Chapter 48 Forty-Eight is just an ordinary story
Wang Yuying knew that Xu Heng was staring at her, and planned to only look at the blank spaces and not glance at any words to the side. However, words such as "originally stationed with 30,000 infantry and cavalry" and "secretly transferred 8,000 elite cavalry from Xuanfu to supplement them" still caught her eye.
Wang Yuying held her breath instantly, her left hand involuntarily pressing the cover to close this important military memorial.
Xu Heng saw this but was not annoyed. He repeated, "Please write the word 'read'."
Wang Yuying then wrote down her annotations in red ink, stroke by stroke. She suppressed the burgeoning excitement and secret joy, her movements unhurried, but her eyes were glued to the text, reading and memorizing the entire memorial at a glance.
When she put down her pen, Wang Yuying noticed that her palms were sweaty.
She slightly moved her left elbow, bumping it against something hard. Glancing to the side, she saw Xu Heng had picked out a stack of memorials, at least forty or fifty, piled up beside her.
Wang Yuying looked surprised. Xu Heng smiled at her. He had seen these documents in his bedchamber that evening, but she happened to arrive at that time, so he didn't have time to approve them.
Wang Yuying feigned anger and glared at him.
Xu Heng smiled broadly, then picked up the memorial he hadn't yet reviewed and began flipping through it with one hand.
Wang Yuying then began repeatedly writing the character "้ " (read/read). The memorials were of all kinds, including reports on major events such as the people's conditions, the national treasury's revenue and expenditure, and the construction of the Grand Canal, as well as offerings of treasures, presenting weather records to Xu Heng, and even a report from the Hangzhou prefect on a case of local people returning lost money.
When Wang Yuying read the last few books, she was completely stunned: they were simply greetings to Xu Heng!
As Xu Heng reviewed the new memorials, he stole glances at Wang Yuying. Seeing her furrowed brows, he felt relieved, and his heartache subsided. He then focused on the greetings addressed to her, suppressing a smile. When the water clock struck Hai hour (9-11 PM), Xu Heng said gently, "That's enough for today. It's late; you should go back and rest. I am unwell, and the morning court session will have to be suspended for a few days. However, the affairs of the Privy Council cannot be delayed. You should not go to the Ministry of War for now; go directly to the Imperial Study tomorrow morning."
*
Chu Xiong and Qing Fu went outside, and as soon as the door to the Imperial Study closed, Chu Xiong gave Qing Fu a meaningful look.
Qingfu: What are you doing?
Chu Xiong first lamented in his heart that his father-in-law didn't understand him, and then silently mouthed to Qingfu: "I need to pee."
Qingfu nodded and said, "Go ahead, I'll guard this place."
Chu Xiong continued mouthing: "Go to the toilet together?"
Qingfu was puzzled. Only after Chuxiong mouthed the words three times did he confirm it. He gasped and shook his head frantically.
Chu Xiong then forcibly grabbed Qingfu and pulled him away. Qingfu didn't dare to complain, and whispered, "Let go! Let go! My hand is numb!"
Chu Xiong said in a low voice, "Your Excellency, I'm sorry for the offense." He glanced towards the Imperial Study, "State affairs are not for us to discuss, but how can His Majesty allow the Immortal Master to review memorials with imperial edicts?"
She was once a deposed empress!
Chu Xiong's face contorted in shock, as if the sky had fallen: "Isn't this like a hen crowing at dawn? Where are the laws and regulations of our ancestors?"
Since ancient times, men have been considered the heavens and women the earth; men are in charge of external affairs and women are in charge of internal affairs. How can a woman do men's work or even ride on a man's head?
He completely misunderstood and strongly opposed it!
Even if we take a step back and consider that there were instances of empress dowagers ruling from behind a screen a few generations ago, the deposed empress dowagers were actually sitting on the throne!
He was also worried that if the deposed empress committed any wrongdoing, it would implicate his younger sister who served her...
Qingfu remained silent, pondering. As an old man from the Prince's Mansion, he was not surprised. Back then, the Emperor and the Immortal Master would exchange letters, and the late Emperor's decrees were discussed and dealt with by the couple together. They even had a seal made for the Qingfa Hall that they used together.
After a long silence, Qingfu said, "Keep quiet about matters within the Forbidden City!"
Chu Xiong swallowed hard upon hearing this. In truth, he only dared to say this to Qingfu in private; he wouldn't dare utter a single word of criticism in front of the emperor, even if he were given ten heads.
Chu Xiong and Qing Fu walked back to the front of the Imperial Study. When Wang Yuying came out, they both bowed respectfully to her. Only after Wang Yuying had gone far away did they enter the Imperial Study.
*
The next morning, when Wang Yuying arrived at the Imperial Study, there was a row of guards and eunuchs standing at the door, but Qingfu and Chuxiong were nowhere to be seen, presumably inside.
Wang Yuying bowed to the eunuch standing in the center and said, "Your Excellency, please inform him that I have come here on imperial orders."
