Yang Zhigan and his wife discussed for a long time in the room how to give her enough benefits, how to send Yang Huiyun to the sea, and how to get rid of her quietly.

Two years later, they'll say he had an accident at sea, or that he was unlucky enough to die far from home.

After resolving these matters, Madam Yang left the main house and headed towards Mingyue Courtyard. Once outside the courtyard, she adopted a kind and motherly demeanor and entered with a gentle smile.

"Huiyun, your mother has good news to tell you..."

*

Because of the Empress Dowager's passing, and perhaps due to her advanced age and declining health, she was more sensitive to cold than heat. This year, the chubby orange cat did not take the imperial concubines to the Yuanmingyuan Garden for summer retreat.

The weather in June was already unbearably hot, and the news of the ships returning from the sea made everyone forget the unbearable heat.

Of the four hundred ships, three hundred and sixty-three returned, bringing back more than one hundred people whose ashes were placed in urns. A dozen or so others didn't even leave behind ashes; only cenotaphs were erected for them.

More than thirty people were injured, disabled, or on their last breath, but thankfully they all came back alive.

The losses were significant, but the gains were even greater. Of the more than three hundred ships, not a single one was empty. Ship after ship was hauled back laden with silver, gold, spices, and precious timbers such as agarwood.

The best of them were sent as tribute to the Hall of Mental Cultivation by express courier. Big Fat Orange, keeping track of the time, specially summoned Sun Miaoqing, intending to show off a bit.

"The silver is of decent quality, but the gold is of poor quality."

"These gemstones are quite nice, and the pearls are all rare finds. And these pieces of amber are crystal clear, with the patterns on the petals clearly visible; they are also quite rare."

Sun Miaoqing said, "These spices look much better than what the Imperial Kitchen usually uses. The effort put into those two hundred ships of spices over the past two years has not been in vain."

Big Fat Orange nodded, looking at each item one by one. Finally, he picked up a set of glass teaware, admiring it closely.

"This tea set is nice. I'm used to porcelain tea sets, so it's a good time to try a glass one."

He also has quite a few pieces of glassware in his storeroom, all imported from overseas. However, none of them can compare to this tea set, which looks like it was carved from colored ice.

[Even as an emperor, he's like a country bumpkin, never seen the world. Things made from sand, that's about how the craftsmanship is.]

[It's not as exquisite as those future 99-yuan free shipping items. They're being taken advantage of without even realizing it, and are even smugly thinking they've gotten a good deal.]

Sun Miaoqing ignored his smug look and carefully examined the three pieces of amber in front of her.

Besides the butterfly, there were also ladybugs and bees.

The wonders of nature are truly priceless.

Big Country Bumpkin Fat Orange...

The glass seemed a bit too hot to handle, and now it didn't look so exquisite anymore. Upon closer inspection, it was riddled with flaws, and the color wasn't to his liking.

Those people in the Imperial Household Department are truly idiots. They were fooled by those barbarian bastards with something made of sand. They've brought shame on him...

The chubby orange cat asked, "How much glass did you bring back from this voyage?"

Su Peisheng said, "A merchant ship."

"Glass is fragile, so a lot of effort was put into transporting it safely. And it was a small boat, worth more than a lot of gold and silver."

Big Fat Orange said, "Even so, there are probably no fewer than a thousand pieces."

"Pass down the word: sell all these glass pieces, leaving not a single one. As for this tea set, give it to the Empress so she can focus on her Buddhist practice and pray for the Qing Dynasty."

"...Yes, this servant understands."

Su Peisheng didn't understand. He had clearly liked it just a moment ago, so why was he suddenly disgusted by it? Didn't he say he was going to use it himself? Why did he suddenly think of the Empress again?

Sun Miaoqing turned her head and asked in surprise, "Why did Your Majesty suddenly decide to give this to the Empress?"

The chubby orange said, "The Empress is frail and sickly. Although she has not fulfilled her duties as the mother of the nation, I cannot completely ignore her."

"She should have a share of what was brought back this time."

[Over three hundred ships, most of them ended up in your private treasury. You've made so much money, and all you give the Empress is a worthless tea set? Aren't you ashamed?]

Big fat orange...

They keep saying he's dark-skinned, but you can't see it even when he's reddish!

Sun Miaoqing said, "Her Majesty the Empress sincerely worships Buddha and prays for the Emperor's long life and the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty. What does a tea set matter?"

"I think these amber and turquoise are rare. Why don't we have them made into a string of prayer beads and send them to the Empress? What do you think, Your Majesty?"

The chubby orange said, "You're so generous to the Empress and the others, always thinking of good things. The Ulanara clan also has members, so why worry that the Empress won't have good things?"

They have a thousand reasons to hold a grudge against him, and they will stir up trouble even when he is rude.

"The Empress is one thing, Your Majesty's intentions are another; how can they be confused?"

Sun Miaoqing wanted to roll her eyes to the heavens. Some people pretend to know what they don't, while others know a lot but insist on pretending not to.

"How dare you ask such a question? The Empress's biological mother has long since passed away. Those who are still alive are all her half-siblings; what kind of affection could they possibly have?"

Before she got married, she was always bullied by them; only Chun Yuan treated her well. Do you think she'd be willing to let those who bullied her benefit from her good fortune? If given the chance, would she consider sending them back to the borderlands to farm?

Of course...yes!

The Empress was not a soft-hearted person, and she was also a master of pretense. Even he was kept in the dark all those years.

Things that need to be done to save face still need to be done...

Big Fat Orange said, "As the Imperial Concubine said, add some pearls, corals, gemstones, and giant clam shells and send them along as well."

"As for these three pieces of amber..."

Sun Miaoqing's eyes lit up, and she immediately took Da Pangju's arm with both hands, looking at him with a beaming smile. Her left eye seemed to say "want," and her right eye seemed to say "desire."

"Your Majesty, I want that butterfly. You won't let me down, will you?"

Big Fat Orange: "......"

He was thinking of giving the butterfly one to Huanhuan, the bee one to Shilan, and the ladybug one to himself.