Chapter 65 (None)

Jiang Ling naturally took Emperor Yuanming's favor to heart. After all, he was the emperor of the feudal Great Yin Dynasty, holding the future and fate of her and the Jiang family in his hands.

But his actions, which seemed like a jealous test, appeared particularly ridiculous.

It is the rarest and most precious thing in the world, and it is not allowed to grow old in the human world; this has been the case from ancient times to the present.

He doesn't deserve it!

Jiang Ling racked her brains and replied, "Your Majesty, I am one of your concubines, serving you alongside my sisters in the harem. All your favors, whether thunder or rain, are thanks to you. I regard Your Majesty as my heaven, how could I not keep you in my heart? I never forget you, not even for a moment."

Although he couldn't hear Jiang Ling's inner thoughts, Emperor Yuanming subconsciously felt that although her answer was appropriate, it was too grand and dignified, like the lavish praise in an imperial edict of reward, ornate but empty.

Emperor Yuanming was disappointed, yet also resentful. He indulged her in every way, thought only of her, promoted her family, trusted her deeply, and doted on her.

Could it be that he doesn't dote on her enough?

Yes, she likes money and often scolds him for being stingy. He even covets the Third Prince's salary; it's truly meager.

Emperor Yuanming thought about many things for a while, and after making up his mind, he couldn't help but feel secretly pleased with himself.

When the third prince reached his one-month milestone, Jiang Ling finally received the silver subsidy from Emperor Yuanming.

A full thousand taels!

After Jiang Ling was promoted to Consort Shu, excluding the expenses of Fan Ying Pavilion such as headwear, clothing, food, ice, charcoal, lamps, and candles, her monthly allowance was 120 taels of silver.

Unless she sells her jewelry and clothing, this 120 taels of silver is the only cash she can control.

The expenses were limited to the wet nurses, maids, and eunuchs of the Third Prince; servants were not valuable, so this part of the expenditure was not much.

For example, Wenjuan's monthly allowance was only one tael and five mace of silver. Qin Shanggong was a fifth-rank female official, and her monthly allowance was only five taels of silver.

Because of their special status, wet nurses receive a higher monthly allowance, but it is still only three taels of silver per month.

All things considered, the Third Prince's subsidy silver could not possibly reach a thousand taels.

Winter days are short and dark. Fan Ying Pavilion was brightly lit, and snowflakes danced like willow catkins in the hazy lamplight.

The room was warm as springtime, with the crisp fragrance of winter plum blossoms mixed with the unique icy, metallic scent of gold and silver.

"Your Majesty, the food is getting cold. This servant will put it away for you," Wen Juan said after waiting for a while.

"Hmm," Jiang Ling replied casually, still staring intently at the bed.

On the couch, gold and silver ingots were neatly laid out.

Wen Juan smiled as she watched. She wasn't jealous that Jiang Ling could get so much gold and silver; on the contrary, she was happy for him.

Not to mention Jiang Ling's compassion, he was always very kind to the palace maids and eunuchs working in Fanying Pavilion. Ever since Wen Juan was promoted to steward, Jiang Ling secretly gave her a monthly allowance of one tael of silver. After she gave birth to the third prince and was promoted to Consort Shu, the monthly allowance increased to three taels and five mace.

Although Wenjuan was not a female official, she actually received more monthly allowances than Shanggong. Not only Wenjuan, but also Aruo Zishan and the others received extra silver.

This monthly allowance may not be as lucrative as some of the lucrative positions held by palace maids, but Wenjuan accepted it with peace of mind.

People in the palace were often punished, disciplined, caned, or thrown into Willow Lane.

Money earned through shady means ultimately amounts to nothing, and one loses the life to enjoy it.

"Put them away." Jiang Ling stroked the cool gold and silver ingots with satisfaction, then got up to wash his hands.

Following Jiang Ling's instructions, Zheng Ze and Wu Shishan diligently found a clerk for each of the Jiang family, father and son.

The clerk's monthly salary wasn't high, only twenty taels of silver. But the expenses for social engagements and other entertainment were a considerable sum.

When Xue entered the palace, she mentioned to Jiang Ling: "They all live far away, so we need to rent a house near our home for them to stay temporarily. Oh dear, the houses around here, even just a two-courtyard house, costs nearly five thousand taels! Just renting it for a month will cost a full thirty taels of silver!"

The Jiang family's residence was bestowed by Emperor Yuanming. It was close to the imperial city and surrounded by high-ranking officials and nobles, making it worth a fortune. Even with money, it would be difficult to buy a residence in the surrounding area.

