Tan Hua - Chapter 30

“Good? What’s good about it?”

Jun Qiyu, with his different state of mind, couldn’t understand the fleeting beauty that Song Liqing saw.

Jun Qiyu commanded, “Come here.”

Song Liqing froze for a moment, feeling a surge of nervousness.

Now, when Jun Qiyu called him, his first reaction was fear.

Jun Qiyu’s unpredictability made it impossible for Song Liqing to foresee what he might do.

Jun Qiyu noticed his unease and raised an eyebrow.

“What are you afraid of? Do you think I’ll eat you?”

Song Liqing obeyed, his legs weak and his limbs sore. He mustered the strength to walk to Jun Qiyu’s side, a fine sweat appearing on his forehead.

Jun Qiyu was displeased with Song Liqing’s silence, finding his subdued demeanor unsatisfactory. Previously, he would cry and make a fuss; now, he was as silent as a gourd.

“What are you standing there for? Sit down.”

“Sit…?”

Song Liqing was somewhat overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. Since their marriage, he had rarely had the opportunity to sit close to Jun Qiyu, let alone walk side by side.

Jun Qiyu always kept his distance.

Jun Qiyu shoved the wolf-hair brush into Song Liqing’s hand.

“You write.”

Jun Qiyu stretched out his long legs and grabbed a bunch of grapes from the table, eating them one by one without peeling the skin.

Song Liqing glanced at the memorials; they were the reports presented to the emperor by the officials.

“Qiyu, these are memorials. I can’t write them,” Song Liqing said.

Jun Qiyu tilted his head and said, “Father wants me to learn how to review memorials. He says that to govern the country, I must first understand its affairs. Didn’t you pass the imperial exams with your policy essays? This is a good use of your skills.”

“But the Emperor wants you to learn. It’s not appropriate to let someone else do it…”

Before Song Liqing could finish, Jun Qiyu, displeased, threw the grapes back into the fruit tray.

“But what? These days, the country is peaceful and the people are content. What big issues could there be? At most, it’s something like the Yellow River flooding or a locust plague in the south. What can those officials do besides asking for money? They say it’s for disaster relief, but it all ends up in their pockets. Just write something to get by.”

Song Liqing had never succeeded in refusing Jun Qiyu’s demands.

Just like when Jun Qiyu forced him to do his homework back in the day.

“Qiyu, our handwriting is different. The Emperor will see through it at a glance.”

“That’s true…”

Jun Qiyu’s mind worked quickly when it came to crafty ideas.

“How about this: you write it on paper, and I’ll copy it over later.”

With that, Jun Qiyu turned away, playing with a little beast he kept that was somewhere between a mouse and a rabbit.

Song Liqing, feeling helpless, opened the first memorial.

He thought for a moment. Defying Jun Qiyu’s wishes would only make him more resentful, but he could read it aloud. With Jun Qiyu listening, it would be almost as good as if he reviewed it himself.

So Song Liqing deliberately read aloud: “… Eleven fishing ports in the coastal provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang were plundered by water bandits, leaving the people destitute. Qiyu…”

Jun Qiyu, not bothering to turn around, said loudly, “Aren’t there always troops stationed along the coast? If they failed to protect the people, it’s their negligence. The General of Coastal Defense and all the soldiers should be punished. Considering their past merits, they should redeem themselves by killing bandits. Reward ten taels of silver for each bandit killed, with no upper limit. I don’t believe they would remain so complacent with such a reward.”

Song Liqing smiled and wrote down his thoughts.

“What about the damaged villages and farms?”

“What else can be done? The court should provide relief funds.”

“How much should be allocated?” Song Liqing asked.

“Uh… ten thousand… no, eight thousand taels.”

“Only eight thousand taels? Isn’t that too little? You said officials would embezzle, so each household wouldn’t get much.”

Jun Qiyu sat up and said, “You don’t understand. People always resent when they get too much at once. If they become too comfortable, they’ll develop lazy habits, relying solely on government funds. If the funding stops, they might rebel. Besides, do you think local officials would give them more if we allocate more?”

Song Liqing couldn’t tell if Jun Qiyu was right, but his reasoning seemed valid. He wrote down Jun Qiyu’s wishes.

“The next memorial says…”

Outside the room, Xiaodi glanced inside.

The Crown Prince and Crown Prince Consort were sitting together, one reading, the other responding, surprisingly harmonious.

The flickering candlelight made their shadows look perfectly matched.

Xiaodi was happy for Song Liqing and deliberately delayed bringing in the evening meal to avoid interrupting them.

For several days in a row, Jun Qiyu brought memorials to Song Liqing for review.

Jun Qiyu no longer looked at Song Liqing with anger but with a smile.

“Father finally praised me today.”

Jun Qiyu said excitedly as he sat down.

Seeing his happiness, Song Liqing couldn’t help but smile slightly.

After all, Jun Qiyu was still youthful. Usually irritable, he brightened up when praised.

“What did he praise you for?” Song Liqing asked.

“He praised me for starting to handle state affairs and said my reviews of the memorials were decent. Most of them were sent back to the officials without any changes. He just said my handwriting was poor, haha.”

“Then you should practice your writing more.” Song Liqing poured him a cup of tea.

“Practice, my foot. What does it matter if my writing is fancy?” Jun Qiyu gulped down the tea and squinted at Song Liqing. “Don’t think I don’t know your intentions, always urging me to study this and that.”

So he knew all along but just didn’t expose it.

Song Liqing nodded, feeling a surge of warmth. This must be what happiness felt like.

“I just hope… you’ll be a good emperor someday.”

I hope everything goes well for you.

Even though I won’t see that day.

“Hmph, I will definitely be a good emperor.”

Jun Qiyu, naturally confident and proud, never doubted his abilities.

As usual, Song Liqing read the memorials. His eyesight wasn’t good, and he could only read the words up close by the candlelight.

Jun Qiyu watched his profile illuminated by the warm yellow light, clean and neat with no extra lines. His lips moved gently, and his voice was clear and soft. Jun Qiyu felt a tingling sensation all over and gradually lost focus, not hearing what Song Liqing was reading.

“…Qiyu, what do you think?” Song Liqing turned his head when he got no response. “Qiyu?”

“Huh?”

Jun Qiyu hastily withdrew his dazed gaze.

“Uh… well, whatever you think is best.”

Jun Qiyu felt a bit embarrassed. He had never stared at someone so intently before, not even the many beauties from the Western Regions who never caught his eye.

“Song Liqing, you deserve some credit for Father’s approval. Why don’t you just…”

Jun Qiyu had been pondering this for a long time but didn’t want to lose face by saying it.

Song Liqing saw him struggling to speak.

“Hmm?” Song Liqing waited for him to continue.

“I mean… why don’t you just continue being my Crown Princess, and we won’t need to separate.”

Jun Qiyu mumbled the words, his manner awkward and hesitant.