"Yes, Your Majesty."
Inside the study, all the ministers rose together, received their orders, and then excused themselves and left.
Prime Minister Zhongli was also dragged out. Before leaving, he glared fiercely at Hailing. He never expected to be humiliated by this woman today. It was infuriating. He had heard that the Empress didn't even respect the Empress Dowager. It was too much. Zhongli left with the others.
Inside the study, Hai Ling naturally didn't miss Zhong Li's resentful gaze. After they left, she looked at Ye Lingfeng and said, "Ye, you should investigate Zhong Li thoroughly. Relying on his status as a veteran of three dynasties, he's becoming increasingly disrespectful to everyone."
She was, after all, the Empress, yet he had the audacity to accuse her of being just a woman, a mere woman.
If it weren't for his status as a veteran of three reigns, what power would a prime minister have to dare to criticize the reigning empress?
"Hmm, Ling'er, don't be angry. I have already ordered people to investigate him, but I didn't expect that old fox to be so vigilant."
"Of course, he knows you're not so easily fooled, so he's cleaned up all the mess he made before. But a fox will always show its tail eventually, so we just need to be careful."
Chapter 113 A Battle of Wits at the Chrysanthemum Banquet [Handwritten VIP]
In the study, Ye Lingfeng saw that Hai Ling's eyes were cold and she was in a bad mood. He reached out and held Hai Ling's hand: "Forget it, let's not talk about him anymore. I will handle these things. How is it? Has my son caused any trouble?"
He was trying to change the subject and cheer Hailing up. Hailing knew this perfectly well, and besides, it wasn't worth it for someone like Zhongli. So she looked down at her stomach.
“He was very well-behaved today and didn’t kick me at all. After I took a nap, I ordered the chefs at Liuyue Palace to prepare some snacks for you to try.”
Hailin opened the food box and then laid out the pastries one by one on the dragon table.
A radiant glow appeared on Ye Lingfeng's face, his eyes filled with tenderness. He released Hailing's hand, reached out and took a piece of pastry to taste. As he ate, he didn't forget to offer it to Hailing so she could have a taste too. The two of them ate happily, taking turns eating bite by bite.
Hai Ling had long forgotten Zhong Li's anger and shifted her attention to several drawings on the dragon desk in the study. There was a geographical map and some hand-drawn ditch drawings next to it, which looked quite interesting.
Dividing the land into separate plots and opening irrigation canals is a very good method, and it is very effective in draining low-lying fields.
"You drew this."
Hailin took one of the cards and waved it at Ye Lingfeng.
Ye Lingfeng nodded, and then, with Hai Ling's hand, the two snuggled together, looking at the blueprints in Hai Ling's hand and discussing them.
"The harvests in the south have been poor year after year. I've spent a long time investigating the reasons and discovered that the southern land is still the lowest in the Northern Lu Kingdom, much lower than the average level elsewhere. In addition, the south receives more rainfall, so every summer a lot of rainwater accumulates, causing crops to be frequently flooded. As a result, the harvest is extremely low, only about 30% of what it is elsewhere. If we pay taxes, the people will have no food to eat. But if we don't pay taxes, the country will have a deficit. After all, Northern Lu is not a wealthy country yet, and there is no extra silver in the treasury. Every year, the national grain tax plus various miscellaneous taxes barely covers the expenses, and sometimes it's not even enough. Therefore, I think that it is imperative to build a canal to connect the southern farmland. Although this is a huge expense, it is a long-term plan. I have drawn up the plans for building this canal. What do you think?"
After Ye Lingfeng finished speaking, Hai Ling looked at it carefully and nodded. The drawing was indeed well done.
However, there was a flaw in the blueprint, which Hailin pointed out as crucial.
“Look, if we open a canal, the water in the farmland will inevitably flow into the river. If the river accumulates too much water, then a problem will arise: the river dam. If the dam is not reinforced, it simply won't work. Moreover, reinforcing the dam is a technical job. You need to think carefully about how to reinforce the dam.”
Hai Ling knew that with Ye Lingfeng's intelligence, reinforcing the river dam would be no problem for him, so she only needed to give him a hint.
