Chapter 51 Men with Illnesses, Men Living in Households, Men Dressing Up for Their Lovers
Yang Lingyi looks even more obedient now.
Yuan Yan suppressed his urge to touch him and continued strolling through the West Market with Yang Lingyi.
In a jade shop, Yuan Yan took a fancy to a jade hairpin, which was pure white, flawless, and lustrous.
She picked up the jade hairpin, and for some reason felt that this hairpin would be a perfect match for Yang Lingyi.
"Young Master Yang, do you like this jade hairpin?" Yuan Yan turned to ask Yang Lingyi.
Yang Lingyi did not answer that question, but instead corrected Yuan Yan's way of addressing him.
“Madam Lin and I are friends, so it’s a bit formal for you to call me that, Young Master Yang. My name is Lingyi, and my father calls me Yi’er. If Madam Lin is willing… you can call me that too.”
He seemed to hesitate for a moment before mustering the courage to say those words.
As soon as she finished speaking, Yang Lingyi couldn't help but scrutinize Yuan Yan's expression, afraid that she might think she was too bold and feel uneasy.
"Yi'er..."
To everyone's surprise, Yuan Yan did not show any surprise after hearing this. Instead, he repeated his name twice and laughed.
“It suits Yi’er very well; it’s a good name.” She immediately changed how she addressed her.
The name that her father often called out sounded so ambiguous coming from Yuan Yan's mouth, making Yang Lingyi's ears turn red involuntarily.
Yuan Yan: "Yi'er, please don't call me Lady Lin anymore. My given name is Yan. You should know how to address me, right?"
"Yan, Sister Yan..." Under her smiling gaze, Yang Lingyi's face turned completely red, and she stammered out Yuan Yan's name.
Hearing Yang Lingyi address him, Yuan Yan's eyes darkened slightly, and he responded with a slightly hoarse "hmm".
“Indeed, I am older than Yi’er, so it is appropriate for Yi’er to call me sister.”
Yang Lingyi could no longer hold back. She felt that Yuan Yan's gaze and voice could make her heartbeat change, and her whole body became slightly hot. Something was very wrong with her, and she couldn't help but feel restless.
Just then, a male servant reminded him that it was almost time, so Yang Lingyi spoke to Yuan Yan.
"Sister Yan, I should go back now," he said with a slight hesitation.
"Wait a minute."
Yuan Yan did not immediately let Yang Lingyi leave. Instead, he beckoned to the waiter and bought the jade hairpin that she had just taken a liking to.
"Yi'er, this hairpin should suit you well. Try it on." Yuan Yan handed the wrapped jade hairpin to Yang Lingyi, wanting to see her wear it.
Sister Yan, do you know what it means to buy a hairpin as a gift for a boy...?
In the Phoenix Kingdom, only close male and female relationships allow the exchange of hairpins.
Yang Lingyi never expected that the hairpin Yuan Yan had been looking at for so long was actually a gift for her, and her heart began to pound uncontrollably.
"This, I can't accept this." He hurriedly shook his head.
“Why not?” Yuan Yan, unlike his usual easygoing self, picked up the jade hairpin and placed it directly on Yang Lingyi’s head.
"It's beautiful."
Whether he was praising the jade hairpin or the man, Yuan Yan looked at him wearing the hairpin and said with genuine appreciation.
"..."
Yang Lingyi's cheeks were truly flushed this time, her face blushing with shyness. Wherever Yuan Yan's gaze swept over, it felt hot and burning, leaving him completely speechless.
"I... I really should go..." Yang Lingyi finally said again under the urging of the male servant.
"I had a great time playing with Yi'er today. If Yi'er goes out next time, please invite me along, okay?"
Seeing Yang Lingyi's expression, Yuan Yan feared that he had teased her too much today and that she would not dare to come again next time, so he made an appointment with her.
Her eyes held a smile, her thoughts all too easy to guess. Although Yang Lingyi knew Yuan Yan's intentions, she still quietly agreed.
"I will come to find my sister as soon as I can get out."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Yan felt relieved. He guessed that Yang Lingyi was probably a young man from a small, unsupervised family who was able to go out occasionally, which made this a good opportunity to meet her.
