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The Emperor paused for a moment, the memorial he had picked up hanging in mid-air. He thought of the women in the harem, all of whom flattered him with their insincere praise and sycophancy.
Not to mention that none could compare to Mo Xier's beauty; even her intelligence was far inferior. He couldn't help but feel bored and waved his hand dismissively. "No need to summon anyone today. You may leave and attend to your duties."
Zhang Zehai was taken aback. Although His Majesty usually did not indulge in beauty, he had never gone several days without summoning anyone to his bed.
Counting the days, it seemed that ever since Miss Mo entered the palace, His Majesty had been keeping a solitary bed every night. Could it be that he had truly developed feelings and wanted to remain loyal to her?
"What are you still doing here? Why haven't you left?" Li Ye felt irritated. The incense in the room was thick and made him uneasy. He tugged at his loose collar and, seeing that Zhang Zehai still hadn't exited, asked impatiently.
Zhang Zehai weighed the gold tokens gifted by the nobles in his sleeve and gritted his teeth while helping Li Ye remove his shoes and socks. "Your Majesty, you haven't summoned anyone for several days now. Not only do the ladies in the harem feel guilty, but some people from the previous court have also started to inquire about it. After this morning's court session, several officials pulled me aside to express their concern for Your Majesty..."
Although the harem and the previous court usually kept their distance from each other, Li Ye, having ascended to the throne at a young age, inevitably needed to strengthen his position through marriage alliances. Who he brought into the harem, what titles he conferred, and how much favor he showed were all matters of importance.
Due to his displeasure, Li Ye had neglected the harem for several days—a situation that had never occurred before. Coupled with his earlier reprimand of the Chancellor, it was understandable that various ministers were worried about their daughters being neglected by His Majesty. It was no wonder some of them were impatient and came to Zhang Zehai to inquire.
"Absolutely outrageous!" Li Ye angrily threw the prayer beads in his hand at Zhang Zehai's face. "How dare they presume to speculate on my intentions! And you, after serving me for so many years, are equally foolish."
Zhang Zehai didn't have time to care about the beads hitting his face; he quickly knelt down. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Even if I had a thousand lives, I wouldn't dare reveal Your Majesty's whereabouts or speculate on your intentions. I beg for your understanding."
Li Ye's anger had not yet subsided as he kicked Zhang Zehai hard on the shoulder. "You servant love to show off your authority! I overlooked your behavior because you've served me diligently, but now that others are chasing after you for news about me, it must be because you haven't been careful enough in your conduct; otherwise, how could this happen?"
"You are right, Your Majesty; I know my fault." As a servant, one must follow whatever their master says. Zhang Zehai gritted his teeth and bore the Emperor's kick, sweating from the pain while continuously bowing and begging for mercy.
Having vented some of his frustration, Li Ye felt somewhat relieved as he turned around and sat on the bed, tapping on the small nanmu table beside him.
Zhang Zehai immediately understood and bent down to pour a cup of tea before handing it over.
"Who in the harem has inquired about my whereabouts? Speak up, every detail." Li Ye gently used the tea lid to skim off the foam, took a sip, and lowered his eyes. The fine tea calmed his mind, bringing him a sense of peace.
Zhang Zehai took out a gold ingot hidden in his sleeve and raised it above his head to present it to Li Ye. "Noble Ning from Jingyang Palace rewarded this servant with ten ingots and asked about your recent meals. Consort Li from Millennium Palace sent a servant with a jade ruyi, inquiring about your schedule for tomorrow, and there’s also..."
At this point, he hesitated, unsure whether to continue.
Li Ye narrowed his eyes. "Speak!"
Zhang Zehai quickly bowed down, his voice trembling. "There’s also Consort Rong, who has been sent to the cold palace. Her attendant, Bamboo Leaf, came to plead on her behalf, wanting to know if Your Majesty is no longer angry. She asked me to say a few good words for her. I know my lowly status and that my words cannot reach Your Majesty's ears, so I dared not agree and have already declined!"
