"Madam, do you really think that no one else knows anything about me cultivating superior breeds on my own estate?"
"The current emperor is more astute than the late emperor in matters of state. The officials in charge of the Imperial Guard are everywhere gathering information. I am, after all, a second-rank governor. How could I not have spies around me?"
"Do you believe that the rice has barely been weighed before the weight is already written in a secret report, ready to be sent to the capital?"
"At this speed, they might have already covered half the distance while we're talking."
"If the Emperor knew that we had such thoughts, and that the Empress had such thoughts, would we still be able to live a good life?"
Now that she heard that, Zhao realized she had been too complacent. These past years had been smooth sailing; she'd been flattered everywhere she went, and her expectations had grown too high.
He said awkwardly, "This was all my idea. What does it have to do with Her Majesty? She's suffering in the palace. How could she possibly care about her family's affairs?"
Sun Zhuhe pursed his lips. He had said countless times that the Empress was doing very well in the palace.
She had everything a prince could want – rank, favor, and all the privileges. Since the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains, no concubine in the harem had lived a more comfortable life than her.
She would give the Emperor a hard time for no reason and make many sarcastic remarks, but the Emperor not only didn't get angry, he liked her even more.
The gossip spread from the inner palace to the local areas, but Zhao refused to believe it, always feeling that the Empress had suffered greatly in the palace.
Just look at the annual dividends; no one will feel aggrieved, not the Empress.
Sun Zhuhe said, "Don't worry about these things. The sooner you send the rice to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and promote its high yield, the sooner more people will be spared from starvation. This is a meritorious deed."
"Just based on this, you're worth at least the title of Duke. You can just wait to become the Duchess."
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