Chapter 40: One Morning by the King's Side

  For several days, Ye Tianling hadn't come to Yanxi Palace at night, and the Empress Dowager found it strange. Qian Chen was even more worried, so she took advantage of a spare moment to see the eleventh prince and couldn't help but ask: "Fourth brother, how have you been these past few days?"

  The eleventh one being asked strangely said: "What's going on? Went to court in the morning, and by evening no one was seen, nothing happened."

  "You hummed a response, and Eleven examined your face: 'What's wrong? Didn't you have another falling out with Fourth Brother at the Yu Le Pavilion that day?'"

  You slightly raised your eyes, if Ye Tian Ling is the son of Mu Emperor, and if Tian Di Xing's elder brother usurped the throne, how would Ye Tian Ling get along with the eleventh? Thinking of this, she subconsciously avoided it, only smiling and saying: "Nothing... what's awkward between me and Fourth Brother?"

  He looked at her deeply: "Mysterious and strange, you're weird."

  "You seem to be smiling lightly and saying: 'I was originally curious, did you know me from the first day?'"

  "I was already being taken care of by you on the first day I met you, from cooking to catching fish. At that time, I had a bad premonition."

  You saw him speaking with a serious and sentimental expression, when he suddenly stretched out three fingers in front of his eyes: "You still owe me three requests, don't forget!"

  Eleventh shook his head: "You're too careless in making friends. Your elder sister has spoken, why ask for anything more? Whatever I can do will naturally be done."

  You dust looked at his heroic and refreshing expression, and for some reason, she felt a hint of fear about the future. At this moment, she somewhat regretted letting Ye Tianling see Mo Buqi, otherwise, there would be no hatred between brothers and fathers.

  After a moment of silence, she asked Eleven: "Really, whatever I say, you'll agree?"

  Eleven smiled and said: "You say."

  "You shake your head: 'Not now, I mean in the future.'"

  When she asked seriously for the eleventh time, he also put away his playful expression and said: "Since I promised you, it means I promised, no regrets."

  "What's the matter?"

  "Regardless of what."

  "You're not afraid I'll make trouble for no reason?"

  "Can you?" asked Eleven in response.

  You looked at him with a calm and composed gaze, smiled, lowered his head, shook it, and then shook it again.

  "Although I don't know what's worrying you, when we come to a mountain, there will be a road. Since it's something that will happen later, why worry about tomorrow's affairs? How can you become so timid and fearful?"

  Qing Chen smiled slightly and said: "Tomorrow's worries will come tomorrow. I'm more transparent than her." Qing Chen learned a lesson.

  Eleven wanted to tease her a couple of sentences, but before she could say anything, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

  In front of him, not far away, Ye Tian Ling stood alone, quietly gazing at the Lianchi Palace which was already within arm's reach.

  The Forbidden City's originally spacious bluestone path, due to the high red walls on both sides, seemed much narrower. Looking up, one could see a stretch of blue sky, clean and transparent, yet very distant.

  Ye Tian Ling seemed to have been standing here for a long time, his solitary figure frozen in stillness, the vast sky and earth, the grandeur of the world, yet everywhere was desolate and cold, with only him present.

  You were just about to speak up and break the silence, when Eleven took a big step forward and shouted "Fourth Brother!" in high spirits, his energetic smile suddenly warming up the air around him.

  Yè Tiān Líng turned his head and saw it was him, responded with a sound, saying: "Not out of the palace yet?"

  Eleventh: "Nothing, met Qing dust, walked around."

  Ye Tian's gaze lingered on the dust for a moment, and he said to the eleventh: "Don't think too much about it, just consider the affairs of the Northern Border. The Emperor has read the proposal to establish a separate Du Hu Fu, maybe in the next few days he will ask questions, you must have a bottom line."

  Eleven replied: "This matter still needs to be discussed with Fourth Brother again. Who knows more about the North Border than Fourth Brother?"

  Ye Tianling nodded slightly, then suddenly said: "You're always saying that the bows of Ju Yuan Fang are good, right? Some time ago I asked Chang Zheng to order a set of water curve willow wood long and short bows, they were delivered yesterday. You can try them out in your free time to see if they fit your hand, I think they might not be as good as the one you originally had."

  Shi Xi smiled and said: "I was just casually saying it, Fourth Brother, you actually remembered."

