My palace is full of female protagonists.

Emperor Zhao Chengyu pondered for a moment, then looked intently at the Empress and slowly said, "Your suggestion to use Consort Leng and her family's influence to 'recruit soldiers and horses' is indeed a strategy worth considering. The Leng family's network of officials in various countries is an invaluable asset to us."

The Empress smiled gently and softly echoed, "Your Majesty is wise. I think so too. Although Consort Leng is a substitute bride, she keeps a low profile in the palace, which is a kind of camouflage. If we can make good use of her identity, we will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Zhao Chengyu frowned slightly, revealing the deep thought unique to an emperor: "However, Consort Leng herself may not be interested in this, and may even be resistant to it. I know her personality; she is unwilling to get easily involved in palace intrigues."

The Empress nodded slightly, a sly glint in her eyes: "Your Majesty is absolutely right, but as the matter of Consort Fang shows, we don't necessarily need Consort Leng herself to participate. We can find a reliable substitute to keep her in the palace, while the real Consort Leng or her influence can operate in the shadows. The key lies in our planning and manipulation."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Chengyu inwardly praised the Empress's wisdom and methods, but maintained his imperial dignity and composure: "The Empress is absolutely right, and I will consider this matter. However, before taking action, we need to communicate with the Leng family to ensure that they will not misunderstand or be dissatisfied. After all, the Leng family's support is crucial to us."

The Empress smiled slightly, as if everything was under control: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will personally arrange everything to ensure its smooth progress. At the same time, I will also secretly observe Consort Leng's reaction to see if there is an opportunity to persuade her to voluntarily join our plan. After all, true cooperation is always based on the mutual consent of both parties."

Zhao Chengyu nodded in agreement, his tone carrying an undeniable air of authority: "Let's summon Lord Leng to the palace first and hear his thoughts. After all, the core of this operation lies in how to utilize the Leng family's power." With that, he waved his hand lightly, signaling the Empress to begin preparations.

The Empress immediately accepted the order, turned around and walked to the desk, picked up her pen and wrote the imperial edict summoning Lord Leng. Every word was written neatly and powerfully, revealing her inner caution and seriousness.

Seeing this, Zhao Chengyu slowly stood up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the palace gates and beyond the walls, reaching into the distance. "Empress, please check the documents carefully again, making sure there are no oversights." After saying this, he strode towards the side room, where Lord Lou was waiting for him, holding a heavy stack of blueprints.

After writing the imperial edict, the Empress was about to hand it to a palace maid when she suddenly stopped, as if something was stuck in her throat, hesitant to speak. Watching Zhao Chengyu about to leave, she finally mustered the courage to ask the question that had been nagging at her, just as the small box was about to open. "Was the matter with the opera house your idea? Or..." Her voice trembled slightly, clearly filled with unease about the question.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Chengyu stopped and turned to look at her with a deep gaze the Empress had never seen before. "The opera stage outside the palace, or even the one at the corner of the palace wall, was all my idea." His tone was calm and firm, yet it inexplicably sent a chill down the Empress's spine. "Does the Empress find anything amiss?"

The Empress was taken aback by Zhao Chengyu's sudden gaze. She sensed that the Emperor was indeed quite different from before. Every decision he made seemed more decisive, even carrying an undeniable resolve. This change made her feel both unfamiliar and somewhat uneasy.

"Your Majesty, I just feel..." The Empress hesitated, unsure how to express her feelings. Was she worried that Zhao Chengyu's decisions were too risky, or feared that they concealed a deeper meaning she couldn't comprehend? "I just feel that Your Majesty's recent decisions are becoming more and more unexpected," she could only express herself tactfully in the end.

Zhao Chengyu smiled slightly, a smile that contained both reassurance for the Empress and the confidence and decisiveness of an emperor. "Empress, there is no need to worry. Everything I have done is for the sake of the Great Zhao Dynasty. As for those seemingly astonishing decisions, they are merely necessary means for me to achieve my goals."

After saying this, he didn't linger and turned to walk towards the side room, leaving the Empress alone on the spot, watching his departing figure, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

Zhao Qi'er sat on a chaise lounge, her posture dignified and elegant. Her slender fingers gently traced every inch of the blueprints, her eyes filled with anticipation and excitement for the soon-to-be-completed opera house. The exquisite model of the opera house on the table seemed like a miniature version of the future.

