Chapter 223 That Smile
"Let's go in, His Highness is waiting."
Yu Yanran had been in the palace longer after all, so she spoke while suppressing her shyness.
However, her trembling voice showed that she was not as calm as she appeared to be.
"Yeah." Rulan and Minglan lowered their heads and responded in an inaudible voice.
When the three of them arrived at the Mu Tang Pavilion, they heard the sound of rushing water.
Walking around the screen, he saw Zhao Xing swimming in the water wearing the shorts that Yu Yanran made for him.
Seeing the three people coming in, Zhao Xing stopped and leaned against the wall of the pool. He wiped the water off his face with the handkerchief handed over by the palace maid and said with a smile: "Come down and accompany me for a tour."
"Yes!"
The three of them responded, not daring to look at each other, and let the maid undress them.
Zhao Xing admired with a smile. Now the women in the East Palace also put on new underwear, and soon the three of them were left with only their underwear.
"Okay, all of you, please step aside."
Zhao Xingchong spoke to the palace maids who were standing beside him and the maids of Yu Yanran and others.
After the palace maids bowed and left, there were only four of them left in the room, and the three women relaxed a little.
"Come down." Zhao Xing waved his hand.
Yu Yanran and Minglan took small steps forward, while Rulan became much bolder. She came to the edge of the pool and stepped onto the stairs to go into the water.
"what."
Rulan went into the water, her feet slipped and she fell into the water.
Zhao Xing swam over, picked Rulan up, took her to the edge of the pool and sat her in his arms.
Feeling Rulan's delicate skin, Zhao Xing reached out to tidy up her wet hair that was covering her face, and said lovingly, "Didn't I tell you to come here and learn how to swim when you have nothing to do? Besides, it's not deep here, so don't panic and just stand up after falling into the water."
Rulan can't swim and is a little afraid of water. That was the case last time. She just struggled and almost drowned.
Rulan wrapped her arms around Zhao Xing's neck, her eyes still showing some fear: "I was just scared. I was very panicked after falling into the water."
"Then I will teach you today." Zhao Xing pinched her nose and said with a smile.
Last time, Zhao Xing initially thought Rulan was acting, but Rulan ended up crying out of fear.
Although I didn't cry this time, tears were already welling up in my eyes.
Zhao Xing felt that Rulan's acting skills should not be so high.
"Sister Rulan, you will be able to swim after a few times. I was also afraid at the beginning, but Your Highness taught me a few times and I was able to swim."
Yu Yanran and Minglan went into the water and walked towards Zhao Xing hand in hand.
Seeing some timidity and fear in Rulan's eyes, Zhao Xing lowered his head and kissed her.
When Yu Yanran and Minglan saw this scene, they quickly turned their heads away with red faces.
After a long time, Zhao Xing raised his head.
Rulan's eyes were as charming as silk, and it took her a while to come back to her senses. Thinking of her current situation, she whimpered and buried her head in Zhao Xing's arms, acting like an ostrich.
"Okay, you guys have your fun. Look how embarrassed Rulan is." Zhao Xing looked at Minglan and Yu Yanran who were standing not far away.
"You see, His Highness is partial." Yu Yanran joked, pulling Minglan and said, "Sister Minglan, let me teach you how to swim."
Minglan couldn't swim either, but she was much calmer than Minglan. The water in the swimming pool was only one meter deep, so she was not afraid.
Zhao Xing smiled and said nothing. He patted Rulan on the back and said, "Come, I will teach you how to swim. I will carry you while you swim."
"Yeah." Rulan raised her head from Zhao Xing's arms and nodded.
Zhao Xing held Rulan's waist and told her swimming techniques. After a few times, although Rulan didn't learn it, she was not so afraid anymore.
As he was teaching, Zhao Xing became a little distracted. He held Rulan in his arms and untied the ribbon on her back.
On the other side, Yu Yanran and Minglan were talking in a low voice. Noticing that there was no movement from Zhao Xing's side, they turned their heads and looked over.
When they saw what the two people were doing, they quickly retracted their gazes and looked at each other, and they could see the shame in each other's eyes.
…………
Imperial Palace, Longtu Pavilion
While Zhao Xing was playing with mandarin ducks in the water and dragons and phoenixes, the emperor was still busy making the ropes.
A eunuch walked into the hall and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the Grand Chancellor and the other ministers are here."
"Let them in," said the official.
The eunuch bowed and left, and the official put down his brush and rubbed his sore neck.
After a while, Han Zhang and several men came in.
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects to you!" several people bowed.
"No gift."
The official waved his hand and asked someone to sit down and serve tea.
"Mr. Yu, how are the preparations for the thorough investigation of the land going?" the official asked.
"Your Highness, everything is ready." said Mr. Yu.
"Yes." The emperor nodded and said, "If anyone refuses to cooperate or take action, they will be dismissed and investigated. The great minister should remember to instruct the Ministry of Personnel to select officials to fill the vacancies."
"Your Majesty, isn't this a bit too hasty?" Han Zhang said.
Han Zhang still agreed with the idea of measuring the land.
As the prime minister, he is equivalent to the steward of the Song Dynasty and is very clear about the current financial situation of the Song Dynasty.
He naturally supported a thorough investigation of all the land in the country, which would reveal a large amount of hidden land, increase tax revenue and ease financial pressure.
However, the government’s methods have always been mild, and this time they were a bit too harsh.
