Chapter 5, Chapter 17: How old are you this year?
His Majesty had previously instructed that Seventeen should move to the vicinity of the palace immediately after the assessment. Before dusk, Seventeen carried his small bundle and moved into the side hall, which had been cleaned up.
The side hall is very close to the main hall where His Majesty resides, separated only by a wall. The original reason for building this small hall is unknown, but now it has benefited the Seventeenth Prince.
His small package contained only a few changes of clothes, and they all looked the same, all black, with only slight differences in style.
Although there were only a few pieces, Seventeen still carefully packed the clothes, stared blankly at the bright moon on the table for a while, and then reached out and slung it over her waist.
Seventeen looked at the bright moon beside her and sighed softly.
Whether the divine grace is good or bad, he has no way of knowing at this moment.
Just as Mingyue said that night, Your Majesty has worked hard. By the time Seventeen finished tidying up and prepared to meet the Emperor, it was already dusk, but that tall figure was still sitting inside the desk, head down, reviewing something.
His head was slightly lowered, but his shoulders and back were straight. His dark gold outer robe was placed aside, and his large, well-defined hands held a calligraphy brush, like a piece of black jade in the night.
He paused briefly with his pen, his brows furrowing as if in displeasure. His gaze fell upon the memorial before him, and he uttered a few words.
"Seventeen guards, why are you standing here instead of going in?"
Yuanfu's high-pitched voice rang out from behind. Seventeen turned around and whispered, "Seeing that His Majesty is busy, I wonder if I can go in and disturb him?"
"Hehe, Seventeenth Guard, you can go in without worry."
Yuanfu smiled and pushed open the study door, bending down to invite Seventeen in.
He stepped into the study, and His Majesty, hearing the noise, looked up and glanced in their direction.
Immediately, Seventeen felt the other person's gaze fall on her waist, where Mingyue was hanging.
"Is the assessment over?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Hmm, come forward." The man's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but it carried an air of authority that left no room for refusal; perhaps this was the aura of someone in a superior position.
Seventeen responded with a "yes," and slowly walked to His Majesty's side. After hesitating for a moment, he picked up the ink stick that was placed aside and carefully ground the ink, amidst the winking and teasing of Eunuch Yuanfu.
Emperor Jing glanced at it but didn't say anything. He simply finished reviewing the remaining memorials and then leaned back in his chair.
"Have you named the sword yet?"
"Yes, her name is Mingyue."
The man paused in rubbing his temples, a thousand thoughts flashing through his closed eyes, but when he opened them, only a calm expression remained.
"A good name. You will be by my side every day. I will have Yuanfu explain it to you later."
Seventeen nodded blankly, following beside His Majesty...
Yuan Fu, who was standing to the side, said with a smile, "Is Your Majesty finished with your work? Then you should go and rest early. You must be tired after a long day. Have Physician Bao give Your Majesty a massage later."
"Um."
Emperor Jing then rubbed his temples and responded. Yuanfu then pushed Seventeen aside and stepped forward to wait beside him.
The seventeen generals following behind Eunuch Yuanfu watched all the actions of serving others and wondered if they would have to serve His Majesty like this in the future.
When Emperor Jing returned to his chambers to rest, Eunuch Yuanfu summoned a young palace maid and instructed her to fetch the imperial physician. He then turned to Seventeen with a smile and said, "His Majesty has instructed that from now on, you will accompany him to court and on his travels."
"Do I have to go to court with them?"
Seventeen was somewhat bewildered. In his memory, secret guards didn't seem to be out in the open, but now His Majesty had him...
"Hehe, it's all His Majesty's arrangement. Seventeen guards will do as he says."
The whisk brushed across Seventeen's hand as Yuanfu Gonggong moved. He lowered his eyes, raised his hand, and sniffed it. It was that familiar fragrance again.
As dusk approached, Seventeen gazed at the magnificent sunset in the distance, a sense of heaviness inexplicably settling over her.
My future path is probably not going to be easy.
......
Early the next morning, Seventeen followed behind Eunuch Yuanfu. When Emperor Jing sat on the dragon throne, Seventeen stood behind the screen on the other side, guided by Eunuch Yuanfu.
They didn't arrive early, but the ministers kneeling below all had their heads bowed, so no one saw Seventeen's figure.
"Rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The man propped one hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, his dark eyes concealed by the slightly swaying strings of black beads, occasionally revealing a sharp glint as he swept his gaze across the assembled officials below.
"Your Majesty, I have something to report."
An old minister stepped out of the ranks. He was obese, and even the Seventeenth Prince worried that his legs might not be able to support his weight.
"What is it?"
“Your Majesty, I have a grandson named Wei Lifeng. Recently, he has developed feelings for the daughter of Imperial Censor Li. Our Great Jing is a place of open-mindedness, and this is a fortunate event for both the Wei and Li families. Therefore, I originally intended to act as matchmaker and visit their home to arrange their marriage.”
At this point, the old minister, who could not see his own toes, wiped his eyes with a sorrowful expression and knelt down to plead, "But this Imperial Censor Li thinks that my grandson is not good enough for his daughter. The other day, my good-for-nothing grandson went out with that girl again. When Imperial Censor Li saw this, he actually rushed up and beat my grandson."
He cried bitterly, but Seventeen frowned. He observed that the old minister's appearance was somewhat similar to the fat pig-like man he had bumped into on the street the other day. Could this be the grandson he was talking about?
Looking again at the other officials behind the old minister, some had their heads down and their expressions were not clear, while others were younger and could not quite control their expressions, which was quite strange.
Seventeen tilted his head and heard the old minister sobbing, "Although I am spoiled, my health is not good. After being beaten by Imperial Censor Li, even my nose is broken!"
