After Zhao Huan dismissed the court, he went to Li Sisi's place and stayed overnight. It was easy for him to deal with Li Sisi. He spent the whole night like a quacking duck and made Li Sisi laugh.
"Sisi, don't worry, I will avenge you right away." Zhao Huan sat on the bed, and Li Sisi rubbed his shoulders obediently.
"Your Majesty, what revenge do you want? Everyone in the palace has been very nice to me, no one dares to bully me." Li Sisi still didn't understand.
Zhao Huan turned around, turned her face, and said seriously: "I will prepare for war, fight Mongolia, and avenge your father, my father-in-law!"
Li Sisi trembled all over, and her voice trembled a little: "Your Majesty, what did you say?"
"I have already ordered the transportation of food, fodder and equipment to the front line, and will declare war on Mongolia soon. I said that I would avenge you, but now the Song Dynasty has the ability to do so. I will let the flags of the Song Dynasty be planted all over your Xixia territory, and then tell the Mongols that the son-in-law of the Xixia king has come to avenge him!" Zhao Huan said passionately, gesturing and spitting.
When he turned around, he saw Li Sisi's pretty face, covered in tears. Li Sisi was crying, a cry of joy and emotion: "Your Majesty, did you send troops just for me?"
Of course, Zhao Huan would not tell her that the reason he sent troops was because he wanted to solve the Song Dynasty's biggest problem in one fell swoop: "Of course, how could I forget what I promised you."
Li Sisi's tears fell like rain. She hugged Zhao Huan tightly and said, "Your Majesty, for the sake of me, those ministers and the people of the Song Dynasty, won't they object?"
Zhao Huan glared at him and said, "Why oppose? The Mongols will harm the Song Dynasty sooner or later. I am sending troops to fight them now, firstly to avenge you, and secondly for the sake of the Song Dynasty. Anyone who dares to oppose me will be spanked!"
"Your Majesty!" Li Sisi rushed over and pushed Zhao Huan down on the bed.
Being with Li Sisi always gave Zhao Huan a different feeling. She was hot and open, and always took the initiative, which made Zhao Huan very fond of her.
The next day, Zhao Huan went to Tang Wan'er's place. He wanted to treat all the women equally. Since they were his women, he wanted to dote on them all, not just one.
Fortunately, Tang Wan'er's temperament is to go with the flow and she has no desire for power, which is what Zhao Huan likes most.
For her now, Zhao Rouer was her greatest comfort. She knew that she was the worst in terms of both appearance and background. She had become accustomed to guarding the lonely harem alone. The fact that His Majesty gave her his daughter to raise was already a great blessing.
So when Zhao Huan arrived, she was surprised and terrified. Despite already being a mother, Tang Wan'er was still very shy when she saw Zhao Huan, and Zhao Huan felt a little guilty. To be honest, although he tried his best to treat everyone equally, he always inadvertently ignored this concubine.
"Wan'er, I'm here to see you." Zhao Huan walked into the room and picked up Zhao Rouer.
Zhao Rouer has become very well-behaved now and seems very obedient in Zhao Huan's arms.
"Your Majesty," Tang Wan'er didn't dare to raise her head. This gentle woman would neither be as proactive as Li Sisi, nor throw a tantrum like Nangong Lian'er, nor act like a spoiled child like the queen. She would only obey Zhao Huan's orders submissively.
"Wan'er, are you okay?" Zhao Huan asked with some concern.
Tang Wan'er finally raised her head and smiled: "I am fine, Your Majesty, why do you ask this?"
"No, nothing," Zhao Huan avoided her gaze. "I'll stay here tonight and have dinner with you and your daughter."
This was already a great favor to her. Tang Wan'er was overjoyed, even a little nervous with excitement. She was so surprised, like a little animal, "Oh, Your Majesty, I will prepare it right away, Caidie! Quickly inform the imperial kitchen that Your Majesty will dine in Luoyu Pavilion tonight."
Then she immediately panicked. Although there were palace maids and servants, she was still worried and wanted to clean up the mess herself. She was a palace maid before, so she would do anything to deal with such vulgar words.
The maids of Luoyu Pavilion had the easiest job, as their mistress always liked to pack up her own things. Tang Wan'er did this because she wasn't used to being waited on, and also because it was a way to pass the time. The harem was so lonely, with so many beautiful women and their youth trapped within.
Three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines. Three thousand beauties in the harem, revelry every night. Zhao Huan felt that having only a few concubines was already a burden. If there really were three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines, he really didn't know what to do.
"Wan'er, you are the queen now, why do you have to do these chores yourself? Are those palace maids bullying you? I want their heads!" Zhao Huan was a little angry.
The palace maids nearby were so frightened that their faces turned pale and they knelt down tremblingly: "Your Majesty, please spare me, Your Majesty, please spare me!"
Tang Wan'er was also startled: "Your Majesty, no, no. It's not them, it's me who wants to clean up. I like to clean up these things."
"Alas," Zhao Huan sighed, "Cao Dongsheng! Cao Dongsheng!"
Cao Dongsheng was outside the palace. Upon hearing Zhao Huan's call, he hurried inside and bowed, "Your Majesty!"
"Issue an order: Palace maids over the age of 28 may leave the palace freely, and no one may prevent them. If any palace maid marries, the court will allocate additional compensation."
This imperial decree saved countless palace maids from loneliness. Many palace maids who entered the palace ended up living in confinement for their entire lives. Zhao Huan's decree could be said to have given them great freedom.
All palace maids over the age of 28 were free to choose whether to remain in the palace or leave to seek another livelihood. If a palace maid left the palace to marry, the court would allocate money, which was a great blessing for them.
"Your Majesty!" The palace maids in Luoyu Pavilion knelt on the ground one after another, and some even cried with gratitude.
Cao Dongsheng was shocked: "Your Majesty, this, this is probably against the ancestral system. If a palace maid is free to leave the palace, the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Rites will probably not agree."
Zhao Huan was furious: "Tell those officials that this is an imperial decree issued by me personally. Anyone who dares to disagree will be punished with twenty lashes from the Ministry of Justice! Anyone who dares to continue to obstruct my decree will be dismissed!"
Cao Dongsheng wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, "As you wish!"
"By the way, there are also you eunuchs. If anyone wants to leave the palace, as long as they have been in the palace for more than ten years, the court will grant them permission to leave." Zhao Huan said with a cold face.
"Your Majesty, obey your command!"
Strangely, Zhao Huan's edict did not cause much reaction. The ministers only expressed their dissatisfaction in private, but no one dared to publicly criticize it. The edict was thus allowed to continue to be implemented.
This shows that Zhao Huan's power is growing. The absolute concentration of imperial power makes Zhao Huan feel at home, and few or no one dares to oppose his opinions.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
