Deshun still remembered Liu Si's story; after all, she was the girl specially brought into the palace by the Emperor. Deshun paid special attention to Liu Si's marriage and return to her parents' home, and found a chance to tell Tao Rui about it.
Liu Si's dowry was very generous. The emperor alone gave her the largest dowry a daughter of a fifth-rank official could have. She took advantage of this opportunity to ask for her biological mother's dowry from her stepmother. Add to that the dowry the Liu family originally gave her, and her father was promoted to a fourth-rank official. Her apparent dowry directly increased to the largest dowry a daughter of a fourth-rank official could have in history.
In addition, she also secretly hid a lot of silver bills as a dowry, making her a very wealthy bride.
However, the Yang family had long been ridiculed for the imperial edict, and they were deeply dissatisfied with Liu Si. However, they dared not show this dissatisfaction, so they could only be polite on the surface, but in reality, they were cold and indifferent, avoiding her whenever possible. However, she had given her in-laws many gifts and was trying hard to win their favor.
After Tao Rui listened to him, he took two pills and said casually, "There's no need to inquire about Madam Yang's affairs in the future, nor do you need to care about them. I severed all ties when I honored her."
Seeing that he was in a good mood, Deshun made a playful joke, "I'm afraid Miss Liu doesn't like your gift, Your Majesty."
Tao Rui smiled wickedly, "Didn't she want me to support her? I do. If she could live comfortably with her wealth, no one would dare to bully her. But I'm not her servant. She can't be too greedy if she wants this and that. I'll only give her this."
"Your Majesty is wise," Deshun offered a small dose of flattery. He thought Liu Si seemed quite intelligent, but perhaps too intelligent, and therefore unsatisfied. Liu Si likely wouldn't live the comfortable life the Majesty had promised, but would instead strive to rise to the top.
Tao Rui suddenly remembered that when he issued the imperial edict, it was in the name of childhood playmates, so he said, "Go and find out who my childhood playmates and study partners were, and reward them all, just like the example of Madam Yang."
"Yes." Deshun responded and quickly ordered someone to do the job.
He felt that the Emperor was becoming increasingly meticulous in his actions. He couldn't understand why the Emperor had given Liu Si such an order, but he didn't dare speculate. Although he had served the Emperor for several years, it was clear that the Emperor still had hidden forces, of which he was completely unaware. Naturally, he had to serve such a mysterious Emperor with great care, and be even more cautious in his words and actions.
Even Hai Fuan had the same idea as Deshun. Hai Fuan even went to investigate specially, but he could not find out how Tao Rui had managed to get those drugs into Jiang Bin and others. There was no trace at all.
He naturally didn't think of any rebound damage, but only felt that Tao Rui was mysterious and far more powerful than he had imagined. He was willing to submit to such a master, and when he came to Tao Rui to report things, his attitude became even more respectful.
Tao Rui had previously ordered Hai Fuan to check all the nails in the palace. This was a big project, but after so many days, Hai Fuan had almost finished checking.
He gave Tao Rui two lists. One, smaller in number, consisted of the confidants of each master, who should be kept. After all, what master didn't need confidants? There were also a few less important positions, which could also be kept to spread false information to others. The other, larger list consisted of the spies planted by each master, as well as the ministers' spies.
After reviewing the information, Tao Rui said, "Clear all the thorns around me. I don't need to spread false information. And Concubine Duan Chun, make sure her surroundings are clean. Keep the concubines' confidants, and release the rest. It's been 49 days since the Empress Dowager passed away, so let's pray for her and release some of the palace maids. Oh, and if the palace has enough manpower, let's release those who are almost old enough as well. The palace doesn't need so many people serving it, it's a mess."
Hai Fuan originally wanted to say that in the future, the harem would still need a lot of people to serve, but then he thought that Tao Rui had already said that he would observe a three-year mourning period, so no new people would be admitted for at least three years, so he could just wait three years and then hold another selection.
So Hai Fuan agreed and went to do the job.
