In the following days, Zhu Zhen continued her routine: clocking in at work in the morning, having breakfast with him after court, processing memorials in the Imperial Study at noon, and learning as much as possible about the two countries through reports from various regions.
Thanks to the foundation laid by Nangong Huang, the Xuanwu Kingdom still submitted to the Vermilion Bird. The country was divided into several prefectures, with some officials transferred from the Vermilion Bird and most of the rest recommended locally based on merit.
There was a phenomenon in this world: originally, there was only one matriarchal country, while the other three were patriarchal. However, ever since the original owner's maternal grandmother was empress many years ago, the Vermilion Bird's national strength had been much higher than that of other countries.
Besides geographical advantages and the governance abilities of several empresses, a larger reason was that the men in the matriarchal country did not live as humbly as the women in the patriarchal countries. When the four countries were isolated from each other, they each lived their own lives. Later, with the establishment of diplomatic relations and trade, many women from the patriarchal countries came over, leading to a gradual decrease in the number of women in the other three countries. Eventually, some men also came over.
After all, marrying a wife and continuing the lineage was of utmost importance.
There was a period when the imbalance of more women than men became too severe. Nangong Huang even issued a decree: women who had offspring before the age of thirty-five were only allowed to take one husband-attendant. In this world, it was still women who bore children, and they also had the idea of continuing the lineage through daughters. With these two factors working in tandem, a monogamous system surprisingly formed. In the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, except for noble families, ordinary households practiced monogamy.
Neither side took advantage of the other.
In this world, the original system was polygamy or polyandry. In the matriarchal country, women were too busy balancing relationships between men to have time to have children, leading to a decline in the birth rate. In the patriarchal countries, men had many women in their harems, and their scheming and mutual harm led to many children dying before they grew up. Additionally, many bachelors could never marry and have children in their lifetime, so the birth rate was also not high. Sudan Novel Network
Compared to the noble families of the patriarchal countries, where one male master married seven or eight women and had no more than ten children, with perhaps only four or five surviving to adulthood, the superiority of the monogamous system became apparent. Although a family might only have two or three children, each household could have two or three children, so the overall numbers increased.
It was now an agrarian civilization, and a larger population meant more labor and ample military strength. The Vermilion Bird Kingdom, with the superiority of its system, had a population comparable to that of any two other countries combined. If Xuanwu had not been incorporated, the three of them united might have been able to contend with the Vermilion Bird. But now that Xuanwu belonged to the Vermilion Bird, even if a war broke out, the other two countries' chances of winning would not be high.
Seeing this clearly, Zhu Zhen temporarily set aside external threats.
As for internal affairs... she didn't know how long Nangong Cai would take to complete the task she had assigned her.
With the halo of the protagonist, it should be very quick.
Therefore, she should prepare her next assignment in advance.
"Your Majesty, Consort Qiao requests an audience."
"Summon him."
A moment later, Qiao Yu entered.
He wore a dark blue brocade robe, which made him appear like a handsome and refined scholar, possessing an elegant and humble demeanor that easily won people's favor.
It made her even more eager to assign him work.
"Your humble attendant greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years."
"Rise."
Qiao Yu stood up and cupped his hands. "Your Majesty, I have compiled the portraits submitted by each prefecture into a bound collection. His Highness Haoxuan can view them at any time. As for those in the capital, I have also carefully screened them, and four individuals remain."
"Have them sent to his residence for him to choose from. You have worked hard these days."
Qiao Yu's face lit up, and he quickly said, "These are all things this attendant should do."
"Mm." Zhu Zhen continued, "From now on, oversee the wedding of His Highness Haoxuan. If it is handled well, I will grant you a great reward."
If things were done well, a bonus was indeed deserved.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Alright, you may go."
Qiao Yu, however, seemed hesitant.
"Is there anything else?"
"Your Majesty." He took a deep breath and made up his mind. "Your Majesty has not visited my Taiyue Palace for a long time. May I request you to come tonight? I have prepared soup for Your Majesty personally."