  Ye Chen saw that Ye Tianling's expression was as usual, calm and serene. Even she, who knew the inside story, couldn't see anything out of the ordinary and couldn't help but admire his composure. Listening to him talk about the eleventh as if nothing had happened made her feel a little uneasy, which slowly dissipated. Ye Tianling asked her: "How has the Empress Dowager been these past few days?"

  "You're thinking about it in your heart, so go take a look, and it won't take long." It seemed like she was saying to go see the Empress Dowager at night, but Ye Tianling knew she was referring to Lianchi Palace. His eyes moved slightly, and he responded lightly: "Mm."

  You dust knew that he was unable to solve the knot in his heart for many years, and didn't say anything. Suddenly, he saw Yuandao walking quickly from afar, and from a distance, he said to Youchen: "Princess, the heavenly emperor's edict has arrived at Yanxi Palace, hurry back to receive it!" While saying this, he also greeted Yeting Ling and others.

  "What's going on?" Qing Chen was taken aback: "What did you say?"

  Eleventh: "You're confused, the imperial edict hasn't been announced, how would she know?"

  "Who dares to proclaim the edict?"

  "Bixiao replied: 'Your Highness, it is Inner Servant Supervisor Sun Shi, who has been waiting for a while in the Yanxi Palace.'"

  Ye Tian Ling said to Xiang Chen, "Go and receive the imperial edict first, if there's anything, inform me in time."

  "You can't blame me for anything," replied Qīng Chén. "At most, you'll just scold me, your sister, a bit."

  Ye Tian Ling and Shi Yi exchanged a glance, both somewhat worried. Qing Chen smiled slightly before excusing himself to leave first.

  As I was about to enter the Yanxi Palace, I didn't expect to see Ye Tianyan here, chatting with Sun Shi with a smile. Ye Tianyan had come to the Yanxi Palace today to see Qingchen because of Yin Caiqian's impertinence the other day. He ran into Sun Shi, who was on his way to deliver an imperial edict, and asked him a few questions. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get any information out of Sun Shi about what the Emperor had decreed. Just then, Qingchen returned, and Sun Shi said, "The Emperor has issued an edict; please receive it, Princess."

  You looked at Ye Tianzhan and saw him slightly shaking his head, knowing that he was also unclear about the situation, then knelt down to receive orders.

  Sun Shi faced south and unfolded the dragon and yellow silk, first reciting a passage of formal words, with emphasis on the last few sentences: "Today, there is the daughter of the Phoenix clan, Qingping Junzhu, who possesses heavenly talent, intelligence, and wisdom. Her demeanor is warm and elegant, her actions are measured, she understands books and reason, and has both virtue and talent, deeply winning my heart..." As this string of praising words continued, Qingping's heart grew increasingly uneasy, until she was shocked by the next sentence: "Let her temporarily take on the duty of Shu Yi, attending to the Zhuiyuan Palace..."

  Behind the words, Qing Chen almost didn't hear anything, kneeling there with a straight back, her hands slowly clenched on the bluestone ground, suppressing the turmoil in her heart. Until Sun Shi's voice: "Qin Ci!" She slowly said: "Feng Qingchen leads the edict to thank the grace." Lowering her head to receive the imperial decree.

  Sun Shi put away his serious expression when receiving the imperial edict and smiled: "Congratulations, Princess."

  She faintly thanked him, raising the corners of her mouth to show others, but kept her eyes downcast, afraid of revealing the turbulent emotions in her heart. No matter how intelligent and wise she was, she had not guessed that the Emperor's decree would be like this. Luan Fei had just been imprisoned for his crime and was still unconscious, while the Crown Prince was detained in Songyu Hall without a verdict. The Feng family had only recently been stripped of one of their titles, and everyone in court was speculating whether the Feng family had lost the Emperor's favor. Yet now, the Emperor had unexpectedly appointed another daughter of the Feng family to attend him, something that no one could have anticipated.

  Sun Shina's calm voice continued: "His Majesty means that the princess is to go to Zhiyuan Hall today, and tomorrow she will follow the emperor to court. The room arrangements have already been taken care of."

  "You nodded silently: 'I understand.'"

  Sun Shi took the two eunuchs who came with the imperial edict and left, leaving only Qing Chen and Ye Tian Zhan in the grand hall of Yan Xi Palace. The cold sweat on Qing Chen's palm had already soaked through the heavy imperial edict, and she could even feel the thick ink on the silk fabric slowly spreading and taking root in the texture of the silk.

