Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Ah Lang, I've thought about it. The pagoda should be made in the image of my husband and me. People shouldn't only remember my image; it should be the two of us together. Go and revise the blueprints right away, okay?"

Jiang Mengxuan looked at Shen Lang with anticipation.

Shen Lang knew he absolutely couldn't go against her at this moment, but it was utterly impossible for him to put his image on par with Jiang Mengxuan's.

"Xuan'er, this really can't be done. If you really care about me, how about this: we can build the interior of the Pagoda into a shrine to commemorate the meritorious people of our Great Chu? What do you think?"

Jiang Mengxuan was taken aback: "Transform it into a martyrs' shrine?"

Shen Lang nodded: "The Great Chu's prosperity today is thanks not only to you and me, and the entire court, but also to all the people of the land."

Without them, even the best system cannot be implemented smoothly. The original purpose of building the Pagoda was to let the people of the world remember the great achievements of our Great Chu.

But these great achievements were accomplished by the people of our Great Chu. We must not let down those who have contributed to the nation.

Jiang Mengxuan fell silent, gently stroking her swollen belly.

"With our heroes still alive, our Great Chu will surely prosper for ten thousand years. Even after their deaths, they deserve to be worshipped with incense."

At the same time, it allows future generations to understand their life stories, which is more meaningful than making a statue in my likeness, isn't it?

After listening to Shen Lang's suggestion, Jiang Mengxuan, who had been silent for a long time, smiled slightly: "I understand, Lang. In that case, let's do as you say."

At this moment, Jiang Mengxuan finally realized that if she placed Shen Lang's statue alongside her own in a public place, it would definitely cause an unnecessary uproar.

However, Shen Lang's suggestion would earn him another wave of praise.

Even at this point, her husband still wanted to earn a good reputation for her.

Marrying such a man was truly the best decision Jiang Mengxuan ever made in her life.

"Thank you for your understanding, Madam."

"Come and touch our babies, I feel they're about to come out."

Jiang Mengxuan gently placed Shen Lang's hand on her abdomen.

Feeling the obvious fetal movement, Shen Lang felt a warmth in his heart, but at the same time, he was also worried about Jiang Mengxuan's approaching delivery date.

It will be very painful then, won't it?

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, dozens of officials are in the Xuanzheng Hall demanding that Your Majesty halt the construction of the Pagoda. We request that Your Majesty go and de-escalate the situation."

Jiang Mengxuan was furious. Did these officials really have nothing better to do?

Ever since the initial plans for the Pagoda project were put in place, these officials have been like dogs that have smelled a bone, relentlessly attacking the project.

The criticisms keep revolving around the same old problem: wasting resources and manpower.

"I'll go check on you. You take good care of yourself during your pregnancy."

"Well, be careful."

After giving Jiang Mengxuan a reassuring look, Shen Lang got up and followed Qingwen toward Xuanzheng Hall.

……

At this moment, in the Xuanzheng Hall, the officials gathered together to criticize the drawbacks of the construction of the pagoda.

"Your Majesty has truly lost your mind. How could you do something so counterproductive? The Pagoda project is enormous, not to mention how much manpower and resources it will waste!"

The speaker was Sun Qian, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy and a third-rank official.

"That's right. Farmers should focus on farming. If everyone goes to work in factories, who will farm? If the harvest is poor next year, aren't you afraid of widespread famine?"

Li Shilin, a third-rank official in the Censorate, was also filled with indignation.

As for the other colleagues, under the encouragement of the two, they also strongly opposed the construction of the pagoda.

"The Prince Regent has arrived!"

Just as everyone was discussing, accompanied by a shout from a palace eunuch, Shen Lang strode into the main hall of Xuanzheng Hall.

The hall fell silent immediately, and everyone stood ramrod straight, leaning slightly forward to welcome Shen Lang's arrival.

Shen Lang didn't even glance at anyone. He walked directly to the head seat, sat down gracefully, picked up his teacup, and said, "Please sit down, everyone."

However, no one sat down.

Shen Lang paused, holding the teacup, and let out a cold snort.

"What, nobody wants to sit?"

Sun Qian was the first to step forward, cupping his hands to Shen Lang and saying, "Your Majesty, these days we have been unable to eat or drink. How can we sit on the dry bank with a clear conscience when we think about the cost of the Pagoda project?"

His words immediately resonated with the other officials, and they all refused to sit down.

"Trying to intimidate me? How naive."

Seeing this, Shen Lang sneered inwardly. After lightly sliding the lid off his teacup and taking a sip of water, he immediately ordered the person outside the door, "Someone come here!"

Soon, a palace attendant entered the hall: "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

"Since you gentlemen are unwilling to take a seat, let's remove all the chairs."

"As ordered."

The eunuch held Shen Lang in high esteem, and immediately arranged for someone to carry out his orders as soon as he spoke.

Seeing their chairs being pulled away so easily, Sun Qian, Li Shilin, and the others couldn't help but cast malicious glances at Shen Lang.

After all the chairs were removed, Shen Lang finally spoke and asked, "Now, are you all satisfied? Let's skip the small talk and speak your mind."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Qian immediately said, "This humble official dares to ask the Regent to cancel the pagoda project."

"why?"

Shen Lang didn't even look up, but simply asked a question in return.

Seeing Shen Lang's neither humble nor arrogant attitude, Sun Qian couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

But he still mustered his courage and said, "The pagoda project is a waste of resources and manpower and is of no benefit to the country. I urge the Regent to stop the construction."

"How exactly is it a waste of manpower and resources?"

Shen Lang continued to ask questions, still without looking up.

Li Shilin immediately chimed in: "The construction of the pagoda is extremely costly, and the people's farming activities will be delayed as a result, which will reduce the grain tax next year. I urge the Regent to reconsider!"

"How do you know that farmers will miss out on farming next year, and how are you sure that grain taxes will be reduced? Hmm?"

Shen Lang's calm retort left Li Shilin, Sun Qian, and the other officials somewhat at a loss for words.

Sun Qian immediately replied, "Your Highness, I have already visited the Ministry of Works. This pagoda will cost at least ten million taels of silver."

"Your Majesty, what is the significance of spending so much money to build a pagoda for the nation?"

"It's meaningless."

Unexpectedly, Shen Lang replied with a blank expression.

Just as these officials were feeling extremely surprised, Shen Lang continued.

"Just like how you, Lord Sun, spent 230,000 taels of silver to build a villa in the suburbs of Jinling, may I ask what significance this villa has for the country?"

"And you, Lord Li Shilin, you spent 200,000 taels of silver from your family to contract the entire Meishan Mountain in order to relocate your ancestral graves. What is the significance of that for the country?"

"As for the rest of you here (standing), I will not list them all. May I ask, what is the significance of what you have done for the country?"

These words silenced everyone present.

After a long silence, Sun Qian almost angrily blurted out, "Those were all paid for with our own money, and have nothing to do with the country."

"So you mean the money used to repair the pagoda was public money?"

A cold glint flashed in Shen Lang's eyes, causing Sun Qian to immediately pull his head back in.

"Why are you all silent? Speak up! You people won't let anyone talk about using your own money, but everyone's indignant that His Majesty used his own money to build a pagoda?"

"I'm making this clear today: anyone who dares to oppose the construction of the Pagoda again will face my wrath!"