"My Beloved Teacher's Wife (Walking with Love)" - Chapter 66: Consort Shu's Flattery

page views:1 Publication date:2023-05-16 08:15:31

Upon returning from Consort Zhen's residence, Ling Feng went directly to the Southern Study, only to find Yang Hui already respectfully waiting for him. Yang Hui had come to report on the handling of Guo Shang's remaining followers the previous night, and also to report on the Crown Prince's movements.
In short, Yang Hui has taken control of the 10,000 elite imperial guards, and the Crown Prince's faction is now in a state of panic, with most of them having already sided with the Third Prince.
"Yang Hui, you know about the Embroidered Uniform Guard, right?"
Ling Feng watched the minister's predicament and asked casually.
"Your humble servant knows this."
Yang Hui did not expect Ling Feng to suddenly ask about this matter.
Ling Feng got up from the armchair, stretched a few times, and yawned, "Are you familiar with Li Cheng, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"
Ling Feng learned about the Embroidered Uniform Guard from the memorials he received today. Among those memorials, about ten were impeachments against Li Cheng, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. They all accused him of being arrogant and domineering, and of disregarding the court officials.
Today, after reviewing the memorials, there was an additional benefit: I finally learned the names of many officials. Although I can't match their names with their faces right away, it's still a step forward.
"Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Imperial Guards under my command are both responsible for protecting the Emperor, they do not belong to the same system. The Imperial Guards focus on protecting the safety of the Imperial City, especially the Emperor, while the Embroidered Uniform Guard focuses on eliminating enemies. In addition, Lord Li is the Emperor's brother-in-law, and he has a rather aloof personality. I am not familiar with him."
Yang Hui answered honestly.
"Um."
Ling Feng pondered for a moment. He hadn't expected the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to be the Empress's brother. This made things easier. Now, he had all the Imperial Guards under his control—a solid shield protecting him. However, he still lacked a sharp spear to help him eliminate dissidents and purge external enemies. The Embroidered Uniform Guard was undoubtedly the best choice.
Having grasped this point, Ling Feng then sent Xiao Liangzi to summon Li Cheng.
In less than half an hour, Li Cheng appeared outside the Southern Study and respectfully called out, "Your humble servant Li Cheng pays his respects to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"
The voice was somewhat hoarse, but it carried an indescribable sense of gloom.
"Come in."
Ling Feng lay back in the armchair and said in a calm tone.
"Your humble servant obeys the decree."
The door creaked open. A tall, thin man entered, looking about thirty years old, but appearing to be forty. He exuded a sense of age and seemed unpredictable.
Li Cheng was bowing deeply, his face downcast, making it impossible for Ling Feng to see his expression. Fortunately, Ling Feng possessed X-ray vision. He observed him first; although this man had entered the court, his martial arts skills were very high, already at the near-master level. Judging from his demeanor, if he were to unleash his full power, he could potentially perform beyond his usual level. However, judging from his appearance, he didn't seem friendly towards him. He wondered if Zhu Wenchong's relationship with the Empress directly influenced Li Cheng's attitude towards him, the Emperor. Nevertheless, Ling Feng was quite confident that he could recruit this man as a confidant.
"Take a look at these few folded documents first."
Ling Feng pointed to a pile of impeachment memorials he had selected, then gently sipped his pre-rain Longjing tea. Yang Hui stood behind Ling Feng, expressionless, but in reality, he was on high alert.
"Your Majesty, I suspect these are all memorials impeaching me."
Li Cheng casually picked up a book, glanced at it, and his expression didn't change in the slightest.
"We're all family, no need for formalities. Tell me, what's the reason for this?"
Ling Feng slowly closed his eyes, too lazy to look at his expression anymore. Anyway, judging from his appearance, no matter what happened, his expression wouldn't change, so he might as well not look at him.
"Your Majesty, all members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard are disliked by officials at all levels. This is because the Embroidered Uniform Guard's work is something they find utterly repulsive."
Li Cheng paused for a moment, then continued, "As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, if I haven't incurred the hatred of many officials, it means I haven't fulfilled my duties. Furthermore, most of the impeachment memorials are from ministers of the Crown Prince's faction and the Third Prince's faction..."
"Well said."
Ling Feng suddenly stood up, staring straight into his eyes and said, "The Ming Dynasty is blessed to have a loyal subject like you."
At this point, Ling Feng paused again: "I have read all the memorials sent by your Embroidered Uniform Guard. As you said, the corruption and bribery in the court is quite serious."
As he spoke, Ling Feng picked up his memorial and read aloud: "Your humble servant has discovered that Ding Wangshu, the Minister of Revenue, is suspected of possessing unexplained assets amounting to over one million taels of silver, four luxurious mansions, and countless antiques and paintings. He also keeps nine concubines. Hmph, that fatso, I wonder if he can even get any exercise."
"Your Majesty, this matter is merely my duty as a subject in my position. I have already submitted the memorial regarding Ding Wangshu four times."
Li Cheng still had a gloomy look on his face.
The fourth time? Doesn't that mean Zhu Wenchong should have known long ago? Why didn't he take any action? It can only mean he didn't even bother to investigate. No wonder Li Cheng looked so displeased; he'd pinned all the blame on Ling Feng for Zhu Wenchong's actions. Hmph, this Zhu Wenchong, the Empress Dowager even said he was clever—bullshit! A complete fool. What kind of emperor is he? He might as well become a eunuch. This thought chilled the hearts of many loyal officials, including Li Cheng himself.
"I was negligent the previous times."
Ling Feng said calmly, "Li Cheng, are you willing to trust me again and serve me well? I will certainly not let you down."
