Chapter Fifty-Six – The Emperor (6)
Yan Jing Ze cheerfully gave medicine to Chu Ting Xiu, who was lying on the bed with a red face, and told him to lie down and rest, while he went to the imperial study.
Chu Ting Xiu hired a great scholar to teach him and his lessons could not be stopped for a day.
What's more, at this moment, his heart was racing, he wanted to do something…
If he stays with Chu Ting Xiu, he is afraid that he will hurt him.
When Yan Jing Ze went to the Imperial Study, the teacher Chu Ting Xiu had hired for him was already waiting.
As a military official, Chu Ting Xiu didn't know much about the civil officials, so it took a lot of effort to get the master to hire a famous teacher.
The teachers he hired, two of whom were renowned scholars of the dynasty, and one of whom had been a teacher of the late emperor, would take turns teaching Yan Jing Ze. In addition, Chu Ting Xiu invited a very learned scholar whom he knew from his warfare days, and his military advisor, to come with him to teach Yan Jing Ze.
Of course, the two great scholars had official positions and were legitimate imperial teachers, while the two in the back, on the other hand, were just accompanying the original master on the pretext of studying with him. They were sent to the palace with no rest, but whenever the original owner had a class, they were always there to accompany him.
Among these four, the great scholar who had taught the late emperor was quite old, and he was very sympathetic to the original owner, so he was very attentive in teaching.
Chu Ting Xiu invited a scholar and Chu Ting Xiu's military advisor, both of whom were repeatedly instructed by Chu Ting Xiu. They were humble people, to enter the palace was already a great grace, and they were also respectful to the original owner.
There was another great scholar… Grand Tutor Yang, was from a noble family, extremely knowledgeable, and had no faction behind him. When the Empress Dowager was still around, he not only resigned, but also wrote an article scolding the Empress Dowager. He was a righteous man.
But it was this Grand Tutor Yang who despised the original owner.
For someone like Grand Tutor Yang who dared to confront the Empress Dowager at a time when she was as powerful as ever, his temper was naturally not small. When he resigned from his post to teach at the academy, he taught only the brightest students.
Although the original owner was smart, he was timid and did not dare to express his opinion, so he was naturally displeased.
And today is the lesson of this Grand Tutor Yang.
Perhaps because of his dissatisfaction with the original master, Grand Tutor Yang's lecture today was extremely perfunctory. He only let a child beside him to read the history book to Yan Jing Ze.
Yan Jing Ze listened to the child's voice and flipped through the pages, memorizing all the contents in his heart.
In the history books, all the records are straightforward, but if you think about it carefully, you can see a lot.
While recalling what the original owner had learned over the past year, Yan Jing Ze read the book and absorbed it, calming his heart.
Chu Ting Xiu was deeply committed to him and he could not let Chu Ting Xiu be wronged. And to be free of suffering, you need to be in a position of power.
Nowadays, Chu Ting Xiu's power and position is not low, but it is still not enough, at least those civil officials in the court do not take Chu Ting Xiu seriously.
Not to mention the big family clans led by the Ping King.
If people knew about his relationship with Chu Ting Xiu, Chu Ting Xiu would certainly take the blame…
"Your Majesty, are you listening?" Grand Tutor Yang suddenly asked, his tone not so good.
The original owner had to deal with the Empress Dowager for many years, which made him develop the habit of listening carefully when others spoke.
Let's say that Chu Ting Xiu's military advisor told him some minor folk trivia, but he didn't care about it at all, nor did he care to hear about it, but when he did listen, he would look at the military advisor attentively, and from time to time he would agree… One would think that he listened very seriously and the military advisor was very moved.
Later on, when Chu Ting Xiu was eliminated by the original owner, the military counselor incredulously came to confront the original owner and was finally stabbed to death by a man beside the original owner!
In short, the original owner was usually very good at pretending in front of these teachers, but today, Yan Jing Ze didn't act like how the original owner was when pretending to be listening carefully.
Grand Tutor Yang was already dissatisfied with this student, and was naturally unhappy at this time. The emperor, he's afraid, will have to apologize again, without any imperial majesty.
"I am listening." However, Yan Jing raised his eyes and looked at Grand Tutor Yang and did not stand up in a panic to apologize as usual.
Grand Tutor Yang tried to refrain from snorting, "Your Majesty, who was the Prime Minister during the reign of Emperor Zhuang Wen?"
The child had previously read the biography of Emperor Zhuang Wen.
Yan Jing Ze leaned back, threw the book he was holding onto the table, opened his mouth, and recited word for word the 'Biography of Emperor Zhuang Wen' that the child had read before.
Grand Tutor Yang was stunned.
At this time, many books had to be memorized, but this kind of history book, with dozens or hundreds of volumes, was hardly memorized!
He loved to read history books, which he had read dozens of times, but he could not memorize them.
His Majesty… can recite it?
After reciting it, Yan Jing Ze looked at Grand Tutor Yang and smiled gently: "Does Grand Tutor Yang think that I have escaped so many assassinations and survived under the Empress Dowager because of my cowardice?"
This appearance of Yan Jing Ze, who looks so laid-back, puts great pressure on people.
Grand Tutor Yang's pupils shrank.
The first time he saw His Majesty before him was in front of the coffin of the late Emperor.
At that time, in the presence of many ministers, the Empress Dowager called His Majesty and King Ping before her and asked, "How shall you be emperor?"
His Majesty, who was several months older than the second prince, answered first, ending up with two strands of tears, coupled with weeping and coughing. After being stared at by the Empress Dowager for a long time, he actually cried out.
At that time, they all felt that this son was not fit to be an emperor.
After switching to King Ping, King Ping spilled out a lot of words, and finally said: "This grandson will listen to the Imperial Grandmother's advice."
At the time, they all admired King Ping, but the Empress Dowager laughed and sent preparations to have His Majesty enthroned for a high-sounding reason – to establish the oldest, not the youngest.
At the time, it looked as if he couldn't be saved, and then he was really squeezed to death by the Empress Dowager. Even though Chu Ting Xiu helped him deal with the Empress Dowager, he still repeatedly made a fool of himself in front of people.
Grand Tutor Yang was displeased with him from the bottom of his heart.
But at this moment, he suddenly felt that he might have misjudged His Majesty!
He can even memorize a history book word for word, is he really ignorant?
He can get Chu Ting Xiu to help him deal with the Empress Dowager, is he really useless?
It was his performance in front of the late emperor's coffin many years ago… He probably saw what the empress dowager was thinking and made that appearance on purpose.
In the end, it was he who became emperor, wasn't it?
The more he thought about it, the more he realized that this was the case, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
How dare he underestimate His Majesty, who is so deep-hearted!
"Grand Tutor Yang, continue your lecture." Yan Jing Ze laughed lightly, sat up straight and asked: "Duan Ye, a Confucian elder, had no other power or strategy, and was forbidden to do anything, and the group of subordinates take orders without authorization; he believed in divination and witchcraft, so he lost… Grand Tutor, explain to me about this paragraph."
He could understand the history book in general, but what he didn't understand, he needed someone to explain.
Although Grand Tutor Yang did not like the original owner before, but the original owner is the emperor, he also did not dare to be too rude. Now that he feels that his words are deep and thoughtful, he dare not offend him.
He carefully explained, and then realized that His Majesty not only learns everything, but also never forgets anything.
