Chapter 7 Chapter 7-It's not worth wasting makeup on work
I had just taken a shower that day, and in the blink of an eye I was surrounded by dust again. I felt so dirty that I gave up on myself. I didn't even bother to prove to Li Siyan that I was not spoiled. I just asked Su Xing for bath water with confidence.
But what I didn't expect was that Su Xing didn't make things difficult for me this time. Not only did he quickly arrange for someone to bring a bathtub and hot water, he also called two little girls to serve me.
I'm flattered.
There were two little girls, one was called Xiao Jinlian, the palace maid who helped me take a bath that day, and the other was called Xiao Jinliu, her sister.
This pair of sisters inherited the fine tradition of the maids in the Purple Palace of not saying a word. No matter what I said, they did not respond. Occasionally, the two sisters would gather together and whisper, but when they saw me coming, they would shut up faster than a duck running for its life.
I was almost going crazy. After resting for a few days, I applied to Li Siyan to go back to work early despite my foot injury.
──It was ruthlessly rejected by Li Siyan, on the grounds that he was concerned that my injury was still not healed and might hinder my writing.
I had to lie in bed for several more days. When I had nothing to do, I used rice paper to cut paper money. I cut a thick basket of it. I was afraid that my father and brother would have no money to spend in the underworld. They had no financial management awareness when they were alive. Now that they are in the underworld, they will definitely be two innocent poor ghosts again.
When Su Xing saw me cutting paper money, she wanted to say something but stopped herself several times. I guess she wanted to tell me that this unlucky thing was not allowed in the palace, but she never said it.
So I continued my business of collecting ghost money very calmly. I was like a banknote-making bureau by myself.
The fat doctor in the middle came several times. Every time he changed the medicine in silence and left quickly. The last time, he stood up to leave as usual, but I grabbed him.
"Master Fan, I'm already well now. Can I take off this linen belt?"
I pointed to my forehead.
Doctor Fan was startled: "Of course it is possible, but Miss Shen, your wound has just healed, and you haven't applied the scar removal medicine yet. If you remove it now, this scar will always follow you."
I said nonchalantly, "There's no need to waste scar removal cream on my head. I think we can remove this sackcloth today."
Doctor Fan slowly retreated and whispered, "I dare not act on my own in this matter. I hope Miss Shen will think twice before acting... I will take my leave first."
After saying that, he picked up the medicine box, slowly backed away, and then slowly backed away again, until the whole person disappeared from my sight.
I:……
The next day, I took off the linen belt myself, put on the willow-green summer palace dress that Su Xing had just sent me, and started my job.
Wei Xizi, who had been working overtime for several days, was so happy to see me that he was at a loss as to what to do. "Mr. Shen Qijiu is finally here. Your Majesty has been diligently working on government affairs recently. I am afraid that I might have missed something alone. If I can work with Mr. Shen Qijiu, I believe we can be more thorough."
I asked him, "How is your Majesty feeling?"
He began to recite again with deep emotion: "Your Majesty works hard day and night, speaks little, and although he may be a little upset at times, he does not often embarrass us."
I understand, I just don't want to bother with you.
At this time, Li Siyan had already tidied his clothes and was ready to go to court, and sent a eunuch named Wei Xizi over.
I followed Brother Xizi into the house. Li Siyan glanced at him casually, then suddenly noticed me standing next to him. His eyebrows furrowed and he blurted out, "Chen Ying? What are you doing here?"
Today he was wearing a golden court robe with delicate dragon embroidered on it. Combined with his furrowed brows, he looked quite majestic as an emperor.
I replied, "I am your Majesty's attendant, and I am here to accompany Brother Wei to court."
Li Siyan squinted his eyes and stared at me for a while, then he hummed calmly and turned away.
As soon as he left, a group of people behind him lowered their heads and followed him, rushing by like a swarm of locusts passing through a land.
Wei Xizi tugged at my skirt and said, "Shen Qijulang, aren't you leaving?"
"Oh..." It was only then that I realized.
I felt strange all the way. What was wrong with the Dog Emperor today? He was not sarcastic or sarcastic. He was so peaceful and friendly. It was unlike him.
Could it be that he has been drained by government affairs and has no energy to bother me?
