Chapter 26: Based Solely on Preference

Chapter 26: Based Solely on Preference

So infuriating!

The Emperor, annoyed, sat down on a pear wood armchair to one side, leaning back against the chair, looking visibly upset.

Zhu Yan ignored him, and seeing that he had returned, simply left the Bimo Pavilion to him.

"Where are you going?"

"To the main hall," Zhu Yan replied without turning her head.

"Don’t leave. Sit here and let me feast my eyes," the Emperor quickly sat up straight.

Zhu Yan glanced back at him, "What a ridiculous notion," and continued walking, only to be blocked at the door by the Emperor, who had hurried over.

"Ah Yan, I listened to you and met with the Prime Ministers. Can't you just let me look at you a bit longer?" the Emperor pleaded, attempting to pull Zhu Yan back to the chair. He had learned that dealing with Zhu Yan required thick skin; taking her seriously would only lead to frustration.

Zhu Yan stepped back to avoid him, "What do you mean ‘listened to me’? You were supposed to go yourself. I've been here for five days without attending court, and you don't know how much blame I've taken on your behalf."

The Emperor's expression changed slightly at her words, recalling Minister Hua's remarks, feeling somewhat guilty, "You don’t need to bear it; I can handle it myself." He had plans to keep the ministers busy, especially that old Minister Hua.

Seeing the Emperor’s reaction, Zhu Yan guessed the ministers hadn’t said anything pleasant. Fortunately, after the construction of Fuhua Palace, she cared less about her reputation.

She could never be a paragon of virtue and wisdom.

With her notorious beauty, no one would believe her even if she were truly virtuous.

Zhu Yan scoffed lightly, then decided not to leave, instead sitting on an adjacent armchair, "Alright, let Zhang Gonggong bring me the memorials later. I want to see those that criticize me."

"There’s no point in reading them; you’ll only upset yourself," the Emperor said sheepishly, sitting down next to her.

"I won’t get angry," Zhu Yan replied.

The Emperor looked at her skeptically, worried that her anger might cause more trouble. He was reluctant, "Ah Yan, you can continue reading your history book. I’ll talk to Zhang Zhongguo and ask him to expedite the transcription of the remaining volumes at Lantai Temple and send them here as soon as possible."

Zhu Yan advised, "There’s no rush. Let him transcribe at his own pace. I still have plenty to read in this volume." Sometimes she truly wanted to scold the Emperor for his whimsical decisions, disregarding other considerations.

This very volume was rushed out in three days, with the transcribing scholar, Qiu Xueshi, staying up two nights in a row, just because the Emperor liked his handwriting and insisted he work alone.

As they were talking, Xing En rushed in hurriedly.

The Emperor frowned upon seeing Xing En enter the Bimo Pavilion, "What are you doing here?"

"To pay respects to Your Majesty and the Lady."

Xing En bowed, aware that when the Emperor spoke with Lady Zhu, it was best not to approach unless called. However, he had no choice but to approach, relieved when Lady Zhu inquired, "What's the matter? Has something happened?"

Relieved, Xing En hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, Lady Zhu, the Third Prince and six princesses, led by their mothers, have come to pay their respects. They heard that Your Majesty hurt your arm severely and are worried. They wish to be by Your Majesty's side to show their filial piety. They are already at the palace gate..."

"Nonsense! The youngest two are not even eight years old. What do they know about worry?" The Emperor cursed, knowing it was the children’s mothers orchestrating this. He then asked, "Is the Third Prince with the Empress? Where is she?" The 'Third Prince' he referred to was Prince Zhang He.

In Dayu, it's customary to refer to sons by their birth order.

The same applies within the palace.

"Your Majesty, the Empress has not arrived."

The Emperor, of course, knew that the Empress wouldn't do such a thing as to pull people out of the consorts' palaces to block others, "I'm asking why she didn't keep an eye on the Third Prince."

"The Third Prince came with the Fourth Prince."

"Ah Ji?"

The Emperor turned his head towards Zhuyan, suddenly remembering what he had forgotten. Seeing the ugly splint on his left arm, he became somewhat frantic, "Ah Yan, how did they all find out about my arm injury?"

"It wasn't me who said it, nor did anyone from my palace say it." Zhuyan felt she needed to clear this up first, to avoid a turnover of palace servants, "I only said you were injured, didn't specify it was your arm. It must have been your son, Ah Ji, who told them."

