Chapter 103 - 84: Divine Assist
"Prince Xie, the imperial court is no place for idle jests."
Another official spoke up.
Xielou, the former Second Prince and Prince Duan, was by no means an unlearned good-for-nothing. The Emperor had once suspected him of biding his time, feigning madness to lower his guard, or even deliberately provoking him with insolent words to saddle him with the unmerciful and unbrotherly reputation of having killed his own sibling.
But after being enthroned for some time, the Emperor, now with the realm firmly in his grasp, discovered it was neither of the two.
Xielou was just purely, utterly slacking off.
"I am not joking," Xielou said amicably, not the least bit annoyed. "I have grown up in the Capital since childhood and have never been to the south. If I have spoken out of ignorance, I ask that you gentlemen be magnanimous enough to let the matter drop. Please do not list me among the ideal candidates for managing the Yellow River. I am unworthy."
’This prince has checked out. Stay away from me.’
All he was missing was a fan to flaunt through the streets to complete his image as a dashing, profligate silk-pants.
※
After court was dismissed, officials of the same faction left together, inevitably discussing Prince Xie. "The Second Prince’s faction still refuses to give up. Prince Xie made his stance so obvious, yet they all turn a blind eye and insist on bringing him up." They weren’t afraid that one day the Emperor would lose his patience and kill his own brother.
After all, they weren’t born from the same womb.
Sometimes, the relationship between half-brothers is worse than that between strangers.
When the late Emperor was alive, he had greatly favored the Second Prince, elevating him to the clouds, just a single step away from the Emperor’s throne, only to cast him down again. In the end, he couldn’t even keep the name his parents gave him. How could he not be demoralized?
An official of lower rank, not qualified to enter the main hall for the court session and thus standing on the periphery, asked curiously, "So what brilliant insight did Prince Xie have about managing the Yellow River?"
"He asked where the Yellow River was."
"..."
’Got it. Prince Xie killed the conversation again.’
"For Prince Xie to shirk his responsibilities so blatantly, isn’t he afraid of angering the Emperor?"
"The throne is only stable because that one is less ambitious."
Amidst this highly disrespectful discussion, the highest-ranking official, Qin Chengyi, smiled. "The relationship between His Majesty and Prince Xie isn’t as bad as others think. From what I can see, the Emperor is very much hoping that Prince Xie will pull himself together."
※
After court was dismissed, a eunuch carefully helped the Emperor remove his imperial crown.
The Emperor, somewhat lost in thought, asked, "What hour is it now?"
"Your Majesty, it is one quarter-hour until 7:00 AM."
A quarter-hour...
Such a long time. The Emperor’s mood suddenly soured. His deeply imposing face grew stern, and the eunuch serving him did so with trepidation, terrified that one misstep would cause his entire family—down to the piglets in their sty—to be wiped from existence.
After a moment, the Emperor asked again, "Has the self-sounding clock been checked?"
"Your Majesty, it has undergone its daily inspection and has been oiled, all according to Noble Lady Gu’s instructions."
Liang Yuyin replied, bowing.
’The self-sounding clock is the most superfluous item in Qiankun Palace,’ he thought. ’The Emperor never developed the habit of looking at it. Instead, he developed the habit of incessantly asking the eunuchs what hour it is after court, wondering why the clock hasn’t chimed yet—good heavens! If it’s not time, of course it won’t chime! If it chimed early, that would be our crime instead.’
Hearing that last sentence, the Emperor waited with a taut expression.
In the short span of a quarter-hour, he had already asked what hour it was three times.
’Anxiety makes a mess of things!’
He was like this when Noble Lady Gu wasn’t even around. Once she came out of Changle Palace, what heights would his favor for her reach? Liang Yin Yu didn’t dare to imagine; he feared that even the Lady would have to yield to her. To think of Jiang Xian as so formidable, it was clear that Chief Liang was not a true man—
The Emperor was so obsessed precisely because he couldn’t see her and couldn’t sleep, and they had even had a cold-war-level conflict before they parted.
Just then, the self-sounding clock chimed, and a magpie flew out.
The wooden magpie’s head had just poked out when the Emperor snatched it with one hand, hooked out the "letter" it held in its beak, and eagerly began to read.
