PFC Chapter 14 Today, no matter what, His Majesty must attend court!
Chapter 14 Today, no matter what, His Majesty must attend court!
After reading it, Xu Longxiang lit the letter on the candle flame and watched it turn to ashes.
A hint of disdain flashed in his eyes when he saw the first sentence.
Just as he had predicted, that dog emperor was incompetent and lacked real power.
The so-called celestial phenomena at the time of his ascension to the throne were probably just a pretense.
However, when he saw the last two sentences, the murderous intent in his eyes turned into discomfort.
"Greed in your eyes?" Xu Longxiang muttered to himself, a hint of murderous intent and regret flashing in his eyes. He murmured, "I'm sorry, Qingxue..."
The thought that his childhood sweetheart, his beloved white moonlight, might be in that dog emperor's arms right now, or even going further than that, filled him with unbearable heartache.
You should know that he and Jiang Qingxue have known each other for so long, but they have never even held hands more than a few times, because he has been fighting in the army all these years and rarely returns to the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.
But now, the love in his heart has been taken by that dog emperor. The pain in his heart can only be described as being cut by a knife!
But for the sake of his ambition, he had no other choice.
Because no one is more suitable than Jiang Qingxue.
He didn't trust any other women to carry out this mission, after all, that dog emperor was surrounded by experts, and if they were exposed, they would lose everything.
Jiang Qingxue was the only one he knew best and trusted the most, having grown up with him since childhood.
Although Jiang Qingxue's background...
It's not simple.
But Jiang Qingxue was unaware of this.
It's impossible for them to know.
Xu Longxiang walked to the window and looked at the southern night sky.
That's the direction of the Qin Dynasty's imperial city.
"Qingxue, wait a little longer."
"The day I conquer the imperial city and sit on the dragon throne."
"I will personally pick you up."
The moonlight shone on his face, revealing a resolute and cold expression.
What burned in his eyes was a raging fire of ambition.
However, Xu Longxiang was unaware that this so-called secret letter had actually been altered long ago.
The original quote was actually:
"The emperor is a master of deception, and is suspected to be a highly skilled individual."
Today, watching me practice swordsmanship, your guidance was exquisite.
The intention behind gifting the "Su Nu Xin Jing" (Heart Sutra of the Plain Girl) is unclear.
Caution is advised.
........
As the first rays of dawn pierce through the carved window frames, dappled light and shadows are cast.
Under the dragon-patterned brocade quilt, Lu Wanning lay asleep on her side, her long black hair spread out beside her pillow, a few strands clinging to her sweaty forehead.
She was fast asleep, her rosy lips slightly upturned, and her long eyelashes casting faint shadows under her eyes.
She was clearly exhausted last night.
Qin Mu slowly sat up, the silk quilt slipping off his shoulders to reveal his well-defined chest.
He turned his head to look at the sleeping woman beside him, and gently brushed away the stray hairs from her cheek with his fingertips.
The movement was very gentle, but Lu Wanning still woke up.
"Your Majesty..." She opened her eyes groggily, and seeing Qin Mu already up, she instantly became alert.
"Your Majesty, I deserve to die! I woke up later than you!"
Before she could finish speaking, she tried to get up, but Qin Mu pressed her shoulder down.
"Sleep a little longer," Qin Mu said, his voice still husky from the early morning. "I'll do it myself."
Lu Wanning shook her head and insisted on getting out of bed.
Barefoot on the cool gold bricks, she strode to the clothes rack and took down the black dragon robe.
In the dim morning light, she wore only a thin, moon-white nightgown, her exquisite curves faintly visible.
"Let me help Your Majesty change your clothes."
She returned carrying the dragon robe, her cheeks still flushed from waking up. "This is my duty."
Seeing her serious expression, Qin Mu didn't refuse again.
Lu Wanning tiptoed to drape the dragon robe over him, her slender fingers carefully fastening each button.
Her movements were gentle and focused, smoothing out every wrinkle from her neckline to her waist.
When she finally tied the jade belt, she almost pressed herself against his chest, her warm breath brushing against his neck.
"alright."
She took a half step back, looked up to examine him closely, and a look of satisfaction appeared in her eyes. "Your Majesty is so handsome."
Qin Mu chuckled and reached out to pinch her cheek: "You're so good with words."
"What I said is the truth."
Lu Wanning said seriously, then remembered something.
"By the way, Your Majesty, I recently blended a new calming incense. It uses agarwood and sandalwood, with the addition of borneol. It's refreshing and not cloying. Would it be alright to have a palace maid deliver it to the Hall of Mental Cultivation later?"
"You're so thoughtful."
As the two were talking, very light footsteps came from outside the hall.
Immediately afterwards, Yunluan's voice rang out from behind the door: "Your Majesty, I have something important to report."
"Come in."
