Chapter 183
Chapter 183
Shengsheng Zhou’s first reaction was surprise. Her second was that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the idea.
Her Xiaoyu and the profession of State Preceptor were practically made for each other, all right?
Thunder crashes! Heavens split! The Violet-Gold Hammer falls! This was exactly the kind of spectacle they knew how to put on.
Weiqing Song also knew what Zhiyu Jiang was capable of. Otherwise, he would not have tried so hard to persuade Imperial Father when the man hesitated over Zhiyu being a woman.
Of course, Weiqing had selfish motives too.
As long as Zhiyu stood on their side, the next drought would not be quite so difficult to endure.
The Emperor belonged to the conservative camp. He could not agree with policies like the Yong Kingdom’s appointment of female officials.
When the two sides reached a deadlock, Shengsheng offered an excellent idea.
It sounded absurdly ridiculous, but the Emperor genuinely agreed.
Weiqing was rendered speechless by his favoritism.
He gave Shengsheng an approving glance, then led the two women away.
Three days later, a piece of news spread throughout the Zhen Kingdom and even alarmed the other nations.
Zhiyu Duanmu.
More than the fact that this young man had filled the long-vacant position of State Preceptor, people were fascinated by the mystery behind the surname.
The Duanmu family lived deep in the mountains. Every member possessed strange arts, and the people revered them like living immortals.
Yet this youth, who did not even appear to have come of age, had left the family and chosen to enter the mortal world.
For a time, rumors flew everywhere that the Duanmu family must have foreseen something.
None of them reached Zhiyu’s ears. She was far too well protected.
“Look, over there,” whispered a young girl wearing the double buns common among palace maids. Her cheeks were pink as she pointed into the distance.
The girl who had come with her leaned from behind her and peered over. “Let me see. Is the State Preceptor really as incredible as the stories say?”
Two people occupied the covered walkway ahead.
One was dressed in a pale-yellow palace gown, her eyes as clear as autumn waters. A vivid red mole was just visible on the cheek of her turned face, whose profile was smooth and delicate. She appeared to be talking to the youth standing before her.
The youth had not yet come of age. A mist-gray robe of fine jade silk, embroidered with subtle patterns, stirred in the wind. The youth reached out to pluck a leaf that had blown into the seated girl’s hair. Whatever she said brought a helpless, indulgent smile to that clean-cut face.
The gaze turned upon the girl was soft as a pool of spring water. One could not help wondering what kind of woman could inspire such devotion.
Meanwhile, the actual conversation–
“So? What’s it like being a man? Did your period stop coming?”
“Shengsheng… I’m dressed as a man. I didn’t have my uterus removed.”
Shengsheng smacked herself on the head. “Tsk. I’m an idiot.”
Zhiyu stroked her head sympathetically. “Why would you say that about yourself? That’s my line.”
Shengsheng: “…”
When Shengsheng witnessed the Emperor and Weiqing arguing over Zhiyu’s sex, she suggested, “Why not have her disguise herself as a man?”
Enlightenment dawned on the Emperor.
And thus, the elegant and extraordinarily gifted young State Preceptor, Zhiyu Duanmu–
was born.
“Isn’t that Princess Nanmo? I heard the Crown Prince took her along when he went to Deep Mountain. That must be why she knows the State Preceptor so well. I’m so jealous.”
“The princess is old enough to marry. Do you think His Majesty might betroth her to the State Preceptor?”
“No! I’d cry myself to death.”
“Sigh. Do you think I could be a princess in my next life? I’m so jealous.”
“Forget your next life. Focus on being a competent palace maid in this one.” The other maid patted her on the shoulder.
“We’ve seen the living immortal. Let’s go. We need to get back. The flowers still aren’t watered. If we’re caught, we’ll have nothing but steamed buns to gnaw on tonight.”
…
After speaking briefly with Zhiyu Jiang, Zhiyu had to return to work.
Shengsheng Zhou had no idea what Weiqing Song had assigned her, but it kept the two of them so busy that meeting even once had become difficult.
Sigh. Shengsheng wanted to dress as a man too.
Being a man was wonderful. They could pee standing up and shoot it so far.
What a life.
Shengsheng did not take a palanquin. Followed by a crowd of palace attendants, she walked back in a daze.
While her mind wandered through one pointless thought after another, something suddenly collided with her leg.
Cries of alarm and rebukes immediately rose from the attendants behind her.
Shengsheng looked down and met a pair of striking black-and-white eyes.
It was a small child.
“Princess, please forgive me! The Ninth Prince ran off, and this servant failed to watch him for one moment, allowing him to offend Your Highness. Please forgive me, Princess!” A palace maid suddenly rushed over, pulled the child away, and dropped to her knees with a thud.
Shengsheng glanced at the maid, then continued studying the child.
It was late autumn, yet his clothes were thin and ill-fitting. He was short and so skinny that he looked shriveled from malnutrition.
One look was enough to tell he had not been cared for properly.
At the maid’s words, the Ninth Prince seemed to realize he had done something wrong. He shrank uneasily, then lifted his head and timidly said to Shengsheng, “Princess… I’m sorry.”
He had called her Princess.
Shengsheng’s brow twitched.
“All right, stop blocking the road and hurry along.” Cui’er waved the maid away impatiently from behind her.
The maid breathed a sigh of relief and roughly seized the Ninth Prince to drag him away.
Shengsheng said unhurriedly, “Stop.”
She knew of the Ninth Prince. He was the little prince mentioned only in passing when the original novel introduced Weiqing.
He was the Zhen Emperor’s youngest son. By all rights, he should have received boundless affection.
But fate was never fair. On the day he was born, the Emperor fell ill.
Some claimed the boy was inauspicious and had brought the Emperor misfortune.
The Emperor, who preferred to be safe rather than sorry, believed them.
After the Ninth Prince’s birth, he seemed to cast this son entirely from his mind and never spoke of him again.
Furthermore, the Ninth Prince’s birth mother had been no more than a lowly palace maid. Not long after giving birth to him, she passed away.
The little prince had stumbled his way through childhood in such an environment.
Mosheng Song was fortunate. She had the love of both the Emperor and Empress. His life was her exact opposite.
The original author had described him in only a few words, treating him like part of the scenery.
But the suffering he had endured was real, and it stood directly before Shengsheng now.
She glanced at the palace maid. Terrified, the woman released her crushing grip on the Ninth Prince’s hand and knelt to one side.
Shengsheng crouched without caring whether the hem of her skirt became dirty. She stroked his sunken little cheek and asked, “What were you trying to say just now?”
She had seen it clearly. The Ninth Prince had not intended to apologize at first. The maid had appeared to make some gesture that caused him to change his words.
The Ninth Prince pressed his lips together and looked at the maid kneeling nearby.
Cui’er understood at once. She stepped forward and pulled the maid away.
Shengsheng said gently, “She can’t hear you now. Tell me, what did you want to say?”
Once he confirmed that the maid was indeed much farther away, the Ninth Prince hesitated. Tears welled in the huge, pitiful eyes that nearly filled his thin face, and his voice trembled as he said, “I… I’m hungry.”