Chapter 134 - 115: Lulling to Sleep
"No, I did so willingly. My father doesn’t hunger for power. Although he has ambitions in officialdom, he’s never been as good at currying favor as others. And didn’t you just promote him a while ago, Your Majesty? Though no letter has arrived at the palace, I imagine he must be very happy. Speaking of which, I have yet to properly thank you."
As Jiang Xian spoke, she began to rise to express her thanks.
Before she could even sit up, the Emperor pressed her back down. "We’re just talking, why are you getting up? I promoted your father partly because he raised a good daughter to ease My worries in the harem, and partly because he has been an official for many years. Though he has no praiseworthy achievements to speak of, the fact that there have been no major blunders under his administration is rare enough."
’Those words might fool a young woman from ancient times with no work experience.’
’To make an analogy, her father was just a minor manager at a branch office of a multinational conglomerate.’
’It was precisely because she had caught the big boss’s eye that her father’s years of thankless work had a chance to be seen. Even though the Emperor’s promotion only made him a county magistrate, in the world of officialdom—a place where people scramble to curry favor with the powerful and stomp on the weak—it sent an important message:’
’Jiang Ke’s daughter has the Emperor’s ear.’
’This message would ensure he received, at the very least, fair treatment in the provincial bureaucracy. Others would be afraid of being too unfair to him, lest he flip the table and take his complaints straight to the Emperor.’
When Jiang Xian shared her thoughts, the Emperor was visibly surprised. "Xian’er, you see things more clearly than I imagined. In that case, Jiang Ke is truly skilled at raising daughters. It makes Me look forward to meeting your brothers. If one of them is as clever and sharp as you, Xian’er, he’d be a shoo-in for a top rank in the imperial examinations."
’Her father was getting on in years, after all; there was a limit to how much further he could be promoted.’
’When her clansmen entered officialdom, that would be when they would truly benefit from her patronage.’
Jiang Xian smiled. "I am looking forward to it as well! If Your Majesty permits, I’d like to write a letter to urge my parents to put in a little more effort."
’When one person starts the race, the whole family had better keep up.’
The Emperor was greatly amused and granted her request.
But then, his curiosity was piqued. "I know you are not Ms. Zhang’s birth daughter. Does she treat you well? You seem to regard her as your own mother."
"My own mother passed away when I was young; I have no memory of her. Ms. Zhang treated me as her own daughter. The way she treated me is how I treat her in return. We’re just ordinary people. Our family wasn’t wealthy and had little property; it would have been pointless to squabble over a few pieces of silver... Of course, one could argue she only treated me well because she has yet to have children of her own. But in this world, you judge by actions, not intentions. Before I left home, she was good to me, so I will repay her to the best of my ability."
Jiang Xian spoke with unflinching honesty.
’At least from the perspective of the original owner of this body, she had received the love of a mother from Ms. Zhang.’
’Perhaps because her parents had spoiled her, she’d developed a sensitive, self-pitying nature. That’s why she couldn’t get over being betrayed by some scumbag and fell ill from despair. The Jiang Xian from the modern world would never do that. If one place doesn’t want you, another one will.’
The Emperor heard the sincerity and detachment in her voice and was moved. "You have a fine temperament. I had thought you would be more... obstinate."
’He still remembered how she had clutched his arm last time, insisting she was doing it of her own free will.’
’Her eyes had been tearless, but her persistence had burned like a fire.’
Jiang Xian thought for a moment before replying diplomatically, "To each their own, I suppose."
’She didn’t care for matters of the heart, be it romantic love, friendship, or kinship.’
’Only wealth, power, and status could ignite that burning obstinacy in her.’
But the Emperor misunderstood.
He took her hand, quite satisfied, and smiled. "That’s true. Your persistence is only for Me."
