Chapter 373 Zhao Hede 34
When Liu Ao heard that the Empress Dowager had taken a lot of people to the Pepper Palace, he thought to himself that something was wrong and hurried over in his carriage. Unexpectedly, he met his mother at the door.
"Your son greets the Queen Mother. What is this?"
Liu Ao glanced at Wang Zhengjun, whose face still showed anger, with surprise in his eyes.
"Go see your queen. Don't be deceived by her pretty face. Zhao'er is your only son. I hope you can educate him well and protect him well."
Wang Zhengjun didn't explain anything, she just pointedly warned the emperor. Liu Ao didn't show any strange expression, but after bidding farewell to the empress dowager, he couldn't help but sneer, his face full of sarcasm.
When Zhao Hede was helped back to the bed by Palace Maid Fan, she just sat down when she saw Liu Ao walking towards her like a dragon and a tiger. He lifted his robe and sat down beside her bed, asking curiously:
"What did the Queen say just now that could have angered the Empress Dowager so much? Even I can't make her angry. At most, she would give me a helpless look."
"Your Majesty, are you looking for fun with me and the Queen Mother?"
Zhao Hede narrowed her eyes, looked him up and down, raised her eyebrows with a smile, which made Liu Ao feel uncomfortable. After hearing this, he quickly said: "Well, how could it be? I am concerned about you and a little curious. Look at you, why are you so anxious?"
Hede turned his head and replied unhappily: "Humph, Your Majesty is so relaxed. You don't even think about how difficult it is for me to be your daughter-in-law and the Empress Dowager to be your mother-in-law."
As he spoke, his eyes gradually turned red: "If I hadn't risked my life, I'm afraid Your Majesty would only be able to see a queen who has lost her child and is heartbroken."
"Having lost her child... Queen Mother wants to take Zhao'er away?" Liu Ao held Hede's shoulders. Seeing her nod imperceptibly, he immediately felt a surge of anger. "How could Queen Mother do such a thing? She's a mother herself. Doesn't she know how to put herself in someone else's shoes?"
"Don't worry, Hede. As long as I'm here, I won't agree to let the Queen Mother take Zhao'er away."
"Your Majesty, if you say so, I will die..."
Hede had barely said the word "die" when Liu Ao covered his mouth with his hand. "Don't say that. You promised me that you would grow old with me. Zhao'er and Yin'er can't live without their mother, and I can't live without you either."
"But I disobeyed the Empress Dowager today. I'm afraid she will be even more dissatisfied with me in the future."
"It's okay. With me and Zhao'er here, your mother can't do anything to you. Besides, your brothers and nephews are all talented people who can be used. Even if something happens to me in the future, I will not let you suffer any injustice."
"His Majesty……"
Liu Ao reached out to wipe away the tears on Hede's face. He didn't want to dwell on this matter any further and make Hede sad, so he simply talked about Zhao Jin's entry into the palace today, and asked the servant to present the square brocade box.
"Is this the new vessel Jin'er has come up with? These are quite good, and look even more beautiful than the ones usually used in the palace."
Zhao Hede immediately fell in love with the square celadon box. It was simple and elegant. When she opened it, she saw it was filled with white crystal particles that looked like snow beads. "Is this... salt?"
Liu Ao couldn't hide the joy on his face. He embraced Hede and pointed at the box. "I have always thought that the brothers Zhao Ke and Zhao Qin are useful. Now I realize that this opportunity to change the world has fallen on young people."
"Hede, I really don't know how to thank you."
"There is no need for this word between me and Your Majesty."
Zhao Hede's words were sincere. She and the emperor had long been in the same boat. Prosperity and adversity were shared. Even if it was for her own sake, she had to help stabilize the already shaky Han dynasty.
………
Spring goes and autumn comes, time flies, and in the blink of an eye, six years have passed and it is spring again.
"Rui'er, Xin'er, run slower."
Zhao Hede wore a plain straight-hem dress with a ginger-yellow base, looking as elegant and graceful as she had been in the past. Feiyan wore a similarly pale lilac-purple dress with a curved hem, her elegance and grace adding a touch of chastity.
Two beauties sat on a bamboo mat, chatting and laughing, surrounded by children playing and having fun. This is the most beautiful thing in the world.
Liu Ao and Liu Kang came together and saw such a beautiful scenery.
Feeling the pull on his sleeve, Liu Ao looked down at the six-year-old prince. Seeing his son's face tilted upwards with anticipation, he gently raised his hand and rubbed the top of his head: "Go play, and remember to look after your cousin and Rui'er."
