Chapter 39. Chapter 39. She was bestowed the title of Beauty.
I said
Before Yunxi could finish speaking, Xiao Shenjing interrupted her.
"Shut up!"
She clearly saw the smile on his face instantly replaced by coldness.
Those already aloof phoenix eyes were now tinged with icy frost, making them exceptionally captivating.
"You are nothing but a lowly slave, how dare you speculate on the Emperor's will and presumptuously discuss state affairs!"
The previously relatively peaceful atmosphere instantly turned tense.
"Don't you know why I became a lowly slave?" Yunxi smiled contemptuously.
Mentioning this matter makes her wish she could kill Xiao Shenjing immediately.
Xiao Shenjing's eyes were also filled with mockery: "This world belongs to me, so what can you, Yunxi, do if you're dissatisfied?"
Staring angrily at him, Yunxi really wanted to say that if he weren't an emperor, she would have already taken action.
She wished she could tie him up, hang him on a precipice, smear him with honey, and let him experience the stinging sensation of countless bees.
They are exposed to the wind and sun every day, and they have to beg her to be kind enough to get a sip of water.
"What are you thinking!" Xiao Shenjing stared at her, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
"I wasn't thinking anything," Yunxi smiled slightly, obediently picking up the ink stick to continue grinding ink.
"Yunxi, you must remember this: thunder and rain are both imperial favors, and you must accept whatever comes your way."
That night, in order to punish Yunxi, Xiao Shenjing cleared out all the irrelevant people, leaving only his trusted confidants, and then left her outside the palace to be fed to mosquitoes all night.
"Since you don't know what's good for you, then get out of here and sleep on the floor."
Yunxi could barely hold on for the first half of the night, but she couldn't stay awake any longer in the second half and drifted off to sleep on the steps.
When Xiao Shenjing attended the morning court session, she sat on the lowest stone step, her head resting on her arm, and the flesh on one side of her cheek was pressed out.
I don't know what delicious food I dreamed about, but I even smacked my lips.
"To sleep like this on the ground is truly vulgar and disgusting."
Seemingly annoyed that she was sleeping so soundly, he kicked her as he passed by.
Yunxi's leg twisted from the kick, and her arm, which was resting on her knee, twitched, waking her up.
She opened her eyes groggily, and as soon as she moved, the pain in her neck made her wince and gasp for breath.
Seeing her vividly grinning face, Xiao Shenjing chuckled softly and said, "According to the standards for beauties, give her a proper makeover."
Then he walked away.
Yunxi was still half asleep and didn't hear what he said at all.
Soon, the tall and slender figure disappeared into the thin mist.
Yunxi yawned and rubbed her neck as a group of palace maids pulled and pushed her into a side hall.
She didn't sleep well all night, so her temper wasn't very good.
But no matter how bad her temper was, she really couldn't get angry at a group of soft, fragrant girls.
They could only manipulate me, leaving me dizzy and disoriented.
Outside the West Warm Pavilion.
Fan Zishi was summoned inside.
The wind swept the fallen leaves across the gold-brick-paved floor, and the cool scent of agarwood and ink mingled in the East Warm Pavilion. On the rosewood table, the memorials piled up were weighed down by a gilded lion-shaped paperweight, and the vermilion imperial brush rested on the jade brush mountain, still damp with its crimson ink.
The young emperor leaned against a brocade cushion with a dragon pattern. Sunlight filtered through the gauze and shone on the dragon pattern on his robe. His drooping eyelashes resembled ink butterflies resting on snow, and his high, solitary eyebrows were like ink wash mixed with the frost of the frontier.
His face, sculpted like a jade mountain, exuded a chilling loneliness, as if pressed down by the twelve symbols of the heavens.
"I have read your memorial." Xiao Shenjing placed the memorial on the imperial desk.
His fingers tapped casually on the armrest, his phoenix eyes staring down at Fan Zishi. "Are you ready?"
Faced with countless open and covert attacks, and frame-ups.
Fan Zishi nodded without hesitation and said, "Your subject has already made preparations."
