Chapter 29 "But I really like Hua Lang, what should I do..."

The Imperial Observatory has certainly not been idle; their earlier weather predictions have all come true. This year, not only did the snow arrive early, but it also fell heavily.

The heavy snow swirled outside the Chaotian Palace, and the eunuchs closed the palace doors to prevent the nobles from catching a cold.

Although Zhan Yunmei was more powerful than in the previous dynasty and held great authority, she still knelt at the end of the court. Kneeling here was as comfortable as being spat on by the emperor and officials in front.

It was still early, and it was not yet dawn outside, but the argument in the palace had been going on for half an hour, all about the matter of choosing an empress.

Zhan Yunmei listened patiently until the court session ended. As she was about to leave with the crowd, she was stopped by the emperor's close attendants.

"General Zhan, His Majesty summons you for a talk."

The emperor was not a good-natured man. He usually spent his time in the army, and when he encountered disagreements, he would resort to physical violence. When it came to academic discussions, he would engage in fierce debates with those who disagreed.

If it were now, sitting on the dragon throne, she would still act decisively. However, sitting on the dragon throne is not the same as before. In the past, if she subdued people, they would truly submit. Now, she may persuade officials, but they will outwardly agree while secretly harboring resentment.

Hua Lang's appearance caused a small ripple, but attention returned to the emperor. Zhang Gechen was like a piece of boiled meat that had been thickened with starch; cunning and shrewd, he had managed to draw everyone's attention back to the court assembly.

"It's infuriating! Is it really that important whether or not an empress is appointed? In the end, isn't it just about wanting to insert their own people into the harem to gain some power?"

The emperor was furious, and the female official who was helping her change her court dress was so frightened that her hands trembled.

Hearing the emperor's anger through several layers of beaded curtains, Zhan Yunmei stood silently to the side.

The emperor changed into casual clothes and sat behind his desk, the stacks of documents on it obscuring her view. "Minister Zhan, what do you think of Rong Ning?"

“Princess Rongning is intelligent, straightforward, and skilled in both literature and martial arts; she is a rare talent,” Zhan Yunmei understood the emperor’s meaning.

The foundation of the state is not solid enough, the emperor has few relatives, and he is unwilling to relinquish power to outsiders. Rongning is the child left behind by her own sister, and since they share a blood relationship, it's no wonder they are close.

"Rongning is a good boy, but he's just not right," the emperor murmured with worry.

A moment of silence followed.

The emperor's desire to make Princess Rongning his heir apparent was written all over his face, with both the public appearance of Princess Rongning and the praise he received.

With a crown prince already chosen, no one is talking about establishing an empress anymore.

It's true that the emperor doesn't want to establish an empress. It's one thing that there's no suitable candidate at the moment, but it's another thing that after establishing an empress, he has to weigh the empress's power. With a crown prince, everything seems to be solved.

"He'an," the emperor raised his hand and summoned his personal attendant, "transmit my decree, ordering Helan Wan to personally guide Rongning and protect him. I will inquire about his recent situation every two weeks."

The attendant bowed respectfully in response. Since the emperor didn't let Zhan Yunmei leave, she could only listen from the side, knowing that the emperor was speaking to her.

He lowered his eyes and remained silent.

As the attendant walked away, the emperor withdrew his gaze, somewhat wistfully saying, "Minister Zhan, you mentioned that matter to me when the dynasty was founded. I didn't agree with supporting disabled people at first, but now I think it's better if they're disabled, so we don't have to worry about so many things."

The emperor was overwhelmed by official documents all day long, unable to catch his breath. He was annoyed by officials during the day and had to appease his attendants at night. There was no one to relieve his boredom.

He then seized the opportunity to pour out his grievances to Zhan Yunmei, taking the opportunity to play the emotional card and soothe her.

.

The snow is lessening, at least we can continue our journey.

Since it was inconvenient to travel by carriage, and the General's Mansion was close to the market, only a short walk away, Hua Lang asked Yao Shuniang to take him on foot to the street.

Since Zhan Yunmei has entrusted him with the affairs of the household, he has to do a good job and at least share some of her burden.

It's better to be useful to Zhan Yunmei than to be kept in the mansion and kept like a caged animal every day.

Those who made contributions to the founding of the country were granted estates and assets by the emperor. The estates were managed by designated people in various regions, while half of the assets were stored in the treasury and the other half were used to purchase shops of all kinds.

Following Yao Shuniang's instructions, Hua Lang personally inspected each shop, mainly checking their business operations and occasionally flipping through the account books.

The further they went, the more shops they were checked.