But it's a good thing that he doesn't cause me trouble. I don't want to be locked up in the cellar again. A visit to that kind of place can leave a shadow on your life. I really don't know how Li Siyan survived two years in there when he was a child.
We followed the dog emperor to court and sat on his left and right with Wei Xizi.
I unconsciously observed him secretly and found that the dog emperor's posture when sitting down was not very natural. He was probably not used to being an emperor gracefully and calmly.
He spoke less than before. He no longer scolded old ministers in court, nor did he hurriedly put his confidants in confidential positions. After a court meeting, I still had half a piece of paper left.
Actually, this is a good thing. The essence of politics is the compromise and balance of power. His previous methods were too violent and not a long-term solution. The last emperor who was so radical was Yang Guang. As for the consequences of such actions, everyone knows it...
I sighed. No one had ever taught him how to be an emperor, but he was able to learn it on his own. Perhaps such a cold-hearted person was born to be an emperor.
In the court, they discussed nothing more than personnel appointments and dismissals, and the people's livelihood in various places. If the officials had any major issues that were difficult to decide, they would make a few reports. If everything was calm and nothing happened, they would disperse early.
Today is a day when nothing much happens.
I casually wrote down the Prime Minister's long and ugly list of Zhongshushu chief secretaries - Li Siyan had dismissed several secretaries before, and this time he added a lot of new chief secretaries.
The prime minister, already very old, spoke in a hoarse voice as he read: "...Du Zisheng, Jiang Ruhui, Meng Xu."
There are too many people. I was taking notes and thinking, can the two shabby rooms in the Secretariat accommodate so many new secretaries?
Jiang Ruhui...Meng Xu...
Meng Xu?
My pen paused, and a drop of ink appeared on the paper like an abrupt comma.
My mind went blank and I wanted to change the paper, but in my haste, my sleeve swept across the pen holder and instead of changing the paper, I knocked the paperweight off.
A muffled sound interrupted the prime minister's speech.
The old man looked at me puzzledly, and the Dog Emperor also turned his head and frowned unhappily.
I quickly bowed my head and apologized, and with trembling hands I went to clean up the messy table, my heart beating wildly.
I still remember that half a month ago, when I left the palace, I went to find Brother Meng to break off the engagement. He was not happy about it and said that he would come to the palace to find me. I believed him at that time, but then I thought about it. The inner palace was strictly guarded and only a few ministers close to the emperor were allowed to come and go. He was just a small Jinshi and had not yet been granted an official position. It was not easy for him to enter the palace. I had given up hope, but... but he really got a job in the Secretariat and was able to come to the Purple Palace occasionally.
It means that I am no longer alone in the inner courtyard.
It was not until this moment that I truly reacted, and my heart was overwhelmed by overwhelming anticipation and joy.
The scenery changes with people's hearts, as if a soft spring breeze came from the cold and lonely hall, gently blowing the paper in my hand. I raised my head, my eyes passed through the civil and military officials in the court, through the heavy palace walls, the sunlight was dazzling outside, spring was late, and it was still the Chang'an I loved.
There is someone I love in Chang'an. He will overcome all obstacles and try his best to come to see me.
Human beings are very strange animals. No matter how difficult their current life is, as long as there is a carrot hanging in front of them, they can quench their thirst by looking at it.
Because of Meng Xu, this big white radish, I have been wearing a faint smile since I left the court. Wei Xizi quietly asked me if there was a cramp in the corner of my mouth. I told him seriously, Brother Wei, have you seen the Minister of Rites? He kept grinning and twisting around when he was in court. I suspect he was in a hurry to go to the bathroom.
Wei Xizi suddenly understood and laughed silently with me.
Then I accidentally laughed out loud, and Li Siyan heard it. He just stepped onto the highest step in front of the Purple Palace, and suddenly stopped, turned his head towards the light, and asked me coldly: "What are you laughing at?"
My smile froze on my face.
Before I could answer, Wei Xizi knelt down with a thud, bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This humble servant..."
Li Siyan said, "Shut up, I didn't ask you."
Wei Xizi shut up obediently.
Li Siyan stared at me intently, as if trying to guess what I was thinking.
He stared at me and I looked into his eyes with a smile.
