Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 620: Chapter 311: Lao Ba really hasn’t disappointed me

Zhao Yao saw that Li Houci was deeply devoted to Prince Chu, and it was not appropriate to persuade her to do other things.

At this moment, Zhao Yao was in the Prince Chu Mansion, checking the situation of the mansion’s renovation.

After Prince Chu left the capital, the Prince Chu Mansion had remained empty and had not been cleaned. Now, as Prince Chu was about to return to the capital, the mansion naturally needed some refurbishment.

Zhao Yao carefully inspected the place and found no issues, which put his mind at ease. At this moment, he sat on the kang, sipping tea and enjoying some snacks.

A month or two ago, Zhao Yao had introduced the kang. Since then, the residents of the capital had installed kangs in their homes. Naturally, the Prince Chu Mansion needed one too.

"Your Highness, this is the Prince Chu Mansion, not your own home. Is it appropriate for you to sit so leisurely on the kang here, drinking tea and eating snacks?" Tong Xi remarked.

Zhao Yao shamelessly replied, "My fourth brother’s home is my home as well, and he wouldn’t mind." After saying this, he rolled around on the kang, exclaiming, "So warm, so comfortable."

"Your Highness, I truly admire you!" Tong Xi exclaimed, giving Zhao Yao a thumbs-up, his face full of admiration. "To have created such a warm kang, you are truly incredible!" Ever since His Highness introduced the kang, everyone praised him for his cleverness and ingenuity.

Zhao Yao waved his hand, modestly saying, "It’s nothing." In his dreams, he remembered that his hometown had kangs, but it was something he had forgotten until a month or two ago. If he had remembered sooner, he wouldn’t have had to suffer through cold winters for the past few years.

"Your Highness, with the kang, people don’t have to fear the cold when sleeping at night." Tong Xi also had a kang in his room, making his nights wonderfully warm. "The kang is truly a great innovation."

Zhao Yao declared with pride and satisfaction, "Everything I create is good stuff."

"Yes, yes, everything Your Highness creates is indeed good stuff."

Meanwhile, the Emperor was also sitting on a kang, reviewing memorials.

Since having a kang, the Emperor had mostly stopped reviewing memorials in the Imperial Study, instead moving to the East Warm Pavilion in Chengguang Hall for his work.

Sun Kui brought over a cup of tea, respectfully saying, "Your Majesty, please have some tea first."

The Emperor, feeling a bit thirsty, put down the memorial in his hand, took the cup from Sun Kui, and lifted the lid. Seeing that it was chrysanthemum tea, he raised an eyebrow at Sun Kui, "Chrysanthemum tea?"

"Your Majesty, you seem a bit overheated, some chrysanthemum tea might help cool you down."

"Since when did I become overheated?"

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Physician mentioned that sitting on the kang for prolonged periods can cause overheating."

The Emperor said no more, lowering his head to drink. Whether he was overheated or not, sitting continuously on the kang indeed made him thirsty, requiring frequent tea breaks.

After finishing the tea, the Emperor sprawled unceremoniously onto a cushion. Hearing the cold wind howling outside the window, he sighed appreciatively, "It’s truly warm and comfortable." Since the advent of the kang, except for attending court, the Emperor spent most days in the East Warm Pavilion, even sleeping there. "Little Ten truly created a valuable thing with the kang."

"Indeed, with the kang, we no longer fear being woken by the cold at night." Before the kang, he placed hot water bottles in his bedding to warm it before sleeping. While sleeping, he would hold one, but they couldn’t stay warm indefinitely, turning cold by midnight, waking him with the cold.

Now, as he’s gotten older, he often wakes from the cold on winter nights. But with the kang, he no longer worries about the bed turning cold at midnight, sleeping warmly through to dawn.

"This kid finally did something good this year." The Emperor had already decreed the promotion of kangs throughout Great Zhou, especially in the cold northern regions.

Every winter, the North becomes exceedingly cold, particularly the Northern border. Many soldiers defend the North, but due to the severe cold, some soldiers and civilians freeze to death each year. Now, with the kang, soldiers and civilians in the North no longer fear the harsh cold.

After the installation of kangs, the soldiers and civilians in the North couldn’t help but cry with emotion on the warm kang.

Because of this, Zhao Yao, the Tenth Highness, not only gained public goodwill but also earned a reputation in the military camp.

As long as they lay on the warm kang, both civilians and soldiers felt a genuine gratitude toward the Tenth Highness.

The appearance of the kang had also saved many lives. Each winter, apart from those who froze to death, some died from carbon monoxide poisoning due to burning charcoal. Now with the kang, there’s no need to burn charcoal night and day for warmth, eliminating the risk of poisoning.