Chapter 8 Father's Favor

As soon as Li Yuanzhao reached the entrance of Yanying Hall, Eunuch Xu, who served the emperor, came to greet him.

"Your Highness, Minister Liu of the Ministry of Rites is discussing matters inside. This servant will prepare a chair for you; please wait a moment..."

"No need," Li Yuanzhao said calmly, and without stopping, walked straight inside.

Xu Gonggong was used to it and stepped aside as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

Before Li Yuanzhao even entered the inner room, he heard Lord Liu's hoarse voice speaking.

She wasn't saying it herself, but even someone like Eunuch Xu, who was penniless, had a more masculine and pleasant-sounding voice than Lord Liu.

"Your Majesty, a strange phenomenon occurred last night. A bolt of lightning struck the roof of Xihe Palace and I heard that it also injured Her Highness the Eldest Princess."

"In my opinion, this is a warning from Heaven, a punishment for women interfering in politics. Your Majesty, please reconsider..."

Before the emperor on the dragon throne could speak, a harsh voice suddenly rang out.

"Lord Liu seems to get information from the palace very quickly. I wonder how many eyes he has placed here to keep an eye on things?"

Lord Liu turned around in disbelief, and unconsciously swallowed when he saw Li Yuanzhao.

His daughter married into the Cui family, so he considered himself to be on the side of the Second Prince.

He originally intended to file a complaint while Li Yuanzhao was away, but he never expected to be so unlucky as to run into this jinx.

Upon seeing Li Yuanzhao, the Emperor's eyes immediately filled with affection, and his voice softened involuntarily, "Que Nu is back!"

Li Yuanzhao then performed a full bow properly.

"I just returned to the capital yesterday and rested for a while before coming to report to my father."

"No rush, no rush," the Emperor looked at his daughter with concern and said, "I see you've lost some weight. You must have been working hard these past few days. Please take a seat."

Immediately, a young eunuch nimbly carried up Li Yuanzhao's personal rosewood armchair.

Li Yuanzhao took a seat without hesitation.

At this moment, Lord Liu, who was nearly seventy years old and standing in the middle of the hall, felt a little embarrassed.

Li Yuanzhao casually smoothed out his clothes, raised his eyes and said, "Since Lord Liu can link this ordinary lightning to divine punishment, could the sudden collapse of the beams in the back hall of your mansion last year also be a warning from heaven?"

She raised an eyebrow slightly, "This foreshadows the collapse of the Liu family's pillar, the ruins of the empire, the lack of successors, and its demise..."

These words were like a sharp knife, piercing Lord Liu's sore spot.

His two sons spent their days cockfighting and dog racing, and were both dissolute playboys.

If he retires, the Liu family will likely disappear from the court.

That's why he desperately tried to curry favor with the Imperial Concubine, hoping to secure an official position for his two good-for-nothing sons after the Second Prince ascended the throne.

His face flushed red at the princess's mockery, but he dared not utter a word in rebuttal.

Only then did the Emperor slowly speak up to help him out of the predicament.

"Since Minister Liu is alright, you may leave now."

Lord Liu felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and hurriedly kowtowed to express his gratitude. He fled the imperial study as if he were escaping, and did not dare to look at Li Yuanzhao again from beginning to end.

No sooner had he left than the Emperor got up and walked over to Li Yuanzhao.

"Let your father take a good look; you have indeed lost weight."

His brows furrowed when his gaze fell on the tiny scar on her cheek. "What happened to this wound?"

Li Yuanzhao lowered his head slightly. "Last night there was a thunderstorm, and the roof of Xihe Palace was accidentally struck by lightning. I was caught off guard and was cut by a falling glazed tile. It was just a minor injury, nothing serious."

As he spoke, the Emperor sat down next to Li Yuanzhao. The large rosewood chair accommodated the two of them without feeling crowded.

"How could it happen that it struck your palace out of nowhere? Xihe Palace was only recently renovated, how could it be so vulnerable? What were those craftsmen thinking, making such a huge mistake?"

Li Yuanzhao comforted him, "The thunder from the sky was just a coincidence and has nothing to do with the craftsman. Father, you don't need to worry."

The Emperor carefully examined Li Yuanzhao and finally sighed softly.

