After Becoming the Cannon Fodder Live-in Spouse A (GL) - Chapter 33: The Thirty-Third Day

Chapter 33: The Thirty-Third Day

The dragon saliva incense that set off the emperor’s majesty wafted gracefully from the beast-head incense niches on both sides of the heavenly steps of the Chenji Hall, complementing the cloud patterns of the twelve golden pillars engraved with nine dragons playing with pearls. The dragon eyes peering down from the clouds at the tops of the pillars, together with the pair of eyes under the bead curtain of the dragon robe on the golden chair, overlooked the hundred officials in the hall.

The first-rank Shen Jinglan sat at the head of the hundred officials.

Seated alongside her were the Attendant of the Secretariat and the Privy Councilor Wang Xuyao, the Left Prime Minister Huan Ling, and the Right Prime Minister Yang Bo. Behind her in the next row sat her and Shen Jingming’s paternal uncle, Duke of Yongguo Shen Zekun, who also served concurrently as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and the Vice Minister of the Imperial Clan Court.

She lowered her eyelids, with only the silver dragon-patterned carpet laid on the heavenly steps ahead in her view.

But the emperor’s attention was solely on her—

Shen Jingming thought of the court gazette presented by the palace guards of the prince’s mansion yesterday, which detailed Prince Qi’s whereabouts for the day. He had first gone to the prison of the Horse and Step Army Division in front of the hall, but only to allow that useless little side consort of his to visit relatives. Afterward, he was intimate with that little princess consort in broad daylight at the Taiqing Tower, to the point that he could not even wait to enjoy the fine dishes and ordered the carriage to return to the mansion.

It was heard that as soon as she returned to the mansion, she hastily dismissed the servants and engaged in that act of tumbling dragons and turning phoenixes in the room.

Shen Jingming did not recall when his sister had become so lustful. If he had not seen the useless appearance of that Ye woman, he would truly have thought she was some beauty capable of making one fall into the gentle land. With Shen Jinglan’s temperament, how could she possibly take a liking to such a Qianyuan?

That was to use the absurd matter to cover up some truth that could not be shown to others.

What truth was it?

For instance, she actually had no leisure to attend to food at the Taiqing Tower, her condition so poor that she could no longer walk, requiring her little princess consort to bring her back to the carriage. And that little useless one, taking advantage of Prince Qi’s weakness upon returning to the mansion, simply entered the void, leading to the subsequent result.

It happened that last night Shen Jinglan had returned to the Qingfrost Courtyard, leaving that little waste to guard an empty room alone.

…It seemed that Ye Rong’s prescription had some effect.

Shen Jingming casually pushed the facts aside while listening to the ministers below refute each other. Since the Yancheng incident half a year ago had been sealed as a file and become a taboo that could no longer be mentioned in the Chenji Hall, they pretended not to see Prince Qi’s presence and vied to argue over the matter of allocating funds from the Three Departments.

This year’s spring examination had opened, and Wang Xuyao, this great Confucian renowned throughout the world, did not wish to miss the opportunity to sow more peach and plum trees. Although he himself had not moved, his student, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, argued forcefully, stating that talented and capable youths from various places had come to Yong’an to take the examination. The examination venue, invigilation, and hosting of the Hanlin banquet all required grand arrangements, after all, it concerned the emperor’s majesty.

Meanwhile, Huan Ling’s people in the Ministry of Revenue listed one by one the expenditures for resettling refugees from several northern cities during the snow disaster earlier in the year. The content was simple: the treasuries in various places were empty. If the court could not provide more preferential treatment, the refugees would lack money to return to their hometowns.

At that time, these people would be bought as tenant farmers by local gentry. After the farmland mostly became private property of the great households, it would be difficult to collect the autumn grain and taxes.

Yang Bo allied with the Censorate and scolded the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue one by one for being shameless. Every year, so much funding was allocated to the Ministry of Rites that they claimed not even to have money to hold one imperial examination, which was just pretending to be poor. As for the northern disaster relief silver, several hundred thousand had already been approved at the beginning of the year, and the clattering white silver had been poured down—into whose pockets had it all gone?

Then, turning the conversation, he again remonstrated to the emperor that this year there was still the five hundred thousand in annual tribute to be paid to the Da Zhi royal clan. No matter what, if the annual tribute was not presented in the first year, there would be a risk of renewed military conflict. Those fellows were not as urgent for the money as he was; the Three Departments should first raise this annual tribute.

The envoys of the Three Departments stood out, paid respects to Shen Jingming, and gave these big shots one answer:

No money.

