Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1724 A Romantic!

Looking at the boy kneeling on the ground in front of him, Ye Mingsheng also fell silent.

After confirming that he had not had a relationship with Li Chunxiu, Ye Mingsheng began to wonder who had done it.

Although Ye Mingsheng himself had no impression of Li Chunxiu and was completely unaware that there was a palace maid named Li Chunxiu by his side, according to An Miaoyi, this Li Chunxiu worked in the Imperial Study. Therefore, Ye Mingsheng boldly guessed that Li Chunxiu's lover was most likely someone close to him.

After all, palace maids could not move around freely in the palace. So for most of them, their lives in the palace were generally a straight line between their workplace and their living quarters. The living quarters of palace maids were all occupied by women, so logically they would not have lovers. Therefore, the only place where Li Chunxiu could have contact with her lover was the Imperial Study.

This time, when Ye Mingsheng went south for inspection, most of the guards from the Imperial Study accompanied him. So this afternoon, Ye Mingsheng had Zhang Hu spread the news that Li Chunxiu was pregnant. Ye Mingsheng wanted to see if these young men dared to act and take responsibility!
Ye Mingsheng had several suspects in mind, but he never expected that the person who stepped forward in the end would be Ye Qingfeng, the most honest boy on weekdays. This was completely unexpected for Ye Mingsheng. Thinking of this, he asked:
"So it was you who got together with Li Chunxiu?"

Upon hearing Ye Mingsheng's question, Ye Qingfeng, who was kneeling on the ground, nodded and said:

"Yes!"

After finishing, Ye Qingfeng suddenly became agitated, repeatedly banging his head on the ground while saying:
"Your Majesty, please spare Chunxiu's life. All the mistakes are mine, and Qingfeng is willing to atone with his death!"

Ye Mingsheng looked at Ye Qingfeng, who was kowtowing repeatedly until his forehead was bleeding, and said calmly:

"Don't rush me, tell me how you two got together!"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng ask this, Ye Qingfeng was a little shy, but after organizing his thoughts, he said:

"Chunxiu is the hardest working and kindest among the palace maids in the Imperial Study. The male guards all laugh at me for being honest and dull, and for not knowing how to please women. Only Chunxiu thinks I am good, sincere and without many tricks. She also said that I will definitely find a suitable wife!"

At this point, Ye Qingfeng became even more shy, hesitated for a moment, and then stammered:

"So I fell in love with Chunxiu and wanted her to be my wife, but she was a palace maid and I was a guard, so I didn't dare to express my feelings to her!"

“Until January of this year, her winter clothes were still wet from washing, so she had to come to the Imperial Study to work in her summer clothes. I felt bad seeing her shivering from the cold, so I offered her my clothes, but Chunxiu refused.”

"She walked back to her residence alone in the swirling snow. I was worried about her, so I stayed behind her. When we got to the edge of the Imperial Garden, Chunxiu slipped and fell on the ice. I couldn't help but rush over. I don't know what came over me at that moment, but I confessed my feelings to Chunxiu. I told her I liked her..."

Ye Qingfeng paused at this point, and Ye Mingsheng then spoke up:

"So, you two just got together like that?"

Ye Qingfeng scratched his head and said:
"No, Chunxiu was very flustered when she heard my confession. She told me that she didn't hear anything and told me not to overthink it, and then she ran back to her residence!"

"She rejected you, so how did you two get together?"

"Chunxiu caught a cold in the snowstorm and fell seriously ill. She was granted sick leave by the supervising nanny, Granny Sun, and was allowed to rest at her residence. When I wasn't on duty in the Imperial Study, I would secretly go to see her. At first, Chunxiu was very flustered, but gradually she accepted me, and later we got together!"

Speaking of this, Ye Qingfeng seemed to recall the little things between the two of them, and a hint of sweetness appeared on his shy face.

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng sighed inwardly. In fact, besides the fact that the two of them had secretly conceived, Ye Qingfeng and Li Chunxiu had made another big mistake: impersonating the imperial heir!

