ITOTIABSAM | The Tyrant in the Deep Palace | 76
Letting a eunuch handle official documents would surely infuriate the old ministers if they found out. However, Xie Ye didn't care much about that. In fact, he felt a mischievous sense of satisfaction in his success.
Seeing the little emperor's serious demeanor, Gu Cong couldn't help but feel helpless as he was pulled into a chair. "Your Majesty."
"What's wrong? Do you feel incapable?" Xie Ye hadn't visited the imperial study since his coronation, maintaining the habits of the little emperor. He casually found a soft pillow on the empress's couch and reclined, directing, "What are you afraid of? I'll teach you."
Gu Cong hesitated, "This is not appropriate according to etiquette..." If others were to find out, especially the censor and the historians, they would surely make a big deal out of it.
"Inappropriate according to etiquette?" Xie Ye's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, his smile ambiguous. "Then what about when you threw yourself at me? Wasn't that also inappropriate?"
Gu Cong immediately fell silent.
Indeed, he couldn't refute that. Continuing would only lead to being teased by the little emperor. With his mind racing, he quickly chose a compromise: pretending to seek advice, he read out the contents of the documents and then imitated the little emperor's handwriting to jot down his opinions.
In the eyes of most people, this was indeed absurd. However, the person sitting on the dragon throne at the moment was already deviating from tradition, and coupled with his madness, even if someone suspected the handwriting, they wouldn't dare to expose it. They could only console themselves that at least the documents had reached the emperor's eyes and were compared to before, which was a significant improvement.
Young people, with their undecided temperament, need time to mature, to take things slowly.
But what's even more distressing than the old ministers is perhaps the faction of Prince An. Originally, they saw the young emperor as seemingly aloof but lacking real power, and with his madness and penchant for killing, even if they were obedient, they risked losing their lives.
On the other hand, Prince An was courteous and magnanimous, with the support of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War behind him. They took a gamble, preparing to secure their own future.
However, in just a few months, the situation that seemed favorable to them suddenly took a turn for the worse. Not only did Ning Wei, who held high prestige in the military, show signs of leaning towards another faction, but even the group of old men who originally only saw the tyrant as a puppet started considering his opinions, showing signs of wanting to empower him.
Even though the pregnancy of the Xue family's daughter and the integration of the Forbidden Army into Prince An's command seemed inevitable, this situation still made people restless and unable to sleep peacefully.
Xi Jinyu was even more aware that he didn't have much time left. The so-called factions in the court were maintained by interests alone. He didn't need to achieve any great political feats; as long as the other party obediently sat on the dragon throne without causing trouble, there would be a group of opportunists eager to show their loyalty.
With things having come to this point, he must quickly expose the fact that Xie Ye was incapable of having offspring. If those old men remained obstinate and continued to support him, he would wait for the tyrant to wield his sword and stab them both with one blow.
So, juxtaposed with the news of the Xue family's daughter's pregnancy, another swiftly spreading piece of gossip was that the current emperor could not conceive.
Comparing these two pieces of information, it's hard not to draw certain conclusions.
Rumors, once spread, are difficult to completely stop, even for an emperor. Unless he were to kill every single resident in the city, they would continue to circulate.
Xi Jǐnyu's abacus calculations were exquisite. As long as the other party made a move, he had a way to add fuel to the fire, seizing this rare opportunity to eliminate harm for the people.
The main storyline remained unchanged, but the details completely deviated from the original work. Boldly, 1101 interviewed the parties involved, asking, "What do you think of Xí Jǐnyu's move?"
Xi Ye succinctly replied, "Low."
Throughout history, there has never been a case where the throne was fought over based on who could bear more offspring.
But the issue of offspring and descendants was indeed one of the most important concerns for the royalist party. Liking men and being unable to or not wanting to bear children were completely different matters.
In the court, there had been several rounds of arguments back and forth, but due to the lingering influence of the lesser power, no one dared to cause trouble in front of Xi Ye for the time being.
Gu Cong also heard some rumors.
As he skillfully massaged the young emperor's temples, he couldn't understand and asked, "Recently, I have been taking the emperor's pulse every day. The emperor's difficulty in bearing children is only slightly more challenging than before, not as rumored. Why..."
Xí Ye raised his eyes coldly, "What? You really want Us to marry and take another woman?"
The young emperor, with his smooth dark hair cascading down, was lying on his lap at this moment. Despite his fierce expression, there was a sense of intimacy that was unmistakably different from before, making people not fear him.
With this intimacy, Gu Cong was good-natured, "How could that be? I am just worried."
He specially arranged for someone who appeared to be clean-handed, Pei Yi, to poison the young emperor in the palace, and then caused so many troubles afterwards.
Not to mention him, even palace maids, aristocrats, and commoners who were slightly more politically sensitive, even if they hadn't heard of Pei Yi's matter, could still sense some tricks from the recent disturbances.
Prince An harbored ambitious ambitions, his eyes gleaming with ambition. Many ministers in the court were also watching closely. The young emperor lacked support from his maternal relatives, and as the only one favored, he had no significant family background to speak of. The more petitions Gu Cong criticized, the more he worried about the safety of the young emperor.
"It's good to argue, the more heated, the better. I just happen to want them to see the truth," Xí Ye confirmed that the other party did not intend to compromise and push him onto other women, which put his mind at ease. He said lightly, "I've said it before, I won't marry. Yet some people always treat me like a child."
Having had enough of playing and causing trouble, he began to think about having a family.
Compared to his alter ego, Xí Ye's approach was much gentler. With fewer deaths, the courage of those below him grew, as they attempted to meddle in his private affairs under the guise of serving the country and the people.