I was so happy today that I even felt that the Dog Emperor had become a little more handsome.
In fact, his appearance has always been good, but his eyes are a little too sinister. If he rides a horse on Zhuque Street one day, he will definitely receive a basket of handkerchiefs and sachets, and be ranked first among the twelve most handsome men in Chang'an.
So, I smiled broadly, pointed at the beams and said, "Your Majesty, look! A pair of swallows have descended from the beams of the Purple Palace. They're flying together around the painted beams. This is a good omen."
I pointed to the beam, and many people couldn't help but look up. Sure enough, there was a pair of little swallows under the eaves, and everyone was amazed.
But Li Siyan didn't go to look at Yan Zi. He was still looking at me with a strange expression.
I thought, maybe it was because I smiled too obviously and happily, the Dog Emperor was a pervert and he couldn't stand seeing me happy.
In order not to offend him, I suppressed my smile and slowly returned to my usual calm expression.
When my smile completely disappeared, Li Siyan also turned his head, leaving us with only a cold and hard back, and his tone was as gloomy as water:
"Mr. Shen, the Purple Palace doesn't keep idle people. You should do your job properly instead of looking around for swallows and kites."
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold, and the attendants fell silent.
"Qingfu, go and drive those beasts away. They are causing trouble for people," he said.
Qingfu agreed and ruthlessly ordered the eunuch to drive the pair of swallows away.
The crowd dispersed and the Zichen Hall returned to its silent bustle.
I spat at Li Siyan's back in my heart, bah, the dog emperor hasn't changed at all, he is still the pervert who can't stand others doing well.
After the court session, Li Siyan called the Minister of War, and the two of them closed the door and talked in secret about something.
Wei Xizi told me that the person who came yesterday was a minister from the Ministry of War. When he left, his legs were trembling and he looked frightened. Today, his immediate superior has come instead. I wonder if this person will be a little more decent than the previous one.
I shook my head and said, "I think it's pretty bad. It's obvious that the dog emperor wants to take action against the Ministry of War."
"The Ministry of War is so unlucky! They didn't change sides quickly enough, and now they're being bullied." I sighed, "It's never been a prosperous department since the previous dynasty, and now they're almost being stripped of their underwear..."
As we were chatting, we suddenly heard some noise coming from Yanying Palace, and a low and angry male voice - the dog emperor was cursing.
Wei Xizi and I looked at each other.
Wei Xizi blinked his eyes and asked uncertainly, "This...should I remember it?"
"Write it down," I pondered. "Write down what he's upset about first. I'll go take a look and see what he's upset about."
I only realized after I went there that the situation was even bloodier than I had imagined.
Li Siyan was particularly irritable today. He cut off one of the Minister of War's ears with a sword, and ordered his men to drag him away and lock him up in the Sky Prison to await his fate.
With the fearless spirit of a historian, I entered the Yanying Palace to collect firsthand information. As soon as I entered the palace, I saw Li Siyan sitting in the center of the palace with an expressionless face. His angry fox eyes shot a cold light at me, and he squeezed out a word from between his teeth: "Get lost."
The tip of his sword was still dripping with blood, and he looked like a Shura crawling out of hell.
I warned myself that a gentleman would not stand under a dangerous wall and turn around and run away.
Halfway through the run, the Dog Emperor said coldly: "Chen Ying, get back here."
Which direction do you want me to roll?
Seeing that I didn't move, Li Siyan became impatient. He threw away his sword and strode towards me with eyes as sharp as an eagle.
Seeing Xuanqing's robe getting closer and closer to me, I couldn't help but take two steps back and lean my back against the vermilion pillar.
Li Siyan grabbed my collar and dragged me to the desk like a chicken. He pointed at the blank rice paper and said fiercely, "Aren't you the historian? Yuan Yishan, that old dog, disobeyed my orders. Why aren't you writing again?"
My butt sat heavily on the ground, and my tailbone hurt. Damn, the dog emperor was so fierce.
I wasn't afraid of him, so I angrily said, "I don't know what Your Majesty and Lord Yuan discussed, so of course I can't write it down."
Li Siyan sneered, "Can't write? What's the point of keeping a loser like you? If I didn't want to maintain my reputation, you would have been sent to hell long ago for your repeated offenses!"
