Chapter 96
I played dumb and came to help him with grinding ink . I teased, “It is all for your reputation . I came here and made you a suggestion . You could take it if you wanted and I would be even happier if you didn’t .
Qi Sheng stopped and looked at me . After a while he suddenly told me, “I wanted to make Hao’er crown prince . ”
I was really shocked at hearing this and replied without hesitation, “No, we shouldn’t be talking about this now . ”
Qi Sheng inspected me and asked, “Is it a truth or lie?”
I wanted to move him so I answered solemnly, “You have been a crown prince for more than a decade and you know how it feels to be a crown prince . If a crown princess is the most difficult job in the world, then the crown prince will be the second most difficult one . So why bring Hao’er this kind of suffering?”
Qi Sheng raised his brows, “So you think it is more difficult to be a crown princess than a crown prince?”
Qi Sheng always missed my point and I was used to it . I ignored him and continued, “Your Majesty is still young and healthy . As long as you can keep some distance from alcohol and lust, have a healthy schedule and less worries, I believe you will certainly surpass your fortieth or fiftieth birthday”
Maybe my words made sense this time, so Qi Sheng slowly nodded .
Then I continued, “If you make Hao’er the crown prince, then he’ll had to be a crown prince until he’s forty or fifty . Have you ever seen a crown prince who’s made it?”
Qi Sheng looked at me in silence .
“He is too young now, and we don’t know what kind of person he will grow into or whether he’s capable of shouldering this world . ” I paused and lowered my eyes, then I continued, “You are still young and you will have a lot more sons . Maybe you will prefer one of them to Hao’er . So what will you do if that is the case? And what do you expect Hao’er to do?”
Qi Sheng still remained silent . I didn’t look at him . I had no idea what he was thinking now so I could only try to guess . Then I said in a low voice, “There are so many cases of murders between fathers and sons or between siblings in the imperial family . I have already witnessed it in the first half of my life and I don’t want to see it again in the latter half of it . ”
Sponsored Content
After a long time, Qi Sheng sighed and replied, “I know . ”
As expected, Qi Hao’s one-year birthday was luxurious but no one mentioned about the crown prince . A few days later, when I went to Da Ming Palace, I found something rather odd .
Jiang shi, who was always there no matter how the wind blew or rain splashed outside, who had been there for months, was not there anymore .
The inner-palace servant approached me and reverently bent down . He whispered to me, “His Majesty sent her away and I don’t know where she is now . ”
This news shocked me, and I couldn’t help but ask, “What happened? Why did he send her away? Will she ever return?”
The inner-palace servant carefully studied my facial expression and said to me, “I don’t know what happened . Maybe Your Majesty can ask His Majesty?”
I ask him? On what ground? Jiang shi wasn’t an official member of the harem and I didn’t pay her salary . And what should I ask? Should I ask whether Jiang shi was taking a temporary leave or a permanent one? Or should I pay her compensation? Or should I keep paying insurance for her in the future?
The inner-palace servant still looked at me with the corner of his eyes . I randomly nodded but when I saw Qi Sheng, I pretended that I knew nothing and mentioned none of it .
Qi Sheng didn’t mention it as well, and he only told me, “When Hao’er grows up, he shouldn’t be surrounded by women . Starting from tomorrow, you should bring him here every day and I’ll teach him myself . ”
I agreed with Qi Sheng that “education should start with young kids”, but I didn’t quite approve his method . All kids went to kindergarten after the age of three, and how was he supposed to teach a one-year old baby to study politics every day?
I didn’t know whether to cry or to laugh, but he made it sound so serious and it didn’t sound like a joke, so I had to nod .
Sponsored Content
The next day, Qi Sheng sent the inner-palace servant to Xing Sheng Palace to urge me . I had no other way but to head to Da Ming Palace with Qi Hao in my arms .
When Qi Sheng was meeting the officials, I listened behind the screen with the baby in my arms . And when he was reading the documents, I waited beside him with the baby in my arms as well .
At first, Qi Hao was not yet familiar with surroundings and was well-behaved, and sat himself in my arms . And several days later, he refused to sit quietly in my arms . He struggled to get on the ground, and staggered towards the other side of the screen .
Qi Sheng was listening to the brief from officials of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue, and I certainly dare not let him out . So I dragged him back by the collar . However, it brought me a huge trouble . Qi Hao stared at me for a while, aggrievedly pursed his lips and cried out loud .
I could not stop his crying no matter how I tried and I was so desperate that I was drenched in sweat, wishing to cover his mouth with my own hand . Just then, Qi Sheng came from the other side of the screen, took him from me, and put him in the laps and comforted him gently . In the meanwhile, he asked the minister of the Ministry of Revenue to continue his briefing .
