Chapter 49 Choose Not to Choose
At this hour, everyone was busy clearing and tidying up the room, and it couldn't be any more lively. However, after the emperor's words, the palace servants all paused for a moment before resuming their activities, some folding clothes, others putting away various utensils.
To have ascended to the throne of Ronghua in just a few months was already glorious enough, but compared with the emperor's unique favor, the mere position seemed to have become a less shocking vulgar thing.
The palace maids just smiled at each other, then retreated to the outer room, standing in a place where they could only glimpse the figures of the emperor and his concubine through the curtains.
They didn't dare to look anymore.
Qingzan finally finished reading the last words of the imperial edict, rolled it up again, and had someone carefully put it away in a long box.
She walked to the emperor's side and said, "Your Majesty, don't be ashamed."
The emperor held her hand with one hand and flipped through the memorial with the other: "I am speaking the truth, openly and honestly. What is there to be ashamed of? I think those who are evasive and half-hearted should be ashamed."
These words were clearly directed at Qingzan.
Qingzan knew that she was in the wrong and did not argue with him on such a matter. She sat next to the emperor and tilted her head to take a look. What was written on the memorial was the result of the investigation and interrogation of the Zhu Mingcheng case.
Zhu Mingcheng has now been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. If everything is true, he will no longer be suspended but dismissed from his post.
However, according to Liang law, officials could use their official rank to atone for their crimes, so no matter what happened to Zhu Mingcheng, he could still save his life.
But the political world has always been a mixture of good and bad. It is like a poisonous nail. When it is not loosened, everyone will protect it to prevent it from being pulled out and the building from collapsing. But once it is dug out, everyone will exclude it and even hope that it will never be able to speak again to avoid bringing disaster to themselves.
The emperor, now also gravely minded, sighed and said, "Over the past twenty years, the amount of embezzled disaster relief funds has reached 500,000 taels. They have devoured the flesh of the people and drunk their blood."
Qing Zan also has a sad look. In this troubled world, there are so many hypocritical people who are the executioners who harm the people's livelihood.
She also didn't forget the agreement with Concubine Hui, and hinted, "The Zhao family has made a great contribution this time. Not to mention the distant consequences, at least this time, this silver will definitely find its way into the hands of the disaster victims in the southwest."
The emperor knew she had something to say the moment she heard it: "What do you want to say, qingqing?"
There was no need to play tricks on the emperor on such a topic, and her identity was delicate, so there was no need to conceal her position.
Qing Zan said, "I was thinking that in the world of fame and fortune, there are many desperate criminals. The risks faced by whistleblowers are no less than those who accept bribes. Since the Zhao family has made great contributions this time, they should be rewarded generously so as not to discourage the loyal and righteous people. I am just afraid that Your Majesty is unwilling to let me down..."
She was the victim of the Zhao Cairen case, so she was always the most qualified to speak for Zhao Cairen. The reason why Concubine Hui was able to reach a cooperation with her so easily must have been because of this consideration.
But sometimes, what was said was not important, what was done was important. Her words were at best just a small weight. A few words could never sway the will of the emperor. Only by following the emperor's will could this weight be effective.
The emperor laughed and said, "You are truly loyal and devoted to me."
Qing Zan didn't think it sounded good. "Then why is your majesty laughing?"
Xiao Fang narrowed his eyes. Sometimes she was shrewd and calculating, sometimes she was reckless and bold, and sometimes she was cautious and careful. Which one was she?
Now, it is impossible not to do as she wishes, because she used an outright conspiracy.
Xiao Fang said nothing, only resting his hand on the back of her neck, pressing her in front of his eyes, and staring at each other in silence. Her dark, thick eyelashes almost extended to his face, her snowy skin and red lips were so close that they were completely out of focus, and their breaths burned on the peaks of their lips.
Just then, a palace maid came to ask Qingzan what hairpins and earrings she would wear when she returned to the palace tomorrow, so she put the rest into the dressing box first to avoid missing anything in the rush tomorrow.
