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The Emperor actually has a private treasury? Xiao Yao couldn't believe it.
He Yu looked at Xiao Yao, whose eyes were wide open like a cat's, and chuckled as he patted her head. "Why can't the Emperor have a private treasury?"
"But... but isn't everything in the national treasury the Emperor's? Why does he need a private treasury?" Xiao Yao expressed her confusion.
"That money belongs to the national treasury, not to the Emperor," He Yu explained. "A large country needs to support its army, take care of its officials, and provide disaster relief. If the Emperor could freely take money from the national treasury, that would not be the action of a wise ruler."
He Yu's explanation was brief, but Xiao Yao began to understand and nodded thoughtfully. "Oh, so the Emperor needs his own special vault. The money and other things in there are his personal belongings, right?"
"Exactly," He Yu kissed Xiao Yao lightly. "Generally, it's filled with tribute from various places and gifts from foreign dignitaries. The Emperor keeps what he likes in his private treasury and gives some to us officials or concubines."
With that, Xiao Yao understood.
That night, after pondering for a while, Xiao Yao couldn't help but bring it up while they were going to sleep. "How about we start a business?"
"Huh?" He Yu turned over and sat up. "What made you think of this all of a sudden?"
"Uh," Xiao Yao scratched her head. "Right now, whether it's land or salary, it's all given by the palace. What if—I'm just saying what if—the court takes it back... then we..."
Xiao Yao found it quite difficult to say this. After all, He Yu was so favored by the Emperor. Although both He Yu and Xiao Yao understood why the Emperor favored him, it didn't mean that He Yu would lose that favor. As she spoke, Xiao Yao cautiously observed He Yu's expression, fearing he might get angry.
He Yu was taken aback by Xiao Yao's words but then smiled broadly. Suddenly, he lunged at Xiao Yao, pinning her down on the bed and kissing her without hesitation while laughing, "My Yao Yao is so adorable!"
Xiao Yao was caught off guard by his sudden move and finally managed to wriggle out of his embrace. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean nothing special; I just feel touched that you're thinking about our family," He Yu said. As autumn arrived, the nights were still a bit chilly. He simply tucked Xiao Yao into the quilt and held both her and the quilt close while ruffling her hair.
Xiao Yao shook her head, trying to get rid of his hand on her head, glaring at He Yu. "Nonsense! The Xuanping Wangfu is my home too! If I don't care about it, who will?"
He Yu let out a joyful laugh, patted her head again, and pressed his forehead against hers gently. "Don't worry; even if the Emperor confiscates our belongings, we won't starve."
"Bah, what are you talking about!" Xiao Yao quickly spat twice, but then curiously asked, "Really?"
"Of course," He Yu nodded with a smile.
He pressed a spot on the bedside, and a hidden compartment appeared in the wall. Xiao Yao was extremely surprised; she had never known there was a mechanism in this place! He Yu shushed her and took out a palm-sized notebook along with some land deeds to show Xiao Yao. She opened the notebook, which was densely filled with information about He Yu's shops and properties, as well as some private business dealings.
Some of the less conspicuous entries were recorded under He Yu's name, while others were not; they were names of people Xiao Yao had never heard of or seen before. He Yu explained, "These people were once close comrades of my grandfather and father on the battlefield. My father had a deep bond with them. After my father died in battle, they retreated to the mountains and lived among the common folk. A year ago, I managed to find them all to help me manage these affairs."
"Do they all listen to you?" Xiao Yao still found it hard to believe. Although she somewhat understood the camaraderie in the military, would these loyal men really hand over their hard-earned businesses to He Yu? After all, people are inherently selfish.
He Yu smiled slightly, appearing unconcerned. He said, "These men were once the emperor's elite guards but ended up being sacrificed by him. My father saved their lives at the cost of his own; what do you think?"
"You... you mean..." Xiao Yao felt she had stumbled upon an incredible secret and stared wide-eyed, speechless.
He Yu pressed his lips together and nodded, "That's right."
"Why... why..."
"Those in high positions are often suspicious, and their paranoia leads to the indiscriminate slaughter of innocents," He Yu's lips formed a thin line as he tightened his grip on Xiao Yao's arm. She reached out to embrace him back, stroking his back. He felt warmth in his heart as he rested his chin on her neck and rubbed his cheek against hers, signaling that he was fine. "So after my father's death, these men voluntarily laid down their arms and returned to farming; otherwise, they would have been killed."
