The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 978 - 957 Imperial Family (Additional update for "Xiao Yi" who tipped)

Chapter 978: Chapter 957 Imperial Family (Additional update for "Xiao Yi" who tipped)

When the Emperor heard this, he looked up at Prince Yizhou, who was smiling broadly. He did not seem old and frail; instead, his complexion was rosy, seemingly better off than him.

But he still nodded.

The Empress Dowager then sighed, "Half of that child’s fief has been stripped away, his life has been tough. You’re his elder brother, yet you fail to show sympathy for him."

The Emperor’s brow twitched. When had half been stripped away? It was clearly less than a third.

A look of sympathy appeared on the Emperor’s face as he said to the Empress Dowager, "Mother, please wait a bit longer. The Jinwei Canal incident just occurred not long ago, and taxes have only just been reinstated this year. I’ve heard that the resettlement of the disaster victims in Yizhou hasn’t gone well, and there are many complaints from the ministers. It would be hard to restore it now; let’s wait another two years."

The Emperor turned to Prince Yizhou and said, "Fifth Younger Brother, once the disaster victims in Yizhou are well resettled and the court has nearly forgotten this incident in two years, I will reassign the fief to you or, if you prefer, you can choose another place."

Before Prince Yizhou could respond, the Empress Dowager quickly interjected, "He’s finally gotten used to living in Yizhou. Why move him somewhere else? In my opinion, just give him a few counties near Yizhou to spare him from having to acclimatize again."

The Emperor smiled and nodded in agreement.

Seeing his agreement, the Empress Dowager’s countenance became more pleasant as she asked, "It’s been over four years since the flood, why haven’t the displaced been resettled yet? What are the Yizhou governor and county magistrates doing?"

The Emperor chuckled, "The County Prefect of Huayang County is Tang Minghui’s son. I’ve seen his reports. In his first two years, he announced how difficult it was to serve as an official in Huayang County. When he took office, the fields left by the previous disaster victims had all vanished, and he didn’t know how to resettle the displaced people, so he came to ask for my forgiveness."

The Empress Dowager fell silent for a moment. She glanced at her younger son and, seeing him lower his head, she turned to the Emperor, "Isn’t Tang Minghui’s son just a capped man?"

"That’s not the case; he must be twenty-five or twenty-six by now."

"That’s still young. Young people are unreliable in handling affairs, complaining to you about every little thing. There are so many difficulties in the world, should the Emperor concern himself with everything alone? Then what is the use of those ministers?"

The Emperor smiled and nodded, "Mother speaks the truth."

The Empress Dowager didn’t want to continue on this topic, fearing it might deteriorate further. She abruptly switched to a safer subject, pointing to a youth, "Before you came, Xin’an had composed a poem, and I found it splendid. You should appreciate it as well."

Turning to see the crown princes and others, she smiled and said, "The crown princes should also try crafting a poem."

The Crown Prince did not enjoy composing poetry, but with his grandmother suggesting it, how could he refuse?

He glanced at his brothers.

Third, Li Li immediately approached excitedly, "Imperial Grandmother, what topic did you give to the Xin’an Commandery Prince?"

"What Xin’an Commandery Prince? Call him elder cousin," the Empress Dowager admonished. "You are brothers; there’s no need for such formality among family."

"Yes, yes, Imperial Grandmother is right. What topic did you give elder cousin?"

The Emperor’s expression grew brighter, and he sat down in his seat, summoning Prince Yizhou to speak with him at a lower seat, letting the children play by the Empress Dowager.

His sons, from the Crown Prince down to Fifth Prince, including the newly walking Seventh Prince and the school-going Sixth Prince, only Third could compose a poem worth showing off.

Sometimes, the Emperor himself was puzzled—how could all his sons be so unlike him?

When the Empress entered the hall with the Princess Consort of Yizhou, all smiles, the hall was bustling. Li Li had composed a fine poem, amusing the Empress Dowager into hearty laughter, while his brothers and male cousins were all exchanging compliments, creating a delightful and harmonious scene.

Had it not been for the several petitions imploring action against the Prince of Yizhou on the Emperor’s desk, the Empress might’ve believed their family was inherently this warm and cohesive.

Although the Empress Dowager dearly missed the Prince of Yizhou and would have loved to keep him by her side always, he had grown up and was a prince of a fief; hence, he needed to leave the palace when night fell.

Regretfully, the Empress Dowager asked the Prince of Yizhou to take his wife and children out but kept Commandery Princess Yunfeng in the palace.

"It’s just that you all will come back to the palace tomorrow, let her stay and talk with this old lady."

Commandery Princess Yunfeng, holding onto the Empress Dowager’s arm, said with a smile, "I too love my Imperial Great Grandmother and want to stay and take care of her."

The Princess Consort of Yizhou scolded, "You, to not give trouble to your Imperial Grandmother is already good enough, and yet you talk of care?"

"Who said that? Just having her around makes me happy," laughed the Empress Dowager. "We have enough palace servants to serve tea and handle chores; do our palaces look like they lack servants?"

The Empress bowed her head, recalling how three years earlier, due to severe flood disasters in Yizhou, she and the Emperor had decided to release some palace staff, a decision that slightly displeased the Empress Dowager at the time. She hadn’t expected the matter to be brought up again after three years.

Given that the National Academy was so well-informed, it took merely two days before Bai Shan returned and told Manbao, "The Emperor has ordered the other princes to come to the capital as well. With August approaching, they should arrive before Mid-Autumn Festival, which will surely make the capital much livelier."

He added, "I heard people say that the Prince of Yizhou’s residence was very lively yesterday, with many old friends and relatives stopping by. Some say the Princess Consort of Yizhou picked a good day at the beginning of August to host a banquet for relatives and friends. If you need to sell flowers, should I ask Liu Gui to inquire for you?"

Manbao shook her head, "No need, Fifth Brother is now specially buying for restaurants and knows quite a lot of people; I’ll have him inquire."

Bai Shan looked at the flowers outside and asked, "Are you planning to sell all these flowers to the Prince of Yizhou’s residence?"

"That’s not it. Selling so many, think how much it would cost them for a banquet; you can’t fleece someone too much at once, you have to wait, let it grow back before fleecing again."

Bai Shan, "... Have you ever thought of fleecing a different sheep?"

"Let’s wait until the other princes and commandery princes enter the capital, and then I’ll decide. Whichever I dislike, I’ll sell to them," hummed Manbao. "One family, producing such a bad person as the Prince of Yizhou, surely there are others just as bad among them."

Though Bai Shan thought she was too hasty, now was not the time for that discussion; he was curious, "What’s wrong with these flowers? They look pretty good to me; why choose the people you dislike to sell to?"

Manbao cleared her throat, her eyes darted around, then whispered, "There’s only one thing wrong with these flowers—that is, I don’t know what they will look like one, two, three years from now."

Why are people willing to pay high prices for rare flowers?

Because once bought, so long as they aren’t killed or maimed, they will own such a rare flower for years, potentially multiplying from one pot to two, two to four...

Or cultivating them into different varieties.

Her flowers had unstable genetics, guaranteeing the present but not the future, so it was better to sell them to those she disliked, especially those who had committed misdeeds.

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