Chapter 6 His Majesty is so kind!
The study was very large. One side was Emperor Jing’s daily office space, while the other side was separated by an exquisitely intricate screen, where a large round table with gold thread was placed, which was where he usually ate his meals in the study.
The palace maids, dressed in elegant pink and green palace gowns, served the dishes in an orderly fashion, like swimming fish, while Eunuch Yuanfu watched with a smile.
After the last dish was served, Yuanfu closed the door, but then turned to push the window slightly open. Sunlight shone through the window and onto the floor and wall, creating a graceful plum blossom shadow.
After taking a couple of glances, Shiqi couldn't help but marvel at the craftsman's skill.
Emperor Jing sat down, raising his chin towards Eunuch Yuanfu and the Seventeenth Prince: "Let's dine together."
Eunuch Yuanfu quickly bowed and whispered, "Oh, Your Majesty, this is against the rules."
"All the rules of this world were set by me."
Emperor Jing’s tone was indifferent, but Yuanfu could sense the undeniable authority within it. He nodded and smiled, “Then this old servant will dare to dine with Your Majesty. Seventeen, come and sit down.”
Seventeen sat timidly next to Yuanfu, a great distance away from Emperor Jing. Emperor Jing glanced up but said nothing, picked up his chopsticks and began to eat without uttering a word.
After lunch, the palace maids once again cleared away the leftovers in an orderly manner. Emperor Jing glanced at Yuanfu and said, "Bring some more sweet soup and snacks."
Yuanfu was taken aback: "Your Majesty, were you not full just now?"
"Go when I tell you to."
Yes, yes.
Seventeen watched Emperor Jing with curiosity. The lunch he had just eaten was extremely luxurious, far better than what he had eaten in the Dark Guard Camp. He no longer felt nauseous at the white rice; on the contrary, he was very tempted.
Thinking of this, Seventeen quietly swallowed. Because he was eating at the same table as His Majesty, he didn't dare to eat too much. He hadn't even eaten a third of his usual amount, and his stomach was still empty.
Emperor Jing glanced at the Seventeenth Emperor almost imperceptibly before returning to his desk to continue reviewing memorials.
Seventeen went to sit on the roof outside again. After a while, Yuanfu came in with a food plate. Seventeen had a sharp eye and saw that the food plate contained the sweet soup they had drunk when they came back, as well as several plates of pretty pastries. She wondered what they tasted like.
"Your Majesty, everything has been brought."
"Put it over there."
Emperor Jing didn't even look up. After Yuanfu placed the food tray down, he called out, "Seventeen."
"His Majesty."
"Yuanfu, go and see how Chen An is doing with his questions."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Eunuch Yuanfu curtsied and withdrew outside the door, then turned and left. Seventeen stood by the door, wondering what His Majesty wanted to tell him.
"Why are you so far away from me?"
"Seventeen dare not."
Seventeen hurriedly took a few steps forward, and when he reached the middle of the study, he heard Emperor Jing say without even looking up, "Go and drink that bowl of sweet soup."
He paused, his gaze drifting to the table where they had just finished their meal, but he didn't walk over there for a long time.
"What? Are you afraid I'll poison you?"
Emperor Jing raised his head and looked at the Seventeenth Prince with a half-smile. He scratched his head and replied, "Your Majesty, this..."
“Just go when I tell you to. What bad habits have you picked up from Yuanfu?”
Seeing the slight displeasure in His Majesty's tone, Seventeen hurriedly walked to the table. The sweet soup had already begun to tempt Seventeen's taste buds, and as he got closer, his stomach rumbled with craving.
Since His Majesty had given the order, Seventeen drank several mouthfuls of the sweet soup without ceremony, and then his gaze fell on the pastries on the side.
The pastries were made in a pale green color, resembling some kind of flower. They had little fragrance, but the powder was fine, so they must have been very sweet and delicious.
Just as Seventeen was hesitating about whether she could eat the pastries, His Majesty's voice came over: "Those pastries are too sweet, you can take them and eat them all."
Why does it feel like His Majesty can read my mind...? Seventeen thought to himself, but his hands were very honest. He picked up a piece of pink pastry and put it in his mouth. Just as he expected, although it was a dry pastry, the powder was so fine that it was not unpleasant to eat, but rather very sweet.
Seventeen ate a bowl of sweet soup and a bite of pastry in a whirlwind, wiped her mouth, and walked over to Emperor Jing, who was still working hard.
Emperor Jing glanced at him and teased, "Still not full?"
Even if Seventeen was stupid, she would realize that the sweet soup and pastries were not what His Majesty wanted to eat. It was clearly something His Majesty had specially prepared for her because he saw that she hadn't eaten much, and he hadn't forgotten to send Eunuch Yuanfu away. After all, if Eunuch Yuanfu were there, she would definitely have a heart attack from eating so much.
His heart warmed; His Majesty is such a kind person...
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Seventeen's voice was low, but he was clearly happy. Emperor Jing just hummed softly. This time, Seventeen understood what he meant, turned around, and flew to the rooftop to stay there.
After a long while, Eunuch Yuanfu returned with a man behind him. Seventeen looked closely and recognized him as Chen An, who had been entrusted with an important task by His Majesty in court that morning.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."
Chen An knelt on the ground and bowed to Emperor Jing, but the man behind the desk waited for a long time before coldly saying, "Rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Chen An swept his hem and reported the situation with his head down: "When I led my subordinates to the Li residence, Imperial Censor Li was indeed in bed due to illness. After asking him, he only said that he was unhappy with his daughter's relationship with Lord Wei's grandson. He said that when he saw the two of them on the street, he was out of his mind and beat them up, but it was not intentional."
