The Lucky Farmgirl

Chapter 1619 - 1594: A Stroke of Luck

The emperor returned to the empress’s palace and immediately took off his robe due to the heat. The chief maid handed him a plate of cold melon that had been taken out of the ice bowl for more than half an hour.

The emperor touched it, finding that most of the coldness had dissipated, and sighed in his heart as he ate.

Ever since he recovered from his illness, he could no longer eat anything just out of the ice bowl; even cheese had to be fully melted before it was given to him,

of course, he wasn’t very keen on eating it that way either. Last time, he almost met his end.

After finishing the melon, the empress wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and asked, "I heard there was another uproar at the front?"

The emperor said nonchalantly, "It’s nothing, just a fuss about a few kids being late to school. The matter is resolved."

Does the emperor not know that their sword dance at the banquet was aimed at the crown prince?

It’s just that there are so many matters, he doesn’t pay much attention to it anymore. Life is long, and it should pass slowly. If he were as overambitious as the last emperor of the previous dynasty, trying to accomplish in three to five years what would take thirty to fifty, or even three to five hundred years, the result wouldn’t be changing the world, but changing the person who sits in the position of power.

The Li Clan’s throne was hard-won, grasped by the emperor who personally conquered half the realm.

The crown prince also went to see the crown princess, touched her belly, and then returned to the Eastern Palace, not giving it much thought either.

Over the years, among all the attacks he had endured, which was not more severe than this?

They naturally could face it calmly through their battle-hardened experiences, but the students at the Chongwen Pavilion, who hadn’t even left their humble abodes, were different.

Bai Shan and Bai Erlang were still fine; they had at least experienced suing the Prince of Yizhou, and after the initial tension, they went back to their meals and studies, keeping any further thoughts to themselves for the time being.

Yin Huo, however, was not well-positioned to intervene. This matter seemed related to him, yet unrelated at the same time. His father’s position destined him to not excessively involve himself in these disputes.

So while their classmates were indignant, the three were sitting with Manbao on the pavilion eating melon. Having been utterly exhausted and losing weight in the past half a month, they now showed no restraint in eating the things they liked.

Clearly, they hadn’t eaten long after their evening meal, yet they could still handle desserts after their post-dinner fruit.

Yin Huo, who usually had a small appetite, was compelled by them to eat an extra piece of dessert, which successfully left him feeling overstuffed.

He remained silent for a while before getting up to stroll around the pavilion, and as he ambled, he said to the three, "I don’t believe this is the doing of Prince Gong. I heard my father mention that times of chaos provide the best opportunities for accomplishments. Of course, most normal people wouldn’t want a chaotic era, but it’s also possible to fish in troubled waters without one."

He continued, "In this world, there are officials like Libationer Kong, Lord Wei, and Minister Li who hope for peace in the world and harmony and benevolence in the royal family. Naturally, there are also those who see themselves full of ambition and not being able to act, wishing for a ruler they can control or whose political views align with theirs."

Bai Shan and the two others were stupefied and asked, "Did Lord Yin actually say this?"

That Lord Yin truly had some gall.

Embarrassed, Yin Huo smiled and said, "The first part was what my father said, and the latter part was based on my father’s views."

The reason why Yin Li told Yin Huo these things was to caution him that their family had always been on the emperor’s side, so even as he studied at Chongwen Pavilion, it was best not to participate too much in its disputes.

Once inside Chongwen Pavilion, many things would be beyond his control. You can’t remain unscathed just by not fighting for them, because there will always be people and forces pushing you to scramble and compete.

Yin Li told Yin Huo these to let him decide whether he really wanted to enter Chongwen Pavilion.

And after consideration, Yin Huo still chose to enter. At that time, Yin Li told him, "I hope that after you go in, you will listen to your heart first, and secondly, always consider the family’s interests."

Yin Huo agreed at the time and has temporarily done so, but even he is somewhat uncertain about the future.

Because there are too many people around him today, both openly and secretly.

But before he could make a choice, the issue exploded the next day.

Of course, the crown prince didn’t ignite it, nor did Libationer Kong; they thought the matter was over.

Who would have known that Zhao Liulang and others couldn’t swallow their anger and secretly sent messages home? The next day, those fathers started nitpicking with the censors, while certain brothers-in-law provided side support, testifying that someone was having a little drink during working hours...

The court turned chaotic in an instant, with people launching chaotic impeachments, infuriating the emperor into a temper tantrum.

Why not handle political affairs quickly in such hot weather and go home to embrace the ice bucket for the summer?

Why argue over trivial matters? It’s a waste of time, don’t you know?

In this chaos, it was actually a convenience for Manbao. Her admission of guilt was sent to the Censorate, and since many of the censors were engaged in the quarrels, they didn’t have time to deal with her paper. It passed around until it reached Lord Tang.

Lord Tang opened it, initially planning just to scan it, but ended up laughing as he read it and happily circled it for approval.

On the official documents, Lord Tang added Zhou Man’s name and wrote a suggestion for punishment to the Ministry of Personnel, putting a full stop to this matter.

The documents would first be sent to the Imperial Secretariat, and after their review, they would be forwarded to the Ministry of Personnel if there were no issues.

Coincidentally, the head of the Imperial Secretariat was Wei Zhi. Today, he wasn’t in the mood to argue over trifles at the Daming Palace, so he stayed in the imperial city managing paperwork.

Beneath a pile of papers, he saw the Censorate’s document, picked it up, and glanced at it. Seeing Zhou Man’s name and the suggested handling, he raised his brow and simply added a note before forwarding it to the Ministry of Personnel.

The Ministry of Personnel, having no objections to the suggested punishment, promptly assigned the paperwork down, and an officer was tasked with delivering it to Zhou Man.

At this moment, Manbao was in the Daming Palace. After taking the pulse of the crown princess, she went to Prince Gong’s palace to examine him, offering unemotional encouragement before cheerily dragging Mingda to watch the ministers argue in the front hall.

Changyu wasn’t interested in such matters and, after some hesitation, decided to lead the palace maids to follow Third Brother and play on the mountain.

Mingda, however, also much enjoyed going to the front hall. Ever since she was little, she loved being with her father, and as a child, she even wet herself in the great hall.

Of course, she wouldn’t remember such things; it was her imperial grandmother and mother who occasionally mentioned it, making it hard for her to forget.

The two sneaked to the outside of the great hall, found a shady spot beneath the window, and lay there, gleefully watching the ministers inside spraying spittle, accusing each other, faces flushed and necks thick with tension, almost coming to blows.