"Your Majesty, I know that Imperial Censor Li is always outspoken and impulsive. I was quite intimidated by his argument with Your Majesty in the court earlier. But my good-for-nothing grandson really likes her. Even after being beaten like this, he still begged me to talk to Imperial Censor Li properly and ask to marry that girl!"
The old minister sniffed, his eyes red, seemingly unwilling to accept defeat: "Your Majesty, I only beg you to uphold justice! Your grandson cannot be bullied like this!"
Emperor Jing sat on his high throne, his expression inscrutable. After listening to the old minister's words, the entire hall fell silent for a moment before a deep male voice rang out: "Is Imperial Censor Li here?"
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Censor is unwell and has been resting at home for two days."
Eunuch Yuanfu leaned closer and whispered, "This Imperial Censor Li is indeed a bit too radical..."
"Chen An".
"Your subject is present."
"Take men to Li Yushi's residence to investigate the situation."
"yes."
A man in his forties stepped forward and meekly accepted the task assigned to him by Emperor Jing.
The rest were all trivial matters. Emperor Jing sat upright on the dragon throne, looking down at the ministers below, lost in thought.
After the court session ended, Eunuch Yuanfu quickly took a light cloak and draped it over Emperor Jing, saying, "Your Majesty, the wind has suddenly picked up. Be careful not to catch a cold."
The man reached out and adjusted his cloak, nodding casually. Seventeen followed on the other side, looking thoughtful.
"What is Seventeen thinking about?"
The sudden roll call startled Seventeen. He looked up at Emperor Jing's dark eyes, those deep eyes seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, and nothing could cause trouble under his watchful eye.
"Your Majesty, who was that person in the hall just now?"
"Minister of Rites, Wei Xing."
Grandpa Yuanfu widened his eyes and tried to signal Seventeen with his eyes. Seventeen saw it, and the words he was about to say got stuck in his throat.
Emperor Jing glanced at Yuanfu, who was making faces, and ordered, "Yuanfu, go and fetch some warming sweet soup."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Before leaving, Yuanfu winked at Seventeen, who also winked, looking somewhat bewildered.
"Go on."
"Well......"
"What? You dare to listen to Yuanfu, but not to me?"
"Seventeen dare not."
Seventeen quickly lowered his head and apologized: "Is Minister Wei's grandson also... similar in build to him?"
Emperor Jing raised his head, seemingly recalling for a moment, and revealed an indescribable expression: "...Indeed similar."
"I may have met Minister Wei's grandson the other day, and I also witnessed what he said."
"Oh?" Emperor Jing seemed very curious and raised his eyebrows, asking Seventeen to explain in detail.
Seventeen recounted what he had seen that day to Emperor Jing, and at the end, he paused and added, "No matter how I look at it, Minister Wei's grandson and Imperial Censor Li's daughter don't seem to be... mutually in love."
Emperor Jing scoffed, "So you think Minister Wei is lying to me?"
"Seventeen dares not speak recklessly."
Seventeen was sweating profusely. Damn it, why did I have to say that? And that Minister Wei, a master at twisting the truth. But in Seventeen's opinion, this matter could be clarified simply by His Majesty sending someone to inquire at the Censorate. How could Minister Wei be so audacious?
Seeing that the person in front of him was trembling like a leaf, Emperor Jing kindly let him off the hook: "What's the big deal? I didn't say anything."
"Your subordinate...should not speak recklessly about court affairs."
"snort."
Emperor Jing did not speak again, and Yuanfu brought over the sweet soup.
When the group arrived at the Imperial Study, Emperor Jing was still sitting behind the table, carefully reviewing a new batch of memorials. Eunuch Yuanfu was standing outside. Seventeen looked around, chose a rooftop, and jumped up.
"Oh dear! What are you doing, Seventeenth Guard?"
"Huh? I'll find a spot to wait for a bit."
Seventeen scratched his head, not understanding why Yuanfu was reacting so strongly. His Majesty wouldn't let him go up to the roof beam, and he certainly couldn't follow him into the Imperial Study to sit down, so he could only jump onto the roof, right?
Eunuch Yuanfu was so anxious down below that he was waving his arms and legs. Seventeen hesitated for a long time, and just as he was about to jump down, he heard a deep male voice coming from the Imperial Study: "Yuanfu, don't worry about him, let him do whatever makes him comfortable."
"Yes... Your Majesty."
Yuanfu bowed his head in response, concealing the surprise in his eyes. Why did he feel that His Majesty's... tolerance had increased since the arrival of the Seventeenth Guard? Was His Majesty this tolerant before?
Seeing that Emperor Jing had spoken, Seventeen stayed on the rooftop with peace of mind.
It wasn't quite noon yet, and the sun wasn't scorching, just a bit dazzling. Seventeen started to doze off while basking in the sun, but he remembered where he was and would shake his head every now and then to keep himself awake.
After quite some time, Eunuch Yuanfu returned from outside, knocked on the door, and asked, "Your Majesty, would you like lunch?"
"Hmm, where's Seventeen?"
"His Majesty."
Upon hearing Emperor Jing call his name, Seventeen immediately jumped down and slipped into the Imperial Study. His movements were so swift that even Yuanfu couldn't react in time.
His hearing was excellent, and he vaguely heard Eunuch Yuanfu say, "So fast? At my age, could I perhaps learn a thing or two...?"
Not only the Seventeenth Prince, but His Majesty also heard it.
"Hmph, you old bones, stop causing trouble. How old are you this year, Seventeen? How old are you?"
"Oh dear, oh dear, I'm sorry to have made Your Majesty laugh." Eunuch Yuanfu smiled apologetically and took a few steps back, instructing the palace maids guarding outside to serve the dishes.
Seventeen turned around and glanced at him, then blinked and heard His Majesty say, "Seventeen, let's go."
A note from the author:
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