Emperor Ganjing is a good emperor who governs diligently for the people, but unfortunately, since the day the territory of Dayan fell into his hands, it has been riddled with problems. Even if he tries to mend it with all his might, it still feels like it's too late.
There are strong enemies outside watching closely, internal factions are mutually clashing, but what's lacking is the resolute determination for the nation.
If there was someone from the past, Feng Shouyi could be considered one. Since childhood, Feng Shouyi, the fifth son of the Feng family, which was initially inconspicuous, was selected by the late emperor and brought into the palace to become the fifth prince, Yan Qiulong, who was Emperor Ganjing's study companion.
The two were of similar age and temperament. Being the youngest in their families, they both felt somewhat neglected compared to their more talented elder brothers. The two children, sympathizing with each other, built a deep friendship over the passing days, and when Feng Shouyi departed to guard the border city, it was Emperor Ganjing who personally escorted him to the city gate.
The two bid farewell holding hands, never expecting the changes that would come in the future.
The commander defected, which logically was a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of the offender's entire clan. Emperor Ganjing, seeing the memorial written by Xiao Xu requesting the arrest of the Feng clan, furrowed his brows deeply, hesitating to make a decision.
He didn't want to completely annihilate them. Even though Feng Shouyi had committed a grave crime, Emperor Ganjing still cherished the old feelings.
He vividly remembered the time when the young men, who had not yet matured, had conversations by candlelight. If even Feng Shouyi's family was to be exterminated, it would be as if he had wiped out his youthful days himself. Perhaps as people age, their hearts become softer. Emperor Ganjing could not wield decisive judgment as he did in the past.
The memorial listing numerous crimes of the Feng clan lay on the desk day after day.
Xu Queen's elder brother, Xu Ke, had now become the head of the Xu family and was currently a high-ranking official. It seemed that he had sensed the Emperor's thoughts. Yesterday, he submitted a memorial, suggesting that since Feng Shouyi had guarded the border city for many years and had made contributions, the court should reward and punish according to the rules. Since Feng Shouyi had defected, he should be punished for his crime, but his family, being innocent, should be demoted to commoners and exiled from the capital, in order to manifest the Emperor's benevolence and to serve as a warning to others.
Emperor Ganjing followed Xu Ke's suggestion and used the royal edict to approve it.
After dealing with this pile of troublesome trivial matters, he remembered that he hadn't visited the Queen for several days. He immediately set off for the Queen's sleeping palace, the Ganrui Palace.
Before he entered the hall, he heard a stern scolding.
"You damn servants, how dare you talk behind my back! Watch your lives carefully!"
"If I find out again, if the Queen knows, you will not escape punishment, not only you, but even your family will suffer, understand!"
Just by hearing this, Emperor Ganjing halted. He knew the Queen's temper very well. She was very lenient with the servants and never scolded them. Why was she so angry today?
Emperor Ganjing walked into the hall and saw several maids and eunuchs kneeling in the center of the courtyard, their faces slightly swollen, indicating that they had been slapped.
Queen Xu was sitting on a pear-wood carved grand teacher's chair outside the main hall, with her maid Xianzhi constantly fanning her. Xu Queen had one hand supporting her forehead, the other hand on the armrest of the chair, her nails trembling slightly, showing that she was greatly upset.
"I greet the Emperor, may the Emperor be in good health and peace." Xianzhi's face still showed signs of lingering anger. She was nearly thirty years old and had been a palace maid for many years. Her temperament had become as steady as the Queen's, and it was very unusual for her to scold the servants so sternly on rare occasions.
"Your Majesty has arrived, please come in and take a seat." Queen Xu looked up, showing a hint of joy when she saw Emperor Ganjing. Her earlier anger instantly dissipated, and she stood up and greeted Emperor Ganjing, who was close to forty. Her appearance was still graceful, with a slender face, clear and bright eyes, and a very faint rose scent on her body.
Emperor Ganjing helped the Queen up and looked at the maids and eunuchs who were kneeling in the courtyard. "Rise, Queen's Estate."
