Chapter 320 : It’s Not Easy Being the Head of Household 4 (1/2)

“Your Excellency, didn’t you reject the Empress previously? How come this time…” Dai Yue helped Shi Sheng out of her court attire.

Shi Sheng casually jerked the official’s hat off her head and flashed a wicked smile at Dai Yue. “My relaxed future rests on their shoulders.”

“Eh?” ‘What’s she talking about?’

Shi Sheng sent the Empress a letter stating her body wasn’t feeling too well and so needed time to recuperate. If there was anything really important, she could just deliver a message to Shi Sheng’s residence.

In summary:

I’m(lz) not going to court anymore. Don’t bother me with trivialities. I’m not giving up my authority though.

The Empress was unable to guess what her Prime Minister was thinking. So she could only allow her to take leave first, while getting her seven spies to help find out what was going on.

But the seven couldn’t even find a chance to meet Shi Sheng.

“Dai Yue, how are those few doing?” Shi Sheng drank porridge as she questioned Dai Yue, who was serving her.

“I sent people to keep an eye on them. No news will get out.”

Shi Sheng placed the bowl down and wiped her mouth. “Let’s go over to have a look.”

Dai Yue, “!!!” ‘No, Your Excellency! Don’t give in!’

Ying Yue had settled the men in a large courtyard. Their daily routine was like that of women in a normal ancient setting.

They ate, they drank, they slept. Basically, they were very idle.

As Dai Yue looked at Shi Sheng, who was standing in the shadows, she suddenly felt like she couldn’t tell what her Mistress was thinking anymore.

“They look rather idle.” Shi Sheng rubbed her chin as she concluded after observing. Schadenfreude appeared on her face. “Give them something to do.”

“Your Excellency…what should they be doing?” Ying Yue felt like she really wouldn’t know what to do if she didn’t ask.

“The servants ought to have a holiday.”

Ying Yue, “…” ‘It’s not what I’m thinking it is, right?’

Shi Sheng used a very serious gaze to tell Ying Yue her guess was correct. “Go and tell them that if any of them perform exceptionally well at chores, they’ll have a chance to meet me.”

Ying Yue dazedly went to announce Shi Sheng’s new ‘policy’.

When they heard that they’d have to do chores if they wanted to see Shi Sheng, their faces fell. Ever since they were young, they only learned the four arts[1] and how to please people. When had they ever done any sort of manual labour?

But that reward was really enticing. If they had a chance to meet the Prime Minister, it meant there was a chance she’d take a liking to them.

Thus, a new form of fighting for favour was born in the Prime Minister’s residence.

However, it was still much too tiring for them to do manual labour. There were some who couldn’t carry on past the first day. Over the next few days, more gave up.

“Your Excellency, only one of them is persevering…”

“Oh. Seems like this one’s exceptionally loyal to the Empress.”

The tasks Ying Yue had set these past few days were rather tricky, yet that one still hadn’t given up.

Dai Yue and Ying Yue exchanged glances. ‘Your Excellency, your method of sorting by loyalty…is very unique.’

“Your Excellency, just what are you planning?”

Ying Yue felt like she was going crazy. She couldn’t guess her lady’s thoughts at all.

‘And it seems like Her Excellency recently has turned more… Hm, how do I put this? Though her expressions are more varied, I feel like she’s even more indifferent than before.’

Shi Sheng propped up her jaw as she stared into the darkness outside the window.

‘I(bbb) wasn’t thinking of doing anything. Just too bored, so I decided to toy with them.’

The Empress had always wanted to plant a spy at her side. If she kept rejecting the Empress, the latter would continue trying to do so. Shi Sheng was merely too lazy to keep finding excuses to reject her.

Not everyone had a deep motive behind their actions.

It was merely the tendency of humans to overthink things.

Perhaps someone was merely doing something on a whim, but you just had to think of a million-word plot behind their motives.

Shi Sheng had no intention of explaining to Ying Yue and Dai Yue that she was merely toying around with them, causing them to believe even more that their Mistress might be planning something big.

Not only the two Yues thought this way, the Empress did as well.