On the terrace of the small bamboo house, Liancheng, as usual, was enjoying himself with two women on his left and right.
Wei Hong walked over and sat down opposite him, waving away the prostitutes, and said, "I thought you wouldn't be back for a while."
Liancheng poured him a glass of wine and pushed it towards him: "There are so many beauties waiting for me in this little bamboo house. I really can't bear to leave them for too long. I can only rush back as soon as I finish my business to ease their longing."
He picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp.
"Beautiful women and fine wine, this is the life I've always longed for!"
Wei Hong sneered, tilted his head back and drank the cup that Wei Hong had just poured for him, then took the wine pot and filled another cup. As he poured the wine, he said, "That's enough. Know when to stop. Be careful not to overeat."
Liancheng paused slightly in his cup, a smile appearing in his eyes. He thoughtfully swirled the glass, watching the clear liquid inside sway gently along the rim.
"How has Your Highness managed to remain so calm? This vast land is fertile and prosperous; have you never even considered taking advantage of it?"
As he spoke, he pointed around, a gesture that meant more than just Hucheng, Shangchuan, and Shuozhou.
Wei Hong drank another cup and said, "My ambition lies elsewhere, and I have made a solemn vow."
Liancheng clicked his tongue twice: "The prince is a man of his word."
After saying that, he shook his head and sighed, "I just don't know how long this promise can be kept. I've heard that the one in the capital, just like the late emperor, sees you as a thorn in his side and has already begun to ruin your reputation in court."
Wei Hong laughed loudly: "What reputation do I have in the court? Do you think I'm afraid they'll ruin it for me?"
Liancheng thought about it carefully, and finally nodded: "That's true!"
Wei Hong stopped arguing with him, slammed a map he had brought on the table, and casually circled a spot.
"This place belongs to me. How much you can take over in other places is your business, I don't care."
Liancheng frowned: "Your Highness just said I have a big appetite, but your appetite is just as big as mine!"
Wei Hong chuckled: "I can eat it, what's it to you?"
"...Is there no room for negotiation? How about giving me a little more? How about we use this place as the boundary, then..."
"There's no room for negotiation."
Wei Hong interrupted him directly.
"Since you've come back to me, it means that what's left is all too much for you to handle. Without my cooperation, you can't even take a little more."
"Either we cooperate for a win-win situation, or we can stay as we are, it doesn't make any difference to me anyway."
Liancheng remained silent for a long time before finally sighing again.
"As expected, Your Highness's ambitions lie elsewhere."
Those who are determined to achieve this would not say such things.
"Then it's settled."
Wei Hong lightly patted the map, his palm landing on the area he had just mentioned.
Liancheng nodded: "It's settled."
Reach out and land on the other side.
...
Wei Hong had lunch with Lian Cheng and discussed many details before returning to the Prince's residence.
He had assumed Yao Youqing was taking a nap, but when he arrived, he found that she was not resting, but rather looking at some account books.
Wei Hong frowned, and was about to ask her why she wasn't resting properly and was looking at these things, when she saw her beckoning him over.
"Your Highness, come and see, Lady Chu is so amazing!"
As she spoke, she laid out the ledger in her hand in front of him.
"In just six months, she made my shop's profits 30% higher than before. Uncle Ding said that if we do what Madam Chu told us before she left, we will earn even more in the future."
Wei Hong looked down and compared the several account books; indeed, the differences were quite obvious.
He knew that Chu Yan was a merchant's daughter, but he didn't know that she had any outstanding talent in this area. Even after reading the letter she left for Yao Youqing, he only felt that she had some knowledge in this area, but he didn't think she was particularly outstanding.
After all, when it comes to management, he has many capable people around him, and ordinary people cannot catch his eye.
But with these account books in front of him, even he had to admit that Chu Yan was indeed very talented.
"Indeed, it's quite good."
He said something quite certain, which was rare for him.
Yao Youqing nodded in agreement and murmured, "It's such a pity. Madam Chu is so talented, but because her family fell on hard times, she became an unknown concubine in the Prince's mansion."
"If she hadn't encountered those difficulties, she would probably have been a very capable woman, supporting the family on her own, just as her parents had hoped."
Wei Hong remained noncommittal and put the account books back.
"Everyone has their own destiny, so don't feel sorry for her. Since she has this ability, she will probably be fine in other places as well."
"I hope so," Yao Youqing said softly, then turned to look at Wei Hong, "Your Highness, if you take any more concubines in the future, please don't choose one who looks like me."
Wei Hong choked: "When did I start taking concubines?"
After saying that, he thought of Chu Yan and frowned.
"I only took her in because we weren't married, and it was her own choice. I didn't force her."
“I know,” Yao Youqing said, “but you took her in just because she looks like Miss Ji. That’s not good for either of them. If Miss Ji were alive, she would definitely feel uncomfortable.”
"...Why? Shouldn't it be easier to accept just because we look alike?"
He thought that even if Ji Yunshu knew, she would understand that Chu Yan was taken in because she liked her, and that Chu Yan was given away before the marriage, so she shouldn't care too much. How come Yao Youqing said the opposite?
