Chapter 335: Common Goals
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Han Qiao sent someone to ask if Heng Yi wanted to go home for dinner.
Heng Yi asked Emperor Zhao Qian, “Will you join us to eat at the manor, Your Highness?”
“Will your wife personally cook?” Emperor Zhao Qian asked.
Heng Yi pursed his lips, the inviting look on his face gone.
He watched Emperor Zhao Qian with an unwelcoming expression.
“My wife woke up very early today and slept very late last night. She won’t be cooking.”
He rejected him completely.
Emperor Zhao Qian smiled, “Just make some. There’s no need to make too many dishes.”
Heng Yi thought for a moment and said, “The chef is also very good.”
“You just can’t bear to let your wife cook.” Emperor Zhao Qian teased.
“I really can’t bear to.”
Heng Yi admitted.
He didn’t think that there was anything he couldn’t admit.
“Alright, alright. Lead the way,”
Emperor Zhao Qian let Heng Yi lead the way.
He liked the atmosphere in Heng Yi’s house. The children were all very smart.
His daughters were delicate and gentle, well-behaved, and were nervous in the face of guests. It was very good.
In the end, it was their parents who gave them enough confidence.
Han Qiao knew that Emperor Zhao Qian and Heng Congshan were coming over for dinner, so she naturally wouldn’t neglect them.
She immediately went to the kitchen to see if there were any good dishes they could serve and personally directed the cooks.
Emperor Zhao Qian came with many people escorting him. These people couldn’t eat at the same time, but they served them in batches.
She couldn’t let them starve.
These were all matters of dignity. Today, it was just a little effort, but in the future, it might be fate.
She let the children rest first. Ah-Yao and Cheng’er were sleeping soundly together.
The two brothers had their heads together, and their little faces were flushed red. They were very cute.
He Cheng had only slept next to Ah-Yao once that day, and they had been taking naps together for the past few days.
Han Qiao stared at her two children for a while before she went to clean herself
up.
After all, she was the Marchioness now, so she had to be more dignified.
She couldn’t greet the guests, still dirty or smelling of sweat.
Seeing that it was almost time, Han Qiao woke the two children up.
He Cheng liked to play with Ah-Yao.
Ah-Yao also liked to play with He Cheng.
The two brothers could play hide-and-seek for half a day as long as they had enough to eat and drink.
He Cheng knew how to recite the Three Character Classic, and he taught Ah-Yao the ones he had learned.
Ah-Yao could only babble along, mouthing the words, learning earnestly.
This amused the maids in the room.
Han Qiao was also laughing, however, she still had matters to attend to in the kitchen, so she asked Pucao to take care of her two children.
When Emperor Zhao Qian and the others arrived, Han Qiao was in the kitchen, instructing the servants to prepare a few good dishes.
It was spicy and fragrant, and it looked, smelled, and tasted good.
The roast duck and chicken were already marinated.
Emperor Zhao Qian wasn’t in a hurry to see Han Qiao, so he went straight to Heng Yi’s study. When he saw Bai Cha, the second master immediately bowed.
“You are that…”
“This servant, Bai Cha, greets the Emperor. Long live the Emperor.” Bai Cha knelt down and saluted.
Emperor Zhao Qian remembered, “No need for formalities.”
Heng Yi was about to speak.
Heng Congshan pulled him back and interrupted Heng Yi.
Emperor Zhao Qian looked at the two of them and understood.
Heng Yi had sent Bai Cha to the capital and gave him so much silver, which showed how much he trusted him.
Bai Cha could do things wonderfully, which showed how clever he was.
He wanted to plead for Bai Cha.
“Logically, slaves like you don’t have the qualifications to be good people anymore, but on account of the Marquis of Wanning, 1 will give you one more chance.”
Bai Cha’s eyes widened with surprise.
The same is true for Heng Yi.
Heng Congshan was also surprised.
“Make one great contribution that everyone in the world believes in, and let the Marquis of Wanning write a letter on your behalf. Then I will give you grace.”
Heng Yi was a simple-minded man, so he needed a few loyal and sharp subordinates to assist him.
“Thank you for the grace, Your Highness. This servant will do his best to assist the marquis.”
“Good.” Emperor Zhao Qian nodded and walked into the study.
Heng Congshan followed closely behind.
Heng Yi was one step behind and playfully punched Bai Cha’s shoulder.
Bai Cha was also pleasantly surprised.
“Hurry up and make some tea.” Heng Yi said.
“Yes…” Bai Cha immediately went to make tea, but his head was in the clouds, feeling a little light.
