Seeing that the Emperor of Xiyun did not seem angry but rather contemplative, An Jing continued, "At that time, the paper could be considered a royal manufacture, and the price could also be sold higher."
"Since we do not know whether it will be successful, there is no need for a large investment at the beginning. A few thousand taels should be enough, and if the effort fails, we will only lose that much. But if it succeeds, we can make a lot."
After a pause, An Jing decided to lay it all out, "If the production of white paper is successful, by then Father Emperor can strictly control the felling of Green Tania trees. If ours is the only one that can produce white paper, then the money will only flow into the national treasury, thus continuously increasing our revenue."
Once finished, An Jing tensely watched the Emperor of Xiyun. His silence made her very uneasy. Women here are not allowed to engage in politics, let alone influence the thoughts of the Emperor of Xiyun, the Son of Heaven.
The Emperor of Xiyun looked at An Jing, his aged eyes slowly narrowing, his imperial majesty fully displayed, "Jingjing, tell me honestly, did you really come up with this idea yourself?"
Before An Jing could speak, Xiao Changyi interjected, stressing each word, "Su, Hao, Yu."
An Jing: "..." In the entire Xiyun Kingdom, probably only her husband would dare to address the Emperor of Xiyun by his name.
The Emperor of Xiyun immediately put on a smiling face, with not a trace of imperial majesty, "Yi Er, don’t be annoyed. I was just too surprised. Jingjing actually has such intelligence, I thought it was you who taught her all this. I truly meant no other thing."
Xiao Changyi no longer paid attention to the Emperor of Xiyun and pulled An Jing out of the Imperial Study Room. This old man was reaping the benefits while still playing innocent; shameless!
As soon as Xiao Changyi and An Jing disappeared at the doorway of the Imperial Study Room, the Emperor of Xiyun turned to Su Chengyu, "Chengyu, what do you think of your imperial sister-in-law’s idea?"
Su Chengyu respectfully said, "This son thinks it is excellent."
The Emperor of Xiyun suddenly let out a long sigh before saying, "Why did your imperial brother take a fancy to that girl... Now, I am starting to understand."
The Emperor of Xiyun glanced at the documents on the table before speaking to Su Chengyu again, "The matter of making white paper is entrusted to you. If you handle it well, not only will your imperial sister-in-law be credited, but you also will be."
If he accumulated more merits, when the time came for him to succeed to the throne, more would serve him loyally. Su Chengyu knew that the Emperor of Xiyun was offering him an opportunity to earn merits, to help him succeed more smoothly to the throne. Moved, he immediately knelt and gave a deep bow, "Thank you, Father Emperor!"
Looking at the person kneeling before him, the Emperor of Xiyun sighed, "You may proceed with boldness. I am here to protect you now. Even when I’m gone, you will still have your imperial brother. Even if you have not a single merit for Xiyun, your imperial brother will ensure you firmly hold the throne of Xiyun."
With a choked voice, Su Chengyu said, "This son understands Father Emperor and imperial brother cherish this son, and I hope Father Emperor will speak no more of such inauspicious words. Father Emperor is the Son of Heaven and will surely live as long as the heavens."
The Emperor of Xiyun opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. Instead, he waved his hand slightly, signaling Su Chengyu to withdraw.
Su Chengyu respectfully took his leave once more before exiting the Imperial Study Room.
Tomorrow is the Emperor of Xiyun’s birthday, yet An Jing and Xiao Changyi had not prepared a birthday gift for the Emperor of Xiyun. However, this didn’t seem to be a problem for Xiao Changyi, who with a wave of his brush, wrote the words "May your longevity be boundless" as a birthday gift for the Emperor of Xiyun.
"Is that it?" An Jing gaped at the four characters her husband had written. The handwriting was indeed beautiful and elegant, but wasn’t this birthday gift a bit too perfunctory?