Chapter 46 046 I am not cold.

After much pleading and cajoling, Zhao Jialing finally got Xie Lanzhao to agree to play the Five Stars in a row game, giving her a one-piece handicap.

Zhao Jialing, who had been utterly defeated in the game, finally won and felt a surge of triumph. She looked at Xie Lanzhao with a beaming smile and said, "I've won. Do you have anything to say?"

Xie Lanzhao casually replied, "Your Majesty is wise and intelligent."

Zhao Jialing: "Ha, you're just trying to fool me." After a pause, she said in a very arrogant tone, "I know you can't come up with anything. Since that's the case, I'll reluctantly offer you a suggestion. In a few days, I will be visiting your residence. Be prepared to receive me."

"The plum blossoms in my residence have not yet bloomed," Xie Lanzhao said.

Zhao Jialing: "..." Damn it, the plum blossoms had already bloomed around the winter solstice. But there's a grand court assembly and a sacrifice to heaven around the winter solstice, and that keeps her busy until the following year. Wait, she didn't say she was going to the Xie residence to see the flowers; she almost got led astray by Xie Lanzhao. Damn it! Zhao Jialing thought angrily, originally wanting to retort, but when she glanced at the smile on Xie Lanzhao's face, she froze and subconsciously said, "Then why don't you put a plum blossom decoration on your forehead? Wouldn't that make you have plum blossoms?"

Xie Lanzhao's gaze was deep and she remained silent.

Zhao Jialing's heart skipped a beat. She realized how abrupt her words had been. How could she have so frivolously flirted with Xie Lanzao! Thinking it was one thing, but saying it aloud was quite another. She was anxious and embarrassed, her face instantly turning bright red. As the emperor, she could speak harshly—after all, she could say whatever she wanted—but she couldn't get past her own conscience. So anxious was she that she showed signs of sadness. Clutching her sleeves, she lowered her head and said guiltily, "I'm sorry, it was I...I was presumptuous."

Xie Lanzhao didn't blame her; having heard so many heartfelt words, she was already indifferent. Seeing Zhao Jialing's weak tone and somewhat gloomy expression, she gently comforted her, "It's alright."

Zhao Jialing pursed her lips, still feeling dejected.

Seeing this, Xie Lanzhao didn't know how to comfort her. Noticing the cat taking a stroll, she simply bent down, picked it up, and placed it in Zhao Jialing's arms. Zhao Jialing was a little dazed, but instinctively caught the little cat, buried her head in its body, and gave it a good sniff. Her stiff brain began to work again, and her thoughts started flowing again.

"Third Sister, do you think she'll think I'm frivolous and dissolute?"

The Wise Ruler System remained silent; people are used to hearing that by now.

I am not that kind of person.

[Hmm, the host only dares to think about it.]

Thinking about it is one thing, doing it is another.

...

While Zhao Jialing in the palace was experiencing a myriad of emotions, the civil and military officials were also filled with a different kind of sorrow.

Just as Zhao Jialing had anticipated, even if the officials didn't visit themselves, they would send their children or grandchildren. The *Tongshi* was inexpensive; they could afford it. There wasn't much publicity in the palace, but who didn't know that His Majesty had personally promoted it? If all the other colleagues had bought it, and you weren't, would it be appropriate for word to get out?

One must be careful in officialdom, otherwise, if someone is labeled as an opponent of the new policies, they're finished. Remember, countless people were executed or demoted during the reign of the late emperor for opposing the new policies. The current emperor is lenient, but the prime minister is not someone to be trifled with.

But along with the return of "General Knowledge" came the news of the "glass window".

The "General Knowledge" textbook is optional, but that large, crystal-clear glass—what a rare thing! Even the palace didn't use it, so why did the Huangyong Bookstore have it? Was it a special gift from the emperor to win over the scholars, or did it come from another source? Did they also have the opportunity to possess it?

Unlike gunpowder and firearms, the news of the glass wasn't kept secret. Some unsuspecting court officials and nobles inquired with the Ministry of Works and the Directorate of Imperial Works, and immediately learned its origin. Good heavens! This glass was actually made by their own Great Yong Dynasty! It was even rarer than the glass brought back from beyond the borders.

The reason why glass is so expensive is because the secret recipe is kept secret and transportation is extremely difficult, involving crossing mountains and valleys. Now, the Great Yong Dynasty makes it itself. Even after deducting the transportation costs, would it still be so expensive?

After finishing their shifts, both civil and military officials went to the Huangyong Bookstore to get a close look at the glass. They didn't dare to be too noisy, communicating silently with their eyes. As soon as they came out of the bookstore, one of them slapped his thigh and made up his mind.

Buy it! Once it's installed, won't you be able to enjoy the scenery of all four seasons from the comfort of your home?!

How many of these large items are there? Who will get them first? They were all smiles and laughter when they arrived, but now their eyes are blazing with daggers at each other. Competitors, they're enemies!

Zhao Jialing wanted to extract money from the pockets of the super-rich, but she was very careful not to turn the court into a chaotic marketplace. She couldn't handle the glass matter herself. She briefly mentioned it to her attendant, who understood and relayed the message to those people.

Getting glass is easy; just place an order with a glass factory. As for the glass factory—well, it's just starting construction now, and the glass is being made in the workshops of the Imperial Workshop. But the number of employees in the glass factory is already set, similar to the various offices of the Imperial Household Department, with officials such as the director, assistant director, and clerk, all appointed directly by the emperor from among the palace officials.

The desire to avoid falling behind and the fear of being resented led to a considerable number of court officials ordering glass, which surprised Zhao Jialing. Although she wanted the money, she didn't accept all orders and limited the number of orders. Firstly, she didn't want the glass factory to produce glass solely for court officials in the future. Secondly, she didn't want any court officials to live a life of hardship simply to follow the trend.

Being in the palace, it was difficult to have a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the court officials. Therefore, Zhao Jialing invited the ministers to the palace to discuss the matter.

Among those who signed up, there were certainly wealthy nobles, but it was absurd for someone whose entire family rented a house in the capital to also eagerly make reservations. Where would they get the money? If not by saving food for their own families, then they would have to resort to exploiting the people. Zhao Jialing didn't want things to get worse. After some discussion, Zhao Jialing simply excluded all the court officials, leaving only the wealthy nobles. Let them be exploited; they weren't short of money anyway.

After a busy period, with the winter festival approaching, Zhao Jialing finally managed to find some free time.

Snow and wind swept across the land, and dark clouds loomed overhead.

Zhao Jialing was wearing a thick fur coat, but he wasn't holding a small hand warmer.

Last year and the year before, she was afraid of the cold, so she thought of hiding in the warm palace, but this year she is not afraid.

[The host's continued sword practice will still improve his health.] The Wise Ruler System was quite proud. The "Ox Quality" had expired, but the host's habit had been formed, and he would get up to practice martial arts on his own when the time came.

"Should I thank you for making me suffer?" Zhao Jialing snorted, then said, "I'll stay at the Xie residence today. I can't afford to run into any more trouble, can I?"

The Wise Ruler System, which had just been speaking, immediately went silent.

Zhao Jialing: "..."

The Xie family had been informed beforehand, and everyone in the household knew that His Majesty was coming.

After the carriage curtain was lifted, Zhao Jialing immediately saw the grandmother and granddaughter in the wind and snow, and hurriedly told them to go inside quickly.

If they get frostbite, that would be a real disaster.

The Grand Princess was meticulous and did not leave until after the greetings were completed, leaving Zhao Jialing and Xie Lanzao alone.

"I think we should arrange a meeting place from now on, instead of at the Xie residence," Zhao Jialing said with a sigh.

Xie Lanzhao chuckled, rolled up her sleeves, and personally served tea to Zhao Jialing.

There was a charcoal brazier in the room, and screens surrounded it on all four sides, so it wasn't too cool. Zhao Jialing loosened her fur coat and stared intently at Xie Lanzao—she hadn't noticed Xie Lanzao's difference earlier because the Grand Princess was present. Since she had nothing to do at home, she hadn't worn her official robes and had changed into a rather bright and colorful outfit.

She also wore plum blossom hair ornaments!

Zhao Jialing's heart immediately started pounding.

She licked her inexplicably dry lips, thinking: "Like a plum blossom emerging from jade snow, she slowly applies her makeup before the mirror at dawn. ①"

"Hmm? Is Your Majesty thirsty?" Xie Lanzhao asked, raising her eyes. Her bright eyes held a touch of allure, a stark contrast to her usual aloofness. Hearing her gentle voice, Zhao Jialing's heart skipped a beat, and her face flushed crimson. She clearly felt the burning heat on her cheeks and quickly lowered her head to hide it, stammering, "No, no. Hmm, yes, I'm thirsty."

Xie Lanzhao smiled gently and said, "Your Majesty, please have some tea." After a pause, she added, "The tea is a little hot, please drink slowly."

"Mmm." Zhao Jialing nodded repeatedly, his lips not even touching the tea yet, and said, "It's too hot, it's making me feel hot all over." He then took off his fur coat, trying to dispel the restlessness in his body.

"If Your Majesty catches a cold while staying at my residence, then I will be guilty of a thousand deaths," Xie Lanzhao added.

Zhao Jialing froze, then reluctantly lowered his hand.

Even if you take off your fur coat, you'll still feel cold when the wind blows.

She forced a smile and said somewhat awkwardly, "Now that we're out of the palace, why don't we go for a walk?"

Xie Lanzhao nodded and did not refuse.

The cold wind, carrying snowflakes, instantly froze the restlessness.

Zhao Jialing stomped his foot, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards Xie Lanzhao's face.

[Didn't the host intend to stay at the Xie family's place?]

"Why did you have to be so talkative?" Zhao Jialing wished the system would shut up, but after a while, she muttered to herself again.

What does Xie Lanzhao mean by this? Is it what I'm thinking?

"I'd like to touch it again. Isn't that going too far?"

Do you think there's something wrong with my heart?

...

Zhao Jialing was lost in thought.

She tried hard to calm herself down, but when she saw Xie Lanzhao's face, that feeling of joy welled up inside her.

She can suppress it a hundred times, but that same energy can be reborn a hundred times over.

Her expression was constantly changing; if Xie Lanzhao hadn't been able to hear her thoughts, she would have thought the emperor was dissatisfied with her.

"Why is Your Majesty looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

"Huh?" Zhao Jialing was brought back to her senses by Xie Lanzhao's voice. She asked, "Are you cold?"

Xie Lanzhao chuckled and said, "I am not cold." After a pause, he added, "Since Your Majesty does not know where to go, then let's take a walk to the East Market."

The nobility and royalty focused on the glass doors of the bookstores, but the scholars remained focused on the books themselves.

After Huangyong Bookstore began selling the *Tongshi* (General Knowledge), all sorts of rumors emerged. One of them was that it might be related to this year's imperial examination questions. Besides rhyme books, the bookstore's newly printed books included the *Tongshi*, which was required for the imperial examinations. So what about the *Tongshi*?

Some argue that if the exam scope goes beyond what students have learned in the past, who among them can pass? However, it's unlikely that the exam will cover classical texts and poetry. But mentioning "General Knowledge" in the policy essay might enhance the essay. Having come this far, no one wants to fail due to momentary carelessness.

It's just reading three more books!