"Young Master Nangong, you may not know this, but being the Chief of the Imperial Household is a tough job. You are handsome, but what if a princess from a neighboring country sees you and asks the Emperor for you to serve her? What do you think the Emperor will do?"
Upon hearing Xiang Song's words, and recalling the fierce and unruly nature of some countries, Nangong Zeyue immediately felt a chill run down her spine.
He could guess what that heartless bastard would do with his toes.
He probably wishes he could send a dowry and marry into the family.
Nangong Zeyue put down the distressing imperial edict and pleaded, "Brother Xiang, we've known each other for a while now. You're a close advisor to the Emperor, and the Emperor treats you differently from others. Could you please help me change this job? For example, I could go to the Imperial Stables as a stable manager."
Nangong Zeyue felt that she was more suited to managing horses; sometimes dealing with animals was much easier than dealing with people.
"Young master has never been to a military camp and does not know the fun in a military camp. The western suburban camp is different from the frontier camp. There is no war now, and the soldiers eat and drink all day long and occasionally train. I envy that kind of life."
Xiang Song spoke with an envious look on his face, as if it were a really cushy job.
Nangong Zeyue still shook her head, "To be honest, I actually prefer a life of leisure and freedom, and I don't want fame or fortune."
Xiang Song: "Do you intend to defy the imperial decree?"
"No, no, Your Majesty's kindness is deeply appreciated, but..."
Even with all his courage, Nangong Zeyue dared not disobey the imperial decree, and he tried to explain.
Xiang Song raised his hand to interrupt him, "Since you cannot disobey the imperial decree, it would be better for you to go to the military camp."
"The western suburban camp is just outside the city. It takes less than half an hour to get home by fast horse. The salary of the captain is more than that of the director of the Imperial Household Department. Others would beg for such a good deal."
Nangong Zeyue had a lot of unspeakable suffering; what he was really concerned about was not the amount of salary.
He wanted to go home every day, have a cup of tea in the warm pavilion next door, and play a game of chess with Yue Niang.
When he talked about interesting stories from the martial arts world, Yue Niang's eyes lit up. Every year when she returned home, she would take him to play and frolic in the garden.
Those warm and happy days filled with the warmth of everyday life are what he wants.
Hearing the childish voice call him godfather melted his heart.
This damned imperial decree cannot be disobeyed.
Seeing that his expression changed slightly, Xiang Song smiled and said, "Young master, you should go to the military camp. The soldiers are warm and generous, much better than dealing with those old-fashioned geezers."
Many days later, when Nangong Zeyue was exhausted from sparring with the soldiers in the military camp, he finally understood what true enthusiasm and generosity meant.
For the past few days, I've been cursing Xiao Jingzhao and Xiang Song in my mind almost eight hundred times a day.
...
A loud sneeze echoed through the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Xiao Jingzhao raised his head and looked at Song.
Xiang Song rubbed his nose. "Your Majesty, I'm fine, my nose is just a little itchy."
"If there's nothing else today, go to the Imperial Hospital and have Head Physician Lin take your pulse."
Xiao Jingzhao spoke in his usual calm tone, his words revealing his concern for his subordinates.
Seeing that Xiang Song was standing still, Xiao Jingzhao raised an eyebrow. "What else do you want to say?"
"It's nothing important. Young Master Nangong has been at the military camp for several days now, and I've sent someone to check on him."
As Xiang Song spoke, he lowered his eyes to look at the floor, feeling a pang of guilt.
"Is he doing well there?"
"The first day went well. The commander saw that I personally escorted the people over and, after settling them in, let him get to know his soldiers."
Xiang Song glanced at Xiao Jingzhao and continued, "There happens to be a competition the next day. Nangong Zeyue was exhausted after the first round. Judging from his condition, he will be demoted to an ordinary soldier in a few days."
"Your Majesty, I don't think he's cut out to be a general. Should we replace him with someone else?"
Xiao Jingzhao put down the wolf-hair brush in his hand, picked up the teacup, and took a sip.
"When did I ever say I hoped he would become a general?"
Xiang Song: "Your Majesty... he is, after all..."
“It is indeed unfair to send him to the military camp to suffer, but the military camp is also the best place to hide. Even if the assassins searched the entire capital, they would not dare to break into the western suburban camp.”
After hearing the Emperor's words, Xiang Song's guilt vanished instantly.
The Emperor has already sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to secretly investigate the assassins from Liang, but many days have passed without any news.
Those people were like fish that have entered the ocean, leaving no ripples and no trace.
Xiang Song decided to meet with the commander tomorrow and ask him to take care of Nangong Zeyue, at least to make his life in the military camp less difficult.
At this moment, Eunuch Ma led the palace maids in one after another, each carrying a tray with exquisite tableware on it.
"Your Majesty, today's imperial meal includes fresh vegetables. Please try the eggplants from the greenhouse and see how they differ from those in season."
As Eunuch Ma spoke to the Emperor, he smiled broadly and nodded slightly towards Song.
Xiang Song nodded slightly, then bowed to the Emperor and withdrew.
Recently, Lin Ruyin has been sending soup to the Imperial Study. Perhaps Xiao Jingzhao's refusal was too tactful, so Lin Ruyin replaced the soup with pastries.
Xiao Jingzhao simply had the memorial delivered to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, leaving Fugui and a few others to play the Empty City Stratagem in the Imperial Study.
The palace maids set out the food, and Xiao Jingzhao immediately noticed two dishes that were not available this season.
A plate of crispy eggplant, and a plate of venison stewed with green peppers.
Seeing that the Emperor had taken his seat, Eunuch Ma quickly moved the crispy eggplant and venison stew with green peppers in front of him.
The palace maids set out the dishes and bowls and then withdrew. Eunuch Ma picked up the serving chopsticks, took a piece of crispy eggplant, and placed it on the plate in front of the emperor. "Your Majesty, please try this first."
Xiao Jingzhao picked up a piece of eggplant and put it in his mouth to savor it. The eggplant was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and it was exceptionally delicious.
The delicious flavor spread across his tongue, and Xiao Jingzhao's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as he nodded repeatedly.
Seeing the Emperor's expression as if he were savoring a delicious meal, Eunuch Ma knew without asking that the vegetables grown in the greenhouse must be incredibly delicious.
He said with a smile, "Miss Jiang is truly remarkable. She can grow vegetables that are only available in summer even in this season. She is a great contributor to Wanling."
Xiao Jingzhao asked Eunuch Ma to serve him a bowl of rice.
There was no one else in the room, so he quickly finished the rice in his bowl with the two dishes.
As an emperor, one's preferences cannot be easily revealed to others.
It was unavoidable to have close confidants around him; once the remaining imperial dishes were removed, the imperial chefs would be able to discern the truth from them.
Xiao Jingzhao put down his chopsticks and looked at the untouched dishes in the distance, saying, "Send all these dishes to the Imperial Study and let Fugui and the others divide them up."
"This servant understands."
Grandpa Ma picked up his chopsticks and turned over the untouched dishes, making it look as if each dish had only been touched twice.
Then he called in the palace maids who were serving outside and instructed them, "His Majesty has given dishes to the people on duty in the Imperial Study today."
After receiving their orders, the palace maids carried the imperial meal away.
After serving hot tea, Eunuch Ma was about to leave to have his meal when Xiao Jingzhao stopped him and said, "Yue Niang has brought blessings to all people and her contributions are invaluable. In a little while, you and Deputy Commander Xiang will go to my private treasury to fetch a thousand taels of silver and send it to the Jiang residence as a reward."
"Your Majesty is wise. Miss Jiang has led everyone to raise meat rabbits, and the people's lives are getting better and better. That is a great achievement and she deserves to be rewarded."
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