Chapter 487: The Blink of an Eye 03

Chapter 487

Cheng Yu's remarks instantly sparked everyone's interest.

Xiao Jingyan and Chen Ge were both somewhat sobered by Cheng Yu's words and eagerly asked:

"Who is this young lady? How long have you known her? Is she beautiful?"

"Why have you kept this a secret so well? Your mother, the Empress, has never mentioned a word about her to me, her own imperial uncle?"

"Will she be coming back with you this time? Do you have a portrait of her that you could show Mother first?"

Faced with the barrage of questions from everyone, Cheng Yu could only sigh and confess,

"She is a female general who fought alongside me on the battlefield. In terms of age, she is actually two years older than me... I just don't know if Mother... will agree."

Rongyue smiled and said, "Your mother has never been so conservative. If two people are in love, regardless of their backgrounds or age difference, as long as it's someone you've chosen and she approves of, that would be the most beautiful thing in the world. Let me tell you, if your mother hears this news, she will be overjoyed."

Madam Chen also beamed with joy,

She tightly held Cheng Yu's hand, and earnestly advised him,

"Yu, Mother is truly happy for you to find your beloved. But there are some words that Mother must remind you of. You must be sure of your feelings before proposing to the young lady.

You also know that nowadays, the customs in the Qi Dynasty are very different from before. Now, men in Qi no longer have concubines, just like women, they only have one partner for life.

So even though you are of royal descent, with His Majesty's strict governance and clear laws, there is no exception. If you are with that young lady, you must treat her seriously, and you cannot marry another in this lifetime. You must treat the young lady well, don't cause any jokes about separation in the future, and don't ruin the young lady's life."

Faced with Madam Chen's lengthy sermon,

Cheng Yu blushed and joked, "Mother is afraid that I might delay her, but it's actually the other way around."

His words caused laughter throughout the room.

To celebrate this joyous occasion, everyone chatted for a while longer,

Until it was almost time to disperse, a servant came to report:

"Master and Madam, there's someone outside asking for you. They say they come from the palace."

Chen Ge hurriedly instructed the servant to bring the visitor in,

Curious as to why someone from the palace would suddenly visit Danzhou,

They were surprised to see the cheerful visitor was Xiao Fuzi.

Xiao Fuzi bowed to everyone and said with a smile,

"General, Your Highness, the servant has come from the palace on an errand. On the way to Danzhou, I received a letter from His Majesty and was instructed to inform General Cheng Yu personally."

Turning to Cheng Yu, he bowed again,

"His Majesty congratulates General Cheng Yu on his victory in the recent battle and allows him to stay in Danzhou for a few more days to recuperate. It's not too late to return to the palace after the New Year's Eve."

Cheng Yu had barely had time to inform Zhao Hua of his victory and arrival in Danzhou,

Yet Xiao Fuzi had arrived promptly, indicating that everything was within Zhao Hua's expectations.

Everyone naturally understood that Zhao Hua had said this in order to allow Cheng Yu to spend more time with his foster parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Chen immediately rose to thank His Majesty, and Cheng Yu replied:

"Many thanks, Grand Eunuch. Please convey my gratitude to the Empress Mother. Before New Year's Eve, I will return to the palace with His Majesty, and I will also remind the Empress Mother to take care of herself and not overexert for state affairs."

Lord Zhu respectfully replied, "That is true."

Zhao Hua continued, "Perhaps Lord Zhu is unaware of the expenses incurred by the palace's women. After the late Emperor and the founding Emperor ascended to heaven, there were a total of forty-six women left in the palace. Calculating their annual expenditures and monthly allowances, the total expenses for the year amounted to nearly ten thousand taels. I believe that if we let them leave the palace, the money saved could be used to aid the impoverished populace. Lord Zhu, do you think this can be considered a commendable deed?"

After pondering for a moment, Lord Zhu responded, "While this method is beneficial, it may damage the late Emperor's prestige..."

"Oh, I see." Zhao Hua interrupted him with a smile, "So, in your eyes, the late Emperor's prestige outweighs the livelihoods of the people. But during the Jiangnan floods, the late Emperor spared no effort to rescue the people from the waters, even going as far as tightening his own belt to help those in need. I recall that during that time, the late Emperor even reduced his daily meals by half, demonstrating his love for the country and its people.

Lord Zhu, you are reluctant to let these widows leave the palace because you fear it may lead to criticism of the court. But deep down, you actually agree with my decision to distribute the saved money to the needy, don't you?"

Lord Zhu nodded, "Yes."

With a slight pause, Zhao Hua's smile grew even wider, "Very well, then this matter is settled. Since the late Emperor never cared about such matters, if Lord Zhu attaches such importance to it, then from now on, the daily expenses of the concubines and consorts will be entirely your responsibility. Consider it a token of your loyalty to the late Emperor."

"This..."

"Oh... I remember your annual salary is only three thousand eight hundred taels. But no matter, out of consideration for your righteousness, I will increase your salary by one hundred taels each month. Thus, your annual salary will be enough to cover the shortfall of five thousand taels for the concubines and consorts. The remaining five thousand taels will have to come from Lord Zhu himself."

At these words, Lord Zhu's face turned green, and inwardly, he cursed vehemently:

Where could he possibly conjure up so much silver to support those widows in the harem?

Seeing him remain silent for so long, Zhao Hua teased, "Well..."

"Lord Zhu, why are you silent now? Weren't you just arguing with me a moment ago?"

Zhao Hua knew these courtiers too well.

As long as it didn't directly harm their interests, they could eloquently debate about the righteousness of the nation and family for days, with Zhao Hua finding it hard to gain an upper hand.

But once their interests were truly affected, they could see through things clearer than anyone else.

Sure enough, shortly after Zhao Hua finished speaking, Lord Zhu bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty's words are indeed reasonable. I have been lacking in consideration."

Zhao Hua smiled faintly and said, "Since Lord Zhu also agrees with my approach, I'll entrust this matter to you. Before New Year's Eve, I want to see all the female relatives leaving the palace and returning home. If anyone remains in the palace, their monthly expenses will be deducted from your budget. What do you think, Lord Zhu?"

"I... will certainly not fail in my mission!"

After sending away these courtiers, settling a lingering matter, Zhao Hua saw Yun Shan approaching with a smile.

She teased, "I finally managed to persuade Xiao Fuzi to take you out for a stroll. Why did you return so soon?"

"I couldn't help worrying about you, Miss."

"What's there to worry about? I'm not a child who needs you to attend to me every day."

"Whatever Miss says, I will always want to be by your side, never leaving even half a step!"

In this entire palace, only Yun Shan dared to speak so freely to Zhao Hua.

Zhao Hua wasn't annoyed with her. Instead, her gaze fell on the letter Yun Shan held in her hand, and she asked, "What's this?"

"It's a letter from Mongolia, Miss, take a look."

Yun Shan handed the letter to Zhao Hua.

Seeing Zhao Hua silently reading its contents, a faint smile remained on her lips, prompting Yun Shan to ask, "Miss, what amusing thing did you find?"

After sealing the letter, Zhao Hua said slowly, "It's an invitation from Qimu Ge and Ru Naren. They say Mongolia will have a warm winter this year and invite me for a gathering."

She looked at the bright sun outside the window, lazily stretched, and said with a smile, "With the festival approaching, let's wait until next year. It's time to leave the palace and explore the world when spring arrives next year."