zChapter 954 - Quickly Abandon Your Ideas (1/2)

The pork shoulder in the Emperor’s bowl was stolen. It was stolen by the tiger…

The Emperor thought that if he was younger, and this had happened 20 years earlier, he should have been able to go at it with the tiger. What if he could steal it back? But now, he did not dare do it. With his old arms and old legs, how could he overcome a tiger? What if he hurt himself? That would result in not just him being hurt, as the entirety of Da Shun would be hurt. The world had not yet been settled for old ninth. He could not just leave things as they were and ignore them. There were many things that needed to be resolved while he was still around. He could not just foist them on his son.

The Emperor swallowed his saliva and watched the white tiger happily eat the remainder of his pork shoulder. He felt very miserable. Looking back down at his bowl… alright, in any case, there were still some ribs and meatballs. He would make do! Just as he shoveled some more food into his mouth, he heard Imperial Concubine Yun say to Zhang Yuan: “Go and tell the imperial kitchen that they are no longer permitted to prepare food for His Majesty. His Majesty’s meals will be prepared by Winter Moon Palace.” As she spoke, she glanced at the Emperor, “If you really like eating the food made by the imperial kitchens, just eat them in your own territory. Don’t come back to my place.”

“No, no, no!” The Emperor repeatedly shook his head, “I won’t eat anymore, I won’t another bite.” As he said this, he put down his bowl and really did not look at it again. What a joke, he had waited for Yun Pianpian for over 20 years. Now that he had finally managed to wait things out, how could he be tripped up by a pork shoulder?

Imperial Concubine Yun nodded, “That’s good. A-Heng said it. You have the three highs. Although I can’t quite clearly explain what the three highs mean, I still remember that she said it would be best if you ate vegetarian and touch meat a little less often.”

The Emperor felt his head go numb from listening to this, and he could not help but mutter: “There are times when that girl is not particularly cute… I recall that the thing she likes eating the most is pork shoulder, right? Also fried pigeon, so why is it that she can eat those, but I can’t?”

Imperial Concubine Yun ignored him; however, Zhang Yuan said: “How old is she? How old are you? Can you two be compared?”

The old emperor became even more dejected. This damn eunuch was not cute either. He would need to find a chance to replace this eunuch.

“Alright.” Imperial Concubine Yun waved her hand but did not turn back around. While patting the tiger’s head, she said: “I heard that another Bodhisattva has appeared in the capital? It’s your eighth son’s cousin? And she’s done many great deeds, receiving the praise of the people in the capital.”

The Emperor naturally knew about this, and he had even praised old eighth many days in a row, thus he nodded and said: “There is such a matter, but since it’s a good thing, just let them go ahead and do it. The citizens receiving benefits is better than anything. It also saves the court the need to provide assistance.”

“But this One also heard that as a result of her son’s reputation improving, the mother felt unreconciled and ran to your head wife to gain some benefits. She wants to return to her position as Imperial Concubine Shu.”

The Emperor felt his head begin to ache from listening to this, and he could not help but negotiate with Imperial Concubine Yun: “Can we speak properly? What’s with this head wife. Empress, just call her the Empress.” After saying this, he continued without waiting for Imperial Concubine Yun to reply: “Whether or not she feels reconciled is her problem. Whether or not it is approved, is that not up Us to decide? Don’t worry! She won’t get anything good.”

“Tsk.” Imperial Concubine Yun rolled her eyes, “I don’t care if you give anyone any benefits. Either way, it’s a matter of your inner courtyard. I just want to remind you that Ming’er and A-Heng are newlyweds. Don’t go and cause them any trouble. Let the two of them enjoy some peaceful time together. As for your sons, it would be best if they could show some promise. That shitty throne of yours, Ming’er does not like it, and A-Heng does not covet it. In the future, just give it to whoever looks best. That would be what I like the most.”

The Emperor rubbed his hands together: “That… Pianpian! You clearly know that of my children, the one that I favor the most is Ming’er. In addition to this, he has A-Heng supporting him. Once the world is given to them, just how brilliant will that era of peace and prosperity be?! Just thinking about it is making me a bit emotional! Also! Aren’t you always listening to the stories from the Board of Astronomy? Then you will have definitely heard that A-Heng is the star of the phoenix. The position of empress is destined to belong to her. As long as she is around, Da Shun will definitely prosper!”

“Hmph!” Imperial Concubine Yun coldly snorted, “What damn star of the phoenix? Bullshit! Xuan Zhan, I’m telling you that no matter what, you need to let my Ming’er have a good life. If he suffers the slightest grievance, I will set this imperial palace on fire!”

The Emperor shuddered in fear and repeatedly said: “Of course, of course, everything will be done as you say! Everything will be done as you say!”

In General Ping Nan’s manor saw an unexpected guest. It was the current left prime minister, Lu Song. General Ping Nan did not really pay much attention to what happened in court. Even appearing in court was something that he only did occasionally. He never really got along with the left prime minister, regardless of whether it was the previous Feng Jinyuan or the current Lu Song. While it was not to the point of arguing and fighting upon seeing them, he never treated them particularly well.

But ever since Lu Yan’s passing, Lu Song’s thoughts had begun to change. In addition to this, he had been eager on this matter with Ren Xitao, thus he was very polite when meeting with General Ping Nan. But that politeness was limited to when they met in court, as they did not meet in private. When it came to Lu Song visiting, this was the first time.

General Ping Nan very properly received him in the front hall, and his attitude was rather official and distant. This made it clear that he did not want to interact with him too much, but Lu Song had come to send a gift. It was nothing particularly valuable, as it was composed of small items that he had bought. There were food, fabrics, tea sets and some calligraphy.