Chapter 677

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“Her Imperial Majesty is absolutely right. Lu Luo and Ziyuan are both sensible girls; they are most suitable to serve by His Imperial Majesty’s side.”

Qian Dafu still liked Lu Luo and Ziyuan very much. The Empress Dowager’s order made him quite satisfied.

Xiao Ming naturally had no reason to refuse. He said, “In that case, I will issue a decree to officially confer the titles of Guiren upon Ziyuan and Lu Luo.”

The Empress Dowager nodded. She said to Xiao Ming, “You should also inform the Empress about this matter, lest she feels uncomfortable. After all, the Empress is the mistress of the six palaces, and whether the six palaces can be harmonious in the future depends on the Empress.”

“Yes, Imperial Mother,” Xiao Ming said.

After chatting for a while, the two departed from Ciren Hall, and Xiao Ming returned directly to his bedchamber.

At this time, Fei Yu’er, accompanied by Xiao Huan, was feeding fish in the pond on the stone bridge.

Seeing Xiao Ming approach, Fei Yu’er was about to salute. Xiao Ming immediately helped her up and said, “The Empress is already eight months pregnant. There’s no need to bother with these formalities now.”

Ever since she became pregnant, Fei Yu’er had been able to eat much more, and the delicacies in the kitchen were always insufficient.

Now that the kitchen was proficient in stir-frying, Xiao Ming naturally introduced various modern dishes to it.

It could be said that Fei Yu’er’s daily meals would absolutely not be repetitive.

Fei Yuer’s face was filled with a smile. Ever since she came to Qingzhou, Xiao Ming had always treated her with respect and meticulous care. As a woman, being cared for in such a way naturally filled her heart with joy, and her admiration for Xiao Ming grew stronger.

Gently holding Xiao Ming’s arm, Fei Yuer asked, “Your Imperial Majesty must have something to tell this wife at this time, right? Normally, at this hour, Your Imperial Majesty would be in the imperial study.”

After a pause, Fei Yuer blinked her eyes. She was intelligent and quickly thought of a possibility. So she asked, “Your Imperial Majesty, is it about Cui Xue’er entering the palace?”

“The Empress is clever. I just returned from Imperial Mother’s place. Imperial Mother and I discussed this matter, saying it’s time for Cui Xue’er to enter the palace.”

Fei Yuer’s expression remained unchanged. In her opinion, it was perfectly normal to add more consorts for Xiao Ming. The homes of these high-ranking court officials also had four or five concubines, not to mention Xiao Ming was the monarch of a country. She said, “This wife also wishes to meet this younger sister Xue’er. I hear Cui Xue’er is fair-skinned and beautiful, a little beauty herself. With her company, this concubine will not be bored.”

Nodding, Xiao Ming continued, “Besides the matter of Cui Xue’er, Imperial Mother wants me to confer the titles of Guiren upon Lu Luo and Ziyuan. What does the Empress think?”

“Lu Luo and Ziyuan?”

Fei Yuer repeated, a smile playing on her lips. She had long been aware of Xiao Ming’s relationship with the two, so she never treated them as mere maids. She had a vague premonition that this day would come. So she said, “Lu Luo and Ziyuan are utterly loyal to His Imperial Majesty, and both are intelligent and skillful, even handling some government affairs for His Imperial Majesty. They are truly capable assistants. This wife had long intended to have the two serve by His Imperial Majesty’s side. Now that the Empress Dowager has spoken, it saves this concubine from having to say it.”

Xiao Ming carefully observed Fei Yuer’s expression. He could not discern any unusual emotions on her face, as if she had long been prepared for all of this.

Coming from modern times, Xiao Ming could now truly experience the horror of feudal etiquette. This ideology simply reduced ancient women to mere appendages of men.

“Your Imperial Majesty, what are you thinking?” Fei Yuer asked, seeing Xiao Ming somewhat dazed.

Coming to his senses, Xiao Ming asked, “Empress, are you truly not uncomfortable at all?”

“Why should this wife be uncomfortable? If i were to harbor such thoughts, wouldn’t this empress become a jealous woman?” Fei Yuer said, smiling. She continued, “This wife has read some of the books Your Highness provided. These books also contain some novel ideas, but in this wife’s opinion, some of those ideas are not suitable for the Great Yu Empire.”

Hearing this, Xiao Ming showed an interested expression. He had forgotten that Fei Yuer was also a capable woman. Understanding her reading experience of his books was more reliable than guessing the thoughts of other ministers.

“Empress, why don’t you tell me?” Xiao Ming said as he helped Fei Yuer to sit down in the pavilion.

Fei Yuer first said, “Your Imperial Majesty’s doubts must be about monogamy, right?”

Xiao Ming nodded.

“Your Imperial Majesty said that some of the books’ ideas came from Western countries, so in this wife’s opinion, these ideas do not conform to the current situation of the Great Yu Empire. The Great Yu Empire has been engaged in continuous warfare, and the number of men has sharply declined, while the number of women, who do not participate in warfare, exceeds that of men. After this war, the northern population has plummeted even further. If Your Imperial Majesty wishes to recover and recuperate, it will surely require the common people to bear more children to restore the population. If that is the case, why should Your Imperial Majesty change the old customs?” Fei Yuer said.

Xiao Ming nodded. “Empress, it seems you did not merely skim through, but deeply read these books. I also think so. Policies should be formulated based on the current situation of the Great Yu Empire, not by copying other countries’ models.”

Fei Yuer smiled, “Your Imperial Majesty already has a plan in mind. This empress has made a fool of herself.”

“Empress, what you said is not wrong. As long as you can understand my painstaking efforts, I will be at ease,” Xiao Ming said.

As a person with modern ideas, he sometimes had no common topics with ancient people. If Fei Yuer could accept modern values, he would truly have someone to confide in.

Fei Yuer also heard about Yu Ming’s matter and knew that Xiao Ming was speaking from his feelings on this. She said, “Your Imperial Majesty’s thoughts are unlike ordinary people’s, but they are often beneficial to the Great Yu Empire. Many ministers are short-sighted and cannot see the long-term benefits. At such times, why should Your Imperial Majesty care about these ministers’ opinions? Just do as you think best.”

Xiao Ming grew even happier. It was a good thing that Fei Yuer understood him more and more. He said, “So I’ve come to a realization as well. That’s why I dismissed Yu Ming. Otherwise, the policies I promote in the future will be constantly obstructed.”

Fei Yuer’s face carried a faint smile, happy to be able to share Xiao Ming’s burdens.

The two chatted for a while, and the sky gradually darkened. At this time, Lu Luo and Ziyuan returned together from outside.

Now, their division of labor was very clear: one was responsible for the theater, and the other for textiles. As more and more people watched plays and the textile industry gradually flourished, the two were now so busy that they were rarely seen.

Seeing the two, Fei Yuer beckoned for Lu Luo and Ziyuan to come over.

Of course, she had to personally announce the conferment of titles, as this concerned their harmonious coexistence in the future.

“Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty, Empress.”

Lu Luo and Ziyuan smiled. They were busy now, and Xiao Ming was also busy, so they hadn’t seen Xiao Ming for a while. At this moment, seeing Xiao Ming naturally made them happy.

Fei Yuer excused them from formalities and said, “From now on, you two can call this Empress ‘Elder Sister.’ The Empress Dowager has issued a decree: from today onwards, you two are Noble Ladies.”

Ziyuan and Lu Luo were instantly stunned.