Fu said, somewhat at a loss, "Your Majesty, this is.. a bit much."
Hmm?" Zhu Ci looked at him, somewhat puzzled. "Don't you want to move in here?
Living apart right after marriage?
Although they weren't officially married, they were in a common-law marriage.
Fu Qingsheng gave a light cough and said, "It is improper according to etiquette."
At this moment, it was not simply that he was concerned about the gender or status of the two individuals, but rather it was due to the education he had received since childhood.
In families with some sense of decorum, even a normal husband and wife would live separately; in smaller houses, the male and female masters would each have their own bedroom, while in larger ones, they would each have their own courtyard.
Zhu Ci clicked his tongue, raised his hand to rest it on Fu's shoulder, said, "What does etiquette matter? What I say is the law. I said this is acceptable, so why must anyone insist otherwise?"
His words were arrogant, but given his current status and position, he indeed deserved such arrogance.
Fu had intended to say something more, but Zhu Ci said, "That's enough. It's only because we are here; once we return to the palace, you won't have this opportunity again."
Fu immediately shut his mouth.
Indeed, the two of them could only be somewhat unrestrained here.
However, even with this period of unbridled freedom, it wouldn't last many days. The two of them could not hide here indefinitely; there were so many matters that required handling, having people constantly deliver memorials back and forth every day was simply too exhausting for both men and horses.
No matter how much the two of them liked this place, they only stayed for ten days before returning to Beijing.
Before returning to the palace, Zhu Ci said, "Look over the blueprints carefully. Once spring arrives, I'll find someone to expand them for you. Hmm, I'll have someone look for a suitable residence later."
The project was too large, so Fu would certainly have to move out of the Hou Mansion first when the time came.
Finding a residence was something Fu could do himself, but he enjoyed the feeling of being cared for by Zhu Ci, responded with a smile.
Zhu Ci waved his hand and said, "That's enough, go back to your manor first."
After he finished speaking, he boarded the carriage. Once inside, he could not resist opening the window to take a look outside. Seeing Fu riding his horse and stopping in place to watch the imperial procession return to the palace, he could only helplessly order his attendants to go a little faster, so as not to let his Grand Secretary linger outside for too long.
The early winter wind had already grown somewhat chilly.
Zhu Ci and Fu's return allowed everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.
This was the first time the Emperor and the Grand Secretary had separated from everyone else. In the past, when Zhu Ci went on military expeditions, Fu had also followed him, but such occurrences were rare, there were usually other officials accompanying them.
This time, it was purely a whim of the two of them to run off.
When the two were both present before, the entire court of civil and military officials felt nothing was amiss; even the departure of one of them would not have stood out.
But this time, the two of them leaving together suddenly made many people realize that the court seemed to be lacking its mainstay.
Even if the distance was not great, even if fast horses were sent back and forth every day to deliver memorials, it still left many people feeling somewhat unsettled.
The most obvious issue was that for certain matters, whether large or small, they would habitually consult the Grand Secretary or His Majesty, but in their absence, they had to make decisions on urgent matters themselves.
In just ten days, many people had come to realize that making decisions was no simple task.
They had always felt that this Little Emperor was far too determined; once he had made up his mind, no one could persuade him, not even the Grand Secretary.
Only now did they realize that it was because of an emperor like this that they might have a chance to restore the mandate of the Great Ming.
Besides the Emperor, there is also the Grand Secretary; when His Majesty is away, a Grand Secretary who can shoulder responsibilities is truly vital.
The entire court of civil and military officials breathed a sigh of relief, but Zhu Ci did not feel quite so happy.
While at the hot spring villa, Zhu Ci and Fu were inseparable, but upon returning to the Capital, the two were forced to live apart.
No matter how close the Imperial Palace and the Prince's Mansion were, the straight-line distance between the two places where they slept was still a kilometer.
Although it sounded close, to Zhu Ci, it was actually far too distant.
Both of them were at that age of youthful vigor and passion; previously, they had wished they could be together for all twenty-four hours of the day, now, this sudden separation actually left him feeling somewhat out of sorts.
Of course, he could also find an opportunity to keep Fu here and organize some kind of bathhouse gathering.
This is considered an old tradition of feudal dynasties; however, most emperors did it to show trust and favor toward their subjects, whereas for Zhu Ci.. well, it is actually quite similar.
As for the possibility of needing to censor the contents of the audience, the people in the palace know exactly what should and should not be said.
After the third "audience," Zhu Ci looked at Fu, who was about to leave the palace through the side gate before dawn, said with a frown, "You won't get much sleep tonight. When you return, don't deal with government affairs; rest well on your days off, or else I won't let you stay overnight in the future."
When he said the last sentence, it sounded less like a threat and more like coquetting.
Fu let out a soft laugh after hearing this, leaned down to kiss his beloved's forehead, said, "Who says I haven't been resting well?"
Zhu Ci sat up, not caring in the slightest about the mess on his body.
He looked at Fu and said, "Of course I have my informants. You don't need to look for any; you won't find any. In any case, I know that after you returned last time, you went out of the city once more. Next time, tell them that a day off is a day off. Anyone who dares to occupy your time off again, I will make sure they never have a day off again."
Fu listened somewhat nonchalantly, his attention entirely captured by the marks on Zhu Ci's body.
Thinking about everything that had happened on this dragon bed last night, he felt a sudden sense of reluctance to leave.
After Fu left, Zhu Ci pondered for a long while before saying, "Bring the maps from Jixian County over here."
