Meng Fu recalled the various worries she had in her heart when she had just found out that she might have swapped bodies with His Majesty. Actually, the fact that no one had died in the Marquis Manor until now was already very good.
As for Xie Wenzhao getting scolded—what counted as that? He ought to properly go kowtow to the ancestors of the Xie family a few times.
Li Yue was still raising his head to look at Meng Fu. He saw that “his own” face carried a very standard smile, but he felt that this was more like wearing a mask that fit extremely well—truly strange.
He especially wanted to reach out a hand and poke it, to see whether there really was a mask.
Considering the relationship between him and Meng Fu, as well as the current situation, Li Yue pressed his lips together, withdrew his gaze, and drank the tea in his cup dry.
“Zhen also didn’t deliberately scold him,” he put down the teacup and continued, “his brain has a bit of a problem. Just looking at him makes one angry.”
It was the first time Meng Fu heard someone say that Xie Wenzhao’s brain had a problem, and she couldn’t hold back and really laughed. However, even though she truly laughed, it wasn’t obvious—the slightly upturned corners of her lips quickly pressed down again.
She nodded and replied, “What you said is correct.”
Li Yue saw “himself” suddenly laugh, and in the eyes curved into crescents was reflected the distant lantern light—it was like stars were hidden within. For some reason, he felt a bit uneasy.
He gave a cough, shifted his gaze away, and changed his sitting posture. This madam’s temperament was different from his own—too weak, obviously looked easy to bully. Hearing that he had scolded Xie Wenzhao, she might have some worries in her heart too.
Li Yue said to her, “You can rest assured. If, in the future, you and I switch back, and Xie Wenzhao dares to bully you, Zhen will uphold justice for you.”
Actually, Meng Fu clearly knew in her heart that the emperor should not meddle in a subject’s household affairs. That His Majesty could think this far was already very good. She said, “Many thanks, Your Majesty.”
“Then do you have anything else you need to explain to Zhen?” Li Yue asked.
“Nothing more,” Meng Fu shook her head. “Please take care of yourself in the Marquis Manor.”
Li Yue nodded. Having resolved this madam’s issue, the next would be his own. He let Meng Fu sit down on the stone bench opposite, and asked, “What matters were there during this morning’s court session?”
Meng Fu knew he would ask this question and had already prepared. She replied, “This morning in court, the ministers brought up many government affairs and quarreled for a long time, but none reached a conclusion. I did not know your opinion, so in court, I told them to discuss it later.”
She recounted in as much detail as possible the contents of the ministers’ arguments during court—matters such as building the Great Wall, cutting military expenses, and the imperial examination.
With each thing she said, Li Yue’s brows furrowed deeper. The little man in his heart already couldn’t help but start cursing out loud—sure enough, it was because they saw this madam as easy to bully that they dared bring out such things that had been decided eight hundred years ago to muddle through. No wonder that old man Wei Jun’an could laugh so much that flowers were about to bloom on his face.
Meng Fu saw that his expression looked extremely unpleasant, so her voice gradually lowered, and she asked, “Your Majesty, is there any issue?”
Li Yue suppressed the anger in his heart and asked Meng Fu, “Did they mention the matter of performance evaluation?”
He didn’t need Meng Fu to say it—he already had an answer in his heart. Based on the character of that bunch of ministers, if he didn’t bring it up himself, they absolutely would not mention it. And today, Meng Fu had turned into him and completely did not know about this matter.
“They did mention it,” however, Meng Fu said. “Lord Wei said that the matter of performance evaluation is very necessary. He said he would have the Central Secretariat draft the regulations once he returns.”
“I just knew that old bastard Wei Jun’an—” Li Yue’s words abruptly stopped. He looked toward Meng Fu and asked, “What exactly did he say?”
Meng Fu repeated what she had just said.
Li Yue’s palm-sized little face was full of confusion. Wei Jun’an actually took the initiative to bring up this matter? How rare.
But even if it was brought up, these old foxes would definitely think of ways to drag it out. That was the Central Secretariat’s usual trick. But even so, this was already much better than what Li Yue had imagined. He originally thought this matter was completely hopeless.
“Did he say how long it would take to draft the regulations?” he asked, while mulling over in his heart that if Wei Jun’an and the others could produce some results within a month, it could already count as being loyal to the emperor and loving the country.
Meng Fu replied, “Lord Wei said, within three days.”
Li Yue: “……”
The Lord Wei in Meng Fu’s mouth—was he still the same Wei Jun’an that he knew?
“No one opposed it?” Li Yue asked again.
“No,” Meng Fu said.
Li Yue felt it even more strange. Normally, when asked to do even the smallest things, they would dawdle endlessly. But this time, how come they were so proactive? Had those ministers seen ghosts in court?
Li Yue stroked his chin and asked Meng Fu, “What else did you do in court today?”
Meng Fu thought for a moment, then said to Li Yue, “Didn’t do much. It was just that later I saw several daren [Lord] whose health didn’t look too good, so I had someone serve a few cups of tea.”
“Well, that’s really strange then.” Li Yue didn’t think a cup of tea could have such a great effect. So was this group of ministers trying to play some trick again, or had their long-lost consciences finally found their way home?
