Chapter 105: Why don’t you ask me what I want to do...
There was a moment of silence in the room, only the breeze and the fragrance of flowers passing through the hall were unaffected.
Upon hearing this, the emperor slowly sat up, the bright candlelight flickering. He looked at Zhao Changning who was kneeling in front of him, with a look of displeasure on his handsome face, which was half-awake and half-drowsy, and surprise and confusion in his eyes.
He knew that Zhao Changning was no ordinary woman, but he didn't expect her to be so straightforward and kneel down without even thinking. Could she really give up everything she had?
The emperor narrowed his eyes and gripped the armrest, unconsciously applying force. "You don't want to?"
This sentence was said without any emotion, even inexplicably, but Zhao Changning could hear the hidden meaning in it. She had been anxious that something like this would happen, but when it really happened, she felt like laughing.
It's ironic that she had actually thought about this question when she was with the late emperor.
Why did the late emperor take Wu Yue and Nian Yao into the harem, but only leave her behind? But later on, she stopped thinking about such questions; it was too boring.
To this day, everything about the late emperor is still deeply imprinted in her bones, affecting her every decision.
Zhao Changning's mind raced, gathering his thoughts and expression. He raised his gaze in feigned confusion, "Your Majesty, I am willing to obey all your arrangements and assist the Empress in managing the harem. As long as I can help Your Majesty, I am willing to do anything."
The emperor's heart trembled slightly. He looked at Zhao Changning's beautiful and refined face. As she grew older, her face became more mature and charming, unlike her previous childish look. He looked at her carefully, trying to find a flaw in her face.
He didn't believe that Zhao Changning didn't understand.
The emperor lowered his eyes and thought for two breaths. Walls have ears. He is an emperor, and some words may be easily swayed. However, Zhao Changning has been loyal and considerate from beginning to end. He must be cautious when dealing with loyal ministers who have been with him all the way.
What if she really doesn't understand love? Otherwise, at her age, she still doesn't have a man. How can a woman not need a man at all?
The two of them walked side by side, which was different from other people. When the emperor thought about it, he immediately felt much more relieved and felt it deeply.
He smiled and said, "Get up, I can't leave you alone."
Zhao Changning didn't expect it to be so easy to get through. He stood up with his head lowered, walked to the emperor, and handed the memorial to him.
Everything is normal, without any flaws.
This rare outing strengthened the relationship between the emperor and the children.
The second princess and the fourth prince were particularly lively and sensible. They treated the emperor as if he were their lifeline, acting coquettishly and doing everything they could to please him.
The eldest princess was ultimately affected, and she pushed the fourth prince and quarreled with the second princess, and was scolded by the emperor.
"Father, you are biased. I hate you..."
Zhao Changning grabbed the crying princess who was running away and said seriously and solemnly: "Princess, you should apologize to your father and brother."
The eldest princess collapsed immediately, "Aunt, I hate you, I hate you..."
Seeing his daughter run away sadly, the emperor felt sad instead. "Don't stop her, just cry a few times and she will be fine. She is still young and will understand in the future."
Zhao Changning was very glad that he always brought the eldest princess to appear in front of the emperor. Like the previous emperor, he would have a little more preference for the children who were always under his nose.
After resting for three or five days, the emperor prepared to return home as some matters of the court had piled up.
After Zhao Changning returned to the palace, he immediately went to Kunning Palace.
The queen had already learned about her daughter's experience and shed tears with her daughter. When she saw Zhao Changning coming to apologize, she helped her up.
"Changning, you don't need to apologize. Yao'er actually understands everything. It's my fault as a mother that I asked my daughter to come forward..."
Zhao Changning was relieved to see that the Queen had cheered up a lot. "If Your Majesty thinks this way, the Princess will feel better too."
The Queen couldn't help but feel hatred when she thought of those two little bastards. "Doesn't the Emperor blame those two little bastards at all?"
Seeing Zhao Changning silent, she burst into tears and said with a sob, "Go see Yao'er. She keeps thinking about you."
Seeing that the queen was so sad, but still hoping for the emperor's mercy, Zhao Changning swallowed the words that were about to come out.
That's not enough.
When the eldest princess saw her aunt coming, she obviously wanted to get close to her, but when she thought of her aunt's words, she buried her head in the bed and refused to pay attention.
"Grand Princess." Zhao Changning asked the wet nurse and the palace maid to leave. She sat down beside the bed and said with a smile, "Are you really angry with your aunt?"
The eldest princess did not move.
Zhao Changning sighed silently. Children are like this, they always behave innocently. When she entered the palace at the age of eight, she was no longer prone to anger.
"Do you know how your aunt lived when she was your age?"
