The Empress Kneels in Her Palace to Admit Her Mistakes After Slaying Her Ways in the Female-Oriented

When Ren Tianye's men finally arrived, the gloom on Lu Qing's face vanished instantly. He immediately mounted his horse and galloped out. When he left the mansion, he ignored Pei Jingzhi, who was bowing and standing to the side.

Even when the wind whipped up by the horse's speed caused Pei Jingzhi to stumble, he didn't care at all, focusing only on galloping at full speed until he reached Ren Tianye.

Upon entering the Grand Commandant's residence, he scanned the vast front hall and noticed that apart from Ren Tianye, his deputy Wang Ming, his clerk Su Jin, and some soldiers and guards, Ruyue, whom he had been longing to see and who felt like she hadn't been seen for three days, was nowhere to be seen. He immediately asked, "Ren Tianye, where is Ruyue?"

"I want to see her."

"She's cleaning the bedroom; she's acting as my maid now."

Su Jin chimed in, "To be precise, she's the youngest of the general's maids, only good for cleaning his rooms."

This was a clear threat, and Lu Qing instantly flew into a rage: "Ren Tianye, Ruyue is my woman! How can she be so lowly? You're only making her the lowest-ranking among your maids? That's outrageous!"

"So, you've always wanted my deputy general Zhou Ze, haven't you? I'll give him to you, but you have to make Ruyue the number one among your maids."

Ren Tianye, sitting in the main chair, swayed slightly.

First on the list is making his bed and folding his blankets.

This domineering CEO's thinking is truly unfathomable. However, he has indeed long coveted Lu Qing's deputy general, Zhou Ze. If he could get Zhou Ze, he immediately agreed without hesitation: "Okay."

"Su Jin, make the arrangements!"

"Yes, General, I will make the arrangements."

When Su Jin went to call Ruyue, Ren Tianye revealed his next plan: he wanted to wipe out the barbarian army stationed outside the capital!

Firstly, due to national and personal grievances, those barbarians must be eliminated to prevent future troubles.

Secondly, it was used to continue provoking Tuoba Xiangtai, so that Tuoba Xiangtai's blade would fall on Xiao Mingzhao's head.

After all, he had already discerned Tuoba Xiangtai's emotional shift from the memorials he had submitted to the Imperial Palace, and he believed that with just a little more effort, they could achieve their goal.

"These are minor matters; you can handle them however you like. As long as Ruyue and Lu Jun are alright, you can mobilize the Imperial Guards as you see fit. Just give the orders, and I'll arrange everything for you."

Lu Qing's answer was exactly what Ren Tianye expected, and he immediately handed over the plan for the personnel to be mobilized to Lu Qing.

He added, "I still need to deploy some more men within the Imperial Guards."

"No problem!" Lu Qing agreed decisively, seemingly not caring at all.

This was within Ren Tianye's expectations, but this matter caused him some worry because... there weren't enough people.

To be precise, it was the lack of civil officials and functional military generals that meant he simply didn't have suitable people to take over many key positions in the capital, and could only send people in to secretly supervise.

When Ren Tianye thought about talent, he felt like he had a splitting headache.

Because he simply couldn't attract any talent!

This made Ren Tianye quite depressed.

He has military generals! He has plenty of troops! But he lacks talent!

Aside from a slight sense of gratitude for the talents in the Duke of Ren's mansion, he had exhausted all his efforts these past few days, yet very few people had come to join him.

You have to understand, his approach was already quite extreme.

He issued a summons by forging an imperial edict.

He appointed people regardless of their character or background, only based on their talent!

He even personally visited and invited some highly respected senior officials to serve him.

Even those who had previously opposed him but possessed great talent were now willing to accept him.

They especially target those who are down on their luck.

He also established a staff system in the Grand Commandant's office, so that people could be appointed directly without going through the imperial court.

Even though he had gone to such lengths, few people were willing to serve him, leaving Ren Tianye speechless and almost wondering if the talents in this world were all mentally ill.

Even though the Great Zhou Dynasty has lasted for eight hundred years, there are still many loyalists, but do they all have to be loyal to him like this? Besides, he is just a powerful minister now, not a traitor, so why can't he accept them all?

I'm so annoyed!

After all, conquering the world is easy, but maintaining it is difficult!

He knew this all too well from his past life's history, especially the history of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Countless emperors had ascended the throne but failed to hold onto it, and were quickly dethroned or had their descendants implicated.

His promotion has been fast enough.

Naturally, they did not want to enjoy temporary glory, but rather to establish a long-lasting dynasty.

"General, Ruyue has made all the arrangements."

Su Jin returned and bowed in response.

Seeing Lu Qing's excited expression, Ren Tianye waved his hand, telling him to go see Ruyue. Lu Qing jumped three feet high and hurried away, even stumbling in the process.

"General..." Su Jin's voice rang out again: "My second uncle is already in the northern frontier and has found a doctor for you. His family has specialized in wounds and paralysis for generations, which I believe is exactly what you need."

"Oh?" Ren Tianye's face lit up with delight, and he exclaimed, "Your second uncle has performed many meritorious deeds for me. Where is he?"