Last year there was war again, and disasters occurred frequently in various places. The money and grain sent by the transport commissioners of each province either went to the front lines or were used for disaster relief—where was there any surplus money? No money, but one life to give.

The Minister of War wanted to speak but hesitated, took a small step forward, and on his tablet were written the quantities of rusted weapons and armor in the treasuries of each prefecture and county, all in the vital border fortresses. If supplies could not be replenished in time, should Da Zhi tear up the alliance and start military action again, the speed of reaching Yong’an would likely be faster than half a year ago.

…

In Shen Jingming’s eyes, those standing below were not the hundred officials, but the fledglings in the swallow nests hanging from the corners of the palace walls, each opening their mouths toward him and shouting:

Money! Money! We want money!

He suddenly began to miss Li Yanlin. Previously, when he supervised the construction of the imperial mausoleum and various matters in Quanzhou and Sichuan-Shu for him, not only did he not ask him for money, but he even built a very beautiful Jiangnan summer retreat garden for him. Although it was somewhat laborious and wasteful of the people and resources… why was there no one who could both save money and earn money for him, and do things beautifully, without incurring attacks from the entire court?

In this Chenji Hall, there were either old pedants with clean sleeves, or nobles whose minds were entirely on clan families and who engaged in partisan strife, or those from humble families who single-mindedly thought of glorifying their door.

His gaze was indifferent; when he swept over these people, he found that as long as he did not listen to their voices, he could regard them as chess pieces on a chessboard, placed anywhere on the board according to his will.

In the past, at the other end of this chessboard sat Shen Jinglan.

And now even Shen Jinglan had become a chess piece under his control, leaving that end empty, only casting the shadows of emperors whose names would endure in history, urging him to accomplish unparalleled great achievements and enjoy eternal ancestral worship alongside them.

But what exactly constituted an unprecedented and unmatched great achievement?

For instance, exterminating Da Zhi? Unifying everything north of the Great Wall?

No money.

To bide one’s time, amass wealth sufficient to sustain the great clan for a hundred generations?

Then what was the point of him coming to this throne?

Shen Jingming’s gaze fell once more on the person in the bright red python robe. He recalled that back when they were still in their hometown, his father hesitated and did not yet know how to respond to the previous dynasty’s order dispatching him to suppress the rebel bandits. Shen Jinglan stood at the door of the study one night and said to her most beloved father:

Let us go, Father. The child in Little Aunt Yang’s family in the countryside manor was robbed by passing rebels; they have come bullying right to our door. The Shen Family Army cannot fail to protect even our own people.

Later, when she made Yan Wang rebel, what she said was that two days earlier, a tenant farmer household that had hosted her could not pay the grain levied by the government and also had no able-bodied men to conscript into the army, resulting in the court officials dragging away their thin and small daughter, and the people being wounded by chops. She said that since the Shen Family Army already protected the people of the Yan region, why could it not protect more people?

She always used these very strange reasons to persuade Father.

But Shen Jingming and Shen Chaohui both knew clearly that the old Yan Wang ultimately acted according to her wish not because of some Little Aunt Yang, nor because he wanted her to avenge her benefactor—perhaps it was initially, but later, in repeated expeditions, they all saw new hope—

It was the purple imperial star rising from the far north.

It fed the Shen Family Army, commanded their master, and aimed to enter the Central Plains and become the supreme emperor of Yong’an imperial city.

And Shen Jinglan, as always, with her delicate thoughts unique to Dikun, could only see the one person and one city before her eyes, as if as long as the people around her lived well enough, she had no further demands.

How had he ever thought she posed a threat to him in the past?

Shen Jingming suddenly realized that she was just a Dikun.

Even though she had illustrious military achievements in the past and established greater merits than all Qianyuan, the things she cared about, and the personal guards who could charge into battle for her, were all buried in their hometown. Now she was the lone remaining wolf; who else did she have, whom could she still miss and rely on?

–

The emperor on the dragon throne had been silent for too long.

The ministers could not fathom his mood and did not know when they had quieted down. At this moment, he suddenly said, “What does Prince Qi think? To whom should I have the Three Departments allocate the money?”

◢

The named Shen Jinglan’s eyes moved slightly. She rose from her chair, cupped her hands toward him, and answered in a calm tone, saying that she had been recuperating at home for too long, did not know court affairs, and did not dare to express an opinion.

Shen Jingming laughed, propped his chin with one hand, and as the white jade bead curtain moved slightly, he actually chatted family matters with Shen Jinglan right there in the court assembly, asking how her body was recovering.

Shen Jinglan: “Occasional headaches.”

