Chapter 421: The Emperor's Will

Drums and horns shook the city, the Imperial Guards set out on an expedition.

Inside the Yanchang Hall, the Emperor tucked his sleeves, looking at the two gold statues of the Emperor Xi in the brocade box, the more he looked, the more he liked them! He clicked his tongue and said:

"Old Hu is a lucky general; he really managed to make a pair!"

Saying this, he looked at Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer with a smile:

"Do you know who sent this?"

Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer didn't know much about the affairs of the court, so he could only infer from the surname, racking his brains to think of names:

"The Emperor said the surname is Hu, and also said he is a lucky general, then, then..."

"I'm not asking who sent the gold statue to me, but who sent this gold statue to the person who sent it to me?"

Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer didn't know if the Emperor was just talking casually or if he had the intention of testing him; if it was a test, this was too difficult. How would he know this? He could only respond somewhat awkwardly:

"This... this your subject knows even less..."

The Emperor didn't care at all:

"I don't know either."

Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer:?

"But I can guess."

Hu Xiezhi could be considered an old official of the Emperor. When the Emperor was the Inspector of Jiangzhou, he was a subordinate of the Emperor and was highly favored. After the Emperor ascended the throne, in order for Hu Xiezhi to marry a wife with a better family status, he specifically sent several palace maids to live in Hu Xiezhi's house to teach them accents and etiquette. Two years later, the Emperor asked him how he had learned, and Hu Xiezhi smiled bitterly and said: "There are many people in my family, and few

However, although Hu Xie Xie Niangzi Xie is close to the Son of Heaven, he holds fast to one point: he never tattles. He also has absolutely no intention of being a "secret agent" type of isolated official.

Added to this is the fact that he knows how to speak and is sensible of the times; he is willing to learn high-brow culture, so he won't be unable to appear in public, yet he doesn't deliberately put on airs or force himself to act like a member of the upper class. He can play, he can drink, and he can mingle and fit in, so he is very popular among the court officials and has a lively social life.

Many people know that this Commandant Hu is greedy for money and doesn't hold back when accepting gifts, but almost no one knows that Commandant Hu was once trained by the Son of Heaven; whenever there is a heavy gift, he always splits it fifty-fifty with the Son of Heaven. (Regarding this point about the Son of Heaven training people, one can read Chapter 383, the part where the Son of Heaven trains Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer to give pearls.) In fact, many times, he even lets the Son of Heaven take the lion's share!

Like this time with the precious portrait of the Emperor Xi, how could Hu Xie Xie Niangzi Xie not want to keep one for himself? But this is a pair! If he presents them both to the Son of Heaven, how much of a bonus he will get!

The Son of Heaven gets one and I get one—that would be great, but I'm afraid the pleasure wouldn't last long...

Hu Xie Xie Niangzi Xie is sensible, and the Son of Heaven also has a tacit understanding; he always just silently splits the accounts and never asks where Hu Xie Xie Niangzi Xie's accounts come from. At this moment, looking at the divine statue, the Son of Heaven seems to be in high spirits. He stands up, pulls both hands out from his sleeves, raises them to shake them, and shakes his sleeves down. A bit of the eagerness often seen in young people is added to his brow, and the corners of his mouth curl up slightly:

"Let Me guess."

The Son of Heaven walks around the imperial desk and points his finger in the air a few times:

"... This first statue, it should be our Lord Marquis Xiao. Lord Marquis Xiao has entered the fray now—"

(Think about the process of Bao Yue finding Xiao Luan. At the time, she wanted to handle the matter of delivering the letter herself, and at the same time, she had a mental block; she was unwilling to find Xiao Luan, nor was she willing to step into the Secretariat. But because the palace gates were closed and she was being chased by Shen Yuan, and on top of that the letter couldn't be delivered—with these three things combined, she had both an immediate push and a fundamental need, which is why she went to the Secretariat to see Xiao Luan. And where is the source of all this push?)

The Son of Heaven pauses slightly when he says this and shakes his head, saying:

"Wrong. This is not A-Du's (Xiao Luan's childhood name Xuandu) style. Then it can only be Yue girl. This looks like her handiwork..."

