Chapter 8 Mushroom's Fury: "Your Majesty, my neck is sore."
"this……"
The palace was completely silent.
"This is a matter of great importance, and my opinion doesn't count." Gu Huizhou raised his hand. "What does General Liang think?"
Liang He frowned. "Your Majesty, I will obey."
Gu Huizhou nodded, "In that case, I am somewhat hesitant."
Gu Huizhou stared at Liang He, and as he expected, a hint of displeasure flashed in the other's eyes as soon as he finished speaking.
"Although General Liang is now a victorious general, he is far from being a suitable match for Miss Li, who is in the prime of her youth. I have also heard that Miss Li previously favored talented men like the top scholar in the imperial examinations?"
Li Yunyun was taken aback; she hadn't expected His Majesty to retort. "This subject...this subject..."
Gu Huizhou smiled and shook his head, "However, I only heard it secondhand. Heroes have always been respected, and this matter will probably become a beautiful story between Minister Liang and Miss Li after it's over."
"Since that's the case, then I will make the decision: the two of you shall choose a date for your marriage!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
-
Inside the Cloud Palace.
Cui Xiangzhu put down the pastries and got up to leave. Gu Huizhou, wearing his undergarments, lay on the soft couch with his eyes closed to rest.
The pot of mushrooms was still placed beside him; the people in the palace had grown accustomed to it.
"Thirteen."
"Your subordinate is here."
Gu Huizhou opened his eyes. "Whose idea do you think this was today?"
Thirteen swallowed hard, pondered for a moment, and said, “I think that during the morning court session, Minister Liang was indeed unaware of this matter and strongly opposed Vice Minister Li’s statement. Perhaps the two officials did not discuss this matter at the time.”
Gu Huizhou nodded slowly, "I had only heard that Miss Li was skilled in music, chess, poetry and painting. I didn't know she was also a beautiful and charming woman."
Yao Ruyi was taken aback. What did this mean?
Thirteen looked up, just as the door opened behind him. A figure exuding coldness stopped beside him and bowed.
"Your Majesty, the Fourteenth Prince has just handed over power to the Twelfth Prince. I did see Liang He meeting with Li Yunyun at the brothel two days ago."
"If I'm not mistaken, this was a scheme orchestrated by these two. Lord Liang and Lord Li are likely unaware of it..."
Gu Huizhou picked up a wine glass and drank for a while. "Our General is also a straightforward person. He never lets himself be wronged."
He had just bestowed a palace maid upon her, but then turned around and chose a lady from a prestigious family for himself.
"Well, it's a good match after all."
Thirteen and Fourteen silently concealed their figures, leaving Yao Ruyi stunned and completely dumbfounded. He had originally thought that this was a coincidence, or perhaps a scheme orchestrated by Lord Liang and Lord Li.
But unexpectedly, the last person to be rescued was that little girl...
He swallowed hard; wouldn't this just embolden Liang He's arrogance even further...?
“However, Your Majesty, although I don’t like Liang He either, he is still a general who returned victorious from war. If he only wants to marry a lady from a noble family who is a good match for him, it is not unreasonable.”
He watched the emperor drinking alone, and the mystery in his heart deepened. Perhaps there was something he didn't know.
Mushrooms don't get caught up in things.
Yao Ruyi watched Gu Huizhou go to bed. He had originally planned to help him heal his wounds these past few days, but he had accidentally let the wounds heal before.
Seeing the dark circles under Gu Huizhou's eyes, Yao Ruyi had another idea.
The candles were blown out, and in the vast Cloud Palace, only Gu Huizhou's breathing could be heard.
After listening carefully for a while and confirming that Thirteen and Fourteen were not there, Yao Ruyi slowly transformed into human form. He was still wearing the same robe as before, which he liked very much.
"Can't sleep well?"
When the emperor fell asleep, his forehead always furrowed slightly. Yao Ruyi looked down at him for a while, then held a pastry in one hand and stroked the man's forehead with the other.
Watching Gu Huizhou's forehead slowly relax, Yao Ruyi withdrew her hand in satisfaction and sat down on the edge of the bed to eat the pastries. This flavor was much lighter than the last one, and he had eaten two or three pieces without getting tired of it.
"How could you not like pastries?" With Liang He still on her mind, Yao Ruyi looked at the booklets on the desk and her heart stirred slightly.
Just look at the mushroom; it will put these things back in their original place.
"Your Majesty, the two armies have been at war for several days. General Liang He has led his army in a continuous retreat. Our front lines have suffered defeats and countless casualties. Yesterday, the Xiao Kingdom severely damaged our Yun Kingdom's city, but General Han led a hundred men in a surprise attack and managed to save it!"
"Your Majesty! General Han and General Liang have disagreed. General Han has secretly joined forces and severely injured the Crown Prince of Xiao..."
"Your Majesty, a great victory has been achieved at the front! General Liang, leading his soldiers in a victory celebration, unintentionally burned down the food and fodder storage tents! We request the court's assistance!"
"Your Majesty, General Han has caught a cold and is weak! Crown Prince Xiao launched a surprise attack on our army at night! General Liang was no match for them and suffered heavy losses!"
"Your Majesty! The military physician offended General Liang yesterday by injuring him after he fell from his horse. He was punished by the general and unfortunately contracted a serious illness! We urge the court to provide assistance!"
"Reporting to Your Majesty..."
...
Don't report it.
Yao Ruyi almost couldn't catch her breath!
He's going to report it to the authorities! He's going to report it to the authorities!
Inside the Cloud Palace, a young man in a white sand robe sat on the emperor's throne, his face contorted with rage. A wisp of orange-red hair peeked out from behind his ear. He held a stack of battle reports in his hand.