Zhan Yunmei was much richer than he had imagined.

I thought this trip would be of some use to me, but it turned out to be even more worrying.

Most men want to prove themselves in two ways: in bed and in the arena of power. Hua Lang is completely unrelated to the former, and now he has lost the latter as well. He just wants to make himself useful... but he is repeatedly beaten down by Zhan Yunmei's situation.

That's not quite right. Shouldn't he have made her very happy?

She liked him a lot on the tatami mat; she must have liked him.

Hua Lang shook his head, banishing all these strange thoughts, and turned to Yao Shuniang, saying, "Let's buy some fresh vegetables and go back. When will the general step down?"

“The general’s departure time is unpredictable, and he may come back late if something comes up,” Yao Shuniang glanced out the eaves, where snow was falling heavily and then started again. “Go a few steps north, there are vegetable vendors. You can go and take a look first. I’ll go and call the carriage. Be careful not to catch a cold, or the general will be angry.”

Hua Lang felt a subtle feeling in his heart because of Yao Shuniang's second half of the sentence. He was half happy and half confused. He nodded.

Kyoto's markets are unique; to ensure freshness, vegetables and meat are sold in several rounds throughout the day. If you're lucky, you can buy vegetables that look and taste good if you go there at the right time.

As a carriage wheel passed by, Hua Lang stepped back half a step to make way, but the servants accompanying him did not notice and hurriedly ran forward a few steps.

Hua Lang suddenly felt something was strange. He cautiously looked up, and the carriage drove over. In the blink of an eye, a hand reached out from the carriage.

They grabbed him and dragged him into the car.

My vision went black, and the world spun around me.

The wound on his side hit a sharp corner, causing Hua Lang to frown in pain. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, he found himself in a private room of a teahouse.

The intense aroma of tea burst forth, which seemed rather eerie.

"Eunuch Hua Lang, how have you been lately?"

Tea was being poured from the teapot in front of him, and steam rose from the surface of the tea. Hua Lang squinted and recognized the person who had come.

He raised his hand, making a light but firm movement, and knocked over a teacup, chuckling softly, "He'an, are you comfortable serving the new emperor?"

He An paused, then smiled and said, "It's naturally comfortable. The new emperor is not like the former emperor; he is kind and benevolent."

"Where is Eunuch Hua Lang? Is he doing well at the General's Mansion?"

Hua Lang took the teapot from He An, poured a cup into his empty teacup, and said calmly, "What do you need me to do?"

Most of the slaves who served the previous dynasty were not punished; instead, they changed their ways and served the new masters. Only a small number of those who held great power and colluded with them were punished.

He An's relationship with Hua Lang was neither deep nor shallow; he occasionally used Hua Lang's power to flaunt his authority.

Hua Lang glanced at He An, who was smiling with his hands tucked in his pockets.

She should now be a loyal servant of the new emperor, and has severed all ties with him.

When He An met Hua Lang's emotionless eyes, he suddenly felt a little guilty. After feeling guilty, he straightened his back and said, "Hua Lang, if you are mistreated in the General's Mansion, contact us anytime."

He pointed downstairs, "This teahouse is under our family's name. We received your kindness back then, and now we naturally want to repay you."

Hua Lang knew there was a hidden meaning in his words, so she just gave him a perfunctory reply.

He An laughed again, "Actually, there's an even better way out, the General's Mansion. You know, for cripples like us, once we leave the capital, we're not even as desirable as a dog..."

.

As darkness fell, oil lamps were lit in the general's mansion, and Yao Shuniang lit two lanterns, which were hung on either side of the mansion gate.

The hook was too high for Yao Shuniang to hang, so she went to drag a low stool, but someone took the lantern first and hung it up by standing on tiptoe.

Yao Shuniang stepped aside, "General."

Zhan Yunmei steadied the lantern, clapped her hands, and took off her cloak, handing it to Yao Shuniang, "Has the household had dinner yet?"

"Not yet, your father-in-law is waiting for you inside the hall."

"Oh? So well-behaved today?" Zhan Yunmei changed out of her chilly clothes, wearing only her inner garment and thin outer robe.

As Yao Shuniang walked through the corridor, she pushed open the door, and a wave of warmth washed over her.

Zhan Yunmei entered the main room, and Yao Shuniang closed the door again.

As soon as she entered, Hua Lang stood up.

Zhan Yunmei gently pressed Hua Lang's shoulder and sat down beside him. "It's so late, are you still waiting for me?"

“I didn’t calculate the time,” Hua Lang said quietly, moving closer to Zhan Yunmei until their clothes were touching.