Saying this, the Son of Heaven laughs out loud like a cunning merchant:

"Speaking of which, the gifts Yue girl sends all flow into My hands. Shameful, truly shameful..."

Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer doesn't know about other things, but the matter of Noble Xie Xie Niangzi Xiao sending pearls is something Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer experienced personally! The Son of Heaven told him to accept the gifts while not letting him handle the business, and in the end, he took all the gifts away...

"Oh my, actually there's nothing to be ashamed of. I am her uncle; it's normal for her to show filial respect to her uncle. Besides, I still have to worry about her and her father. Family harmony and kin concord—it's difficult, difficult—"

(Chapter 392, "Decided": "I'm moving back home," Bao Yue suddenly said. Xiao Luan looked up at his daughter. There was a bit of stubbornness in Bao Yue's eyes: "As long as Father presents this letter to the Son of Heaven tomorrow, I will move back to the Marquis's mansion immediately." Chapter 390, "Whose Responsibility": The Son of Heaven laughed: "You wouldn't be able to tell! This move of Mine has four purposes." Up to this point, two have been revealed.)

The Son of Heaven sighs like a patriarch, then slowly strokes the edge of his sleeve and says righteously:

"Besides, when I accept things, I always get things done! Unlike Old Hu, who is sneaky and slippery..."

The Son of Heaven pouts, looking disgusted.

Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer thinks to himself: I accept things and get things done too. But someone won't let me do them...

Just as he is secretly complaining, he suddenly feels something is wrong.

He looks up—

The Son of Heaven has tilted his head at some point and is staring at him with a half-smile.

Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer is startled and stammers:

"Yo, Your Majesty..."

The Son of Heaven smiles slightly:

"Did you hear that? Being sneaky and slippery won't do—"

Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer hurriedly bows:

"Yes, yes, yes! Being sneaky and slippery won't do! This humble servant will remember!"

"So, are you prepared to take money and get things done?"

"Yes, yes—"

Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer nods subconsciously in response, but halfway through, he suddenly realizes what he said. His face turns pale with fright, and he shakes his head desperately:

"No, no, no—"

The Son of Heaven frowns slightly:

"Taking money and not doing things? If you take money and don't do things, you'll often shit in your bed."

Seeing the Son of Heaven frown, Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer is so scared he doesn't know what to do, and he doesn't know what the Son of Heaven means by this, so he hurriedly kneels to plead guilty.

As for what crime? Never mind that for now; anyway, the Son of Heaven frowned, so pleading guilty is never wrong.

The Son of Heaven reveals a smile:

"You, you're not stupid, but you can't be considered very smart either. You're young, your character is not yet settled, and it's easy to learn bad habits if you're left outside. From now on, you serve well in the Yanchang Hall and go outside less. If others ask you, you just say you are in the outer hall and rarely come in. Of course, you won't look as glorious on the surface, but you get the real benefits! If you hang out with Me, can I treat you poorly? How many people in the world want to hear Me speak, but can't even hear a word! Look at you, you heard it so easily..."

Ever since Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer started his duty in the Yanchang Hall, his communication with the outside world has been very limited. Although he can occasionally hear bits and pieces of inside information from the Son of Heaven's mouth, he actually knows less about information regarding the court than when he was a little yellow-gate servant.

Back then, he could hear a word here and a word there and learn about many fresh things. Now, he is cooped up in the hall all day. Although the Son of Heaven occasionally lets slip a few place names or people's names to him, the Son of Heaven often speaks without beginning or end; he doesn't know the causes, and he doesn't know the consequences, so he doesn't understand most of it. The few things he can understand on the surface are only half-understood, and it's not necessarily as much as he could learn by listening and watching more outside.

Of course, he could never tell the Son of Heaven this, even if it killed him. Otherwise, he would be too ungrateful! Being able to enter the hall and listen to the Son of Heaven speak is already a tremendous stroke of luck! As long as he works hard and doesn't make mistakes, promotion and rewards are just around the corner!