Yang Lingyi and her male attendant boarded the carriage.
Yuan Yan asked Zhui Lan to escort the two of them for a while.
Zhuilan discerned his master's thoughts and inquired, "Your Highness, should I follow them and see whose son this Young Master Yang is...?"
"No need. Just escort them to a crowded place and then come back."
Yuan Yan treated Yang Lingyi with great respect. He didn't want to find out about Yang Lingyi's situation through this method, and only wanted to wait for the day when Yang Lingyi would tell him herself, so he rejected Zhui Lan's suggestion.
"Yes, Your Highness." Zhuilan acknowledged and then followed.
...
After finishing his business at the silk shop, Shen Lianzhou returned to his courtyard, where Yu Lu immediately came to report to him.
“Master, I’ve found out… there’s a reason why His Highness didn’t come to Young Master’s place last night. Rumors are circulating in the manor that His Highness went to Lu Shifu’s place while drunk last night.”
"That Lu Shifu is too scheming! He can't snatch people away on ordinary days, so he takes advantage of His Highness's drunkenness to snatch them away. What kind of logic is that..." Yu Lu pouted, feeling indignant on behalf of Chen Lianzhou.
“I underestimated Lu Lingyue.” Shen Lianzhou pondered for a moment after hearing this.
"The fact that His Highness could go to him while drunk shows that this person is quite capable."
Yu Lu worried, "What will happen to Master if His Highness is taken away by him?"
Just as Shen Lianzhou was about to answer, Yuan Yan's voice came from outside the house.
"What if we win the fight?" she asked as she stepped into the house.
"I was just joking with Yu Lu, Your Highness, what brings you here?" Shen Lianzhou stopped talking when she saw Yuan Yan, her expression softening as she stepped forward to greet him.
"Since I didn't see you yesterday, I came to visit you today." Yuan Yan sat down.
"Your Highness has come at the perfect time. I have ordered some fabrics to be selected as the shop's signboard."
"One of them is Zhang satin, with clear jacquard patterns and a luxurious luster, which is very suitable for the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital to wear."
"It just so happens that a piece of vermilion satin was delivered from over there, with a rich and intense color. Upon seeing this color, I couldn't help but imagine His Highness wearing it and galloping on horseback."
"I was thinking of making a set of clothes for Your Highness first. If Your Highness likes them, wearing them out will also enhance the reputation of the silk shop," Chen Lianzhou said.
Yuan Yan smiled, "Lian Zhou really knows how to do business."
She was the reigning King of Qin, the object of countless people's attention. To have her go out dressed in silk robes would be a classic example of celebrity influence in modern times, wouldn't it?
“Okay, but we need to take your measurements before we make the garment.” Yuan Yan readily agreed and then asked Chen Lianzhou.
“Of course, if Your Highness has the time now, I will come to take your measurements.” Chen Lianzhou said, and then asked Yu Lu to fetch the necessary items for the measurement.
Yuan Yan watched as Shen Lianzhou bent down to measure him, not delegating a single task to anyone else, and asked, "Lianzhou, are you going to make clothes for me yourself?"
“Servants are clumsy and their clothing making is inevitably not very refined. These are His Highness’s clothes, and I don’t feel comfortable entrusting them to serve him,” Chen Lianzhou said.
"Furthermore, Your Highness's personal attendants are your husband's attendants. Since Your Highness has not yet married the chief minister, the things you wear should be prepared by your husband's attendants... This is the attendants' duty, how can they shirk their responsibilities and leave it to servants?"
He finally finished measuring, stood up, and looked up at Yuan Yan with a faint smile.
[Not personally tailoring the wife's clothes is being lazy and irresponsible... Hmm, why does it feel like Shen Lianzhou's words have a hidden meaning?] Several question marks appeared above the system's head.
Yuan Yan: "Who are you referring to?"
【Lu Lingyue, host…】The system shook its head.
[He's making it so obvious, is he really not doing it on purpose?]
"Men are naturally more inclined to be patriarchal, which is normal."
Yuan Yan didn't care about this and said to the system.
