Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C097

Generally, after the New Year, the imperial court would begin its work with a few days of languor. After all, the New Year festivities were followed by the Lantern Festival, offering nearly half a month of leisure and ease. Suddenly having to clock in on time and handle official duties was something no one could easily adjust to; that lazy spirit lingered.

Especially as people nowadays were particular, there were many taboos during the first month of the year. One mustn't engage in disputes, initiate military action, or scold children. In short, one shouldn't go looking for trouble. Even the censors, usually with their dark faces and venomous tongues, were uncharacteristically amiable, wearing a faint smile for everyone they met.

But this year was exceptionally different from previous years.

On the sixth day, the first day the imperial court resumed normal operations, someone brought up the matter of the princes entering the court to observe governance. Because it was followed by the Lantern Festival, the officials of the various ministries and yamen were not all present. The so-called work was merely a formality. Unless it was a major military or national affair, no one really took it to heart.

Therefore, the argument never truly erupted. After finally getting through those few days, on the morning court of the sixteenth, the flames of war reignited, and this time, they burned for nearly two months.

Just as Prince Wei had predicted, the matter of 'the princes entering the court to observe governance' ultimately passed. The supporting faction was particularly triumphant, while the opposing faction was not discouraged.

After all, they were all seasoned veterans of the officialdom. In the court controlled by scholar-officials, unless you could dismiss someone from their post, investigate them, and permanently bar them from employment, it was like watching a play while riding a donkey – wait and see.

The princes entering the court to observe governance had been approved, but how they would observe, and in what manner, had yet to be decided.

Some suggested dispatching the princes to the localities, so they could deeply understand the people and experience their conditions. Others suggested granting them official positions, allowing the princes to delve into the Six Ministries. Some suggested sending the princes to thoroughly investigate corruption cases, while others suggested sending them to provide disaster relief. Still others suggested sending the princes to quell unrest in various places...

In short, there were all sorts of suggestions, completely different from what Prince Jin, Prince Qin, and the others had initially envisioned.

According to their thinking, they should be like Prince Wei, holding high positions with few responsibilities and close proximity to home. Ever since Prince Wei went to the Privy Council and straightened out the official duties, he had been clocking in on time, attending the morning court, and returning home when the time came. In the eyes of Prince Jin and his ilk, he was incredibly carefree.

Now that it was their turn, they were being asked to delve into the localities? To provide disaster relief? To quell unrest?

They were extremely unwilling, but the civil officials who had aligned themselves with them informed them that achieving even this much was already a great feat.

Indeed, it was not easy; it took months of arguing to pass.

Everything was difficult at the beginning. Once the matter of entering the court was settled, wouldn't high positions be easily within reach in the future?

What they said was indeed reasonable, so the matter was settled in this way.

Thus, Prince Jin was dispatched to Yangzhou to investigate a major case involving a wealthy merchant colluding with local officials, encompassing family extermination and corruption. Prince Qin was dispatched to Henan, where the Yellow River had breached its banks again. Although it was not the flood season, the disaster was not significant, but in addition to providing disaster relief, he also had to repair the breached area before the flood season arrived, which was quite a challenge.

Prince Zhao was dispatched to Yunnan. Jiaozhi and Laos, the extreme southern borderlands of the Southern Barbarians, had been in constant internal strife. Local chieftains in Yunnan were colluding with them. In reality, the chieftains were acting under the orders of the imperial court, pulling one faction to strike another, supporting this one while suppressing that one, ensuring that the opposing side was caught in internal strife and had no time to invade the border.

Who knew that things would spiral out of control? Not only was a chieftain's village massacred, but the chieftain himself was also killed.

Ostensibly, this chieftain was also an official of Great Liang, so the imperial court naturally had to seek justice on his behalf, ostensibly to display the might of Great Liang. This task, through various machinations of Chancellor Wu, was assigned to Prince Zhao.

As for Prince Han, he was dispatched to Xuzhou.