It is true that there are intelligent people in this world who never forget what they read, but there was none who can memorize by reading it once. His Majesty, however, was different. He had read thousands of words of difficult and incomprehensible writing once, and was able to memorize them all.
If he has such skills, how can his knowledge be inferior?
Grand Tutor Yang used to be a bit proud of himself, but now he has lost his pride.
Those who were shocked were not only Grand Tutor Yang, but also Chu Ting Xiu's military advisor, and the scholar whom Chu Ting Xiu had found.
The military counselor followed Chu Ting Xiu to the north and south, the four books and five sutras may not be fully memorized, but has read countless miscellaneous books. He also understood the life of the people and was well versed in the ways of the world, and the scholar was more or less like him.
They were not disrespectful to His Majesty, but they were actually sympathetic to His Majesty and felt sorry for Him, being raised by the Empress Dowager.
But now, looking at the Emperor… The Empress Dowager was wrong!
The way they looked at him changed, and military counselor was even a little worried about the general – did he know His Majesty's true face?
Just as they were thinking this, they saw Chu Ting Xiu coming.
The reason why Chu Ting Xiu has a fever is because he didn't take care of his injuries last night, and he only wore his coat and rode in the cold wind, and he even took a cold shower at home. But the reason why he fainted was because of his emotional stress.
Now that he has taken the medicine and slept, he is fine and is thinking of His Majesty.
In the past, he wouldn't have dared to do anything even if he missed him, but it's not the same now that they're telling each other their feelings.
His Majesty's interest in him may only be momentary, and in a few years' time, he will naturally establish a queen and a concubine… He cannot waste time.
Chu Ting Xiu came directly to the place where Yan Jing Ze attended class.
Chu Ting Xiu had a lot of things to deal with in the past and didn't come over much. Today, he was pleased to see Grand Tutor Yang lecturing very seriously, but he was unable to remove his eyes when he saw His Majesty listening to the lesson very seriously.
His Majesty's appearance in class was really good-looking, he doesn't know how many times more beautiful than before yesterday.
"Ai Qing, how is your health?" Yan Jing Ze saw Chu Ting Xiu.
"It's fine." Chu Ting Xiu was a little uncomfortable when he heard Yan Jing Ze ask about his health: "Your Majesty, I have something else to do, so I will leave first."
"Would you like to attend the class with me, Ai Qing?" Yan Jing Ze asked. What Chu Ting Xiu is going to be busy with should be political affairs, so there is no hurry.
Chu Ting Xiu needs to rest now.
General Chu is very busy, so they don't think he will come to the class? As everyone was thinking this, they heard Chu Ting Xiu say, "Alright."
Yan Jing Ze immediately asked someone to move a chair, and also asked someone to prepare a mat to put on it, and then asked someone to bring tea and snacks.
Grand Tutor Yang and the others: His Majesty's care and concern for General Chu is extraordinary! No wonder General Chu has been so loyal to him, since His Majesty is so courteous.
In the past, Chu Ting Xiu would have had to excuse himself, but today he didn't. The chair was placed next to Yan Jing Ze.
Naturally, he sat down and saw that the ink in the inkstone in front of Yan Jing Ze was gone, so he added a little water and grinded it up.
Grand Tutor Yang and the others: General Chu grinded the ink for His Majesty himself… His Majesty is so good at getting General Chu to treat him this way!
In a short time, the lesson was over.
Yan Jing Ze got up and smilingly looked at Grand Tutor Yang: "Grand Tutor Yang, you should be clear on what you can say and what you can't say."
Although Grand Tutor Yang despised the original owner, he was not a member of the King Ping's party, which is why he did what he did today.
Grand Tutor Yang's body stiffened and agreed.
Only then did Yan Jing Ze leave with Chu Ting Xiu.
The Yan Jing Ze yesterday and today are very different from before, but Chu Ting Xiu doesn't feel that there is anything wrong, but rather has the feeling that this is how His Majesty should have been.
It was already late, so Yan Jing Ze took Chu Ting Xiu to have lunch.
Even if you have to deal with politics, you can't do it on an empty stomach.
Previously, even if the two shared the same table, it was a huge table, sitting face to face, but now Yan Jing Ze sat beside Chu Ting Xiu and served the dishes with great earnestness.
"Your Majesty, the courtier will do it…" Chu Ting Xiu wanted to refuse.
"I love putting food on your plate!" Yan Jing Ze said, and gave a little more to Chu Ting Xiu.
"The courtier… can't finish it." Chu Ting Xiu was embarrassed.
"I'll eat it if you can't finish it," Yan Jing Ze then said.
Chu Ting Xiu's heart trembled.
The two of them now look like an ordinary couple.
Thinking of 'husband and wife', Chu Tingxiu suddenly remembered his sister's pouch.
He didn't want his sister's pouch to be held by his majesty.
"Your Majesty, the courtier left a pouch behind yesterday…"
Yan Jing Ze's face turned pale: "I forgot to ask… Whose bag is that? You even keep it close to your body!" He didn't dare ask because he felt guilty, but now… the food in front of him only had the taste of vinegar.
Chu Ting Xiu realized that he had misunderstood: "My sister asked me to give that to His Majesty."
Yan Jing Ze: "…"
"Your Majesty… I would like to take it back to her."
Yan Jing Ze is embarrassed. "I thought it was from some lady… It was the purse that made me angry, so I cut your clothes, and then I treated you like that."
Chu Ting Xiu: "…" Should he be grateful to his sister?
***TN
Double update today~ (*u*)
AHHH! I made a mistake in translation. Chu Ting Xiu uses the word 'Chen' meaning minister or courtier when speaking to Yan JIng Ze but I somehow just simply used 'I'. I just noticed it in this chapter… (_._)
BTW, the Author finally released the 2nd book of this novel. Same protagonists but still a quick transmigration type. Hooo~ I'm so excited to read it but there's still too few chapters…
Chapter Fifty-Seven – The Emperor (7)
Yan Jing Ze didn't expect to drink a jar of old vinegar because of his own pouch. It turned out to be Chu Ting Xiu's sister who wanted to give it to him, he felt guilty about it.
But soon, he was righteous again and said, "Ting Xiu, if your heart desires me, how can you promise your sister to give me a pouch? You don't even know how sad I was then!"
Chu Ting Xiu felt guilty for a while: "The courtier… The courtier…"
"You must promise me one thing, as compensation," Yan Jing Ze said.
"What does Your Majesty want the courtier to agree to?" Chu Ting Xiu asked. In fact, Yan Jing Ze did not show a sad expression but he thought that he might have made Yan Jing Ze feel bad. He just wanted to say yes to everything.
"From now on, when no one is around, you can call me Jing Ze and don't call yourself a courtier. So, feel more comfortable when we talk," Yan Jing Ze said.
In fact, the place he came from was not very strict about titles, and even Chu Ting Xiu, sometimes without remembering, would call himself 'I' in front of him.
But as soon as he remembered, he would say 'courtier' again.
As for calling him by name, it is even more unlikely.
Chu Ting Xiu was stunned.
Yan Jing Ze, on the other hand, made a sad face: "If you don't even agree to this little thing, I'll be very sad… Say 'Jing Ze', let me hear it."
Chu Ting Xiu looked at Yan Jing Ze for a moment, opened his mouth and said, "Jing Ze.
