Chapter 161 I can't do it, I've never served a noble person before.
As he walked, Eunuch Li glared at Xiao Dezi with dissatisfaction.
"Get out there and find someone right now! If you don't do a good job, you'll regret it!"
Xiao Dezi hurriedly responded, rubbing his aching head as he ran away.
Reaching a secluded spot, he couldn't help but mutter a complaint under his breath: "I've had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to end up with this job... Everyone else is thinking about how to curry favor with the new emperor, maybe even becoming a court attendant or a chief eunuch someday. And me? I'm stuck guarding a living dead..."
Xiao Dezi was full of resentful complaints, his eyes darting around, eager to find an unlucky guy to replace him.
Just then, he saw a sallow, thin figure not far away, with its head down, close to the edge of the tent, looking like it was trying to slip away to the outskirts of the camp.
Judging from his clothes, he was nothing more than a low-ranking eunuch.
"stop!"
Xiao Dezi gave a stern rebuke, strode forward, straightened his back, and adopted a somewhat 'manager' demeanor.
"Where did this little brat come from, what are you doing sneaking around here?"
He looked Su Xiaoyu up and down, noticing her petite figure, her head bowed, and her timid and fearful demeanor. His mind raced with calculations.
The 'little eunuch' seemed startled by him, trembling all over, and timidly raised his head.
It was Su Xiaoyu, her face smeared with stove ash, making her look disheveled, her eyes timid and evasive.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, this servant is from the Imperial Stables. I just finished feeding the horses and wanted to... wanted to go back and rest..."
"From the Imperial Horse Stables?"
Xiao Dezi looked her up and down. Seeing that she was young, unfamiliar, and looked honest and unsophisticated, he rolled his eyes and came up with a plan.
Xiao Dezi cleared his throat and pretended to be stern: "What time is it? Do you know what the situation is like in the camp? Running around like this, what if you bump into someone important?"
"This servant...this servant wouldn't dare." Su Xiaoyu shrank back in fear, lowering her head even further. "This servant will go back right away, will go back right away..."
"Wait a minute!" Seeing Su Xiaoyu turn to leave, Xiao Dezi called out to her:
"What's your name? What's your job at the Imperial Stables?"
"My name is Xiao Yuzi. My job is to clean horse manure and add hay, etc."
Xiao Dezi was even happier.
Sweeping horse manure and adding hay—isn't that considered menial work?
With no background or connections, they're the easiest to manipulate.
He cleared his throat and put on a pitying expression: "Little Yu, right? You're young and honest, what future can you have if you stay in the stable? You smell like horse manure, and people will despise you wherever you go."
Su Xiaoyu appropriately revealed a hint of confusion and inferiority, clutching the hem of her clothes, appearing completely lost.
Xiao Dezi leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, "Right now, there's a golden opportunity, it just depends on whether you know how to seize it."
"Wh...what opportunity?" Su Xiaoyu asked timidly, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes.
"You know our Emperor Emeritus, right?" Xiao Dezi pointed in the direction of Jing Si Pavilion, deliberately lowering his voice.
"We just moved from the imperial tent and are short of servants. Chief Steward Li instructed us to find someone honest, dutiful, hardworking, and not talkative. I think you... are quite suitable."
Su Xiaoyu was immediately terrified and waved her hands repeatedly as she backed away.
"No, no, no... Father-in-law, I... I can't do it. This servant is clumsy and has never served such a distinguished person before. What if I make a mistake..."
"What are you afraid of?"
"It's precisely because you've never served before that you're more obedient and docile. Those clever ones, with their many schemes, are the ones we don't trust! Besides..."
Xiao Dezi changed the subject and continued to 'deceive' him: "This is serving the Emperor Emeritus! Although... cough, he is currently recuperating, he is still a person of the utmost honor. Just think, if you serve him well and make the Emperor Emeritus feel at ease, what a great achievement that would be!"
"What if, in the future, the new emperor is benevolent and filial, remembering that you were the one who served the retired emperor so diligently? Would he mistreat you? It's better than you spending your whole life sweeping horse manure and dealing with livestock, isn't it?"
Seeing that Su Xiaoyu was wavering, he quickly added fuel to the fire.
"This is a task personally assigned by Steward Li; countless people would fight tooth and nail for it! I'm only giving you this opportunity because I like you. If you're unwilling... Hmph! Believe me, with just one word from me, you won't even be sweeping horse manure!"
Su Xiaoyu turned pale with fright and immediately nodded: "Then...then this servant will...give it a try, and please give me some pointers, sir..."
Xiao Dezi beamed with joy, patting his chest and guaranteeing, "That's right! Don't worry, follow me, and I guarantee... uh, I guarantee you'll give it a try first."
"Remember, speak less, do more, be observant, give whatever the Emperor Emeritus says, don't ask why, don't listen to what you shouldn't hear, don't ask what you shouldn't ask, understand?"
"I understand, I understand!" Su Xiaoyu nodded 'foolishly,' looking timid yet trying hard to do well.
-
The following day, when Chu Yan produced the abdication edict, the morning court erupted in chaos.
The officials discussed this matter extensively, expressing their confusion and bewilderment.
"How is this possible? His Majesty was discussing matters with his ministers just yesterday. How could there have been no prior notice?"
"Where is the imperial edict? May we have a look at it?"
"How is Your Majesty's health? Why did you suddenly abdicate? We, your subjects, humbly request an audience with Your Majesty!"
A mixture of astonishment and doubt filled the court, creating a buzzing atmosphere. Many ministers wore expressions of panic on their faces.
Chu Yan stood high beside the throne, and after everyone had almost digested the news, he glanced at Minister Du, Shen Moyan and others.
Minister Du understood, straightened his clothes, stepped forward from the crowd, and said loudly:
"Everyone! Please calm down!"
His shout silenced the court for a moment, and everyone looked at him.
"The edict in His Highness Prince Jing's hand is absolutely genuine. It was written by the Emperor Emeritus himself and affixed with the Imperial Seal! Not only am I present, but also Shen Daren, Vice Minister Wang of the Ministry of Rites, Minister Zhao of the Ministry of Justice, and several other officials can testify to this!"
"We all witnessed the Emperor Emeritus wielding his brush with our own eyes; there is absolutely no falsehood!"
Shen Moyan, along with several other ministers who participated in the coup last night, stepped forward at the opportune moment.
"Minister Du is absolutely right. We are all willing to vouch for the Emperor Emeritus's intention with our official positions!"
"If it's the Emperor Emeritus's own handwriting, why so suddenly? And where is His Majesty? We demand to see His Majesty!"
Minister Du was prepared, and upon hearing this, he pretended to sigh: "The Emperor Emeritus is old, and this autumn hunt was disturbed by the rebellion of Prince Cheng. His health is slightly unwell, and the imperial physicians advised him to recuperate in the Jingsi Pavilion. The Emperor Emeritus is kind and, in order to avoid turmoil in the court and instability in the country, he resolutely wrote this edict in his lucid state to pass the throne to Prince Jing."
"If any of you do not believe me, the Meditation Pavilion is located in the hunting grounds. Any lord who insists on seeing the Emperor now to confirm may go there on his own."
Having said that, some of the more straightforward ministers immediately disregarded their colleagues' advice and requested to leave the court to go to the Jing Si Pavilion to verify the matter.
Chu Yan granted his request.
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