Yao Youqing frowned even more deeply than he did: "Your Highness, why would you think that? Is it because we look alike that you feel uncomfortable? For example..."
She almost blurted out Princess Chenglan from the court as an example, but then remembered that she was Wei Hong's half-sister, and changed her words: "For example, historical records say that some princesses, in addition to their husbands, also kept many male favorites. If Your Highness were to marry a princess, then..."
"I am a prince, how could I marry a princess?"
Wei Hong said in a deep voice.
"Let me give you an example. What if you weren't a prince..."
"Then I will not marry a princess!"
Wei Hong interrupted again.
"Oh, I was just using an analogy!"
Yao Youqing patted his hand anxiously.
"If you were to marry a princess and become her consort, but before the wedding, the princess, because she liked you but couldn't be with you for the time being, found a male concubine who resembled you, wouldn't you feel uncomfortable?"
Wei Hong thought about what she said for a while, and his face turned green after he finished thinking. When he went out to a banquet that night, he barely ate anything.
The host looked at the food on the table and asked, "Your Highness, is the food not to your liking? Shall I have someone prepare some other dishes?"
Wei Hong shook his head: "No need, I just... feel a little nauseous."
Chapter 64 River Ditch
In April, the capital city is lush and green, and women from various families visit each other frequently, holding tea parties and flower shows in turn.
The seventeenth was a fine day. Empress Zhu, along with several newly arrived concubines, held a banquet at Qingshui Garden, inviting the women of noble families to enjoy the flowers together.
Wei Chi had originally agreed to make an appearance to save face for the Zhu family, but when the Zhu family sent someone to invite him, they were told that he had already left on business and that the Zhu family should just have a banquet with the women.
The people already waiting in the hall looked at each other, all feeling that Wei Chi's actions had put Zhu Shi in an awkward position.
Fortunately, Zhu did not show any unusual reaction. He simply said, "As the ruler of a country, Your Majesty should prioritize the affairs of the state," and thus the matter was dropped.
The banquet continued without any further incidents, but the palace maids around Zhu were still indignant after returning to the palace.
"His Majesty had already reached the door, yet he turned around and left without a word. Even if an urgent report came from the army, couldn't he have taken a few more steps to say hello?"
Wei Chi did not fail to go today; rather, just as he was about to make his appearance, someone came to invite him back, saying that an urgent report had arrived from Shuozhou.
He was only a step away from the banquet hall. Even if he had just shown his face and said hello instead of staying to attend the banquet, Zhu would not have been so embarrassed. But he turned around and left without hesitation.
Zhu took off her hairpins in front of the mirror and smiled, "It would be good if His Majesty could come, but it's not a big deal if he can't.
"But this concerns Her Majesty's reputation!"
The palace maid took her hairpin and put it back, saying, "If he had said he wouldn't come from the beginning, it wouldn't have mattered. But he promised you and then didn't come, and he even turned around and left when he got to the door. Who knows what those ladies who attended the banquet today will say about you behind your back..."
Not to mention the newly selected concubines in the palace!
As the head of the harem, what would happen if Zhu lost her prestige in the palace? How would she be able to control those women in the future?
But Empress Zhu herself didn't seem to care, and laughed, "I'm already a joke as empress, why should I be afraid of being laughed at even more?"
"Besides, aren't all the women in this harem a joke? Who's any better than the other?"
After Wei Chi ascended the throne, he should have immediately welcomed Lady Zhu into the palace, but he delayed taking action until Yao Youqing left the capital with the Prince of Qin before bringing her in.
Although he didn't say it outright, everyone could tell that he didn't want to bring other women into the palace while Yao Youqing was still in the capital.
This made Zhu a laughingstock in the capital, with all sorts of rumors circulating behind her back.
Therefore, when Wei Chi decided to hold a selection of concubines, many people felt that Empress Zhu, who was already in a nominal position, was even less secure in her position.
However, after the selection of concubines, Wei Chi did not show any extra interest in any of the newly entered concubines. He assigned ranks to these women according to their family background, and then visited each of them in turn according to their rank, showing favor to everyone equally and never showing any bias.
Without favoritism, there is no affection. Without affection, women dare not be arrogant or cause trouble. Therefore, the women in the harem are well-behaved and no one dares to be disobedient.
So what if today's events make her a laughingstock? Who dares to laugh in her presence? Who dares to challenge her authority as Empress because of this?
Both are jokes, but at least her joke has the status of an empress.
"But if it were Miss Yao sitting there today, His Majesty certainly wouldn't have left so easily..."
The palace maid muttered under her breath, still feeling sorry for her mistress.
Before his death, the late emperor did two things: he betrothed Miss Yao to the Prince of Qin and made their daughter the Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess may seem to have a glorious life, but who doesn't know that His Majesty's heart truly belongs to Miss Yao?
As a result, many rumors circulated in the capital that their young lady had been given the Empress's position by chance.
Heaven knows that no one in the Zhu family, from top to bottom, cared about the Empress's position; it was clearly a forced sale by the late Emperor.