The last time Li Xiwei kowtowed to her was when his mother passed away. She held her hand and cried uncontrollably, but she could not allow herself to remain in grief for a long time, because from then on, the burden of the country would be on her shoulders.
As she stopped crying and walked out of the hall in a daze, she saw her old minister from the Eastern Palace across the nine stone steps. He stood at the front and bowed to her. "Your Majesty, I pledge my eternal loyalty. I will go through fire and water without hesitation."
Before that, she couldn't remember much. When she was seven, Yao Yi and Li Xiwei entered the palace. Yao Yi became the Imperial Tutor to the Crown Princess, essentially her teacher, while Li Xiwei served as her companion. He was two years her senior, and had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, a talent he couldn't hide in the palace. At first, she'd always been competitive with him, but later, she came to truly admire him and began to consider him a teacher.
In her eyes, both Yao Yi and Li Xiwei were the people she relied on and trusted the most. There was no need for formalities between them. She never allowed them to kneel before her, and even allowed them to address her by her name. Yao Yi would sometimes call her by her name when she annoyed him, but Li Xiwei never did, always addressing her respectfully, from "Your Highness" to "Your Majesty."
In terms of etiquette, Yao Yi seemed closer to her. But even though she occasionally addressed him as "Old Yao," she always held him in awe of her teacher. Li Xiwei didn't have that same burden. He was her peer, yet unlike Yao Yi, he wasn't as strict. Instead, he doted on her even more than her father, almost to the point of obedience, yet never seemed condescending. This was something Jiang Cenyun found so fascinating.
He seemed to be born with grace and elegance, and his proud character would never be bent.
That's why he knelt on the ground, which made her so uncomfortable.
Why bother? Why bother being a member of the harem? While the empress was nominally more respected than the left prime minister, standing shoulder to shoulder with the emperor, beyond this illusory honor, the empress's power was confined to the harem, unable to reach the court. If Li Xiwei really entered the palace, her talents would no longer be displayed.
"Your Majesty." Li Xiwei was obediently helped up by her, with a happy look on his face.
"You are waiting for me here, right? To show that I am special to you?" Jiang Cenyun saw his smile and felt that he was being tricked. He whispered with gritted teeth.
"I've already said this. I'll help Your Majesty block these beautiful women and make them powerless to compete."
"Then Yingying and Yanyan will leave first?" Zhuo Huanqing said with a playful smile.
Jiang Cenyun turned to look at him. "Zhuo Huanqing, you're not surprised at all to see me."
"Ah." Zhuo Huanqing's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. It was my oversight. Please allow me to demonstrate again."
After he finished speaking, he cleared his throat, took a step back, and said with exaggerated tone, "I never thought that Your Majesty was the Director of the Shangyi Bureau that day. This is truly surprising to me."
"Forget it, forget it. With your performance, you'll have to train for another fifty years if you want to become a palace entertainer." Jiang Cenyun paused and lowered his voice, "Tell me, if I keep your badge, will Yao Yi fight me to the death?"
"I'm afraid not. Imperial Tutor Yao is devoted to Your Majesty. I'm afraid my position in her heart is not even as important as a piece of pine nut candy." Zhuo Huanqing said, "But the Left Prime Minister is likely to fight me to the death. I hope Your Majesty will spare my life and let me leave the palace."
"Our Lord Left Prime Minister doesn't eat people." Jiang Cenyun said with a smile: "Why don't you, one Feng Chunjun and the other Feng Xiajun, stay in the palace together? You can keep each other company and not be lonely."
Li Xiwei just looked at her with a smile and didn't say anything. However, the palace maid holding the lacquer tray beside her heard it and wanted to leave a sign, but she held her hand back.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty. I am good at playing the pipa. May I have the honor to play a song for Your Majesty today?" said the man on the far left who was being neglected.
Jiang Cenyun glanced at Li Xiwei and nodded, "Yes."
The man smiled with satisfaction. The palace maid handed him the pipa. He put on the armor and plucked the pipa gently. The melodious and subtle music flowed out. Yao Changchun narrowed his eyes and showed an expression of enjoyment.
Li Xiwei's smile grew even wider, and he counted silently in his mind: one, two, three...
"Stop, stop, stop. It sounds like a mosquito buzzing. The sound of the pipa is so clear, how come you made it so sticky?" Jiang Cenyun said impatiently.
"Your Majesty said the pipa has a clear and melodious sound?" the man looked humiliated. "The pipa clearly..."
"Zhaiyue, come and play a song." Jiang Cenyun interrupted him and said to Li Xiwei.
"As you wish." Li Xiwei said, taking the pipa from the man's hand, without wearing any armor, plucking it lightly a few times to test the sound, then kneeling down to salute Jiang Cenyun.
"I haven't played music for a long time, so my skills are not very good. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
"I didn't ask you to use your full strength. Last time you went to the Music Bureau, several of my musicians nearly broke their zithers. I had to persuade them for a long time. If you use your full strength again this time, won't there be more people who will feel ashamed and heartbroken?"
"Then I shall perform my humble duties." Li Xi smiled softly and plucked the pipa. Clear sounds leaped from his fingertips, starting with a few soothing notes. Then the rhythm grew faster, the voices rising higher and higher, the tones becoming more and more rhythmic. The man who had performed earlier grew paler, and Yao Changchun's eyes grew brighter.
"What a good song, with a solemn and murderous aura!" Zhuo Huanqing couldn't help but praise it.
Jiang Cenyun said proudly, "Am I right? Zhaiyue is the one who is truly good at playing the pipa."
"Ahem, Your Majesty, come back." The Queen Mother waved to her, and Jiang Cenyun turned and walked back to the throne.
"If you're not satisfied with anyone else, then leave Li alone. But he must resign his position as Left Prime Minister immediately, otherwise it will be disgraceful."
"No need to resign."
"Your Majesty..." The Queen Mother's expression was serious.
"Oh, father." Jiang Cenyun shook his sleeve. "Don't be nervous, I don't mean to break the rules. I just don't plan to keep his nameplate."
"So you like Zhuo? Zhuo is too eccentric and has a bad reputation. At most, she can be given the title of Lan Jun."
"No, no, no. If we really keep him here, the relationship between Master Yao and me as teacher and student, and between the ruler and the minister, will be destroyed in an instant."
"Who are you going to keep then?"
Jiang Cenyun smiled and called the palace maid Duanpan forward.
She picked up the sandalwood plaque with Li Xiwei's name on it, shook it at him, and then tied it around her waist.
"Your Majesty, you should let the servant bring the sign in..." the palace servant reminded in a low voice.
"I'll keep the sign, but as for the people..." Jiang Cenyun paused and said, "I won't keep any of them. Let them all go home."
Lord Yao Changchun said regretfully, "It would be great if Li Shi had stayed. His pipa playing is so beautiful. I wish I could enjoy it every day."
"If you like it, you can ask him to play another song for you when you have the chance." Jiang Cenyun looked at Li Xiwei and said meaningfully, "But I'm afraid I can't keep him now."
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