Chapter 75 Deceiving the Emperor: The most skillful thing for treacherous officials is deceiving the emperor…
It was the dead of night.
Under the eaves, Eunuch Wang, with a stern face, carefully instructed the six palace maids he had selected:
"Be smarter, everyone. Treat yourselves like the blind, the deaf, and the mute. Don't look at what you shouldn't see, don't listen to what you shouldn't hear, and swallow what you shouldn't say. If anything goes wrong..."
Eunuch Wang gave a sinister sneer, raised his whisk and pointed towards the mass grave in the southwest corner outside the imperial city: "See that? That's your final resting place!"
The palace maids trembled with fear and nodded in agreement: "We've got it."
It wasn't until midnight, around 3 AM, that the clear, crisp sound of a golden bell finally rang out in the study.
Eunuch Wang gestured with his lip: "Hurry up and go in, and be quick. Remember, if you want to save your life, don't look around!"
Six palace maids, carrying brand-new soft-core scented pillows, silk quilts, warm water towels, and purple herbal ointment, filed into the hall. The two maids at the head of the group pushed open the tightly closed carved lattice door, and instantly, a decadent aroma of fragrance and musk wafted out.
The palace maids, their faces flushed, entered the study, candle handles in hand. As they passed the floor-to-ceiling carved peony embroidered screen, their eyelids twitched uncontrollably at the scene inside.
In the dim candlelight, only clothes and blouses were piled on the carpet. The azure-colored sheets on the wide rosewood couch, adorned with twin lotus blossoms, were covered in creases, and a sunken soft pillow rested on the edge of the couch, indicating that someone had lain down there...
The regent, dressed in a light blue undergarment, sat on a rosewood armchair where guests could rest, with a woman wrapped tightly in blankets in his arms.
The palace maids dared not raise their heads, only able to glimpse the woman's slender, beautiful feet exposed under the mattress through their lowered gazes, with obvious finger marks on her snow-white ankles.
They quickly tidied up the bedding on the couch. One of the palace maids picked up the clothes and silk flowers on the ground. By the dim candlelight, she recognized them as the clothes worn by palace maids. Startled, she mustered her courage and quickly glanced upwards.
However, fearing that the candlelight would disturb the sleeping woman in his arms, the regent covered her face with his large hand, preventing him from seeing her features.
The man said calmly, "No need to pack up, everyone get out."
"This servant obeys."
The palace maids left behind the washbasin, handkerchiefs, and purple gromwell ointment, and with their heads bowed, they withdrew from the study.
Pei Muwei gently placed the sleeping Empress Dowager on dry bedding and carefully wiped away the stickiness from her body with a handkerchief dampened with warm water.
A woman's skin is too delicate; if one is even slightly careless, it is easy to leave deep or shallow marks on her fair skin—marks that belong to him.
Pei Muwei's eyes darkened slightly. He held the woman's soft hand and gently kissed her fingers. His thin lips landed on the red plum blossoms, trying to fill her with his scent, from head to toe, inside and out.
In her sleep, Chu Yueyuan frowned and muttered softly, "Ugh... that damned Pei..."
Pei Muwei's lips curled slightly. Just now in the warm tent, the little empress dowager had cursed him through gritted teeth, calling him a shameless scoundrel, a despicable sycophant, and a scoundrel Pei... When she found that cursing was not working, she coiled around him like a water snake, calling him "little uncle" in a soft, watery voice, which finally made him break down completely.
The inheritance of bloodlines is the most mysterious thing.
He used to despise his father's actions of forcibly taking his wife, but now he himself has embarked on the same wrong path, and even wants to forcibly turn this wrong path into the right one.
Pei Muwei lay down beside the woman, gently brushed away the damp hair clinging to her forehead, wiped away the tear stains from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips, and gazed deeply at her peaceful sleeping face, his eyes growing darker.
He knew what she was plotting, but she didn't know what he was plotting.
