On the first day of the month, Yu Shu woke up before the fifth watch. When she opened her eyes, it was pitch black outside the window. Even though she had washed up and slept after eating last night, she still felt dizzy waking up so early.
Hearing a servant girl coughing outside, she put on her clothes and called for someone to come in and serve. Ever since she had moved to a large residence, she had gradually adapted to the days of food and clothing being handed to her.
Last night, it was Xin'er who kept watch. After Yu Shu woke up, Yun Dou and Lin'er came to take her place. They had already prepared hot water and tea and were busy helping Yu Shu wash and change. It took less than an hour for her to dress.
Yu Shu stood at the door of the room and looked at the dark courtyard. She truly felt that she had woken up early.
It was the beginning of winter and the morning was particularly cold. She put on a black cloak with fur over her court clothes and wrapped up her sleeves as she walked out of the north wing. Lin'er was in front with a lantern. When she reached the front courtyard and walked down the corridor, she saw a dark figure standing in front of the living room door. She thought that it was Xue Rui who had come early. Who would have thought that it was Jing Chen who had come early?
Her steps paused and she asked in surprise, "You are?"
"I know that you are going to the palace today so I came to pick you up." Jing Chen had a magnanimous bearing, but his eyes were helpless when he looked at her.
When he heard that Xue Rui had returned to Jing, he wanted to talk to her, but she uncharacteristically avoided him. Every time he went to Kun Ling Bureau to find her, she was so busy that she could not leave. When he went to the fu to see her, she was always not at home. Jing Chen did not understand why she would avoid him. After thinking about it, the reason could only be Xue Rui.
Yu Shu walked around him guiltily and entered the living room. Sitting down, she said, "Don't you not attend court?"
Jing Chen's position as the Right Commander was temporary. Emperor Zhao Qing was very generous to him. No one required him to attend court so he never participated in government affairs.
"I was worried about you, so I made a request to the Chief." Jing Chen walked into the room and stared at her. "I wanted to tell you this a long time ago, but you always avoided me."
He was indeed worried about Yu Shu because he felt that Xue Rui was not reliable. He was afraid that Yu Shu would trust Xue Rui too much and lose the ability to judge right from wrong.
"…" He spoke too bluntly, and Yu Shu did not know how to respond. It was true that she was avoiding him because she was worried that if they met in private, Jing Chen would ask her about the details of Xue Rui's disappearance. She could not tell him the truth that it was Yun Hua's scheme, so she could only avoid meeting him.
"You …" Jing Chen was about to ask her if she was avoiding him because of Xue Rui, but he suddenly stopped and turned to look in the direction of the door. Yu Shu saw his movement and also looked out. After a while, she saw Xue Rui, who was wearing a dark green cloak, slowly walk out of the darkness.
He stopped at the door of the living room and looked at the two people in the room. His eyes flickered, and he smiled slightly. "I saw the carriage of the princess's mansion on the side of the road just now. I thought I was mistaken, but it is really Brother Jing."
Jing Chen did not move and also said, "I have just arrived, just a little earlier than Brother Xue."
Xue Rui nodded. He turned around and said to Yu Shu in a gentle voice, "I was thinking that you woke up early and did not have the appetite to eat, so I went to the Building of Forgotten Machines on the way to get some breakfast. There's hot porridge and side dishes. You should eat some to fill your stomach later on the journey. Otherwise, you won't be able to endure when you enter the palace."
Jing Chen did not fall behind and honestly said to Yu Shu, "I have also prepared food for you." After saying that, he thought for a while and added, "Last month, when I was refining pills, there was a kind of Vitality Pill that is very good. It can refresh the mind, so I brought it for you today."
"Thank you for your trouble, Brother Jing." Xue Rui cupped his hands and thanked him, and then he turned around and said to Yu Shu, "Little girl, why didn't you tell me beforehand that you're going to meet Brother Jing? If I'm late, then wouldn't I be making him wait?"
"It is not her fault that she did not tell you. I did not expect you to come, I thought you were suspended." Jing Chen did not know how to be reserved.
"Brother Jing's ears are not very good. I have been reinstated a few days ago." Xue Rui also gradually became impolite.
Yu Shu listened to them talking one after another, treating her as a decoration. She glanced at Jing Chen and then looked at Xue Rui. She suddenly felt a headache. She knew that the first morning court would not be peaceful, but there was no need for such a strong smell of gunpowder so early in the morning.
She suddenly stood up and walked out, "You guys have a good chat, I am leaving first."
Xue Rui and Jing Chen looked at each other and turned their heads away. At the same time, they thought: Who wants to chat with him?
.....
The two carriages drove side by side and only slowed down when they reached the foot of the palace. There was a long queue outside the Meridian Gate. They did not join the queue and slowly stopped at the back.
Yu Shu sat in Xue Rui's carriage. She lifted a corner of the curtain and looked outside. The cold wind rushed in. She quickly put it down and turned to Xue Rui and said,
"Look, look, we are late. We are all lagging behind."
"No matter how early you are, you will not be at the front of the queue." Xue Rui slowly moved the wine pot away from the charcoal stove. He tested the temperature of the wine, poured a cup and handed it to her, saying, "Drink a few mouthfuls to warm yourself. When the palace gates open, we will have to stand outside for a long time."
The queue outside the palace gates was not casually lined up. For example, Yin TianHou and Xue Lingnan, no matter how late they were, could directly be at the front. For the fifth-rank officials, no matter how early they were, they could only make room for others.
Xue Rui took out another half a pot and opened the small window at the corner of the door. He said to the manservant outside the carriage, "Send it to the Jing gongzi next to me."
