Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 729 Abnormal Things

"Tch. So what?" Mi Mengshang felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. "She's just a stupid woman with a pretty face."

"What you're saying?" Wenjing teased. "Why does it sound so sour?"

"Sour? Ha. Did I say something wrong?" Mi Mengshang scoffed. "What 'the Emperor originally wanted to make her Empress, but we delayed it'? These rumors are clearly fabricated by someone with ulterior motives to sow discord. She can't even see through such obvious instigation, yet she still comes to pick a fight with you and find fault with you. Isn't that stupid? Besides, this old woman is arrogant and domineering herself, and she doesn't know how to restrain herself, yet she blames us? If she really becomes Empress, that would truly be an injustice!"

"I think you're just jealous of her." Wen Jing suddenly reached out and pressed her hand against Mi Mengshang's lips.

"Why would I be jealous?" A blush of embarrassment and anger flashed across Mi Mengshang's face, but Wen Jing pressed it back down. "...Sister Wen, what's wrong?"

"You've applied too much lipstick, let me wipe it off for you." Wen Jing gently brushed off the vermilion lipstick that was stuck on Mi Mengshang's lips.

"You!" Mi Mengshang's panic quickly turned into shock. Because Wen Jing had actually applied the lip gloss she had just wiped off onto her own lips.

"Hehe. This stuff is more valuable than its weight in silver, how can we waste it?" Wen Jing's gaze towards Mi Mengshang was becoming increasingly strange. This wasn't the gaze of an older sister looking at her younger sister, nor the gaze of a lower-ranking concubine looking at a higher-ranking concubine; it was the gaze of a woman looking at a man!

Mi Mengshang suddenly stood up, but Wen Jing grabbed her arm. "Your Majesty, why are you running? You haven't finished your makeup yet."

"Why should I put on makeup if the Emperor isn't coming?" Mi Mengshang gently struggled, but couldn't break free.

“Even if His Majesty doesn’t come, I can still put on makeup. I like watching it.” Wen Jing smiled and cupped Mi Mengshang’s face in her hands. Soon, their foreheads touched, and their eyes met.

"No, no!" Mi Mengshang's entire body was covered in goosebumps. She knew all too well what Wen Jing was about to do. Wen Jing had done the same thing before in the Qianqing Palace.

"Don't be afraid, it feels great. I've heard many concubines in the palace enjoy doing this." Wenjing trembled slightly, her eyes gradually becoming hazy. "And...and the Emperor also enjoys watching. Let's practice, let's practice more!"

"No." Mi Mengshang instinctively wanted to push Wen Jing away, but Wen Jing's hot breath seemed to have a bewitching magic, making her limbs weak. Mi Mengshang mustered her strength and pushed forward, but her push was neutralized by two soft mounds.

Just as Mi Mengshang's gaze began to glaze over under Wen Jing's passionate advances, a sharp cry pierced their ears, abruptly interrupting their tender moment—

"The Emperor has arrived!"

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"Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, pay my respects." Mi Mengshang bowed her head, panting as she ran to the emperor to pay her respects. Her face was so red it looked as if blood could be squeezed out.

Wenjing followed behind her, her eyes filled with both resentment and a strange expectation.

Shortly after the two arrived, six other beauties who were putting on makeup in the rear hall and various side halls, along with the eunuchs and palace maids who served the beauties, also ran out to greet the emperor.

"Alright." Before everyone could kneel, the emperor gave the order to rise. "Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The kneeling people immediately stood up, while those who were not kneeling still kowtowed and completed the full ceremony before getting up from the ground.

"You, you. Come here." The emperor glanced casually at the group of beauties and pointed out the most outstanding Wen Jing and another petite beauty.

The emperor walked straight to Mi Mengshang and put his arm around her shoulder. "Didn't you summon me? Why are you still wearing this flying fish robe?"

"I thought His Majesty wasn't coming," Mi Mengshang said somewhat guiltily, glancing at Wen Jing unconsciously. Wen Jing was also looking at her, her eyes filled with undisguised aggression.

"This outfit looks good too. It's just a bit thick." The emperor put his arm around Mi Mengshang and walked towards the back hall. Wen Jing and another beauty chosen by the emperor immediately followed, while the beauties who were not chosen left dejectedly, filled with regret or some other emotion.

The three eunuchs did not follow. They remained in the courtyard of the front hall, directing the eunuchs and palace maids to do their respective tasks.

"Ruoyu." Wang An moved slowly to Liu Ruoyu's side, watching the emperor's disappearing figure, and asked, "What exactly happened at Qixiang Palace? Why was His Majesty so angry just now?"