At Shen Lianzhou's urging, she stayed in his room that night.
Shen Lianzhou was delighted that His Highness was staying overnight, and naturally served him with utmost tenderness and care.
□□Yu.
...
A few days later, in the imperial court, the ministers reported that the trial ships at sea had successfully arrived at Zhigu.
"After the trial, the cost of sea transport was less than half that of river transport, and each shi of grain only required less than half a tael of silver, resulting in significant savings."
"More importantly, sea transport is much faster than river transport. What used to take half a month can now be completed in less than ten days." Lord Zhou praised the convenience of sea transport.
This demonstrates that the method of replacing river transport with sea transport can be implemented, and this opportunity can be used to eliminate the long-standing problems of the canal transport system.
"Very well, the smooth sailing of the sea is a cause for celebration. All of you ministers have contributed and deserve to be rewarded!"
Yuan Hao was delighted upon hearing this, which further strengthened his resolve to promote maritime transport. He immediately rewarded the officials in charge of maritime transport, and Yuan Yan, as the one who proposed the maritime transport law, was also commended.
"In addition, I would like to recommend one person: the escort inspector Tian Guangliang. During the trial operation, he diligently inspected the ships, discovered potential hazards, and reported them in a timely manner. His contributions are invaluable..." Lord Zhou continued.
Potential dangers to ships? Yuan Yan listened to the conversation in the court and expressed his admiration for the linguistic skills of some officials.
She was aware of this matter as well. Previously, after Tian Guangliang encountered some trouble, he wrote to Yuan Yan to inform her of what had happened.
It turns out that someone didn't want the trial of maritime transport to proceed smoothly, so they secretly drilled a hole under the ship at night, so that it would sink when it set sail the next day, attempting to obstruct the promotion of maritime transport in this way.
Unfortunately, these people encountered Tian Guangliang, who had just taken office.
Tian Guangliang was a responsible person to begin with, and now that Yuan Yan had recommended him as the escort inspector, he was full of ambition and ready to roll up his sleeves and make a name for himself.
To seize this opportunity, she personally oversaw the repeated inspections of the ships' provisions before the trial run. Even matters outside her official duties were inspected by Tian Guangliang, which led to the discovery of the ships' problems before the trial run and the thwarting of a deliberate conspiracy.
Yuan Hao clearly understood the deeper meaning behind it and reprimanded some of the officials.
"I know that some of you hope that the sea transport will fail, but the river transport will survive. That way you can continue to collude with the grain transport gangs, oppress the people, and wreak havoc on the court!" Her gaze sharpened as she swept over some of the officials below, her words becoming increasingly harsh.
Seeing the emperor's anger, the officials immediately kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down. We would never dare to do such a thing."
Lord Sun and some of the canal transport officials' expressions changed slightly.
Yuan Hao paused for a few moments, and seeing that the officials present were silent and trembling with fear, he reprimanded them for a while. Only then did he soften his tone and begin to praise Tian Guangliang.
"Inspector Tian has performed meritorious service in his inspections, demonstrating diligence and loyalty, and deserves a substantial reward. I hereby appoint him as the Registrar of Maritime Transport and award him five hundred taels of silver to recognize his meritorious service."
Although Prince Qi, Yuan Jing, was dissatisfied with Tian Guangliang's rapid rise from clerk to official, and even his two promotions, he felt powerless to change the fact that his mother, the Empress, had personally promoted him. Even if he deeply disliked Tian Guangliang, he had no choice but to comply.
After the discussion on maritime transport was finished, Yuan Yan stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
She wrote down the results of the revisions to the allowance for maintaining integrity and the relevant laws and regulations in a report and submitted it.
At first, Yuan Hao remained expressionless, but when she heard about the establishment of the Integrity-Maintaining Office, the Integrity-Maintaining Commissioner, and the Integrity-Maintaining Guard to jointly supervise the Integrity-Maintaining Fund, she finally showed a hint of appreciation.
"It seems that I made the right choice in sending the Prince of Qin to revise the laws. This policy of providing subsidies for maintaining integrity may reduce some of the corruption. From today onwards, I will establish the Office for Maintaining Integrity to collect, manage, and distribute these subsidies."