"...How did you know this?" There was a slight tremor in Xiao Yao's voice that she herself didn't even notice.
"Probably around fifteen or sixteen years old," He Yu thought for a moment. "I vaguely knew some things. In fact, even now I don't know everything; I'm still investigating."
Xiao Yao felt there was no need to ask further questions. She held He Yu tightly; for the first time, she felt such deep affection for this man. She kissed the corner of He Yu's mouth, and he quickly took charge, wrapping both arms around her completely.
A night of red candles burned down to tears; the hibiscus curtains felt warm.
Xiao Yao discovered for the first time that she could truly open up so freely in front of a man. He Yu looked at her with a smile in his eyes, focused on this dazed woman before him. My waiting and watching have not been in vain...
The next day, when He Yu came to have lunch with Xiao Yao, he said, "In a couple of days, there will be a Mid-Autumn banquet at the palace. You should come with me."
"Me? Can I go?"
"Of course, you are my princess and should attend." He Yu said seriously.
"Oh, okay," Since it was like that, there was nothing to object to. Xiao Yao thought for a moment and continued to ask, "Will the seating be mixed or separated by gender?"
"Before the banquet starts, the seating will be separated by gender, but once seated, you will be with me." He Yu patted Xiao Yao's head to reassure her and added, "You don't quite understand the palace rules yet, so I will take you to Consort Chen beforehand. You can go with her."
Xiao Yao knew that He Yu's arrangement was to make her feel more comfortable. It was definitely enviable for all women when a man, especially one in a high position, could consider such details for a woman.
After taking a couple of bites, He Yu continued, "I estimate that the emperor will arrange a marriage for the crown prince at this banquet."
"Really? The crown prince hasn't been betrothed yet?" Xiao Yao found it quite strange.
"Consort Chen doesn't know either. The emperor probably hasn't made up his mind yet, which is why it's been delayed for so long. However, over the years, he has married two consorts to the crown prince. Given the crown prince's age, if he doesn't get betrothed soon, it might attract criticism from the court officials. Even under pressure, the emperor should finalize the crown prince's marriage this year." He Yu spoke calmly as if analyzing the political situation.
But Xiao Yao didn't know why; she just loved seeing him like this and thought he looked incredibly handsome.
"So Consort Chen and the crown prince..."
"Naturally, there is nothing between them; they probably haven't even met." He Yu shrugged and made a helpless expression at Xiao Yao. "For royal offspring, marriage is just a tool—whether to consolidate power or for other purposes. Whether it's the crown prince or other princes, there are too many interests involved, making it complicated."
"That's true." Xiao Yao recalled those political marriages and wealthy marriages from her past life; it seemed to follow the same reasoning.
"So actually being a favored son of the emperor isn't bad," He Yu put down his chopsticks and lightly scraped Xiao Yao's nose with his finger. "You know that I can choose my daughter-in-law according to my own wishes, right?"
Xiao Yao shyly lowered her head and smiled while feeling secretly pleased. Seeing Xiao Yao giggling made He Yu's mood lift considerably. After thinking for a moment, he said, "We have three days off for Mid-Autumn Festival; how about we go to the countryside?"
Xiao Yao had known for a long time that He Yu had a manor in the Beijing Suburbs, and she nodded, "Sure, let's go relax a bit. It's suffocating here in the capital."
"Mm." He Yu nodded with a smile.
After dinner, when the servants cleared the dishes, Xiao Yao started chatting with He Yu.
"When I enter the palace, is there anything special I need to prepare?" Xiao Yao thought for a moment and finally asked.
"Not really," He Yu said, patting her on the head. "As for the gifts for the Emperor, I'll prepare those. When the time comes, you can check against the list. For Consort Chen, you can prepare one or two items, and then Zhao Hezhong will give you the list from the Storage Room. You can just pick from that."
Xiao Yao thought about it and nodded, "That works. Anyway, whether it's your Storage Room or my Storage Room, it's all pretty much the same."
"Do we really have to divide our Storage Rooms in this Xuanping Prince's Mansion?" He Yu raised an eyebrow. "It's just that we have so much stuff that we couldn't fit it all, so we added two more Storage Rooms!"
"Right, right, we just added two more Storage Rooms. From now on, let's just call them Storage Room No. 1, No. 2, and so on," Xiao Yao agreed with He Yu's suggestion.
"That's a good idea; let's do that." He Yu clapped his hands in approval.
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