Chapter 11 A Plate of Pastries If the Empress Dowager has something to say, she might as well speak frankly.
Pei Muwei raised his long eyes expressionlessly, his gaze meeting the delicate, magnolia-like face behind the landscape screen.
Chu Yueyuan tiptoed, her hands pressed against the edge of the screen, and watched helplessly as her shout caused the Regent to ruin a document.
Feeling guilty, she looked away from the memorial and said softly, "I... came to thank Minister Pei for having the Imperial Household Department prepare a comfortable study for me... to rest in."
Chu Yueyuan originally wanted to say "handling government affairs", but after thinking it over, she felt that the word "rest" was more in line with her, the lazy and gluttonous harem mistress.
"The Empress Dowager has already thanked me."
"Oh, really..."
Chu Yueyuan's toes, which had been raised on tiptoe, felt a little sore and numb, so she had to put her heels down, her ten fingers, which were resting on the wooden frame of the screen, curled up nervously.
Remembering what happened at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, she still decided to keep her distance from the man.
The entire face exposed outside the screen was suddenly reduced to a pair of watery, peach-blossom eyes. The corners of the woman's eyes drooped slightly, and her dark pupils met the light, revealing a hint of ingratiation in her eyes.
"Does Minister Pei like to eat lotus seeds?"
Pei Muwei placed the wolf-hair brush on the brush holder and said in a calm tone, "If the Empress Dowager has something to say, she may speak frankly."
The little head that had been lowered behind the screen suddenly popped out again, like a wilted flower bud that had suddenly absorbed water and blossomed with bright colors.
Meeting the man's dark gaze, Chu Yueyuan mustered her courage and said, "I find Xiao Yanzi's personality quite endearing. I wonder... if you would be so kind as to part with him and allow me to take him back to Fengqi Palace?"
Pei Muwei raised an eyebrow slightly, and a rare ripple appeared in his unfathomable eyes.
The Empress Dowager's request was unexpected.
At the beginning of the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty, a system of hereditary appointments was established, in which meritorious families held special privileges that could benefit not only their children but also their relatives, allowing them to enter the ranks of officials without having to take the imperial examinations.
These so-called "officials with honorary titles" had no real power, yet they enjoyed the government's salary. The government supported a large number of idle officials, which over time became a malignant tumor that could not be underestimated.
However, all the emperors of the Great Qi Dynasty cherished their reputation and wanted to leave a good name in history. No one was willing to offend the powerful families and eradicate this cancer.
Now, with the border in dire straits, the court and the Canglang Army are constantly at war, military expenditures are enormous, and the national treasury is empty. Pei Muwei has ordered the rectification of officialdom, the reduction of redundant officials, and the dismissal of many idle positions and officials, including the younger brother of the Empress Dowager.
He had assumed that the Empress Dowager was being overly attentive to him today in order to plead for her good-for-nothing brother.
Unexpectedly, it was all for a handsome servant.
Pei Muwei's lips curved into a faint smile.
"It is a blessing for Xiao Yanzi that the Empress Dowager has taken a liking to him. After a while, Eunuch Wang will inform the Imperial Household Department, and Your Highness can take him away."
"Thank you very much, Minister Pei!" Chu Yueyuan beamed with joy.
To others, Xiao Yanzi was nothing more than a clever and sensible little eunuch, but to her, she was of great use.
When the young empress dowager smiled, her eyes seemed to bloom with the vitality of spring, and her pair of peach blossom eyes were like peach petals covered with morning dew, making her exceptionally charming and lovely.
A moment later, a slender figure flashed past from behind the screen, like a delicate flower peeking out from the wall, bringing a faint fragrance.
Holding a jade plate, Chu Yueyuan stepped out gracefully and said with a smile, "My mother's ancestral home is in Yangzhou, so she has always kept several vats of water lilies in the courtyard to ease her homesickness. After I entered the palace, I moved these water lilies to the Phoenix Perch Hall. Recently, as the weather has warmed up, these water lilies have started to produce lotus seeds."