Then it turned to Qi Sheng meeting officials in front of the screen with the baby in his arms, and I listening attentively behind the screen . For the first couple of times, the officials were a bit shocked by the scene, but then they gradually got used to it .
Several months passing, I didn’t know if Qi Hao had learnt anything, but I was already adept in some government affairs . Sometimes Qi Sheng got tired and asked me to read the documents for him . Though I wasn’t always right about punctuation, Qi Sheng could understand most of it then told me his replies with his eyes closed .
Then I used the writing brush to scribble them down on the paper, and put it in the documents and Qi Sheng would have a look by himself . He went silent for a long while when he saw my writing for the first time . Then he pointed to the paper and asked me, without any expression displayed on his face, “What are you writing?”
I didn’t know whether he was mocking my terrible writing, or he couldn’t read simplified characters . I thought for a while and then answered, “These are called simplified characters, a simplified version of the traditional characters you are writing now . Don’t you think it is easier to learn?”
Qi Sheng attentively looked at what I had written, showing no expression of his opinion . But he told me, “Stop writing this in the future . You’ll be in trouble if someone else sees it . ”
I nodded, but the next time I still unconsciously wrote down simplified characters .
Qi Sheng got mad when the same situation happened for several more times . He stopped lying on the soft bed, approaching me and supervising me by himself .
Sponsored Content
I stood there with writing brush in my hand . Ink dripping down from the brush, I still couldn’t write a single character .
Qi Sheng stared at me with the corner of his eyes and asked, “What’s wrong?”
I started to sweat and mumble . Embarrassed, I answered, “I don’t know how to write it . ”
Qi Sheng was confused, “You don’t know what?”
I wiped my sweat and answered, “Traditional characters . I’ve never learnt about it so I don’t know how to write . ”
Qi Sheng looked at me, puzzled, “You knew it when you read it for me . ”
I answered, “They looked familiar, so I guessed . I knew half part of the character!”
Qi Sheng was rendered speechless .
Ever since then, there was one more job for me . When Qi Sheng was working on the documents, I would be standing besides, practicing calligraphy . Then I spent most of my day in Da Ming Palace . Sometimes when Qi Sheng was caught up in government affairs, I had to work overtime till midnight with him, then I would have to stay the night in Da Ming Palace .
I reasoned, now I was the manager of the harem, and in the meantime, I worked as a secretary and an assistant, sometimes I had to sleep with him… I was indeed multifunctional .
I was so tired that I started missing Jiang shi . She was indeed a diligent girl with dream and pursuit . If she was still in Da Ming Palace, then Qi Sheng wouldn’t exploit me like I was a cow .
In the fifth lunar month, documents from Jiangbei suddenly increased in volume, most of which came from the army . I kind of felt that it was time for Qi Sheng to attack the Northern Desert .
One day when I worked late with him, and did some extra workout in bed with him . I caught him off guard, “I want to return to Xing Sheng Palace . ”
Qi Sheng was still panting, and asked me after a while, “Why?”
I covered my chest with thin sheet and straightened up to look at him, “I am the Empress so I have to manage the harem . How come I stay in the imperial court every day? Yesterday, Concubine Huang and Concubine Li had a fight over two sheets of cloth, and they wanted me to do them justice but was stopped outside Da Ming Palace . Then they cried and turned to the Empress Dowager, by then were they finally able to get it settled .
Qi Sheng tilted his head aside, looking at me quietly . I bravely met his gaze .
A while later, I couldn’t help but laugh . I nudged him with my hands, and smiled, “Why are you looking at me like that? It was so dark here . I couldn’t even see your eyes and it will be a waste if you wink at me .
Qi Sheng smiled as well and pulled me towards his chest . His chest was broad and strong, trembling because of the laugh . A while later the trembling stopped . Another while later, he said in a low voice, “I’m going to attack the Northern Desert . This is the last wish of Emperor Cheng .
I couldn’t help but turn stiff . My heart was pounding fast in my chest . To avoid being made, I held against his chest with my hands, separated our bodies that were previously pressed together . I asked him in my hoarse voice, “You want to lead the army by yourself?”
Qi Sheng didn’t say a word, but placed his palm on my back .
My heart was pounding thunderously, but I didn’t dare to move an inch, so I let his warm and dry hand stay at where it was a thin layer of flesh away from my heart .
At the dark, I saw the corner of his mouth raised, then he slowly told me, “Don’t worry . If I don’t make it back, then ascend Hao’er to the throne . And you’ll be the Empress Dowager just as you wished . ”