All the members are good people, only the host is a pervert

The news that Princess Taiping had chosen Li Changchun, the eldest son of Li Canzheng, as her husband quickly spread, and the most angry person among them was Li Changchun's stepmother, Mrs. Canzheng. It wasn't that she wanted her son to become a husband, but in her heart, she couldn't tolerate any benefits falling on this "bastard" in her eyes.

The Minister's wife was furious. She picked up the teacup on the table and threw it to the ground. "This bastard, he actually has this kind of luck. He was actually chosen as the prince consort. He's not even afraid of shortening his life!"

Nanny Zhou hurriedly asked the other maids to leave and advised, "Madam, please don't be angry for now. Princess Taiping hasn't said anything clear yet. Why don't you discuss with the master how to postpone this marriage?"

The Minister's wife sneered, "Master? Humph, he's probably so happy he doesn't know what to do. Don't I know him? A useless wretch who only cares about personal gain. How could he possibly turn down an offer of connection to the royal family?"

Nanny Zhou frowned and said, "That can't be right. The mansion has always treated him badly. Isn't the master afraid that he will take revenge on the Li family after becoming a consort?"

The councilor's wife said, "Isn't that all my fault? What does it have to do with the councilor? At most, he'll be branded as a lax steward. He can divorce me or let me die of illness. It's not like he hasn't done anything wrong!"

As she spoke, she became overwhelmed with grief and tightly grasped Madam Zhou's hand: "Madam, I hate it so much! If it weren't for my family's reputation, why would I have endured it for so many years!"

At first, the wife of the councilor really thought that Li Guangren liked her, otherwise he would not have proposed to her family right after the mourning period for his first wife and vowed not to take a concubine.

However, ever since Li Guangren became a higher official than her family, he first took concubines one after another without regard for her dignity. Then, after she returned to her parents' home in anger, she heard from her concubine sister that "this is the retribution for forcing her original wife to death." Only then did she realize that what she had always believed was a joke.

She was an extremely domineering and proud person, otherwise she would not have found Li Changchun's existence annoying. She wanted to divorce Li Guangren at that time, but she already had her own child by then, and her mother advised her to consider the reputation of her family, so she had no choice but to endure it.

From then on, she began to torture Li Changchun more and more to vent her resentment.

It’s just that the weak can only raise their butcher knives against the weaker ones.

Nanny Zhou suddenly had an idea and said, "Thank you, Prince Consort, the mourning period has just ended, and Princess Taiping is already making such a fuss about selecting a new bride. Even with the dignity of the royal family, I'm sure the wife of the Marquis of Anning, who loves her son dearly, can't tolerate this. Madam, you can wait until there's a commotion in the Marquis of Anning's mansion, and then take your time."

The wife of the councilor's eyes lit up: "Yes, Madam, you are right. I don't believe that the wife of the Marquis of Anning will be happy if her daughter-in-law remarries right after she finishes mourning. I am not in a hurry, not in a hurry. The Marquis of Anning is still in the Northern Frontier. I am sure the emperor will have to consider the attitude of the Marquis of Anning's mansion. I don't think this marriage will be successful. It will not be successful."

However, things did not develop according to her plan. Before the An Ning Marquis' Mansion had time to do what she wanted and make any noise, Lin Ruan had already entered the palace to request the imperial edict.

The wife of the councilor accepted the imperial edict respectfully, and had to grit her teeth and prepare Princess Shang's things for Li Changchun.

At this time, she could only comfort herself: Li Changchun was neither good at literature nor martial arts, and he would not be liked by the princess even if they got married; the position of son-in-law was a nominal one without real power, and no matter what Li Changchun did, he could not compare to her own son.

Lin Ruan's purpose of entering the palace this time was not only to choose a son-in-law, she also had a more important task - to persuade the emperor to form a fleet to go to sea for trade.

The Sheng Dynasty had already conquered Wa and mined a large amount of silver, which was undoubtedly a huge opportunity for the country's development. The emperor was young and promising, always ready to do something big, so Lin Ruan believed this was a great opportunity.

Lin Ruan wasn't idle during her three years of mourning. Under Kong Zhu's care, her cloth shop and embroidery workshop expanded to the Jiangnan region, and business flourished. She also compiled a Lin Ruan adaptation of "Records of Western Foreign Countries," drawing on the books she'd read in her original world and her knowledge of Southeast Asia. While the book might not be as detailed as the original, she believed it would be enough to convince the emperor to establish a fleet to trade with neighboring nations.

Lin Ruan was confident because she remembered that Zheng He's voyages to the West took place during the early Ming Dynasty. With the added benefit of Japanese silver mines, the Sheng Dynasty's economy was strong, so it made no sense for it to be inferior to the early Ming Dynasty. Therefore, she decided to use this book to persuade the emperor.

She asked the system to make the book old and took it to see the emperor.

Lin Ruan said, "Your Majesty, I think that the Sheng Dynasty is now strong. We might as well organize a fleet and go to sea to exchange with the neighboring vassal states to enhance our national prestige."

The emperor was a little surprised: "Oh? Why do you say that, my sister?"

Lin Ruan took out her book and respectfully handed it to the emperor, saying, "I've been sorting out old things these past few days. Your Majesty, as you know, I'm about to get a new husband..." She lowered her head and pretended to be shy for a few seconds before continuing with a serious tone, "It was by chance that I discovered this book. I took a quick look and found that it talks about the geography and culture of the Western vassal states. It also says that it's warm there all year round and that food can be harvested twice or even three times a year. I thought: why not, Dasheng, take our silk, tea, and other valuables and exchange them for their food or silver? This would further enrich our treasury, and also weaken the vassal states and maintain our rule."

Lin Ruan said embarrassedly, "This is just my humble opinion. After all, I lost my parents in the Northern Frontier and experienced war there myself. I always think that if the other vassal states had weakened, the Sheng Dynasty wouldn't have had so many wars that separated the people."

The emperor was unaware of the previous emperor's dark deeds. He nodded in agreement and praised, "My sister is also a person who loves the people."

Lin Ruan said: "There is also a little selfishness mixed in with this."

This sentence actually piqued the emperor's curiosity: "Oh? Imperial sister, tell me, what are your selfish motives?"

Lin Ruan said, "My sister's cloth shop has a backlog of homespun cloth and cotton embroidery, but she doesn't want to sell them at a low price and compete with the people for profit. I happened to see this book and thought that maybe I could sell it to the unsophisticated people in the vassal state, so, so..."

The emperor spoke for Lin Ruan, saying, "Is that why you rushed into the palace to see me without even finishing the book?"

Lin Ruan was shy and said nothing.

The emperor smiled and said, "Leave this book with me. I'll take a closer look. I'll also discuss the establishment of a fleet with my ministers before making a decision. My dear sister, you can just stay in the mansion and wait for your wedding. I will never let you go without selling the cloth you have."

Lin Ruan whispered, "Yes, I'll take my leave."