Chapter 82 Ku Er Desires Zhou Lang's Favor

After Princess Zhaohui turned ten, when she entered and left the Imperial Study, the Emperor began to teach her, intentionally or unintentionally, to read memorials and listen to reports. After she turned thirteen, he even assigned some of the general affairs to the princess.

Between the hours of Yin and Chou that day, before dawn, Princess Zhaohui entered the Imperial Study to pay her respects, bowing respectfully: "Your subject humbly wishes Your Majesty good health. Your Majesty summoned your subject here; is there any instruction or teaching you intended?"

The emperor, who had spent the night behind the green gauze curtain, was about to rise. Whether it was due to excessive thinking over the years or the torment of heartache, the imperial physicians' treatment was ineffective, and his hair turned completely white before he was forty.

He had to apply hair dye to cover his white hair and turn it black every day before going to court. Zhao Hui stepped forward and naturally took the hair comb with dye from Qing Fu's hand, and personally combed the emperor's hair.

The emperor glanced back at Zhao Hui's pleated skirt: "Springtime is like winter, and there is a sudden chill. Change into a thicker skirt later and then go put on another layer of clothing."

The princess smiled sweetly: "Thank you for your concern, Father! Father, why are you giving me the exact same instructions as Mother gave me before I left? You told me to put on more clothes!"

The emperor curled his lips into a smile: "Your mother said the same thing?"

"Yes." The princess's movements as she combed the emperor's hair were practiced and gentle. "I didn't listen to her, but I'll listen to Father Emperor later!"

"You must also listen to your mother," the emperor emphasized softly.

"Mother also mentioned Father today," the princess replied with a smile.

"Nonsense about me?" the emperor immediately retorted.

"Now that the willows are just beginning to sprout in spring, Mother plans to go boating on the lake to admire the willows on her day off. She said she hasn't seen the Emperor's face for a while and wants to invite Father to go with her."

A moment later, the emperor turned around completely: "Did your mother really say that?"

"Yes." The princess nodded with wide eyes, seemingly certain, yet also surprised that the emperor did not believe her.

The Emperor smiled, pursing his lips. In fact, he had been mostly satisfied with Wang Yuying's performance in recent years, except for one thing: a secret report had been submitted stating that she and Zhao Hui had only been sleeping in separate beds for a few months before she secretly purchased a jade dildo. This made him somewhat uncomfortable; he couldn't understand why she still had such thoughts at their age.

But then she thought, using an inanimate object meant that she would firmly keep her promise and never betray him again.

Thinking it over, the emperor felt very reassured and said with a smile, "Your mother and I swam on the lake twenty years ago. We shared hardships and have been together ever since."

The princess should be.

The emperor was still pondering the matter when the princess suddenly said, "Father, regarding the matter of the armory, Physician Zhao was so terrified that he went without food or water for three days. This oversight was due to the carelessness of his junior clerk who mistakenly put the gunpowder from the A-class armory into an empty box in the C-class armory, and it was not lost."

The emperor's expression remained calm upon hearing this, but he thought to himself: "The other day, during an inventory of the capital's armory, the amount of gunpowder was found to be incorrect, and it was later corrected. Although it was due to the negligence of his subordinates, the armory is a crucial military location, and the gunpowder requires verification by the Ministry of War, the supervising official, and the guarding official. Anyone who secretly possesses more than a kilogram is to be executed, so Zhao Dingrong, the chief clerk in charge of the armory, was severely punished."

"Although Father Emperor's punishment of Zhao Langzhong is wise, if we were to execute him now and replace him with a new one, he would be unfamiliar with the rules for storing the hundreds of weapons in the armory. Moreover, after this incident, Langzhong has already added three layers to the inspection process, even personally inspecting each sealing wax. It would be better to let him atone for his crime by doing good deeds, spare his old life, and let him continue to serve Father Emperor in the future."

The emperor pondered, realizing that Zhao Dingrong had asked Zhao Hui to plead for him.

This person was selected by Wang Yuying when she was in charge of the military examinations. He was inherited by her mother's protégé, and she, as a princess, knew how to win him over.

After a short while, the emperor asked with a smile, "Then what do you think should be done?"