Tao Rui called him, stood up, put his hands behind his back and walked around him, looking him up and down as he walked.
Hai Fuan lowered his head and asked, "Your Majesty, what is wrong with this servant?"
Tao Rui walked up to him and stood still, looking at him intently, "Hai Fuan, can I trust you?"
Hai Fuan bowed neatly and said in a loud voice, "Your Majesty, I swear to be loyal to you until death!"
"Very good, then I will hand over the Imperial Household Department to you. I want this harem to be peaceful and quiet. I want to know about any disturbances. I don't want to have to investigate the whole story after something happens. Can you do that?"
"I can do it!"
"Well, go ahead, don't let me down."
"yes!"
Hai Fuan left the imperial study room somewhat excitedly. Now he no longer had to hide in the dark, but instead had been given an important assignment, which offered him a better future than serving the Empress Dowager. No matter what, since the Emperor trusted him so much, he had to do his job well!
Hai Fuan was in charge of the Imperial Household Department, and the Regent and the others were somewhat surprised. In their opinion, the relationship between Emperor Tao Rui and the Empress Dowager who was ruling from behind the scenes must be very bad. After all, when it comes to imperial power, how can there be any family affection between grandparents and grandchildren?
Hai Fuan was the Empress Dowager's confidant, but Tao Rui actually used him in such a high position. Why was that?
Before they could figure it out, Hai Fuan did something major, almost clearing out all the spies they had planted in the palace. Even if there were a few that slipped through the net, they were all in useless positions and became useless chess pieces.
This would not only prevent them from being informed of the Emperor's situation, but also prevent them from contacting their daughter. This was especially true for the Regent's concubine, Concubine Jiang, who had just been demoted and forced to copy Buddhist scriptures. The Regent was now completely in the dark, unable to even know if his daughter had been wronged. But he couldn't stop it. Tao Rui wanted to pray for the release of a group of palace servants, so who was to stop him?
They could only hold Hai Fuan accountable, saying that eunuchs could not be in charge of the Imperial Household Department, but Tao Rui rejected their proposal on the grounds that Hai Fuan knew the palace best. Tao Rui watched with indifference, and the ministers who supported the Chen family were the most opposed, so he asked Hai Fuan to check the accounts of the Imperial Household Department.
The Minister of Internal Affairs was previously the second son of the Chen family head. He was so active, I'm afraid he must have made a lot of money and was unwilling to give up his position. If the truth were found out, it would be a good opportunity to make the Chen family pay the price and save them from unnecessary trouble.
Tao Rui quickly and decisively brought the harem to a state of stability. Some of the concubines and beauties sought favor, while others were too timid to venture out. But Tao Rui refused to see them. Whenever he went out, a team of eunuchs would clear the way for others to avoid him. They had no chance of even encountering him, so naturally, they kept quiet.
As for the Empress Dowager, Concubine Jiang, and Concubine Chen, they began to keep a low profile even if they were holding back. This was good. Tao Rui faced many problems as emperor, and he really didn't want to cause any trouble in his backyard. He didn't bother to care about their quarrels and decided to just stay quiet.
With so many fewer people in the palace, management becomes much easier.
Cheng Qianqian took over the Phoenix Seal and managed the harem. Hai Fuan, as the head of the Imperial Household Department and a eunuch, was able to report to her easily, which was a great help. She was also gradually learning how to manage the harem. Fortunately, there were rules in place, so she only had to follow them and make occasional adjustments.
But reading the account books gave her a real headache. Ancient account books were filled with text and lacked punctuation, and a single black page took her ages to read. Cheng Qianqian often had to use Arabic numerals on white paper to calculate addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
When she saw the account book again one time, she boldly mentioned it to Nanny Dong beside her, "Tell me, if I change the way I keep accounts, will the emperor think I'm meddling?"
Nanny Dong lowered her head and said, "That depends on whether the changes will cause trouble to the Emperor. In my opinion, the Emperor hates trouble in the harem, but if the changes are good, you might even get his praise."