Clearly, he thought his Gu Pin didn’t care whether her stepmother’s affection was genuine, that her only ambition was his favor. "I went to Changle Palace today to pay my respects, and I heard from the Mother Empress. During the attack, that black-clad assassin took advantage of the chaos and charged straight in, aiming for her. Even the guards didn’t react in time. It was you alone who rushed forward, using your own body as a shield to block the sword. If you were really to... because of this..."
His voice grew thick with emotion.
For him, the person who had been saved was his own mother; he could hardly tell Jiang Xian she shouldn’t have risked her life. Yet, in the aftermath, his heart ached with lingering fear for her. Jiang Xian, sensing this, shrewdly cut him off. "I understand your difficult position, Your Majesty. And I, too, feel very fortunate... I lost my own mother when I was young. My only wish is that when you are old and gray, Your Majesty, you will still have your mother’s love and care."
After hearing Jiang Xian’s words, the Emperor was indeed extremely moved.
’For her to be so considerate of him... no one else in the harem was capable of such a thing.’
The Emperor reached out and drew her into his arms, moving very carefully, afraid of aggravating her injuries. Looking up from his embrace at the handsome line of the young Emperor’s jaw, Jiang Xian felt perfectly calm. ’When you do a favor for someone in power, not only must you never mention it, it’s best not to even give them the chance to thank you for it. You want them to keep that debt in their hearts, to remember it for a long, long time. That is my life-saving talisman. That is my path to riches and glory.’
"You shouldn’t be moved while you’re recovering. Once your wound has healed, I will find a proper palace for you. Having you live in Yizhu Pavilion is doing you a disservice."
The Emperor held her and whispered sweet nothings for a while longer.
After a moment, the woman in his arms hooked a finger around his hand. "Your Majesty, will you truly not have me attend to you tonight?"
"No."
"But you’re already here..."
"You don’t have to do that. If you want Me to stay, I won’t leave."
With that, the Emperor indeed told Liang Yuyin he would be lodging at Yizhu Pavilion for the night.
Taking pity on Gu Pin’s injury, the Emperor had a eunuch attend to him as he changed, telling her to simply lie still. Lying on the bed, with nothing to do, Jiang Xian felt a restless energy. "Your Majesty, allow me to help you change."
"There’s no need."
"Your Majesty, aren’t you bored while you change? How about I read to you?"
"..."
’The Emperor truly wanted to gag her, tie her to the bed, and force her to rest quietly.’
But on second thought, the Emperor smiled. "So, Xian’er wants to hear Me read? Fine. Liang Yuyin, bring Me an interesting book."
’Of all imperial commands, a vague request like "interesting" was the hardest to fulfill.’
’What kind of book counted as interesting?’
’Liang Yuyin thought to himself that he was illiterate. If he were to follow his masculine instincts, he’d just grab a book of erotic art. No book could possibly be more "interesting" than that.’
He had no choice but to hurry off and find a female official who was literate and well-read. She recommended two books for light reading, which he then rushed to borrow from Wenyuan Pavilion, managing to deliver them just as the Emperor was ready.
’The Emperor himself reading to her. What a high-class lullaby.’
Since it was a bedtime story, the content was hardly thrilling—just a standard collection of cautionary tales.
Jiang Xian had nothing to do but lie in bed and listen, which felt like a form of torture.
After listening for a while, she finally couldn’t bear it any longer. "Your Majesty," she proposed, "I don’t want to listen to the book. I want to listen to you talk about your own life."
"My life? When I was a Prince, I could still go out and explore. Now, my life is nothing but vexing court affairs."
The Yan Chi dynasty didn’t have a strict rule prohibiting women from meddling in politics.
It’s just that he normally wouldn’t discuss such things with a concubine.
After all, for the Emperor, choosing a concubine for the night was supposed to be after-hours entertainment. Discussing politics with them would be like turning his downtime into overtime. Besides, they could rarely offer useful advice or insights, and talking about it would only leave him more frustrated. So, he simply avoided the topic. "You wouldn’t enjoy it," he said.
But unexpectedly, his Gu Pin’s eyes lit up. "I wish to hear of the matters that trouble Your Majesty."