For such an unmasked answer from her, Shen Jingming raised his eyebrows slightly. He always felt that since this illness, his sister seemed to have had her sharpness also ground away, almost as obedient as those Dikun in the rear palace in his impression.

…Obedient?

He savored the word again and found it suitable for Shen Jinglan, even feeling a few points of pity for her. After all, she was his only sister; now that Father and Big Brother were gone, as the remaining brother, he naturally had to look after her.

Thus, thinking of that marriage-consoling side consort who did not look at all like someone who knew how to serve, Shen Jingming said, “Later, I will instruct the Imperial Medical Bureau to examine you again. When I arranged your marriage before, I only focused on having the Astronomical Bureau select a horoscope that could prosper yours and neglected the side consort’s character and family background—”

Pausing, he added, “Now that you are recuperating, you still need a sensible and caring princess consort by your side. Among the Qianyuan in Yong’an City who can match the imperial family, I will help you look for now.”

The atmosphere in the Chenji Hall shifted from serene to strange.

How could the ministers below not know that this was the emperor unwilling to listen to them quarrel over money anymore and casually throwing out a topic? But… why was he arranging a consort for Prince Qi again?

And this time it was the principal consort!

Which family’s unlucky Qianyuan would be targeted now?

The Left Prime Minister and Right Prime Minister, who had been the loudest just now, were at this moment nose to heart, quiet as chickens, rapidly listing in their minds the descendants in their families who had proper appearances and good looks, then madly inhaling in their hearts.

My sons and grandsons have bright futures ahead; they cannot be delayed by this demoness Prince Qi!

Wang Xuyao, who had not spoken all along, closed his eyes and smiled faintly, secretly glad that he had not personally come out just now to tear into his old political rival; otherwise, the little notebook of candidates for the emperor to select as consorts would have a few more surnamed Wang unfortunates.

Shen Jinglan’s face showed nothing, but she very respectfully saluted, first thanking the emperor for his kindness, then saying that her body was not well and she had no fortune to enjoy it. Anyway, she was already familiar with the side consort, so she simply took this opportunity to petition, asking her imperial brother to elevate the Ye woman to principal consort.

Shen Jingming rejected without hesitation, “That would not be proper.”

…

“Achoo—”

On the carriage path at the imperial city palace gate.

Ye Fuguang, still unaware that her name had appeared at the center of the great clan’s power, sneezed on the fragrant and soft cushion. She had been woken up far too early in the morning, and at this moment, she had not yet come to her senses.

The night before last, she had rested alone in the Plum Garden, without the familiar scent beside her, and had not slept for half the night. The next day, her schedule was somewhat inverted day and night. She had just dozed off in the latter half of the night when Ruyi woke her.

She said that the prince was going to court and asked if she wanted to see him off?

Ye Fuguang’s mind had not turned around, and after a while, she mumbled, “No.”

She did want to make an effort for the million annual salary, but previously, she had evidently gone too far and displeased Shen Jinglan. At this hour when even the rooster had not crowed, what if Shen Jinglan had morning temper and wanted to punish her upon seeing her first thing in the morning?

Sleeping poorly and then receiving punishment would be too vexing; she resolutely did not go.

She burrowed back into the quilt, but not long after, Jixiang and Ruyi dug her out from that pile of silk bedding, helped her wash and comb her hair, and when the poria cream was stuffed into her mouth, she opened her eyes tearfully, “I am not going…”

“No,” Ruyi leaned to her ear and responded firmly, “Princess Consort, you want to go.”

She did not want to!

Before Ye Fuguang could hum her protest, she heard Ruyi lean to her ear again and say softly, “There is an order from Qingfrost Courtyard: the prince wants the princess consort to see him off.”

Ye Fuguang: ?

And so, when she was so sleepy that she did not even remember her own name, Jixiang and Ruyi dressed her particularly endearingly and stuffed her into Prince Qi’s carriage for court.

However, after propping herself up for a long time, she did not wait for Shen Jinglan to come, so she simply sat on the warm wool blanket, lay on the bolster, tilted her head, and fell asleep again. Halfway, she even felt her neck a bit sore, but later she leaned against something soft and comfortable and slept well again.

Now she was hazily woken by the sunlight leaking in from outside, shining on her eyelids and dazzling her. After sneezing, she vaguely realized where she was sitting, stared dazedly at the dome inlaid with gems on the top of the inner compartment for a while, and then heard the servant’s voice outside.

“Prince.”

…Hmm? Was Shen Jinglan preparing to go to court?

