After serving in Lingle County for three years, Hui Zhenyu had made great efforts to develop the local people's livelihood and economy. When he returned to the capital for a work report this time, the Marquis of Yongjia was very satisfied with his son.
After all, he was the son of a noble. Even the emperor himself inquired about this matter.
Although the emperor didn't issue a clear edict, all the court officials knew very well that this young man, Hui Zhenyu, had a bright future.
After the court session, Hui Zhenyu was about to leave the palace with the others when Father An, the emperor's attendant, came over. He squinted and smiled, "My lord Hui, please wait a moment. His Majesty would like to see you."
The other officials all showed knowing expressions. Hui Zhenyu, being so young, had already caught the emperor's eye, which made these older officials both envious and jealous.
Hui Zhenyu nodded slightly to Father An and followed him to meet the emperor.
The current emperor was in his thirties. His name was Xia Chunfeng, and he was a man of great charm and good looks.
Hui Zhenyu had seen the emperor several times during the imperial examinations for official selection, but they had never interacted privately.
Unexpectedly, the emperor was a chatterbox.
All the well - prepared speeches in Hui Zhenyu's mind went unused.
As soon as the emperor saw him, he kept asking about the customs and scenery in the south. With a hint of regret in his words, he said, "I've lived so long, but I've never seen the sea."
Hui Zhenyu: "..."
He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, if you want to go, you can take a boat along the inland river and reach Yulin in a month. The coconut trees and banana groves in the south, along with the blue water and white sand, are really different from the Central Plains."
The emperor was itching to go, but he hated that the responsibility on his shoulders was too heavy. He couldn't leave the capital easily, and every time he traveled, it would cost a lot of money and labor.
When his father passed the throne to him, the national treasury was almost empty. He had worked hard for many years to make it prosperous again. But the thrifty habit he had developed remained. He always had to think carefully before spending a large sum of money.
For a majestic emperor, it was really a sad thing.
Thinking of this, the emperor asked another question, "Lingle County was so poor and in debt. How did you manage to transform this lower - level county into a middle - level one in just three years?"
Although the emperor was not young, he took good care of himself. What was rare was that there was still a hint of youthfulness on his face. If it weren't for the black robe embroidered with dragon patterns, it would be easy to mistake him for a wealthy playboy rather than the emperor.
But Hui Zhenyu didn't dare to relax at all. He explained in detail the process of Lingle County's poverty alleviation - and of course, Jiao Niang couldn't be left out.
Actually, Hui Zhenyu could have taken all the credit for Jiao Niang's contributions.
But he didn't.
He voluntarily mentioned Jiao Niang to the emperor. On the one hand, he wanted to pave the way for her. On the other hand, he really admired and was grateful to Jiao Niang - such a talented person, if used by the court to benefit the people of the world, would be a win - win situation.
If it weren't for Jiao Niang's many formulas and experience in getting rich, even if there were ten more of him, it might not be possible to transform Lingle County's economy so quickly.
Hearing this, the emperor obviously became interested. As an emperor who had once been poor, he was eager to have a business genius like Jiao Niang.
Especially many things were things he had never seen or heard of, such as food.
As soon as they talked about food, the emperor became more and more energetic, and Hui Zhenyu really got a dry mouth.
Seeing that it was getting late, the emperor reluctantly let him leave the palace.
The next day, as soon as the morning court was over, the emperor was nowhere to be seen in the palace.
Father An was also missing.
The emperor had suddenly disappeared!
This explosive news didn't even cause a ripple in the deep palace.
In the Yongjin Hall, the queen was sitting cross - legged on the couch. Calmly, she said, "Don't worry. The emperor must have gone out of the palace to have fun. He'll be back before dark."
At the Duke's Mansion.
Qi Jiao and Fang Yunxin were sitting in the garden pavilion.
The two were admiring the red - tailed fish in the pond. There were also two beautiful maids arranging flowers beside them.
