As the twelfth lunar month begins, officials from the six ministries in the capital begin to get busy again and start their annual year-end summary of their political achievements.
Even though the final result has not come out yet, Huayang got the news from his brother when he entered the palace. Because of the implementation of the two new policies of unified tax payment for clan members, officials and gentry, and equalizing the land tax, the treasury surplus this year will be at least 8 million taels of silver!
This was only the first year. It would be the same every year. The national treasury would receive 18 million taels of silver every year. The court would have the silver to strengthen the army and provide disaster relief, and to reinforce the border defenses and develop firearms. Why would we worry about the country not being able to enjoy peace and prosperity
Although Emperor Yuanyou wanted to appear more prudent in front of his sister, he could not hide the smile in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows, nor could he hide his high spirits.
Huayang was happy that the new policy was going smoothly, and was also relieved to see such a brother.
In his previous life, my younger brother exiled the entire Chen family. It seemed that he had finally turned things around and escaped from the control of his mother and father-in-law. However, my younger brother was not very proud. There was always a layer of depression surrounding him. He did not even have a bit of the youthfulness of a teenager. He was more like a lonely and gloomy emperor.
Huayang was certain that at that time his brother and the Chen family would both suffer losses, and the only ones who would be happy were the corrupt officials and powerful gentry who opposed the new policy.
“In the next few years, is it enough to just consolidate the New Deal?”
"Not only that, sir, we also need to rectify the merchants, lift the maritime ban, and include the garrisons in various places. We also need to completely eliminate all the past malpractices, just like the prince consort rectified the Lingzhou Garrison."
Huayang was surprised and said, "There are so many things to do. You will be very busy."
Emperor Yuanyou did not take it seriously: "Those who are not busy are incompetent. Emperors should be diligent in their work. Only diligence can make the country prosperous."
Huayang looked at his brother with a smile.
Emperor Yuanyou felt his face turn red for no apparent reason: "Sister, why are you looking at me like that?"
Huayang: "I am so happy. My little prince brother has really grown up. He can not only be my backer, but also be trusted and relied upon by the people of the world."
The young emperor, who was about to turn seventeen, was so embarrassed by his sister's big fart that he spoke incoherently: "This, this is what I should do. Also, I summoned several border generals to return to the capital to celebrate the New Year. They will all be in the capital in the next few days."
Huayang: "General Qin gave you a Gyrfalcon last month. Will he prepare another generous gift this time?"
Emperor Yuanyou said with a smile, "Who cares about his Saker Falcon? I just teased him for a while, but my mother reminded me in a roundabout way not to lose my ambition with toys. Instead of giving him these things, I am more looking forward to his new progress in the development of firearms."
Huayang smiled but said nothing.
A wise ruler is also a human being. He has his own preferences and will seek some fun after finishing state affairs. It's good that his younger brother likes Saker Falcon, but it's better than him indulging in women too early.
No one knew that day, her younger brother ran to her happily and told her that General Qin had given him a Saker Falcon. When Huayang heard the word "sea", her heart suddenly hung in the air.
Fortunately, it was a Gyrfalcon, not a fur seal kidney! .
The tenth day of the twelfth lunar month is a day of rest.
Early morning, Chen Mansion, Chunhe Hall.
She could still lie down for a while. Sun poked the old man next to her and said, "Lao Si sent Fugui over last night, saying that he and his wife were going home for dinner today, and he specifically asked you to accompany them. Tell me, did something happen?"
Chen Tingjian: "It must have happened, but there is no clue. It is useless to guess. We will know in one or two hours."
Sun snorted, "We are the only ones who are law-abiding. You might have offended someone outside. Is it possible that the princess wants to ask you to play chess again?"
Chen Tingjian stroked his beard. Almost all the things that made the emperor unhappy were taken care of by He Qingxian. What else could the princess advise
But Chen Tingjian could not rule out this possibility.