She raised her eyebrows and said again:
"My personal maid, Xu, is an excellent cook, especially skilled at making tea snacks. She has made quite a few lotus seed cakes using the newly formed lotus seeds. I have heard that the Regent is busy with state affairs, working tirelessly day and night. Lotus seeds have the effects of clearing heat and relieving internal fire, as well as brightening the eyes and moisturizing the lungs. When the Regent is drinking tea to refresh himself, he might as well try some lotus seed cakes."
Pei Muwei's gaze fell on the woman's delicate hand holding the jade plate.
The young empress dowager removed the gilded nail guards from her fingers, revealing hands like jade shoots and wrists like lotus roots, with delicate white fingertips tinged with a faint pink.
He nodded slightly: "Your humble servant is deeply grateful for Your Majesty's kindness."
"You're too kind, Minister Pei."
Chu Yueyuan knew that the Regent disliked formalities, so she put down the jade plate and quickly turned to leave, so as not to delay Lord Jiaolong from continuing to roam the sea of power.
"Your Majesty, I have heard that the Empress Dowager punished the palace servants in Fengqi Palace a few days ago."
A man's cool voice sounded from behind. His calm tone revealed no emotion, yet it made my heart tighten and skip a beat.
Chu Yueyuan stopped in her tracks, turned around, and nodded calmly: "That is true. Two palace servants in Fengqi Palace said some inflammatory things, which were overheard by Lady Du, who was visiting the Emperor. In order to rectify the palace atmosphere, I ordered Commander Lin to deal with the two."
"Did I do anything wrong in this matter?"
Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting the woman's elegant and graceful silhouette onto the jade screen, perfectly overlapping with the seated figure of the man.
Pei Muwei gazed quietly at the young Empress Dowager. His deep features were bathed in sunlight, making him look otherworldly. His voice was gentle, yet every word carried a chill.
"The Empress Dowager is too kind-hearted and lenient towards her subordinates, which may make it difficult to deter villains. If anyone in the army dares to spread rumors and mislead people, according to the army law, their tongue should be cut out, then they should be hanged, and their body should be hung on the beam for seven days, allowing birds and beasts to peck at it, as a warning to others."
After saying this, a faint smile appeared on his lips: "However, Your Highness is free to deal with the people in the Empress Dowager's palace as you see fit, and you need not concern yourself with them in the future."
Chu Yueyuan met the man's dark, jade-like eyes, only to find that there was not a trace of warmth in those deep eyes.
The man's way of dealing with traitors was decisive and ruthless. Chu Yueyuan couldn't help but think of herself. If she were to betray him one day, would her tongue be cut out, and she be hung upside down from the rafters of the Phoenix Perch Palace to bleed, so that the palace servants passing by would point and whisper about her?
Pei Muwei lowered his eyes, picked up the wolf-hair brush from the brush holder with his long fingers, and then wrote on the memorial with swift, flowing strokes.
The man was exceptionally handsome, with a noble air and an elegant demeanor. However, Chu Yueyuan seemed to see a bloodthirsty demon hidden beneath his ethereal appearance. A chill ran down her spine and made her scalp tingle, causing her to momentarily forget to move.
Pei Muwei looked up at the dazed Empress Dowager and patiently asked, "Does Your Majesty have anything else to say?"
Chu Yueyuan suddenly came to her senses, hurriedly lowered her eyelashes, and forced herself to remain calm as she replied, "I... am fine."
She left the Chuigong Hall almost as if fleeing, and only when she stepped outside and the warm spring sunshine bathed her in its warmth, and the gentle breeze caressed her icy fingertips, did the chill that had been lingering in her heart begin to dissipate.
She breathed a deep sigh of relief, secretly thankful.
Fortunately, she was not fooled by the Regent's handsome appearance and revealed that the monthly allowance for the Phoenix Palace was insufficient.