What's more, the Son of Heaven just said that he is hanging out with the Son of Heaven!!!

And said he wouldn't treat him poorly!!!

This is his ancestral grave about to smoke with good fortune!!!!

Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer is both grateful and pleasantly surprised; his eyes grow hot, and tears are about to well up. He kowtows heavily:

"Your Majesty's great kindness, this humble servant could not repay even with ten thousand deaths! This humble servant knows that being able to hear Your Majesty speak is a blessing that could not be cultivated in many lifetimes! This humble servant, this humble servant..."

In his excitement, Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer doesn't even know how to phrase his words.

The Son of Heaven doesn't care much, but hearing Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer say that being able to hear him speak is a blessing that couldn't be cultivated in many lifetimes, he doesn't know what he thought of. His gaze becomes slightly vacant, and he laughs bitterly:

"Everyone seems to care most about My words, but in fact, what everyone cares about least is also My words..."

The voice is very soft, like talking to himself.

Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer is very confused when he hears this; the Son of Heaven's words are, of course, what everyone cares about most. How could they be what everyone cares about least?

The Son of Heaven has a strong character; when he is occasionally sentimental, he immediately pulls back his thoughts. He cheers himself up, claps his hands, and says with great interest:

"Oh my, now let's guess the second statue. This second statue—"

At this moment, very light footsteps come from outside the hall door.

A little yellow-gate servant bows, holding a tea tray with both hands, and trots in.

Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer is stunned. At this hour, the Son of Heaven didn't summon, so why should new tea be sent?

Is the newcomer ignorant of the rules?

Just as he is about to go and receive it, the Son of Heaven says coldly:

"Daring to enter the inner hall without authorization, drag him out and behead him."

Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer is shocked!

That little yellow-gate servant looks very calm, neither begging for mercy nor trembling. He just kneels down quietly, puts down the tea tray, then prostrates himself, his forehead pressed against the jade floor, without saying a word.

Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer thinks: Could it be that he's scared stupid?

The Son of Heaven calmly closes the lid of the brocade box containing the gold statue, then walks to the front of that little yellow-gate servant. Looking down from above, he lowers his eyelids and lets out a cold snort from his nose:

"You are not afraid, after all."

The little yellow-gate servant slowly raises his head, revealing a snow-white little face, little curved eyebrows, and a cunning smile. Where is there any sign of fear?

"Father Emperor is not a muddled ruler, so what am I afraid of!"

It is actually Princess Changcheng—Xiao Zixi!

The Son of Heaven has many sons, but very few daughters. Xiao Zixi is the Son of Heaven's youngest daughter. It is not the first time she has slipped out dressed as a little yellow-gate servant to play, but this is the first time Sima Qian Sima Qian Ruoer has seen such a scene, and he is stunned on the spot.

Xiao Ze says with a straight face:

"No rules. Who let you in? I will never be lenient this time."

Xiao Zixi carefully leans over and pulls the corner of the Son of Heaven's sleeve with her little hand:

"Father Emperor, you already promised to join our Zaizhou Elegant Gathering, how can you go back on your word!"

Xiao Ze gets a headache as soon as he hears this!

"When did I promise!"

Xiao Zixi gets anxious, her beautiful eyes widening:

"That time! Right at Louhu Garden! Father Emperor kept saying 'Fine', and even said 'Everything is fine'! The Son of Heaven has no empty words! Father Emperor cannot deny it!"

After Xiao Ze is slightly stunned, he remembers.

That day at Louhu Garden, Xiao Zixi was disguised, mingling among the palace maids to wade and catch fish, when he dragged her ashore and scolded her for having no rules. She tilted her head and asked: "May I ask Father Emperor, what counts as having rules?" He said: "Asking first and then acting counts as having rules." As a result, Xiao Zixi was like possessed that day, throwing one question after another at him:

"Is it okay for me to speak?" "Is it okay to change clothes?" "Is it okay to sit down?" "Is it okay to drink water?" "Is it okay to look at the scenery?" "Is it okay to hold chopsticks?" "Is it okay to eat this?" "Is it okay to eat that?"...

