In front of Fang Zhenru, the emperor did not show any mercy in his reprimand of Yang Lian. He did not even give Yang Lian a chance to defend himself or to speak out against his faults. He ordered Yang Lian to go back and reflect on himself, and then left in anger.

Don't look at the advertisements, look at the results. The political situation and conditions of the Ming Dynasty, although not booming, have improved significantly compared to a few years ago.

Foreign wars were won frequently, and the victory of pacifying Liao and destroying the slaves was in sight; the court was relatively clean, at least without the mess made by those bastards who only cared about party struggles and verbal attacks; governing the officials was a long-term task, but many corrupt officials had been cleared out, curbing the trend of increasing corruption.

The people's lives are better now, right? The war is going on, but I have not increased taxes and I have even exempted several provinces in the north.

Even my money hasn't been deposited into my account for several years, and he's still stingy even on his birthday. And he's still not satisfied, and he keeps nagging me.

What have you done, Yang Lian? If I hadn't sent you to Shanxi, you would still be fighting with this and that in the court. You're called a minister of remonstration, but you're just causing trouble for me!

Historically speaking, Yang Lian devoted his life to fighting for the "Red Pill Case" and the "Palace Move Case" to rectify the imperial harem and to fight against the eunuch party to curb Uncle Wei.

If we exclude his minor contributions while serving as the county magistrate, namely, being the first to select honest officials, Yang Lian did not make any commendable political achievements.

Of course, the Donglin Party members who came to power later spoke highly of Yang Lian, saying that he was "an upright and upright person" who sacrificed his precious life to save the chaotic political situation.

A chaotic political situation?! In Zhu Youxiao's view, the chaos was caused by the factional struggles between the Donglin Party, the Chu Party, and the Zhejiang Party.

Yang Lian, a censor, held the highest position of Left Vice-Minister of the Imperial Censorate, but his admonitions were mostly directed at the imperial court and eunuchs. During this period of national turmoil, he lacked a sound strategy.

This was also a common problem among the censors in the late Ming Dynasty. They would use a magnifying glass to find faults in the affairs of the royal family, and earn a reputation for themselves to be loyal and upright by speaking out against the emperor and not fearing death.

As the saying goes, "honest advice hurts," and Zhu Youxiao was not without tolerance. But what was the point of "honest advice" that was nitpicking and of no benefit to the country or the people, and the censors who made a living from it?

Humph, if you don't want to do it, then get out. I can have some peace of mind. Zuo Guangdou is an expert in water conservancy. What extraordinary talents do you, Yang Lian, have?

Zhu Youxiao turned to the warm room with a sullen face, fuming angrily as he walked.

Fan Xiaohui, a maidservant who served the emperor personally, was so frightened when she saw the emperor's anger that her heart began to flutter. She followed the emperor closely, her skirt lifted slightly, not daring to breathe.

"Meow!" A white hydrangea came bounding over. Seeing the Supreme Lord coming with such arrogance, she wasn't afraid and just tilted her head and called out.

Zhu Youxiao paused, and just when Fan Xiaohui was worried that the emperor would kick the cat away, she saw the emperor squatting down and reaching out to touch the cat's head.

This is the youngest one born to Bai Niangniang and Ye Hei. It is completely white, looks most like Xiaobai, and is also Zhu Youxiao's favorite.

Xiao Xiaobai enjoyed the emperor's touch and was usually the one who clung to him the most. Zhu Youxiao observed that Xiao Xiaobai was probably the smartest of the brothers and sisters.

According to research, the IQ of an adult cat is equivalent to that of a two or three-year-old child. Zhu Youxiao believed that Xiao Xiaobai should be smarter and more sensible than his two little princesses, at least equivalent to a one-year-old child.

Zhu Youxiao picked up Xiao Xiaobai and went straight back to the warm room.

In the outer room of the warm room, Li Chengcheng sat at a desk, her head bent over the accounts. The expenses of the Shaoying Courtyard, along with some of the palace's expenses, were now her responsibility, her position as both internal housekeeper and accountant unshakable.

"Your servants pay their respects to the Emperor." Ji-hyun and Ji-eun hurriedly knelt to greet him.

The emperor just slowed down his pace for a moment, then returned to normal and went straight into the inner room.

Li Chengcheng stood up and was about to bow to greet him, but he saw that the emperor had already walked in. He blinked in surprise and turned his inquiring gaze to Fan Xiaohui who was following closely.

Fan Xiaohui walked quickly forward, whispered a few words in Li Chengcheng's ear, and then hurried to the inner room to serve.

The emperor lazily nestled in the soft chair, which was a sofa he had built himself. He felt comfortable and relaxed sitting there, his eyes half open and half closed, recovering his emotions in his own little space.

"Your Majesty, may I pour you some tea?" Fan Xiaohui smiled and served attentively.

Zhu Youxiao nodded slightly, looked at Xiao Xiaobai on the table, and stretched out his hand to scratch its chin. Xiao Xiaobai shook its head and stretched out its tongue to lick the emperor's hand.

Smart cats know how to please me, unlike some people who always make me angry.

The emperor rolled his eyes, still a little angry.

Li Chengcheng walked in and made eye contact with Fan Xiaohui, who pouted and hurried out to avoid the disaster.

"Your Majesty, I've calculated the expenses for the Shaoying Courtyard." Li Chengcheng held the account book but didn't open it to show the emperor. He just smiled and reported, "Shall I ask the Imperial Household to allocate the funds now?"

The emperor nodded and said, "I understand. Go ahead and do it!"

Li Chengcheng didn't leave, but continued, "Your Majesty, let's go to the Meridian Gate to see the Feitian tomorrow. Take Xiaohui with you. She's very anxious. If she doesn't see it, she won't be able to sleep well!"

"Okay." Zhu Youxiao didn't think it was a big deal. Who could say anything if he brought one more maid or one less?

Looking up at Li Chengcheng, Zhu Youxiao smiled, put his arm around the girl's slender waist, and said, "Don't interrupt me and distract me. I'm almost done with my anger."

Li Chengcheng chuckled and leaned close to the emperor, saying, "I knew that the emperor had a broad mind, and his anger would soon pass. Xiaohui was quite scared, and even said she wanted to go to the tiger cave to play with the emperor to relax!"

According to historical records, there was a cave under the steps of the Qianqing Palace, named Tiger Cave. Above the cave was the Imperial Street, and the cave walls were paved with stone, allowing people to come and go.

The Tiger Cave under the steps of the Qianqing Palace's moon platform is a passage running through the east and west. It is built with stones, with square entrances and exits and an arched cave. The cave is 1.8m high, 1.1m wide and 10m long. It is still very intact in later generations.

It is said that the young carpenter emperor liked to play hide-and-seek with the eunuchs and palace maids by going in and out of the tiger cave.

Zhu Youxiao did not have this hobby, but there were few entertainment facilities in the palace, so palace maids such as Fan Xiaohui regarded it as a fun place.

In fact, the Tiger Cave was actually a refuge. If the palace caught fire, people could hide in the Tiger Cave because of its low terrain and avoid being burned by the fire or choked by the smoke.

Tiger Cave, the two little princesses will use it as a playground in the future, playing hide-and-seek and having a lot of fun, right?

The emperor pinched the soft flesh between Li Chengcheng's waist and hips, imagining the two cute kids playing happily, and couldn't help but smile.

After all, this world belongs to you, and you work hard for yourself and your loved ones.

It doesn't matter what others say. Since we know the trajectory of historical development, what we do is of course to seek benefits and avoid harm, and it is wise and correct.