The princess laughed and said, "Why not strip him of half a year's salary as a small punishment to deter him from committing a major offense?"

"Then so be it!" The emperor changed the subject. "I summoned you here today to have you inspect the spring planting in the capital region on my behalf. Considering the long journey, it is advisable to set off as soon as possible, so I summoned you before dawn."

"It's getting late. Your son can't wait to see Father Emperor!"

The emperor smiled. Normally, hearing her sweet words would have made him overjoyed, but now he quietly thought about her radiant appearance, exuding the vitality of the rising sun.

The emperor chuckled indulgently as usual.

Looking from where Zhao Hui stood, she could see the top of the emperor's head. After hearing the laughter, she continued, "Actually, I was worried about the spring plowing in the capital region because I heard that several irrigation canals were silted up."

The emperor remained silent for a moment before smiling and replying, "Irrigation is the foundation of agriculture; you must do a good job on this mission."

"Rest assured, Father, I will certainly live up to your expectations!"

The princess had already begun to help the emperor tie his hair when the emperor suddenly sighed: "Last night I received another piece of advice, saying that the order in which the palace gates were opened yesterday was slightly wrong, with the left gate opening half a step before the right gate. This is such a trivial matter, yet dozens of people have submitted memorials about it. It's the same old story, and they keep nagging on and on."

The princess placed the jeweled crown on the emperor's head and personally walked around to the emperor to adjust it. The emperor noticed that she was staring intently at the crown, and asked with a suppressed smile, "What, are you going to offer advice too?"

“As a subject and a daughter, it is of course my duty to advise her.” The princess smiled, glanced back at the emperor, and their eyes met for a moment before the emperor smiled again.

So the princess continued, "But I am unwilling. If everyone's words and actions are measured by a ruler, without the slightest deviation, wouldn't the palace be completely gloomy and lifeless? I feel that if there were truly a lack of one or two bright colors, Father would definitely be unhappy."

Next, she was to help the emperor change his clothes. The emperor glanced at her hand on his dragon robe without making a sound: "The memorial I asked you to review the other day contained some textual errors. Why didn't you report them?"

The princess replied fluently: "I believe that I should not trouble Father with such a small mistake."

After a moment, the emperor sighed and said, "You are still the one who cares about me."

The princess smiled and said a few more sweet words, helped the emperor to get dressed, and then took her leave of the city.

After she left, the emperor did not rush to court. Instead, he sat down at the table and sucked on his cheek.

Firstly, she dared to abuse her power in front of Zhao Dingrong; secondly, she only learned this morning that the irrigation canals in the capital were silted up, yet the princess knew about it before him; thirdly, she was trying to guess the emperor's intentions; and fourthly, she dared not report any errors in the memorials.

Everyone says things shouldn't happen more than three times, but it was his kindness and excessive favor that caused Zhaohui to make four mistakes in just one morning!

He has perhaps delegated too much authority.

However, the child was not his biological son...

There might truly be a chill in the air, as a slight coolness seeped into the emperor's palms from the armrest. He seemed somewhat dazed, as if he had suddenly acquired the same concerns as the Empress Dowager of yesteryear.

Out of lingering fear, Xu Heng's heart trembled for a moment, then hovered in mid-air, never to return to the ground.

Xu Heng hesitated for a long time before finally picking up his brush, dipping it in ink, and sending a secret edict to Liu Sheyu, the former Minister of Personnel who had been promoted to Prime Minister: "I am still without a heir and am deeply worried that the foundation of the country has not been established. You may secretly investigate among the imperial clan those who are virtuous, upright, talented and virtuous, and select a few. I will personally examine them to determine the heir apparent."

This generation, not only the emperor, but also the imperial family, has a shortage of male heirs, so he originally had no intention of having this.

*

The capital region.

Princess Zhaohui was efficient; by noon, she had already surveyed all the farmland surrounding the city and cleared all the silted-up irrigation ditches without missing a single one.

She rode back to the city at breakneck speed, outpacing even the regular imperial guards. Only after entering the city did she slow down, fearing a collision.

