Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved-Chapter 557: A World for Two, How Cozy

"Wang Yingluo has returned to her original place. Now that the matter is over, it feels as if everything has returned to normal, which is quite a relief."

As soon as she left Wang Min’s place, she saw Jun Yuyan standing under a tree.

The two walked along the shady path, Murong Jiu spoke slowly, her tone much more relaxed.

Jun Yuyan said, "Next, we will focus on greatly developing the nation’s strength. It might be difficult to ensure that all the people of Great Yan have enough food and clothing, but at the very least, we can prevent them from going hungry."

It was also known from Wang Yingluo that the rice in future generations had been improved countless times before achieving high yields. In their era, it was still very difficult for everyone to have rice.

However, crops like sweet potatoes and potatoes, which have high yields, had already been introduced, and more labor could be invested in promoting these crops.

In the event of future natural disasters, the people would also have the means to protect themselves.

"Let’s not talk about these matters today. With such fine weather, why don’t we go boating before returning to the Imperial Palace?"

"Sounds good."

Although Jun Yuyan had just made the suggestion to Murong Jiu, he had already arranged everything.

After saying goodbye to the Empress Dowager and Master Hui Jue, they left the Imperial Monastery and boarded a carriage heading towards the lake for boating.

The lake was located on the way back to the Capital City from Huguo Temple; after a few moments on the carriage, they arrived. The area was not cleared; the guards were in plain clothes, blending into the crowd.

Jun Yuyan and Murong Jiu were dressed in casual attire, not in lavish clothes; to anyone who saw them, they would appear like a noble young master and lady on an outing, not realizing that the Emperor and Empress were among them.

Compared to clearing the area, the presence of people and the sound of music from the boats added to the enjoyment of the outing.

Jun Yuyan pulled out some loose silver to buy a bunch of lotus pods from a lakeside stand, peeling one open and handing a seed to Murong Jiu.

The taste was crisp and sweet, perfectly fresh.

"Delicious."

"If you like it, I’ll peel more for you."

Jun Yuyan helped her onto the boat first, which they had chartered privately. However, they didn’t need a boatman to row; Chang Chonghai had already positioned the oar at the bow.

Their small boat glided leisurely, stirring a gentle breeze. It was now the afternoon, not the hottest part of the day. Although there were not many boats on the water yet—they would wait for the sun to less intense before sunset—by evening, larger boats would be available, on which ladies sang and guests could drink tea,

It was said that some officials liked to entertain relatives and friends on these boats.

They knew how to enjoy life.

Still, as long as they didn’t commit any major principled errors, a little greed and pleasure were overlooked by the Imperial Court.

"Water too pure has no fish," and they couldn’t allow people to have no opportunity at all.

The middle of the lake was even cooler.

On the boat, tea sets were prepared; Jun Yuyan first brewed the tea, then continued peeling lotus seeds for Murong Jiu.

After peeling a small bowl, he also presented the pastries that the guards had bought, arranging them in small bowls. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Although Jun Yuyan was now the Emperor, he handled many small tasks himself, a habit developed from his times in the military.

He also liked to perform these small tasks for Murong Jiu; it seemed to bring them closer together.

Murong Jiu reclined partially, resting her cheek on one hand while eating the crisp, sweet young lotus seeds with the other. A breeze filtered through the cabin, causing the curtains to flutter—an utterly pleasant moment.

Life always had many unforgettable moments.

This moment was neither breathtaking nor profoundly memorable, but such instants were unforgettable to Jun Yuyan.

Possibly because Wang Yingluo, a soul from another world, no longer cast her unknown influence over Great Yan, both of them felt an unusual levity.

Moreover, the future of Great Yan looked immensely promising as it moved in a better direction, and these were all reasons to be happy.

From what Wang Yingluo had learned from history, in the next five years, Great Yan would experience favorable weather conditions, marking the fastest development period in its history.

Therefore, during these five years, they planned to gather more food reserves in preparation for the drought that would come after.

They already knew too much of the "heavenly secrets." If they still couldn’t develop Great Yan into a globally admired power, they would be letting down the "gift" from the heavens.

The two of them spoke softly in the cabin, talking about their hopes for the future.

They shared common goals and values, which seemed to make their conversation on the topic endless.

After finishing the lotus seeds and quite a few pastries, and having drunk their fill of tea, they had initially planned to watch the sunset on the lake, but that seemed unlikely now.

Because they had unconsciously drunk too much tea and the boat was too small with no restroom facilities, they had to return to shore.

As the sun set and the temperature dropped, more people came to boat on the lake.

Going to and fro could possibly attract attention.

So they would just have to plan to disguise themselves better next time to enjoy a night on the lake.

...

Two days later, Jun Yuyan, accompanied by Murong Jiu and their two children, set off for the Summer Palace.

This time, they only brought guards and eunuchs along with palace maids, unlike the late emperor who would have thousands from his harem and trusted officials in a grand procession.

In the time that followed, the family of four spent almost every moment together, hunting, foraging for wild vegetables, reading, and fishing, enjoying a truly carefree life, undisturbed by trivial matters.

Now, many officials in the Imperial Court were personally promoted by Jun Yuyan, each capable of significant responsibilities. Only matters requiring urgent attention were sent to the Traveling Palace.

Kai Xuan and its offspring were very human-like, enjoying spending time with the two children.

Their thick fur made them particularly susceptible to the heat, so they had someone dig a big pool for them to soak in.

The two little ones rolled around all day long, their laughter could be heard from far away, basking in pure joy.

After living carefree for about ten days, it was time to return to the Imperial Palace.

Jun Yuyan started dealing with national affairs, while Murong Jiu began to check on the various seeds brought back by Manager Chai’s merchant convoy.

Great Yan had vast lands, some crops and fruits were unique to the Capital City.

Now, in the outskirts, there were many experimental Glazed Greenhouses managed by the Imperial Court, specifically used for planting these crops from different regions to see if they could be popularized.

People had always been working on this; Lady Jing, the wife of Chang Chonghai, was one of the officials in charge and had appointed even more Peasant Officials specifically for this purpose.

Murong Jiu’s knowledge of seeds was limited, but that didn’t stop her from loving this task, enjoying seeing more and more different plants growing in the greenhouses.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t produce the plastic film from Wang Yingluo’s world and had to build the greenhouses with expensive colored glaze.

This was why the Glazed Greenhouses couldn’t be widely promoted.

One reason was the high cost.

Additionally, they required meticulous maintenance, otherwise, they would easily get damaged.

In fact, there used to be straw greenhouses used by wealthy families specifically for growing vegetables in winter, so they could eat fresh vegetables.

However, straw greenhouses had a significant drawback; they couldn’t let in sunlight, therefore, not only did the plants grow slowly, but they also didn’t look attractive and were only good enough for family consumption.

"Your Majesty! What brings you here personally?"

Welcoming Murong Jiu was Lady Jing, the wife of Chang Chonghai. She seemed almost transformed now, robust with health and wearing a cheerful smile on her face.