Sueño de Jiangshan

Capítulo 16

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has ordered that no one is allowed to enter." While the Empress was not to be offended, the Emperor's orders were even more crucial! The Emperor had specifically instructed that absolutely no one, especially Consort Shui, should be allowed into the Imperial Study. Otherwise, they would lose their heads. To save their livelihoods, the guards leaped forward to intercept them.

"How dare you! You dare block my path?"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! We cannot disobey the Emperor's orders, and we were only following orders. We beg Your Majesty's understanding!" the guard pleaded in fear.

"Haha, how ridiculous! You, a mere servant, think you can gain my leniency? You're truly overestimating yourself. Get out of my way, or don't blame me for being impolite!" Shui Rong'er laughed and cursed arrogantly.

The few people chatting and laughing about the morning court session in the Imperial Study had already received news of Shui Rong'er's arrival before she even appeared. This was because her little eunuch, who was tasked with gathering information, was rather incompetent at tracking people; he not only exposed himself but also didn't even realize he was being followed. Therefore, as soon as Shui Rong'er appeared, they all fell silent and watched the spectacle unfold!

"Wow! Can you guess how impolite Shui Rong'er was?" Qingfeng sighed softly.

"Your Majesty, your beloved concubine has arrived. Should we excuse ourselves?" Leng Jie asked, feigning ignorance.

"Ignore that woman. Women are not allowed in my study." Xuanyuan glared at Qingfeng, who seemed to thrive on chaos, then turned to Wuming and spoke with absolute certainty.

Not letting women in? There's one right in front of you. Leng Jie and Qing Feng exchanged a glance, secretly amused.

Meanwhile, the drama outside had escalated significantly.

Ever since Shui Rong'er was frightened last time, the Empress Dowager had selected several skilled palace maids and eunuchs to protect her. So, at her command, the servants from both sides immediately began fighting.

"Wow, they've started fighting! Your Majesty, who do you think will win? If your imperial guards can't even beat those few palace maids, I think the safety of the palace is really in jeopardy!" Qingfeng teased the emperor, who looked unwell.

Xuan Yuan Yunli glared fiercely at Qingfeng, then glanced out of the corner of his eye at Leng Jie and Eunuch Fu, who were secretly chuckling. He looked up at the door, secretly channeling his inner strength, and parted his thin lips slightly. A sharp, cold roar immediately pierced through the wall.

"Enough! Anyone who doesn't want to die, get the hell out of my sight!"

The people fighting stopped immediately, as if frozen in place.

Finally hearing her cousin, the Emperor, Shui Rong'er ignored the chilling tension in his voice and excitedly exclaimed, "Your Majesty! It's me, Rong'er! I've come to see you, but these damned servants dared to stop me from seeing you! I think they're all tired of living! You must help me teach them a lesson!"

The guards were immediately terrified.

Consort Shui's palace maids were smug and proud.

The people in the imperial study shivered, shaking off goosebumps, and stifled laughter.

Seeing that the emperor did not agree, Shui Rong'er assumed it was tacit approval. She glanced arrogantly at the guards and snorted coldly.

"Hmph, wait until the Emperor comes to deal with you!" He headed towards the entrance of the Imperial Study. But before he could even step inside, the Emperor's icy voice rang out again:

"Consort Shui, since when did it become your place to lecture my guards? If you are not satisfied with your stay in the West Palace, I can agree to let you move into the Cold Palace for a while. If you are still not satisfied, I can allow you to leave the palace and return to your maiden home. However, remember one thing: you are not allowed to set foot in my Imperial Study or the Dragon Palace. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences!"

The situation changed drastically. The guards, who had been trembling with fear just moments before, straightened their backs instantly and regained their composure.

The once smug palace maids instantly wilted like frostbitten eggplants, their faces turning pale. They thought bitterly to themselves, "So this mistress isn't favored after all!"

Shui Rong'er trembled violently, her eyes bulging and vacant, her face deathly pale, her mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg. Although he had never uttered sweet words to her, he had never spoken harshly either! In fact, the few things he had ever said to her could be counted on one hand. She never imagined that her beloved imperial cousin would utter such heartless words to her in front of so many servants. She stared blankly at the vermilion gate, as if trying to see through it, to understand it completely…

Then, the door slowly opened from the inside, and a round figure slowly "rolled" out. It spoke to Shui Rong'er in a high-pitched, soft voice, "Your Majesty, please return to the palace! The Emperor is furious about what happened in court! Please be understanding!"

"Did my father and the others anger the Emperor? So the Emperor isn't angry with me?" Grasping at a last straw, Shui Rong'er excitedly grabbed Eunuch Fu's sleeve and said urgently. "Tell the Emperor that Rong'er will obediently stay in the West Palace and wait for him. My father and the Shui family will also be wholeheartedly loyal to the Emperor." As if afraid Eunuch Fu wouldn't relay her message, she took off a pair of fine white jade bracelets from her wrist and stuffed them into Eunuch Fu's plump hands.

