After indulging in a hearty meal, Awu began to feel more at ease.
After all, her life was a borrowed one; she would live it as long as she could.
She was originally just a fisherwoman from the eastern coast, who had never seen much of the world.
Yet, in the past year or two, she had been by Lu Yunjian’s side.
Although she had suffered, hadn’t she also gained worldly experience?
To be fair, Lu Yunjian was well-built and handsome; she wasn’t at a disadvantage.
Lu Yunjian kept her under strict control, not allowing her to go out, but he never hit her, scolded her, or starved her.
It was just about the usual affairs between men and women, albeit overly demanding in bed, always forcing her to do this and that.
After Lu Yunjian she came to the Crown Prince, who was gentle and handsome, and doted on her, which was even better.
Now, she encountered the old emperor.
Although he was a father, he was only in his early thirties, still in his prime, with wealth, looks, and power.
A man who could give her milk custard to eat-sleeping with him was not a loss.
Thinking about it, she had first enjoyed the company of the powerful uncle, then the Crown Prince, and now the emperor.
In the entire Great Hui Empire, she was probably the only one.
At that moment, there was a commotion outside.
Futai had returned, followed by a few young attendants, probably eunuchs carrying a small iron-clad box.
Futai came in and bowed, smiling,
“Although the Third Prince is busy, he still remembers the Fifth Lady and has specially sent some gold and silver jewelry.”
Awu’s eyes lit up,
“Really? What kind of gold and silver jewelry?”
She had already amassed a lot of gold from the Crown Prince, but when she escaped from Yan Yang Temple, it was inconvenient to carry, so she buried it in the mountains.
After all that had happened, she wasn’t sure if she could go back to dig it up or if someone else might find it.
In any case, she was now penniless.
If she could get some gold now, even if she died in a few days, at least she could have it now.
Futai saw her eyes, as dark as ink, suddenly light up, thinking he had hit the mark.
He smiled,
“Please wait, Fifth Lady, I’ll bring it to you.”
He quickly instructed the attendants to bring in the box.
The box wasn’t particularly large, but it was exquisitely crafted, with a dome-shaped lid, a base, and gilded lacquer.
The box was adorned with a double phoenix motif.
In the past, Awu would have just glanced at it without a second thought.
But now, knowing that the Third Prince was the emperor, she understood that the double phoenix motif wasn’t something just anyone could use; it was an item from the imperial court.
Indeed.
She began to feel excited.
Either she would gain wealth and honor, or she would lose her head.
She was gambling her life for fortune!
Futai immediately ordered the box to be opened.
When it was opened , Awu was dazzled by the sight.
The box was filled with gold, silver, and jeweled ornaments, glittering and sparkling!
She cautiously looked at Futai,
“These… are for me?”
Futai still smiled,
“Yes, the Third Prince said these are all for the Fifth Lady. If you don’t like them, he can have new ones made.”
Awu was overjoyed.
She stepped forward and picked up a gold hairpin with a white jade and ruby.
The pin was shaped like a cloud, with a large, vivid ruby embedded in it, clearly of exceptional quality.
She looked at the others; there were many gold ornaments, jeweled hairpins, gold and jade fish basket Guanyin ornaments, phoenix and flower crowns, all exquisitely crafted and magnificent!
She held a handful of gold items in each hand, looking at one, then the other, her heart filled with joy.
The imperial family was indeed different.
Even as a nameless mistress kept outside, they could casually send a box of precious jewelry!
Emperor Jingxi had come to Nanqiongzi for a prayer ceremony.
Tomorrow was the main ceremony, and at dawn, he would go to Shangqiong Mountain, where the officials of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and the accompanying officers would be present.
As the emperor, he would preside over the ritual and offer sacrifices to the heavens.
Although he was not in the palace, he still had to attend to important state affairs.
In the past few days, the cabinet ministers had summarized the important matters and presented them to him.
The Emperor had selected a few to review.
The territory of the Great Hui Empire far exceeded that of the previous dynasty.
From south to north, the climate varied greatly; it might snow in one place while another suffered from drought, one region prosperous while another impoverished.
Thus, there were always important matters reported by local officials, sent urgently to the capital, and after several procedures, presented to him.
