blogombal Chapter 42 Urged to Give Birth
Chapter 42 Urged to Give Birth
After the court recommendation was concluded, Li Yuanke summoned Song Piyang to the Qin Zheng Hall.
"You should know why I appointed you as Minister of Personnel!"
"If Your Majesty commands me, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"
The emperor had told him about the reform of the official system before, and he knew exactly what the emperor wanted him to do, and he had been afraid of it.
Nowadays, although there are "four virtues and twenty-seven excellences" evaluation standards for officials, officials below the fourth rank are managed by the Ministry of Personnel's Evaluation Department. The four virtues, such as "benevolence, wisdom, impartiality, and prudence," are entirely based on subjective judgment.
Therefore, the officials in the Ministry of Personnel were the most lucrative, receiving charcoal in winter and ice in summer. In order to stay in the Ministry of Personnel, no one was willing to be promoted and wished they could be welded to their positions.
This is outrageous!
When Li Yuanke saw that Shen Shixi's palace had created job descriptions and then formulated corresponding assessment standards based on those job descriptions, he came up with the idea of quantifying the assessment standards.
This is a reform that concerns the lives and futures of the powerful and wealthy; anyone who tries to do it will be an enemy of the people.
The Song family just happened to run into his line of fire. Song Piyang could refuse, but he would have to accept the consequences of his son being beheaded, his daughter being sentenced to death, and his whole family being exiled.
Song Piyang had no choice but to become a tool in the emperor's hand.
"Very well! I can temporarily waive the charge of your son's collusion with the Censorate, but while he may be spared the death penalty, he will not escape punishment. He will be stripped of his official rank and exiled a thousand miles away. I am doing this for your sake!"
And then there's Consort Song, who colluded with the previous court and framed the empresses. I'll only make a note of this for now, out of consideration for you, my dear minister."
"Your Majesty's grace is boundless; I am deeply grateful and can only repay you with my life!"
Song Piyang was deeply grateful, but he also knew that from now on, the only way to protect his family was to willingly become a tool in the emperor's hand.
He will become the enemy of the entire court!
After Song Piyang left, Li Fude presented three knives, saying, "Your Majesty, these are knives forged from that pebble. There are three in total. They can cut hair like mud, and even a small cut will cause death from poisoning if not treated in time."
Li Yuanke took one, drew out the blade, and found it to be as bright as a mirror, with a cold gleam in the eye; it was clearly a fine knife.
Following Shen Shixi's advice, the scabbard was lined with an extra layer of lead and then with an extra layer of iron. It was placed in a specially made iron box, making it quite safe.
"Send one to Cen Yin, and bestow the other upon Xu Chun. Also, issue an imperial edict to Cen Yin, instructing him to melt down that large rock and forge it into knives. Each knife must be marked and distributed to the Xuanjia Army."
The Xuanjia Army, numbering around a thousand, was Li Yuanke's elite force.
"yes!"
That night, the emperor still came to Peach Blossom Village, and the two of them shamelessly fought twice more.
Lying in bed, Li Yuanke stroked her head, "Does your wound still hurt? I've never seen anyone wilder than you, even when you're injured you won't stay still."
"It's not like you don't want to." Shen Shixi moved away from him, mainly because it was hot.
Li Yuanke, however, put his arm around her waist, pulled her close, and held her tightly in his arms. "How do you feel about the injury on your head? What did the imperial physician say today?"
"Oh dear, it's not a big injury. It's been over ten days. Even if you bumped your head, it would have healed long ago. It's just that my hair won't grow back. Li Yuanke~, it's all your fault. Why did you cut my hair?"
Li Yuanke hugged her tightly, "You troublesome thing! Who else is as old as you and still falls off the bed? Aren't you ashamed!"
These days, Li Yuanke would hold her tightly as they slept, afraid that she would cross mountains and valleys again.
"You're so annoying, always bringing this up. It's just that you fell down once. Everyone makes a mistake sometimes." Shen Shixi ignored him.