  She leaned against the crimson pillar, her smile and tears indistinguishable. With a turn of her hand, clouds gathered; with a cover of her hand, rain poured down. This was the majesty of the Son of Heaven. He could dismiss officials and withhold their salaries as punishment, only to bestow favors upon them once more, demonstrating his continued benevolence. His trust in them was unwavering, for the way of the ruler lay in the hands of the Heavenly Emperor, who could rival this grasp?

  Since she stepped into the Da Zheng Palace, Qing Chen finally thoroughly understood that she and Feng's family would probably never be separated.

  Ye Tian Zhan's eyes, warm and gentle, flashed with a thousand emotions the moment he heard the imperial edict. He noticed that Qing Chen's expression was off, so he spoke softly: "Qing Chen, since Father Emperor has shown such great kindness, what's wrong?"

  Mercy…… Qīn Chén raised her eyes to gaze at the night sky, and his complex gaze flashed by in her sight, leaving only a faint smile. Qīn Chén also silently furrowed her brow, after Luan Fei's incident, the position of Xiū Yí was highly sought after, both the Yin and Wei families were eager to get it. Originally thought that the Feng family had finally fallen into a big hole, but unexpectedly the emperor's mind did not change, on the contrary, it became more prosperous day by day. Although she couldn't see how Fèng Yuǎn acted, Qīn Chén had already deeply understood his methods, in her heart he was a master of the three true principles, and his silent and subtle ways were extremely clever!

  "You smiled wryly at the night sky: 'Indeed, it's a blessing from the Feng family, but once I entered the Zhiyuan Hall, I didn't feel as carefree as I did in the Yanxi Palace. To me, it doesn't seem like much of a blessing.'"

  Her eyes, like a clear night sky with thin clouds and gentle breeze, reflected the faint smile on Qingchen's face as she said, "When you don't feel like smiling, you can just not smile."

  You smiled faintly, yet still maintained the soft beauty of your lips: "I don't like crying with a sad face."

  Ye Tianyan slowly paced a few steps in the hall: "This edict, you are unwilling?"

  You dusted off and went to the Spring Pavilion, took a look, and said with a half-serious and half-joking tone: "As a Xiūyí, it's not just being uncomfortable, even the lifelong major events can only be controlled by the Emperor. Luan Fei is still lying there unconscious, a lesson from the past, a teacher for future events, this Xiūyí is not easy to be."

  Ye Tian stopped in front of her and thought for a moment: "There is still room for consideration in this edict."

  "What did you say?"

  Ye Tian Chen smiled faintly and said, "The imperial edict mentioned that it's a temporary substitute for the ceremony. Since it's temporary, all rules can be adjusted according to circumstances. If there are any changes at this time, such as granting a marriage, it doesn't necessarily have to follow the usual procedures."

  "Imperial marriage?" Qing Chen's heart slightly skipped a beat, Ye Tian Xuan gently looked at her: "That's right, I just thought of it, perhaps only by requesting an imperial decree for marriage can I return your freedom."

  "You are startled and hastily say: 'Is it not asking for trouble to make such a request at this time?'"

  Ye Tian Yan said: "I didn't say it would be done immediately, what are you afraid of?" A pair of handsome eyes like water, smiled leisurely at Qing Chen.

  "You're not afraid, you..."

  "It doesn't matter." Yè Tiān Zhuàn cut off her words from behind: "Since you have to go to the Zhi Yuán Temple today, there must be many things to arrange and hand over. You should hurry up and not delay." He walked out, then stopped and turned back to say: "Cǎi Qiàn has been spoiled by her uncle since she was a child, and I've also indulged her too much, so sometimes she's very temperamental. If you see her again, please be more tolerant of her. Also... with this edict, the Wèi family will probably not have a good attitude either. If you can't avoid it, just laugh it off."

  "She can hide, so she hid." Qing Chen replied absent-mindedly. As she watched Ye Tian leave the Yanxi Palace, she stood alone in front of the hall, her clothes fluttering in the cold wind. The turbulent emotions that had just surged in her heart gradually calmed down, and as the wind died down, she lowered her head to unfold the yellow imperial edict, re-reading it word by word, a self-mocking smile playing on her lips and at the corners of her eyes. It seemed that she still wasn't calm enough; earlier, she had asked Ye Tianling if he had thought about what he would lose, and now she needed to ask herself too. The bigger the game, the bigger the stakes; since she had chosen to join in, she should have known this day would come. Knowing that there must be gains and losses, and that they would alternate between each other was one thing, but when it actually happened, in that unspeakable feeling, there would still be struggle and resistance.