Cheng Qianqian looked at the account book and muttered, "Then I'll try it myself first and see if it works."
She asked someone to bring some white paper and started copying according to the account book. While copying, she wrote all the Chinese numbers as Arabic numerals, aligned them vertically, added punctuation marks for the reasons for income and expenditure, and drew the whole thing into a horizontal table.
After copying a page, the total income, total expenditure and remaining amount of this page are all written on one line. The accounts are clear and look much cleaner than before.
Nanny Dong watched from the side, amazed. Suddenly, she began to understand why the Emperor valued Concubine Duan Chun. It turned out that Concubine Duan Chun was quite capable. She smiled and said, "Your Majesty is truly clever. She actually came up with such a simple accounting method."
Cheng Qianqian blushed and said quickly, "That's not what I thought. I don't remember when I saw this accounting method before. I thought it was good, so I wrote it down."
Nanny Dong said tactfully, "Your Majesty must be very lucky. How come others haven't noticed this accounting method?"
Cheng Qianqian still had some faith in the idea of being blessed. She had traveled through time after death, not only having lived an extra life but also having obtained the Spatial Spirit Spring, leading a smooth and easy life. Wasn't that a blessing? So if she could do something to make this place a better place, she was willing to do it.
Cheng Qianqian asked several people and heard them all say that this accounting method was easy to understand and could be learned quickly. She smiled happily and immediately asked someone to change clothes so that she could go find Tao Rui to talk to him.
Nanny Dong hurriedly stopped her and said, "Madam, isn't it a pity for you to go empty-handed?"
"I'm not empty-handed. I'm holding the bookkeeping method." Cheng Qianqian suddenly realized and said with a smile, "Are you asking me to get a soup or something?"
"Exactly. The Emperor has been in power for less than two months, and I heard he's been very busy every day. He's even summoned Imperial Physician Li and Taoist Priest Xuanji twice as often. If Your Majesty were to go, why not check on the Emperor? Make some soup."
Cheng Qianqian's attention wasn't on the soup. Instead, she asked in surprise, "Does the Emperor trust Taoist Xuanji so much? Is it just because he takes a lot of pills? Who is that Imperial Physician Li? Is he really reliable? He's the Imperial Physician, but he can't even cure the Emperor, and yet he wants him to take pills?"
Nanny Dong hurriedly glanced outside and whispered, "Your Majesty, please don't say these things. Who the Emperor favors, or whether he takes the elixir, is none of our business. You haven't established yourself in the harem yet, so don't bring up these matters in front of the Emperor."
Nanny Dong was also worried sick. She could see that Cheng Qianqian was very pure-minded, without any evil intentions or ambitions. But could the emperor's favor be relied upon? Although the emperor had sent her, he had also said that she only needed to be loyal to Cheng Qianqian, so she naturally had to make plans for Cheng Qianqian.
Cheng Qianqian also knew that the emperor hated honest advice the most, so she nodded and promised not to say anything. But her current comfortable life was entirely dependent on Tao Rui. If anything happened to Tao Rui, she and her family would most likely be in trouble.
While Cheng Qianqian was waiting for the soup to boil in the small kitchen, she made a decision in her heart. She couldn't let Tao Rui's health get in trouble. At least before Tao Rui did anything bad to her, Tao Rui was her biggest support in this world.
Cheng Qianqian had a clear idea, so she cooked the soup herself. To ensure that the spiritual spring water would not leak out, she waited until she entered the imperial study to serve Tao Rui soup, then covered it with her sleeve and quickly added some spiritual spring water to the soup.
The system excitedly said: [Brother Rui, it's spiritual spring water. This is the first time I've seen spiritual spring water!]
Tao Rui had not only seen spiritual spring water but also spiritual essence in the world of cultivation, but he was not excited at all. He just said: "Growth is painful. Let Qianqian be a naive and innocent girl."
He took the bowl of soup and took a sip, then showed a surprised expression, "Concubine Duan Chun, did you make this?"
