From the moment Liu Yun realized this relationship was unusual, those indescribable, intoxicating scenes had often entered her dreams.
Beyond the soft, blush-inducing sensations of those dreams, the only thing that lingered, clinging to her heart, was that delusional wish: “My heart is just like yours.”
But a dream was, in the end, a dream. The palace halls were deep, and upon waking, only a cold, lonely wreckage remained. After all, it was but a fleeting dream of a millet!
Yet now, Shen Yuezhuang stood before her in the flesh, telling her, “I really liked it.”
She liked it. She liked it!
Liu Yun blinked, dazed. In the midst of her own thunderous heartbeat, she felt a surreal, fleeting disorientation, as if she were still in a dream.
In the long silence, the sun had risen in the east behind them.
In the lengthening light and shadow, the golden rays were like sharp swords, piercing Liu Yun’s body straight and densely, hot and searing, binding all her movements and voice.
The only free thoughts cast aside reason. For a single moment, as a surging wave crashed down, she only wanted to take Shen Yuezhuang and leave!
Shen Yuezhuang had no idea what was going through Liu Yun’s mind. Seeing her silent for so long, she assumed it meant no, and a wave of disappointment washed over her.
But the disappointment only lasted a moment. When it came to her wishes in front of Liu Yun, if Liu Yun had the power to grant them, they had never been refused.
Since she was refused this time, she could just work on it more the next time, coax her a bit!
Seeing that the hour was getting late, and vaguely hearing Chun Rui calling out for her from outside, she took half a step back. “If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I’ll go find…” Chun Rui to go to the office.
But before she could finish the sentence, the recovering Liu Yun naturally assumed the rest was, “If you won’t let me kiss you, that’s fine. I’ll go find someone else to kiss!”
Based on her understanding of Shen Yuezhuang, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if she said something like that!
She gripped Shen Yuezhuang’s wrist tightly, her voice sharp and almost breaking. “No!”
“Ah?”
Shen Yuezhuang looked puzzled. If she didn’t let her kiss, that was one thing, but she wouldn’t let her go to the office either?
She pouted. “Then what are you telling me to do?”
A heavy struggle flickered across Liu Yun’s brow. Hearing Chun Rui’s calls growing more urgent from outside, Liu Yun seemed to gradually make up her mind.
“After court is dismissed, come to the Longevity Palace!”
.
Chun Rui had already spotted her mistress at the city gate, but for some reason, she had slipped back inside.
After waiting for a long time without seeing her come out, and with the attendance time for office approaching, she called out a few more times.
Finally, she saw her mistress emerge from the palace gate, holding up her robe and hopping out.
She was in a remarkably good mood. She breezed into the sedan chair, the joyous tone in her voice almost ready to take flight.
“Let’s go! To the office!”
Chun Rui leaned in with a beaming face. “Miss, is the bed in the palace better to sleep in? It’s rare to see you up so early and in such a good mood!”
Shen Yuezhuang glanced at Chun Rui, a mysterious look on her face. “Want to know?”
Chun Rui nodded eagerly. Seeing Shen Yuezhuang beckon, she immediately leaned in closer.
Shen Yuezhuang let out a light laugh, her eyes curving into crescents. “Secret~”
Knowing she had been tricked, Chun Rui let out a “Hmph.” “Miss, don’t be too pleased. Have you forgotten? The Marquis specifically instructed you to return home yesterday!”
The smile on Shen Yuezhuang’s face froze instantly.
Right, she had almost forgotten about that!
And Liu Yun had said the Emperor would likely summon her to the hall. Going into the hall meant she would inevitably run into her old father…
All of Shen Yuezhuang’s anticipation and eagerness for attending court evaporated. She leaned back against the carriage seat with a look of utter despair.
After a long moment, she let out a heavy sigh and lamented, “I wish I could just skip court and have it be over!”
Chun Rui chuckled, offering a heartfelt compliment. “Miss, you really do have a unique and refreshing way of saying you want a free ride!”
.
