Chapter 233: with translation of chapter title

To be honest, Du Shanü really feels like she's stayed up late and her head is foggy today.

To be honest, Du Shanü truly feels that she's stayed up late and her head is foggy today.

Fortunately, Chunri Jian is not ignorant of etiquette, and he quickly explained:

This matter is not what Your Highness thinks; please listen as I lay it out point by point!

When he arrived, he had already learned that this Highness came from a prominent lineage, being the elder brother of the Taizong Emperor, a bloodline of the Deposed Crown Prince Huang, and only after the Deposed Crown Prince Huang's recent passing did he receive an enfeoffment as a granted domain.

We need to keep numbers etc. No numbers.

Since the two dynasties, princesses have only been allowed to appoint private officials such as household stewards, ushers, and attendants within their fief; positions like county magistrate, county secretary, and county commandant are not miscellaneous officials, and princesses only have the right to recommend and apply pressure for change; to actually hold office, they still need an imperial appointment.

In other words......

Although this new lord is secretly plotting rebellion, if he still intends to go through the motions with the imperial court, his appointment, decrees, and taking-up documents will at least take three or four months to reach her hands.

In the southern lands, the mountains are high and the emperor far away; it is eighty thousand li from the capital.

If there should be any further mishap along the way, half a year to a full year is not uncommon.

But he......

But he is unwilling to wait that long.

The evening light gradually gathered, and the study was hushed.

In the study, the hearth fire murmured softly, and only Chunri Jian spoke in a low voice.

Du Shanü sat upright at the desk, listening as the dignified young man before her laid out his points one by one.

Chunri Jian's attitude remained very respectful, yet this time his bearing was considerably firmer:

"Your Highness, I have come this time to seek an official post. Not only do I wish to obtain it, but it is urgent and pressing, a matter of utmost haste."

"For my part, uniforms and decrees can easily be postponed; if you allow me to take your personal seal and handwritten letters—these intimate private items—and send them back together with the gifts to Qiongzhou, so that my Chunri clan may learn that I have this time met with fortune and encountered the Dragon Gate......"

Actually, this is better than anything.

As the saying goes, 'Wealth and honor not returned to one's hometown is like wearing fine clothes at night.'

He has waited his whole life for this moment to raise his brows and exhale in pride.

When that time comes, his father, seeing his success, will surely dispel all his previous pent-up gloom.

These words landed with impact.

Du Shanü, hearing this, lifted her eyes to look at the upright young man before her.

Chunri Jian's appearance is indeed quite ordinary.

Qiongzhou has always been an island, situated in the far south; I do not know whether his blood carries some South Seas foreign strain, but his complexion is actually not fair.

His skin is dark, his eyes narrow, and he even has a leg ailment......

If placed in the capital, such looks and bearing would likely sink like a stone into the sea, leaving not a ripple.

However, this place is not a capital where nobles are as common as dogs, and this man is not merely a pretty-faced idler.

He has talent, ambition, observes propriety, knows when to advance or retreat......

As long as his loyalty is sound, he will certainly become a pivotal minister in the future.

For such talent, what is it to ask her for a few things?

Moreover, the private items he requests are not necessarily what most people previously imagined as 'private items.'

These days, private matters are not limited to close-fitting clothing; personal seals and handwritten documents also count as secret!

Chunri Jian bore a humble demeanor, nodding as he awaited Du Shanü's reply.

Du Shanü's hand resting on the table unconsciously twitched a few breaths, and she still spoke the truth:

"My territory does not require an imperial appointment; I say who can hold office, and that person can hold office."

"Uniforms, seals, decrees, and the appointment documents are already ready; when you 'take office on horseback,' I will naturally find someone to falsify the documents and alter the uniforms."

Chunri Jian blinked, then belatedly realized what he had heard——

No imperial appointment needed?

How could there be no need for an imperial appointment?

If the lord's status is conferred by the court, how could it not require going through the court's appointment?

Moreover, what is called 'falsifying documents' is not just 'fraudulent fabrication'?

Earlier he kept calling me 'Your Highness'; could it be that this status is also......

No, I cannot speculate further!

The problem presented by this lord before me is actually greater than what he had imagined before coming!

Sir, this time you have truly, truly handed him a hot potato.

Now what should be done?

Having come to this point, the question is whether to serve or not to serve.

This woman acts swiftly and decisively, and she also bears a faint aura of menace.

If she does not take him as a subject, could she still let him go......

