His Majesty shook his head and said, “Even if you shout until your throat breaks, I still have nothing for you.”
The little prince gave an “oh,” then mimicked His Majesty’s action by shaking his head as well. He turned and went back to his little chair, placed both hands on his knees, and sat properly.
His Majesty saw him shaking his head, and for some reason suddenly recalled what A’Fu had told him last year after their bodies were swapped—she had said the little prince might be viewing the world from a different perspective, which was why he often thought other people were foolish.
His Majesty couldn’t quite understand the little prince’s expression, but for some unknown reason, he felt that just now, he had very likely been looked down upon.
After having lunch at Cining Palace, Meng Fu and Li Yue went together to stroll in the Imperial Garden. The grass and trees in the Imperial Garden were lush and dense, and most of the flowers here had already bloomed, their fragrance overwhelming, attracting many butterflies fluttering gracefully.
As they chatted, they brought up the assassination they encountered near Mount Luo last year. When they got to the tense part, His Majesty immediately picked up a sword and decided to perform a set for Meng Fu. Meng Fu sat in the pavilion, resting her chin on her hands, earnestly appreciating His Majesty’s heroic bearing.
Today, Qingping was learning court etiquette from an older gugu in the palace. After listening for a while, Qingping actually felt that the matters in the imperial palace weren’t even as complicated as those in the marquis residence. She followed behind the gugu to familiarize herself with the several more important palaces. It was only when passing by the Imperial Garden that she happened to overhear palace maids saying that the Imperial Consort had gone to the Empress’s place.
Qingping immediately stopped in her tracks and furrowed her brows. When they were outside the palace, she had specifically inquired with palace staff, and they all said that His Majesty’s harem was empty. So where did this Imperial Consort come from? Could she have been newly titled today? But she hadn’t heard anything about it.
Worried that Meng Fu might suffer a loss, Qingping said a word to the gugu, then turned around and quickly made her way toward the Imperial Garden.
Just earlier, His Majesty had exerted great effort performing a set of swordplay for Meng Fu, breaking into a sweat, and had gone to change clothes. Meng Fu was currently holding the Imperial Consort in her arms while sitting in the pavilion, admiring the beautiful scenery before her. Qingping slowed her steps, stopped by her side, and softly called out to her, “Miss…”
“Mm?” Meng Fu turned her head and looked at Qingping’s conflicted expression, asking her, “Qingping, why are you here?”
Qingping wasn’t sure if those palace maids were spouting nonsense, so she didn’t dare directly ask Meng Fu whether she had seen the Imperial Consort, and instead asked, “No one came to you just now?”
Meng Fu said, “No, are you looking for someone?”
“No.” Qingping shook her head. Her gaze fell on the cat in Meng Fu’s arms and asked, “Is that His Majesty’s cat?”
That was a great question.
If you said yes—well, the Imperial Consort often ignored His Majesty. If you said no—under heaven, what cat is not His Majesty’s cat? Moreover, it ate His Majesty’s food and drank His Majesty’s water.
“More or less.” Meng Fu nodded with a smile and said.
Qingping really liked fluffy little animals. She bent down, wanting to pet it but didn’t dare, and asked Meng Fu, “Does it have a name?”
Meng Fu let out a sound of acknowledgment and answered Qingping, “Guifei (Noble Consort).”
Qingping’s eyes instantly widened as she asked, “T-this is the Noble Consort?”
The big ball of fluff in Meng Fu’s arms tilted its head, twitched its ears, and let out a “meow,” as if responding to Qingping’s question.
“Yes,” Meng Fu scratched under Guifei’s chin from behind. Guifei narrowed her eyes in enjoyment and let out a string of purring sounds.
Qingping: “……”
She now understood why the palace maids had said the Noble Consort went to the Empress’s place.
What exactly was His Majesty thinking, naming a cat “Guifei”! She, a lowly maid, really couldn’t understand.
Lately, Guifei had eaten quite a bit and gained weight. Meng Fu could no longer hold her comfortably and placed her on her lap. Guifei, following along, laid down and curled into a ball, lazily yawned, and closed her eyes to take a nap.
Not long after, His Majesty came striding over in fresh clothes. Upon entering the pavilion, he looked down at Guifei on Meng Fu’s lap and immediately said with disdain, “Such a big cat already, yet it still doesn’t know any manners? Forget not saluting the Empress—how dare it overstep its bounds?”
Meng Fu saw how seriously His Majesty was reprimanding the cat and couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Suppressing her laughter, she said, “Maybe it’s spoiled by favor and acting arrogant.”
His Majesty bent down and plucked a leaf from her hair, asking her, “Spoiled by whose favor? I’m about to send it to the Cold Palace.”
Meng Fu felt clearly it was more like Guifei had sent His Majesty to the Cold Palace instead. But she gave His Majesty some face and asked, “Then does Your Majesty still want Guifei to attend to you tonight?”
Guifei opened her eyes and lazily glanced at Li Yue, let out a big yawn, then shifted into another position and continued sleeping—exuding a high-and-mighty aloofness, completely not putting His Majesty in her eyes.
Now His Majesty also no longer put the Guifei in his eyes. His warm lips pressed close to Meng Fu’s ear, whispering: “I want the Empress to attend to me now.”
Meng Fu looked up, meeting His Majesty’s gaze. She reminded him, “Your Majesty, it’s still daytime.”
