In Daeyueh's successive crown princes, in addition to the various expenses of the wedding ceremony, they would also bestow favors upon the people, reduce or exempt taxes, and distribute porridge and cloth to the poor in various prefectures to demonstrate the royal family's "benevolence and virtue."
With the national treasury not being abundant in recent years, after all these operations, it's no exaggeration to say that it's been emptied out.
The emperor hurriedly replied, "You don't need to worry about that. The dignity that a royal wedding should have cannot be lacking."
Otherwise, not only would they be laughed at by the people, but they would also be looked down upon by other countries, which would be unfair to the future crown princess, as this has been the case for generations.
The Empress also said, "You don't need to worry about this matter. Your mother and father will make arrangements."
If all else fails, they can supplement the funds from her and the emperor's private treasury.
Xie Tingzhou guessed their thoughts and laughed, "There's no need for Father and Mother to provide subsidies. I think the Qin family in Jiangnan is wealthy enough. Rather than letting them support the rebels, we should use the money to enrich the national treasury."
The emperor's eyes brightened slightly.
Alright, my son is plotting against people again.
Chen Banjun, who was standing to the side, felt a chill run down his spine for no reason. He then heard Xie Tingzhou say to the Empress, "Mother, this is the first time you've married a daughter-in-law. You must have no experience. Why don't you invite some of the Xie family ladies to the palace to sit and learn from your experience?"
The emperor realized his intention and said to Chen Banjun, "Your wife just came from Jiangnan and entered the palace. She must be bored. Let her go and have some fun with you."
Xie Tingzhou then said, "Speaking of excitement, why don't we have the ladies bring their families along?"
We'll have Wang Jingshuo get close to Qin Xue and use her words to let Madam Shen see Li Heng's true colors.
Kill two birds with one stone!
The Empress's gaze swept over the faces of the father and son, and she replied, "Alright."
After the meal, Xie Tingzhou left.
Having finished his official duties for the day, the Emperor stayed behind to keep the Empress company, and then gestured to Chen Banjun to help him change into his everyday clothes.
The Empress stepped forward, saying, "Let me do it."
Upon seeing this, Chen Banjun led his servants to retreat outside the door.
Inside the room, while the Empress was helping the Emperor change his clothes, she pinched the soft flesh on his waist hard.
"When did Your Majesty reunite with the Crown Prince?"
The emperor gasped as he was pinched, but seeing no displeasure on the empress's face, he chuckled and asked, "How did you figure that out?"
The Empress snorted in annoyance.
No answer.
Judging from the familiarity and tacit understanding between the father and son, they didn't seem like they had just met.
Furthermore, when the Crown Prince said that he had already guessed her background, she realized that she had overlooked it before, and that she had not expected that the Emperor, who had never hidden anything from her, would also start to have secrets behind her back.
"Men's words are indeed unreliable."
After helping the emperor change his clothes, the empress casually uttered these words and prepared to take a stroll in the Imperial Garden.
Seeing this, the emperor quickly stopped her, "Don't go, let me massage it for you, it will definitely be more effective than you going for a walk to aid digestion."
The empress kept walking, not even glancing at him.
Are you angry?
The emperor tentatively asked, "Are you really angry? I didn't mean to hide it from you. Listen to my excuses, no, explain."
"It's all because you gave birth to such a clever son. He came to me on his own initiative. My son came to acknowledge his father; I can't just deny it and send him away, can I? That would hurt the child's feelings so much."
"When you were young, Your Majesty swore an oath to the mimosa tree that you would never have any secrets from me in this lifetime."
The Empress looked at him and said, "Your Majesty has long forgotten your vow. I wonder if there are any other secrets."
"No, absolutely not. I feel terribly guilty about this one thing."
He brought his face close to the Empress's and said, "Look at me, I've lost a lot of weight lately because of my guilt. I'm not lying to you."
She had indeed been thin before, but since the Crown Prince returned to the palace, she has gained a lot of weight. However, she does look haggard, which is also due to the matter of Prince Yun.
The Empress did not expose him, and continued, "His Majesty also said that if I marry you, I will follow your lead. Does that still stand?"
"Calculate!"
The emperor did not hesitate at all, "How can it not be counted? It must be counted."
The Empress sighed and gently touched his face. "Your Majesty, you should abdicate after the Crown Prince's wedding."
Such words are considered extremely treasonous in the imperial court.
The emperor paused for only a moment, then nodded. "Very well, I grant your request. From now on, let your son take care of things. I'll spend more time with you. When we have a grandson, we'll help him raise his child..."
Before she could finish speaking, she was embraced tightly, followed by the Empress's choked voice, "To be able to marry Your Majesty is the greatest honor of my life."
"Of course, I am the best husband in the world."
The emperor smiled, "I understand your thoughts. You are afraid of another incident like the Prince of Yun's, and you want to settle things as soon as possible."
He then told the Empress about testing Prince Ning, saying, "I don't know if we've spoiled that child; he really has no ambition."
Every son of the Helian family is a brave and fierce warrior, but that third son is such a rascal…
"He even complained that fighting was tiring, and he wasn't afraid that the ancestors of the Helian family would hear him and come up from the ground to settle accounts with me."
"Our ancestors wouldn't do that. His Majesty is kind and benevolent, and treats the third prince like his own son. They would only be grateful to His Majesty. I imagine that the Prince of Dingyuan also hopes that he can live a peaceful life."
The emperor thought for a moment and said, "That's true. The Helian family only has him and that boy Helian left."
Let him continue to recover well; at least he's continuing the family line for the Helian family.
"Once the new emperor has consolidated his power, he can recall the Prince of Yan's heir to the capital. If you miss your son, you can see him whenever you want."
He knew that although the Empress didn't say it, she always cared about her own son.
Thinking this way, he felt that it was only right for him to treat the Empress well, so he took the Empress's hand and said, "Come on, let me show you around."
Prince Ning also entered Prince Yun's residence after dark.
When Prince Yun returned to his residence, he woke up and learned that the emperor had indeed imprisoned him. He was filled with despair, but even more so with grief, indignation, and chilling disillusionment.
He felt that the Emperor and Empress's love for him was fake, and that the Zheng family was right; they had always favored the Crown Prince.
Just as he was thinking about how to turn the tide, Prince Ning arrived at his bedside.
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