Chapter 37 Slap In The Face

Guan Suyi, together with Guan’s father, with great difficulty calmed down Old Master Guan, who wanted to directly rebuke Xu Guangzhi for his perverse behavior, and then went out to bid farewell.

“Xu Guangzhi is a traitorous villain, but he likes to pretend to be a gentleman. Father, you must take more precautions against him in the future. If this recommendation is not successful, he may use some dirty means.” Before getting into the carriage, Guan Suyi reminded him repeatedly. In her previous life, her grandfather’s literary name was destroyed, and her father had no hope of becoming an official, among those, there was no lack of Xu Guangzhi’s means. After all, the two were giants of Confucianism, and both their talents and abilities overwhelmed him. He was extremely jealous and wished that the Guan family could be put to death. If it weren’t at the critical moment, she married into the marquis mansion and won the protection, the Guan’s family would have been destroyed by destitute and homeless people he brought under control.

Therefore, she was grateful to the Marquis Mansion and tried her best, but in the end it ended badly. The past was over, and when she came back in this life, she must eliminate all hidden dangers one by one. Like Xu Guangzhi, a person who had talent but no virtue, it was better not to go in and out of the court and harm the people.

Guan Father nodded and said yes, and gently advised, “I already have some reservation about Xu Guangzhi in my mind, and I will never be used by him, let alone be framed. You just live your life in peace, and don’t need to worry about irrelevant people. His Majesty is wise and insightful, serve the public interest wholeheartedly. Although Ye Jieyu is his favorite concubine, he has absolutely no reason to slap the face of an important official to favor a concubine. When the time comes, I will let the Ye family understand the consequences of provoking our Guan family. ”

“Always bothering father with my trouble, daughter is not filial.” Guan Suyi’s eyes were full of tears, and she forced a smile, “Grandfather is an upright person, doesn’t know common affair, and doesn’t understand worldly wisdom, so he will inevitably offend his colleagues in the court, I hope father will be more thoughtful for him.”

Seeing that his daughter treated the old man like a child, Guan Father couldn’t help but smile, “Alright, I’ll remember. Our little Yiyi has also grown up and knows how to take care of her grandfather and father, and will be a rare good wife and mother in the future.” Recalling Zhao Luli’s indifference, he suddenly turned cold and sighed, “If there is no marriage decree, I will never let you marry into the Zhao mansion. Never mind, as long as there are me and your grandfather, the Zhao family can’t bully you half a point. Just laugh when you’re happy, scold when you’re angry, and act spontaneously. How you lived in the past is how you will live in the future, you don’t need to be timid and look forward to the future.”

“Well, I will remember too.” Guan Suyi then showed a sincere smile. The people who knew her best and protected her the most were her family.

——–

On the other side, the father and daughter bid farewell reluctantly. On this side, Emperor Sheng Yuan had returned to Weiyang Palace and was rummaging through the huge library.

“What kind of book Your Majesty wants to read, just tell the name, this servant has remember it in his mind, and will find it soon.” Baifu circled around the emperor, and was quite uneasy because he couldn’t intervene.

Although Emperor Sheng Yuan loved to read, he did not develop good habits due to his background in the army. Ordinarily after reading a book, he then threw it away, and within a few days he tossed all the books in the box. Just after he ascended the throne he lifted Baifu as the general supervisor in charge of palace affair, the imperial library was built in a similar way, and the cultural relics were not wasted.

“I want to find a few Legalism classics. If there are single issue, extinct copy, or masters’ manuscript, just pick them out.”

“Yes, this servant will look for it.” Baifu searched through the piles of book boxes, and in a short time he picked out a dozen books, wrapped them in silk and placed them on the imperial table. Don’t look at these books were old and yellow, and some of them were still rattan bamboo slips. They were extremely ancient. If talking about value, they were more precious than the pearls of the East China Sea and the rare horses of the Western Regions.

Emperor Sheng Yuan checked it carefully to make sure that there were not too many flaws and damages. Then he nodded with satisfaction, “Go get a better red sandalwood box, pack it up and send it to Marquis Zhenbei Mansion…”

Send it to Marquis Zhenbei Mansion? Could it be that the emperor and lord Zhao have reconciled? Baifu speculated secretly, and then heard the emperor changed his mind, “Wait, send it to Marquis Zhenxi Mansion.”