Who knew that even though I didn't offend anyone, someone would offend me, and an out-of-control carriage came crashing head-on into the princess.

Her heart tightened, and she reined in her horse to avoid it. The guards also wanted to protect her, but a boy with a ponytail reacted before everyone else. He rushed out of the crowd, used his left-hand sword to pick the wheel of the carriage and straighten it, and then used the hilt of his sword to strike the horse's belly three times. The frightened horse immediately stopped.

The princess gazed at him for a long time. When the young man approached and asked her with concern if she was injured, the princess shook her head in denial and thanked him. Then she praised, "Your left-handed sword is very special."

The boy showed no embarrassment whatsoever: "Of course, this is the true teaching of my master!"

As they were talking, two women gracefully stepped down from the carriage to thank the young man. It turned out that they were the two concubines of Qin, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who were pregnant and on their way to Baoyuan Temple to pray for blessings, but their horse had suddenly sprung up on the way.

The young man was visibly stunned after hearing this. After a moment, he helped the two women up, saying it was nothing and they were not grateful.

Princess Zhaohui noticed the lingering confusion on the young man's face and guessed that he was still unable to accept the fact that it was the first time he had seen a concubine who was pregnant.

Which paradise did this person come from?

It's not uncommon in the capital to hear about this, but the princess was bewildered when she first heard it. However, she thought that if men could have three wives and four concubines, then women should also have three husbands and four wives, instead of remaining faithful to one man until death.

It is also worth noting that the two wives went to Baoyuan Temple, which is famous for praying for children. It seems that both of them hoped that the child in their wombs would be a boy, so that the mothers could gain status through their sons and surpass each other.

The princess was also puzzled by this kind of squabble, and thought that instead of placing her hopes on the next generation, she should focus on herself.

The young man did not linger. After saying goodbye to them, he left. The princess watched him walk towards the city gate and ordered her men to inquire. They learned that the young man's surname was Shan, and he was from the army under General Jing Ye. He had been sent to the camp outside the capital with a military order. Being young and curious, he had taken half a day to enter the city and wander around the capital.

Upon hearing this, the princess immediately put the matter aside and stopped thinking about it. Last month, she had resolved a case from the Court of Judicial Review, which led to a conflict with the officials of the Ministry of Justice. At that time, resentment was everywhere, but her father and tutor helped to suppress the controversy, one openly and the other covertly. Now that this matter had resurfaced, she was worried that it was not just a case of a woman being startled by a horse, but that someone in the Ministry of Justice still harbored resentment and was seeking revenge.

Just as he was making plans, a trusted aide approached and presented him with a secret letter: "Your Highness."

The princess personally unsealed the package, reading quickly, her expression gradually becoming solemn. After a while, she lowered her voice and ordered, "Quickly go and invite the tutor to come and see me."

*

Wang Yuying had no official business today, so she left the Ministry of War before noon. Seeing that it was still early and that she had run out of liquor at home, she went to a tavern run by people from the northern frontier in the north of the city.

She filled a jar, held it in her hand, and was about to return home when she saw a man and a horse heading alone towards Niuyang Mountain. Although the rider was dressed as a man and wore a bamboo hat, Wang Yuying could still recognize her daughter at a glance. Suspicion arose immediately, and she followed him breathlessly.

Princess Zhaohui was far less powerful than Wang Yuying and was completely unaware of the situation.

In recent years, to avoid the emperor's notice, she and Master Zheng often met at Niuyang Mountain, a place with many tombs and few people.

Entering the cave with practiced ease, they found Zheng Yangzhi already waiting inside. The princess showed him the secret report she had received, while she helped her teacher hold up a tinderbox for light.

Before Zheng Yangzhi could finish reading the letter, the princess spoke up: "From yesterday until this morning, Father Emperor was all smiles and laughter as usual. I don't know why he suddenly changed his tune and wants to select a member of the imperial family."

"Your Highness, please calm down and recall all your conversations with His Majesty this morning, from the moment you entered the palace to pay your respects." Zheng Yangzhi said, handing the secret report back to the princess after he finished reading it. The princess immediately took it and burned it to ashes on a tinderbox.

