Meeting Shen Xihe's half-smile, the eloquent Crown Prince could only respond with a foolish smile in an attempt to get away with it.
Shen Xihe twisted the bait on his fingertips, rubbing it unconsciously: "It seems... you have been thinking about plotting against me."
"Ahem." Xiao Huayong coughed lightly to cover up, and coaxed her in a gentle voice, "My life is not long, only twenty years. I have planned everything, including people, hearts, and things. But I met you, and I couldn't plan anything. These are just some arrogant words to encourage myself after some setbacks. Don't take them to heart."
Her fingertips paused, and Shen Xihe looked up at Xiao Huayong, who had a gentle and attentive smile on his face. She felt that his words, which seemed to be a cover-up, were actually the truth.
Perhaps those words really meant that he had been rejected by himself again, or that he had been frustrated by himself, and after returning home he felt annoyed and unwilling to accept the result, so he couldn't help but give himself words of encouragement after he had calmed down.
Thinking of this, Shen Xihe pursed her lips and smiled lightly, her eyes became extremely tolerant, and she smiled softly: "Okay, I won't take it to heart."
Even as smart as Xiao Huayong was, he couldn't figure out what he had said to please his wife. Her smile, which was not bright, was very contagious, showing that she was in a good mood.
As her smile grew, Xiao Huayong felt that the years were peaceful and quiet. Even the hot summer air had lost its impetuousness and was left with only fragrance.
I wish I could stick to her all day, even if it was just sitting beside her and watching her, or reading at the desk, or embroidering by the window, or playing the piano in the pavilion, or just standing there and watching the short-lived ones having fun...
Wherever he saw her, his heart was at peace.
It was now August, the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, and the Empress Dowager's birthday was also around the corner. Not only was the birthday not celebrated in a grand manner, but the disaster in Dengzhou had never been alleviated, but had become increasingly serious. Everyone's mind was preoccupied with the disaster in Dengzhou, except for An Zhengyi. Even Emperor Youning had no extra energy to pay attention to Shen Xihe's every move.
On this day, another memorial was sent from Dengzhou. Emperor Youning looked solemn after reading it. Dengzhou was seriously short of water and the people could not wait any longer to migrate. All the water sources that could be mobilized had been mobilized, and a huge amount of financial and material resources had been consumed, but it was still a drop in the bucket.
The eighth prince, King Jing Xiao Changyan, requested that the people be allowed to relocate and that the government organize and settle them.
This is a huge question. Where should we relocate to? Where should we place them? Besides Dengzhou, the drought in the surrounding areas is also severe. Should we relocate everyone? If we relocate everyone, how should we place them? Will large-scale relocation cause panic among the people
If not all of them were relocated, how could the people outside Dengzhou be appeased? If the imperial court ordered a relocation, what would be done if some people refused to relocate? A series of problems made it difficult for Xiao Changyan's request to be implemented for a while.
Emperor Youning urgently summoned the three provinces and six ministries and relevant court officials to discuss the matter. Each of them held a different opinion, each with its own pros and cons. In the end, there was a quarrel but no conclusion was reached, which made Emperor Youning so angry that he stormed out.
There is a library in the palace, which is a reading place for the emperor and the royal family. Emperor Youning often came here. It was built in a quiet bamboo forest. Wind chimes made of bamboo boards were hung under the eaves. When the wind blows, the chimes ring. The crisp sound is not noisy, but like the wooden fish in the hands of an old monk, which has a magical power to calm the mind.