The opera being performed in the brothel was the classic "The Cowherd and the Weaver Maid". The Qiao Festival was coming up in a few days, and this kind of opera was very popular.
The brothel was not the busiest during the day, but there were many people inside. More than half of the seats were occupied. At night, the entire place would be filled with people.
Everyone's attention was attracted by the wonderful performance on the stage. No one noticed that in a secluded corner at the back, a pretty girl was excitedly telling the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Maid to a middle-aged man behind her. Although the opera was wonderful, the story told by the man was even more wonderful.
The middle-aged man sat there, patiently listening to the girl. In his arms was a young girl. Occasionally, he would look at the stage with a satisfied smile on his face.
A grey-robed old man stood behind him. His wrinkled face remained expressionless from start to finish.
Outside the brothel, a young man and a young woman leaned against the wall and whispered to each other.
"When the time comes, there will be official schools in various places. They will be called 'MIngzhu Academy' or 'MIngzhu Hope Academy'. Students from poor families will be given a certain amount of subsidies, or they can do some chores in the academy or work part-time … The curriculum must be reasonable, and they must be well-rounded. We don't want to cultivate a bunch of rotten scholars … I will write a detailed report for you when I get back, and you can submit it to the Emperor." Li Yi looked at her and reminded, "Remember, you are the only one who can do these things. As for how to get the money, I won't tell you until the matter is settled."
The education reform in the Jing Kingdom had already begun on a small scale. Li Yi was not worried that these changes would cause opposition. The old Emperor already had the ability to judge.
The old Emperor had wanted to make a move against the aristocratic families for a long time, but the inside story was not that simple.
Li Yi ate with him every day, and he learned a lot from him in other aspects.
The fact that the court was controlled by the aristocratic families had always been a thorn in the old Emperor's heart. He wanted to use the children from poor families to cultivate officials who were absolutely loyal to the royal family to achieve his goal of centralizing power.
Although the Emperor had great power, he could not do whatever he wanted. He would be a fatuous emperor if he dismissed an official without a good reason, and he would not be able to convince the public.
A family like the Cui Family was far inferior to the Imperial Family in terms of military strength.
However, it was impossible for the old emperor to send troops to destroy them just because he didn't like them. That was the behavior of bandits.
The influence of the Great Clans was too great, especially to the officials who were attached to them. Touching them without a reason was tantamount to committing a crime.
However, he couldn't just watch as these people stirred up trouble in the court and formed cliques for personal gain. The Cui family was a perfect example. Li Yi felt that the King of Shu, the eldest son of the royal family, was banished to that place because the old Emperor couldn't stand the sight of the Cui family. The ones he had always wanted to deal with were the magnates led by the Cui family.
Thinking about it, the Cui family had also committed a sin. They had just lost a few million taels of silver, and the coffin itself had probably been used up. Furthermore, the Emperor was always thinking about them. What an unlucky year …
After listening to him, MIngzhu nodded and suddenly asked, "Why does it have to be me?"
Li Yi pursed his lips. "This is a great contribution. Of course, we should not let the goodies flow to outsiders."
"So I'm not an outsider?"
"We are the Three Heroes of the Capital. We share blessings and misfortunes. Of course, we think of you first when there's something good. It's too distant to call us outsiders. At least we can be considered as half an insider, right?"
MIngzhu glared at him. "Bah, who's your insider?"
It was obviously a very pure meaning, but she had to misunderstand. Li Yi couldn't be bothered to explain. He only felt that the Princess was not straightforward at all today. She was wishy-washy and like a woman.
"Something's still not right." MIngzhu crossed her arms and stared straight at him. "Every time you're so attentive, something bad must be going on."
"When you speak, feel your conscience," Li Yi looked at her and frowned. "Ask yourself, when have I ever harmed you?"
When Li Yi opened his mouth, he naturally looked in the direction of her 'conscience'.
