The large ship slowly moved forward, so smoothly that you couldn't even feel that you were on a ship.
Yuan'er was already walking very steadily at this point. She didn't feel uncomfortable at all in the unfamiliar place. On the contrary, she was so excited that she ran to the deck to play every day.
Xiao Yuan would hold her on the gunwale and look at the river outside the big ship, and the little one would get extremely excited every time.
As for Chou Chou, all she does all day is eat milk and sleep, which Yuan Jie'er finds distasteful.
Su Xuerong has recovered her health and no longer worries about being exposed to the wind. She enjoys the vast river view every day.
When the weather is nice, you can stroll on the deck with your children; when it's windy or rainy, you can sit in the cabin and watch the waves outside through the glass windows. It's a completely different and pleasant life compared to being in the palace.
Su Xuerong suddenly understood why these emperors, empresses, and ministers liked to make southern tours.
Especially for those women who were confined to the harem all day long, it was a rare opportunity to gain a brief period of freedom, so how could they not be happy?
Therefore, an empty treasury is inevitable.
The large ship sailed south, accompanied by numerous ships carrying ministers and their families, so Xiao Yuan ordered that no imperial palaces be stopped along the way.
When supplies were needed, they could only dock at the pier. Local officials could board the ship to offer advice, and local officials were not allowed to hold lavish banquets or other extravagant events.
This move brought a sigh of relief to many people.
Years of war have already made life difficult for the people. How much silver would it cost to tighten their belts and lavishly entertain the emperor and empress?
Xiao Yuan only stayed at several important ports for a few days before heading to Quanzhou Wharf.
Two months later, the large ship finally docked at Shihu Wharf in Quanzhou.
Su Shirong and local officials were already waiting at the dock.
When Su Shirong saw his sister, whom he hadn't seen for a year, appear on the deck as the Empress, he was so excited that he couldn't move.
Who would have thought that his sister, who was full of ideas and obsessed with making money, would become the queen of a country!
Su Shirong couldn't help but burst into tears.
Zhao You, the prefect of Quanzhou standing nearby, couldn't help but say, "Brother Su, you should be happy to see the Emperor and Empress today."
After learning that Su Shirong was the Empress's elder brother, all the former officials in Quanzhou treated him as an honored guest.
But Su Shirong was unyielding and meticulous in his work, remaining unmoved no matter how much the officials flattered him.
This forced all the officials in Quanzhou to behave themselves and not dare to overstep their bounds in the slightest.
This actually made things much easier for Zhao You, who had been appointed by Xiao Yuan to serve as the prefect of Quanzhou.
Zhao You was sent by Xiao Yuan and was one of the original staff members in the Hangzhou Prince's Mansion.
After arriving in Quanzhou, he was prepared to clash with the local veterans, but he never expected that Su Shirong would manage to subdue them and make them behave themselves.
After all, he is the brother of the current empress, the emperor's brother-in-law. Who would dare to offend him?
Having gotten a great deal, Zhao You became quite friendly with Su Shirong.
With tears in his eyes, Su Shirong watched as his younger sister was helped by the young emperor and slowly walked down to the dock, his heart filled with emotion.
But when he saw Xiao Yuan's face, he was suddenly stunned.
This...this person...
The Quanzhou Imperial Palace was built during Emperor Taizu's southern tour, but it was only used once before being abandoned.
This time, Zhao You spent a lot of effort to restore the palace to its original state. The original site in the suburbs is spacious and open, covering an area of nearly 100 acres, which can fully accommodate the entourage that accompanied him this time.
Su Xuerong had just gotten out of the car when she saw someone rushing towards the palace gate.
"Arong! Arong!"
Xiao Yuan's face immediately darkened.
Su Xuerong quickly winked at Cui Yun'er, who was running towards her, "Yun'er, slow down."
Just as Cui Yun'er was about to rush over, she was unexpectedly stopped by the guards beside her.
Xiao Yuan said coldly, "What kind of behavior is this!"
He really wanted to kick her hard for being so rude in front of so many ministers.
Cui Yun'er was somewhat annoyed, but she saw that the area around her was filled with civil and military officials and their families from the capital, including her father, the Duke of Ningguo, her mother, and her brother.
Ning Guogong glared at her angrily and shouted, "Yun'er, why aren't you paying your respects to His Majesty?"
He still spoiled his daughter.
Upon seeing the Emperor and Empress, instead of kneeling before His Majesty, he brazenly addressed the Empress by her given name!
This is outrageous!
She can forget about ever getting married again in this lifetime!
Lady Ningguo was so embarrassed by her daughter's actions that she blushed deeply and was too ashamed to face anyone.
Cui Yun'er then smiled and respectfully bowed to Xiao Yuan: "This humble woman greets Your Majesty!"
What's so great about being the emperor? He's just her cousin.
Su Xuerong quickly stepped forward and pulled her up, saying, "Yun'er, it's been a long time."
"Her Majesty the Empress is getting more and more beautiful!" Cui Yun'er couldn't help but exclaim, her eyes full of envy.
Xiao Yuan couldn't stand it any longer and said to Zhao You, "Let's go inside first and talk about it."
Su Shirong had already spotted his parents following the ministers and had been wanting to speak to them for a while.
Granny Cheng and Feng Bao had come here in advance to make arrangements, and palace servants had already arranged accommodations for the Emperor, Empress, ministers, and their families.
The Qingquan Palace, where the emperor and empress resided, was located on the mountainside, separate from the palace complex below, and was an independent palace within the imperial palace complex.
Xiao Yuan had originally planned to let his wife and children rest for a while and then meet with everyone at the dinner party.
Unexpectedly, Cui Yun'er, with her thick skin, stubbornly followed Su Xuerong to her bedroom.
"Oh my, Yuan'er has grown so much!" Cui Yun'er couldn't help but hug and kiss the beautiful little girl as soon as she saw her.
As a result, Yuanjie became shy around strangers and immediately hid behind Su Xuerong, refusing to be hugged.
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