_____
The next day, Chu Yueyuan was awakened by the sound of arguing outside the window.
"What time is it? Why haven't the Regent and the Empress Dowager summoned us for an audience?"
"Please go in and inform them again that whether or not today's court assembly will proceed depends on the Regent's decision. The sun is high in the sky; we can't just stand outside waiting forever..."
"Could it be... that something has happened to His Majesty again?"
Outside the Hall of Diligent Governance, facing questions from a group of ministers, Eunuch Wang had almost pulled the whisk out of his hand.
Even Eunuch Wang, who had stayed up all night, was starting to feel the strain. His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was high-pitched and hoarse.
"Oh dear, Grand Secretary Qian is talking nonsense. His Majesty is in good health and is currently listening to Confucius's lecture at Zishan Hall. The Regent has urgent business to attend to and is unable to leave. Why don't you gentlemen go to the West Warm Pavilion and have some chilled plum soup?"
Hearing the commotion outside the window, Chu Yueyuan suddenly opened her eyes.
Immediately afterwards, she felt waves of soreness in every inch of her skin, as if she had been riding a fast horse for eight hundred miles overnight, and her bones felt like they were about to fall apart.
She rubbed her head and slowly sat up. The sky-blue silk quilt slipped silently off her rounded shoulders. In the morning light, the woman's fair skin was covered with plum blossom marks, each one carefully coated with ointment. Even the deepest wounds were treated with ointment by the man himself.
Chu Yueyuan's ears suddenly burned.
She turned her head to look at the man's sleeping face, and the intense passion of the previous night involuntarily surfaced in her mind; his jade-like face was as radiant as a lotus flower.
However, the sounds of arguing outside the window abruptly shattered the romantic atmosphere inside the tent, pulling her back to reality from her embarrassment.
"No, the salt tax case in my hands is extremely urgent! I beg you, Your Excellency, to make an exception and let me in to see the Regent. If the Prince punishes me, I will accept it."
"Lord Li, please don't act rashly, please don't act rashly!"
Chu Yueyuan forced her aching legs to get off the bed, picked up the clothes scattered on the ground and put them on, then staggered to the window. She quietly opened the shutter a crack and saw Minister Li of the Ministry of Revenue and Eunuch Wang arguing in front of the palace gate, seemingly about to break in.
She was startled, only then remembering that there was a court assembly today.
Chu Yueyuan panicked like an adulterer caught in the act in a room. She hurriedly buttoned up her clothes, trying to use her identity as a palace maid to cover herself up, just like last night, and sneak back to Fengqi Palace under the noses of the officials.
A sudden warmth pressed against her back as the man embraced her from behind, his thin lips close to her ear, his voice slightly hoarse from just waking up: "This humble subject doesn't think this is a good idea..."
Chu Yueyuan was suddenly stunned.
The Regent's words made sense; the darkness of night and the scarcity of palace staff allowed her plan to succeed. However, in broad daylight, with the cabinet ministers outside keeping a close watch on the gates, her going out alone would be too conspicuous.
She said irritably, "Then let me have a foolproof plan, Minister Pei!"
Pei Muwei turned the woman's delicate face, his dark eyes revealing a clear smile: "This humble subject still prefers the little palace maid who threw herself into my arms yesterday."
Chu Yueyuan was extremely anxious and had no mood to joke with him. Seeing that she couldn't get out, she wanted to find a place to hide in the house.
Pei Muwei lowered his eyes and chuckled softly, "Your Highness, rest assured, Minister Li will not come in."
Chu Yueyuan looked up at him and said irritably, "What if Eunuch Wang can't stop him?"
Pei Muwei gazed at the young Empress Dowager in his arms, her black hair disheveled. The sunlight outside the window made every strand of her hair shine. After a night of rain and dew, the woman was like a flower bud sprouting, bright and dazzling. Her eyes were full of irresistible charm, making people's hearts itch with desire.