Then the next moment, the door was pushed open, and Prince Qi in the red python robe matched with a golden jade belt hook entered her eyes along with the sunlight, dazzling her so that she narrowed her eyes. She tilted her head up to look and heard the crisp sound of rings and pendants clashing as she walked.

Along with the other party’s meaningful sneer as she sized her up, “Beloved consort finally deigns to wake?”

–

The reason Shen Jinglan brought Ye Fuguang along was that she did not know whether this little princess consort’s body fragrance’s effect on her illness was an accident or something else. To prevent any lapse in decorum during the court assembly, she wanted to have her replenish some dew guide before the morning session.

Who knew that the little pet stuffed into the carriage by the maids would fall asleep as soon as she lay down; at this time, she did not resemble a loyal little dog, but a little pig.

The carriage rocked and swayed, yet she did not wake, sleeping particularly soundly sprawled at her leg. Midway, when her head was about to slide down, she frowned and hummed; in the end, Shen Jinglan could not bear it and lifted her hand to support her neck, steadying her all the way.

—She did not know who exactly was the one serving the other.

Now seeing the little princess consort awake, she narrowed her eyes and did not let the maids enter to help her remove her clothes and change out of this gold-red court attire. Instead, she sat down beside Ye Fuguang and lifted her chin toward her.

The little waste: ?

The idiot who could not read the look in her eyes blankly looked around, did not find the tea set, and did not see where the cakes for padding the stomach were placed, so she asked puzzledly, “Prince… what do you want?”

“Change clothes.”

Shen Jinglan commanded concisely.

Then she saw shock in the child’s eyes, probably meaning “Is the time to work like an ox or horse already this early?”

Prince Qi almost laughed at her expression.

But she held her composure and nudged her knee with her long boot.

…

Ye Fuguang still carried the daze of just waking, moving slowly, but her mind was full of one phrase:

Money is hard to earn, sh1t is hard to eat.

The ancestors did not deceive me.

She seemed a bit unable to handle this nanny job with a million annual salary; sure enough, one must know one’s limitations.

The little princess consort’s aggrieved and pitiable appearance all fell into Shen Jinglan’s eyes. She lightly clicked her tongue; originally she had wanted to tease her more, but at this moment, she was softened by the child’s overly pitiable look of selling misery and called for the maids outside to come in and serve.

The coachman drove the carriage slowly out of the main road in front of the palace gate.

Ye Fuguang suddenly did not need to do anything again and thought she had done poorly, so she sat there lifting her eyes pitifully to look at her. Shen Jinglan was made to narrow her eyes by this soft and vulnerable appearance of hers.

Recalling that just now in the morning assembly, Shen Jingming had used her as a pretext to block those ministers’ words in order not to listen to their disputes.

When the boots were removed and the maids wiped her soles clean and put on fresh silk socks for her anew, she suddenly moved, her fair sole stepping on Ye Fuguang’s thigh, then casually shifting as if seeking a comfortable spot to rest her foot.

The little side consort: “!”

She suddenly blushed, watching Shen Jinglan’s movements, and discovered that although this Prince Qi had many wounds on her body, her instep, ankle, and calf had no traces. Moreover, perhaps because she wore armor and clothes year-round and had not been much exposed to the sun, after lying down for this past half year and being nurtured with soups and medicines, her skin was even more delicate.

To be intimate with her right in front of Quhua like this, her entire body could not help but tremble.

…So itchy.

The side of her thigh, unused to heavy tasks, had undeveloped muscles and bones, made unbearably itchy by Shen Jinglan’s pressure. She seemed to want to protest but had nowhere to hide, stuttering out, “…Prince?”

Shen Jinglan idly lowered her gaze to look at the person.

As if the one repeatedly teasing the little dog like this was not her.

“Hmm?”

She responded, “So delicate? You cannot even let this prince rest for a while?”

No.

Ye Fuguang could not speak and could only blush and shake her head.

As a result, Shen Jinglan seemed to suddenly understand her protest, lifted her foot, and with her toe traced along the line of her leg, slowly moving upward a bit, circling at her waist and abdomen. The snow-white was blocked by her light purple clothes, creating a hazy, water-like ambiguity through the fabric.

She still felt it insufficient and deliberately laced her tone with a few points of disdain, “Flesh so soft, waist so fine; if you are elevated to principal consort, do you also want this prince to serve you in reverse?”

As she spoke, her toe casually drew across the little pet’s abdomen and moved to her waist, tapping lightly neither heavily nor lightly.

…Even itchier.

Ye Fuguang trembled and thought that it seemed not just itchy, but also some more indescribable, other heat rising up entirely.