As soon as I came in, I saw this scene and hurriedly retreated.
The door slammed shut.
As soon as the palace maid left, Qingzan fell silent again, holding her breath. A strand of her black hair scratched her face, and she almost thought that she was sweating profusely.
The emperor also had his own conspiracy. After a close confrontation, he let go of the person as if nothing had happened, sat still, and read the entire pile of memorials slowly and unhurriedly.
Qing Zan knew that he was just like the first time they met, always using this trick to keep people in suspense, but she still couldn't help but guess and feel anxious.
I could only look at him again and again.
Xiao Fang sensed the burning gazes that followed him, and finally granted her amnesty: "After returning to the palace, I will have Zhao released from her confinement. I will also treat her brother well."
Qingzan could finally breathe a sigh of relief, no longer having to owe Concubine Hui anything.
When no one was in the room, she whispered in the emperor's ear and smiled affectionately, "Your Majesty, why are you so childish?"
As if he had to compete with her.
"Bold." The emperor turned his head and met her eyes again. From her misty eyes, he saw his solemn gentleman's attire.
However, at this moment, he did not want to be a gentleman.
Outside, a sudden commotion erupted. The palace attendants had intended to cage Songtsen, but he had escaped. Once free, he had run to a familiar smell and was now outside the house, scratching at the door with his claws.
The palace servants wanted to catch it, but they didn't dare touch the majestic lion king. They could only plead, "Ancestor, please go back quickly!"
Doukou used fresh meat to lure it, but Songzan remained unmoved and still stubbornly wanted to compete with the door.
Qingzan stood up: "I'll go take a look."
But she forgot that her hand was still in the other person's palm. His finger bones were so strong that she couldn't pull it away. She had just taken a step when she was pulled back by the other person.
But they didn't remain in a stalemate for too long, because the next moment, Xiao Fang had picked her up and carried her sideways.
“Your Majesty, what are you doing…!”
"Before you leave, let me leave you with a thought."
The emperor's steady, yet not-so-steady footsteps stepped over the untimely lion roars and passed by a long row of flickering window shadows.
Suddenly he said with disgust, "I won't bring it next year."
After saying this, he thought seriously again, "In the future, your children and I must never make such a fuss."
Children?
Qingzan had never thought about it.
*
The next day was the day to return to the palace. All the carriages were parked at the gate of the palace, but they had not set off yet. Many of the concubines who arrived earlier leaned against the carriages, taking a breath of fresh air and chatting outside.
The emperor allowed Ming Zhaoyi to meet with her brother before leaving.
In the pavilion hanging halfway up the mountain, there was a dignified fourth-rank general, with a burly figure and dark skin. When he saw his sister, his eyes seemed to be full of smiles.
The Shi family was a loyal and righteous family. They were already responsible for the safekeeping of half of the military mobilization tokens, so they naturally had to be more cautious and low-key in their daily lives. Therefore, the Shi family rarely relied on their power and position to enter the palace to see Ming Zhaoyi.
"Lianlian, is everything okay in the palace?" Shi Daichen asked, suppressing his excitement.
Ming Zhaoyi, facing her brother, naturally spoke without reservation: "I'm fine. But Your Majesty has long known that the Empress is infertile, and I exposed it too early. Now I can't use the charge of deceiving the Emperor to sway the Empress. I'm afraid the Duan family won't let go of the fight for the crown prince easily. I wonder if Huaixuan will be in danger in the future."
Shi Daichen: "I heard that there's a favorite concubine in the palace recently, and she's quite powerful. Is she from the Duan Mansion?"
Being outside the palace, it was considered good to have some understanding of what was going on inside. Therefore, he only knew that the new favorite concubine was a former maid in the Duan Mansion, but he didn't know her background.
