Chapter 1497: The Imperial Family

"Let's hope so..." The Emperor smiled, then turned to look at his children. "Oh my, I haven't seen you in a few months — you've all grown taller!"

"So Your Majesty does realize it's been months?" Imperial Noble Consort Mu Shulan shot the Emperor a look of feigned displeasure. "His Majesty is busy with state affairs, and we naturally have no right to comment, but surely you can't keep going without seeing your family? We can wait, but the children have all been crying and clamoring to see Your Majesty, one after another. We hardly know how to soothe them anymore..."

"Ah, I've let you all down..." A trace of awkwardness crept into the Emperor's smile, tinged with guilt. "I've been tied up with a major matter this whole time, with hardly any moment to rest. But it's settled now — we held a grand assembly, and everything that needed deciding has been more or less decided. From here on I can take a proper rest. Once the new year arrives, we'll see what those civil and military ministers can do!"

"That would be wonderful." Consort Hui, née Meng, looked overjoyed. "Sheng'er has been clamoring for days, insisting that Your Majesty accompany him in his studies. I couldn't talk him out of it no matter what I tried. This time, Your Majesty must do him the honor of spending a few days reading with him — otherwise the boy will run completely wild!"

"Haha, of course, of course!" The Emperor laughed heartily. "Tomorrow I'll summon all the children and see just how well they've been studying lately. Those who've done well will be rewarded; those who haven't... will get the plank! The great affairs can wait until next year. For the remaining days of this one, I'll devote myself to giving you all a good bit of trouble! Hahahaha!"

Seeing the Emperor laugh so heartily, everyone at the table laughed along with him. The laughter of the entire family echoed through the vast Palace of Heavenly Purity, diluting the lonely atmosphere of that great hall.

The Emperor's explanation had been somewhat vague, but no one pressed him on what that "major matter" actually was. The Empress and the Imperial Noble Consort were both cautious, prudent women; they had always confined themselves to managing the household and refrained from excessive involvement in state affairs, fearful of influencing the Emperor's governance and judgment. Under the two consorts' management, the discipline of the inner court, though seemingly more relaxed than in the previous dynasty, was in truth still extremely strict. Even though the Emperor was mild-mannered by nature and often joked and chatted familiarly with his consorts, no one ever pried into the affairs of the outer court.

Because of their special status, the Duke of Wei's family also had frequent dealings with the imperial family. Still, there was a difference in rank after all, so they did not interject, merely eating their dishes in silence, smiling along with the imperial family, and enjoying the rare honor of sharing a meal with them.

After chatting about family matters for a while, however, the Empress's gaze settled upon the Duke of Wei.

Lately, for the construction of the defensive works around the capital, the Duke of Wei, Xu Housheng — who served as Minister of Works — had been constantly traveling between the various bastion-fort construction sites outside the capital, supervising the progress and quality of the work. He had been in charge of the Xuzhou group's industrial and construction projects for many years, so this was familiar ground for him. Yet, after years of weathering wind and frost, that once somewhat refined young man had now grown dark and thin. Especially in the past year, since he was so often away from the capital, he had seen his elder sister far less frequently. After months apart, the Empress's heart ached at the sight of her younger brother now.

"Housheng, you've grown so much thinner, and your face so much darker. You've truly worked hard these past months!" The bond between siblings ran deep, and the Empress's eyes were full of concern. "Come, have some fish. You should rest properly for a while too — don't wear yourself out."

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress." Though the Empress spoke with great warmth, the Duke of Wei did not slacken in the slightest, instead thanking her with utmost deference — his son was here, his nephews and nieces were all here, and he had to set an example for them of respecting one's elders.

"Your servant has merely been traveling around on inspection tours these past months. I've had attendants looking after me the whole time, and I never had to go do the labor on the worksites myself, so it truly can't be called exhausting. If one is to speak of real exhaustion, it is rather those craftsmen and laborers who have borne the brunt of it..."

"It's nearly the New Year, and it wouldn't do to keep wearing them out — especially with all the snow we've had lately..." The Empress was kindhearted by nature and could not help but plead on behalf of those craftsmen and laborers. "How about this: is your schedule very tight lately? If it's not especially urgent, why not give those workers some leave as well? Besides... most of them aren't from anywhere near the capital region, so even if you give them leave, they can't return to their hometowns and would just have to stay at the worksites. Let me do this — I'll allocate some extra funds from here to buy them some goods for the New Year, to ease their homesickness a little..."

"Your Majesty, please set your mind at ease. The recent work has progressed extremely smoothly and has actually been completed ahead of the schedule I laid out. So, to reward the men below and in consideration of their toil, I have already granted them leave and added an extra month's wages besides." Having been in charge of construction projects for so many years, Xu Housheng had become thoroughly adept at controlling project schedules and motivating craftsmen and laborers. "However, I will also distribute Her Majesty the Empress's gracious bounty to them as well. They will surely be deeply grateful for the imperial family's benevolence!"