It was not easy for them to come before dawn to block people. Unfortunately, it was useless no matter how early they came. There was no medicine for regret in this world. If they missed it, they missed it.
Yu Shu curled up her legs and leaned against a soft pillow while holding the little honey-yellow wine cup in her palm, and she looked at Xue Rui with an amused expression. She'd noticed that he was being petty, but when she thought of the blood relationship between him and Jing Chen, her feelings couldn't help but become complicated.
Speaking of which, the sudden change in the Xue family started from the portrait that Jing Chen had painted. But if she really looked into it, what did Jing Chen do wrong? He was also a victim.
They were originally blood brothers, but they had no choice but to go their separate ways. It was not easy to turn hostility into friendship.
The east was slightly white. There was a burst of bell ringing in the distance. When the palace gates opened, the stream of people and horses slowly moved forward. When they were about to reach them, Xue Rui said to Yu Shu,
"Take off your cloak. You can't wear this in the palace. Let's get out of the carriage and take a few steps to stretch our hands and feet."
Yu Shu nodded as she obediently took off her cloak and placed it at the side, revealing the exquisite and gorgeous imperial court attire on her body. She adjusted the gemstone necklace on her neck and touched the tasseled crown on her head to make sure that her attire was appropriate. Only then did she jump off the carriage and take two steps forward. When she noticed that Xue Rui wasn't following her, she turned around and collided with his jet black and bright eyes.
She smiled. She also knew that she was dressed beautifully. Women were proud of those who liked them. His behavior was very pleasing to her.
The two of them got out of the carriage and walked. Jing Chen silently followed them. The Meridian Gate was heavily guarded. The civil and military officials entered with fish talismans. When they left the palace, they also had to show their fish talismans.
Walking under the palace wall, Xue Rui told Yu Shu in a low voice a true story. A few years ago, there was an unlucky man who forgot to bring his fish talisman. He was afraid that he would miss the morning court session, so he tried to bribe the imperial guards to let him enter the palace. However, the Jin Wu Guards who were guarding the gate did not recognize him, so they caught him on the spot. When the news reached the Emperor's ears, he just said one sentence and that unlucky man was banished to Yunnan.
After listening to this story, Yu Shu remembered it. She carefully fastened two buttons on the fish talisman on her belt, for fear that she would accidentally lose it.
The eunuch who led the way led them to an open space in front of the palace gate. Several high-ranking officials and nobles went inside to drink tea, while the others had to stand outside in the cold wind.
Yu Shu roughly counted. There were no less than two hundred people here. Looking around, she was the only woman, which was really eye-catching.
Before entering the palace, everyone took off the cloaks they used to keep warm and only wore court clothes to meet the Emperor. The weather was really cold, so everyone wore a layer of cotton-padded clothes, which made them look much fatter than they were.
However, she stood out from the crowd. She wore heavy court clothes, but her shoulders were still straight. Her oval face was pink and white from the cold. She was a woman's beauty, but when she raised her eyebrows, she added a bit of heroic spirit. People couldn't help but look at her a few more times, and an inappropriate description popped up in their minds — an elegant and handsome young man, as beautiful as a jade tree in the wind.
Such a young and energetic girl appeared in the middle of a group of old men, unexpectedly becoming a dazzling scenery.
What's more, there were two young and handsome men standing next to her. One was gentle and elegant, and the other was handsome and outstanding. They were in the prime of their youth, making people envious.
***
The court meeting was very different from what Yu Shu had imagined. She thought that the Emperor would sit on the dragon throne and give orders, and the ministers would take turns to report their work. Then, if there was a report, the court would be dismissed.
But in reality, the liveliness of the morning court meeting was no less than the market. The idea of reporting work was simply too naive. The reality was that out of every three officials who opened their reports, two of them complained —
Official Fang of the Chamberlain of Honglu said that this year, the offerings sent to the capital by the military governor of Hexi were 20% less than in previous years, so he accused Official Zhang of the Ministry of Rites of overstepping his authority and embezzling the offerings.
The Marquis of Kaiyang reported Official Wang of the Ministry of Works to repair the residence of High Duke Feng's family. All the broken bricks and tiles were piled up at the back door of their house, blocking the road.
No matter how big or small the matter was, without exception, they were all disputes that the yamen could not solve.
Yu Shu listened dumbfounded for a while and suddenly realized — — so the Emperor was a judge of cases. She and Xue Rui were both fifth-ranked officials, so their positions were close to the back and they were not far from each other. In front, the Marquis of Kaiyang and High Duke Feng were arguing until their necks were red. Whispers could be heard everywhere in the hall. Some said that the Marquis of Kaiyang was making a big fuss over a minor issue, while others said that High Duke Feng was being unkind.
When no one was paying attention, she rolled her eyes. Coincidentally, Xue Rui saw it. He clenched his fist and coughed twice, reminding her not to cause trouble.
Seeing that the Marquis of Kaiyang and High Duke Feng were about to roll up their sleeves and fight, Emperor Zhao Qing gave Ying Jiuping a look, telling him to sound the whip for silence. He opened his golden mouth and decided this matter — — He gave High Duke Feng three days to clean up the back door of the Marquis of Kaiyang's residence and fined Official Wang of the Ministry of Works a month's salary.
Then all the ministers cheered — — Your Majesty is wise!
Just as Yu Shu was about to fall asleep from boredom, figures suddenly moved in the front row. Three people stepped out and knelt in front of the Emperor. The leader said in a loud voice,
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