It made Xiao Ze dizzy! So he said: "Fine, fine, fine, everything is fine!" Who would have thought she was waiting for him here!

It's not that he isn't willing to support his daughter, but as an emperor, how can he participate in children's nonsense? Even if he weren't the emperor, given his age, he shouldn't be mingling with the younger generation—eh?

Xiao Zixi sees her father stretching out his finger, preparing to lecture her. She shrinks her body, her beautiful eyes half-closed, but Xiao Ze's finger is suspended in mid-air and suddenly stops!

Xiao Ze takes a few steps back.

He slowly gathers his sleeves and sizes up his daughter.

Looking left, looking right.

He is surprised to find that his daughter's stature has gradually grown; the willow branches haven't fully sprouted, but there is already a girl's charm between her eyebrows and eyes. Her delicate quality is not yet full, but one can already glimpse a graceful state; her youth is just beginning to bloom, and she has actually developed a bright and charming appearance.

Especially wearing that little yellow-gate servant's clothes, not only does it not hide her beauty, but it makes her look even more charming.

He suddenly realizes that although his own daughter can't compare to Yue girl's beauty that topples cities for the time being, she is definitely a beauty in the making with unlimited potential! It seems he doesn't need to be too self-deprecating?

Xiao Zixi is looked at inexplicably, tilts her head slightly, and calls out:

"Father Emperor—"

"Eh, how are your studies going?"

Xiao Ze suddenly asks a question out of the blue.

Especially since he usually doesn't care about his daughter's studies. He heard that his daughter seemed to have some reputation for talent, but he just smiled. He used to think, for My daughter, does it matter if she has talent? But now—

Xiao Zixi smiles disdainfully, squints her eyes, and says lightly:

"Xie Xie Niangzi Xie family's chanting of snow, not worth mentioning."

Xiao Ze doesn't quite believe it:

"Really?"

Xiao Zixi lifts her face:

"Of course! Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Little Four ran away as soon as she heard I wanted to have a pure conversation with her!"

(Chapter 72, "The Battle for the Deer-Tail Fan": "I heard Princess Changcheng wants to have a pure conversation with you, but you have never agreed. I'm afraid you look down on the Princess's learning." Chapter 217, "Hot Spring Holiday": Wang Yang's heart stirred, and he asked: "Princess Changcheng? Is her learning broad?" "I don't know about this either, I only know the Princess wants to have a pure conversation with Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Fourth Young Xie Xie Niangzi, but Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Fourth Young Xie Xie Niangzi refuses no matter what.")

The more Xiao Ze hears, the more unreliable he feels:

"How well can you recite the *Classic of Poetry*?"

Xiao Zixi waves her hand, looking very confident:

"I can recite it backwards!"

"'No winter, no summer.' What is the next sentence?"

"No spring, no autumn!"

Xiao Ze says angrily:

"What no spring, no autumn! There is no such sentence!"

"Isn't there? Then I might have remembered it wrong..."

Xiao Zixi embarrassedly adjusts her high hat.

Xiao Ze's face sinks:

"Didn't you say you could recite it backwards?"

Xiao Zixi laughs:

"This is reciting it forwards!"

Seeing her father's face is not right, Xiao Zixi immediately raises her little face, makes a pitiful little look, and skillfully uses her set of coaxing methods:

"Good Father Emperor! I beg you, good Father Emperor! Just have pity on Zixi! Help Zixi out! Otherwise, I'll really be—"

Xiao Ze reaches out to interrupt his daughter's spell-casting:

"Let Me think, let Me think."

The Son of Heaven begins to pace.

Xiao Zixi is overjoyed!

In the past, Father Emperor would refuse directly! This time he actually said he would think about it; doesn't this mean there is hope?!

It's just that Father Emperor's expression seems happy and worried at the same time; why does it also seem a little—

Malicious????????

————

Note: *History of the Southern Dynasties, Annals of Qi, Part 1, Fourth*: "On the jiazi day, the old palace at Qingxi was built, and the Xinlin and Louhu Gardens were made to suppress it."