Who Cares

Who Cares – Chapter 78

Chapter 78 Fall Into A Trap

 

When Madam rejected His Majesty sternly, and then turned to leave, Jinzi couldn’t help but look back, only to saw His Majesty standing with his hands behind his back, the bright spring light was above his head, but it couldn’t shine into his deep eyes, he stared blankly for a while. Then he took a step forward uncontrollably, as if he wanted to chase, but had to restrain himself, and then retreated sharply, as if struggling in pain.

He couldn’t retreat too far, lest he lose sight of Madam’s figure, he finally stood still, clearly without any expression, but it made people feel a kind of deep sadness for no reason. The surrounding flowers, fragrance, and birdsong seemed to have gradually moved away from him. His fists were clenched, his eyes were red, and he was obviously on the verge of collapse.

Jinzi suddenly felt uncomfortable, uncomfortable like she never felt before, she had never seen His Majesty like this before. She always thought that he was indestructible, even if he was abandoned by his father; thrown into the beast by his clan; or several brothers joined hands to kill him; even worse, he was trapped inside ten thousands of enemies and could not escape… He could kill his way out with his own hands.

He had never let anyone enter his heart, even if people saved his life, they would never get more than his gratitude and corresponding rewards. Until this time, Jinzi finally realized that she was wrong. His Majesty was not a stone, how could he not be hurt; he was not a plant, how could he be heartless? On the contrary, once he uses his heart and soul, he would fall deeper and more vulnerable than anyone. He was an emperor, but he was also flesh and blood.

Seeing the brilliance in His Majesty’s eyes was extinguished little by little, Jinzi did not dare to look any further, trying to restrain the sorrow in her heart so as not to be noticed by Madam. Before, she admired Madam very much, a strong and intelligent woman like her was very rare in the world, but now, she suddenly became resentful.

If it was another ordinary woman today, the subconscious reaction would be to flee shyly, rather than to say such heartless words calmly and rationally. If you run away, His Majesty will not have to suffer this piercing pain; if you run away, His Majesty will be able to keep a little thoughts. Unlike now, the front and back roads have been cut off, actually so close yet world apart, like a thing from previous lifetime.

Then what should I do next? Do I still need to stay in Zhao Mansion, guarding Madam?

While Jinzi was still confuse, she saw Madam stopped and hesitated. After a while, she finally turned around and gave a big salute in the most sincere manner, with a gentle tone and a smile in her eyes, but it seemed that tears would fall any moment. It turned out that she was not indifferent, it turned out that she could also feel His Majesty’s true feelings, it was just that they had no fate and could not meet when they were both unmarried.

It was not her fault, it was fate, even more so His Majesty, who’s now couldn’t get what ones asked for*, was the culprit that led her to fall into misfortune. Their ending was written by His Majesty, so who should be blamed?

Jinzi felt a pain in her heart. She felt sorry for His Majesty and sad for Madam, but in the end, she still favored Madam. She looked so strong, but this was by no means a reason for others to wantonly hurt her. His Majesty already knew what kind of person Zhao Luli was, so he shouldn’t have easily pushed a woman into the fire pit.

At that time, he probably never expected that the fire would not only burn Madam, but also burn himself to ashes, right?

Even the words “The flowers have fallen far away from people’s heart, and the mountains and rivers will not meet” had also been said, His Majesty should give up this time. Jinzi raised her head slightly to look at His Majesty’s expression, but saw his lethargy eyes had ignited some sparks again, his gray face quickly lit up, and immediately melted into the warm spring light, becoming joyful and excited.

Wait, what is this? Jinzi was greatly surprised, and when she was about to examined it further Madam had already turn around and left, so she could only follow in a hurry. After leaving far away, she suddenly held her forehead, finally understood the problem. Thinking that His Majesty had give up his mind, and he was able to comfort himself, but actually he only listened to the first half of Madam’s speech, and automatically ignored the second half.

What did Madam say before? “The things today are not impropriety or frivolous teasing, but a piece of sincerity and a little bit of true feeling, I should engrave it in my heart and cherish it properly.” Looking at this cherishing attitude and gently comforting, afraid that in an instant, His Majesty who was deep in hell, was pulled back into heaven.

One word could determine life and death, has Madam’s influence on him already been so great? No, he had bowed down to madam a long time ago, and it was not surprising that every joy and sorrow were now controlled by Madam. So, can I still work as a errand by Madam’s side in the future? How should His Majesty handle this messy relationship?

