Chapter 30 A-Zhu: I'm not going to serve His Majesty anymore. (Tearful eyes) ...
"!"
When the whip was grasped, Prince Rui, who looked like he was about to face a storm, turned around and froze on the spot.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
The prince gripped the specially made riding whip tightly, the raised lines on it almost etched into his palm.
He looked at Prince Rui and felt that the person in front of him was somewhat unfamiliar, yet also somewhat heartbreaking.
In fact, the Crown Prince vaguely knew that Prince Rui had gone astray, but hearsay could not compare to seeing it for himself.
His younger brother, who used to follow him around and call him "Royal Brother," suddenly grew into a tyrannical, lecherous, and vicious man.
“Mingzhen… I’ve neglected you these past few years because I’ve been busy with palace and court affairs.”
The Crown Prince tried his best to suppress the pain mixed with disappointment, lest he make a fool of himself in the Guangyang Palace and cause a scene of fratricide.
“I will petition my father to allow you to temporarily move into the Eastern Palace.”
"You don't need to go to the Imperial Study anymore. Next year is your wedding year, and it's good to gain experience in court affairs sooner rather than later."
What is the Eastern Palace?
It was Empress Wang who risked everything to keep Prince Rui's illness a secret, making him a place that even a "heavenly eunuch" would protect.
With menacing eyes both inside and outside the palace, no deposed crown prince has ever had a good ending. This mother and her two children will be devoured alive and slaughtered by those who come after them!
Therefore, Empress Wang was heartless in this matter, only comforting Prince Rui as he went mad with pain, saying that once his elder brother ascended the throne, he would surely be able to cure him with all the power of the world.
The Eastern Palace—from then on, became a place that Prince Rui could only look up to but never reach, a place he both hated and envied.
On countless nights of despair, Prince Rui had a chilling thought that crossed his mind—what if he were the one in the Eastern Palace...
Now, Yin Mingyun suddenly wants to take him into the Eastern Palace?
Prince Rui loosened his grip on the riding whip.
He looked at the Crown Prince and murmured, "Brother..."
When Prince Rui wasn't acting crazy, he even exuded a melancholic and frail air.
Empress Wang, who had always instructed him to take good care of his younger brother and showed particular pity for the frail Crown Prince, saw the Prince Rui's stunned expression and reached out to pat his head: "Let's go."
As for the noble fortune on earth?
Even if he bit his tongue raw, he wouldn't utter a sound to disturb the touching scene of the deep brotherly affection between the Crown Prince and Prince Rui.
Do you think Guifu will regret it?
Ha, outside, a dog relies on its master's power. The louder the dog barks, the faster it wags its tail at its master. Even if it gets a scolding from its master, it will only feel useless.
Now, Guifu only regrets not sending Azhu to Prince Rui sooner.
If their master had succeeded earlier, he wouldn't have suffered this unexpected disaster and misfortune today.
Sure enough, seeing Guifu covered in blood, drenched in cold sweat, and pale-faced yet still getting up with a fawning expression to show his loyalty, Prince Rui gave a faint smile and still let him continue to serve him.
......
In recent days, as news spread that the Yellow River waterway inspector was about to return to the capital, the atmosphere in the imperial court became increasingly tense.
Historically, the Yellow River's floods have been a source of pain that no dynasty could avoid or escape, with some even saying that it "breaches its banks twice every three years and changes its course once every hundred years."
Besides natural disasters, there are also man-made disasters that can never be eradicated—the river is repaired every year, yet it still breaches its banks every year.
To stabilize the river, the imperial court allocates massive amounts of silver every year, yet there are always, always, always those who want to take a cut!
They can't be killed off completely, they can't be eradicated!
"How dare you!"
"presumptuous!"
Seeing that Emperor Xuanpei, who always had a calm expression, suddenly shouted angrily and threw the memorial in his hand away.
The eunuch Chen, who was waiting quietly to the side, remained silent, holding his breath and lowering his head even further.
The silence inside the hall was so profound it was almost unsettling.
After a long pause, Emperor Xuanpei shook his head: "When there are many pests, the tree will break; when there is a large crack, the wall will collapse..." As he said this, there was murderous intent in his eyes: "Even a three-year-old child understands this principle, yet there are always people who think they can stay out of it and rest easy."
The rise of the Yuan Dynasty emperor was inseparable from the behind-the-scenes support of those powerful families.
Those who followed the emperor in his campaigns in the north and south were all ennobled and appointed as prime ministers, and after several dynasties, they became new aristocratic families.
It's a mix of old and new, deeply intertwined, and too big to be easily controlled.
Over the years, when the princes of the Yuan Dynasty vied for the throne, these people were always behind the scenes.
After all, the princes also had the blood of noble families flowing through their veins.
