Emperor Jing was also a clever person, as can be inferred from his name. He understood better than anyone else the challenges of ascending to the throne. Naturally, he knew what to expect from a royal prince who lacked careful upbringing.
The more inexperienced and uncultured Yin Minglu appeared, like a naive child from the countryside, the more Emperor Jing could relate to his own past. Consequently, he felt a subtle emotion welling up within him.
Therefore, although the young emperor’s expression remained composed, his demeanor toward the incoming group became much more gentle. He said, “Minglu, you have just arrived in the imperial city, and the journey must have been tiring. You can accompany me to choose which courtyard you’d like to stay in. I’ll have someone prepare it immediately so you can rest.”
Surprisingly, they were given the choice of courtyards. The Yun Mansion’s entourage, who initially thought they would be dismissed without consideration, were pleasantly surprised and quickly expressed their gratitude. They believed that Emperor Jing’s reputation for kindness and generosity was well-deserved, as he showed such favor to the descendants of an unrelated royal family who had come to seek refuge.
Minglu’s small face also displayed a hint of surprise, but he promptly expressed his thanks. He slightly bowed and made a small salute, saying, “Thank you, Imperial Brother.”
This “Imperial Brother” remark had earned them a courtyard, and they had truly benefited from it. It was no wonder that in the original host’s memories, the image of the Emperor’s cousin appeared so illustrious and imposing. Minglu felt a deep sense of satisfaction, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
This change in his emotions was noticeable enough that Emperor Jing couldn’t ignore it. His eyes deepened slightly, and a hint of casual amusement crossed his lips. He thought to himself that this child seemed very easy to please. It was unclear whether it was because of his young age and lack of worldly experience or if his previous upbringing had failed to nurture his ambitions.
People in the royal family always enjoyed measuring and weighing things, not realizing that the people from the Yin residence, genuinely lacked ulterior motives. Those who came from a border town perhaps hadn’t seen much of the world, but their simplicity, straightforwardness, and cheerful acceptance of their fate were valuable qualities. At this moment, each one of them was thinking, “The new ruler is truly wonderful, even better than the late emperor.”
Even Minglu’s wet nurse was overjoyed. She had originally planned to return to Yun City, but now that they had a larger courtyard, she could stay nearby and attend to the young master.
The young emperor casually glanced at her and quickly deduced her identity from her attire, which indicated that she was a wet nurse. He then smiled at Minglu and remarked, “So, Minglu still has the habit of drinking milk.” Otherwise, why would he bring a wet nurse with him?
He really was a child who hadn’t grown up yet.
In ancient times, people believed that breast milk was nutritious, and weaning often occurred late. In wealthy or royal families, it was not uncommon for children to continue breastfeeding until the age of ten. However, Minglu was definitely not one of them. Misunderstood in this way, he blinked his eyes and his face twisted into a small bitter gourd.
After all, how could he explain to the emperor, who was accustomed to the ways of the imperial palace, that he had seriously underestimated how impoverished families maximized the roles of their servants? Some people, while serving as wet nurses on the surface, also doubled as seamstresses, cooks, and more – they were versatile and practical individuals.
But he couldn’t really say that the emperor was wrong. Minglu’s young mind went through a few possible explanations, but he couldn’t find a suitable one, so he had to let it go.
The young emperor personally led Minglu without riding in a palanquin. Instead, they strolled through various palaces as if they were touring a garden. The emperor walked ahead, casually introducing the courtyards they passed by at a leisurely pace. Everywhere they went, palace maids and eunuchs knelt and bowed, showcasing the power of authority.
Meanwhile, Minglu’s group wandered around like tourists, admiring the magnificent buildings, pavilions, and corridors with wide-eyed wonder. How would you describe their current posture? It was almost identical to how people in the future behaved when touring the Forbidden City with a tour guide.
The only difference was that their current tour guide had an extremely noble status – he was the supreme ruler of the land.
After walking just a few segments, Minglu was already panting and wanted to sit down, supporting his knees with his short legs.
“Are you tired, Minglu?” The young emperor stopped and asked knowingly.
One might have expected that upon hearing such a question from the emperor, the young boy would shake his head vigorously like a rattle, but to everyone’s surprise, the child responded with a childish “Mmm.”
His response was unexpectedly straightforward, catching the chief eunuch, Wang Gonggong, who was behind the emperor, off guard. Wang Gonggong almost slipped and fell as he hastily adjusted his hat, thinking that Yun Wang’s heir was indeed quite young and appeared to be naturally lacking in some common sense. After all, would a normal person reply to the emperor in such an informal manner?
Emperor Jing, however, remained unfazed and said, “I didn’t think it through properly. The palace is vast, and you are still young. Next time, you should ride in the sedan chair with me.”
Could anyone just casually ride in the emperor’s sedan chair? Even future favored concubines and the most highly regarded courtiers might not have the privilege.
If it were someone else, they would likely kneel down in fear and respectfully decline at this moment, or claim that such an act was against protocol. But Yin Minglu was not like most people. He was pampered and didn’t want to exhaust himself. So, he continued to play the fool, nodding enthusiastically, and expertly bowing. In a soft and somewhat hoarse voice, he said, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Since he had gotten on that sedan chair, there was no way he was getting off now.
Perhaps due to exhaustion, the child’s voice carried a hint of rawness in its youthfulness. If one looked closely, they could see tiny beads of sweat on his fair forehead, enhancing the elegance of his eyebrows, which were the kind Emperor Jing always favored, with a deep, dark color. His originally rosy lips had turned slightly pale, and now, with his hand supporting his knee, he appeared both pitiable and adorable, with slightly labored breathing.
