"Is that so? I'll try some too. I love tea brewed with plum blossom snow water the most. Someone, bring me a cup."
Leaning back on the armrest, the old emperor chuckled.
Consort Gao felt a chill run down her spine. She quickly gave the palace maid who was brewing tea a meaningful look, and the maid hurriedly cleared the teapot from the table.
"Your Majesty, the tea has gone cold. Let me brew you another cup..."
"You blind lackey, where's the cold? The temperature is just right."
Eunuch Su kicked her, and the tea-brewing maid was knocked to the ground.
"Father-in-law?"
"Get out of my way! You're all so spoiled. Even His Majesty has trouble getting a cup of tea."
As he spoke, several eunuchs carried tea and a table to the old emperor.
Kneeling behind the tea table, Eunuch Su poured a cup of the first pot of tea with a fawning expression.
"Your Majesty, please have some."
"Is this the plum blossom snow water that the princess personally collected?"
Holding a teacup, the old emperor looked at Li Yuyan with curiosity.
Li Yuyan quickly stepped forward, knelt down beside the old emperor, and glanced triumphantly at Jiang Shuwan before saying, "Your Majesty, it was the plum blossom snow water that Yan'er collected yesterday. I even brewed a cup for Your Majesty today. You even said at the time..."
"Something smells off to me!"
The old emperor didn't even let her finish speaking before interrupting her.
He drank it all in one gulp.
frown.
He looked at Li Yuyan with a meaningful expression.
"Nan'an, this is clearly just ordinary well water!"
Li Yuyan: "..."
Consort Gao: "..."
Guo Yaqin: "..."
The three women were stunned, including the ladies of the outer court. Many of them had smelled the aroma of the tea earlier, and it was indeed made with plum blossom snow water.
"Another one, please."
"Your Majesty, please have some."
Eunuch Su quickly poured a second cup, which the old emperor also drank in one gulp.
"This is just ordinary well water!"
Li Yuyan: "..."
Consort Gao: "..."
Guo Yaqin: "..."
"Your Majesty." Suppressing a smile, Eunuch Su handed the third cup to the old emperor.
After drinking it, it was still "ordinary well water".
"uncle……"
Li Yuyan looked at the old emperor in shock and despair. In her haste, she even changed how she addressed him.
She was very young when she entered the palace, a tiny three-year-old girl who didn't know what an emperor was. She only knew that the old emperor was her father's biological brother.
He was the closest person to her in the palace; normally, everyone would kneel down upon seeing the old emperor.
She was the only one who rushed up and hugged the old emperor's leg, calling him "Uncle, Uncle." The little girl hugged the old emperor's leg tenderly, her expression full of admiration and respect. She was very cute.
In the entire palace, only she had this privilege; she dared to call out like that.
The old emperor subtly flicked his right hand, which was resting on the table, and looked at Li Yuyan, who was kneeling beside him, with affection.
He raised his hand and gently patted Li Yuyan's head, his cloudy eyes filled with the love of an elder for a younger generation.
"Yu Yan, your royal uncle values you the most, you know that, right?"
“Uncle…” Li Yuyan looked at him with teary eyes. She didn’t know why she had an urge to cry, and her eyes also held a glimmer of hope.
"But you can't just act recklessly!"
With hope gone, Li Yuyan stared blankly at the old emperor, like a doll whose soul had been taken away.
She stared blankly at the old emperor for a long time before her gaze finally fell on Jiang Shuwan.
She still doesn't understand why this happened.
With a loving sigh, the old emperor grasped Li Yuyan's hand and squeezed it gently. He remained incredibly kind and doting towards Li Yuyan.
He turned his head and gave Consort Gao a stern look, then reprimanded her.
"Your Highness, it's one thing for the princess to act recklessly at such a young age, but why are you joining in her nonsense?"
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Please punish me."
Without the slightest hesitation, Consort Gao hurriedly knelt down, her back half-soaked with sweat.
"Never mind, you've worked hard preparing the palace banquet. It's the New Year, how could I blame you?"
As the old emperor spoke, he helped Consort Gao to her feet.
"Father..."
Gao Yaqin suddenly called out, and the old emperor's gaze immediately swept over her.
In an instant, Guo Yaqin felt as if her whole body was frozen, completely unable to move, and even breathing became difficult.
Her heart almost stopped beating; fear and tension filled her body, making her feel dizzy.
"Does Princess Consort You have something to say?" The old emperor looked at her without any emotion, his gaze as if she were an ant.
No, no.
Guo Yaqin dared not utter a single word, not even daring to raise her eyes, burying her head deeply, her legs trembling.
The other women of official rank were the same, trembling with fear, and dared not say anything.
"His Majesty is protecting Jiang Shuwan."
—That was the only thought on everyone's mind.
By this time, the officials had probably come to their senses, and their gazes shifted between Jiang Shuwan and the old emperor before settling on Pei Yanzhi.
Pei Yanzhi was seated next to Jiang Shuwan by the palace maid. The young man remained calm and composed, not uttering a single word throughout the entire process, including now.
The old emperor was all smiles, and Consort Gao quickly changed the subject, pouring him wine while asking, "Your Majesty, why are you so happy? Has something good happened?"
"The new commercial tax has been collected, totaling more than six million taels, which is three times that of last year. Pei Yanzhi has made a contribution, and I have appointed him as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."
"..."
Although the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was subordinate to the Minister and Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, it was still a powerful official position of the third rank.
How could a newly appointed official's son...
Consort Gao was shocked and looked at her son sitting below her.
Li Chengyou shook his head, and Consort Gao could only shut her mouth.
No wonder His Majesty protects Jiang Shuwan; it turns out she's benefiting from his influence...
Li Yuyan, who had been crying her eyes out, finally came to her senses and her gaze shot towards Jiang Shuwan like an arrow.
"Are you the Crown Princess? Come here and let me see you."
Just then, a clear, ethereal voice resounded throughout the entire Shaohua Hall.
In fact, her voice was no longer young, but since no one in the hall spoke, her voice suddenly sounded ethereal and otherworldly.
Hearing her call her name, Jiang Shuwan turned around and glanced at her. She saw that the other woman was a middle-aged concubine in her forties, with a gentle face and a calm temperament. It was clear that she had been a beauty in her youth.
Judging from her attire and seating arrangement, she was only below Consort Gao and above Consort Li, so she must have some status. It's just that she hadn't spoken before, so her presence had been overlooked.
"Silly girl, what are you looking at? Consort Rong wants to see you."
Seeing that Jiang Shuwan hesitated and did not move, Consort Li chuckled, "Consort Rong has always been kind, there is no need to be afraid."
She was none other than Consort Rong, one of the four consorts below the Imperial Concubine.
With a single step, Jiang Shuwan quickly walked over.
Yao Zhijie is Consort Li's nephew. The sixth prince, born to Consort Li, is now jointly managing commercial taxes with Pei Yanzhi, so Consort Li would not harm her.
But she has no connection with this Consort Rong!
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