Feeling his gaze, MIngzhu thought of the bowl of soup she had just drunk. She felt uncomfortable all over. She put her hands down from her chest, but she didn't know where to put them. Finally, she looked at him in embarrassment and walked towards the brothel.
"How can one pacify the world if one's chest is not clear?"
Li Yi shook his head. He felt that there must be a deeper meaning behind Heaven's arrangement.
At the very least, the Eldest Princess had taken the first step on the road to pacify the world.
…
…
The old Emperor had a lot of fun today. Li Yi could see that the smile on his face had never stopped.
In this half a day, he was not the high and mighty ruler of a country, but just an ordinary father.
He would let Yongning ride on his neck to watch the circus. He would also beam with joy when the tsundere Lolita fed him a milk candy. He would walk on the streets for four hours, but he was still full of energy. When it was time for lunch, he even let Changde serve him three bowls of food.
He didn't look like a seriously ill person at all. He could eat and walk, and he was in a good state.
Of course, the most important reason was that the food he cooked was delicious.
After eating and drinking to his heart's content, he was still lying on Li Yi's rocking chair. He squinted his eyes and swayed back and forth. The Eldest Princess was massaging his shoulders from behind. Emperor Jing's face showed a satisfied expression.
"I finally know why you would rather be idle at home than to enter the court and become an official. If you can be so comfortable every day, I wouldn't exchange it for a god."
Li Yi tried hard not to show a contemptuous expression.
He hadn't done anything yet, but his days were already comfortable. As the dignified ruler of a country, how could he act like a bumpkin who had never seen the world?
No matter what, he should at least have afternoon tea and a few pieces of osmanthus cake to relieve his boredom.
Emperor Jing closed his eyes and said faintly, "You're the one behind the Cui family's matter, right?"
There was nothing to hide. The old Emperor knew that the largest glass mine in the Jing Kingdom was under his house. He couldn't hide it even if he wanted to.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. The taxes that should be paid will not be less."
It was a good habit to pay taxes. It was also a hush money. The old Emperor had been unhappy with the Cui family for a long time. Since he could vent his anger and get money, he certainly wouldn't have any objection.
"It's getting late. It's time to go back to the palace." Emperor Jing opened his eyes and stood up from the rocking chair. He didn't mention this matter until he left with Yongning and Shouning.
When the Eldest Princess left, she looked back at him. Li Yi knew what it meant.
Sometimes, he really hoped that she was a man. In this way, a lot of unnecessary trouble could be avoided. But when he thought that she was really a man, he felt a little disappointed …
A long time ago, he already had a plan and was carrying it out step by step. However, the road ahead was difficult and dangerous. It had not really manifested until now. Moreover, even if he overcome all the difficulties and obstacles and achieved the result he expected …
Was that result really what she wanted?
In fact, Li Yi's heart was still a little confused.
"She has already left. Why are you still looking?" A faint voice came from the side.
Li Yi turned around and saw Miss.Liu holding her sword and leaning against the moon door.
"Who won just now?"
When Li Yi was cooking, the old Emperor and the two little girls were playing in the front yard. Miss.Liu and the Eldest Princess went to the backyard. When she came out alone, her clothes were a little messy. Not surprisingly, they should have sparred for a while.
After all, among the people of the same age, only the two of them could be each other's opponents.
Miss.Liu didn't answer, which meant that she didn't win.
It seemed to be the same result last time. For Miss.Liu, who had always swept away her peers, it might be a little hard to accept that she couldn't win against another girl of the same age.
Especially in a situation where she couldn't win in terms of appearance and strength.
Girls of this age liked to compete in everything. Li Yi could understand. He looked at her and comforted her, "Don't be discouraged. At least, you are older than her."
Miss.Liu looked up at him with a trace of doubt in her eyes, "What did you say?"
"I said, you seem to be a few days older than her?" Li Yi looked at her and smiled, "I made soup. Do you want to drink some?"
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