All Hail Cousin Brother

Chapter 1089: No Child in the Central Palace

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Emperor Zhaoyong valued agriculture. Ever since he ascended the throne, he had promoted the green manure and the fertilization method throughout the country, causing the production of crops to increase greatly. The assessment of farmland also caused the population of the Great Zhao to increase greatly.

The Great Zhao venerated Confucianism in practice and Daoism on the surface.

Internally, Confucianism was used to govern the country. On the surface, Daoism was used to govern the people. The Great Zhou took the path of recuperating and multiplying its population.

In August of the second year of the Great Zhao Dynasty, Emperor Zhaoyong personally conquered the Southern Barbarians and scattered more than ten clans. Then, he sent a 100,000-strong army to guard the Southern Barbarians. It was strange and unpredictable. The Southern Barbarians, which the Great Zhou was still afraid of, now belonged to the Great Zhao and bowed down to it.

In February of the third year of the Great Zhao Dynasty, it occupied the east sea and often disturbed the Dongyi in the east, causing the Dongyi to escape far away. From then on, the Dongyi did not appear, and it was known in history as the “Distant Movement of the Dongyi.”

In the resource-rich southeast area, without external disturbances, the people had already lived and worked in peace.

The Great Zhao was filled with internal troubles.

More than ten countries neighboring Dazhao, such as Fusang, Goguryeo, Luzon, Annan, Siam, and Java, surrendered to the Great Zhao and sent envoys to Dazhao to pay tribute.

For example, India, Ross, and Persia, which were neighbors with the Great Zhao, also made a request to the Great Zhao to befriend them and officially trade with them.

Emperor Zhaoyong sent people to open up trade routes on the way to various countries and eliminated bandits. He also set up a capital guard at the border between the two countries. The capital guard sent elite troops to patrol the borders. The merchants who came and went had to pay tariffs. At the same time, the capital guard provided protection to the merchants, guaranteed the safety of their lives and assets, and provided a good business environment for them.

From then on, a new era of peace in the four seas and pilgrimages from ten thousand dynasties began.

After Yin Huaixi finished dealing with the government affairs, he returned to the Chenggan Palace.

“You’re back.” Yu Youyao’s eyes were sparkling, and she was as delicate as before. “This morning, Dandong paid a tribute of 200 pieces of tussar silk. The silk is lustrous and green, like the brilliance of a sparkling gem. It’s even better than the wild silk that the four families of Liancheng gave me back then.”

“Oh, let me take a look.” Yin Huaixi’s interest was piqued. He strode forward. The luster of the tussar silk was natural, and it was sparkling like a green wave under the cover of the green mountains.

Yu Youyao sighed. “You definitely didn’t expect that these pieces of tussar silk would be made by three former refugees.” Thinking of the past, a smile appeared on her lips. “Even I didn’t expect this. I only forced myself back then. It was originally just a small episode, but it really came true one day.”

There were too many coincidences in the production of tussar silk, and it was too rare. All the silkworm farming areas in the Great Zhao only had 20 pieces a year, and there were no more.

Of course, it was possible that some pieces of tussar silk were hidden.

However, other than the rewards from the palace, no one dared to wear such a rare tribute like the tussar silk openly. Otherwise, they would be punished for overstepping the rules.

Back then, she could obtain two pieces of tussar silk from the four families of Liancheng because she was valued by the Empress Dowager at that time. With her status at that time, she was qualified. In order to please her, the four families specially kept two pieces for her.

Yin Huaixi smiled and pulled her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head. “If it weren’t for your kind intentions and virtue back then, I’m afraid they wouldn’t have achieved what they have today. You have to know that the words and actions of great people often affect a person’s life. This is called forming good karma and obtaining good karma. In this aspect, I’m far inferior to my wife.”

He had once heard Yu Youyao mention that before she left Liancheng back then, she had booked the Moon Pavilion in Liancheng for a day in her own name and organized an exchange with the various retail investors who raised silkworms.

At that time, there were also three refugees who had learned the technique of raising silkworms. These three people had all received her kindness. After entering the city, they went outside the courier station to kowtow to her. She asked Xia Tao to prepare three pieces of tussar silk and give them to them, hoping that they could encourage themselves and raise silkworms diligently.

They were simply three refugees. Ordinary people probably did not take them seriously and would not bow to them.

However, not only did Yu Youyao take them seriously, but she also took them to heart.

Yu Youyao looked impressed. “Hong’er, who raises tussar silk, is about the same age as me. According to the memorial handed over by Dandong, the tussar silk has been successfully raised. It will be farmed on a large scale this autumn. Next year, the production of tussar silk will increase greatly. At that time, tussar silk can be used as a luxury item for trade with overseas countries.”

The silk of the Great Zhao Dynasty had always been in high demand overseas.

“In addition, one of them, Auntie Mei, has nurtured a new silkworm breed. The new breed is easier to raise, and the luster and tenacity of the silk are stronger. Its quality is not inferior to mulberry silk. At the same time, its production has increased. The silk export trade of the Great Zhao Dynasty will also increase, and the internal affairs income will also increase.”

She was overjoyed. Yin Huaixi valued import and export trade very much. The Great Zhao had opened up sea and land trade and opened the country’s doors. It also provided many business opportunities for all the merchants in the country, making it much more convenient and causing business to prosper. He also had a series of measures to suppress the merchants inside to prevent the tragedy of the merchants in the North from happening again.

Agriculture was the cornerstone of a country’s development. However, if businessmen were rich and the people were poor, who would farm and support the billions of people of the Great Zhou?

“There’s also someone called Yu An. He doesn’t have much experience in raising silkworms, but he’s extremely knowledgeable in cultivating trees. So far, he’s already cultivated mulberry trees in the Dandong area. They’re very adaptable and have a certain effect on the mulberry silkworm cultivation in Dandong. He’s also cultivated a kind of Northern Di oak tree. This Northern Di oak tree is golden in color every autumn. The silk that the silkworm spits out has a faint golden pattern. It’s very beautiful. It’s just that the oak tree has only been successfully cultivated recently. This time, only three of them were offered as tribute.”

The three of them had all achieved extraordinary results in silkworm cultivation.

“Tomorrow, use this silk to make a few more sets of clothes.” Yin Huaixi changed the topic and said, “The three of them have contributed greatly, so they should be rewarded. I’ll get the cabinet to discuss the reward tomorrow.”

Yu Youyao had also contributed to this matter, so he had to publicize it wantonly. Those old fellows should stop for a while, and his ears should be quiet for a few days.

Otherwise, she would be criticized for having no children in the Central Palace every day.

Yu Youyao rolled her eyes at him. “You’re full of official language. Get lost.”

Yin Huaixi was embarrassed.

The Empress had been in the palace for three years, but she had not produced children in the Central Palace, causing a lot of criticism. During this period of time, there had already been many people who had reported inaccurately and asked the emperor to choose a new candidate. Although he had suppressed them, news still reached Yu Youyao’s ears.

This matter made her furious. Seeing that the world was venting its anger on him and criticizing him sarcastically at the slightest disagreement, she was unhappy. She shouted that she wanted to return to Xiangping and never return to the capital or be with him.

When she was angry, she would cry to the point that his heart ached. He wished he could kneel on the ground and beg for mercy.

He had never seen someone so short-tempered before.

What could Yin Huaixi do?

He could only bear with it.

In the end, she was the one who had suffered.