The Legend of Zhen Huan Reborn: Overthrowing Zhen Huan to Become the Queen Mother

Jiang Ruyin waved her hand, and the painter tactfully left.

Jiang Ruyin stepped forward and examined the painting carefully. "The rich ink and light colors make it look lifelike. Does Your Majesty find anything wrong with it?"

"Hmm." The emperor still frowned and pulled Jiang Ruyin over to look at her carefully. "I am getting old, but Yin'er is still as charming as ever."

When she entered the palace, the emperor was thirty-two, and Jiang Ruyin was no more than a young girl. Back then, Jiang Ruyin was a stunning beauty, and the emperor was also a man of extraordinary valor. Now, the emperor has begun to show signs of age, but Jiang Ruyin is still in her prime.

Jiang Ruyin's eyes lightly swept over the fine lines at the corners of the emperor's eyes, and she curled her lips. She reached out and gently stroked the man's slightly weathered eyebrows and eyes, and a soft laugh flowed out of her beautiful mouth, "The emperor cares about the affairs of the world, and his heart is full of ravines. He has his own wise and heroic charm."

The emperor's eyes showed joy, but his tone was still full of sighs, "You are a demon."

that night,

As the lights came on, the hot springs were thick with mist, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. The emperor, stripping off his dragon robes and donning a simple white dress, stepped into the warm spring, sending a wave of water spraying down his face. Jiang Ruyin followed, her figure graceful, a crimson gauze draped across her slender form. She slowly stepped into the spring, the water instantly enveloping her delicate frame. She lifted her arms gently, and droplets of water slid down her fair skin.

The emperor smiled faintly upon seeing this, and gently scooped up a handful of water and sprinkled it on Jiang Ruyin. Jiang Ruyin exclaimed in surprise, but returned the favor, and for a moment, the hot spring was filled with laughter and splashing water.

The emperor swam to Jiang Ruyin and gently put his arms around her slender waist. Jiang Ruyin's cheeks flushed and she looked at the emperor angrily, but did not struggle.

As if to prove Jiang Ruyin's words, the emperor became furious.

Wisps of white smoke rise up, and the milky white spring water ripples continuously.

For a long time, Jiang Ruyin rested her head on her arms, her chest heaving, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

The emperor leaned over and hugged her waist, causing another shudder.

In my ears is the man's deep and seductive whisper, in front of me is the veil with mist and fragrance.

She glared at him angrily, and the shy and charming look in her eyes made him feel angry.

The saying goes: "In the plum blossom tent, we laugh together, yet joy and happiness are hard to bear, and we are constantly rebuffed. A hundred beauties spring up, and the soul is in disarray; before the three peaks, all the bones melt away. Love surpasses the Yunmeng of the Chu Dynasty, and joy surpasses the traces of ice and jade in the morning dew. When love refuses to end, the cockcrows sing at the fifth watch.

......

(Two thousand words omitted here)

......

The morning light shines through the carved window lattices of the upper and lower skylights, and sprinkles on the edge of the pool in patches.

The two of them played happily until the sky turned pale and the morning light gradually became brighter, then they felt tired.

The emperor was just about to take a nap with Jiang Ruyin, but he was surprised to find that her cheeks were burning, her bright and affectionate eyes were dull, and her body was trembling slightly.

The emperor's heart suddenly sank, and regret washed over him like a tide. He hurriedly ordered the imperial physician to be summoned, and personally fetched a brocade quilt to wrap Jiang Ruyin in. He held her tightly in his arms, as if wanting to pass on his warmth to her.

His brows were furrowed, his eyes full of pity and worry, and he murmured to himself: "It's all my fault. How could I be so careless." Jiang Ruyin was drowsy in his arms, breathing weakly.

Time flowed slowly, from sunrise to zenith, and the emperor stayed by her bedside, never leaving. He looked at Jiang Ruyin's haggard face, his heart aching. The air around them seemed to freeze, and only Jiang Ruyin's occasional cough broke the silence.