What he did not say was that since Consort Rong was sent to the cold palace by the emperor, her pampered body had quickly fallen ill.
It was no wonder; the cold palace is desolate and rarely visited. Not only is it cold and lonely, but the servants left there are all cunning and treacherous. With Consort Rong's temperament, how could she expect to fare well there?
Yet, His Majesty's word is law; as a mere servant, why risk offending my master to help a consort who has almost no chance of regaining favor?
Upon hearing this, Li Ye laughed in anger. "Ha! What a group of sycophants and deceitful dogs!"
He had been on the throne for several years, surrounded by servants who had been with him since childhood. He sought nothing more than their loyalty; they were familiar and convenient. Among them, Zhang Zehai was relatively clever but not clever enough. Such people were most useful.
He need not worry about them harboring ulterior motives or being incompetent; however, it was shocking that these servants dared to play tricks behind his back, showing such disregard for the emperor.
This was the first time Zhang Zehai had seen the emperor like this; he immediately fell to the ground, trembling as he spoke. "This servant is guilty!"
"You are indeed guilty!" Li Ye wished he could kick him again but simultaneously reminded himself that this was an excellent opportunity!
Using their own strength against them would make those restless ministers slap themselves—wasn't that better? With this thought in mind, he suppressed his anger and asked, "Is there any news from the previous court?"
"Aside from those close to the Chancellor, nearly everyone has inquired. Although Your Majesty has issued a strict order prohibiting the harem from engaging in private dealings with the previous court, Your Majesty as Sovereign of the Nine-Five has every word and action recorded by the Historian. Several officials are quite concerned about your health!"
Zhang Zehai is a clever person. Growing up in this palace, he may not excel in many areas, but self-preservation is his top priority. With just a few words, he completely shifted his responsibilities away from himself.
Li Ye glanced at him. Although he didn't say anything, his gaze clearly conveyed that he was well aware of everything and didn't need to play clever tricks.
But has Jiang Huai really been so well-behaved lately? He didn't think so! That old fox has been keeping a low profile recently, and the memorials submitted have been cautious. However, he still hasn't handed over the core network of connections to him. It seems more pressure is needed!
“How has Consort Rong been reflecting lately?”
Li Ye hadn't forgotten about that once-favored woman who had been cast into the cold palace after just a few words from him. Though she was not important, she had the entire Rong Family behind her—three Jinshi graduates in one family, with father and son both being top scholars. Their influence in the court was considerable.
However, Rong Shaohua, Consort Rong's father, was an undeniable old fox. Despite having many students, he never formed cliques, making it difficult for Li Ye to find any leverage against him.
Then there was Rong Qianhe, the eldest son of the Rong Family, who bore a strong resemblance to his father—his every word and action was meticulous.
The second son, Rong Zhonghe, was straightforward but overly rigid due to his extensive studies, rendering him of little practical use.
When Li Ye took Consort Rong into the palace years ago, it was not only because she was the foremost among The Four Great Young Ladies of the Capital but also because he wanted to draw in students from the Rong Family.
Unexpectedly, Rong Shaohua remained unyielding. No matter how much Li Ye favored Consort Rong—even going so far as to violate ancestral rules—within three short years he elevated her from a low-ranking position to that of a consort. Yet she remained unmoved. Li Ye had no choice but to use this as an opportunity to cast Consort Rong into the cold palace for future considerations.
However, it now seemed that Consort Rong would either become a discarded piece or... perhaps Rong Shaohua truly did not wish to get involved in this mess.
But if it were so easy to preserve oneself like this, then the emperor's position would surely be given to someone else! Li Ye thought coldly.
Zhang Zehai pondered for a moment, unsure why the emperor suddenly asked about this matter. He reported truthfully: “Your Majesty, since being cast into the cold palace, Consort Rong has cried daily and has no one to serve her except for Bamboo Leaf who stays by her side.”