Without waiting for the eldest princess to answer, she slowly said, "I entered the palace at the age of eight and followed a maid. I was beaten and scolded every day, and I didn't have enough to eat or wear warm clothes. There was a girl named Yuxiang with me at the time. She always stole my things, my food, and my clothes. She would take everything I had. I was too young and couldn't beat her. Many times I was so hungry and cold that I wanted to die, but I hated her so much in my heart that I didn't want to die anymore. I waited and waited, and finally when I was twelve, the late emperor was short of palace maids, and Yuxiang and I were chosen by the maid to be sent to serve him. I was very scared at the time, afraid that she would bully me again if I moved to a new place, and the hatred in my heart grew heavier. Finally, that day, she wanted to pick lotus flowers by the lotus pond, and I found my opportunity..."
There was no sound for a long time. The eldest princess climbed up with tearful eyes and a curious look on her face.
"And then? Auntie, what then? What happened to that bad guy Yu Xiang? Did you fight back?"
Zhao Changning saw her red and swollen eyes from crying, and lovingly smoothed her messy hair. "Later, when you're older, I'll tell you, okay?"
The eldest princess was unhappy, "Why? I'm already grown up."
Zhao Changning pinched her face and said, "Alright, get up quickly. It's not good to stay in bed all the time. You still have to go to the inner study hall for class. Teacher Song Huan said you haven't been there for a while and she misses you."
She looked at the little girl's tender face and clear eyes and said softly, "Princess, when my aunt was your age, she was able to suppress her hatred and wait for the right opportunity. I'm sure you can do the same, right?"
The eldest princess gritted her teeth and nodded, "Aunt, I can do it."
She threw herself into Zhao Changning's arms and said in a muffled voice, "Aunt, you can't yell at me anymore. I'll be very sad."
Zhao Changning's heart softened, and she hugged the eldest princess and nodded, "Okay, Auntie promises you."
Spring in Yujing always passes quickly. When the cicadas start chirping, it is already midsummer.
Droughts struck again in many places, refugees were everywhere, and chaos was imminent, and the emperor was extremely worried.
Now that the cabinet is gone, the Secretariat was established too recently, and various government orders are sometimes not conveyed in a timely manner. As the female Secretariat, Zhao Changning is closest to the emperor, so she is also very busy.
Although she only holds a fifth-rank official position, those who can sit and discuss with her are high-ranking officials like Qi Yuwei and Zhou Min, who hold power and are in high spirits.
Power nourishes people extremely. She is no longer the little palace maid she used to be. All she faces every day are respect and smiling faces. Even those men no longer say what women should not do.
Although Zhao Changning knew that this kind of power was like a castle in the air and often made him tremble with fear, he still indulged in it and was full of energy no matter how busy he was.
She finally realized her wish. One day, she was making decisions for Dayong just like these men.
Even Gao Cong couldn't help but murmur when he saw her. She seemed to be getting more and more superior and more beautiful. The graceful and dignified demeanor cultivated by official power could not be deceived in her every move.
Song Huan came over quickly, her face full of worry.
"It's only halfway through this year, but our expenses have already exceeded all of last year." She handed a booklet to Zhao Changning. "Aunt, no matter how much money you have, you shouldn't spend it this way. This booklet contains all the details I found from the six account books."
Zhao Changning was somewhat puzzled. He took the booklet but did not open it. "Although there was a natural disaster this year, the total amount of disaster relief was only five million taels. How could it have exceeded this much?"
Moreover, the ships of the Guangzhou Maritime Customs have returned. Now tea and porcelain are sold far and wide, and their reputation has spread far and wide. The name of Dayong has spread far and wide, and the national prestige has greatly increased.
In recent years, more and more people of all kinds, black, white and brown, have come to Dayong, and the surrounding vassal states have also frequently offered tributes.
In particular, last year alone, 200,000 pieces of porcelain were exported, and the silver brought back greatly enriched the national treasury and the private treasury.
In comparison, the silver brought back from tea was much less, and the money went directly into the imperial treasury quietly. Fortunately, the total amount was not much compared to the porcelain, so no one argued about it.
"The palace's expenses are so high?" Zhao Changning frowned after listening to Song Huan's summary. "Why are there nearly 500 more palace maids and eunuchs?"
Song Huan pursed her lips. "That's not all. There are also quite a few female officials and eunuchs sent out from the palace. Moreover, the families of those female officials and eunuchs are exempted from corvée and taxes. The sum of money added up is a huge amount."
Zhao Changning shook his head. "The Emperor is well aware of this. Besides, with the Imperial Treasury to support it, the Imperial Court's expenses can't possibly exceed this by much. So what about the Ministry of Revenue's money? Where did it all go?"
Song Huan didn't say anything, but just looked at the account book with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes.
Zhao Changning understood immediately, and after enduring it again and again, he finally put the account book down.
"Aunt, you don't want to read it?" Song Huan was a little surprised. "Now only you can change this situation, even if it means letting the emperor know."
