One month later.
Guan Zhiyue led the palace servants in the Cold Palace, busy in the back mountain, completely absorbed in their work. The corn seedlings had already sprouted and turned lush and green, standing tall and straight like pine trees. Guan Zhiyue was now using a small hoe to separate the seedlings from one patch to another.
"Your Majesty, isn't this too wasteful?"
Guan Zhiyue turned her head to look at Hope Xiaodezi and said, "What's the waste? I see that some nests haven't produced a single one. We'll take some of the ones that are plentiful in some nests and use them to fill the nests that don't have any."
"Your Majesty, is this alright?"
Guan Zhiyue nodded and said, "I don't know, but it's worth a try. Besides, if there are too many in one hole, it will lead to a poor corn harvest because the nutrients will be absorbed."
"I see! Your Highness, you know so much!" Xiao Dezi said.
Guan Zhiyue glanced back and saw that Xiao Dezi was obediently helping her divide the seedlings, without saying anything.
He then changed the subject, saying, "By the way, find someone to sow some cucumber seeds and some loofahs or something in the empty land next to us."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will do it right away."
Guan Zhiyue nodded, letting Xiao Dezi go about his business, while she remained squatting on the ground, continuing to tend to the seedlings in her hands.
The palace accounts have been handed over to ten of Xin Chenchen's most capable arithmetic students, and they're all incredibly reliable and tight-lipped, so there shouldn't be any trouble. For Guan Zhiyue, this is like divine assistance!
Let them organize it first, then go through it yourself, and you'll have a complete grasp of all the accounting details.
Xin Chenchen also persuaded the Emperor to issue an edict to distribute this simplified version of the numbers nationwide. She further suggested simplifying accounting requirements so that this new accounting method could significantly improve work efficiency and reduce unnecessary expenses.
"Bilian, I haven't seen Prince Xiaoyao for a month. What's he doing now?"
"It's a miracle that I didn't see him at the palace banquet last time, which was so full of flowers." Guan Zhiyue squatted down to the side, holding a small hoe in one hand and stroking the corn seedlings with the other.
"I haven't inquired about it yet. Should I ask tonight?"
"Okay, go ahead! This guy is my business partner after all. I'd be furious if he ran off with the money."
Bilian smiled and said, "Your Majesty, shouldn't you be worried about Young Master Lan? In my opinion, shouldn't Lan Shanqi be the one most likely to escape?"
Guan Zhiyue shook her head, "No, no. With so much wealth, Young Master Lan naturally wouldn't run away. Besides, if he did run away, he has so many shops in the capital. We can just send someone to cause a scene and see how he can do business then."
Bilian didn't say anything, but reached out and gave a thumbs up!
"Oh dear, what's bothering me now is that the Emperor comes to my cold palace every day now, and I'm starting to dislike it."
Upon hearing this, Bilian rushed over in a flash, then looked around warily and said, "Oh my god, what are you saying? Aren't you afraid of losing your head?!"
"You are the Empress, it is only right that the Emperor comes to your residence to sleep every day!"
"This servant has never seen any other empress dowager who would push the emperor away like you."
"If this were any other concubine, the Emperor would be overjoyed. But you're always complaining about this or that."
Guan Zhiyue brushed away the muddy hands covering her and spat a few times with a look of disgust.
She jumped up and looked at Bilian, saying, "Your mother is celibate and has no interest in him. He's annoying me to death every day. He eats my food, sleeps in my bed, and even occupies my courtyard. Don't you think he's annoying?"
Bilian clasped her hands together, looking like she was praying to a god, and said to Guan Zhiyue, "Oh, my good empress, please rest, don't say anymore, don't say anymore. I'm afraid if you keep talking, our heads will still be on our necks tonight."
Seeing Bilian's reaction, Guan Zhiyue didn't say anything more. She pouted, rolled her eyes without any regard for her image, and continued to loosen the soil around the corn seedlings with her hoe.
Yes, that's right! Now, after finishing his official duties every night, Li Qiji would rush to the Cold Palace outside the Ten Palaces to eat, chat, and then go to sleep with Guan Zhiyue.
This was the most troublesome thing for Guan Zhiyue. Although the concubines in the harem had made a fuss about it a few times, they were all dissuaded by the emperor's indifferent attitude and the empress's pleading expression.
Your Majesty: Who do you think you are? Are you worthy?
Empress: Come, come, all those who need the Emperor, come and take him away!
All the concubines: We dare not do it again, Your Majesty! Please spare our lives!
Li Qiji was a person who disliked this kind of thing, especially since his father was killed by him because of his debauchery, and he himself suffered greatly because of it. Therefore, he only had a cold and distant attitude when facing the women in his harem.
If it weren't for the need to stabilize the court, he would probably be very unwilling to take these women into the palace; he was only being modest for the sake of the country.
But after seeing Guan Zhiyue's shining qualities, he was amazed and impressed. She was different from all the women he had seen growing up.
In its mind, a woman should be charming and coquettish, the kind who would whimper for no reason, or the kind who would fight fiercely over trivial jewelry or to climb to a higher position.
But he never saw any of that in Guan Zhiyue. In fact, all he saw in her eyes was disdain. He could clearly feel that she disliked him. What he couldn't understand was why the chubby girl who once looked at him with such desire to marry him had changed so much, and even her heart had changed.
*****
The cold palace at night.
"Oh, Your Majesty, you're here again! There's nothing good to eat today, just cold dishes and leftovers. Do you want some?" Guan Zhiyue said as she sat down at the table.
In the past, Hua Quan would have said, "How dare you! How can the Empress feed the Emperor leftovers?"
But now he doesn't want to say anything; he just wants to silently be a doorkeeper.
“If the Empress can eat it, why can’t I?” Li Qiji said.
"Oh! In that case, let's sit down and eat!"
So after dinner, the two of them did what they always did: take a walk outside the Cold Palace to digest their food.
Today, the two of them left all the servants behind and walked and talked until they arrived at a palace not too far from the Cold Palace, a palace that was rarely cleaned.
"Shh, someone's coming." Li Qiji grabbed Guan Zhiyue and used his lightness skill to fly to the top of the tree.
Guan Zhiyue, still shaken, released her mouth and glared at Li Qiji beside her.
"Are you out of your mind?! You should at least let us know if someone's coming!" Guan Zhiyue said.
Li Qiji raised his hand to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.
Guan Zhiyue looked down through the leaves and saw the Emperor's women, Fu Lingqiao and Fu Xiuyi, walking into the abandoned palace with a man dressed as a guard.
"Your Majesty, you've been cuckolded! See? You don't enjoy it yourself, so someone else is here to enjoy it for you," Guan Zhiyue mocked.
Li Qiji looked at the two people in the palace, then glanced at Guan Zhiyue, before leaning closer and whispering in her ear, so close that his lips would brush against her ear unintentionally when he spoke.
A warm breath then rang in Guan Zhiyue's ear: "I am not interested in other women, but I am particularly fond of the Empress. I wonder when the Empress will allow me to enjoy this pleasure as well?"
Upon hearing this, Guan Zhiyue's eyes widened, and she quickly grabbed the tree trunk and took a few steps back, distancing herself from the scoundrel.
The emperor stopped teasing her and turned back to look at the two people inside the palace.
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