The prince is more stable

Chapter 884 Affectionate Family
Only after becoming emperor did I realize how difficult it is to implement a decree.

After a battle of wits and courage with court officials, the Censorate was finally established amidst numerous objections.

Establishing the Censorate was no easy task, so Zhao Xiaoqian was determined to make sure it played its role effectively, achieve a resounding success, and thoroughly intimidate officials across the land, thereby quickly establishing his authority.

The meaning was clear, and Han Zhongyan knew what to do. He knew very well that Zhao Xiaoqian needed to make an example of the first batch of officials, and the punishment for these officials would be severe, in order to establish the authority of the Censorate.

Walking on the construction site of the Supervisory Office, Zhao Xiaoqian carefully observed the progress of the construction. Han Zhongyan and Lü Huiqing followed closely behind him, always keeping a shoulder-width distance from him to show their respect.

Han Zhongyan asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, there is something I do not understand. May I ask Your Majesty for guidance?"

"You said."

"The duties of the Censorate overlap significantly with those of the Censorate. If the actions of the Censorate conflict with those of the Censorate in the future, how will the Censorate handle the situation?"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "The Censorate is subordinate to the Council of State Affairs. Its so-called supervisory function has lost much of its significance. Although it is responsible for supervising all officials, it often acts to protect the interests of the Council of State Affairs, and may even oppose the emperor for the sake of the Council of State Affairs and its officials."

"You should be able to see from this controversy surrounding the establishment of the Censorate how fiercely the censors in the Censorate opposed it."

"From now on, I will gradually separate the Censorate's supervisory function over all officials, so that the Censorate will only report on matters concerning officials in Bianjing and also take care of criminal cases and the legal department. The supervision of local areas will be taken over by your Supervisory Office."

"Therefore, from now on, the supervision of officials in Bianjing will be jointly handled by the Censorate and the Supervisory Office, but the Censorate has no right to supervise local officials. Is my answer clear enough?"

Han Zhongyan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I understand. We will proceed as Your Majesty wishes."

…………

Back at the palace, Zhao Xiaoqian walked through the palace gates, his mood inexplicably much happier.

Since ascending the throne, Zhao Xiaoqian has felt that although the palace is very magnificent, he often feels lonely. No matter how big the palace is, it does not feel like home.

It wasn't until Di Ying and the others returned and moved into the palace that he finally felt like he was home.

Both parents are alive and well, wives and concubines are devoted to him, and his young children are clever.

For a man, a place with people, lights, and warmth is what makes it "home."

Since ancient times, emperors have been known for their ruthlessness, but Zhao Xiaoqian was unwilling to live a lonely life. As long as his family, wife, and children were by his side, an emperor would never be truly alone.

Upon returning to the palace, Zhao Xiaoqian did not go back to Funing Palace, but went straight to the Imperial Kitchen.

It was already noon, and the imperial chefs were preparing lunch when Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly burst in. The chefs were startled and hurriedly knelt down to pay their respects.

Zhao Xiaoqian waved his hand, signaling the imperial chefs to rise, and then began to inspect the dishes that the palace had purchased that day.

His wife and children were back, and he planned to cook them a nice meal himself.

The imperial chefs followed him anxiously, introducing him to today's dishes, their expressions filled with utter shock.

Whether interpreted literally or as a principle, the saying "A gentleman keeps away from the kitchen" has always been followed. The kitchen is a place of killing, and since ancient times, which emperor would personally come to the imperial kitchen?

This official is truly a unique individual.

Zhao Xiaoqian toured the imperial kitchen and spotted a large basin filled with bones, which immediately caught his eye.

“Pork bone? Good stuff, let’s make this!” Zhao Xiaoqian said.

Just as they were about to roll up their sleeves and get to work, the imperial chefs were shocked and hurriedly stopped them: "Your Majesty is of supreme status, this is absolutely not allowed! Please tell us what you would like to eat, and we will prepare it for you."

"Get lost! Are you trying to teach me how to do things?"

"Don't dare!"

Zhao Xiaoqian carried over a large basin full of pork bones, which was quite heavy. Zheng Chunhe quickly stepped forward to help, pouring the bones into a pot, adding water, and starting the fire.

Bring the water to a boil over high heat, skim off the foam, add a handful of chopped green onions, bay leaves, and cinnamon to remove any unpleasant odors, then pour in a little Shaoxing wine and simmer over low heat.

After simmering for a good half hour, the pork bones were tender and the broth had turned into a thick, cloudy soup. When the lid was lifted, a rich aroma of meat wafted out.

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded: "It's almost done."

He turned and instructed the cook, "Take it out of the pot, pack it up, and send it to the Funing Palace."

Then he instructed Zheng Chunhe: "Summon my wife and son to the Funing Palace. Today, we will all gnaw on bones together."

Inside the Funing Palace, Di Ying, Niao Niao, Jiang Miaoxian, and other women gathered together, curiously looking at a large basin filled with meat bones and a rich soup. The goddesses' expressions were slightly moved, revealing a hint of craving.

"My lord cooked this himself? Even though he's the emperor, he still personally makes soup for his concubines..." Di Ying was deeply moved.

"What are you saying? Even the emperor needs to eat, drink, and relieve himself. The imperial chefs in the palace can't make the same dishes. I'll cook a dish myself to welcome you back."

As he spoke, Zhao Xiaoqian took a few bamboo tubes and distributed them to the women, saying, "The essence of the bone stick is its marrow, you all know how to eat it, right?"

These days, there are no plastic straws, so we have to use bamboo straws instead. "Watch closely, I'll demonstrate for you..."

As he spoke, Zhao Xiaoqian picked up a bone stick with his bare hands, inserted a bamboo tube, and sucked hard. With a slurping sound, thick marrow was sucked into his mouth, which was both fragrant and smooth.