The sunlight was beautiful that day. Palace maids were carefully tending to the flower pots in the hall. Liu Yun casually picked up a half-read scroll of the Book of Songs and slowly paced out to the Haitang flowers in the courtyard.
A pot of delicate, pendulous crabapple flowers was in full bloom, each blossom like a maiden’s blushing, rosy cheek… Naturally, that wasn’t Shen Yuezhuang; that girl had never known shame!
To ask so directly if she could kiss her!
Thinking of the look in Shen Yuezhuang’s eyes just now, Liu Yun’s cool brow seemed to carry a trace of annoyance. The book scroll seemed to fall heavily onto the cluster of flowers, but in the end, it didn’t even disturb a single stamen.
Soon, the sound of the Emperor holding court came from the east. Liu Yun’s expression grew a little more focused, a hint of an unreadable, dark sigh in her eyes.
She held the book scroll behind her back, gazing into the distance towards the east beyond the palace walls. Her other hand gently landed on the flower cluster, her fingertips stroking the tiny petals. She spoke to the person behind her, almost as if talking to herself. “It’s time for court.”
What had to come was finally coming!
.
After Shen Yuezhuang reported for duty at the office, she didn’t even have time to get comfortable in her chair before she was summoned to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The eunuch leading the way looked unfamiliar, but he diligently taught Shen Yuezhuang the protocol along the way.
“Lord Shen, it’s still early. The morning court likely won’t be over for a while. After His Majesty finishes assigning your duties, you cannot leave. You must retreat to the last row of civil officials according to your rank and stand there.”
“After the morning court is dismissed, and only after His Majesty has left, may you leave. When you leave, you must exit the hall according to your rank. You must not walk ahead of officials of higher rank!”
“However, once you step down from the raised platform, you are free to leave.”
“…”
In summary, even after the Emperor assigned her work, she couldn’t sneak away early. Even if she had to stand guard at the hall’s entrance, she had to wait until her father came to catch her!
Shen Yuezhuang suspected Li Jianyun had called her there on purpose. After all, Liu Yun had said there was an “80% chance” he would call her. What did “80% chance” mean? It meant it wasn’t a sure thing!
Li Jianyun must be holding a grudge, that petty man! He just wanted to see her get ambushed by her father!
Shen Yuezhuang arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony filled with resentment.
Yes, the Hall of Supreme Harmony was very large, very crowded, and the look her old father shot her way was very fierce. She was very scared!
When Shen Yuezhuang arrived, the matter of collecting the debts had already been settled.
Li Jianyun certainly knew how to be an Emperor. Other people were most extreme when they acted first and reported later. But this Emperor of theirs was even better; he skipped the “report” part entirely and just acted!
He had her come to the main hall to receive the decree, and he intended to use the recovered debts to subsidize the military expenses.
In simple terms, trying to collect the debts meant he was determined to drive the Xiongnu back beyond the Nine Clouds Mountain. In even simpler terms, the war had to continue.
Without the original excuse of the Xiongnu invasion, it was clear that the Peace Faction in the court was even more dissatisfied. The atmosphere in the hall was tense.
When Shen Yuezhuang knelt in the hall, she didn’t know the name of the official, but a somewhat unfamiliar one energetically expounded on the evils of the Xuanwu Emperor’s warlike nature, citing classics and historical precedents in a ceaseless torrent.
It wouldn’t have been so bad if he had just been talking, but soon another official stepped forward to refute him. The two argued, and it almost came to blows!
The commotion quickly drew in a large crowd of officials, attacking and parrying. It was quite a lively scene!
Shen Yuezhuang was forgotten on the sidelines for a moment. Listening to their impassioned arguments, she was genuinely afraid of being trampled to death.
She quietly raised her head and surveyed the scene.
Among the military officers, the look her father shot her was murderous. Not to mention that most of the military officers looked like they could easily take out five of her with one blow.
Shen Yuezhuang, having a good sense of her own limitations, felt her heart tremble. She then looked over to her right.
As for the civil officials, the Left Chancellor at the head sat motionless as a bell. The next most recognizable face was her immediate superior, Lord Wen!