After hearing about the purpose of the "anti-corruption allowance," some officials were amazed by the King of Qin's talent, wondering how Yuan Yan and others had come up with such a method; others were happy about this extra income; and still others began to ponder the position of the "anti-corruption commissioner"...
Seeing Yuan Yan once again distinguish himself in the court, Lord Sun couldn't help but feel a deeper sense of apprehension.
Why is the King of Qin becoming increasingly ostentatious lately? It seems that ever since the last time he abducted the bride, the King of Qin has been deeply stimulated, constantly displaying his extraordinary talents, and more and more people in the court are optimistic about him.
Even if she favored the King of Qi, she had to admit that the current King of Qin was far more capable than the King of Qi.
If this continues unchecked, the throne may not necessarily fall to the King of Qi in the future.
Thinking of this, Lord Sun frowned deeply, his resolve to submit a memorial after the Prince of Qi's wedding grew stronger.
The system only informed Yuan Yan after the morning court session ended today.
[The host proposed a revised implementation plan for the anti-corruption allowance today, which was approved by the Empress and agreed upon by officials. Coupled with Tian Guangliang's promotion and the successful trial of maritime transport, his influence has increased significantly, and his control over the government has now risen to 24.98%.]
[Congratulations, host! Keep up the good work! Achieve your ultimate goal of unifying the world soon!] The system encouraged her happily.
Judging from Yuan Yan's current upward trend, completing the mission is probably just a matter of time for her.
The system thought to itself with a smug satisfaction.
However, Yuan Yan poured cold water on it.
"Don't be too happy yet. The Empress has already issued an edict to bestow a marriage upon Yuan Jing... Once he marries the son of the Minister of Revenue, and gains the support of his husband's family, the situation in the court will likely change again."
That day, Yuan Hao arranged a marriage for Yuan Jing.
Considering that Yuan Jing is not young, and that his last marriage involved such an undignified incident of kidnapping Yuan Yan, which damaged the royal family's reputation.
Therefore, Yuan Hao specifically ordered people to expedite the process and finalize the marriage as soon as possible to avoid any further complications.
The system was aware of this as well, and upon hearing this, it immediately sighed: "I don't care, I don't care... I've worked so hard to get to where I am now, I don't want to go back. If all else fails, host, you should marry a high-ranking official as soon as possible; at least he'll be an asset..."
“I am different from Yuan Jing; I can rely on myself rather than on marriage alliances to seize power.” To everyone’s surprise, the usually rational Yuan Yan did not agree.
"I will only reserve the position of chief minister for someone I truly love."
As she said this, the image of a certain person inexplicably flashed through her mind.
The system looked at her softened expression, its face full of question marks.
Who is this? Is this still my calm, rational, domineering, and arrogant host...?
Back at the Prince's residence, Yuan Yan had just sat down when a servant brought him a letter from Yang Lingyi.
"Your Highness, this was delivered by the manager of Baoweizhai."
As soon as Yuan Yan saw the familiar orchid-scented letter, he stood up.
Several days have passed since Yang Lingyi's last invitation. In these past few days, Yuan Yan has often thought of Yang Lingyi's shy appearance that day, and he deeply regrets not asking about the location of Yang Lingyi's residence. Even if he couldn't see her, it would have been good if he could at least write her a letter.
"Someone, prepare the horses."
With that, she prepared to leave the mansion to keep her appointment.
Meanwhile, after sending out the letter, Yang Lingyi began to dress and groom herself with the help of her male servants.
"Jinshu, what do you think of my clothes?"
He stared at his reflection in the bronze mirror for a long time, and after confirming that his makeup was flawless, Yang Lingyi began to ponder his clothes.
He tugged at the hem of his robe and asked Jinshu with some hesitation.
"Young master, this light blue new dress suits you very well. It makes your skin look fair and your face rosy. You look absolutely gorgeous," Jinshu praised.
"Really? Isn't it a bit too plain...?"
However, the young master, who usually didn't care much about his appearance and clothing, stared at himself in the mirror for a long time this time, repeatedly asking himself questions.
Jinshu couldn't help but feel a little strange.
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