Fu Tinghan nodded, and seeing the teacup on the table, he guessed it was his parents who had so openly entered his room. It was clear that Fu Xuan was not the type to worry in this way.

He felt a bit of a headache. In his memory, Princess Hongnong was very strict with "him." Before "he" turned fourteen, "he" was always obedient, but after turning fourteen, "he" began to have his own ideas.

Thus, began the struggle between mother and son. He returned to Luoyang, initially at Princess Hongnong’s suggestion, because she had heard that Prince East Sea had invaded Luoyang and confined the emperor.

But he didn’t want to return at the time. Of all his memories, this was the clearest, clear to the point that he could feel "his" anger and helplessness.

Even though "he" had half Sima family blood, "he" never took pride in it. He even clearly told Princess Hongnong, "Your Majesty cannot manage the court; it is better to choose a worthy successor early, and perhaps the Great Jin can be saved, and the people less displaced."

The emperor at that time was "his" maternal grandfather, Princess Hongnong’s father, Emperor Hui.

Because of this, mother and son had a fierce quarrel, and then Fu Changrong left in anger, decisively returning to Luoyang.

Firstly, he didn’t want to be influenced by his mother any longer; he wanted to be far from her. Secondly, he hoped to call for aid in Luoyang, as the famine in Chang’an had reached a peak, with people dying of starvation every day. He hoped the court would look west and save the starving people of Chang’an.

Perhaps because these two thoughts were too intense, Fu Tinghan’s memories of this period were the clearest, and he could most understand "his" feelings, thus also understanding what kind of person Princess Hongnong was.

Between biological mother and child, when kids grow up, they all establish walls with their mother, not wanting her to overly involve herself in their lives. Moreover, Fu Tinghan still harbored a feeling of estrangement towards Princess Hongnong and disliked anyone invading his space.

So, he was very unhappy.

He silently sat cross-legged on the wooden couch, watching as Fu An led the servants to clean. Seeing that they were about to leave, he said, "Clean it once more."

The servants exchanged glances, then bowed their heads in agreement, fetched new water, and re-cleaned the room.

The windows and doors were wide open for ventilation, and in the cold weather, even Fu An felt cold for him, but Fu Tinghan did not feel it.

After ventilating for over a quarter of an hour, he then allowed Fu An to close the windows, saying, "Have someone bring in hot water; I wish to bathe."

In another courtyard, Princess Hongnong heard the commotion and sent someone to inquire. When the servant didn’t report back for a long time, she frowned and looked at Ren Hui.

Ren Hui then went out. Shortly after, she returned with her head lowered, reporting, "The servant who went to inquire was kept back by the young master to help clean, so they didn’t return for a long time."

Princess Hongnong didn’t know her son was dissatisfied with her; she nodded and said, "It’s been several years, and he seems to care more about cleanliness than before. Yesterday, I also noticed there was no makeup on his face. Select a few servants to send to his courtyard. Such a large courtyard, besides Fu An, there isn’t a single servant. When he’s not home, no one cleans or ventilates. Does he have to fuss with it every time he returns?"

Ren Hui didn’t dare mention Fu Tinghan’s demand to scrub the room twice and the scalding of the teapot and teacups with boiling water, so she complied with a smile and changed the topic, "Young master doesn’t usually like such things; he only applies makeup to avoid standing out too much at literary gatherings."

Ren Hui selected the people and personally escorted them over.

Fu Tinghan had just finished bathing; Fu An had lit a brazier in the room, making it finally not so cold, but he still draped a cloak over himself. In fact, a cloak is not convenient for indoor use; a wool blanket is more suitable.

The North has wool, but the felt made from it is very hard. It seems there needs to be a way to soften the wool to make better blankets. He’s not very knowledgeable in this area, but the herdsmen on the steppes might have insights, perhaps incentivizing them with heavy rewards?

For indoor heating, there could also be a consideration of heated brick beds and underfloor heating.

Underfloor heating is too costly, and since this isn’t new construction, it’s not feasible to dig and renovate. Hmm, perhaps brick beds should be considered.

In addition to brick beds, there’s coal.

Charcoal is too expensive.

Even among the well-off like them, sometimes to save on charcoal, work is done in one room. Unfortunately, the coal that can presently be mined is limited, and priority must be given to industry.

He needs to dispatch more people to seek out coal. Once more veins are discovered and mined, ordinary people will benefit.

Fu Tinghan was pondering these miscellaneous matters in his mind while drinking hot water until Ren Hui called from outside twice before he returned to his senses.

He nodded to Fu An, who then went out to invite Ren Hui in.

After glancing at the servants Ren Hui brought, Fu Tinghan said, "Leave two to assist Fu An and guard the courtyard."

Ren Hui said, "Young master, you are of noble status; how can you have only three servants beside you?"

"I am but one person, not lacking in limbs, and in no need of so many to care for me." He didn’t even want the two extra, but since he and Fu An were out every day, the courtyard indeed needed someone to guard it, preventing outsiders from entering...

Fu Tinghan lowered his gaze silently for a moment but still expressed his dissatisfaction and resistance, "Let these two stay to guard the courtyard; in the future, no one is allowed to enter without my permission."

Ren Hui paused for a moment, sighing inwardly in resignation, and looked at the two servants.

They both lowered their heads and agreed in unison.

Ren Hui noticed Fu Tinghan’s bad mood but, once the servants left, still advised, "Young master, the Princess truly missed you over the years. Thanks to the young master’s occasional letters, she knew you were safe in the Central Plains."

Although the mother and son’s views conflicted, Fu Tinghan believed Princess Hongnong loved her child, so he felt a bit guilty and, after a moment of silence, asked, "Since you all just returned to Luoyang, are there any inconveniences?"

Ren Hui couldn’t help but laugh. She knew that, like the Princess, the young master too had a hard exterior but a soft heart, so she promptly began detailing Princess Hongnong’s hardships, "Her Highness has been away from the Capital City for many years. Upon returning, she found all the acquaintances she once knew were no longer here, everyone around was a stranger, and with no one by her side to talk to. Young master, no matter how busy you are, you should come home for meals and keep Her Highness company."

She continued, "Her Highness’s private assets were mostly used to support the army. In May and July, to gather military provisions for the young master, the gold hairpins left by the late Empress were even sold. Now..."

Upon hearing this, Fu Tinghan quickly looked at Fu An, "How much money do I have left here?"

Fu An replied, "There are still some left."

"Retrieve it tomorrow and hand it to mother," Fu Tinghan thought for a moment, realizing that since Fu Xuan and his wife were unemployed and without property, he indeed needed to support the family. He then said, "In the future, my salary will all be taken back and given to my mother. Also, all the family fields, houses, and shops should be separated and returned to my mother."

After Zhao Hanzhang entered Luoyang, if anyone under her had family assets in Luoyang, she generally wouldn’t confiscate them but would return the property deeds intact.

So, all the Fu Family properties in the Capital City back in the day were in Fu Tinghan’s hands, and he had people managing them.

As for his private assets, they weren’t separate, they were mixed with Zhao Hanzhang’s and the Zhao Family’s, making it hard for him to give a complete portion to his parents.

Fu Tinghan considered buying them a couple of shops to make things more comfortable, but upon realizing his lack of extra funds, he felt unable to purchase them, causing his shoulders to droop. "Fu An, organize the financial accounts of the family’s properties; it’s year-end, and the managers should report back soon. Tell them to henceforth report to my mother."

Fu An agreed.