Chapter 148

Chapter 148

Some households were filled with joy, while others were filled with sorrow.

When Liu Wushi received the imperial edict, his fox-like eyes curved into crescents with joy.

Guo Laidong covered his eyes, finding it almost too much to bear.

Before Liu Wushi could speak, Guo Laidong had already skillfully said, "Your Majesty must have some interest in you, sir, but you don't have a penchant for same-sex relationships."

Liu Wushi: "..." His words had been preempted.

He cleared his throat and said, "That's true."

Guo Laidong continued, "Don't worry, sir. No matter how much Her Majesty fancies you, as long as you don't reciprocate, she'll surely move on."

Liu Wushi: "..." Why did these words sound so unpleasant?

On the other side, when Cui Xuan heard that Liu Wushi had been promoted to the rank of a fifth-grade official as the Minister of the Bureau of Revenue and Expenditure, his brows furrowed deeply.

He silently cursed Xie Yiguan and hurriedly entered the palace to see the Emperor.

Su Yu was pulling a rocking chair out to the terrace outside the imperial study.

Cui Xuan paused and asked, "Your Majesty, what is this?"

"This is a rocking chair I had Li Zijing make. It's perfect for lounging in the winter sun."

Su Yu sat on the rocking chair, and the curved base of the chair swayed in front of Cui Xuan.

Cui Xuan: "..." Her Majesty truly had no regard for decorum! Not only was she sitting carelessly, but even the chair was unsteady.

Su Yu even smiled and invited him, "Xing Jian, why don't you give it a try? It's really comfortable."

Cui Xuan shook his head without expression, firmly declining.

Su Yu didn't mind and continued to rock her chair, basking in the sun while reading a book, looking quite content.

Cui Xuan stood beside her, watching the sunlight fall on her brows for a long time before slowly averting his gaze and asking indifferently, "Your Majesty, by promoting the head of the Bureau of Revenue and Expenditure to a fifth-grade official as the Minister of the Bureau of Revenue and Expenditure, are you planning to separate the Bureau of Revenue and Expenditure from the Ministry of Revenue?"

Su Yu casually flipped a page of her book, "The Bureau of Revenue and Expenditure will naturally still be under the Ministry of Revenue, but I'm giving them more authority to make it easier for them to work for me."

She hadn't specifically promoted the head of the Bureau of Revenue and Expenditure for Liu Wushi. To be precise, whoever was managing her bank, she would have promoted this position.

Her gaze moved from the book to Cui Xuan's face, and she tilted her head to ask, "Did you hurry over just to ask this?"

Cui Xuan lowered his eyes and said, "Isn't the fifth-grade rank a little too low? Although it's under the Ministry of Revenue, the Minister of the Bureau of Revenue and Expenditure directly reports to Your Majesty and should be on equal footing with the Vice Minister of Revenue."

Su Yu smiled, "Xing Jian, you understand me well. There's no rush. Buyi, coming from a merchant background, was appointed by me without taking the civil service examination. In less than two years, he climbed from a ninth-grade clerk to a fifth-grade minister. Such a swift promotion could easily draw attention."

Cui Xuan responded with a soft "Hmm."

He subtly moved to shield Su Yu from the cold north wind.

He didn't speak further.

Su Yu didn't tell him to leave either. She kept rocking gently, and the still winter afternoon was quite soothing. Unconsciously, she laid the book over her face, and the rocking chair's motion slowed.

"Your Majesty?" Cui Xuan called softly, but there was no reply. Su Yu appeared to have dozed off.

Cui Xuan took off his cloak and placed it over Su Yu.

The heavy fox fur cloak settled, inevitably causing the rocking chair to sway slightly. The book on Su Yu's face fell, and Cui Xuan met her cool, indifferent gaze as her eyes opened.

The words "Your Majesty doesn't trust me" almost escaped his lips, but he was not an impulsive man.

Coming from a prestigious family, he knew Su Yu, a wise emperor, would naturally be wary of him.

Cui Xuan's throat felt dry, but he calmly picked up the book for her. "The book is dirty. I'll get a new one for Your Majesty."

Su Yu reached out and grabbed the corner of his robe. "Such a minor flaw doesn't need replacing in my eyes."

Cui Xuan stood still, wondering if the emperor's words were directed at Liu Wushi or himself.

