Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Premier Shen also smelled the sweet fragrance of the biscuits. He glared at his youngest son. âSheâs a guest. Why does she have to cook all the time?â County Magistrate Shen shrugged and was about to explain that the girl was really itching to cook every day when his father said seriously, âSince she has made it, give me a share. Donât waste it.â
County Magistrate Shen was speechless.
Father, youâre thinking too much. Its impossible to waste it. You canât even snatch what Little Girl Ning made if youâre late. Didnât you hear that those little fellows who stayed in bed jumped up?
Hey, wait a minute. Father, youâre just greedy!
County Magistrate Shen, who had finally snatched a bag of biscuits, washed his face and cheered up. He carried âThe Basics of Farmingâ and brought Xiaoxiao into the palace valiantly. He did not know that his father, Premier Shen, and his third brother had gently scolded the Wei Family as the victims in the morning court just now, causing them to not only apologize and compensate, but also be demoted by His Majesty.
When they brushed past each other in the palace, the father and sons looked at one another for a while before separating under Xiaoxiaoâs curious gaze.
County Magistrate Shen said to Xiaoxiao, âDonât worry. The Wei Family has been punished, and the others in the Imperial Capital know that you are not to be trifled with. No one will dare to make you unhappy in the future.
Xiaoxiao looked at County Magistrate Shenâs thick eyebrows in surprise and stuffed a small biscuit into her mouth.
Oh my, did the Shen Family have a secret technique to communicate with their eyebrows?
It was time to work.
Reality proved that although the Emperor was obsessed with farming, he was not to the extent of letting a young lady work. He would call Xiaoxiao over to demonstrate when he encountered something he did not understand. Xiaoxiao acted very obediently and left whenever he asked her to. She even remembered not to look up at the Emperor at all times.
On the other hand, the Emperor took the time to look at her pink face and felt that it looked a little familiar.
âDezi.â
Eunuch De stepped forward. âYour Majesty, Iâm here.â
The Emperor took the towel from him and wiped his hands. âLook at this Ning Xiaoxiao. Do you think she looks like anyone?â
Eunuch De looked puzzled. âI⦠didnât noticeâ¦â
Since when did His Majesty care about the looks of a peasant girl?
The Emperor snorted. âShe entered the palace twice, and you donât even know what she looks like. Why is the Empress here to propose marriage on behalf of the Xu Family? And sheâs virtuous, virtuous, beautiful, and talented? Just from this evaluation, I thought that the Xu Family and the Ning Family were longtime friends who watched Ning Xiaoxiao grow up.â
Eunuch De couldnât answer that. Fortunately, the Emperor didnât really want him to give an answer.
âFirst, she made the Wei Family plot against her, then she made the Xu Family propose. Sheâs determined to hold her in her hands. If I really allow it, guess how long this girl can live?â
Eunuch De broke out in cold sweat. He knew very well that the people serving His Majesty had to be deaf when they should be deaf and blind when they should be blind.
The Emperor sneered. âThe Empress and the Yan Family are getting more and more outrageous.â
âThird Prince ruined their business, so they dared to tamper with the military rations. This girl planted the food they wanted, so they want to make things difficult for this girl. Then, should they do something to teach me a lesson after I deal with Yan Lu?â
Eunuch De would only answer this sentence if he wanted to die. He bent down and poured a cup of tea for His Majesty.
âThen should we deal with the people sent by the Yan Family to Fortune
Village?â
The Emperor waved his hand with a headache. âTheyâre still causing trouble for me at a time like this⦠Forget it. Think of a way to inform Shen Congjunâs people and get them to protect the Ning Family.â He really did not have the energy to care about these bastards now.
After taking a sip of tea to moisten his throat and drive away his sleepiness, the Emperorâs expression was dark. âCall General Chu over.
The grains had to move before the troops. If the grain was not in place, the 100,000-strong army would not be able to survive.
Seeing that the war was imminent, if they did not quickly replenish the lost rations, could they expect food to fall from the sky?
