Chapter 16
The emperor anxiously hurried to Kunning Palace. Before he entered the palace gate, he asked the eunuch guarding the gate: "Where is the empress?"
Seeing that the emperor was furious and seemed to be rushing to settle accounts, the eunuch guarding the gate hurriedly replied: "The empress is inside."
The emperor breathed a sigh of relief and tidied up his dragon robe, which was a little messy because he rushed too hastily.
He was 42 years old this year and was already a grandfather with a granddaughter. He would be a little exhausted after playing around with concubines for a while at night. Definitely couldn't compare with those young and handsome guys.
If there were some deficiencies in appearance and body, then one had to win with temperament and conversation!
The emperor tidied up his dragon robe and hair, led his personal eunuch Chen Jiu, and stepped into Kunning Palace as calmly as previous times.
After so many years of marriage, he had been to Kunning Palace countless times and could walk with his eyes closed.
The master and the servant skillfully walked through the courtyard, the corridor, and entered the main hall, and saw the palace maids and eunuchs rushing back and forth.
The palace maids and eunuchs: "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Rise." The emperor walked to the bedroom and asked, "Where is the empress?"
The empress's personal maid Biyu replied: "The empress is bathing."
"Bathing?" The emperor subconsciously looked at the sky. It was only noon and those who got up late might still be eating breakfast. Why take a bath at this time?
Wait!
The empress wouldn't think of dressing up carefully after bathing to go to Chunfeng Tower to pick out eight-ten young men, right?
Thinking of Chu Hua's words, the emperor's face changed immediately.
The empress was five years younger than him. She had taken good care of herself. At the age of thirty-seven, she looked as young as twenty. She had been in the position of empress for more than twenty years and had cultivated an unparalleled temperament of elegance and luxury.
If she went to stroll around Chunfeng Tower, the young men following her behind would probably fill up the entire Kunning Palace.
No!
Absolutely not!
At this moment, the emperor didn't care that the empress was quarreling with him and rushed into the inner room, "Empress!"
He wanted to go in quickly. Maybe he could see the empress bathing or the beauty coming out of the bath. If he could take a bath together, it would be great for a quarrel at the head of the bed and make up at the foot of the bed to happen.
As long as Kunning Palace kept this matter secret, the censor couldn't accuse him of being promiscuous in broad daylight!
However, the empress had already put on her clothes and primly greeted: "Pay respects to the emperor." The emperor was very disappointed. "Bathing at this time, is there something important?"
It sounded like he was trying to get information.
Detecting this, the empress didn't care much. Nor did she want to answer - the cold war should be like a cold war.
It couldn’t be helped if it was a serious matter. As for private matters, there was no need to talk about. "Your Majesty, you came to Kunning Palace right after the court session. Did an official in the morning court session report me?"
Judging by the attitude, the empress was ready to talk business. The emperor couldn't really say, ‘I learned from Chu Hua that you are going to Chunfeng Tower, so I rushed here in a hurry.’ Though it was the truth, once it was said, there would be a quarrel.
"No, you are such a good empress, who would report you?" The emperor lightly complimented with a little imperceptible feel of flattery.
With his current position above millions of people, only the empress in the whole Dasheng could make him put in effort to do this.
Unfortunately, the empress did not appreciate it. Her tone was quite cold and polite: "Since there is nothing important, please put the country first."
Compared to his wife, she was more like a minister.
And he was the emperor who loved to play and make trouble, did not do his job, and was supervised by his wife and ministers.
The emperor: "..."
It was as if a basin of cold water was poured on his head.
The empress had issued an order to expel the guests in disguise. As the supreme ruler in the country, the ruler wanted more face than most people. Under the empress’s cold face, he could not continue to stay in Kunning Palace, turned around, and left in a huff.
On the way back to imperial study, the emperor became more and more irked. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it made sense. The empress must have deliberately angered him so that she could go out of the palace to see the beauties in Chunfeng Tower!
He summoned Chen Jiu and whispered some instructions.
Chen Jiu's expression kept changing; from the hesitating ‘Is this bad?’ to helpless ‘the empress would definitely be angry’, and then to the tragic ‘Is my life going to be gone?’. Quite like the face-changing in Sichuan Opera.
An hour later, the empress, who had dressed up, openly led a few close personal palace maids out of the palace. Not far behind them were the sneaky Chen Jiu and a few royal guards in casual clothes.
Chu Family, Qianhuaju.
Chu Hua laid on the chaise, with a blanket covering her waist and a hot water bottle on her stomach.
She suddenly had her period in the middle of the night. Due to the abruptness, the bedding was all dyed red. Her waist was sore and her stomach hurt. She couldn't sit or stand up. Fortunately, she drank a bowl of brown sugar ginger water and used a hot water bottle for a few hours before it finally felt better.
After feeling a little better, Chu Hua got up and read the storybook.
She read it intermittently these days and finally finished reading the storybook "The Romantic Widow and the Pretty Scholar" borrowed from Mrs. Wen. She rubbed her still sore waist, "Qingzhu."
The maid Qingzhu had a rosy face, peach cheeks, and a round figure. She was Chu Hua's personal maid.
"Miss."
Chu Hua: "Are there any other novels?"
Qingzhu: "The novels that have been published recently in major bookstores are similar to the ones that Miss had read before, nothing new."
Chu Hua sighed. It would be better to get up at three in the morning to attend court. At least after the morning court, she could go to the Hanlin Academy to read various unofficial histories, which was much more interesting.
"Qingzhu, rub my waist."
"Yes, Miss." Qingzhu moved a small round stool, sat next to the chaise, and rubbed Chu Hua's waist while Chu Hua laid on her side.
"Miss, drink another bowl." Hongmei came in with a bowl of dark and hot brown sugar ginger water.
Chu Hua didn't like the spicy taste of ginger very much. She had to hold her breath when drinking that bowl in the middle of the night and almost vomited afterward. Thinking how this month’s discomfort was almost over and it should be okay not to drink it, she immediately refused.
Hongmei put her chubby little face close to Chu Hua's hand and said in a soft voice: "Miss, just drink a little. You can pinch Hongmei's face~"
Chu Hua looked at Hongmei's chubby, pink and tender face, which was very comfortable to touch. It happened to be in a place where she could touch it with just a raise of her hand. She couldn't help but pinch it twice.
Hongmei quickly stepped back and presented the brown sugar ginger water: "Miss, you've pinched it. Drink it while it's hot."
Chu Hua: "..."
The system suddenly popped up: [Hehe, Elder Sister Hua, you are being controlled by the maid. ]
The gloating tone in the tone scared Qingzhu and Hongmei and they subconsciously looked at Chu Hua.
No matter how much they were favored by the miss, they were maids who had signed a contract to sell themselves. They could be sold by the master at any time. Wasn’t the maids risking their lives, if they dared to control the master?
Chu Hua drank the brown sugar ginger water in two gulps and then drank two gulps of hot water to get rid of the sweetness in her mouth. She answered the system in a rather nonchalant tone: [I spoil them.]
System: [You are so easy to talk to when it comes to beautiful girls. It will be troublesome if your weakness is caught by others.]
Chu Hua leaned lazily on the chaise, enjoying the waist massage service of the beautiful maid and not caring about the system's alarmist words.
[There are a lot of fifth-rank officials like my father in the capital. The third prince doesn't even set his eyes on him when he wants to rebel and usurp the throne. It wouldn’t be too late to worry about it when my father is promoted to the Minister of Justice. En... with my father's level, it’s faster to dream.]
