msmithbooks Chapter 706 Waiting for Her Return
Chapter 706 Waiting for Her Return
The civil and military officials kneeling in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment.
Prime Minister Su and several old ministers walked out of the Qinzheng Hall together, and a minister standing by sighed.
"I don't know what our emperor is thinking. As an emperor, he doesn't want to have three thousand beauties and enjoy the happiness of having a lot of women, but lives like an ascetic all day long."
Another official said, "I heard that after the late queen passed away, your majesty built the Zhaixing Pavilion. Not only is there a Buddha statue enshrined in it, but even the late queen's body is placed on the top floor."
Prime Minister Su coldly rebuked: "You gentlemen should stop talking about such groundless things in the future. His Majesty's words in the court today have been clear enough. He does not want the court officials to interfere in the affairs of the harem. In the future, please do not bother me with such things again."
Waving his hand, Prime Minister Su walked straight towards the palace gate.
At this time, a young man in red official uniform came forward.
"Prime Minister Su."
Su Xiangguo's turbid gaze lingered on the young man's face for a moment.
"Are you Yan Huai, Shaoqing of the Dali Temple?"
Yan Huai bowed and said, "It is you, my humble servant."
Prime Minister Su chuckled and said, "Three years ago, you entered the court as an official. I heard that you solved many major cases in the court in just three years. His Majesty has a great appreciation for you. You are really a young man to be feared."
"Prime Minister Su, thank you for your compliment."
Prime Minister Su asked, "Are you going to see His Majesty?"
"Yes, there are some errands that need to be reported to His Majesty."
Prime Minister Su pondered for a moment, then pulled up Yan Huai's sleeve and walked to a quiet corner.
"I heard from Mr. Cui that the late queen's true identity was your sister?"
Speaking of Yan Shu, Yan Huai felt as if his heart was stabbed by a needle.
When she went to Qingyun Mountain that year, she said she was going to look for the Penglai Fairy Island in the South China Sea. The whole family believed it, but when they heard from her again, she had passed away due to illness. He didn't believe that his younger sister would die. She was a fairy, how could she die so easily?
Therefore, over the years, the Yan family has firmly believed that Yan Shu simply returned to heaven.
"The late queen is indeed my sister."
Prime Minister Su stroked his graying beard.
"The late queen has passed away for eight years. Your Majesty is about to reach the age of thirty. If he continues to delay like this, there will be no one to take over. Although he values the eleventh prince very much, everyone is selfish after all. If they can have their own heirs, no one wants to abdicate the throne to their brothers. Even if Your Majesty does not want to marry again for the sake of the late queen, it is reasonable to take a few concubines to continue the lineage. I heard that Your Majesty selected a hundred beauties from prisoners of war and the families of criminals last year, and ended up giving them all to the ministers who persuaded him to take concubines. This made those ministers' houses restless. The ministers have also suffered a lot for Your Majesty's marriage over the years."
Yan Huai suppressed his urge to laugh. Those old guys were so keen on urging His Majesty to take concubines, but they just wanted to send their own daughters into the palace. On the surface, they were persuading His Majesty to have children, but in reality, it was just for their own selfish desires. Since they wanted to stuff a bunch of women into the harem, why couldn't His Majesty reciprocate?
"What does Prime Minister Su mean by saying this to me?"
Prime Minister Su said, "I think His Majesty will definitely give you some face, why don't you go and persuade him?"
Yan Huai said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty has already made it clear in the court that the affairs of the harem are your Majesty's private affairs. I am afraid that I cannot have a say in this matter. It is getting late. I have to go and report to your Majesty. Goodbye!"
Prime Minister Su watched Yan Huai leave and shook his head silently.
Chongzheng Hall
Jiang Ci was reviewing piles of memorials when the young eunuch who was serving him walked in.
"Your Majesty, Lord Yan, the Minister of the Dali Temple, is here."
"Bring people in."
