Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 715 Complaint

Xu Guangqi sighed softly and stated bluntly, "It's all because of Li Qingquan's memorial."

"Have all the esteemed ministers seen it?" Luo Sigong looked around.

“I’ve seen them all,” Ye Xianggao nodded. “We’re now discussing the best course of action.”

Luo Sigong raised an eyebrow, staring intently at Xu Guangqi. "Since this is a discussion, I wonder if I could also offer my opinion?"

“Of course!” Xu Guangqi nodded immediately, his tone certain. “I just sent someone to find Commander Wei so that you could come and discuss this with me.”

Without further hesitation, Luo Sigong extended his hand, palm up: "Then please let Minister Xu show me that thing first. So that I may know what kind of nonsense Li Qingquan has written!"

“Commander Luo,” Grand Secretary Fang Congzhe’s voice broke in steadily, “I’m afraid this won’t work.”

Luo Sigong's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, the slight relief on his face due to Xu Guangqi's attitude instantly replaced by a thin layer of anger. He glared at Fang Congzhe and blurted out, "Why not..." However, before the word "can" could be completely uttered, a thought flashed through Luo Sigong's mind like lightning. All his confusion and dissatisfaction were instantly replaced by a sudden realization.

Luo Sigong slowly lowered his outstretched hand, his gaze shifting from Fang Congzhe's calm face, sweeping over Xu Guangqi, and finally landing on the tightly closed window. His eyes seemed to pierce through the window paper, gazing into the depths of the palace complex.

Xu Guangqi took in the complex changes on Luo Sigong's face, from eagerness to dissatisfaction, and then to sudden realization. Meeting Luo Sigong's gaze as he turned back, he nodded very slowly and heavily, his voice low but exceptionally clear: "That's right, the memorial has been presented to the Emperor."

"Then I would like to trouble you, Minister Xu, to tell me exactly what that fellow wrote?" Luo Sigong was still somewhat annoyed, but not overly anxious. Since the Cabinet and the Ministry of Rites were able to decide to present the original memorial to the Imperial Palace so quickly, it at least indicated that there were no treasonous or absurd words in the memorial.

"Sigh," Xu Guangqi sighed again, his eyes inexplicably complicated: "To put it simply, Li Qingquan submitted a memorial accusing the deposed Prince Li Hui of killing his brothers, going against reason and morality, and that his ascension to the throne was illegitimate."

"What? It's actually a petition to the Emperor!" Luo Sigong's eyes lit up instantly. But soon, he felt regret and annoyance. He thought to himself, "How could such a good thing have been presented to the palace by Xu Guangqi? If Luo Yangxing had been able to present it to the palace, wouldn't the task assigned by the Emperor have been accomplished!"

“Commander Wei is right, Li Qingquan is indeed going to file a complaint with the Emperor.” Xu Guangqi made the same judgment as Liu Chengxi. “I guess he originally planned to make a sudden attack during the audience. But now that he heard that the Emperor will not only not see them, but also order them to return to their country immediately, he handed the memorial to me.”

As the saying goes, one man's meat is another man's poison. Luo Sigong wanted to take that memorial to the emperor to curry favor, but Xu Guangqi just felt annoyed. Thinking about all the troubles it would cause, Xu Guangqi even regretted personally going to the Yuhe Pavilion to issue the order to leave.

However, even if Xu Guangqi had actually sent officials from the Ministry of Rites or the Court of State Ceremonies to the Yuhe Pavilion to issue an order to expel the guests, the memorial would probably still have ended up in his hands after going through many twists and turns.

"Has the Emperor issued a decree?" Luo Sigong asked.

"No." Xu Guangqi slowly shook his head. "The memorial was just submitted."

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In the courtyard of Qixiang Palace, the summer heat was stifling. Under the lingering heat of the setting sun, several eunuchs were laboriously working with large blocks of ice using ice chisels. As the chisels fell, the flying ice shards glittered in the sunlight. Before long, a large copper basin was filled with ice.

Two sweating eunuchs walked over, steadily lifted the heavy ice basin, and walked in unison across the courtyard into the main hall of the rear palace.

The main hall of the rear palace was slightly cooler than the courtyard, but it was still stuffy. Two eunuchs walked familiarly to the large gilded bronze basin placed near the side room. The basin contained melted ice water drawn from the ice chest. The melted ice water was still quite cool, even causing a layer of condensation to form on the outer wall of the bronze basin, but this amount of ice water alone was not enough to effectively cool the hall.

After they put down the ice basin and took away the water basin, two eunuchs who were guarding the side room brought out fresh crushed ice and walked through the side room to the end room.

The temperature in the east wing was much lower than in the main room and the side rooms, and the atmosphere was much quieter.

