Chapter 15 Han Zhang's Approval
"Ji Lang, come and have a bowl of soup."
Xiao Qin personally served a bowl of soup to Gu Tingye and handed it to him.
"Thank you, mother. I can do it myself." Gu Tingye quickly stood up and took the soup.
"Mom, I want one too." Gu Tingwei shouted.
"Third brother, here you go."
Upon hearing this, Gu Tingye put the soup in front of Gu Tingwei.
"Thank you, second brother."
Gu Tingwei chuckled, picked up the glass and started drinking without any hesitation.
"You, you just know how to pamper him."
Xiao Qin said something to Gu Tingye in a grudge, rolled her eyes at Gu Tingwei and said, "You can't even wait a moment, I'll serve your second brother, isn't it your turn now?"
"Mother, it's okay. Let my third brother drink first. You don't have to worry about me. I can do it myself." Gu Tingye said.
"You, don't obey him in everything. Just sit still."
Xiao Qin served another bowl to Gu Tingye, and finally served one to her daughter before she sat down.
"Erlang, next time Your Highness goes out of the palace to play, you should bring Tingwei and Tingcan with you. They are about the same age as Your Highness and can play with You and entertain You. If possible, you can also invite Your Highness to your home to play." Xiao Qin said with a smile.
As soon as Gu Tingye heard this, he knew what Xiao Qin was planning, but this was also human nature, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
After hearing this, he pondered for a while and said, "Mother, although His Highness is young, his mind is different from that of ordinary people. I can try to raise him if there is a chance, but I can't guarantee whether it will succeed or not."
"Haha, His Highness thinks so highly of you. As long as you tell him, His Highness will definitely not refuse." Xiao Qin said.
The prince not only gave Gu Tingye a name, but also called him to accompany him when he left the palace, which made Xiao Qin even more anxious.
Moreover, since Gu Tingye has to go to the palace to study with his parents, he has no time to go out and play. Therefore, Gu Yankai's attitude towards Gu Tingye has softened a lot, and her tactics of flattery and killing are of no use at all.
If this continues, it will be impossible for Gu Tingwei to inherit the title.
"Mother, I want to go to Yangzhou to visit my grandfather." Gu Tingye said.
Xiao Qin's face froze, and she said, "Why do you suddenly have this idea? Didn't your father say that your grandfather couldn't accept your mother's death and blamed the Gu family for not taking good care of your mother, otherwise there wouldn't be even a letter from him in all these years."
"My grandfather is my elder. He can choose not to write to me or visit me. But as a junior, I have to visit him," said Gu Tingye.
He had this idea before, but his father didn't allow it, and he was still young and had never traveled far, so he was hesitant.
Today Zhao Xing suddenly mentioned that he wanted to go to Yangzhou to visit his grandfather even more.
"I can't make the decision on this matter. Wait until your father comes back in the evening and I'll talk to him and see what he says." Xiao Qin said.
She has always played the role of a loving mother in front of Gu Tingye, and now that she needs help from Gu Tingye, it would be difficult for her to refuse directly.
"Thank you, mother. Father listens to you the most. You can tell him that he will definitely agree." Gu Tingye said.
"Don't hold out too much hope. After all, you have to be the prince's tutor now. Yangzhou is a long way away, and it will take nearly a month to go back and forth. The master may not agree." Xiao Qin said.
"It's okay, I can go to His Highness and ask for leave." Gu Tingye said.
……
After dinner, when Gu Tingye and the others left, Xiao Qin returned to the backyard and her face became gloomy when she entered the house.
"Madam, I think it is not a bad thing for the second young master to go to Yangzhou." Mother Du sent the maid away and said with a smile.
"Hmm?" Xiao Qin frowned and said, "Back then, Erlang's nanny kept shouting that someone had killed Bai, otherwise the old man of the Bai family wouldn't have made such a fuss at the Gu family. Who knows if the Bai family knows something? If he were to go and find out something, it would be troublesome."
"Madam, if the Bai family had any evidence, given Old Master Bai's temper, they would have reported it to the police long ago. Mrs. Bai and that wet nurse didn't see Madam back then, they just knew that someone was talking behind her back. The Marquis was very cold to Mrs. Bai at the time, and the Bai family didn't know the inside story. If they told the second young master what happened back then, he would think it was related to the Marquis." Mother Du said with a smile.