Xuzhou was located in the lower reaches of Henan. Every time the Yellow River breached its banks in Henan, Xuzhou in the lower reaches would inevitably suffer the same fate. It was invariably the case. Therefore, Prince Han was sent to inspect the river channels. This task was neither too difficult nor too easy; in the end, its difficulty depended on whether the heavens would grant their favor.

Because of this matter of dispatching assignments, several princes all aimed to choose tasks that were not too difficult, but would bring great merit upon completion. Therefore, the court argued for quite some time, causing the alliance that had been so painstakingly formed to fall apart once more, providing a good show for the courtiers who stood aside and did not participate.

Time entered the fifth month, and as the princes departed the capital one after another, Wushuang's belly grew larger as if inflated, gradually taking on the appearance of being six months pregnant.

Previously, when she was more than five months pregnant, her belly was smaller than others who were only three or four months along. Because of this, Prince Wei not only summoned the imperial physicians to examine her, but Song You also came to take a look. The conclusion they reached was that the Princess Consort was perfectly healthy; the reason her belly was not prominent was probably because of her slender waist?

If, at five months, it was like a large soup bowl upturned on her stomach, now at seven months, it had become a small washbasin. In truth, it was no wonder Prince Wei made a fuss, because ever since Wushuang became pregnant, she had not gained any weight. Other pregnant women changed day by day, but she was still slender of arms and legs. Apart from her face being a little rounder, she looked almost the same as before.

It was as if she simply had a belly attached to her body, with nothing else changing.

However, there was still one place that had changed, which not only Prince Wei had personally verified, but Ji Yang had also personally verified.

In the sweltering afternoon, cicadas chirped in the treetops.

The chilled ice mountain in the ice basin exhaled coolness, adding a touch of coolness to the stifling weather.

Behind the beaded curtain, a half-drawn light green gauze hung low, concealing the amorous atmosphere within the room.

Wushuang slowly exhaled a breath. Once that breath had smoothed out, she blushed and lightly punched his chest, hurriedly gathering her clothes around her.

"You finally have a day off, yet you come to torment me? What kind of man are you?!"

"You yourself said it's finally a day off."

He was indeed forthright. Seeing her hastily gathering her clothes, he helped her to pull them straight, and set her down from his lap. Seeing her rushing to the bathing room to wash, and fearing she might fall, he carried her to the bathing room.

After tidying themselves, the two returned to sit on the Arhat bed in the side room, where no trace of the previous scandalous scene remained.

She wore a summer shirt of begonia red, a thin layer, with a moon-white gauze skirt beneath, refreshing and light. If not for her prominent belly, she would still look like an unmarried young lady.

Today, Prince Wei was on leave, and he was dressed simply as well. No longer was he wearing a complete official robe despite the sweltering weather, but only a loose green robe.

"It seems the lecturers His Majesty found for you were found in vain."

With the princes leaving the capital to handle affairs, the capital finally enjoyed a period of peace. However, another matter arose some days ago. Once, Prince Wei's memorial to the throne was poorly written, and Emperor Taihe rebuked him for his poor scholarship. No sooner had he finished rebuking him than he dispatched three Hanlin officials to lecture him.

It must be known that the position of lecturing official was not one that could be bestowed haphazardly. Before the imperial sons reached adulthood, they studied in the Imperial Study. After they came of age and established their own residences outside the palace, they would have an Official of Instruction in the Prince's Mansion, whose duty was to lecture the Prince.

Now, Emperor Taihe bypassed the existing Official and selected several lecturing scholars from the Hanlin Academy to lecture Prince Wei. At first glance, it seemed he truly disliked his son's poor scholarship, but upon closer inspection, only the Crown Prince was qualified to select learned scholars from the Hanlin Academy to lecture him in rotation.

Was Emperor Taihe truly displeased with his scholarship, or was this a test? Coincidentally, it occurred just as the Princes were departing the capital, making it impossible for people not to overthink.

However, no matter how much they overthought, no one dared to openly question Emperor Taihe about this matter. What if they questioned him, and he tacitly acknowledged it? Moreover, the Princes were not in the capital.