The writers of these memorials naturally did so with utmost sincerity, hoping that the emperor would personally read and comment on them.
For them, this might be the greatest opportunity of their lives.
But for Emperor Jingxi, there were too many memorials presented to him, sometimes thousands a day.
He couldn’t possibly review them all personally.
These memorials would be preliminarily screened and organized by cabinet officials, categorized by urgency, and reported to him.
Additionally, there were important matters he kept in mind, such as the bandits along the coast and shipbuilding, or potential disasters in the northwest.
Thus, he couldn’t afford to relax and still summoned several ministers to handle important state affairs.
While reviewing various memorials, he heard a rustling sound outside.
He didn’t pay attention, continuing to read.
When he finally finished, he walked to the window and saw that it was raining.
The misty mountain rain enveloped the villa and the distant mountains.
A few dim yellow lights still shone in the hazy rain, and two young eunuchs hurried past the front courtyard, wearing bamboo hats.
Emperor Jingxi realized that the rustling sound was the rain, which had started earlier.
At this moment, he felt a sense of vast, desolate loneliness.
The weather had turned cold, autumn rain had come, and night had fallen, all without him noticing.
He had been buried in his desk, reviewing reports on bandits in the southeast, droughts in the northwest, and a shocking murder case in a border town he couldn’t even remember the name of.
The Great Hui Empire experienced so many events every day, and he had to oversee them all.
Outside his window, it was raining, but he had no time to notice.
He was appointed by heaven to govern the world.
Since ascending the throne, he had been diligent and hardworking, dedicating eighteen years to bring about this peaceful and prosperous era.
But what about himself?
He was born a loner, and the loner is cold at the height.
What about marital love, or the joys of family life?
These were all distant to him.
He had to sit at his imperial desk, annotating memorials with vermilion ink, and then send them back to every corner of the Great Hui Empire.
He wanted them to listen to his sacred will, to be overwhelmed by his favor.
He owned the world, rich with the four seas, but what truly belonged to him was not much.
At this moment, a pair of eyes suddenly appeared in his mind.
Under very thick lashes, those dark, clear eyes, obedient and gentle, yet seemed like a complete liar.
When she cried, her eyes seemed washed by water, reminding him of the quiet, misty autumn rain, of the ink-black, silent nights.
The whole world was uninteresting, a cliché of neat and regulated words on memorials.
Only she, with her frightened, innocent eyes, trembling as she looked at him, silently touching the softest part of his heart.
Thinking of this, he laughed at himself with a self-deprecating smile.
He naturally understood that this young girl could not bear his overwhelming loneliness, she would not understand, and never would.
She just happened to touch him a little.
But this kind of touch, he could hide it well, it was his secret alone, and could not be exposed to anyone.
Between them, there could never be an interactive gaze, only his stare at her, like watching a flower, like admiring a rain.
He completed himself in the silent stare.
What she wanted, he could give.
But that was all.
He looked at the quiet night in the distance and finally spoke,
“Speak.”
Beside him, Futai, who had been waiting for a long time, stepped forward and reported in detail what had just happened with Awu.
Emperor Jingxi listened, making an indifferent “Oh” sound.
Futai bowed his head, respectfully waiting for the emperor’s instructions.
After a long time, Emperor Jingxi said,
“I remember, a few days ago, a batch of high-quality jade entered the palace?”
Futai:
“Yes, the colors of those jade pieces are quite bright, carved into lively small objects, said to be reserved for the princess’s coming-of-age ceremony.”
Emperor Jingxi:
“Tomorrow, when you return to the palace, pick some interesting ones and bring them.”
Futai was stunned upon hearing this.
Emperor Jingxi had few children, only the Crown Prince and Princess Dening.
For this only daughter, Emperor Jingxi had always been extremely doting, so much so that Princess Dening could do as she pleased in the palace, getting whatever she wanted.
Rare.
Although the Great Hui Empire was vast, colored jade mines were not abundant, far less common than agate, so even in the imperial court, it was quite precious.
The jade Emperor Jingxi mentioned was a tribute from a distant voyage, including cat’s eye, amber, garnet, zoisite, red spinel, and star sand, dazzling and crystal clear.
