Zhao Shuyi stiffened. "What do you know?"
"What will you give me in exchange?" He grinned roguishly, his unruly demeanor making Zhao Shu want to punch him.
"Who cares? It's none of my business," Zhao Shu muttered, pointing to the window. "I need to rest. You'd better leave now, or I'll scream for help."
"You really don't care? You don't want to hear about your mother either?" Huo Baichuan wasn't angry at all; instead, he asked with amusement.
To be honest, if there weren't any conflicts of interest between them, Zhao Shu would have lost countless brain cells; this guy is just too difficult to deal with.
"I'll look it up myself," Zhao Shu said irritably.
"How can you investigate? Don't you know how many people are watching your people? Let me count for you: the Emperor's people, the princes' people, Consort Hao's people... With so many eyes watching you, how can you investigate?" He pretended to be unable to count and then counted on his fingers.
Zhao Shu: ... "Weren't your people monitored? If you can find out, why can't I?"
“I have undercover agents, spies I’ve trained since they were three or four years old. Do you have any? You may not know, but some families have illegitimate children who have been part of our family for generations. Hey, you’re still young and naive. Hurry up, think of what you can offer in exchange.”
If you want to show your abilities, just say so. If you want to help, just say so too. It's rare to find someone who benefits others but still gets disliked.
Zhao Shu pouted, "Should I treat you to dinner when I go back to Beijing?"
“Alright, it’s settled then. Remember to do it yourself.” He nodded, pulled out some dry grass from the Jade Belt Mountain at his waist, shook it in his hand, and said in a low voice, “Your father was a hothead when he was young.”
"Your dad's the hothead!" Zhao Shu wanted to flip the table.
"Alright, alright." He pretended to be afraid of Zhao Shu. "Your father isn't a fool, he's just simple, cute, and innocent, okay?"
"It's not exactly a nice word either," Zhao Shu said coldly.
"To get back to the point, when your father was young, he was quite kind. One day, on a whim, he left the palace and saw a tenant farmer outside the capital. The tenant farmer and his family of seven or eight were humbly begging for rent, asking for a few more days to pay. The landlord refused and forcibly took the tenant farmer's daughter as his concubine. When your father saw this, his sense of justice soared to the heavens."
Zhao Shu slammed her hand on the table. "Hey, watch your words!"
"Your father took pity on the tenant and paid the rent for the tenant, saving his daughter. Little did he know that the woman harbored designs on your father. But that's a story for later. Let's talk about your father first. He went to many places, and the tenants were all demanding rents beyond their means, making a living in poverty. Meanwhile, the court was collecting taxes, but the taxes were always in arrears. Some officials resorted to torture, and the local people suffered terribly. So your father began to implement reforms. The emperor was no good either. The late emperor and the founding emperor had made many preparations, and it was only when he was almost ready to implement reforms that the reforms were finally possible. But he was timid and dared not, so he urged your father to do it."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu understood that her father had been raised as a carefree prince. Logically, he knew nothing but eating, drinking, and having fun. He was also overprotected, which inevitably made him naive and innocent. When he saw the suffering of the common people, his compassion overflowed. He was easily persuaded by others that as a prince, he should fulfill his duties, and he could easily stumble down a path of no return.
"Your father did not disappoint him and began to implement reforms. You see, without a good opportunity and without anyone to offer advice, the emperor only secretly fueled the fire. When things went wrong, he would not stand up to support your father. Your father was naive and could not outmaneuver those old foxes. At this point, the Empress Dowager became anxious."
The events of that year must have been extremely complicated, Zhao Shu listened intently.
Huo Baichuan had clearly uncovered a lot of truthful information, and his casual remark made Zhao Shu less nervous.
"Yide and the Emperor knew each other since childhood, playing the game of a poor boy and a young lady. At that time, the Emperor was still young and often went on incognito visits, pretending to be the son of a traveling merchant or the son of a poor scholar..."
An ancient story unfolds slowly, like a documentary, playing back at a leisurely pace.
At that time, Emperor Mingde was still young, a child, and full of youthful vigor and arrogance. He imitated the emperors in the storybooks who went on incognito visits. This time, he pretended to be the son of a deceived merchant who was penniless.
The capital city under the late emperor's rule was already extremely prosperous. He took the young Liang Yunsi with him, and the two wandered the streets. Before long, they left the city and came to the fields. He was very handsome and had a great temperament. If it weren't for his shabby clothes, many people would have come up to talk to him.
It was very hot. Emperor Mingde swallowed hard. Liang Yunsi knew he was thirsty, so he found a farmhouse and asked for water. When Liang Yunsi knocked on the door, a delicate-looking young girl opened it.
Liang Yunsi swore he had never seen such a beautiful young girl before, and he was immediately stunned. Emperor Mingde also saw Yide, but pretended to be calm and said, "I apologize for my rudeness. I was just passing by and would like to ask for a bowl of water."
After hearing this, the young girl turned to her maid and instructed her to bring water to the two of them. "How did you find this place?" Yi De asked.
Emperor Mingde drank some water, his eyes darting around. He was just wandering around and had no idea that this place couldn't lead to other places. He said, "My father was cheated. I had no money, so the innkeeper kicked my father and me out. My father went to ask my uncles for help. I was hungry and had no money, so I thought that if I left the city and couldn't see the food, I would feel better."
Yi De chuckled, "Nonsense, Xiao'er, get him a steamed bun." She instructed the maid, then said to Emperor Mingde, "This is our family's estate. If you get hungry in the future, come here and I'll have them feed you. By the way, what's your name? My name is A Qing."
Or perhaps Emperor Mingde was handsome and had an exceptional temperament, which led Emperor Yide to extend a friendly hand.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