Lord Lou stood respectfully to the side, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the model, but mostly focused on the blueprints in Zhao Qi'er's hands and her passionate eyes. Although Zhao Qi'er, as a Noble Consort, granted him special permission to stand and speak, he still maintained the proper humility and caution.

Just as Zhao Qi'er rose and was discussing the details of the blueprints with Lord Lou, Emperor Zhao Chengyu quietly entered the room. Lord Lou was unaware until he accidentally bumped into the Emperor while backing up, only then realizing he had inadvertently offended the Emperor. He was terrified and immediately knelt down, his voice trembling as he begged for forgiveness: "Your Majesty, I am guilty! I have offended Your Majesty! Please punish me!"

Seeing this, Zhao Chengyu was not angry. Instead, he reached out and helped Lord Lou up, saying gently, "Lord Lou, there is no need to panic. I have not blamed you. Get up, let's take a look at the blueprints for this theater together."

Seeing this, Zhao Qi'er quickly stood up, bowed to the Emperor, and then smiled gently: "Your Majesty, I was discussing the details of the opera house with Lord Lou. Your arrival is just in time. Could you please take a look at the blueprints and see if there are any areas that need improvement?"

Zhao Chengyu walked to the table and carefully examined the blueprints and model, his eyes shining with approval. He turned to Zhao Qier, his tone tinged with affection: "The Imperial Concubine's vision is indeed unique. The design of this opera house not only retains the grandeur of the royal family but also takes into account artistic beauty. Lord Lou, you deserve all the credit."

Upon hearing this, Lord Lou was overjoyed and quickly replied humbly, "This humble subject is unworthy of such praise. It is entirely thanks to the wise guidance of His Majesty and the Imperial Concubine that this humble subject was able to complete this work."

Zhao Chengyu recalled a documentary he had once watched, in which a theater at the corner of the city wall showcased an amazing mechanism—capable of cleverly suspending actors to create dazzling visual effects on stage. An idea struck him, and he shared it with the man beside him, Lord Lou.

"Lord Lou, I recall hearing that theaters in other countries have a clever mechanism that can suspend people in mid-air. Do you know how it works?" Zhao Chengyu's words carried a hint of testing.

Upon hearing this, Lord Lou was stunned. Although he came from a family of officials in the Ministry of Works and had some knowledge of mechanical arts, he had never heard of such a unique design. He scratched his head and replied somewhat awkwardly, "Your humble servant is ignorant and has never seen such an ingenious object, let alone know how many weights it requires."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Chengyu smiled slightly, his eyes gleaming with wisdom: "You come from a family of officials in the Ministry of Works, how could you be stumped by such a simple principle of physics? Think of how, when digging a well, the force of the rollers allows even an elderly person to easily lift four catties of water. Why don't you apply this principle to the opera house? Build two huge rollers on the top floor, connect them with ropes, and wouldn't that allow the actors to be suspended in mid-air?"

Upon hearing this, Lord Lou suddenly realized the truth. He slapped his thigh excitedly and exclaimed, "Your Majesty is wise! This humble servant is foolish and never thought of such a wonderful method. In this way, all we need to do is set up a rope mechanism at the bottom, and the actors can float left and right on the stage, like fairies descending to earth!"

Zhao Chengyu nodded in approval, then thought of a detail: "However, the tightness of the ropes may cause some damage to the actor's body, and we need to find a way to solve this." After a moment's thought, he continued, "We can make a waist brace out of cowhide, which is both soft and tough, and can both protect the actor and ensure the stable operation of the mechanism."

Lord Lou nodded repeatedly, his eyes sparkling with excitement and gratitude: "Your Majesty's consideration is thorough. This humble subject will certainly do his utmost, trying various materials to ensure absolute success. As long as this method is feasible, even using baskets or planks will surely be able to support the actors steadily, making this performance a great spectacle in the capital!"

Zhao Chengyu's eyes revealed his meticulous attention to detail and his emphasis on safety. He continued, "Lord Lou, the design of this opera house is indeed ingenious, but we must not be negligent in the slightest when it comes to safety. Especially with such mechanical devices, they must undergo rigorous testing before each use. We must test them with heavy objects or inanimate objects to ensure that there are no mistakes, so that the actors can perform on stage with peace of mind and not be injured due to mechanical failure."