[My mother has money, but that is her dowry. Even when I get married, she won't give me much. My grandfather's family is rich and have grandchildren and I am just a maternal granddaughter. The relationship is distant. I can make money myself and this money is completely a drop in the bucket compared to the real rich businessmen. ]
[As for my face, it's pretty, but I am just a 13-year-old girl. There are many prettier ones than me. Even if someone finds my weakness, so what? Send a beauty, sure. Cheat me of my feelings, sure. But cheat me of my money, no way! ]
Qingzhu, Hongmei: "..."
Other people in the Chu Family who could hear: "..."
The royal guard hiding in the corner: "..."
The system was so shocked that it stuttered: [Money is more important than feelings? ]
Chu Hua asked back: [With money, you can marry in a husband, buy feelings, and can pick a good-looking one that suits your heart. Can you make money with feelings? ]
System: [......]
The newly-manufactured small system had not seen much of the world and felt it was logical, but something was not right.
The system found a ready-made example: [Second Princess Consort has a good relationship with the second prince and the second prince can spend all the money he earns on her. This can be considered making money, right? ]
Chu Hua: [If you want to use this example, you might as well use Hongxiu. She used a little bit of emotion to lead Chu An on, and Chu An would spend a lot of money on her. Isn't this a better example? ]
System: [What they have is a transaction of money and body. Where is the emotion? ]
The eavesdroppers nodded frantically; that's right, how could this be counted? !
Chu Hua: [Freshness is not emotion? ]
System: [...]
Others: "..."
Ababa, speechless.
The system reflected on itself; thinking that it was a melon-eating system and its strength lies in eating melons, not in debates. It should not attack the strong with the weak.
System: [Ding - Melon-eating system 188 is always at your service. ]
Chu Hua: ?
[Why did you suddenly become so serious? ] It made her feel uncomfortable.
The system proudly said: [I am a melon-eating system. I must have a little system appearance. ]
Chu Hua: [Wow——I clap my hands for you. ]
The system said reservedly: [Thank you, Elder Sister Hua, for your support. Do you want to eat melons? ]
Chu Hua: [Is there a follow-up to the empress's melon? ]
System: [Yes, I've subscribed to it since you're interested. ]
The royal guard who was hiding wrote furiously, not daring to drop a single word.
At this time, he heard the system say: [The emperor wanted to please the empress, so he took advantage of the beautiful empress taking a bath and the right atmosphere to have a daytime affair. Maybe the twenty-year cold war would end. However the result was that he was coldly and ruthlessly driven out of Kunning Palace by the empress. ]
Royal guard: ? ? !
Others: ? ? !
Wow——Was this the royal melon they could listen to for free?
And then what?
System: [After driving away the emperor, the empress changed into casual clothes and took the palace maids to Chunfeng Tower. The result is that they met a young man who sold himself to bury his father on the way. ]
[The young man is eighteen years old, with delicate features and a face that looked a bit like the younger version of the emperor. At the time, the empress couldn’t turn her gaze away and told the palace maid to give him a few ingots of silver and get someone to help him buy a coffin to bury his father. Seeing that his house was leaking everywhere and that it’s not one bit decent, she got someone to rent a yard for him to live in. ]
Royal guard: !!!
Others: !!!
Hiss——Could it be that the empress really wanted to buy him? Exciting!
Chu Hua rubbed her chin: [Isn’t this a substitute outside mistress? ]
Royal guard: “…”
Others: “…”
The royal guard who was writing furiously was dumbfounded and panicked. He got others to send the report to the palace before the ink could even properly dry. One stick of incense later, the emperor, who was dizzy from reading the memorial in the imperial study, received the report.
Seeing Chu Hua's outrageous statement "Cheat me of my feelings, sure. But cheat me of my money, no way!", the emperor laughed happily.
Turning over the page, he saw " have a daytime affair" and thinking that so many people in the Chu Family and the royal guard heard it, the emperor felt self-conscious all over.
Turning over another page, the emperor's smile completely disappeared. His face was ashen. Even his head seemed to be stained with a little green.
Substitute? Outside mistress?
What fart are you thinking!
Chapter 17
The emperor had received the news from Chu Hua that the empress might go to Chunfeng Tower in advance, so how could he be unprepared?
The empress had never been to that kind of place. He wanted to stop her, but he was afraid that the two would quarrel and unhappily part. So he could only let the empress go once.
Of course, in such a messy place like Chunfeng Tower, who knows if there would be a young man who would pounce on a beautiful and wealthy woman? He also sent Chen Jiu and the royal guard to follow not far away.
Once something was about to happen or had really happened, Chen Jiu and the royal guard would come forward to stop it.
They would...right? The emperor's hand holding the report was shaking a little.
After all, she was the empress. If the empress's attitude was a little tougher and told them to get out, could Chen Jiu and the royal guards withstand it?
Or, should he go over and take a look?
While he was at it, he should take a look at the man who was about to become his substitute. How much did he look like his younger version to make the empress interested.
Just when the idea popped up, the eunuch reported: Royal Guard Commander Lin You asked for an audience.
Lin You: "Your Majesty, Xiao Lou confessed."
Xiao was the surname of Dasheng. Xiao Lou was the third prince who was deposed for bribery and embezzlement not long ago. After being deposed, he had been locked up in the prison of the Pacification Division. Without the status and preferential treatment of a prince and with the crime of colluding with the remnants of the previous dynasty, Xiao Lou could not bear the torture of the royal guards at all.
The emperor was quite surprised: "His bones are that tough?"
Xiao Lou, that useless guy, resisted for two days before confessing. He really looked at him with a new eye.
He thought he would confess yesterday.
Lin You: "It took some time to interrogate Yang Huai and check the confessions of both parties."
Yang Huai was the descendant of a general of the previous dynasty. In order to restore the previous dynasty, he worked hard and excelled in both civil and military. He had the strong physique of a military general and the unyielding integrity of a civil official. Quite a tough guy.
The royal guards spent a lot of time capturing him. Including the interrogation and verification, it was normal to spend one more day.
The emperor nodded: "What's the result?"
Lin You presented a detailed report: "Yang Huai knows the hiding place of the treasure of the previous dynasty and knows that he will die if he told it, so he kept refusing to reveal it."
"In order to gain Xiao Lou's trust, Yang Huai revealed a little about the treasure of the previous dynasty, but he kept it a back up plan and never revealed the location."
In this way, if they want to know the exact location, they could either negotiate with Yang Huai and get Yang Huai take them to dig, or arouse Chu Hua's interest in the treasure of the previous dynasty by indirect means and get the system to take them to dig.
Lin You was more inclined to the latter, and so was the emperor.
The emperor skimmed through the report, which recorded in detail how Yang Huai approached Xiao Lou, how he later offered advice to Xiao Lou, and how the two colluded with each other.
He had a headache after reading it for a few times and was even more grateful that the system had revealed that Xiao Lou was not his biological child on the first day of its arrival.
Otherwise, this brainless and ambitious guy would cause a lot of trouble and he would have to clean up the mess for him because he was his son, and then he would be sprayed with spit by the censor.
In this respect, the emperor should thank Chu Hua and the system.
With state affairs in mind, he had to suppress his concerns about the empress's outside mistress and ordered: "Summon officials above the third rank to the imperial study for a discussion."
Soon, the emperor and his ministers debated on "how to make Chu Hua willingly lead them to dig for treasure."
The biggest problem in this matter was: if Chu Hua was allowed to lead, it would expose the truth that they know her conversation with the system.
"That won't do!" The old Grand Mentor took the lead in objecting, "That lass can eat melons without scruples due to relying on the fact that others don't know."
Once this prerequisite was lost, there would be two possibilities:
1. The system takes back the ability and only Chu Hua can hear it, or simply unbinds from Chu Hua, and they will no longer know.