When everyone was chatting and laughing, drinking and having fun, Jinzi stood silently behind Madam and struggled, not only for her own future, but also for Madam’s future. Looking at His Majesty’s deep-rooted feeling, he was rejected this time, afraid there would be a next time, maybe he would end up robbing someone else’s wife.

While thinking like this, the palace banquet quickly ended, and many noble ladies who were looking forward to the emperor’s arrival somewhat felt regretful, but it was a worthwhile trip to be able to enjoy the spring in the palace. Before getting into the carriage, Jinzi finally got an order from above to let her continue to guard Madam and never let Zhao Luli touch her.

The mission object seemed to be changed, Jinzi was bound to have a headache, how could one prevent a proper husband and wife to not sleep together? But Madam was very different. Since she already felt cold towards Zhao Luli, she would never give in at all. Seeing her long-term staying in the West Mansion and her drawing a clear line’s attitude, afraid she intend to be a nominal husband and wife with Zhao Luli.

Yes, it was indeed didn’t know happiness in the midst of happiness, so how he could know that someone’s eyes were red with jealousy! Jinzi mourned for Zhao Luli and His Majesty silently for a while, and then carefully helped Madam into the carriage.

“Don’t move yet, wait for my grandfather and father.” Thinking of the child who had no chance to come into the world, Guan Suyi was in depress mood, and did not want to go back to the Zhao Mansion to face those familiar and unfamiliar faces.

The coachman respectfully complied, then stretched his neck to look inside the palace gate. Because the ministers and womenfolk were having a separate feast, each go back separately. They waited for about a quarter of an hour before they saw the Guan family’s carriage driving out unhurriedly.

“Yiyi, your grandfather said that you will be waiting at the gate of the palace, so your father came out early.” Guan Father lifted the curtain of the carriage and laughed, and Old Master Guan snorted coldly, “I told you to drink less, lest making Yiyi wait, you still don’t believe it.”

“It’s all son’s fault, son is greedy for cups.” Guan Father had no choice but cupped his hand in obeisance, and finally winked at his daughter and asked her to help smooth things out.

The depression in Guan Suyi’s heart was all dissipated, lying on the window of the carriage and making a few jokes, causing the old man to stroke his beard and laugh, and the clouds turned sunny. The family drove the carriages back to the Emperor Teacher Mansion, entered the corner gate, and chatted as they walked.

“His Majesty was a little unusual today, suddenly raised his eyebrows and sighed, like there’s great bitterness and hatred; suddenly pursed his lips and snickered, as if he was overjoyed, and invited me to the front to set up a food table, and insisted that I accompany him to drink, and then invited your grandfather you to say something vague.” Guan Father frowned.

“What did he say?” Guan Suyi asked curiously.

“Said that he shouldn’t grant you a marriage. To actually matched you, a  grand first-rank madam, with a commoner with sinner body, he was ashamed of me and your grandfather, and even more ashamed of you. He drank too much, even ask me if I want to request a reconciliation decree.”

Guan Suyi said with amazement, “It was his idea to grant marriage, and it was also his idea to reconcile. This emperor is really,” after thinking for a while, she shook her head and smiled, “It’s really an earthy emperor*, as his wishes’ temperament.”

Old Master Guan had to say a few words for his student, “He is indeed an earthy emperor, and he doesn’t understand everything, but he has three biggest advantages, that is, he accept advice like a stream, use people without doubt, and recognize his mistakes and corrected them. He listened the advice of the courtiers and even the common people; also can make use of poor and  and weak scholars; moreover he can also reflect on himself and change his way. Although he has made some mistakes since he ascended the throne, he has made up for them in time. As long as he perseveres and doesn’t forget his original intention, he will become a wise monarch of the whole generation. If you say he is earthy, then his strength is exactly lie in this ‘earthy’ word.”

“Father is right.” Guan Father also felt the same way, “The emperor does have many shortcomings, but these three points alone are enough to overshadow any monarch in the previous dynasty. As long as your words are reasonable and sincere for the common people, he will accept it, which is completely different from those nobles who are high above and have their nose up to the sky. He let our family reconcile, only because he’s afraid of delaying you and damaging the honor of the Emperor Teacher Mansion.” (TN: no he’s not!)

