The weather over the next two mornings was slightly chilly. Shen Du could not get up and simply claimed to be ill, resting and recovering within his estate. Yet, the court officials smugly assumed Shen Du was afraid of them, only to turn around and hear that Shen Du had ordered personnel from the Imperial City Bureau to enter the Empress Dowager palace and publicly punish a court maid.
The officials smugly smiled, their expressions freezing on their faces, turning instead into resentment, followed immediately by an even more frantic wave of memorial submissions.
The Empress Dowager was the master of the inner palace, yet Shen Du was so audacious that he went as far as deploying the emperor direct Imperial City Bureau just to punish a simple court maid. Could this imperial court truly be nothing more than Shen Du personal echo chamber?
However, these memorials all ultimately landed on the desk of Shen Du, who was still claiming illness and skipping court. Shen Du merely glanced at them twice, tossed them aside, and did not care in the least until the head steward outside reported at the door, “My lord, Lord Ming has come to pay a visit.”
Hearing these words, Shen Du finally raised an eyebrow and looked toward the doorway.
Lord Ming.
In the original text, there was only one Lord Ming: the female protagonist father, Ming Qing. This man was Shen Du former mentor, as well as the late emperor mentor. It was precisely because of this that the late emperor felt entirely at ease entrusting the young emperor to Shen Du.
Ming Qing was known for his integrity. Later, the late emperor even specially granted him permission to retire and recuperate in the capital. Although he had already retired from the imperial court, many officials in the current court would still show Ming Qing a modicum of respect.
Back then, the late emperor had also arranged a matrimonial alliance between the male and female protagonists because of Ming Qing. It was just that because the male protagonist went to the frontier and never returned, the marriage had been dragged out again and again. According to the current timeline, the male protagonist should be returning to the capital before New Year Eve.
In the original story, their wedding took place after the rebellion, but right now, there were still several years left before the rebellion. Therefore, something must have gone wrong somewhere in the middle.
Shen Du entered the grand hall and saw Ming Qing, whose hair was frosted with gray, drinking tea and sitting in a side chair. Shen Du hurriedly stepped forward to bow and salute him: “Master, what brings you the time to visit my estate today? If there is an urgent matter, you could have simply sent someone to notify me, and this student would have certainly come to pay my respects in person.”
Ming Qing did not have many appearances in the book, so Shen Du could not accurately gauge the original owner attitude toward Ming Qing and could only treat him according to his own best estimation.
Ming Qing watched as Shen Du did not take the seat of honor, but instead sat right beside him. His tone was respectful, and his demeanor was poised and calm.
A look of surprise and satisfaction flashed through Ming Qing eyes as he spoke in a slow, gentle voice, “Your temper has indeed become a bit more restrained compared to before. Still, this is very good. It is just that I heard recently you were in poor health and recuperating in your estate, so I came over to check on you.”
Shen Du lowered his gaze with a faint smile, then softly replied, “Thank you for your praise, Master. This student has merely been feeling a bit under the weather due to the recent cold weather, making it inconvenient to enter the palace to instruct His Majesty. You must also take good care of your health, Master. In weather like this, putting you through the trouble of coming to visit this student in person makes me truly ashamed.”
“It is nothing. Actually, I came here today for another matter concerning my youngest daughter. The late emperor once arranged a marriage between General Lu and Ling er. Later, because General Lu received orders to head to the frontier, he was gone for three full years. Seeing that Ling er is now of age, I can only swallow my pride and come to you, hoping you might sound out His Majesty intentions.”
As he spoke, Ming Qing glanced over at Shen Du. Even for Ming Qing, he did not have absolute certainty that Shen Du would agree.
Lu Shu was away at the frontier and enjoyed deep support from the common people, while the Ming family held a certain level of influence in the court. If those in power grew suspicious, the marriage would likely be delayed even further. Yet, rumors were already swirling around the capital because the engagement had been dragged out for three years.
Driven by helplessness, Ming Qing had no choice but to turn to Shen Du.
He hoped Shen Du would take into account that he was his former mentor and finalize this marriage sooner rather than later. Otherwise, his daughter would likely become the laughingstock of the capital.
Hearing this, Shen Du understood that Ming Qing was not really trying to inquire about the emperor intentions; rather, he wanted Shen Du to make his stance clear. In the original novel, Ming Qing had likely come to the original owner as well, but the original owner had refused.
Lu Shu was brave and skilled in battle, and Ming Qing was a deeply respected elder in the court. An alliance between the two families would inevitably reshuffle the distribution of power in the imperial court.
Consequently, the original owner did not agree to Ming Qing request at the time. However, Shen Du, who had read the entire book, knew very well that neither Lu Shu nor the Ming family had any ambitions to seize the supreme throne. Therefore, all he needed to do was offer a favor.
