Chapter 692: Breaking the Ice Between Master and Disciple is Very Easy

Chapter 692: Breaking the Ice Between Master and Disciple is Far Too Easy

The sky was turning faintly bright, and the oil lamp hanging upon the wall had long since run dry and flickered out.

Behind a single screen separating it from the desk stood a small couch, meant for the Emperor to take a brief repose when weary from work; it was not large, just enough for a single person to lie upon in ordinary times.

Beneath the thin quilt, Zhao Changhe lay flat on his back, with the Empress Dowager and the Emperor snuggled close against his left and right shoulders respectively; the three of them were squeezed as tightly together as if they were a single soul, with fair thighs and jade arms hopelessly entangled over his body, a scene of spring radiance that was breathtakingly beautiful.

Zhao Changhe had not awakened, having deployed the art of dual cultivation when the battle reached its final throes; the wounds he sustained from his prior clash with Feng Yin had not healed after merely a half-day's rest, nor had the injuries from channeling water through his body and being crushed by the elemental force of water entirely cleared, so he was currently steeped in a deep, meditative trance by virtue of that dual cultivation power.

He had truly been exhausted to the bone over these past few days.

Not only was his body weary, but his mind was utterly drained as well. Had it been ordinary times, he might have given more consideration to Vermilion Bird’s mindset and not dared to be so forthright, but faced with that spectacle last night, he truly could not be bothered to overthink; matters had already reached this point, and since everything had aligned, he simply wanted her, wanted to place her and Chichi together... he had desired this for the longest time...

And so, he had simply gone ahead and done it.

How could one know if the other party was willing without putting it to the test...

As it turned out, while Vermilion Bird and Chichi seemed reluctant on the surface, deep within their hearts they had actually prepared themselves for this long ago; since they had both followed him, how could such a day ever be avoided... it was merely a matter of sooner or later.

With the chaotic world being what it was today, once they parted next time, no one knew if they would ever meet again; since it was a matter of sooner or later, why bother agonizing over it...

The two women each opened their eyes from his shoulders, and seeing the reflection of their own freshly awoken, slumber-laden countenances in each other's gaze, they rolled their eyes in unison once more.

When the deeds were being done, Vermilion Bird had still been wearing her mask, which was naturally inconvenient while leaning against his shoulder now; she had long since removed it herself and tucked it away, revealing Huangfu Qing’s graceful and sultry features. She discovered to her tragic dismay that the mask of the grand Venerable Vermilion Bird, which struck terror into the world, had now become nothing more than a plaything for intimacy...

Looking at this, Xia Chichi felt a somewhat bizarre sensation, as if they were master and disciple while the mask was on, but mother and daughter once it was removed; even the woman's aura and temperament seemed to alter slightly, shifting entirely at her own whim.

The most typical example was that without the mask, the fierce cruelty belonging to Vermilion Bird vanished from Huangfu Qing’s eyes, replaced instead by the aura of a wealthy flower of the mortal world, like a begonia in full bloom, bearing much of the Empress Dowager’s air.

Xia Chichi finally could not contain herself and said, "Suddenly, I feel you truly ought to be the Empress Dowager. If you really made me appoint some stranger to the post, I couldn't bring myself to do it; if there must be someone in charge of the inner palace, it must be you."

Huangfu Qing ceased playing dead as well, curling her lip as she spoke: "Meaning you're actually quite happy to listen to me?"

Xia Chichi replied with a conciliatory smile, "I have always listened to you in the first place."

"I certainly couldn't tell," Huangfu Qing huffed coldly. "A few days ago, you never spoke a single word to me; in the inner palace, you minded your business and I minded mine. Do you have any idea that the palace servants were all wagging their tongues in private, saying you and I were at odds?"

Xia Chichi pouted slightly: "Back then... I was just unhappy."

Huangfu Qing said testily, "And what about now?"

Xia Chichi tilted her head slightly: "Last night, last night when you saw I couldn't take any more, you actually grew anxious and told him to come at you instead... in that single instant, I felt you treated me even better than he did."

Huangfu Qing: "..."

Xia Chichi: "..."

If the slumbering Zhao Changhe were to know that the ice between master and disciple had been broken because of such a matter, one wondered if he would be left utterly dumbfounded. In truth, whether Huangfu Qing had acted out of fear that Chichi could not endure it or simply to snatch the rod was something no one knew; it was likely that even Huangfu Qing herself was too muddled to tell the difference clearly.

At any rate, it was for the best that Chichi was willing to interpret it that way...

Huangfu Qing finally rose, lazily smoothing her hair: "So you finally know I treat you well? From the moment I accepted you into the sect, my sole desire was for you to progress, without the slightest shred of selfish intent; yet you nearly fell out with me for the sake of a man, and you've spoken more to Tang Wanzhuang than you ever did to me."

Xia Chichi looked with a hint of envy at the places that quivered due to her movement of smoothing her hair, then silently arose, choosing to don her clothes before binding her hair.

She spoke up: "My speaking more with Tang Wanzhuang is also because she is thoroughly versed in state affairs. Setting aside everything else, just take the current recovery of prefectural and county powers, the tax system, and the military reorganization—what ideas do you have? Furthermore, did you know the state treasury has run out of money? Even within our cult, this sort of task is handled by Martial Uncle; what on earth do you know how to do?"

Huangfu Qing flew into a rage from her embarrassment: "I know how to thrash you!"

"Don't, if there's to be a beating, beat me instead!" Zhao Changhe opened his eyes. Having just awakened, he had not yet grasped the situation, and assuming the master and disciple were about to fight again, he instinctively tried to mediate.

As a result, a small foot kicked out from both the left and the right: "Go die for a bit, this is none of your business!"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Xia Chichi leaped down from the couch and affectionately took hold of Huangfu Qing’s arm: "Imperial Mother, let us go have our morning meal. I know you like to eat bird's nest and soft-shelled turtle skirts..."