Zhu Zhen didn't think too deeply and casually refused. "I am going to the lake pavilion with Ah Yan for a night view. You can drink it yourself. You have been busy with your imperial brother's wedding recently and are tired. Recuperate well. Tomorrow, I will have the Imperial Academy send you some nourishing medicinal herbs."
Qiao Yu: "..." Your Majesty.
His tone seemed a little resentful.
Zhu Zhen was already tidying up the memorials, eager to finish work once he left. "Is there anything else?"
"No, this attendant thanks Your Majesty."
"It is what you deserve. Go."
"...This attendant takes his leave." He was truly tired.
Mentally exhausted.
Zhu Zhen, on the other hand, was full of anticipation.
After all, tonight was the first time Chong Yan had actively invited her without any ulterior motives.
She specially bathed and perfumed herself, changing into a light blue palace gown. Unlike the usual dignified and stern Empress, it exuded the charm of an ordinary woman.
Chong Yan was already waiting for her by the lake.
They dismissed their attendants. Zhu Zhen stepped onto the small boat first and pulled him aboard. The afterglow of the setting sun illuminated them, creating a beautiful scene.
However, once they were on the boat, Chong Yan looked a bit lost.
He looked around, his gaze falling on the small oar used for rowing, and he seemed a little dejected.
"What's wrong?"
"Everyone has gone back. Who will row the boat for us?"
Zhu Zhen chuckled. "I can. Hurry up and sit down. Standing for too long can make you dizzy."
Reminded by her, Chong Yan felt his body sway gently with the small boat and indeed felt a little dizzy.
He quickly sat down.
"Can you really do it? Otherwise, we should call them back."
Zhu Zhen picked up the wooden oar and gently paddled. The green water parted, and the boat slowly moved forward.
Chong Yan watched intently, seeming quite amazed.
"Would you like to try? It's very simple."
Zhu Zhen swapped places with him and guided him to row the boat carefully. Chong Yan quickly learned; it was simple to just push the water with the wooden oar.
It was just that controlling the direction was not easy.
They were heading to the lake pavilion. Seeing Chong Yan about to steer the boat off course, Zhu Zhen quickly took back the oar.
"If you row like this, we won't reach the lake pavilion all night."
Chong Yan was extremely frustrated.
Zhu Zhen quickly rowed the boat and brought them to the lake pavilion. She went up first and then pulled Chong Yan up.
The small boat was left on the lake.
It was just sunset, and the lake pavilion bathed in the twilight was exceptionally beautiful. The surrounding lake water rippled, and sheer curtains hung from the four sides of the pavilion, fluttering in the breeze, intoxicating anyone within.
Naturally, the two of them were not just there to sightsee.
With such beautiful scenery, doing nothing would be a disservice to the romantic atmosphere.
It was a pity that Chong Yan still seemed to refuse that matter. Zhu Zhen naturally wouldn't force him. This was a matriarchal country, and Chong Yan was equivalent to a woman in a patriarchal country. She understood his shyness and timidity.
Because their relationship had always been smooth and natural, Zhu Zhen did not yet understand the true reason for Chong Yan's reluctance.
He was not shy, nor was he timid. Instead, he didn't understand the source of Zhu Zhen's affection for him and how long such "favor" would last. He feared that it was all a dream and that he would wake up with nothing.
He might even lose his heart and his life.
The two of them frolicked in the lake pavilion for a long time. The fire was ignited and then barely suppressed by them. When it was completely dark, Chong Yan nudged the person beside him. "It's dark, we should go back."
Zhu Zhen rose in response, about to lead him back, when she suddenly remembered something.
She had forgotten to tie the small boat to a pillar earlier. The boat that had brought them here had now drifted elsewhere.
Chong Yan looked dumbfounded. "The boat ran away. How will we get back?"
Zhu Zhen put her arm around his waist. "I'll fly you back."
Two figures rose into the air, like a pair of swallows that had descended to the human world, dancing and circling in the sky, flying over the water and returning to the shore opposite.
It was another breathtaking scene.