Even though Zhao Junyao was already being very cautious.
He was still noticed by Xia Ruqing as something was off.
"Emperor, you're brushing me off!"
"Have you already arranged everything?" she hurriedly asked.
Zhao Junyao couldn't lie, so he just talked around it.
"Qingqing, I think what you're saying is great, you should keep talking!"
Xia Ruqing fluffed up like a cat whose fur suddenly stood on end.
"Don't change the subject, did you already have a plan?"
In her urgency, she forgot everything, directly addressing him informally.
Zhao Junyao was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. In her persistent questioning, he finally couldn't resist and surrendered.
"Qingqing... I am the Emperor!"
"In my position, it is my duty! For major issues concerning people's livelihood, I've been studying day and night! So..."
The meaning being:
I've spent decades researching this thing, how could I possibly not know better than you?
If she could see the pattern, how could he not know it?
