Huangming

Chapter 228 The Emperor's Will Goes Alone, the Celestial Master Disobeys Orders

April 20th, the first year of the Tianqi reign.

Before dawn, the sounds of eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial waking up could already be heard outside the palace:

"As dawn approaches, may Your Majesty be well."

Zhu Youxiao slowly opened his eyes. He felt a soft, bouncy touch in his palm, like kneading a lump of fine mutton fat jade, or like a freshly steamed white steamed bun, delicate and smooth, making one want to squeeze it a few more times.

"Um"

A soft, suppressed moan rang in my ears, tinged with a hint of coquettishness and shyness.

Zhu Youxiao lowered his eyes and saw the beauty in his arms with her hair disheveled, her snow-white cheeks flushed, and her almond-shaped eyes shimmering with affection, shyly avoiding his gaze.

Last night, Yu Peizhen, who had been completely honest with him, was now curled up like a cat. The brocade quilt half-covered her exquisite figure, but could not hide the red spots on her collarbone.

That was the mark left by the Emperor last night.

As for the white flour steamed buns...
"cough."

Zhu Youxiao withdrew his hand without changing his expression, but the warm and soft touch of that jade still lingered on his fingertips.

"Has the beauty awakened?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Peizhen's ears turned bright red, and she unconsciously bit her lower lip, leaving a row of shallow teeth marks on her lips.

She buried half her face in the brocade quilt, revealing only a pair of wet eyes. Her eyes seemed to be both angry and shy, and a few strands of her hair were still tangled in the emperor's fingers, as if trying to escape but not quite, just like her thoughts at this moment.

"His Majesty."

The call was extremely soft, like a feather brushing against the heart, with a hint of lazy, hoarse huskiness at the end.

She secretly pulled the quilt up by her fingertips, but as the quilt slipped down, it revealed a section of her smooth, alabaster-like neck and shoulders, which, along with the red marks, made her appear even more alluring and sensual.

Zhu Youxiao's eyes darkened slightly. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingertips lightly brushing against her burning earlobe. He chuckled softly.

"Weren't you quite bold last night? Why are you so shy now that it's light?"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty"

Yu Peizhen, who was flustered like a startled little white rabbit, had actually already woken up.

At that time, the emperor was still asleep.

She dared not move, and even her breathing was extremely soft, for fear of disturbing the emperor's peaceful sleep.

Her body beneath the brocade quilt pressed against the emperor's skin, the warm touch sending shivers down her spine. The lingering afterglow of last night's passionate encounter seemed to still resonate throughout her body, a tingling numbness lingering.

The sweeter it was, the more uneasy a feeling welled up inside me.

The Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty record:
When a concubine is favored by the emperor, the time limit is two hours. After the service, she must return to her own palace and is not allowed to stay overnight at the Qianqing Palace.
This is a rule set by the founding emperor, and few have dared to break it in the past two hundred years.

But last night...
Zhu Youxiao not only kept her until midnight, but also let her rest on the dragon bed until dawn.

This is an overreach.

Yu Peizhen's eyelashes trembled slightly, her thoughts in turmoil:

His Majesty made an exception for her; this favor was enough to make the entire harem take notice.
This is both a good thing and a bad thing.

She could almost see the impeachments in the memorials submitted by officials from outside the capital, accusing her of "bewitching the emperor and disrupting ancestral rules."

Yu Peizhen recalled her father's admonition: "The emperor's favor is a blessing in disguise, and misfortune may lurk within it. Never become arrogant because of this favor, or you will leave behind a bad reputation."

Thinking of this, the girl unconsciously clenched the brocade quilt, leaving red marks on her palms.

She both cherished this warmth and feared becoming a burden to the king.

"What are you thinking about?"

A deep voice suddenly came from above her head, and Zhu Youxiao looked at her with a half-smile.

Yu Peizhen hurriedly sat up, her long black hair cascading down her back: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty was thinking."

She clutched the corner of the blanket, her fingertips trembling slightly. After hesitating for a long time, she finally mustered up her courage and said softly, "Your Majesty... the Imperial Ancestral Instructions stipulate that concubines are not allowed to stay overnight in the Qianqing Palace. Your Majesty's mercy is already a great favor, but if the officials gossip because of this and say that Your Majesty has violated the ancestral rules... I really cannot bear the consequences."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youxiao chuckled, pinched her chin, and kissed her lips heavily. Then he pulled her into his arms and said nonchalantly, "I am the emperor. I can sleep with whomever I want. Who dares to say a word?"

Yu Peizhen felt a surge of warmth in her heart, and her whole body felt dizzy, as if she had been filled with honey.

She never imagined that she would receive such favor from the emperor in the depths of the palace.

"His Majesty……"

Her voice trembled, her eyes reddened, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is overwhelmed with gratitude."

Zhu Youxiao reached out and wiped away her tears, teasing her with a smile: "What are you afraid of? If you give me more princes in the future, that will be your achievement."

Yu Peizhen blushed deeply and buried her face in his arms, her voice barely audible: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty will try your best!"

Zhu Youxiao was immersed in the tenderness of the moment, and a rare feeling of warmth at home welled up in his heart.

Otherwise, in this deep palace, matters between men and women would be nothing but cold, rigid rules.

After serving the emperor, the concubines were immediately sent away, as if he were nothing more than a tool to fulfill the task of producing royal offspring.

Every intimate encounter felt like a routine; every relationship degenerated into an exchange of interests.

Even as an emperor, burdened with the responsibility of continuing the bloodline, he still yearned for a touch of human warmth, rather than becoming a puppet driven by the system.

He was the emperor, not a real womanizer.