She was Xiao Qin's personal maid before she got married, and she was also involved in what happened back then.
"What you said makes sense." Little Qin's eyes lit up, but soon she frowned, "But the master will definitely not agree to it." "Isn't that even better? With the second young master's temper, he will definitely make a fuss if the marquis doesn't allow it." Mother Du said with a smile.
"Snapped!"
Xiao Qin patted her forehead and said, "I'm so proud of myself for being smart. I'm really smart all my life but I'm just a fool for a moment."
"Madam is just anxious and can't think it through for a while." Mother Du said with a smile.
"Haha, your idea is very good. You won't lose money either way." Xiao Qin said with a smile.
……
After his son left, the emperor kept thinking about what Zhao Xing had said, and the more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed to him.
After lunch, he asked someone to call Han Zhang over.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!" Han Zhang bowed.
"You don't have to be so polite, Wilder."
The emperor waved his hand and had someone bring a stool for Han Zhang to sit on. He then sent away all the palace maids and eunuchs serving in the hall, leaving only his trusted eunuch, Eunuch Liu.
"Huaide, you said before that reform requires the promotion of some ambitious people. Now is not the time." said the official.
"That's right. The failure of the last new policy was not only because it was too hasty, but also had a lot to do with the fact that there were not many people who truly supported the reform." Han Zhang nodded.
"I have an idea now. Please hear if it is feasible." The emperor repeated what Zhao Xing had said.
Han Zhang pondered for a long time after listening to it, and said: "Your Majesty, I have thought about what you said carefully, and it is indeed feasible. But if we solve the problems of the court one by one, it will take too long. If there were no external enemies, it would be feasible, but now there are powerful enemies around. If the court is always in turmoil, and the Liao Kingdom and Xixia invade the border, what should we do?"
"I have considered what you said, but reforms must be carried out. Otherwise, if we continue like this, even if the Liao Kingdom and the Western Xia do not come to attack, our Song Dynasty will find it difficult to persist. Choose the lesser of two evils. A thorough investigation of the salt business will not be worse than directly carrying out reforms. I want to investigate the salt business and see how many parasites are involved in it." said the emperor.
"Your Majesty is wise. I also think that the salt affairs can be investigated! However, it is very difficult to conduct a thorough investigation of the salt affairs. We need to prepare in advance, otherwise we will alert the enemy and it will be difficult to achieve results." Han Zhang said.
Regardless of whether reforms are carried out or not, the salt administration is so corrupt that it needs to be investigated.
Han Zhang did not object to the investigation of salt affairs.
"I know. I am only telling you about this matter now. You should think about it carefully and improve the plan. When you are ready, you can use the force of thunder to quickly investigate the salt affairs." The official said sternly.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Han Zhang praised.
"Haha, this is not my wisdom. This idea was thought up by Fu'er. Even the thorough investigation of the salt business was his idea." The emperor laughed.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! His Royal Highness has such insight at such a young age. It is a blessing for the Song Dynasty and the people."
Han Zhang was very excited when he heard that it was Zhao Xing who proposed it.
Although the current emperor lacks courage and determination, he has the ambition to revive the country, works diligently and loves his people, and can be considered a wise ruler.
As the only son of the Guan family, Zhao Xing would inevitably be the future emperor.
In a sense, his importance is more important than that of the government.
Whether it is reform or solving the problems step by step as Zhao Xing said.
None of these can be achieved overnight. Although the emperor is only in his forties now, in the eyes of the ancients, a man knows his destiny at the age of fifty, so the emperor is not young anymore.
Moreover, the official suffered a great blow because of the death of several of his children. His health has not been very good in recent years. Who knows how long he can live.
Although Zhao Xing proposed not to carry out direct reforms but to solve internal problems one by one, he was essentially seeking change.
Even if the emperor fails to complete it during his lifetime, it will be continued after Zhao Xing succeeds to the throne.
This is what makes Han Zhang happy.
"Haha, Fu'er is still young and has a quick wit. We'll have to trouble Huaide to teach him carefully in the future." The official laughed.
Han Zhang's praise of Zhao Xing made him happier than praising himself.
(End of this chapter)