Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 237 Lin Chen's Sudden Thoughts

Thirty li outside the city lies Dongshan.

When the carriage stopped at the foot of the mountain, Lin Chen jumped down first and turned around to help Zhao Mingyue.

"Slow down, slow down, this pedal is a bit high."

Zhao Mingyue got down with Lin Chen's help, and looked up at the mountain scenery.

"There are quite a lot of people."

The mountain road was indeed bustling.

Groups of scholars strolled slowly, fanning themselves, while young couples walked hand in hand up the road, the women occasionally pointing to the roadside and saying something.

"We've caught a lucky break," Lin Chen said, stretching.

"In spring and autumn, the people of Beijing mobilized en masse."

Zhao Mingyue chuckled, "How did you know, husband?"

"I guessed." Lin Chen took her hand. "Let's go, let's join in the fun."

Neither of them used any internal energy; they crawled purely on their legs.

The mountain path is lined with maple trees, the leaves of which have just begun to turn red; it will take another month or so for them to fully ripen.

As Zhao Mingyue walked and looked around, she suddenly grabbed Lin Chen: "Husband, look at that tree—"

"Yes, I saw it."

"I haven't said what I want to see yet."

"That one turned red the earliest," Lin Chen chuckled. "You've been staring at the red ones all the way here, how could I not know?"

Zhao Mingyue smiled slightly, then pointed to the other side:

"There's a pavilion over there, want to rest for a while?"

Lin Chen glanced at the distance. "You're already tired after climbing so little?"

"It's not that I'm tired," Zhao Mingyue said earnestly, "it's that I want to sit with my husband."

"..."

Lin Chen smiled. "Alright, that's a good reason. Sit down!"

The pavilion was cool, with a mountain breeze blowing through it, carrying a slightly bitter scent of grass and trees.

Zhao Mingyue leaned on Lin Chen's shoulder, squinting at the distant mountain peaks, a smile playing on her lips, seemingly lost in thought.

Lin Chen held her close, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly spoke:

"Bright Moon, who is in charge of this mountain?"

"Hmm?" Zhao Mingyue opened her eyes and thought for a moment.

"Higashiyama... it shouldn't be sealed off yet, it still belongs to the royal family."

"The royal family..." Lin Chen mused, "Is it just a matter of His Majesty's word?"

Zhao Mingyue turned her head to look at him: "My husband wants this mountain?"

"I have that idea." Lin Chen gestured towards the mountaintop. "I want to build... how should I put it, a resort there."

"A vacation...base?"

"It's a place I can stay occasionally; the scenery is nice and it's quiet." Lin Chen said earnestly.

"Build some more infrastructure, plant some flowers and grass, and add some pavilions and towers—perfect."

Zhao Mingyue did not respond.

She looked at Lin Chen for several seconds and said softly:

"My lord, are you... troubled by something?"

Lin Chen chuckled and reached out to pinch her cheek:

"What could be wrong? We just have too much money to burn right now, so we're doing some construction to boost the GDP of the Dayan Dynasty."

"Chicken...fart?" Zhao Mingyue frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Well... anyway, it's a good thing."

Zhao Mingyue didn't press further, and simply smiled:

"If my husband wants it, my sister shouldn't refuse."

"That depends on her mood."

"She's always been in a good mood with you."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: "Why does that sound a little sarcastic to me?"

Zhao Mingyue rolled her eyes: "Who's jealous? I'm telling the truth."

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you the truth." Lin Chen stood up with a smile.

"Let's go, keep climbing, there should be a better view at the top."

The higher you go, the wider your view becomes.

As we neared the summit, a sudden burst of light opened up before us—

From Lin Chen's perspective, the entire capital city lay spread out beneath his feet, the golden tiles of the imperial palace reflecting the sunlight.

The city streets are laid out in a grid pattern, and further on, the Grand Canal winds its way north like a silver ribbon.

Zhao Mingyue stood on the edge of the cliff, the wind blowing her skirt up.

"My husband, you look so handsome."

Lin Chen stood next to her, looking at the scenery.

It really looks good.

But what he was thinking was—

If a mountain resort is built here, should the mountaintop be leveled?

Our family will grow larger in the future, and the space will be too small to accommodate everyone.

We can't keep those thousand Snow Dragon Riders camped outside the city forever, can we?

And the five hundred Shu soldiers that Zhuge Liang led are still lying in the system space!

If the first annual sign-up bonus and childbirth bonus create another power spike soon, where will it be placed?

They dug into the mountainside, built an underground base, inscribed formations, and constructed defenses...

"Husband?"

Lin Chen snapped out of his daze: "Hmm?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about how to ask His Majesty for the mountain."

Zhao Mingyue paused for a moment, then laughed out loud: "Just say it directly."

"Just say it?" Lin Chen said dramatically. "I'll say it: Your Majesty, I've taken a fancy to Dongshan. Please give it to me?"

"It's not impossible."

"She'll kill me."

"No," Zhao Mingyue said earnestly. "My sister has always had a rather special relationship with her husband."

Lin Chen blinked: "Special? What's special about it?"

Zhao Mingyue rolled her eyes at him: "Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to? I'm ignoring you."

"No, no, no—" Lin Chen quickly hugged her and laughed, "Just kidding."

Zhao Mingyue leaned against Lin Chen's chest without struggling.

After a moment of silence, Lin Chen lowered his voice:

"As you know, Her Majesty cannot be a wife and mother like an ordinary woman."

The monarch of a nation, the heir to the throne, bears the heavy responsibility.

Zhao Mingyue remained silent.

After a while, she said softly:

"My younger sister is very lonely."

Lin Chen didn't reply.

"Back then, the Emperor defied all opposition to allow her to ascend the throne; she endured so much." Zhao Mingyue looked up at Lin Chen.

"So, my husband, if one day... you must treat her better."

Lin Chen chuckled softly, resting his chin on the top of Zhao Mingyue's head.

"Don't worry! No matter what she thinks, as long as she becomes my woman and bears my child, I will treat her the same as everyone else."

"Just like I did with you." He leaned down and whispered in Zhao Mingyue's ear.

"Focus on doing your best to meet all her needs."

Zhao Mingyue's face flushed red, and she raised her hand to punch Lin Chen. "Husband! You're being indecent again!"

"How am I being indecent?" Lin Chen asked innocently.

"Am I wrong? Or do you not like how I treat you?"

"I...I didn't mean that..."

"What does that mean?"

Zhao Mingyue retorted angrily, "Although... you can't keep saying it like that!"

"Okay, okay, I won't hang up anymore." Lin Chen surrendered with a smile. "We'll practice again tonight."

Zhao Mingyue stomped her foot in anger and turned to leave.

Lin Chen quickly followed: "Hey, slow down, slow down, there's a cliff here—"

After walking a few steps, Zhao Mingyue stopped on her own.

She stood on a large rock, looking back at Lin Chen, her face still slightly flushed, but the smile in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"My husband."

"Um?"

"When you come to this mountain, save me a courtyard."

Lin Chen walked over and took her hand:

"Keep the biggest one."

"I don't want the biggest one, I want the one closest to you."

"Okay." Lin Chen readily agreed. "I'll save the one closest to me for you."

Zhao Mingyue smiled with her eyes crinkling, and pulled Lin Chen to continue walking uphill.