Calling the emperor by his name, is the pleasure of two people when they are in a strong relationship. But the day the emperor's favor is withdrawn, it becomes a crime.
But when he confessed his heart to Yan Jing Ze and decided to be with him, he was ready to lose everything someday.
When he drank the drug that day, he thought he was going to die, which was the same as dying once already. Now, this life is earned, it is better to live well.
This way, he won't feel disadvantaged if Yan Jing Ze gets bored one day.
"Ting Xiu." Yan Jing Ze leaned in and kissed Chu Ting Xiu, and when he continued to clip the food, he fed it directly into Chu Ting Xiu's mouth.
Chu Tingxiu ate them all.
Yan Jing Ze knows Chu Ting Xiu's preferences, and knows that he is not picky about what he eats, but that he likes to eat meat. But now that Chu Ting Xiu was still not well, he didn't dare to let him eat too much, and instead fed him a lot of soup and vegetables.
Chu Ting Xiu didn't like to eat them, but they were fed to him by His Majesty, so he didn't have time to think about anything else for a moment, so he just knew to eat them.
When Yan Jing Ze stopped feeding, he realized that he had been stuffed with soup and hadn't eaten anything solid.
At this time, Yan Jing Ze kissed him again: "You're still wounded, so you can't eat greasy ones." Today's soups are all non-greasy and he had them made especially for this reason.
It was only after they had eaten that they began to deal with political matters.
The Chancellor has already brought someone to read the memo, and also gave his approval opinion. All that Yan Jing Ze and Chu Ting Xiu have to do is to read it again, and if there is any disagreement, then present it again.
In fact, the original owner often disagreed with it, but he would not show it on the surface. As for Yan Jing Ze, he did not understand the intricacies of the current situation in the court, he did not say anything and only read the memos in detail.
After reading for a while and listening to Chu Ting Xiu talk about the relationship between ministers, Yan Jing Ze said, "Ting Xiu, you should rest now."
Today, during daytime, Chu Ting Xiu even fainted.
"I'm fine…" Chu Ting Xiu said.
"Go to sleep," Yan Jing Ze said. "Don't go out of the palace tonight, sleep here with me."
He does not want to be separated from Chu Ting Xiu today.
Chu Ting Xiu looked at Yan Jing Ze and nodded his head.
His bedchamber was protected impenetrable by the trusted aides of Yan Jing Ze. When they passed by, the commander of the guards himself was standing at the door.
When he saw the two men coming together, he saluted and was shocked.
The events of the past two days were all in his eyes, and with Chief Steward Wang's words 'Treat General Chu as an Empress'… His Majesty has actually taken General Chu down?
His Majesty really is His Majesty.
When Yan Jing Ze saw the commander of the guards, he thought that he had been bothering them for the past two days and asked him to go to Wang Zhong's place tomorrow to collect his reward. Only then did he and Chu Ting Xiu enter the chamber together.
At the same time, he also thought that he should train more people.
The original owner was actually not short of money, Chu Ting Xiu gave the original owner all the money he had seized from the Empress Dowager's palace. But the original owner used to live a really bad life under the eyes of the Empress Dowager. In the past, he was starved. The Imperial Kitchen wanted silver before giving any food, but he couldn't get any silver, so he was so tight with money that he couldn't develop his own manpower.
Now that he is the Emperor, this identity naturally has an advantage, and he has the money. He doesn't believe that he can't train people.
Once in the bedchamber, Yan Jing Ze said, "Go lie down on the bed and I'll give you some more medicine."
Having already been medicated once, Chu Ting Xiu was not as restrained as before, he removed his clothes and lay down on the bed.
Earlier, when the medicine was applied, Yan Jing Ze was afraid that Chu Ting Xiu would be unhappy, he did not dare to do anything more. But now after half a day together, he had already known Chu Ting Xiu for some time. So, when he took the medicine, he inevitably took advantage of Chu Ting Xiu quite a bit, and in the end, both of them were red in the face, and their hearts were on fire.
If this continues, it will be unbearable.
Yan Jing Ze wrapped Chu Ting Xiu in a blanket and hugged him tightly in his arms: "Sleep!"
When he finished, he closed his eyes and began to calm his mind.
Chu Ting Xiu: "…" Yan Jing Ze let him stay, he thought that Yan Jing Ze must want to do something, but in the end… Yan Jing Ze did not do anything?
He was a little lost, but not without joy – in this way, he seemed to be cherished.
Both of them were tired from the ups and downs of the past two days, and soon fell asleep in each other's arms.
In the middle of the night, wrapped tightly in a blanket, Chu Ting Xiu was woken up by the heat, quietly came out of his own blanket, and lay down with Yan Jing Ze in the same blanket, and fell asleep again.
The two of them enjoyed their love for each other, while outside the palace—Chu Tinglan, who had been waiting for Chu Ting Xiu, didn't sleep all night, and so did King Ping.
They were all waiting for Chu Ting Xiu to leave the palace, but Chu Ting Xiu didn't leave the palace all night!
The good thing was that there was no court meeting the next day, so King Ping could get a good night's sleep.
Chu Ting Xiu's health was excellent, and as soon as he woke up, his body was completely well.
Yan Jing Ze asked Imperial Doctor Hu to take a look at him to make sure he was fine, and then released him from the palace.
Now that the court is unstable, the Empress Dowager's natal clan, the Zhou clan, still has many remnants, and King Ping is even eyeing the throne. There were even those who were loyal to the former dynasty who wanted to revive it… He couldn't let Chu Ting Xiu, who was supporting him in the court, stay in the palace all day.
It is important to resolve all these problems.
To solve these problems, it is necessary to be strong.
Today's lecture was given by another master other than Grand Tutor Yang.
This great master, surnamed Zhang, was already over seventy years old and had no desire to fight for power, and he had taught the late emperor. He took pity on the original owner, who was very much like the late emperor, and was very kind to him.
But in front of him, Yan Jing Ze dared not reveal his nature.
This Grand Tutor was a good man, a true member of the imperial party, but his two sons, however, were close friends with the King Ping.
In front of him, Yan Jing Ze behaved in the same way as the original owner.
Chu Ting Xiu's military advisor's surname was Li, and the scholar's surname was Zhao, and these two accompanied the original owner to class together. And as time passed, their friendship became better and better.
After leaving the palace yesterday, they specifically found a place to talk. They all felt that His Majesty must have a grand plan and that everything before must have been faked.
Their General, however, must have been loyal to His Majesty because he had already seen His Majesty's ability.
They were up all night with excitement – with such a master, they would have a great future ahead of them!
As a result, today, in front of Grand Tutor Zhang, His Majesty behaved as usual.
Both of them were puzzled, but didn't dare to show it.
After listening to the lesson for half an hour, Yan Jing Ze took the initiative to ask Grand Tutor Zhang to take a break and read with Scholar Zhao and Military Advisor Li.
Grand Tutor Zhang was old, had little energy, and felt that with Yan Jing Ze's knowledge, a scholar would have been more than enough to teach him, so he did not refuse.
As soon as Grand Tutor Zhang left, Yan Jing Ze no longer maintained the original owner's appearance, the whole person looked much more vigorous.
"What do you two want to ask?" Yan Jing Ze was smiling at the two people in front of him.