"Your Majesty, please go back with peace of mind! His Majesty will understand your good intentions," said the smiling eunuch, his words carrying a double meaning.

As soon as Eunuch Fu entered the Imperial Study, he was stopped by a pair of slender, boneless jade hands. Eunuch Fu readily accepted the jade bracelets, placing them in his hands and saying:

"This old servant only accepted it because I knew that Young Master Wuming had a taste for this!"

"Tch, you old fox, trying to seduce me with your sleazy attitude. When have you ever seen me like that kind of thing? I just made a bet with the Emperor about whether you'd accepted bribes. Hmph! The Emperor trusted you so much..."

“Exactly, how could my junior brother possibly like this kind of woman’s stuff?” Qingfeng chimed in.

The eunuch Fu panicked at what his two senior brothers had said, cold sweat immediately beading on his forehead. He glanced guiltily at the emperor, only to find the emperor shaking his head with a smile. He then realized he had been tricked by the two brothers.

[Main Text: Chapter Forty-Eight: Notes from the Study (Revised)]

The incident involving Consort Shui was just a minor episode. After everyone had laughed and made a fuss, they turned their attention back to the tedious affairs of the court.

In the imperial study, in front of three desks piled high with various memorials, each person was carefully reading the memorials in their hands.

Leng Jie worked as a secretary. She had to categorize and prioritize the memorials, making sure they were organized according to their importance and urgency. This seemingly simple task was far from easy for her. Aside from the dizzying format of the memorials, the sheer task of categorizing them was incredibly difficult. She had no idea what official system this fictional dynasty used, and she couldn't ask, so she had to fumble her way through the numerous memorials.

Qingfeng handled the specific matters according to the order arranged by Leng Jie. The Emperor, on the other hand, only needed to sign his name where necessary. Because he hadn't fully recovered, his job was the easiest.

The sun moved from east to west until the sky was ablaze with crimson clouds. In the imperial study, incense sticks used for telling time burned out one after another. Teapots of water were emptied one after another.

Xuanyuan had been secretly observing Wuming's actions, noticing his changing expressions: sometimes frowning, sometimes complaining, sometimes pouting, sometimes snorting. Each expression was so endearing. Watching, a faint smile unconsciously crept onto Xuanyuan's face.

Finally, Leng Jie put down her pen, stretched lazily, and complained:

"Ah! Finally, the task is done! This method of doing things is so inefficient."

Is there anything wrong with doing it this way? He's always handled things this way. Besides, he used to handle it all by himself, without anyone's help. The Emperor glanced at Eunuch Fu, then asked Leng Jie:

"What does Wuming think is the most efficient way to do things?"

Upon receiving the Emperor's signal, Eunuch Fu immediately brought Leng Jie some snacks and hot tea. Leng Jie unceremoniously picked them up and began to eat. While eating, she said:

"Your Majesty, did you handle all these memorials by yourself in the past?"

"Of course," Xuanyuan nodded in agreement.

For the first time, Leng Jie didn't look at him with disdain. Instead, she stared at him with pity and said, "Wow! You're really something else! The three of us have been reviewing documents here all day. How long will it take you to finish reviewing them all by yourself? And you even have time to go out of the palace to manage the Dragon Gate. I'm truly humbled!"

No way? Even Wuming would praise him? Xuanyuan thought he had misheard.

In fact, he had misheard, because Leng Jie paused for a moment, then continued, "No wonder you don't have the energy to outwit those ministers and are always led by the nose. If you don't change this work style, I think you'll be buried alive by these mountains of memorials before you even regain real power or get your revenge."

Xuanyuan didn't understand what he meant. He simply smiled, narrowed his phoenix eyes, and stared thoughtfully at Wuming, waiting for his astonishing words. Every time he saw Wuming with such an expression, he seemed to have everything under control, and every time he could utter a surprising viewpoint.

Qingfeng, who was annotating the memorial, also stopped and stared blankly at Wuming, as if waiting to see what surprise she would bring them once again.

Seeing that they were all looking at her expectantly, Leng Jie didn't want to keep them in suspense. She casually picked up a piece of paper from the table and handed it to the emperor, saying:

"These are the shortcomings and reform proposals I have summarized from these memorials. You can use them as a reference."

Xuanyuan took the paper and his eyes widened in shock. Good heavens! Was this a surprise? This was clearly a shock! He looked at Wuming, then at Qingfeng, and then at the sheet of paper covered in crooked, scrawled characters. He simply couldn't believe that this man, who could so readily spout the principles of being a ruler and the strategies for governing a country, couldn't even write?