I slammed the table and stood up, my tone even more fierce than his. "Great, I'm not going to die anyway, so I might as well let my mouth be. Li Siyan, you issued such a bullying order, and you don't even allow Lord Yuan to mediate? You only bully the weak Ministry of War. If you have the guts, go and move on to other government offices. The Northern Government will definitely be grateful and loyal to you, and maybe even call you ancestor every morning and evening!"
He sneered repeatedly, mockingly saying, "I never thought you had such a heart for public service. It's a pity you're such a fool. Yuan Yishan acts pitiful every day, either playing the victim or crying poor, but in fact, large sums of money have gone into the private coffers of the Ministry of War. It can be said that he stole the country. Don't think you are so insightful. Yuan Yishan, a veteran who has been fishing in the muddy waters of officialdom for decades, has already made enough money. His death is not a pity."
I was once again shocked by his shamelessness. Stealing the country? He had snatched the throne from his own brother, yet he had the nerve to mention stealing the country?
"Words are not enough. You didn't send anyone to investigate, but you just said that Lord Yuan was corrupt. Even if you were the emperor, you are not right. Unless you can provide irrefutable evidence, I won't remember a single word you say." He got angry as soon as he said that, and I stiffened my neck to confront him.
After I scolded him, his anger gradually subsided.
He calmed down and circled my desk several times. Suddenly, perhaps realizing this was a foolish move, he stopped abruptly and asked me condescendingly, "How did you know that?"
"Know what?"
"How did you know about the personal grudge between the Northern Yamen and the Ministry of War, and Yuan Yishan's intentions?"
He began to look at me with suspicion, and his natural suspicion and sensitivity were now obvious.
"Because I am a female spy sent by the remnants of the previous king, I specially disguised myself as the female historian of the Shen family, hoping to find an opportunity to kill Your Majesty and welcome the young prince to Chang'an. So, is Your Majesty satisfied with this story?" I retorted.
Li Siyan's eyes turned cold.
His fingers moved slightly, perhaps trying to strangle me. I stared at him warily and leaned back slightly, as if the solid pillar behind me could make me feel more at ease.
He squatted down, grabbed my chin, and forced me to look him in the eye. There was suppressed anger in his eyes. His cold voice was devoid of any warmth as he said to me, "That's a terrible joke you told."
I whispered, "You didn't believe it either."
He said nothing, still holding my chin tightly, and gently stroking my lower lip with his index finger. I suppressed my nausea and continued to keep my head down and my face submissive.
After a long time, Li Siyan let go of me and stood up slowly. He stretched out the fingers that had pinched my chin before, and then clenched them into fists.
He glanced at me and said calmly, "You naturally don't have that ability. If you were really a scout sent here, you should at least act obedient and pleasing. If you can please me, I might even grant you a title like Baolin's imperial concubine. Wouldn't that make it easier for you to take action?"
Baolin? Imperial concubine?
The blood in my body rushed to my head again. He actually used this kind of woman to humiliate me!
The obedience I had just pretended to be shattered into pieces. I was so angry that I was shaking all over and babbling incoherently: "Bah! Who wants to be your concubine! Li Siyan, you... you..."
"My what?"
Seeing me furious, Li Siyan's mood improved visibly. He said with a smile, "You bastard, you're still a dirty bastard. I'm sure even the well-educated Shen Qiju Lang can't curse you with any dirtier words. Why don't you let me, a rough man like you, teach you a few?"
When it comes to being thick-skinned, I'm certainly no match for that jerk Li Siyan.
In order to prevent myself from doing something irreversible in my anger, I picked up a pen and paper, glared at him fiercely, and ran out of Yanying Hall angrily.
The dog emperor laughed loudly behind me, and his laughter was very arrogant.
Wei Xizi saw me return to the imperial study with a dark face and asked cautiously, "What happened to Mr. Shen? Did His Majesty embarrass you?"
I sneered, "Write this down, write this down completely. The emperor cut off the left ear of Minister of War Yuan Yishan for no reason, and insulted the attendant Shen. His actions are brutal and cruel, and his words are absurd!"
Wei Xizi reminded me: "You should write truthfully."
I was getting mad at the time, and I thought to myself, it's not you who's being teased, so it's easy for you to talk without any worries!