Cheng Qianqian smiled and nodded, "This is what I made myself. Does Your Majesty think it tastes good?"
"It's delicious." Tao Rui finished the whole bowl of soup, proving that what he said was true. "I had a headache, but after drinking my beloved concubine's soup, the pain is gone."
"Then I will make soup for Your Majesty every day. I can also make some side dishes. Although they are not as good as the dishes in the imperial kitchen, it would be nice for Your Majesty to change his taste occasionally."
"Okay, it's too troublesome for you to bring it here, and it will get cold easily. I will go to your place for dinner in the future. You don't have to work hard, just make a simple dish, and let the imperial kitchen take care of the rest."
"Yes." Cheng Qianqian smiled happily. This way, Tao Rui's health would definitely be fine, and he wouldn't die suddenly from his addiction to elixirs. If Tao Rui treated her badly in the future, they would talk about it then.
Deshun and Cheng Qianqian's maid Xianglan exchanged a glance and silently stepped aside. Most concubines wouldn't dare say this, and most emperors wouldn't respond in this way. But since their masters and mistresses get along well, they're also at ease.
Cheng Qianqian poured Tao Rui another bowl of soup before getting down to business. She showed Tao Rui a few pages of accounts she had written and explained them to him in detail.
Tao Rui smiled. This wasn't in the original script, perhaps because Cheng Qianqian never had the chance to manage palace affairs and didn't have to look at messy books. While this accounting method wasn't cutting-edge, it was sufficient for this era. It saved a lot of time and reduced calculation errors. It wasn't difficult, and anyone could learn it. It was a welcome change.
He thought that in his high position, responsible for governing the entire world, he would inevitably overlook the most common little things in life, yet these little things could have the greatest impact on the happiness of the people. In the future, he should let Cheng Qianqian get involved in more things. Perhaps Cheng Qianqian would have more suggestions to fill his gaps.
After Cheng Qianqian finished her explanation, she waited anxiously for Tao Rui's reaction. Tao Rui, of course, praised her highly, "Concubine Duan Chun's method is excellent. Whether it's the numbers, the bookkeeping method, or the punctuation, it's all excellent. Just make sure everyone in the palace learns from it."
He thought for a moment and decided that this was a good opportunity to build momentum for Cheng Qianqian, so he said, "How about this, you write a memorial to me, and I'll call a few ministers over tomorrow, and you give them a good talk."
Cheng Qianqian opened her eyes wide in surprise. "Your concubine, your concubine is here to tell the story? Tell the minister?"
Tao Rui nodded. "What's wrong? You know it best, so of course you should explain it most clearly. Besides, this is your achievement, and you can't let others take it away. Don't worry, I'll leave this matter to your father. If there are any problems in the future, you and your daughter can communicate together."
Cheng Qianqian quickly agreed, her heart beating rapidly. She felt that giving Tao Rui the spiritual spring water was absolutely right! What kind of divine support was this? She must have saved the Milky Way in her past life!
Cheng Qianqian was in a hurry to go back and write a memorial, and Tao Rui didn't keep her. She was happy when she left, and even added spiritual spring water to the remaining soup.
Tao Rui has to practice every day now. Of course, absorbing the spiritual energy between heaven and earth is not as good as drinking spiritual spring water, so... he drank all the soup, four full bowls!
Tao Rui looked at the memorial in front of him, stood up and said, "I am a little tired. I will go to bed for a while. Please don't disturb me."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Deshun suppressed a smile, thinking that the Emperor must have been drunk. It seemed that the Emperor really liked Concubine Duan Chun. He actually drank all the food that Concubine Duan Chun made herself. It was not easy for him to do so.
Tao Rui went to the side hall and sat cross-legged on the bed. After lowering the bed curtains, he began to practice. He didn't even have dinner that day.
