Chapter 639

“No, no, absolutely not!” Zhu Jingchen could no longer sit still when he heard what Xu Heming had said.

What kind of joke was this—expanding the imperial harem?

With so many women, he would have to deal with them fighting over him and competing for his favor every single day. And didn’t it cost money to support all those people?

With that money, he could do so many things for the people of Lan Nuo Kingdom instead. He wasn’t a fool. He had both sons and daughters already; it would be far better to devote his energy to doing things that benefited the people of Lan Nuo Kingdom.

That way, when his page in the history books was written, it would be all the more impressive. After all, he already had enough accomplishments to fill an entire page. If there were only three or five lines, it would seem rather sparse.

“Our Lan Nuo Kingdom has finally thrown off its chains and begun singing a song of freedom. Shouldn’t we make that song ring even louder?” Zhu Jingchen hurriedly changed the subject.

Whenever he thought of Lan Nuo Kingdom as it was now, he felt quite proud. Though it could not be called the strongest among the various nations, at present, no one dared provoke them.

At least for the next ten years, Lan Nuo Kingdom should enjoy peace.

After all, this was the first time they had managed to defeat Qinling Kingdom.

And after the previous campaign, Qinling Kingdom would surely need time to recuperate as well.

“Your Majesty, are you thinking of expanding Lan Nuo Kingdom’s territory further?” Xu Heming asked, looking at Zhu Jingchen.

“I am. But I also understand that this matter must be considered carefully and planned for the long term. For a hundred years, Lan Nuo Kingdom has always been at the bottom. To have reached our current position is already no small achievement. Rushing for quick success would not be wise,” Zhu Jingchen said seriously.

“From now on, what I hope for most is that the people of Lan Nuo Kingdom can have enough to eat and clothes to wear, so that they will no longer suffer from hunger or cold.”

That was how Zhu Jingchen thought, and that was exactly what he said.

Only when the people lived and worked in peace would they have the strength to stand united against outside enemies.

Otherwise, even if they conquered countless cities, they would not necessarily be able to hold on to them if they failed to resolve the kingdom’s domestic problems. It would be better to let everyone live a good life first. When the people were prosperous, the nation would grow strong.

“Your Majesty is a good emperor.” Xu Heming genuinely agreed with Zhu Jingchen’s views.

Allowing the people to live and work in peace was far more important than blindly seeking war.

Lan Nuo Kingdom had been poor for so many years. Even though circumstances had improved, there were still many people who could not eat their fill or keep warm.

For now, the most urgent matter was still ensuring the people’s survival.

“Your Majesty, I have a request to make.”

Xu Heming suddenly remembered Li Zhiwei’s idea.

“My subject, speak freely,” Zhu Jingchen said, looking at Xu Heming. He had a feeling this man was about to say something troublesome.

“Your Majesty, I humbly ask for your permission to resign from office,” Xu Heming said respectfully.

“What did you say?” Zhu Jingchen wondered if he had misheard.

Xu Heming wanted to resign?

What was he thinking?

There was no way Zhu Jingchen could agree to let him resign.

“Your Majesty, I have already promised to take my wife traveling,” Xu Heming explained, knowing that the emperor would not agree to his resignation.

Besides, he had already done more than enough over the years.

“You want to accompany your wife on a trip? I’ll give you a month’s leave,” Zhu Jingchen said after thinking it over.

He figured that, at worst, he would simply have to work harder for a month without relying on Xu Heming to handle everything for him.

A month would be enough time to visit quite a few places.

“Your Majesty, I want to spend more time with my wife.” Xu Heming looked at Zhu Jingchen, his eyes filled with determination.

“If that still isn’t enough, how about I appoint you as an imperial inspector? You can travel on my behalf and investigate the people’s circumstances,” Zhu Jingchen suggested, somewhat uncertainly when he saw the determination in Xu Heming’s eyes.

After all, as emperor, he could not leave the capital for long periods. It would be ideal to have someone travel throughout the kingdom and inspect the people’s lives in his place—and Xu Heming was a suitable candidate.

“This subject accepts Your Majesty’s decree.” Xu Heming no longer refused. After all, this assignment was exactly what he wanted.