Emperor Taichang, Zhu Changluo, leaned against a low couch by the window, a memorial lying open in his hand. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes were fixed, clearly lost in his own thoughts. Consort Ke, Li Chunrong, and Consort Zhao, Guo Jinyu, sat on embroidered stools a little further away, each doing needlework, occasionally exchanging a silent glance.

A young eunuch carried an ice basin to the ice chest. A young palace maid, about fifteen or sixteen years old and dressed in a light green palace dress, immediately put down her fan, blocked the water spout, and waited for more ice to be added.

The lid was lifted, and freshly chopped ice cascaded into the ice-holding compartment like falling stones. The ice blocks struck the copper walls and collided with each other, producing a soft, crisp sound. A more pronounced coolness then spread out.

After adding ice and closing the lid, the young palace maid picked up the fan she had just put down and gently fanned the emperor.

Clearly, this was an extremely tedious job, but the young palace maid found it enjoyable. Compared to doing those rough and clumsy tasks in the sweltering heat, squatting beside the ice chest to fan the emperor was not only easier but also allowed her to enjoy the coolness. Ice in Qixiang Palace was distributed monthly, and there were only a few ice tickets each month, barely enough to chill some drinks and fresh fruit. Only when the emperor came could water be poured and ice added, basin after basin, like this.

The eunuchs who came to add ice took the water from the small copper basin under the ice chest with them when they left the side room, but the weather was hot and humid, and the ice melted very quickly. Before long, the small copper basin was full of water again.

The young palace maid picked up a stopper to plug the water spout, then picked up the basin and stood up, preparing to transfer the water from the small copper basin to the large copper basin in the main room.

Perhaps it was because the edge of the basin was slippery, or perhaps her legs were numb from squatting for too long, but after taking only two steps, her wrist suddenly jerked.

A small stream of water splashed out with a whoosh, landing precisely on the blue brick floor at the emperor's feet, with a few drops even splashing onto his soft-soled shoes.

The sudden commotion interrupted the emperor's thoughts. He didn't get angry, but merely raised his eyelids subconsciously and glanced indifferently at the palace maid who had caused the trouble. The maid's face instantly turned pale, and her hands holding the basin of water trembled even more violently.

The glaring puddle of water on the ground and the emperor's brief glance were both precisely captured by the court attendant standing nearby. His face darkened, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

As the palace maid carrying the basin of water left the east wing and poured it out in the main room, the Imperial Eunuch followed her out. His face was grim. He beckoned to two tall, burly eunuchs outside the door, then pointed at the pale-faced young palace maid and gestured for her to be apprehended. The two eunuchs immediately stepped forward, one on each side, to seize the maid. The maid had never seen anything like it before and was instantly terrified. She fell to her knees with a thud, the bronze basin knocking to the ground. "Eunuch, spare me! I didn't mean to! Eunuch, spare me!" she cried, struggling incessantly. The bronze basin bounced on the blue bricks, making a crisp but jarring sound.

In the east wing room, the emperor's brow furrowed even more. The cries of pleading from outside carried clearly in. He put down the memorial in his hand, his gaze passing over the curtain to the figure kneeling and begging for mercy in the outer room. After a moment, his voice, though not loud, came out clearly: "Enough. Let her in. Just clean the floor."

The emperor's voice was law. Before the eunuch could even wave his hand, the two eunuchs carrying the maid released her. The eunuch glared fiercely at the maid and hissed, "Did you hear that? Get inside and thank the emperor while you're cleaning the floor! You'll regret it!"

The palace maid, as if granted a pardon, scrambled into the east wing, prostrated herself at the emperor's feet, and, wiping the floor with her sleeve, trembled as she said, "This servant kowtows to thank Your Majesty for your divine grace! Thank you, Your Majesty, for your divine grace! This servant deserves to die..."

The emperor didn't look at her; his gaze seemed to have returned to the memorial, but his brow remained furrowed. Only the suppressed sobs of the palace maids filled the hall. After a moment, the emperor suddenly spoke again: "Someone come here."

This sound was like a thunderclap in the ears of the palace maid who had just breathed a sigh of relief! She looked up abruptly, her face drained of color, her eyes instantly filled with immense fear. Thinking that the emperor had changed his mind, she couldn't help but sob.

Feng Yu's heart tightened, thinking that the emperor was annoyed by the palace maid's crying. He hurriedly ran in, bowing and flattering, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This servant will drag this unruly maid out and punish her severely..." Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the emperor.

The emperor raised his eyelids, but his gaze did not fall on Feng Yu. Instead, he looked past him and said in a flat tone, "Go and call Yang Songquan over."

Feng Yu was taken aback, his prepared words stuck in his throat. He quickly realized what was going on, and although he didn't understand, he didn't dare to hesitate at all. He immediately bowed and replied, "Yes, this servant will go right away!" After saying that, he quickly backed out of the east wing.