Emperor Zhao Qian entered the study.
There were quite a few books on the bookshelf, but they were all new. It seemed that they had just been written.
There was an abacus and account book on the desk.
Emperor Zhao Qian looked at Heng Yi, “May I take a look”
“You can.”
It was just an account book.
Records of expenses.
Heng Yi didn’t understand.
Emperor Zhao Qian looked at it for a while, but he didn’t seem to understand. He felt that it was a lot of money, but everything was noted very clearly.
The manager in charge was even listed below…
Emperor Zhao Qian had never seen such a detailed account book before.
“This is?’
“I don’t understand the accounts for the fast food restaurants in Puyi County.
Bai Cha is in charge.” Heng Yi answered.
“This account book is a little interesting. Tell me in detail later.” Emperor Zhao Qian closed the account book.
No matter how much they earned, it was someone else’s privacy.
He was curious to see the book more carefully, but it would be impolite to look at it again.
Bai Cha came in with a cup of tea and gave the first cup to Emperor Zhao Qian.
Emperor Zhao Qian took a sip of the tea, “Hmm, this tea is not bad. What water did you use to boil the tea?”
“It should be the dew that the children received in the morning.”
There was a row of roses in the garden. Every morning, there would be dew on the petals. Sun Xiu and Sun Yi would personally go to collect them.
They could only pick up a little a day and store them in a jar.
It was rare for anyone to use the dew to brew tea. There was only one pot. There was no more.
“I see. Thank you.”
The children were indeed thoughtful.
Emperor Zhao Qian sipped his tea and turned to Heng Yi, “Where are the people who followed you? Are they also staying in your residence?”
“Yes, they are all living in the residence now. When the military camp is set up in the future, they will live in the military camp.”
Heng Yi himself would bring his family to live next to the camp.
A family always had to be together in order to maintain their relationship.
The others would also settle down there and they could form a small town.
When Heng Yi mentioned his idea, Emperor Zhao Qian thought it was feasible.
The land of Great Yong was vast and sparsely populated. As long as people were willing to settle down, things would slowly get better.
Out of ten thousand soldiers, five thousand would have families, and in the coming year, there would be thousands of children.
If there were a few more military camps like this, there would be thousands of children in a year. What about in ten years?
The population of Great Yong was still too small, and there were too few people who could go into battle to defend their country.
Heng Yi hesitated for a moment before talking about Shopkeeper Zhu.
Emperor Zhao Qian narrowed his eyes, “I’m merciful enough not to behead anyone involved in the Crown Prince’s case. 1 will give him the same sentence: If he makes one great contribution, I will naturally reward him.”
“However, this Zhu has indeed contributed by following you to suppress the bandits. I will grant him a good name according to your request.”
Heng Yi was overjoyed.
He asked Bai Cha to call Shopkeeper Zhu in, who was waiting outside, to thank the Emperor.
Shopkeeper Zhu wasn’t young anymore, and he looked very reliable. His eyes were bright, and he was confident and calm.
He kowtowed excitedly to thank the Emperor.
Emperor Zhao Qian encouraged him and told him to assist Heng Yi and take care of the military affairs. Now that he was given a good title, he could be promoted when he made another contribution.
“Yes!” Shopkeeper Zhu agreed repeatedly. When he left, he was extremely excited.
Emperor Zhao Qian then turned to Heng Yi, “After dinner, tell me how you plan to build the military camp. I want to hear your ideas.”
“Yes.”
For dinner, Heng Yi called Zhang Zhao and the others over, along with Housekeeper Liu.
Although they were not sitting at the same table, they all toasted Emperor Zhao Qian.
Wen Yu and Gu Jiu were usually very eloquent. Today, they stuttered and carefully finished their sentence before sitting back down.
The food was to Emperor Zhao Qian’s liking and he was stuffed full once more.
Then they turn to the hall to discuss the matter in more detail after they finish dinner.
At first, everyone was nervous, but gradually, they voiced their opinions. Emperor Zhao Qian also voiced his own suggestions, while Bai Cha, Shopkeeper Zhu, and Housekeeper Liu took notes.
They chatted until midnight.
Han Qiao instructed the kitchen to bring some snacks over when it was ready.
After eating, they continued to discuss.
Heng Congshan also gave his opinions from a scholar’s point of view. He had been in the government for many years and had a unique take on the idea.
Every sentence was to the point. As the emperor, Emperor Zhao Qian’s words were all gifts and decrees.
At this moment, they were not just monarchs and ministers. They had a common goal, which was to build a good army that could win every battle and establish their reputation..