Chapter 66 Update
When Zhang Yu went to Changning Palace to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Feng, he merely sat and drank a cup of hot tea without saying anything special to her. This clearly indicated his intention to forgive and forget past grievances and reconcile with her. Once Zhang Yu bowed his head, Empress Dowager Feng no longer showed any displeasure, and the matter was considered closed.
The following day, a minister brought up the matter of selecting concubines again, expressing deep concern that the emperor still had no heir and suggesting that the emperor should take in more concubines to ensure the continuation of the imperial family. Zhang Yu had previously said to postpone the matter until later, but this time, with the issue raised again, his reply was anything but perfunctory.
Zhang Yu sat upright on the dragon throne on the steps, turning his head slightly and smiling as he looked down at the ministers who were presenting their reports. He seemed to think seriously for a moment before speaking, calling out the name of the person below, and saying with a slightly drawn-out tone, "Minister Chen." The minister bowed even more, listening respectfully to his instructions. Zhang Yu replied, "I will bestow upon you a few beauties."
Upon hearing his words, Lord Chen's expression immediately changed slightly. He was quite surprised that the emperor would say such a thing, and he even raised his head as if he had something to say.
Zhang Yu seemed oblivious, still smiling, and continued, "I remember hearing that Minister Chen and his wife are a loving couple, and even though they only have three daughters, they have never taken any concubines."
"Judging from the way Minister Chen spoke to me today, he seemed much more anxious and worried than I was. Since Minister Chen is so concerned about me, I can't just leave without showing any appreciation. So let's do it this way..."
Zhang Yu pondered for a long time. Chen Aiqing's face showed a little panic, but he didn't take it to heart. "I will personally select a few beauties for you, Chen Aiqing, and have them sent to your residence. I have no other intention than to express my concern for the continuation of the Chen family line. What do you think, Chen Aiqing?"
"Your Majesty..." Minister Chen went from bowing to kneeling on the ground, and was about to say something when Zhang Yu stopped him. But Zhang Yu did not give him a chance to speak, and raised his voice slightly before speaking, "My dear ministers who have petitioned me about the selection of concubines several times before, do not be anxious. I guarantee that I will treat you all the same as I treat Minister Chen, without any favoritism or bias."
Some of the officials looked up in surprise, but only caught a glimpse of Zhang Yu's departing figure. With the grand eunuch's high-pitched "Dismissal—", even those who had a lot to say to His Majesty the Emperor found themselves speechless. Minister Chen emerged from the hall, sweating profusely. Around him, some offered congratulations, some gloated, and some expressed sympathy.
You must understand that the beauties bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor cannot be neglected, wronged, or abused; they must be treated with utmost respect and care. If one happens to be of a more amiable temperament, that's fine, but if one happens to be one of the most troublesome, how can one live peacefully with several such formidable figures looming over the house?
Ignoring the situation of others, Lord Chen pushed through the crowd, found Prince Ning, and chased after him, repeatedly calling out, "Prince Ning, wait a moment!" Hearing Lord Chen's voice, Zhang Ye, ever the good-natured man, stopped and turned to smile at him.
Knowing what Lord Chen wanted to say, Prince Ning spoke first, "This is His Majesty's matter. Even if you come to me, I can't do anything about it. I don't understand why you bother with His Majesty's affairs if you're like that yourself. Or have you been living a peaceful life for too long and like to create trouble for yourself?"
Lord Chen was speechless, while Prince Ning, still smiling, walked away.
·
In the following days of court sessions, no ministers mentioned the selection of concubines, and Zhang Yu did not actually send any women to Lord Chen's residence. Just when some people thought that Zhang Yu's words were merely a warning, Lü Chuan arrived at Lord Chen's residence with an imperial decree and palace attendants, presenting him with three beauties. By this time, even fewer people mentioned the matter, and everyone tacitly agreed that no new concubines would be added to the palace this year.
After this incident, the date for Prince Anping, Zhao Liang, and his heir, Zhao Jian, to return to their fiefdoms was approaching. Zhang Yu ordered a banquet to be held in the palace to personally bid farewell to the two of them. Apart from Zhang Yu, Zhao Liang, and Zhao Jian, there were only a few other people present, including Prince Ning, Xia Mingzhe, and Nie Zhiyuan.