"You should rest well in the palace these days. Stay here for lunch and have lunch with your father."

“In the days since you left, I have found my meals tasteless.”

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanzhao revealed a genuine smile, but then, as if remembering something, his smile became somewhat stiff.

But she quickly covered it up and subtly changed the subject, "Regarding the Suzhou flood, has Father Emperor read my memorial?"

"I've seen it. With you personally overseeing it, I'm naturally at ease."

Li Yuanzhao said, "Although the flood has subsided, the water situation in Suzhou is different from that in Hexi. The Qinshui and Sushui rivers converge here, and the bends are prone to siltation, which inevitably leads to flooding every spring."

As she spoke, she got up and walked to the map hanging on the palace wall, drawing the river route for the emperor to see.

"Your Majesty, I have consulted the ancient river engineering texts of the previous dynasty. If a new canal is dug here to divert water and then the dikes along the banks are reinforced, we can ensure peace and tranquility for a hundred years. However..."

She turned around and said, "The project is massive, requiring 50,000 laborers and costing 100,000 taels of silver."

As she spoke, sunlight streamed through the window and fell on her eyebrows, making the cinnabar mole at the corner of her eye stand out even more clearly.

As the emperor looked at his daughter's focused expression, he vaguely saw the shadow of A-Lang again.

Back then, when A-Lang analyzed military intelligence for him, he had the same clear eyes and logical thinking.

"Very well, so be it." The Emperor nodded in agreement. "I will draft an edict later, ordering you to allocate funds from the Ministry of Revenue."

Unexpectedly, Li Yuanzhao declined, saying, "I would like to entrust this matter to someone else."

"Oh? Who is it?" His Majesty asked with some curiosity.

“Zeng Yu, the commissioner of the Suzhou River dike,” Li Yuanzhao explained. “This excellent strategy of diverting water through canals was proposed by him. He was an expert in water conservancy, and what’s even more remarkable is that he cared deeply about the people. He was a pragmatic and indispensable minister who served the country.”

Upon hearing this, the Emperor laughed heartily, “Since it was you who recommended him, how could I refuse? Immediately promote him to the position of Director of the Water Conservancy Bureau, in charge of this matter.”

Li Yuanzhao bowed and said, "Your son thanks Your Majesty for your grace on behalf of Zeng Yu."

Li Yuanzhao originally intended to take charge of this matter herself, as this historically significant achievement in flood control should have been a crucial bargaining chip for her to vie for the throne.

However, Chen Yanqing's appearance disrupted her carefully laid plans, forcing her to rearrange the chessboard.

The most important thing now is for her to quickly establish herself in the court and ensure that she is made crown prince as soon as possible.

And Zeng Yu...

This favor was enough to make the newly appointed Water Conservancy Commissioner devoted to her from then on.

The Emperor narrowed his eyes and asked, "And you? Do you wish for any reward?"

Li Yuanzhao calmly replied, "It is my duty to share the burdens of the country and speak out for the people. If you truly wish to reward me, please, Father Emperor, distribute the three thousand taels of silver saved from this disaster relief effort to the laborers who built the dike in Hexi."

At this moment, the Emperor looked at the person before him with no more doubt, only admiration.

Knowing how to appoint people to positions of authority without taking credit for them—such magnanimity and breadth of mind are hard to find among all the officials in the court.

He even had to admit that in some aspects, he, as a father, might not be able to match them.

The Emperor couldn't help but feel regret once again, thinking how much better it would have been if Que Nu were a man.

That way, from the moment "he" was born, he could rightfully establish "he" as the crown prince.

Even if he is of mediocre talent, it doesn't matter, as he will have a full court of civil and military officials to assist him.

Unfortunately, she was a woman.

"Have you been having a hard time these past few days?" The Emperor's voice suddenly softened.

Li Yuanzhao smiled slightly and said frankly, "It was hard work. I ate and lived with the river workers every day, and even wore out three pairs of boots."

Hard work is hard work. She has worked tirelessly day and night for the past three months on this matter. Why should she pretend to refuse now?

Li Yuanzhao would never do something that involved putting in so much effort without seeking any reward.

A look of heartache crossed the Emperor's eyes. "Let's go, have a meal with your father."