Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 227 The Warm Fragrance Lingers
"His Majesty?"

Seeing the emperor staring at her in a daze, Tuya unconsciously held her breath and bowed slightly.

"Do you have any instructions for me?"

The incense burner in Hanzhang Hall was burning extremely brightly, and the blue smoke coiled around the beams and pillars like a snake.

Princess Tuya knelt on a Persian carpet, her golden beads pressing against her veil and swaying gently.

Emperor Chongzhao stared intently at the jade-colored skin of her neck, which was faintly visible through the light.

"When the Holy Maiden was cultivating on Mount Ulan, did she learn the art of divination?"

Tuya's fingertips curled slightly at the hem of her skirt as she lowered her eyes.

"Your Majesty, I have only studied sacrificial dances and medicine."

"Oh?" The emperor suddenly leaned down and lifted her thin, misty veil, meeting her beautiful, shimmering eyes.

"No wonder you knew so much about snakeberry poison that day in Qinghui Palace."

A chill crept up her spine, and Tuya felt a sour, uncomfortable sensation rise in her throat, her palms becoming damp with sweat.

She desperately wanted to push the emperor away...

In a daze, I saw the prayer flags of Mount Ulan again, fluttering in the wind and snow, and the vast, desolate desert shimmering with dazzling light under the scorching sun...

She took a small breath, suppressing the bitterness in her throat, and her voice flowed like a clear spring.

"Your Majesty... the medicinal scriptures of the Holy Mountain record snakeberry poison, and when I was young... I also saw the High Priest testing the medicine..."

Emperor Chongzhao nodded, then suddenly changed the subject.

"What are the saintess's hobbies and what does she do in her spare time?"

Tuya said softly, "Your Majesty, I was born to be a tribute to the Emperor of Liang. My heartbeat, my breath, even my gaze should be dedicated to pleasing the Emperor of Liang..."

"He's a wonderful man."

Emperor Chongzhao suddenly straightened up, sat down on the wooden couch in a great mood, his eyes full of smiles.

"I have been busy with state affairs these days and have not had time to bestow honors upon you. After the mourning period for the Imperial Concubine is over, I will issue an edict to confer honors upon you, shall I?"

Princess Tuya kowtowed in greeting, her silver veil draped over the Persian carpet.

"It's all up to His Majesty."

Emperor Chongzhao suddenly chuckled, his fingertips stroking the jade ruyi on the table.

"Let me think about it and decide what title I should give you..."

Tuya lowered her eyes, looking as if she were shy.

Emperor Chongzhao suddenly noticed the silver bell on Tuya's wrist, and his smile deepened.

"How about bestowing upon you the title of Zhaoyi? I will also grant you the courtesy name Jing, which means 'a quiet and beautiful woman, with an ethereal and otherworldly appearance,' which can match the saintly lady's character..."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!"

Tuya's eyes flickered slightly, and the silver bells jingled as she prostrated herself on the ground.

Seeing her obedient demeanor, Emperor Chongzhao asked again, "Do you feel that the position of Zhaoyi is beneath you?"

"Your Majesty is too kind to me!" Tuya kowtowed again. "I came here to pray for the Holy Mountain, and to be able to enter the palace of the Great Liang is already a blessing from heaven. The position of Zhaoyi is incomparably noble, and I am filled with trepidation. The High Priest warned me that the Emperor's favor is a double-edged sword hanging over my neck, a blessing and a curse. The greater the favor, the greater the risk. I dare not overstep my bounds in the slightest..."

"Hahahaha!" Emperor Chongzhao was very pleased, stroking his beard and laughing.

"With me protecting you, who dares to speak ill of you?"

The candlelight in the hall flickered.

Tuya's hair was half-tied up, her fair wrists were like frost, and her slender waist was slightly bent. She and her maids knelt on either side of her, devoutly serving the emperor. The silver bells on her wrists jingled softly from time to time, like melting snow on the Tianshan Mountains. Every movement was light and graceful, yet it also exuded a unique ethereal quality...

Emperor Chongzhao felt a little itchy inside.

There is a beautiful woman, with ethereal beauty and jade-like complexion.

He beckoned, indicating that Ya would sit closer.

"I vaguely recall that on a spring night the year Consort Xiao entered the palace, she was just like you, kneeling before the wooden table, presenting me with grapes from the Western Regions wrapped in a piece of snow-white satin..."

He suddenly sighed.

"In the blink of an eye, more than twenty years have passed, and this person has passed away."

Tuya asked, "Has the truth about the Imperial Concubine's case not yet been revealed?"

Emperor Chongzhao shook his head, his brows furrowing.

Tuya peeled a grape with her fair fingers, whispering seemingly casually, "These past two days, I've heard some gossip, saying that Princess Ping Le is secretly associating with Xiz merchants..."

"Absolutely impossible." Emperor Chongzhao dismissed the idea with a flick of his sleeve, his eyes filled with certainty. "Ping Le has been raised by me since she was an infant. Although she is mischievous, obsessed with rare and exotic objects, and enjoys associating with heroes of the martial world, she is not inherently bad and has a basic sense of propriety. No matter how outrageous she is, she wouldn't dare to commit treason... Moreover, the Imperial Concubine is her birth mother; blood is thicker than water. How could she bear to harm her..."

Princess Tuya remained silent, bowing her head and stroking the plain white handkerchief.

"Women are born with a clear mind, but they struggle with the word 'love'."

This means that even the most clear-headed person can lose their sense of direction when caught up in emotions... Emperor Chongzhao paused, staring intently at her.

"And to whom does the saintess's heart belong?"