"When will you depart?"
"I will leave tomorrow."
Xiao Shenjing remained silent for a few moments, then asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"
These words were clearly implying something.
A reminder can also be a form of admonition.
As the eldest son of the Marquis of Jiangyuan, Fan Zishi had been navigating the power dynamics for so many years, how could he not understand?
But he lifted his robe and knelt on one knee, saying, "Your Majesty, before I depart, I wish to see my younger sister one last time."
It was as if they hadn't heard anything at all.
It also seems like he's acting on his own initiative.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Xiao Shenjing's gaze fell squarely on Fan Zishi.
After a few breaths, he slowly spoke and asked, "I remember that Yunxi has no blood relation with the Fan family."
“But she lived in the Marquis’s mansion for two years. Even though we are not related by blood, I have always regarded her as my younger sister.”
"Always treating her like a younger sister?" Xiao Shenjing suddenly smiled and asked in return.
Fan Zishi did not answer the question again, but bowed and said, "Please grant me permission, Your Majesty."
Xiao Shenjing lowered his thick eyelashes, and after a few breaths, he brushed off his sleeves and said, "Go, and I hope Lord Fan will remember his original intention."
As the palace maid was drawing Yunxi's eyebrows, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Miss, your skin is so beautiful, it's as smooth as a peeled egg."
"She's so beautiful! With a little rouge, she'd be even prettier than a flower," another chimed in.
Amidst a chorus of sweet, soft voices, Yunxi was practically overwhelmed by the compliments.
After finally finishing changing clothes, washing her face, combing her hair, and styling it up, the voice of a eunuch came from outside.
"It is said that Miss Yunxi is here."
After Yunxi finally regained consciousness, she was taken to the outside of the West Warm Pavilion.
As soon as I stood still, the door was opened from the inside.
Their eyes met.
Yunxi saw Fan Zishi.
"Yunxi." Fan Zishi spoke first. He was about to speak, but when he saw her clothes and appearance, his eyes suddenly trembled and his face showed uncontrollable shock.
"Is there something you need, Lord Fan?" Yunxi could only ask when he didn't speak.
Fan Zishi pursed his lips, his expression somewhat unpleasant. "Come with me."
Yunxi didn't want to go at first, but she noticed that his expression was very strange.
She glanced down at her clothes but couldn't see anything, so she simply followed them.
Fan Zishi was just tall, so his legs were naturally long.
I don't know if she had something on her mind, but she walked unusually fast.
Yunxi, with a nonchalant attitude, lagged far behind him.
Fan Zishi finally stopped walking in the secluded corridor.
He glanced back and saw that Yunxi had fallen far behind, and a look of annoyance flashed in his eyes.
"Lord Fan, may we speak now?" Yunxi stopped about ten feet away from him.
They seemed completely unfamiliar with each other, both in their speech and demeanor.
It was as if they were just casual acquaintances.
Seeing her so distant, how could Fan Zishi not feel bad?
He stepped forward and called out, "Yunxi."
"Lord Fan, speak." Yun Xi raised an eyebrow indifferently.
"Yunxi, do you like this palace?" Fan Zishi asked, a barely perceptible hint of pain flashing in his eyes.
"What's so great about this lousy place?" Yunxi asked him, puzzled.
"So now you are His Majesty's person, you..."
Fan Zishi was abruptly interrupted by Yun Xi before he could finish speaking.
"Who are Xiao Shenjing's men? What are you talking about?"
Fan Zishi suddenly stopped talking, realizing that this was not something a foreign official like himself should discuss.
He saw that Yunxi was still staring at him with a puzzled look on her face.
He paused for a moment, then reminded her, "You're wearing clothes that only a woman of the 'Beauty' rank can wear."
"Beauty?" Yunxi was genuinely unaware of the ranks of imperial concubines.
She only knew about the Empress and the Imperial Concubine; she knew nothing about anyone else.
Therefore, I didn't immediately understand when I first heard it.
