Chương 756: Four people eating, the Crown Princess dry heaving

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the crowd below lit up even more.

Is there anything more exciting than getting promoted, making a fortune, and having your name remembered in history?

Liu Ce clapped his hands with a smile: "I will have the government office issue copies of the regulations to all departments, and each department shall submit its own detailed rules within one month for my review."

The remaining months were used for preparation: exploration, site selection, recruitment, and fundraising.

Construction will begin in full swing next spring. Did everyone understand?

All the civil and military officials bowed in unison, their voices resounding throughout the palace, each exuding an imposing aura.

"Your Majesty, we obey! Your Majesty is wise!"

His voice was full of enthusiasm and anticipation for the future.

After the court session ended, the officials left in twos and threes, still talking about the Second Industrial Revolution.

Song Yingxing pulled Jia Sixie along, chatting as they walked about open-hearth steelmaking and fertilizer research. The two tech enthusiasts were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice their court robes were askew.

Shen Wansan stroked his beard, his mind racing with ideas about how to run the Industrial Bank and how to issue bonds. His abacus was clicking away in his head.

Li Jing, Li Ji, and a group of military generals got together and talked about new guns, cannons, and diesel warships. The more they talked, the more excited they became, and they couldn't wait to change their equipment.

The civil officials were also discussing it. Some said it was an unprecedented change in history, some worried about spending too much money, but most were full of anticipation.

The sunlight shone on the steps of the Liangyi Hall, making them glow golden.

Everyone knows that a much bigger transformation is about to unfold on this land.

..................

In the middle of March of the 22nd year of Shenwu.

Spring had arrived early in Luoyang. The crabapple and peach blossoms in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom. The evening breeze carried a sweet fragrance, which seeped in through the carved windows of the side hall of Ganlu Hall, mingling with the steam from the food on the table, making one's stomach rumble.

There was no pomp and circumstance of an emperor in the hall. Four people sat around a round table, which was filled with home-style dishes: the braised pork knuckle, stewed until it fell off the bone, was shiny and the skin was amber in color.

It would fall apart with a touch of chopsticks; the sweet and sour fish slices were fresh and appetizing, sprinkled with tender scallions; the stir-fried water bamboo shoots were crisp and crunchy, drizzled with sesame oil; next to them were cold black fungus salad, steamed egg custard, and braised bamboo shoots, and in the middle was a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup, steaming warmly.

This is an old rule set by Liu Ce: when the family eats together, they shouldn't engage in those formalities like "not speaking while eating." There doesn't need to be a lot of food; just enough to suit their taste.

Back when we were fighting for the country, we could eat dry rations with cold water while squatting on the ground. Now that the country is at peace, there's no need to prepare dozens of dishes to show off; it's just a waste of food.

Seated at the head of the table were Liu Ce and Empress Cai Yan, while Crown Prince Liu Chen and Crown Princess Xu Jingxian sat to his left and right.

The palace maids stood in a row at the corner of the hall, hands hanging down, quietly, only occasionally stepping forward to add hot tea or change a hot plate, without disturbing the family's chatter in the slightest.

Liu Ce was gnawing on a piece of pork knuckle skin, his mouth full of oil. The skin was tender and the meat was fragrant, fatty but not greasy.

He asked Crown Prince Liu Chen in a vague manner:

"I've read the memorial you submitted last week regarding the reform of the canal transport system. The general direction is acceptable, but the budget for dredging the river is too rough. I'll have to discuss it with the Ministry of Revenue later."

Don't just focus on speeding up the process; flood prevention during the flood season must keep up. We can't let the speed of the boats cause the riverbanks to collapse first; that would be a huge loss.

Liu Chen, with rice stuffed in his mouth, quickly shoveled it down and swallowed it, then sat up straight and nodded in response:

"I remembered it, Father. I was thinking of widening the river channel at several narrow points on the Yellow River, reinforcing the dikes on both banks, and also trying out steam-powered cargo ships."