“Your Majesty, since Prince An will be traveling throughout the kingdom to inspect the people’s circumstances, I would like to resign from office and stay at home to care for Prince An and my daughter’s children, so that the couple can have no worries while they are away,” Li Tianyou said after giving it some thought, stepping forward.

In truth, Li Tianyou had wanted to resign for a long time. As long as he remained in the Ministry of Revenue, Li Tingzhou would be unable to obtain an official position. By resigning now, he was also deliberately making room for Li Tingzhou to take over his post.

Besides, his daughter and son-in-law wanted to go out and accomplish something important. The three children were still too young to accompany them, while the old Princess Dowager was advanced in years. He and Lady Yao were the best people to care for the children.

Although there were servants in the household, how could servants be as attentive as their own family?

“Your request is granted, Lord Li. It is indeed time to give the younger generation a chance.” Zhu Jingchen thought it over and understood Li Tianyou’s reasoning. When he thought of Li Tingzhou, he felt that there was no great harm in the father resigning. After all, he still had a son.

Besides, Xu Heming would be traveling throughout the kingdom to inspect the people’s circumstances, and someone needed to look after the three children.

Thus, he agreed to Li Tianyou’s request as well.

“Thank you for Your Majesty’s gracious favor.”

Li Tianyou let out a sigh of relief.

At last, he would no longer have to attend court every morning or force himself to smile while dealing with those officials.

From now on, he only needed to stay at home with his wife and care for their grandchildren.

Just thinking about it made Li Tianyou happy.

After Zhu Jingchen and the empress left Prince An’s residence, Zhu Jingchen drew in a long breath.

“Empress, do you think Lan Nuo Kingdom will continue to improve from now on?” Zhu Jingchen asked as he gazed into the distance.

“Your Majesty, it certainly will.” The empress was momentarily startled. She did not know what the emperor and Prince An had discussed in the study, but she answered without hesitation.

“Yes. When the people of our kingdom are all living peaceful and prosperous lives, I will feel that my life has not been lived in vain.”

At the thought, Zhu Jingchen suddenly felt filled with anticipation.

When the children were three months old, Xu Heming saw that Li Zhiwei had recovered well and began taking her on the first leg of their journey.

Their carriage slowly departed from the capital.

“What should I do? I want to go back.” Li Zhiwei watched the capital recede farther and farther into the distance and began missing her little babies.

“My princess consort, weren’t you the one who said you wanted to see the beautiful landscapes of our homeland? Don’t worry. Your parents-in-law will take good care of the children,” Xu Heming said with an inscrutable smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

He thought to himself that he had finally gotten rid of those troublesome little creatures.

No one would disturb the two of them anymore.

“But, my lord, why don’t you go by yourself? I should still go back and look after the children,” Li Zhiwei said after thinking it over again and again. She simply could not stop worrying.

Although her parents would care for the children, no one could replace her presence at their side.

“My princess consort, don’t you want to see the sights? The children will be fine. Besides, they are still young now. Once they grow older, you may not be able to get away even if you want to,” Xu Heming continued persuading her.

Li Zhiwei thought about it. The children were still young, and she could spend more time with them once they grew a little older.

Seeing that Li Zhiwei had finally relented, Xu Heming’s lips curved into a broad smile.

Three years passed.

Li Zhiwei and Xu Heming finally returned to Prince An’s residence, travel-worn and covered in dust.

Over the past three years, everywhere they went, they had taught the people various skills for making a living. These skills were more than enough to help them build peaceful, prosperous lives.

Li Zhiwei had even established quite a few schools for girls, as well as free clinics.

“Prince, do you think the children still remember us?” Li Zhiwei asked anxiously.

“They do. You’ve written them no shortage of letters over the past three years.” Xu Heming took Li Zhiwei’s hand and strode toward the princely residence.

“Xu Qingyan, Xu Qinghui, stop bullying Niannian!”

The furious roar of a little boy reached their ears before they even entered.

The two exchanged a knowing smile. The little boy they remembered had grown into a fine young man who already knew to protect his little sister.

They stood quietly at the entrance, watching the children play and bicker without interrupting them.

The End