Your Majesty, please do not disturb, the empress only wants to engage in business

Whether inside or outside the palace, choices are of utmost importance to those struggling to survive in this world.

However, making a choice is inherently very difficult.

While everyone was thinking about how to find a new way out for themselves, Emperor Xie Yun'an was pondering how to spend the New Year.

As an emperor, it is obvious that Xie Yun'an could not be as leisurely as most people imagine—of course, this is not because his status prevented him from being so, but because for an emperor, to become a wise ruler who will be remembered in history, diligence in government affairs is an indispensable factor.

Xie Yun'an was in the prime of his life, so naturally he wouldn't be as indulgent as his father was in his later years, leaving all the affairs of state to the ministers outside.

A qualified emperor not only needs to be capable, but also suspicious enough. Ministers may be capable of handling state affairs, but they also pose a risk of usurping the emperor's power. He would not feel at ease if all matters were handed over to outsiders.

So even though it's almost the most festive time of the year for family reunions, and there's even a thin layer of snow falling outside, Xie Yun'an isn't in the mood to appreciate the beautiful snow scene.

Even though appreciating snow was his favorite thing back when he was a prince.

But as the saying goes, one should do one's job in one's position. Enjoying the highest honor and prestige in this country, he cannot say that he is tired. If the ministers hear him express his hardship, it will inevitably cause unrest among them. It is more appropriate to talk about these things with the concubines in the harem.

"Your Majesty, Consort Lin has arrived."

Upon hearing the eunuch's voice beside him, Xie Yun'an paused in his writing as he was reviewing memorials, a hint of doubt appearing in his eyes.

If he remembered correctly, Yao rarely came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. She was not someone who liked to compete for favor. Even after giving birth to a daughter, she never used the child to compete for favor. In fact, he had to take the initiative to propose a promotion. This shows how docile Yao was.

In the past, when Yao was by the side of the Imperial Concubine, she naturally had everything she needed. Now, the Imperial Concubine is not like before. It is said that Yao no longer blindly follows the Imperial Concubine and has made appearances in front of the Empress and the Empress Dowager.

They were quite disciplined, knowing where the most honored person in the harem was.

Although Xie Yun'an's relationship with the Empress has not been very pleasant lately, that is a matter between the Emperor and the Empress. Just because he dislikes some of the things the Empress does does does not mean he can tolerate the disrespect shown to her by those below her. In the end, in this harem, there is a clear distinction between superiors and inferiors, and power must ultimately prevail over personal preferences.

Otherwise, if the people below lose their discipline, the emperor himself will also be affected.

But today is not a special day, so why would Yao come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation?
Could it be that he suffered some injustice after no longer following the Imperial Concubine, and finally couldn't help but come to complain?

Xie Yun'an and Yao Jinse had little contact on a daily basis. Apart from when he served the emperor, he would only see this low-key Jieyu occasionally in the Empress Dowager's or the Empress's palace.

Therefore, Xie Yun'an couldn't really form a specific impression of Yao Jinse, nor did he know much about her other characteristics besides being well-behaved.

But since the person had come, and wasn't just going to drop off some things and leave, he couldn't simply have the servants send them away. After all, there was a child with them, and this Yao was always intelligent, with insights into people's livelihoods that others couldn't think of, which was also very helpful.

Xie Yun'an put the pen back on the pen holder, took a sip of tea, and then gave his instructions.

"pass."

Yao Jinse and Bai Tan waited outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

She was dressed very simply today, without any particularly outstanding accessories. When she came out, Bai Tao had originally planned to pick out some bright jewelry for her, but Yao Jinse refused.

Today she was going to see the Emperor, not the Empress and the Imperial Concubine. Having spent so much time in front of the Empress and the Imperial Concubine, she had almost nothing left to pretend, so she would dress the same way she usually did in front of the two ladies.

But since I have other requests to make today, I must dress more simply.

If your methods aren't tough enough, you have to be flexible in your approach.

The Emperor, being the supreme ruler, had seen countless bright and beautiful women. It was her simple and ordinary attire, and her somewhat impoverished appearance, that caught Xie Yun'an's attention.

