Emperor Mingxi was deeply moved by his filial piety.

The Crown Prince's words had struck a chord with him—as the ruler of a nation, the finest delicacies naturally should grace his palate first.

Before leaving the Yu residence, they visited the greenhouse again. The vast greenhouse had been nearly stripped bare, and even the elderly Minister Wang, disregarding his official robes, had eagerly helped plant the new seeds.

It would take at least eighty to ninety days before they could enjoy another harvest.

Having tasted such exquisite treats, Emperor Mingxi couldn't bear the thought of going without them for so long.

And no, he wouldn’t even consider taking from Yue Fuguang’s remaining stock in the greenhouse—those were the Grand Tutor’s personal reserves. He wouldn’t dare risk the wrath of snatching food from a tiger’s jaws.

Even if he wanted to, before Yue Fuguang could protest, his loyal ministers would be the first to intervene.

Since the downfall of Censor Zhao Xu, his replacement, Feng Tang, had proven to be an unyielding figure who revered Yue Fuguang like a deity.

Seizing every opportunity, he would admonish the emperor to treat the Grand Tutor with utmost respect for the sake of the Great Yan Dynasty, reminding him not to flaunt imperial authority before the revered sage.

After all, in the eyes of an immortal, they were mere ants—and so on with his endless lectures.

At times, Emperor Mingxi wondered if this man was Yue Fuguang’s most devoted lackey.

Wu Yuanjing, Minister Wu: Who dares challenge this old man’s position as the Grand Tutor’s foremost underling?!

Feng Tang, brushing off nonexistent dust from his robes: This humble official does!

Wu Yuanjing: A duel it is!

Feng ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌‍Tang: I accept!

Following the Crown Prince’s suggestion, Emperor Mingxi swiftly divided the goods and dispatched them to various palaces.

As eunuchs and palace maids carried the deliveries, spies from different consorts lurked in gardens, behind walls, and near rockeries, eager to learn how much their rivals had received.

For the imperial concubines, the distribution reflected the emperor’s favor—more gifts meant greater affection.

Those without children relied entirely on imperial grace.

The Empress remained unshaken, leisurely savoring strawberries from a white jade bowl as she listened to her chief maid’s report.

With a dismissive wave, she said, “Keep an eye on them. As long as they don’t cross the line, let them be.”

She pointed to a small basket. “Have this sent to the Crown Prince. Whatever others receive, my son shall not lack.”

The chief maid smiled. “Understood. I’ll deliver it myself.”

She picked up the basket—half of Yue Fuguang’s strawberries had gone to the Crown Prince. “Your Majesty truly dotes on His Highness.”

A tender smile graced Empress Xu Qingyou’s elegant face. “That child has had a sweet tooth since childhood. He thinks his mother doesn’t notice.”

Chuckling, she popped another strawberry into her mouth. “These are delicious. My son will adore them, but for the sake of his elder brother’s dignity, he won’t compete with his younger siblings.”

If her son wished to uphold his role as the eldest, so be it. But as his mother, she would ensure he lacked nothing.

She immediately ordered the remaining strawberries to be made into jam.

The Empress hadn’t forgotten—there was another sweet enthusiast in the palace.

With her attendants, she headed to the Empress Dowager’s Cining Palace, carrying a small porcelain jar filled with strawberry jam.

……

“System, how much of the main quest is complete?”

Yue Fuguang, munching on a strawberry biscuit, had spent the past three years earning points just to sustain the system’s basic functions, never daring to hope for progress.

Yet in just two months, her points had surpassed a thousand—despite earning nothing in the first month.

Now, the court officials no longer wasted time on empty debates or impeachment attempts as they had during her first assembly.

Actual governance was finally being discussed.

[Host, current main quest completion: 3%. The system has upgraded to Level 2. Energy is sufficient. The mind-reading function can now extend to 150 people. Activate?]

“Go ahead. Limit it to those with a favorability above 60. Exclude the ones who badmouth me. Let them learn their lesson—not just anyone can hear my thoughts!”

Ever since it became clear that the privilege wasn’t permanent, and those who harbored ill will lost access, everyone had grown exceedingly respectful.

Especially those three who, after a single critical thought, had their abilities revoked. Their regret was palpable.

Watching their colleagues’ animated expressions during court sessions, they could only imagine what they were missing.

Yue Fuguang observed the trio’s pleading gazes and added, “Restore their access once their favorability reaches 80.”

[Master, the capital is much colder than the south. Shouldn’t you build a heated kang bed? It’ll keep you warm in winter.]

The kang is nice, but didn’t you give me a down coat and heating pads? Do I really need one?

[Master, have you forgotten you’re mortal now? The winters here are harsher. My heating pad stock is limited. A kang would be far more comfortable.]

Fine. Give me the blueprint. I’ll have the Ministry of Works build it.

[Pity the locals don’t use coal for heating. It burns hotter and longer. If refined into coke, it could revolutionize iron smelting—higher heat, stronger metal, less waste.

Wouldn’t that surpass the Great Yan Dynasty’s current methods? The resulting weapons and armor would be far superior. Care to explore ancient steelmaking techniques?]

The court officials first perked up at the mention of a new invention—the “heated kang.” Though unfamiliar, anything that could ease the Grand Tutor’s winter must be valuable.

After all, when Yu Chongshan received Yue Fuguang’s curved plow design, he and Minister Lu Qi had rushed to the Ministry of Works to forge one. Their public demonstration, watched by Emperor Mingxi himself, had left them awestruck.

Minister Wang, an agriculture expert, had wept over the plow’s brilliance.

Now, the Ministry of Works was racing to produce more plows before spring planting.

The other ministers envied Lu Qi’s luck—thanks to Yu Chongshan, Yue Fuguang’s innovations always reached the Ministry of Works first.

Their own departments were just as capable. Grand Tutor, please notice us too!

And coal? Coke? What were these? Could they truly forge better weapons and armor?

Steelmaking? They wanted to see it, truly wanted to. The crowd couldn’t help but look up at… Emperor Mingxi. They didn’t dare gaze directly at the young master, so they settled for facing the emperor instead.

Emperor Mingxi: Don’t look at me—I want to see it too!

Yue Fuguang lazily remarked, "What’s the point of watching? Even if the steel they forge is better than what we have now, it still won’t withstand a single gentle strike from my Splendid Spirit Sword."