"Le Ling hasn’t returned yet?"
In Yanying Hall of Great Ming Palace, Emperor Li Shun was perusing documents on the table with Empress Xue by his side when he casually inquired.
A yellow-robed eunuch standing off to the side respectfully bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Princess Guanghua should currently be at young master Li Ang’s house in Golden City Square, tutoring a friend—namely, a maid from Mr. Li’s household—with her studies."
"Hmm?" Emperor Li Shun’s perusal of the documents paused slightly. He knew of Li Ang, but Li Ang’s maid... Isn’t she just a commoner?
Empress Xue spoke up, "It’s that child surnamed Chai, isn’t it? I’ve heard from Le Ling that they’re friends."
The yellow-robed eunuch named Yang Enchao respectfully said, "Yes. The maid’s name is Chai Cuiqiao. A short while ago, the Instructors at the Academic Palace detected with the Knowledge Protection Cultivation Plate that she innately possesses twelve Spirit Veins. According to regulations, she can be added to the list for the preliminary examination. Therefore, Princess Guanghua has been helping her review her lessons these past few days."
"Twelve Spirit Veins?" Empress Xue raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise. It wasn’t that she was astonished by the number—Yu Country, after all, had a population of four hundred million, and rare talents with twelve or thirteen Spirit Veins emerged every few years; there were even records of those with fourteen or fifteen. However, for this to happen in Li Ang’s house, and for the person in question to be his young maid... isn’t this probability a bit too coincidental?
"What’s this then? Are the people of Yizhou exceptionally talented, and the land itself blessed to produce geniuses?" Emperor Li Shun chuckled drily, shaking his head. Jun Qianzi, who was also from Yizhou, was still at large, forcing Yu Country to dispatch three Candle Cloud Realm Cultivators for his capture.
Hearing her husband’s dry joke, Empress Xue rolled her eyes coquettishly like a young girl and turned to ask the eunuch Yang Enchao, "Has anyone in the Imperial Palace been speaking ill of Le Ling?"
"This..." After hesitating for a moment, Yang Enchao replied submissively, "I have heard some talk."
Seeing the expression on Yang Enchao’s face, Emperor Li Shun and Empress Xue exchanged a glance, a touch of helplessness in their eyes. As the Assistant Director of the Imperial Eunuch Department, Yang Enchao’s loyalty was beyond question. If lower servants had been spreading rumors, he would certainly have disciplined them secretly by now. His hesitant expression and use of the word "heard" clearly indicated that the gossipers were not just one person, but a group. Moreover, their specific identities were not suitable to be mentioned in Yanying Hall—they could be concubines, Princes, Princesses, or even all of them.
"..." Empress Xue’s mouth turned down slightly. For a Princess of such high stature to befriend a commoner girl without official rank—even someone else’s maid who served tea, did laundry, and cooked—was simply a disgrace to the Li Yu Royal Family! Did they have no regard for the dignity of the Heavenly Family anymore?
If it had been any other Princess, Empress Xue would have assumed the air of the mother of the realm and delivered a proper scolding. But this was Li Leqing, their own youngest daughter (not an adopted one), who had been frail since childhood and deeply cherished by both the Emperor and Empress.
"Who dares to spread rumors in the Imperial Palace again? Are they tired of their comfortable lives?" Empress Xue’s eyes narrowed slightly, her tone laced with a hint of coldness.
"Alright, alright." Emperor Yu gently patted the back of his wife’s hand, consoling her. "Even if it doesn’t spread within the Imperial Palace, it will spread outside. We can’t silence so many people."
The best solution to maintain the prestige of the Li Yu Royal Family would naturally be to prohibit Li Leqing from associating with Chai Cuiqiao, or to have Chai Cuiqiao enter the Imperial Palace and take up a position as a female official. But like his wife, Emperor Yu did not wish to see his daughter heartbroken.
"But..." Empress Xue’s brow remained slightly furrowed. "What about in the future? Leqing is growing up."