Li Yue gave her ear a gentle peck, his breath brushing against her neck, and said, “I just want to serve the Empress now.”
Meng Fu pressed her lips together, then picked up Guifei from her lap and placed her on the floor, saying softly, “Permission granted.”
Guifei had just fallen asleep and let out a questioning meow.
But both the Emperor and the Empress ignored her.
Li Yue reached out and picked up Meng Fu by the waist, striding quickly toward the Zichen Hall.
His Majesty the Emperor was truly vigorous—this single “attending” lasted until dusk. Meng Fu had taken a brief nap, and when she opened her eyes, she saw His Majesty sitting at the edge of the bed, his expression somewhat solemn. Meng Fu asked him, “Your Majesty, what are you thinking about?”
His Majesty replied, “I’m reflecting.”
Meng Fu asked in puzzlement, “What are you reflecting on?”
“I’m just too lustful,” His Majesty let out a heavy sigh and said, “I might be a foolish ruler.”
For the Emperor’s wedding, all the court—high and low—would rest and take leave for three days. He and A’Fu only had these three days this month to properly enjoy themselves. According to the storybooks, they were supposed to talk heart-to-heart, engage in emotional bonding. But His Majesty didn’t want to talk about wind, flowers, snow, and moon, nor did he want to go out and play with Meng Fu. He preferred to just stay on the bed like this forever, going nowhere.
While saying he was like a foolish ruler, His Majesty’s hands were already growing restless again. In the end, he even sighed and said, “If only every day could be a wedding day with A’Fu.”
No morning court, and he could stick with Meng Fu all day.
Meng Fu: “……”
His Majesty’s wish… actually seemed kind of wholesome.
These three days passed far too quickly. His Majesty felt he hadn’t even properly savored the flavor, and it was already over in a hurry.
As for His Majesty being a foolish emperor, it was just something he said with his mouth. When it was time to attend court, he still went honestly and dutifully, and not a single memorial was delayed in processing.
There was no one else in the palace, so the Empress didn’t need to manage any affairs. Meng Fu began pondering her new book, went to chat with the Empress Dowager, and would occasionally help His Majesty with a few memorials.
Meng Fu still hadn’t decided what to write for her new book. After strolling once around the Imperial Garden, she returned to the Zichen Hall, just as His Majesty had finished court. But the palace doors were tightly shut, and several young eunuchs stood outside wearing hesitant expressions. Gao Xi came out from inside and glared at them.
Meng Fu walked up and asked Gao Xi, “What’s wrong with His Majesty?”
Gao Xi lowered his voice and replied, “Replying to Her Majesty the Empress, His Majesty is angry inside.”
Meng Fu nodded, glanced at the tea in the young eunuch’s hand, and said, “Give it to me, I’ll take it in.”
The young eunuch had only recently entered the palace this year and was still hesitant. Gao Xi gave him a look, and he immediately passed the tea to Meng Fu.
Seeing Meng Fu walk into the hall, Gao Xi stayed outside.
Inside the Zichen Hall, His Majesty truly was angry—he was pacing in circles. Meng Fu stood there silently without making a sound. She even had the leisure to count how many laps His Majesty had made.
“One, two, three, four…”
When Meng Fu had counted to thirty-two, His Majesty finally noticed that someone else was in the room. Just as he was about to get angry, he looked up and saw Meng Fu standing there—his expression changed instantly.
His Majesty’s face-changing skill was now practically an art.
“A’Fu?” Li Yue asked her, “Didn’t you say you were going to the Imperial Garden to write your book today?”
“Came to check on you,” Meng Fu placed what she held onto the desk behind, then turned and asked him, “What’s wrong? Who made our Majesty angry again?”
Li Yue snorted, “Too many to count.”
Meng Fu walked over and pecked him on the lips, then asked, “Still angry?”
His Majesty, cheeks puffed with anger, said, “Still angry.”
Meng Fu couldn’t help but lift her hand and poke His Majesty’s cheek, asking, “What exactly happened?”
“It’s the situation in southern Yun and Gui,” Li Yue took a deep breath, turned, and sat behind the long desk. He picked out a few memorials and handed them to Meng Fu, saying, “A few days ago, the Tusi (“native official” or “local chieftain”) of Yun and Gui got into an armed conflict. Nearly ten thousand people died or were injured.”
Li Yue led troops and fought a war against foreign tribes in the northern frontier, and even then, not so many people had died!
Having read many memorials last year, Meng Fu was somewhat familiar with the affairs of Yun and Gui. That region truly relied on the idea of “the mountains are high and the emperor is far away” [idiom meaning central power cannot reach remote areas]. The Tusi there were hereditary and essentially ruled as independent kings. Sometimes, not only did they not follow the court’s orders, but they even raided nearby commoners.
Meng Fu carefully read through the few memorials Li Yue handed over, sighed lightly, then sat beside him and said, “Yun and Gui has always used the method left behind by the previous dynasty—governing the native people with native officials. So, there’s never been a real integration. Has Your Majesty considered changing policies? Although the people there are of a different ethnicity from ours, they are still citizens of our Great Zhou. Why not place them under unified administration?”
Li Yue lowered his head in thought. Meng Fu said, “It’s just a casual suggestion—I don’t know if it’s workable. You could discuss it with the court officials and see if there are other solutions.”
After a long while, Li Yue raised his head and suddenly asked Meng Fu: “A’Fu, how about you come to court with me?”