It was not until noon that Jiang Ruyin's high fever subsided a little, and the emperor, under the persuasion of everyone, dragged his tired and heavy body slowly out of the sky.

When she ran into Nian Shilan's luxurious sedan chair with intricate workmanship, Nian Shilan was stunned and hurriedly got off the sedan chair to pay her respects.

The emperor raised his eyelids and asked, "Is Shilan heading towards the upper and lower skylight?"

"Yes, the palace sent over the repair and renovation report for Chunxi Palace. I heard about the vast expanse of emerald greenery and thought I'd come over to take a look."

The emperor nodded and said, "Concubine Fang has caught a cold. Just tell me what happened in Chunxi Palace."

Su Peisheng of the Qinzheng Palace had people come back early to prepare tea and snacks. Because the emperor and Nian Shilan said they wanted to discuss the matter of the Chunxi Palace, he asked people to leave the imperial meal in the kitchen to keep it warm.

Even after the two of them sat down, the emperor's mind was still in the sky.

Nian Shilan looked at every scene and object in the Qinzheng Hall, and suddenly felt unfamiliar, and her fingertips trembled.

Too long, too much time had passed. Eight months had passed since her brother's death, but it felt like years. Both this Qinzheng Palace and the Emperor were completely unfamiliar to her.

The two people, each with their own thoughts, remained silent.

The emperor picked up the teacup and said, "Try your favorite Rain-front Longjing tea."

Nian Shilan curled the corners of his mouth, raised his hand blankly, and froze it in mid-air.

Songzhi anxiously pulled her sleeve quietly and stuffed the account book into her palm.

"...

The cost of carpentry for the construction of the upper and lower columns of the main hall was 66 taels of silver for lumber; the cost of carpentry for the construction of the rear columns and the renovation of the front gatehouse of the second hall was 44 taels of silver; the cost of bricklaying was 26 taels of silver; the cost of erecting two statues was 2 taels of silver; the cost of lime, charcoal, and coal for the flooring of the east and lower halls, and the repair of the front and back walls, was 22 taels of silver; the cost of buying praises was 25 taels of silver; the cost of buying dead wood was 24 taels of silver; the cost of two meetings for each carpenter to raise the beams, and the monthly cost of wine for each carpenter was 22 taels of silver; the cost of painting and varnishing was 6 taels of silver; the cost of purchasing the stone tablets and other items was 5 taels of silver and 9 qian. The total cost of all this was 241 taels of silver.

......

The total is 213,800 qian of silver."

After reporting this huge sum of money, Nian Shilan felt much clearer.

Talking freely:

"The main part of Chunxi Hall was completely destroyed, and the surrounding buildings in Shou'an Palace were more or less affected. Xuanshou Hall was practically razed to the ground. Almost everything needs to be rebuilt. The Ministry of Revenue seems to be taking a disciplinary action, and it's a bit difficult to come up with such a large sum of money to rebuild the harem palace all at once."

After saying this, Nian Shilan's face was filled with joy, and she looked at the emperor expectantly, completely losing her previous confusion.

The emperor came back to his senses when he heard the first payment. His face darkened and he gritted his teeth as he spat out four words, "Raze! To! Level! The! Land?"

Nian Shilan nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

After a while, Nian Shilan left contentedly.

Su Peisheng ordered his men to sweep away the broken pieces of porcelain and glassware scattered on the floor of the Qinzheng Hall, and he hurriedly went to invite the Minister of Revenue.

Half an hour later, the Minister of Revenue Jing'e entered the Qinzheng Hall with a dark face.

Zhang Tingyu, the Minister of Revenue, held multiple positions, and it was Zhang Tingyu's intention to refuse to allocate funds to rebuild Shou'an Palace.

The emperor knew it in his heart, but he could not admit it and had to save face.

So Jing'e went through this journey.

The emperor glanced at him and said, "I want to build a new Shou'an Palace. What does the Ministry of Revenue mean?"

Jing'e cursed in his heart, but said respectfully on the surface: "New repairs are of course no problem, but this amount of silver is not enough for new repairs. The Ministry of Revenue keeps fair accounts, so I dare not agree."