Chapter 175 The Strange Atmosphere of the Imperial Court
The atmosphere at the morning court the following day was unusually strange.
The courtiers kept their eyes down, not daring to utter a sound, but occasionally stole glances at the emperor on the dragon throne, feeling a chill run down their spines.
What's wrong with the emperor today?
He no longer threw down memorials, nor did he lose his temper; he was like a Buddha statue, with not a trace of worldly desire in his eyes.
That's weird! That's really weird!
The Vice Minister of Revenue stepped forward, trembling. The memorial he held in his hands seemed to weigh a ton, and his voice was shaking uncontrollably.
"Your Majesty... there was an error in the calculation of last year's tax revenue in Jiangnan Circuit, with nearly half of it being underreported..."
His voice grew softer and softer as he spoke, and cold sweat trickled down his temples.
Is this some new method of controlling subordinates invented by the Emperor? It's truly ingenious and unfathomable.
The hall was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.
From his high position, Huo Lin slightly raised his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over the trembling Vice Minister of Revenue below, and remained silent for a moment.
[Trying to mistake ten thousand taels for a thousand taels, and losing your eyesight, I suggest hanging it on the city wall as a lantern.]
[Just speak! Why are you trembling like that? You can't even speak properly, do you not want to anymore?]
[Phew, calm down. I promised her I'd try to be less temperamental.]
Amitabha Buddha...May the Buddha have mercy...
Just as the Vice Minister of Revenue's legs went weak and he was about to kneel down, a remarkably calm voice came from above.
"Redo it."
Two words, light and airy, without a trace of anger.
Vice Minister of Revenue: !!!
He looked up abruptly, almost thinking he was hallucinating.
So...so redo it?
It's about redoing the accounting books, not about starting a new job!
"Your humble servant... obeys the imperial decree!"
The Vice Minister of Revenue practically scrambled back into the ranks, his heart still pounding, his face showing a blank expression of relief at having survived such a close call.
That's... that's it?
Immediately afterwards, the Minister of Works took a deep breath and stepped forward with a stiff upper lip.
"Your Majesty, the Yongding River in the suburbs of the capital is more silted up than in previous years due to the abundant rainfall last year. It may be necessary to allocate more funds as appropriate."
He carefully chose his words, trying to make the words "asking for money" as tactful as possible.
Huo Lin tapped the armrest twice with his fingertips. The sound was soft, but it felt like it was striking the heart of everyone.
Here we go again, repairing it this year, repairing it again next year, demanding money every year—is the riverbed paved with gold bricks or inlaid with white jade?
She said getting angry hurts the liver. Huo Lin, you can do it, just hold it in!
Calm your mind, take a deep breath, inhale and exhale.
Huo Lin's tone remained calm and indifferent: "Rewrite it."
Minister of Works: ...
He stood there, stunned, unable to react for a moment.
Am I attending court in a dream? The emperor is being far too accommodating today!
"Your subject obeys the decree!" The Minister of Works seemed to wake from a dream, and hurriedly bowed and retreated, his face also filled with disbelief.
This flippant attitude is like being slowly sliced to death; it would be better to just have him struck dead by lightning.
The atmosphere inside the hall became even more eerie. The ministers looked at each other, their eyes conveying a silent exchange.
The Emperor is acting like a saint today. Is he holding back an even bigger fire in his heart?
Huo Lin glanced expressionlessly at the submissive heads below, inwardly scoffing.
[Am I the King of Hell? They're all so terrified, I'm practically suffocating! How can I possibly be gentle?!]
[Am I supposed to go down and hug and comfort them one by one?!]
No, she said she can't get angry... She's only angry with these blockheads! They don't deserve it!
[It's better to save your energy for her.]
[When will court adjourn? Don't block my 100-meter sprint to Weiyang Palace.]
When his thoughts turned to Jiang Huan, Huo Lin's gaze softened involuntarily for a moment, and the corners of his mouth seemed to twitch slightly.
This fleeting, subtle change did not escape the eyes of the court officials, and the entire Golden Palace instantly fell into a deathly silence.
