Chapter 109 The muddier the water, the more interesting it is, isn't it?
As the Empress stepped out of her bedchamber, she saw the Emperor approaching. She quickly bowed, but the Emperor stopped her and pulled her hand, leading her inside. "I'm tired," he said. "Go and rest."
This meant he was just sleeping, not exercising, and the Empress certainly had no intention of exercising with him. They were about the same age, and as the Emperor grew old, so did she. This couple had long since lost their marital bliss.
Reaching the bedside, the Empress personally undressed the Emperor. In the dim light, the Emperor saw the wrinkles around the Empress's eyes and the strands of white hair at her temples. He sighed softly, pulled the Empress down to lie down, and gently patted her, saying, "Sleep."
The Empress hummed in agreement and closed her eyes, neither asking why he had come so late nor inquiring about Consort Su. The Emperor opened his eyes and turned his head to see her hands folded on the brocade quilt, her eyes closed as if she were asleep.
The emperor opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he said nothing. He reached out and pulled the empress into his arms, then closed his eyes. The empress obeyed, but her brows furrowed slightly.
The emperor was busy with official duties and naturally couldn't sleep in. Although he didn't have to attend court the next day, he still had to get up before dawn. Zhao Fuquan's voice came from outside, "Your Majesty, it's time to get up."
The Empress sat up and gently nudged the Emperor, "Your Majesty, it's time to get up."
The emperor opened his eyes and sat up, and the empress helped him dress. But the emperor stopped her, saying, "You should sleep a little longer."
The Empress smiled faintly, "I'm getting old, and I need less sleep. I can't fall asleep anymore."
The emperor reached out and touched the white hair at her temple, gently embracing her and saying, "Zhifang, don't worry, the crown prince I appoint next will have to be filial to you."
The Empress paused for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, I thank you. But now I only hope that Your Majesty is in good health, and that we may have good weather and abundant harvests, and a prosperous and peaceful world."
The emperor's eyes showed tenderness again. He hugged her and said, "In a few days, I will go with you to pray for our son."
The Empress nodded, helped the Emperor dress, and saw him out of the palace. Once the Emperor's sedan chair was far away, she stopped smiling, turned back, and asked the head maid beside her, "What happened last night?"
"It seems that it was a palace maid who cleaned the Imperial Study who passed on the information from the Imperial Study to Consort Su. Later, Consort Su said something to the Emperor that angered him," the head maid said.
The Empress sat down and pondered for a moment before asking, "What could it be?"
The head maid lowered her head and remained silent. Inquiring about matters concerning the Imperial Study was taboo, and they dared not go and ask.
"Send the message to the Marquis of Chengen's residence." The Empress had a premonition that what Consort Su had found out was neither a big deal nor a small matter.
"Yes." The head maid went out to instruct someone to send a message to the Marquis of Chengen's residence. When she returned, she saw the Empress sitting there lost in thought. She walked over and whispered, "Since His Majesty has said that he will choose a prince who is filial to you as the Crown Prince, His Majesty also cares about you."
The Empress's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Who can be more filial than a biological son? He's just saying nice things. If he really cared, why haven't he been able to catch the murderer who harmed my son?"
The head maid sighed heavily in her heart, just as she heard the Empress say, "He used my Chengen Marquis's Mansion to ascend the throne, but he didn't want my Chengen Marquis's Mansion to become powerful. He was happy to see my son die."
Seeing the tears in her eyes, the head maid said with heartache, "Justice will prevail, and one day the truth will come to light."
The Empress let out a long sigh and sneered, "I'd like to see who he will let inherit his throne."
...
The Marquis of Chengen's residence was not far from the palace, and within half an hour, he received the message from the Empress. The Marquis of Chengen summoned his eldest son, Xia Qi, to his study, told him the message from the Empress, and then asked, "What information did Consort Su find out about the Imperial Study?"
Xia Qi frowned and pondered for a while before analyzing, "This information is related to Consort Su or the Qingshan Marquis's Mansion, or it may be related to their enemies."
Marquis Chengen sneered, "The Qingshan Marquis's family has many enemies, and we are their enemies too."
He paced back and forth in the study with his hands behind his back, and after a while asked, "What's been happening at the Duke of Chu's residence lately?"
Xia Qi lowered his eyes and pondered for a while before saying, "I heard that yesterday the Duke of Chu submitted a memorial to the Ministry of Justice, recommending his granddaughter Jiang Yu for a government position."
At this point, Xia Qi suddenly realized, "Could it be about this?"
Marquis Chengen snorted, "Most likely."
Then he added, “Fool, do you think she can stop this from happening? Our emperor, though he loves women, has never let them cloud his judgment.”
"Should we send a message to the Duke of Chu's residence?" Xia Qi asked.
Marquis Chengen pondered for a moment, then said, "It wouldn't be bad if Jiang Yu entered the court as an official. The more murky the water, the more interesting it would be, wouldn't it?"
Xia Qi smiled as well. Although their grandson, the Crown Prince, had passed away, the Empress was still alive. Regardless of which prince ascended the throne, he would have to honor the Empress as Empress Dowager. If handled properly, their Chengen Marquis family would not fall into ruin because of the new emperor's ascension.
Xia Qi went out and sent someone to deliver a message to the Duke of Chu's residence.
You said the memorial that the Duke of Chu submitted to the Emperor, how could the Marquis of Chengen know about it so quickly?
There were two ways for ministers to submit their memorials. One was to present them directly to the emperor during court sessions. The other was that on days when they did not attend court, or for retired ministers like the Duke of Chu who still had the opportunity to speak with the emperor, some memorials could be submitted to the Office of Transmission, which would then organize them and hand them over to the Imperial Study.
Of course, the contents of memorials submitted to the Office of Transmission were generally not circulated outside the capital, but that was only in general. However, the powerful and wealthy people in the capital had extensive networks of connections, and the officials of the Office of Transmission were not born out of thin air; they had families, relatives, and friends, so certain information concerning these families could still leak out.
Just as the Duke of Chu submitted a memorial to the Ministry of Justice recommending Jiang Yu for an official position, many powerful and wealthy families in the capital already knew about it.
Chu State Duke's Mansion
Duke Chu had breakfast with Jiang Yu. After breakfast, he dressed neatly and prepared to go to the palace. Last night, an imperial edict arrived from the palace, summoning Duke Chu to the palace today.
Jiang Yu escorted him to the gate of the mansion. Just as she was about to help the Duke of Chu into the sedan chair, the steward of the Marquis of Chengen's mansion came running over. Upon seeing the Duke of Chu, he immediately bowed and then leaned closer to tell him the news that the Empress had sent.
Jiang Yu and the Duke of Chu exchanged a glance, then Jiang Yu said to the steward of the Marquis of Chengen's residence, "Tell the Marquis of Chengen that I will invite him for drinks when I have time."
The steward of the Marquis of Chengen's residence acknowledged and bowed before leaving. Jiang Yu continued to help the Duke of Chu into the sedan chair, and said in a low voice, "Regardless of whether Consort Su is punished for inquiring about our affairs, it is a good thing for us."
The Duke of Chu nodded. "She's still too hasty."
Jiang Yu smiled and helped him lower the sedan curtain, instructing the sedan bearers to be careful on the road, and watched the sedan leave until it was completely out of sight.
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