However, a moment later, Zhu Youxiao became somewhat self-deprecating.

Perhaps, for an emperor like him, such emotions were still a luxury.

Because he was inherently heartless.

now.

Zhu Youxiao's fingers unconsciously entwined around a strand of Yu Peizhen's hair, but his gaze had already pierced through the layers of curtains, looking towards the unknown court. Romantic feelings were quickly forgotten by Zhu Youxiao.

Will today's memorial include a "Memorial Requesting Caution in Palace Affairs"?
This thought lingered in his mind, like a hawk circling in the sky.

I stayed overnight at Pei-zhen's place last night, partly out of craving her tenderness, and partly out of...
A carefully designed test.

If an official were to submit a memorial to the throne.

This proves that there were still spies of those civil officials in the Qianqing Palace.

This proves that the eunuchs and palace maids in the Qianqing Palace still needed to be cleaned.

"His Majesty."

Yu Peizhen's timid call pulled him back to reality.

The girl's eyes were glistening with tears as she was still lost in Zhu Youxiao's sweet words, completely unaware that she had become a pawn in the emperor's game.

Zhu Youxiao curled his lips into a smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

This man's heart has always been filled with nothing but power and intrigue. At this moment, Zhu Youxiao was thinking:
If an emperor cannot even control the inner court, how can he possibly govern the outer court?
Let's see if my recent purge of the harem was thorough enough!

"As dawn approaches, may Your Majesty be well."

The high-pitched voice of the eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs pierced through the heavy curtains; this was the second time he had been awakened this morning.

Inside the bedchamber, the morning light had already filtered through the crimson gauze window, casting dappled shadows in front of the dragon bed.

"I'm in peace!"

The emperor's powerful response immediately set the area outside the palace bustling with activity.

Zhu Youxiao lifted the brocade quilt and got up, and the palace servants who had been waiting behind the screen filed in.

Twelve palace maids, carrying golden basins, jade belts, court hats, and other items, skillfully helped the emperor change his clothes.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the emperor, who was previously completely naked, was now fully dressed:

The gold-embroidered dragon on the bright yellow casual clothes shone brightly in the morning light.

The four seal characters "敬天法祖" (Respect Heaven and Follow Ancestors) are clearly visible on the mutton-fat jade belt buckle.

Beneath the black gauze hat and winged hat, his face exuded an imposing presence without anger.

After Zhu Youxiao strode out of the sleeping quarters, Yu Peizhen got up and, with the help of the palace servants, put on her palace clothes.

Outside the sleeping quarters.

Wei Chao was already kneeling and waiting below the steps.

The fat eunuch's face was all wrinkled from smiling, and the beads of sweat on his forehead glistened in the morning sun as he kowtowed.

"This servant, Wei Chao, respectfully wishes Your Majesty good health!"

The fawning tone revealed an undisguised joy.

Last night, the emperor made an exception and allowed the beauty to stay overnight, which made him feel as if his status in the inner court was about to rise again and become as stable as Mount Tai. He was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night.

"No gift."

Zhu Youxiao waved his hand casually and stepped into the side hall.

Huang Hua had already led the eunuchs of the Imperial Kitchen to prepare breakfast: a dish of candied fruit with golden threads, two bowls of bird's nest soup, and several seasonal side dishes, all neatly arranged on the rosewood table.

Just as Wei Chao picked up a piece of candied fruit with his ivory chopsticks, he stepped forward to report:
"Your Majesty, the Minister of Revenue is already waiting in the office of the Nine Ministers."

The fat eunuch glanced outside the hall out of the corner of his eye and then lowered his voice to say, "Commander Luo of the Embroidered Uniform Guard has also arrived and is listening to the summons under the eaves."

Zhu Youxiao slowly swallowed the candied fruit, his fingertips lightly tapping the rim of the blue-and-white porcelain bowl:
"Send the message to Luo Sigong first."

"This servant will go and inform them immediately!"

A moment later, steady footsteps sounded outside the hall.

Luo Sigong was dressed in a royal robe with long sleeves embroidered with flying fish, the gold-embroidered flying fish shimmering in the sunlight.

When the commander of the Imperial Guards entered the palace, the corner of his robe remained perfectly still, demonstrating his deep understanding of court etiquette.

Upon taking three steps before the Emperor, Luo Sigong suddenly knelt down:

"Your Majesty, I, Luo Sigong, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, respectfully wish Your Majesty good health!"

Seeing that the emperor did not speak, Luo Sigong quickly took out the memorial box.

"A secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard today is submitted for Your Majesty's perusal."

Luo Sigong held a sealed box of memorials with wax in both hands. Wei Chao quickly stepped forward to take it, skillfully used a silver knife to break the wax seal, and presented the silk-bound memorials to the emperor's desk.

Zhu Youxiao opened the contents of the secret report.

Official movements, the situation in Liaodong, the progress of land surveying, and Yang Lian's inspection of the grain transport system.
The contents of the secret report would allow Zhu Youxiao to better control the situation.

When the emperor saw that Zhang Yingjing, the son of Zhang Xianyong, the Celestial Master of the Zhengyi Daoist Temple in Longhu Mountain, had entered the capital, his brows furrowed.

He looked at Luo Sigong and asked, "Zhang Xianyong hasn't entered the capital?"

Luo Sigong nodded and said, "Zhang Xianyong claimed to be ill and sent his son to the capital."

"Humph!"

Zhu Youxiao snorted coldly; those who knew him well knew that.

The current emperor of the Ming Dynasty is truly enraged.

"What a Zhang Xianyong! This so-called Celestial Master dares to disobey even my imperial edict?"

Are you tired of living, Zhang Xianyong?

(End of this chapter)