How could a little guard have such precious books, sending it directly to Madam would inevitably arouse her doubts. In the end, he had to borrow Qin Lingyun’s name. Thinking of this, Emperor Sheng Yuan wrote a letter, explaining that Marquis Zhenxi have to hand over the books and not to reveal his identity, then he put it in an envelope and dripped it with sealing wax. At this moment, there were words from outside the palace hall that Ye Jieyu asked to meet. His happy face instantly turned cold, and he waved his hand, “Announce her to come in.”

With a food box in her hand, Ye Zhen walked in gracefully and said with her knees bent, “A few days ago, this concubine went to the bamboo garden in Nanyuan to dig up a lot of spring shoots. It then mixed it with young hens and seasoned with shiitake mushrooms that had been dried for a season, and simmered it in a clay pot. It took a long time to get a cup of thick soup, and then delivered it to Your Majesty to taste.” As she spoke, she walked over to the imperial desk, unloaded the food box, opened the lid, and took out the hot soup bowl.

The rich aroma instantly filled the hall, causing Baifu and the others to salivate. Ye Zhen was proud and continued, “I remember back then when Your Majesty was recovering from his wounds in Jiangzhou, he had no appetite because of the residual poison and bone pain, your favorite is this bowl of spring shoots chicken soup. You did not get bored even after drinking it for half a month. The little hens in the house are all ruined.”

She seemed to find the past interesting, covered her mouth and chuckled, looked forward with glowing spirits, her brilliance compelled people.

Baifu and the others sighed that Ye Jieyu was the only one in the palace who had an extraordinary appearance and shared hardships with His Majesty, no wonder she was the most favored. However when looking up to take a peek, His Majesty looked indifference and distant. Instead of indulgence, he revealed a bit of dangerous scrutiny. Could it be that the sin of spying at the Emperor’s tracks a few days ago has not been forgotten?

Ye Jieyu didn’t know that her behavior of bribing the imperial servants had been exposed, but she still saw that the emperor was in a bad mood, so she put down the soup bowl and asked softly, “Your Majesty, what’s wrong? Are you tired from government affairs? Hurry up and drink the soup to restore your energy, and then rest early. As the saying goes, keep the green hills and not be afraid of running out of firewood. If you exhausted your body, what about the country, what about the civil and military affairs in the court, and what about the people of the world? What about, what about this concubine, without your protection, this concubine would have died a long time ago.” Tears filled her eyes, she looked weak and pitiful.

Ordinarily, Emperor Sheng Yuan would have long comforted in a good voice, but now he was a little disgusted for no reason. He already knew that Ye Zhen, who seemed weak, was actually extremely tough in her bones. She had some means and scheming, even the Empress Dowager and the other imperial concubines were not her opponents, how could it still be the gentle and pure humble family‘s daughter from back then.

Without his protection, she would have died long ago? What a joke. Thinking of this, Emperor Sheng Yuan really laughed and said slowly, “Zhen heard that the Ye family wants to send your cousin to Marquis Zhenbei Mansion as a concubine. Today, you add makeup for her with great fanfare and sent a lot of valuable things?”

Ye Zhen’s tears froze, she hesitantly said, “Yes, Ye Fan likes the two children the most, it can be said that she watched them grow up since childhood. In the future, after she enter the marquis mansion she can do her best on behalf of this concubine. This concubine is grateful for her kindness, this then gave a lot of reward. Your Majesty specifically mentioned this matter, is there anything wrong with it?”

“The marriage of Marquis Zhenbei was given by Zhen, and the commandment of Marquis Zhenbei madam was personally conferred by Zhen.” Emperor Sheng Yuan slowly stirred the spoon and said, “One moment Zhen facilitated the marriage, and the next moment the Ye family forced Marquis Zhenbei to take a concubine, and you made a face for the concubine with a great fanfare, slapped Marquis Zhenbei madam’s face, slapped the Emperor Teacher Mansion’s face, and also slapped Zhen’s face. Do you have any dissatisfaction with Zhen?”

