Chapter 377 The Best Way Out
As soon as Concubine Zhen finished speaking, several ministers spoke out to advise her.
"My two ladies, this is inappropriate."
"As concubines, your first priority is to accompany the emperor. Teaching students is not a matter of one day or one night, but a long-term matter. If you two frequently travel between the academy and the palace, you will be burdened and will most likely have no time to serve His Majesty."
"Master Xu is right. Please keep your duties in mind and let others handle the teaching."
Listening to the old ministers talking so logically, Concubine Zhen was not surprised at all. She just took over the conversation lightly, "What you said is both right and wrong. As a palace concubine, it is indeed my duty to accompany the emperor, but I think that everything should be based on the emperor's wishes. If the emperor needs the concubines to accompany him, the concubines should comply. But if the emperor is busy and does not want the concubines to disturb him, the concubines should let the emperor be alone."
When Concubine Zhen said this, she turned her gaze to Jun Liluo and asked, "Your Majesty, do you agree with what I said?"
Jun Liluo agreed, "What you said makes a lot of sense."
Concubine Zhen smiled and said, "Then, Your Majesty, do you want me and your concubine to stay in the palace to accompany you, or go to Sixian Hall to give lectures?"
She understood how old-fashioned the old ministers were. Instead of wasting time arguing with them, it would be better to throw the problem directly to the emperor. If they still didn't give up, they could argue with the emperor.
"I have been busy with many things and have been neglecting you. This is my fault. In fact, your character and virtue are all among the best. It's just that I don't understand romance. I love the country but not the beauty. Now that Prince Ning is pregnant, I am afraid I have no time to care about others. You just said that you have nothing to do all day long. You must be very depressed, right? This reminds me of the deceased Concubine De."
Speaking of Concubine De, Jun Li Luo sighed with some sadness, "Concubine De passed away due to depression and liver damage. I feel very sad every time I think of it. I don't want to see you follow in her footsteps. Since you want to go to Sixian Hall, then go and give it a try. It will give your talents a place to display, and I believe your mood will be more cheerful."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Zhen and Concubine Li were overjoyed and hurried to thank Jun Liluo.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"Your Majesty, this..."
"What's the matter? Does Xu Qing's family have any objections again?" Jun Li Luo looked at the minister who was speaking. His tone was not harsh, but his eyes were a little cold.
This look made the other party's words choke in his throat, and then he cupped his hands and replied, "I dare not."
Although he did not dare to say anything more, he looked at General Ye, signaling him to quickly persuade the emperor.
After all, Zhenfei is the daughter of General Ye. General Ye had just escorted a large amount of property back for His Majesty, but he had to face the situation of his daughter leaving the palace and falling out of favor. Isn't that disheartening?
He didn't want to go against the emperor, he just felt unfair for General Ye.
General Ye had hoped that Concubine Zhen would be promoted to Imperial Concubine, but the current situation...
Once they left the palace, it would be even more difficult to get promoted in rank. He also did not think that Concubine Zhen and Concubine Li left the palace voluntarily. Perhaps they were coerced by Prince Ning and were afraid of being targeted, so they had to humble themselves.
General Ye was close to him, so he naturally received his eye signal, but to his surprise, General Ye's reaction was very calm, and he didn't show any intention of persuading him.
Until Jun Liluo mentioned General Ye's name——
"I guess Ye Qing's family also hopes that Concubine Zhen can get what she wants, right?"
Everyone thought that General Ye might have objections, but unexpectedly, he stood up very calmly, bowed and said: "It was my daughter who was making trouble. Your Majesty can help her. I am very grateful."
"It's not that she's making trouble, it's that I've neglected them. Now that what they want to do is good for the country, I'll naturally help them."
"Since your majesty has approved of my daughter, may I make a request?"
"Tell me about it."
General Ye took a step forward, walked to the center of the hall, bowed, and said, "My daughter loved horsemanship before entering the palace. Now that she hasn't touched a horse for a long time, she must be a little rusty, but I believe that with her ability, she will soon be proficient again. I heard that among the several fine horses in your majesty's collection, there is a snowfield colt that is very spiritual and has a relatively gentle temperament. I would like to use the money and property your majesty rewarded yesterday to exchange this fine horse for my daughter. Is your majesty willing to give it up?"
When General Ye said this, not only the officials around him were surprised, but even Concubine Zhen was a little stunned.
She told her father about her thoughts last night, and her father was very unhappy. She thought that it would be great if her father could accept it calmly today. She really didn't expect that he would be willing to give her so much reward to exchange for a good horse.