Doing business with a demon would inevitably come at a price she could not afford.
The study was free of that bothersome fragrance, and Pei Muwei's writing flowed smoothly as he finished reviewing today's memorials in less than half an hour.
Eunuch Wang hurriedly presented a warm handkerchief soaked in cedar water.
The man's fingers were long and clean, without a single trace of ink. He took the handkerchief and slowly wiped his fingertips.
Observing the Regent's calm expression, Eunuch Wang whispered a reminder: "Your Highness, what should we do with this plate of lotus seed cakes?"
Pei Muwei raised his eyes and looked at the white jade plate on the table, his sword-like eyebrows twitching almost imperceptibly.
The lotus seed cakes on the plate are as white as jade. Each piece is carefully pressed into an exquisite lotus flower shape, lightly brushed with a layer of glistening osmanthus honey, and neatly piled into small mountains, exuding an enticing aroma.
The man washed his hands, stood up, and tossed the damp cloth back into the gilded dragon and cloud tray. His voice was extremely faint, uttering only a few words:
"Give it to the eunuch."
Wang Gonggong was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses and hurriedly bowed deeply, saying, "This servant thanks Your Highness for the reward."
Only after the man's tall and upright figure had disappeared into the distance did Eunuch Wang straighten up, frowning as he picked up the lotus seed cake from the table.
He boasted that he was an old man in the palace and had the honor of serving two emperors.
Emperor Wu was stern and rarely smiled.
The Emperor Shang was tyrannical, cruel, and incompetent.
Eunuch Wang was a man of great social skill, and with his ability to understand the emperor's mind, he thrived in the service of two emperors.
Until he met the regent, whose mind was even more unfathomable than the grain of a walnut.
The man seemed to be shrouded in an impenetrable fog; it was impossible to guess his thoughts, let alone see through him.
The day before, the Regent felt sorry for the Empress Dowager's troubles and ordered the Imperial Household Department to build a magnificent golden house to house her. But today, when the Empress Dowager offered him lotus seed cakes, he didn't even glance at them before giving them away.
Eunuch Wang picked up a piece of lotus seed cake from the plate, put it in his mouth, squinted and smacked his lips a few times, and the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes lifted up.
Tsk, it's quite sweet!
——
Golden sunlight bathed the tall and majestic double-eaved palace, and the dragon claw locust trees planted on both sides of the white marble steps of the imperial road sprouted tender green buds, unknowingly adding the touch of spring.
Pei Muwei descended the steps, his steps steady and unhurried, the gentle spring breeze carrying away the last lingering fragrance from his clothes.
The Great Qi Dynasty was quite open about matters between men and women, and the Xiao family was particularly chaotic and scandalous.
The unrestrained and romantic nature seemed to be deeply ingrained in the blood of the Xiao imperial family, with almost every emperor having countless romantic escapades recorded in history.
Emperor Wu's disgraceful act of forcibly taking a minister's wife is considered harmless when placed in the list of scandalous affairs of the Xiao family's ancestors.
Wang Gonggong misjudged his relationship with the young empress dowager, but Pei Muwei didn't take it to heart.
His meager kindness towards the young empress dowager was merely out of pity for her loneliness and isolation in the palace.
He was not a member of the Xiao clan, nor did he have such despicable blood flowing in his veins, so how could he harbor any lustful thoughts towards his nominal sister-in-law?
If the young empress dowager is intelligent, sensible, and obedient, he can grant her wealth and honor, and let her live out the rest of her life in peace.
But if a woman is blinded by power and profit and commits a foolish act, he can remain completely unmoved...
Get rid of her.
A note from the author:
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Thanks to readers "Xingxing", "Yanhuo", and "Sixiwanzi" for the nutrient solution, and thanks to reader "Yehangxifei" for the rocket launcher.
There's one baby whose nutrient solution was watered but I can't find the record, but I wrote them all down. Thank you, babies! Sending love!
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