Chapter 425 One plan fails, another is devised
Seeing him staring at her hands, Zhu Yiyi grew bolder. She personally brought the pastries to Xie Shang, trying to gauge his intentions. "Your Majesty, please try some! I imagine Your Majesty is quite hungry at this hour."
Xie Shang didn't take the pastries she offered, but felt a refreshing aroma enter his nostrils, giving him a sense of déjà vu.
He didn't look at the maid's face, but looked directly at Imperial Censor Zhu, and said with a light smile, "So this maid is from Imperial Censor Zhu's residence. I was truly blind."
Bringing a woman here at this time, Imperial Censor Zhu's meaning couldn't be clearer: during the national mourning period, he couldn't favor the concubines in the harem, so he wanted to send a wild maid from outside the palace to relieve his loneliness.
Xie Shang frowned deeply, his whole body radiating coldness, and a surge of anger rose in his eyes. Wasn't Imperial Censor Zhu's behavior far too audacious and presumptuous?
Seeing the Emperor's displeasure, Imperial Censor Zhu quickly explained, "She is actually..."
Zhu Yiyi quickly stepped back and knelt respectfully on the ground. "Your Majesty, I, your humble servant Zhu Yiyi, pay my respects. My father has not returned home for several days. My mother is worried about my father's hard work, so she sent me to bring him some food. She also wanted to avoid any misunderstanding, so I disguised myself as a maid to enter the palace. My father knows that Your Majesty is working hard, so he came to comfort you. Your Majesty saw me in the Imperial Garden that day. Today, I have overstepped my bounds, and I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."
Seeing her explanation, Xie Shang gave her a deep look. "So you're the daughter of Imperial Censor Zhu. Since you've come to inquire about your father, it's getting late, so you should leave the palace and go home soon!"
"Yes, this subject takes her leave." Her eyes were clear, she bowed respectfully, and without lingering, she got up to leave.
Censor Zhu was taken aback, but fortunately Yiyi was quick-witted. He said, "This humble subject will take his leave."
Just then, Jiang Jinyan walked in and came face to face with Imperial Censor Zhu. "Imperial Censor Zhu is here too!"
Imperial Censor Zhu smiled and said, "Minister Jiang hasn't left the palace either?"
"I went to pay my respects to Her Majesty the Empress and was instructed by her to deliver a midnight snack to His Majesty." Jiang Jinyan was carrying a food box, which was indeed delivered by a servant from Chenxi Palace.
He looked at the woman beside Imperial Censor Zhu. She was indeed pure and lovely, with seductive eyes, as if she had come to seduce His Majesty. He had heard the sounds inside from outside the door earlier. This woman was truly adept at adapting to changing circumstances.
Imperial Censor Zhu paused for a moment, then said, "I am also about to leave the palace."
Zhu Yiyi stared at Jiang Jinyan's face, and his probing gaze fell into her eyes. She smiled politely and followed her father.
She thought to herself: The Jiang family's sons are indeed exceptionally handsome.
-
When Xie Shang heard that Ruan Ruan had asked him to deliver the late-night snack, he quickly told Wu Xin to take away Zhu Yiyi's pastries and said, "Jin Yan, come and sit down."
Jiang Jinyan bowed respectfully and replied, "Yes."
He sat opposite Xie Shang, placed the food box on the table, and explained, "This humble subject just happened to pass by and encountered the Empress's maid, Lianye." This meant that he did not personally go to Chenxi Palace to retrieve it.
"I am indeed hungry." He opened the food box and found that it contained vegetarian porridge, several delicious side dishes, and two sets of bowls and chopsticks.
"Eat with me! You've worked hard these past few days."
Since the late emperor's passing, Jiang Jinyan has indeed been busy in the palace and is Xie Shang's right-hand man. Jiang Fenghua knew he was in the palace, so she naturally prepared a gift for him as well.