He brushed aside the woman's long, loose hair, unbuttoned her misfastened clothes with his long fingers, and patiently explained, "Minister Li's unauthorized entry into the Imperial Study will at most result in a salary reduction and demotion, but if Eunuch Wang lets someone in, he will lose his head. Comparing the two, it is natural that the one who is about to lose his head will fight harder."
Chu Yueyuan was skeptical, but she pressed her face against the window lattice and peeked out. Sure enough, just as the Regent had said, although the Eunuch was half a head shorter than Minister Li, he clung to the other's waist like a vine clinging to an old tree, and no matter how Minister Li pushed him, he could not move an inch.
Several eunuchs rushed over to help, and together they carried Minister Li out of the palace gate.
She felt a little relieved, but then suddenly felt a chill. It turned out that while she was focused on what was happening outside, the man had secretly removed her clothes.
Her pale blue palace dress had fallen to her ankles, piling up with her pale blue undergarment.
The coolness was quickly dispelled by the man's heat. Chu Yueyuan clearly felt the source of that intense heat. She turned her head, her dark eyes wide with disbelief as she looked at the man behind her. She wanted to reprimand him, but dared not raise her voice.
"What...what are you going to do?"
Pei Muwei lowered his head and pecked her bright red earlobe. His handsome eyes were filled with passion, but his tone was calm: "What treacherous officials do best is deceive the emperor."
Chu Yueyuan's cheeks were flushed, whether from anger at the treacherous minister or from shame at the villain, her whole body was tinged with a thin layer of pink, like a hibiscus jade infused with rouge, making people want to examine it closely.
She gritted her teeth: "There are so many officials outside... Aren't you afraid they'll find out you're here..."
Pei Muwei stared at the bluffing Empress Dowager, his phoenix eyes smiling, deliberately teasing her, "What am I doing? Please enlighten me, Your Highness?"
That bastard!
Chu Yueyuan turned her head away and ignored him, but her body gradually betrayed her will. The chaotic sounds of arguing outside the window intertwined with the hot breath behind her neck. That immoral stimulation crawled along her spinal cord, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, numbing her bottom line with its venom.
She heard the man behind her gasp softly, his arms tightening around her as he chuckled, "Your Highness, relax, there's no need to be nervous..."
She bit her lower lip hard, her cheeks flushed, and forced herself not to respond to him.
Seeing her stubborn appearance, Pei Muwei couldn't help but lower his head and kiss the thin layer of sweat on her forehead, coaxing her softly, "If Your Highness can relax, then I can relax too. After Lord Chu takes office as Minister of Works, the vacant position of Vice Minister will be filled by Your Highness's elder brother, is that alright?"
Chu Yueyuan turned her head to look at him in astonishment, her eyes flickering slightly: "Is Pei Qing really telling the truth?"
The young empress dowager suddenly tensed, almost causing Pei Muwei to lose control. His brows furrowed, and the five fingers gripping the woman's waist tightened abruptly, his voice slightly hoarse:
"When has this humble subject ever broken a promise to Your Highness?"
The Chu family was not very large. Apart from the two sisters, Chu Yueyuan and Chu Wanxi, there was only Du's youngest son, Chu Hongtu, who was half a year younger than Chu Yueyuan.
As the only son of the Chu family, Chu Hongtu was spoiled by Madam Du from a young age and became arrogant and domineering. He spent his days in the luxurious world of noble sons. Despite being uneducated, he was ambitious and always dreamed of becoming a marquis and prime minister.
When Chu Wanxi entered the palace, she asked Emperor Shang for the position of Grain Supervisor, responsible for escorting grain to the front lines.
But Chu Hongtu was a hopeless case. In just half a year since taking office, he delayed the transport of military supplies three times. The last time, he even let 20,000 troops fight on an empty stomach. If it weren't for the timely arrival of reinforcements, they would have been surrounded and wiped out by the local bandits.
