Chapter 73 Xiao Jin is a little awkward
Yun Zhao's heart sank suddenly, and in a flash, she caught the most dangerous answer.
She raised her eyes, with a hint of disbelief and tentativeness, and her voice became a little softer: "Your Majesty means... to select women from our Yun clan to enter the palace?" She stared at Xiao Jin, trying to find a trace of denial on his face.
Xiao Jin's slender fingers unconsciously stroked the cold wall of the cup. Upon hearing this, his eyebrows raised slightly, an elusive light flashed in his deep eyes, and he admitted frankly, "Yes. I... did have this consideration."
As expected! Yun Zhao felt a chill running up his spine.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm. Her voice was clear and earnest, laced with undeniable practical considerations: "Your Majesty, I believe this proposal is deeply inappropriate! The Yun family now commands a large military force and holds the rank of Duke. They are already in a state of turmoil. As a female official serving before the Emperor, I have already attracted countless jealous glances. If another daughter of the Yun family were to enter the palace..."
She paused slightly, her tone heavy, "—This is like adding fuel to a raging fire. It will surely ignite public resentment and make the Yun family a target of public criticism! This is not a blessing for Your Majesty, nor for the Yun family!"
Xiao Jin's face instantly darkened, like the sky before a storm, and his voice grew colder: "Yun Zhao, are you here to irritate me on purpose today?"
"I dare not!" Yun Zhao immediately bowed his head, his attitude respectful yet firm. "My sincere words are all for the sake of Your Majesty and Daye! The power of the foreign relatives is too great, and it is difficult to get rid of them. It will only harm the stability of the country and will not benefit it in any way!"
She raised her head, her eyes clear and frank, even with a subtle hint of persuasion, "Your Majesty is a wise ruler throughout history, decisive and decisive. You possess the talent to rule the world. How can you be influenced by a mere concubine in the harem? The Yun family has my father and brother who have defended the border for Your Majesty, sacrificing their lives. This is enough! There is no need to rely on nepotism to maintain your favor!"
[The Yun family tree is already too tall and attracts too much wind! We absolutely cannot add any more branches and leaves!]
[But... why is he so unhappy? Every word I say is for his sake and the Yun family's sake!]
[Could it be... he really has his eye on Yun Ling? Uncle San's fourteenth sister is indeed the most beautiful flower in the Yun family...]
The hall fell into a suffocating silence.
Xiao Jin said nothing, his heavy gaze falling on Yun Zhao, with a scrutiny and a hint of... indescribable complexity.
Yun Zhao felt uneasy when he looked at her. She gritted her teeth and threw out the name, almost desperately trying to find out. "Your Majesty...are you interested in my cousin Yun Ling? She is only seventeen years old, in the prime of her life, and her appearance...is indeed outstanding. If Your Majesty is interested, you can bring her into the palace and make her a noble lady..." She tried to keep her voice calm, "That's not a bad idea."
As soon as she said it, she regretted it. This was simply adding fuel to the fire!
As expected, Xiao Jin's lips curled up into an extremely glaring, mocking arc, and his voice was like ice: "Oh! Yun Zhao, in your eyes, I am that kind of lustful, foolish and incompetent monarch? I need you to think about what position I should be given? Hmm?!"
The ending tone of that "hmm" rose, carrying with it thunderous anger and... the humiliation of being deeply misunderstood.
Yun Zhao was completely depressed.
[This won't work, and that won't work! It can't be true... that Wu Lingyu's bad words really hit the mark for me, right?!]
[Damn it! If this is really the case... I can't stay in this deep palace for even a moment! I'll wait for my father to return victorious, and even at the risk of my dignity, I'll beg for an imperial decree to release me from the palace!]
Xiao Jin keenly caught the flash of panic and...retreat in her eyes! She had guessed it! But she actually wanted to escape?! This realization was like pouring boiling oil into a raging fire!
"Get out!" Xiao Jin's suppressed anger erupted instantly, and he slammed the table, causing the cups and glasses to clink. "Take your things and get out!"
[You're losing your temper again! You can't tell the truth, and you can't just guess! Fine! I'm out! As far away as I can go!]
