It was the emperor who was dying, what did it have to do with her? Haoyue bit her lip. How could she dare to say such a thing? Her mind raced, her eyes reddened as she said, "It was obviously Shaoyao who couldn't stand me. She said she wanted to lock me up, but you didn't even say a word for me. Do you want to lock me up too?"
"What are you thinking about?" The emperor smiled and pinched her face. "She is just a child and doesn't know much. You still want to argue with her."
Haoyue snorted and turned his face away.
Hua Zhi felt pain in her cheek. Why did they call her here? She couldn't stand such a fake love.
"Okay, go back first. Don't you like that coral tree? I'll have someone send it to you later."
Haoyue knew the emperor well. She knew she should leave after he said that. If she continued to pester him, he would be upset. She was unwilling to accept that. She wanted to add fuel to the fire.
After giving Shaoyao a subtle look, Haoyue left promptly.
This is exactly what the emperor likes most about her. Such magnanimity and knowledge of advance and retreat are rare among women. He is fed up with those women in the harem who are always clinging to him for no reason.
The emperor was in a good mood and found Hua Zhi pleasing to the eye. "Whose idea was it before?"
Hua Zhi knew that the previous incident was referring to the rumor that Yan Xi had intentionally spread. "It was Yan Xi's idea."
"You're being so affectionate." The emperor snorted. "Now the whole court is just pointing at my nose and calling me a tyrant. Give me some advice on how to stop them from confronting me."
"Your Majesty, I am not a counselor and I don't have the ability to give you advice. However, they must have their reasons for opposing us. If we solve the source of their opposition, the problem will be solved."
"To put it simply, the reason they oppose is that they have neither money nor people. I can count on you to make money, but who else can I count on to give birth to 10 million people for me?" The emperor stood up and paced back and forth in annoyance. "We talked about the salt issue last year, but how is it going this year? When can we produce salt?"
Last year talking about this year? Hua Zhi sneered in her heart, but her face remained calm. "A few years ago, my daughter received a letter from my brother, saying that the progress was considerable, and we should not have to wait long to get news."
"What about the production? Is it really as high as you said?"
"Nothing can be accomplished overnight. If you want to achieve high production, you need to build salt fields, manpower, material resources, and proper management. These are not my job, nor are they something I can interfere with."
This was not a polite remark, but it was the truth. The emperor was not angry. If she could really stretch her hand that long, he would not be able to tolerate it even if Yan Xi really regarded her as his life.
Sitting down in her original position again, the emperor looked at her unkindly, "You are said to be my money-maker, but I haven't seen you earn any money for me in such a long time. What do you have to say about this matter?"
"My daughter, I still say that nothing can be accomplished overnight. Once you have done all the preparations, money will naturally roll in. Those who can make money right away are not the right way. If my daughter dares to take that crooked path, I am afraid that grandfather will disregard the emperor's will and come back to punish her personally."
"So I can only wait?"
"The salt merchants are already rich enough." Hua Zhi looked up. "As long as it is proven that my method can produce large amounts of salt, what is the need for them to exist? You know, the price of salt in Jiangnan has risen to 120 coins per catty now."
The matter had already been reported to the Seven Stars Division, and the emperor was aware of it, but what he cared about was not whether the people could afford salt, but Hua Zhi's words, "the salt merchants are already fat enough." If they are fat enough, can they be slaughtered? Thinking of the wealth accumulated by those people from generation to generation, the emperor was excited. This was not a small amount of money.
Hua Zhi pretended not to understand his thoughts and casually said, "If the people can't eat salt, they won't have the energy to work. How can we dig the canal then?"
"Yes, the price of salt should be lowered." The emperor stood up and paced back and forth as if he couldn't sit still. "Apart from this, is there any other way?"
"My daughter has sent someone to look for something. If it is found, it will be another profitable business for you."
"What is it?"
"Sugar cane, as the name suggests, can be used to make sugar."
Sugar is a good thing. There is no concubine in the palace who doesn't like it. Even if the emperor doesn't know the price, he knows that it is not cheap. However, "How much can this be sold for?"
"It depends on what kind of stuff it is. Since my daughter dares to use it to make a deal, it must be something extraordinary."
The emperor looked at her and snorted. Although he hated the way she seemed to have everything under control, he would tolerate it as long as she could really make him a lot of money.
It was a full hour later that Hua Zhi was allowed to leave. As she spoke, the awe she had pretended to have disappeared. Perhaps he had held up Yan Xi's sky when he was in his prime, but now he was just an ordinary man who was afraid of death. No, he could not be an ordinary man. He was much more lethal than an ordinary man, and a random word from him could turn into a river of blood.
Lai Fu bowed and said, "Miss, I am ordered to escort you out of the palace."
"Please excuse me, sir."
The snow was still falling, Hua Zhi pulled her cloak tightly around her and felt even colder when she came out of the greenhouse.
Shaoyao had been following Huahua. She remembered Brother Yan's instructions that if Huahua went to the palace to meet the emperor, she must stay by his side. But now she had doubts in her heart. Seeing Lai Fu following them, she approached Huahua and said, "I'm going to pay my respects to the master. Huahua, you go back first."
"Okay, now that you're here, spend more time talking to Mr. Yu." Hua Zhi wanted to ask how the medicine was being prepared, but thinking that Mr. Yu must be more anxious than her, she held back.
Palace maids could be seen everywhere in the palace, as well as guards with swords patrolling everywhere. Hua Zhi walked out politely, without speaking to Lai Fu or even looking around.
But some people cannot be avoided.
Looking at the beautiful lady in palace dress waiting in front of her, she walked without stopping. When she got closer, she bowed and said, "My daughter greets Concubine Yue."
Immediately, a female official stood up and shouted, "How dare you not pay respect to the Empress?"
Such low-level methods made Hua Zhi even more disappointed in Haoyue. She thought that as a reborn person, his methods should be more advanced.
She was naturally unwilling to kneel. How would they solve such a situation in those palace fighting dramas? Oh, yes, see who is weaker.
Hua Zhi's body swayed slightly, and she glanced at Lai Fu from the corner of her eye. Lai Fu didn't understand at first, but when he saw her body sway again, he reacted and immediately said, "Madam Yue, the young lady is weak, and it's so cold, do you think it's okay..."
"What does Eunuch Lai Fu mean? If you can ignore etiquette just because you are weak, wouldn't the palace be in chaos?" Hao Yue looked at Lai Fu with a half-smile, "Or is it that Eunuch Lai Fu is sympathetic to the beauty, but has forgotten the palace rules..."