Although Ye Mingsheng could understand that Li Chunxiu did this in order to survive, after all, if she hadn't said that the child in her womb was his, she probably would have been beaten to death along with the child long ago and wouldn't be alive now, understanding was one thing and wrong was another.

Feudal dynasties like the Great Qian Dynasty relied on blood relations for continuation and succession, so impersonating a royal heir was a very serious matter!
Legally speaking, adultery in the palace and impersonating a royal heir are both capital offenses, and combined, the outcome would be utterly certain death. However, to ask Ye Mingsheng to personally order the execution of Li Chunxiu and her unborn child was, frankly, a difficult task for him…
Regardless of whether the child is innocent or not, Li Chunxiu didn't actually commit any major mistakes, nor did she threaten her own status or position.

Ye Mingsheng's values ​​have always been to be ruthless towards enemies, but he didn't want to be so cruel and ruthless towards Li Chunxiu, who posed no threat to him. Although he had ordered the execution of many people, he was never a bloodthirsty person, much less a murderous devil!
So Ye Mingsheng's original idea was to find Li Chunxiu's lover, kill the scoundrel, and then send Li Chunxiu to a remote and impoverished area to fend for themselves.

However, Ye Mingsheng never expected that Li Chunxiu's lover would be Ye Qingfeng!

Ye Mingsheng's imperial guards are divided into two types. The first type consists of martial arts masters like Zhang Hu, who are responsible for most of the protection work. The second type consists of members of the imperial family and relatives of the emperor. Their presence carries a political connotation, signifying Ye Mingsheng's trust in their families.

The fact that Ye Qingfeng's surname is Ye indicates that he is a member of the Ye clan. In terms of blood relations, he is Ye Mingsheng's nephew. If that were all, Ye Mingsheng would not hesitate. But the key point is that Ye Qingfeng is a young man that Ye Mingsheng has high hopes for!

Although Ye Qingfeng appears honest and simple on the surface, he is actually very meticulous and eager to learn. He also has good moral character. Although the guards of the Ye clan around Ye Mingsheng look obedient and respectable, Ye Mingsheng knows very well what kind of people they are behind the scenes!
He was a scoundrel, indulging in all sorts of vices, including drinking, gambling, and whoring. He also considered himself a member of the Ye clan, a member of royalty, and was arrogant and disdainful of everyone. It was as if he had "Heaven is number one, Earth is number two, and I am number three" etched on his face.
Although Ye Qingfeng was also a member of the Ye clan, he did not have these flaws. He was humble and polite, and usually kept a low profile. Ye Mingsheng had seen all of these things, so he intended to cultivate him and make him a pillar of the Great Qian Dynasty. However, he never expected that this kid, who was usually quiet, would secretly pull off such a big scheme.

At this moment, Ye Qingfeng also snapped out of his sweet memories. Kneeling on the ground, he looked at Ye Mingsheng and pleaded:

"Please, Your Majesty, spare Chunxiu! She is innocent. It's all my fault. If you must kill me, then kill me!"

Hearing this, Ye Mingsheng raised an eyebrow and said in a deep voice:
"Are you truly seeking death?" "If Your Majesty can spare Chunxiu, Qingfeng is willing to atone with his death!"

Seeing the determination in Ye Qingfeng's eyes, Ye Mingsheng found a short knife and threw it to him, saying:
"Let's get started now!"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng's words, Ye Qingfeng drew his short knife. Looking at the gleaming blade, this young man, who had just turned twenty, did not hesitate at all before stabbing it into his own heart.

Just as the dagger was about to pierce his skin, Ye Mingsheng snatched it away. Ye Qingfeng, who had been prepared to die, looked at Ye Mingsheng in front of him with some surprise.

Meeting Ye Qingfeng's gaze, Ye Mingsheng said in a deep voice with some emotion:
"You're quite the romantic, aren't you...?"

After saying this, Ye Mingsheng gave his distant nephew a deep look, then said coldly:
"Although you have committed a capital crime, letting you commit suicide like this is far too lenient on you!"

"Go to Yunnan and Guizhou! You'll be sent to the most difficult region, where you'll carry out the most dangerous missions incognito. If you survive for more than ten years, I'll grant your wish!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingfeng was first taken aback, then instantly overjoyed. He knew this was Ye Mingsheng giving him a glimmer of hope, and immediately replied:

"Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty. Qingfeng will certainly serve the court well!"