“Is that Bamboo Leaf her accompanying maid?” Li Ye asked unexpectedly.
Zhang Zehai thought for a moment and nodded: “Yes, I remember that after Your Majesty selected consorts back then, Consort Rong was still a commoner at that time. The Rong Family only sent one maid as her dowry. After her promotion to consort status, no new maids were brought in.”
Li Ye thought for a moment and asked, "What is happening with the Rong Family?"
"Deputy Minister Rong and Lieutenant Rong have not inquired, but the second son of the Rong Family, Rong Hanlin, has come to ask about Consort Rong's recent situation twice. He seems quite concerned," replied Zhang Zehai.
Zhang Zehai recalled the cold demeanor of Father Rong and the eldest son of the Rong Family and couldn't help but shake his head. It seemed that Consort Rong was no longer regarded as part of the Rong Family; whether she lived or died did not seem to matter to them.
"How composed they are!" Although appearing indifferent and distant, Li Ye firmly believed it wouldn't be so simple. "You send someone to keep a close watch on that Bamboo Leaf. Report to me everything she does, what she says, who she meets, and where they meet. There must be no mistakes."
"Yes, I will do as commanded!" Zhang Zehai immediately responded.
Li Ye sat by the bed, beginning to ponder something. Seeing that the storm had passed, Zhang Zehai's curiosity began to stir again. "Your Majesty, today..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he was caught off guard by Li Ye's sharp gaze and immediately dared not speak further.
Li Ye thought for a moment and ordered, "Issue a decree that Noble Ning will serve tonight."
"Yes, I will take care of it right away." With his neck saved and his silver secured, Zhang Zehai smiled broadly as he went to instruct others to prepare.
That night would be another sleepless night!
The sounds of favored voices echoed harshly in the lonely silence of the palace night!
Tonight, some would laugh, some would cry, and some would sit alone until dawn!
Mo Xier and Green Wisteria exchanged glances and couldn't help but smile.
In the room, eight arm-sized candles were lit, illuminating the space as bright as day. The central table was densely covered with countless medicinal herbs: agarwood, amber, safflower, forsythia, phoenix tail, purple ginseng...
Mo Xier skillfully used her hands and eyes as she began testing the medicine with a prescription she had written earlier, carefully smelling the herbs' scents, occasionally shaking her head or nodding in approval.
Green Wisteria was organizing the herbs for her, but for some reason, she kept making mistakes.
"Purple Salvia should be combined with Huai Yam. How did you mix it with Safflower? This will reduce the medicinal properties by half," Mo Xier said softly, immediately noticing the error with a glance.
Green Wisteria stammered, seemingly lost in thought, standing there in a daze.
Mo Xier thought she might be tired, but seeing her dejected expression, it was clear she had something else on her mind. Remembering the girl who had just been summoned to the Emperor's chamber, she considered, "If you're tired, why not take a break? I can handle this alone."
Only then did Green Wisteria seem to snap back to reality, feeling apologetic. "It's my fault. I wanted to help you, but I've only caused you trouble."
"Not at all!" Mo Xier decided to put down the herbs and stretched lazily. "Anyway, I'm tired too. These prescriptions are ones I wrote to present to the Empress Dowager, so there's no rush. A break sounds good."
"Do you think the Emperor really likes her?" Green Wisteria asked, her voice filled with a sense of confusion.
Upon hearing this, Mo Xier couldn't help but shake her head inwardly. Another naive girl deceived by the illusion of a "rich second generation." "Whether he loves her or not has nothing to do with us. There is no love in the palace; only interests are eternal. We are just passing through and will eventually leave here."
She firmly believed this and had never doubted it.
Green Wisteria turned around and watched a gray moth fluttering toward the candle flame, struggling to reach it. After several attempts, it finally turned to char and fell down. Her voice trembled slightly as she said, "If I could come into this world like that moth, loving freely until death without regrets, that wouldn't be a wasted life!"
Oh no, this girl is deeply affected!
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