Yunluan pushed open the door and entered, still clad in silver armor, its armor gleaming coldly in the morning light.
She knelt on one knee without looking to the side: "Prime Minister Li Si, along with officials from the Six Ministries, has been waiting outside the Golden Palace for a long time, saying that they have important matters to discuss and requesting that Your Majesty attend court."
Qin Mu, who was being served mouthwash by Lu Wanning, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, took the silk handkerchief handed to him by the palace maid to wipe his mouth, and asked slowly:
"What, not rushing to the palace today? Changing your story to say you have urgent business?"
Yun Luan's expression remained unchanged, but a very faint smile flashed in her eyes:
"Your Majesty, I have heard that the Prime Minister ordered a coffin made of nanmu wood to be placed in the front courtyard of the Prime Minister's residence yesterday. He said that if Your Majesty does not attend court today, he will lie in the coffin and have it carried to the Golden Palace. He will come out whenever Your Majesty arrives."
"puff--"
Lu Wanning was adjusting Qin Mu's cuffs when she heard this and couldn't help but laugh out loud. She quickly covered her mouth, saying, "Your Majesty, I have been impolite..."
Qin Mu smiled and shook his head: "This Li Si... does know how to come up with ideas."
He walked to the bronze mirror, and Lu Wanning immediately brought him a jade crown and carefully tied his hair up.
The mirror reflected a handsome face with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, and a high nose. Although he looked languid, the occasional glint of light in his deep eyes revealed an undeniable authority.
"Alright."
Qin Mu looked at himself in the mirror, a playful smile curving his lips.
"Since the Prime Minister has already prepared the coffin, I will go and make the trip. Otherwise, if word gets out that I am mistreating an old minister, it will seem like I am being unfair to him."
Lu Wanning placed the last dragon-patterned gold hairpin on his head, took a half-step back, and curtsied, saying, "Your Majesty, please return soon."
Qin Mu turned around, the hem of his black dragon robe drawing an arc.
He walked up to Lu Wanning, reached out and lifted her chin, then lightly kissed her lips: "Wait for me to return."
Lu Wanning's cheeks flushed, and her eyes glistened with tears: "Mmm."
........
At 3:45 AM, in the Golden Palace.
The nine-tiered white marble steps gleamed warmly in the morning light. The plaza in front of the hall was spacious and magnificent, with eighteen bronze tripods standing on both sides, from which wisps of smoke rose and mingled with the morning mist.
At this moment, a large group of people were kneeling in front of the hall.
The leader was none other than Prime Minister Li Si.
He was over sixty years old, with gray hair and beard, wearing a purple robe with a crane motif, a jade belt around his waist, and a black gauze hat.
Although kneeling on the ground, his back was straight, like an evergreen pine tree.
His wrinkled face was solemn, his eyes firm, even resolute.
Behind him were the six ministers and vice ministers, as well as officials from various departments, numbering over a hundred.
The civil official was on the left, and the military general on the right. There was complete silence, except for the rustling of the wind blowing through their sleeves.
Li Si looked up at the tightly closed palace doors and took a deep breath.
He really went all out today.
That coffin was no joke; it was truly placed in the front courtyard of the Prime Minister's residence.
If His Majesty does not attend court today, he will truly lie down in bed.
It wasn't a desire for death, but rather a way to force His Majesty to confront the state of affairs.
As a veteran of three dynasties, he witnessed firsthand the rise of the Qin Dynasty from chaos and its rise to power under the leadership of the previous emperor.
However, now that the new emperor has been on the throne for half a year, he has only attended court a handful of times, and the memorials are piling up, all of which are handled by him and a few Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet.
That's fine then.
If His Majesty truly possesses the talent to govern the country, even if he doesn't attend court, as long as he secretly controls the political situation, Li Si will accept it.
But he has seen things clearly in the last six months.
Your Majesty is truly indulging in pleasure!
The number of concubines in the harem expanded from twelve to thirty-six. The Qionghua Palace was filled with revelry every night, and the Imperial Garden was a place for daily frolicking.
He ignored military reports from the northern border, neglected floods in the south, and turned a blind eye to incursions by the Western Liang.
Yesterday, Xu Longxiang, the heir apparent of the Prince of Zhenbei, presented a beautiful woman to the palace. His Majesty immediately bestowed upon her the title of "Talented Lady" and even granted her martial arts techniques!
This is hardly the behavior of a wise ruler.
Li Si felt a deep sense of regret.
Before his death, the late emperor held his hand and entrusted him with the task: "The new emperor is young and needs Minister Li's assistance."
He agreed with tears in his eyes, vowing never to fail the late emperor's trust.
But in the past six months, he has watched helplessly as His Majesty indulged in wine and women, as the court became increasingly turbulent, and as the Xu family of the Northern Border gained more and more prestige...
It can't go on like this!
Today, His Majesty must attend court no matter what!