Yao Ruyi downed the cup of tea in one gulp. "What an idiot!"
He's no match for Miss Li! Yao Ruyi grew angrier the more she thought about it. Miss Li from the Vice Minister's family was exceptionally beautiful and quick-witted. In fact, this marriage was all planned by Miss Li…
He rolled his eyes, and Yao Ruyi restored the stack of battle reports. He looked around, but there was nothing of any practical use. Finally, he gritted his teeth, grabbed a handful of dirt, and stuffed it into his mouth.
His cheek twitched...
"Pah!" Mushroom, who aspired to be a Confucian official for all time, couldn't help but swear. He stood up and paced back and forth in front of Gu Huizhou's bed.
"Your Majesty! You must punish this man severely! Tell me about his achievements, what... what achievements did he make!"
"Furthermore, every single one of these battle reports mentions him is nothing good! What else can he do besides cause trouble! He even killed the army doctor!"
This incident almost made the mushroom turn into its original form.
"And he even burned the grain supplies during his victory celebration! Your Majesty, investigate thoroughly! You must investigate thoroughly! Is Liang He really not a spy sent by the enemy?"
Yao Ruyi had been spending time with Gu Huizhou these past few days and had learned a bit about everything. Now, just thinking about Liang He made him feel dizzy. "How could we let Miss Li marry such a person?"
“Although,” Yao Ruyi glanced guiltily at Gu Huizhou, “Although she lied to you…”
"Okay, she lied to you."
To scheme against the Emperor is tantamount to deceiving the Sovereign. Yao Ruyi carefully calculated that quite a few people had deceived the Emperor in just the past few days. Strictly speaking, he was one of them...
"And Your Majesty, I don't think Liang Fu is a good minister either. But I don't have any evidence yet, so let's wait and see."
"However, the battle reports always mention General Han, so he must be a good general who cares for the country and its people. What a great nation needs most are good generals, who are essential for governing the country and ensuring its stability, Your Majesty."
"His Majesty……"
"His Majesty……"
Gu Huizhou opened his eyes.
It was already bright outside the window; he had never slept so soundly on a day off.
Gu Huizhou frowned and rubbed his temples. He had slept soundly last night, but it always felt like someone was chattering incessantly.
He said in a low voice, "It's so noisy."
"Oh dear, Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
Cui Xiangzhu, who had just entered, knelt down skillfully, his eyes filled with terror.
"I wasn't talking about you."
The man quickly stood up. "This servant thanks Your Majesty for your forgiveness!"
After washing up, Gu Huizhou went to the Imperial Study. There was a mountain of memorials piled up beside him. Without much thought, he sat down and began to read.
"Your Majesty, please have some breakfast."
Gu Huizhou looked over; these kinds of pastries were not usually served at breakfast.
"Is this a new dish made by that chef yesterday? Would Your Majesty like to try it?"
Gu Huizhou withdrew his gaze. "No need. You can go and wait there."
Cui Xiangzhu nodded and silently withdrew.
In the past two days, Gu Huizhou has made many sweeping decisions, especially regarding the adjustment of some local officials, resulting in nearly ten times more memorials being submitted than before.
The man sat on the dragon throne with a displeased expression. He read through dozens of memorials, glancing at each one before tossing them aside.
Yao Ruyi glanced at it cautiously and decided to throw it away.
"Ha, he really is a good subject of mine."
Gu Huizhou abruptly slammed a memorial shut. It was the end of the year, and also the time when the war between the two countries had come to an end. Surprisingly, a local official had submitted a memorial proposing to reduce military spending.
The enemy didn't make a move, but they themselves undermined the enemy's strength.
Yao Ruyi had intended to read and learn more, but he hadn't slept much last night, and now he was getting sleepy as he read.
"Your Majesty, please have some tea."
Cui Xiangzhu stepped forward with a cup of tea and carefully placed it aside. He noticed the emperor's displeased expression and asked, "Your Majesty, is something troubling you?"
Without receiving a reply, Cui Xiangzhu stood obediently to one side, and the imperial study returned to silence once more.
Yao Ruyi felt his mouth go dry as soon as he smelled the aroma of the tea. He preferred shade and dampness, and even though he had been by the emperor's side for so long, the emperor had never watered the flowerpot.
He ate a plate of pastries and a handful of dirt last night, and now his throat is so dry it hurts.
Mushroom muttered guiltily, "When I was eating dirt, I accidentally cut my throat a little."
I desperately need a cup of tea to soothe my throat.
The flowerpot was on Gu Huizhou's right-hand side, and the tea was on the same side. Yao Ruyi looked around and realized that the tea was closer to him than to Gu Huizhou.
If I don't drink it now, it'll probably get cold in a bit.
"waste……"
Suddenly, the wind outside the window picked up, causing the window to vibrate. The sound abruptly rang out in the quiet room with a loud "bang!" that startled Cui Xiangzhu.
Ouch!
"Your Majesty, please forgive me! This servant will immediately order people to repair it!"
Gu Huizhou remained silent, watching Cui Xiangzhu hurriedly leave. His gaze then fell upon something beside him.
A pot of mushrooms was startled by the sound of the wind and fell onto the table, the caps landing right in the teacup that Cui Xiangzhu had just brewed.
Gu Huizhou watched for a while without saying a word, "It seems the window really needs repair. Otherwise, if the wind blows in, it might blow my mushrooms away."
Yao Ruyi: stiff.
He's now using the mushroom cap to prop up his teacup, gulping down several large mouthfuls, which immediately soothes his throat. But he doesn't have a chance to stand it upright; it's just propped up like that.
The stalemate lasted for a while, but the emperor did not help him up.
"Your Majesty, my neck is sore."
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