It is said that even a tiger would not eat its cubs.
Everyone thought that even if something went wrong, the new emperor would settle the score upon his ascension to the throne... but no one expected that the late emperor, who lacked martial virtue, would suddenly go mad.
He raised his butcher's knife, preferring to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free. He was ruthless and brutal, slaughtering all the scheming "backstabbers" in the court, not even sparing his own son.
That palace coup left several powerful families deeply involved, as if they had been cut in half, suffering severe damage.
Emperor Xuanpei entered the capital with a large army and received strong support from the Langya Wang clan... but it seems inevitable that every emperor would turn against these relationships after ascending the throne.
"A resurgence of something that was dead."
"Knowing only the noble families but not the emperor, residing in the high halls of power yet unaware of the hardships of the common people," Emperor Xuanpei murmured. "They are still unwilling to wield power and take risks, and they even attempt to manipulate my princes... to influence the succession of the throne."
Chen Gonggong, who only regretted not getting out and had two ears, stood there blankly with a wooden face and a blank mind, pretending to be dead without moving—there were some things he just couldn't think about!
***
"Miss Azhu."
"Miss Azhu."
Ever since A-Zhu took on the task of delivering snacks to the Emperor, even in this Kunning Palace, everyone who sees her greets her with a smile and takes the initiative to greet her.
Hehehe, feeling incredibly pleased with himself, Ah Zhu tried his best to appear calm and nodded to the person who had come.
"Oh, Miss A-Zhu, are you going to the Emperor again?"
During this period, Ah Zhu, carrying a food box, became a peculiar symbol in Kunning Palace.
Upon seeing the newcomers, A-Zhu's eyes crinkled with laughter. "Aunt Hua, please don't join them in teasing me. It is Your Majesty's kindness and generosity that has given me the opportunity to gain more experience."
Ah Zhu laughed, and Aunt Hua laughed too. As she laughed, she shook her head inwardly.
She thought that A-Zhu was just trying to "turn from a sparrow into a phoenix" and become a master to enjoy wealth and honor, but she didn't expect that A-Zhu was also a greedy person - he was trying to gain more favor from the emperor.
Seeing that A-Zhu's attitude towards her remained respectful, Aunt Hua still offered a word of advice: "A-Zhu, too much of a good thing can be bad. The masters' patience is ultimately limited."
Hearing that Aunt Hua was also urging her, A-Zhu felt bitter inside, having spent these days trying to speak well of Empress Wang to Emperor Xuanpei. But she still forced herself to cheer up and nodded, "Don't worry, Aunt, A-Zhu will do her best."
"Alright, I won't delay your work any longer." Aunt Hua smiled and stepped aside. "Go on your way."
"Yes, Auntie, take care."
After seeing Aunt Hua off, A-Zhu, carrying a food box, quickly arrived at Hanyuan Hall.
When Eunuch Chen, who had been lamenting that Emperor Xuanpei had barely eaten any food at lunch, saw Azhu, he greeted her with a beaming smile and warm welcome.
Before escorting A-Zhu into the palace, he carefully hinted to A-Zhu that the Emperor was in a bad mood and that she should be careful in everything she did.
Azhu nodded solemnly and stepped into Hanyuan Hall.
***
Thick-skinned, energetic, and highly adaptable, A-Zhu had already grown accustomed to being alone with Emperor Xuanpei.
She even felt that Emperor Xuanpei was much easier to serve than those nitpicking nannies.
As for A-Zhu, she was like a bright and refreshing touch of spring, suddenly blowing in from inside the palace, gradually dispelling the oppressive, suffocating gray fog.
Emperor Xuanpei looked at Azhu, who was earnestly eating her snacks, and picked up another piece of chestnut cake for her—even if she had a little scheme to play hard to get, she was still much more adorable than those fools.
There are too many schemes and plots to be made in this palace. Everyone, whether human or ghost, is shrouded in mystery, only putting on a dignified and obedient smiling face.
Ah Zhu, whose attitude is clear—that he wants to "climb into someone else's bed" and live a good life—sounds incredibly stupid, yet he is both despicable and relaxing.
"Your Majesty..."
Seeing that her attempts to beg for food had failed to amuse Emperor Xuanpei, Azhu gritted her teeth and forced herself to say, "You must be exhausted from all your paperwork. How about I give you a shoulder massage?"
"Hmm?" Emperor Xuanpei was slightly taken aback, but seeing the unease in Azhu's dark almond-shaped eyes, he slowly nodded.
No one can refuse Ah Zhu's request to look up at you, just to flatter and please you.
Emperor Xuanpei, who never felt himself to be impatient, felt a tingling sensation run down his spine when those soft hands kneaded his shoulders.