2. They can still hear it, but Chu Hua is worried about offending others and will limit eating melons and reduce conversations from then on. Then they will only know part of the situation.
As for whether Chu Hua would still eat melons as actively as she was now after knowing it...
They dared not be sure, let alone take the risk of betting on the one in ten thousand possibility - who could be so fearless of power and life and death?
The old Grand Preceptor looked around at the people present: "At present, her gossip includes the Emperor, Second Prince, Second Princess Consort, the Minister of Revenue, the vice Minister of Revenue, the former director of the Court of State Ceremonial, the daughter of Minister of Justice, and the daughter of the Grand Mentor. Each of them is someone her father cannot afford to offend."
Officials: "..." Why did this lass only offend high-ranking officials?
The old Grand Preceptor continued: "At the age of seven, she used private money to test the sincerity of others and returned it few fold. She isn’t obsessed with money. At the age of nine, she predicted the future from the natural disasters and seamlessly guided her elder brother to practice martial arts. At the age of thirteen, she saw that her elder brother was promoted too quickly and wanted to use tricks to demote him. She is cautious and careful and is not blinded by power."
"If she is a man, I would definitely accept her as a student." At this point, the old Grand Preceptor sighed, "Why is she a girl?"
Officials: "..." You have to ask Chu Ping and his wife.
The old Grand Preceptor was the emperor's teacher and had taught the eldest and second princes. It was not an exaggeration to call him the Imperial Teacher.
The old Grand Preceptor's high evaluation of Chu Hua surprised everyone present, but they turned around and thought, it was true!
A thirteen-year-old girl in the boudoir, not loving money, not loving power, protecting her relatives, knowing how to advance and retreat, and weighing the pros and cons. What was more rare was that she was naturally keen on politics and could take advantage of the situation to make profits for herself.
Without the guidance of a famous teacher, she could grow up to this point. If there was a teacher to teach and guide her, she would definitely be a pillar of the court in the future!
It was a pity that she was a girl.
Including the emperor, all officials above the third rank lamented in their hearts.
"Huh?" The outspoken Vice Minister of Revenue asked in confusion, "But she is now dressed as a man to attend the court. She is a boy."
Officials: Huh? ? ?
Officials: Hey! ! !
The old Grand Preceptor was pleased with the straightforwardness of the Vice Minister of Revenue for the first time, "You are right."
He stroked his beard proudly, feeling very happy, "If I can't accept Chu Hua, then I will accept Chu Qin." Anyway, they were the same person.
Having a headache, the emperor held his forehead, "Main First Rank Grand Preceptor suddenly accepts a sixth rank Hanlin as a student. Isn't it obvious to others that there is something fishy here?"
He got Chu Qin to quietly leave the capital to handle something. Chu Hua, who replaced Chu Qin, was so high-profile in the capital that it was easy to be exposed.
However, now there was the melon-eating system, perhaps it had been exposed.
The old Grand Preceptor stated seriously: "By accepting her as a student, I can tell her how empty the treasury is and how important the treasure of the previous dynasty is to Dasheng, and guide her to dig the treasure without being exposed to it."
Just in case, he used "it" to refer to the system when it was unavoidable.
The officials nodded; you are the Grand Preceptor, you are right!
The Minister of Revenue was not present, so the Vice Minister could only speak on behalf of the Ministry of Revenue: "If that's the case, why not transfer Chu Qin to the Ministry of Revenue?"
"Hmm?" The Emperor and all the officials turned their heads to look at him.
The Vice Minister of Revenue’s air weakened a little: "...Is it not possible for an equal transfer?"
The old Grand Preceptor immediately found the straightforward Vice Minister of Revenue an eyesore again and said bluntly: "You want it to see if there are any melons in the complicated accounts of the Ministry of Revenue and whether there can be a few raids to fill the treasury!"
Since the real purpose was seen through, the Vice Minister of Revenue gave up and stopped pretending.
"Just I want to? Don't you want to?"
He was just a bit outspoken and liked to criticize people, not brainless and blind and couldn't see the value of the system.
Would the Chief Minister of Court of Judicial Review dare to respond? If he really said he didn't want to, it would be hard to speak out in the future.
"The Court of Judicial Review has many difficult unsolved cases." The melon-eating system was urgently needed to help solve these cases.
The Minister of Justice coughed and chipped in, "The number of cases in the Ministry of Justice is no less than that in the Court of Judicial Review." It was hard to say who needed the melon-eating system more.
The Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of War have nothing to ask help for from the system for the time being. So the four ministers simply stood by and watched them fight for it.
The old Grand Preceptor's mind buzzed. Why did they all want to compete with him for a student?
Could the weight of his students compare with the weight of the Ministry of Revenue, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Justice? It seemed that the emperor was not willing to let him, the "imperial teacher", take another student, even if it was a girl.
In desperation, the old Grand Preceptor could only resort to this last resort: "Your Majesty, I am sixty-nine this year. I don't know how many years I can live and just have this little wish. I hope your Majesty can fulfill it!"
Officials: "..." Old Grand Preceptor, you don't have martial ethics!
The Vice Minister of Revenue was anxious: "Your Majesty, the old Grand Preceptor is in good health and can live another twenty years! The national treasury should be prioritised!"
The Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review: "Your Majesty, Chu Ping is in the Ministry of Justice. Father and son cannot be in the same department. The cases piled up in the Court of Judicial Review are more important!"
The Minister of Justice: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Justice has accumulated a large number of unsolved cases in recent years. If this continues, it would not be conducive to stabilizing the people's hearts and the country!"
The four people quarreled about this matter. The more they quarreled, the louder they became. Even the saliva sprayed into the emperor's teacup.
The emperor put down the teacup he picked up and his expression was a little dazed.
So, why did he summon the ministers to discuss matters today?
The Chu Family, Qianhuaju.
Chu Hua never stopped eating melons. Relying on the live broadcast of the system, she had already listened to the process of the empress and the young man getting to know each other.
In simple terms: the empress kindly provided money and people to help bury his father and rented a quiet courtyard for the young man so that he could prepare for the imperial examination. The young man was deeply moved. Seeing that the rich woman was so beautiful, he decided to be a kept man.
The young man had studied for many years and knew what kind of language to use to package himself. At least he couldn't put the purpose of being a kept man on the surface as it would only make people look down on him.
He also knew how to make the rich woman unable to stop wanting him - seducing her vaguely, but not letting her get it too easily.
Chu Hua listened to the extreme tug-of-war between the two and her heart was moved. She sighed: [How cool it would be if I can eat melons on the spot. ]
The system was confused: [Is it not good for me to broadcast it to you like this? ]
Chu Hua: [How can text broadcasting compare to audio and video live broadcasting? I can only try my best to imagine it through your description, which is not intuitive at all. ]
[I don't know how elegant the empress is, how young and strong the lad is, I can't see how their eyes are drawn, let alone the temptation between their eyes and body language. It's a pity! ]
People of the Chu Family: "..."
Royal guard: "..."
Must said, it was true.
After all, the system didn't study much and its text broadcast was like this:
[The lad said to the empress: I accept your money, so I'm already yours. I can't go back on my word. ]
[The empress persuaded him: You studied hard for ten years, how can you sell yourself in a hurry for these few taels of silver? ]
[The lad insisted: A gentleman values his promise, and a promise is worth a thousand gold. ]
[The empress sighed: A gentleman should also learn to adapt. ]
There was no background rendering, no facial description, no eye contact temptation. Nothing at all, just relying on people's own imagination.
Was this reasonable? !
