Chapter 136 - Grape Flavored Imperial Gong (15)
Translated by Hua Li ^_^
This winter is colder than in previous years.
After a few heavy snowfalls, the officials who attended the morning court sessions started shivering as soon as they left the fire pits.
The Emperor was a prudent person. Seeing the unusual weather, he ordered the Ministry of Household Affairs to allocate winter supplies to the northern regions that were often hit by snow disasters. He also instructed the Secretariat to issue an edict to the northern regions to prepare for the cold, making sure that the measures taken were publicly announced to the people and that corruption was absolutely not tolerated.
In the fourth year of Chenwu, the Emperor had already implemented a new policy of high salaries to prevent corruption, thus the punishment for embezzlement was severe, and the supervision was stricter than ever before.
The end of the year was often the busiest time for ministers in various departments.
The Ministry of Revenue was busy with inventory and budgeting for the coming year, while the Ministry of Personnel was a.s.sessing political performance—next year being the quadrennial period for official transfers, they were busier than ever.
The Ministry of Rites was preparing for the year-end rituals, the Ministry of Justice was reviewing and filing criminal cases, and the Ministry of War was arguing with the Ministry of Revenue over military expenses for this winter and the coming year. Even the Ministry of Works, which should have been idle in winter, was extremely busy due to the repairs of the imperial mausoleum.
They were busy, and the Emperor was even busier. Recently, when he wanted to ‘work’ late at night, two out of three times he was denied by Gou Liang.
The capital was peaceful, and the people were bustling about in preparation for the New Year, creating a harmonious scene.
In this time of national peace and prosperity, King Qin unexpectedly fell into a lake in his residence and became seriously ill.
When a few Kings visited him, they heard him deliriously pleading with the Emperor to spare his life. Only then did they realize that this fool was the one who had attempted a rebellion and was caught by the Emperor!
Seeing his days numbered, the feudal kings thought that the Emperor could no longer tolerate him and was finally taking action.
Although they despised King Qin, they couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for him.
King Yang was extremely guilty. Seeing that King Qin was about to be scared to death by his own speculation, he had to confess that it was his doing and had nothing to do with the Emperor.
It turned out that two months ago, when King Yang and King Qin were on duty supervising the repairs of the imperial mausoleum at the Ministry of Works, King Qin had drunkenly blurted out, and King Yang then knew whose hand had written the Emperor’s favorite calligraphy.
King Yang was furious, but seeing that the Emperor did not make it public, he didn’t dare say much. However, while on duty, he deliberately caused trouble for King Qin.
If King Qin said one thing, he would say another. They had several arguments, which gave the Minister of Works a headache. Finally, unable to bear it, he requested an edict from the Emperor, which settled things down.
Initially, King Yang just had a bit of a temper, and once he calmed down, it was over.
But as the weather grew colder, King Qin, who had grown up in the fiefdom, couldn’t adapt to the cold of the capital. After catching two colds, he longed for the good days in Yangzhou Palace. Remembering King Qin’s crimes, he then bribed someone to push him…
Who would have thought that King Qin would fall seriously ill due to excessive worry.
Seeing King Yang swearing he didn’t mean to harm him, King Qin was half-dead with anger.
But knowing that it wasn’t the Emperor who wanted his life, his fear dissipated, and King Qin’s health gradually improved. By spring, he was fully recovered.
The Emperor treated this matter as a joke and told it to Gou Liang, feeling somewhat regretful that King Qin had survived this ordeal.
At that moment, Gou Liang was holding a hand warmer, wrapped up like a ball. The Emperor, hugging him, soon broke into a sweat.
This winter was particularly difficult for him.
The original body didn’t have a problem with the cold, but for some reason, Gou Liang was even more afraid of the cold than when he was ”Zhong. He couldn’t be away from the floor heating for even a step.
Imperial Physician Zheng had examined him but couldn’t determine the cause, not daring to prescribe medicine easily. He could only report to the Emperor to keep Gou Liang’s body warm with food, advising against eating overly nourishing foods and to keep warm daily.
In Zhengyang Palace, charcoal fires burned day and night, even alarming the Empress Dowager to personally inquire several times about the Emperor’s health.
You should know that the Emperor had been healthy since childhood. In past years, let alone lighting such a big fire, even the floor heating in Zhengyang Palace was just for show.
While wiping the Emperor’s sweat, Gou Liang said, “When they return to their fiefdoms, I imagine they’ll be busy for some time, won’t they?”