The Minister of Works was not offering empty flattery. Compared to the preceding Ming dynasty, the imperial family and court of the present dynasty could be said to be the most considerate toward craftsmen and laborers. In the past, the court only ever unconditionally conscripted commoners for corvée labor — when had the court ever paid laborers wages or distributed New Year bounties? And as for craftsmen, the former Ming had bound them all into hereditary artisan households, forcing them generation after generation to do the same work, yet all the while withholding their due compensation, making them live practically like slaves. How could that compare to now, where they could draw wages according to their labor? Some craftsmen, because their skills were particularly fine and they worked with great dedication, had proposed numerous improvements to construction and production methods, and had even received additional, substantial rewards.

It was precisely because of these policies of the new dynasty that the craftsmen were especially loyal to it and participated so actively in production and construction. The extremely rapid progress on the bastion forts — the capital's key defensive works — was inseparable from the craftsmen's enthusiasm. The Minister of Works felt both gratified and proud of this spirit in the new dynasty, and could only hope that it would be passed down through as many generations as possible.

"You've already granted them leave?" The Empress smiled upon hearing this, looking considerably relieved. "Good. Very good."

She then turned her gaze toward the Crown Prince. "Crown Prince, your uncle lives simply and shows compassion for the common people. You must learn from him."

"Your son understands." The Crown Prince hurriedly nodded. "Your son will certainly take his Imperial Father and his uncle as his models, show compassion for all the people, let them have ample food and clothing, and share in the peace!"

"It's good that you have such intentions!" The Emperor laughed again. "How about this, Crown Prince: didn't I tell you some time ago that I would let you go out and get some fresh air, instead of always being cooped up in your study? As it happens, after the New Year, I'll extend your holiday a bit more. You can go out with your uncle, travel around outside the capital and get some fresh air, and also meet some of the people below..."

"Really? That's wonderful!" The Crown Prince blurted out, his delight written all over his face.

Truth be told, he had been wanting to go out and have some fun for a while now. Lately, they had been cooped up in the study all the time, receiving instruction from a succession of teachers. Though he knew in his heart that this was an obligation he had to fulfill as Crown Prince, he was still a youth after all, and in his heart he had longed for a chance to go out and look around someday. That was why he was so overjoyed the moment his Imperial Father mentioned it.

"Would I say it if it weren't real? What, do you think your Imperial Father would deceive you?" The Emperor deliberately put on a stern face. "But there is one condition: when you go out, you must obey your uncle's arrangements in all things. Do not cause your uncle any trouble, or I will not let you off lightly."

"Your son obeys the decree!" The Crown Prince immediately bowed his head and accepted.

Have the Crown Prince accompany me on my inspection tours? When Xu Housheng first heard this, he was slightly surprised inwardly.

Then, he immediately smiled. The Crown Prince was, after all, his own nephew, and one he had watched grow up since childhood. He therefore held deep affection for him in his heart and was by no means averse to taking him out to see things.

He knew the Crown Prince's character — very strong-willed, yet also very gentle and kind. He was a good child who could listen to others' opinions and show compassion for them. Taking the Crown Prince out would not cause him any trouble; it would only strengthen the bond between uncle and nephew.

"Your servant obeys the decree!" He immediately accepted as well.

The Duke of Wei having agreed so readily, the Empress became somewhat conflicted. As a mother, she also hoped her son could rest properly from his heavy coursework and see something of the world outside. Yet she also feared that he might become too fond of play and neglect his studies, or that once outside and without anyone to discipline him, he might run wild. She could not help but admonish him. "It's fine if the Crown Prince wishes to go out and look around, but you must remember this above all: if your mind can be let out, it must also be able to be drawn back in. You mustn't play for a while and then forget how to rein yourself in. When it's time to study, you must still study. Also, when you go out with your uncle, remember to listen to him, and show more consideration for the people below. Don't get carried away..."

The Empress spoke at length, but the Crown Prince still listened with respectful attentiveness, then bowed and accepted. "Your son will certainly take Mother Empress's teachings to heart."

"Imperial Father, Mother Empress, I want to go too!" Just at that moment, the Prince of Qi, Zhao Hu, suddenly shouted out. He was a rather sturdy, robust child, so his voice was exceedingly loud. "Let me go out and see with my elder brother!"

"Imperial Father, I want to go too! I want to go too!" After the Prince of Qi spoke up, the other princes — the Prince of Liang, the Prince of Zheng, and the rest — also began clamoring as if stirred up, noisily demanding one after another that they too be allowed to go out and see with the Crown Prince.

Once they started making a racket, the Empress, the Imperial Noble Consort, and the others had to keep scolding and soothing the children, and only with great difficulty did they manage to get them all to quiet down.

"Imperial Father..." Even after being scolded by his mother, the Prince of Qi, Zhao Hu, was still unwilling to give up. He gazed at the Emperor with imploring eyes, hoping his Imperial Father would grant his request.

The Emperor had been laughing the whole time, and only afterward did he address the children. "All of you think the Crown Prince gets to go out and play without having done anything? Let me tell you — your elder brother studies very diligently on ordinary days. Every one of his teachers praises how well he reads, and I have examined him too. He passed, and only then did I allow him to go out and get some fresh air. As for the rest of you, you want to go out and play? Very well — tomorrow I'll examine you all first. If you can pass, I'll also give you some separate leave and find you something to do!"