Cheng Qianqian was the same. She threw herself into the project, forgetting to eat or sleep, working by lamplight until dawn, finishing her work and transcribing it onto a memorial. Looking at her decent handwriting, she couldn't help but feel lucky. Fortunately, she had practiced calligraphy since she came here, and had already absorbed the original owner's handwriting. Otherwise, she would have made a fool of herself this time.
After the morning court session, Tao Rui directly called four important ministers, including the Regent and Cheng Bin, and asked them to go to the Imperial Study to discuss matters.
They now felt their scalps tingle when they heard Tao Rui say the word "discuss matters", wondering what unexpected move Tao Rui would make next. When they entered the imperial study and saw Concubine Duan Chun waiting there, they were once again confused.
When the emperor calls them to discuss matters, does he still let the concubines serve him?
This is outrageous!
Cheng Bin saw the hint of joy on Cheng Qianqian's face and frowned slightly, becoming increasingly puzzled as to what this was about. It wasn't until Tao Rui asked Deshun to show them the memorial written by Cheng Qianqian and asked her to explain it to them that he realized this was a good thing for his daughter!
The Regent was the first to object, "These matters should be left to the Ministry of Rites to study. Why let Concubine Duan Chun speak?"
Tao Rui said, "Prince Regent, what discrimination do you have against the concubines in the harem? Didn't the Empress Dowager, a woman, rule the country from behind the curtain for eight years? What's wrong with Concubine Duan Chun? These are all ideas of Concubine Duan Chun. I think they are good. You should all listen carefully. If there is no problem, I will promote them to the whole country."
The regent was unhappy. When his daughter entered the palace, she was the Consort of Chen, and everyone knew he wanted her to be the empress. However, Tao Rui retaliated by demoting his daughter to a concubine, even stripping her of the title of "Chen." How could he possibly want to see another woman gain favor and ascend to a higher position? Not to mention such flattery.
He added, "These are merely trifles and details." He stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I still have many important matters to attend to. I will leave these matters to the people below."
Tao Rui's face turned cold. "I thought this was a major event that would revolutionize accounting, reading, and writing. You call it a trifle. Does that mean I'm blind?"
The Regent was choked up, and after holding it in for a long time, he lowered his head and said, "I dare not."
Tao Rui looked at him calmly and said, "The Regent is probably overwhelmed and overwhelmed. He even refused to listen to my request for a meeting. In that case, the Regent should divide half of the work he is doing and let others take care of it."
The Regent suddenly looked up at Tao Rui and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty..."
Tao Rui looked at him expressionlessly. "You heard what I said. You can choose who to appoint. I already have a full court of civil and military officials. I don't need a regent to work tirelessly on government affairs. So what do I need them for? If you are meaningful, doesn't that mean that the people you promoted are more incompetent than the last, and none of them are worth much?"
There was no way to respond to this; the Emperor was being completely unreasonable. The Regent would have to implore a rebuttal, but he wasn't fully prepared at the moment, and a confrontation wasn't worth it. Tao Rui, on the other hand, had asked him to assign the task to his people, so that wouldn't have had much of an impact on him, so he could agree.
The Regent thought for a while before agreeing, then sat back in his original seat, saying nothing more, his expression as if someone owed him a lot of money.
Cheng Qianqian watched the argument between Tao Rui and the Regent, feeling incredibly excited and admiring Tao Rui even more. This eighteen-year-old kid was truly incredible. He should be called "little brother"; his aura was so overwhelming that he completely overpowered the Regent!
She had never seen anyone who could be so unreasonable and act so cool.
He is a ruthless person!
After that, no one dared to raise any objections, and everyone listened attentively to Cheng Qianqian's explanation of what Arabic numerals were, what the new accounting method was, what punctuation marks were, and horizontal writing.
The horizontal layout was more comfortable than the vertical layout, but they needed to break the mold. Cheng Bin and the others raised some questions, and Cheng Qianqian, unfazed, answered them all. Finally, after some discussion, they all agreed it was feasible. The main reason was that Tao Rui had clearly decided to do this, and even if they had some minor objections, there was no need to oppose him. Hadn't they seen the Regent give up on the idea?