Meng Fu saw Li Yue frowning the whole time and tentatively asked, “Are you thinking that they used too little time?”
Li Yue also couldn’t very well tell Meng Fu that he had thought they would at least drag things out for half a month. He said, “Still… passable, I suppose.”
Meng Fu let out a slight breath of relief. She was really worried that she hadn’t handled things well in the morning court session and would make this Majesty feel displeased.
Li Yue didn’t understand, and asked, “Then why did Wei Jun’an look so happy today?”
Meng Fu thought for a moment and said, “Maybe something joyful happened in Lord Wei’s household?”
“That might be it.” Li Yue thought to himself that once he returned, he’d have someone look into what good fortune exactly had come to Wei Jun’an.
During the period that followed, he began to pass on to Meng Fu some of the experience he’d accumulated over the years as emperor. Meng Fu listened attentively for a long while and realized: this Majesty seemed to have always been angry with the ministers. When Li Yue finally paused, she spoke up and asked, “Then what if they said something that could make you happy?”
“Oh?” Upon hearing Meng Fu say this, Li Yue first widened his eyes and leaned back in a mock-defensive posture, then said with great surprise, “They could actually say something that could make me happy? Now that would really be strange.”
Looks like this Majesty’s skill in sarcastic deadpan tone was also not to be underestimated.
Meng Fu asked him, “Is that something that can’t happen?”
“Ah, not that it’s completely impossible,” Li Yue nodded and said with seriousness, “It’s just that since I ascended the throne, I haven’t encountered it yet.”
Meng Fu wanted to say: what Lord Wei and the others said in court today should have made Your Majesty a little happy. But after thinking about it, she held back—those weren’t words she ought to say.
Li Yue drank another cup of tea, silently observing the Meng Fu sitting across from him. Clearly it was the same face, but because the soul inside was different, the whole person had become vastly different from before.
He realized that the advice he had just given to Meng Fu might not be applicable to her at all.
Meng Fu looked up, her gaze met Li Yue’s. She quickly looked away and asked, “Why is Your Majesty looking at me like that?”
Li Yue said to Meng Fu: “Make an angry expression for me to see first.”
Meng Fu froze for a moment. She suddenly realized that it had been many, many years since she last got angry. She pressed her lips together and, following His Majesty’s request, furrowed her brows, glared with her eyes wide, and tried to make herself look a little fierce.
Li Yue clicked his tongue. This madam’s angry expression still looked very easy to bully—what to do? That might also be because he was the owner of this body, the one who understood it best, so at a glance he could see through that Meng Fu’s anger was too superficial. And even that surface layer wasn’t very intimidating.
But no matter what, Li Yue felt that his earlier idea was probably no good. He said to her: “Forget it, just forget everything I said earlier. Do things however you want.”
Meng Fu withdrew the unnecessary expression from her face and said to Li Yue: “Your Majesty jests.”
Li Yue said: “I’m not jesting. Just follow your own intentions—don’t be bound by method. As long as the matter gets done, that’s what counts.”
When Li Yue said this, Meng Fu became even more unsure of what she ought to do. After quite a while, she finally opened her mouth and said, “Your Majesty, wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”
“There’s nothing inappropriate. It’s just—if they bring up any new matters in morning court, and it’s not particularly urgent, you can delay it for a day. In the meantime, pass the information to me, wait for my reply. If it’s especially urgent, have the Hidden Guards immediately come find me.”
“I understand. Then what about Your Majesty’s harem?” Meng Fu asked.
“The harem, ah…” Li Yue thought for quite a while. His own harem seemed to have nothing in particular. He said to Meng Fu: “Do you know the Ninth Prince?”
Seeing Meng Fu nod, Li Yue continued: “That younger brother of mine isn’t very smart. Right now, he lives with my Imperial Mother. During the day he often comes out to play. If you run into him, take more care of him.”
Meng Fu nodded. “I’ll remember.”
“That’s about all. Don’t forget to go to Baima Temple in two days,”
Thinking of how he didn’t know how much longer he’d be stuck at the Xuanping Marquis Manor, Li Yue felt a wave of irritation.
“Also, send a few more Hidden Guards to follow me back to the Xuanping Marquis Manor,” he said.
“Yes.”
Meng Fu followed the method Li Yue had taught her and summoned all the Hidden Guards that had been following her. Seeing the four shadow guards kneeling on one knee outside the pavilion, she finally realized that there had actually been this many people following her all along.
The Hidden Guards themselves were already very confused. They had seen their Majesty suddenly leave the Linde Hall, come all the way to the Imperial Garden, and have a private meeting with a young lady. Now they were hearing His Majesty say they should, from this point on, follow this young lady. The Hidden Guards looked even more dumbfounded.
What was going on here? Just like that, they were being handed over to someone else? And to a girl, no less?
Just listen to the way he said it: “Treat her as you would treat me”?
Someone who didn’t know better might even think His Majesty had found himself an empress.
What exactly did His Majesty mean by this? Don’t tell me he’s taken a liking to her?
But this is the wife of the Xuanping Marquis.
Eugh.