novelcrest Chapter 69 What kind of love talk is there with the Emperor?
Chapter 69 What kind of love talk is there with the Emperor?
In Qingyan Hall, Li Yuanke heard that Taohuawu Chaoyu was requesting an audience, so he let him in.
The supervisors also carried in a large stack of papers.
The emperor was overjoyed to see the paper, which was snow-white, uniform in size and thickness, and covered with a faint yet clear image of a ferocious and lifelike golden dragon soaring through the clouds.
He didn't pay much attention to what Shen Shixi was doing, just thinking she was killing time.
But she was able to do it so well!
Li Yuanke picked up a piece of paper, flicked it with his finger, and it made a clanging sound. It was also very resilient, quite different from the thin, flimsy paper of today that would tear easily.
Exquisite and perfect!
"Reward!" Li Yuanke asked, "What positions do you two hold in the Directorate of Works now?"
The two men were overjoyed and hurriedly knelt down to report, "Your subjects are serving as supervisors in the Zhen government office."
An official of the ninth rank or lower is almost considered unranked.
Li Yuanke said, "The Imperial Household Department is still short two assistant supervisors, so it's just the two of you!"
"Your Majesty, we thank you for your great kindness!"
The Assistant Supervisor was a low-ranking official of the sixth grade, and suddenly he was promoted five ranks.
They must take the opportunity to thank Yuan Jieyu properly in the future and learn some other skills from her.
After the two left, Li Yuanke instructed Li Fude to carefully put away the gold dragon-patterned paper. At this time, Chao En presented Shen Shixi's poems.
The items presented to the emperor had all been examined by the imperial physicians, not out of distrust, but for the good of both the emperor and his ministers.
Li Yuanke cursed, "You scoundrel, you have no manners!"
Dare to call him a beauty!
Despite the scolding, Li Fude could still tell that the emperor was very happy; the smile was overflowing from his eyes.
Consort Yuan's gifts were always unique and always touched the Emperor's heart.
It's no wonder the Emperor favored Consort Yuan; which other concubine in the harem had such abilities?
Li Yuanke smelled a faint, pleasant fragrance, similar to the one on his golden dragon stationery, which was remarkably similar to the perfume he used.
"I like this gift from Consort Yuan. Go back and tell her that I will reward her handsomely when we return to the palace!"
Chao Yu hesitated, but finally risked losing her head and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Jieyu says... says... says..."
Li Fude urged, "Hurry up and speak! What's with your stammering? Will the Emperor punish you?"
He kowtowed violently, closing his eyes as he said, "The Consort said that if His Majesty wishes to bestow a reward, please grant her some gold and silver, saying... recently the papermaking industry has cost a lot of money!"
No one has ever dared to ask for a reward from the Emperor!
Anyone with that kind of courage won't live long!
Li Yuanke laughed and said, "I understand. I will grant her wish. You serve your master well!"
"This servant thanks Your Majesty. On behalf of my mistress, I thank Your Majesty for your kindness!"
"Hmm, he knows when to step down."
When Chao Yu came out, he found that it had rained. This autumn rain had brought down the summer heat. A gust of wind blew, and his sweat-soaked back felt surprisingly cool.
Li Fude slapped him on the back of the head. "You good-for-nothing! This is all the courage you have following your master!"
"Godfather, I've never seen anything like this before. My master asked me to ask for a reward, and I dare not refuse," Chao Yu said aggrievedly.
Li Fude laughed, "What are you afraid of? Even your master isn't afraid! Just remember to serve him well. Although your master has a fiery temper, he's a loyal and affectionate person. You'll have a lot of good things to do in the future!"
"Yes, Godfather, don't get your injury wet! Your sons are grateful for your kindness in finding us such a good place!"
The small scar on Li Fude's face from the broken porcelain shard had scabbed over, and the Emperor, taking advantage of the scar, had rewarded him handsomely these past few days.
"Go, serve well, and the Emperor will reward you if you do well!" Li Fude said.
As Chao En walked out, he encountered Consort Xian, who was dressed in plain white clothes, without any pearls or jade in her hair, and with her hair loose. She was being carried to Qingyan Palace.
Although the emperor issued an edict to promote her to the rank of Virtuous Consort, the edict did not mention the investiture ceremony, so it is estimated that it will not be held.
Chao En hurriedly and secretly followed her back. Only when he saw Consort Xian kneeling in the rain, removing her hairpins to beg for forgiveness, did he ask around to find out what had happened.
Upon returning, he told Shen Shixi, "Your Majesty, Consort Xian is taking off her hairpin in the rain to apologize. I heard that her brother, Prince Xue, has made a grave mistake by delaying military operations and losing Tianfei Pass. If it weren't for His Majesty's wisdom in ordering the creation of a flying artifact to reclaim Tianfei Pass, our Great Zhou would be in grave danger."
The news of Tianfei Pass's loss and recovery has never been made public. The main reason is that it was lost quickly and recovered even faster. Such a matter, which would damage the imperial prestige, is best kept quiet. In any case, those who need to know will know anyway.
For example, the court officials were making a ruckus the day before, demanding the relocation of the capital, the emperor to issue an edict of self-reproach, and the concentration of troops for a counterattack. The vast majority of them were criticizing the emperor. But the next day, they heard that Tianfei Pass had been reopened.
Everyone thought they were dreaming.
Once Tianfei Pass is lost, is it so easy to take it back?
But that's just how it is.
The fact that the emperor sent someone to deliver gifts to Tianfei Pass could not be kept secret from everyone; it was enough to keep it from those who wanted to be kept in the dark.
