Chapter 192 |
Xia Fuyang's memorial contained only two sentences.
After reading it, Qu Dubian's first reaction was wanting to paste this guy's memorial on the notice board in the capital, and then he couldn't help but laugh.
How could this guy be so childish?
Although officials had taken over the Protectorate in the Northern Frontier, and as the Great General Who Guards the North, he didn't need to keep an eye on things every single moment, wasn't it a bit inappropriate for him to be fixated on getting little red flowers?
However, this greeting memorial had a clear purpose and concise content, which was worth rewarding.
He got out of bed, went to the desk behind the folding screen, picked up a brush, and replied on the rather unorthodox greeting memorial: [Alright, Lao Xia]
Qu Dubian took out his little red flower seal and stamped it right above this sentence.
"Banban, return the memorial to him tomorrow, secretly."
If the leader plays favorites through the back door, it wouldn't be good to be too blatant about it.
One month after Emperor Yonghe ascended the throne.
The reform of the memorial system was completed. Efficiency doubled, and the workload was reduced. Consequently, the court system was changed to holding a court session every three days.
Another month passed, and the Great Zhou held the enthronement ceremony at the Qianji Palace.
Due to Qu Dubian's strong request that the ceremony be kept as simple as possible, the Ministry of Rites gladly accepted the order.
From the reform of the memorial system alone, it was evident that their emperor was someone who despised useless and tedious procedures, valuing efficiency and practicality instead.
The working style of the court would naturally be influenced by the leader in power.
The enthronement ceremony was the most frugal and simple one since the founding of the Great Zhou. It took no more than half a day from start to finish. The ones who toiled were the ministers; the emperor himself merely changed his clothes, walked up the steps, and accepted their homage. His appearance didn't even last fifteen minutes.
On the night of the second day after the ceremony ended.
Qu Dubian was taking a bath in the Eastern Warm Pavilion. Since there was no early morning court session the next day, he could enjoy a more comfortable and leisurely bath.
Halfway through his bath.
[Yu Ruo's Favorability +3]
[Yu Ruo's Favorability +1]
[Total Favorability: 54]
"..."
Qu Dubian opened his eyes.
...No, seriously, what was this guy doing?
It was truly baffling.
For the year or so after he had gone blind and suffered physical injuries, Yu Ruo's favorability, which used to go up automatically, had been as stagnant as still water.
Of course, Qu Dubian never actually planned to grind Yu Ruo's favorability to sixty. It was too difficult; they couldn't even meet face-to-face, and they were on opposing sides.
Now, just two days after his enthronement ceremony ended, the favorability over there automatically started rising.
Qu Dubian pondered for a moment and reviewed the times when Yu Ruo's favorability toward him had increased.
When he was a hostage prince and roasted him, the other party's favorability went up.
During the Xiang River disaster relief, when he made things difficult for him, it went up.
During the bandit suppression in Qingji, when he hunted him down, it went up.
When war broke out in the Northern Frontier and he carried the banner to take charge of a city, it still went up.
The timing of these favorability increases basically all occurred when Nanning suffered a setback.
Qu Dubian couldn't help but mutter to himself.
Being so happy to see Nanning suffer setbacks, could Yu Ruo actually be a Great Zhou spy hidden within the Nanning royal family?
Otherwise, he would narcissistically suspect that this guy was his career fan.
The young emperor in the bathtub raised his hand to splash the water. His wet, ink-black hair hung over the edge of the tub, and a few unruly strands clung to his neck, occasionally and playfully sticking to his chest beneath the water's surface.
Amidst the swirling steam, his profile was flushed slightly red from the heat, and beads of water dotted his shoulders, neck, and forehead.
"Banban isn't here yet?"
Ye Xiaoyuan had gone to mix the medicinal hair-washing powder for him. Since childhood, he had always used the mixtures personally prepared by Ye Banban. It just needed to be mixed fresh; otherwise, the medicinal herbs would be wasted.
Eunuch Wang said with a smiling face, "Indeed, Your Majesty might have to wait a little longer."
He was a newly promoted eunuch who had served many masters in the past and had rich experience. However, he was still in his probationary period, and it was not yet certain whether he could stay and serve in the emperor's presence.
Qu Dubian said, "Then I will get out first. I'm feeling a bit dizzy from soaking. I'll wash my hair specifically later."
This medicinal bath was also a yearly routine. Consort Xuan had specially written to remind him that he needed to soak a few times before winter to dispel the cold from his body, so he would fall sick less often after winter arrived.
"Bring me the cotton towel to dry my body, and then you can leave first."
Eunuch Wang complied with a sound, then clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Why haven't you brought the cotton towel in yet?"