Chu Hua sighed: [System, you should read more books. ]
The system didn't quite understand: [I have already read ‘Jing History’ and ‘Romantic Widow Handsome Scholae’ with you. I have also read dozens of stories in your book box, such as ‘Younger Brother-in-law and Elder Sister-in-law Taboo’, ‘Two-Three Matters Between General and Deputy General’, ‘Regent Forceful Love’, and ‘Young Emperor and Empress Mother’. What else do I need to read? ]
People of the Chu Family: "..."
Royal guard: "..."
Ah, this, this, this--
Chu Hua coughed twice: [Have you heard of "Three Years of Imperial Examinations, Five Years of Simulation", "Must-do Questions for Imperial Examinations", "38 Sets of Imperial Examinations", and "Have You Really Mastered the Strategy Essays"? ]
The system made an unsophisticated exclamation: [There are actually books I haven't heard of! ]
Chu Hua smiled and responded: [In my brother's study, the second grid from the left of the third row on the south bookshelf. Go and do a few books. They can replenish melon energy. Do it properly. ]
When the system heard that it could replenish melon energy, it was delighted: [There is such a good thing? Okay, I'll go! ]
People from the Chu Family: "..."
Royal guard: "..."
That was clearly the imperial examination book that Chu Hua had spent a lot of money to search for and tailor-made for Chu Qin.
Wouldn't her conscience hurt to trick a child into doing it?
Chu Hua's conscience didn't hurt at all and she drank a cup of bird's nest slowly.
After a cup of tea time, the system came back crying: [Elder Sister Hua, this melon energy is too hard to replenish! ]
But the system refused to give up the rich melon energy inside. It cried while doing the questions, and the whole Chu Family was surrounded by its crying 360 degrees.
[Please comment on the similarities and differences between Buddhism and Confucianism and their impact on society. Woo woo woo, how can a system like me know so much? I'll go see which host said it. ]
[The way to keep the country and the army safe, what does this have to do with a melon-eating system like me woo woo woo... I'll go see how the top scholar of all dynasties answered. Oh, this handwriting is so ugly and can still be the top scholar? Conspiracy! There must be fart transaction! ]
[Ask about the emperor's politics and the emperor's heart? Why do I, a melon-eating system, have to worry about the emperor's affairs? What I excel at is to see how many women the emperor had and how many green hats he has. This melon energy is difficult to fill... Hey, this person is so good at flattering the emperor! ]
That night, the royal guard who did the transcript changed more than 20 times. The emperor and the officials who received the report argued again until dawn. Their eyes were red and their expressions were dazed.
Did they have to eat this melon of the imperial examination?
Chapter 18
After staying up all night, the emperor and his officials washed up and rushed to the court.
With the intention of using the ‘friendly’ discussion in the imperial study yesterday to trick Chu Hua and the system into taking them to dig for treasure in mind, all the spit was not wasted in the debate with the scholars.
Unexpectedly, Chu Hua asked for leave again.
Emperor: "..."
Officials: "..."
They all exchanged gaze between themselves and confirmed that the dark circles under their eyes were all caused by staying up all night eating melons.
No matter how hard an all-nighter was, the court had to be held in the morning.
The emperor suppressed the urge to yawn and listened to the ministers below reporting as usual.
In the past, he was annoyed by his ministers’ scolding when there was disagreement. Sometimes when the temper flared up, there would even be physical fights. He had always wanted that one day everyone would be able to talk calmly.
Today, all the ministers were not energetic enough due to an all-nighter, so their voices and tones were much weaker. He felt that it was good for the ministers to be noisy. At least it would not sound like hypnosis, which made him almost fall asleep.
Soon, the emperor was no longer sleepy.
The royal guard asked Chen Jiu to pass a message: "Your Majesty, old Madam Chu is returning with Chu Shu and Miss Chu has to welcome them at the door. So she requested leave and did not attend court."
Emperor:?
His first reaction was: Who was old Madam Chu? She was more important than the court and the treasury?
Then he realized that this person was Chu Hua's unreasonable grandmother who had a heart that was biased to the sky, and Chu Shu... According to the ranking of qin, chess, calligraphy and painting, she should be Chu Hua's concubine elder sister. {Note: The sibling name : Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua which are qin, chess, calligraphy and painting}
The emperor had a high favorability toward Chu Hua, so he naturally had no good impression of old Madam Chu who treated Chu Hua harshly, and even had a bad first impression of Chu Shu: the Chu Family's family air was really ‘positive’ to let the legitimate daughter specially welcome the illegitimate daughter at the door.
Soon, the emperor realized something was wrong: "With Chu Hua's unwillingness to suffer, how can she possibly run to the door to greet them?"
Chen Jiu was stunned. Indeed, Miss Chu was just as petty and vindictive as the emperor, so she couldn't be obedient.
The emperor realized that there must be melons and immediately got excited: "Go ask!"
Chen Jiu ran to tell the royal guard. Melons were good. He loved to eat melons!
The officials below watched the emperor and Chen Jiu's little movements and they intuitively felt that there was something up. But it was difficult to determine what was the matter and kept guessing.
Could it be that the royal guard found out that some official was greedy again and they were going to confiscate his property to fill the treasury?
The Vice Minister of Revenue, who was short of money, was excited.
Could it be that the royal guard found out that some official was visiting prostitutes and there was going to be a repeat?
The Minister of Justice, whose son-in-law was visiting prostitutes, was thinking divergently.
Maybe there was new melon with Chu Hua?
Most officials were more inclined to this point.
After all, when the emperor first came to court, he was in the same state as them, wishing that the court would end quickly so that he could go back and rest. Now he was as excited as a melon-eating badger that was about to eat a melon.
The Chu Family, Qianhuaju.
Chu Hua laid comfortably on the chaise, enjoying Qingzhu's waist and leg massage service while reading the new storybook borrowed from Mrs. Wen.
Seeing that the time that old Madam Chu had asked someone to notify in advance was approaching, Hongmei was a little anxious: "Miss, we’ll be late."
"What do you mean by we’ll be late?" Chu Hua turned a page and read with relish.
Hongmei: "Didn't the old Madam request that Miss to welcome her up at the door?"
Chu Hua responded without even raising her head: "Qingzhu."
Qingzhu never stopped rubbing her waist and explained in the most straightforward language: "Hongmei, the Miss and the old Madam are in a relationship where the east wind overwhelms the west wind. The old Madam and her doted yiniang, and the yiniang's illegitimate children have to rely on Madam and Miss for their daily food and clothing. She can only embarrass the Miss on such trivial matters."
Hongmei: ? ? ?
Small head with big question mark.
Although she had only been in the manor for less than two months and didn't know much about what happened between the Miss and the old Madam in the past, if went according to ethics and filial piety, which Miss didn't carefully serve and be filial to the Grandmother. Instead, it was overwhelming the west wind of the grandmother?
Was this... not normal?
Knowing what she was wondering about, Qingzhu began to use her ultimate move: "The old Madam determined that the Miss had stolen other people's things without any reason and is biased toward the yiniang and her two children. She forced Miss to kneel in the ancestral hall in the cold winter, forced Madam to pay money to compensate, tried every means to make Madam use the dowry to subsidize the yiniang’s room, and told Miss to give half of the shop prepared for the eldest young master to the second young master..."
Hongmei:? ? ?
Hongmei:! ! !
The hesitation and confusion on the little girl's face completely disappeared. Fuming, her face puffed red. She clenched her fists tightly: "Such a shameless old woman! Miss, don't give her face!"
Chu Hua looked up in surprise: "Where did you learn these scolding words?"
"I heard it on the street." Hongmei thought that she spoke too dirty and Chu Hua didn't like it, so she hurriedly said, "I won't scold anymore in the future."