After losing his job as the grain supervisor, Chu Hongtu took a nominal position in the Ministry of Revenue, receiving a salary without working. Later, Pei Muwei implemented new policies and abolished the hereditary system in the Great Qi Dynasty. Without any official position, Chu Hongtu could only stay in the Chu Mansion and study hard, clearly intending to take the imperial examination route.
He gritted his teeth and entered the examination hall this spring, and as for the results...
If he were on the list, Chu Shuheng would not have approached Chu Yueyuan to try and mend the strained father-daughter relationship.
Hearing the Regent's promise, Chu Yueyuan relaxed and eased her tense shoulders and neck.
Even though she was somewhat prepared, the sudden force still made her sway slightly. She quickly covered her red lips with her hands, but some broken sobs still escaped.
The noise inside the Imperial Study was very light, yet it caused Minister Li and Eunuch Wang, who were closest to the window, to fall silent at the same time. Minister Li frowned, wanting to listen more closely, but Eunuch Wang's whisk swept across him, the snow-white dust brushing against his ear like a silent warning.
“Lord Li, I have said this several times: the Regent is really too busy right now. If you are in a hurry, you may hand over the memorial to me. Once the Regent is done, I will definitely be the first to present it to him.”
Eunuch Wang put away his whisk and forced a smile: "If you insist on going in and incurring the Regent's wrath, don't blame me for not stopping you when you're punished!"
After speaking coldly, Eunuch Wang moved half a step away, but his plump body still blocked most of the vermilion-lacquered and carved palace door, as if he were ready to pounce at any moment.
The eunuchs in the palace were all shrewd and cunning, and the old eunuchs were even more cunning and cunning, having cultivated themselves for hundreds of years.
The eunuch's implicit warning was like a bucket of cold water poured over Minister Li's flaring head. Recalling the seductive sounds coming from the study, his expression changed drastically. Only now did he understand why the Regent was so busy...
He suddenly felt a chill on his neck and hurriedly retreated several feet, deliberately raising his voice to say, "This humble official is reckless, then it's up to Eunuch Wang."
Seeing that even the upright Minister Li had changed his attitude and obediently placed his memorial in the sandalwood memorial box held by Eunuch Wang, the other cabinet ministers, not wanting to gamble with their official hats, followed suit and submitted their own memorials.
Before long, the crowd of officials who had been blocking the entrance to the Chui Gong Hall gradually dispersed, and the solemn hall returned to silence.
Soaked in cold sweat, Eunuch Wang's legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the threshold.
Alas, a mediocre ruler turning to good is merely icing on the cake, but a wise ruler turning to evil is what truly causes the world to collapse!
He couldn't help but miss his former master, who was so wicked he was beyond redemption.
Inside the study, a sudden storm raged. A woman's delicate hand supported the lotus-patterned window frame, causing the carved wooden window to creak softly.
Sunlight streamed through the hexagonal plum blossom-shaped window lattice, casting shimmering shadows on the woman's fair skin, as if vibrant plum blossoms were blooming on her body.
Chu Yueyuan's dark eyes were misty as she looked through the half-open window at the drifting clouds that floated leisurely across the sky. The shadows of the beasts on the eaves swayed gently, as if the world itself were spinning. She squinted slightly and saw a scattering of golden light reflected from the distant eaves, which flickered in and out of focus as her gaze swayed.
That was the "Memorial Tower," which was half-built by the Ministry of Works, and it would also be her final resting place.
She couldn't help but imagine that in the future, she would no longer be the Empress Dowager of the Great Qi, and Xiao Yun would no longer be the Emperor of the Great Qi. After the change of dynasties, the two of them would become the most ordinary mother and son in the world, living a leisurely and carefree life in the peaceful memorial tower.
When the new empress enters the palace, if the new emperor is in the mood, he can step into the memorial tower and desecrate the sacred Buddhist site. As time goes by, the novelty and excitement brought by the paradox will fade away.
At that time, she would plead with the new emperor to let her and her son leave the capital and find a beautiful place to settle down.