"No need to thank me! We'll talk about it after you survive!"

"get out!"

Upon hearing Ye Mingsheng's words, Ye Qingfeng immediately bowed and left the room.

After he left, Ye Mingsheng also sheathed his short sword. He was somewhat emotional. Having seen how the younger generation of the Ye family indulged in pleasure, he really did not expect that there would still be such a romantic among the young people of the Ye family, willing to sacrifice his life for a woman.

Moved by Ye Qingfeng's devotion and for his lenient treatment of Ye Qingfeng's voluntary confession, Ye Mingsheng gave him a glimmer of hope.

Just as Ye Mingsheng said, he would be sent to the most arduous places, hiding his identity to carry out the most dangerous missions, fighting in the mountains and miasma. Whether he could survive for ten years would depend on his own fate. According to military experience, only about half of the soldiers who carried out these missions survived each year. So if Ye Qingfeng could really survive for ten years, it would be a blessing from God. If God really let him survive and wanted them to be together in the end, Ye Mingsheng would not break his promise and defy the will of Heaven!
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng called Zhang Hu in and gave him instructions:

"Send a few people back to Yijing and take Li Chunxiu away!"

"Where is His Majesty taking him?"

Ye Mingsheng pondered for a moment and then said:
"She's still pregnant, so it's not good to take her too far. Here's what we'll do: have someone take her away from Yijing first, find a small village to stay in, and after she gives birth, send her and the baby to Yongliang!"

Zhang Hu nodded upon hearing this, but then, as if he had just thought of something, he asked:
"Your Majesty, how should we answer if the Empress asks?"

Why should I answer?

Ye Mingsheng's question left Zhang Hu somewhat bewildered. Seeing his expression, Ye Mingsheng simply said:
"You don't need to say anything, just do as I say and take the person away!"

"Yes!"

After Zhang Hu left, Ye Mingsheng shook his head. An Miaoyi's prestige in the palace was growing higher and higher. Zhang Hu had to consider how to give her an explanation!

But the question is, why should Ye Mingsheng give her an explanation?

Ye Mingsheng is the emperor, and out of respect, he will give his wives some benefits and consider their opinions. However, this does not mean that Ye Mingsheng has to consider their attitudes in everything. If Ye Mingsheng wants to, he can completely disregard other people's thoughts.

As far as Ye Mingsheng was concerned, he wanted to let them off the hook. He never needed to acknowledge the child; that was something only a fool would do, not something an emperor should do!
Ye Mingsheng believed that, on the surface, the matter had come to an end under his handling, but he felt it necessary to consider some deeper issues…
For example, regarding the management of palace maids, these palace maids were basically bought into the palace when they were fifteen or sixteen years old. Under normal circumstances, they would serve in the palace for about twenty years. When they got older, some of them would become nannies, and most of the rest would be released and leave the palace.

Ye Mingsheng had previously felt that this practice was somewhat inhumane. First of all, these palace maids were considered part of the palace's property, which meant that they could not have their own emotional lives in the palace. For these young girls in the prime of their youth, this was too cruel. Their entire youth could only be wasted within the high walls of the palace.

When these palace maids grew old and left the palace, they were childless and helpless, with only a meager severance pay. Having spent so much time in the palace, they were also disconnected from normal life, so most of the palace maids' lives after leaving the palace were very miserable.

Ye Mingsheng felt it was time to change all of this!

Ye Mingsheng felt that a mechanism for leaving the palace should be established. He hadn't thought about it in too much detail yet, but his general idea was to allow palace maids to leave the palace by redeeming themselves.

For example, the palace would give these palace maids a monthly allowance. After working in the palace for several years, the palace maids could redeem their freedom for a certain price and leave the palace to seek their own happiness and life.

Ye Mingsheng felt that this would effectively alleviate the emotional needs of the palace maids. As the old saying goes, which young girl doesn't yearn for love? It would be difficult to solve the problem by simply using the threat of beating to death.