Chapter 524: Want to Be a Male Consort?

Chapter 524: Want to Be a Male Consort?

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, Xie Peiyu had been on the throne for half a year.

After six months, the political situation gradually stabilized, and the court ministers began urging the Emperor to expand the harem.

The Empress was pregnant and could not attend to the Emperor, making it an ideal time for the selection of new consorts.

However, the Emperor still refused, citing several reasons.

Firstly, the border regions were still unstable and required more resources.

Where would these resources come from? The interior.

During Gao Zhi's reign, he had been living off the legacy left by the previous emperor, nearly depleting the national treasury. How could he allocate more resources?

The people needed rest and recuperation, and he needed to make the country prosperous again.

The court also needed to solidify its foundation, and he had no interest in expanding the harem.

Seeing that the Emperor was genuinely focused on practical matters, the ministers stopped their persuasion.

Xie Peiyu openly worked diligently in governance while secretly gathering evidence to root out the major corrupt elements in the court.

He already had substantial evidence against the Wang family.

But who were the Wangs? Such a large family, like a towering tree, could not be uprooted entirely.

Doing so would create a massive void.

Often, dealing with such families was like how the aristocracy dealt with imperial power.

If one approach didn't work, another would.

He secretly reached an agreement with Wang Meng to remove his elder brother and put him in charge.

Wang Meng agreed to hand over all the silver the Wang family had embezzled over the years, unconditionally returning it to the national treasury.

This was a win-win situation.

Even the specifics of who would be executed and who would be exiled were planned out in the Imperial Study, awaiting concrete evidence to bring down Lord Wang.

Meanwhile, Zheng Jinyu had passed her nausea phase and could eat and drink normally.

The Empress Dowager had the imperial kitchen prepare a menu each day for her to choose from.

Whichever dish she liked, the imperial chef would prepare it for her.

Zheng Jinyu smiled and said, "Mother, I can eat anything now; I'm not nauseous anymore."

"Still, take a look and see which ones you like."

"The fresh vegetables of this season, whichever is freshest, we'll have that."

"Alright, let the chefs handle it."

The Empress Dowager looked down at her slightly protruding belly.

She was delighted, thinking about the grandchild she would soon have to care for.

It was amusing that when Jinyu first entered the palace, she had clearly stated that she did not want to raise a grandchild.

As they chatted, the current Princess Xie Jingrou entered.

"Mother, Zhou Zhihuan wants to see you."

"Zhou Zhihuan?" She almost forgot about him, taking a moment to recall.

"Has he recovered from his injuries?" She remembered that his family had moved into the palace, leaving some servants at the princess's residence to care for Zhou Zhihuan, who had broken ribs.

Since it was due to their affair that Zhou Zhihuan had broken his ribs, the Empress Dowager had specially allowed him to recover fully before leaving.

"He has recovered, long ago. He moved out last month."

Hmm? If he had recovered and moved out, why was he seeking her out now?

"What does he want to see me for? Has he received the money?"

"Yes, three thousand taels of silver should be enough for him to live comfortably for the rest of his life, and he has accepted it."

The Empress Dowager frowned. "If that's the case, why is he still coming to see me?"

"He only said he wants to see you. Do you wish to meet him? If not, I can send him away."

The Empress Dowager thought about it. Her relationship with Zhou Zhihuan had been a transaction.

Zhou Zhihuan had nearly been crushed to death, but she hadn't mistreated him, had she?

Three thousand taels of silver would allow him to support his entire family for a lifetime. Wasn't that enough?

"Let him in, then."

"Yes, Mother."

The Empress Dowager patted Zheng Jinyu's hand and smiled. "I'll go back now. I'll visit you another day. Pregnancy is hard on a woman; don't neglect yourself."

"Yes, thank you for your concern, Mother."

The Empress Dowager returned to her palace, and shortly after, a palace attendant brought Zhou Zhihuan in.

Zhou Zhihuan had long recovered from his injuries. With the money he received, he bought a small three-courtyard house in the capital and settled down to read books.

But how easy was it to achieve scholarly success? It was like thousands of soldiers trying to cross a narrow bridge; with so many people vying for the same goal, why should he be the one to make it?

It was easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to return from luxury to frugality. After seeing the splendor of the Princess's residence and living there for so long, he found it difficult to adapt to his current life.

So he came to visit the former Grand Princess, now the Empress Dowager.

"Your humble subject Zhou Zhihuan pays respects to the Empress Dowager."

The Empress Dowager raised her hand, "Rise."

"Yes, thank you, Empress Dowager."

The Empress Dowager looked at him and asked, "What brings you here today?"

Zhou Zhihuan glanced around at the palace attendants, hesitating to speak.

The Empress Dowager understood and had Xie Jingrou lead them out.

With only the two of them left in the hall, the Empress Dowager said, "Now you can speak freely."

Zhou Zhihuan then said, "Empress Dowager, my life is not going well these days."

The Empress Dowager: "Oh? How so?"

"My former classmates mock me behind my back, and no teacher is willing to take me in. I can only study alone in my room. However, without traveling to learn, without interacting with my peers, and without a teacher's recommendation, it feels like I'm just spinning my wheels, making little progress."

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly.

She hadn't thought about this before, only considering the transaction as a simple exchange of money for goods, never imagining that it would cause him so much trouble.

"Madam, in their eyes, I... I am a discarded favorite. Because of my past injury, they even mock me, saying that I was dismissed with silver because I was no longer useful after being injured. Although I don't lack money now, my career path is fraught with difficulties, and it's even worse than before I entered the Princess's residence. In my current situation, the idea of bringing glory to my family is nothing but a joke."

The Empress Dowager looked at him calmly, feeling sympathy for his plight and a bit of guilt.

However, she was more interested in what he intended to do.

"So, what do you mean? Do you want me to ask the Emperor to give you an official position?"

"This... This is not what I mean."

The Empress Dowager smiled faintly, "I also think it's inappropriate. If I did that, wouldn't it confirm that you were my favorite?"

Zhou Zhihuan's cheeks flushed, and he looked at the Empress Dowager with a tender expression.

He was indeed handsome, and the opportunity to rely on his looks was right in front of him—why would he let it slip away?

Zhou Zhihuan whispered, "Empress Dowager, you are still young and have been widowed, truly suffering."

The Empress Dowager: "..."

"You and I were originally supposed to marry."

The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes, smiling wryly, "Didn't you say you had lofty ambitions, wanting to bring glory to your family, pass the imperial exams, and become an official?"

"Yes, I did have great ambitions, but now my future is ruined. Perhaps this is my fate, and I no longer strive for it. Let it be."

"So..."

"Empress Dowager." Zhou Zhihuan suddenly approached her, looking at her tenderly, "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, like the richest peony in the world. After meeting you, my heart can no longer tolerate the common and vulgar. Why don't we make up for the wedding that Gao Zhi destroyed?"