Chapter 158 Asking His Majesty for Money
As one of the emperor's secret agents, she could receive a monthly salary.
The emperor gave her a lot of monthly salary, and she had almost never lacked money in the past, but now she has become addicted to mahjong... Alas.
Seeing that she made such a request and looked a little embarrassed, Jun Liluo asked her, "What happened to you?"
Jun Li Luo believed that he never treated his subordinates unfairly. If his subordinates really had difficulties, he would naturally be willing to give them some money as subsidies.
But Concubine Shu's answer surprised him a little, "Your Majesty, I recently played mahjong with the three ladies... I am incompetent and my luck is really bad. I lost all the money I saved."
"Empress Zhenfei looks arrogant and unwise on weekdays, but she seems to have some talent in playing mahjong. Not only is she very good at it, but her luck is also incredibly good. This afternoon, she won more times than the other three of us combined."
"One family wins three families. She made a fortune today. I lost a lot. I lost several months' salary. Concubine De and Concubine Li also lost a lot. But they have family backgrounds. Even if they are short of money, they can ask their families for help. But you forged my identity. I have no family to back me up. Now I have lost so much. I have no choice but to ask Your Majesty for help."
Jun Liluo: "..."
This was the reason why Concubine Shu came to see him specifically.
"I remember that when I gave you mahjong, I had someone warn you that gambling is prohibited in the palace."
Jun Liluo's tone was slightly cold, "You can play however you want, but you can only play by winning or losing, you can't gamble. Didn't you listen to my instructions?"
"Your Majesty, calm down. We were originally only concerned with winning or losing, but... somehow, we ended up using money while playing. Besides, this matter was not proposed by me."
"Then tell me, who started this? This is totally disrespecting palace rules!"
"This..." Concubine Shu thought for a moment, then sighed, "I have forgotten who started it."
After playing with the three ladies for the past few days, it would be a lie to say that I wasn't happy.
Although she always kept in mind her identity as a spy, since she had to play the role of a concubine, getting along with the concubines was also one of her tasks.
She said it wasn't her who started it, and that was the truth. There's nothing more to say.
If His Majesty were told that it was Concubine Zhen who took the lead, she would probably be punished again.
First, Zhenfei provoked Lifei for being poor. Lifei couldn't stand the provocation and also became interested. Defei and Zhenfei were cousins, so she agreed without thinking. When it was her turn to be asked, what else could she say?
Naturally, I had no choice but to agree.
But to be honest, it is more interesting with income and expenditure in each game.
But she couldn't say such words in front of His Majesty, she had to be more tactful, otherwise she would anger His Majesty and she might not be able to sit at the poker table in the future.
"I know that gambling is prohibited in the palace, and I shouldn't have violated the ban. However, I made a mistake because I was impulsive. I am guilty, but I really don't want to spoil the ladies' fun."
"Lord Song has warned us that playing mahjong cannot be spread to others. Only the four of us can participate. If I cannot play mahjong due to lack of money, the three ladies will probably doubt my background. Not only that, they may also find other mahjong partners. The more people know, the greater the possibility of the matter being leaked. So I dare to ask Your Majesty to let me continue to play mahjong."
Shufei lowered her head as she spoke. "Except for Empress Zhenfei, the others all lost too badly, so the four of us discussed and decided that it would be too much to continue playing like this. Starting from tomorrow, the maximum amount of money you can win will be 20 taels of silver per day. After losing 20 taels, you won't have to pay if you lose again. I have promised them to keep their mouths shut, but I dare not hide anything from you."
"The fun that Lord Song has created for the ladies is really interesting. Your Majesty, please allow me to continue playing with the ladies for the sake of my loyalty to you."
Shufei originally thought that since she had violated the palace rules, the emperor would inevitably lose his temper, and she could endure corporal punishment. She was even prepared to be beaten before coming.
Most of the secret guards were orphans. She had a good physique, so she received special training to become a secret guard when she was twelve or thirteen years old. At that time, His Majesty was still a prince. After His Majesty ascended the throne, her task was to disguise herself as a concubine and gather information in the harem. She thought it would be a tough job, but she didn't expect that there were only a few concubines in the palace. At first, she was free and at ease, but she felt bored after a long time.
The mahjong set brought by Prime Minister Song made her realize that there were such fun things in the world.
She has been loyal to His Majesty for six or seven years, which is not a short time. His Majesty may give her a lighter sentence, such as punishing her with ten sticks? If so, she will claim to be sick and rest for a few days, and then go to the card table when she is more mobile.
"Is the daily limit twenty taels?" Jun Li Luo's question suddenly came from the front.
Concubine Shu looked up and saw that Jun Liluo looked calm and showed no signs of anger, so she quickly replied, "Yes, at most twenty taels. After playing for a few days, the ladies have realized that they need to restrain themselves. Some are very lucky, while others are very unlucky. If they quit the table because they lost too much, it would not be a good thing for others. After all, you said that it cannot be spread outside. It would be best if the four of us could stick to it."
"So, Your Majesty... can you give me an advance of three hundred taels of silver? I will never keep losing. As long as I have three hundred taels, my problem will be solved."
"That's fine." Jun Li Luo said calmly, "Go to Li Zongguan later to get five hundred taels of silver. I will still give you your monthly salary as usual. Remember, don't let anyone know about your gambling. I will just pretend that you didn't come today."
Concubine Shu was stunned and almost thought she had heard it wrong.
"Your Majesty, then you will not punish your subordinates?"
"You have been loyal to me for many years. I will forgive your mistakes once as a reward for you. You only need to promise me one thing."
"Your Majesty, please speak."
"I have neglected the women in the harem for a long time. It was Prime Minister Song who reminded me that the women in the harem were depressed. They were burdened with pressure from their families. It was indeed not easy. I had no time to take care of them. Prime Minister Song made mahjong to provide them with a simple happiness. If they mention Prime Minister Song in the future, you should talk more about his good points so that they can remember it in their hearts."
Concubine Shu came back to her senses and quickly replied, "Yes, I will definitely keep it in mind."
She didn't know if it was her illusion, but when the emperor mentioned Prime Minister Song, even his eyes softened a lot.
She remembered that His Majesty was obviously afraid of Lord Song in the past, but now he seemed not to be afraid at all.
Not only His Majesty, Lord Song also seems to have changed. Although he is still as frivolous and unruly as before, he is no longer as cold-blooded and ruthless as before.
People do change.
Fortunately, the changes made by His Majesty and Lord Song brought them benefits.
"Okay, go down."
"I'll take my leave."
…
Inside the Chu family shop, Song Yunchu put on the new clothes that Chu Yuni had picked for her and stood in front of the bronze mirror, looking at herself.
Well, this moon-white brocade dress really makes her look elegant and graceful.
The mirror reflected the row of colorful women's clothing behind her.
After dressing as a man for a long time, the woman got used to wearing men's clothes and behaving like a man, but she never forgot her real gender.
To be honest, she also wanted to try those exquisite dresses.
But it's just a thought.
After all, power and wealth are more important. Those beautiful women's clothing, various rouge and powder, and jewelry are destined to be out of her reach.
Since she couldn't wear them herself, she gave them to her subordinates. She felt happy when she saw how beautiful they looked after dressing up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