"I am indeed quite beautiful, is there anything wrong with wearing this kind of clothing?"
After saying that, she frowned and stared at him.
There was a clear sense of condemnation in his eyes.
It was as if they were asking him, "Are you blind?"
Seeing Yunxi like this, Fan Zishi's tense expression relaxed.
In an instant, his thoughts traveled through the imposing imperial palace and flew to the Jiangyuan Marquis's residence from a few years ago.
At that time, a good friend gave me a piece of brocade satin with gold thread.
He remembered that Yunxi didn't have any autumn clothes yet, so he ordered someone to make her a set as soon as possible.
After court that day, Yunxi excitedly jumped out from behind the gate, deliberately startling him.
Just as he was telling her to watch her posture, she lifted her skirt and twirled around in front of him a few times, saying, "Big brother, big brother, do I look good?"
Noble ladies from wealthy and powerful families would never ask such a blunt question.
She should have been reprimanded for being too frivolous.
Her skirt fluttered, and her almond-shaped eyes curved as if filled with countless rays of light.
The words that were about to come out simply couldn't be said.
He didn't speak, and Yunxi opened her arms and hugged him. "Thank you, big brother, I like you so much."
He was suddenly startled.
Before she could push him away, Yunxi had already run to the corner of the courtyard with a smile, holding onto her skirt, where the autumn chrysanthemums were in full bloom.
She bent down and picked the largest chrysanthemum, then tucked it behind her ear.
Then he turned back and gave him a boastful smile, "Big brother, the chrysanthemums in your yard are just the right match for me, big brother, big brother!"
Familiar voices echoed in my ears.
"Big brother, please plead for me! I've angered Mother again."
"Big brother, you're finally back! Come and keep your little sister company!"
"Big Brother"
"Lord Fan?" Yunxi called out when she saw him staring at her blankly without speaking.
The familiar voices are no longer as intimate as they once were.
It's like a bucket of cold water being poured over your head.
Fan Zishi regained his senses, looked at her, and slowly said, "Yunxi, I'm sorry."
His voice was slightly hoarse.
It's as if so many years have passed, and the apology has piled up for so long that it has become thick and heavy.
For years, it had been pressing on his chest, and just thinking about it made him feel pain and his throat felt like it was being slit.
At that time, I didn't even have the chance to ask for forgiveness.
I never imagined he would have another chance in this lifetime to atone for his sins.
Yunxi frowned, seemingly disliking his current somber mood, and said, "Lord Fan, if you have nothing else to say, I'll take my leave."
Fan Zishi composed himself and reminded her, "Yunxi, 'Beauty' refers to the rank of His Majesty's concubines."
Yunxi stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Fan Zishi. "Are you saying that only Xiao Shenjing's concubines can wear this outfit?"
Her dark blue hair was adorned with a silver-threaded hairpin, and tassels made of nine rice beads dangled down to her ears.
Two filigree silver chrysanthemums support a pale blue tourmaline atop the crown.
From head to toe, everything was dressed according to the standards expected of a beautiful woman.
"A sixth-rank beauty wearing a tourmaline ornament costs no more than three coins," Fan Zishi said, looking at her. "Those below the rank of beauty wear plain linens. The undergarment you're showing through your cuffs is made of jade-colored Hangzhou silk, uniformly tailored by the Imperial Clothing Bureau."
"That bastard Xiao Shenjing!" Yun Xi roared in fury, reaching out to tear off the humiliating garment.
"Yunxi, you mustn't." Fan Zishi stepped forward and stopped her. "There are too many people around now. If you do this, you will surely anger His Majesty."
At that time, she will be the one who suffers.
Upon hearing his words, Yunxi stopped what she was doing.
Yes, Xiao Shenjing hates being disobeyed the most.
In his eyes, even calling her a beauty would be an overstatement.
If she doesn't know what's good for her and dares to openly refuse the emperor, that scoundrel will definitely try every means to force her.
She'll be the one who suffers in the end.
so
Don't be angry, don't be angry.
She wasn't angry.