After finishing the map, he dropped two bombshells during today's grand court session: first, he demanded that the Censorate report its merits, second, he intended to grant land in Jixian County to all officials of the third rank and above.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Suddenly understands why some emperors like to run around outside instead of staying in the Imperial Palace. A cat sitting on a roof looking into the distance. jpg
Next update tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM~
Chapter 276
The first piece of news relieved everyone quite a bit.
The world has now become relatively stable, many people can be considered original shareholders. Now that the time has come to distribute dividends, they have all been looking forward to it with great anticipation, yet the Emperor has shown no sign of movement.
Yet they did not dare to press him, fearing that if they did, they would displease the Emperor and lose the benefits they were promised.
After all, no matter what decisions the Grand Secretariat and the Censorate made, they ultimately required the Emperor's approval.
Fortunately, the Emperor has finally begun to distribute benefits to everyone.
It just so happened that the New Year was approaching, making this even more joyous news.
However, the second point.. everyone was a bit confused. Granting land was something many emperors from past dynasties had done, it could be considered a form of reward.
But other emperors bestowed fine manors, so why was it that under their emperor, everything being bestowed was land in the mountains?
After Zhu Ci finished speaking, he said softly, "I have ordered people to investigate, it has been confirmed that there are hundreds of hot spring springs of various sizes in this area. When the time comes, you officials may build mansions here and move there during the autumn and winter seasons."
“I know that many of you have never set foot north of the Yellow River before and may find it difficult to adjust to the environment here, but the ancestral laws must not be changed. Since the Ancestor chose Beijing as the capital, I must naturally carry on that legacy. The hot springs in Jixian are beneficial to one's health and will prevent you all from suffering the discomfort of winter's dry evils affecting the lungs.”
Many officials were moved to tears upon hearing this, feeling that the Emperor was truly kind to be so concerned about their health.
Only the two Vice Grand Secretaries of the Grand Secretariat, Zhu Ci, Zhu Yujian instinctively looked toward the Grand Secretary standing at the very front.
Ever since Grand Secretary Fu fell ill and was taken to the hot springs by the Emperor, both his spirit and his physical condition seemed to have improved significantly compared to before.
Although his skin was still unnaturally pale, it had gained a bit of color, his eyes were bright and spirited.
It seems this hot spring is indeed very useful.
Although they were very clear that the Emperor's decision was most likely for the Grand Secretary's health, they did not care, had even begun to plan how the mansion would be built when the time came.
However.. before building a residence, one must first determine one's own status.
For example, regarding noble titles, what kind of residence is permitted for each specific rank.
Among them, Zhu Ci and Li Chuangwang are the most stable; they are already Princes, beyond being granted more fiefdoms or allowing their titles to become hereditary, it would be difficult for them to advance any further.
Of course, Li Chuangwang is still pursuing Aobai and has not returned yet.
Aside from the two of them, everyone else felt somewhat uneasy.
Discussing merits has never been a simple matter; there is bound to be bickering in the process.
When everyone was ready, they realized they had still underestimated the Emperor's ability to deliver a thunderous blow.
Before the Grand Secretariat could discuss merits, Zhu Ci issued an Imperial Decree directly, enfeoffing the Marquis of Huating, Fu, as the Prince of Yue, with his fief in Shaoxing.
When this imperial decree was issued, it could be said that the entire court was thrown into an uproar.
Everyone noticed that before this Imperial Decree was issued, the Emperor had not consulted with the Grand Secretariat or the Censorate.
In other words, the Emperor had decided on Fu's title without consulting anyone at all.
Naturally, many people were opposed to it.
From Marquis to Prince, this is too big a leap!
They knew that the Grand Secretary had performed great service, without him, the Great Ming might not have reached its current state.
No matter how much they envied and were jealous of Fu Jian's place in the Emperor's heart, everyone was still very clear about this point rationally.
But even if they knew, the Emperor, who had always been stingy with titles, had suddenly dropped a bombshell, they found it extremely difficult to accept.
The rank of Marquis is already quite high, but of course, this was actually the mess left behind by the current Emperor's father, the Hongguang Emperor.
Being granted a marquisate just for donating some money made the title seem far too cheap.
It was a pity that they had no way to investigate the Late Emperor's issues, so the current Emperor should rectify the chaos.
The Grand Secretary's title is not impossible to promote, but even if he were promoted to a Duke, being granted the title of a Commandery Prince would already be the limit; how could he be granted the title of a Prince of the Blood right from the start?
How old is Fu right now? How can he be rewarded for his future merits?
To be honest, even Fu was stunned by this imperial decree.
The Little Emperor hadn't consulted him about this beforehand at all; if he had been told in advance, he certainly would not have agreed.
Of course, Zhu Ci also knew this, which was why he didn't say anything.
He did not allow his subordinates to discuss it too much this time, but instead said resolutely and decisively, "My mind is made up. If even the Grand Secretary's merit does not earn him a princedom, you should consider what rewards your own merits might receive."
Originally, Zhu Ci wanted to act like a rogue; if everyone truly intended to oppose him, then he would stall right here. He would only discuss the merits of others once they had reached an agreement.
If Fu is not enfeoffed as a prince, you shouldn't expect to get any benefits either.
However, after thinking it over carefully, he felt that this seemed a bit like attracting hatred toward Fu.
Even if Fu didn't care, Zhu Ci did not want him to become a target for everyone because of this.
So he changed his wording, saying that even the Grand Secretary's merits wouldn't be enough to be enfeoffed as a prince, so none of you should expect to receive any noble titles.