Thinking about it this way, Chu Yueyuan felt that her future life was still promising.
Suddenly, a man's handsome features came into view.
Pei Muwei was displeased that the young empress dowager was distracted at this moment, so he deliberately made her tremble slightly with his large, sweeping movements. He plucked her slightly parted, moist red lips with his long fingers and stared intently at her with his dark eyes.
"What is Your Highness thinking about?"
Chu Yueyuan withdrew her gaze and looked into the man's possessive dark eyes. She tremblingly reached out and hooked her arm around his slender neck. Her cherry lips parted slightly, and her voice was as sweet as honey.
Kiss me!
The future is unpredictable, so let her revel in the joy of this moment...
———
In the sweltering summer heat, the blazing sun scorched the earth, and few pedestrians were on the road. Most of the shops on Zhuque Street had closed their doors to escape the heat, leaving only a few cool water stalls to attract customers.
The sweltering heat of midsummer enveloped the capital like a steamer, but it did not diminish the enthusiasm of the princes and nobles who traveled from place to place. The reason that supported these high-ranking officials to visit despite the risk of heatstroke was a secret rumor circulating in the capital and two other matters.
The first secret is the most astonishing: the regent, who was usually obsessed with power and had a detached and abstinent nature, surprisingly favored a young palace maid. Rumor has it that the maid possessed fair skin and a graceful figure, and was also skilled in seductive arts. Taking advantage of her close service to the regent, she threw herself into his arms, and the two spent most of the night making love in the imperial study.
The following day at court, the cabinet ministers waited anxiously outside the Hall of Diligent Governance for a long time, only to be met with a box of memorials held by the eunuch Wang. It truly lived up to the poem, "The spring night is short and the sun rises high, from then on the emperor no longer holds morning court," which amazed everyone.
As for the other two matters, one was that the young Empress Dowager in Fengqi Palace fell ill and was bedridden. This matter did not cause much of a stir, since everyone knew that the young Empress Dowager was just a bargaining chip for the Regent to weigh the old and new factions in the court.
However, another incident caused a great uproar in the court.
The selection of the Minister of Works was finalized. The person who ultimately received the seal of the Ministry of Works was neither the newly appointed official recommended by Lin Zhuguan, nor the Vice Minister Ma strongly recommended by the cabinet elders, but the previously unknown Chu Shuheng.
Although Lord Chu, as the maternal grandfather of the young emperor, never expressed his stance in court, the newly appointed officials had long regarded him as a royalist of the lineage of Prince Anxian.
The regent's decree not only baffled his newly rich followers, but also left the royalists speechless.
However, for the royalists, Chu Shuheng taking charge of the Ministry of Works was ultimately a good thing.
From then on, of the nine chief officials of the Three Departments and Six Ministries, four were from the Royalist Party and five from the Reform Party. It seemed like a fair split, but the Ministry of Works was in charge of mountains and lakes, military farms, and artisans, and also had the responsibility of manufacturing military equipment. It was connected with the Ministry of Revenue for money and grain, and with the Ministry of War for military equipment, making it undoubtedly the key to influencing the political situation.
For this reason, under the scorching sun, Lord Lin knelt outside the Hall of Diligent Governance for five consecutive days, pleading with the Regent to rescind his decree. His skin was scorched by the hot stone, his court robes were soaked with sweat, and he cried out in despair, but he could not sway the Regent in the slightest.
On the sixth day, Lin Zhuguan suffered heatstroke and fainted, and was carried to the Imperial Hospital by the Imperial Guards.
Lin Zhuguan's willful actions clearly touched the Regent's sore spot, and the Regent immediately issued an edict to dismiss him from his important position in the Privy Council and order him to reflect on his actions behind closed doors.
The powerful and influential people in the capital were discussing these exciting events. It was some brilliant strategist who unraveled the mystery and connected the three events, thus revealing a story of love, hate, and revenge.