Seeing that she was gradually calming down, a barely suppressed smile flashed in Fan Zishi's eyes.
It was as if countless undercurrents were surging and colliding in his chest, making him unable to suppress them. He even took a step forward, looked intently at her, and asked, "Yunxi, you don't want to stay in the palace, do you?"
"So what?" Yunxi asked instead of answering, but the disgust and anger in her eyes were very obvious.
He knew it.
How could Yunxi possibly like that?
He clenched his fist and said, "Yunxi, I will be going to Jiangzhe to take up my post tomorrow. Once I have made some achievements, I will petition His Majesty to bring you out of the palace."
Yunxi stared at him without saying a word.
In the past, Yunxi was always very talkative, and it seemed like she had endless things to say every time she saw him.
Therefore, Fan Zishi was never used to her silence.
“Yunxi, I let you down back then, but no matter what, I want you to always be happy, and the palace can’t make you happy.” He smiled at her. “So, I want to try to take you away from here, whether you still want to acknowledge me as your brother or not.”
Yunxi tilted her head slightly and smiled, wishing Lord Fan a safe journey.
With that, he turned and left.
"Yunxi, wait for me." This time, Fan Zishi stood still and said solemnly.
Even knowing that there are many difficulties.
But as long as Yunxi doesn't want to, he, as the older brother, has to try his best.
even if
Thinking of His Majesty's attitude towards Yunxi and the recent reprimand he had received, Fan Zishi couldn't help but frown.
Yunxi was furious, fearing that she would lose control if she saw Xiao Shenjing.
So she left the Qianqing Palace and returned to the Qianxi Fifth Residence where she was temporarily staying.
It was the time when the palace maids went out to work, and there were only one or two palace maids in the room who were feeling unwell and were resting.
He was startled to see her wearing a sky-blue moon-flower dress.
This is a style that only masters can wear.
He immediately got off the bed and prepared to pay his respects.
"No, no, no." Yunxi immediately waved her hand. "I'm just borrowing these clothes temporarily; they're not mine."
As she spoke, she couldn't wait to take off her round-neck sweater.
The two palace maids looked at each other, not daring to ask any questions.
But they knew that Yunxi was different from them; she would become the master sooner or later.
Even if she is now of lowly status, how could someone who would make the current emperor condescend to come to this remote and filthy place to find her be just an ordinary palace maid?
Thinking about it this way, I couldn't help but show an envious look.
He knew he needed to get along well with her.
Yunxi went to the next room and closed the door. After changing into a palace maid's dress and removing the hair ornaments that were making it hard for her to breathe, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and felt completely refreshed.
What is that? Yunxi would rather die than become a concubine, let alone Xiao Shenjing's concubine.
From now on, she absolutely must avoid seeing Xiao Shenjing.
To avoid being unable to resist taking action.
Having prepared for the fight and made worst-case scenario plans, Xiao Shenjing did not provoke her that night.
This at least somewhat eased Yunxi's mind.
While she was in the inner palace, she was completely unaware that the court was in turmoil overnight, and that all the officials were on edge and living in fear.
Several years of implementing benevolent governance seemed to have made officials forget Xiao Shenjing's infamy of killing the emperor.
One night reminded countless people of that night when blood stained the waning moon.
That evening, Xiao Shenjing issued five imperial edicts in succession.
Under the awe-inspiring power of Heaven, the inspectors had already broken open the gilded beast-head door knocker.
At the execution ground in Caishikou, sixty-four members of the Li clan were bound in three rows with ox-tendon ropes. Li Chongjian, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was being carried by two imperial guards. Iron chains were tied to his collarbone, and the wounds that pierced through him had congealed into purplish-black scabs. He looked north towards the imperial city and suddenly laughed, the blood gushing from his throat staining his gray-white prison clothes red.
The wife of the Vice Minister wore a faded imperial decree crown, and a gilded hairpin swayed gently in the autumn breeze.
