Chapter 96

In the Emperor's words: "Isn't his name Li Guitian? Then I'll just let him roll back to farm the land."

Return to the fields, return to the fields... you were ultimately destined to be a farmer!

Li Guitian's miserable life after being banished from the palace is a story for another time. In any case, Imperial Chef Gao welcomed his second spring.

At the mere age of twenty-five, by the Emperor's personal decree and the Imperial Household Department's announcement, he was appointed as the Head of the Imperial Kitchen.

Before leaving Hexi Palace, the Xuanwu Emperor specifically said to Jiang Xinyue: "My beloved, after much consideration, I still think your confinement order should be extended for some time. The news of your pregnancy cannot be revealed too quickly. I think... the Empress Dowager has many misunderstandings about you. After your month of confinement is over, you can visit the Empress Dowager at Kunning Palace to clear up her misunderstandings about you."

Fine!

Let her go and provoke that old woman, angering her enough to confine her for another three to five months, is that it?

The Emperor speaks in such a roundabout way that without some ability to interpret, one truly wouldn't understand what he's saying.

Since he was being so considerate of her, and to protect the child in her belly, Jiang Xinyue was willing to give it a try: "Whatever Your Majesty says is what shall be done. This concubine wouldn't dare to disobey."

Seeing that she understood, the Xuanwu Emperor kissed her forehead again: "My beloved, take good care of yourself and the baby. I will come to see you every day. When you give birth to the little prince, I will bestow upon you the title of Consort. The Imperial Astronomer says there won't be a severe heat wave this summer, otherwise I would have taken you to the summer palace to escape the heat."

This way, she wouldn't need to be confined. After all, it would be enough to keep the imperial concubines and the Empress Dowager who threatened Concubine Zhen in the palace.

"Your Majesty can bear it, but the Empress Dowager and the others might not. Actually, if this concubine weren't pregnant, I would have loved to experience the year-round spring climate at the Qinzhou Imperial Villa!"

The Emperor, suddenly enlightened, straightened his posture: Indeed! If Concubine Zhen couldn't go, why not send the Empress Dowager, Consort Shu, Consort Jin, Noble Consort Ye, and the others all to Qinzhou? When Concubine Zhen's pregnancy reached four months and was as stable as could be, they could bring them all back, couldn't they?

"But..."

The Xuanwu Emperor continued: "In that case, I need to think of a way to stay behind."

Jiang Xinyue pushed him away: "Your Majesty should return to the study! Empress Zhu is still waiting outside! This concubine dares not make her wait too long."

The Emperor felt a bit jealous, thinking: She doesn't dare to keep the Empress waiting too long, but she dares to push me out.

Empress Zhu's head was splitting from the crying of this "foolish woman" trapped in the emperor's love, but she took her words to heart.

Was it because the Emperor suspected that Consort Shu had been unfaithful that he kept the Jin Family Young Master in the palace?

If that were true, the Emperor must have left people to monitor the two of them.

Empress Zhu was overjoyed internally, but didn't show it. Instead, she perfunctorily comforted Jiang Xinyue with a few words before hurriedly leaving with Fen Yun.

The Jin Family Young Master must remain in the palace!

Keeping this secret weapon here could one day lead to Consort Shu's demise and severely damage Noble Consort Li - killing two birds with one stone. She would have to discuss this thoroughly with the Zhu family.

As soon as the Empress's entourage left, Jiang Xinyue stretched lazily. In the blink of an eye, only coldness remained in her eyes.

With just a few words, she had set the three most troublesome women in the harem - the Empress, Noble Consort Li, and Consort Shu - at each other's throats. Jiang Xinyue was truly one of a kind in the Great Yan harem.

The Emperor's plan for a summer retreat ultimately didn't come to fruition, because the very next day, a memorial from Qinzhou arrived on the Emperor's desk.

Local officials in Qinzhou had been accepting bribes and selling positions at the Emperor's villa. Any family that offered gold and silver to the local government could send a beautiful woman to the villa, and they would even be arranged to stay in Jiuzhou Hall where the Emperor resided.

Many wealthy merchants had also given gold and silver, just to buy a spot to dine and enjoy performances with the Emperor.

It was said that these merchants had already hired painters, determined to create a painting of themselves in the same frame as the Xuanwu Emperor, to hang in their homes as a display of their status.

These merchants were no fools, spending a fortune just to be in the same picture as the Xuanwu Emperor.

They had calculated everything very carefully!

Holding portraits featuring themselves alongside the emperor, neither cooperating merchants nor officials dared to give them much trouble, fearing they might have powerful backing. This made earning money much easier for them.

The Xuanwu Emperor flew into a rage at being treated like an object, a tool for online swindling, and a commodity to be sold to the highest bidder. He lashed out at several officials from the Song Family faction in court for days.

The reason was simple: the local official in Qinzhou who had been selling the emperor's image as a commodity was a protégé recommended by the Song Family.

Moreover, the person who reported this official was his own advisor, who, as it happened, had close ties to Jiang Xinyue's adoptive father.