Creak.
The door to the Eastern Warm Pavilion opened and then quickly closed.
A submissive-looking, pretty maid holding a cotton towel stopped next to the bathtub and said in a soft, low voice, "Your Majesty."
Qu Dubian frowned slightly, thinking that Eunuch Wang might not know the rules, so he didn't say much.
He raised his hand. Just as his dripping fingertips touched the cotton towel, the maid switched to supporting it with one hand and placed her other hand on a corner of the towel. "Your Majesty, please let this servant help you."
This hand was slender, like a scallion shoot, and the nails were painted pale red.
"..."
Qu Dubian paused.
Eunuch Wang spoke up, his tone ambiguous, "Your Majesty, this is the palace maid Yue'er. Her massage skills are excellent. How about letting her wipe Your Majesty's body clean and then give you a massage?"
His sentence had so many twists and turns, it sounded like he was singing an opera.
When he was transferred to serve the emperor, he had already asked around. From childhood to adulthood, His Majesty had never had anyone intimate by his side.
Never having tasted the joys of intimacy, he naturally didn't understand its benefits. Now that the inner palace was empty, His Majesty's appearance and age had the newly entered young maids in the palace completely mesmerized. Who knew how many women wanted to be the first to enter the inner palace.
That status would definitely be special, wouldn't it?
Yue'er had slipped him some money. Seeing that she was pretty and sensible, he decided to go along with the flow.
When the deed was done and His Majesty was greatly pleased, he would truly be able to secure his position at the emperor's side.
Qu Dubian's expression remained indifferent as he withdrew his hand. The maid's expression turned joyful, and Eunuch Wang also looked as if things had gone exactly as he expected.
He quickly tipped his chin toward Yue'er, who shyly set the tray aside and approached with the cotton towel.
Unexpectedly, she had only taken one step closer when they both heard a slightly cold voice:
"Get out."
The maid froze.
Eunuch Wang: "Your Majesty?"
Qu Dubian shot a glance over. The coldness in his eyes and the barely perceptible anger made Eunuch Wang instantly feel as if he had plunged into an ice cave. He couldn't help but start trembling. "Y-Your Majesty."
"Do you want me to say it a second time?"
The emperor before him was someone who, shortly after ascending the throne, had made all the civil and military officials at court, and indeed all the officials in the capital, know that he was an emperor who did not like to repeat himself.
Terrified, Eunuch Wang fell to his knees and kowtowed frantically. "This servant knows his mistake! This servant knows his mistake!"
The maid was also so frightened that she knelt beside him, half her soul scared out of her.
People from outside quickly came in and dragged the two of them out.
Now, there was not a single person left in the Eastern Warm Pavilion.
Qu Dubian rested his hand on his forehead. No, they should have at least left someone behind. The bath towel to wrap himself in was five meters away. How was he supposed to get it?
When Ye Xiaoyuan returned, he saw Eunuch Wang and an unfamiliar maid kneeling at the door, shivering.
He immediately guessed what had happened, his heart skipping a beat. He quickly asked for the full story before entering the Eastern Warm Pavilion.
Seeing him arrive, Qu Dubian finally changed his posture, speaking weakly, "Banban..."
He was about to pass out from the soak; he needed to be fished out.
Ye Xiaoyuan hurriedly brought him a long cotton towel. Qu Dubian wrapped it around his body, stepped out of the bathtub, and took a moment to let the dizziness pass.
The cold-dispelling medicine in the bathtub was potent. Normally, soaking for half a quarter of an hour, or at most a full quarter, would leave him slightly dizzy. However, after these baths, aside from his simulations, he rarely caught ordinary colds or fevers.
"Don't let those two outside keep kneeling. Go and find out exactly what happened."
Ye Xiaoyuan had already asked about it outside and said apologetically, "It's my fault for not choosing the right people. That man named Wang looked honest; I didn't expect him to pull such a stunt while I was away."
Qu Dubian replied, "This is the first time. If we don't handle it properly, there will be more in the future. Make an example out of that palace maid to warn the others. Send her out of the palace to my mother, and have her help out at the Yangzhou Orphanage and the Hall of Benevolence."
"The same goes for that Eunuch Wang. Pack him up and throw him out. Tell the public he was tossed into the mass graves."
Ye Xiaoyuan said, "Rest assured, I will handle it. Something like this will absolutely never happen again in the Zichen Palace."
It was just that...
Ye Xiaoyuan hesitated for a couple of seconds, ultimately leaving his thoughts unspoken.