Chu Hua: "My relationship with her is like this. It’s impossible to ease it. She can't do anything to me, but we will still maintain superficial peace, because my father and elder brother are officials and we can't let the Chu Family have a bad reputation. This is the reason why family disgrace should not be made public." "Hongmei, you are someone around me. You can scold whatever you want in your heart, but you must keep your mouth shut and don't reveal it in your actions. Otherwise, one day you will cause trouble from your mouth and offend someone I can't afford to offend and I can't protect you, understand?"
Hongmei nodded heavily: "Miss, I remember, I will change."
Chu Hua nodded with satisfaction and continued to read the storybook. On the surface, some people seem to be calm and indifferent, but in fact they were poking the system in their hearts: [System, help me keep an eye on the old Madam. If she gets sick, I can get someone to call a doctor as soon as possible. ]
System: [What about the east wind that overwhelms the west wind? Why are you so concerned about her? ]
Chu Hua: [Don't let your imagination run wild. If she is really sick, she would have a reason to torment my mother. She can also pretend to be sick and get my mother to take care of her, ask my mother to spend money to buy supplements, and then sell the supplements. The money from the sale would be used to subsidize that room. ]
System was shocked: [Why is she so biased? Aren't they all daughters-in-law? ]
People from the Chu Family: "..."
Royal guard: "..."
It wasn’t that they haven't seen biased old ladies before, but this was the first time they've seen one that was so biased.
Chu Hua: [The old Madam looks down on my mother's merchant background and deliberately disgust and suppresses her in order to control her. Otherwise, would a normal mother-in-law have to raise a matter of a younger wife for her son just two months after marrying his wife? ]
The maids and servants of the Chu Family have been replaced continuously over the years, and many people didn't know what happened more than 20 years ago.
After hearing what Chu Hua said, it dawned on everyone: It turned out that the old Madam Chu had done such disgusting things.
System: [Huh? I checked, your father took a concubine half a year after the wedding. ]
Chu Hua: [The old Madam mentioned it to my father two months after the wedding, but my father refused. Half a year later, the old Madam wanted to raise a concubine on the grounds that my mother was not pregnant and my father agreed. ]
[What's the funniest thing? After the concubine came into the house, her stomach didn't move for a long time and my mother got pregnant first. What’s more, it’s a boy in one go, making old Madam's face swollen. ]
System: [Hahaha! Satisfying! ]
The crowd secretly clapped: It was really satisfying!
Chu Hua continued: [The old Madam is so stubborn at her age. She refused to believe that having a child depended on fate. She insisted on human intervention. She took yiniang to see doctors every tens days or so. She went to temples, worshiped at temples, put all kinds of Guanyins in the house, and had a lot of strange talismans and potions. This tossing and turning lasted for three years! ]
[I admire yiniang very much. She persisted despite the physical and psychological torture. Three years later, yiniang was finally pregnant. The old Madam was overjoyed and wanted to hold a big banquet to celebrate. The main wife wasn’t thiso arrogant when she was pregnant. Father, Mother, and Grandfather did not agree. Irked, the old Madam planned to spend money on it herself. Guess what happened? ]
System: [What? ]
Everyone: What?
Chu Hua: [The old Madam took out her private money, looked at it twice, and stuffed it back. It was obvious that she was reluctant to spend it. She insisted on saving money to wait for the child to be one month old to have a big one. Later, Chu Qi was born, turned one month old, and turned one year old. Even at this age, she still hadn't held a proper celebration banquet. The latest news was that the old Madam plans to wait until Chu Qi passes the imperial examination before holding a celebration banquet. ]
The system burst out laughing and then asked: [You were seven years younger than Eldest Brother and four years younger than Chu Qi. How do you know so much about what happened back then? ]
Even Mrs. Wen didn't know about these past events. She stopped embroidering her purse and was listening attentively.
Chu Hua didn't care: [What's so difficult about this? ]
[The old Madam lived a tight life, so naturally the people around her wouldn't be much better off. One year, her dowry nanny often went out of the house and came back with a smell of medicine and a sad face. I found out that her grandson was seriously ill, so I gave her some money. I even knew that the old Madam wet the bed at the age of seven. ]
Mrs. Wen: "..."
Others: "..."
The royal guard paused while recording. Seven-year-old still wet the bed? Tsk tsk tsk tsk.
A cup of tea time earlier, a green carriage stopped at the gate of the Chu Family.
A slender and tender little hand lifted the curtain and said softly: "Grandmother, we are here."
"Where is Chu Hua?"
"Younger Sister may have urgent matter, so she is not here. Grandmother, Shu'er is with you."
The silver-haired old Madam snorted coldly, becoming more and more dissatisfied. She got off the carriage with the help of Chu Shu. As soon as she entered the gate of the Chu Family, she rushed to Qianhuaju angrily.
She knew that the dead lass would not wait at the door obediently!
But, something seemed to have happened at home. There were few people at the gate, and the closer to Chu Hua's Qianhuaju, the more people there were.
Someone was sweeping the fallen leaves, someone was pruning the branches, and someone was embroidering here with an embroidery shed.
What was going on?
Old Madam Chu didn't understand and continued to move forward.
Just then, she heard Chu Hua's voice: [... I even knew that the old Madam wet the bed at the age of seven. ]
Old Madam Chu: ? ? ?
Old Madam Chu: !!!
Chapter 19
Most children could control urination at the age of three, but to still wet the bed at the age of seven...
Dasheng had no medical knowledge and concepts related to the urinary system and urethritis. People would only think: was there something wrong with this child?
This was the reaction of the Chu Family and the royal guard. Old Madam Chu also had the same thought.
Old Madam Chu stopped three steps away from Qianhuaju and could not move any further.
She only felt that the servants sweeping fallen leaves, trimming branches, and embroidering around her, including the attendant who followed her and her granddaughter Chu Shu who supported her, were all laughing at her!
Time seemed to have returned to the year when she was seven years old. She found that her bed and quilt were wet in the middle of the night. She looked at the wet night clothes and bed with shame and helplessness, not knowing what to do.
The maid changed her night clothes and quilts for clean ones. The next day, that maid took apart and washed the dirty quilts and quilts, and talked about and laughed at them with others. The whole family, from grandparents to stable servants knew about it.
She was ashamed for a long time. Even when her father invited a female teacher to teach at home, she didn't dare to go out, for fear of seeing the strange gazes and hearing the mocking words of others.
Later, she learned that her maid was bribed and deliberately tarnished her reputation.
But what could a concubine-born daughter who lived under the control of her legitimate mother do? She swallowed her anger and flattered her legitimate mother. What she got was a marriage that was neither good nor bad. She forced her husband to study, urged her son to make progress, and sent her grandson to study, and lived a life that others envied.
Though it seemed that she lived a good life, she couldn't erase that black history.
Old Madam Chu's head was buzzing. There was only one thought in her mind: Chu Hua knows! Chu Hua will definitely use this to threaten her!
The system also thought so: [Then why don't you threaten the old Madam with this? Since this kind of black history that she doesn't want to be known to others, she will definitely give in. ]
Old Madam Chu hurriedly came back to her senses, not caring why there was a child in Qianhuaju and she could clearly hear Chu Hua's voice even when she was standing outside Qianhuaju. She just wanted to know the answer to this question.
The Chu Family and the royal guard also wanted to know.
Since the relationship between the two sides was like fire and water, why not just use this weakness to control the old Madam?
Chu Hua: [I am very satisfied with the current situation and don't want to make big changes. ]
System: [Let her go because she is your grandmother? ]
Old Madam Chu's face was slightly relieved. It turned out that this granddaughter still had her in her heart.