Among the brothers, King Yang was the youngest. When Emperor Tianzong ascended the throne, he was only three years old when sent to Yangzhou. His maternal family wasn’t prominent, and over the years, Emperor Tianzong had, intentionally or unintentionally, elevated him, but he hadn’t achieved much.
The others were different.
Even if they were young back then, their powerful maternal families instigated them. Even if they hadn’t acted like Liang Gang and King Qin, they had planned several schemes behind the scenes.
The Emperor took many actions in the fiefdoms while they were in the capital.
Even if the Emperor hadn’t confiscated their a.s.sets, the feudal lords would naturally realize that their covert activities over the years had all been under the Emperor’s scrutiny once they returned to their fiefdoms. Whether out of a desperate desire to demonstrate loyalty to the Emperor or from a guilty conscience, they would need to summon the resolve to clean up their operations, unless they were utterly foolish.
The Emperor, sweating profusely, refused to move, saying that if Gou Liang’s condition couldn’t be cured, he would have to get used to it.
“Let’s not talk about them,” the Emperor said dismissively, not seeing the feudal lords as a significant concern. He pulled out a memorial from the pile of reports and handed it to Gou Liang, saying, “Tomorrow you’ll be returning home for the festival. I’ve prepared a list of gifts; see if anything is missing.”
After looking over the lengthy list, Gou Liang was speechless. “Your Majesty, do you intend to ruin my father’s New Year?”
The Emperor was unconcerned. “I reviewed the gift lists for your two brothers-in-law. They were also given many things. I am your newlywed husband, even if you don’t acknowledge our relationship officially. How could I possibly send fewer gifts than they did?”
Hearing this, Gou Liang could only let it go.
The next day, He Tai hurriedly took three carts of gifts and left the palace ahead of Gou Liang, startling General Chu.
Before General Chu could figure out why the Emperor had bestowed such generous gifts, he soon discovered that these were minor compared to the Emperor’s rewards for Gou Liang.
Because Gou Liang was going to stay at his family home for five days before returning to the palace for duty, the Emperor was afraid he would be cold at home.
Not only did the Emperor order the floor heating system in the small courtyard to be overhauled, but even the charcoal used was the finest imperial golden charcoal. Everything, from stationery to bedding and clothing, even food and drink, were all tributes.
Gou Liang had no concrete concept of sending gifts to in-laws, thinking that the Emperor had simply followed the gift lists for Chu Jian and Chu Jia’s husbands. Only when he returned home did he realize that the Emperor had sent more than double what the two households had received combined! This petty compet.i.tiveness and show-off spirit between “sisters-in-law” were evident, making Gou Liang both angry and amused.
When questioned by General Chu, he didn’t know how to explain and could only evade by saying he didn’t know either.
General Chu was terrified, but Mrs. Chu felt that what the Emperor had done could not even compensate for a fraction of what her son had lost and that they were right to accept it.
Seeing this, General Chu quickly warned her, “Thunder and dew are all the Emperor’s grace; never rely on his kindness! Moreover, don’t forget that Xiao Chu is still alive. Even if he were to die for the Emperor, it would be our family’s honor, and we must not complain.”
Mrs. Chu didn’t take kindly to this.
She said, “It might be your family’s honor, but it’s not my son’s! Don’t think I don’t know anything. Why did the Emperor promote Chu Qian to the third-ranked Imperial Guard Commander? Isn’t he enjoying the fortune my son traded his future for? Are you and your son not ashamed? Do you wish for my son to die so the Emperor will owe more to the Chu family, allowing you to rise even higher?”
“You!”
General Chu was furious, “You are simply unreasonable!”
He wasn’t one to hit his spouse, so he stormed off, unable to argue further. Mrs. Chu, however, blocked his way, refusing to let him leave until he explained himself.
While General Chu and Mrs. Chu were arguing, Chu Qian was bringing his two young sons to see Gou Liang.
Handing his nearly one-year-old baby to Gou Liang, Chu Qian, while undressing and wiping his sweat, said, “It’s terrible, coming here is like jumping into a fire pit.”
He hurriedly instructed his eldest son to take off his coat as well. Seeing Gou Liang stiffly holding the baby, Chu Qian laughed heartily. Patting his five-year-old son’s shoulder, Chu Qian pushed him toward Gou Liang and said, “Go to your uncle. If he doesn’t like the little one, you have to go too.”
“Big brother, what nonsense are you talking about?”
Gou Liang, amused, pulled the eldest son to a low couch, letting him eat freely from the small table.
Chu Qian looked around and marveled, “These are southern tributes, aren’t they? So fresh.”