His tone was not harsh, even a little careless, but Ye Zhen sensed the sharpness of the sword. Looking in the whole Great Wei, who dared to be dissatisfied with the holy will, wasn’t that like God of Longevity hanged himself – too tired of living? However, after thinking about it carefully, what she did before was obviously to make a face for Ye Fan, and secretly wasn’t she meant to humiliate the Guan family?

However, she forgot the most important point. The Guan family was held up by His Majesty, and their faces were the faces of Confucianism, the faces of national learning, and even more the faces of His Majesty. They and His Majesty were people on the same boat, while the Ye Family was just a little bit of foreign relativesthis term will come up a lot, essentially it’s all relatives outside the father family. It includes mother’s family and wife’s family.

While she was thinking this, Ye Zhen heard the emperor say again, “In the previous dynasty, there were inner palace turmoils and disasters cause by foreign relatives, and the damage was even like a military disaster. Zhen will return your kindness by letting you live without worry, but you should also abide by your duties, to be safe then to obeyFrom Fang Ren Erzhen Women Biography: if you are content with fate, and you are not rigid and persistent, your life will always be peaceful and worry-free. See what you have done now? Used official authority for private interests, bully virtuous subject, humiliated titled woman, and meddling in court affairs, no matter how many kindness, eventually you will wear it down. Zhen originally didn’t want to say too much to you, but since you mentioned old feelings, Zhen also have to point out one or two, but only this time and there will be no next time, or you’ll be on your own. ”

Hearing this, Ye Zhen was already sweating like puddles, her clothes were soaking wet, she knelt down with a thud, and pleaded, “This concubine was confused for a while, I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness! This concubine cannot forget the two children, cannot forget the Marquis, and more cannot forget the joy of the family in the past. When I saw him marrying another woman, I was blinded by jealousy and did such abhorrent things. This concubine never dared to have any dissatisfaction with Your Majesty, let alone indulge the families to cause disaster in the court. This concubine knows I’m wrong, beg your majesty to forgive for the sake of this concubine who is also a pitiful person, woo woo…” After the words finished she just wept bitterly.

Ye Zhen really couldn’t forget Zhao Luli, couldn’t forget the two children? Was it really because of jealousy that she made a big face for Ye Fan? Emperor Sheng Yuan’s heart said not necessarily, but he was too lazy to delve too deep into it, because these things have nothing to do with him. However if Ye Zhen harmed the woman he greatly admired, even took as a confidant, and damaged his friendship with the Emperor Teacher and Minister of Ceremonies, he would never forgive her. Ye Zhen was nominally his woman, and what Ye Zhen did would naturally be counted on his head.

“Endlessly crying in front of imperial palace, what a joke. Go down, stay in Ganquan Palace and reflect on it for a few days. This cannot be repeated.” His patience with Ye Zhen seemed to be running out.

Ye Zhen didn’t dare to stay any longer, she quickly got up to take her leave, and returned to Ganquan Palace before she collapsed on the bed, she was completely terrified. In recent years, she had been living smoothly, even became a little complacent, and really regarded herself as favored as the outside world rumored to be. However, only she knew the truth. How could those glory and favors, that were supported by repaying kindness and easily shattered, compete with the real rights of the Guan family? Forcing the Marquis Mansion to take a concubine and making face for Ye Fan, these two moves were big mistakes!

“Niangniang, should we take back what we gave to the Ye family?” Yong He asked in a low voice. She was in the main hall just now, and she was also scared to death. Only then did she know that her niangniang didn’t seem to have so much face in front of the emperor, at least it was inferior compared to the Guan family.

“Want to take back? Then This Palace will become a real joke. Pass the order, Ganquan Palace will close its palace’s gate from now on, and refuse any visitors. His Majesty will handle the aftermath, no need for others to intervene. This Palace is tired and wants to be alone for a while, you all go down.”

Everyone filed out, Ye Zhen numbly sat for a long time before closing her eyes, revealing the fear and embarrassment in her heart. No matter how the emperor took care of the aftermath, it’s inevitable to step on the Ye family to support the Guan family. This time she failed to make face, but also beaten in the face, it was really a tragic lost. The next action couldn’t be so hasty. However, her minions had been cut off by the empress dowager, and even if she wanted to send a message to the Ye family at this moment, letting them to know their place and not be ostentatious, but she was powerless, only hope that everyone would realize by themselves.

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