In response to General Ye's request, Jun Liluo smiled calmly and said very straightforwardly: "No need to change it, I will give the good horse to her as a reward."
"You and the Zhao family have been searching for treasure for several days. How could I not know your hard work? Now that I have given you a reward, I will not take it back. It's just a good horse. Why do you need to exchange it for money? Just keep it with peace of mind."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"
General Ye bowed to express his gratitude and then returned to his seat.
These days he and General Zhao were ordered to search for treasure. Although they were not in the court, how could they not know about the major events happening in the court and the country?
When he was away for a long time, he would send letters home every once in a while to report his safety. His family's replies and his subordinates who stayed in the imperial city all mentioned to him the rebellion of Prince Kang and the suppression of the rebellion by Prince Ning.
What shocked him most was Song Yunchu's identity as a woman.
He read his wife's reply several times, still unable to believe his eyes.
When he had previously heard the rumors about the affair between His Majesty and Prince Ning, he had mistakenly believed that Prince Ning was a gigolo kept by His Majesty, and he was very disdainful of it.
He had never thought that Prince Ning was a woman in man's clothing. And His Majesty had known about it for a long time and had been helping to conceal it.
After the shock, he couldn't help but worry about Zhenfei's situation in the palace.
If Prince Ning were a man, even if he had feelings for Your Majesty, they would not be allowed to show their affection in public, and would not affect the status of the concubine. But now that he has changed from a man to a woman, Your Majesty can naturally show his preference for her openly.
Then how much kindness can Your Majesty show to other concubines?
This question was answered after he came back yesterday.
"Father, I am an unfilial daughter and cannot meet your expectations. I know that you have always wanted me to stand out among the concubines, but I know that I don't have that ability."
"Queen Ning is already the King of the Sides. Most of the officials are submissive to her. Even if a few do not obey, they can do nothing about it. The consequence of fighting with her is probably self-destruction. My daughter thinks that it is better to retreat when faced with difficulties than to face them head on. I hope that father can understand my difficulties."
"She treated us well and showed us a better way out than being concubines. We will not bring shame to our family if we go to Sixian Hall to teach. As long as you and the ministers do not stop us, we can have a better life. Father, you must not know how much I long for freedom. If I am trapped in the palace for my whole life without favor and without children, what is the difference between me and a walking corpse? You can say that I am incompetent or unfilial, but this time I want to make my own decision."
General Ye picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank it all.
Even if things are not as he wished, he should accept the reality.
A concubine cannot be compared with a king. If he still forces Zhen'er to climb up, he will be disregarding Zhen'er's safety.
The prosperity of the Ye family is maintained by him and his eldest son.
Zhen'er wants freedom...so let her be free.
After Jun Liluo rewarded Concubine Zhen with a good horse, he also did not forget to give Concubine Li a gift.
"Concubine Li's calligraphy is so beautiful and graceful. I have a top-quality blue inkstone in my study. I will have someone send it to you after the banquet."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Li also thanked him happily.
His Majesty's collections are all rare treasures in the world. It is a pleasant surprise that they can each get one from His Majesty before leaving the palace.
That day, Zheng Qingshu took them to visit Sixian Hall and told them how to leave the palace.
"This is the first girls' school in our dynasty. It is very famous and has many students. King Ning plans to limit the number of students in Sixian Hall to 300 and operate it in a way of survival of the fittest. Those who study well will be rewarded, and those who are not good at studying or disobedient will be expelled. Therefore, the students who can graduate from this school in the future will definitely be excellent, and the teachers who teach will be widely praised. This is a good opportunity for you."
"What Prince Ning meant was that if you want to gain freedom without bringing harm to your family's reputation, you have to do something for the country. You need to ask to leave the palace to teach. If you teach well, you will resign from your position as concubine to His Majesty after a year, and be promoted from assistant teacher to female tutor. By then, you will have both fame and official titles, and you don't need to worry about others talking about you in private. If there are really people with mean words, Prince Ning will arrest them and parade them through the streets on the charge of slandering a good teacher."
"If you can train a group of good students, those students and their families will respect you. Teaching and educating people is the most glorious thing. This is also an opportunity for you to expand your network. If your family can understand this, they should know that being a female tutor in Sixian Hall is much more beneficial than being a concubine."
"Also, during the teaching period, the concubines do not need to return to the palace to collect their salaries. They will be distributed to you together with the monthly salary of the teaching assistants."
"Do you think this arrangement is good?"