Emperor Jing leaned back in his black rattan chair, his dark eyes fixed intently on Chen An. However, Chen An's demeanor was quite upright, because this was indeed something he had discovered during his investigation at the Li residence, and it was even said by Imperial Censor Li himself.
Seventeen was stunned after hearing this. Could it be that she had guessed wrong? But that day she clearly... Could it be that the fat man was not Minister Wei's grandson?
A chill ran through him. If he had been mistaken about what he had said before the Emperor…
"Hmph, let's put this matter aside for now. You can go back now."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Chen An lowered his head, stepped out of the door, and turned to leave. Eunuch Yuanfu frowned and said, "This... Imperial Censor Li is not one to give in easily."
"You also think Wei Xing is talking nonsense?"
Emperor Jing wrote a sentence, and Yuanfu pondered it for a moment. The emperor's tone seemed normal at the moment, perhaps it was just a simple discussion.
"Alas, although this old servant does not understand these court affairs, I have heard of Lord Wei."
"You must have heard about it before, right?"
Emperor Jing glanced at him, while Seventeen watched the two people speaking in cryptic language with curiosity, somewhat confused about what they were saying.
Eunuch Yuanfu glanced at Seventeen and said with a forced smile, "Your Majesty, is Guard Seventeen still here?"
"What are you afraid of? Seriously speaking, this has nothing to do with you."
Emperor Jing remained relaxed throughout, which only fueled Seventeen's curiosity. What exactly was being discussed? However, he dared not ask rashly, secretly planning to ask when he was alone with Eunuch Yuanfu.
"That's true, but as for Lord Wei..."
"Hmph, a remnant of the old party..."
Emperor Jing's tone was cryptic, but Yuanfu immediately realized what he meant and stopped talking, then said with a forced smile, "Your Majesty, please don't talk about such unpleasant things."
"Alright, I'm going back to my chambers to rest for a while. You take Seventeenth around and show him around."
Emperor Jing put down his brush, got up and walked straight out. Eunuch Yuanfu quickly followed, and Seventeen also hurried behind him. After escorting him into the palace, Eunuch Yuanfu, holding his whisk, asked Seventeen, "How are you doing today?"
"It's a habit of seventeen."
"Hehe, do a good job."
Yuanfu looked at the seventeenth child several times, and apart from noticing that the child's face was unusually beautiful, he didn't have any other special features. So why did His Majesty value him so much?
"Eunuch Yuanfu, what did His Majesty say to you in the study just now?"
Seventeen asked curiously. Yuanfu glanced at him and thought, His Majesty doesn't seem to mind this matter. As for his attitude... As an old servant who has served His Majesty for many years, Yuanfu rolled his eyes and told him everything.
“When I was serving Your Majesty, Your Majesty was still a prince. I have been with Your Majesty for so many years. After Your Majesty ascended the throne, the former Crown Prince’s faction was always dissatisfied with Your Majesty, especially that Wei Xing, who, as the leader of the former Crown Prince’s faction, had many conflicts with me.”
Yuanfu lowered his voice, perhaps afraid of being overheard by others.
"This old servant is clearly one of His Majesty's people, so of course these people don't like me. They've been finding fault with me openly and secretly, trying to pull me away from His Majesty's side!"
Seventeen's eyes widened as he listened. He knew that the palace would certainly not be peaceful, but when faced with such conflict, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
"But His Majesty is wise; how could he let these people succeed? Over the years, those old factions have finally settled down."
When Eunuch Yuanfu spoke, he clearly had great faith in and admiration for Emperor Jing. He was also extremely grateful to the emperor for saving him from dire straits on multiple occasions. After all, he was just a servant, yet His Majesty had considered so much for him. Anyone would be willing to die for His Majesty in such a situation!
After listening, Seventeen nodded reluctantly: "That was too dangerous. Your Majesty is truly amazing."
"Is that so? So His Majesty didn't believe a single word Wei Xing said this time! But this Lord Wei seems to be getting old, as if he has completely forgotten how he opposed His Majesty before, and he even dares to whisper in His ear!"
Yuanfu shook his head and clicked his tongue. He didn't know His Majesty's plan, but he had a vague feeling that Wei Xing probably wouldn't live much longer.
......
That night, Seventeen was still diligently guarding outside the palace. There was still half an hour before his shift ended, and he was quite content to enjoy the moonlight.
There was a rustling sound coming from inside the palace. Seventeen listened carefully and heard that it sounded like His Majesty getting up and dressing. It was so late, where was His Majesty going?
"Seventeen."
"Your subordinate is here."
As soon as His Majesty called his name, Seventeen knelt down in front of him.
"Get up."
"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty."
Seventeen looked up and saw Emperor Jing in front of her, dressed only in a dark robe. He clearly had no intention of going out. Even in this plain outfit, the aura emanating from him was still not to be underestimated.
Emperor Jing had a great physique. Even when he wore heavy everyday clothes, his strong and muscular body was still visible. But now, wearing loose, plain clothes, his muscles looked even more impressive.
He sat in the rattan chair and thought for a while, then said to Seventeen, "I have something to entrust to you."
Half an hour later, Seventeen yawned and went back to the side hall to sleep. Eunuch Yuanfu was still guarding outside, but he was also half asleep. The moon was bright and the stars were few outside. Tomorrow would be another good day.
A note from the author:
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