it was impossible.

His father said that the Qi Wang Mansion was like a small country with few people and a small area, so it was able to implement its policies. However, in the vast Zhou Dynasty, there were too many shadows that were not under the supervision of the court, and it was impossible to implement the policies completely according to the court's requirements.

This is the reason why imperial power does not extend below the county level.

He also asked his father, if one day the central government's ruling power could reach the local areas, would the people of the entire Zhou Dynasty be able to live such a stable life?

His father answered his question after a long time. He said that if the rule of the central dynasty ever reached the local areas, human desires were uncontrollable and there would always be loopholes. Even the best policies would be distorted during implementation due to human influence.

His father, based on his many years of experience as an imperial censor in the court, reminded him that an official only needs to be true to his conscience and not have too high expectations of the imperial power of any dynasty, because no one is a god and no one can always be fair and selfless.

It is precisely because they are rare that wise rulers and capable ministers are recorded in history books and talked about and remembered by later generations.

The first thing Tian Jiaxuan gained on his official journey was the experience his father taught him. Later, he worked under Zhou Chen and saw with his own eyes how he handled the complicated interest relations between the upper-class families. When he repaired the official road, he went to work under Uncle Gu, who taught him how to deal with the grassroots people.

Later, he was promoted by the prince and princess, and became the governor of Dongshan Port at a young age.

Others were shocked that he was in such a high position at such a young age, but they didn't know that it was precisely because of his youth that he was able to hold this position.

Before he took office as the Governor of Dongshan Port, he said the same thing to the princess as he did to his father. The princess's answer was similar to his father's, but also very different.

The princess said that if the central government's ruling power could once reach every inch of land in the Zhou Dynasty, the public power would crush the ordinary people, the upper against the lower, the strong against the weak. When things are going well, it would be a protection, but when things are not going well, all the trust and praise before would turn into a black hand strangling their throats. At that time, would the people at the bottom still feel good?

He was horrified at the time, but the princess smiled and said, "If you look through the poetry and books of past dynasties, you'll find several emperors whose achievements are worthy of being called the greatest of all time, but no one to date has ever been able to extend imperial power to every corner." "Predecessors couldn't do it, and no one in the Great Zhou Dynasty would be able to do it either," she told him, adding that he didn't need to worry about these unlikely events.

After the princess told him not to worry, she said that he had the ability to govern and a compassionate heart for the people, and seemed like someone who could take on great responsibilities.

The prince and princess stopped the gossip about his youth and promoted him to the position of governor of Dongshan Port. A few years passed, and he had no right to interfere in other places in the Great Zhou Dynasty. At least in Dongshan Port under his rule, he felt that he had realized his political ideals on a small scale.

The jokes made by Manager Han and others at this time proved his achievements.

When they arrived outside the city, Manager Han treated them to tea. Just as they sat down, a convoy came on the official road from the west, and they hurriedly stood up.

Guan Pei, the chief guard serving Prince Qi, and Li Xian, the chief guard serving the princess, rode on horseback and led the team in front. As soon as they showed up, everyone knew who was coming.

"Your humble servants greet the prince and princess."

The convoy slowly stopped, the carriage curtains opened, and Gu Youan said with a smile, "It's such a hot day, thank you for coming from afar to welcome us."

A Yuan stuck his head out of the carriage and looked out. There was a group of people outside, young and old, and he recognized many of them.

Tian Jiaxuan stepped forward and said, "Your Highness and Princess, it's already noon. Would you like to return home now, or go into town and find a restaurant for lunch?"

Tian Jiaxuan asked this because last year a family from Yizhou Prefecture, whose three generations had been chefs, opened a Sichuan restaurant in Dongshan Port. The princess would go there to eat every time she came to Dongshan Port.

Seeing that Manager Han and the others were there, Gu Youan smiled and said, "Let's go back to the mansion through the north city gate first. You take Manager Han and the others with you. We'll have dinner at the mansion today."

"yes."

Tian Jiaxuan looked up and glanced at Prince Qi, who was holding the young master on his knees and not allowing him to move in the carriage. He waited for a moment. Prince Qi did not say anything, so he lowered his head and retreated.

The convoy of Prince Qi's Mansion turned left outside the west city gate and took a detour to the north city gate. Tian Jiaxuan, Manager Han and others followed behind.

When Tian Jiaxuan and his companions entered the city from the north gate and arrived at Prince Qi's Mansion, the guards who had gone ahead had already returned to the mansion to pass on the message that the food had been prepared in the flower hall where they would be entertained.

Xiaoyue was waiting outside the door with a smile, and said with a smile: "The prince and princess just arrived with the prince, and they are busy now, so they can't come over. I'll trouble Master Tian and Manager Han to help entertain the guests. The prince and princess can come over in the afternoon."

The head of the family, Cao, who came with Manager Han, never expected that he could have a free lunch at Prince Qi's Mansion. Even if they had the guts, they wouldn't dare to ask the prince and princess to have lunch with them. They all said things like "the prince is polite" and "there's no need to rush".