After sucking out the marrow, Zhao Xiaoqian ate the stewed meat on the bone stick, nodding with lingering satisfaction.

"Did you see clearly? Can you all eat it? Should I demonstrate it for you again?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked seriously.

Di Ying rolled her eyes and said, "Who hasn't eaten this before? You're making it sound like I've never seen it before."

So Di Ying took the lead and started eating. When the couple started eating, the women giggled and took the bone sticks from the basin to suck the marrow and eat the meat.

Zhao Hao, the son, was also present. After getting to know his father overnight, he recognized him and the father and son were no longer strangers.

With clear, curious eyes, Zhao Hao observed the adults' actions. He also stood on tiptoe, picked up a bone stick, and clumsily inserted the bamboo tube.

This was probably the first time he had ever eaten this in his life. His movements were very clumsy. After the bamboo tube was inserted, he didn't suck it into his mouth, but blew it out forcefully, making his little face turn red.

Zhao Xiaoqian and the other women burst into laughter at his comical appearance.

"You said you didn't need me to teach you, but look at this kid, he doesn't know how to eat at all." Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and took the bone stick from his hand, saying, "Come on, Dad will teach you how to eat it. It's not about blowing it out, it's about sucking it in, sucking the white stuff inside..."

Actions speak louder than words. In front of his son, Zhao Xiaoqian took another deep breath, sucking in the bone marrow, which felt incredibly good.

He returned the bone club, which had been drained of its marrow, to Zhao Hao.

Zhao Hao looked down at the empty bone stick that had been sucked dry, then looked up at his father and immediately understood what had happened. His little mouth twitched, and he burst into tears.

Zhao Xiaoqian panicked: "Hey, hey, why are you crying? Your dad is teaching you how to eat, why aren't you appreciating it..."

Di Ying and Niao Niao rolled their eyes at him simultaneously and said, "Do you act like a father? You ate all the child's food, how can Hao'er not cry?"

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, "This is far too fragile; it doesn't deserve the title of 'Sang Biao' at all..."

Seeing Zhao Hao burst into tears, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly pinched his cheeks, making his mouth open wide, and then curiously leaned closer: "Let's see how many teeth you have. Oh, not bad, you have quite a few."

Zhao Hao burst into even louder tears.

"Oh dear! My lord, please stop teasing him. If the child gets afraid of you, he'll become distant." Niao Niao said anxiously, pulling Zhao Xiaoqian's hand back.

Zhao Xiaoqian took another bone stick and put it in Zhao Hao's hand. Zhao Hao's crying stopped immediately. His face was still wet with tears, but he imitated Zhao Xiaoqian's earlier action and sucked hard. The bone marrow slid into his mouth, and Zhao Hao's eyes lit up. He made "hmm" sounds, which seemed to suit his taste.

The women laughed again, and Di Ying couldn't stop laughing: "Just like my husband, this boy will be a picky eater in the future. The imperial chefs in the palace probably won't be able to serve him well."

"If others can't serve him, he can do it himself. When he's a little older, I'll personally teach him how to cook." Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and rubbed his head.

After Zhao Hao finished sucking the marrow, he handed the leftover bone stick to Zhao Xiaoqian, mumbling indistinctly, "Da, da, here you go..."

Zhao Xiaoqian was taken aback, subconsciously took the bone club, looked down at it, and said, "You really don't hold grudges overnight, do you? You settle scores on the spot. Is it polite of you to give your father leftovers?"

The wives and concubines burst into laughter. Zhao Hao didn't understand what the adults were laughing at, but he grinned foolishly along with them.

Standing not far from the palace, Zheng Chunhe listened to the laughter of the Emperor, the Empress, and the concubines, and watched as everyone ate the bone sticks. What the powerful and nobles considered vulgar was being eaten with great relish by everyone, especially since the Emperor himself had cooked it.

Zheng Chunhe smiled involuntarily as he looked at the scene before him.

This emperor and his family are truly different from other emperors. At least he has never seen such a close-knit and unpretentious family. Who would believe that the family before him is the most noble family in the world?

The bones were delicious, and the broth was also very tasty. The group hadn't eaten anything; they were already full just from gnawing on the bones.

After the whole bowl of bones was devoured, the wives and concubines rubbed their bellies, saying they were stuffed. Zheng Chunhe ordered the palace servants to bring tea to cleanse their palates, and then respectfully withdrew.

Zhao Xiaoqian sipped his tea, glanced around at the women, and said leisurely, "Have you all received the imperial edicts of investiture?"

The women nodded, and Di Ying led the way, saying, "Thank you for the appointment, sir."

Zhao Xiaoqian hummed in agreement and said, "There should be no dispute about the title of Empress. As for the ranks and titles of the concubines, that's about it. If you have any objections..."

Seeing that all the women were staring at him, Zhao Xiaoqian said, "If you have any objections... keep them to yourself. Anyway, the imperial edict has been issued and the Ministry of Rites has made the list, so it can't be changed."

Di Ying rolled her eyes at him and said, "My lord is talking nonsense again. However, I think your appointment is appropriate. I don't think the sisters have any objections, do they?"

The women all shook their heads, indicating that they had no objections.

"That's right. When a family lives together, the titles and ranks of concubines are meaningless. They're just for show."

Di Ying glanced at Zhao Xiaoqian playfully and said, "If any of my sisters are lucky enough to give birth to a prince for you, my lord, your rank as a concubine can be raised, right, my lord?"

“Yes, that’s theoretically correct,” Zhao Xiaoqian reached out and pinched Di Ying’s cheek, then smiled and said, “What if the Empress gives birth to a prince for me? Should I elevate you to Empress Dowager?”

(End of this chapter)