The regent, unable to resist the advances of the charming palace maids, committed a mistake that all men make. Upon hearing this, the empress dowager became extremely jealous and fell ill. To appease the empress dowager, the regent made an exception and promoted Lord Chu, thus alienating his loyal followers who had served him for many years.
Men are only willing to make amends generously when they themselves have made mistakes.
———
In mid-July, Chu Yueyuan summoned her father and younger brother to the Phoenix Perch Palace.
In the center of the East Warm Pavilion, wisps of smoke rose from the inlaid gilded dragon incense burner. A woman in a peony-colored phoenix robe with cloud and rosy patterns sat on a phoenix chair. Her hair was adorned with mutton-fat jade and gold filigree hairpins on both sides, and the red agate ornament on her forehead made her skin look as smooth as jade and her eyebrows and eyes as beautiful as a painting.
She asked with a smile, "Father, it's been half a month since you took office. Is everything going smoothly?"
Chu Shuheng rose from his seat, cupped his hands in greeting, his expression serene, and spoke in a steady tone: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am well."
Although he was over forty, Chu Shuheng's features were still sharp and distinct. His purple official robe, which was of the second rank, made him look calm and noble. When faced with his daughter's concern, he strictly observed the etiquette between a ruler and his subject and was humble in his attitude.
Chu Yueyuan nodded slightly, turned to look at her younger brother beside her, and smiled gently: "Hongtu, are you settling in well at the Ministry of Works?"
Upon hearing his sister's question, Chu Hongtu immediately beamed and said, "With my second sister backing me up, those officials in the Ministry of Works would love to worship me."
Since being dismissed from his official post, Chu Hongtu has been idle all day long. Du Shi drove away the beautiful women in his room and forced him to study in his room, but he was not cut out for studying. Every time Du Shi was not paying attention, he would sneak out over the wall to hang out with his cronies.
Two years later, he finally put on his official robes again, the robes of a fourth-rank vice minister, and sat in the grand office, in charge of all the affairs of the construction department. He was a hundred times better off than the disheveled grain supervisor he had been before.
Especially those powerful young men who used to have to grovel and fawn over him now treat him with deference. This dramatic change makes him feel a sense of smug pride.
Despite rumors circulating in the capital that Du's death was related to the harem, Chu Hongtu scoffed at these rumors.
Like his elder sister Chu Wanxi, he was influenced by Madam Du and looked down on the mother and daughter in Fuxiang Courtyard from a young age.
Many years ago, a young nobleman coveted Chu Yueyuan's beauty. In order to curry favor with the powerful, Chu Hongtu led this lecherous young master to sneak into Fuxiang Courtyard, hoping to catch a glimpse of the beautiful woman bathing. However, they were spotted by a meddlesome old servant who chased them away.
Even though the affair was exposed, under Du's protection, Chu Hongtu was not only not punished, but Chu Yueyuan was also accused of provoking an outsider and was punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall for a month.
In Chu Hongtu's eyes, his second half-sister was a puppet doll who could be manipulated by others since childhood. Even after becoming the empress, she could not break free from the thread that was tied to the Chu family.
Seeing that she had lost favor with the Regent, she immediately tried to please him and her father, hoping that the Chu family would help her consolidate her position in the harem.
Chu Hongtu crossed his legs, picked up the white jade teacup on the table, sipped it a couple of times, and then said casually, "I've been so bored these past two weeks, why don't you go and talk to the Regent again and ask him to arrange a job for me?"
Chu Shuheng turned his head to look at his carefree youngest son, his eyes turning cold: "You must not be disrespectful in front of the Empress Dowager!"
Chu Hongtu shrank back and quickly put his leg down.
Chu Yueyuan gently waved the red silk fan with a design of sea waves and dragons in her hand, her eyes sparkling: "It's alright. Since we are family, there's no need to worry about such formalities. Father, there's no need to scold my younger brother."
She paused, then said, "That night, after listening to my father's teachings, I thought about it for a long time and felt that my father was right. Now, the political situation is turbulent and unpredictable, and no one knows what the future holds. Only if our family supports and looks after each other can we go on together for a long time."
