It turned out Feng Xie was worried about his son and had come over. He walked to the entrance of the main hall and waved to the eunuch, telling him not to announce his arrival. Unexpectedly, he overheard the mother and son discussing leaving the palace, and his heart sank. He sighed helplessly.
He was desperately clearing all obstacles in their path, yet they had decided to leave?
His heart ached, and his expression turned dark as he walked towards the high seat.
As soon as Mu Xing saw his father, he turned his small face away, refusing to look at him.
Seeing his expression, Liu Liu, fearing a conflict between father and son, quickly waved to Cui'er.
“Cui’er, take Mu Xing down to rest for a while.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Cui’er understood Liu Liu’s intentions and quickly led Mu Xing away.
In the grand hall, the air was filled with warm fragrance. As their eyes met, Feng Xie’s gaze grew increasingly dark and unreadable. Liu Liu’s eyes, though clear, held a hint of chill. After a long moment, Liu Liu spoke, “Has Your Majesty arrived?”
“Yes. If I hadn’t come, perhaps I would still be in the dark about your mother and son planning to leave again? I will never allow you to leave.”
Feng Xie’s command was domineering. The imperial yellow dragon robe made his face appear flawless, like finely carved jade. The dazzling Nine Dragon Crown on his head was piercingly bright, exuding an unrestrained noble aura.
Liu Liu smiled indifferently, her smile devoid of warmth. She gazed at the man before her with cold disdain, her presence commanding and showing no trace of the fear one should show before an emperor.
“Your Majesty, if I wish to leave, I will leave. No one can stop me. You must remember that I did not willingly enter the palace; I was drugged and brought here by my son. Now that he wishes to leave, what reason do I have to stay?
I am rather grateful to you now because you have made Mu Xing willing to follow me wholeheartedly back to Xiaoyao Island. I had been worried that he might blame me when he grew up for my unilateral decision to let him leave the palace and become a vagrant of the martial world.”
Hearing Liu Liu’s words, Feng Xie abandoned his usual elegance and roared in anger, “Damn it, is your heart made of iron? Why can’t you see the suffering I’ve endured for five years? I have been trying to please you, enduring you, can’t you see any of it? And yet you say such cold-blooded and heartless words.”
The Emperor’s words were aggressive and exasperated. He had wanted to speak to this woman with grace, but perhaps she was the only person in the world capable of shattering his composure.
“Your Majesty, why don’t you understand? My son dislikes staying here, and neither do I. It’s exhausting to constantly scheme against others.
Furthermore, our sudden appearance with Mu Xing was our fault to begin with. Your Majesty should focus on how to deal with matters in the court tomorrow. I have already found an outlet for the Lou family.
I believe they will rebel in court tomorrow. Does Your Majesty have nothing else to worry about?”
Feng Xie’s eyes flickered, a hint of understanding dawning within him. So Liu’er punished Yu Lou to provoke the old fellows of the Lou family into action. This was excellent.
He believed they would surely make a move tomorrow, as he had been troubled by their inaction. He hadn’t expected Liu’er to have thought of this long ago. He reached out and took Liu Liu’s hand, ignoring her sour expression. Feng Xie’s magnetic voice was filled with emotion.
“Liu’er, thank you. I know you’re worried about Mu Xing getting hurt, so I will handle everything,” At this moment, Feng Xie suddenly understood his father’s intentions. Loving a child meant wanting to clear all obstacles for him.
“Your Majesty?” Liu Liu tried to pull her hand away with annoyance, but the Emperor completely ignored her and sat down beside her.
“Liu’er, don’t speak of leaving me so lightly. Perhaps I haven’t done well enough, but give me a chance, a chance to prove myself. Don’t be so quick to dismiss my efforts. Without you by my side, I wouldn’t be able to defeat those people, truly.”
His emotionally charged words flowed into her heart like a long river, making Liu Liu reluctant to harm his earnest plea. For now, it was best to unite and deal with those who threatened the Tianfeng Dynasty.