“Senior brother, actually I don’t know as much as you do,” Liu Ruoyu shook his head sheepishly, then looked at Shi Fuming standing in the center of the courtyard. “Let’s ask Eunuch Shi instead.”

Shi Fuming seemed to have anticipated this, and before Wang An or Liu Ruoyu could speak, he took the initiative to walk over and said, "Yesterday afternoon after the court session ended, a memorial was slipped in from the Huiji Gate. You should know about this, right?"

"We know." Wang An and Liu Ruoyu exchanged a glance and nodded in understanding.

"After the master read the memorial, he changed his destination to Chuxiu Palace. This was not a problem in itself. However, just as the master was about to change his destination to Chuxiu Palace, Guo Zhao—" Shi Fuming paused and then changed his words, "...a palace maid under Consort Guo splashed water at the master's feet."

"Sprinkling water? Why?" Wang An asked.

"She was fanning herself with cold air by the ice chest, and when it was full of melted ice water, she went to pour it out. I guess either her legs went numb from squatting for too long, or her hands slipped because there was too much water, so she didn't hold it steady," Shi Fuming said.

Wang An nodded, signaling Shi Fuming to continue.

"Such carelessness deserves punishment. But the master is kind-hearted; he pardoned her, sparing her the beating, and clearly stated that the visit to Chuxiu Palace was for important business, and that he would return tomorrow. This is tantamount to openly telling Consort Guo not to take her anger out on that palace maid," Shi Fuming said, pursing his lips. "But whether Consort Guo has lost her mind or is simply jealous, she seems to have ignored the master's words, and soon after, she had that palace maid publicly flogged ten times?"

"No wonder," Liu Ruoyu said. "This Lady Guo is so tactless. She dares to disobey her master."

“That’s right,” Shi Fuming chimed in. “If you ask me, demoting her is already showing her mercy. If it were according to the master’s old temper, he would have given her double the beating and demoted her to the Qianxi Fifth Palace.”

Wang An didn't reply, but nodded in agreement. "Where's that palace maid? I didn't see her in Qixiang Palace?"

"Before you arrived, the master sent someone to take her to the imperial pharmacy to have her injuries treated," Shi Fuming said.

"Are you seriously injured?" Wang An asked.

"It's alright." Shi Fuming thought for a moment. "He walks with a limp, but he can still walk, so his bones shouldn't be broken."

"Is the master interested in her?" Wang An asked again.

“Probably not. Yang Bingbi asked yesterday.” Shi Fuming pondered for a moment. “But it’s hard to say. When she was lying on the ground crying, the master even asked me to hand her a handkerchief. My handkerchief.”

"You still care about this?" Wang An smiled.

“It’s not that I’m fussing over it,” Shi Fuming said with a smile and a shake of his head. “It’s just that there are plum blossoms that I embroidered myself on that handkerchief.”

"You're still embroidering plum blossoms? You have so much free time?" Wang An's lips curled up even wider.

“I have time,” Shi Fuming shrugged. “I’m not like you guys, all of you are so busy.” “If you want to switch to the Directorate of Ceremonial, you can talk to the Emperor,” Wang An suggested. “You’re an old hand, you have influence.”

"Forget it," Shi Fuming waved his hand and said, "I've never been good at studying since I was a child. I've done odd jobs for most of my life and I don't understand those complicated things. If I were to go to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, you would find me clumsy after three days."

"Look at what you're saying." Wang An shook his head and continued, "I said, that palace maid probably can't stay in Qixiang Palace any longer. Transfer her to work under you."

“Great. I’ll get my handkerchief back too.” Shi Fuming acted immediately, turning to his godson Shi Fangda and beckoning, “Come here.”

"What are your orders, Godfather?" Shi Fangda jogged up to Shi Fuming.

Shi Fuming pointed westward and said, "Go to Qixiang Palace now and tell the person in charge and Consort Li that the palace maid surnamed You is not going back."

"Yes!" Shi Fangda jogged away again.

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The curtain at the end of the rear hall of Yongshou Palace was lifted. Two eunuchs entered, carrying two trays and four cups of tea.

"Let me do it." The petite beauty sitting by the door stood up, took the tray with only a cup of tea on it, and came to the emperor. "Your Majesty, please have some."

"If I remember correctly," Zhu Changluo didn't touch the teacup, but instead looked down at the girl kneeling at his feet. "Your surname should be Ni?"

The beauty was taken aback, and a look of disappointment quickly appeared on her face.

"Master," Mi Mengshang reminded him awkwardly from the side, "this is Sister Xi."

"Hehe." Zhu Changluo turned his head and chuckled. "Xi Yue, right?"