The fourteen-year-old eldest daughter held her younger brother's hand. When the guards dragged the vice minister to the execution platform, the wailing of the children in the audience suddenly stopped. Only the sound of the silk scroll being unfurled pierced the deathly silence.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The traitor Li Chongjian has been colluding with the false dynasty, and the evidence of his crimes is clear." The eunuch's shrill voice pierced the morning mist as the executioner sprayed strong liquor onto his nine-ringed executioner's blade, the liquor droplets mixed with the bloodstains from the previous night falling onto the edge of the execution platform.
As the first blade fell, the executioner specifically ordered someone to turn the vice minister's head over. With a dull thud as the executioner's blade sliced into flesh, the vice minister watched helplessly as his grandson's spiky braid was soaked in blood. The child's screams and the clan members' pleas for mercy lasted for a full half-incense stick's time. The most heart-wrenching sound was the cry of the swaddled infant. As the executioner's steel blade passed, the cry seemed to be cut in two by the sharp blade, one half still stuck in the blood-stained swaddling cloth.
The Vice Minister's wife screamed in agony and, unable to bear it any longer, bit off the root of her tongue.
The last head rolled onto the execution platform, and blood flowed down the nine-tiered bluestone steps like a river, soaking the stone lion that had been kneeling before the steps for a hundred years. At that moment, the sundial pointer moved to noon.
Sunlight filtering through the gaps in the clouds slowly illuminated the execution platform.
Not only the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, but also the Right Provincial Administration Commissioner and the Grain Transport Commissioner were executed along with their entire families.
When an emperor is enraged, corpses float for miles.
On the third day, Xiao Shenjing promoted scholars from humble backgrounds who supported the restoration of rice cultivation from the Hanlin Academy.
The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue were firmly under his control.
"As soon as Fan Zishi left, His Majesty began a bloody purge, which was clearly a warning to us."
"The Censorate arrests people without asking why, only following imperial edicts, and even the Ministry of Justice is not allowed to interfere."
"It seems that His Majesty is determined to cut down mulberry trees and restore rice this time."
In just two days, everyone in the capital was on edge.
The prison was overcrowded.
The once powerful and wealthy family has become prisoners overnight, implicating countless others.
Whether day or night, the screams of torture echoed throughout the capital.
The harem appeared to be very peaceful.
All of this seems to have nothing to do with Yunxi.
To her delight, Zhu Ju was transferred back.
The maids and eunuchs who had been guarding her were also removed, and Yunxi was happy to have some free time, either sleeping and slacking off or practicing martial arts.
Or they would use the excuse of getting lost to wander around the palace.
She had already figured out the layout of the surrounding palaces and the Imperial Guards.
Thinking that they should go further away, so that they could find a better escape route.
She thought she could continue living a carefree life like this until her injuries were fully healed and she escaped.
As dusk fell, she had just returned to Ganxi Fifth Palace after eating. Before she even stepped through the gate, Eunuch Fu came out with a smile and said, "Miss Yunxi, His Majesty summons you."
"What is he going to do now?" Yunxi asked warily.
"Congratulations, young lady." Eunuch Fu smiled broadly. "Naturally, you will be serving His Majesty."
All the palace maids in the room heard these words clearly.
For a time, everyone was filled with envy and jealousy.
Yunxi looked up at the sky, smiled, revealing her gleaming white teeth, and said, "Alright, let's go then."
For some reason, Grandpa Fu felt a chill run down his spine when he saw her smile.
But knowing this man's temper was not to be trifled with, he smiled and led the way.
Upon reaching the Qianqing Palace, Yunxi noticed that Dao Yi and Dao Er were nowhere to be seen outside the gate. Overjoyed, but fearing he might return soon, she immediately asked, "Eunuch Fu, where is Commander Dao?"
Because it's a bit far from Grandpa Fu.
Yunxi's voice was naturally not deliberately lowered.
In this way, these words were clearly transmitted into the main hall.
Xiao Shenjing naturally heard these words as well.
A hint of displeasure flickered across the corner of her eye.
They keep talking about knives and slashes all the time; they really care about someone they're not even close to.
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