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhuyan saw two muddy little heads appear at the door, resembling two mud monkeys that had crawled out of a marsh, covered in dirt.

"Ah Mother, Father Emperor." The smaller one darted in and flung himself at Zhuyan's knees.

Zhuyan, recovering from her shock, lifted up her son, Ah Ji, "Where did you run off to, looking like this? Didn't I order the dog hole to be blocked?"

"Ah Mother, hug, Ah Mother." Seeing his mother's anger, Zhang Ji quickly acted obedient and cuddly, trying to worm his way into her embrace.

Zhuyan couldn't help but laugh. Just as she was about to ask the person following him, she saw Ping Le and Qu Gu running over, breathless and apologizing before explaining, "The Fourth Prince wouldn't enter the palace gates without the Third Prince, and then in a moment of distraction, they both disappeared. We found them climbing over the east wall, lost their grip, and tumbled down."

Qu Gu continued, still shaken, "Thankfully, the ground was soft from yesterday's rain, so they weren't hurt. The princes got up and ran straight here. We entered through the side door and couldn't catch up with them despite running."

Hearing this, Zhu Yan also felt a wave of fear and quickly hugged her son, checking him from head to toe with a worried expression, "Tell Mother, does anywhere hurt?"

"Everywhere hurts, Mother, hug me."

Zhang Jie stayed in his mother's arms, wrapping his arms around her neck, while the Emperor called his third son, Zhang He, to his side and asked the same question. Zhang He touched his head and honestly replied, "Father, I'm bigger than my younger brother and not as fragile. I don't hurt anywhere."

"Really?" the Emperor doubted.

Zhang He even turned around to show, "Father, look, I'm all right. The wall wasn't high, and the ground was soft, like falling on a cushion. It's just my clothes that are dirty." Unlike his younger brother, he stood by his father's side without leaning into Lady Zhu's embrace.

The Emperor understood the situation.

Zhu Yan, also realizing what happened, half-concerned and half-aware of the mischief, slapped her son Zhang Jie's bottom, "I think you're just itching for a spanking."

Zhang Jie paused, then burst into tears, twisting and crying, "Mother, no more, it hurts..."

"You know it hurts now? I'll teach you not to lie," she continued spanking, "Ah, you've become a chronic liar, haven't you? Learning all the bad things."

Zhang He thought Lady Zhu was fierce and quickly hid behind his father.

The Emperor, listening, couldn't shake the feeling that Zhu Yan's words were indirectly aimed at him. He touched his nose with a curved finger and waited for Zhu Yan to stop before speaking, "Enough, don't hit anymore. Tian Tian is still young. Although the fall from the wall wasn't high, it surely hurt. Let's call the imperial physician to have a look."

"First, let Fu Mu take them down to clean up," the Emperor added. Though his own children, their muddy appearance, resembling little mud monkeys, disgusted him, and he couldn't bring himself to hold them, especially with his injured hand.

After being spanked, Zhang Jie still clung to his mother. Hearing her son's pitiful cries, Zhu Yan didn't hand him over to Fu Mu but personally took him to the washroom.

Meanwhile, the third prince's Fu Mu didn't come inside. Qu Gu stepped forward to carry the third prince, about to leave, but then heard the Emperor instruct, "No need to go to the washroom. Take the third prince back to Fengyi Palace. Ask the Empress how she's taking care of the children. Also, question the two Fu Mu and four palace attendants who were with them. If they can't take care of them properly, replace them all."

"Yes," Qu Gu quickly complied upon seeing the Emperor's brewing anger, with Lady Zhu absent. She kneeled and then carried the Third Prince out of the Bimo Pavilion.

The Emperor, with a stern face, called for Xing En, "Summon the Imperial Physician to examine Ah He and Ah Ji. Also, for those outside, pass on my decree: they must transcribe the 'Diamond Sutra' fifty times within half a month and offer it at the Xiangguo Temple as a prayer for my well-being. If there's a next time, they will all be demoted by one rank, and if there's a time after that, another demotion. Anyone looking to change their position, feel free to join the commotion."

As his words grew angrier, Xing En didn't dare delay and hurried to convey the decree.

Author's Note: