Consort Hui: She was just saying it casually.

Who would have thought that He Jinran would be so shameless?

"It's good that I can help His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Thank you very much." He Jinran smiled mischievously and continued:

"Your Highness, if there's nothing else, I need to go back to my studies." This was the first time he had brought up studying on his own initiative, simply to urge others to leave.

Consort Hui bowed, her expression indescribable.

She had only taken a few steps after turning around when she heard He Jinran say loudly,

"etc!"

Consort Hui turned around, "Does Your Highness have anything else to say?"

"I really don't like Consort Hui's pastries. You can take them back with you."

Consort Hui tightened her grip on the handkerchief in her hand and glanced at the palace maid beside her.

The palace maid bent down and took the food box.

Unexpectedly, Consort Hui had only turned around and taken two more steps when He Jinran spoke loudly again:

“Your Highness Consort Hui, I don’t know anyone in this palace, and I’m really bored. From now on, I will treat Your Highness Consort Hui as a caring elder. Remember, you must come again tomorrow. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Consort Hui... she's got her eye on her jewelry!

How shameless!

She tightened her grip on the handkerchief in her hand again.

She turned around a second time, nodded to He Jinran, and smiled smugly.

"I also feel that it is very pleasant to talk to Your Highness."

After Consort Hui left, He Jinran burst into laughter.

He could already imagine the regretful expression on Consort Hui's face after she left the palace.

Words spoken are like water spilled; they cannot be taken back.

Consort Hui never imagined that she would be tricked while merely coming to investigate.

Xuan Ying thought to himself, "Your Highness appears innocent and naive, but he's actually quite cunning."

Qiu Xu, without realizing it, had his mind entirely focused on the palace examination that was half a month later.

So he pulled He Jinran to the study.

"Your Highness, you are the Crown Prince after all. You cannot afford to lose face on that occasion."

He Jinran resisted.

The thought of the two gentlemen waiting in the study sent chills down his spine.

But because of his uncle, his resistance was futile.

He had originally planned to use Consort Hui as an excuse to let her slack off for half a day.

Well, his uncle was worried that he would lose face on the day of the imperial examination, and he was doing it for his own good.

After all, he had never even passed the preliminary examination for becoming a child scholar by dressing as a woman.

Now, however, we must leap directly to the palace examination?

Who could stand that?

Sigh, think about it, only he has such privileges.

In other words, he didn't want that privilege.

The following day, Consort Hui arrived as promised, bringing her jewelry and ornaments to find He Jinran.

Today, her attitude was even kinder than yesterday.

He Jinran looked at the chest full of gold and silver jewelry, his lips curving into a wide grin.

"Your Highness Consort Hui is very kind."

"Your Highness, please don't be so polite with me." Consort Hui looked at He Jinran's love for money and thought to herself that she had finally found He Jinran's weakness.

"Your Highness, what do you need money for?" She knew that He Jinran was in the palace and did not lack for expenses.

“Of course…” He Jinran stopped abruptly and said no more.

Consort Hui: "Your Highness, we're all family. Are you afraid I'll tell your father?" She deliberately pulled a long face, her displeasure carrying the dissatisfaction of an elder.

"His Highness the Crown Prince said yesterday, 'I will act as a caring elder and try my best to meet your financial needs, but you still don't trust me.'"

"Your Highness, Consort Hui, what are you saying?" He Jinran chuckled and approached Consort Hui.

"I now regard you as my mother."

"Really?" Consort Hui's eyes lit up, and she put on a look of relief and joy.

I never expected this.

His Highness the Crown Prince can be bribed with mere money.

"Of course." He Jinran inwardly berated himself.

"Your Highness Consort Hui, in this palace, I can only trust you."

"If you trust me, then listen to my advice. Don't do anything like sneaking out of the palace, or your father will punish you." Consort Hui's tone was entirely that of an elder concerned for a younger person.

"No, even if I leave the palace, I won't let Father Emperor know." He Jinran seemed to regard Consort Hui as a confidante, and didn't hold back on anything she said.

What he didn't know was that his father, the emperor, was secretly...

Consort Hui approached He Jinran and asked with a smile:

"Your Highness, you still haven't told me what you want the money for. You don't want me to be implicated because of you, do you? In any case, this money is a gift from me."

"If you don't tell me, and I don't tell you, who will know?"

He Lin, hidden in the shadows, had a face as black as charcoal.

Consort Hui: "You really want to sneak out of the palace?"

"I just miss my mother, I want to go home and see her..." He Jinran paused again.

He seemed to realize he had said the wrong thing, and quickly said tactfully:

"I'm just thinking about it; Father will never agree."

"Your Highness, if you miss your mother, you can bring the General's wife to the palace to stay with you for a while," Consort Hui suggested kindly, her eyes darting around.

“My mother won’t come.” He Jinran understood Qiu Yan well.

What a terrible idea!

"Never mind what I said." Consort Hui left without lingering any longer today.

Meanwhile, the unfortunate He Jinran was dragged back to school by Qiu Xu.

...

Although the Kingdom of Dongjin successively annexed the Northern Qi and Western Qin, unifying the three kingdoms,

However, some barbarian tribes, driven by the need for survival, repeatedly invaded.

Just as Gu Qian had said before,

They never dared to confront the Kingdom of Dongjin directly.

They only attack civilians secretly.

By the time word of the incident reached the border general, the barbarian robbers had long since vanished without a trace.

His Majesty is deeply troubled; such things are truly impossible to guard against.

So, a few days later, at a morning court session,

He summoned all the civil and military officials.

"Do any of my esteemed ministers have any insightful suggestions?"

These border matters, though they may not sound like big issues, are by no means trivial.

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, strengthening the defenses of the border regions is the most important thing." The one who said this was none other than Minister Sun.

He Lin had already thought of this method, and he nodded with a smile.

"Do any of you have any other opinions?" When he heard his subordinates speak again, he began to call on names.

"Prime Minister Duan, what do you think?"

Duan Xiang stepped forward, first bowing slightly.

"Your Majesty, I agree with what Minister Sun said."

He Lin: "I also think this method is correct, but how can we strengthen the defenses?"

Duan Xiang: "Your Majesty, at present, the only option is to allocate funds and grain."

He Lin...simply put it.

He's just broke, isn't he?

Although seven years of war have passed, the imperial treasury is still not full.

Previously, there was the suffering of war.

But now, in the harsh, cold borderlands, there is either drought or flooding.

The people were suffering terribly, and he was in constant unease, day and night.

"General Gu, what's your opinion?" He Lin had been waiting for Gu Qian to speak.

Unable to wait any longer, he had no choice but to inquire in person.

Gu Qian stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

"Your Majesty, have you ever considered why the economy of our Dongjin border region has never been able to improve?"

He Lin: Gu Qian hit the nail on the head.

The ministers said: "Well, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, so even if someone is corrupt or accepting bribes, it is not impossible."

Besides, since the unification of Dongjin, there are still many border officials who are unruly.

He Lin has been working to change this situation.

He asked again, "General Gu, do you have a solution?"