Chapter 73: A Qualified Empress (1)

When “my illness” recovered, I went to visit the Grand Empress Dowager. The amicable Grand Empress Dowager beckoned me forward, and patted my back, “You have grown quite thin these past few days. You need to take care of yourself.”

I lowered my head in submission and slightly nodded.

The Grand Empress Dowager then said, “The war is going on in Yunxi and the Emperor is still young. You know how careless he could be with his body when he was busy. Your Majesty should pay more attention to his wellbeing.”

I again nodded, but deep down, I knew that he would be fine. With Jiang shi inside the Da Ming Palace, he would be taken good care of. But I didn’t dare say this out loud. If the Grand Empress Dowager should find out that the vixen who screwed up Zhao wang was now at Qi Sheng’s side, she would probably go to Da Ming Palace herself to rid the Emperor of the bad influence.

Only this time, the way she would go about doing that would be much more severe.

The old lady kept nagging for a long time before she released me so that I could go visit the Empress Dowager. But before I went there, the Grand Empress Dowager smiled and said, “The other day, the Empress Dowager mentioned about your cousin. She said that she heard the girl is not only pretty, but also a woman of good character, and she wanted her to marry Lord Ninth. When you go there today, she is bound to ask after that girl. Don’t be modest and just tell her the truth. I also wanted to see Lord Ninth marrying a good woman.”

I understood her insinuation and nodded submissively, “Will do.”

When I reached the palace of the Empress Dowager, she asked about Zhang Ling’s daughter as expected. But instead of consulting me on this matter, she said it in such way that suggested she had already made up her mind and she also told me that she had ordered the girl to be brought here. She hoped that when the girl reached the court, I would accompany her as her elder sister.

The whole thing was going exactly the way Qi Sheng had planned it.

Thought a bit disappointed by how Bathroom Lord had given up on me, I immediately shook off that feeling and thought that it was only natural for a young man to make a mistake by trying to cut his loss.

But the problem was how to fix this mistake!

By the time I went back to Xing Sheng Palace, I found that Lv Li was already waiting there.

After the initial shock, my first instinct was to have people send her away. It was pretty bold for her to just show up here like this!

But Lv Li simply kneeled down to do me a courtesy and said, “Long live Your Majesty.”

I noticed the slight difference in the way she greeted me and realized that she was greeting me in a way how a lady would greet the Empress. Judging by this, I reckoned she had already accepted her status as Zhao wang’s lady. So, I smiled and asked, “Why are you here?”

Lv Li, with lowered head, groaned, “The Emperor summoned Zhao wang and I wanted to come along, because I have been missing Your Majesty.”

Her voice was stable, but I could clearly see that tears were streaking down her face and onto the ground near her feet, forming a small wet spot.

I sighed, trying to take out a handkerchief for her to wipe the tears, but I just couldn’t find it. So, I stretched my hands to Xie Yi for the handkerchief and gave it to Lv Li, “Why are you crying? Do I look like I am not well?”

Upon hearing that, Lv Li suddenly burst out crying while using the handkerchief to muffle her voice.

Not knowing how to stop her, I wanted to wait it out. But a good while had passed and there was no sign of her letting up, and so I suddenly turned my head to the direction of the palace entrance and yelled, “Your Majesty!”

On hearing that, Lv Li immediately stopped crying and turned around to look at the entrance in shock.

I was pleased by how this move worked and asked, “Is Zhao wang treating you alright?”

Lv li was obviously outraged by my trickery and stared at me with reddened eyes.

I smiled, “Well, behave yourself while living with him. He is a good man and will not mistreat you.”

Unmoved, Lv Li replied casually, “I’ve married him, which cannot be changed, so I will just do with that.”

Do with that? I wonder how Zhao wang would react to this comment.

While I was deep in my thought, I saw Zhao wang storming into the palace, fuming with rage. I was taken aback by his intrusion and wondered if he had somehow heard what Lv Li said.

Zhao wang absentmindedly greeted me and then sat down, shouting, “This is outrageous! Outrageous!”

Lv Li had already got up. She submissively handed Zhao wang a cup of tea and softly said, “Take your time, my lord. Drink some water first.”

I cast a disdainful look at Lv Li and asked, “What happened?”

Zhao wang gulfed down the entire cup of tea and then recounted what happened to us in details. Turned out, it was just a trifle. Zhao wang’s stableman got carried away and hit one of the imperial official’s relative, but that imperial official was none other than the one in charge of impeachment.

And so this issue spiraled out of control.