So in the end, these things that seemed insignificant but could affect the whole world were decided to be implemented.
Tao Rui directly named Cheng Bin, "Let Cheng Aiqing handle this matter. If you do well, I will reward you. If you have any questions, you can pass a sign to the palace and ask Concubine Duan Chun for advice."
The Regent can’t even contact his own daughter now, so how could the Cheng family be able to meet her?
His face darkened and he said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, this is against the rules."
"Rules are made by people. The harem is my home, and I am the rule." Tao Rui glanced at the Regent. "If Concubine Jiang can come up with some good ideas to promote throughout the country, I might let you and your daughter meet."
The Regent's expression turned even uglier. Doesn't this mean that his daughter is not as good as the one from the Cheng family?
After Tao Rui asked them to leave, the Regent snorted coldly at Cheng Bin from outside and said gloomily, "You jumped so high all of a sudden, be careful not to fall and die!"
Cheng Dong was the commander-in-chief in front of the emperor. Seeing that the regent was making things difficult for his father, he immediately came over with four guards and stood aside.
He didn't have to do anything, just standing there was irritating to the Regent. It wasn't just Cheng Bin who rose to prominence in the Cheng family; the entire family rose to prominence.
The Regent snorted again and walked away.
Cheng Bin nodded to Cheng Dong and said, "Do your job well and take good care of your grandfather."
The others had already left, and Cheng Dong whispered, "Father, have you met Concubine Duan Chun? She is doing well in the palace."
Cheng Bin smiled, stroked his beard, and said, "I never thought the Emperor would like your sister's simple nature. Our previous worries were in vain. In any case, since the Emperor trusts us, we will do our job well and provide support for your sister."
"Yes, father."
As soon as they finished talking, De Shun came out and asked someone to find Doctor Li.
Cheng Bin frowned and sighed softly, "I wonder when the Emperor's headache will be cured."
Cheng Dong whispered back, "The Emperor's headaches are getting more frequent, but he's in good spirits. Father, don't worry too much."
Cheng Dong followed Tao Rui every day and knew everything clearly. Cheng Bin nodded and left the palace.
Cheng Qianqian, however, hadn't left yet. Seeing Tao Rui calling for Doctor Li, she asked in surprise, "Your Majesty, do you have a headache? Did I talk for too long and disturb you?"
Tao Rui shook his head. "No, I just have had headaches a lot lately. I don't know what caused it."
Cheng Qianqian was puzzled. She had just added Lingquan to Tao Rui's tea, so why did Tao Rui still have a headache? Did she add too little?
Doctor Li was coming to give Tao Rui acupuncture and massage. Cheng Qianqian was not comfortable staying here, so she said, "I will prepare the dishes and soup tonight and wait for the emperor to come and eat."
Tao Rui agreed and asked her to go back and rest.
Doctor Li's face was a bit pale when he entered. The system told Tao Rui that Doctor Li would occasionally frown. Tao Rui guessed he probably had a headache, and he was happy. He had been calling Doctor Li several times, citing worsening headaches as an excuse. All those tactics had backfired on Doctor Li himself. If he didn't have a headache, who would?
Doctor Li continued to give Tao Rui acupuncture and massage as usual, but the splitting headache made the whole process very painful, and he couldn't show it. Otherwise, if he got sick, he would no longer be able to get close to Tao Rui. He could only try his best to hide it, biting his tongue and holding on.
Tao Rui even deliberately made him massage for another half an hour before letting him go.
As soon as Doctor Li left, Hai Fuan came out from behind the screen in the inner room. He had been there for a while, but he didn't come out because Doctor Li was there.
He asked Tao Rui to dismiss his attendants, then stepped forward and reported quietly, "Your Majesty, I have noticed that Imperial Physician Li has been acting strangely. He has been ordered to treat Concubine Jiang. As far as I know, Concubine Jiang has only caught a cold from soaking in ice water. It's not difficult to treat, but the condition is intermittent and has never been cured. Imperial Physician Li's daily visit is a bit strange. I have also noticed that... the apprentice Imperial Physician Li always brings with him seems..."