"Your Majesty, why did you look like this in front of Grand Tutor Zhang?" Advisor Li had the courage to really ask.
"The two sons of Grand Tutor Zhang were extremely close to King Ping," Words Jing answered.
"King Ping?" Advisor Li was stunned.
King Ping is a man of great prestige, well regarded among the courtiers, and many people are close to him, so why not?
"That King Ping has been coveting my throne," Yan Jing Ze said. When the Empress Dowager was still in power, King Ping had already gathered many people on behalf of the royal family, and when the Empress Dowager fell, he took the opportunity to grow even stronger and became ambitious enough to covet the throne.
Military Advisor Li and Scholar Zhao, both of whom have been in the capital for just over a year, did not know much about this, and were surprised to hear what Yan Jing Ze said.
"There are many ministers in the court who have already defected to King Ping, and I must be careful." Yan Jing Ze looked at the two of them and laughed lightly, "You two… the King of Ping has been looking for you, too, hasn't he?" With his understanding of King Ping, King Ping must have looked for these two.
Advisor Li and Scholar Zhao were both shocked: "We are loyal and devoted to His Majesty…" King Ping did look for them.
When they were approached by the King of Ping and asked about His Majesty, they took it as a sign that he was concerned about his own brother and were not alert. The good thing is that General Chu repeatedly told them not to say anything about His Majesty, so they didn't say anything.
After a few times, King Ping stopped coming to them, but people started coming to them to say good things about King Ping.
They were a little distressed when they looked at His Majesty, who was trembling with fear. So rather than agreeing, they even spoke for His Majesty, so those people stopped talking.
His Majesty is so straightforward with them now, is it possible that His Majesty knows everything about them?
"I know." Yan Jing Ze said, "If it weren't, you wouldn't be able to sit here without a fight."
Military Advisor Li and Scholar Zhao had the feeling that their lives were saved. If they had voted for King Ping, what would have happened to them now?
"Okay, you guys tell me about what's going on out there," Yan Jing Ze then.
Advisor Li and Scholar Zhao were busy talking about it.
The original owner often just listened to them without asking questions, but he was different, asking questions from time to time. And the questions were asked right on the spot.
Not only that, but he also took out his written notes to read, and when listening to unimportant things, he wrote and drew on white paper.
The original owner's handwriting was very ugly and he definitely had to develop a good handwriting.
Advisor Li and Scholar Zhao had spoken for more than an hour, Yan Jing Ze also listened for more than an hour, and saw that the time was almost up. Yan Jing Ze stood up: "That's enough for today… The paper I used; you guys burn it for me."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the two men said together.
When he was gone, they looked at the papers that he had left behind.
On the paper, there were many words, some of which were ugly as if written by a toddler, but some of which were majestic, just like the words on the calligraphy.
These, however, were written by His Majesty.
They looked at each other, feeling more and more that His Majesty was unfathomable.
After the unfathomable Yan Jing Ze left them, he called to the people around him. "You killed all the people who were locked up in the Cold Palace."
The palace servants who had bullied the original owner were locked up in the cold palace by the original owner. The original owner went to scold them from time to time, but did not kill them.
Yan Jing Ze, on the other hand, understood the original owner's behavior, but disapproved.
Keep these people around and they may become a disaster at some point.
Even the Empress Dowager…
Yan Jing Ze added: "The Empress Dowager's side, give her some medicine… her life expectancy is almost over."
For the time being, King Ping cannot be moved, but the Empress Dowager is better off dead first.
The people around Yan Jing Ze immediately took orders and went to work.
In a few words, Yan Jing Ze decided the lives and deaths of several people, and after doing all this, he smiled again: "Did you find out about General Chu's preferences?"
Yesterday, Chu Ting Xiu obviously didn't eat to his heart's content, but today he still needs to eat something good!
It's a pity that Chu Ting Xiu's injury is better to heal for a few more days… It's a real torture.
Chapter Fifty-Eight – The Emperor (8)
Yan Jing Ze did many things in the palace, and Chu Ting Xiu met with many people outside the palace.
There were many in the imperial court who were not satisfied with being 'oppressed' by a military man like him. From time to time, people in the imperial court would talk about him. He wasn't really having a good time, and the soldiers who stayed with him in the capital weren't happy either.
As soon as he left the palace, he went to the barracks outside the city to meet his soldiers.
"General, when are we going to go back?" Chu Ting Xiu's adjutant asked Chu Ting Xiu.
Most of them were born and raised in the North, their families were in the North, and they were always thinking about wanting to go back.
"I'll make arrangements for you guys to go back in groups to visit family," Chu Ting Xiu thought about it.
He would have wanted them to bring their families here. But when he thought that he had become involved with the emperor and that he did not know what would happen to him in the future, he did not dare to make such a decision.
Chu Ting Xiu's subordinates knew nothing and were very happy.
The number of soldiers and horses Chu Ting Xiu retained in the capital were only a few thousand, but they were the best of the best.
He stayed in the barracks for a while before riding back home.
By the time he got back to the Chu residence, it was already afternoon.
Chu Ting Xiu stopped at the door and looked at the front door of his house, a little afraid to go in.
His grandfather was an orphan, and many years ago, the Emperor Taizu gave his grandfather a roast chicken. Then his grandfather went with Emperor Taizu to conquer the world.
During the war years, his grandfather had several women, and several children, but only his father survived, and his father only had two children, one was him and the other was his sister.
Before he found out he liked men, he felt ashamed for having let his Chu family ancestors down.
This feeling is even greater now.
He is already with His Majesty, and if this were known, he would be accused of being a sycophant for a thousand years.
If His Majesty gets tired of him one day, he won't have a good end, and his family might be implicated as well.
What's more, his sister Tinglan also likes Yan Jing Ze.
As soon as Chu Ting Xiu became entangled, he saw his sister.
Chu Tinglan didn't sleep last night, and this morning, although she rested for a while, when she heard that her brother had left the palace, she immediately got up and waited. But she didn't expect that Chu Ting Xiu would go to the barracks and come back only after half a day.
Because of the anxious waiting, Chu Tinglan couldn't restrain her anger, but when she saw Chu Ting Xiu, she still made a delicate and weak appearance: "Brother, you're finally back."
"Mm," Chu Ting Xiu responded, shame welling up in his heart again.
"Brother, I was worried when you didn't come home all-night last night." Chu Tinglan looked at Chu Ting Xiu worriedly.
To Chu Tinglan, Chu Ting Xiu, her older brother, she doesn't have a deep affection for him.
Her mother, a lady of a noble family, had a childhood sweetheart. But the late emperor decreed that her mother be given in marriage to her father whose first wife had died.
Her mother was forced to marry in the North, where she lived for three years and gave birth to her.
She was born weak so her mother finally found an excuse and took her back to live in the capital. They never went to the North again after that.
As long as she can remember, she has only met her father once, and she and her brother met for the first time a year and a half ago, so it is naturally difficult for her to have a brother-sister relationship.
Now she is so concerned about her older brother just because she wants to do something for her beloved.
Three years ago, while her brother was away on a war, a dandy of the Zhou clan took notice of her, and the Empress Dowager tried to get her to marry the dandy in order to recruit her brother.
The guy was greasy and obnoxious and she certainly didn't want to get involved with him. When she went out with her girlfriends to go to the Lantern Festival, she was tricked by her girlfriends into going to the guy's boat and was almost humiliated.