Gou Liang offered it to him, but he declined, saying that as a rough man, he couldn’t appreciate such delicacies and that they wouldn’t fill him up or satisfy his taste.
Gou Liang then said he would send a portion to his spouse, as a token of his filial piety, and insisted he couldn’t refuse.
Chu Qian, being a doting spouse, thanked him on behalf of his wife.
As the brothers were chatting, Chu Qian’s servant rushed in, reporting that there was a commotion in the main hall, with Mrs. Chu packing to leave for a temple and being stopped by General Chu, causing a huge row.
The two were startled.
Apparently, knowing that they had alerted the younger generation, when Gou Liang and Chu Qian hurried over, General Chu and Mrs. Chu had already ceased their fight.
However, the atmosphere was still tense, with General Chu sitting on one side with a livid face, while Mrs. Chu was lying on the couch, crying uncontrollably.
When Gou Liang asked, she pointed at General Chu and cursed, “This heartless man, he doesn’t care about the great suffering you’ve endured. He talks about the Emperor’s boundless grace, wanting you to endure life or death. I see he wishes you were dead. He wants to kill us mother and son!”
“I never said such things!”
General Chu slammed the table and stood up.
Chu Qian quickly restrained him, and after understanding Mrs. Chu’s words, he looked at Gou Liang and General Chu in shock, his expression changing.
When his father had mentioned the matter of adoption in his letter, he hadn’t explained the reason, merely using Gou Liang’s reluctance to marry as an excuse. Chu Qian had never imagined there were such hidden circ.u.mstances.
After finally calming both the parents down, Gou Liang said to Chu Qian, “Big brother, don’t take what Mother said to heart. She doesn’t understand court affairs, and His Majesty isn’t someone who values people based on such things. He values you for your true abilities, not anything else. Don’t let His Majesty down.”
Chu Qian, looking solemn, patted his shoulder and said he understood. But in his heart, he had already resolved to talk to his spouse and choose an auspicious day to adopt his younger son to Gou Liang.
Mrs. Chu’s temper flared up quickly and subsided just as fast. This argument soon faded into the festive atmosphere of the New Year, but Gou Liang caught a cold because of it.
The Emperor, after burning incense at the Grand Temple for three days and paying homage to the ancestors with the royal clan, finally had some free time.
Seeing that his carefully cared-for treasure had fallen ill as soon as he left his sight and appeared haggard, and learning that the gifts he had sent had caused this, he was displeased but didn’t know whom to vent his anger on.
Gou Liang, lying on his back, smiled and said to him, “Yesterday my second and third brother came home and told me something funny.”
“They said a pair of twins went home for the New Year, one wearing silver bracelets and the other gold. Their father scorned the one with silver bracelets, saying he was useless and didn’t even leave him for a meal, saying he’d rather feed the dog. I think if you had given me those gold bracelets, Father would have proudly shown them off to my brothers, and they wouldn’t have gone around visiting homes for meals.”
The Emperor, hearing the teasing about his tendency to cause household discord, was not ashamed but rather proud. He said, “Don’t be upset, my dear. I promise you’ll wear gold bracelets for life, not just one but two, unlike anyone else.”
His proud demeanor made Gou Liang laugh until he was doubled over on his back.
After staying overnight at the General’s residence, the next day, the Emperor issued a decree summoning Gou Liang back to the palace for tutoring, not allowing him to leave again.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival arrived.
Gou Liang feared the cold, and the Emperor didn’t want him to go out and catch another cold, so he only instructed Eunuch Tong to set up lanterns in the Zhongyang Palace for the atmosphere.
In the harem, the Empress, who had just been released from house arrest, hosted a lively lantern banquet.
In previous years, no matter how impatient the Emperor was, he would at least make a brief appearance out of respect for the Empress Dowager during this festive season. But this year, despite the Empress sending invitations three times and even appealing to the Empress Dowager, she couldn’t get the Emperor to come.
The concubines’ att.i.tudes toward the Empress changed.
Although the Emperor hadn’t explained why the Empress was under house arrest, it was clear now that he had severely offended the Emperor.
No one was gloating over this; instead, they were all biting their lips in anger—because of the Empress’s stupidity, the Emperor’s already limited regard for the harem might be lost!
Despite their frustrations, they didn’t disturb Gou Liang’s enjoyment.
At that moment, the Emperor was holding him, guiding his hand as they painted lanterns together.
The Lantern Festival, also considered a romantic holiday, saw many couples releasing lanterns together in a grand spectacle. This year’s most popular lantern design was the “Three Lives Destiny” lantern, and Eunuch Tong had bought several in line with the trend. However, the Emperor ignored them.