"Only that one imperial document is missing."

Du Shanü withdrew her twitching hand, lowered her eyelids, making it impossible to discern the expression in her eyes:

"Besides that, everything you ought to have will not be lacking."

"Whether you wish to casually use the official seal and such, or someday return to Qiongzhou Prefecture to vent your frustration...... that is merely an appetizer on your brilliant future."

"I will strive to obtain everything for you."

Strive for everything, strive for everything.

These words sound not simple; in fact...... they are not simple at all.

Wheat has ripened thousands of times, and people under heaven have died for the Son of Heaven countless myriads of times.

Yet now, it is still the first time a lord has said that she wants her subjects to do something.

It seems, it seems that no one is born destined to die for anyone.

Rather, it's just like ordinary commoner households—how much work you do determines how much silver goes into the account; everything is the most ordinary of matters.

He devotes his loyalty and talent; she will naturally do what she can, doing her utmost to protect him.

That position of the Nine-Five Supreme is naturally still far off.

Plotting rebellion has never been a simple matter since ancient times.

But if one truly encounters a heroic lord, and the lord again promises a splendid future...

Not to say he would be moved by it; even the most unruly and defiant scholar here would be moved.

No wonder, the master would have him come over.

No wonder, the master would tell him, his fortune has arrived.

Chunri Jian, after coming to his senses, gathered his mind, then nodded and bowed again in reply:

"Yes, I will faithfully follow the lord's words."

Those without brains are born brainless; those with brains need not say much to attain enlightenment.

The titles 'Your Highness' and 'Lord' differ by only a single character, yet they already hint that he has guessed Du Shanü's identity is false.

Du Shanü, when dealing with clever people, finds it especially easy; with just another nod, Chunri Jian, being very perceptive, withdrew.

Outside, the sky was dim.

Inside, the warmth still bubbled.

After everyone left, Du Shanü rubbed her forehead for a while before barely managing to free herself from fatigue.

She had intended to go lie again on the arhat bed in the inner chamber, but as soon as she rose, she heard those footsteps outside returning.

Du Shanü sighed in her heart and asked:

"Ah Chun, what have you forgotten?"

Chunri Jian did not reply; instead, another familiar voice sounded.

The person pushed open a crack in the door, poked their head in, and softly called:

"Wife Master? Wife Master? (〃'▽'〃)"

"Is the Wife Master here?"

That voice was gentle, just as before.

But for some reason, it made Du Shanü's tightly drawn nerve in her mind tense a bit more.

These past two days, her anger has been immense; logically, Yu Yiai hasn't provoked her, so it shouldn't involve him.

However, the problem lies in the fact that Yu Yiai bears the surname Yu.

Yu Lve is so stupid it's ridiculous, giving Du Shanü a terrible headache...

Or perhaps she is also very afraid.

But it's not fear of Yu Lve; rather, she fears Yu Yiai, who is so soft-hearted, that upon seeing her reproach his cousin, he rushes over to persuade her not to deal with that Yu family cousin.

By rights, pleading for mercy is also ordinary.

But ultimately, she wishes he and she were of one mind.

Yu Lve can disregard her difficulties and hide the truth.

Yu Yiai, however, cannot and should not consider her difficulties, being swayed by his soft heart to come plead...

That, for her, is undoubtedly another heavy blow.

Therefore, since returning home yesterday until now, aside from seeing Yu Yiai once when she came home, Du Shanü has not thought to go look for him.

But she didn't expect that, not going to seek him, Yu Yiai would actually come looking for her herself.

Du Shanü's heart was a mix of emotions, and for a moment she didn't know how to bring up the matter of Yu Lve.

In the meantime, the hesitant Yu Yiai, peeking in, locked eyes with her own Wife Master.

In the next instant, the gentle-eyed youth smiled and said:

"Wife Master, you indeed still came back for the Cold Food Festival, didn't you?"

Everyone knows that now the north and south are divided, the northern borders stare covetously, and the world will fall into chaos...

Outside, everyone has their own schemes and their own calculations.

Yet, none of the outside disturbances can disturb the peace under her wings.

The gentle youth before her neither mentioned Yu Lve nor brought up the many worries.

He merely smiled and said to her, 'Wife Master, you came back for the Cold Food Festival, didn't you?'

He merely took her hand and said to her, 'Wife Master, Xiao Ai truly misses you.'

?? Come on, come on||ヽ(*￣▽￣*)ノミ|Ю