This time, the emperor was right, but the tears that had been welling up in Xi Yue's eyes still fell. "Mm."

"Oh dear. Why are you crying all of a sudden?" Zhu Changluo smiled and pulled Xi Yue up, placing her on his lap.

"I didn't cry. I just got sand in my eyes." Xi Yue pouted and stubbornly wiped away her tears.

Zhu Changluo gently rubbed Xi Yue's cheek, but then looked at Mi Mengshang and asked, "Does she always cry so easily?"

“Sir,” Mi Mengshang said, adopting a perfectly measured tone of reproach, “don’t you think you’ve gone too far?”

"Really?" Zhu Changluo pinched Xi Yue's chin and asked in a teasing tone, "Do you think I'm being unreasonable?"

“No. His Majesty is responsible for the entire nation and is busy with countless affairs of state,” Xi Yue said haltingly. “It is understandable that you cannot remember who this humble concubine is.”

"Did you hear that?" Zhu Changluo nodded towards Mi Mengshang.

"Hmph." Mi Mengshang snorted and said, "Sister Xi is afraid of you."

"Aren't you afraid?" Zhu Changluo picked up the tea and took a sip.

“I haven’t done anything wrong, so why should I be afraid?” Mi Mengshang said matter-of-factly.

"So," Zhu Changluo lowered his head again, "...you're so afraid of me, is it because you've done something wrong?"

"No, I...I did nothing wrong, I did nothing wrong," Xi Yue said, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Master, please don't bully her," Mi Mengshang said reproachfully.

"Did I bully you?" Zhu Changluo asked Xi Yue again.

"No, no," Xi Yue sniffed, shaking her head blankly. "His Majesty is very kind."

"Did you hear that?" Zhu Changluo used the same tactic on Mi Mengshang once again.

"Sigh," Mi Mengshang sighed, but she was still happy inside. No matter how malicious the teasing was, it was still much better than coming in with a long face and leaving with a long face.

"Oh, right," Zhu Changluo suddenly said, as if he had just remembered something, "The Li family's case is about to be closed, so there shouldn't be any problems with the Western Depot, right?"

Mi Mengshang turned serious and glanced at Xi Yue in the emperor's arms: "Let Xi Yue and Wen Yue go out first."

"There's no need for that. Anyway, these things have nothing to do with them." Zhu Changluo showed no intention of letting go of Xi Yue, still holding her in his arms like a doll.

Mi Mengshang shook her head and insisted, "There are some things that even if they have nothing to do with them, they can't listen to them."

"You really care about them that much?" Zhu Changluo gently stroked the girl's slender nape with his large hand.

“I am thinking of them, and even more so of Your Majesty,” Mi Mengshang said.

"Alright then." Zhu Changluo put Xi Yue down and looked at Wen Jing. "Since Lady Mi has said so, you may all leave now."

Xi Yue immediately breathed a sigh of relief, while Wen Jing looked at Mi Mengshang with a strange expression and a hint of worry. "This concubine takes her leave."

Zhu Changluo stared at Mi Mengshang across the tea table until all the palace maids and officials had left and a door in the main room slammed shut. Only then did he speak again: "The troublesome people are gone. You can speak now."

Mi Mengshang blinked, her breath trembling slightly. "Your Majesty, I believe the Eastern Depot's investigation has uncovered serious problems."

Just as Mi Mengshang had predicted, the emperor's expression suddenly changed, turning cold. But quickly, that coldness faded, leaving only indifference. "You're mistaken. I think Cui Wensheng's investigation is excellent. The cases in Tianjin and Guangning are both clear in facts and have complete evidence."

“The cases in Tianjin and Guangning are indeed not a big problem. The problem lies in the case of the Nine Lotus Bodhisattva's manifestation. This case is very likely not the work of the Li family! The Eastern Depot stubbornly regards Li Guochen as the main culprit in forging the prophecy, and many of the testimonies they obtained were forcibly extracted through torture based on this point.” Mi Mengshang’s words made the emperor frown, but she continued to speak eloquently. She was completely unaware that the emperor’s deep displeasure and displeasure were not directed at the case, but at her.

"My Western Depot inspectors have witnessed on numerous occasions that the Eastern Depot's chief investigators forced Li Guochen's servants to change their testimonies, compelling them to confess that they had assisted Li Guochen in spreading false rumors and prophecies. Moreover, the Eastern Depot rarely sends anyone to investigate the source of these rumors in the marketplace. Apart from arresting some gossipy idlers at the beginning of the case, they haven't arrested anyone else. This is very unreasonable!"

(End of this chapter)