Li Yuanke said, "Although Song has been demoted, it is not a severe punishment. I still need Song Piyang. If you don't like her, then take action yourself."
Shen Shixi was completely dumbfounded.
[What does this mean? Does it mean I should kill Song Shi myself? Good heavens, isn't there a saying that even a night of passion between husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness? He's really willing to do that? Truly, emperors are heartless!]
Li Yuange was furious. He slapped the roundest part of her back and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"You mean, if I don't like any of the women in your harem, I'll kill them all? Li Yuanke, are you a tyrant? How could you say something like that?"
"If she dares to do evil, she should be prepared to die. Do you think I am heartless?" Li Yuanke narrowed his eyes, his expression equally dangerous.
"Then why don't you use the law and palace rules to deal with her? You actually asked me to do it, how could you say that!" Shen Shixi glared at him.
Why should I get my hands dirty? You bastard, you actually want me to kill someone? Are you out of your mind?!
Li Yuanke was so angry that he turned over and ignored her.
Shen Shixi lay on his back and touched his abs.
Li Yuanke became annoyed by her touching and shook off her hand.
She stuck it on again.
Li Yuanke had no choice but to turn over. "You heartless thing, I'm not afraid you can't swallow this! Since you have the energy, go to the Empress Dowager's place tomorrow. The anniversary of the late Emperor's death is coming soon. I'll have you copy two Buddhist scriptures and burn them for the late Emperor later."
"Oh!" Shen Shixi said, "I don't have anything to hold a grudge against. It's not like I didn't get my revenge. Li Yuanke, please don't say things like that to me again. I'm scared!"
I'm afraid you'll be just as heartless to me in the future, and I'm also afraid I might actually do it myself. Once you do something like this, it becomes addictive.
Just imagine killing everyone you don't like—how terrifying!
"What are you afraid of? It's not like I can't protect you!" He stroked her hair, but as for whether he would be ruthless towards her in the future, he didn't say.
Nothing happened that night, but as dawn approached, Li Yuanke ate a hearty meal and went to Qingyan Palace.
Shen Shixi woke up naturally, had breakfast, and then went to the Hall of Joyful Longevity where the Empress Dowager lived, which was quite close to where she lived.
After bowing to the Empress Dowager, she offered him a seat, saying, "Since you entered the palace, you haven't come to my place. If I hadn't told you to come and copy scriptures, you probably wouldn't have come."
Shen Shixi said, "If the Empress Dowager misses me, she can just send someone to summon me, and I will definitely come running over."
The Empress Dowager was amused and said, "Come whenever you have time in the future."
Shen Shixi thought to herself, "What kind of talk is it for a concubine like me to run to the ancestral home every day?"
But she still gave a very pleasant reply, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will obey your decree."
"Now that you've entered the palace, serve the Emperor well. I eagerly await the day you bear him a child; I long to hold my grandson!"
Shen Shixi was terrified, thinking to herself, "I didn't plan to have a baby. She's currently taking birth control pills. What decent family's daughter has a baby at sixteen or seventeen? She's not even fully grown yet."
Aunt Qingruo smiled and said, "Your Highness has been clever since childhood. Your future child with His Majesty will surely be both beautiful and intelligent."
Shen Shixi finally felt the pressure of being urged to have children, feeling both helpless and frustrated. "I will do my best!"
The Empress Dowager laughed, and seeing that she was shy, she stopped talking and started talking about copying scriptures.
Shen Shixi has been practicing calligraphy for half an hour every day for the past few years, mainly because she is bored. This is probably the only serious thing she does. When she is copying, it is easy for her to calm her mind.
After copying for about half an hour, the Empress Dowager told her to stop, "Rest your eyes and come see what we're having for dinner tonight."
Shen Shixi glanced at the menu and said, "It's so hot today, I'd like to have some refreshing cold noodles, but I don't know if Your Majesty will be able to get used to them."
The Empress Dowager had never had a simple meal in her life. Upon hearing this, she became interested and said, "Today I will eat with Xi'er. Whatever you eat, I will eat too."