Su Yu smiled into the sunlight, and Cui Xuan's gaze lingered on her smiling face. He turned, dusted the book, and handed it back.

Su Yu was indifferent, handing the cloak back to Cui Xuan. "Take it back, don't catch a cold."

Cui Xuan took the cloak but did not immediately put it back on.

Su Yu flipped through the book again, asking casually, "Xing Jian, surely you're not disdaining me too, are you?"

"No," Cui Xuan's throat bobbed, and after a pause, he finally put the cloak back on. The sun-warmed cloak carried a faint fragrance.

Su Yu asked casually again, "Xing Jian, are you busy?"

Cui Xuan looked at her, confused.

She pointed to the spot beside her. "If you're not busy, pull up a stool and join me in sunbathing."

Cui Xuan didn't refuse and sat beside her, watching her rock the chair. He wanted to stop the chair but held back.

Never mind, let Her Majesty do as she pleases.

When Xie Yiguan came to report, he saw Su Yu rocking in her chair, with Cui Xuan sitting stoically on the Crescent Stool.

He looked then, puzzled, weren't they freezing? Especially Cui Xuan, sitting right in the wind's path...

He glanced at Su Yu and suddenly understood why Cui Xuan was sitting there. He smiled and stood boldly opposite Cui Xuan, leaving the north wind to him alone.

Cui Xuan thought, "..." He was blocking the wind for the emperor, not for Xie Yiguan, this petty man!

Su Yu rose from the rocking chair. "Zhi Wei, you're not too busy lately, are you?"

Xie Yiguan chuckled. Though Su Yu wasn't rushing him to establish schools, the Ministry of Rites was swamped with year-end duties.

Su Yu asked again, "Zhi Wei, are you swamped?"

Xie Yiguan said, "Accompanying Your Majesty is never swamped."

Meaning, even if he were swamped, he would make time to accompany Su Yu.

Cui Xuan snorted lightly, smooth talker.

These two days were the most leisurely since Su Yu's ascension to the throne. To give the officials the illusion that she was taking a break, she was not as prompt in reviewing memorials. Unless it was extremely urgent, she responded slowly.

When one is idle, one starts to miss winter hot pot.

"Then Xing Jian and Zhi Wei, stay and have hot pot with me," Su Yu said, then turned to Yu Chiyou. "Call your uncle and Cheng Ying too, the more the merrier."

Xie Yiguan asked with a smile, "Should we invite Physician Liu as well?"

Cui Xuan: "..." This guy really knows how to open the wrong can of worms.

Su Yu glanced at Xie Yiguan and said with a smile, "No rush. After the New Year's banquet, I'll have him stay up with me to welcome the New Year."

Xie Yiguan: "..." He felt like he had shot himself in the foot.

Cui Xuan sneered coldly, blaming him for speaking too much.

Su Yu only managed to feign leisure for two days. By the end of the year, as the emperor, she was rushing around everywhere, either on her way to sacrifices or receiving officials from outside the capital who came to report their duties, especially the regional military governors—

By protocol, the military governors should also come to the capital to report their duties, but in the past, the regional commands were disobedient. Except for the military governors from the Central Plains regions like Guanzhong and Hedong, others used the excuse of the long journey to avoid coming to the capital.

But this year was different. They quietly tallied and realized that within a year, Su Yu had ousted enough military governors to count on both hands. So when these military governors received the assessment list from the Ministry of Personnel, they all set off for the capital at the first opportunity, crowding in at the end of the year to pay their respects to Su Yu in advance.

Su Yu chuckled, thinking that what Mr. Ziren said was right—power comes from the barrel of a gun. No matter how she performed in other aspects, now that she held a strong army, it made the local forces fear her as the emperor.

Wei Jiong, the Defense Commissioner of Tongzhou, was also on the list of officials to be received.

Su Yu and Wei Jiong were old acquaintances, and she was more casual in front of him, offering him a seat.

However, this defense commissioner, who had dug coal mines for her for two months, suddenly knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, I've fallen head over heels for a lady and wish to ask for your blessing to marry her."

Su Yu paused and asked, "Are you certain it's a woman?"

Wei Jiong's heart was pricked hard by her. He had only ever fallen for three men at first sight—the emperor, Liu Wushi, and Xiao Luo. With their looks, it's no wonder he couldn't tell a man from a woman.

