klisemfg Chapter 57 The Taker
Chapter 57 The Taker
"Do you know? Actually, at first I wanted to be a benevolent emperor."
The old emperor stood before the vast palace gate, his back view revealing his loneliness.
"The last emperor of the previous dynasty was cruel and inhumane. I actually had many brothers and sisters, but they all starved to death."
"So after I came to power, I abolished agricultural taxes and focused on recuperation and development. But why can't these damned corrupt officials be eliminated?"
No one dared to answer the old emperor in the vast Zichen Palace.
Chen Decai followed behind the old emperor, his lips trembling for a moment, unsure of what to say.
So he simply started secretly observing Zhang Sheren.
Zhang Sheren: ? ? ?
Why are you looking at me like that?
He quickly looked at Shen Zhiyi again.
Well, this guy's expression is clearly blank now.
It's normal for people to feel sentimental and melancholic as they get older; I don't understand why such a talented person is so afraid.
[However, the old emperor was truly ruthless this time; the entire Gao family was slaughtered, and the stench of blood in the market lingered for three days and three nights.]
The old emperor snorted coldly.
If we don't act ruthlessly, it will be disastrous if the emperor of Daye comes from the Gao family in the future.
He originally intended to spare Prince Rui's life.
But the incident with the security escort agency served as a warning to him.
It's best to kill them all.
Chopping the grass does not remove the roots, but the spring breeze blows and regenerates.
Shen Zhiyi pinched her nose and continued to let her mind wander.
[The Left Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial has been on leave for several days in a row. Tsk tsk tsk, if this continues, won't he die the same way as that late emperor?]
[It's strange, the Left Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial has cheated on his wife so many times, why won't she divorce him?]
The Da Ye dynasty was much more lenient towards women than the previous dynasty, allowing divorce and remarriage.
There's no need to uphold that damned concept of chastity.
The old emperor didn't like that kind of thing.
But the mindset that has been ingrained by a dynasty is not so easily liberated.
Well, I was too narrow-minded. I thought his wife's refusal to divorce him was due to outdated feudal ideas. Turns out, the Left Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial was just a sucker.
The old emperor, who had been somewhat saddened, instantly stopped feeling sad.
What? A sucker who takes over a bad deal!
He gave Chen Decai a wink.
Chen Decai started to perform a monologue to avoid Shen Zhiyi noticing anything amiss.
The Left Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial was so poor that he couldn't even afford to get married.
How can someone who doesn't even have the money to get married still be able to go to school?
Zhang Sheren stopped writing, somewhat curious.
[Speaking of which, Zuo Shaoqing's wife was quite a benefactor to him. She had made a small mistake and unexpectedly became pregnant, but she couldn't bear to abort the child.]
Shen Zhiyi clicked her tongue lightly.
If you ask me, what's the point of keeping a scumbag's child?
After seeing the scumbag's face.
[Well, it's fine to keep it; consider it a way to improve the genes of future generations.]
The wife, unwilling to abort the child, decided to find a "baby-taking man" while the pregnancy was still early, and that man turned to the Left Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial.
The old emperor found it very appealing and wished he could be holding a handful of melon seeds right now.
The wife's family of the Left Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial provided him with money and even found him a tutor. They hadn't expected the tutor to be very successful, but unexpectedly, he actually passed the exam.
[Having risen through the ranks to become a fifth-rank official, the Left Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial had developed a somewhat wild heart, but deep down he was still afraid of his wife, so he secretly kept a mistress outside the marriage.]
After listening, the old emperor rubbed his cheeks, suppressing his laughter.
He doesn't actually mind being the one left holding the bag.
But I mind being kept in the dark and becoming a sucker.
There is a significant difference between being proactive and being passive.
The old emperor suddenly blurted out to Chen Decai, "Has that Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial been taking a lot of leave lately?"
"Your Majesty, that is indeed the case."
"Well, let's give him more time off then. Anyway, the Court of State Ceremonial isn't too busy lately."
"Here."
[The old emperor is too easy to talk to! Can I have a few days off too?]
Ugh, I feel like I've been working for who knows how many days.
[The moment I open my eyes, I'm already working like a cow or a horse; who can be worse off than me!]
Zhang Sheren cried: Me! I'm even worse off than you.
Although they work the same hours, his workload is N times that of Shen Zhiyi.
Listening to Shen Zhiyi's wailing, the old emperor thought to himself that he had indeed not relaxed for a long time.
He looked outside and was slightly taken aback, noticing that it had started snowing sometime earlier.
"Oh, it's already November."
Chen Decai smiled and said, "This is the first snow of the year, a good omen."
However, the old emperor frowned.
"Winter is coming, and many more people will freeze to death."
It's so cold in the north without heating; my feet are still freezing when I wake up in the morning.
The old emperor turned to look at Shen Zhiyi.
"Shen Zhiyi, didn't you find an older sister?"
"Yes."
Shen Zhiyi replied subconsciously, then froze after replying: "Your Majesty, how did you know?"
Oh dear, what am I saying? Is there anything the old emperor doesn't know?
The old emperor: There are far too many things I don't know.
"Since you've asked the eldest sister, you should have asked her to put in a good effort. Doesn't she even know what kind of weather it is today, dressing like this?"
"Your Majesty is right."
[Waaaaah, who knew that the eldest sister I'd spent so much time searching for would have her distant relative show up, and then she abandoned me and went to live with her relative.]
[Waaaaah, I'll never forgive her! Ugh, she even stole a month's wages from me! I should have known better than to pay her in advance.]
The old emperor's eyes twitched.
He muttered to himself helplessly, "He's stupid."
Shen Zhiyi was immersed in grief, mourning the loss of her money.
When will the Crown Prince return?
Chen Decai said, "Perhaps the Crown Prince will be able to return during the New Year?"
He can't make it back in time. That guy plans to stay in Jiangnan and come back next year when the crops have grown.
The old emperor deeply suspected that the crown prince had already let himself go and didn't want to come back.
[What a perfectly plausible excuse! The old emperor probably never imagined that the Crown Prince had been gone for so long. Wait, when did the Crown Prince go? It doesn't matter anyway. What matters is that he hasn't taken a single bath since he arrived.]
"puff!"
The old emperor couldn't resist.
Shen Zhiyi looked up and hurriedly put down her pen.
[November of the 20th year of Emperor Taizong's reign.]
[On the second day, Guiwei, the emperor submitted a memorial stating: "Pfft."]
The old emperor: ……
You even wrote this?
Oh well, as long as you're happy.
"Ahem, let's not have the Crown Prince come back this year. How about this, we invite officials of the sixth rank and above to enjoy the snow at Dragon Head Pond tomorrow."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will arrange it immediately."
[Enjoying the snow? That means there's food? Yay!]
Zhang Sheren looked at Shen Zhiyi, who was barely suppressing her laughter, with a hint of pity in his eyes.
Shen Lang is well-versed in poetry and prose; is he sure he can handle things at the snow appreciation banquet?