The eunuch nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, I'll go in and report right away."
The door opened a crack, and a burst of hot air immediately rushed out, indicating that the Imperial Study had been equipped with an underground heating system.
Wang Yuying raised an eyebrow slightly, then turned her back to the door, thinking she would have to wait a while. However, almost in the blink of an eye, Qingfu personally stepped out to greet her. Wang Yuying entered the hall and first looked around. Xu Heng was sitting behind the table having breakfast. She guessed that he hadn't gone home last night and was sleeping behind the green gauze curtain.
Xu Heng gazed at Wang Yuying quietly for a moment, then lowered his head, scooped up some rice porridge, and asked, "Has the Immortal Master had breakfast?"
Wang Yuying immediately replied, "I ate at home before coming."
When Xu Heng heard the word "home," he paused for a moment, but waited for Wang Yuying to finish speaking before saying, "Then please wait a moment, Immortal Master."
Wang Yuying found a chair and sat down. After Xu Heng finished his rice soup, he called her over. There was a tall stack of memorials that reached up to her chest. Xu Heng must have already reviewed them.
She sat down and opened the top book, which was a report on the severe cold and extreme freezing weather in the northern frontier last month, which had damaged the crops and proposed allocating 10,000 taels of silver for disaster relief. She remembered that she had approved a similar memorial last night, in which the north wind had raged in Yanzhou, destroying many houses, and 10,000 taels of silver had also been allocated.
Wang Yuying dipped her brush in vermilion ink and was about to write the character "้ " (read) when Xu Heng slowly spoke: "I say, you write." He pushed over a sheet of Xuan paper, "Try it on this paper first."
Wang Yuying moved the memorial aside and spread the Xuan paper in front of her. Xu Heng said, "Increase it to fifty thousand taels."
Wang Yuying picked up her pen, but suddenly hesitated.
The reason why Yue's writing is the same as Xu Heng's is because Xu Heng learned from her, but Xu Heng did not learn other characters. What are the characteristics of his writing and how should one start writing? She used to remember it very clearly and thought she would remember it for a lifetime, but now she suddenly realized that it was like those characters themselves fading in ink, from deep to blurry.
Wang Yuying racked her brains to recall and wrote down the five words he had said.
Xu Heng sighed inwardly.
He taught her: "Horizontal lines should have square beginnings and rounded ends, and vertical lines should be like hanging needles."
Wang Yuying quickly corrected it and rewrote it on the Xuan paper. Xu Heng looked at it and continued to teach: "Tighten the central part a bit more, the beginning stroke is not square enough."
After a third attempt, it barely looked right. Xu Heng pulled back from his leaning posture and said, "Go ahead and write it."
Only then did Wang Yuying write her comments on the memorial in vermilion ink.
Then came the second book, which was also dictated by Xu Heng. Wang Yuying wrote it down, first making a draft and then copying it. Just like when she was a girl, she diligently and actively tried to remember Xu Heng's handwriting, but her intentions were completely different.
Seeing her serious expression, Xu Heng couldn't help but feel a little dazed, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of his eyes and brows.
After approving about twenty documents, the emperor first glanced at them discreetly, then smiled and said, "Are you tired of approving them?"
Just as Wang Yuying was about to leave, Xu Heng continued, "This batch of memorials requires a balance between work and rest. Go outside and take a break."
Qingfu quickly bent down to invite Wang Yuying and led her to the backyard for a tea break. The cross-shaped roof on the opposite corner enclosed three sides to form a warm pavilion, which was already well-furnished inside. There were small couches and silk curtains, and the charcoal brazier was as warm as an underfloor heating system. On the table, a small stove was warming sparrow tongue tea, and the dishes were filled with brown sugar ginger cake, longan, and poria cocos cake.
Qingfu smiled and said, "Immortal Master, please feel free to order anything else you would like to eat."
Wang Yuying smiled faintly: "No need, this is enough."
Qingfu bowed again: "Alright, then I'll take my leave. Immortal Master, please feel free to give instructions outside if you need anything."
Wang Yuying nodded, and Qingfu retreated. As soon as he left the warm pavilion, he immediately turned around and rushed to the imperial study. To be honest, he was afraid that Wang Yuying would ask him why the emperor had avoided the question, and he didn't know how to answer.
Thankfully she didn't ask, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Wang Yuying was meditating and practicing her internal energy in the warm pavilion. After a few minutes, Qingfu came to invite her. When she entered the imperial study again, she secretly observed Xu Heng. His face was even paler than before she left, but the cyanosis on his lips had improved considerably. Apart from that, there were no other changes.
She sat down to continue reviewing the papers. When Xu Heng gave verbal instructions, his hands were always behind his back. Only once, perhaps he forgot, did he put his left hand in front of him. Wang Yuying, with her sharp eyes, noticed a slight indentation on the web between Xu Heng's thumbs and index fingers, and a needle prick that hadn't completely healed. It seemed that there was also one on the pad of his index finger.