In Kaifeng Prefecture, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince personally investigated, and there were people who pretended to obey but secretly disobeyed, let alone the entire Song Dynasty. If the emperor really said it, I am afraid that many local officials will suffer this time.
"Didn't the Prime Minister say that I was too lenient when investigating the salt business a few years ago? How could we have gotten to the bottom of a thorough investigation of all the land in the country if we were not strict in our approach?" the emperor said calmly.
His methods were gentle, but he actually wanted to solve the problem through silent means and try not to cause any major trouble.
But now time is of the essence, and the measures will naturally not be as gentle as before.
"I am worried that if this happens, local officials will make too many moves and cause chaos," said Han Zhang.
Han Zhang was not a corrupt scholar. When the government conducted a thorough investigation into the salt affairs, it did not investigate further, so Han Zhang suggested that the measures were too mild.
Han Zhang felt that since the investigation had been started, it should be carried out thoroughly and not be half-hearted.
But the government didn't want to cause too much trouble.
However, the incident was different between that time and this time. The salt administration was corrupt and most of the salt administration systems had problems.
It's no problem to replace them all.
However, if the land is thoroughly investigated as the government says, all that will be replaced are the local officials.
If there are too many changes, the local area will be unstable, which is not a good thing.
"Humph!" The official snorted coldly, "Could they possibly rebel?"
When the new policy failed, the government felt very upset.
If it weren't for the successive deaths of princes and the civil and military officials' constant urging him to adopt a royal family member, leaving him with no time to take care of other things, he would have definitely dealt with those officials who opposed the new policy.
Now that he is old, he has lost his enthusiasm and has no intention of reforming the law during his reign.
But that doesn't mean he doesn't want to reform. Since Zhao Xing has such an ambition, he also hopes that Zhao Xing will succeed in the future, eliminate the long-standing ills of the Song Dynasty, and revitalize the Song Dynasty.
This time, by measuring the land and removing some stubborn officials, some obstacles can be cleared for Zhao Xing in the future.
Han Zhang didn't know what the emperor was thinking. Seeing that the emperor even said such words, he didn't say anything more.
"Your Majesty, I am an old minister who has been entrusted with this great favor by Your Majesty. I will do my best to investigate the land areas in the world for Your Majesty. However, I am old after all, and I need to travel around the country to investigate the land areas. It is not a pity for me to die, but I am worried that I will delay Your Majesty's important affairs." said Yu Xianggong.
Mr. Yu understood the purpose of the government asking him to preside over a thorough investigation of the land matter.
He was about to retire, and measuring the land would inevitably affect the interests of many people and offend many people.
In order to calm the public anger, someone needs to take responsibility for everything.
And the day he finished his thorough investigation of the land was the day the government dismissed him.
Given his status, he would certainly be posthumously awarded the title of one of the Three Dukes as an honorary retirement after his retirement.
A hundred years in the future, it is not impossible that he will be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
However, if he is removed from office, all this will be impossible.
Mr. Yu came from a poor family. He was upright and incorruptible, devoted to the country, and did not care about personal honor or disgrace.
But his body now can't withstand the fatigue of traveling.
The emperor was silent for a while after hearing this, and then said, "I will let Scholar Hai be your assistant. You will inspect the nearby areas, and the distant areas will be inspected by Minister Hai."
Hai Wenyou has been a Hanlin scholar for more than ten years. Normally, he should have left the Hanlin Academy to take up another position long ago.
With Hai Wenyou's qualifications, even if he was only a fifth-rank official, he could become a vice minister after leaving the Hanlin Academy.
And you can become a husband in a short time.
This is the weight of the Hanlin Academy.
There is no way around it, since the Hanlin Academy is the government’s think tank.
The reason why the emperor did not let Hai Wenyou leave the Hanlin Academy was actually because he was considering Zhao Xing.
In the future, when Zhao Xing ascends the throne, he will promote Hai Wenyou to be the prime minister.
Han Zhang was already old, and after Zhao Xing ascended the throne, he should retire after assisting for a few years.
By then, Hai Wenyou will be able to take over as the Grand Prime Minister.
It is just right to let Hai Wenyou leave the Hanlin Academy now.
…………
Bathhouse
Zhao Xing had no idea what was happening in the palace. He was in high spirits at the moment and was standing there, being helped by three women to dress him.
The three women had rosy complexions and looked charming and beautiful. Yu Yanran was helping Zhao Xing arrange his clothes, while Minglan was putting her arms around Zhao Xing's waist, resting her face on his abdomen, and tying his belt.
Rulan was clumsy and didn't know what to do.
"Mid-Autumn Festival is just ten days away. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, you can all go home and reunite with your families for a day." Zhao Xing said.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Minglan had just tied Zhao Xing's belt and stood up. Upon hearing this, she thanked him excitedly.
It has been half a month since she entered the palace. Although none of the things she worried about before coming here have happened, she still misses her family.
"Thank you for your grace, Your Highness!"
Rulan and Yu Yanran also saluted excitedly.
Zhao Xing held Minglan's face with his hands, looked at her, and said, "I told you before that I like to see your smile the most. Although you usually smile when you see me, it's not as sincere as it was just now. If you continue to be like this in the future, I will not allow you to go back."
Minglan's smile from the heart gives people a sense of healing.
However, she didn't feel it at all normally, but just now when she heard him say that he would allow them to go home for one day, she smiled from the bottom of her heart.
"I still have things to do, so I'll leave first." Zhao Xing said, turned around and walked out.
(End of this chapter)