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Chapter 240: I Shouldn’t Have Let Their Familys Ancestral Grave Off Back Then! (1 / 2)
Chapter 240: I Shouldn’t Have Let Their Familys Ancestral Grave Off Back Then! (1 / 2)
The old emperor never expected such a pleasant surprise!
Little Bai Ze was truly the auspicious sign of their Great Xia!
[Why is the old emperor so happy today?]
[Because he thinks the Western physicians can finally cure the Crown Prince?]
[He’s grinning so wide you can practically see his gums.]
On the golden platform, the old emperor quickly restrained his smile and gave a couple of dry coughs. “Do all of you still remember two years ago when I opened the ports and organized a fleet to sail out to sea?”
[Ah!]
[I remember now!]
[I think I heard that Xie Luoshui and her team already found potatoes and sweet potatoes and returned!]
“Pop—”“Pop-pop-pop—”
Somewhere in the capital, the sound of firecrackers echoed. Hung on walls and beams, the fireworks ignited, shooting bright flames upward and producing a rapid succession of crackling explosions. The crowd laughed and celebrated the New Year, with confetti falling like rain, dusting the children joyfully darting around in a festive crimson hue.
Perhaps sensing the celebratory mood, the old emperor maintained a solemn expression, but once again, his pearly white teeth peeked through in a grin.
Since the topic of the fleet had come up, it was natural to mention the general as well. “It’s been nearly two years. I wonder how Qin Guan is faring now—if he’s still well.”
The ministers below naturally chimed in with auspicious remarks, each one painting a picture as if the great general was dominating the seas without a single scratch.
Hearing this made Xu Yanmiao’s teeth ache.
The old emperor clearly enjoyed it. He continued, “In these two years since opening the sea routes, our Great Xia’s porcelain and tea have been exported far overseas. At the same time, the Ministry of Revenue has increased its income—just from the Hangzhou, Mingzhou, and Guangzhou maritime commissions, we have collected 541,173 strings of cash, as well as grain, silver, incense, and medicine. Additionally…”
After listing a long string of revenue increases, the entire court was filled with joy.
Xu Yanmiao: [So… does this mean a pay raise?]
The old emperor: “…”
[If there’s no pay raise, what are they so happy about? It’s understandable for those officials who genuinely care about the people or those who want to leave their mark in history. But for the others, aren’t they just in it to make a living?]
Bai Ze’s confused expression: jpg
The officials: “…”
Isn’t the emperor practically expecting them to pay for the privilege of working? They’d long given up hope for a raise, settling instead for some spiritual satisfaction.
Those officials who cared for the people or aspired to make history blushed in embarrassment.
Ahem. While they were indeed noble-minded… they wouldn’t mind a raise either.
The old emperor kept a straight face.
A pay raise? Impossible. But if they worked well, he might reward them with a little extra money.
Quickly changing the subject, he said, “Recently, some Europeans have come to visit. I’ve heard that European fleets have been sailing the seas for decades, exploring many strange lands. You should all listen closely—Great Xia has no more lands to conquer on this continent. From now on, the oceans will be our new frontier.”
The officials straightened up and said, “Understood!”
Xu Yanmiao made a note: [The imperial exam could include a question about the Maritime Silk Road.]
The ministers: “?”
What’s that?
—Although Great Xia engaged in maritime trade with other nations, they never referred to it as the “Silk Road.”
Even if they heard the exam question, none of them dared to reveal it.
Embezzling was for their own benefit—what’s the point of risking their official hats to hand someone else a leg up? They weren’t selfless saints.
This European visitor had indeed traveled to many places.
He spoke of a land so hot that its people had to live in underground caves.
He mentioned a sea that neither formed waves nor hosted marine life, where even objects couldn’t sink, calling it the Dead Sea.
He described a country where, on the day of a wedding, the bride and groom ate something called “cake.” Before cutting the cake, whoever managed to remove one of the other’s shoes first would be the head of the household.
As he spoke, his tongue occasionally tapped against the roof of his mouth, and his accent swirled as if dancing. It was incredibly foreign.
He recounted the customs of various countries in an amusing way, and the strange and unique regions he described piqued the curiosity of the court officials.
“A sea where nothing sinks? Is there truly such a peculiar place? Wouldn’t that be the opposite of the weak waters in the legend, where even a feather couldn’t float?”
“A place so hot that people live in underground caves? Wouldn’t that mean losing much of life’s pleasures?”
“I think it would have its own unique charm.”
“This is utterly absurd! How can the role of head of the household be decided by a competition to remove a shoe? And how can a woman’s feet be exposed for others to see?”
“But it’s quite interesting.”
Who said that?!
Turning around, the old-fashioned official was immediately stunned: “T-Too… Crown Prince?!”
The Crown Prince clearly didn’t care about his reaction. Stroking his chin, he turned and asked, “Shengxian! When you find a husband, would you want to try this game?”
Princess Xiangyang choked for a moment before responding, “Brother, I’m a princess. Once I marry, I’ll naturally be in charge of the household.”
The Crown Prince thought about it and nodded. “True. Hmm… I wonder if the palace maids who leave the palace would like this idea.”
Several traditionalist ministers were instantly alarmed.
Absolutely not!
They immediately began preparing to use the famous historical anecdotes of the Seven Kingdoms to admonish the Crown Prince. Stories like “The King of Wu loved swords, so the people all bore scars,” or “The King of Chu loved thin waists, so countless women in the palace starved to death,” were perfect examples to persuade him to avoid such frivolous behavior.
As the saying goes, “What the ruler does, the people follow.” Since the Crown Prince was destined to become emperor, what if women all over the kingdom started imitating this? Wouldn’t society descend into chaos?
Just as they were about to speak, a loud voice rang out: “Your Highness is wise!!!”
The conservative ministers: “?”
They turned to look and found that it was none other than the Minister of Works, a notorious “daughter fanatic.”
“…”