6 Mr.

But then she thought of the people in Qingxi County who were gnawing on tree bark, and the soldiers who fought bloody battles at Yanmen Pass. She gritted her teeth again, picked up the book and began to recite.

The Yangxin Palace was particularly cold at the hour of Yin, and the flickering candlelight reflected her thin figure.

She recited the words "The way to be a king is to first save the people" word by word, her fingertips repeatedly rubbing the word "people". Suddenly, she remembered the way Shen Zhiyuan taught the village children to read in the countryside.

It turned out that his harshness was never directed at her, but at the thousands of lives in need of protection behind the identity of "monarch".

An hour later, Shen Zhiyuan came in on time. Li Zhaoyi took a deep breath and recited the "Royal Way" chapter fluently.

She thought she would get a word of approval, but unexpectedly, Shen Zhiyuan just asked calmly: "Your Majesty, how do you achieve the goal of 'saving the people'?"

Li Zhaoyi was stunned. She was only thinking about reciting the poem, not the deeper meaning. She stammered, "Of course... to reduce taxes and levies, so that the people have enough to eat."

"Not enough." Shen Zhiyuan picked up a memorial and threw it in front of her. The words "Southern Floods Cause Fluctuations in Food Prices" on the cover were particularly eye-catching.

"This is the report from yesterday. Grain prices in the disaster-stricken areas have risen by 50% in three days. Grain merchants are hoarding grain, and even if the people have money, they can't buy it.

Your Majesty only talks about 'light taxes and levies,' but doesn't mention how to stop the grain merchants and how to ensure that food reaches the people. This is just empty talk. When the refugees die of starvation, they won't wait for you to 'pay attention next time.'"

The sound of the memorial hitting the desk was like a heavy hammer hitting Li Zhaoyi's heart.

She looked at Shen Zhiyuan's cold eyes and suddenly realized how ridiculous her previous "determination" was. She thought she could govern the country by memorizing classics, but she couldn't even solve the current problem of grain prices.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she fought hard to hold them back. She grabbed the pen and said, "Your Majesty... I understand. I will copy this 'The Way of a King' ten times. I will now call the Ministry of Revenue to discuss the grain price."

Shen Zhiyuan looked at her red eyes, and the coldness in his eyes eased a little, but he still didn't let go: "We'll discuss it after you finish copying. Your Majesty, remember, there is no 'next time' for the emperor. Every mistake or omission could cost hundreds or even thousands of lives."

That day, Li Zhaoyi copied until her fingers became sore before she finally finished copying the "Way of a King" chapter.

She did not take time to rest and immediately summoned the Minister of Revenue Wang Chengzong to discuss the matter. However, Wang Chengzong only said that "the power of grain merchants is too great and we need to take a long-term view", and he evaded responsibility and refused to come up with any specific solutions.

Li Zhaoyi remembered Shen Zhiyuan's words and hardened her heart for the first time. She ordered the grain merchants who hoarded grain to be closed down and the grain to be sold to the people at a fair price. Anyone who disobeyed would be charged with "collaborating with the enemy and treason."

Wang Chengzong's face turned pale, but he didn't dare to refute.

When the report came that grain prices in the disaster-stricken areas had finally stabilized, Li Zhaoyi ran to Shen Zhiyuan with the report, her eyes shining: "Mr. Shen, look! Grain prices have dropped, and the people can buy grain!"

Shen Zhiyuan was reading a military book. He looked up when he heard her words. Seeing her excited look, a slight smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Your Majesty did a good job.

But this is just the beginning. Grain prices need to be stabilized, refugees need to be resettled, riverbanks need to be repaired, and reinforcements from the north need to be addressed one by one by Your Majesty."

His tone was still serious, but Li Zhaoyi did not feel aggrieved.

She looked at the marks left by Shen Zhiyuan's fingertips on the military book, and suddenly realized that his strictness was helping her shed her princess's pampered nature and allow her to truly shoulder the responsibilities of an emperor.

In the days that followed, morning class became the moment that Li Zhaoyi was most "afraid" of but also most anticipated.

Shen Zhiyuan never told her the answer directly, but asked her to analyze the memorials herself, formulate countermeasures herself, and then point out the omissions one by one.

She had overlooked the issue of border generals falsifying troop numbers, so Shen Zhiyuan took her to the military camp and let her see with her own eyes the soldiers training on an empty stomach;

She wanted to give the corrupt official a lighter sentence, so Shen Zhiyuan took her to the prison cell and let her listen to the cries of the people who were persecuted by the corrupt officials.

Once, because she had been staying up late for several consecutive nights, she fell asleep while analyzing memorials.

When I woke up, I was covered with Shen Zhiyuan's cloak and a cup of warm tea was placed on the table.

She saw Shen Zhiyuan sitting on a chair not far away, revising the countermeasures she had written, his brows slightly furrowed and his expression focused.

At that moment, her heart suddenly felt warm. It turned out that this strict gentleman also had a gentle side.

"Awake?" Shen Zhiyuan looked up and saw her staring at him, so he handed her the revised plan.

"The resettlement site here is too close to the mountains, which could easily trigger flash floods. It would be safer to move it to the plains. Also, we need to send trusted people to escort the food and fodder sent to the north to prevent it from being withheld."

Li Zhaoyi took the countermeasures and looked at the dense traces of revisions on it. Her eyes were filled with tears: "Mr. Shen, thank you."

"I am not thanking you on behalf of Your Majesty, but on behalf of the people of the world."

Shen Zhiyuan looked away, his tone returning to his usual coldness, "Your Majesty, please revise it as soon as possible, and submit it to the officials for discussion tomorrow."