Therefore, while it seemed that someone from Prince Wei's mansion would come to lecture him every few days, and that Prince Wei, in addition to official duties, had to specifically set aside time to listen to the lectures, which was indeed somewhat arduous, in reality, no small waves were stirred up in the capital because of this matter.

Of course, Wushuang could not see any of these waves. She only knew that Prince Wei was becoming increasingly worse as he studied.

"How did we get back to the lecturing master?" Prince Wei said casually.

"Is that what the master taught you?"

"The master didn't teach me these things," he said with a straight face, stroking her earlobe. "This Prince is self-taught."

Wushuang, unable to bear the shock, coughed twice and glared at him reproachfully. "I won't talk to you about these things. By the way, I heard from Eighth Sister-in-law that Eighth Imperial Brother's Prince's mansion is almost completed. Has the title been conferred yet?"

"Father Emperor has already drafted the title, choosing the character 'Duan'."

This matter was the same as in her previous life, and Wushuang felt relieved, saying, "It seems that before long, Eighth Imperial Brother and Eighth Sister-in-law will be able to move out of the palace."

She felt a sense of relief for them, but Prince Wei remained noncommittal.

"Are you so eager for them to move out of the palace? In reality, there's no difference between them living inside or outside the palace. If Eighth Sister-in-law wants to leave the palace, she only needs to say a word."

Wushuang glanced at him and said, "It's not that I want them to, but Eighth Sister-in-law is anxious. You're not unaware of Consort Zhou's nature. Some time ago, because of the matter of the Princes leaving the capital, she didn't dare mention to His Majesty the matter of taking a Secondary Consort for Eighth Imperial Brother. Now that there's nothing much happening in the court recently, she's stirred up those thoughts again."

If she truly has those thoughts, it makes no difference whether they live inside or outside the palace.

Prince Wei was actually speaking the truth.

Wushuang sighed and said, "I don't know what Consort Shu is thinking. Isn't it good for the young couple to be happy? Why must she interfere? Even if she really finds someone of noble status to be Eighth Imperial Brother's Secondary Consort, what good will it do? If it's too conspicuous, too ambitious, not only will it annoy Father Emperor, but can Eighth Imperial Brother withstand those few attacks?"

In short, Consort Zhou was a typical example of ambition exceeding ability.

If you said she was bold, she truly dared not meddle in anything. If you said she was timid, Emperor Taihe had already set the tone for Eighth Prince's future, yet she always stirred up trouble. One couldn't tell if she was truly clever or truly foolish.

"Just let her make a fuss. Once Father Emperor is disgusted with her antics, she'll cease her troublemaking."

"But what if she actually manages to bring someone into the household? It's easy to invite a deity, but difficult to send one away. If we marry her in, can we truly ignore her? And if we do care for her, what about Chun'er?"

Prince Wei's gaze suddenly shifted, and he said, "Then are you complaining that this Prince is tormenting you?"

"Uh…"

Mei Wushuang's face flushed crimson. "Why are you bringing this up?"

Prince Wei cast a sidelong glance at her. "This Prince is merely speaking from the heart."

"What? Are you thinking of taking a Secondary Consort?" She had only spoken half the sentence when her small hand had already clenched the hem of his robe, her posture as if to say, 'Say another word and I will... cry for you to see.'

He hastily pulled her into his embrace, and gently touched her small, basin-like belly.

"If this Prince desired to take a Secondary Consort, would I need to torment you?"

He was truly wicked. She had only uttered a single complaint, and even that was not entirely heartfelt, yet he had remembered it, repeating "torment" this way and that.

On the surface, he appeared dignified and righteous, but in reality, his vindictiveness was quite strong.

Just as Wushuang was contemplating how to answer him, she suddenly felt a jolt in her belly. Her usually placid stomach visibly bulged with a small protrusion, and that small bulge was precisely where Prince Wei's fingertip rested.

"Did he just kick you?"

"Does he dislike what I'm saying, and specifically kicked you to make you shut up?"