Upon hearing this, Lord Lou nodded solemnly, knowing the weight of his responsibility. He replied respectfully, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. Your humble servant will certainly follow Your Majesty's orders, strictly control every testing procedure, and ensure the safety of the theater and the lives of the actors."

Then, Zhao Chengyu changed the subject, mentioning the importance of fire prevention: "Furthermore, the opera stage is located on the city wall, a high place. If a fire breaks out, the consequences would be unimaginable. Therefore, fire prevention measures must be taken to the extreme. Lord Lou, have you ever heard of fire-retardant paint?"

Lord Lou was slightly taken aback, then replied, "Your Majesty does know that there are lacquer trees in the south, and their sap can be made into wood lacquer to protect wood from insects and water damage. But as for fire-retardant lacquer, Your Majesty has not studied it in depth and does not know how it can be fire-retardant."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Chengyu couldn't help but ponder. In this era, technology was underdeveloped, and he, too, knew very little about the specific components and principles of fire-retardant paint. Although he had received nine years of compulsory education, the knowledge system of that time was vastly different from that here, and he was completely ignorant of the specific details of fire-retardant paint. He shook his head slightly, smiled wryly, and then said to Lord Lou:

"Since the matter of fire-retardant paint is still unclear, let's try another approach. Lord Lou, please listen to me. Both the roof of the opera house and the pillars supporting its structure should be made of non-flammable materials as much as possible. Porcelain tiles are hard and fire-resistant, and covering them may provide some fire protection. In addition, multiple fire extinguishers should be installed inside the opera house, and specialized fire prevention personnel should be trained so that they can respond quickly in case of an emergency and ensure the safety of the opera house."

Upon hearing this, Lord Lou's eyes flashed with admiration. He knew that the Emperor's words were true; fire prevention was a matter of utmost importance and could not be taken lightly. He quickly bowed and accepted the order, promising to carry out the Emperor's instructions one by one and ensure the safety of the theater was absolutely guaranteed.

Xiao Kuangzi hurried into the room, his expression anxious. He whispered in Zhao Chengyu's ear, "Your Majesty, Lord Leng requests an audience and is waiting outside the hall." Zhao Chengyu nodded slightly upon hearing this, then turned to Zhao Qi'er and said gently, "Qi'er, you two continue discussing the details and cost budget for the opera house. Send someone to inform me when you have the results. I have some urgent matters to attend to and need to return to the Empress first."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qi'er nodded slightly, her eyes revealing concern and understanding for Zhao Chengyu. Knowing that the Emperor was busy with state affairs and that it was already difficult for him to find time to come here, she said softly, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will discuss this carefully with Lord Lou and will certainly not disappoint Your Majesty's expectations."

After Zhao Chengyu left, Lord Lou stepped forward and said to Zhao Qier, "Your Highness, what the Emperor said today was truly refreshing. I never expected that the Emperor would not only care about national affairs, but also have such vivid ideas about such trivial matters. It is truly admirable."

Zhao Qi'er smiled slightly, but her heart was filled with ripples. She could naturally sense the change in Zhao Chengyu, a change that was not merely superficial but deeply ingrained. She recalled the past, when the Emperor always liked to mention the time she had accompanied him in exile late at night, his words filled with both gratitude and guilt, yet he forbade others to mention it, as if it were a scar he did not want to reopen.

However, the current emperor is completely different. He no longer frequently mentions that past, and even intentionally or unintentionally avoids the topic. More importantly, his lifestyle and way of speaking have undergone subtle changes, as if he has become more mature and composed overnight, and more focused on practicality and efficiency. He often delegates official duties to the empress, while he immerses himself more in thinking and decision-making. This change makes Zhao Qi'er feel both unfamiliar and gratified.

So she sighed softly, pulling her thoughts back to reality, and said to Lord Lou, "Lord Lou, let's continue discussing the matter of the opera house. Since His Majesty has entrusted this matter to us, we must do our best and live up to his trust."

Lord Lou gazed at Zhao Qi'er, his heart filled with joy and excitement. The Emperor's change not only gave him hope for the future of the nation, but also made him feel an unprecedented sense of importance and trust. He knew that being entrusted with such an important task by the Emperor, participating in the construction of such a significant and innovative opera house, was a great fortune in his official career.

"Your Highness, I will do my utmost to live up to the Emperor's and Your Highness's high expectations," Lord Lou said firmly, his eyes gleaming with determination.