At that time, Emperor Jingxi said these were suitable for children to play with, so he ordered some objects to be made, thinking of giving them to Princess Dening later.
Unexpectedly, now he wanted to give them to this Fifth Lady.
This had never happened before.
Emperor Jingxi had so many concubines in his harem, who could ever receive such a reward?
Apart from the empress, no concubine dared to compete with Princess Dening!
But after the initial surprise, Futai immediately reacted and quickly said,
“The Fifth Lady has a lively disposition, she must like bright crystals. If they could be carved into some peculiar small objects, she would probably be even more delighted.”
Emperor Jingxi: “Little money lover.”
Futai smiled,
“The Fifth Lady is young, pure and innocent. She likes what she likes, without any pretense.”
Upon hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Emperor Jingxi’s lips,
“Let’s go, see her.”
Futai held a long-handled yellow silk umbrella with auspicious cloud carvings, following closely behind Emperor Jingxi.
In the palace, ordinary servants were not allowed to use umbrellas, so Futai was not accustomed to holding one.
Emperor Jingxi walked slowly on the cobblestone path of the villa.
The autumn rain had knocked down yellow leaves, which lay wet on the stone slabs.
When his cloud boots stepped on them, they made a moist, fine sound.
Emperor Jingxi:
“Futai, do you know the saying, ‘One autumn rain brings one chill, ten autumn rains require cotton wear’?”
Futai quickly replied,
“I know, I’ve heard it.”
In this dynasty, most eunuchs referred to themselves as “small one” or “little person,” but in front of the emperor, they called themselves “servant.”
Those of the fourth rank or above could call themselves “minister,” but Futai was cautious and modest, always calling himself “servant” in front of the emperor or court officials.
Emperor Jingxi: “Another winter is coming.”
Futai paused, understanding Emperor Jingxi’s concerns about the people’s need for warm clothing in winter, and said,
“Your Majesty’s concern for the people is a blessing for the subjects of Great Hui. It is my fortune to be by Your Majesty’s side and to listen to your teachings.”
Emperor Jingxi smiled and didn’t mention it again, walking towards the backyard.
Apparently, the eunuchs and palace maids in the backyard didn’t expect the emperor to come at this time, and were somewhat flustered, immediately kneeling to welcome him.
Futai, knowing Emperor Jingxi’s thoughts, quickly signaled them not to make a sound.
Although puzzled, they naturally didn’t dare to say anything and all fell silent.
Emperor Jingxi lifted his robe, stepped inside, first changed his cloud boots and outer robe, and then entered the bedroom where Awu was.
Outside was chilly, but the room was warm and cozy, with the scent of camellias emitting from the window.
Emperor Jingxi’s gaze fell on the young girl in front of the brocade curtain, her hair loosely tied, wearing a plain white gauze shirt and a pink skirt, looking delicate and charming.
She was lowering her head, intently playing with a gold hairpin, her slender, white hands contrasting with the intricate, luxurious hairpin, making it look even more opulent.
Emperor Jingxi just watched her, watched the joy on her face, an unguarded joy.
He thought, this girl was indeed as Futai said, like a clear stream in the mountain valley, transparent at a glance.
She craved money, so shallow.
Yet so vivid.
He looked down at her, scorned her, yet was infatuated with her.
What did he like about her, just her current captivating appearance?
She was indeed extremely beautiful, more beautiful than the finest porcelain, a rare beauty, but not unique.
Moreover, beauty was the easiest to fade; the freshness of a sixteen-year-old beauty would disappear after a few cycles of falling leaves.
Awu, who had been intently playing with the gold hairpin, suddenly felt something was wrong and looked up to see Emperor Jingxi.
When their eyes met, when she fell into his wise and sharp scrutinizing gaze, she instantly froze, petrified.
At this moment, breath and time stood still, and her breathing stopped.
Only her thoughts were floating around like clouds.
She truly realized, this was the Crown Prince’s biological father, the emperor who had ordered her to become a Taoist nun.
How should she face him……………
Maybe she should be cleverer?
But her brain seemed to be stuck with paste, completely unable to move.
Emperor Jingxi looked at Awu, her lips slightly parted, looking at him in confusion and helplessness, her face innocent and naive.
He raised an eyebrow,
“What, are you dumb?”