"It has been properly arranged and is ready for the general's use at any time."

"Alright, have him pack his things. Now, I will take him to the Princess's residence."

Princess Xiao Ruyi performed very well when Wang Ming was chasing Wen Cheng last time, which caught Ren Tianye's attention. He had no reason to let go of such a natural ally.

In particular, he is currently facing difficulties in recruiting personnel. If he could get help from Princess Xiao Ruyi, it would at least greatly alleviate his current predicament.

As far as he knew, Princess Xiao Ruyi's husband, Marquis Changping, had suffered an arrow wound in the army in his early years, which left him with a cold-induced paralysis. Because the arrow wound remained in his lungs and internal organs, it had been difficult to cure and he had been bedridden for half a year. In fact, the imperial physicians said that he would not survive until next spring.

As for treating conditions like cold-induced paralysis, doctors from the northern frontier were the most skilled at it, so they asked Su Jin to find the right treatment, and to their surprise, it was effective.

He immediately made preparations, gathering a considerable amount of gold, silver, and valuables, as well as cosmetics and face powder favored by women, which he had his soldiers carry while he personally led his personal guards there.

……

Pei Jingzhi was knocked down by Lu Qing, but he felt no anger, only sorrow. He knew that Lu Qing was completely unreliable. This man, who had been appointed General of the Cavalry by the Empress and was supposed to protect the peace of the Great Yu, didn't care about the life or death of the Great Yu at all.

He only has that rotten woman, Ruyue, in his heart!

He didn't linger any longer, got up from the ground, turned around and limped to the Princess's residence. Given his status, Princess Xiao Ruyi wouldn't stop him.

But just like last time, Xiao Ruyi was not willing to see him. Helpless, Pei Jingzhi took out the Empress's blood edict and handed it to Xiao Ruyi.

Xiao Ruyi took the document and glanced at it, her calm face showing no emotion whatsoever. Instead, she said indifferently, "You want to make a move against Ren Tianye?"

"There is a distinction between ruler and subject. Ren Tianye is the Grand Commandant. How is your action against him any different from treason?"

"Furthermore, members of the imperial family are not allowed to interfere in politics, so how can I, the Empress, step forward to issue an appeal? And you should not act in my name."

Amid Pei Jingzhi's utter shock, Xiao Ruyi continued, "Jingzhi, everything must be done according to rules and regulations. How could you plot in secret?"

"If you ask me, you should try to submit a memorial to His Majesty. This matter should be left to His Majesty's judgment."

After saying that, Xiao Ruyi didn't bother to talk to Pei Jingzhi any longer, as she had done last time. Instead, she directly told him to leave: "Jingzhi, I have some things to take care of at home these days, so I won't keep you for dinner. You should go back now."

Xiao Ruyi turned and left, leaving Pei Jingzhi standing there, stunned.

At that moment, he suddenly felt like crying.

He didn't know whether the problem lay with Lu Qing and Xiao Ruyi, or with the entire Great Yu Dynasty.

These people, who held great power, remained calm and indifferent even when His Majesty was imprisoned. They were either thinking about their women or trying to maintain their detached and unassuming demeanor.

Could this be a subject of the Great Yu?

Are all the ministers of the Great Yu like this?

If Pei Jingzhi's trip to Lu Qing's Duke of Fuguo's mansion was a blow to him, then his meeting with Xiao Ruyi now left him feeling utterly hopeless.

He was even somewhat confused.

Is the seemingly bright and clear Great Yu Dynasty always shrouded in mystery, and is it just that it has held onto a single guiding light, thus believing that the world is now clear and bright?

However, on the way back, Pei Jingzhi mustered all his strength. His Majesty had written a blood edict for him, and he would certainly live up to His Majesty's trust and his integrity.

"Master, Lord Wei Chengye has been arranged. He is in the separate courtyard. Moreover, the old woman you asked us to find has also been found. She is an old servant from a village."

Pei Jingzhi's spirits lifted; finally, there was some good news. He then had someone summon the old woman.

She was indeed an old woman from the countryside, around forty or fifty years old. She was plain-looking and stout, but her face was somewhat fair, which she must have been born with.

"What's your name?"

"Sir, my name is Zhang Li, but everyone calls me Cai Gen Hua (Vegetable Root Flower)."

Vegetable root flowers?

This is a good name!

Pei Jingzhi said, "Since I'm sending you to take care of Lord Wei Chengye, you must be diligent and meticulous, understand?"

"Yes, yes!"

Pei Jingzhi nodded and personally took her to see Wei Chengye. After they met, she told Wei Chengye what she needed to do, and Wei Chengye already knew what to do.

He immediately replied, "You have been kind to me, sir, and to my late father. Moreover, this matter concerns the fate of the nation, and I will certainly not fail in my duty."

After offering a few words of comfort, Pei Jingzhi briefly introduced the vegetable root flower to Wei Chengye before turning and leaving. Back in his study, he remembered that there was still an extremely important part to his and Chen Liang's plan.

It was the geisha his wife bought for him, the most outstanding woman being Hongxiu.

He originally planned to send someone to fetch her, but considering that he was asking Hongxiu to do such an important thing, he went in person to show how much he valued her.