Who knows, if he encountered difficulties in the future, the male and female protagonists might also stand by his side.
This was a win-win deal for Shen Du with zero downside.
“Since this is a match bestowed by the late emperor, Master, you can rest assured. I will discuss Ling er marriage with His Majesty. When I was young, I also owed a lot of care and consideration to Elder Sister Ling, so I have long regarded her as my own older sister. Therefore, you can rest assured; I will definitely keep this matter close to heart.”
Shen Du offered repeated assurances. When Ming Qing rose to take his leave, Shen Du even had someone prepare a carriage to send him safely back to his estate.
Once everything was properly arranged, the Shen family steward finally approached Shen Du and softly reported, “My lord, I have already arranged for people to safely escort Lord Ming back to his residence. Please rest assured.”
Lu Shu had sent back reports of military victories not long ago, and recent battles had been won in succession. Once he returned to the capital, there would be grand rewards and titles bestowed upon him. Given this, Shen Du needed to discuss these commendations and rewards with His Majesty well in advance.
This was the first round of rewards since His Majesty ascended the throne, and no mistakes could be tolerated.
Shen Du remembered from the original text that the original owner had been wary of Lu Shu, so the rewards and honors he handed down were nothing more than some ordinary trinket items.
This had also caused quite a few court officials to harbor deep dissatisfaction toward the young emperor and Shen Du.
Therefore, the morning after next.
Shen Du waited directly in the Imperial Study for the young emperor to discuss the matter of rewards, and incidentally brought up the marriage between Ming Ling and Lu Shu.
However, today, the first person Shen Du waited for was the young eunuch who had previously served by his side.
Shen Du had a deep impression of him; this young eunuch had always stayed close to Grand Eunuch De.
Character Profile Matched: Grand Eunuch De Shun, accepted as a foster son by Grand Eunuch De.
Shen Du found it somewhat strange. When the Empress Dowager appeared, the system had not matched her profile, and even when someone like Ming Qing, the female protagonist father, appeared, the system offered no reminders.
Yet today, just because he found the face slightly familiar, the system immediately matched the character profile?
Why did you not match the Empress Dowager yesterday? Shen Du directly asked his doubt.
Hearing this, the system replied indifferently: The system is an artificial intelligence. Profile matching reminders will only appear when you are uncertain of someone identity. As for other character profiles, the system automatically archives them into the database.
Shen Du was momentarily stunned, finding himself somewhat impressed.
What a piece of work this artificial intelligence was.
Speechless.
Afterward, Shen Du shifted his gaze to Grand Eunuch De Shun, raising an eyebrow slightly, his tone as cold and casual as a passing question: “Where is His Majesty?”
Grand Eunuch De Shun stood respectfully to the side, his voice soft: “His Majesty is currently in Empress Dowager Niangniang palace. With the end of the year approaching, the Empress Dowager wants to discuss this year palace banquet with His Majesty, so His Majesty instructed this slave to come and inform Lord Shen.”
Hearing that the young emperor was in the Empress Dowager palace, Shen Du stood up immediately, his expression turning grim.
The Empress Dowager is no good person. If the young emperor has to face her alone, there is no telling how much he will suffer.
Thinking this to himself, Shen Du walked toward the door. Just as he reached the entrance, he saw the doors of the Imperial Study push open from the outside, and the young emperor walked straight in, colliding directly with Shen Du.
With a frown of annoyance, Shen Du looked down and saw the young emperor looking obedient and daring not to move. His mood instantly smoothed out, and he took a step back.
“What important business does the Empress Dowager have with His Majesty?” Shen Du asked softly. Even though he harbored wariness toward the Empress Dowager, his tone toward the young emperor remained as gentle as he could possibly manage.
Hearing this, Xie Min raised his head, placed his hand in Shen Du hand, and answered him obediently: “It is just about the matters regarding this year palace banquet. It is only that the Empress Dowager hopes I will issue an imperial decree summoning Prince Lin an back to the capital to attend the banquet.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Du let out a cold snort.
Summoning Prince Lin an back to the palace?
That abacus was clicking so loudly that even Shen Du could hear it all the way inside the Imperial Study.
Yet, this was a reason neither Shen Du nor the emperor could refute. The emperor was young, and no imperial selection had yet been held for the inner palace, meaning the master of the inner palace was the Empress Dowager. Since Prince Lin an was the Empress Dowager biological son, her proposal for him to attend the banquet was completely reasonable and justifiable.