After a long while, he finally spoke, "I've discovered that the lady is Xie Second Sister."

Su Yu was slightly surprised, not expecting Wei Jiong's object of love at first sight this time to be Xie Yixin, but she obviously couldn't grant the marriage: "How can I impose a marriage by imperial decree? With your track record, it's no wonder you're still single."

Wei Jiong: "..." He stayed single because his past crushes were all misfires. How could the emperor still criticize him?

But after thinking about it, the emperor was right. He couldn't force Xie Yixin with an imperial decree. He resolved that during his stay in the capital, he must win Xie Second Sister's heart!

However, not many days later, Wei Jiong came to bid farewell to Su Yu with a mournful face.

It appeared he had been turned down once more.

Su Yu sighed to herself, truly Xie Yixin, she didn't waste any time saying no.

Wei Jiong wiped his face hard and awkwardly said, "Your Majesty, you'll be twenty-one after the New Year; have you considered marriage?"

Su Yu: "?"

Wei Jiong wiped his face again, squeezing out a smile uglier than crying, "Xie Second Sister is beautiful, generous, cultured, and sharp. Her brother is the Minister of Rites, the civil official you trust the most. Would Your Majesty consider a marriage alliance with Minister Xie?"

Su Yu widened her eyes. Did Wei Jiong have some peculiar obsession? He actually introduced the object of his love at first sight to her?

Wei Jiong truly felt like the sky was falling!

He had finally fallen for a lady at first sight, pursued her for a few days, only for Xie Yixin to bluntly tell him that she admired the sage and had no intention of marrying.

What kind of mess was this! The one he now loved at first sight was infatuated with the one he had loved before...

Wei Jiong, after much pain, decided to fulfill Xie Yixin's wishes and actively proposed marriage for her to Su Yu. As long as they were happy together, he didn't mind! Really!

Su Yu: "..." At that moment, she decided to spare Wei Jiong three seconds of sympathy.

She smiled and said, "There's no need for General Wei to play matchmaker between me and Xie Yixin."

Out of sympathy for Wei Jiong, she, as the emperor, personally escorted Wei Jiong out of the palace.

Halfway there, Wei Jiong suddenly stopped and quietly asked Su Yu, "Your Majesty, who is that lady official?"

His face turned red, as if he had fallen in love at first sight once more.

Su Yu glanced at him indifferently and said, "That is Lady Pei Baozhen."

"Lady Pei Baozhen? Which..." Before he could finish the word 'family,' Wei Jiong stopped himself. He knew which Lady Pei it was!

He knew it was Pei Baozhen from the Pei family of Hedong, who was said to have outlived three fiancés. The Pei family had sent her into the palace with the intention of making her a concubine, and the emperor held her in high regard, even entrusting her with the important task of hosting the palace's grand banquets.

Su Yu smiled and asked him, "Shall I introduce you?"

The north wind on the palace path, mixed with frost and snow, bitterly stung Wei Jiong's face.

Wei Jiong said with a wooden expression, "No need. I’ve come to realize I’m a lone star, fated to live in solitude."

His fleeting 'love at first sight' was like the spring flowers buried in the snow, already completely gone.

After seeing Wei Jiong off, Su Yu went out of her way to visit the West Market to meet Xie Yixin.

After the New Year, Xie Yixin was already eighteen, considered past marriageable age in Great Qi. However, she was managing so many shops that she had no intention of marrying.

When she saw Su Yu, she somewhat embarrassedly mentioned Wei Jiong, "I was so fed up with his persistence that I dragged my cousin into it as a shield. I hope my cousin won’t mind?"

Su Yu shook her head and smiled at Xie Yixin, "Even if my cousin marries, I’ll still leave my shops in her hands."

She did not oppose her female officials getting married. Building a family and career was something men could do, and her female officials were no exception.

Xie Yixin was so startled that she tripped over the threshold, nearly falling.

"Be careful." Su Yu didn’t hesitate and immediately reached out to steady Xie Yixin to prevent her from falling.

As Su Yu helped Xie Yixin stand straight, she immediately felt a gaze upon her. She looked up and met Liu Wushi's eyes.

In his eyes, she seemed to catch a glimpse of something shattered—

Liu Wushi's gaze was somewhat similar to Wei Jiong's when he left.