Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

The summer trees are shady, and the cicadas sing a long, drawn-out song.

The expansion of the almshouse has been finalized.

As Liu Wenying walked through the newly built houses, seeing that the homeless had found a place to stay, she felt much relieved.

Granny Wang followed behind her, chattering on about the number of people she had taken in and the expenses she had incurred. She listened attentively, nodding occasionally.

Granny Wang smiled and said, "The master looks much better these days. He was so busy the other day that he couldn't even keep his feet on the ground. Now he can finally take a break."

Liu Wenying touched her cheek and did feel a bit lighter.

"Is there any news from the palace?"

"His Majesty didn't come. It's been about seven days since the Master of the Manor last entered the palace, hasn't it?"

Seven days? That fast?

When she left the palace last time, Xiao Yiheng saw her off at the palace gate. His usually bright and spirited eyes drooped, like a big cat abandoned by its owner, looking very sad, which made her feel uneasy.

The two were deeply in love. If she did not enter the palace for three days, Xiao Yiheng would not be able to restrain himself and would personally go to the manor to find her.

Seven days have passed, and no one from the palace has arrived yet. Could something have happened?

"Prepare the carriage, I'm going to the palace to take a look."

The carriage drove into the main street of the capital; it was still early.

The last time I saw him, he was worried about the canal transport in the south. I wonder what troubles him now.

The palace guards recognized her carriage and checked her waist tag before letting her pass.

The eunuchs of Zichen Palace also came out to greet her, and bowed to her as she alighted from the carriage.

"Master Liu, you've finally arrived! His Majesty has been talking about you these past few days."

"What is Your Majesty busy with?" Liu Wenying asked as she walked.

The young eunuch led her toward the Zichen Palace, keeping his voice down.

"It's all about those things in the court. His Majesty has only been on the throne for a short time, and many old ministers are taking advantage of their seniority to find ways to make things difficult for him. Recently, they've been arguing fiercely about the reform of the canal transport system."

Liu Wenying frowned: "How is His Majesty's health?"

"Oh, don't even mention it," the little eunuch sighed.

"I haven't been sleeping for more than two hours a day for several days in a row, and I'm also eating less."

This morning, the imperial physician came to take the emperor's pulse and said that if things continue like this, the emperor's health may be damaged.

But it was no use trying to persuade him; His Majesty's temperament...

As he spoke, he stole a glance at Liu Wenying.

"It's good that the Lord has arrived. At least His Majesty can rest for a while. The servants' words have no effect, but His Majesty always listens to you."

Liu Wenying nodded gently: "I'll try my best."

Inside the Zichen Palace, the sky was bright, the air was chilly, and the furnishings were solemn.

Xiao Yiheng sat behind his desk, with a tall pile of memorials in front of him. He was reviewing them with a pen in hand, his brows furrowed.

Hearing footsteps, he didn't even look up. "Didn't I say that no one is allowed to disturb me before 5 PM?"

The little eunuch knelt down with a thud.

Liu Wenying hesitated for a moment. Should she kneel too?

According to the rules, she should kneel, but Xiao Yiheng exempted her from performing the full ceremony.

But he's in a bad mood right now...

Forget it, I'll just kneel.

She lifted her skirt, about to bend her knees, when the person behind the desk looked up and saw that the frost-covered eyes and brows had melted away in an instant.

"Wenying?" He dropped his pen, walked around the imperial desk, and firmly lifted her up as she was about to kneel.

One moment the fierce lion emperor was bristling with anger, the next he was like a docile cat whose fur had been stroked, his anger completely gone, leaving only astonishment and joy.

"Why are you kneeling like that? I already decreed that you are exempt from all etiquette, so why be so restrained?"

Liu Wenying said softly, "Isn't it because His Majesty is in a bad mood and I'm afraid of offending him?"

"I'm not a foolish emperor. This has nothing to do with you, so why would I hold a grudge against you?"

He couldn't wait for her to come, and even if she came to pester him every day, he would still be happy to oblige.

Liu Wenying glanced at the trembling eunuch on the ground and raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Yiheng followed her gaze, his expression returning to calm, and casually gave the order.

"Get up! Hurry up and go to the imperial kitchen to fetch some refreshing summer drinks and chilled snacks."