Tuya looked up.

Looking into the emperor's burning eyes, her fingertips trembled slightly.

These days, everyone in the court and the public says that she is the most favored concubine in the harem. In fact, every time Emperor Chongzhao comes over, he just talks to her, enjoys tea and discusses philosophy, and does not serve her in bed.

The holy maiden of Ulan Snow Mountain, bearing a divine decree, was incredibly pure. On the day she entered the palace, she declared that even in death, she would rather die than serve the emperor nameless and without status, without a wedding ceremony or a golden edict...

Perhaps because the emperor so easily obtained effusive beauties, he showed more tolerance and patience towards this woman who was so difficult to obtain...

Even if he did nothing, he would come to Hanzhang Hall every day to listen to her talk about the anecdotes of the sacred mountain and the secret techniques of prayer, which would calm him down considerably.

However, Consort Xiao was buried with the rites due to a secondary empress, and the mourning period in the palace lasted for three months.

In that instant, Emperor Chongzhao felt that the three-month period had become incredibly long...
-
When Emperor Chongzhao came out of Hanzhang Hall, dusk had already fallen.

The palace lanterns flickered in the evening breeze, reflecting golden light onto the glazed tiles.

He suddenly stopped and gave instructions to Wang Chengxi.

"Summon the Director of the Imperial Observatory to the Imperial Study immediately to report on matters."

Wang Chengxi bowed and said, "Yes."

Half an hour later, Liu Shouzhen, the director of the Imperial Observatory, entered the room with small, hurried steps, braving the fog formed by the night dew, and knelt down tremblingly.

"Your subject Liu Shouzhen pays his respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well."

Seated behind his desk, he asked, "How are the matters I entrusted to you progressing?"

Supervisor Liu was an old official with graying temples, a white beard, and a face full of wrinkles. When he got nervous, he started to stammer.

"Your Majesty, Miss Guo belongs to the Earth element, and His Highness the Crown Prince belongs to the Fire element, which is a perfect match of 'Fire and Earth generating each other.' In terms of their birth charts, the year pillar is Bingyin meeting Wuxu, and the month pillar is Dingmao meeting Jiwei, which complement each other, indicating that they will bring prosperity to their husbands and children. They are a very good match. However..."

He paused, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"His Highness the Crown Prince once secretly instructed this old minister that he dreamt of the Black Tortoise holding a candle. This omen is a sign that the Red Phoenix Star is moving and harbors evil, which may lead to unforeseen changes. It is truly an ominous sign."

"Hmph!" Emperor Chongzhao slammed his fist on the imperial desk and glanced sideways at the hunched old minister.

"Don't you know what he's thinking? Every time we discuss marriage, he brings up celestial phenomena and dreams, but when has it ever come true? Bargaining with me is nothing more than his rebellious nature; he wants to control his own marriage!"

Liu Jianzheng's lips trembled, his forehead twitched twice, and his old face showed embarrassment.

"Your Majesty is wise! Marriage requires mutual affection... If the Crown Prince harbors resentment, it may damage harmony. A forced marriage will not be sweet."

Emperor Chongzhao gave a heavy snort.

"The melon patch is almost overgrown with weeds, how can I let him be so picky?"

Liu Jianzheng prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed: "Your Majesty is wise."

Emperor Chongzhao said, "Go and inform Empress Ming immediately that the two of them are compatible according to their birth dates, which indicates a harmonious marriage and many children. They are a match made in heaven."

Liu Jianzheng replied in a trembling voice, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Emperor Chongzhao gestured to Wang Chengxi to bring a piece of yellow silk with dragon patterns. He then dipped a wolf-hair brush in cinnabar and wrote bold and vigorous characters on the silk.

He suddenly stopped writing when he came to the part about a match made in heaven.

The wind was strong in late autumn, rustling across the glazed tiles.

For some reason, he suddenly remembered the inkstone that Li Zhao had overturned in the imperial study when he was young, which had left the entire rosewood desk covered in mottled ink stains.

At that time, Li Zhao was raised by the late emperor in the imperial court. He was the most intelligent and lovable child in the palace. He would carve marks on the imperial desk with a knife and braid the tassels of the late emperor's crown into pigtails. He was extremely mischievous.

That day, he used ink to stain the late emperor's newly written imperial edict black, and drew a dozing tiger at the bottom of the page...

The late emperor not only didn't blame him, but also laughed heartily and said:
"The Crown Prince possesses the grand vision to paint the landscape with ink, which is truly a great fortune for the nation..."

Over the years, he has transformed from a pampered and spoiled grandson of the emperor…

From the universally hated, eccentric, and rebellious crown prince...

I'm afraid he harbors deep resentment towards his father, the emperor...

Especially now, with the border wars raging, internal and external troubles looming, and the shadow of the old mausoleum looming over him, he suddenly couldn't tell which of his two sons was the one holding the pieces and which was the one playing the game.

Perhaps it's time to give them a push...

As a prince, he had to make a decision between love and power.

"Issue my imperial edict!"

Emperor Chongzhao suddenly threw down his brush, and the cinnabar on the yellow silk spread.

"The Crown Prince's marriage should be decided as soon as possible. Lady Guo is gentle, wise, virtuous, and upright, making her a suitable match for the Crown Prince. The Imperial Observatory is hereby ordered to select an auspicious day, and the Ministry of Rites is to expedite the betrothal and name-asking ceremonies..."

He paused, then looked up and gave Liu Shouzhen some instructions.

"The Imperial Astronomical Bureau should choose an auspicious day after the mourning period for Consort Xiao has ended!"