Chu Hongtu immediately clapped his hands and said, "Second sister is absolutely right. As long as my father and I gain a foothold in the court, and we support you, no one will dare to betray you. Second sister can rest assured and enjoy a lifetime of happiness in the Phoenix Palace!"
Chu Shuheng frowned, about to reprimand his son for speaking carelessly, but was interrupted by Chu Yueyuan.
"I have already asked the Regent to entrust you with the task of repairing the 'Memorial Tower'. The tower is now mostly completed, with only the golden roof remaining. Once this is finished, it will be a great achievement, and I will then speak to the Regent to help you get promoted in the Ministry of Works."
Chu Hongtu was overjoyed upon hearing this, feeling as refreshed as swallowing a piece of ice on a sweltering summer day. He patted his chest and assured her, "Second sister, don't worry, I will definitely not let you down."
Chu Shuheng looked at his smug son, but there was little joy in his eyes. His voice was cold: "Alright, you have already paid your respects to the Empress Dowager. Now go and pay your respects to the Emperor."
"I'll go right away!"
After Chu Hongtu left, only the father and daughter, who looked alike, were left in the warm pavilion, staring at each other. The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat strange, as if there was an undercurrent of probing between them.
Chu Yueyuan picked up the sky-blue teacup beside her and took a sip, her tone calm: "Father is now rising rapidly in rank, so why is there no joy on your face? On the contrary, you seem rather unhappy?"
The humility of a subject and the tenderness of a father had vanished from Chu Shuheng's eyes; his gaze was sharp, and his tone was devoid of emotion.
"Your Highness knew that Hongtu was mediocre, so why did you appoint him to an important position in the Ministry of Works?"
Chu Yueyuan slammed down her teacup, a mocking smile curving her lips: "What, Father and Madam Du have a good-for-nothing fool son, and you're blaming me for that?"
Chu Shuheng had never seen her so harsh before, and was speechless for a moment.
However, Chu Yueyuan's even harsher words followed: "If Father had put more effort into raising his children, he wouldn't have raised a daughter who committed adultery, a good-for-nothing son, and now this..."
She blinked her bright eyes slightly, and said calmly, "Unfilial daughter!"
Chu Shuheng glanced at the woman's disdainful gaze, his eyelids twitched twice, but his tone softened: "Back then, I was the one who wronged Yunniang and you..."
"Alright..."
Chu Yueyuan didn't want to hear her mother's name from him; it would be a defilement of her mother. She interrupted his hypocritical act and said coldly, "I have done what Lord Chu asked me to do. I hope you will keep that secret."
She glanced coldly at the face she had once admired, suppressing the surging hatred in her heart, and said again:
"Not only have I appointed you as Minister of Works, but I have also arranged for Chu Hongtu to join the Ministry of Works. Now, Lord Chu, can you tell me... who exactly is that man?"
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, both father and daughter understood the implied meaning behind those words.
Chu Shuheng looked at his intelligent daughter with loving eyes and couldn't help but regret that he hadn't let Madam Hu give birth to another son for him back then.
He smiled and shook his head, saying mysteriously, "It's not time yet."
Chu Yueyuan frowned: "What do you mean by that, Lord Chu?"
Chu Shuheng calmly accepted the hatred in the woman's eyes, his tone indifferent: "When Your Highness will not... or rather, cannot take my life."
Ah, what a tacit understanding born of blood! She knew her father's temperament well, and her father could also see into her thoughts.
She angrily swept her sleeve across the table, and the sky-blue tea set fell to the ground with a crash. The porcelain shards shattered into pieces, impossible to put back together, just like the relationship between father and daughter at that moment.
For the first time, Chu Yueyuan lost her composure in front of him, like a frustrated child throwing a tantrum in front of her father.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Get out!"
Chu Shuheng smiled and bowed, saying, "Your subject takes his leave."
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