Chapter 2514: Increasing Income and Reducing Expenditure
Zhu Feng nodded, put his arm around her again, and said softly, "Go to sleep."
Nan Yan responded and said, "Your Majesty, go to bed early and stop thinking about it."
"I know."
Nan Yan hugged him, fatigue came over her, and she slowly closed her eyes.
Looking down at the night sky, Nan Yan's long eyelashes trembled slightly with her breathing. Zhu Feng smiled silently and lowered his head to kiss her forehead.
But he did not fall asleep immediately. Instead, he kept his eyes open, watching the cold moonlight shining on the window sill, like a piece of frost falling on the ground. His deep, hawk-like eyes were also flashing a silent, sharp light in the quiet night.
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In a blink of an eye, another seven days passed.
After Zhu Feng got up early in the morning, he went to attend the morning court. Nan Yan calculated that it was about time, so she asked Aunt Tongyun to take out the mung bean soup that she had prepared early in the morning and poured into the well.
He personally delivered it to the imperial study.
As soon as I entered the room, I saw Zhu Feng sitting behind a desk with a stack of reviewed memorials beside him, but the one on top was open, obviously not yet fully reviewed.
And he was writing something.
When Nan Yan walked closer, she saw that he was copying a passage from the "Yizhou Chronicle".
When Chengdu brocade is finished and washed in the river, its patterns become more distinct and better than when it was first made; washing it in other waters is not as good as in the river...
Nan Yan looked at it and felt a little strange.
Zhu Feng came from a military background, but he was not a completely rough man. Although he could not do things like singing about the wind and the moon, he was not afraid of writing poems and painting.
However, at this time, I was neither writing poetry nor painting.
But copying such a passage seems a bit strange.
His expression was gloomy. The imperial study was hot, and even though there was an ice tray on the small table beside him, and a young eunuch was fanning him with a cool breeze, he was still sweating profusely.
Sweat fell like beads from a broken string, blurring out the words he had written.
Nan Yan walked up and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, please have some mung bean soup. I put it in the well specially and just took it out. It's now cold."
"oh?"
When Zhu Feng heard this, the gloom on his face faded a little.
He put down his pen, took the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
The clear and sweet mung bean soup flowed down his tongue, which relieved some of the heat in his heart. He sighed comfortably, still feeling a little unsatisfied.
Asked: "Anything else?"
Nan Yan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, don't be too greedy for coldness. Be careful of your stomach and intestines."
Zhu Feng said, "You underestimate me too much. During the war, I even ate raw horse meat frozen solid by ice and snow. This is nothing."
Nan Yan immediately said: "Just because you have suffered before doesn't mean you can continue to suffer. You have to suffer when you should."
“…”
"Your Majesty is now in a position of great responsibility, so naturally he must take good care of his health. I am here, and I will not allow Your Majesty to act so recklessly."
Zhu Feng glanced at her and couldn't help but shook his head and smiled.
Said: "Okay, I'll listen to you."
“…”
"Pour me a cup of tea."
Hearing him say this, Nan Yan snorted lightly, but obediently walked over to make him a cup of tea. Just like before, she put a small piece of rock sugar in it, tore off two chrysanthemums, and mixed it well before handing it to Zhu Feng.
But this time, Zhu Feng's attention was focused on the memorial beside him.
The teacup had been put down for a long time, but he didn't take a sip.
Nan Yan didn't disturb him, but just watched his brows getting tighter and tighter, and the hanging needle lines seemed to be engraved on his brows. She couldn't help but feel a little worried.
He whispered, "Your Majesty, has something happened again?"
“…”
Zhu Feng didn't say anything and just remained silent.
After Nan Yan asked that question, she didn't dare to say more. After all, if she asked more, it would be suspected that the harem was interfering in politics.
After a long while, Zhu Feng threw the memorial back onto the table. Although he didn't use much force, his movements and expression clearly showed his extreme impatience.
Shen Chen said, "The brocade production in the south this year is less than 30% of last year's. At this time of year in previous years, at least 200,000 pieces of brocade would be collected. If this continues, I'm afraid the national treasury will be empty."
When Nan Yan heard this, she frowned.
"Hasn't the Sang Nong issue been resolved?"
"The matter has been resolved, but the impact of the previous unrest is only now emerging."
“…”
"For a long time before, the mulberry farmers were making trouble and production was completely stopped. Even if we appeased them and restarted production later, the gap left in the middle would be too late to fill."
“…”
"Plus, the special envoys to the Western Regions took away a large amount of silk and brocade..."
Having said that, Zhu Feng sighed.
Nan Yan also frowned.
Of course she knew that the mulberry farmers' unrest would not be resolved and that many of the negative consequences would only become apparent later after the destruction.
I just didn't expect it to be so troublesome.
It seems that one really doesn't know how expensive food and fuel are until he takes charge of the household. Zhu Feng is really worried enough about managing such a big household.
Nan Yan thought for a moment and said, "I will promote frugality in the harem. Your Majesty can reduce the seasonal silk and winter brocade this year by half."
Zhu Feng looked at her, and although he was extremely anxious, he couldn't help but smile.
If it were someone else, the most they would do about this matter is to comfort him and ask the emperor to calm down.
But Nan Yan didn't say anything and presented the solution she could think of and do first. Even though it didn't save much, it still made him feel a lot more at ease.
He smiled at her and said, "You are quite straightforward."
Nan Yan said, "If the Imperial Concubine's attire did not affect the dignity of the royal family, I would not even have given up this share."
Zhu Feng couldn't help but laugh and said, "Okay, it's not just you who's missing out."
“…”
"Although cutting costs is one solution, it is only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution."
“…”
"Open source is the only way to remove the root of the problem."
Nan Yan said, "The solution King Wei came up with to solve the mulberry farmers' problem last time was also considered a form of open source."
Zhu Feng said, "The court's expenses are very high now, especially after the opening of the Western Regions trade route. The previously estimated output of brocade will definitely not be enough."
"So—how do we open source it?"
“Yeah, how to open source…”
“…”
"Where can I find open source..."
As Zhu Feng spoke, his eyes grew deeper.
His pupils seemed deep and dark, making it difficult for people to see what kind of emotions were in them. At this moment, even though he was so close, Nan Yan could only see his eyes flickering slightly, as if he was looking at something intently.
However, all he was looking at was the cup of tea placed next to him.
The tea was still swaying slightly, reflecting the faint light.
Nan Yan thought about what he had just said and said softly, "Weaving brocade requires skill. Jiangnan has been a silk producing area for hundreds of years, and the mulberry farmers and weavers are all experienced. If we move to another place, what can we expect to gain?"
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