Even after starting work, life in the Zichen Palace is still boring and difficult, especially when you have an enemy boss who finds fault everywhere, it is doubly difficult.
One day, Li Siyan cursed the Secretary of the Central Secretariat with an ugly word, which happened to be written down by me. He felt that his curse was not stern enough and insisted that I add a harsher one. I refused him sternly and he punished me in anger to burn firewood in the imperial kitchen.
The imperial kitchen was smoky and hot. I coughed and complained bitterly to the steward who was watching over me: "...The emperor would beat people with sticks and confine them to their rooms, but he's just so good. He's either made to burn firewood or pour out night incense. How terrible is labor in his heart?"
The steward turned a deaf ear and said ruthlessly, "Keep fanning, harder."
The first three things Li Siyan did when he took office as the new emperor were to burn the remnants of the previous emperor's evildoers.
Although they were called remnants, they were actually the sons of his own brother. It was only because my teacher Mr. Guo left the palace to report the news that the two young princes were lucky enough to escape with their lives. They were protected by the old servants and fled far to the south.
Mr. Guo suffered a lot of punishment for this matter. Later, it was because I sold my father's notes that Li Siyan let Mr. Guo go.
However, this note saved Mr. Guo's life, but failed to save the two little princes. Two months later, good news came that their remains were transported back to the imperial capital and hastily buried on a hill on the outskirts of Chang'an.
Poor these two children, they were only a few years old when they died at the hands of their own uncle.
Li Siyan once said that to cut the grass, one must remove the roots. Due to his humble experiences in his early years, his style of doing things has always been cruel and unscrupulous, which often makes me shudder.
He could even kill his blood-related brothers, let alone a few unrelated historians.
Such people will never feel guilty about what they do.
I entered the palace in spring, when there was still a slight chill. When the summer heat took away the last bit of coolness, summer arrived in Chang'an.
The summer heat made people restless and depressed. Under the influence of the uneasy atmosphere, Li Siyan sped up the process of handling official business. On the third day of July, he exiled several officials who were found to be corrupt, shocking the court and the public.
I stared at the list of exiles in shock. It was outrageous, and I blurted out, "These gentlemen all come from prestigious families, generations of high officials, and their wealth is worth millions. How could they possibly embezzle such a small profit from disaster relief?"
Li Siyan was resting, lazily leaning on the couch, playing with the white jade agate cup that Zuo Shiyi had given him as a gift.
He raised his eyelids, glanced at me, and sneered, "A prominent family? Without them, who exploit the people's wealth and wealth through trickery and exploitation, the Ministry of Revenue wouldn't be unable to collect even the land tax. I'm finding an excuse to punish them, and I'm just taking back what's due."
"But you can't accuse innocent people of thieves and exile them arbitrarily," I said seriously. "Let's be clear. Even if they really did embezzle money, their crime wouldn't be this serious. You easily took away the family fortune accumulated by generations of hard work and used it to fill the national treasury. This is against the law."
Li Siyan tapped my head with a white jade agate cup and said with a half-smile, "You know what, Mr. Shen, I hate your aloof, unworldly demeanor. Who do you think makes the laws? If the laws were effective, why have the powerful families been in power for centuries, causing widespread public resentment, and why did they allow someone as unkind and unjust as me to become emperor?"
"Are there really any kings, princes, generals, or ministers of different races?" He said calmly, "History books are very boring. Only this sentence is interesting. Those prominent families have reaped the benefits for so many years; it's time for them to spit some of it out."
"Besides," he paused, "we've come this far. If I don't deal with them, it will be my turn to end this."
I was stunned for a moment and didn't understand what he meant.
Li Siyan knocked my forehead again and said, "What are you doing here? Write it down."
I picked up the pen in a daze and scribbled down his words.
At that time, I didn’t quite understand what he was saying. I just felt that he seemed to be following a certain trend. It was not until many years later that I slowly realized: in Li Siyan’s time, many seemingly unreasonable things had their reasons behind them.
He mobilized several children of prominent families and plundered their wealth to enrich the national treasury. In fact, suppressing prominent families had been on the agenda since the previous dynasty. After so many years of promoting the imperial examination system, the gentry had long lost their former glory. Li Siyan's robbery of them at this moment seemed to be a thundering measure on his part, but in fact, he had no choice but to do so.