In the end, it all boiled down to who would qualify to offer a belly capable of bearing imperial heirs and even future heirs to the throne.
Xí Ye was tired of it all.
He didn't have the compassionate heart of a bodhisattva, but he also had no intention of dragging others into trouble. He had thought that Gu Cong, who came from a humble background, would offer some advice, but instead, Gu Cong just lifted his finger from where it was resting on Xíe Ye's temple, kissed it lightly, and touched his forehead, saying sincerely, "Your Majesty is a good person."
With his head lowered, the man met his gaze, his amber eyes seeming to hold warm but not scorching sunlight, almost overflowing with warmth.
The mighty antagonist unexpectedly received the "good person" card. Xíe Ye wanted to laugh at how heavily someone had layered the filter of love. Before he could speak, he was kissed by the other party, putting an end to any rebuttals.
A good person was just a good person.
Xíe Ye's thoughts drifted.
For Gu Cong's sake, he was willing to, under the condition of not violating his own principles, play the role of a good person.
Two days later, in an unprecedented move, Xíe Ye took the initiative to attend court. In the silence where all the courtiers were struggling with how to broach the subject, he acknowledged the "fact" of his inability to bear children.
The ministers were stunned.
Xí Jǐnyu was also taken aback.
He hadn't expected Xíe Ye to so easily break free from his trap. Without turning hostile or shedding blood, Xíe Ye openly and candidly confirmed the rumor, which was a tremendous shame for a man.
Turning passivity into initiative, by "confessing a family secret" for the sovereign, the atmosphere in the council hall suddenly took a 180-degree turn.
Regardless of their inner thoughts, everyone's expressions remained calm, as if this matter was inconsequential. They were afraid that if they showed any inappropriate expressions, they would be rightfully dragged out and punished by the young emperor.
No one dared to petition the emperor to quickly select a consort to quell the rumors.
Various "miracle doctors" from the common people flooded into the palace like running water, but none could make sense of the situation, including the imperial physician who searched through the library of medical texts and found himself helpless.
Even 1101, who had falsified the host's physical data overnight, commented, "Wow, you're really afraid that the protagonist won't rebel."
【Break before building.】
Allowing Xí Jǐnyu to stir up the waters in the capital, Xíe Ye sat calmly at the fishing platform, saying, "Rest assured, I won't risk Gu Cong's life."
1101 believed this statement, but the world's consciousness always favored the protagonist, often leading to various absurd and unexpected occurrences.
【Don't we have another protagonist in our hands?】A red and white koi fish swam in a porcelain basin filled with lotus flowers, which contained the last season's harvest. Xie Ye casually tossed a small piece of pastry into it:
【I’ve been raising him for so long, it's time to collect everything back.】
1101 shivered quietly, feeling that the host's words implied that they wanted to catch Pei Yi like a fish and then slaughter and eat him.
However, before it could offer any further advice, the coldness in the other party's consciousness dissipated the next second.
Because Gu Cong had arrived.
"Today, the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent some fresh fruits, which I washed with well water. Would Your Majesty like to taste them?" Despite it being mid-September, the hottest days of the year in the capital, it wouldn't truly feel like autumn until the end of the month.
The young emperor was sensitive to both cold and heat, with a delicate stomach, much like an orchid that required careful cultivation. While the palace was not lacking in ice, Gu Cong dared not let the other party consume it openly. Thus, he had to come up with some compromises to please Xie Ye.
Correspondingly, Xie Ye, who had little appetite, also politely reached out and picked the sweetest-looking fruit, taking a bite. "I remember, you used to live in the summer palace, right?"
Gu Cong nodded. "Yes."
It was the first time the young emperor had mentioned this matter voluntarily. He added, "I lived there for over ten years. While it may not compare to the luxury of the palace, the scenery is extremely beautiful."
"The ponds in the palace are all spring-fed, with streams running through the mountains. The water is crystal clear, and I used to train deer there. Every day, I would take them to quench their thirst and feed them the freshest leaves."
"At this time of year, Your Majesty can still personally ride horses and go hunting nearby."
Everything described by Gu Cong was vivid and lively, a life that Xiao Hao had never experienced and could hardly imagine. Originally, Xie Ye had only wanted to find an excuse to leave the palace, push the protagonist, and give Xi Jinyu a chance to kill him. However, at this moment, he actually felt a bit of anticipation.
"Then let's go hunting."
Xie Ye didn't feel the slightest bit inappropriate breaking the rules left by his surrogate father. He astonishingly said, "Pack your bags quickly. We can depart the day after tomorrow."
The young emperor, who usually couldn't be bothered to stroll even in the imperial garden, suddenly wanted to go on a trip. Gu Cong was taken aback, sensing something strange in his enthusiasm. He furrowed his brow, but his emotionally-driven brain unconditionally trusted the other party.
"What's with that expression?" Xie Ye opened his index finger and thumb, forcefully lifting the corners of Gu Cong's mouth. He snorted, "I do have some ulterior motives, but I also genuinely want to see the place where you grew up."
"I understand."
As the emperor, there was no need to explain anything to anyone, but the other party did so, for him.
Acting faster than his consciousness, Gu Cong quickly grabbed the hand that the young emperor was trying to pull away. He lowered his head and lightly kissed it. In the moment when the boy relaxed his guard for this familiar gesture, Gu Cong's tongue swept over the fruit juice-stained fingertips, cleaning them:
"Dirty."
"Allow me to clean it for Your Majesty."
Author's note:
The ministers: ??
Well, today it's Gu, the chamberlain, taking advantage once again.
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