Do you know: I am Qi Heng

Qi Heng knew about the butterfly effect and also knew that some things were accidental.

But it was strange in itself that Madam Wu, who had no prior dealings with the Sheng family, would suddenly condescend to personally deliver an invitation.

"In that case, I'll go and join in the fun then," Qi Heng said.

If you can't figure it out, go and take a look. You'll naturally understand the reason then.

"Great! Let's team up and compete!" Sheng Changfeng laughed.

Although they usually spend most of their time reading, they take a one-day break every ten days.

In ancient times, when entertainment was scarce, there were only so many forms of entertainment available if one did not visit brothels.

They've played all sorts of games during their holidays, from pitch-pot and cuju to even polo a few times.

"I heard that Second Brother Gu's polo skills are unparalleled among the younger generation in Bianjing. It's a pity I haven't been able to witness it. Judging by the time, Second Brother Gu should be back by now, right?" Sheng Changfeng asked.

Back then, Gu Tingye traveled to Yangzhou on a boat commissioned by the Yuan family and even made a bet with Sheng Changfeng using the game of pitch-pot.

Because he almost lost Hua Lan's betrothal gifts, he was severely punished by Sheng Hong.

This resulted in him not having much interaction with Gu Tingye, but after arriving in Bianjing and learning about Gu Tingye's deeds, Sheng Changfeng felt that Gu Tingye was more to his liking.

Lin Xiaoniang urged him to get along well with Qi Heng, but Qi Heng was too upright, seemingly gentle and kind to everyone.

Sheng Changfeng could sense the distance between the two.

He felt it was simpler to get along with Gu Tingye; going to a brothel together was one of the four great friendships in life.

"I don't know. My second uncle wrote to me just two days ago saying that he passed the provincial examination, but he didn't mention when he would be back," Qi Heng said, shaking his head.

Because she was going to a polo match in a few days, Sanlan didn't come to class today. Instead, she took measurements to make new clothes.

Last time, because of the polo club incident, Madam Wang was scolded by Sheng Hong quite a bit.

This time, Madam Wu took the initiative to suggest that she bring Sanlan along, so Madam Wang didn't dare to cause any trouble.

By now, Minglan, the youngest of the three sisters, is already thirteen years old, and will be of marriageable age in two more years.

At this age, when the stepmother visits relatives and friends, she should take them along to meet people.

When the groom's family is discussing marriage, they often hear about how good or bad the girl from so-and-so's family is.

This isn't something they claimed themselves; it's just that when a girl is close to coming of age, she accompanies her stepmother to meet people.

Once others see it and understand it, they will naturally praise it when chatting with others.

Over time, their reputation spread.

However, Madam Wang had long planned for Rulan's marriage and wanted to marry her off to her nephew from her maternal family.

She didn't care much about her two illegitimate daughters, so she never took them out to meet people.

Madam Wu organizes two polo matches every year. Although it is a grand event in Bianjing, the noblewomen of Bianjing have long been accustomed to it.

Those with free time will go and have some fun, while those without time are too lazy to go.

As the date drew closer, a piece of news suddenly came out, causing the ladies who hadn't originally planned to go to change their minds.

Because Empress Cao would be taking the young prince to the polo match.

Upon hearing this news, Qi Heng seemed thoughtful, feeling that there was some connection between the two, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

…………

In mid-April, the sun shone brightly and the weather was fine.

After having breakfast, Qi Heng went out with his mother by carriage to the palace.

They joined Empress Cao's carriage and headed out of the city to the Jinmingchi Royal Villa.

Jinming Pond was originally a place where Emperor Taizu expanded and trained his navy for his southward campaign.

When Emperor Taizu was alive, he visited Jinming Pond many times to watch the naval drills.

Later, the south was unified, and there was no need to train a navy at Jinming Pond, so it was abandoned.

After Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, he enclosed Jinming Pond and built a royal villa there.

The venue where Madam Wu held her polo match was not far from Jinming Pond.

Although Empress Cao came to attend the polo match, she did not go directly to the polo field, but instead played at Jinming Pond and would go there later.

A ring of willow trees was planted around Jinming Pond, and now it was the time when willow catkins were flying everywhere, making for a very beautiful scene.

Empress Cao led Zhao Shou ahead, with the commoner princess accompanying them, praising the scenery of Jinming Pond.

Why is Heng-ge so gloomy today?

Empress Cao noticed that Qi Heng hadn't spoken and asked curiously.

"Your Majesty, I am also captivated by the beauty of Jinming Pond, but I cannot help but wonder about the cost of maintaining this scenery," Qi Heng said.

"Heng'er, don't speak recklessly!" Princess Pingning hurriedly scolded.

"It's alright!"

Empress Cao waved her hand and smiled, "Tell me, what price do you want?"

Qi Heng bowed and said, "I see willow catkins flying everywhere, but there are hardly any in the water of Jinming Pond, which shows that someone takes care of it every day. Doing this every year must be incredibly expensive!"

"How could you know that it wasn't because you knew I was coming that you arranged for someone to take care of things?" Empress Cao retorted.

"If it were only temporarily maintained, the willow catkins that fall into the water daily would decompose, and the water in Jinming Pond should be very turbid."

"However, although the water in Jinming Pond is not clear, it is not murky either. It must be cleaned every day, not just temporarily," Qi Heng said.

Empress Cao asked, "If we want to save on maintenance costs, should we cut down all the willow trees along the lake?"

"These willow trees add much beauty to Jinming Pond. It would be a pity to cut them down directly. In my opinion, it would be better to allow the people to enter and play there."

"Charging each person one coin as a maintenance fee, although it may not be enough, will still save the court a lot of expenses," Qi Heng said.

"This is a royal villa, how can it be allowed for people to come and go as they please?" Princess Pingning gave Qi Heng a subtle wink as she spoke.

Empress Cao remained noncommittal, saying, "What your mother said makes sense. If the royal family opens up the villas to the public for recreation and charges fees, what face will the royal family have left?"

"The royal family opened their villas to the public for recreation, which was an act of sharing joy with the people. The fees collected were for daily maintenance, not for personal gain."

I do not believe it will affect the royal family's reputation; on the contrary, it will win the praise of the people.

Qi Heng dared to say this because he considered that the current officials were kind and compassionate, and that they truly cared for the people.

The Jinmingchi Royal Villa has been idle for too long. In any case, as far as he could remember, the Emperor and Empress Cao had never come here to play.

However, it requires a lot of money to maintain every year, which is not worth the cost.

Opening it up for public leisure and recreation is indeed a good choice.

Even if the Emperor and Empress Cao were unwilling, they wouldn't blame him for this.

Princess Pingning was both angry and anxious. She had already given Qi Heng hints, but she didn't expect him to still spout such nonsense.

"What you said does coincide somewhat with what the Emperor is thinking."

Empress Cao smiled and said, "A few days ago, His Majesty learned that I was coming to Jinming Pond to watch polo, and we also talked about Jinming Pond."

Jinming Pond is neither located within the city nor too close to Bianjing, so few people have visited it in recent years, making it somewhat of a waste to leave it empty.

The government intends to allow ordinary people to enter and enjoy the area during important holidays.