It was King Ping who saved her.
At that time the Empress Dowager was still around. King Ping himself was in danger but he still tried to mediate for her so that she would not have to marry that man.
Her heart fell on King Ping.
King Ping and His Majesty were both sons of the late emperor. King Ping was far more outstanding than His Majesty, but in the end, it was His Majesty who was crowned Emperor. His Majesty didn't like King Ping because he was outstanding…
Knowing that the King Ping wanted her brother's support, she volunteered to help him. Unfortunately, her brother only wanted to hold all the power and was unwilling to work with King Ping and targeted him in the court.
Her brother even tried to marry her off to His Majesty.
Her mother had died and could not decide her marriage, so she had to listen to her brother… She thought, if her brother wanted her to marry His Majesty, then she should marry him!
She even thought that if she could kill the emperor, the empire would be King Ping's at last!
"I'm fine," Chu Ting Xiu said.
"Brother, you were injured when you returned late before. This time…" Chu Tinglan did not seem to be reassured.
Chu Ting Xiu felt even more guilty.
"Is it something His Majesty has done?" Chu Tinglan asked.
Chu Ting Xiu said: "His Majesty has done nothing. Tinglan, think about your marriage, and if you like someone, tell me."
Chu Ting Xiu had talked about this before, and now he brought it up…
Chu Tinglan: "Brother, didn't you want me to marry His Majesty?" It was obviously her brother who wanted her to marry His Majesty, so she went along with it and said she liked His Majesty.
"When did I ever think of that?" Chu Ting Xiu was stunned. From the very beginning, he had never thought of letting His Majesty and his sister get married, but everyone around him suggested it, and his sister also liked His Majesty, so he could only accept it.
Chu Tinglan didn't know why Chu Ting Xiu had changed his decision and was a little anxious, but couldn't help but say, "What if I want to marry King Ping?"
Chu Ting Xiu's eyebrows furrowed: "King Ping is not a good match."
Chu Ting Xiu had a bad impression of King Ping. He could sense that King Ping had a group of forces in his hands and these people were not good to Yan Jing Ze. More importantly, although King Ping did not marry a princess, he already had a side consort.
Chu Tinglan lowered her head and did not speak.
Chu Ting Xiu added: "Tinglan, think about it carefully… And if you want to, there's no harm in recruiting a husband." In the North, it is not uncommon for a woman to recruit a husband and set up her own business, and she is still comfortable.
Chu Tinglan was so angry that she ended up laughing. What kind of person could she find? Her brother just doesn't like her!
Chu Ting Xiu stood in the same place, not knowing why.
In the evening, Chu Ting Xiu wanted to go to the palace and thought about it, but he didn't go.
It is not good for His Majesty's reputation that he stays in the palace every day.
Chu Ting Xiu didn't enter the palace. So, after preparing a table of food, Yan Jing Ze ended up eating the meal alone.
Tomorrow, he will definitely make Chu Ting Xiu look good!
The next day, there was a morning court.
Yan Jing Ze sat on the dragon chair and kept staring at Chu Ting Xiu.
Chu Ting Xiu was extremely uncomfortable being stared at.
The political matters discussed were similar, and even the matters discussed the day before were brought up for discussion by the ministers. In the end, it was Chu Ting Xiu who made a quick decision on the constitution.
Then the courtiers… started to talk about the establishment of a queen again.
In the past, Chu Ting Xiu used to either say nothing about this matter, or say a few words of advice after many people had mentioned it.
But today…
As soon as someone brought it up, Chu Ting Xiu said, "His Majesty is still young, and there is no hurry to establish a queen."
As soon as Chu Ting Xiu's words came out, everyone was stunned.
Is His Majesty still young? Where is he young?
His Majesty is twenty-one years old! Unless the family was poor and could not afford a wife or was in mourning, men of this age were almost always married!
When His Majesty was fourteen or fifteen years old, he had already been suggested to establish an empress, but it was the Empress Dowager who prevented him from doing so. Now the Empress Dowager is not here, and Chu Ting Xiu is stopping him again?
Many ministers in the court looked at Chu Ting Xiu angrily.
Chu Ting Xiu didn't care about them and said, "Establishing a queen is an important matter and cannot be decided lightly." He was not with His Majesty before, and he naturally wanted His Majesty to establish a queen for His Majesty's sake, but now it is different.
As long as His Majesty doesn't change his mind, he will do his best to stop it.
If one day His Majesty changes his mind and wants to establish a queen… Even if he were to be punished for the crime of 'stopping His Majesty from establishing a queen,' he would have nothing to say.
It's always the path you choose.
He just wanted these days to be a little bit more enjoyable to live with.
"General Chu, what are your intentions in not allowing His Majesty to establish a queen!" Someone looked angrily at Chu Ting Xiu.
When Chu Ting Xiu was speaking, Yan Jing Ze was already elated, but also felt that Chu Ting Xiu was a bit silly… He said something like that and he could be easily attacked…
Yan Jing Ze was busy gesturing to Wang Zhong with his eyes.
At this moment, no matter whether it was the Emperor's party, King Ping's party, or the Empress Dowager's party, all of them were staring at Chu Ting Xiu, analyzing Chu Ting Xiu's meaning.
Chu Ting Xiu stood there, not saying a word.
Just then, a young eunuch ran in, fell to his knees, and cried, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager… has collapsed."
Yan Jing Ze hurriedly stood up and sadly said, "Imperial Grandmother…"
He was shaken and then he was helped along and sat down again. He covered his face with his sleeve, lest anyone should see that he had no sad expression on his face at all.
Everyone knows that he and the Empress Dowager have a deep hatred for each other, but in this era of filial piety, he has to act, which is quite annoying…
As Yan Jing Ze was thinking about this, he heard the King Ping cry out, "Imperial Grandmother…"
Yan Jing Ze: "…" This guy is a better actor than he is.
The unlucky Empress Dowager had actually died in the morning.
The funeral announcement was specially arranged by Yan Jing Ze, who originally wanted the funeral announcement to be made in the morning. Afterwards, it was logical to keep mourning and not mention the issue of establishing a queen for the time being, but Chu Ting Xiu suddenly jump out and forbid him to establish a queen. He really didn't expect it.
And now, as expected, no one is talking about establishing a queen.
No matter what the Empress Dowager had done before, she was still the Empress Dowager, and now that she was dead, even the Emperor had to give her a wake. At the same time, all the officials had to get busy with her funeral.
This is something that Yan Jing Ze did not participate in on the pretext of being heartbroken and not feeling well.
He also called Chu Ting Xiu: "You're a fool to say that in the courtroom today… You see, you've been scolded!"
Chu Ting Xiu didn't say anything.
"Now that the Empress Dowager is dead, I plan to keep mourning for three years, so I don't have to take care of those who asked me to establish an Empress for these three years. And after three years, I will see who still dares to disobey me."
In the former dynasty, there were emperors who did not go to court for ten years, and there were emperors who snatched someone else's wife into the palace, and still managed to stay on as emperor.
As long as he got rid of the unstable King Ping and secured the throne, he doesn't believe others would dare to question him.
Chapter Fifty-Nine – The Emperor (9)
Chu Ting Xiu was surprised when he heard Yan Jing Ze say that he would be in mourning for three years.