After the maidservant who served the princess left, Cao Dadang and others turned around and saw that Manager Han had already picked up the chopsticks.

Shopkeeper Han glanced at them and said, "Why are you looking at me? Come and have dinner."

Tian Jiaxuan said with a smile, "Please take a seat, everyone. If you would like to have something, just reach for your chopsticks."

Shopkeeper He hurriedly said, "Your Excellency the Governor, please go first."

The prince and princess were to be respected, the county magistrate was not as good as the current one, and the governor of Dongshan Port was even more unacceptable. If the servants of Prince Qi's mansion had not served the wine, every one of them present would have toasted the governor.

Gu Youan and Zhou Qi came to Dongshan Port mainly for naval matters, and also to inspect Dongshan Port, and finally take the time to deal with some small matters in the caravan.

Since Manager Han has arrived with several other managers, they can deal with the caravan's minor matters first.

After taking a short rest after lunch, she asked Zhou Qi to take her son for a nap, and she went to the front yard to meet Tian Jiaxuan, Manager Han and others.

Zhou Qi frowned. "You didn't sleep well at the post station last night, and you got up early to travel this morning. How can you expect to see them if you don't take a nap? Even if you want to see them, there's no rush. You can meet them tomorrow."

After rinsing her mouth, Gu Youan changed into clothes suitable for meeting guests. As she walked out, she said, "I'll be back soon, in half an hour at most. You and your son can rest first. You don't have to wait for me."

Before Zhou Qi could say anything else, the man had already walked out and disappeared.

Zhou Qi looked at his skinny and frail son who had taken off his shirt and said, "Your mother told you to go to bed first."

A Yuan didn't say anything, but his eyes, which were exactly the same as his father's, blinked. He wanted to wait for his mother.

When Gu Youan was around, it was common for the father and son to argue with each other in front of her. When she was not around, they didn't talk as much.

Zhou Qi's broad palms touched the bones on his son's back inch by inch, and he said disdainfully, "Your mother takes care of you like the apple of her eye. All the good things sent to the mansion go into your mouth first. Why are you still so thin?"

A Yuan felt very comfortable being touched by his father's big hands and smiled.

Zhou Qi chuckled and pulled the clean clothes on the pillow to change him into. "The wind is strong at the seaside, be careful not to catch a cold these days. Remember to tell adults if you get too hot or too cold."

"oh."

After dressing her son, she pushed his shoulders and told him to lie down. She pulled open the thin blanket and covered his stomach, patting him gently. "Go to sleep. Your mother said that children grow up well if they get enough sleep."

Yuan turned his head to look out the window, refusing to sleep.

Zhou Qi lay down, holding his son in his arms, as if a soft object was pressed against his heart, and patted his butt: "Go to sleep."

"Mother didn't come."

"Your mother will come back soon and see that you are not asleep. Let's see if she will scold you."

The child tugged at his father's collar: "When are we going to take the big ship?"

"Tomorrow, let's go out to sea early tomorrow morning."

"oh."

A Yuan raised his head and wanted to ask something, but as soon as he raised his head, he saw his father's eyes, so he lowered his head and shut up.

Zhou Qi patted his son's back from time to time. After a while, the little guy in his arms began to breathe longer and longer, and finally fell asleep.

Zhou Qi didn't stop even after his son fell asleep. He gently patted his son's back and closed his eyes thinking about other things.

In the front yard, Gu Youan had already listened to Shopkeeper Han's story about Suzhou Prefecture. She frowned and said, "I remember the first time I went to Suzhou Prefecture to do business, the first merchant shopkeeper I met was introduced by Second Uncle Du."

"What the princess said is correct. Over the years, our caravan has been purchasing cloth from the same few companies. Now they have been suppressed and have no place to stay. Their shops have been closed, and the cloth workshops and dyeing factories have also been closed. Alas."

Tian Jiaxuan listened to the entire conversation and said, "Suzhou Prefecture is no small place. Those families have been able to do business there for so many years and build up such a large fortune. It's impossible that they don't have someone behind them to protect them. Could it be that the new prefect is more powerful than the people behind those merchants?"

Shopkeeper Han said, "The Suzhou Chamber of Commerce is a united group, and they pay tribute to officials of the imperial court. No matter how powerful the officials are, how can they compare to the power of the princes' maternal families?"

Gu Youan scoffed: "After all this talk, it still comes down to the princes and grandchildren of the emperor."

Zhou Xuan has inherited the throne for sixteen years. Not to mention that his first child born before he inherited the throne is already in his twenties, even the youngest of the sons born after he inherited the throne is ten years old. The forces behind the prince are probably unable to sit still.

But it's no wonder that Zhou Xuan has appeared less and less in front of officials in recent years. Even when he has to appear, he has to hang a curtain to block the officials' view. There are rumors outside that the emperor has contracted a strange disease and may not live for many more years.

There is evidence to support this statement. For example, in the few years after Zhou Xuan ascended the throne, twenty or thirty princes and princesses were born in the harem. However, in the past five or six years, no concubine in the harem has been pregnant. Isn't this evidence that the emperor is seriously ill?