Ming Zhaoyi walked to the edge of the pavilion, just in time to see the procession of carriages and people at the mountain gate. "That's the maidservant the Empress brought into the palace as a dowry. However, their master-servant relationship isn't what we initially thought, so there's no need to worry."
Shi Daichen remained sullen. "That's easy, why not make good use of it? Practice. A single soldier cannot make an army. You can't be too aloof."
Ming Zhaoyi shook her head. "The Empress has long lost the Emperor's favor. It's a shame she didn't become Empress on her own, so naturally, she won't be deposed because of me. I'm not being righteous, but I must think clearly about my future path."
Shi Daichen sighed, "Generals have always been prominent in times of war and hidden treasures in times of prosperity. Otherwise, why would you and I worry so much about just the Duan family?"
Ming Zhaoyi said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. I beg you to continue to take care of the Xue family for me. There's no need to hide it anymore. Even if everyone knows that the Xue family is backed by the General's Mansion, it won't matter."
Shi Daichen could never understand why his sister, who always looked down on others, was so fond of Concubine Xue.
I couldn't help but ask: "A useless person is worthy of you doing this?"
"Useless people are good friends, but once interests are involved, who can say for sure how much sincerity is left?"
Seeing that time was running out, Ming Zhaoyi said, "I should go back."
"Wait." Shi Daichen had something important to say. "Today, at cockcrow, a thief was lingering near the carriages of the imperial concubines and moved the fourth carriage. The thief was quite skilled. The carriage's exterior remained intact, but the yoke was loose."
As luck would have it, because His Majesty had granted them a brother-sister meeting, he hadn't slept that night, so he went straight to the pavilion to wait, only to see everything. He hadn't alerted the thief by arresting him directly because he thought his sister might be of use.
*
Qingzan also came down the mountain at sunrise. Her carriage had been upgraded and now ranked only after Concubine Zhen.
The eunuch who greeted them smiled and said, "We quietly prepared it a few days ago. His Majesty specifically ordered it, so we have arranged it carefully. Master Ronghua, do you think you are satisfied?"
Yesterday, the imperial edict was announced to the six palaces, and the eunuchs shouted loudly. Who doesn't know Ying Ronghua's majesty? His attentive attitude at this time was naturally intended to curry favor with her.
Just as Concubine Zhen was about to get into the car, she happened to hear such a flattering remark.
It's just a one-time ride, so is there any need to go through so much trouble?
What's the special preparation?
Why didn’t His Majesty prepare anything specially for her?
Concubine Zhen was no longer in a hurry to go in. She turned around and took the palace maid's hand and went down again.
Seeing someone coming to look for her, Qingzan bowed and said, "Jieyi Zhen."
Concubine Zhen raised her hand and ran it across the outer wall of the carriage, feeling the tiny bumps and depressions. The outer wall was obviously coated with tung oil and had several beautiful landscape patterns painted on it.
She lowered her hand, and as she spoke, it was like a slap in the face of the boastful eunuch: "Even if the red lacquer is not embellished, and the white jade is not carved, it seems that nothing good can be prepared in such a hurry."
Then, she smiled to herself and said, "Since Your Majesty favors Ronghua, it would be better for her to ride in Concubine Jieyu's carriage rather than Ronghua's. I will be generous and ask my sister to ride with me. What do you think?"
Inviting a beautiful lady to ride in the carriage of the imperial concubine may seem like an honor, but there is only one main seat in the carriage, and people of lower status must naturally sit in the accompanying seat, and they must sit upright all the time and cannot relax. How can they be comfortable?
Concubine Zhen's purpose was obvious. She didn't want anyone to enjoy the things specially prepared by the emperor and she wanted to make her feel uncomfortable.
Before Qing Zan could speak, a young palace maid ran over and bowed to both Concubine Zhen and Qing Zan. "Empress Zhaoyi asks the two ladies not to rush up. She has something to say to you."