“Since the Empress Dowager misses Prince Lin an, then have Prince Lin an set out from his fiefdom at an appropriate date and arrive in the capital before New Year Eve to attend the banquet. I recall that the Eldest Princess is still recuperating in the south; Your Majesty may also issue an imperial decree instructing the Eldest Princess to make preparations early and return to the capital.”
The Eldest Princess was Xie Min biological older sister. After Xie Min ascended the throne, the court was unstable and the inner palace was unsafe. Furthermore, because the original owner was afraid the Eldest Princess would see through his own wild ambitions, he used the excuse of recuperation to send her away to the south.
And she had been gone for half a year already.
Now that the Empress Dowager brought up Prince Lin an entering the capital, Shen Du naturally had to start considering the emperor biological older sister ahead of time.
The Eldest Princess and the emperor had grown up together since childhood, and their relationship was exceptionally close. In the original novel, the Eldest Princess had even pleaded with the male and female protagonists on behalf of her tyrant younger brother, though it was a pity that by that time, the young emperor had already committed too many irreversible mistakes.
“There is one more matter. The late emperor once bestowed a marriage between the Ming family daughter and General Lu. Because of the frontier, the marriage has been delayed for three years. This year, it should also be concluded. Moreover, now that General Lu is returning in victory, we should also begin preparing his promotions and rewards.”
Shen Du let his gaze fall upon Xie Min. Hearing those two familiar names, Xie Min, who had just been putting on an obedient act while watching Shen Du, felt a sharp pain in his palm as his fingernails pierced his skin. Xie Min still clearly remembered that in the end, he had met his death precisely at the hands of Lu Shu.
Yet now, Shen Du actually wanted to arrange for Lu Shu and Ming Ling to be married in advance. This was something that had never happened in his past life.
If Lu Shu and Ming Ling were to marry, the power dynamics in the court would shift once again. Just what on earth was Shen Du trying to do?
It seemed this Shen Du was no longer the original Shen Du.
Noticing the confusion on Xie Min face, Shen Du sat down in a nearby chair, leaned back slightly, and gently offered guidance: “The Lu family and the Ming family hold deep influence within the court. Elder Ming approached me precisely because he wanted me to do him a favor. Since we cannot afford to offend them, our only option is to pull them to our side.”
Seeing that Xie Min remained silent, Shen Du patted his shoulder, offering reassurance: “Your Majesty, if you employ someone, do not doubt them; if you doubt them, do not employ them.”
Lu Shu and Ming Ling are actually quite decent people. After all, the late emperor evaluation of Lu Shu was also very high. If Minmin wants to become an enlightened monarch of a generation, the very first requirement is to have the magnanimity to tolerate others. Minmin is so smart; he should understand what I mean, right? Am I acting too much?
Shen Du felt a bit uncertain inside, casting a cautious look at Xie Min before him.
The current Xie Min was obedient and well-behaved, respecting Shen Du decisions in everything. Since this was something Shen Du had brought up, it naturally would not be rejected by Xie Min.
Xie Min pondered for a moment, then suggested several rewards and brought up the matter of conferring higher titles upon Lu Shu. Shen Du nodded in agreement after hearing them, and discussed the marriage between Lu Shu and Ming Ling with Xie Min, primarily leaving the decision-making to Xie Min.
As an emperor, wielding both benevolence and severity was an essential lesson Xie Min needed to learn.
Shen Du could not possibly stay by Xie Min side forever, so he would only guide Xie Min to consider these matters on his own.
Are you sure it is not just because you are lazy? The system suddenly chimed in, catching Shen Du right in the middle of his guilty conscience. He paused, then could not help coughing out loud.
Xie Min had still been talking about Lu Shu enfeoffment. Hearing Shen Du cough, he hurriedly stepped forward to gently pat Shen Du back, his tone anxious and so flustered that he even forgot his imperial self-reference: “Teacher, did I say something wrong somewhere?”
Shen Du waved his hand, and once he caught his breath, his voice was slightly hoarse as he spoke, “It is nothing. His Majesty spoke very well; I was just momentarily distracted. In that case, Your Majesty can issue the decree during the palace banquet. As for the wedding date, we will still need the Bureau of Astronomy to make preparations early and select an auspicious day to show how much importance we place on this.”
Xie Min agreed, and then heard Shen Du inner voice:
Finally over. Time to go home and sleep! Off work, off work!
Although Xie Min did not understand what off work meant, listening to the cheerful tone in Shen Du heart, he could roughly guess that it was probably similar to finishing morning court.
Pondering this, Xie Min raised his head to look at Shen Du, wanting to see if there was any difference beneath Shen Du aloof exterior.
Yet, aside from the usual, identical aloofness, there seemed to be no other difference at all.
If not for the fact that he could hear what Shen Du was thinking inside, he probably would have been completely deceived by Shen Du outward appearance.