Unexpectedly, it started snowing shortly after they left Yuxiu Palace. Although the snow was light, it still made them look a bit disheveled. Bai Tan suggested that Yao Jinse go back to change her clothes and bring an umbrella, but Yao Jinse did not agree.

The snow falling on people isn't a big problem. Snow on hair can be easily brushed off, and snow on clothes melts with a walk. It's the traces left after the snow melts that are more noticeable to those who can see them.

Along the way, Yao Jinse and Bai Tan's noses and ears were a little red. Although they had hand warmers in their hands, they had gotten a little cold after walking for so long.

After standing at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation for a while, having somewhat restored the decorum of their clothes, it still felt as if they had stepped into summer when the eunuch lifted the curtain to welcome Yao Jinse and Bai Tan inside.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation already had an underground heating system, which was extremely hot. This year, Yao Jinse replaced the charcoal brazier with a heating pipe. With the two combined, the room was as hot as summer. Clothes that were not noticeable before became damp, and the snow mixed in with them melted almost instantly.

"How did it get so frozen?"

Xie Yun'an had excellent eyesight and immediately noticed the unusual color of Yao Jinse's clothes. Such a change in color would normally be considered disrespectful, but he was in a good mood today and had no intention of deliberately getting angry with Yao Jinse, so he just asked her a casual question.

"It's snowing all the way outside. I forgot to ask someone to bring an umbrella when I went out. It started snowing halfway here, and it wasn't convenient to go back to get it, so I had to walk quickly all the way here. It's so warm here, Your Majesty."

Yao Jinse hadn't spoken to Xie Yun'an for a long time. As soon as she entered and began to greet him, her mind raced, trying to figure out how to start the conversation.

To her surprise, Xie Yun'an's attitude was much gentler than she had imagined, so Yao Jinse spoke more easily.

Unexpectedly, the words she spoke carried a softer meaning than she had imagined, almost like a coquettish plea.

Before Yao Jinse could even think of how to ease the awkwardness of her coquettish act, she heard Xie Yun'an call out, "It suddenly snowed today, so it's no surprise that it's cold outside. Since you're a bit chilly, come and warm yourself up by the heater."

The heating pipes were not far behind Xie Yun'an's seat. Yao Jinse looked up in surprise, meeting Xie Yun'an's gaze. He nodded, indicating she could come over. With that, Yao Jinse felt no restraint. It was only belatedly that she realized that in normal interactions between men and women, a woman's somewhat coquettish behavior was quite normal. After all, this man had indeed been intimate with her. Although they weren't officially husband and wife—that was forbidden in name only—their relationship was extremely intimate.

Since Xie Yun'an was willing to let her be by his side, it meant that he wasn't that cautious about her, which was good news.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Xie Yun'an was the sole ruler. The only purpose of the concubines in the Hall of Mental Cultivation was to accompany the emperor. Naturally, they could not speak to the emperor like ordinary ministers when they had an audience.

Being able to sit aside, drink tea, and read books without having to grind ink is already a very good privilege.

Standing behind Xie Yun'an, Yao Jinse felt she should do something. Before Xie Yun'an could speak, she reached out and pinched the emperor's shoulder.

The muscles are fairly firm, but a little stiff, and my shoulders and neck aren't very relaxed...

Xie Yun'an originally planned to let Yao Jinse warm up a bit before asking her what she had come for. It was impossible that she had come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation for no reason. However, before he could even say this, Yao Jinse had already started massaging his shoulders from behind, which made Xie Yun'an even more determined in his heart.

"Unsolicited kindness is either a sign of ulterior motives or theft." Although the last four words are not pleasant to hear, they are not without merit. Xie Yun'an had a good idea of ​​how the concubines in the harem truly felt about his feelings.

Only a few could achieve what Consort Rong and Consort Ning did. Even the Empress's feelings for him weren't entirely pure, let alone those of others.

But none of that matters.