  This is the contradiction of human heart.

  The imperial edict in her hand should be said to have opened a bright entrance for that path. Since she had already set foot on this road, there was no reason to look back. The words spoken by Ye Tian Yan just now turned into a deep sigh and worry in her heart. Qing Chen slowly put away the imperial edict in her hand, and when she lifted her head again, the majestic Taixi Hall's sunset glow slowly reflected onto her face with a faint smile.

  On a winter day, the sun sets early and sinks into the western mountains. The magnificent palace, shining with golden light, has retracted its grandeur under the cover of night, and the dark shadows of the halls rise and fall quietly.

  On the nine-petaled gilded lotus candle holder, several bright candles were lit. Qingxin sat in front of a copper mirror as her maid tied up her long hair high on her head. In the mirror, Zhang Qingshu's pale face was reflected, with a faint glow.

  Two maids behind her carefully tied the wide silk ribbon for her and smiled: "The young lady wears this dress, and people can't move their eyes."

  The golden dust sprinkled on the cicada's wings, the long, purple palace dress with wide sleeves and a high waist, cut to perfection, with dark gold floral patterns swirling above, flowing and fluttering, reflecting the person in the mirror with icy skin and jade-like complexion, looking exceptionally beautiful and radiant, completely different from her usual casual appearance in the Yanxi Palace. She moved uncomfortably, her long hair falling heavily down her back, making people constantly look up at her. She turned around and said, "I don't feel comfortable."

  The two maidservants smiled and replied: "It's beautiful enough to make people jealous."

  She gazed at the two of them, unaware of their worries, and sighed silently. She patted her cheek in front of the mirror. Suddenly, she was inspired to pick up a nearby brush, dipped it in cinnabar, and drew a few strokes on her forehead. A delicate orchid bloomed between her eyebrows, adding a touch of elegance and beauty that tempered her otherwise stern and suffocating attire.

  She smiled at herself in the mirror, and with that high and stern collar, she straightened up: "Let's go." She turned around and followed the inner attendant who had been waiting outside to the proclamation hall where the Heavenly Emperor would review the memorials.

  The Zhì Yuǎn Diàn, being the daily residence of the Heavenly Emperor, had eunuchs and palace maids who were more solemn than in other places. Everyone was cautious and measured in their actions, making this vast palace extremely quiet and solemn.

  In the warm brazier-lit chamber, the eunuch led Qingping Junzhu inside. Sun Shi saw her and respectfully reported to Tian Di: "Your Majesty, the Princess of Qingping has arrived."

  "You kneel down and pay respects: 'Your Majesty.'"

  The Emperor leaned against the long couch, writing something with a red pen. Upon hearing this, he only raised his head slightly and pointed casually: "That folded paper over there, take a look at it for me first."

  You looked at the small mountain-like documents on the golden silk nanmu long case beside you, slightly dazed. After receiving the decree, she walked to the side of the long table and sat down, flipping through them casually, sighing in her heart. These were already the important ones selected from three provinces for imperial review, and there were so many of them. No wonder the Emperor had summoned her to Zhiyuan Hall today. The documents piled up, just flipping through them made one's hands soft, let alone having to deal with each one properly. It was no wonder that Luan Fei had been by the Emperor's side for so many years, not idly enjoying the honor.

  She concentrated her mind and focused on these numerous memorials, fortunately the words and phrases in response to various government affairs were not unfamiliar to her. She had read them more than once in the past at the Zhan Wang Fu, and had also discussed and debated with Ye Tian Zhan, so she already had a clear idea of what to do. As she sifted through the important reports, she took out paper and pen to outline the key points, attaching them to several documents which she placed beside the Heavenly Emperor's hand.

  The Emperor remained silent, and you dust continued to accompany him by his side, taking out the neatly arranged memorials one by one. After a while, Sun Shi spoke softly: "Your Majesty, it's almost two o'clock in the morning, time for rest."

  The Heavenly Emperor grunted, stood up from his desk and walked to the side where a painting of the Imperial Carriage and Mountains and Rivers was hung on the wall. Suddenly, he asked: "Why did the letter of inquiry from the Marquis of Nanjing and the military situation of Beijiang's good governance put together?"

  "You know that it is asking her, and replied: "The northern border belongs to the jurisdiction of the Northern Yan Hou, the vassals are closely related, and one move affects the whole body. The details can also affect the overall situation, so the memorials involving the vassal states are all classified as one category, for the convenience of the emperor's inspection."