"I was raised by the Empress Dowager, so I should stay mourning for her for a while longer." Yan Jing Ze smiled.
If His Majesty really meant that, then for the next three years, he will be the only one by His Majesty's side.
Chu Ting Xiu was so excited that he suddenly leaned toward Yan Jing Ze and gave him a kiss.
Yan Jing Ze: "!" He suddenly remembered that he decided last night to make Chu Ting Xiu look good… why not do it now?
As soon as this thought occurred to Yan Jing ze, the little eunuch guarding outside came in and told him that the Ministry of Rites was coming.
These people were here to discuss the funeral of the Empress Dowager, and could not be shrugged off, so Yan Jing Ze could only let them in. "Men, bring a chair for General Chu so that he can sit with me."
Yan Jing Ze's table was very long, so he moved his own chair to the side and let Chu Ting Xiu sit next to him.
Chu Ting Xiu sat down calmly.
When the officials from the Ministry of Rites came in, they saw Chu Ting Xiu and Yan Jing Ze sitting together, and they were all shocked.
How could one sit beside His Majesty easily? General Chu is really up to no good!
However, Chu Ting Xiu was so powerful that they dared not speak out in anger and could only talk about the funeral of the Empress Dowager.
The officials all knew that the current Emperor, Chu Ting Xiu, and even King Ping, did not like the Empress Dowager. Therefore, they took the initiative to propose that the funeral of the Empress Dowager could be kept simple now that the state treasury was empty.
Without hesitation, Yan Jing Ze agreed: "Let's do it."
Probably due to the influence of the original owner, he really disliked the Empress Dowager…
When he said he wanted to keep everything simple, Yan Jing Ze thought it was all right, but never thought that the ministers would come up with many things to ask.
From what to use for incense burners to what specifications for rituals, mention about all the old examples.
Yan Jing Ze: "…"
Yan Jing Ze found that he had studied too little, or at least he didn't know what they were talking about.
He was impatient to hear this, and simply leaned back in his chair, took off his shoes and put the footrest on Chu Ting Xiu's lap.
With the table in the way, those officials couldn't see anyway!
Chu Ting Xiu: "…."
Yan Jing Ze didn't stop and used his foot to hook Chu Ting Xiu's foot again.
The officials from the Ministry of Rites spoke slowly about the rules of the funeral—as soon as they looked up, they saw His Majesty leaning on the table, using his sleeve to block his face, so they couldn't see his expression, while General Chu was sitting with a straight face, seemingly unhappy.
Although neither of them spoke, it looked like… a sign of dissatisfaction with their arrangement?
The official from the Ministry of Rites was busy simplifying some of the procedures and asked carefully, "Your Majesty, is this possible?"
"Just do it." Chu Ting Xiu directly said, "You guys go down first."
The officials of the Ministry of Rites left in a hurry, and when they got outside, they were a little worried. "That Chu Ting Xiu today, isn't he taking His Majesty very lightly?"
"He was acting like he was loyal before, but now the wolf's ambition can't be concealed!"
"Having just lost the Empress Dowager, His Majesty met Chu Ting Xiu… Alas!"
…
While the officials at the Ministry of Rites were sticking up for His Majesty, Chief Steward Wang, who was standing behind His Majesty, was watching from the sidelines, hoping that General Chu would not suddenly rise up and hurt His Majesty.
At the same time, he was once again saddened by the fact that General Chu was really loyal and could endure this.
When the officials from the Ministry of Rites left, Chu Ting Xiu finally said, "Your Majesty…" His voice changed a bit.
His Majesty… How could His Majesty do such a thing!
He used to read books and read descriptions of people hooking up under the table with their feet, but he never thought he would encounter it himself.
What's even more humiliating is that… he liked it so much.
Yan Jing Ze: "You guys go out."
Wang Zhong and the others immediately left.
"Your Majesty?" Chu Ting Xiu is embarrassed and anxious, what does His Majesty want to do? This is the study!
"Yesterday I waited for you to eat but you never came, so I thought I must teach you a lesson," Yan Jing Ze said.
Chu Ting Xiu was shocked, then one of his feet was grabbed and his shoes were taken off, while Yan Jing Ze also grabbed the bottom of his foot.
Chu Ting Xiu: "…" Is this how His Majesty will teach him a lesson?
After several scratches, Chu Ting Xiu did not react, sighed, and said. "Your Majesty, I have been marching to war… and I'm not afraid of tickles."
Yan Jing Ze took off Chu Ting Xiu's socks in response to his words. Only then did he discover that Chu Ting Xiu's feet had many callus wounds, no wonder he wasn't afraid of tickles.
Seeing such a pair of feet, Yan Jing Ze's previous flirtatious thoughts were all gone, leaving only his heartache.
"Your Majesty, it's not clean," Chu Ting Xiu said.
"It's alright." Yan Jing Ze held his feet in his arms and gently put on his socks and shoes. When he finished, he squeezed onto Chu Ting Xiu's chair and hugged him, kissing him: "Let me hug you."
…
Even if everything is kept simple, something like a funeral service for the Empress Dowager is still a must.
Even if it's Yan Jing Ze, he still has to go through the motions.
As for the others…
Before Yan Jing Ze went over, he heard that King Ping had been crying in front of the Empress Dowager's coffin, and when he went over, he saw King Ping kneeling in front of the coffin with a broken heart.
On the other hand, Yan Jing Ze felt that he could not live up to his acting skills and immediately said. "King Ping's filial piety is praiseworthy. I have been feeling unwell recently, so I will leave the wake for the Empress Dowager to King Ping."
The ministers all knew that His Majesty did not want to keep the wake, but they could not pick out any fault in his doing so.
When the Empress Dowager was alive, she excused His Majesty's poor health and didn't let him go to court for ten years. Now that His Majesty is not well, it is okay not to hold a wake.
But King Ping…
King Ping was confused.
He was going to keep the vigil, but the emperor didn't and made him stay here, which made him a little unhappy!
And he originally wanted the emperor to have a vigil with him and make the emperor seriously ill.
Forget about that, however, Yan Jing Ze followed with. "The consorts are not young, and King Yong is still young, so it is permitted not to keep the vigil at night, but just let King Ping watch it."
The youngest son of the late emperor, King Yong is already thirteen this year, which is not young.
King Ping: "…" Why does he feel that the emperor is targeting him?
But when he thought this and looked at his timid older brother, he saw his older brother smiling at him, without the slightest difference.
King Ping could only thank the emperor and accept the order.
After strolling around for a while, he went back and asked Wang Zhong to prepare a meal to eat with Chu Ting Xiu.
Half of the table is covered with meat dishes.
"Your Majesty, you are not pleased with King Ping?" Chu Ting Xiu asked.
"Call me Jing Ze."
Chu Ting Xiu: "…Jing Ze."
Yan Jing Ze: "He has been speaking ill of you in front of me, saying that you are ambitious and that I should be careful of you, and that it would be better to get rid of you sooner… What do you think will happen to me if I lose you?"
Chu Ting Xiu was shocked.
Yan Jing Ze then said: "You have to be careful of him… Right, you also have to watch your sister closely. She and King Ping have a close relationship."
After the original owner killed Chu Ting Xiu, he married Chu Tinglan to pacify the northern army because Chu Ting Xiu's soldiers were in a hurry to cause trouble.