Shen Yuezhuang quietly shuffled over to Lord Wen’s feet, grabbed his official robe, and gave it a tug.
Lord Wen, save me!
Lord Wen frowned slightly, lowered his head to look at the little bundle at his feet. He slowly lowered his aged hand, grabbed his official robe, and yanked it out of Shen Yuezhuang’s grasp.
Don’t. Come. Near!
The little bundle on the floor was stunned for a moment, then stubbornly grabbed it again. This time, she held on for dear life, and no matter how hard Lord Wen pulled, he couldn’t get it back!
The tug-of-war lasted for a long time. The eighty-year-old man was gasping for breath. Shen Yuezhuang’s hand slipped, and Lord Wen nearly fell over backwards!
Seizing the opportunity, Shen Yuezhuang quickly stood up, supporting Lord Wen with an expression of concern, and cried out in alarm, “Lord Wen, are you alright?”
Her voice was so full of grief that an onlooker would have thought the elder Lord Wen had died protesting in the hall. Even the commotion behind them paused for a moment as a dozen pairs of eyes turned towards them.
Had the old lord been accidentally injured in the melee?
Before Lord Wen could reply, Shen Yuezhuang turned to the resplendent dragon throne on the dais.
“Your Majesty, Lord Wen is old and frail, and cannot withstand such uproar. Your humble servant requests permission to escort the Lord down to rest?”
This interruption finally quieted the hall. The Son of Heaven on the dragon throne was unreadable, only smiling faintly and saying, “You all remind me of a lesson my tutor once taught me: ‘Previous dynasties fell due to factional strife, their courts turned into marketplaces of slander.’”
At these words, the complexions of all the ministers in the hall changed drastically. With a rustling of robes, they all knelt down in unison, crying out for forgiveness.
Shen Yuezhuang was still supporting Lord Wen and was a little slower to kneel. She saw that, aside from herself and Lord Wen, only the Left Chancellor remained standing amidst the kneeling crowd, towering like a crane among chickens.
The Left Chancellor was unhurried as he stepped forward half a pace.
“Your Majesty, I wish to impeach General of the Left Wing, Liu Lusheng, for unauthorized exercise of military power, using the lives of over a dozen Great Liang citizens to seek fame!”
“I wish to impeach Grand General Sheng Xuguang, for being eager for quick success, bellicosity and slaughter…”
“I wish to impeach…”
He listed over a dozen names in succession, each accusation implying that the generals at the front were deceiving the monarch for the sake of military merit, leading His Majesty down the path of over-expenditure on military campaigns.
Finally, the Left Chancellor made a solemn bow. “Your Majesty, previous dynasties fell due to factional strife. The Xuanwu reign impoverished the nation through war. Taking history as a mirror, a sovereign must recognize the evils of war!”
At these words, the entire hall fell silent.
The dark-faced Emperor and the somber-toned minister engaged in a silent contest, neither yielding.
It was only then that Shen Yuezhuang understood. The obstacle preventing the Emperor from continuing the war was this Left Chancellor!
Whether he was obstructing because his daughter wasn’t Empress, or whether it was his obstruction that prevented He Dan from entering the Central Palace was debatable.
But Shen Yuezhuang understood one thing: while the soldiers at the front were bravely fighting and killing the enemy, they, back here in safety, not only didn’t show support but were slandering them. It was enough to make one’s heart grow cold!
Shen Yuezhuang also wanted to step forward and confront him, but Lord Wen was quick and grabbed her sleeve.
Don’t. Go. Near!
Shen Yuezhuang tugged, but couldn’t free it. The two secretly wrestled for a moment. In the end, Shen Yuezhuang’s youth prevailed.
As soon as she freed her sleeve, she strode forward.
“Your Majesty, your humble servant also wishes to report…”
“Report!”
Her father’s hand of obstruction had only reached halfway when, at almost the same time, a dusty messenger rushed in.
“Report to Your Majesty! General Liu, two days ago, captured the Xiongnu Khan Aguli alive and directly assaulted the Xiongnu camp!”
