Since she finally understood the "Golden Finger Easter Egg" incident, Lin Wanwan felt that her mindset had been elevated to a new level.
She completely integrated into this era, into her identity as Empress, and also into... the tacit understanding between her and Xiao Che, which required no external aids and relied solely on mutual understanding.
Life flowed by slowly in this peaceful and happy rhythm.
In the blink of an eye, the young prince Xiao Tuan is six years old.
They have reached the age where they can enter the Imperial Study and begin their formal education.
Meanwhile, Lin Wanwan keenly noticed that her Emperor seemed to be... beginning to "change".
I've become... lazier and lazier.
That's right, it's laziness.
The once workaholic emperor, who wished he could spend every single hour of the day in his study, is now frequently taking paid breaks to "slack off."
At first, it was just some trivial matters.
For example, Xiao Che used to patiently read through the sycophantic memorials submitted by some local officials, and then mark them with a red brush.
Now, he didn't even bother to look at it, and simply tossed it to the cabinet with a wave of his hand.
"Let the Grand Tutor and the others handle it. There's no need to submit this kind of nonsense anymore; it's a waste of my time."
Later, the scope of his "slacking off" gradually expanded.
Some minor departmental personnel appointments and removals, some state budgets that already had well-established procedures... These "simple" administrative matters that he used to personally review and approve are now being packaged up and handed over to a few trusted ministers under the pretext of "training his officials."
As a result, the style of the Imperial Study has undergone a strange change recently.
Xiao Che himself often sits leisurely on the dragon throne, drinking tea while... keeping Lin Wanwan company and studying new recipes.
Below the dragon throne, several core ministers, led by the Grand Tutor, sat around a small table, sweating profusely as they dealt with piles of memorials. Every now and then, they would argue heatedly over some issue.
It's like a... large-scale "royal nursery" and "internship training base".
His Majesty the Emperor himself was the most leisurely, only responsible for supervision... a "hands-off manager".
Lin Wanwan was happy to see this happen.
After all, being able to work less is always a good thing for Xiao Che's health.
However, some people were not happy about it.
On this day, Lin Wanwan was excitedly pulling Xiao Che aside to discuss the recipe for a newly devised Jiangnan dish—"Hibiscus Fish Slices".
"...I think that when coating fish fillets, in addition to egg white, you can also add a little bit of milk. This will make the fish fillets more tender and fresher..."
“Hmm,” Xiao Che said, resting his chin on his hand, listening intently and nodding occasionally, offering professional, emperor-level advice, “The milk has a strong fishy smell, so you can add a few drops of lemon juice to remove it.”
Just as the Emperor and Empress were using all their wisdom in governing the country to study the harmony of eating and drinking, a voice full of grief and accusation, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploded from the door of the Imperial Study!
"His Majesty--!!"
The Grand Tutor of the current dynasty, that once iron-willed veteran, rushed in, panting heavily and with a flushed face, carrying a stack of memorials taller than himself!
With a "plop" sound!
He actually put the pile of memorials on the ground, and then bowed deeply to Xiao Che!
The way he was acting made you think he was a courtier about to die for his country!
Lin Wanwan was startled by his sudden and generous gift.
Xiao Che, however, didn't even lift his eyelids, still focused on the hand-drawn recipe in Lin Wanwan's hand, only letting out a faint questioning syllable from his nose.
"Um?"
"Your Majesty!" The Grand Tutor raised his head, his weathered old face filled with the bitterness of a child's heart. "This old minister...this old minister has something to report!"
"Speak." Xiao Che's tone remained as calm and collected as ever, as if he were asking about the weather today.
The Grand Tutor, filled with grief and indignation, pointed to the mountain of memorials on the ground and began to tearfully "complain."
"Your Majesty! Look at these! These are all the government affairs that you have recently 'delegated' to us! The accounts of the Ministry of Revenue are one thing, but... even the budget for the Ministry of Works to repair a section of the palace wall, you have made this old minister approve it! Your Majesty! This old minister... this old minister is the Grand Tutor! He is the one who instructs His Highness the Crown Prince! Not the Minister of Revenue, much less the Vice Minister of Works!"
The Grand Tutor was truly on the verge of tears.
Back in his day, he was so majestic and awe-inspiring on the battlefield!
Later, thanks to the Crown Prince's "miraculous" healing, he was grateful for the Emperor's grace and volunteered to become the Grand Tutor, thinking that he must devote himself to the royal family and cultivate a wise ruler for all time.
But he never expected this!
His Highness the Crown Prince is a good teacher, but his position as Grand Tutor is about to be ruined by His Majesty the Emperor!