This banquet, which everyone knew was a trap, was destined to be anything but peaceful from the start. Zhang Yu had set up the palace banquet; if Zhao Liang and Zhao Jian had shown up, it wouldn't have been easy for them to be eliminated alive; if they hadn't shown up, it would have been tantamount to handing Zhang Yu a reason to attack them.
When Zhang Yu led Lü Chuan and Lü Yuan from Xuanzhi Hall to Penglai Hall, he appeared relaxed. Ahao knew that the evening banquet was for Prince Anping and Zhao Jian, and Zhang Yu's determined demeanor, along with the recent political situation in the court, made her sense that something big might be going on.
When instructed to stay in Xuanzhi Hall and not go anywhere else, Ahao earnestly agreed to Zhang Yu's words. As darkness fell, even though she was only in Xuanzhi Hall, Ahao noticed that the palace was more heavily guarded than usual, and the guards patrolling back and forth outside Xuanzhi Hall all had grim expressions.
Ah Hao stood at the entrance of the hall for a moment, then returned to her room in the side hall to wait for Zhang Yu to return. Perhaps because she knew there might be danger and couldn't get any news, and because an hour had passed since Zhang Yu left, Ah Hao gradually began to feel restless and couldn't concentrate on anything.
Later, hearing some commotion outside the hall, she wanted to go out and see what was happening, but fearing she might needlessly cause trouble, she patiently stayed in the room, trying to find something to do to distract herself. Two hours passed, and Zhang Yu still hadn't returned. Ah Hao couldn't sit still any longer, so she left the room and went to the main hall to wait.
In the darkness, the hanging glass palace lanterns illuminated the path outside the palace. Patrolling guards, hands on their long swords, constantly scanned their surroundings, watching for even the slightest movement. The rustling of their armor as they moved became the most unmistakable sound in the dead of night.
The head guard came over and greeted Ahao, suggesting she stay in her room. Ahao asked if she could stay outside the hall for a while, and upon receiving permission, she sat down against a pillar. A gentle night breeze carried a cool scent, and before she knew it, a light spring rain began to fall, brushing against her face.
She looked into the distance, where the slanting raindrops were illuminated by the palace lanterns, and in the darkness, she could hear hurried footsteps approaching the main hall. She had no idea how long she had been waiting. Exhausted, Ah Hao suddenly stood up, craning her neck to wait. After a while, as the people drew near, Ah Hao knew it was Zhang Yu who had returned.
Zhang Yu didn't look well. Lü Chuan was supporting his weight, while Lü Yuan led the way with a grave expression. Ahao lifted her skirt and ran over to check on him, then followed them back to the main hall. She noticed that the color of Zhang Yu's robe at the waist seemed a bit dark. She was startled, but knew it wasn't the right time to ask.
They hurried into the main hall and helped Zhang Yu to his bedside. By candlelight, A-Hao could clearly see that the dark stain was indeed blood, and that Zhang Yu was indeed injured. In the candlelight, Zhang Yu's complexion was not good, and his lips were somewhat pale. A-Hao pursed her lips, wanting to suggest that they should fetch the imperial physician, but Zhang Yu stopped her from doing so.
"Don't make a sound. Go get some medicine and come back to clean and bandage my wounds." Zhang Yu's brows were furrowed. Although he wasn't having much trouble speaking, it was clear that he was in a lot of pain.
Ah Hao obediently nodded, turned around and went out to find the necessary medicine and other supplies. Zhang Yu gave Lü Yuan and Lü Chuan some instructions, and they left shortly afterward. A short while later, Ah Hao returned to find warm water had been brought to her. After helping Zhang Yu remove his shirt, Ah Hao noticed he was sweating profusely, likely due to the intense pain from his wounds.
So while cleaning Zhang Yu's wounds, A-Hao also helped him wipe his body. Zhang Yu's brows furrowed slightly, but his expression relaxed a little. He half-opened his eyes, seemingly watching A-Hao do these things with a look of reverence on her face, her movements as gentle as if she were caring for him.
She kept her eyes straight ahead, not looking directly at him. Although Zhang Yu had a mischievous thought of teasing her, he didn't dare to offend her because his wound hadn't been properly treated. Ah Hao patiently cleaned Zhang Yu's wound and saw that it wasn't too deep and the location was rather remote. However, since it was on his waist, it might not be so convenient for him to turn over in bed at night.
It was clearly a knife wound. What exactly happened inside the Penglai Palace was unknown, but it was enough to show that there was no shortage of fighting and bloodshed. Looking at Zhang Yu's expression, A-Hao thought that even if things didn't go exactly as planned, the worst outcome shouldn't be too bad.