His Highness had already ascended the throne and become His Majesty. If he continued to have no one by his side, neither selecting an Empress nor taking in new concubines for the inner palace, the court officials would not stand for it.
Qu Dubian dried his body, washed his hair with the hair-washing powder prepared by Ye Xiaoyuan, and dried it halfway with a cotton towel. By then, half a shichen had already passed.
No wonder rest days in ancient times were called bathing days. The ancients all had long hair. Whenever they finally got a day off, simply washing their hair and bathing would take up half the day, if not the whole day.
When he left the Eastern Warm Pavilion for the Zichen Palace, there was no one left outside.
Right before falling asleep, Qu Dubian opened his eyes.
"Liuliu?"
Yi Shier appeared in the hall and gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.
Qu Dubian instantly sat up in bed. "You're back." He quickly waved him over. "Come here. How is Fourth... Xiao An doing now?"
It had been autumn when Yi Shier escorted the Fourth Prince away, and now winter had arrived.
"He is doing very well," Yi Shier thought for a moment and added, "When I saw him sleeping at night, he didn't even have any nightmares. Right now, he is temporarily living in a small courtyard in the mountains west of Jizhou. He often goes out to fish and bask in the sun."
"I only returned after seeing him settle down peacefully."
Qu Dubian said, "That's good."
He imagined that kind of life.
Fourth Brother must really like it.
With this, the heavy matter weighing on his mind was finally laid to rest.
"Liuliu, you've worked hard."
Yi Shier shook his head.
He crouched by the bed. "Your Majesty."
This was the first time Yi Shier had called him Your Majesty; in the past, it had always been Your Highness.
"Speak."
"The hidden guards who followed the late Emperor have all sealed themselves within the imperial mausoleum. Originally, they were supposed to leave one person behind for Your Majesty to continue training new hidden guards. However, because I am by your side, the hidden guard commander did not leave anyone. Do you still wish to continue training hidden guards?"
Qu Dubian replied, "There's no need."
The dark intelligence network was enough.
He was deeply disgusted by the system of hidden guards being buried alive with the dead. The people around that old man had already been brainwashed, and he couldn't control them. Therefore, he decided to let the tradition of hidden guard sacrifices end with his generation.
Yi Shier nodded. "However, we still need to train a few highly skilled individuals."
Qu Dubian said, "Just handle it as you see fit."
Another period of peaceful days passed.
News spread from the palace and reached the ears of the court officials: a palace maid who had privately bribed a eunuch serving the Emperor to get close to His Majesty was instead expelled from the palace, while the eunuch who accepted the bribe was rumored to have been thrown into the mass graves.
Many officials suddenly realized something.
Right, His Majesty is eighteen, almost nineteen. How could someone of his age not even have a single concubine?!
And so.
One day during the morning court session before the New Year.
An unknown official took the lead, stepping forward to gently suggest, "Your Majesty, there is only a little over a month until the New Year festival. What do you think about starting the imperial draft after the New Year?"
The Great Zhou Dynasty had its own formal draft process. It only required a nod from the Emperor, and the subordinates would set things in motion.
Others were more direct: "Your Majesty, the inner palace cannot be without a master. You must establish an Empress early on to manage the inner palace affairs. Spreading your branches and bearing children for the royal family is also the duty of an Emperor."
The three assisting ministers, Fang Hechuan, Lin Zongping, and Xi Shiqiu, felt this was a good thing.
Fang Hechuan, in particular, thought happily to himself that his body could probably last another eight or nine years, long enough to help His Majesty look after his children.
Lin Zongping added, "Indeed. It is good for the state if His Majesty produces an heir early. Empress Dowager Xuan is currently still in Yangzhou. If His Majesty is to select concubines, we must invite Empress Dowager Xuan back to make the selections alongside Empress Dowager An."
Xia Fuyang stood below, noncommittal about the officials' suggestions. He found it somewhat hard to imagine what it would look like for Little Seventh to have a partner standing beside him.
Only Xi Zixing, who had accompanied Qu Dubian on excursions, had some understanding of his desire to live a carefree life by himself.
Could one still be willful after becoming the Emperor?
He raised his head and looked at the person on the dragon throne.
Qu Dubian felt a massive headache coming on.
The scene below didn't look like a court meeting of officials, but rather a massive marriage-urging intervention at the Qianji Palace.
Although he had anticipated this day would come, now that it was truly here, he still couldn't help but sigh.
Since his military campaigns in the Northern Frontier, he hadn't done much simulating in the past two years. The lifespan value he had accumulated was now left with less than ten years.
It was time to put the simulator back to work; it could at least serve as a temporary shield.
However, he still needed to think of a way to solve this once and for all.
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