“For now, let’s think of ways to deal with those wicked forces,”
Liu Liu’s tone softened. Feng Xie breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she didn’t rush to take Mu Xing away, he would try his best to change their minds. As for Consort De and Yu Lou, he would find a proper way to resolve their issues.
“Mm, half the people in court have voted to join the Lou family. I’ve decided to let them cause trouble to their heart’s content tomorrow.
That old fox Lou Mu Shan must be laughing triumphantly in the shadows. Many things don’t even require his personal intervention; he calculates everything beforehand. I will root him out.
However, I believe today’s stunt by Liu’er has already reached that old fellow’s ears. If he doesn’t have Yu Lou as his trump card, many people will abandon him.
Moreover, Liu Ting, as the Prime Minister, has been gaining the support of like-minded officials. With that, it will only be a matter of time before I eliminate these hidden factions.”
Liu Liu listened to Feng Xie’s slowly unfolding, chilling words and nodded. The Emperor wasn't faking it; he truly had foresight. Her heart felt at ease, and the corners of her lips curved.
“Your Majesty could start by skinning him alive and then slowly bringing him to the surface. This way, he will have no place to be buried. If you target the Lou family from the outset, it will surely invite criticism.”
Liu Liu’s suggestion was very welcome to Feng Xie; her ideas were always insightful.
If Liu’er were a man, what a brilliant statesman she would be! Fortunately, she was his Empress now and could assist him in stabilizing the empire. As Feng Xie was lost in thought, Liu Liu waved to Hong Xiu beside her.
“Bring me the drawings I prepared this afternoon.”
Hong Xiu responded, “Yes, Your Highness.”
She stepped away and quickly returned with a drawing the Empress had prepared that afternoon. Although she didn’t quite understand it, having listened to the Empress’s explanation earlier, she knew it was for the sake of the common people.
Liu Liu took the drawing, unfolded it, and revealed a complex interweaving of lines, forming intricate patterns.
Feng Xie stared, dumbfounded, not knowing what these patterns represented. After looking closely, he vaguely discerned something related to farmland and immediately asked with great interest.
“Liu’er, what is this?”
“Your Majesty, the nation is founded on its people, and the people regard food as their heaven. Only when the people have enough to eat and are warmly clothed will they express gratitude for Your Majesty’s grace.
Although the empire is currently at peace, without war, I have still observed many commoner families who cannot get enough to eat or wear during my travels in the martial world. Does Your Majesty know why?”
Feng Xie was astonished by Liu Liu’s words. He had never paid attention to such details.
As an emperor, he was concerned with national affairs and paid no heed to minor details. The reports from the local government offices all indicated bumper harvests, and the national treasury was stable. He hadn’t noticed anything else.
His excursion outside the palace had mostly taken him to prosperous households, making him believe all families in the empire were like that.
He hadn’t expected that there were still families who couldn’t get enough to eat. This greatly surprised him. His star-like eyes flashed with a somber, deep light. Could it be that the officials were deceiving him? This truly needed to be rectified.
Seeing his expression, Liu Liu knew his thoughts and quickly raised her hand to stop him.
“It’s not the fault of those officials. It’s because the grain yield is too low. Those people, besides paying rent, also have to pay various taxes.
After deducting these, it’s indeed difficult for them to have enough to eat. However, the taxes collected by the government are also reasonable. If these miscellaneous taxes were not collected, the national treasury would be empty. Therefore, what we need to do is increase the yield.”
Liu Liu spoke eloquently. Although her memories from her previous life were somewhat blurry, she still had some impressions. She had died at the age of twelve.
She remembered visiting her maternal grandmother in the countryside and seeing the tiered layout of their fields, unlike the uneven terrain of ancient times, which relied entirely on natural rainfall to control grain yields. This greatly reduced the harvest.
“Your Majesty, please look at this drawing. The thin red lines represent irrigation ditches, and the thick red lines represent rivers. The small figures by the fields are just dummies. Now, Your Majesty, listen as I explain.”