Seeing the slight frown on the Emperor's face and his seemingly unfavorable demeanor, the several people kneeling on the ground trembled and dared not look directly at the majestic presence.
Seeing this, Emperor Ganjing became even more puzzled. Queen Xu had never been quick to punish people, so there must have been a reason for her to be so angry today.
"What happened? Earlier, I heard Xianzhi say that they were talking behind my back. What exactly did they say? Tell me, I want to know." Emperor Ganjing was initially just curious. When these words came out, Queen Xu and Xianzhi's expressions changed, seeming to have some difficulty, which made him even more inexplicably puzzled.
Xianzhi knew that this matter could not be concealed any longer, and quickly knelt down on the ground, saying, "I, as the palace maid in charge, failed to restrain the maids properly. It's all my fault. Their secretive conversations were filthy, and I dare not speak them aloud to avoid disturbing the Queen's peace."
Another chair was brought over, and Emperor Ganjing sat down, taking the tea offered by Queen Xu and taking a sip, he looked down at the people in the hall. The oppressive feeling that belonged only to His Majesty immediately emerged. His tone was no longer as relaxed as before.
"Don't tell me these nice words. What exactly happened? Today, I want a clear explanation." Queen Xu sighed quietly. The Emperor had been busy with state affairs recently, and she didn’t want to ruin his mood with these matters, but it was too late to hide it now.
"Xianzhi, tell the Emperor what happened." Queen Xu ordered, and Xianzhi, with a very difficult expression, raised her head and said, "Your Majesty, these maids were secretly discussing a children's song that has been circulating inside and outside the palace recently. This children's song was written by someone with ulterior motives and spread by singing through the mouths of street children. The lyrics are lewd and malicious. The Queen has already ordered not to discuss it, but they dared to spread it within the palace."
Emperor Ganjing became even more puzzled. Just a children's song, it shouldn’t have disturbed the Queen like this. Pointing to Xianzhi, he said, "Read me the lyrics."
Xianzhi's heart was in her mouth, she steadied herself and recited the lyrics word by word: “Bright moonlight, shining on Master Lu, golden wind and jade dew, illuminate his naked body.”
Emperor Ganjing was stunned after hearing it and put the teacup down heavily, "Master Lu? This children's song is indeed unbearable. The Queen did right."
Queen Xu smiled bitterly and sighed lightly, looking at the Emperor. She didn't know if she should tell him everything that happened that night with Yan Ruoxu. Would he remain as calm as he was now?
The children's song spoke of what happened that night.
Yan Ruoxu was passionate and stubborn; this precious daughter of theirs had never been easy to take care of since she was born.
A mother knows her daughter best. Queen Xu's words were not wrong. At this moment, a storm was brewing in Princess Yan Ruoxu's palace.
"Princess, Aunt Zhao has come." Buer walked in from outside and said softly.
Aunt Zhao is an experienced elder in the palace, she used to serve Dowager Dou, and is considered prestigious among the court ladies. Previously, Yan Ruoxu trusted her a lot and entrusted her with the affairs of the palace, never checking her accounts. As a result, Aunt Zhao became more audacious and almost emptied the princess's treasury, until Yan Ruoxu married into the general's mansion and had to manage matters to realize the problem.
"I pay my respects to the princess, Your Highness summoned me late at night, I wonder what's the matter?" Aunt Zhao, around forty years old, had features that were well-proportioned and preserved some elegance on her face. It was obvious that she had been a beauty in her youth. Upon entering, she saw the account book on Yan Ruoxu's knees, but her expression remained unchanged, and she calmly paid her respects.
She wasn't afraid of Yan Ruoxu checking the account book, as no one could find any flaws in the visible book, and the hidden one could only be seen by her.
"Auntie, you don't need to be so formal, please rise." Yan Ruoxu put down the account book and smiled lightly at Aunt Zhao. Yan Ruoxu was stunning, with bright eyes and a rare elegance, beautiful yet not fragile, exquisite yet avoiding vulgarity.