"promise!"
After the young eunuch left for a while, Yan Huai walked slowly into the hall.
"I am here to see you, Your Majesty."
"Brother Yan, you don't have to be so polite."
Yan Huai presented several confessions.
"This is a confession from the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and his accomplices for embezzling military funds."
Jiang Ci took it and flipped through it: "Since the evidence is conclusive, just follow the law."
"Yes. Your Majesty, today is my little sister's birthday. I want to go to the Star Picking Pavilion to see her."
Jiang Ci's expression paused slightly, and a hint of sadness flashed in his deep eyes.
"It just so happens that I have almost finished reviewing the memorials. Let's go. I will go with you."
The Star Picking Pavilion is a forbidden area in the palace. Apart from Jiang Ci, only members of the Yan family can come here to pay homage on Yan Shu's birthday.
The two of them walked towards the Zhaixing Pavilion together. At the entrance of the pavilion was a huge Buddha statue. There were eternal lamps and various offerings on the altar. Jiang Ci would come here to worship the Buddha every day.
Going up to the third floor, the decoration here is obviously a mourning hall. The woman's body is placed in the center of the room, surrounded by a layer of white gauze.
Yan Huai followed Jiang Ci into the gauze curtain and looked at the woman on the bed. His eyes suddenly felt stinging and a sour feeling came over him.
The little sister looked exactly the same as she had been in life, as lively as if she was sound asleep. Jiang Ci took good care of her and there was a faint scent of flowers on her body.
"Little sister, Third Brother is here to see you."
Jiang Ci gave the brother and sister some time to be alone, then turned and walked out of the room.
After a moment, Yan Huai came over.
"Your Majesty, will you wait any longer?"
Jiang Ci stood on the open-air platform outside the attic and looked at the majestic and vast palace in front of him. He was in a trance for a moment. In a blink of an eye, she had been gone for eight years. From the initial expectation of a miracle to the later confusion and even numbness, although he had doubted countless times that he might have misunderstood the deep meaning of the treasure bag, waiting for her to come back was his only belief to survive.
Now he has followed her long-cherished wish and governed the Sui Dynasty to make the people rich and the country strong, with peaceful rivers and seas. The magnificent scene is right before their eyes. He wants her to see the prosperity of today with her own eyes.
"You also want to persuade me to give up?"
Yan Huai was silent for a moment: "Perhaps I don't want Your Majesty to torture himself like this."
Jiang Ci smiled faintly: "If I didn't have this thought, I'm afraid I would have followed her. The disaster in Nanyang is serious this time. I want to order you to go there in person to control the flood. Prepare to leave in a few days and try to come back before the end of the year."
"Wei Chen accepts the order."
"How are Second Uncle and Second Aunt doing?"
"My father and mother are in good health. Your Majesty, don't worry about them."
Jiang Ci said: "I heard that Brother Yan recently got another thousand gold coins. I prepared some gifts and sent them to him. The child will be named the Princess of the County. The imperial edict will be sent along with the title."
Yan Huai said gratefully: "Your Majesty has been very caring towards the Yan family over the years. I and my family would like to thank you for your grace."
After saying this, Yan Huai immediately knelt down to salute, and Jiang Ci reached out and helped him up.
"You are the family she cares about the most. I should take care of you. Moreover, you have made great achievements since you entered the court. You are my indispensable right-hand man. Brother Yan has also provided the Ministry of War with many powerful new weapons in recent years. Brother Yan also made great achievements in repelling the Rongdi. It is the honor that the Yan family deserves to appoint the little daughter of the Yan family as the county lord."
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."
While the king and his minister were talking, a loud noise suddenly came from Yan Shu's mourning hall, and the expressions of both of them changed.
Jiang Ci strode into the room and found that the incense burner on the altar had somehow rolled to the ground. The ashes in the incense burner were scattered all over the floor, and the incense burner had rolled several meters away.