Li Cheng said with great ambition, "Your Majesty, please trust me one more time and give me a chance to serve you!"
Heh. Ling Feng chuckled inwardly. Li Cheng, this fellow, wasn't so inflexible after all. He actually knew the art of conversation. He clearly wanted to tell Ling Feng he was willing to trust the Emperor again, but he phrased it as "Please give this humble subject another chance." Ha, from his words, one could vaguely guess that he already had the intention to serve the Emperor, but because of the hurt and exclusion he had suffered, he still dared not make a final decision.
Ling Feng understood that Li Cheng was the kind of person who either didn't pledge allegiance, or once he did, he would give his all.
"Since that's the case, then Minister Li, please cooperate with me this time and let those corrupt ministers watch a good show."
Ling Feng suddenly opened his eyes wide: "I want you to tell me the background of all officials of the fourth rank and above in the capital within three days. Can you do that? Especially those who are part of the Crown Prince's faction and those who are part of the Third Prince's faction."
Ling Feng practically roared the last sentence.
"Your humble servant obeys the decree."
Li Cheng spoke each word carefully, and his long-dormant, dark eyes seemed to be awakened in that instant by Ling Feng's roar. Unparalleled fighting spirit immediately ignited within him.
After Li Cheng left, Yang Hui said with a worried look, "Your Majesty, Li Cheng has always been unruly. Should I send someone to keep an eye on him?" Ling Feng raised his hand to stop him, saying, "No need. The more unruly a person is, the more proud he is. I believe in him, and I'm sure he can do it."
Yang Hui was embarrassed by Ling Feng's words and dared not say anything more, standing aside.
"The Imperial Concubine Shu has arrived!"
A shout came from outside the door.
Before long, Zhu Wenchong's beloved concubine pushed open the study door and strode in. Her maidservant followed behind her, carrying a tray of items.
Consort Shu! Ling Feng had heard Xiao Liangzi mention that Zhu Wenchong had one empress and two consorts. The empress was Empress Li Xiangxue, and the two consorts were Consort Shu Ning Shuzhen and Consort Chun Tang Yuchun. According to Xiao Liangzi's records, Consort Shu was Zhu Wenchong's most favored concubine before, and she was the beloved concubine he brought into the palace from the imperial residence. The empress and Consort Chun were both married after he moved into the Forbidden City.
The door opened, and a woman of unparalleled beauty entered. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, her features exquisitely detailed, and her smooth, fair skin was alluringly rosy. Her beauty was purely a masterpiece of nature; her shoulders were sculpted like a knife's edge, her waist slender as silk, her neck long and graceful, her bright eyes sparkling with charm, and her dimples inviting a smile. Even a celestial being descended to earth could not compare. She wore a palace gown of the finest silk. She was no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, in the prime of her youth. Ling Feng gazed at her, his heart fluttering. Without a doubt, she must be Consort Shu.
"Your Majesty, I know you've been reviewing memorials all afternoon, and I was worried you might be tired or hungry. So I specially prepared some rock sugar bird's nest soup to warm you up."
Consort Shu took a ceramic jar from her maid, scooped out a bowl of bird's nest, and slowly walked to Ling Feng, saying softly, "Your Majesty, please don't blame me for disturbing your work."
This was the first time a concubine had shown him such devotion since Ling Feng became emperor. The feeling of being moved was indescribable. At that moment, Ling Feng accepted this woman. Regardless of her motives, the very first act of kindness he received in the capital made her worthy of his love and cherishing.
The reason the other concubines dared not fawn over Emperor Zhu Wenchong before was because he was impotent and they were afraid to approach women, fearing their inability to perform sexually would be exposed. Consort Shu was Zhu Wenchong's beloved concubine, whom he brought into the Forbidden City from his princely residence. She had previously enjoyed his favor, but since his impotence, she had been neglected and even became desperate, wondering what she had done wrong. Later, upon learning of Zhu Wenchong's impotence, she tried to comfort him, only to be met with even more coldness and rebukes.
Consort Shu had already given up hope, resigned to a life of loneliness and confinement within the palace. Unexpectedly, she received some surprising news today: the Emperor had personally requested Yuan Yao to accompany him during his meal. Moreover, she heard that the Emperor displayed unparalleled skill in hunting down assassins. Rumors even circulated within the palace that the Emperor wasn't impotent, but had been practicing a "Mastery of Women's Arts," and had now achieved great success, ready to regain his virility! The rumors spread rapidly throughout the palace, making every concubine and maid eager with anticipation.
Consort Shu was no exception. Regardless of whether the rumor was true or false, she decided to give it a try. Even if she offended the Emperor and was banished to the Cold Palace, it would be better than suffering through this painful longing for love.
Unexpectedly, when Consort Shu saw the Emperor's affectionate and shining eyes, she knew she had made the right bet this time, and was overjoyed. However, she was still unsure whether the Emperor had truly practiced the "Mastery of Women's Heart Sutra" or whether he was truly no longer impotent.
But one thing is certain: the Emperor did not reject her, nor did he show any indifference... That was enough. As for the rest, Consort Shu could take it all as a reward and a surprise.
"Your Majesty, could you give my beloved concubine a surprise?" Consort Shu gazed at the Emperor and Ling Feng with deep affection, praying and silently repeating in her heart.

URL 1:https://www.sex3p.com/htmlBlog/44237.html

URL 2:/Blog.aspx?id=44237&aspx=1

Last access time:

Previous Page : Transmigrating to the Great Zhou Dynasty (The Romantic Martial Tang Dynasty) - Chapter 272 The Madam's Evil Passion (Part Two)

Next Page : Dragon Soul Heroes - Chapter 20: The Perils of Confucianism and Martial Arts

增加

comment Open a new window to view comments

Contact Information

"My Beloved Teacher's Wife (Walking with Love)" - Chapter 66: Consort Shu's Flattery

comment Open a new window to view comments