Guan Suyi blinked, never expecting that Emperor Sheng Yuan could win such excellent recognition in the hearts of her grandfather and father. She still remember in her previous life, when he first ascended the throne, his methods were so inexperienced that he couldn’t suppress noble families and clan relatives at all, causing a lot of troubles, both big and small. Later, when riots broke out, he commanded a heavy army to crush the whole territory, killed many people, resulting in river of blood and white bones, and finally managed to control the government inside and outside.

In this life, he did not spend a single soldier to divide the prime minister’s power, suppressing the noble families and clan relatives, and made the imperial power climb to the top. These changes were not because he had changed his nature, but because he had a better counselor and a more open-minded minister. Grandfather and father were indeed indispensable, but the person who makes the decision was ultimately him, so everything that was well right now also depended on him.

Guan Suyi suddenly eliminated the prejudice against Emperor Sheng Yuan from her previous life, and chuckled, “His Majesty is quite down-to-earth.”

“At first I looked at him like a grumpy warrior, but after getting along for a long time, I realized that he is actually very easy-going. Your grandfather and I have already rejected his proposal in person. Our Guan family are not like those who change after seeing something different, fickle and ruthless Since Zhao Luli has already admits his mistakes, we must give him a chance to correct it. Does Yiyi think so?”

“Naturally.” Guan Suyi didn’t want to mention the Zhao family, hastily agreed.

Guan Father noticed that she had a strange look on her face, but it was difficult to ask about her daughter’s back house, so he could only hide it. While they were talking, the three of them had already walked to the study, and Guan Father suddenly clapped his hands and said, “If you don’t come today, I almost forget a happy thing. Come in, I just got a wonderful article and I’m waiting to share it with you.”

Old Master Guan also said enthusiastically, “Do you still remember Shang Chongwen?”

Guan Suyi had a strong memory and blurted out, “Twenty-fourth senior brother Shang Chongwen, like grandfather, is a clumsy person. Usually he only knows how to read books and rarely talks. His personality seems to be a little gloomy.”

“He is not so gloomy, rather simple on the outside and clear on the inside. A few days ago, he wrote a policy theory and sent it to me for guidance. I was shocked when I looked at it, and I hurriedly called him to discuss it. The questions and answers are well organized, has a clear logic, far-sighted and open-minded. It’s an outstanding writing that is rarely seen in a century. I revised and discussed it with him again and again, and then presented it to the emperor for a reading, and recommended him to take up an important position in the three divisions, in a few days the decree will come down. Come and have a look, or you can follow suit.”

Guan Suyi was highly interested, took over the article and read it eagerly, then her heart sank abruptly. How come this choice of words and sentences, and the habit of writing, become more and more like Xu Guangzhi’s handwriting? Not good, grandfather and father afraid has fallen into a trap!

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7 thoughts on “Who Cares – Chapter 78

  1. That was an incredibly dumb confession. What did he expect her to say, “Yes, I like you too, let’s have a romantic affair behind my husband’s back!”?

  2. I’m glad that others around GS realize the emperor is the one who caused GS’s whole situation, so what does he have to be melodramatic about? Going to be interesting when GX finds out that GS is pulling the strings behind his problems, though…

  3. *pulls a magnifying glass as the words “GS had tears in her eyes*
    Me,: ???????!!! WHEN DID SHE EVER HAVE FEELINGS FOR HIM. writer please when did you write this?? Why would she have emotions for him? Huh hhh??? Couldn’t you write the build up more clearly bc I’m confused. I thought she just saw him as an innocent student…..where tf did those tears come from.

  4. Honestly kudos to the author for having other characters criticize the emperor (even if it’s only in their hearts). If nobody in their world could see the problems, how would they be able to fix it and how would I as a reader be able to forgive their mistakes?

  5. Oh no! That Xu Guangzhi is trying to get “revenge” huh?! I guess he still need to die under Marquis Zhenxi’s sword! I hated him so much for that Neo law before! And I am glad Father Guan seems aware of something about Suyi’s abnormal attitude towards Zhao family. Because honestly, I think Suyi won’t voiced her true heart of wanting to divorce due to her grandpa and father’s position. So it really is up to her grandpa and father’s sharp eyes to see through her and offered her the option to divorce. If it is those two that offered it to her, I think only then her heart can settled down and be willing to be set free at ease.

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