"Cough, since it is said there is little money left, we should be a bit thrifty; this Venerable... this Empress is no extravagant person either. As the Emperor, you must set an example all the more, putting diligence and frugality first."

"Understood..."

Zhao Changhe watched the two of them depart hand-in-hand in such an affectionate manner, feeling as though he had fallen into a dream.

Clearly, the two of them had been quite awkward with each other just days ago, yet a single round had mended it all? Huangfu Qing was even lecturing Chichi anew, and Chichi was actually listening... could it be that such a thing possessed a binding effect?

Had he known earlier, had he known earlier he would have stacked the two of them together long ago, that flavor...

He bounded up, washed up in a haphazard fashion, and followed them out like a streak of smoke to eat breakfast.

The morning meal was indeed very simple: plain congee with a few small side dishes and a few pieces of flatbread, which reminded Zhao Changhe of the famous meme about the Empress of the Eastern Palace baking large flatbreads, the scent of the brick bed immediately rising at the sight.

Xia Chichi and Huangfu Qing sat facing one another, sipping their plain congee and eating their bread, casting sidelong glances at Zhao Changhe as he came running over with eager subservience, both of them too lazy to pay him any heed.

We let him have far too much pleasure, so we shall not give him any satisfaction.

Zhao Changhe sat down between the two of them, giving a couple of dry coughs in the manner of the master of the house, but the maidservant beside him paid him no heed either, failing to serve him any congee. Zhao Changhe had no choice but to ladle it himself, saying, "I heard there's a lack of money, what's that about?"

Neither of them paid him any mind, talking amongst themselves: "Today's congee has been simmered a bit too thick..."

Zhao Changhe said, "I suppose it's useless to ask you two about state affairs; I'll go ask Wanzhuang."

Both women slammed their chopsticks onto the table at the same time, their willow-leaf brows arching fiercely: "You dare!"

The surrounding maidservants turned their heads away, almost bursting into laughter.

Zhao Changhe sat back down with his congee, took a great, gulping draught, and exhaled a comfortable sigh: "Didn't the Cui family send over a good deal of money and grain before? How can we be out of money?"

"The Cui family took the initiative to send money and grain precisely because Cui Wenjing knew we were in desperate need. Yet they themselves have been at war for so long that their own surplus grain is scant; they have already planned to see how much they can divide once they conquer the Wang family... However, by all rights, while the Wang family might have money, they likely don't have much grain left either. You've just returned from that side, do you know the situation?"

"Mhm..." Zhao Changhe lowered his head to drink his congee.

He truly had not paid attention to any of this, leaving it all to Cui Yuanyong. Thus, ruling a country was simply not a task he was capable of executing.

Xia Chichi said, "When we say we lack money, we don't actually lack that much of it, because a great deal of wealth has been confiscated over these past two days... Certain households are far wealthier than my imperial palace, and their assets have yet to be fully inventoried to this day."

Zhao Changhe: "...Standard operation."

"But the issue lies in the lack of grain; money cannot be eaten as food. With these consecutive years of war and the imperial court's blind mismanagement, desolation reigns everywhere; grain truly cannot be conjured out of thin air, and even emptying the homes of those households amounts to only so much. It is not yet time for spring plowing, and how long remains before the autumn harvest? The current grain reserves can only be said to be barely sufficient; it is difficult to sustain a war, and we fear all the more that any sudden disaster would leave us entirely unable to provide relief... I truly do not wish to curse the late Emperor, but he was truly an utter scoundrel; what a wretched Emperor he was. If he hadn't died, by the turn of spring and summer next year, you and I would surely witness fields littered with the starved corpses of the people."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

"This includes Jiangnan; the rebellion of Maitreya destroyed far too much of the people's livelihood, and it has not recovered well to this day, leaving Tang Buqi with little surplus on his hands either. Tang Wanzhuang suggested yesterday that we use money to purchase grain from Penglai; Penglai has enjoyed favorable weather for years on end, so they should be doing alright, but they themselves are no great grain-producing nation to begin with, so I feel they cannot supply very much either..."

Zhao Changhe stole a glance at Huangfu Qing; Huangfu Qing kept her head lowered to drink her congee, concealing the dizzying confusion in her eyes.

Huangfu Qing was no good at this, and Zhao Changhe’s own knowledge was extremely limited as well, so he could only state: "Based on my limited understanding, the overseas nations ought to possess a plant called the sweet potato, or perhaps camote, yam—it goes by various names. Its requirements for soil quality are not high, its yield is immense, and it ripens easily; its tubers can serve as a staple grain, and its stems and leaves can also be used as a vegetable. You can have Buqi seek it out across the seas. Though planting it now would also be too late to help, it can serve as a preparation for the future."

Both women looked at him in astonishment; how did he even have ideas regarding this? Everyone had journeyed out to sea, yet given everyone's awareness at the time, no one would think to ask about matters of grain seeds; when had he gone to inquire?

Little did they know that Zhao Changhe, who was deemed to possess great foresight, felt his own face flush with embarrassment; where on earth had he inquired during his voyage... his knowledge was too meager, leaving him only able to recall the sweet potato—the indispensable divine tool of all time-travel web novels—while failing to squeeze out a single other thing, which was truly humiliating. Furthermore, that could not resolve the pressing emergency; they lacked grain right now, so what use was it to go looking for seeds at this very moment?

"As for the pressing emergency, it happens to pertain to the matter I wished to discuss upon my return..." Zhao Changhe forcefully salvaged his own dignity: "We have no grain, but others do. The Shanxi merchants have grain to sell to Temür, which proves they possess a great deal of it, does it not?"