This statement was originally circulated secretly among officials in Luoyang. In the past two years, the news spread to the people, and the prince's mother's family and officials from both the court and the opposition began to take sides, openly or secretly.

Mr. Zhang, the man in Suzhou Prefecture who started to plunder money as soon as he took office, is a reflection of the countless officials who defected to the prince.

The territory inside the Great Wall was the imperial court's territory, and the Qi Wang Mansion had no right to interfere. Gu Youan thought about it carefully and asked Manager Han, "You just said that their cloth workshop and dyeing workshop are all closed down?"

"Yes, it was closed when we left Suzhou Prefecture."

Gu Youan said, "Manager Han, don't wait for the medicinal herbs to arrive from Songjiang City. Leave this afternoon and take a boat to Suzhou Prefecture. I'm not asking you to go there to do business. I'm only asking you to ask the merchants who run cloth and dyeing workshops if they are willing to bring their craftsmen to Songjiang City to reopen their cloth and dyeing workshops."

"This... our Songjiang City doesn't produce cotton, doesn't raise silkworms, and doesn't produce flax. Opening a cloth mill in Songjiang City..."

Gu Youan smiled and said, "We don't grow cotton in Songjiang City, but there are vast grasslands to the west of Songjiang City. If we don't have cotton, don't we have wool?"

"Wool weaving?" Shopkeeper Han thought for a moment and said, "People in the Great Zhou Dynasty still prefer cotton and linen. There is wool weaving cloth in Ningxia, but it's hard to sell."

"It doesn't matter. Just invite people here first. As long as there are talented people, the craftsmanship can be improved. If it's not selling well, we can find another way."

"I think the princess's suggestion is good." Tian Jiaxuan also knew the importance of craftsmen.

It turned out that the craftsmen from Jiangnan were unwilling to come because they thought it was too cold outside the Great Wall. Now that they have been forced into a desperate situation, they may be willing to come and give it a try.

Gu Youan said to Shopkeeper Han, "You've been exposed to medicinal herbs since you were a child, so you know it takes several years for a single herb to mature. Songjiang City, with its high mountains and dense forests, has no shortage of good herbs, but we've been selling them out in large quantities in recent years, which has been a huge waste. If the wool business can be developed, Songjiang City can still do this even if it doesn't sell herbs anymore. It's also a viable option."

Gu Youan smiled and said, "Tell them that as long as they have the ability to make cloth or weave it into blankets, they don't have to worry about not being able to sell it. People in the south aren't used to wool fabrics, so we can still find a way to sell it westward."

Shopkeeper Han figured it out. He said, "Don't worry, Princess. I will do my best to persuade them to come to Songjiang City and build a cloth workshop."

Manager Han did not stay long and left immediately. He wanted to ask Manager He and the others to go to Suzhou together so that there would be more people and more strength.

After Manager Han left, Gu Youan remembered that he had forgotten something and had not yet asked clearly about the Dongwo matter.

Tian Jiaxuan: "About selling grain? I know about that. The Japanese ships came to our Dongshan Port, but we listened to you and didn't allow them to dock. They even tried to force their way in, but our navy ships deployed their forces and retreated. I guess after a few attempts, they realized they couldn't defeat us, so they stopped our merchant ships in the strait and offered to buy our grain."

Gu Youan sneered: "Japanese are Japanese."

Tian Jiaxuan smiled and said, "Gao Jin has lived up to your expectations. He has trained the navy well. You will know when you and the prince go to the sea one day."

Gu Youan was satisfied with Gao Jin, but it wasn't all his credit. Gu Youan smiled and said, "Zhang Minghui does have some skills."

After Zhang Minghui retired from his position as commander-in-chief of the Yanzhou Army, he went to Songjiang City to retire. When he heard that a navy was going to be built, he went to discuss it with Zhou Qi, saying that he had a manuscript left by the commander-in-chief of the navy of the previous dynasty. He knew the book by heart and knew how to train the navy.

Zhou Qi ignored him at first, but Zhang Minghui pestered him several times. Finally, Zhou Qi agreed to Zhang Minghui's request. He did not give him an official position, but only an empty title. Zhang Minghui still went happily.

It’s getting late, and Gu Youan still has to go back to accompany his son for lunch. Let’s talk about the navy later.

As Gu Youan stood up, he caught a glimpse of the documents Tian Jiaxuan had taken out of his arms and immediately said, "You will report the affairs of Dongshan Port to Prince Qi later. I don't care about these things. You can talk to him yourself."

Gu Youan slipped away quickly, leaving Tian Jiaxuan at a loss for words. What did she mean by "she doesn't care"? Didn't she care about everything when Prince Qi was busy?

It's too fake to use this excuse to shirk responsibility at this moment.

Gu Youan didn't care what Tian Jiaxuan chose. She was tired too, so she went back to the bedroom, changed her clothes, and fell asleep next to her son.

Zhou Qi woke up when she came in. After she fell asleep with him, Zhou Qi got up quietly and went out to the front yard.

Tian Jiaxuan was still there. He knelt and saluted: "Your humble servant greets His Majesty."

"Stand up."