☆, Chapter 149 Do you know that this is the crime of deceiving the emperor?
Zhou Mujiao had imagined the appearance of the Liang Dynasty palace countless times—magnificent, unfathomable, or perhaps gloomy and terrifying. But when she actually entered the palace gates, looking at the hazy shadows under the moonlight, the eunuch leading the way would come back to look at them every now and then, and at the corner, he would stop and make a 'please' gesture.
If we disregard the dangers of entering the palace today, the scenery of the Great Liang Imperial Palace is still quite beautiful.
After following a group of eunuchs through several corridors, they finally stopped. The eunuch leading the way said, "Young Master Zhao, this is the Imperial Study. You can go in by yourself. The Emperor is waiting for you inside."
After saying that, he looked at Zhou Mujiao and said, "Miss Zhou, the Emperor has not yet made any special arrangements for you. Just wait here. I will come out and tell him when he calls."
He kept calling her "little one," but his tone was condescending, clearly looking down on Zhou Mujiao.
Zhou Mujiao touched her face, nonchalantly saying, "Fine, then I'll just stay here for a while."
Zhao Yunjing also stopped and said, "Then I'll wait here until His Majesty is finished and wants to see us, then we can go in together."
The young eunuch, surnamed Wang, was the adopted son of Lu, the emperor's trusted eunuch. Although he wasn't exactly all-powerful in the palace, he still had influence. When he delivered a message, it basically represented the emperor's will. Now that Zhao Yunjing had openly defied the emperor's arrangements, Eunuch Wang almost thought he had misheard.
"Young Master Zhao, you're not even the top scholar yet, and you dare to disobey the imperial decree? Do you think you're a cat with nine lives? I've served the Emperor since I was a child, and even His Highness the Crown Prince wouldn't dare to doubt what I've told him. You're the first person to be so bold!" Eunuch Wang said sarcastically. "Although you've gained the Emperor's trust along the way, you still have a long way to go before becoming his confidant. I suggest you behave yourself. Be careful not to risk your life for wealth and status only to find you don't have the life to enjoy it."
"Your words are invaluable, Your Excellency. I will remember them." Zhao Yunjing cupped his hands in greeting. "Then I will trouble Your Excellency."
The two men took two steps back and stood under the tree, their heads bowed and their faces sullen, yet they did not back down in the slightest. Eunuch Wang clicked his tongue a few times, thinking that his adoptive father was right. Dealing with a proud scholar like Zhao Yunjing was indeed not the same as dealing with the ministers, concubines, and princes of the court.
Eunuch Wang went inside and came out a short while later, saying in a sarcastic tone, "Young Master Zhao, Miss Zhou, His Majesty invites you both to come in with me!"
The journey from Yuzhou Prefecture to the capital took more than a month. Zhou Mujiao had disguised herself as a village boy and had gotten close to him before. At that time, she thought the emperor was quite down-to-earth. But now, seeing him wearing a bright yellow brocade robe, Zhou Mujiao couldn't help but sigh.
An emperor is an emperor; even sitting casually, his domineering aura is undeniable.
Moreover, her intuition told her that the emperor before her would be a wise ruler.
All the bystanders withdrew, and the emperor asked the two to sit down. Then he looked closely at Zhou Mujiao and asked, "Have I seen you somewhere before?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I did indeed meet Your Majesty at Granny Wang's house in Sicai Village."
"...You're that dark-faced young man?!" The emperor chuckled. "I never thought I'd be so blind as to not realize you were a woman."
"His Majesty was busy treating Granny Wang and cared about the people, so it's normal that he didn't pay attention to this commoner."
"Do you know that this is the crime of deceiving the emperor?"
"Does the Emperor intend to punish this woman for deceiving him?"
"What if it needs treatment?"
Zhou Mujiao remained calm: "His Majesty is a wise ruler who cares deeply for the common people. He would only laugh off such a minor act of 'deceiving the emperor' as a joke and wouldn't hold it against me."
The Emperor laughed heartily and said to Zhao Yunjing, "Yunjing, this Miss Zhou is quite interesting. If she were in the palace, there would be much more laughter. Someone, take Miss Zhou for a walk. If she gets tired, arrange for her to stay overnight. Tonight, I want to have a late-night chat with Yunjing."
Zhao Yunjing paused for a moment, and Zhou Mujiao gave him a reassuring look. As she turned to leave, she even scratched his palm.
The itch in his palm was very light and disappeared in a short while. Zhao Yunjing stared at her departing figure, clenched his fists, and cupped his hands to the Emperor: "Ajiao has always been timid. I'm afraid she will be frightened if she enters the palace alone. Your Majesty, please allow me to take her out of the palace first, and then we can go back in to discuss the drought relief plan with Your Majesty."
"In my palace, are you afraid that anyone will dare to bully her?"
"student--"
"You say she's timid, but I think she's incredibly audacious."
The emperor straightened his expression and said, “In my life, I have raised thirty sons and daughters. My children, whom I don’t see often, are all timid and dare not look me in the eye. Even though the Crown Prince and others are around every day, they are more afraid than respectful of me. This Miss Zhou is different from others. Not only does she dare to play pranks on me, but she is also not nervous at all when she comes to the palace. She is not disrespectful to me, but she is not afraid of me at all. She is really interesting.”
Zhao Yunjing pursed his lips: "The Emperor is praising her."
"Such an interesting woman, if only she could stay in the palace forever—"
"Your Majesty, Ajiao is just an ordinary woman, and her looks are only average—"
"You keep interrupting me because you're afraid I'll force Miss Zhou to stay in the palace and make her my concubine?" the Emperor said bluntly. "What kind of despicable person do you take me for?"
"The students dare not—"
"You don't dare? I bet you dare!"
The emperor was genuinely displeased. He waved his hand and said, "Guards! I have a headache. Summon the imperial physician!"
The imperial physician who came in had already been warned. He glared at Zhao Yunjing as soon as he entered, thinking to himself, "The emperor is fifty-five years old this year. He is usually in excellent health and eats very well. He only gets minor illnesses two or three times a year, but he recovers after resting for two or three days."
But ever since Zhao Yunjing began accompanying the emperor, the journey from Yuzhou Prefecture to the capital city, which took just over a month, has been filled with headaches three times a day, each time caused by Zhao Yunjing's irritation! The accompanying imperial physicians live in constant fear, afraid that something might go wrong.
Everyone thought they could finally breathe a sigh of relief once they returned to the palace, but Zhao Yunjing has given the emperor another headache!
Zhao Yunjing took a step back, intending to slip away while there were many people around, but before he could move, the emperor shouted, "Zhao Yunjing, where are you going? Did I say you could leave?!"
A group of people came to stop him, and the emperor said, "What are you doing? Did I give you permission to attack? My head doesn't hurt anymore, so get out of here!"
The imperial physician was kicked out before he could even begin to organize his thoughts, and a little while later, the emperor complained of a headache again.
That night, the emperor was like a woman on her period, his temper so unpredictable it was maddening.
Zhao Yunjing remained calm, no matter how much the emperor raged, he only said, "Your Majesty, this is the most effective and best way for the people of Liang in my opinion."
While Zhao Yunjing was infuriating the emperor to the point of madness, Zhou Mujiao on the other side seemed to have run into trouble.
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