  The Emperor said: "The memorial reporting the great epidemic in Pingliang was taken out of the usual procedure, what does this mean?"

  "Your Excellency, the Relief Administration's memorial on the plague has detailed the current relief methods being used. Some measures may be ineffective and even harmful, requiring careful consideration."

  "Oh?" Tian Di turned around: "Then you'd better say something, the plague in Ping Li area has been rampant for months and won't go away, what should we do about it?"

  "You thought for a moment and said: 'Just now, I saw the relief department's memorial, which said that this time the plague patients had 'headaches, body aches, chills, high fever, sore throats, confusion, and loss of consciousness, with a mortality rate of 80-90%. The most frightening thing is its rapid spread and strong contagiousness. Since the epidemic has occurred, the relief department only treats but does not prevent, which is why it cannot be controlled from start to finish. We should first seal off the affected area, and strictly prohibit gatherings among the people in the affected area to prevent further spread of the disease. The words 'the plague god is making trouble, yin and yang are out of order' in the memorial are nonsense. Many people have delayed their illness because they sought to worship and pray for healing, if we do not promptly dispatch doctors to distribute medicine, I fear it will be even more delayed. Also, the deceased patients should be properly disposed of, best by cremation, to cut off the spread of the plague.'"

  At this point, the Heavenly Emperor's eyebrows suddenly furrowed, and Qing Chen stopped. The Heavenly Emperor looked at her: "Continue."

  You proposed a bold suggestion, but remained calm and continued: "The causes of the epidemic are different, and I dare not speak lightly about the prescription without knowing the details. However, there are several medicines that can be used for prevention. The imperial court should purchase these medicines with its funds and distribute them among the people, instructing those who have not yet contracted the disease to boil them in water and drink them as a preventive measure. Pingli is located near the capital, within 100 miles of Tian Du, and all 81 neighborhoods inside and outside Tian Du should be careful to prevent the spread of the disease."

  The Emperor listened to her and thought for a moment before saying, "In the tenth year of our reign's grand celebration, there was once a great plague in Jingzhou that lasted for nearly twenty years, with countless people dying on the roads. After the plague subsided, it led to a great chaos that took several years to quell. I did not expect that this time, Ping Li would also have an outbreak of the plague, and I am deeply worried."

  "Think back, the imperial hospital's records have the plague of the tenth year of Zhiqing, that should be the bubonic plague, and it is different from this time. The spread of the epidemic will inevitably affect the people's livelihoods and economy, and the chaos after the epidemic is not yet prevented. If we provide relief, reduce taxes, open charity granaries, and set up soup kitchens while treating the epidemic, we can alleviate the difficulties in the affected areas, calm the minds of the people, restore production, and naturally there will be no chaos."

  The Emperor pondered for a moment, then nodded and said: "Very well, draft an edict in accordance with this meaning to the Relief Agency, and instruct the Ministry of Revenue to allocate 300,000 taels of silver from the imperial treasury to open a clinic and distribute medicine widely to rescue and treat the people. Report back to me on the situation every day."

  You dust obey the order, write to half, suddenly raise one's head and say: "Your Majesty, Feng family is willing to donate silver thousand two, although its strength is weak, but also for the national treasury save a little." This speech has not been discussed with Feng Yan, but this deeply gets the holy heart of the matter, Feng Yan should be in his heart lantern transparent. Feng's family does not lack this little silver, but this money can't be donated too much, can only point to stop.

  Sun Shi immediately followed up: "The old slave also wants to donate this month's salary to help the emperor share his worries."

  The Emperor nodded in satisfaction: "It's rare that you have a heart. Sun Shi, pass down the edict, this month's expenses will be directly allocated to the Disaster Relief Department, and the palace expenses, except for the Empress Dowager's residence, will be reduced by half to aid the disaster victims."

  "How can we slight His Majesty and all the princesses?"

  The Emperor said: "The people are worried and troubled, I am unable to eat or sleep peacefully, you go and handle it."

  Sun Shi could no longer persuade, Qing Chen drafted a good edict and said to the Emperor: "Your Majesty sets an example first, and the princes and ministers will surely understand Your Majesty's kindness. With concerted efforts, why worry that the epidemic cannot be resolved? It's late at night, please take a rest, Your Majesty, as the fifth watch is approaching for the early court assembly."

  The Emperor looked at her: "Mm, not bad, you follow me to the early court tomorrow, go and rest now."

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