"Hey, get up."
Thinking of this, Chen Tingjian no longer felt like staying in bed, so he pulled back the quilt and sat up.
Sun was still lying there, glancing at him and smiling: "In the past two years, except for the cold, you have always gotten up before dawn. If you hadn't sighed just now, I would have thought you were born to work hard, and the earlier you get up, the happier you are."
Chen Tingjian put on his shirt and tilted his head, and saw his wife smiling with her eyes curved, just like when she was young, especially easy to laugh and good at entertaining herself.
Chen Tingjian did not enjoy being busy, but the higher his official position, the heavier the burden on his shoulders, so he had to get up early.
He only feels guilty towards his wife.
Sun saw her husband looking at her for a while, then suddenly he stopped and kissed her on the face.
Sun: …
Chen Tingjian smiled.
Sun came to her senses, pushed him, and cursed, "You old pervert!"
The couple got up at the same time. One had breakfast and went to the school to check his grandchildren's homework, while the other took his two daughters-in-law to prepare to welcome the eldest princess.
No matter how close you are to her, you still cannot be disrespectful in front of the eldest princess.
When the sun was high in the sky, the eldest princess' carriage slowly stopped in front of the Chen Mansion.
Everyone in the Chen family is already waiting.
Under the smiling gaze of everyone, their fourth son, younger uncle and fourth uncle, who did not require them to mobilize a large force to welcome them, jumped out of the car first.
There was nothing strange about it, but Chen Tingjian discovered that when the fourth brother's eyes swept over him, there was a hint of smile in them.
This is so strange. Even if the son does not really disrespect his father in his heart, he always treats him arrogantly in front of others. How could he smile at him
At this moment, the eldest princess also leaned out of the carriage.
"Slow down." Chen Jingzong placed the footstool and held the princess steadily.
This was what he was used to doing. Except for the eldest princess pursing her red lips slightly, no one in the Chen family noticed anything wrong.
After the two sides exchanged greetings, they were about to go inside.
As a result, Chen Jingzong came closer to Huayang again. When Huayang raised her foot to step over the threshold, he held her left arm with one hand and put his arm around her shoulder with the other hand: "Slow down."
Even though Huayang had become a little thicker-skinned because of the bad company he had, his face still turned red when Chen Jingzong shouted "slow down" twice.
Sun, Yu Xiu, Luo Yuyan: …
Chen Tingjian: …
Should he pretend not to understand, or what
Wanyi was already at the age of getting married, so she understood a little bit. Plus, she could remember things when her cousin Wanqing was born, and Fourth Uncle's behavior was so obvious, so Wanyi just smiled secretly.
There are several thresholds from the main entrance to the hall.
Chen Jingzong insisted on staying by Huayang's side, reminding him again and again.
Sanlang couldn't stand it anymore: "Why is Fourth Uncle acting so strange today? It's not like Fourth Aunt can't walk, does she need you to remind her?"
He glanced at his mother.
Sun laughed and scolded him: "We all understand, okay? Look at you, you are such a loser!"
After saying that, Sun pulled her son away and supported her daughter-in-law herself.
Huayang: ... Yinhua
The eldest princess was pregnant, so Chen Tingjian took the fourth child away, and Wanyi also took her younger brothers and sisters away, asking their grandmother and others to accompany the fourth aunt.
Huayang listened to a whole morning of sharing experiences.
After the lunch break, Chen Jingzong accompanied her back to Siyi Hall.
When Huayang washed her hands and face and lay down on the bed to take a rest, Chen Jingzong came over. A tall and straight man stood straight beside the bed, staring at the princess with ambiguous expressions.
Huayang guessed that he had nothing serious to say, so he glared at him and then lay back down.
Chen Jingzong smiled: "Do you know what I'm thinking?"
Hua Yang said calmly: "I don't know, and I'm not interested."
Chen Jingzong: "Then I have to tell you, I was thinking about our wedding night. We also slept on this bed that night."
