Inside the carriage, Su Wanwan lifted the curtain and looked at the nearly deserted morning streets, asking curiously:
Where are we going?
"Hot Spring Village".
His long, slender fingers gently caressed her lower eyelids, his tone somewhat casual.
"Look at you, if you don't get some rest, you'll age prematurely."
Su Wanwan paused for a moment, then removed his hand from her face.
Compared to young girls like Yanruo and Maji, she is indeed considered an old woman.
Besides, she had been married and pregnant before.
They really can't compare to those young girls in their prime.
She's only in her early twenties, and being told she looks old still makes her feel uncomfortable.
Which woman doesn't want to stay young and beautiful forever?
Lu Xingjian wrapped his long arm around her waist, forcing her to press herself tightly against him.
"Have some fun while you're at it."
His voice was slightly hoarse when he said this, carrying a hint of ambiguity.
His eyes held a profound meaning.
Su Wanwan turned her head away uncomfortably, her face slightly flushed.
After spending these days together, his enthusiasm for that thing didn't wane; on the contrary, it became more and more exciting.
Lu Xingjian spoke in a light, cheerful tone, with a hint of a smile, as he lowered his voice and whispered in her ear:
"There aren't many people there. If you want to shout, just shout. Don't worry about being heard."
Su Wanwan immediately reacted like a cat with its fur standing on end, quickly reaching out to cover his mouth.
Last time, when the couple was doing their business in Kunning Palace, Yanruo overheard some of the noise, and after that, she never dared to let her guard down again.
Even when he was driving her crazy, she gritted her teeth and held on, afraid of losing control again and being laughed at.
Now that she is the Empress, if she is slandered, it will be more than just her own face that is lost.
Lu Xingjian placed his large, well-defined hand on her small hand, and kissed her palm with his thin lips.
Little by little, like a chick pecking at rice.
He glanced at her with a half-smile.
Su Wanwan's heart trembled uncontrollably.
His action didn't involve much lust.
But that tenderness, that affection and doting... it's really alluring.
Su Wanwan wondered if one day he would kiss someone else's palm like that.
Just a simple thought, and a sharp pain shot through my heart.
We clearly agreed to be mentally prepared and not get addicted, but it's really hard to do it.
Time seems to fly by when two people are alone together.
In reality, although they went to soak in hot springs, the two of them didn't even leave their room for the first few days.
Life was chaotic and disorganized.
When the memorials that had been delivered piled up on the table, and there was no longer any time to delay, Lu Xingjian had no choice but to take the time to deal with them.
Su Wanwan only had two days to catch her breath.
When Su Wanwan woke up that day, the sun was already high in the sky.
Lu Xingjian's angry voice came from the study.
"We just pardoned Wang Yan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and now you want to pardon him again?"
"The grain supplies in Xuanfu and Datong are rotten and corruption is rampant. Is it possible to find no one to take the blame?!"
He threw a memorial to the ground forcefully.
"Having beheaded eight Tatars and captured a horse, Datong dares to come here claiming credit and seeking rewards?!"
Liu Jin, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, gritted his teeth and advised: "Only by rewarding those who have made merits and punishing those who have made mistakes can we stabilize people's hearts and quell troubles."
"The devastation of the nine border regions is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Your Majesty should proceed slowly and steadily, and not be too hasty."
Lu Xingjian's expression was cold as he slowly suppressed his anger.
The final decision has been made.
"By imperial decree, officers and soldiers who have made three outstanding charges into enemy lines, broken through enemy lines, and devised strategies will be rewarded with silver and cloth as per custom."
He narrowed his long, narrow eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.
“Zhou Nan, the governor of Datong, and Sun Lu, the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue in charge of grain storage, were imprisoned by the Embroidered Uniform Guard because the grain and fodder were damp and rotten.”
"Due to the failure of Zhou Nan, Sun Lu, and others to strictly supervise the acceptance process, some of the goods were damaged and spoiled. Their relatives were taken to Datong to pay compensation. Further action will be taken after the compensation is paid."
Since this cannot be punished and that cannot be exempted, let's imprison the top military official in Datong as a warning to others.
Liu Jin's eyes flickered, but he finally said, "Your Majesty is wise."
Unexpectedly, Xuanfu was the first to be investigated for its border reserves, while Datong was the first to suffer the consequences.
It's all because those people in Datong were too troublesome, repeatedly testing the emperor's patience.
Now we have a model for the nine-sided verification.
If a problem is discovered, the top official, the governor, will be imprisoned first and receive compensation from his family property, which will reassure others.
Su Wanwan didn't disturb him while he was handling government affairs, but instead went to find Heying.
"Is there any news from Weizhou?" Su Wanwan still felt uneasy.
He Ying lowered her eyes: "Not yet."
Weizhou is not far from the capital, but so many days have passed and there has been no news from there.
She also felt something was wrong.
Of course, it's also possible that the girl insisted on cutting off all contact with Xiao Bin before, and Xiao Bin deliberately didn't reply.
Hopefully, that's the case, and not that something happened to Lord Xiao.
"Send another reliable person to make the trip. No matter what, good or bad, make sure they get a reply." Su Wanwan frowned.
"yes."
He Ying paused for a moment, then said, "Someone from the palace has come. They say that Miss Yanruo is here on the orders of the Empress Dowager to invite the Emperor back to the palace for a meeting."
Su Wanwan said calmly, "Then let her go find the Emperor."
She can go soak in the hot springs.
It's a rare treat to come all this way, it would be a real shame if we didn't even get to try the hot springs.
He Ying thought to herself: "Is Her Majesty really not afraid of someone stealing the Emperor away?"
It's likely that Miss Yanruo's real purpose in coming here was to seduce the Emperor, rather than to invite him back to the palace for a meeting.
After surviving the fire on the riverbank years ago, Su Wanwan learned to swim.
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