[Your Majesty is done with court, but are you holding your hand warmer? It will be quite some time before the weather warms up, so you must take care of your health. Speaking of warming up, I can’t help but think of the matters Your Majesty entrusted to me. What kind of flowers do you like? Alas, I should have just asked you in person. Now I’ll have to spend a lot of Silver to buy this information!]
The first half was nothing but the most ordinary words of concern.
But coming from Noble Lady Gu, they were exceptionally pleasing to the ear, and the Emperor couldn’t get enough of reading them.
However, how could the Emperor’s preferences be a topic for others to discuss? The thought of his particularly frugal Xian’er having to spend money to buy information about him brought a smile to his thin lips that lingered for a long time.
Reading to the end, the Emperor smiled faintly. "File this note away. It must not be seen by anyone else." He clutched it in his palm for another moment, caressing it with immense affection before he could bear to hand it over to Liang Yuyin.
That’s right, they still had their summer appointment.
He turned his head and saw his own Chief Eunuch wearing a mysterious smile, as if he had just gotten high on some illicit ship.
The Emperor said, "The contents of Noble Lady Gu’s note are not what you think."
Liang Yuyin fell to his knees to beg forgiveness, claiming repeatedly that he was illiterate and wouldn’t dare to speculate on the young mistress’s precious calligraphy.
After so many years of master and servant, how could the Emperor not understand him? His foot immediately started to itch, and he followed up with a kick. "Noble Lady Gu may be a bit coquettish, but she is no sycophant who bewitches her master. I don’t want this note to be seen by others, not because it mentions bedroom affairs, but because she committed a taboo of great disrespect. I’m afraid my Mother Empress would blame her if she saw it."
Misunderstanding cleared.
It wasn’t affection; it was courting death.
But to court death in a way that pleased the Emperor turned a fatal misstep into a stroke of genius.
"The Empress Dowager is magnanimous and has always doted on Your Majesty. How could she spoil Your Majesty’s mood?"
"One would hope."
But no matter how magnanimous she might be, it was an indisputable fact that Jiang Xian was still in Changle Palace.
And the moment they met, Noble Princess Consort Rong sized her up as if she were looking at a murderer.
Jiang Xian knew what was going on, and she casually glanced back. "Lady, is there something on my face?"
"Yes. Many things."
Jiang Xian: "And what might they be?"
"All sorts of annoying, wicked thoughts and schemes," Noble Princess Consort Rong replied, puffing her cheeks in anger.
Jiang Xian was amused. While waiting for the Empress Dowager to arrive, she mentioned casually, "I didn’t sleep well last night."
"An unjust life makes for sleepless nights."
’How could one sleep with blood on their hands?’
Noble Princess Consort Rong, feeling she had grasped the truth, said with a knowing air.
Jiang Xian said in a leisurely tone, "I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking about you, Lady."
...
When a servant parted the curtains and the Empress Dowager walked in, she saw Noble Princess Consort Rong scolding the meek and well-behaved Noble Lady Gu with a furious expression. She couldn’t help but frown. "Noble Consort, did you finish copying the notes I gave you last night?"
Noble Princess Consort Rong, who had been so imperious just a moment ago, instantly deflated.
She presented the papers she had copied late into the night. "I have not written in a long time, and I feared my handwriting would not be fit for the Empress Dowager’s eyes. So I took the liberty of copying it twice, so that Your Ladyship may choose the more presentable version." Her demeanor was pitiable, hoping the Empress Dowager would understand her show of weakness.
Seeing someone as honored as a Noble Consort trying so cautiously to please her, the Empress Dowager’s expression did indeed soften.
Just then, a cheerful voice piped up beside them. "Empress Dowager, I was so moved by Master Liuyun’s teachings that I couldn’t sleep and wrote down some of my insights. I seek Your Ladyship’s guidance." She paused. "I made three copies."
Noble Princess Consort Rong: ?
’You little brat, is there no end to this?’
Under her glare, Jiang Xian presented a thick stack of papers, the effort put into them making Rong’s own look like absolute dregs in comparison.
After handing the papers to the Empress Dowager, Jiang Xian gracefully withdrew and kindly explained to the Noble Consort, "I was actually going to rest last night, but a Palace Attendant startled me. I was so frightened that all sleepiness vanished, so I decided to study Buddhist principles instead."
Hearing this, Noble Princess Consort Rong’s face instantly became beatific.
’So, it was my divine assistance after all!?’