Sure enough, after Hai Ling finished speaking, Ye Lingfeng's eyes darkened. He was relieved that Ling'er had noticed. He had been so focused on opening the canal that he had forgotten about the important matter of reinforcing the river dam. If Ling'er hadn't noticed, it would have been a huge problem if he had forgotten this step. With more rainwater accumulating in the river, the dam would have been breached, and the people downstream would have drowned, not only their farmland but also their homes. So this matter was extremely important.
Ye Lingfeng immediately took a pen and drew a red line on the drawing to mark the area, thus reinforcing the river dam.
Seeing his serious expression, Hai Ling smiled and looked at him with a happy and affectionate gaze.
After Ye Lingfeng finished doing all that, he let go again, reached out and hugged Hai Ling, letting her sit in his lap. He said softly, "Thank you, Ling'er. You always manage to see things that others can't. Tell me, how did your little brain develop? Why are you so smart?"
Hailin knew he was just trying to make her happy, so she giggled and started showing off a bit.
"Of course! Don't you know who I am? Do you think my brain is as sharp as an ordinary person's?"
"Yes, that's why I will never let go of your hand for the rest of my life, because you are my source of joy, my confidante, and my wise companion."
Ye Lingfeng uttered several words in a row, which made Hai Ling extremely comfortable. She reached out and hugged Ye Lingfeng's neck, blinking her eyes: "Is there more? Is there more? Shouldn't it be a peerless beauty, rare in heaven and earth, capable of captivating a nation, whose smile can charm a hundred men, whose elegance is unparalleled and who can enthrall all?"
As soon as Hai Ling finished speaking, Ye Lingfeng's smile widened, and then he couldn't help but burst into laughter, extremely pleased.
Outside the door, the eunuchs and guards were sweating bullets. Wasn't the Emperor in a bad mood earlier? Why is he so happy now? It seems the Empress is the Emperor's source of joy; he's so happy as soon as she arrives.
Inside the study, Ye Lingfeng finished laughing, his smile fading, and spoke seriously.
"I never knew our Ling'er was such a shameless fellow. I've learned something new."
Hailin knew he was teasing her, but she wasn't angry. She played along, saying, "Isn't that right? Isn't that right?"
Then, with a quick movement, she grabbed Ye Lingfeng's neck, as if to say, "If you say I'm not, I'll strangle you to death." Ye Lingfeng immediately feigned fear and leaned down to whisper in Hai Ling's ear.
"You are the only one in my heart, unparalleled in the world."
One sentence stopped Hai Ling in her tracks. She stared at Ye Lingfeng, her deep eyes filled with a love as sweet as honey and as fiery as a wildfire. Then Ye Lingfeng lowered his head and gave her a passionate and lingering kiss, so intense that she almost couldn't catch her breath. He then released her, and Hai Ling's face immediately flushed crimson, making her even more alluring, her lips a tempting, bright red.
Ye Lingfeng looked at her with satisfaction. The two gazed at each other for a while, and then Hai Ling remembered two things.
"Night, I have something to tell you."
"What's up?"
Ye Lingfeng reached out and smoothed her hair, then asked gently.
“I have already asked my brother and Mingzhu what they think. They are both willing to marry, so I ordered the eunuch to go to the Ministry of Rites and have the Imperial Observatory select an auspicious day for their wedding.”
"Alright, you can make the decision. I'll be busy with court affairs lately, so I'll leave these matters to Ling'er. But don't overwork yourself."
Ye Lingfeng reminded Hai Ling that he couldn't bear to let her worry too much and end up tiring herself out.
"Okay, I understand. There's one more thing. I really like Xi Liang, the young princess of the Cangwang Mansion. I know that Xi Liang was once saved by Ruan Xiyin, the War King of Nanling Kingdom. I didn't expect that the little girl would fall in love with Ruan Xiyin and want to marry him. I like her, so I plan to take her in as my sworn sister, bestow upon her the title of princess, and send her to Nanling Kingdom to marry. Do you think that's feasible?"
After listening to Hai Ling's words, Ye Lingfeng thought about it seriously for a moment and nodded.
"Since you like the young princess of the Cangwang Mansion, she must be of good character. Let's go along with Ling'er's wishes."