"I understand."
Zhao'er bowed slightly and gestured to his cousin Prince Gong, then turned around and ran to play with them.
"After all, they are still children. When they see children, they just want to play."
Liu Ao's feigned disdain couldn't fool Liu Kang. He laughed heartily and praised his brother, the Emperor, "Your Majesty, you are right. I see that the Crown Prince is both virtuous and talented, and his words and deeds are measured. He is as proficient in both civil and military matters as Your Majesty was in his time. Just now, those teachers took turns to test the Crown Prince but were unable to defeat him. This shows how talented he is."
"He also gets along well with his brothers, and sets an example of filial piety, brotherhood, and friendship. If Xin'er can reach even one-tenth of the Crown Prince's level, I'm afraid I'll wake up laughing in my dreams at night."
"You, you, you've become so smooth-talking after being a father these years. You've almost praised Zhao'er like a saint."
Although Liu Ao said this, anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was in a very good mood at the moment, and he obviously agreed with what Prince Gong said.
Just at this moment, Hede and her sister also came over. After the two parties exchanged greetings, they each took their husbands and sat back.
Hede did not forget to thank Prince Gong, saying, "I was just telling my sister that Jin'er has always been a playful child. It's all thanks to Prince Gong's care that he's been away all these years. Tomorrow I will have him go to Dingtao to personally thank His Highness."
"You are too polite, my dear sister-in-law. They are all my own nephews, so it is only natural for me to take care of them. Besides, Jin'er only looks a little unruly, but he is actually very organized. I can't help much."
Zhao Feiyan glared at her and said, "That's right, Jin'er is also my nephew. It's only natural for Your Highness to take care of him. Why are you being so polite to us, sister?"
Hede then leaned over and whispered to Feiyan in a voice that seemed low but was actually audible to everyone: "Hey, I'm just looking for an excuse so I can give you some goodies later."
"What good stuff?"
Zhao Feiyan knew her sister well, and she didn't care about ordinary things at all.
"It's the Yue Qunfang that Jin'er created under the name of Princess Yingyi. It's a limited edition new product that just came out this spring. There are only ten copies in total. Only customers with the national beauty level can buy it. Jin'er gave one set to each of us."
"You know I don't like these. Those two sets are yours."
Zhao Feiyan was indeed delighted. The rouge and powder produced by Yue Qunfang were always of the highest quality, and the packaging was so exquisite that many daughters of wealthy families would rush to buy them just for the packaging.
Zhao Feiyan actually prefers the products themselves, but these things are consumables, and Yue Qunfang always buys small but high-quality products, which are not enough for her to use.
But she couldn't ask her nephew to make an exception for her alone, otherwise the business would not be able to continue.
She could only take a roundabout approach and try to find a solution from her younger sister. After all, Hede was the queen, and her status and position naturally surpassed other women, so every time Yue Qunfang presented her younger sister, the things she presented were more exquisite and more... thick.
"Oh, I regret it now. Seeing how Yue Qunfang is in such short supply now, I really should have mixed in some of her back then."
"Come on, you've already invested half of your fortune in Wanbaofang. You're crazy about the money now, right? You're always trying to get involved in everything. I think you're obsessed with money."
Zhao Hede poked her sister's waist and muttered about the businesses they had invested in over the years. For example, Hede bought all the jewelry in her daughter's name, while she herself invested more in real estate.
Over the years, Zhao Jin had made those flashy things according to her instructions, and he either entrusted them to some aristocratic families or relatives to sell to other upper-class nobles, and he only took a share of the profits every year.
Things that are truly important or beneficial to the people should either be handed over to the emperor and nationalized, or the profits should be minimized as much as possible. If that doesn't work, the prescriptions should be distributed to ensure that the people can benefit as much as possible.
Therefore, while the group of people at the top have been fighting for their own interests over the years, the Zhao family has gradually gained reputation among the lower-class people, and even the image of the imperial court has improved a lot.
In terms of agriculture, Zhao Xin took the lead and gradually gathered and recruited some farmers who were relatively insightful. Liu Ao gave them a guard and let them run around "according to local conditions."
Not to mention, the results should be very good.
Not to mention that the food in the national treasury is becoming more and more sufficient, even among the people, there is now a legend about their team.
It is said that "Zhao Nong" and his subordinates brought divine seeds to the people. Seeing that the people were working hard in the fields, they also conjured up the divine plow from the sky. Wherever they went, there was good weather and good harvests, and there was no more hunger and disease.
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