The aroma of congee fills the air, instantly awakening the taste buds. On long, cold winter nights, a bowl of steaming millet porridge is a comforting treat.
Xie Shang said, "Ruan Ruan is so thoughtful. At this hour, drinking some hot porridge is warmer than eating pastries."
Jiang Jinyan said, "Your Majesty is busy with state affairs, but you must take care of your health. After drinking the porridge, Your Majesty should rest early."
He was being warned not to be seduced by women. It was clear that Imperial Censor Zhu's act of sending his daughter to the Emperor's side at this hour was not what it seemed.
-
Zhu Yiyi followed Imperial Censor Zhu out of the Taihua Hall. They glanced inside, and Imperial Censor Zhu said, "His Majesty almost lost his temper just now, it was really close!"
Zhu Yiyi said casually, "His Majesty has already taken an interest in me. Now, Father, all you need to do is create opportunities for me."
Imperial Censor Zhu asked doubtfully, "You are confident, but Zhenzhen is already in the palace. The Emperor cannot violate ancestral rules by marrying another woman from the same official family into the palace."
“There are always exceptions,” Zhu Yiyi added. “If the Crown Prince is willing to break the rules for his daughter, what does it matter if Zhenzhen is in the palace? As long as the Crown Prince likes me, do you really think the rules matter, Father?”
Imperial Censor Zhu was stunned. That made sense. The emperor had just ascended the throne. Even if he liked the empress very much, or even directly made her empress, the novelty of the empress would eventually wear off over time.
The emperor is the ruler, and all the rules are set by the emperor.
Imperial Censor Zhu was a man, he chuckled. The Emperor was, after all, a man, and all men like beautiful women.
Imperial Censor Zhu immediately took his daughter out of the palace. When they passed by the plum garden, Zhu Yiyi stopped and said, "The plum blossoms in the palace must be about to bloom!"
Imperial Censor Zhu said, "I heard that this plum blossom grove was planted by His Majesty when he was a child. It is thanks to the fact that he was born in Empress Cheng's womb that he was able to live a freer life than other princes."
Zhu Yiyi asked, "Does His Majesty like plum blossoms?"
Imperial Censor Zhu pondered, "I don't know about these; they're just ordinary things."
Zhu Yiyi was more attentive and meticulous than her father when it came to these ordinary things. As she walked into the plum grove, she saw that several plum trees had already bloomed. The fragrance on her hands was that of plum blossoms. What a coincidence! It seemed she had to do something to attract the emperor's attention. Life in the palace was dull and boring. During the national mourning period, the emperor hadn't even touched a single piece of meat. She wanted to see how long the emperor could hold back.
Zhu Yiyi took the food box, put it on the ground, and began to pick fresh plum blossoms. Imperial Censor Zhu quickly stopped her, saying, "These are things that His Majesty cherishes. Yiyi, please stop."
"No matter how much we cherish them, they can only remain on the branches unappreciated. It would be more practical for my daughter to pick some and make plum blossom cakes to present to the Emperor." She also wanted to make plum blossom incense to apply to her skin. Wouldn't that be even more interesting?
Imperial Censor Zhu paused for a moment, then stopped trying to stop him, immediately understanding the implication.
This plum garden also has dedicated servants in charge of its management. The Emperor's fondness for it must have some special meaning. Although none of them knew the Emperor's intentions, none of them dared to slack off in the slightest.
The eunuchs nearby wanted to step forward to stop it, but with Imperial Censor Zhu present, they dared not approach. They could only secretly inform the Emperor of the news.
At this moment, Xie Shang was still busy in Taihua Palace. In the dead of night, snowflakes fell outside, and the palace fell into silence.
A eunuch came to report, "Your Majesty, the plum blossoms in the plum garden have been picked, and we servants do not know how to stop it."
Xie Shang froze, his body stiffened, and an inexplicable anger rose in his chest. His eyes seemed to spit out fury as he got up and walked towards the plum garden.
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