He said, “Three lives aren’t enough. In this life, the next life, and forever, you will be mine.”
Gou Liang laughed, “What if you can’t recognize me in the next life?”
The Emperor poked his dimples, “I will recognize you. Even if I haven’t met you, I wouldn’t want anyone else and would wait for you to come to me.”
Gou Liang’s eyes curved into a smile, and though he didn’t reply, his brush strokes became more tender.
The Emperor wrote some characters beside him and asked, “Aren’t you going to write something?”
Gou Liang shook his head, “No need. Wherever you are, I’ll find you. You have to wait for me patiently, understand?”
The Emperor laughed and said, “How can I let you suffer such hardship? No matter where you are, I will find you, Xiao Keng’er”
Gou Liang hummed in response.
They released a lantern from the tallest tower in the palace, watching the sea of lanterns rising from the capital, a beautiful and heartwarming sight.
After watching the lantern float away, the Emperor didn’t let Gou Liang stay long, partly fearing he’d catch a cold and partly because Gou Liang was still in his heat period that night. The Emperor didn’t want to waste such precious time.
As they watched the lantern sea, someone else stood in a quiet lane, gazing up at the lantern released from the tower, watching it float away until it was out of sight.
“Let’s go.”
The Imperial n.o.ble Consort said.
The servant was surprised because the Imperial n.o.ble Consort usually stayed at the tower to watch the lanterns until late at night every year. Why was he leaving early this year?
The Imperial n.o.ble Consort walked a few steps, then turned back to glance at the tower, which looked cold and lonely even in the night.
He wondered if it was his imagination, but the lights on the tower, which never went out, seemed to shine brighter tonight.
*
In January, there were lanterns; in February, there were outings; in March, there were peach blossom viewings.
As the weather warmed up, Gou Liang, who had been cooped up all winter, became more and more restless, finding it hard to stay in the palace.
One day he was late returning from riding horses in the suburbs of the capital; another day, he went to the Huguo Temple himself to brew peach blossom wine, strolling through the gardens to pick the brightest peach blossom of the season.
The Emperor, unable to leave the palace frequently, saw how stifled Gou Liang was and allowed him to play, only instructing Ye Xiao to ensure his safety. But seeing Gou Liang so reluctant to return, the Emperor went back on his word and said, “When there’s a break from court, I’ll go wherever you want.”
His promises were not sincere.
Because the break coincided with Gou Liang’s heat period, even if they went out, it would be brief, and during that time, the Emperor was very strict with him, making it impossible for Gou Liang to fully enjoy himself.
Fortunately, Gou Liang preferred spending time with the Emperor over the outside world and didn’t argue.
In April, local officials were rea.s.signed according to the Ministry of Personnel’s evaluation of their performance, with the Emperor’s personal approval. Among them were officials being transferred from the capital to local posts and others returning to the capital.
Xu Fei was one of them.
After serving in Yangzhou for ten years with outstanding achievements, he returned to the capital, and everyone knew he had a bright future ahead.
Because Xu Fei was not an ordinary person, he had been the Emperor’s study companion as a King and had contributed to the Emperor’s rise to power. Due to this, despite the suppression of aristocratic families, Xu’s family enjoyed prosperity, and even the originally not-so-prominent Xu family ger was designated as the Imperial n.o.ble Consort, a position equivalent to the deputy empress.
Although Xu Fei had served outside the capital, he went to Yangzhou and Guangzhou ten years ago as an imperial envoy to represent the Emperor, rooting out corrupt officials and restoring order, later staying on in Yangzhou.
With Yangzhou’s governance restored to clarity, he was credited with the top achievements.
Now, back in the capital, many eyes were on his household.
Xu Fei had married seven years ago, but his main spouse was a ger from a merchant family who had saved his life, allowing him to marry Xu Fei despite his background.
However, this ger not only had a barely visible mark on his forehead but also hadn’t borne any children for Xu Fei over the years, and it was rumored that he was extremely ugly. So, when the order for Xu Fei’s return to the capital came, many in the capital visited the Xu family, thinking that even if Xu Fei didn’t divorce his spouse, having a concubine who could bear children would also bring glory.
Finally, Xu Fei returned to the capital, and seeing him summoned by the Emperor immediately, the enthusiasm among the n.o.bles grew.
“Your humble servant Xu Fei, greets the Emperor!”
Sitting below, Gou Liang curiously observed this study companion of the Emperor, who carried a legendary aura in the capital’s rumors, when he heard the system prompt in his ear:
【Ding, Master. Kind reminder, he, like the original host, is also a ger.】