The Time Was Not Ripe

However, revolution is not a dinner party; decisions cannot be made on a whim. Xiao Lingyan stated that he wanted to personally review the materials.

As a result, Zhao Ruxi's daily points in calligraphy increased rapidly.

In modern high-tech times, the system could even hack into Zhao Ruxi's computer and transfer the data there, allowing Zhao Ruxi to print it out directly.

In ancient times, there was no such technology, and the resources only existed in Zhao Ruxi's mind. She had no choice but to write them down word by word and hand them to Xiao Lingyan.

After Xiao Lingyan finished reading them, he destroyed them.

Because of the large amount of material, even with Zhao Ruxi's diligent writing, it still required a significant amount of time.

It took Xiao Lingyan almost half a month to finish reading the materials that Zhao Ruxi had sent him, writing and reviewing them simultaneously.

He burned the last document and said to Zhao Ruxi, "We can't do this now."

"Why?" Zhao Ruxi asked humbly.

She's a tech geek who doesn't even read the political news. Even after arriving in the Great Jin, she relied on her prophecy and the system to cheat; her political talent and intuition were still severely lacking.

The main problem is that she's not interested.

She was well aware of her own shortcomings, so she wasn't Gao Xing when Xiao Lingyan said it was impossible.

Xiao Lingyan possessed the original owner's memories and had served as a prince for over three years, making his political acumen far superior to hers.

In both coups, she was merely an informant and an observer, and did not participate in them at all.

As for Xiao Lingyan, he orchestrated both coups behind the scenes, and the events ultimately unfolded exactly as he had predicted.

This shows that he was not only a successful designer, but also an outstanding strategist and politician.

"Social progress and changes in nature require a ripe time and a suitable opportunity; they can't be done just because you want to. If the conditions aren't right, and we've now implemented a constitutional monarchy, handing over imperial and military power, believe it or not, someone could assassinate us tomorrow, become emperor themselves, and revive feudal imperial power."

"Don't underestimate the greed and ignorance of human nature, as well as the deeply ingrained ideology of imperial power."

This is indeed a big problem.

Zhao Ruxi had absolutely no interest in this matter, so she couldn't be bothered to spend any more time exploring it.

She waved her hand. "Fine, I was just saying. I don't understand politics, so if you say no, then no, I don't care. I'm just asking you, is it even possible to get steam power generated?"

"That's a good idea," Xiao Lingyan, "But we can only proceed slowly, taking small steps at a time, not too quickly. First, we need to get agricultural machinery up and running to promote agricultural development. Once the labor force is gradually freed from the fields, handicrafts, commerce, and other industries will naturally develop."

Zhao Ruxi sighed, "Alright."

Before Xiao Lingyan could say anything more, he heard Xiao Liuzi shouting at the door, "Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine has sent someone to request that you come to the palace."

Ever since the prince recovered and the imperial physicians left the courtyard, the prince established a rule: his servants could not enter or leave his and his princess's courtyard without being summoned.

Now, the eunuchs and Consort of the Prince of Qi's maids on duty can only stand guard at the courtyard gate. Their masters will come out to speak if they have something to report; if they have something to report, they can only shout at the courtyard gate.

Zhao Ruxi laughed upon hearing this, "He probably got angry after hearing what you said."

Xiao Lingyan stood up, walked to Zhao Ruxi's side, leaned down and kissed her lips. "Then, wife, you'd better prepare for consummating our marriage."

Without waiting for Zhao Ruxi's reaction, he walked out.

Sure enough, upon entering the palace, Noble Consort Cen first berated him, tearfully recounting how hard Xiao Lingpu had worked to seize the throne, and how much effort the Cen Family family had put into securing power for them. Yet now, in his eyes, the throne was less important than a woman, leaving her utterly disappointed.

Before Xiao Lingyan retort, she continued, "But I know you love Zhiwei, and Zhiwei is indeed a good child, worthy of your treatment. I don't ask you to take a concubine now, I only hope you will consummate your marriage soon so that Zhiwei can give birth to a healthy baby boy. You're feeling better now, and you said you would wait six months before consummating your marriage, but three or four months have passed now, so it should be fine, right?"

As she spoke, she beckoned outside, and a royal physician came over.

"Let Imperial Physician Shao take your pulse," she said. "Later, I'll have Imperial Physician Shao come back to the manor with you and also Zhiwei. If you're both in good health, then I'll have someone choose an auspicious day for you to consummate your marriage."

Xiao Lingyan gave Noble Consort Cen a deep look, said nothing, and directly extended his wrist for Imperial Physician Shao to take his pulse.

Since he wanted to delay the consummation of the marriage, he naturally wouldn't fail to make preparations in advance.

Imperial Physician Shao placed his hand on Xiao Lingyan's wrist for a while, his brows furrowed, without letting go. This expression made Noble Consort Cen's heart skip a beat.

"Your Highness, please extend your other hand so I can examine you," said Imperial Physician Shao.

Xiao Lingyan then extended his other hand.

Imperial Physician Shao held his hand on the prince's wrist for a moment, then withdrew it and bowed deeply to Noble Consort Cen: "Your Majesty, the prince's health seems to have improved, but he is still very weak and needs to recuperate for a while longer."

Noble Consort Cen was filled with disappointment.

"How much longer will you need to recuperate?" she asked.

When the other imperial physicians examined Xiao Lingyan Xiao Lingyan, they did mention that he had been ill and his body was depleted, requiring recuperation. For the past three or four months Xiao Lingyan had been taking tonics to nourish his body.

Now that he looked healthy and rosy, Noble Consort Cen thought he had recovered. But she didn't expect that he was still weak inside.

"The prince's health hasn't improved after all this time, what use are you people?" she said angrily.

"Your Majesty, you cannot rush to recuperate. Haste will only cause problems." Imperial Physician Shao had his reasons.

Noble Consort Cen was speechless this time. She told Xiao Lingyan to take good care of his health and not to overwork himself before letting him go back.

Back at the Prince of Qi's Residence, Zhao Ruxi, upon learning of the situation, glanced at him sideways and said, "Tell me honestly, have you bribed the imperial physician so you can stay weak for as long as you want?"

Xiao Lingyan nodded. "Of course. Don't you see there's no one competing with me now? I only need to give a hint, and they'll do as I say. Who would dare offend the next emperor?"

Zhao Ruxi leaned close to him, gave him a kiss, and whispered, "It's all been hard on you."

As a healthy and mature man, Xiao Lingyan endured a great deal of hardship when facing his beloved wife.

Zhao Ruxi knew all this.

Moreover, Xiao Lingyan condom made. They could have consummated their marriage first and waited until she turned eighteen before getting pregnant.

But this man, in order to spare her the pressure of childbirth imposed on her by the entire Great Jin, stubbornly chose to endure it himself rather than let her suffer any criticism or harm.

With a husband like this, what more could one ask for?