"The future?" Li Shun paused, then immediately understood his wife’s implication. Li Leqing visited Golden City Square daily. Besides her friendship with Chai Cuiqiao, surely it couldn’t be... perhaps... that she’d developed feelings for Li Ang?
Considering she had been frail and sickly since childhood, having grown up in the Imperial Garden, she had hardly ever stepped out of the palace. Once she reached the Academic Palace and encountered peers her age, it was very common for young maidens to admire youths and for youths to admire young maidens.
"Hmm..." Li Shun frowned slightly. As Emperor Yu, he highly appreciated Li Ang. First, Li Ang had cured Yan Yundang and developed malaria prevention strategies; then, he had introduced forceps and Allicin to solve difficult childbirths and Blood Sore afflictions. No amount of reward would be too much. And as a father, Li Shun also felt that Li Ang was a very suitable candidate for a son-in-law—Li Ang was not covetous of power, was talented and intelligent, possessed a firm and self-reliant character, and, apart from his penchant for making money, had almost no flaws.
Emperor Yu inquired, "Speaking of which, I heard that in the Golden City Square residence I awarded to Li Ang, there is only one maid? And Li Ang dotes on her?"
"Yes. There’s a rumor circulating that Mr. Li is the inventor of soap, scented soap, and degreasing cotton, and his initial intention in inventing these items was to make life easier for that maid." The Assistant Director of the Imperial Eunuch Department, Yang Enchao, spoke respectfully. "Additionally, it’s rumored that Mr. Li is shrewd in business, frequently purchasing paintings, ancient books, and the like. He also buys many precious gold and silver jewelry items for his personal maid to wear, arousing the envy of the noblewomen in the same district."
Empress Xue nodded. Opulence and the ability to make money aren’t flaws; being devoted is an even greater virtue, she thought. "Li Ang doesn’t have an engagement yet, does he?"
"As of now, I have not heard of any," Yang Enchao replied truthfully. As the Assistant Director of the Imperial Eunuch Department, gathering news from both inside and outside the Imperial Palace, and collecting information about those close to the Princes and Princesses to prepare for inquiries from the Emperor and Empress, was one of his fundamental duties.
Empress Xue asked, "When he became the Academic Palace Top Scholar, didn’t the Yan Family try to arrange a marriage for him first? What about the other noble families in Chang’an City?"
Initially, Li Ang had cured Yan Yundang of anemia, and the two families had close relations. Although Li Ang had entered the Academic Palace based on his own merits and their relationship couldn’t be considered one of ’patron and protégé through submitted works,’ the Yan Family should still have had the advantage of proximity to secure a marriage first.
"It seems the Yan Family’s daughters were not of a suitable age. Marriage proposals from other noble families were also tactfully declined by Mr. Li."
"Hmm." Empress Xue nodded in satisfaction, continuing to inquire about Li Ang’s details, such as his birthdate characters and his reputation among the common folk. This caused Yang Enchao to stutter somewhat, claiming he would need to go back and investigate further.
Seeing this, Emperor Yu chuckled and shook his head. Affection certainly breeds confusion, he thought. Empress Xue, who usually ruled over the harem and whose presence alone could silence the concubines, was now acting like any ordinary mother, anxiously inquiring about a prospective son-in-law.
A faint sound came from the drawer under the table. Emperor Yu furrowed his brow, opened the drawer, and took out a black envelope.
His expression immediately turned solemn, and Empress Xue, at the same moment, stopped her conversation with the eunuch. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ɴovᴇl(ꜰ)ir(e).nᴇt
Emperor Yu tore open the envelope and read the letter inside, his brow furrowing deeply.
Seeing this, Empress Xue softly asked, "What’s wrong?"
"See for yourself." Emperor Yu, massaging his temples, handed over the letter. "Our spy embedded in the Turkic khanates has sent word. The Turkic leadership has recently activated a spy within Yu Country, intending to steal the production process for Allicin."