Jiang Wenxiu initially had some concerns. The monthly expenses for two secretaries were too high, and his and Jiang Chengwang's salaries were not high. How could they afford to support them?

Jiang Ling made the decision for them decisively. Talented people are rare, and the more capable a person is, the more valuable they are.

After recovering from her injuries, Bai Qinzhi stayed at the Jiang family's residence and began working. With their help, Xue Shi and Tao Shi not only found life much easier, but also made progress in understanding the social interactions and interpersonal relationships in the capital. They became increasingly comfortable and adept at handling these matters.

Jiang Xiaolang's studies and Jiang Nannan's lessons in literacy and etiquette from female tutors both cost money.

All these expenses, though enormous, are necessary for the Jiang family to establish themselves in the capital.

With the 1,000 taels of silver in hand, the heavy burden on Jiang Ling's shoulders finally vanished.

Jiang Ling came out of the washroom, and Wen Juan had also finished tidying up the gold and silver. She said, "Your Highness, please go and have your meal first. This servant will stay with the Third Prince and keep track of the accounts."

The third prince, now a full moon baby, had a round, rosy face, bright, dark eyes, and his little mouth moving as he made "oh oh oh" sounds.

Jiang Ling walked to the rocking chair, stretched out his finger, and grabbed it, grinning with his toothless mouth as if he were laughing very happily.

Looking at his innocent and naive face, Jiang Ling's heart softened, and she started talking to him in her own words.

"It's so late, why haven't you eaten yet?" With Emperor Yuanming's voice, the curtain was lifted, and he walked in, bringing with him a chill.

"I was playing with the little boat and was just about to have my meal." Jiang Ling rose to greet him, and noticing the snowflakes falling on his fox fur coat shoulders, she turned to look out the window: "The snow is falling so heavily."

Emperor Yuanming took off his fox fur coat and said, "A few days ago it was just light snow, which melted after a while. This snowfall was heavy, and now the outside is covered with a thick layer of silver frost."

Jiang Ling echoed, thinking to herself, "With such heavy snow, instead of staying in your palace, you're running around everywhere. I think you're just bored and have nothing better to do."

"Go and have your meal quickly," Emperor Yuanming urged Jiang Ling. He walked to the rocking carriage, looked down at the Third Prince inside, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will go and have my meal first. Please keep an eye on things for a while." Jiang Ling handed the Third Prince over to Emperor Yuanming and went to the main hall to have her meal.

After finishing his meal, the Third Prince was also hungry and began to whine and cry. Jiang Ling quickly fed him, changed his diaper, and coaxed him to sleep. After he fell asleep, Jiang Ling, who was used to following his every need, also felt sleepy. She quietly yawned and prepared to go wash up.

Emperor Yuanming leaned back on the cushion, looking at Jiang Ling from head to toe with a gentle and tender expression. "Are you tired? Come and sit down and rest for a while."

"You must be tired just sitting there watching, your lips must be tired too," Jiang Ling muttered to herself. But for the sake of the thousand taels, she didn't complain any more and said considerately, "The snow is falling heavily. Be careful, it's cold and the roads are slippery, it will be difficult to walk. Your Majesty should go back and rest early."

Emperor Yuanming's eyes darkened, and he said, "I will stay at Fanying Pavilion tonight."

Jiang Ling then remembered that she had never served the emperor since she became pregnant with the Third Prince, and she had long forgotten about it.

If you get pregnant again just a few days after giving birth, it will be too harmful to your body.

Jiang Ling immediately objected, saying, "Your Majesty will have to get up frequently at night to breastfeed the Third Prince, which will surely disturb Your Majesty's sleep. It would be better for Your Majesty to rest somewhere else."

Emperor Yuanming braved the wind, snow and bitter cold to come to Fanying Pavilion, not only to see her, but also to see his son, especially the happy time she spent with him.

He grew up in the royal family and witnessed the joys of being pampered and the filial piety of fathers and sons. But in the end, it was all too noisy and bustling, a grand drama full of illusions and realities.

The harem was never short of concubines, but just recalling the intoxicating pleasure of his time with her in bed made Emperor Yuanming's heart flutter.

Nearly a year has passed, and Emperor Yuanming has finally waited for her to finish her postpartum confinement. Now, he is even more eager than when he first tasted love, and he doesn't want to wait a moment longer!

In addition, he allocated her a thousand taels of silver from the imperial treasury as a subsidy, and was waiting for her reaction.