Wait a minuteâ¦
He waved his hand. âItâs too late today. Call him tomorrow.â If Third Prince was in trouble, would Noble Consort Ji take out the secret?
Eunuch De took his orders and retreated. However, after taking a few steps, he heard His Majesty sigh. âForget it, letâs call him over.â
This matter concerned more than 100,000 soldiers at the border and Great Xiaâs rivers and mountains. The provisions could not be delayed. He could test the Noble Consort later.
That night, the Emperor asked General Chu to prepare the army and send food and supplies to the border. General Chu patted his chest loudly, indicating that he would not let the Emperor down. However, the national treasury was not that abundant. The Emperor could only let him bring a portion of rations and set off first. He would send the rest when he was ready.
It was a little troublesome, but it was better than letting the soldiers in front of the formation feel disappointed on an empty stomach.
âIf you encounter any thieves who try to get their hands on military rations, kill them without mercy.â
At night, he went to Noble Consort Jiâs palace. When the latter faced him, she always looked cold, as if she couldnât wait for him to leave immediately.
The Emperor was used to it. He drank a cup of tea poured by the palace maids and had dinner. He even lit a lamp and handled a batch of memorandums at night. Noble Consort Ji couldnât chase him away, so she used needles and thread to embroider randomly.
The Emperor said casually, âThird Prince is almost at the border.â Noble Consort Ji didnât react at all and only focused on embroidering her flowers. The Emperor then said, âBut the provisions were destroyed.â âThereâs only a little food left now. Even if 1 get someone to quickly gather the fast horses and send them over, there will be a lot of delay on the way. I wonder if they can hold on.â
Noble Consort Ji slowly cut off the embroidery thread. âThe harem canât interfere in politics. I believe His Majesty has his own decision.â The Emperor stared at her for a while before getting up to stretch his muscles. âIâm tired.â
Noble Consort Jiâs movements froze for a moment before she looked up at him. The Emperor laughed self-deprecatingly. âIâll sleep on the bed. You can sleep wherever you want.â
Noble Consort Ji obviously heaved a sigh of relief. The Emperor lowered his head to look at her embroidery. âNoble Consort Jiâs duck embroidery is not bad.â
Noble Consort Ji put down the embroidery. âYour Majesty, I embroidered mandarin ducks.â
The Emperor had already walked towards the bedroom. When his figure gradually disappeared into the distance, the palace servant asked in fear, âYour Highness, where are you sleeping tonight?â
Noble Consort Ji stuffed the embroidery thread into the bottom of the embroidery basket. âSet up my couch.â
It was the same every time His Majesty came to rest. Although the palace servants were puzzled, they did not dare to question their mastersâ decisions.
The news that the Emperor was staying overnight quickly spread to the Empressâs Phoenix Palace. However, compared to hearing that the Emperor had flipped Noble Lady Liu and Noble Lady Wuâs cards two days ago, she was very calm now.
Because she knew that Noble Consort Ji had no intention of competing for favor at all. âAre they still sleeping separately?â
The person agreed, and the Empress rewarded her with a golden hairpin and sent her back. This person left Phoenix Palace sneakily and returned to Noble Consort Jiâs palace.
She did not understand what these masters were thinking at all.
For example, Noble Consort Ji was clearly doted on, so why wasnât she willing to serve him in bed?
For example, since Noble Consort Ji wasnât willing to serve him in bed, why did His Majesty still flip her token?
However, she also knew very well that the people in the palace should not be curious because the more curious they were, the faster they would die. She only wanted to send news to the empress and earn more gold so that she could let the palace live a carefree life in the future.
After she left, in the Phoenix Palace, the nanny sent the Empress a bowl of birdâs nest. This small bowl of top-grade blood swallowsâ nest was equivalent to the lifetime expenses of ordinary people, but the Empress only took a sip and pushed it away. âIâm tired of it. I donât want to eat it.â
The nanny casually took it away and handed a handkerchief to the Empress to wipe her mouth.
âYour Highness, this is the Prime Ministerâs letter..â