Tao Rui was stunned. He lay on the couch and looked at Hai Fuan. "What's the matter? It's so hard to talk about it?"
After he finished speaking, he reacted and said in surprise: "You mean, that little disciple has an affair with Jiangpin?!"
Hai Fuan swallowed hard, lowering his head even more. "I'm not sure, but Concubine Jiang summoned Doctor Li twice yesterday, saying the condition was a bit serious. Even the medicine was prepared by the young disciple himself in the room."
Does this mean that Concubine Jiang was not forced?
Tao Rui really didn't expect that he would be cheated so soon!
He sat up and put on his clothes, thinking about it. Doctor Li was from the previous dynasty, and he hoped that he and the Regent would quarrel at the first opportunity. This... was really a good way. How did Doctor Li come up with this? The key point was that Concubine Jiang was really bold.
But thinking back on the few times he'd seen Concubine Jiang, she'd had no reservations about arguing with him. She probably thought the world would eventually be ruled by the Regent, and she saw herself as a future princess. If he'd upset her, she'd certainly have to retaliate. And with a handsome man right there at her doorstep, having an affair wasn't surprising.
From the last time she drugged her, it was clear that Concubine Jiang was very willful and had been spoiled by the Regent. If that's the case... why not grant her wish?
Hai Fuan asked: "Is it..." He made a scratching motion on his neck.
Tao Rui waved his hand, revealing a playful smile. "No need. Give them more chances. I want to see how big a fuss this Regent's daughter can make. By then, I'm afraid the Regent will have no place to hide his face, right?"
Hai Fuan was stunned, "But if it gets out, the emperor's reputation will be..."
Tao Rui smiled and said, "Do I care about my reputation? Go ahead and do as I tell you. And check the accounts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs as soon as possible."
"yes."
Hai Fuan was baffled, but the more he couldn't understand, the more he felt Tao Rui was a man of great intelligence, and that everything he did had its own reasons. Since it wasn't a matter of life and death, he might as well just follow orders.
Tao Rui felt that Concubine Jiang was a joke, but it gave him a reason to punish the concubines in the palace. When he went to Concubine Chun's palace for dinner, he was in a good mood.
Concubine Duan Chun's palace was Zihua Palace, which she moved to after she was conferred the title of concubine. At that time, she was the only concubine, so the palace was decorated very elegantly and the palace servants were all very well-behaved.
Tao Rui was here for the first time. After he sat down, he saw Nanny Dong. A little later, he saw several familiar palace maids and eunuchs, all of whom he had personally selected that day. He smiled with satisfaction. It seemed that he had good taste. They had each found opportunities to come to Cheng Qianqian's side, and it seemed that they were being given important positions and were quite capable.
With these smart people in the palace protecting her, he doesn't have to worry too much about Cheng Qianqian.
Cheng Qianqian made two dishes, one meat and one vegetable, and also stewed a bowl of soup.
Tao Rui had been cultivating for two months and was extremely sensitive to spiritual energy. As soon as the food arrived, he knew that both dishes and the soup had been infused with spiritual spring water. Of course, he couldn't waste it; he'd eat it as many times as he could. Furthermore, spiritual spring water had magical properties. Adding it to food, regardless of its original flavor, transformed it into something incredibly delicious, even better than the imperial chef's. Naturally, he wouldn't let his taste buds down.
Cheng Qianqian didn't want the spiritual spring water to be lost, so she ate quite a bit too. The two of them devoured everything she cooked. Of course, Tao Rui ate more.
Tao Rui complained to the system: "When I have enough points, I'll buy myself a spiritual spring. Then I won't have to worry about wasting it and overeating. Thankfully, cultivation can help me shape my body, otherwise I'd be fat as a ball!"
The system laughed unceremoniously.