Immediately following was a chorus of gasps of surprise.
That cold-blooded and cruel emperor just laughed and laughed?
The ministers suddenly felt a chill run from their tailbone straight to the top of their heads.
Oh no, I've probably stumbled into a life-or-death situation today.
Meanwhile, inside the Weiyang Palace.
Jiang Huan was having a sweet dream when she was suddenly awakened by a loud commotion.
"What's all the noise about..." Jiang Huan muttered, still feeling unwell.
He rolled around in the quilt, then buried his head even deeper into the pillow.
Xiao Zhao hurriedly lifted a small part of the curtain and looked at Jiang Huan, feeling both amused and exasperated.
"Your Highness, Princess Mingzhu has sent someone."
"Mingzhu?"
Jiang Huan struggled to pull herself out of her dream, her messy hair standing on end.
Why are you in such a hurry so early in the morning? Could it be that the Empress Dowager has arranged for her to be married off, and she's trying to run away from the marriage?
"The princess sent many things over as an apology."
Jiang Huan tilted her head, rubbed her face first, and was then helped up by Xiao Zhao to do a quick wash.
Before she even stepped out of the palace gate, she was stunned by the sheer volume of things before her.
Good heavens, it was packed with people.
If this were in modern times, Weiyang Palace could become a world-renowned museum.
Princess, did you perhaps bring all your own pots and pans to her?
On the once spacious open space, four large, open boxes were neatly arranged.
The dazzling array of brocades, rare antiques and jade artifacts, neatly stacked snowflake silver ingots, and exquisite rouge, face powder, hairpins, and hair ornaments...
In addition, several palace maids were carefully carrying things down the corridor.
All the flowers were of various famous varieties, and on the table next to them were a pile of new pastries from the city's most popular pastry shops.
As soon as the young eunuch in charge of moving things saw Jiang Huan come out, he immediately stepped forward with a smile and respectfully handed her a letter.
"Greetings, Consort Zhuang. This was written by the Princess herself. She repeatedly instructed me to deliver it to you personally."
Jiang Huan looked at the thick, bulging envelope and couldn't help but laugh.
The princess truly has deep feelings for her.
She took it, opened it, and was greeted by frantic handwriting, as if the writer was still sobbing, hence the unsteady wrist and the crooked characters.
Waaaaah, Sister Jiang, I'm such a fool. I'm so clumsy and made you hurt.
That blister is so big, it must hurt terribly, it's all my fault, boohoo...
From this day forward, you'll be my sister, closer than my own mother. If you tell me to go east, I'll never go west. If my uncle bullies you, I'll definitely help you, even if... even if my uncle makes me marry that ugly guy, sob sob sob...
...
Several blurry water stains were still visible on the letter, clearly evidence of someone crying.
Looking at the entire passage filled with sobs, Jiang Huan could almost picture Princess Mingzhu writing furiously while sobbing uncontrollably.
Her lips twitched a few times, and she was both amused and exasperated.
It's just a red burn and a blister, it's almost healed now.
The princess was crying so hard that she felt as if she had heroically sacrificed herself to save the princess.
but……
Jiang Huan felt a warmth in her heart as she looked at the blurred handwriting on the letter.
A person as honest and naive as the princess is rare in the harem.
She beckoned to the little eunuch who delivered the message: "Tell the princess that I'm temporarily keeping her treasure. If she changes her mind later, she can just come to Weiyang Palace to get it."
"Also, make sure she doesn't cry. If she keeps crying, she won't get any of the delicious food I make the next day."
Upon hearing this, the young eunuch knew that the Empress was not angry at all, and immediately beamed with joy, relieved for his mistress.
"Yes, yes, this servant will definitely pass on the message. The princess will be overjoyed to know that Her Majesty doesn't blame her."
Jiang Huan smiled and pointed to the things that had been delivered.
"Xiao Zhao, quickly find some people and move the things the princess sent inside as soon as possible."
We can't cause traffic jams so early in the morning.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com