He just received acupuncture, and it's highly likely that he also had blood drawn from his heart through his ten fingers.
Wang Yuying remained unmoved.
Since Xu Heng didn't want her to see it, she could just go with the flow and pretend not to know.
After noon, Xu Heng invited Xu Heng to stay for a meal.
She watched as the eunuchs came in to serve the dishes: bok choy, rapeseed, choy sum, and garland chrysanthemum. The table was covered in lush green leaves, but there wasn't a drop of oil in the plates.
Xu Heng said, "I will be on a vegetarian diet while I am taking the medicine. You don't need to suffer with me. Just tell them what you want to eat."
Wang Yuying thought for a moment, then looked up at Qingfu and said, "I want to drink fish soup today. Not too much, just one bowl will do."
Qingfu immediately arranged for the imperial chef to prepare it, and soon brought out a large bowl of fragrant East China Sea yellow croaker soup, which was first pan-fried and then stewed.
Wang Yuying picked up her rice bowl and ate only the bowl in front of her, ignoring the leafy greens.
Xu Heng could only eat his own food. He picked up a piece of bok choy with his chopsticks, glanced at her, took another bite, and glanced again. It had been a long time since he had eaten at the same table with her. It had been so long that they felt like strangers, yet a sense of comforting familiarity arose within him. He recalled the days in the northern frontier, when they shared a room, ate three meals a day, and faced each other every day. It was the most ordinary time.
It was the same when he was at the Prince's Mansion, but he had official business to attend to. Once, he went to the capital to handle some business and didn't see Wang Yuying for a full fourteen hours. As soon as he rushed back to the Prince's Mansion, he hugged and kissed her because he missed her so much.
Xu Heng didn't say much, as he was supposed to eat and sleep without speaking.
When Wang Yuying was about 80% full, she put down her bowl. Xu Heng waved to clear the table. Xu Heng entered from the left, and Wang Yuying went around to the right. They both sat down in their respective chairs behind the table, ready to continue handling government affairs.
Zhu Mo had already finished grinding the ink, and Qingfu was grinding it. Xu Heng suddenly wanted to turn this place into the room in the Northern Frontier, so he snatched the inkstone, placed it beside him, held the inkstone in his left hand to grind the ink, and gently pressed the inkstone with his bandaged right hand.
He ground the ink himself, his heart filled with mixed emotions of joy and sorrow.
As soon as Wang Yuying opened the memorial, it was the weather record again. Without Xu Heng saying anything, she dipped her brush in the vermilion ink he had prepared and wrote "read" on it.
For three consecutive days, it was the same. Xu Heng ground the ink while she wrote the red ink. He ate without her noticing, but he absolutely refused to let her see the disheveled state of him when he was being treated with acupuncture.
Around 1:00 AM on the third day, Wang Yuying, following Xu Heng's instructions, finished annotating a memorial on the canal transport in Jiangnan. She picked up the next one and opened it. It was a list of three candidates to be selected from among the vice ministers of the Ministry of Revenue.
She didn't rush to pick up her pen, waiting for Xu Heng to issue the decree, but he didn't immediately inform her as he had done before.
Wang Yuying waited for a while, but still heard no sound. She thought that this memorial couldn't be marked as "read," so she turned to Xu Heng and asked, "Which one has His Majesty chosen?"
Xu Heng, with his left hand holding a memorial with four fingers behind his back and his thumb clenched, glanced at the memorial in her hand upon hearing this: "Song Bozong."
Wang Yuying circled the name he mentioned, while Xu Heng put down the memorial in his hand and said calmly, "Hugu Xumi is coming."
Wang Yuying was taken aback. Years had passed since she'd last seen him. Mentioning Hugu brought only vague memories, words like "quick-witted" and "like-minded," and a sense of unease stirred within herโa spirited, exuberant feeling. But because of the passage of time, that feeling was buried too deep, unable to break through the soil.
She could hardly recall what Hugu Xumi looked like anymore, except that he had a pair of beautiful light gray-blue eyes.
Time has passed, and it's unknown whether he will still consider Hugu a friend or a stranger if they meet again.
Xu Heng glanced at Wang Yuying's face and silently placed the memorial between the two of them.
She put down her pen, first setting aside the book she had circled earlier, before picking up the memorial from Hugu Xumi regarding his arrival at court. The Northern Frontier Governor-General reported: "Your Majesty's virtuous rule extends far and wide, with all corners of the world submitting and countless nations paying homage. Now, the Northern Barbarian King Hugu Xumi, admiring the benevolent rule of the Celestial Empire, has braved the perilous journey and personally led his delegation to perform the rites of homage. He will arrive in the capital soon. However, given that this concerns the tribute mission of a distant vassal state, I dare not act without authorization and humbly request Your Majesty's decision."
Xu Heng glanced slowly at the blank space on the memorial.
Wang Yuying understood and dipped her brush in bright red ink.
Xu Heng said calmly, "Is the Minister of State Ceremonies Zheng to handle all reception duties, with the Ministry of Rites assisting."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