"Did you really write this?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course, haven't you been sitting here the whole time? Have you seen anyone else come?" Leng Jie shrugged and replied, thinking to herself, "Emperors are just too suspicious."

Seeing Xuanyuan's strange expression, Qingfeng asked suspiciously, "What's wrong? Is it written inappropriately?"

Xuanyuan didn't know how to answer Qingfeng. Saying he couldn't recognize his junior brother's handwriting, or that his junior brother's handwriting was full of typos, seemed inappropriate. So, he passed the paper to Qingfeng.

After reading it, Qingfeng was immediately dumbfounded and asked in astonishment:

"Junior brother, what are you writing? Aren't you literate? Why are you writing so many wrong characters?"

"Uh!" So that's why they looked at her like that! She doesn't know how to use a calligraphy brush and isn't used to writing traditional characters; it's already quite impressive that she managed to write this much. Even if they weren't appreciative, they didn't have to be so dramatic! Leng Jie snatched her masterpiece from Qingfeng's hands. She crumpled it up and threw it in the trash can, not even glancing at them, and got up to leave.

But after taking only two steps, she felt a blur before her eyes, and was blocked by a yellow wall. Leng Jie looked up at the emperor, who was more than a head taller than her, and coldly asked:

"What? Does the Emperor intend to keep an illiterate person to do your work?"

"I never said you were illiterate. How could someone who is illiterate possibly handle so many memorials, find the problems within them, and propose reform plans?" Xuanyuan thought that Wuming was young and impetuous, and always had a high opinion of himself. It was normal for him to be unconvinced and throw a little tantrum when his senior brother suddenly called him illiterate. So, he put aside his imperial airs and tried to coax him.

But Wuming didn't seem to appreciate his sentiments and coldly retorted, "Hmph! You dare say you didn't think that way just now? Although you didn't say it aloud, your expression was even more despicable than if you had!"

"Uh!" Xuanyuan was so embarrassed he was speechless. He had indeed thought that way. But he was just trying to save face for him. Was that wrong? The emperor, who never played the good guy, had been humiliated the first time. He could only turn to Qingfeng, who was trying so hard not to laugh and whose face was flushed, for help.

Qingfeng deliberately turned his head away, ignoring Xuanyuan's pleas for help. He wasn't that stupid; he was the one who had angered her. She hadn't even bothered him yet, and he was deliberately asking for trouble—that wasn't something Qingfeng would do.

Watching the drama unfold, Eunuch Fu felt deeply sorry for his master, the Emperor. It was clearly the young master Qingfeng who had offended the nameless one with a single wrong word, yet his master was being blamed. Eunuch Fu stepped in to smooth things over, saying:

"Your Majesty, the time for Wanshan has come. Shall we summon Shan now?"

"Send it, send it, send it quickly!" The emperor, who had finally found a way out, responded repeatedly.

Leng Jie hadn't really intended to make things difficult for them; it's just that she had her pride. She was a double PhD from the 21st century, fluent in seven languages and familiar with more than ten scripts. To be called illiterate and misspelling words to her face was simply intolerable. This was truly unacceptable.

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[Main Text: Chapter Forty-Nine: The Five-Day Incident]

Time flies like an arrow, and five days have passed in the blink of an eye. Yet we cannot say it was short, because five days is enough for many things that have been dormant for years to undergo a qualitative change. For example:

First, the memorials submitted to the emperor, a practice that had been in place for centuries, underwent a major revision. The original lengthy and elaborate treatises were replaced with standardized, concise, and factual reports. Previously, for the same matter, officials at all levels would submit lengthy memorials. Now, only one memorial is required for each matter, and officials only need to add their opinions and proposed solutions in the designated section below their official rank, then affix their seal and signature. This not only saved the emperor considerable trouble but also served a supervisory function. Those officials who tried to shirk responsibility or play the peacemaker could no longer escape scrutiny. Of course, if there were unique insights that could not be seen by other officials, they could be submitted privately to a higher-ranking official.

Although officials at all levels harbored considerable resistance to the emperor's sudden edict, having long been accustomed to the old procedures, the improved efficiency of the new system was undeniable. More importantly, it did not pose a substantial direct threat to their interests. Therefore, for the first time ever, they did not obstruct the emperor's new reform plan.

Secondly, the officials collectively discovered that the young emperor they had served as a cold-faced "fake Yama" for three years had actually transformed into a smiling "real tiger." They could guess the cold-faced emperor's thoughts, but this smiling emperor always gave them unexpected surprises.

For example, in retaliation for the emperor unjustly punishing them and then approving the promotion of four officials beyond the proper channels, the ministers jointly submitted a memorial urging the emperor to expand his harem. They all knew that the emperor would fly into a rage whenever this was mentioned, and sometimes even lose his temper. Not long ago, the Minister of Rites was dismissed for bringing this up. They thought that if they all submitted a memorial together, he wouldn't believe he could dismiss them all.

