Chapter 310 Sharing the Emperor's Worries and Solving His Problems
Wang Yanzhi gazed quietly at the few remaining green shoots on the branches, which appeared even more fragile in the snow, a faint trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes.
"You and I, and that Consort Chen in Ningxiang Palace... perhaps, are all like a green plum blossom on this branch."
He turned his head, his gaze falling on Huang Mian's face. "Everyone has their time to bloom, but soon, new 'flowers' will bloom, fresher and more beautiful. At that time, our fate will be no different from that of this green plum."
Huang Mian was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.
He never expected that Wang Shiqing, who was currently enjoying the Emperor's favor and seemed to be at the peak of his "flowering period," would be so pessimistic, let alone that he would say these things to him.
He forced a smile and comforted her, "Why should you be so melancholy and belittle yourself, Minister Wang? You are currently enjoying the Emperor's favor and are in the prime of your life. His Majesty's affection for you is far beyond what ordinary spring flowers can compare to."
He casually plucked a plum blossom, saying, “Although this green plum blossom does not bloom for long, its noble character and outstanding spirit far surpass those vulgar flowers. As long as we keep to our duty and serve His Majesty diligently, His Majesty’s favor may not be short-lived.”
Huang Mian brought the plum blossom close to her nose, as if trying to smell its faint, cool fragrance.
"After all, the green plum blossoms may fall this year, but they will bloom again next winter, won't they?"
He said this not only to Wang Yanzhi, but also to himself.
Although he has temporarily fallen out of favor, as long as he works hard and waits for the right opportunity, he may one day regain the emperor's favor.
Wang Yanzhi listened to his words of comfort and suddenly smiled, "Huang Meiren certainly sees things clearly."
He changed the subject, his tone becoming somewhat subtle, "Consort Huang, do you know why His Majesty has been so slow to deal with that person in Ningxiang Palace?"
Huang Mian's heart skipped a beat.
The topic shifted abruptly, and it also got to the heart of the matter.
He carefully chose his words: "Your Majesty is foolish and dares not presume to guess Your Majesty's intentions. Perhaps... Your Majesty is mindful of past relationships, or perhaps you have other considerations?"
"Old flame?" he repeated very softly, the corners of his lips seeming to curve slightly, or perhaps not.
"If there was no 'love' before, how can there be 'old love'?"
He spoke very softly, and Huang Mian didn't hear him at all. She subconsciously asked, "What did Minister Wang just say?"
"It's nothing." Wang Yanqing snapped out of his reverie and said, "It's just that I've noticed His Majesty has been worried day and night lately. First, he was heartbroken over General Shen's death, and now he's torn about how to deal with Consort Chen. He's lost a lot of weight, which is really heartbreaking."
Upon hearing this, Huang Mian secretly pursed her lips.
You get to see him every day, while we people can barely even get a glimpse of His Majesty.
But he still agreed on the surface, "Who says otherwise! This Consort Chen is truly a menace! Since he entered the palace, how much strife has there been in the harem? And the court is plagued by endless troubles! Even someone as good-natured as Minister Wang was beaten up by him for no reason and suffered such injustice!"
Wang Yanzhi sighed, “Unfortunately, you and I are merely people in the harem, unable to share the Emperor’s worries and solve his problems. If at this moment… someone could understand His Majesty’s intentions and come up with a way that satisfies both sides, resolving this dilemma, His Majesty would surely be relieved and would… look at him in a different light.”
Huang Mian's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes lit up instantly.
If he can solve His Majesty's problem and make such a "merit", will he be able to regain His Majesty's favor?
He quickly stepped closer and asked, "Minister Wang, you are deeply favored by His Majesty and often attend to him. You must understand His Majesty's concerns much better than those of us who have not seen His Majesty's face for a long time."
As he spoke, he observed Wang Yanzhi's expression. "I wonder what troubles Your Majesty? Why don't you... tell me? Although I am foolish, I may be able to help think of something, even if it's just to do my part."
He spoke humbly, portraying himself as naive and ignorant, devoted to the emperor, but in reality, he wanted to pry some inside information out of Wang Yanzhi.
Wang Yanzhi, as expected, was "completely unguarded" and continued, "What Your Majesty is worried about now is nothing more than that if you don't kill Consort Chen, it will be difficult to appease the anger of the people and the army, and you may chill the hearts of the soldiers on the front line and the people in the court; if you kill Consort Chen, you may cause resentment among the newly conquered Tibetan people, who may think that Your Majesty is harsh and ungrateful, which is not conducive to long-term stability."
He paused, looking at Huang Mian's thoughtful face, and slowly said, "However, I think the key issue is not whether His Majesty kills or not, but how this outcome came about?"
Huang Mian blinked, as if she had grasped something, "Does Minister Wang mean...?"
Wang Yanzhi stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "If Consort Chen 'figures it out' herself, and chooses a 'respectable' path so as not to put His Majesty in a difficult position, to quell public anger, and for... the future peace of Tibet and Great Qi... then wouldn't all the problems be easily solved?"
"Your Majesty will not have to bear the name of betraying your country, and you can appease the morale of the army and the people. As for Consort Chen, she committed suicide out of guilt because her maternal clan was guilty of a great sin and felt ashamed of failing Your Majesty's favor. This gives the Tibetan people an explanation."
Huang Mian felt a sudden "boom" in his mind, and he understood everything completely!
Yes! Make Jue La Yun Dan commit suicide!
He died, and that ended it all!
Your Majesty need not trouble yourself!
This is simply... a brilliant idea!
Wang Yanzhi feigned regret, saying, "Unfortunately, although I came up with this method, I couldn't get Consort Chen to willingly commit suicide..."
Huang Mian was secretly delighted. Wang Yanzhi couldn't let Jue La Yun Dan commit suicide, but he could.
He became excited, as if he could already see the Emperor's approving gaze after he offered this suggestion.
He forced a smile and pretended to sigh as well.
"Yes, Wang Shiqing is right. This method is good, but it is indeed difficult to implement... With Consort Chen's temperament, sigh..."
He couldn't let Wang Yanzhi know his plans and steal the credit.
Immediately, he could no longer contain himself and hastily bowed: "I have benefited greatly from what you said today, Minister Wang. I suddenly remembered that there are some trivial matters in the palace that urgently need to be dealt with, so I will not disturb your plum blossom appreciation any longer and will take my leave first!"
After saying that, he turned and left without even waiting for Wang Yanzhi's response.
Watching Huang Mian's hurried departure, Wang Yanzhi stood alone, the fine snow falling silently onto his snow-white fox fur coat.
He slowly bent down and picked up the green plum blossom that Huang Mian had casually thrown on the ground, a faint smile slowly curving his lips.
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