He now handles more official business every day than the Prime Minister! He gets up earlier than the rooster and goes to bed later than the dog, and his hair has turned several more gray!
If this continues, he might die young!
"Your Majesty!" the Grand Tutor cried out in his final and most poignant protest, "You...you are shirking your duties! This is a grave taboo in the way of a ruler!"
Faced with the Grand Tutor's tearful accusation, an ordinary monarch would probably have already shown remorse and offered kind words of comfort.
However, Xiao Che remained as calm and composed as ever.
Finally, he slowly shifted his gaze from the menu.
He raised his head and looked at the Grand Tutor kneeling on the ground. Instead of feeling guilty, he revealed a profound and unfathomable smile.
Without looking up, he simply said:
"Grand Tutor, you don't understand."
The Grand Tutor was taken aback: "Your Majesty... what do you not understand?"
“I,” Xiao Che said, his tone carrying a hint of “you’re too young,” “this isn’t slacking off. I’m… training you.”
exercise?
The Grand Tutor was even more bewildered.
Xiao Che continued to spout his "twisted logic" at a leisurely pace.
"Think about it, the Crown Prince is still young. This vast empire cannot rely on me for everything, can it?"
"I am training you in advance, so that you will all become pillars of the nation capable of standing on your own! This is for the long-term stability and prosperity of my Great Xiao Dynasty! How can you not understand my good intentions?"
He spoke with such conviction, with such...righteous indignation.
It was as if his "slacking off" was not for his own leisure, but for the sake of the dynasty's long-term stability and prosperity, a far-sighted plan.
The Grand Tutor was completely stunned by his words. He knelt there, mouth agape, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
It seems... to make some sense?
But something seems... off?
Just as the Grand Tutor's mind was about to turn into a complete mess, Xiao Che casually dropped another, even more "lethal" remark.
He picked up his teacup, gently blew away the foam, and said, seemingly casually:
"Besides, I'm doing this just in case..."
"What if... one day, I... want to take a long vacation?"
A long holiday?!
Lin Wanwan, who had been sitting quietly to the side, watching the tug-of-war between the emperor and his minister with a smile, suddenly felt a jolt in her heart the moment she heard that word.
Her gaze fell on Xiao Che's profile.
Others might simply take it as a joke by the emperor.
But Lin Wanwan keenly noticed the unusual, deeply hidden...seriousness in his words.
He wasn't joking.
He is... really, preparing for the "long holiday"!
In the end, the Grand Tutor, still somewhat dazed, was "persuaded" by His Majesty the Emperor's "fallacies and heresies."
He even felt a touch of emotion at being "entrusted with an important task," and carrying that pile of memorials, he went back to the cabinet to "work overtime" with great pride and high spirits.
Looking at the Grand Tutor's back as if he had been sold out but was still helping to count the money, Lin Wanwan couldn't help but chuckle.
After the door to the Imperial Study was closed again, she turned her head to look at Xiao Che, her beautiful eyes sparkling with an all-knowing light.
“A ‘long holiday’?” she asked softly.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Che put down his teacup.
He stood up, walked behind Lin Wanwan, stretched out his arms, and gently wrapped them around her waist from behind.
He rested his chin on her shoulder, near her nose, surrounded by the familiar, sweet fragrance of her hair.
This time, he did not use any fallacies to cover it up.
All she could hear was his deep, magnetic voice, filled with an unprecedented longing and tenderness, slowly ringing in her ear.
"Wanwan..."
"Um?"
"Wait until Tuanzi is older, until he can truly shoulder the burden of this country..."
His voice carried a hint of seduction, a hint of... a solemn promise.
"I'll take you out of the palace, okay?"
Lin Wanwan's heart skipped a beat!
“Let’s go back to the days of ‘Master Xiao’ and ‘Lady Lin’ (in Volume 6) one more time.”
"This time, we'll take our time, exploring at our own pace. We'll go to Jiangnan to see the real, picturesque scenes of small bridges and flowing water. We'll go to the northern frontier to see the magnificent, desolate desert with its solitary smoke rising from the sky."
His arms slowly tightened, as if he wanted to knead her into his very bones.
"Wanwan, the 'empire' I have promised you as a dowry is not just these square palace walls."
His lips gently touched her earlobe, his warm breath sending a shiver through her.
"And then there's the vast land beyond these palace walls."
At that moment, Lin Wanwan felt that her whole heart was completely overwhelmed by immense happiness and sweetness.
She didn't turn around; instead, she placed her hand over his hand, which was wrapped around his waist.
She smiled, but tears welled up in her eyes.
She knew that the day he spoke of might still be several years, or even more than a decade away.
However, she also knew...
This day will surely come.
No, it's too far.
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