My husband is not easy to mess with. - Chapter 8: What Exactly Does He Want?
Chapter 8: What Exactly Does He Want?
Nie Yao felt a slight pain in his chest.
But the goods were already in the hands of his sworn elder brother, and he couldn’t very well take them back.
Let it be.
It didn’t matter. He was used to being poor; losing this was nothing.
Nie Yao comforted himself. As soon as he walked into the manor, he noticed that the people from the palace hadn’t left yet.
And they were leading a rare, priceless steed, along with a box of glittering gold bars.
Nie Yao looked at the steward in confusion.
The steward whispered, “Your Excellency, they said His Majesty wants to make another deal with you.”
So that was it.
Nie Yao was somewhat curious about what the New Emperor wanted to do now. Did he want to mobilize troops again? Wasn’t he being too hasty? He had just ascended the throne and had a large pile of messes to clean up…
“Greetings, Lord Nie.”
The palace servants were still very respectful to him. “His Majesty requests you to return to the palace once more. If you agree, these are the gifts His Majesty gives you.”
Nie Yao liked cars in his past life and horses in this one.
However, he had to earn the money in this life, and he had worked his heart out to save enough money for a magnificent horse. Thinking of the cars that filled several garages in his previous life, he felt his beloved horse was lonely every time he went to see it.
“Ahem…”
Nie Yao rubbed his fingers, resisting the urge to stroke the docile horse’s smooth coat.
He pretended to cough and asked the palace servant, “Er, has His Majesty woken up?”
“Replying to Your Excellency, only Eunuch Xiaodouzi knows His Majesty’s routine. We servants do not know when His Majesty rises.”
“Then how did you come?”
“His Majesty instructed us yesterday that as soon as Your Excellency left the palace, we should bring these things to you.”
In addition to the silver for the transaction, there was this horse and the gold.
Nie Yao: “Then what did His Majesty summon me for this time?”
“This subordinate does not know.”
Doesn’t know again.
Were these truly the New Emperor’s people, or were they unwilling to inform him because he didn’t give them money?
Nie Yao hesitated for a long time, reluctantly took out a handful of copper coins from his purse, thought about it, put some back, and finally handed two coins to the head palace servant.
The palace servant accepted the copper coins.
“Your Excellency, you will know when you get there.”
How was this any different from the “I don’t know” just now?
These two copper coins were a complete waste!
Nie Yao was indignant but ultimately couldn’t resist the temptation of the treasure horse and the gold bars. He got into the carriage and went to the palace again.
The person who came to meet him this time was still the familiar gēr from before.
“Greetings, Eunuch Xiaodouzi.”
The palace servant who brought the horse bowed to him, then took out the two copper coins Nie Yao had just given him from his sleeve and handed them to the other party. “Lord Nie has arrived.”
“Mm.”
Xiaodouzi invited Nie Yao to alight from the carriage and board a sedan chair.
Nie Yao had been busy all night and yawned.
He casually asked Xiaodouzi, “Eunuch, has His Majesty woken up?”
“Replying to Your Excellency. His Majesty’s sleeping quarters do not welcome outsiders. He only summons people to attend to him after he rises in the morning. Therefore, this servant only knows that His Majesty has not yet risen.”
“Are you Xiaodouzi?” Nie Yao asked again.
“Replying to Your Excellency, yes. This servant’s name is Xiaodouzi.”
Nie Yao felt the name sounded familiar. After a careful recollection, it seemed that when he and the child named the two gērs they sent to him, they named them together.
One Xiaodouzi (Little Bean), one Xiaomaizi (Little Wheat).
Nie Yao hesitated for a moment and asked Xiaodouzi, “How is Xiaomaizi doing now?”
Xiaodouzi smiled and replied, “Thanks to Your Excellency’s fortune, my younger brother and I are both well now. Seven years ago, Xiaomaizi married a doctor, and they now have a son and live a relatively happy life.”
“Xiaomaizi is now working in the Imperial Kitchen. He spent years researching and finally made a cream cake.”
“Your Excellency can try it at breakfast later to see if it suits your taste.”
A cream cake…
The memories from the past were too distant. Nie Yao couldn’t recall mentioning such a thing to them, only that he had made a cake for the child on his birthday.
Ah, right.
He seemed to have mentioned that it would taste better with cream.
But he didn’t know the exact recipe, so he didn’t say much more.
Unexpectedly, someone remembered this and studied it for years until they made it.
Nie Yao felt a complex mix of emotions.
He had been guarding against the New Emperor ever since he ascended the throne. This had nothing to do with the New Emperor himself. In fact, no matter who sat in that position, he would probe a thousand times and guard ten thousand times, lest his family suddenly meet a tragic end for no reason.
But this New Emperor…
Sigh…
Nie Yao was now completely unable to distinguish whether the other party genuinely remembered the kindness of the past or was merely acting with him.
Compared to the child putting on an act and looking for an opportunity to kill him, Nie Yao himself preferred to believe that the other party still cherished the old affection and could tolerate the Nie family’s vast power and prestige that could endanger the imperial authority.
But he dared not gamble.
In the imperial court, one wrong step and they would face a bloody abyss.
He absolutely could not afford to think too kindly of others.
It truly could lead to death.
In this world, death was far too easy a thing.
“Lord Nie, please.”
The Emperor’s sleeping quarters had arrived.
Nie Yao composed himself and got out of the sedan chair.
Inside the sleeping quarters.
The New Emperor was still asleep.
The slender xiăogēr was curled up in a ball, holding a cloth doll, frowning and pouting as if he had dreamt of something unpleasant.
The brocade quilt had long been kicked away. If not for the floor heating in the hall, this person would probably catch a cold.
The cloth doll in the xiăogēr‘s arms was somewhat faded.
But Nie Yao recognized the crooked, twisted stitching; he had sewn it stitch by stitch himself once.
It was just a pity that from the very beginning, it was hard to tell it was supposed to be a little tiger.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want it?”
Nie Yao pulled the quilt and covered the xiăogēr, patting his head just like when he was little.
He sighed softly, “I thought you went somewhere else…”
“Why do you want to be the Emperor?”
“The old toad is dead. What do you… still want to do?”
No one answered him.
After an exhausting night, drowsiness crept in.
Nie Yao took off his outer garment and took a nap on the couch in the outer room.
Nine o’clock in the morning.
“Lord Nie, Lord Nie!!”
The New Emperor was icy, staring down at him.
Nie Yao was a light sleeper and woke up instantly.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
He lazily got up from the couch and bowed disrespectfully.
The New Emperor was still in his pajamas and was annoyed to see him so relaxed. “Lord Nie, did I pay for you to come here and sleep?”
“Er… What does Your Majesty require of your subject?”
“Help me dress!”
Changing clothes, huh?
Fine.
Nie Yao followed the irate New Emperor and saw the imperial robe behind a screen.
The New Emperor spread his arms, urging Nie Yao to put the robe on him quickly.
New Emperor: “If anything goes wrong, one gold bar will be deducted from the remaining payment!”
There was a remaining payment?
Why didn’t he say so before?
If he had known, serving him and guarding his bedside while he slept wouldn’t have been out of the question.
Nie Yao: “Rest assured, Your Majesty, your subject is still capable of such a small task.”
He certainly was.
After all, having lived for so many years, he should be proficient even if he wasn’t used to it.
Nie Yao helped him put on the imperial robe piece by piece, his skill level no less than that of Xiaodouzi, who served him year-round.