The Yong'an Hall was dimly lit. Emperor Zhenlong was not sitting formally behind his desk, but standing to one side of the long table, gazing intently at a portrait.
When Princess Ruining entered, perhaps due to the emperor's instructions, Dengbao did not announce it loudly.
She deliberately made her footsteps louder, the sound echoing through the spacious hall, one after another.
Emperor Zhenlong snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at her. His gaze fell upon his beloved daughter, his eyes softened, and his expression became full of tenderness.
He beckoned to Princess Ruining: "Come to your father."
Princess Ruining walked toward him as instructed, seemingly oblivious to the portrait and paying it no attention.
Actually, there was no need to pay much attention; she had seen that painting far too many times.
The woman in the painting has beautiful features, a smile on her lips, and eyes as gentle as distant mountains. She is her mother, whom she has never met, Empress Xiaoning, the first Empress Lu.
In fact, Princess Ruining didn't have many memories of Empress Xiaoning. She passed away too early, and Princess Ruining was too young to remember anything at the time.
Her impressions of Empress Lu were almost entirely based on what the emperor and palace servants had told her.
Princess Ruining softly called out, "Father."
Emperor Zhenlong smiled, then turned around and said to the portrait, "Xiao Wan, I'll talk to Nannan for a while, then I'll come back to keep you company."
Princess Ruining was not surprised and followed Emperor Zhenlong toward the tea table in a corner of the main hall.
The sage asked her to sit down, but did not speak. Instead, he picked up the tea set and leisurely began to brew tea.
"Father, let me do it."
Emperor Zhenlong waved his hand: "Today, your father will make you some tea. Your father still remembers you when you were little."
He gestured with his hand on his knee, his whole being seemed shrouded in a gentle mist, his smile exceptionally kind, his tone full of nostalgia: "You were only this little back then, just starting to learn to eat, you didn't know anything yet, but when you saw me drinking tea, you insisted on drinking tea too."
If I didn't give it to you, you would cry. Your crying caused chaos in Yong'an Palace. Your aunt rushed over, held you in her arms, and tried to comfort you. But she had no other choice but to give you a sip of tea, which you found so bitter you vomited.
Emperor Zhenlong's face was full of smiles, and Princess Ruining laughed along, calling out coquettishly, "Father..."
She didn't remember any of these things. But she had heard Emperor Zhenlong mention them often, so she remembered them clearly. Her aunt, who is now Empress Lu, was severely reprimanded by her father at that time.
What does this have to do with my aunt? It was just my childish nature back then.
The water in the palace was drawn from a sacred spring in the mountains outside Shuojing City, and the tea was newly imported from the south. Emperor Zhenlong rinsed the tea leaves with slightly boiling spring water, then poured in suitable spring water, held the teacup in his hand and twirled it twice before pushing it in front of Zhao Yao.
Princess Ruining watched his movements quietly and respectfully accepted the gift with both hands.
Emperor Zhenlong looked up at her: "Why are you being so polite today?"
Before Princess Ruining could deny it, he snorted, "Still not admitting it? When have you ever been so well-behaved in front of me?"
Princess Ruining knew that Emperor Zhenlong must have something to discuss when he summoned her today, so she put down her teacup, pouted, and said, "Father, today... you know perfectly well that it was my idea to have the Ministry of Revenue take the lead in issuing commercial notes!"
Emperor Zhenlong sighed and placed his teacup on the table: "Father knows."
Princess Ruining raised her voice: "Then why are you pretending not to know! Let him continue discussing the procedures for this matter!"
She turned her head away, refusing to look at Emperor Zhenlong.
Dengbao was an old man who had been by the sage's side for a long time, so he knew what he should listen to and what he shouldn't listen to, when he should stay by the sage's side and when he should stay far away so that the sage would have to shout for him to hear him.
He had already retreated outside the palace with his young eunuch, carefully keeping watch from a distance.
Emperor Zhenlong said with some helplessness, "He is your younger brother..."
Princess Ruining's eyes reddened: "It's precisely because he's my younger brother! How could he do this!"
How could anyone steal her work?
"Perhaps your brother just happened to think the same way?"
Princess Ruining's tears fell in a stream. She paused upon hearing this, yet still felt wronged. How could she not have considered that perhaps her younger brother was thinking the same thing as her?
But when she was in front of her father, she felt extremely wronged and couldn't help but speculate about the possibility that would hurt her the most.
Emperor Zhenlong reached into his sleeve, pulled out a silk handkerchief, handed it to Princess Ruining, and coaxed, "Don't cry."
I secretly rejoiced—thankfully, I raised a daughter, which instilled in me the good habit of always carrying a silk handkerchief. My daughter is truly made of water!
Princess Ruining took it and wiped her face haphazardly. She was still sobbing, but she no longer said anything aggrieved.
Emperor Zhenlong looked at his daughter, hardened his heart, and said, "Since Yang'er raised this matter in court first, it should be handed over to him to implement in the future. You should also communicate with that boy from the Lu family and the Gu family. They should be summoned to study literature when the time comes."
"Why should I!"
Princess Ruining couldn't help but raise her voice again, stubbornly looking at the Emperor with her lips tightly pursed.
The sage frowned: "Ruining!"
He actually called her by her title. Usually, he would only call her that when he was angry.
Princess Ruining stopped speaking and just stared stubbornly at the teacup in front of her.
"Alright! You're all family, and you're my only two children. He proposed it, but instead of handing it over to him, you've given it to you. Are you trying to tell the court officials that you're fighting amongst yourselves, and that I know all this but am still on your side?"
Princess Ruining remained silent, but she already knew the answer in her heart. Her father was good in every way, but when it came to matters of royal dignity, he never considered her feelings.
She finally had no choice but to compromise: "Your subject understands."
However, she couldn't help but say, "Father, the matter of commercial drafts is of great importance. If there is the slightest mistake, I fear that the money will flow like rivers into the sea, all ending up in the hands of the powerful and wealthy. In that case, it will only be the ordinary people who suffer."
Even if you forbid me from handling this, I will still speak up! Initially, the people will likely be unable to accept the form of commercial notes. At first, we can still imitate the redemption of notes to let the people know that commercial notes and silver are the same. If they want to exchange them for silver, they can still do so.
Furthermore, when the Ministry of Revenue prints commercial notes, it should act within its means and avoid being greedy, otherwise it may disrupt the market and cause prices to soar, ultimately resulting in suffering for the common people.
Emperor Zhenlong looked at his daughter with complicated emotions. She was so much like him! And she was also like her mother—kind, warm-hearted, and always putting the people first.
After Princess Ruining finished speaking, seeing that her father remained silent, she continued, "Your Majesty knows that you must have thought of these issues as well. However, I am truly worried and hope that Your Majesty will make sure to instruct my younger brother not to be negligent! Otherwise, a policy that benefits the people will turn into a policy that harms them, and the losses will outweigh the gains."
The room was filled with a delicate fragrance, and the hall was spacious. In a corner of the hall, the light flickered, making Princess Ruining's face glow, as if she were surrounded by a faint halo.
The sage leisurely replied, "Very well."
He knew his daughter was upset with him, hence her repeated use of "your subject." It was somewhat amusing, yet he felt a father's pride—look! Throughout history, how many emperors have been this close to their children! Only he had ever done so!
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