Yun Zhao, too, was simmering with anger, yet her expression remained remarkably calm. Without the slightest fluster, she slowly and methodically began to clear the dishes, her movements even described as graceful. Once she was finished, she opened the palace door and summoned the palace attendants. Her voice was clear and calm, without a trace of grievance: "Your Majesty has finished. These meals are untouched, so please don't waste them. Distribute them among the palace attendants on duty. If there are any who haven't eaten, reward them. Make sure all meals are distributed thoroughly, and do not skimp or withhold them!"
"Yes! Master Shangshi!" The palace servants showed joy on their faces and happily took away the sumptuous dishes.
Yun Zhao turned to the worried Zhang Fuan standing beside him and said calmly, "Eunuch Zhang, His Majesty has finished his dinner. If you require tea or additional meals, please send someone to the Imperial Food Bureau to make the request."
"Well, I've got it in mind." Zhang Fuan responded quickly, watching Yun Zhao's straight and distant back disappear at the end of the palace road, then he turned around and entered the hall with a worried look on his face.
Inside the hall, Xiao Jin had already sat back at his desk, a low pressure atmosphere shrouding him, his face so gloomy that water could drip out of it.
Zhang Fuan held his breath and stood there with his hands hanging down, not daring to make a sound.
In the dead silence, Xiao Jin suddenly spoke, his voice strangely hoarse, almost confused:
"Zhang Fuan..."
"The old slave is here."
"You say..." Xiao Jin's gaze fell into the void, as if asking a huge question, "Yun Zhao... can she be the queen?"
Zhang Fuan was horrified! But he didn't dare show it on his face. He carefully replied, "Your Majesty, if we consider her status, talent, virtue, and character... Yun Shangshi is naturally... worthy of the position of Empress."
Xiao Jin scoffed, his laughter filled with self-mockery and the sting of rejection. "Can she handle it? But she doesn't want to! She gave me such high-sounding excuses! Something about the power of the foreign relatives, something about it being detrimental to the country! Every word she said was an attempt to push me away!"
Zhang Fuan broke out in a cold sweat: "Your Majesty... Yun Shangshi... She just broke off the unpleasant engagement with the King of Qin. Maybe... maybe she still has some feelings about it? Maybe... wait a little longer? Wait until she untangles her feelings..." He tried to find a way out.
"Wait?" Xiao Jin interrupted irritably, "I can wait! Will those buzzing flies of the previous dynasty wait? They'll drown me with their spit!"
Zhang Fuan gritted his teeth and risked his life, "Then...what if His Majesty issues a direct decree? Yun Shangshi is the legitimate daughter of a duke, and her status is noble. The previous dynasty...will probably have nothing to say!"
Xiao Jin suddenly raised his eyes and looked at him as if he were a fool, his tone cold and hard: "I said! She! Doesn't! Agree!!" The three words "Does! Agree" were almost squeezed out from between his teeth, with a strong sense of frustration.
Zhang Fuan felt his scalp tingle, and cold sweat soaked his shirt. He racked his brains, cautiously probing, "Then... Your Majesty, I dare to ask... is it... that you're being too kind to Shang Shi? So kind... that... she's become accustomed to it, and... doesn't see the real purpose?" He glanced at Xiao Jin's face, his voice trailing off. "Perhaps... give her some distance? Let her... figure it out on her own?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jin rubbed his throbbing temples and remained silent for a long time.
That involuntary closeness, the companionship in his free time, the relaxation he showed only in her presence... Turns out she saw it as a burden? A trouble he couldn't avoid?
An indescribable feeling of suffocation and... a vague sense of grievance surged in my heart.
After a long while, he finally waved his hand wearily, his voice carrying a subtle hint of desolation:
"Forget it. Pass on my oral order: If there is no important matter in the next three days, Yun Shangshi...does not need to come to serve. Let her...rest well."
"Your old servant... obeys your command." Zhang Fuan bowed and accepted the order, sighing in his heart: The word "love" is so awkward that even the emperor cannot escape the word "awkward"!
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