Emperor Xuanpei stiffened for once, then subtly shifted his arm, and soon, his dark blue dragon-patterned wide sleeves were draped over his knees.
When soft breaths fell continuously on the side of his neck, Emperor Xuanpei frowned and suddenly became a little annoyed—where did Azhu learn these skills?
But he refused to speak first in this ambiguous game of "playing hard to get," which both sides were well aware of.
After all, Emperor Xuanpei is very clear about Azhu's identity and her proper place.
Ah Zhu, who was wholeheartedly and earnestly massaging Emperor Xuanpei's shoulders, didn't even notice the emperor's expression.
For Yu Azhu, her masters, who were born with a "sacred" aura, were all targets to whom she was loyal and devoted.
......
Emperor Xuanpei later fell asleep, and Azhu, whose hands were aching from massaging him, dared not stop, for fear of disturbing the emperor's rest.
When they returned to Kunning Palace for dinner, Azhu's hands were still trembling slightly.
She scalded her feet with hot water, then rubbed her wrists vigorously before fetching water to wash them and entering the inner palace.
Ever since the emperor started sending her snacks, A-Zhu would go to Hanyuan Hall during the day and serve Empress Wang with bathing and foot washing at night.
This was no problem for Azhu, who was eager to repay Empress Wang.
After all, in the Yeting Palace, Azhu learned these kinds of servant jobs. She washed Yang Mama's feet and served Steward Sun by soaking his feet at night.
Ah Zhu's excellent massage skills were honed through this kind of experience.
Empress Wang watched as A-Zhu knelt on the ground, meticulously washing her feet again and again, then carefully rubbing them gently after cleaning them, and smiled without saying a word.
To be honest, given A-Zhu's humble and obedient manner and his dedication in serving Empress Wang by washing her feet, Empress Wang wasn't so angry about A-Zhu's feigned indifference in an attempt to gain favor with the Emperor by delaying his advances into bed.
On the contrary, the more she watched Ah Zhu struggle desperately with unrealistic fantasies, the more she looked forward to it—their emperor was the most ruthless person in the world.
After carrying out the foot-washing water and working up a sweat, Ah Zhu was about to ask the small kitchen for some hot water when she heard laughter coming from inside.
"Hey, don't let Ah Zhu's arrogant attitude fool you. Tsk tsk tsk, you didn't see how obsequious she was when she served our Empress for her foot bath."
"Hahaha, since she's so eager to serve the Emperor on his bed, shouldn't she first serve the Empress well?"
"Otherwise, if the Empress despises this lowly creature and sends her away, where will she find a better match?"
!!
Listen to this nonsense!
Ah Zhu, who was truly loyal, diligent, and devoted, was so enraged by this slander that he flew into a rage.
Trembling all over, she glared through gritted teeth, wanting to kick the door open and tear apart the mouths of these vile women who were deliberately trying to ruin her dream of becoming the "Head of the Imperial Household Department"—
"Our Empress Dowager loves the Emperor most. Do you think she knows about Ah Zhu's desire to climb into the Emperor's bed?"
"They probably don't know, otherwise they would have sent Ah Zhu away long ago."
The palace servants who had to stay in the small kitchen at night were hardly qualified to actually serve the guests. So, they would gossip about each other without thinking.
Ah Zhu's movements suddenly stopped—
If we're talking about progress, Ah Zhu has really made progress.
Making a commotion in the middle of the night in Kunning Palace would never end well for her, no matter what.
Moreover, if these vile rumors were to reach the Empress's ears... Having lived in the inner palace for decades, A-Zhu knew all too well the power of rumors.
Black is white, and white is black.
Ah Zhu managed to hold back.
She turned around and stumbled towards the side hall.
Ah Zhu, who had always kept the rules in mind and believed that she had never been negligent in her duties, and had never harbored any despicable thoughts of climbing into the emperor's bed, for the first time felt wronged because she had a clear conscience but could not confront him. In the middle of the night, she secretly wiped away tears in her bed, feeling utterly pathetic.
Angry, upset, and heartbroken, she finally made a difficult decision after much tossing and turning – she would no longer serve the emperor.
In this palace, any servant who betrays his master will meet a bad end.
Moreover, it was a rule that the nanny had repeatedly forbade; if one were to be accused of "climbing into someone's bed," one would be disliked everywhere.
The most important person is still the Empress.
The Empress is kind and benevolent, and she has treated her so well. Her kindness is as heavy as a mountain. How heartbroken she would be if she heard these rumors.
After biting the corner of the blanket and crying, A-Zhu had a very clear idea—serving by the Empress's side was the safest and brightest path.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Forget about the rankings, I'm not even going to bother struggling anymore. Pat on the head, everyone grab a cup of that melodramatic drink and get ready to switch maps! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