However, things took a strange turn. This time, the emperor not only didn't fly into a rage, but readily agreed to expand the imperial harem and immediately ordered an edict to be drafted. The edict stipulated the following conditions: all unmarried women from families of officials of the fifth rank or above, aged between thirteen and sixteen, were eligible to be selected as imperial concubines. Those not chosen would remain in the palace as maids for three years. If they still hadn't been favored by the emperor after three years, they could leave the palace to marry.

This decree caused an uproar throughout the court! It then sparked a nationwide sensation! The officials' expressions varied. Those ministers who happened to have young and beautiful daughters who met the requirements happily dreamed of becoming emperors. Those without daughters naturally regretted not having sown more seeds sixteen years ago. A few who deeply loved their daughters began to worry about their future.

In short, five days can really change a lot of things.

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Since Leng Jie's reform plan for reviewing memorials was adopted, memorials that previously took the emperor six hours to review can now be completed in just two hours. Because of this, Qingfeng and Wuming no longer need to help in the imperial study.

Qingfeng was busy in the medicine shed preparing more effective medicines for the plague in Qizhou.

Leng Jie wasn't idle either. She learned a light-body skill called "Treading Snow Without a Trace" from Qingfeng. Aside from eating, sleeping, and practicing her internal energy, she spent all her time practicing repeatedly in the maple forest. From leaping onto tree branches, to leaping to the treetops, and then from one tree to another. Although she hadn't reached the level of disappearing without a trace, at least she could now scale walls and leap over trees without needing tools or climbing trees.

She flew in a circle across the maple trees. Finally, she stopped atop a tree at the edge of the maple forest, where she saw only a bare, old, withered tree, easily ten meters tall. She turned to fly back, but then looked back and estimated the distance to the withered tree. There must have been at least eight meters between them! Her longest leap from the treetop was a little over five meters, which had happened two days ago.

"Two more days of hard training, adding three meters shouldn't be a problem, right?" she murmured to herself. "Let's give it a shot." After a moment's thought, she took a deep breath, then spread her arms like a black eagle taking flight, soaring towards the withered, crooked tree opposite. In the blink of an eye, she landed gracefully on a dry branch at the top. She glanced down, confirming she had indeed successfully leaped eight meters and stood on the withered tree. Then, she excitedly shouted:

"YE! Success..." Before the cheer could even finish, "Crack!" a sharp sound rang out, and the branch snapped. "Ah...!" A scream of instinct echoed through the maple forest. Needless to say, the rumors about the ghostly maple forest circulating in the palace tomorrow would definitely escalate even further.

As Leng Jie was in freefall, her mind instantly cleared. She immediately tried to circulate her internal energy according to the incantation for light-body techniques. However, the instinctive scream she had just let disperse the true energy gathered within her body. Unable to circulate her energy, she could only let the freefall continue. Leng Jie closed her eyes, waiting for the feeling of landing, and optimistically thought, "Ten meters is equivalent to falling from a three-story balcony. Headfirst, the chance of breaking my neck is slim, but breaking a leg or arm is quite possible. Landing feet first isn't entirely out of the question, is it?"

Just as Leng Jie was about half a meter from the ground, suddenly, a yellow shadow swept in like a whirlwind. It grabbed Leng Jie's legs, which were pointing upwards, lifted them up, tossed them, and spun them around. Leng Jie felt a dizzying sensation, and then found herself on solid ground, safely landed. She murmured in disbelief, "No way, I'm lucky enough to land feet first?"

Seeing that the person he had desperately saved was completely ignored, Huang Ying's expression was rather unpleasant. She coldly continued:

"You're lucky, otherwise how could I have happened to be here at that time?"

"The Emperor?" Leng Jie then noticed the person in yellow robes behind her and turned around in surprise, asking, "Did you save me just now? No wonder I felt like I was spinning in the air. Shouldn't you be in the Imperial Study? What are you doing here?"

Ignoring Leng Jie's question, Xuan Yuan glared at her and unleashed a torrent of angry shouts:

"If I hadn't shown up, your neck would have been broken, and even your master wouldn't have been able to save you! Are you blind or brainless? Can't you see that this is a dead tree? There are so many trees in this forest, why did you have to pick this one? Are you deliberately courting death?"

Leng Jie stared back at the furious emperor in astonishment, not understanding why he was so angry. When she had belittled him to the point of worthlessness, he had at least shown a similar expression of uncontrollable rage, but he had held back then and hadn't exploded like he had today.

"Didn't your senior brother teach you lightness skill? Why didn't you use it when you fell?" Seeing Wuming's stunned and silent expression, Xuanyuan realized that he had been a bit too lenient, so he restrained his anger and asked in a lower voice.