Well, suddenly they had no words to attack the emperor, and half of the people in the court were embarrassed and fell silent.
But the fact remains that Tianfei Pass was lost and then recovered. Of course, those who have made contributions should be rewarded, and those who have committed crimes should certainly be punished.
By the time everyone started discussing the matter, the heir of the Duke of Wei's mansion was already on his way to be escorted away.
That's why Consort Xian fought so hard on the day of the hunt. She originally wanted to make a contribution and plead for her brother, but little did she know that she would almost lose her life.
"Your Majesty, please see me! I beg you!"
Consort Xian was allowed to enter Qingyan Palace.
The emperor sat behind his desk, calmly watching her.
"Put a cloak over her!" the emperor said.
Fei Hua hurriedly kowtowed, "This servant has failed in her duty; this servant forgot to bring Your Highness a cloak."
The main purpose was to win the emperor's sympathy and pity.
"Then go back and get it!" The emperor seemed not to understand.
"yes!"
The emperor raised his chin. "Help Consort Xian sit on the couch. The floor is cold and will harm her injuries."
Consort Xian gazed at the Emperor with unwavering devotion, tears streaming down her face. "Your Majesty," she said, "I was brought into your residence when you were granted the title of Prince. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. Does Your Majesty still have feelings for me?"
"Why do you ask that?" The emperor frowned.
Consort Xian, her eyes blurred with tears, did not understand. "Before, I thought Your Majesty had feelings for me, and I always thought that Your Majesty had me in your heart. But it wasn't until Consort Yuan was promoted and received a title that I realized that Your Majesty's feelings for me were nothing more than that."
Li Yuanke thought that Consort Xian had come to plead for her brother, but now he couldn't understand her.
He was too lazy to understand and asked, "What do you mean?"
Consort Xian asked persistently, "Does Your Majesty know what I like and dislike?"
Li Yuanke was speechless, unable to answer, his brows furrowed.
Consort Xian said, "Your Majesty doesn't know! Even Consort Yuan knows that I love orchids. I admire the orchid's noble and elegant qualities most of all, and I despise worldly fame, gain, vanity, and boasting. Your Majesty, when you bestowed this title upon me, did you ever consider this?"
He didn't expect that the titles of the concubines were all drafted by the Imperial Household Department, but Shen Shixi's title was specially bestowed by him.
"You never thought this was how you would dismiss me? Your Majesty, I have always loved you, from the very first moment I saw you. All these years, Your Majesty, have you ever considered my deep affection?"
Li Yuanke felt like a million alpacas were galloping over his head. What did it matter to him whether others liked him or not?
Does someone liking him mean he has to like someone else?
With so many concubines, does he expect to like them all?
From the perspective of imperial power, the women in the harem had only one function: to continue the imperial line and to relieve their desires and relax their minds.
Now, a tool is asking him for emotional feedback.
Li Yuanke looked at her as if she were a madwoman, speechless.
"Your Majesty, I ask for nothing more than to spare my brother! He has committed a grave error, but it was unintentional! He has served Your Majesty for many years and has been utterly loyal. I beg Your Majesty not to disappoint a loyal minister!"
She didn't want to get involved, but she wanted to know how much affection the Emperor truly had for her.
Li Yuanke's eyes were chillingly cold. "You came here just to tell me this? The empress dowager is forbidden from interfering in politics. Do you still remember that rule?"
Consort Xian's heart sank instantly, and tears streamed down her face. "Your Majesty, is it that I shouldn't have pleaded for my brother, or is it that you have no feelings for me at all? All these years, was my companionship a lie? Was the love between Your Majesty and me also a lie?"
Li Fude took two steps back, wishing he could go deaf.
If Tianfei Pass hadn't fallen, and if Consort Yuan hadn't found a way to retake it so quickly, it's hard to imagine the pressure the Emperor would have had to endure, or how he would have been able to retake it later.
Consort Xian was lost in her memories. "His Majesty said he liked to see me in light green, liked to see me with my hair in a low bun, liked that I was gentle and sensible... Your Majesty, do you still remember what you said?"
Li Yuanke remained silent. He didn't remember, and he never cared about such things. Sometimes, when the concubines asked the emperor if he liked their attire, he would simply say yes to save himself the trouble.
He didn't have that much energy to spend on the harem; being an emperor is no human job.
If he could, he would rather lie in bed every day, but if he hadn't fought for the throne, no matter who became emperor, they wouldn't have let him go.
"But Your Majesty doesn't treat Consort Yuan this way. You gave Consort Yuan the best characters as titles, first 'Zhao' and then 'Yuan'. When you said Consort Yuan looked good in green, did you forget that I look good in green?"
"If the person in your heart is Consort Yuan, why did you allow me to enter your household in the first place? It's like the saying, 'Why did Heaven create both Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang?'"
Overwhelmed with grief, she cried out, "Now, Your Majesty, you intend to kill my brother as well! You have wounded me so deeply! My heart aches so much!"
Li Fude secretly glanced at Li Yuanke and saw that his face was ashen, clearly showing his impatience.
He had no choice but to step forward and say, "Your Majesty, I can't bear to hear you say that. You don't know that the Emperor couldn't sleep at night and couldn't eat or drink during the days when Tianfei Pass was lost. Have you ever thought about how the Emperor would explain to his subjects if we couldn't take it back? Even the capital would be in danger."
"Tianfei Pass is the gateway to our Great Zhou Dynasty. Your brother is the gatekeeper. The gate has been lost, a grave mistake. How can the Emperor simply forgive him? The court officials will not agree to it!"
This Consort Xian must have lost her mind. What kind of love talk is she having with the Emperor?