Seeing Ming Zhaoyi coming over, Concubine Zhen didn't hide her sarcasm:
"They even sent a palace maid to inform us in advance. Zhaoyi is really putting on a grand ceremony."
After saying that, he still didn't feel relieved. If the other party wasn't superior to him, he would definitely point at her nose and scold her for being hypocritical!
Ming Zhaoyi, however, treated him like a child and gave him only a perfunctory smile.
What she wanted to say was very simple: "It's nothing, really. I just wanted to ask Jieyu, since it's a rare opportunity for us sisters to spend time together. If I also want to ask Jieyu to ride with me on this journey so that we can chat for a while, would you think it would be a flattery?"
This is simply a replica of her approach. If Jieyu can suppress Ronghua, Zhaoyi can do the same to suppress Jieyu.
Concubine Zhen immediately flung her sleeves and snorted, "Zhaoyi is so free that she's lecturing me."
"I'm a bit older than you, so I call you sister. Since we're sisters for life—not just five or ten years, maybe a hundred years—if I see something inappropriate, what's wrong with giving you a little lecture?"
Ming Zhaoyi walked closer to the people and lowered her voice, "Think carefully, His Majesty specially prepared something. If he knew that you had wasted his kindness, how could he be happy?"
Although Concubine Zhen didn't know what Concubine Ming was up to, her warning certainly worked.
It was because she mentioned His Majesty that the irrationality she felt in anger immediately disappeared.
Concubine Zhen said reluctantly, "A hundred years? After a hundred years, I will return to my own room. This is not a good word. I don't want to be with Zhaoyi for a hundred years."
Regardless, Concubine Zhen didn't "invite" Qingzan again. She just got into the carriage, dragging her gorgeous, crimson-gold skirt with her own tail.
In fact, Qingzan is not unable to deal with Concubine Zhen.
But Ming Zhaoyi did have good intentions.
Qing Zan was not so ungrateful as to say: "Thank you, Madam, for helping me out."
At that moment, the sky was bright and clear, and a flock of early morning geese were flying south. Most of the concubines were ready, just waiting to set off. Qingzan and Ming Zhaoyi were the last ones still standing outside.
The numerous banners and canopies formed a long, mighty dragon, with no end in sight. Ming Zhaoyi looked back and forth before warning Qingzan, "Someone has tampered with your yoke."
Qingzan was slightly startled, and looked down at the yoke of the carriage beside him without leaving any trace.
Who wants to attack her again?
But what surprised her even more was that as long as she followed Concubine Zhen and did not take this car, all those tricks and schemes would be defeated on their own, and those who wanted to harm her would be in vain.
But Ming Zhaoyi came over specifically to stop Zhen Jieyu's actions and then told her about this matter.
This means that Ming Zhaoyi's primary purpose was not to save her... but to make her do her a favor.
She was being nice to her.
Ming Zhaoyi's next words further confirmed this.
Ming Zhaoyi walked up to Qingzan, almost brushing past her. "Your Majesty's kindness is precious and must not be wasted. I also want to get to know Ying Ronghua, and I'm willing to open the door for you. So, on this trip, whether you want to take the risk or take it easy is entirely up to you."
If he chose to take the risk and pretended to be unaware and boarded the carriage as usual, if he was frightened, the emperor would punish the perpetrator severely. But it was too late to make complete preparations. If he was separated from his carriage along the way, he would be frightened and suffer physical pain.
You can choose to "counter" hard work with leisure, which is equivalent to accepting the olive branch thrown by Ming Zhaoyi.
Ming Zhaoyi was quite proud and disdained to be forced, so she was given ample room to choose.
The convoy's urging was heard frequently. Ming Zhaoyi said, "I will go first. Ronghua should make a decision early."
Seeing that departure was imminent, they could no longer hesitate. Doukou was already anxious as if on fire: "Master, what should we do?"
Qingzan had already made a plan.
If she really had to choose, she would always choose the third path she had taken.
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