After regaining her composure, Concubine Li turned to look at Concubine Zhen, a happy smile in her eyes.
This arrangement is the best way out for them.
They no longer have to worry about being trapped in the palace for the rest of their lives with no one paying attention to them, nor do they have to reminisce about the streets they walked through in their youth across the palace walls.
As long as you step out of this palace gate, you can grasp the long-awaited freedom.
…
At sunset, the evening glow is like a brocade.
Song Yunchu came to Ruihe Hall carrying a cage containing a silver fox.
Jiang Rumin couldn't help but laugh when she saw that Silver Fox had an extra collar and three gold bracelets on her body.
"Why are there so many gold bracelets on Lai Fu? It makes him look even more wealthy."
"It's used to bear its weight. After all, it's small. The collar and bracelet can reduce its flexibility. In this way, it will not be my opponent."
"That's a good idea."
Jiang Rumin asked someone to prepare beef and green plum wine, which were the silver fox's favorite foods. Song Yunchu carried the cage to the food and opened the cage door.
The silver fox hadn't eaten for a long time. Now faced with his favorite food, he went up to it and ate it with great relish.
Song Yunchu raised his hand and touched its head. "Laifu, eat more. Maybe you'll look better if you get fatter."
The silver fox was concentrating on eating and didn't look up, so it naturally didn't know that Jiang Rumin had taken out the needle bag behind it.
Seeing that the silver fox was almost finished eating, Song Yunchu stroked its head again, and then, when it was not paying attention, he grabbed the back of its neck with both hands and held it down.
Jiang Rumin took a step forward and the needle dropped.
A silver needle soaked in a sleeping pill was inserted into the top of the silver fox's head. The silver fox shook its head and fell asleep.
Jiang Rumin let the animal drink a cup of blood and then quickly bandaged it.
The King of Medicine had already prepared all the medicinal materials in the backyard, except for the fox blood.
After a long time, the silver fox woke up from the cage and shook its head a few times. It seemed to want to sit up, but it howled the moment it lowered its head.
Then it looked up at Song Yunchu. After staring at Song Yunchu for a moment, it turned its head away and glanced at Jiang Rumin behind the counter.
Jiang Rumin raised her eyes and saw Silver Fox's reaction, and was a little stunned.
"Is it...glaring at me?"
"You read it right." Song Yunchu said slowly, "What it wants to express now is probably... Damn you, my paw was fine just now, how come it is wrapped up again? It must be you who did it."
"How does it know that I cut its blood?"
"Because when it fainted, there were only the two of us by its side." Song Yunchu smiled, "During this period, I trained it so that it didn't dare to show its displeasure to me openly, but you are relatively gentle, so it glared at you. If you hadn't taken care of it for a while before, it might have wanted to scratch you."
"This is too much of a bully..."
"That's just the way it is."
While the two were talking, Jiang Rumin had already packed the medicine and told Song Yunchu, "Have your majesty take one pill every night."
Song Yunchu reached out and took it. "Okay, thank you for your hard work, Rumin."
"You're just being polite. That's what I should do."
…
That night, the moon was bright.
After Jun Liluo took the medicine, he hugged Song Yunchu and lay down.
Because Song Yunchu is pregnant, Jun Liluo is now very well-behaved and will not get too close to her.
Song Yunchu was half asleep and half awake when he heard his inner mumbling again.
[There are still eight months left... I heard that the days ahead will be even harder. ]
[If I could get pregnant and give birth right away, it would be great, and I wouldn’t have to avoid certain foods. ]
[It must be hard for her to not be able to drink alcohol or eat spicy food, so I might as well help her quit drinking.]
[The imperial physician said that we should restrain our behavior and not be too violent. Yun Chu is so lively and active, she will definitely feel suffocated next time, right? What kind of fun should I find for her to relieve her boredom? ]
Song Yunchu's eyelids twitched and he subconsciously covered his ears.
So noisy...
[What name should I give my child? If it's a boy, it must be more domineering. If it's a girl...it must be even more domineering, preferably as wild as Yun Chu.]
[Aotian, Lingtian, Zhatian, Potian... Well, no, just having the spirit is not pleasant enough. ]
Song Yunchu: “…”
It's not just not pleasant to the ear? It's simply unbearable to listen to!
"Can you sleep well?"
Song Yunchu turned his head away from his arms and said, "If you don't want to sleep, go to the side hall and lie down."
Song Yunchu suddenly spoke, which surprised Jun Liluo.
Judging from Yun Chu's tone, she seemed to be blaming him for disturbing her.
But he didn't seem to speak just now?
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