"As expected... nothing can be hidden from the Empress Dowager...!"

Liu Hong showed no embarrassment at being exposed; he simply smiled and said:

"Actually, this is what I think. You see... every year, so many palace maids and eunuchs are laid off because they are getting old."

However, they entered the palace at a young age and had no other skills besides serving others. After being dismissed from the palace, their lives were very difficult.

Therefore, I think that since the restaurant itself needs a lot of service staff, why not put those laid-off palace maids in there? That way, we can make money and also give them a place to settle down.

After all, they have served us for so long. As members of the royal family, we should treat them well. What do you say, Mother?"

After saying that, Liu Hong looked at Dou Miao and Dong Shi with a serious expression, seeking their opinions.

After listening to Liu Hong's words, Dou Miao and Dong Shi exchanged a glance and nodded with a smile.

Dou Miao then laughed and said, "Good, good! Hong'er cares for the people of the world and also thinks of them. He is indeed a benevolent ruler. Very good. We agree to the restaurant!"

Liu Hong smiled and nodded, "That's good. As for the restaurant, Mother and Mother can let Lü Qiang handle it!"

"good!"

As she spoke, Dou Miao turned to look at the palace maids around her and said in a deep voice:

"Why aren't you all hurrying to thank the Emperor for his benevolent care?"

"We thank Your Majesty for your mercy!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hong and the surrounding palace maids quickly bowed respectfully to Liu Hong to express their gratitude.

"No need for formalities. From now on, you only need to serve us diligently. The Empress Dowager and I will not mistreat you!"

Liu Hong smiled and waved his hand, winning over a wave of favor from the palace maids.

"We will obey Your Majesty's command!"

Seeing that the emperor cared so much about them, they couldn't help but cast grateful and respectful glances at Liu Hong.

Especially Xiao Qiong, the palace maid who had served Liu Hong for a long time, had a complicated look in her eyes.

Only now did she realize that although the emperor appeared to be all scheming and power-hungry, in reality... the emperor's heart was still soft.

"Alright, the food's getting cold, Hong'er, you should eat first!"

Seeing this, Madam Dong quickly greeted Liu Hong with a smile and urged him to eat.

"Okay! Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

As he spoke, Liu Hong couldn't wait to pick up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth, starting to chew, looking just like a starving child.

"Ah~, this child.....!"

Seeing Liu Hong shoveling food into his mouth, Dong Shi and Dou Miao couldn't help but shake their heads with smiles. Watching Liu Hong eat so heartily, the two of them also looked quite satisfied.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Liu Hong was pulled aside by Dou Miao and Dong Shi to chat.

Seeing the two mothers constantly discussing their daughters with him, Liu Hong suddenly felt a headache coming on, but he didn't dare to refuse directly, so he could only respond with a few words here and there.

"By the way, Hong'er, could you tell me in detail about the edicts and proclamations you and the Grand Tutor issued in Deyang Hall today, and see if there's anything I can do to help you...!"

Seeing that Liu Hong seemed distracted, Dou Miao had no choice but to change the subject and start asking about the events at Deyang Palace.

When the topic turned to government affairs, Liu Hong perked up a bit, then smiled and shook his head, saying:

"It's alright, Mother. Those matters are orders from the court. With the Grand Tutor and the others taking the lead, all I need to do is manage things from behind!"

"My biggest fear is that the Grand Tutor and his men won't be able to hold out. Most of those people's ancestors were related to Emperor Shizu (Liu Xiu)..."

Seeing Liu Hong's confident and composed demeanor, Dou Miao shook her head and sighed softly.

In response to Dou Miao's concerns, Liu Hong explained with a smile:

"Your Majesty, you are mistaken. Emperor Shizu was known as the 'Bronze Horse Emperor' back then. Although those powerful families helped the revival of our Han Dynasty to some extent, in the final analysis, the greatest contribution came from Emperor Shizu's civil and military achievements and the hundreds of thousands of peasant soldiers!"

This is fundamentally different from Emperor Taizu borrowing troops from the Xiang clan. In other words, those powerful clans only became wealthy and powerful because they were allied with our Han Dynasty. If they dared to disobey, it was perfectly justified for us to attack them!

"Hong'er's words make sense, but we shouldn't be too radical. At the very least, it's best not to touch the Yin family or the Ma family!"

Worried that Liu Hong would ruthlessly eliminate those powerful clans, Dou Miao still spoke with concern, offering her advice.

Liu Hong smiled and nodded, "Yes! Mother, don't worry. These relatives are still somewhat related to our Liu family. As for those who support us, I will naturally not touch them. On the contrary, I will elevate them!"

"That's good!!"

Hearing Liu Hong say this, Dou Miao finally felt relieved, after all, her family also belonged to the Hou clan!

Then Dou Miao asked, "What do you plan to do about the other powerful families and landlords?"

You can abolish the poll tax, corvée labor, and military service, but collecting taxes by the acreage and thoroughly investigating the population of Ji and Yi provinces will be very difficult to implement.

Last year, due to the special circumstances in the three prefectures of You, Bing, and Liang, doing so was not a problem.

However, this year's actions against Ji and Yi provinces will surely cause anxiety among the landowners and powerful families. If they were to follow suit and unite to resist or oppose the imperial court, it would be disastrous!"

Dou Miao looked at Liu Hong with a worried expression. She naturally did not want to see the Han Dynasty, which Liu Hong had worked so hard for more than a year to finally stabilize, fall into turmoil again.

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