Modern steamships have powerful engines and shallow drafts. If they could be used across the entire fleet, the speed of canal transport could be increased, and costs could be reduced significantly.

"Steamships can be tested, but don't roll them out across the board." Liu Ce put down his elbow and wiped his hands.

"The Yellow River has a lot of silt, and the propellers are prone to clogging. You should test it on the section from Luoyang to Kaifeng for six months first. If there are no problems, then we can promote it."

Be careful what you do; don't take too big a step, or you'll mess things up.

"Your subject understands." Liu Chen nodded quickly, keeping these words in mind.

"We'll talk about serious matters later. Even eating can't shut you two up."

Cai Yan smiled and rolled her eyes at them, then turned around and placed a slice of fish into Xu Jingxian's bowl with her chopsticks. Her tone was soft and gentle, completely different from how she had scolded people just now.

"Jingxian, eat more. You've lost weight lately. Chen'er is always at the government office, leaving all the household chores to you. You have to take care of everything, inside and out. You've worked so hard."

Xu Jingxian quickly put down her chopsticks, sat up straight, and replied softly:

"Your Majesty is too kind. I am not tired at all. My husband is busy with state affairs, which I understand. I am more than capable of managing the affairs of the Crown Prince's Palace, and I am not tired at all."

As she spoke, she placed a piece of stewed tofu, cooked until soft, into Cai Yan's bowl, her movements gentle and natural.

"Mother, please try this. It's freshly made chicken oil tofu from the Imperial Kitchen. It's incredibly tender."

"Look, Jingxian is so thoughtful." Cai Yan smiled, her eyes crinkling, then glared at her son Liu Chen, feeling utterly disappointed.

"Look at you, all you do is eat in silence, you don't even bother to put food on your wife's plate. You have no manners at all, who did you take after?"

Liu Chen was taken aback by what he was said. After realizing what was happening, he quickly piled food into the Crown Princess's bowl, adding a spoonful with his chopsticks, until it was piled up like a small mountain in no time.

"Honey, eat more. This pork knuckle has been stewing all afternoon, it's very tender. Didn't you say you wanted to eat it last time? Eat more to nourish yourself."

And these bamboo shoots, freshly picked, are incredibly fresh.

Xu Jingxian looked at the mountain of food piled up in the bowl, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and gently tugged at his sleeve:

"Husband, I can't finish all this. You eat too, don't just keep putting food on my plate."

"It's okay, I'll eat the leftovers if I can't finish them," Liu Chen said nonchalantly, with an honest and simple expression.

Liu Ce, watching from the side, couldn't help but laugh and chimed in:

"Your mother is right, this boy is just a hothead, far inferior to his father in his youth. Back then, I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Cai Yan glared at him fiercely, her eyes clearly saying, "How dare you say that?"

"What happened back then? When you were conquering the world, you would be away from home for ten days or half a month at a time. When you came back, you were covered in mud, looking like a mud monkey, and I had to wash your clothes."

Now, you're turning around and teaching your son to pamper his wife? Give me a break!

Liu Ce scratched his head sheepishly, then quickly grabbed a piece of pork knuckle and stuffed it into his mouth, using food to cover up his embarrassment.

"That was during a special period. Now that the world is at peace, of course we should take better care of our families. Besides, I changed my ways later..."

The family chatted and laughed, creating a warm atmosphere in the palace. As the sky outside the window gradually darkened, palace lanterns lit up one by one, illuminating the room with a cozy glow.

Xu Jingxian scooped up a spoonful of white fungus and lotus seed soup, and just as she brought it to her lips, her face suddenly turned pale, and her brows furrowed sharply.

She instinctively covered her mouth, leaned forward, gagged silently, and her face paled instantly, even the tips of her ears lost their color.

The commotion was small, but all four people at the table immediately stopped eating.

The air seemed to freeze for a second.