Then Chu Ting Xiu's subordinates were brought in by King Ping as a matter of course, and Chu Tinglan poisoned the original owner to death, so that King Ping could be said to have become emperor without having to sacrifice a single soldier.
Now, none of that has happened yet. In fact, the original owner ended up in that situation, it was his own fault. Truth be told, Yan Jing Ze doesn't hate King Ping that much, so if King Ping stops here, he can let King Ping go, but of course, it's inevitable to toss this guy around a bit.
"You said Tinglan?" Chu Ting Xiu was shocked.
Yan Jing Ze nodded his head.
Chu Ting Xiu looked at Yan Jing Ze with complicated eyes.
He knew nothing about his sister and King Ping, but His Majesty did.
The Empress Dowager, whose condition he had asked about just a few days before and who was in reasonably good health, suddenly died. The people in the cold palace also died together, but His Majesty was not surprised, and it was probably His Majesty's hand that did it.
He knows too little about His Majesty.
Chu Ting Xiu once again took the initiative to kiss Yan Jing Ze: "Your Majesty, I will stay tonight."
Yan Jing Ze: "…" His dear is really too enthusiastic!
Chu Ting Xiu's injury better heal for a few more days. Yan Jing Ze didn't want to do anything, but Chu Ting Xiu was too enthusiastic…
On this night, there was no shortage of red quilt waves.
The next day, while King Ping was at his vigil, Yan Jing Ze found some courtiers and had them beaten up. He also had people go outside the palace to develop their influence.
The emperor, who had not done much before, began to extend his claws.
The ones who were called to the meeting by Yan Jing Ze, although many of them did not support King Ping before, they also didn't think highly of Yan Jing Ze. When they were called, they were knocked upside down by Yan Jing Ze, and all of them broke out in a cold sweat.
They should not have underestimated His Majesty!
Now that His Majesty has started to extend his hand, they wonder what will happen to Chu Ting Xiu and King Ping?
Could it be that Chu Ting Xiu's opposition to the establishment of a queen is due to dissatisfaction with His Majesty?
Meanwhile, Chu Ting Xiu met King Ping.
In the beginning, when Chu Ting Xiu was still fighting everywhere and never entered the capital, King Ping had already paid attention to Chu Ting Xiu, and even set up a trap to coax Chu Ting Xiu's sister.
When Chu Ting Xiu entered the capital, he even found someone to get close to Chu Ting Xiu repeatedly.
He didn't expect Chu Ting Xiu to be so loyal to Yan Jing Ze that he didn't even take the bait at all.
He was afraid of being exposed, so he could only restrain his thoughts and wait for Chu Ting Xiu and his brother to suffer a double loss.
Recently, the matter finally came to a head.
Although he doesn't know what exactly happened, Chu Ting Xiu was wounded in the palace, and today he opposed the establishment of the Queen in the courtroom…
Between these two, there must have been a conflict.
King Ping, in his mourning clothes, stopped Chu Ting Xiu.
Chu Ting Xiu asked, "What's the matter, King Ping?"
King Ping said, "General Chu, I have recently obtained some good gold sore medicine… General you are a military general, you can certainly use it…"
King Ping and Chu Ting Xiu chatted.
Chu Ting Xiu didn't pay much attention to King Ping in the past, but today he chatted with King Ping. When Yan Jing Ze was mentioned, though he didn't say anything, his brows were furrowed.
King Ping was more and more pleased with the situation.
He had already heard from Chu Tinglan that Chu Ting Xiu did not want to marry her to Yan Jing Ze… Chu Ting Xiu is a very honest person, so it's possible that he has discovered something dirty. It is also possible that his opposition to the establishment of a Queen is related to this!
If he can recruit Chu Ting Ziu, why should he worry about the failure of his grand plan?
Chapter Sixty – The Emperor (10)
The Empress Dowager would be buried seven days after the funeral.
Yan Jing Ze then ordered that the consorts be allowed to skip the vigil at night. During the day, they were also given food from time to time, so that the consorts could eat, take a break from things like using the toilet and don't kneel all the time.
The emperor is trying to convey the message that you don't need to devote too much attention to the wake… Those who were really heartbroken for the Empress Dowager might be hated by the emperor, so later on, people did not kneel much.
It was only then that King Ping found the opportunity to speak to Chu Ting Xiu.
And the fact that he was talking to Chu Ting Xiu soon became known to Yan Jing Ze.
"Your Majesty, General Chu and King Ping have been talking for a quarter of an hour," Wang Zhong, with a small eunuch, reported to Yan Jing Ze, and was inevitably a little worried when he did so.
Is it possible that General Chu is fed up with His Majesty and wants to support King Ping?
His Majesty tossed General Chu again last night…
"Talked for so long?" Yan Jing Ze frowned.
"Your Majesty, should we have someone keep an eye on them?" Wang Zhong asked.
"You find someone to keep an eye on King Ping and keep an eye on his wake. When the First Emperor Grandfather died, didn't my father kneel for seven whole days, and still had only one bowl of porridge a day? Let him learn," Yan Jing Ze said.
Wang Zhong: "…" His Majesty is ruthless! The late Emperor was forced to kneel down by the Empress Dowager, and after kneeling for so long, he fell seriously ill!
"What about General Chu…" asked Wang Zhong again.
"Call him here." Yan Jing Ze looked at Wang Zhong with a smile, "He's my man. Chatting with other men for so long, making me jealous. I'll definitely teach him a lesson later."
Although he said he was going to 'teach' Chu Ting Xiu a lesson, he didn't look like he was going to teach anyone a lesson at all. And he also emphasized the words 'he's my man'.
Wang Zhong was shocked.
Yan Jing Ze added, "You must treat him as you treat me."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Wang Zhong responded.
After King Ping talked with Chu Ting Xiu, he found out that Chu Ting Xiu really had a problem with Yan Jing Ze, and was satisfied for a while.
The previous Chu Ting Xiu's indifference made him not want to marry Chu Tinglan, who he wanted to marry to bring Chu Ting Xiu together. It just so happened that Chu Tinglan was surrounded by his people, and he had them encourage Chu Tinglan to marry his older brother.
His brother's wife actually loved him, which was a delightful thing to see.
But now… he felt that he could marry Chu Tinglan again.
After much thought, King Ping returned to the vigil and saw a little eunuch who was very important to Yan Jing Ze.
When the eunuch smiled at him, he said, "Your Highness, you are here on behalf of His Majesty to stand vigil. His Majesty said he would follow the example of the late Emperor…"
The late Emperor kneeled for seven days and seven nights! King Ping almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
On the other hand, Chu Ting Xiu didn't even need to be called, he already came to Yan Jing Ze's bedchamber.
When he entered, Yan Jing Ze was practicing calligraphy.
When Chu Ting Xiu came to Yan Jing Ze's side, he saw that Yan Jing Ze was writing rapidly with a brush, and every word was very well written.
His Majesty's previous unlearned appearance was really all an act.
"Jing Ze." Chu Ting Xiu called out.
"Knowing to call me by my name, here's a reward for you." Yan Jing Ze kissed Chu Ting Xiu.
Chu Ting Xiu blushed and immediately remembered the main matter: "Your Majesty, King Ping is indeed sinister and must not be overlooked, I have an idea."
"What idea?" Yan Jing Ze asked.
Chu Ting Xiu spoke up slowly.