Huayang: …
Chen Jingzong lay down, hugged her and kissed her hair: "At that time, I could never have thought that I, Chen Jingzong, would be able to wait until today."
Huayang: "Shut up!"
Chen Jingzong also knew that there was nothing he could do, so after hugging her for a while he just lay down obediently beside her, with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling of the bed, occasionally letting out a low laugh that only he could understand.
Huayang was tickled by the laughter but couldn't get rid of it, so he hit him back in annoyance.
Chen Jingzong: "Is it not okay for me to laugh?"
Huayang: "No, go lie on the ground. I don't even want to hear your breathing."
Chen Jingzong: …
He bit her ear: "Just as domineering as that night."
Huayang wanted to hit him again, but Chen Jingzong quickly jumped off the bed and went to make his bed on the floor.
.
A few days later, there was a heavy snowfall in the capital, just like in the previous life, but this time, no one was exiled to the frontier in shackles, and there was no carriage to see people off alone in the snow.
That night, Huayang leaned in Chen Jingzong's arms and slept soundly.
She was no longer so sick that she was bedridden, but she started to have some morning sickness, which fortunately was not serious.
On the 18th day of the first lunar month, Yu Xiu and Luo Yuyan were about to leave the capital, one going to Jiangnan to join Chen Xiaozong, and the other to Guangdong to reunite with Chen Bochong.
Huayang took Chen Jingzong to live in Chen's house yesterday. When he woke up in the morning, he found that it was snowing outside again.
Chen Jingzong: "In this kind of weather, it's enough to just send the eldest and third sisters-in-law out. There's no need to send them outside the city."
Huayang: "I will send you outside the city."
Can the prince consort object to what the princess insists on doing
Not to mention him, even the mother-in-law Sun's dissuasion was of no use. Yu Xiu and Luo Yuyan were moved to tears by the princess's deep affection and tried to dissuade him, but it was of no use.
Finally, Chen Jingzong rode a horse wearing a cloak, and the three sisters-in-law sat in a carriage and slowly left the city gate.
When the carriage stopped, the time for separation had arrived.
"Sister-in-law and third sister-in-law, don't cry. I'm just happy that you can be reunited with your eldest brother and third brother. It's not that I can't bear to leave you." Huayang looked at his two sisters-in-law with red eyes and spoke his true feelings again.
Yu Xiu just wiped her tears, Luo Yuyan sniffed and said: "Princess, there is no need to explain, we all understand!"
Huayang knew that they didn't understand.
Chen Jingzong's teasing voice sounded from outside the car: "Since the eldest sister-in-law and the third sister-in-law are so reluctant to leave the princess, why don't you turn the car around and go back?"
Yu Xiu and Luo Yuyan: …
Although the eldest princess is nice, they miss their husbands whom they have been separated from for a year more.
After quickly wiping away their tears, they got off the car one after another.
"Princess, please don't get off. We will be in the car soon."
Huayang just reached out to Chen Jingzong.
It was snowing heavily and there were almost no people on the road, so Chen Jingzong simply carried the eldest princess down.
Huayang put on a cloak, stopped his two sisters-in-law from crying, and urged them to get in the car quickly.
"Princess, please go back. We are leaving now!"
After a while, Yu Xiu and Luo Yuyan both leaned out of the car window and waved to the eldest princess who was looking at them with a smile like a red peony on the roadside.
Chen Jingzong: …
He is standing here too!
Huayang also waved his hand and asked the driver to drive.
The convoy set off slowly, and the increasing snow blurred each other's faces.
Chen Jingzong turned around and saw Huayang was still smiling, as if she had eaten candy. He wondered, "You seem to dislike your eldest and third sisters-in-law and wish they would leave soon."
Huayang looked at him and said, "I am happy for my eldest and third brothers."
Chen Jingzong: …
(End of this chapter)