"This boy cries and fusses all the time, when have I ever complained about him?" Emperor Yuanming glanced at Jiang Ling and saw her fair and delicate skin under the lamp, and his heart burned again.

Jiang Ling frowned, considering how to communicate with Emperor Yuanming, when he leaned forward, lowered his head close to her, and said in a low, husky voice, "Hmm, if you get up and feed him, I'll watch too. I've wanted to try it for a long time."

"Damn it! What kind of Zong Sang is this!" Jiang Ling cursed inwardly, trying his best to restrain himself and avoid punching him until his face was bruised and swollen.

In countless explicit texts, women are always depicted crying and begging for mercy, defying physiology, mechanics, and all science. Among the various traditional remedies based on the principle of "like cures like," the most prevalent are aphrodisiacs, much like the best-selling drugs in later generations. The issue of male health has persisted for thousands of years.

Jiang Ling said no more, secretly vowing to kill him!

After washing up, the Third Prince, Emperor Yuanming, instructed Wenjuan to take her. He leaned against the headboard, his face beaming with spring-like joy, and reached out his hand to her tenderly: "Come on up, don't get cold."

Jiang Ling sneered inwardly, then got into bed without a word. Emperor Yuanming's breathing grew heavier, and he lifted the bed curtains, pulling her into his arms.

As they got closer, Emperor Yuanming smelled the milky fragrance emanating from Jiang Ling, and his mind went blank for a moment, as if a wave of heat was washing over him.

Jiang Ling was being strangled so badly that he could hardly breathe. He struggled to free his hands and turned the tables, switching from defense to offense without hesitation.

It's like leading a million iron cavalry to attack a few petty thieves. Before the swords and arrows are even drawn, just by raising the commander's flag, Emperor Yuanming has already surrendered.

The pleasure came too quickly. When Jiang Ling returned after washing his hands, Emperor Yuanming was still lying there motionless, his chest heaving, and the spring-like feeling in his eyes was even stronger than the red flowers and green willows of March.

"Being with you is the most enjoyable thing." Emperor Yuanming smiled dreamily, his eyes full of affection, and said, "Qingqing, I want to come again."

Qingqing Jiangling said well, and quietly awaited the resurgence of Emperor Yuanming.

"My love, my heart for you is as clear as the sun and moon."

Emperor Yuanming held Jiang Ling's hand and pressed it against his chest, murmuring affectionately, "If a thousand taels of silver is not enough, my dear, just ask. Even if you take my heart, I will do it willingly."

No wonder pillow talk is so effective; after a man is satisfied, he can say anything.

Qingqing Jiangling tried hard to suppress the feeling of nausea and vomiting, and followed Emperor Yuanming's words, saying, "Your Majesty treats me so well, I am truly grateful. Your Majesty's heart is more precious than dragon liver and phoenix gall, and I, a mere mortal woman, would never dare to dream of such a thing. If Your Majesty could give me an extra thousand taels of silver every month, I would be satisfied."

Emperor Yuanming agreed without hesitation, raised his fingers to wipe Jiang Ling's face, and chuckled, "A thousand taels of silver is nothing, I'll give it all to you, Qingqing."

The Prime Minister of the State Affairs Hall received a total of around 30,000 taels of silver per year, including his official salary and other stipends. Princes received the highest salary, exceeding 30,000 taels of silver per year, excluding income from imperial estates and other sources.

Although the third prince is still young, the allowance of 24,000 taels a year is not particularly large.

Jiang Ling was initially overjoyed, but then immediately regretted it to the point of wanting to cry. If she had known this would happen, she should have asked for a thousand taels of gold!

"Does my beloved understand my heart?" Emperor Yuanming's eyes were filled with affection. He paused, took Jiang Ling's hand, and leaned it against his chest, asking softly, "And how does my beloved treat me? Is her heart the same?"

"My God! How shameful! How could you say that? You think you can get away with this? You're just being ridiculous! You don't even have 2.08 million, and you're already putting on this disgusting show for 2,000 taels? I'm going to take this to the central government!"

Jiang Ling chuckled, fearing she couldn't hide the mockery on her face, and buried her face in her hands: "Your Majesty, I am so ashamed..."

Emperor Yuanming did not hear Jiang Ling cursing in secret or thinking to herself that she was indeed shy, and laughed triumphantly.

"My dear, the winter nights are long, let's do it again."

Emperor Yuanming's mouth was harder than his body.

That night, Jiang Ling got up twice to feed the Third Prince, but he still couldn't get up.