After gaining experience in officialdom, Wang Youbao, despite still emanating a gentlemanly demeanor, has become much steadier compared to when An Jing and Xiao Changyi first knew him, no longer appearing so immature.
After all, Wang Youbao is now twenty-five, no longer the seventeen, eighteen, or nineteen of the past.
The present Wang Youbao has gained a kind of robust charm over time, in addition to his handsome looks.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Wang Youbao then said to An Jing and Xiao Changyi, "The army has been campaigning outside for nearly two years, consuming much, leaving the treasury severely depleted. Both grain and silver taels are scarce, and the Emperor is troubled by this matter. He is reluctant to increase taxes but finds himself at a loss for other solutions, so he has asked me to seek my master's and mentor's counsel upon meeting them."