The emperor's gaze then fell back on the trembling palace maid on the ground. He bent down, reached out, and gently nudged her shoulder.

The palace maid looked up in fright, her face streaked with tears, her eyes filled with terror and confusion as she stared at the man so close to her.

The emperor looked at her like this, his face expressionless, but his tone was much gentler than when he spoke to Fengyu earlier, even with a hint of helplessness: "Shut up, stop howling. I won't do anything to you." As he spoke, the emperor shook out his sleeve and wiped away the tears from the corners of the palace maid's eyes.

The palace maid trembled and immediately bit her lower lip hard, trying desperately to swallow her sobs, but tears still rolled down silently like beads from a broken string.

Just then, Yang Songquan, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who was on duty, arrived after hearing the news. He walked steadily, his face respectful, and stopped a few steps before the low couch. The scene before him startled him slightly. He bowed and his gaze fell on the palace maid: "This servant greets Your Majesty. May I ask what Your Majesty's orders are?"

The emperor withdrew his hand, his gaze shifting from the palace maid's face to Yang Songquan. He slowly rose, casually picking up the memorial from the Korean scribe, Li Qingquan. "Go to Chuxiu Palace."

Yang Songquan paused for a moment, his gaze first shifting to the astonished faces of Li Chunrong and Guo Jinyu, then settling on the memorial the emperor was holding. "Yes."

"Your Majesty!" Consort Ke, Li Chunrong, suddenly became anxious and couldn't help but call out.

The emperor paused, turning his head to look at her: "What's wrong?"

Li Chunrong stood up, walked a few steps to the emperor, her eyes filled with undisguised pleading.

"Master..." Her voice was timid, with a hint of barely perceptible grievance, "You've only been here for a short while, and haven't even finished a cup of tea... Are you leaving already? Can... can you not go?" Li Chunrong's last time serving the emperor was a month ago, and she hadn't seen his face since. Today, she had finally waited for him to come, but after only a few words, he was about to leave again, and her heart clenched.

"No," the emperor replied decisively, his gaze already fixed on the doorway.

"Why?" Li Chunrong asked urgently, her tone filled with resentment.

Consort Guo Jinyu, standing nearby, also rose, her gaze sweeping over the trembling, tear-stained maid on the ground. With a hint of displeasure, she interjected, "My lord, has this ill-mannered servant disturbed your peace? Has she troubled you?" Her sharp gaze pierced the maid. The maid, already trembling, shuddered violently under Guo Jinyu's gaze, almost shrinking into a ball, burying her head even lower.

"No!" The emperor frowned slightly, his tone somewhat impatient.

"Then...then let someone else serve us? Or, or move the ice chest further away?" Li Chunrong looked at the emperor anxiously, hoping to find a reason to keep him here.

"Alright!" The emperor interrupted their noisy attempts to persuade him to stay, and waved the memorial in his hand. "I'm going to Chuxiu Palace to discuss important matters."

"It's serious business." Li Chunrong and Guo Jinyu exchanged a glance, both seeing disbelief and disappointment in each other's eyes. Trying to talk to a woman about serious business—what a lame excuse.

But they weren't Li Zhulan, and dared not question the emperor's decision. They could only put on an even more pitiful expression. Li Chunrong mustered her last bit of courage, her voice choked with sobs: "Your Majesty... you haven't been to Qixiang Palace for so long... who knows when you'll be gone... at least... at least rest for one more night before you leave? Can't we talk about important matters tomorrow?" Guo Jinyu nodded repeatedly beside her, his eyes filled with sorrow.

The emperor looked at their tearful faces, his expression unchanged, but a subtle, complex emotion flickered in his eyes. He was unmoved by their pleas, simply replying, "It's urgent." With that, he ignored them and turned to leave.

"Your Majesty!" In her haste, Li Chunrong stepped forward and instinctively grabbed a corner of the emperor's dragon robe.

The emperor stopped again, his brows furrowing instantly, a clear hint of displeasure flashing across his face. He was about to speak when he changed his tone to one of unquestionable authority, demanding that she release him.

But Li Chunrong spoke first, raising her tear-filled face and asking in an almost pleading tone, "Then... after you finish your business at Chuxiu Palace, will you come back? I'll be waiting for you."

The emperor looked at her hand clutching his robe, her fingers trembling slightly, and at the pleading, humble hope in her eyes. The words of rebuke reached his lips, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. His tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and after a moment of silence, he spoke, his voice much gentler than before: "I will come again tomorrow." With that, he gently pulled the robe back from her grasp, and without lingering, strode towards the door.

Yang Songquan immediately followed. The curtain was lifted and then fell back down, swaying and making a slight sound.

(End of this chapter)