She told Zheng Yangzhi everything that had happened in the Imperial Study that morning.

After a long pause, Zheng Yangzhi spoke slowly and deliberately: "Your Highness should not have, and should not have, displayed imperial skills in front of His Majesty."

The princess slowly turned her head to look at the teacher's face, which was flickering in the firelight.

Zheng Yangzhi continued, "Your Highness pleaded with His Majesty for mercy, but in doing so, you made many friends and recruited talented people. This is the first tactic; you knew about the blocked canal before His Majesty. This is the second tactic. These two are the most serious."

After a short while, the princess sighed, "I know I've been too talkative and made a mistake."

“Furthermore, Your Highness shouldn’t have said that ‘His Majesty would be unhappy if those one or two bright colors were missing.’ Wouldn’t that have let His Majesty know that you were trying to guess his mind?” He turned to look at the princess. “Your Highness is too clever. What His Majesty can tolerate is someone who is a little confused, who just happens to touch his heart, understands him, but can’t see through him completely, like…” He paused slowly, staring into the princess’s eyes, “Your mother.”

The princess's eyes flickered with a sudden, intense light, a flash of speculation about the emperor and Zheng Yangzhi, but she quickly lowered her gaze to conceal it. When she looked up again, her expression was calm and clear: "Please, Master, save me!"

Zheng Yangzhi's gaze swept across her face, and he said calmly, "Suspicion is an unavoidable aspect of the power struggle, and the variables involved are beyond human control. I am only an ordinary person, and I may not be in sync with His Majesty's wishes. I'm afraid that if I make a slight mistake, it might harm His Highness."

Surprisingly, they declined.

The princess persisted, pleading repeatedly, but Zheng Yangzhi remained adamant in only resolving her doubts without offering a solution. Left with no other option, the princess finally took her leave respectfully.

Zheng Yangzhi would not appear at the same time as her, nor would they travel the same route. He sat quietly in the cave for half an hour before coming out.

The sun was shining brightly, and I couldn't help but squint. When I opened my eyes again, I saw Wang Yuying standing not far away with her hands behind her back, and next to her was Zheng's servant with his head hanging down, not daring to utter a sound.

Zheng Yangzhi smiled and strode towards Wang Yuying.

There was a pavilion behind her. She turned and went inside, sitting down on a stone bench. The jar of strong liquor she had bought was on the table. Her emotions were churning. She pulled out the cork and took a swig, her throat slid down.

Zheng Yangzhi sat down opposite Wang Yuying.

She placed the wine jar back on the table and looked the man up and down—his hair was as black as ink, his face as beautiful as jade, and his appearance remained unchanged for ten years; time seemed to have left no trace on him. She wondered if it was true, as the rumors said, that cultivating Taoism and eating little could preserve one's youth.

However, he has become more mature than when he was young, and judging from his appearance alone, he resembles a piece of ancient jade that is pure and radiant.

"After many years, Lord Zheng seems to have been blessed by time, showing no signs of aging whatsoever."

After a long silence, Zheng Yangzhi looked at her quietly and replied, "You too."

This was a compliment. Wang Yuying curled her lips and said, "It was my oversight as a mother that I didn't know that Yinyin had already become your student and was receiving your personal instruction day and night."

Zheng Yangzhi remained silent, but his gaze never left her face.

Wang Yuying's chest heaved slightly: "Zheng Yangzhi, what exactly do you want to do?" She stared straight at him: "My lord, you should know that a mother's love for her child can move mountains. If you dare to harm Yinyin or cause her any harm, I will not let you off lightly!"

After a long pause, Zheng Yangzhi's lips parted and closed: "It's because she's always been asking me for a favor."

Wang Yuying blinked, then stared intently at Zheng Yangzhi again.

Zheng Yangzhi slowly raised his right arm, grabbed the unsealed wine jar on the table, turned it halfway around so that the rim of the jar with her lipstick was facing him, then took a sip from the jar, calmly pressing his lips against the lip print she had left on the rim.

Wang Yuying's heart leaped, and her breathing became rapid. Zheng Yangzhi, however, remained calm, only his voice became lower: "You said you would treat me to drinks back then, and you still owe me that now."