The young eunuch stood up, glanced gratefully at Liu Wenying, and quickly bowed and withdrew.

Xiao Yiheng helped her up and didn't let go, holding her hand and leading her behind the imperial desk.

The memorials on the desk were piled up like a mountain, and the ink on the vermilion annotations was not yet dry.

"Is Your Majesty troubled by the reform of the Grand Canal?"

"To be honest with you, after the floods in the south, the old canal routes were silted up, and the new canal routes involve the interests of various parties."

The Ministry of Revenue proposed increasing taxes and repairing canals, while the Ministry of Works argued that the construction period was too long and they couldn't afford it. Local officials, each with their own agendas, were also scheming.

Xiao Yiheng handed her the memorial, shook his head and sighed, "I've been having a terrible headache over this matter these past few days."

Liu Wenying took the memorial and quickly glanced at it.

The content was nothing more than official documents, but the problems could be seen between the lines.

The Grand Canal is crucial to the national economy and people's livelihood; a single hair on it can affect the whole situation.

It requires not only building canals for navigation, but also balancing the interests of all parties and taking into account the national treasury's revenue and expenditure, among other things.

After some thought, Liu Wenying asked, "Has Your Majesty heard of segmented contracting?"

"What does that mean?"

"The entire canal route was divided into several sections according to the region, and each section was contracted out to local merchants or gentry. The imperial court set the construction period, standards, and rewards and punishments."

The contractors raised their own funds and recruited their own laborers; the imperial court only needed to send supervisors to inspect the work.

There was a map of the southern water system on the table, and Liu Wenying was tracing it with her hand.

"In this way, the imperial court does not have to allocate a huge sum of money at once, greatly reducing the pressure on the national treasury."

To earn rewards and avoid penalties, contractors will be more diligent, which can shorten the construction period. Furthermore, local governments will raise funds independently, rather than relying entirely on the imperial court, leaving local officials with no way to shirk responsibility.

Xiao Yiheng's eyes brightened, and he pressed on, "What about the canal transport taxes?"

"During the contract period, the tax revenue belongs to the contractor and is used to offset the cost of canal repair."

Once the canal is completed, the imperial court will reclaim the right to transport grain and levy taxes according to the newly set tax rates.

The contractors had already profited from the canal construction, so they had nothing to complain about. Furthermore, with the new canal running smoothly and the volume of grain transported increasing, the imperial court's tax revenue would actually rise in the long run.

"This method is brilliant. Wenying, your mind is insightful, far surpassing many of the old ministers in the court."

Overjoyed, Xiao Yiheng spread out a sheet of Xuan paper, dipped it in thick ink, and handed it over.

"Please write down this method in detail."

Liu Wenying accepted the pen without hesitation.

She has already made progress in her calligraphy practice; her handwriting is neat and elegant, with a natural charm in its structure and flow.

Xiao Yiheng stood beside her, initially looking at the contents, but his gaze gradually shifted to her hands.

The handwriting was familiar; he was certain he had seen it before, but not at Wenying's place.

It should be in the memorials submitted by the court officials, that is... Right Remonstrator of the Phoenix Pavilion.

His calligraphy is more dignified, hers more gentle, but you can see that they share the same roots.

Xiao Yiheng suddenly realized that they hadn't seen each other for seven days.

A day apart feels like three autumns, and he and she were separated by dozens of autumns.

Xiao Yiheng watched silently, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"alright!"

After a while, Liu Wenying put down her brush and handed him the Xuan paper filled with writing.

The document, spanning over a thousand words, details everything from the specific rules for segmented contracting to the reward and punishment standards, and then to the subsequent tax plan, presented in a clear and comprehensive manner.

Xiao Yiheng was increasingly surprised as he looked at it. This was not a method that an ordinary woman could come up with. Even the old ministers in the court might not have considered it so thoroughly.

He picked up his pen and made some revisions to a few details, adding some checks and balances in the court, which turned it into a decree that could be implemented immediately.

Liu Wenying looked out the window at the sky; the sun was setting, and the golden-red afterglow shone into the hall.

"It's getting late, I should head back."

She turned to leave, but her wrist was grabbed.

…………