He was worried about what Yan Jing Ze had told him before.
If King Ping was really up to no good, and his sister became entangled with him, what would happen in the end?
He couldn't let anything happen to his sister.
Chu Ting Xiu said what he was going to do and looked at Yan Jing Ze.
What Chu Ting Xiu meant was that he could get close to King Ping, find out what King Ping wanted to do, and find evidence of King Ping's evil intentions…
Yan Jing Ze said, "So, you will continue to contact King Ping?"
This is a must… Chu Ting Xiu did not understand why Yan Jing Ze asked this.
"The person I love is close to someone else and I would be sad. Shouldn't you give me some compensation?" Yan Jing Ze asked.
Originally, he was going to 'teach' Chu Ting Xiu a lesson on the pretext of jealousy, but once Chu Ting Xiu came, he confessed… he could have compensated instead.
"What compensation does Your Majesty want?" Chu Ting Xiu asked.
Yan Jing Ze said, "Tonight you take off your inner clothes and only wear outer clothes…"
Chu Ting Xiu: "…"
Yan Jing Ze added: "I am also like you, not wearing the clothes inside, but only the dragon robe."
Chu Ting Xiu: "…" His Majesty is actually such a person!
That night, King Ping was stared at, kneeling bitterly in front of the Empress Dowager's coffin.
The current sovereign, however, asked for more fire pots to be left in the bedchamber because he was not feeling well.
At first, Yan Jing Ze was reading the memo with Chu Ting Xiu in an empty suit, but then he didn't know what he was reading anymore.
In fact, he just wanted to have a good time at first and planned to have a good day of rest, but after Chu Ting Xiu confessed his love to him, he was always very enthusiastic…
When everything was over, Yan Jing Ze personally cleaned up Chu Ting Xiu's leg.
In the past two days, he was very careful. Chu Ting Xiu was not injured, but Yan Jing Ze still gave him some medicine, and took out the skin care cream, rubbed it on Chu Ting Xiu's legs, and helped Chu Ting Xiu massage.
"Your Majesty, don't do it." Chu Ting Xiu hurriedly stopped him.
"What's wrong with touching my leg?" Yan Jing Ze asked.
Chu Ting Xiu stared blankly at his own leg.
Yan Jing Ze said, " You are my person, and your leg is my leg."
Chu Ting Xiu: "…"
Yan Jing Ze stretched his own legs out to the side: "You can also touch your leg."
Chu Ting Xiu did not expect that he would still have the day to lie on the dragon bed and touch the dragon's leg.
The next day, Yan Jing Ze got up late.
He worked until the middle of the night last night, so how could he get up in the morning?
Fortunately, there is a reason…
Because of the death of the Empress Dowager, he was overly sad and ill.
King Ping, who had been kneeling all night, learned the news: "Oh!"
He's afraid that his older brother, knowing about his contact with Chu Ting Xiu, is deliberately tormenting him!
But the more scrupulous his brother was, the more he thought it would be a good idea to get Chu Ting Xiu on board.
Even if he is now alone in the palace keeping vigil, he is still unable to discuss things with his advisors!
King Ping regretted that he had acted too sadly before.
He just wanted to use his filial piety as a foil to his brother's unfilial piety, and never thought that his brother would not take any of it!
It's good to be an emperor. If he were an emperor, it would be someone else kneeling here!
King Ping thought so, and his eyes rolled over, 'dizzy'.
Of course, he couldn't really kneel all the time, but he had used all kinds of lazy methods, and now he could only pretend to be dizzy.
In a short time, the news of King Ping's fainting had already reached Yan Jing Ze's ears.
Finally, he was willing to get up from the bed and get dressed to go see King Ping.
When Yan Jing Ze went over, King Ping was still pretending to be unconscious.
He pretended to be dizzy quite skillfully, and his eyes did not move.
Yan Jing Ze expressed his regret and ended with a soft 'yawn'.
He was standing beside King Ping, and those who were waiting on him were a bit far away, so no one else heard him, but King Ping, who had been paying full attention to him, did.
King Ping felt that something was wrong.
King Ping's mother consort had a lot of influence in the palace, so he immediately asked people to investigate, and in the end, some traces were found.
The first thing he noticed was that Grand Tutor Yang, who used to despise Yan Jing Ze, was now doing his best to teach His Majesty. He also stopped telling people that His Majesty's wood was too rotten to be carved.
His Majesty also met with some officials, and when they left, they didn't look too good.
These were minor matters, but King Ping was careful enough to find out what was going on, and he did find out something – an official told his family that His Majesty was not simple.
His brother was not simple? How is this possible?!
King Ping didn't want to believe it, but the more things he found out, the more it proved to be true.
His cowardly brother, it seemed, did not want to be a puppet emperor anymore!
The king was in a hurry, but he was once again taken to stand vigil.
In the past few days, King Ping 'fainted' several times, but each time he couldn't hide for long, and after a while, someone would come and invite him over.
When he fainted more, there were rumors that he was faking his faintness to escape.
Although he did, he didn't want to be told, so he had to keep on kneeling.
Finally, the seventh day arrived.
In the evening, everyone else went to rest, but only King Ping and the eunuchs stayed in the spiritual hall. However, the eunuchs didn't have to kneel, and could even change shifts.
King Ping could not restrain himself from feeling frustrated.
He had been suffocating for a long time and then suddenly there came the sound of footsteps outside the door.
The sound of footsteps suddenly sounded in the quiet night… and King Ping felt flustered, turned his head, and saw Yan Jing Ze walking slowly towards him.
At the same time, the maids and eunuchs in the spiritual hall quietly retreated.
King Ping looked at his brother, the expression on this man's face was unlike anything he had ever seen before.
"King Ping, have you gotten many people to check on me?" The corner of Yan Jing Ze's mouth was slightly raised.
The candle flame was flickering, and under the candle flame's illumination, Yan Jing Ze's face looked a bit eerie.
King Ping had never been afraid of his older brother before, but rather despised him, but at this time, for some reason, he was suddenly a little afraid: "Emperor brother."
Yan Jing Ze then walked up to King Ping and knocked his head: "You've got a lot of nerve, it's not enough to build a secret association, you still dare to hook Chu Ting Xiu and get mixed up with his sister."
King Ping was already kneeling with numb legs and was even more inexplicably weak at this time.
Yan Jing Ze said, "You'd better behave yourself, or else…" He gave the King Ping a cold, stern look.
He doesn't know if it was because the place was too cold, or because the change in Yan Jing Ze was so frightening and King Ping found this look particularly terrifying, that he trembled, bracing himself with both hands to stabilize his body.
He shuddered and braced himself with his hands to keep his body steady. Yan Jing Ze smiled and left the place.
He had to go back to be with his dear!
Originally, he wanted to be strong enough to take care of King Ping, but his dear was willing to help, so he should get rid of King Ping quickly.
As for how to deal with King Ping, it depends on King Ping's choice.
After being so frightened by him, if King Ping chooses to settle down, it's not like he can't tolerate him. And if the King Ping wants to do something… then he will wait.
Yan Jing Ze went back to his bedchamber and hugged Chu Ting Xiu: "Running out at night, I'm cold, you warm me up…"
What if His Majesty catches a cold? Of course, it's good to warm him up.
As for warming up and getting on the dragon bed…
General Chu still likes it very much.