With their slender fingers moving the fragrant flowers, in a short while, they got a beautiful bunch of flowers. The main flower today was hollyhock, and the matching grass was green, looking so lively that it made people feel refreshed.
The two sisters were chatting and laughing.
Suddenly, voices came from behind the screen. It was Fang Du, Fang Yunxin's second elder brother.
Fang Du didn't like reading, which made his parents disappointed.
But unexpectedly, he had some talent in business, so he managed the family's mundane affairs and was quite capable.
Fang Du shouted from there, "Sister, Jiao Niang, I have a friend here. Can we come over for a cup of tea?"
Fang Yunxin waved her fan and said, "I don't have tea here. There's only green bean paste milk. You'd better go somewhere else."
Actually, how could Fang Yunxin be short of two cups of tea.
She said this because she considered Qi Jiao's situation.
She knew her own elder brother well.
Although her second elder brother had improved, he was still a bit of a rascal at heart.
What if he brought some wealthy playboy from outside and offended Qi Jiao?
Unexpectedly, another voice came from behind the screen. It was clear and full of laughter. "Green bean paste milk? That's great. We're just hot from walking. Please be kind enough to offer us some, Miss Fang."
Fang Yunxin couldn't help laughing. It seemed that this person was a proper one. It even sounded a bit familiar, but she didn't know what her second elder brother had brought him here for.
She looked at Qi Jiao with her eyes, asking if it was okay.
Qi Jiao nodded. She didn't care at all. The social atmosphere in this dynasty was open, and the old - fashioned rule that women couldn't meet strange men was not in vogue.
Moreover, Qi Jiao's soul was from a modern person.
Not to mention that she was a businesswoman. If she couldn't even meet a strange man, how could she do business?
So Fang Yunxin agreed to Fang Du. "You've come at a good time. I wonder which friend you've brought, second elder brother..."
Just as she was speaking, when the man behind Fang Du showed his smiling face, Fang Yunxin suddenly got stuck.
This... this... this!
Fang Yunxin stared wide - eyed.
Wasn't this Emperor Xia Chunfeng?
Xia Chunfeng was wearing a bamboo - green robe (not the attire of a Taoist priest, but the common clothing of scholar - officials in the Ming Dynasty) and a jade crown, looking quite refined.
Qi Jiao had only seen this kind of temperament in Hui Zhenyu before. But this man in front of her, besides having a fairer and more delicate face, also had a hint of delicate naughtiness and nobility between his eyebrows.
Fang Du was already familiar with Qi Jiao. Qi Jiao called him second elder brother like Fang Yunxin did, and then turned to salute Xia Chunfeng.
As soon as Fang Yunxin saw Xia Chunfeng's outfit, she knew that he had come out of the palace incognito today.
She rolled her eyes in her heart. This emperor was really idle.
It should be said that Fang Yunxin and Xia Chunfeng were related. They were very familiar with each other.
The first wife of the previous emperor was Fang Yunxin's aunt, and Xia Chunfeng was the son of the later empress. According to the royal hierarchy, the two could be regarded as cousins.
"Cousin, why do you have time to come to the mansion today? Have you played all those crickets to death?"
Fang Yunxin had a childhood friendship with Xia Chunfeng, so she wasn't polite when speaking. She immediately teased him.
Just mentioning those crickets made Xia Chunfeng heart - ache. Those were one of his few entertainment items. He had asked Fang Yunxin and Fang Du to find them outside the palace, which cost him a lot of money - unfortunately, he wasn't good at raising them, and most of the crickets were dead.
Xia Chunfeng began to fight back. "Cousin, you've been away from the capital for three years. Oh, you're still the same, sharp - tongued."
Seeing that they would start to tease each other as soon as they met, Fang Du quickly said, "Come on, cousin, sit down quickly and taste this green bean paste milk. It was made by Jiao Niang. It's really delicious."
Only then did Xia Chunfeng sit down opposite them, smiling innocently. "This must be the Jiao Niang that everyone praises so much."
Then he picked up the drink on the table and drank a whole cup without hesitation.