After walking a few steps, Pei Jingzhi almost got lost.

Because he hadn't seen Hongxiu for a long time, probably half a year or so. After all, he was busy with the affairs of the world every day, how could he care about a geisha he didn't care about anyway?

We finally arrived at our destination with the help of a servant.

Without asking anyone to announce their arrival, they simply pushed open the door and went inside.

Immediately, a book was smashed down on his head.

"Get out!"

The book struck Pei Jingzhi with such force that it made his head spin instantly. He immediately realized that Hongxiu was probably changing clothes or something.

However, upon closer inspection, Hongxiu was dressed perfectly, simply sitting behind her desk, writing and painting.

Moreover...

Pei Jingzhi also realized that Hongxiu was just a singing and dancing girl. She only had a slightly higher status than a maid in his Pei household because of his favor. How dare she throw a book at him?

Anger surged!

Before she could even speak, Hongxiu stood up, her alluring beauty surpassing even her former charm: "Who allowed you into my boudoir?"

"Lord Pei, do you not know that as a woman grows up, you, as a man, should avoid any appearance of impropriety?"

"You barged into my boudoir without any reason. Are you trying to take advantage of me? Humph, although I am raised in your Pei family, I, Hongxiu, am still a human being with dignity and freedom."

"Your arrogance is truly disappointing!"

Pei Jingzhi's words were stuck in his throat. At this moment, he was somewhat dazed, feeling that the woman in front of him was not the geisha given to him by his wife, but his wife, Madam Liu!

No, she's just a kabuki actress!

"Aren't you going out to do anything?"

"Hongxiu!" Pei Jingzhi finally came to his senses, his tone cold and stern. However, remembering that he needed Hongxiu's help, he didn't say anything too offensive: "I have something to discuss with you."

"Then please wait outside for a moment. I will go out after I finish dealing with Minister Han's letter."

Pei Jingzhi wanted to speak, but he held back.

Hongxiu continued, "Lord Pei, next time you come to see me, please remember to knock."

"Get out!"

……

When Ren Tianye arrived at the Princess's residence, he saw a man staggering away in the distance. Upon closer inspection, he recognized him as Pei Jingzhi, the Grand Master of Ceremonies.

He had a thought, but he didn't take it too seriously. It was true that there were undercurrents in the court, but he had already sent people to monitor the situation, so he wasn't afraid of what tricks these people might pull.

Of course, since Pei Jingzhi had come to see the Princess, there must be something bigger going on, so he gave Wang Ming a look.

Wang Ming understood immediately and rearranged the plan.

This time, we need to pay special attention to Pei Jingzhi.

Ren Tianye presented his visiting card and was invited into the Princess Xiao Ruyi's residence.

Ren Tianye didn't waste any words and directly stated what he had just seen: "Your Highness, I vaguely saw someone just now, who seemed to be Pei Jingzhi, the Grand Master of Ceremonies. I wonder what business he had with Your Highness?"

Xiao Ruyi said calmly, "Jingzhi sought me out naturally to eliminate the treacherous officials in the court and welcome back the Empress."

"A treacherous official?" Ren Tianye said calmly, "I wonder who the treacherous official that Lord Pei is referring to is? As the Grand Commandant, I absolutely cannot allow such a treacherous official to exist in this capital."

Xiao Ruyi said, "I'm talking about you, Grand Commandant!"

"Oh? Me? I didn't expect Lord Pei to have such a deep misunderstanding of me!"

"Whether it's a misunderstanding or not is not important to me." Xiao Ruyi seemed to have something on her mind, and a rare look of anxiety appeared on her face. She said, "I only know that I have always been pure and noble, and I would never get involved in such bloodshed."

"I only wish to guard these chrysanthemums and not concern myself with court affairs. General, do as you please, but do not disturb my peace."

This attitude surprised Ren Tianye.

This is, after all, the eldest princess, bearing the heavy responsibility of being entrusted with the care of the young emperor, yet she remains so calm? However, this is not harmful to him, but rather beneficial.

Therefore, Ren Tianye wanted to take this opportunity to form an alliance with the Princess. He immediately took out the gifts he had brought, especially the doctor that Su Hong had found from the northern frontier, and made it clear that he was seeking the Princess's help to support him and recruit talents from all over the world.

Unexpectedly, the princess's calm expression was tinged with impatience as she said, "General, I have already told you not to bother me with these trivial matters."

"I am of noble character and will not interfere."

"However, since we've come this far, I'd like to say a few words to the General."

After a pause, she said, "Her Majesty is a woman and needs the general's care. The general should not restrain her. Occasionally, let her come to my Princess's residence to look at these chrysanthemums and relieve her boredom."

"Also, General, if you wish to investigate, then do so, but please do not trample on the chrysanthemums I planted. They are a variety left over from the late Emperor's time, and they are very delicate!"

As she spoke, she pointed to the gift list that Ren Tianye had brought and said, "These things are really an eyesore. General, you should take them all away. Don't leave them piled up at the palace gate and make my place dirty."

She stood up abruptly: "Farewell, General! No need to see me off!"

……