Zhao Changning's eyes were deep and forbearing. In the end, all her emotions were suppressed. She said in a deep voice, "Song Huan, I will take a look, but not now."
Song Huan was puzzled, but she had no choice. Dayong had a sore, and it was not something that a mere female official like her could change.
Zhao Changning didn't want to say too much, but she was worried about the female official, so she could only remind her in advance, "Song Huan, if something happens to me in the future, I hope you can hold me up. The female official must hold me up well in the next few years. I need a clean way out that won't be criticized."
Song Huan was startled, "Aunt, has something happened again?"
Zhao Changning shook her head. Song Huan was too smart, so she couldn't say too much.
"Just remember, as long as the female official is here, I will always be here. It may take a long time for us to be reunited, but I hope you can hold on. Don't let the female official go through the officialdom in vain and end up leaving in disgrace."
Song Huan's eyes were firm. "Aunt, don't worry. As long as you are here, I will always be here. I will wait for you with the ladies-in-waiting."
Zhao Changning held her hand and smiled with relief. She had been very lucky along the way.
At night, Yunsheng returned to his residence. He found Zhao Changning and said in a hoarse voice, "Aunt, the emperor has been reviewing memorials until midnight recently and even going to the harem. Do you want to dissuade him?"
Whenever something like this happened, my aunt would always remind everyone to tell her so that she could advise the emperor.
Zhao Changning looked him in the eyes and said word by word, "From now on, you will listen to whatever the emperor wants you to do. There is no need to persuade him."
Yunsheng was stunned for a moment, "Auntie, isn't this a bad idea?"
"There's nothing wrong with that." Zhao Changning said with a hint of meaning, "What the Emperor wants to do is not something that we servants can influence. If you have the chance, you can talk to the Emperor about the affairs of the harem."
Yunsheng is not that stupid after all. The longer he has been in the palace, the more he understands about the evil ways.
"Aunt, you are..." He lowered his voice, "Do you want the emperor to stay in the harem?"
Zhao Changning looked at his simple yet shrewd appearance, feeling somewhat amused and relieved. "Anyway, I'm quite skilled at red-stamping now. What do you think?"
Yunsheng scratched his head, "Aunt is always the smartest."
He also made a suggestion, "The Korean delegation sent several stunning beauties, but it's a pity you rejected them, aunt. It's said that Korean women are beautiful, intelligent, and gentle. Aunt, you should keep them."
Zhao Changning: “…”
She couldn't help but frown, "Don't you want to ask me what I want to do?"
Yunsheng was very obedient. "Auntie said it's very dangerous. The more people know, the more dangerous it is. I just need to listen to Auntie."
After he finished speaking, he still couldn't help but said, "Aunt, what do you want to do?"
"You kid." Zhao Changning was amused by him, then said seriously, "I want to survive, I want everyone to survive. Do you still want to know?"
Yunsheng was so scared that he waved his hands repeatedly, pretending that his throat hurt, and refused to speak.
At least this drought was not as severe as the last one. God was slow to act, but it finally rained in the winter month.
The refugees are returning, peace is returning to various places, and time will slowly heal the pain.
At this time, another prince was born in the harem. The emperor was no longer a new father. He had nearly ten children in total. When he learned about it, he was just happy and ordered rewards.
It was at this time that Mingxuan came back to report on his work.
After resuming his official position, he rarely came back to report on his work. This time he came back to perform his duties as governor.
As expected, of course, asking for money is the first priority, and the most important thing is that Mingxuan proposed to suppress merchants.
Zhao Changning wanted to leave the palace and talk to him about the conflict between farmers and merchants. In fact, this was also what Gao Yun was most worried about at the beginning. It was a pity that she did not think deeply about it at that time.
The emperor raised his hand to take the tea, but found it slightly cold. He looked up and asked, "Where's Changning?"
Yun Hui said nervously, "My aunt said she wanted to leave the palace."
The emperor narrowed his eyes and called Qin Fu in, "Where did she go?"
Qin Fu clasped his fists and said, "Mingxuan is waiting in Shui'er Lane. Your Majesty, do you want me to go and see him personally?"
The emperor's eyes were slightly cold, his brows were furrowed like peaks, and the thin white porcelain in his hand suddenly made a crisp sound, and the broken porcelain fell onto the scarlet carpet almost silently.
He suddenly stood up, snorted coldly, and wiped his hands clean one by one, "Go, don't alarm anyone."
When Yunsheng saw the emperor coming out, he asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, which lady's house are you staying with tonight?"
The emperor had no such idea at first, but then he thought of something and said impatiently, "Let's go to Hanpin."
Concubine Han is the beauty sent by Goryeo. It is said that she has some tricks up her sleeve. She has been very favored recently and her rank has been rising rapidly.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Yunsheng bowed his head respectfully and smiled with an almost imperceptible curl of his lips.
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