He had a group of smart and capable ministers but chose me, who had a bad temper, and the stupid Wei Xizi: a pair of brainless and unhappy people to be his close ministers. Perhaps he did not have the confidence to control those talented people, so he simply let two stupid people serve him.
Even his ascension to the throne, sometimes when I think about it, gives me a chill. According to precedent in this dynasty, all adult princes should be exiled from the capital, so why did the late emperor delay issuing an edict to grant him the position? The late crown prince and he had been at odds for a long time, but the late emperor never tried to mediate, even acting ambiguously, as if he were raising a poison. Moreover… the late emperor knew the crown prince was fertile, so he adopted the second prince's two sons. If he truly wanted the crown prince to ascend the throne smoothly, why didn't he help keep it a secret, instead letting my father, the most upright person in the entire court, record this matter?
These dark things are hidden behind the brief writings of historians and should not be thought about too carefully. Once you think about them carefully, they will make you shudder.
But no matter how much I realized later, I was still a little fool who knew nothing about the world at that time. I only knew how to work during the day and cut paper money at night. I was simply unhappy.
On the day of the Ghost Festival, I had just filled two baskets with paper money I had cut for the dead. In the afternoon, I took the two baskets of paper money to find Qingfu, the eunuch who followed Li Siyan every day, and told him that I wanted to pay tribute to my relatives.
Qingfu rejected me without thinking: No way.
I just found it unreasonable: "Our dynasty relies on filial piety to bring peace to the world, but you don't even allow us to worship our ancestors. How can this be justified?"
Qingfu looked at me like I was a fool and said, "Mr. Shen, everyone in the world is your Majesty's subject. You are offering sacrifices to your parents in the palace. If you accidentally start a fire or a fire, wouldn't it hurt your Majesty? If your Majesty is burned, wouldn't that be unfilial?"
What a closed-loop logic! It leaves me speechless.
After Qingfu passed away, I stood in a corner of the Zichen Hall, holding two baskets of paper money for the dead, feeling heartbroken.
It feels like when you return home after making a fortune, only to be told by your fellow villagers that your mother has passed away many years ago and the grass on her grave is two feet high.
Go and ask Li Siyan for help? No, other matters are fine, but when it comes to my father and brother, I don't want any favors from him.
Looking at these two baskets of paper money for the dead, my nose slowly started to feel sore.
──Humans are creatures that are easily defeated by trivial matters. I thought of myself being all alone in the palace, forced to stay with my moody enemy. On the night of the Ghost Festival, I couldn’t even send money to my relatives who had gone to the underworld. How could my life become like this?
After standing for a while, I picked up the two baskets, wiped away my tears with my sleeves, and slowly walked back to the Zichen Hall.
When I returned to the palace, I saw Qingfu waiting outside the study. He told me that the Secretariat had just sent a chief clerk to deliver the drafted edict to the emperor. Wei Xizi was working as a secretary there, so I was not needed for the time being.
I was feeling down and just said "oh" casually.
Qingfu glanced at me and reminded me coldly, "Mr. Shen, your eyes are swollen. Go back and take care of them. Don't be disrespectful in front of the emperor."
I snorted angrily, "Even if I dress myself up like a fairy, your Majesty will still dislike me."
Qingfu pursed his lips, a childish expression that didn't match his sagging face.
I waited at the door for a while, bored, and asked Qingfu, "Is it Mr. Tian or Mr. Yu?"
Qingfu didn't want to answer at first, but got annoyed by my pestering and said impatiently, "He's a newcomer. His surname is Meng, but I don't know his name."
I was stunned and blinked, only to feel my mouth dry.
"Is your name Meng Xu?" I asked in a low voice.
Qingfu said unhappily, "I told you that this is none of your business. Go get your eyes cleaned up. They look like walnuts. It's really ugly."
Before he finished speaking, I rushed back to my room like an arrow, hurriedly took out my makeup, carefully applied the ointment in front of the bronze mirror, covered it with fine powder, and finally evenly applied some lip balm on my lips.
──Going to work isn’t worth wasting my makeup on, but meeting my lover is!
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