Li Zhaoyi nodded and began to revise earnestly. The candlelight illuminated the two figures, one bent over her desk, writing furiously, the other quietly accompanying her. The chill in the Yangxin Palace seemed to be dispelled by this silent understanding.

She gradually understood that what Shen Zhiyuan taught her was not only how to govern the country, but also how to be a monarch who "cared about the people in his heart."

Those memorials that once gave her headaches have now become a window for her to understand the suffering of the people; those court meetings that once made her dread have now become a battlefield for her to implement new policies.

During a court meeting, Zhou Lei opposed her decision to cut military spending for disaster relief, saying, "We should not reduce our military armaments lightly until the Huns are destroyed."

Li Zhaoyi thought of the "art of weighing and prospering" that Shen Zhiyuan had taught her, and said calmly, "Master Zhou, if the people all starve to death, no one will farm, no one will pay taxes, then even if we have more military equipment, how long can we last?

I have made up my mind to cut military spending by 30% to be used for disaster relief and refugee resettlement. At the same time, I will strengthen border defense training. It is not impossible to defeat a larger force with a smaller one."

Her words were so clear and her tone so firm that all the officials were stunned.

Shen Zhiyuan stood aside, watching her calmly deal with the situation, with a glimmer of approval in his eyes. This little princess, who once felt wronged even when endorsing her lessons, finally began to have the edge of an emperor.

After the court was dismissed, Shen Zhiyuan said to her: "Your Majesty did a great job today."

This was the first time he took the initiative to praise her.

Li Zhaoyi felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey. She looked at Shen Zhiyuan and said seriously, "Mr. Shen, I will definitely work hard to become an emperor that makes you proud and reassures the people."

Shen Zhiyuan looked at the light in her eyes, was silent for a moment, and then said softly: "Your Majesty, just remember to be responsible to the people, that's enough."

The afterglow of the setting sun fell on the two of them, stretching their shadows very long.

The imperial city always has a bone-chilling chill after autumn, especially late at night when the wind that leaks in through the windows of the Hall of Mental Cultivation can make the candlelight on the desk flicker.

Li Zhaoyi rubbed her sore shoulders and pushed aside the last memorial about the northern border's armaments. However, blurry images began to appear before her eyes.

Since the discussion on resettlement of refugees at noon, she has not had time to eat even a hot meal, and has only been relying on a few cakes to survive until now.

The candle wick on the table burned too long and a spark popped out, startling her back to her senses.

She reached out to snuff the candle wick, but her fingertips were too weak. The candlestick shook as soon as it touched it, almost snuffing out the flame. "Forget it, let's rest for a while."

She muttered to herself, lying on the desk covered with memorials, her cheek pressed against the slightly cool rice paper. Fatigue instantly enveloped her, her eyelids felt heavy as if they were hung with lead, and she fell asleep in a short while.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Zhaoyi was awakened by the sound of rustling papers.

She opened her eyes drowsily, and the first thing she smelled was a faint scent of ink mixed with a hint of the warmth of ginger tea.

When she looked up, she saw Shen Zhiyuan standing in front of the desk, holding the report on the repair of the southern river embankment that she had not finished reading. His brows were slightly furrowed, as if he was thinking about something.

He was wearing a plain casual suit today, with his hair loosely tied up with a wooden hairpin. A few strands of hair hung in front of his forehead, casting a soft outline in the candlelight.

In the past, he was always dressed in official robes, with sharp eyes and a serious tone, like a piece of sharp-edged ice, but now that he had let down his guard in the court, she actually felt a strange gentleness in him.

"Mr. Shen?" Li Zhaoyi's voice was still hoarse from just waking up. She subconsciously wanted to sit up straight, but forgot that she had just slept on her stomach for a long time. Her waist stiffened and she hissed in pain.

When Shen Zhiyuan heard the voice, he immediately put down the memorial and turned to look at her, his eyes falling on her frowning brows: "Your Majesty is awake? Is he numb from sleeping on his stomach?"

As he spoke, he reached out and lifted the cushion behind her. "If you feel tired later, you can rest on the couch in the inner hall. Lying on the table will hurt your waist."

Li Zhaoyi leaned back on the cushion as instructed, feeling an indescribable warmth in her heart.

Since the death of her father, no one except Eunuch Zhang has cared so carefully about her health.

She watched Shen Zhiyuan's actions and suddenly remembered that when she was a child, her father would always quietly put a cloak on her when she stayed up late to read, and put a cup of warm tea next to her.

Her eyes suddenly felt hot, and she quickly looked away, looking at the corner of the table. There was a white porcelain teacup there, with steam rising from it, and she could faintly smell the spicy aroma of ginger tea.

"That cup of tea..." She pointed at the cup, her voice so soft as if she was afraid of disturbing anything.

"Your Majesty has been staying up late lately, and I'm afraid it may have damaged your spleen and stomach. I asked the kitchen to make some ginger tea, which is just right when it's warm."

Shen Zhiyuan followed her gaze and spoke in a calm tone, as if he had just done something very ordinary.

Li Zhaoyi picked up the teacup, her fingertips touched the warm cup wall, and the warmth spread along her fingertips to her heart.

She took a small sip. The ginger tea was spicy with a hint of sweetness. It was a little irritating when it first entered her throat, but after swallowing it, she felt warm in her stomach, and all the fatigue in her body dissipated a lot.

"Thank you, Mr. Shen." She said softly, this time she did not call him "minister", but used "sir", with a hint of intimacy.

Shen Zhiyuan seemed not to notice this subtle change. He picked up the riverbank repair report and handed it to her: "Your Majesty, when you read this report, do you feel that there is something wrong?"