She was dressed so lightly, how could she not have sensed his approach? She just smiled gently and didn't expose him.

The military affairs booklet was still handled in the main house. After taking a bath, Zhan Yunmei slowly began to read the booklet.

A chaise lounge was added to the main room next to Zhan Yunmei's desk, and Hua Lang would sit on the chaise lounge every night to keep Zhan Yunmei company.

However, sitting on this couch was uncomfortable, and he didn't like lying down either, so he kept fidgeting, but he could never find a comfortable position.

Hearing a louder commotion than usual, Zhan Yunmei lost interest in the booklet and her gaze drifted to Hua Lang's back.

He had showered and was wearing a thin, even somewhat see-through nightgown, his thin back faintly visible, its curves winding.

Zhan Yunmei squeezed the pen in her hand; it was slender, straight, and had a cool feel to it.

She suddenly recalled the scene in the Ministry of Justice prison. This afternoon, Geng Qi's punishment was suddenly increased. After being tortured, he confessed and was exiled to the frontier.

Instruments of torture can pry open a criminal's mouth and force him to confess his crimes.

Does that mean we can also make dishonest people admit their mistakes?

“Hualang,” Zhan Yunmei said.

Hua Lang was adjusting his posture when he suddenly heard Zhan Yunmei call him. He was already feeling uneasy, and when he heard her voice, he was so frightened that he dropped the book in his hand.

Turning around, she reached for the book while quietly asking, "What's wrong?"

Zhan Yunmei stood up and grabbed Hua Lang's arm. "Don't pick it up." She sat on the chaise lounge and pulled him toward her.

The force pulled her straight into her arms. Hua Lang's side wound had been hit twice today, and the intense pain forced her to squint and groan.

"Shuniang said you went out of the manor today. What did you do?" Zhan Yunmei took the opportunity to hug Hualang, letting him lean on her shoulder, while wiping the pen behind his back.

It hits right at the heart of the vulnerable spot.

Although Hua Lang knew she hadn't done anything wrong, let alone betrayed Zhan Yunmei, she still felt flustered when Zhan Yunmei asked her.

"I checked several shops under your name and went to the market..." Hua Lang hadn't finished speaking when he felt a sharp pain and suddenly gripped Zhan Yunmei's clothes tightly.

"Anything else? Continue." Her expression remained as gentle and warm as ever.

Hua Lang buried her face involuntarily in Zhan Yunmei's arms, her body twisting uncontrollably as if rubbing against her. When she spoke again, her words were fragmented, "Nothing... nothing else..."

"Really?" Zhan Yunmei's tone was still very good, even with a hint of a smile. "Now that you know you're wrong, you admit it. I'm not angry."

Actually, whether Hua Langcheng admits it or not, she won't be angry, because she knows he didn't do anything. He only met He An because he was forced to. He An asked him to monitor the General's Mansion, only to monitor whether she met with government officials in private, and he didn't even agree to that.

To be honest, he should have done it; to appease the emperor was also appeasement, but if he didn't... it wouldn't be a big problem.

"Really, no, it's not true," Hua Lang pleaded, his voice trembling with tears. He was already sensitive and couldn't handle any stimulation. "I was wrong, I'm telling you... I was really wrong..."

Today, Zhan Yunmei didn't give him much of a transition. She started with interrogation and torture right away. She was worried about him getting hurt, so she went easy on him, but it didn't end there.

He raised his hand to soothe Hua Lang's trembling back.

He lowered his head and kissed the corner of Hualang's moist eye.

Zhan Yunmei cupped Hua Lang's face and kissed his tightly pursed lips, which were pressed together in nervousness. His remaining consciousness was still resisting her, and he refused to open his mouth.

They then began to torture him again.

The moment Hua Lang could no longer bear the pain and opened and closed his lips, Zhan Yunmei hooked his tongue and gently rubbed it.

Accompanied by sobs and cries, Hua Lang hooked his fingertips around Zhan Yunmei's and nodded weakly, a sign that he wanted to speak.

She released him, and his breath came out in a rush of wet gasps. Her eyes were curved in a smile, clearly indicating that she knew what he had done.

Hua Lang was furious when he learned that he had been tricked by Zhan Yunmei again. Half annoyed and half indignant, he was more ashamed and fearful than cowardly. He blurted out, "I hate you!"

"You hate me," Zhan Yunmei drawled, then suddenly laughed and kissed Hua Lang's lips. "But I like Hua Lang very much, what can I do?"

And so we watched as his face grew redder and redder, and his eyes grew wetter and wetter.