Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 66 Do you still remember the young lady?
The Dowager Consort was the late Emperor's Consort Yi. The Emperor had been raised by her for a period of time when he was young, and she also bore him a son. Therefore, after the late Emperor's death, she remained in the palace to care for him.

Shen Qingzhou greeted the Dowager Consort Yi. The Dowager Consort asked him to sit closer, looked him over, and then sighed, "My eyes and ears are getting worse and worse. Why do I feel that you've gained some weight?"

Shen Qingzhou touched his face: "You're not mistaken, I have gained a little weight."

Every few days, I would drink soup and eat meat at the Xie family's house, and I would also eat two or three bowls of rice. How could I not get fat?

“I knew it,” the Dowager immediately pulled her body back up, “I said I’m over seventy, still young, how could my eyesight be so bad?”

Shen Qingzhou smiled: "Your long life and good fortune will make you a beautiful flower even among ordinary people."

The Empress Dowager burst into laughter.

After chatting for a while, they suddenly heard a cat meowing. The Dowager Princess shakily stood up, supporting herself on the chair: "My little Snowball is looking for me again. You sit down, I'll go feed it some food."

Shen Qingzhou quickly helped him up and saw him off.

The hall fell silent.

He sat down and looked at the incense burner with wisps of smoke rising from below the screen in front of him.

A moment later, a figure in a crimson robe appeared behind the semi-transparent screen. He then quickly walked around the screen and approached the person: "Qingzhou!"

Shen Qingzhou stood up: "Your Highness!"

The Crown Prince's Adam's apple bobbed as he took his hand and led him to sit on the couch: "Why did you only show up now? Imperial Physician Sheng went to your residence, but came back saying he hadn't seen you several times. Where have you been all this time?"

Shen Qingzhou said, "I went with Guo Yi to Tanzhou Prefecture in the two lakes region. There I learned about the waterway situation."

The Crown Prince frowned: "You've been gone for so long? What did you gain?"

"All we know is that there are indeed Yan family members over there. As for whether it's a conspiracy, we'll have to capture them first."

The Crown Prince murmured, “The atmosphere in the court has improved recently. A while ago, someone brought up the old story of the Yan family embezzling military funds several years ago, which led to a shortage of weapons on the border. The Emperor was displeased, but since it was the birthday of the Three Pure Ones, the traitor Yan accompanied the Emperor for a whole ritual, and in the end, the Emperor let him go.”

"Yan's strategy against the enemy goes against the Emperor's wishes, which is the only thing we can use to make a big fuss. But I worry that after repeated leniency, the Emperor's dissatisfaction with the Yan family will eventually disappear."

The horrific events of her past life flashed before Shen Qingzhou's eyes. "This worry is not unfounded. The Yan family father and son have a firm grasp on the Emperor's thoughts, and no matter what we do, they seem to have a way to deal with it."

“But we still have to try, don’t we?” The Crown Prince’s eyes were burning. “In recent years, there have been wars on the borders and frequent disasters at home. Beset by internal and external troubles, the Yan family father and son have been passively resisting the enemy, while plundering and embezzling, accepting bribes, and causing the people to live in misery!”

"I heard that with this change in the river course, many more disaster victims have been added in both the north and south, and they claim that it is to expand the river course and promote trade between the north and south."

"And they chose to do so at the time of the Grand Commandant's triumphant return, as if to prove to the world that the Yan family is still the only one capable of stirring up trouble throughout the court!"

Shen Qingzhou gazed at the incense stick and said slowly, "There are still many people in the court who are watching. I will deal with the affairs of Tanzhou Prefecture first, and we can discuss the rest after I return to the capital."

"I won't be staying in the capital for long. If Your Highness has the time these next few days, please help me find out about Liu Zheng, the Vice Minister of Works. There are some things that can only be obtained from the palace."

The Crown Prince nodded: "Every three to five days, I will still go to the Qianqing Palace to meet with the Emperor and report my findings. I will act according to circumstances."

Shen Qingzhou stood up and clasped his hands in greeting.

Before the Crown Prince could finish speaking, the eunuch's voice rang out from behind the screen: "Your Highness, Eunuch Yang has been waiting in the Eastern Palace for quite some time."

The Crown Prince paused for a moment, then turned his head and said, "I understand. Tell him to go to the Imperial Household Department and inquire first."

Shen Qingzhou asked, "What's the problem with the Imperial Household Department?"

The Crown Prince's lips parted slightly, finding it difficult to speak. After gritting his teeth, he finally said, "The annual stipends for the Eastern Palace are always embezzled by the Ministry of Revenue."

"I was supposed to be sent down in April, around my birthday, but it's still nowhere to be seen. When I inquire, they say the cabinet never issued an order and they have no authority to distribute it. You know, the Emperor never interferes in these matters; he even delegates all court affairs to the cabinet. Whenever I'm at a loss, I can only send someone to humbly plead with the Yan family."

The crown prince was twenty-three years old and tall. He should have been a spirited young man, but he was hunched over, as if he could not bear the weight.

Shen Qingzhou felt a lump in her throat and turned her face away.

"Your Highness has suffered."

“I knew you were going to say that.” The Crown Prince smiled bitterly. “Stop. If the Yan family cannot be eliminated, I will suffer humiliation several times greater than today in the future.”

The emperor and his ministers remained silent.

The curtains blocked out the sunlight, casting the two of them into shadow.

Tanzhou was experiencing a season of continuous torrential rains, while the capital city was bathed in sunshine.

As I passed by the Qianqing Palace, I heard cheerful laughter and a continuous stream of congratulatory messages carried on the wind.

Shen Qingzhou stared at the group of people walking towards them from afar, her feet rooted to the spot, no longer able to move.

"This isn't Lord Shen—ah! Lord Shen!"

The group stopped about ten feet away, and someone nearby immediately exclaimed in surprise.

Then several people came up to him, bowing respectfully: "We haven't seen you for many days, sir. We heard you were recuperating in seclusion and didn't dare to disturb you. We didn't expect to see you again today. We extend our greetings to you!"

Among these flattering remarks, some genuinely wanted to curry favor, while others were testing the waters. Shen Qingzhou glanced at them, nodded slightly, and then turned her gaze back to the center of attention, who was being fawned over by everyone.

The man was nearly forty years old, with a short beard, a well-proportioned, tall and slender build, and wore his first-rank official robes perfectly.

His deep, bright eyes bore a striking resemblance to the person playing in the mud in the courtyard of Shawan County.

But his attire was completely different from hers.

He said, "Minister Lu is quite the figure."

Lu Jie scrutinized him for a long time before nodding and asking, "Nephew, are you much better?"

Thank you for your concern.

Shen Qingzhou is leaving.

He turned his toes and stopped again: "I heard that the Minister and Grand Secretary Yan are going to be even closer in marriage. Congratulations."

Early this morning, Song En told him all the interesting things happening in the city. Among them was the news that Lu Jie and Jiang's daughter was to be engaged to Yan Qu.

This is good news.

That way, the woman won't have to go through all the trouble of escaping after marrying into the family.

“Oh,” Lu Jie clasped his hands together and raised his eyebrows slightly, “This is indeed an honor for the Lu family. But it’s too early to talk about such things, as nothing is certain yet.”

Shen Qingzhou subtly curled her brow: "I remember that the Minister also has an eldest daughter born to his first wife. How come we only ever hear about the second young lady born to his second wife, but never about how the eldest young lady is doing?"

Lu Jie's smile gradually faded.

(End of this chapter)