Chu Hua smiled: [What are you thinking? It's just that what she does now is just a small fight to me. Just moving my pinky finger is enough to anger her to death. There is no need to use such a cruel trick. ]
[The old Madam’s temper is too hot. Not going to the door to greet her as she said is enough to get fuming until her breast nodules appeared. If she knows that I’m lying here comfortably reading a storybook, with beautiful maids tapping on my shoulders and legs and feeding me fruit, I guarantee that she will be so mad that she can't eat or sleep well for a few days and would even wake herself up in the middle of the night. ]
Old Madam Chu's face went pale and green. She thought Chu Hua had changed!
And... how did this lass know her so well? Did she bribe the people around her?
Chu Hua continued: [Once this big move is released, what if her brain short-circuits and she can't do anything to me and then finds a concubine for my father and disgust my mother? ]
[When she does something out of line, can't I use this to threaten her? The trump card should be hidden until use. If you take it out casually, is it still a trump card? ]
The system was amazed and kept wowing: [I learned it, I learned it. ]
Old Madam Chu: "..."
Standing there, she took two deep breaths. Finally she calmed down, pretending that she hadn't heard anything and stepped into Qianhuaju.
At this moment, the servants who were sweeping fallen leaves and trimming branches nearby put down their brooms and scissors and surrounded them, quickly covered their mouths, and dragged them away quietly and neatly.
Old Madam Chu: !!!
Chu Shu: !!!
In broad daylight, servants dared to be rough to their masters! Truly going against the sky!
The group tried to struggle for help, but only attracted more people in servants' uniforms, some of whom were watching the wind, and some of whom were cleaning up the mess. Their actions were quite methodical, just like a group of bandits entering the Chu Family.
Old Madam Chu's heart was pounding, Chu Shu was pale, and the other servants who were held hostage didn’t fare any better.
Soon they arrived at their destination: a small courtyard in the west.
This was originally the residence of the concubines of the old master of the Chu Family. The two concubines had no children. So not long after the old master passed away, the old Madam sent everyone out and sealed the courtyard for a good few years.
Now, the deserted courtyard had not been cleaned up. The door of the east wing was wide open, and a few tables could be vaguely seen inside. A man in green embroidered clothes was sitting in front of each table.
A man in red embroidered clothes was sitting under the eaves. There was a small table next to him, sipping a cup of tea, as comfortable as if he was in his own courtyard. The bright embroidered spring sword on the small table had already revealed his identity.
——Royal guard.
Though the Royal guards could choose to not wear flying fish uniforms, they wouldn’ be without the embroidered spring sword.
Old Madam Chu's expression changed immediately. How can the Chu Family have so many royal guards?
The man sat there leisurely, "Old Madam, His Majesty has ordered us to guard Miss Chu closely."
"I have been in the Chu Family for many days and am really bored, so I thought about helping Miss Chu check if there are any servants in the family who deceive their superiors. I didn't expect to find some interesting things by accident."
Old Madam Chu was old and experienced, so she could still handle it. While Chu Shu was young. Hearing it was royal guards, her pretty face was as pale as paper.
"Miss Chu was seven years old and got a white jade rabbit from Chu Qi. Old Madam said she stole it."
Old Madam Chu still remembered this incident. Her lips trembled and didn't dare to refute.
"Miss Chu was eight years old and was swinging in the garden. Chu Shu pushed her from behind and almost disfigured her."
Old Madam Chu turned her head in shock. Seeing Chu Shu's pale face and panic, she immediately understood. Shu'er actually did it!
Chu Shu was two years older than Chu Hua. Didn't a ten-year-old girl know how important appearance was to a woman? She was so cruel! That was her own younger sister!
Old Madam Chu felt a chill on her back.
The man continued to reveal: "Miss Chu was nine years old. She lost a gold bracelet when she passed by the garden. It was picked up by the concubine and melted for Chu Shu."
He talked about all the things that happened in those years, all of which were what old Madam Chu, Yiniang, Chu Qi, and Chu Shu did to Chu Hua. It could be said that their faces were completely torn off in front of everyone.
Old Madam Chu and Chu Shu did not dare to shut up the man, so they had to lower their heads and listen.
The man was thirsty and took a sip of tea: "Come, send the old Madam back."
Old Madam Chu said nothing and was obediently taken away by the royal guard.
When she was about to leave, she turned around and brushed away Chu Shu's hand that was supporting her, and asked the attendant who followed her to support her.
Chu Shu's face was slightly pale. She was stunned for a moment before hurrying to catch up.
She was just a concubine's daughter who had a hard time living under the care of her legitimate mother. If it weren't for Grandmother's favoritism and care, who knew if Mrs. Wen would randomly arrange for her to marry a poor scholar? That would ruin her life!
It was okay. Grandmother just couldn't accept so many things in a short time. As long as she said more good things and said some bad things about Chu Hua, she would definitely be able to win people over!
After the group left, a royal guard asked: "Official, if they stay in the Chu Family, would something happen?"
The man frowned slightly: "It's possible, but coming here in a hurry and leaving without taking a rest is more likely to attract attention."
"We have already entered the Chu Family. No matter how carefully we hide and don't appear in front of Miss Chu, whether it’s active or passive, it may be known by it once we leak a flaw,."
"Let me think about what method to use to make them leave more reasonably."
What happened here was passed to the emperor at the fastest speed.
Compared to the fact that the third prince was a remnant of the previous dynasty, the Vice Minister of Court of State Ceremonial cheated on his wife to visit a prostitute, and the second prince couple’s visit to a brothel, what did a seven-year-old bedwetting amount to?
The emperor's appetite had been spoiled. Despite the disgust, he had to read on and then saw the request submitted by the royal guard.
Indeed, old Madam Chu was too partial and Chu Shu looked delicate but was actually scheming.
With the royal guard guarding day and night, the two of them would definitely not harm Chu Hua. Just afraid that if they accidentally or deliberately reveal the system's affairs, even the slightest flaw would ruin his big plan.
The emperor made the final decision: "Isn't she partial to that concubine? Let that concubine be sick."
When the mother is sick, Chu Shu must serve by her side. And old Madam Chu could leave on the grounds of partiality.
It couldn't be any better!
The royal guard arranged it as soon as they received the news, trying to make the logical chain of the whole thing complete and perfect, so lest that Chu Hua’s suspicion be aroused.
The most crucial part must be done by the person Chu Hua trusted the most.
That night, Mrs. Wen came to Qianhuaju: "Hua'er, there is news from below. Right after Chu Shu departed with old Madam, and Liu Yue fell ill. So tomorrow they have to go back to the villa."
As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Hua laughed: "She always pretended to be sick and cheated money by using illness. This time she is really sick."
She didn't hide her gloating at all.
Mrs. Wen's mouth twitched slightly. The emperor wanted her to be sick, how dare she not be sick?
"Will you go to court tomorrow?"
This was what the royal guard requested her to ask, for fear that Chu Hua would ask for leave again tomorrow.
Chu Hua nodded: "Go."
Mrs. Wen left as soon as she got the confirmation, not daring to stay any longer - her daughter was too smart and she was afraid that she would be exposed.
Mrs. Wen just walked out of Qianhuaju and nodded to the royal guard waiting outside. Before she walked far, she heard Chu Hua's voice from inside: [System, help me find out what disease Liu Yue has. ]
System: [Okay! ]
Mrs. Wen: ? ? !
Royal guard: ? ? !
She was so nervous that she was afraid that the system would find out that Liu Yue was pretending to be sick because of the order of the royal guard.
She could be really sick, but the emperor wanted to test the system with this matter.