The imperial official formally filed a complaint, accusing Zhao wang’s man of various sins and even went as far as incriminating Zhao wang in this whole affair.

It was only an ordinary brawl among a few servants. With the war going on in Yunxi, Qi Sheng didn’t want to bother himself with yet another fight and wanted to quietly resolve this issue. Who would have thought that the official was determined to seek justice and after a few unsuccessful complaints, he surprisingly led a gang of “brothers” and together they knelt down in front of the Da Ming Palace.

Not wanting the situation to get worse, Qi Sheng had no choice but to summon Zhao wang over, reprimanding him publicly and ordering him to compensate the official’s relative for medical expenses. It was only then that official left the palace with his brothers.

Zhao wang felt indignant, and he was especially infuriated by the fact that the official made the whole thing about Zhao wang’s character. What’s his character got anything to do with the petite fight between a few servants?

As we listened to Zhao wang’s account of the whole thing, Lv Li got angry, saying, “What a bunch of no good losers. If I were you, I will wrap bags on their heads and give them a good beat that they deserve!”

The moment she uttered those words, both Zhao wang and I fell into silence.

You think that official will be so easily beat up like Zhao wang?

Lv Li looked at Zhao wang timidly and then looked at me. Then she lowered her head submissively.

Zhao wang, whose rage had been defused by what Lv Li said, sighed and said, “Lv Li, not everything can be resolved by violence.”

Lv Li kept her head low like a docile housewife and kept nodding her head.

Touched by her pathetic look, I purposely coughed a couple times and promptly cut in, “It’s getting late. I won’t keep you here for lunch. You should go back.”

Without replying, Zhao wang simply pull Lv Li to his side and together they proceed to exist the palace. Before leaving, he turned around and said, “Your Majesty, His Majesty has been in the state meeting since this morning, and I don’t think he would have the time for lunch. If you are free now, why don’t you go to Da Ming Palace and visit him?”

I was rather surprise by his proposal, but judging by the look on his face, he didn’t seem to be joking. And so, I nodded my head.

After seeing them off, I summoned Xie Yi over and asked, “Is there any porridge available?”

Xie Yi only thought that I wanted the porridge and so she replied, “Yes, we have. Do you need it?”

I thought for a while and told Xie Yi to bring a pot of porridge with us while we made our way to the Da Ming Palace.

The Da Ming Palace was not far, just south of Xing Sheng Palace, and so it didn’t take us long before we reached there.

Because I rarely visited Da Ming Palace, and so when the guard saw me coming, he was very much surprised and scurried along to greet me, saying that he would go inside to inform the Emperor of my arrival.

I stopped him and asked, “Is the Emperor still in the meeting?”

The guard nodded, “His Majesty is in meeting with Chu wang and other officials discussing about the rebellion in Yunxi.”

I was a bit thrilled when I heard that Bathroom Lord was also here, and so I told Xie Yi to give the porridge to the guard, and then instructed him, “Give the porridge to the Emperor. I will wait in the hall until the meeting is finished.”

After finishing those words, I started making my way to the hall. By the time I reached the entrance, I suddenly realize that the guard was still following us, and it seemed he had something to say.

I asked, “What’s wrong?”

The guard remained silent and only cast his look at the direction of the hall.

I followed his look and immediately realized why he behaved like that. Inside the hall, there was a woman wearing maid’s outfit. She looked very much like a pretty little fairy.

I halted my steps and then entered the hall like nothing had happened.

Jiang shi smiled and slightly bent her knees to greet me, “Your Majesty.”

I nodded, and then I glimpsed that the guard was still outside with the pot on his hands, looking extremely nervous. I asked, “What? Anything else?”

Feeling embarrassed, the guard shook his head.

I thought for a while and then turned around to ask Jiang shi, “Are you hungry? Do you want some porridge? The porridge has been cooked for a long time and it tastes very good.”

Jiang shi paused, but the guard was trembling all over to such an extent that he almost threw the porridge away.

It had taken quite a long time to cook this porridge and I was afraid that he might end up ruining it, and so I gestured Xie Yi to take the pot and instructed the guard, “Bring Xie Yi over there. If His Majesty is free at the moment, then serve each one of them a bowl of porridge, in case they get hungry.”

The guard took this command, but he didn’t move an inch and instead just stole a look at Jiang shi.

Realizing that I wouldn’t be able to command this guard, I turned around to Jiang shi and asked, “Do you want to go with him?”

Jiang shi shook her head and said to the guard, “Do as Her Majesty ordered. I will serve Her Majesty myself.”

When there are only the two of us in the hall, I asked after a long while of silence, “What… is your family name?”