It is perfectly normal for concubines to have requests of the emperor. Not only do the concubines themselves have requests of the emperor, but their families also have requests of the emperor. Otherwise, why would so many young daughters be sent to the palace time and time again?

Being able to get someone to ask for your help is a very pleasant thing in itself. Xie Yun'an enjoyed the psychological massage brought by this status. Yao Jinse then gently soothed his shoulders and neck, making him feel extremely comfortable.

In this dynasty, there was no systematic massage industry yet. Yao Jinse had worked out in her previous life and had some understanding of basic rehabilitation massage. After waking up from this body, she did not stop exercising. The harm caused by the cold was too great. In an era without antibiotics, the only way to get through it was to have a good body.

Therefore, her strength was not as weak as that of ordinary concubines. Perhaps she was second only to the Noble Consort in the harem. However, Noble Consort Rong had her own pride. Even though she was in love with the Emperor, she disdained to do the work of servants. She would not do it before, and naturally she would not do it now.

So even though the concubines knew how to massage the emperor's shoulders, legs, and temples, they were still inferior in terms of strength.

Bai Tan watched quietly from the side, not daring to say anything, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Bai Tan thought that her mistress had come to ask the Emperor for a favor, but it was a serious matter. Bai Tan originally thought that it would be resolved with just a few words, but her mistress suddenly appeared behind the Emperor and started doing these things, and His Majesty even looked like he was enjoying it.

This was quite unexpected for Bai Tan.

But it is actually quite reasonable.

Xie Yun'an was used to being served, and he took it all for granted no matter who served him. Not to mention that Yao Jinse was one of the women in his harem, and he did not object to Yao Jinse touching him.

Yao Jinse was willing to do these things out of a desire to please others, so that she could send the items out first and then talk about the rest. Originally, she wanted to send the blueprints she had directly, but at this moment, she changed her mind.

The emperor was resting with his eyes closed, but the memorials he was reviewing were spread out on his desk.

The empress dowagers were not allowed to interfere in politics, but that didn't stop Yao Jinse from taking a look.

This is a memorial from the border region, the gist of which is that the seasons have been unfavorable this year, the harvests of the nomadic peoples on the frontier have been mediocre, and there is a fear that two more snowfalls will cause a snow disaster. If the disaster pushes them to the brink, the nomadic peoples may rebel.

This is an important matter.

Nomadic peoples have always been one of the factors causing instability on the frontier. During the transition between two dynasties, they once led a large army south to invade the Central Plains, causing the people's livelihood to collapse.

The Xie family was able to ascend the throne because they led their troops to drive the nomadic tribes back from the Central Plains. Now that they had subdued the nomadic tribes, they naturally had to make them submit.

However, the price of this submission, besides having to trade with the nomadic peoples, also included solving the disasters that threatened their survival.

If left unchecked, the title of "Celestial Empire" will likely become a mere shell of its former self.

But if you were to get involved... To be honest, when Xie Yun'an was a prince, he had managed many of these kinds of trivial matters that others were unwilling to handle, so he naturally knew how many messy interests and complicated affairs were involved.

He was not a ruler who killed indiscriminately. If it is true that all land under heaven belongs to the king and all people within the borders are his subjects, then those nomadic peoples were naturally also his subjects.

Caring for one's people is something a ruler should do, but allocating silver and grain, how much to transport to the frontier, and how much of what is transported actually reaches the frontier tribes are all things that must be considered.

This naturally causes concern.

Yao Jinse was focused on reading the reports on the memorials, her hands never stopping. As she pressed the keys, she suddenly heard Xie Yun'an breathing comfortably in front of her. Looking down, she saw that Xie Yun'an had actually fallen asleep on the dragon throne.

Yao Jinse: "..."

What kind of nonsense is this?

However, as a concubine, one should not disturb the emperor while he is sleeping. Fortunately, the dragon throne is spacious, and even a handsome man like Xie Yun'an can stretch out comfortably on it. Yao Jinse signaled Bai Tan and Hu Shijie to bring blankets and cushions, and gently placed them under Xie Yun'an before withdrawing her hand.

We'll just have to wait and see; there's no other way. (End of Chapter)