If it was investigated, it was just pretending to be sick.
If they didn't investigate further because Liu Yue often pretended to be sick, then they would be safe.
If it was found out that it was the emperor's idea and the order from the royal guard, they had prepared a reason in advance: they were afraid that old Madam Chu and Chu Qi would know that Chu Hua went to court for her brother and talked nonsense outside. So it would be safer for them to go back to the manor.
If investigated further and found that they already knew the system, then it would be over.
However, considering Chu Hua's lack of interest in Liu Yue, the system's need for melon energy for everything it checks, and its very stingy use of melon energy, the possibility was very small.
Besides, Liu Yue had a big melon.
The emperor just wanted to know whether the size of this melon could cover their little matter, so as to decide the upper limit of future work.
While Mrs. Wen and the royal guard waited anxiously, the system came back with the melon: [Liu Yue has a sexually transmitted disease, that is, venereal disease. ]
The royal guard breathed a sigh of relief, it was stable!
Chu Hua was shocked: [When did it happen? Is my father okay? And my mother? She is not infected, right? ]
Chu Ping and Mrs. Wen were stunned silly.
The system hurriedly said: [They’re fine. Liu Yue got it when she went to the villa to steal a man this time. After she found out, she secretly went to see a doctor for treatment. She was afraid that your father would find out and didn't dare to come back with the old Madam. ]
After Chu Ping understood, "..."
For a moment, he didn't know whether to breathe a sigh of relief, look at green on his head, or worry about the headache from knowing all the civil and military officials in the court would know that he was cuckolded tomorrow.
Very busy.
Mrs. Wen’s expression was strange and hurried back to her room.
The other people in the Chu Family who heard the noise silently gathered over. It would be a pity not to eat such a big melon!
Even old Madam Chu, who had been lying on the bed tossing and turning and couldn't sleep, got up. Liu Yue stole a man? And got venereal disease? Really? How can such a good person do such a thing?
Chu Shu was embroidering a longevity character in the room, trying to please the old Madam with this. Hearing this, she stabbed a needle into her finger, and blood gushed out.
Her whole face turned pale. Yiniang stole a man! She would definitely be driven out by her father. What should she do? !
When Chu Hua heard that her parents were fine, she was relieved: [Which wild man did she steal? ]
The system was very troubled: [She stole a good few.. How about you listen to me slowly?]
Chu Hua: [Hiss——I feel sorry for my father for a second.]
[Alright, I'm ready, you can tell me.]
Chu Ping: "..." Was this a biological daughter?
System: [Didn't Liu Yue struggle for a few years to have a child? She had consumed a lot of those messy folk prescriptions, pills, and talismans. Poisoned by heavy metals, there’s a smell on her body. She also uses heavy incense to cover it up. Your father has a dog nose and those can't block the smell at all. In addition, the four children in the family were all grown up, so he rarely goes to her room.]
Dog-nosed Chu Ping: "..." Was this the system bound to the biological daughter?
System: [When your father has physiological needs, there’s your mother. Liu Yue is at the age of wolfish and tigerish health. Since no one governs her in the villa, she goes here today and there tomorrow. Seeing more people, her mind becomes active all of a sudden. ]
[On a trip, she went to the woods to relieve herself and met a man who was also relieving himself. The two of them took a fancy to each other and action speaks more loudly than thoughts. In the daytime, going against the moral, outdoor pleasure, and could be discovered at any time; how exciting is that? Later, they arranged a few more meetings. ]
[Later, Liu Yue came into contact with more people. The disease was transmitted from person to person. Now there are many people with STDs, but the incubation period varies. Some people have not yet discovered it. ]
Chu Hua was troubled by the beeping: […Is it necessary to say the second half? ]
The system said as a matter of course: [Yes, because your colleagues are included. ]
Chu Hua immediately became energized: [Who is so unrefined? ]
System: [There people in the six ministries, five temples, various departments, and three external prisons. ]
Chu Hua’s breath hitched: [Hiss——Dasheng only has a few departments in total and she spread it to most of the court by herself. Liu Yue is so astounding! ]
People from the Chu Family: "..."
Royal guard: "..."
Liu Yue was astounding!
Chapter 20
If venereal disease becomes serious, it could kill people.
If most of the court officials really got this disease, it was equivalent to taking away half of the loyal ministers in the court.
Such a big matter happened, the royal guard hurriedly submitted the unfinished report and marked it with the word ‘urgent’.
Lin You saw the word ‘urgent’, read it ten lines at a glance, and immediately went to the palace to see the emperor.
The anxiety and speed made the warrior who exercised with swords and horses every day sweat.
All of a sudden, the emperor was greeted by Lin You's anxious appearance with sweat all over his head and thought that something had happened to Chu Hua, so he hurriedly opened the report.
Seeing that the system found the melon on Liu Yue's body but did not notice the royal guard, the emperor's eyes lit up slightly.
In the future, it was good news to be able to cover the small melon with a big melon so that the system would not notice their tricks!
Seeing that Liu Yue had cheated on Chu Ping so many times, the emperor knew it was wrong, but he still laughed out loud, "This Chu Ping has it too miserable."
Lin You said nothing and lowered his head silently. He would know who was the most miserable later.
Sure enough.
The emperor looked down. His smile disappeared little by little and it was replaced by surging anger.
Was Chu Ping the unfortunate person? It was him!
It was him, the emperor who had half of the court officials suffering from venereal disease and was about to be forced to make a major change in the court!
The report ended here. No matter how the emperor flipped and stared at it, not another word was added. In the end, he could only stare at the word ‘urgent’ above the report with hatred.
Wasn't it urgent? The Dasheng court was about to flip!
"Lin You, go and rush! The royal guard's movements are getting slower and slower!" The emperor was so furious that he drank two cups of tea in a row. The anger was still not gone, so it was natural for him to vent his anger.
"This subordinate complies." Lin You ran very fast.
Gotto be kidding! If he didn't run, he was afraid that the emperor would be so mad that he would lose his dignity and break into a scolding in the imperial study.
Was that what he should listen to?
He was the emperor's confidant, but he was not the only confidant. He didn't have the ability of Chu Hua, who hoped the emperor to be cuckolded every day and still get the royal guard protecting her openly or secretly.
Lin You rode back to the Pacification Division. As soon as he arrived at the door, a royal guard came up to hold his horse and presented the latest report.
The third-rank royal guard commander looked at the papers as if he was looking at the most difficult criminals. He hesitated for a few breaths before reaching out to take them.
It was still death whether he died early or late. Let him see how many unlucky people there were among the civil and military officials in the court.
As a result, when he opened it, "Huh?"
Lin You breathed a sigh of relief, called his men to give a few instructions, and immediately turned back to the palace.
It took at least half an hour to go back and forth. The emperor was still like an angry bird whose eggs had been stolen. Not a single steam was reduced.
Lin You secretly glanced at Chen Jiu, and Chen Jiu shook his head gently, indicating that he had not coaxed him successfully.
Lin You submitted a report: "Your Majesty, it’s not that many."
Emperor:?
The anger stagnated slightly and went into reservation for now. After reading it, he would decide how to deal with those ministers who couldn't control their lower bodies!
