Chapter 166 (1/2)

Xiuning Palace.

Wan Xin immediately entered Imperial Concubine Liang’s bedroom after returning from the Xinzheku. At this time, Imperial Concubine Liang was half lying on the chaise couch and looking at a picture book. When she heard Wan Xin’s hurried footsteps, her eyes flickered. With a slight flip of her slender, white hand, she put the picture book in her hand aside.

“Master.”

Wan Xin leaned carefully beside the chaise couch, bent over and whispered a few words next to Imperial Concubine Liang’s ear. Imperial Concubine Liang nodded, her beautiful phoenix eyes flashed: “Wan Xin, you did well, remember to be punctual tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

Wan Xin nodded, and then hesitantly whispered: “Master, over on the Prime Minister’s side…”

“Bengong will send maternal uncle a letter, telling him not to act rashly. His Majesty’s actions these past two days were deeply puzzling. The old stubborn fogeys of the Nan faction will probably be restless. Also,… Bengong had also heard that that person in Cining Palace was very angry today, hehe.”

With a sneer, Imperial Concubine Liang slowly stood up with support from Wan Xin: “Bengong is truly uncertain on the reason of Imperial Concubine Yu’s death, however, Jingyun Palace and the Shangfu Bureau must be involved. You must help bengong find out the truth.”

Only through knowing yourself and knowing your enemy, will you then be able to win a hundred battles. Imperial Concubine Liang had been born into a n.o.ble family in the Capital. Her father was an a.s.sistant minister of the Ministry of Rites. Her maternal uncle was the left Prime Minister. She had been well-studied in military books ever since she was a child. When she was younger, there had been many sons of officials who wanted to marry her, but in the end, she still accepted her maternal uncle’s request to enter the palace as a concubine.

Blu: Only through knowing yourself and knowing your enemy, will you then be able to win a hundred battles – this phrase is practically used in every chinese novel, that I’m tempted to stab myself because of how overused it is. /// In the past, there were 2 Prime Ministers: the left and right.

Because of her well-to-do family background, she became an Imperial Concubine as soon as she entered the palace. There was also a period of time where she also loved Dongfang Yao, but over time Dongfang Yao began to alienate her.

In fact, Imperial Concubine Liang knew that the Emperor didn’t like her at all, and she was only made an Imperial Concubine for the sake of giving face to her family. Even the initial favor was just to let her have a stable position in the harem.

Even though a woman like Imperial Concubine Liang was smart and talented, Dongfang Yao would never have given her the opportunity to be the most pampered or even let her birth an heir.

In this life, if her family doesn’t fall, she would be able to spend her whole life without worrying about food and clothing until she died of old age in the harem. If misfortune befell her family, then what awaited her was the dilapidated Cold Palace.

That would be the case if she was an average woman who accepted her circ.u.mstances. She was however, not willing. She had talent but nowhere to use it. She was not willing to be a neglected concubine in this vast harem. The Emperor disliked her? Fine, she could cultivate her own forces. She has to personally cultivate a beautiful pet concubine, and throw the harem into disorder…

In the darkness of the night, most of the people in the Xinzheku had queued up to take a shower after a long day of hard work and could not wait to go back to their rooms to rest.

Su Wan did not return to the room at this time, but was in a daze in the backyard, and soon a familiar figure floated over.

Seeing Su Rui’s gray inner servant clothes, Su Wan’s eyes widened with a smile on her face: “Your Majesty, what are you doing? Role-playing?”

“Cough cough.”

Su Rui coughed twice and spoke with dead earnestness: “What other work do you have to do today? Dear wife, just give your orders.”

Su Wan: …

General Su had really regarded himself as the nation’s most outstanding model worker!

“Tonight, how about serving me as I take a bath?”

Su Wan tugged at her clothes with some disgust: “After staying here for two days, my whole body is dirty. Since Your Majesty loves labor so much, you can help me bathe and change clothes. If you do well, I’ll give you a reward!”

What “reward”?

There were black lines on Su Rui’s face: “It can’t be that “very nouris.h.i.+ng” soup again?”

Seeing the overly fearful appearance of General Su, Su Wan felt particularly happy: “Of course… not.”

“That’s good then, very good!”

As soon as he heard that his wife won’t pull such a trick again, General Su immediately took his wife back to take a bath in the large bathroom of the centre palace. After bathing, Su Wan pulled w.a.n.g Yi to the small kitchen again and fiddled with things here and there. When she came back, she was holding another bowl of soup.

Su Rui: “Didn’t you say that there was no more “very nouris.h.i.+ng” soup?”

Seeing Su Rui’s face changed, Su Wan smiled and brought the soup bowl to the table. “Then, will you drink it or not?”

“Drink.”

Su Rui nodded vigorously, and as soon as the soup entered his mouth, the aromatic flavor immediately relaxed his scrunched brows: “Wife, this is…”

“To get rid of your anger.”

Su Wan shrugged her shoulders with a smile, and then she walked to the desk that was part.i.tioned off. Looking at the memorials piled high on the table, she randomly flipped some of them over, and when she saw the admonishments from the Imperial Censor, Su Wan couldn’t help but pout: “It really is tiring to be an Emperor!”

In outer affairs, it was necessary to deal with the major events in the Imperial court, balance the powers of the various factions within the court, and beware of civil strife among the various va.s.sal kings.

In inner affairs, a harem of women fought against each other all day long, and there was also an overly ambitious Empress Dowager covetously eyeing the throne on the side. Sigh, Emperor Dongfang Yao really suffered ah ~

Hearing Su Wan’s sigh, Su Rui on the side declined to comment. He had been a va.s.sal king of a transitioning dynasty and a general who led his army to rebel. As for being an Emperor? This really was his first time and General Su frankly didn’t like this position. However, since times immemorial, countless people have fought against each other and exerted a lot of effort plotting and scheming just to sit on the Imperial throne.