"Ah...that time." Jiang Cenyun recalled it, a look of shame on his face. "I caused you to be severely scolded by the Queen Mother and you almost lost your job."
Li Xiwei comforted her: "Your Majesty has pleaded for me, so I am safe and sound, right?"
"My pleading is useless. It was because of what you said to the Queen Mother that she let you go." Jiang Cenyun thought about this and asked curiously, "What did you say at that time? You refused to tell me then, but you can tell me now, right?"
Li Xi chuckled softly: "There's no need to explain it, Your Majesty."
At that time, the late emperor asked him whether he understood his own identity, whose subject he was and to whom he should be loyal.
His answer was that he could not be a minister and could be just a commoner, but he would always be loyal to Jiang Cenyun.
"What a loyal minister of the Eastern Palace! If I ordered you to die for her right now, would you be willing?"
"But for her sake, I will never regret it even if I die."
Fortunately, the late emperor didn't punish him, allowing him to live peacefully until now. I just wonder if the late emperor would regret not executing him on the spot if he knew he coveted his precious daughter.
Jiang Cenyun looked at his slightly mysterious smile and shook her head. "Alas... I've spoiled you too much. You're even worse than Old Yao. She's always controlling me, but at least she's okay with it. Now you're even ignoring me. If you become my queen, won't you be riding on my coattails?"
"Your Majesty, don't worry. As long as I am second only to one person, I will be above everyone else."
"That's more like it." Jiang Cenyun snorted.
"Then your Majesty will not draft an edict?"
"What decree?" She was stunned for a moment, then smirked, "My dear, you may not understand the harem etiquette. If you go through the selection process, the most you can get is the title of Chunjun. The queen is a married woman, how can she be picked and chosen along with others?"
"I know."
"Then you still..."
Li Xiwei said calmly, "I participated in the selection not to be selected myself, but to prevent others from being selected."
Jiang Cenyun: "You speak so matter-of-factly that I don't know what to say."
While the emperor and his ministers were discussing marriage in the imperial study, the Grand Tutor was caught red-handed.
"It's so hard to find you, Sister Yi."
"Zhuo Huanqing? Why are you here?" Yao Yi was sitting in a pavilion by the Taiye Lake in a daze and was startled by the uninvited guest.
"Today's classes are over, and Zhaiyue isn't here. I don't like the other two people back at Xuexuan, and they don't like me either. Since we're tired of each other, we might as well go out and relax."
"You shouldn't come here to relax. You haven't entered the palace yet. The harem is not a place you can trespass in. Go back quickly!" Yao Yi raised his eyebrows.
"Didn't you hear what I said just now? I came here specifically to find you, so I didn't barge in." Zhuo Huanqing stepped into the pavilion, and Yao Yi looked around vigilantly.
"Don't look. There's no one around. Besides, what if someone sees us? Doesn't His Majesty know that we've known each other since childhood?"
"Today you..."
"You don't think I'm stupid, do you? Can't I tell it's His Majesty?" Zhuo Huanqing sat down across from Yao Yi. "Xue Fengyu's reaction, yours, and Zhaiyue's reaction—combined, you should know it's someone important. Besides, she's so familiar with you, and her tone is so intimate. There's no distinction between high and low. It can only be His Majesty."
"Can't others be intimate with me?" Yao Yi puffed up her cheeks.
"How many people can see through your disguise? If I hadn't known you since childhood, I would have been deceived by your sanctimonious appearance."
"'Sanctimonious' isn't a nice word. Have you read all the books you can think of?"
"So I'm insulting you, can't you hear that?" Zhuo Huanqing said with a smile, "Alright, alright, stop pretending in front of me. I was the one who washed your mattress when you were seven years old and cried because you wet the bed."
"Zhuo Twelve, get out of here!" Yao Yi stood up quickly and pointed to the Taiye Lake beside him.
"Don't be so angry."
Yao Yi's face flushed red as she fanned herself with her hand. After a while, she said, "You should withdraw from the selection immediately. You still want to enter the palace? I'm afraid that if you enter the palace on the first day, I will have to collect your body on the fifteenth."
"Don't you know? I don't want to, but my wife said that if I don't get married before I'm twenty-five, she'll burn my armory and kick me out of the house."
"Do you think you can continue to wield swords and sticks after entering the palace?"
"Obviously not. So this is just a delaying tactic." Zhuo Huanqing gazed into her eyes. "I want to marry someone who doesn't see me as an outsider, who doesn't laugh at my ambitions, and who encourages me to achieve them."
Yao Yi turned away. "Her Majesty is a reasonable person. And she finds you amusing."
"Huh? So if I can enter the palace, His Majesty might allow me to go to the battlefield?" Zhuo Huanqing's eyes lit up.
Yao Yi bluntly rebuked him, "You're simply wishful thinking. If you truly become a concubine, you'll be trapped in the palace. Harem officials are forbidden from interfering in government affairs; this has been an ironclad rule for centuries."
"It's no use if she finds me interesting. It's better for you to find me interesting." Zhuo Huanqing stroked his chin. "But then, why did Li Zhaiyue enter the palace? He also said he entered on his own initiative to seek the position of empress..."
"Did he say that?" Yao Yi frowned.
"Yes, this infatuated fellow, he said he wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with His Majesty..."
Before Zhuo Huanqing could finish his words, Yao Yi hurried out. "The Ruzhou Li family is plotting something serious. I must report this to His Majesty."
"Hey, hey, hey." Zhuo Huanqing hurriedly grabbed her. "How can it be so serious? Not to mention that the best he can do by entering the palace is to secure the position of Spring Lord. Even if he becomes Empress, what's the point? Your Majesty is not someone who favors relatives by marriage."
"He's different." Yao Yi's face was stern. "The other day, I jokingly suggested that Your Majesty marry Li Xiwei as your queen. Although Your Majesty denied it verbally, his expression softened. Li Xiwei is different from anyone else to her. I'm afraid he could really interfere with Your Majesty's judgment."
"The Li family isn't a large clan. They don't even own land or property in the capital. Li Xiwei lives alone in the capital. What are you worried about? Could he possibly rebel?"
"That's why we shouldn't underestimate him. Perhaps this is just a tactic used by the Li family to paralyze people."
"You've known him for no less time than I have, right? Do you think he's that kind of person?"
Zhuo Huanqing's question stumped Yao Yi, and she sat back down. "He... if we talk about himself, he really does seem to be completely loyal and unwavering in his devotion to His Majesty."
"Then there's no need to worry. No matter how ferocious this hound is, the leash is in the hands of its owner. With someone restraining it, it can't hurt anyone."
After Zhuo Huanqing finished speaking, he saw that Yao Yi was still a little nervous, so he threw a purse to her.
"Here, these are the pine nut candies I made before entering the palace. You haven't had them in a while, have you?"
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