Tao Rui said to Cheng Qianqian, "My beloved concubine's cooking skills are excellent, but I can't bear to see you suffer so much, so I will just make soup for you in the future."
Cheng Qianqian was also feeling a bit full, feeling she'd done something stupid, and quickly nodded in agreement. Why add the spiritual spring water anywhere? Why add it to everything? Just add it to the soup; it's not much, and it'll be gone in a few sips.
Tao Rui noticed that she was a little depressed, so he suggested going out for a walk to help digest the food.
The two walked side by side to the Imperial Garden, and Tao Rui casually asked her about her family. After Cheng Qianqian replied a few words, she couldn't help but ask, "Is the emperor still having a headache now?"
Tao Rui shook his head. "It doesn't hurt anymore. What's wrong?"
"Then...then when Your Majesty is free in the future, why not take a walk like this to relax. When your mind is relaxed, maybe you won't have a headache. I believe that all medicines are poisonous. The imperial physician and the Taoist priest are external forces in the end when they treat Your Majesty." Cheng Qianqian suggested tentatively, but didn't dare to say too much. After all, honest advice would not end well.
But Tao Rui didn't get angry. Instead, he nodded in agreement and said, "You're right. Let's take a walk after dinner every night from now on."
"Ah?" Cheng Qianqian was a little surprised and said quickly, "Yes."
She suddenly thought, Tao Rui was so nice to her, coming to have dinner with her every day and taking walks with her, was he pursuing her?
But she's already married to him, so is there any need to pursue him? It would be strange if she didn't. Fortunately, there are three years of mourning. If things stay this good during these three years, then... it seems like it would be nice to just treat it as a relationship.
But then, thinking about how many concubines Tao Rui has in his harem, she wouldn't be happy either. Could she find a man in ancient times who didn't take concubines? It's said that Tao Rui ordered Liu Si's husband not to take concubines, and also forbade her in-laws from scolding Liu Si. So envious! Why didn't she dress like Liu Si?
Tao Rui noticed that Cheng Qianqian beside him was distracted, so he smiled helplessly and said to her, "It's getting late, go back, I still have memorials to read."
"Yes, I respectfully see His Majesty off." Cheng Qianqian bowed and waited for Tao Rui to leave first.
Cheng Dong felt more and more at ease as he followed Tao Rui. The way Tao Rui treated his sister didn't seem to be scheming, and in fact, he treated her better than he had imagined. Perhaps his sister was just a fool with good fortune. At least the family could rest assured for the time being.
Tao Rui's orders quickly took effect, and the entire palace followed Cheng Qianqian's new methods. Because of this incident, all the palace maids and concubines realized how much the emperor valued Cheng Qianqian and became even more respectful to her. Concubine Jiang and Concubine Chen were furious, but since they were under house arrest, they couldn't affect anyone else.
Hai Fuan thoroughly checked the accounts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and discovered that the second son of the Chen family had accepted bribes. The qualifications of imperial merchant, purchasing agent and small selection all became his ways of making money, as well as in other aspects, and the amount was huge.
Tao Rui certainly would not tolerate evil, so he took action in the court and directly exiled the second son of the Chen family to the border, and ordered the Chen family to return all the embezzled property within ten days.
This time, the Chen family suffered a heavy blow.
The head of the Chen family, Lord Cheng'en, personally came to the door of the imperial study, knelt on the ground and apologized. He was almost sixty years old. Tao Rui called him in and said nothing else, only coldly: "The Chen family is the Empress Dowager's natal family. I will not kill them all because of this friendship. But if there is a next time, I will show no mercy."
Duke Cheng'en lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, please remember... when Your Majesty first ascended the throne, we ministers wholeheartedly protected you..."
Tao Rui chuckled, "If it weren't for this friendship, do you think I would have let you off so easily? The Chen family has done a great job in protecting their master, but the Empress Dowager has never treated you unfairly. I don't owe you anything."
Duke Cheng'en lowered his head deeply. "Your Majesty, I know what to do now. Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace!"
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