System: [What do you mean? There is nothing wrong based on the number in departments alone, but not all people in these departments are infected. What’s more, some are not infected through sexual contact. ]
Hearing its serious explanation, Chu Hua was a little surprised: [I know. ]
[Sexual transmitted diseases are contagious. In addition to sexual contact, there are other ways of transmission. Everyone had different physiques. One or two times may not necessarily result in getting infected. Furthermore, men don't love themselves. More than 90% of women are tied up in the backyard. Officials' wives and concubines are surrounded by people, so they have too few opportunities to have affairs. ]
[Liu Yue's identity destined her to be unable to get in contact with so many court officials. You said she had had affairs with a few men, but obviously no more than ten people participated in the affair, so sexual contact alone could not have spread to this extent. ]
[It should be caused by a combination of factors such as those people taking a bath together, sharing personal belongings, having unhealed wounds on their bodies, lacking awareness of disinfection, and lacking disinfection methods. ]
The cause and effect and the logical chain were quite complete and they have also been verbally recognized by the system.
Seeing this, the emperor was greatly relieved. It was good as long as the whole army was not wiped out.
Otherwise, he would have thought that his court was a gathering place for brothel patrons, which would be too disgusting.
Facts have proved that it was too early to relax.
Chu Hua: [Sexually transmitted diseases aren’t easily cured in modern times and it depends on what type it is. It is even more difficult to cure in ancient times. ]
System: [Yes. ]
The emperor's heart went cold.
Although there was no conclusive evidence, the system's means were obviously beyond the technology that the Dasheng Dynasty could achieve.
They couldn't guess where the system came from and they were also skeptical about the ‘modern’ that Chu Hua frequently mentioned. One thing that could be confirmed at present was that modern things were better than Dasheng.
If modern times couldn't cure sexually transmitted diseases, what would happen to his ministers? Did he really have to replace most of the court?
This imperial examination selected a lot of talents, but those talents had just left the paper talk and had no experience in being officials, so they were not that useful.
System, think of another way! The emperor prayed secretly.
But his prayers had no effect.
System: [By the way, Elder Sister Hua, Liu Yue has another big melon on her body. Do you want to hear it? ]
Chu Hua puzzled: [Why don't you just look at it? ]
The system said embarrassedly: [The melon energy is not enough, hehe. ]
[Generally, small melons only need one to two digit melon energy. Large melons depend on the content, the number of people involved, and the severity; it ranges from three to four digits. Liu Yue's STD melon had already cost 1,300 yuan, and this melon needs 1,800 yuan. The landlord's family really has no surplus food...]
Chu Hua: "..."
[You want me to tell you a few melons, so that you can open new melons after filling up the melon energy?]
System: [Yes, yes. ]
Chu Hua: "..." How long would she need to talk for 1,800 melon energy?
[System, do some questions. ]
System reply immediately: [Good night, Elder Sister Hua, give you a finger heart~]
It was impossible for it to do some questions. It had tasted enough bitterness from the sea of questions, sniff sniff!
The emperor was horrified, "Lin You, how many people were involved in Liu Yue's pretending to be sick? How much difference was there between that and the number of people suffering from venereal disease in the court?"
Lin You: "It didn't mention the specific people who are sick. I have sent the royal guard to bring doctors to check the people related to Liu Yue throughout the night."
Whether it was directly involved in the outdoor pleasure, indirectly in contact with the people who had the wild sex, or because of not paying attention to personal hygiene, public and private items were infected, they must be discovered and treated as soon as possible.
If it was found that some were seriously ill, the emperor could send people to take over the official positions in advance and train people early, so as not to be in a panic when something really happened and affect the daily operation of the entire Dasheng court.
"As soon as possible!" The emperor was uneasy, "It must be as soon as possible!"
He regretted testing the system a little.
What if the big melon mentioned by the system was really what he thought. What if the system could accumulate enough melons one day and Chu Hua wants to know this melon? It would be over!
The emperor couldn't sit still, "No, summon officials of the third rank, no, the fourth rank and above to the palace to discuss matters!"
The fifth rank Chu Ping had to be stopped, otherwise Chu Hua would be curious about why her father wanted to enter the palace at night. Then it might be exposed.
The palace gates had reached closing time. The emperor gave an order and the entire Pacification Division was mobilized. The royal guards went door to door to call people and officials of the fourth rank and above hurriedly got up from bed, changed clothes and entered the palace.
It was too rare to summon people to the palace in the middle of the night. The last time was four years ago when Dasheng was hit by natural disasters.
The officials were uneasy and asked each other for news.
"Is the Beidi attacking?"
"Is there a flood?"
"Or is there an earthquake somewhere?"
"Is there an 800-mile express emergency?"
No one knew what urgent matter had happened and they were all worried.
When they saw the emperor's black face that was longer than a donkey’s, they were even more panicked and didn't know what to do.
Old Grand Mentor: "Your Majesty, what happened?"
Seeing the teacher who was nearly seventy years old and worried, the emperor's expression eased a little and he distributed the report from the Chu Family.
"Go to the side hall after reading it, and let the imperial doctor take a look at you."
Officials: ? ? ?
They subconsciously thought: Could it be that Beidi sent people to poison the officials of Dasheng collectively?
After reading the report, the officials: "..."
It seemed that there was no difference between this and collective poisoning?
The old Grand Preceptor and the old Grand Mentor, who were nearly seventy years old, put down the report and turned to the side hall together.
The emperor had made arrangements, so someone had to take the lead. They were two of the highest ranking ministers and must lead by example.
However, they must say: Liu Yue, she was truly astounding!
She had disturbed the emperor and officials of Dasheng with her own strength.
Once the families of officials know about this, a large number of officials' families would ask doctors to treat venereal disease and the whole capital would be restless.
What a headache.
They both had one leg in the coffin. Why did they have to clean up the mess for these younger generations?
They really wanted to quit.
The old Grand Preceptor and the old Grand Mentor have been enemies for most of their lives and have never agreed on political views. At this moment, they tacitly want to give up.
No, can't let the old man laugh at me! The old Grand Preceptor took off his clothes for the check.
No, can't let the old guy beat me! The old Grand Mentor took off his clothes faster than him.
The Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator : "..." It was not necessary to take off so much.
But two of the three highest ranked officials were almost naked, how could others take less than them?
While they were at it, they could check if these people have other problems, just as to expand the cases in the medical book. It was for their good and also a contribution to the people of Dasheng.
The Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator nodded secretly, don't civil officials and military generals have to keep their innocence in the world? The people in the future would always remember their contribution!
Officials who were asked to strip naked: "..." They suspected that the Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator abused his power for personal gain, and they had evidence!
That night, the officials who entered the palace at midnight did not go back and went to court at the appointed time the next day.
The emperor also stayed up all night with them. Whenever a minister was proven innocent, he would be relieved, otherwise his face would turn black.
After a night, the emperor and the officials were exhausted. They wanted to drag the culprit out and chop him, but they did not dare to hit the grass and alert the snake. The anger from being forced to strip for inspection still remained and each and every one of them were very frustrated.
While they went to court haggardly, Chu Hua, who had returned from leave, was full of energy to eat melons.
Yesterday, the system had already obtained the specific list when eating melons, but it did not find a suitable opportunity to say it. As soon as Chu Hua came to the court today, the system began to point fingers.
[Elder Sister Hua, this person is called Ma Xu; 45 years old this year; affiliated with the Ministry of Rites, and a staunch conservative. Don't think that he always shouts about following the old rules, but he actually plays more wildly than anyone else and is more open to new things than anyone else. ]
[He was recommended by a friend and insisted on trying something different, so he chose beep——, and ended up with beep——]
Chu Hua had no expression on her face: [Thank you system for protecting minors. ]
Otherwise, she would have vomited out the breakfast she had just eaten.
The system said happily: [You're welcome~]
Emperor: "..."
Officials: "..."
Then it should protect them minors who were only a few hundred months older!
Chu Hua couldn't stand those dirty contents, so could they? They were all the same, so they shouldn't be treated differently!
They felt wronged, but they couldn't say it.
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