As soon as His Majesty the Emperor finished speaking, a gust of wind blew by, the tall coconut tree swayed twice, and suddenly a bunch of huge coconuts fell down with a thud!
Qi Yunxiao quickly stepped forward to catch it and carried it over.
The emperor was startled, and when he realized it was the coconut he had just been drinking from, he was also stunned: "I just drank this?"
"Yes, this is called a coconut. What you're drinking is the juice, but the white flesh inside can be pressed for oil, which is used to make coconut oil soap..."
After a brief explanation, His Majesty the Emperor looked thoughtful: "Different places have different customs and traditions. The people at sea have a completely different way of life from us; their food and produce are different..."
No one spoke; they all stared at His Majesty the Emperor.
From the perspective of a monarch, the level and breadth of thought are naturally different.
After waiting for a while, everyone heard His Majesty the Emperor snoring.
Everyone: "..."
Shen Zhongyi quietly told everyone to disperse, leaving only Qi Yunxiao and his wife, along with Consort Rong, to stay by their side.
Consort Rong, fearing that Shen Qingyu might be tired, told them to go back first, leaving herself to accompany His Majesty, with some personal guards stationed in the distance.
His Majesty the Emperor slept until sunset.
As the sea breeze grew cooler, Consort Rong, still worried, tried to cover him with a cloak, which startled His Majesty the Emperor awake.
Consort Rong apologized: "I was afraid you would be cold, I didn't mean to wake you up."
The emperor waved his hand, sat up, and stared blankly at the waves crashing against the beach. Suddenly, he asked, "Rong'er, will you blame me for not recognizing Xiao'er?"
Consort Rong shook her head: "You have your own hardships, why should I blame you?"
"Besides, if you acknowledge him, it's uncertain whether he'll even reach adulthood!"
“His forehead was black since he was a child because of poisoning, but we didn’t know that. We just thought it was a birthmark. Who would have thought that someone wanted to harm him and me…”
"Back then, I thought, if he could grow up safely and live a peaceful life with his wife and children like ordinary people, that would be enough. I just hope he doesn't end up like those people in the Prince's mansion, where you poison me and I harm you..."
"He is doing well now, which is a small comfort to me."
"But he may not think that way... I'm sorry to him." Facing the sea and the woman he trusted most, His Majesty the Emperor finally revealed a rare vulnerability.
"You have done your best," Consort Rong sighed.
As a prince, if he wanted to rebel, he naturally couldn't be too high-profile beforehand.
He could only turn a blind eye to those who deliberately tried to force people into his yard.
In those years, the inner courtyard of the Prince's mansion was in complete chaos. At that time, Consort Rong was only a concubine. Because she did not fight for power and had no children, she was able to survive.
Those who fought fiercely each suffered losses.
As a result, the mothers of Prince Gong and Prince Heng are now in dire straits; one's mother died young, and the other is frequently ill.
It was all caused by the power struggles within the household back then.
Although the prince eventually became emperor, he was unable to dismiss all the concubines in the harem upon his ascension to the throne. He had already done his best to resist the refusing to establish an empress or take in new concubines.
My son is right. Being an emperor is really tough. He's much more comfortable on this island!
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Come back for dinner..." Qi Yunxiao called out from the other end.
"Alright..." Consort Rong agreed and went to help the Emperor.
The emperor struggled to his feet with the help of Consort Rong.
In the past year, the emperor has also been poisoned twice. He escaped once, but not once... The news was kept secret, and the outside world only thought that he had caught a cold for a few days.
Even after detoxification, my physical condition wasn't as good as it seemed on the surface.
The emperor's throne is not an easy place to sit!
Shen Qingyu's parents, along with Qi Yunxiao's parents and their three children, are now truly gathered together as a family reunion!
This is an unprecedented reunion.
Therefore, Shen Qingyu took it very seriously and secretly decided to give Qi Yunxiao a sense of ceremony.
So after His Majesty and the Empress disembarked and rested to relieve their seasickness, Shen Qingyu, heavily pregnant, personally "supervised" Zhao Yuzhu to cook a table full of delicious food.
Braised pork belly, steamed fish, coconut chicken, braised duck, steamed shrimp with egg... a dazzling array of dishes were laid out on the table.
All the vegetarian dishes were grown in the space itself, and the wine was osmanthus wine from Shen Qingyu's space warehouse.
His Majesty the Emperor was astonished by the abundance of dishes: This meal is truly a feast for the eyes.
Shen Zhongyi invited the emperor to taste it.
The emperor first tasted a bite of the greens, and then his eyes widened.
Fresh! Extremely fresh!
sweet!
The greens have a unique, subtle sweetness that lingers in the aftertaste.
Tender!
It leaves no residue when chewed...
As he ate each dish, His Majesty the Emperor sighed once more: No wonder Qi Yunxiao didn't want to be emperor; he just wanted to live a quiet life on the island.
This kind of life is much easier and happier than that of an emperor!
His Majesty the Emperor raised his cup, and the family banquet proceeded in harmony and happiness.
After dinner, while strolling along the beach and listening to the sound of the waves, His Majesty the Emperor quietly remarked to Consort Rong, "These days, even heroes would be worn out!"
Consort Rong sensed something was wrong: "What does this mean?"
"Xiao'er is capable and talented. If he can contribute to the country, our Great Qi will be able to develop even better in the future!" As expected, His Majesty the Emperor began to have designs on Qi Yunxiao.
Consort Rong opened her mouth, unable to directly refuse, but her brows furrowed: "What do you want him to do?"
"Now that he earns so much silver, if he were willing to do something beneficial for the people of Daqi, it would be of great help to Daqi. For example, during the famine, he and Qingyu went to Daxia to buy grain..."
Thinking of this, and looking at the ships of all sizes coming and going to Whale Fall Island these past two days, His Majesty's heart warmed.
If you need a place, Daqi has it!
If you need people, Daqi has them!
All you need to do is establish businesses in Daqi that can stabilize people's livelihoods, and make some investments when Daqi needs them, and Daqi will naturally get better and better.
When the Emperor said that he only wanted Qi Yunxiao to expand his business in Daqi, Consort Rong breathed a sigh of relief: it wasn't about making him go to court every day and engage in verbal battles with those officials.
"Then you can talk to him about it yourself."
When Qi Yunxiao heard this request, he only thought for a moment before agreeing: "Your Majesty, I am foolish and ignorant, please enlighten me."
His Majesty the Emperor immediately perked up: "I think the idea of that reservoir is excellent. Could you take the lead in recruiting people to build it? You can provide the money and supplies, and you can raise fish in the reservoir. I will also reward you with some land as compensation. What do you think?"
Shen Qingyu once wrote a suggestion about this matter.
However, it is not easy for the imperial court to implement this policy.
A reservoir can only manage a limited area, and therefore can only allocate a limited number of personnel.
When people go to work, they need to be fed, and that alone requires a lot of food, not to mention how long it takes to quarry rocks, carry mud and stones, and build dams for reservoirs...
This is an era where everything depends on physical strength!
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