After bandaging Zhang Yu's wound, Ahao fetched clean clothes and dressed him. Zhang Yu didn't do anything reckless, which reassured Ahao. Seeing that he had closed his eyes, she assumed he was asleep, so Ahao moved even more gently, focusing intently on tying the belt of his undergarment.
Caught off guard, Ahao's hand was grabbed by Zhang Yu. She looked up, only to find his other hand wrapped around her waist. Zhang Yu used the same trick again, and Ahao stumbled, falling against his chest in a half-prone position.
Zhang Yu reached out and embraced her, his eyes still closed, but he whispered to Ahao, "Let me hold you for a while." Seeing that Ahao did not resist, he helped her adjust to a more comfortable position. Zhang Yu was only wearing an undergarment at this moment, and when she lay on his hard chest, she could feel his body temperature and the sound of his heartbeat so clearly.
Ah Hao carefully avoided touching his wounds. Zhang Yu held her quietly for a while before letting out a long sigh. That sigh didn't seem to contain sorrow or resentment, but rather the joy and relief of finally achieving something he wanted to do. Beyond that, it also contained many other emotions, but they were impossible to fathom.
Then, Ahao heard Zhang Yu's voice above her head, calmly saying, "Prince Anping is dead, and Zhao Jian has escaped wounded. I have sent people to pursue him."
A single sentence contained a wealth of information: the banquet at Penglai Palace was over, and the contest between the Emperor and Prince Anping had come to a conclusion. Prince Anping was dead, and even if Zhao Jian escaped successfully, he was destined to cause no real trouble.
Ah Hao thought to herself, "The Prince of Anping is really dead, Zhao Jian...." Then she heard Zhang Yu call her name again; this was the first time the emperor had ever called her that. He said, "Ah Hao, I am very happy."
Chapter 67 Update
Although Zhang Yu claimed to be happy, Ahao sensed a hint of bitterness and felt ashamed. When she was younger, although she vaguely understood that being the emperor was not easy, she always thought that since she was in this position second only to the emperor and had enjoyed so much, it was only natural to face what she had to face and bear what she had to bear.
Therefore, even though she had heard a lot about court affairs from serving the Empress Dowager in the past, she was not particularly moved by the fact that he had ascended the throne at the age of fourteen and had to face his brothers and ministers who were eyeing him with hostility. She was so focused on not paying too much attention to this person's affairs and not judging anything related to him that she overlooked the hardships he had endured.
The late emperor specially chose him, a young boy, to inherit the throne, unaware of the immense burdens this decision would place upon him, yet he still did it. His own brothers, eyeing his position, sought to oust him and take his life; his outwardly loyal ministers, though seemingly devoted, harbored treacherous intentions and had no intention of making his life easy. How could such a precarious existence be any better? One wrong step, and all would be lost.
Admittedly, as an emperor, enjoying supreme power, it was impossible for him to have an easy life. But it cannot be denied that for a fourteen-year-old boy at that time, all of this was extremely difficult and arduous, and from fourteen to twenty-four years old, year after year, he dared not truly relax for a single day. Even today, he says, he is very happy.
It turns out that everyone truly has their own helplessness, whether as humble as she is or as noble as the person before us.
Ah Hao reached out and hugged Zhang Yu back, feeling his body tremble slightly. She sighed inwardly and gently patted him. Ah Hao pressed her face against Zhang Yu's chest and responded softly, "Yes, as long as Your Majesty is happy." After a pause, she finally said, "Your Majesty has worked hard."
Zhang Yu kept his eyes closed and didn't speak. Ahao felt his arms around her tighten a little. After a long while, he seemed to respond to her with a single word: "Mmm." Ahao inhaled his pine-like scent, and after a moment, she heard Zhang Yu's steady breathing.
He was asleep, but the embrace around him didn't loosen. Afraid of waking Zhang Yu, Ah Hao waited a long time, making sure he was sound asleep, before carefully slipping out of his arms.
Ahao stood by the bed, quietly watching Zhang Yu for a while. Seeing that his brows remained furrowed, she reached out and smoothed them. Even in his sleep, his brows relaxed with her touch. Ahao pulled the quilt over Zhang Yu before leaving.
When Lü Yuan saw Ahao come out and heard that Zhang Yu was asleep, he nodded, then smiled and said, "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Auntie to change His Majesty's dressings for a while."