Plans

"Therefore, I plan to take a temporary post in the Ministry of Works on behalf of Your Highness, and tinker with some things at home. If I can improve some agricultural tools, it will be a good thing for the Great Jin."

Zhao Yuanxun was very pleased to hear this, and the old lady and Lady Zhu were also relieved.

They were afraid that Zhao Ruxi was too focused on her career and would neglect Prince of Qi, thus incurring the displeasure of the royal family and the criticism of the ministers.

Now that Zhao Ruxi is able to balance both tasks, and is doing something as important as improving agricultural tools that benefits the country and its people, no one can say a word against it.

Lady Zhu couldn't sit still when Xiao Lingyan was mentioned.

Seeing that the old lady and Zhao Yuanxun had no further questions, she said, "Miss Xi, there are still some things in your room that I had someone clean out. Go and see if you still want them. If you do, have someone take them back to the Prince of Qi's Residence."

"We'll be setting off in a few days. Although there are people guarding this residence, it's best not to leave some important items here."

Zhao Ruxi had only been back at the Earl of Suiping's Residence for less than two years, and in those two years she had been busy with all sorts of things. Apart from the writing materials and books, as well as the clothes and jewelry that Lady Zhu had prepared for her, she hadn't bought anything for herself.

The items were simple, and she had many capable people under her command. Moreover, she knew that the old lady and Lady Zhu would not stay in the capital. Long before her marriage, she had people pack everything up and take it all with her dowry to the Prince of Qi's Residence.

Lady Zhu's words were nothing more than an excuse.

She didn't refuse, and followed Lady Zhu's words out of the hall, walking with her towards her original courtyard.

Throughout the journey, Lady Zhu only inquired about food, clothing, and lodging. It wasn't until they entered Zhao Ruxi's room that she whispered, "His Highness Prince of Qi... is he really unable to, cough... walk the pedestrian path?"

Zhao Ruxi acted like a female hooligan in front of Xiao Lingyan, being very enthusiastic and unrestrained. However, in front of outsiders, she was still quite shy and reserved, like a typical young girl.

When Lady Zhu asked her such a private question, her face immediately turned red.

She shook her head and said, "No."

Lady Zhu sighed inwardly and asked again, "So you're living in the same room with him now?"

"No," Zhao Ruxi explained their living situation, adding, "There's nothing we can do about it."

Upon hearing this, Lady Zhu felt even more sorry for her daughter.

She patted Zhao Ruxi's head and comforted her, saying, "Isn't Your Highness's health slowly recovering? Your good days are yet to come."

"Yes, I know." Zhao Ruxi smiled brightly at Lady Zhu. "Mother, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'll take good care of myself."

"Okay, I'm not worried about you." Lady Zhu patted her daughter's head and said nothing more.

She knew her daughter's abilities and wasn't worried about her livelihood. The Prince of Qi treated her well, and that was enough. Life wasn't perfect, and although she had some regrets, she stopped dwelling on them.

Xiao Lingyan was still ill, so Zhao Ruxi couldn't stay at home any longer. She made an appointment with her parents to see them off when they left the capital, and then left the Earl of Suiping's Residence with Auntie Yu.

The two parted ways on the street; Auntie Yu returned to the palace, while Zhao Ruxi returned to Prince of Qi's Residence.

Ten days later, Zhao Yuanxun and his entourage set off. After seeing them off, Zhao Ruxi sent a letter to Kang Shilin, inviting him to Prince of Qi's Residence.

Before she was married, as Kang Shilin's apprentice, going to the Kang Residence was not a problem. Now that she is married, it is not appropriate for her to go to the Kang Residence, a place with other men present.

She always pays attention to these small details to avoid criticism and unnecessary trouble for herself and her family.

Kang Shilin always kept his young apprentice in mind.

Upon receiving Zhao Ruxi's invitation, he hurried to the Prince of Qi's Residence.

He first went to visit Xiao Lingyan before going to the hall. He looked at Zhao Ruxi, sighed, but said nothing.

What could he say? Everything was already set in stone. Even seeing Xiao Lingyan paralyzed on the bed, unable to move, he couldn't utter a single unpleasant word.

He just felt sorry for his young apprentice.

Master, how are you feeling?

Zhao Ruxi hadn't seen Kang Shilin for a while. The last time she saw her master was before the Emperor's birthday celebration, which was more than two months ago.

After the incident on the Emperor's birthday, the capital was in turmoil. Kang Shilin was busy comforting Xiao Ge, and Zhao Ruxi was busy taking care of Xiao Lingyan. The master and disciple had no chance to meet.

Seeing that Kang Shilin hadn't lost weight, but his energy wasn't as high as before, Zhao Ruxi felt a little uneasy.

My master is getting old, and I don't know how much longer he can live. Medical care was poor in ancient times, and sometimes even a common cold could be fatal.

Although Zhao Ruxi has Recovery Pill, its effect is ultimately limited for elderly people with poor health.

Kang Shilin sighed and didn't hide anything from Zhao Ruxi: "Everything else is fine, it's just worrying."

As he spoke, worried that Zhao Ruxi might not have understood him, he stared at Zhao Ruxi intently for a couple of seconds.

Zhao Ruxi was left speechless, both amused and exasperated by her master's actions.

Okay, it's still her old, playful master, so she's not worried anymore.

"Master, you don't need to worry about me. Apart from His Highness's health not being quite right, I'm living a very good life."

Zhao Ruxi poured Kang Shilin some more tea. "Your Highness will get better eventually."

Kang Shilin was worried about Zhao Ruxi, but he was even more concerned that his young apprentice would be upset about such a marriage.

Seeing that she was still full of confidence and energy, without any self-pity, he felt relieved.

Both master and apprentice were relieved.

He asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

"I still want to be an official. But given Your Highness's situation, if I were to run around all day working in the government office, it would surely draw criticism, and the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine would certainly not allow it," Zhao Ruxi said.

"I'm thinking about whether I could take a temporary post at the Ministry of Works, but instead of going to the government office, I could just stay home and improve farm tools and tinker with some new and interesting things."

Kang Shilin felt it was a real pity and a disservice to his young apprentice that Zhao Ruxi was so intelligent, had studied so much, and finally became the top scholar in the imperial examination, only served as an official for half a year before quitting to stay in the inner quarters to be a wife and mother.

But she married a prince, and given Xiao Lingyan's circumstances, he couldn't bring himself to suggest she take up an official position.

Hearing Zhao Ruxi's perfect solution, I couldn't be more in favor.

"That's good. You don't know how much the Emperor praised you for those two improved farming tools in front of me," he said Gao Xing.

As he spoke, he looked at Zhao Ruxi and asked, "You want me to go to the Emperor and speak on your behalf?"

Zhao Ruxi shook her head. "I've already made some progress. The two farming tools have played a significant role in clearing land in winter, but it will take some time for the people to truly accept them and for them to be widely adopted. It should be about the same after one spring."

"Furthermore, I organized the people of Nanyang to repair water conservancy projects during the winter. The water conservancy project was extremely well-developed, and its power could only be seen when water was used in the spring."