As she stood up, Aunt Zhao smiled and said, "The princess looks even more beautiful. From what I see, there's no one in the entire Great Yan who can compare to the princess's beauty."
This statement was half true and half false, meant to please Yan Ruoxu, as no woman in the world is unwilling to hear compliments. Yan Ruoxu lowered her eyes and placed her hand on the account book, "Auntie knows how to flatter me."
With a puzzled look, she continued, "I recall that last year, on my birthday, a local official sent a jade rabbit as a gift. I suddenly remembered it today, but when I sent someone to the treasury to look for it, it couldn't be found. It's quite strange."
Aunt Zhao hesitated in her response, "Your Highness, don't worry. I'll personally check the treasury tomorrow. There are many things in the treasury, and it's possible that they just can't find it for the time being."
"Alright, please trouble yourself to go."
Yan Ruoxu wasn't really looking for a jade rabbit. The item was safe in the treasury, and its disappearance was likely due to Aunt Zhao's embezzlement. Her words were meant to deceive Aunt Zhao into quietly returning the jade rabbit.
After the conversation, Aunt Zhao bowed and left the room.
Zhu Er had just finished arranging the bedding on the bed and was peeking out from the inner room, watching Aunt Zhao's hurried departure.
"Princess, the guards you asked me to arrange have been set up. If there's any movement in the treasury, they will report it immediately. Aunt Zhao, will she really return the jade rabbit?"
Yan Ruoxu stood up and stretched, raising an eyebrow. She walked into the inner room with a lively step. "Don't worry, she will return it. Let's wait."
No matter how well the false accounts are made, they are ultimately fake. As long as Yan Ruoxu applies pressure, Aunt Zhao will show her true colors sooner or later. In order not to arouse suspicion, she would secretly return the item. When caught, she wouldn't be able to come up with any excuses.
"The princess is always so wise." Zhu Er said with a smile. When she heard that Aunt Zhao was embezzling, she immediately wanted to confront her face to face, but Yan Ruoxu advised her not to startle the snake, which calmed her anger.
She added some spices to the copper incense burner in the bedroom, tilting her head and saying, "If Aunt Zhao is really a thief, I would surely go and kick her. It's a shame that the princess trusted her so much!"
Yan Ruoxu smiled.
"Zhu Er, in the future, when we do things, we not only need to have a clear conscience but also need to be cautious of others, after all, people's hearts are not always transparent."
This statement was not just for Zhu Er, but also a reminder to herself in this lifetime.
The author has something to say:
Hmm, this nursery rhyme is a concoction after referencing some materials, haha.
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Yan Ruoxu: If you take something from me, return it to me. If you have eaten something of mine, spit it out.
Aunt Zhao: A community where trouble is not sought.
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Looking for pre-orders for my new work "A Short-lived Affair." The plot might change, but the content won't.
Synopsis: Wei Aruan is not very bright in her mind, she is the most stupid girl in the Yin Yi Gate, yet she unfortunately served the most eccentric young master, Gong Siran Hua, in the gate.
Later, she caught the attention of the eldest master, and somehow became his concubine, but after half a year of pregnancy, she was forcibly given abortion medicine and bled to death on a rainy night.
The great master said, "Such frivolous and lowly women are not worthy of giving birth to my child!"
Feeling pity, she was given the opportunity to be reborn and return to the unmarried past.
"Aruan, serve me, and I will treat you well." The eldest master's affection was sincere, holding the fragrant and soft jade in his arms, making his mouth dry. He wished to devour the delicate lady immediately.
Wei Aruan had a surge of wit, pushing the eldest master away. "Please behave yourself!"
In this life, she swore to escape from the Yin Yi Gate, but unexpectedly fell back into the hands of Siran Hua, whom she had served for many years and had a terrifying temper.
Siran Hua: "Marry me, and I will protect you for life."
Wei Aruan: "I... trust you like the devil."
Siran Hua: "... It's okay, if you agree, we will be in love, but if you don't, I will seize it by force."
Wei Aruan: "Help, is there no justice left?"