Chapter 711 - Chapter 711: Is She Back?
Chapter 711: Is She Back?
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The zoo was located in the suburbs of Imperial City, which was less than an hour away by horse carriage.
The zoo was huge and comprehensive.
Not only were the animals divided into different parks, but there were also many entertainment facilities and dozens of restaurants.
The zoo was built and opened in about a year, and it was packed on the first day.
Not only did the young masters and young ladies of the aristocratic families invited to play, but the commoners who were willing to spend money could not help but join in the fun.
The experience and response were very good.
After all, this was the first zoo in ancient times. It was the first time everyone had seen it.
The commoners were having a good time, and the officials from the Ministry of Revenue were also smiling when they saw the income from the tickets every day.
For example, children could ride a pony around the track twice for 20 wens each time. Standing near the animals could allow someone to draw them for 30 wens each time.
In addition, those dozens of restaurants and snacks were also opened by the Ministry of Revenue, so the daily profit was very large.
Not long after the zoo opened, the Minister of Revenue fell seriously ill and died early.
As expected, Xiao Hanzheng was promoted by the Emperor.
He also became the youngest First Rank Minister of Daliang.
However, because he had so many political achievements, his ability was even more outstanding, and he maintained his interpersonal relationships in the Ministry of Revenue. In addition, he also had a powerful stepfather, so there was no controversy.
As the Minister of Revenue, Xiao Hanzheng had worked with the Ministry of Works to carry out a lot of reforms. He had also established a few Craftsman Colleges in other places and encouraged people to create new things.
As long as the invention was useful or recognized, they would receive a reward.
They had also established many welfare homes, shelters, and affordable elementary schools throughout the country.
He would also promote the successful joint breeding and planting methods in the northern border to other parts of the country.
He also promoted many policies that benefited the country and the people. It also allowed the Ministry of Revenue to split a penny into two, turning it into a very rich treasury.
The national treasury had money, so naturally, cement roads, flood control dams, and water storage dams were built.
Therefore, Xiao Hanzheng’s position as the Minister of Revenue was more stable and he had a good reputation among the people.
After another half a year, Liang Youxiao and the others returned from the sea.
There were more than a hundred aristocratic family members who went together, but only a few dozen people came back. It was obvious that although the profits from going out to sea were huge, the risks were not small.
Before Liang Youxiao left, he had already said that they would be responsible for their own life and death. He had also told those who wanted to go about the dangers involved.
The Emperor also told them to confirm before they went, so that they wouldn’t come looking for trouble again if someone died.
Therefore, for those who didn’t return home, even if they were sad and angry, they could only endure it.
However, Liang Youxiao and the others had brought back more treasures and a high-yield sweet potato grain, so they had made a great contribution.
Therefore, even though half of the people who went this time had died, there were still more people who were tempted to go next time.
Xiao Hanzheng was relieved to see his brother among the crowd.
Over the past year, the family had often been worried about their younger brother.
His mother, wife, and younger sister went to the temple every month to pray for their younger brother.
Not only did Xiao Hanyi come back alive, but he also brought back a foreign wife as Shi Qingluo had said.
Compared to before he went out, he looked completely different.
Not only did he look more handsome and mature, but his temperament had also changed greatly.
He used to be refined and handsome, but now he looked like a sharp blade that could be unsheathed at any time. There was a kind of sharpness in his steadiness.
Her fair skin was tanned, and there was a not-so-obvious knife mark on his face.
The foreign daughter-in-law he brought back was wearing a tight-fitting female riding suit. She had bright red natural curly hair and blue eyes. She was curvy and s*xy.
Shi Qingluo was surprised. She did not expect her Second Brother to like this type of woman.
She went back and asked, only to find out that this Western beauty’s identity wasn’t simple. She was born into the Imperial Dynasty and was a favored princess.
Perhaps they had been teased by Shi Qingluo in advance and were mentally prepared, so both Xiao Hanzheng and his sister and Kong Yuelan quickly accepted the foreign daughter-in-law that Xiao Hanyi brought back.
He even set a wedding date for the two of them.
“Are you not going out to sea recently?” Xiao Hanzheng asked his brother.
Xiao Hanyi nodded. “Not for the time being. I’m planning to take Jilina to travel around Daliang. She likes to travel and adventure.”
“Sister and Brother-in-law said they want to go with us.”
His sister and brother-in-law had long wanted to go out and play, so they had never wanted children.
When they heard that they were going, they hit it off immediately.
Xiao Hanzheng smiled and said, “Daliang is a vast place. It’s good for you to visit it.”
“Are you going after the wedding?” he asked.
Xiao Hanyi nodded. “Yes, that’s our plan.”
“It’s a pity that you’re too busy, Brother. Otherwise, you could have brought Sister-in-law out to play,” he said regretfully.
Xiao Hanzheng smiled. “I would like to take a leave of absence and go out with your sister-in-law. But the Emperor doesn’t agree.”
He had already tried to take leave last time, but the Emperor had rejected him.
“I’ll go again if I have the chance in the future.”
One day, he would play with his wife and children.
Three months later, Xiao Hanyi got married.
Half a month after they got married, Xiao Baili and her husband, Xiao Hanyi and his wife, were ready to go on a trip.
Other than the four of them, King Yi also brought his wife along.
He didn’t have many political affairs now. It wasn’t that his royal brother didn’t want to give it to him, but that he shirked it all.
It was good to be the a free King. Who would want to work themselves to death doing so many things?
In the past, he had no choice but to help his Imperial Brother because of internal and external problems. Now that the world was peaceful, Daliang was getting stronger and stronger, and there were many capable people in the imperial court.
If he had the time to work, he would rather spend more time with his wife and son.
Because the youngest son was only three years old, it was not suitable for him to travel long distances. Therefore, the irresponsible father threw him directly to his eldest son and wife.
After that, King Yi took his eldest daughter and second son and fled.
The Emperor was speechless at his younger brother who was becoming more and more childish, but there was nothing he could do.
Xiao Hanzheng felt helpless too. The whole family had gone to play, leaving only the couple to take care of the baby.
He also felt guilty toward his wife, but he was really busy with work.
Shi Qingluo was able to take it easy and even comforted him, “I’m not very interested in going out to play, so you don’t have to feel guilty.”
She was telling the truth. It was very inconvenient to travel in ancient times. To go to a place, one had to take a carriage for a long time. The journey was bumpy and uncomfortable.
So if she went, she would be happy. If she didn’t go, she wouldn’t be disappointed.
Xiao Hanzheng hugged her tightly. “My dear, you are so nice!”
In the blink of an eye, two years passed. When the twins were seven years old, Shi Qing fell asleep in the yard one day and did not wake up.
It was as if she had entered a darkness. She did not know how long it had been before she walked out of the darkness.
Then, she found herself in a ward. What surprised her even more was that there was a person lying on the bed in the ward. It was her modern self.
Was she back?