He really did seem tired.
Xie Yan had initially made the remark casually, but now, he had no intention of taking it back. After all, when the emperor spoke, it was as good as an imperial decree, and retracting his words would not be appropriate. Even though many in the harem were surprised, they didn’t try to change his mind.
“Minglu, on this journey, have you set your sights on any particular courtyard? You can tell me,” Xie Yan asked again.
Wang Gonggong also listened to these words carefully. He adjusted his fly whisk, pondering how he would respond if he were Yun Wang’s heir. He thought about responding with phrases like “Your Majesty’s palaces are all so beautiful that I, a humble subject, find it overwhelming and don’t know how to choose. I leave it all to Your Majesty to decide.”
Or perhaps he might say, “Wherever we go, the palaces and courtyards all suit this subject’s preferences. Regardless of the residence, we will adapt to it.”
Little did he expect that Yun Wang’s heir would be different. He lowered his head thoughtfully, genuinely considering his choice. After a moment, he selected a courtyard that was the farthest from the Emperor’s sleeping quarters but closer to the harem. Along the way, that particular courtyard did not stand out.
Emperor Jing raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Minglu had his own considerations. Beyond that gate was the harem.
At present, it was empty, with almost no women except for the palace maids who maintained it. Therefore, Yin Minglu’s choice didn’t violate any taboos. The new emperor should have been recruiting new talented women into the harem, so it was unusual that there were so few candidates. Unfortunately, due to the recent passing of the previous emperor and the extensive mourning period in honor of his achievements, the state had focused on mourning for three years. Finally, when the courtiers had endured those three years, the Empress Dowager and the high-ranking consorts of the late emperor had passed away one after the other.
Year after year, the mourning continued, and everyone in the palace had grown numb to it, adhering to a strict diet. Finally, this year, they had been liberated, and the first major selection since the emperor’s ascension was scheduled for the coming spring.
As they awaited next year’s selection, the closer the courtyards Yin Minglu chose were to the harem, the closer he would get to his target, the female lead, Qin Manman.
Wang Gonggong couldn’t help but feel frustrated with Minglu’s choice. After all, the closer one’s residence was to the emperor’s, the greater the blessings and favor one could receive. No matter what, it was wise to get closer to the emperor! Yun Wang’s heir really seemed to lack worldly wisdom. Faced with the emperor’s favor, he had squandered a valuable opportunity.
Emperor Jing, Xie Yan, looked at the person before him. With his small stature, dark pupils, and his small face gazing up at him with anticipation, as if he were an emperor known for being benevolent and compassionate, who would surely fulfill his small requests. This unwavering trust left Xie Yan unable to express his true feelings. He merely had the subconscious urge to tease, choosing not to fulfill the young man’s request.
So, after a brief moment of contemplation, Xie Yan took a different approach. He cited the reasons that Minglu’s health was fragile and that the harem location had too much yin energy, deeming the selected site inappropriate. He rejected Minglu’s request and arranged for him to stay in another courtyard, conveniently located next to the area where the emperor conducted his official duties and rested. Disregarding the little guy’s expression as if the sky had fallen, the decision was made.
Yin Minglu wanted to complain. If Emperor Jing had already decided like this, why did he bring him along to view the courtyards in the first place if he couldn’t make a choice in the end?
The environment of that courtyard was naturally excellent, with flowers blooming throughout the seasons, a clear pond, and a rockery in the middle. Apart from its proximity to the emperor, there was nothing wrong with it.
Xiao Man even exclaimed, whispering to him, “Young Master, you always love to eat flower cakes. There are so many flower petals here, and we can make them ourselves.” They had originally been worried that they wouldn’t be accustomed to the sweet treats in the capital, but now they had the raw materials right in their courtyard. They could easily make them themselves.
However, Minglu’s face remained gloomy as he carried his burden and sighed. He felt that even after coming back to change his fate with the original owner, he still couldn’t escape the original owner’s destiny and was still being “supervised.”
Meanwhile, outside the palace, Qin Manman was dressed in men’s clothing, appearing gallant as she attended various poetry gatherings where talented individuals gathered. Whether it was the elegance of “Do You Know or Not, It Should Be the Time for Verdant Prosperity and Scarlet Leanness” or the carefreeness of “Remember the Good Scenes of the Year, It’s the Time of Orange and Green,” she received a basketful of praises.
Even without complete poems, just a few lines of striking verses were enough to astonish everyone.
As they watched Qin Manman being praised by talented poets, some young ladies from prominent families couldn’t help but find it intriguing and raised questions. How could one person’s inspiration and talent be so abundant and publicly displayed, writing a poem every day, as if they were produced on the streets? And the styles ranged from delicate love poems to grand frontier verses—wasn’t this range too wide?
However, Qin Manman just smiled and explained that it was due to her nature. She said that if she had really hired ghostwriters, wouldn’t those ghostwriters know the value of these poems, which were all amazing and outstanding? Why would none of them step forward and instead let a young woman like her take the credit?
Therefore, the conclusion was that she had personally created all of these poems.
Some people remained skeptical, but most believed her1Yeah I was confused here as well since isn’t she supposed to be in men’s clothing? Isn’t this supposed to be a he? But yeah anyway since it’s a 3rd person POV, I figured maybe that’s why the terms used were “she”.
The author has something to say: Tomorrow, I don’t have classes, so if I have some free time, I’ll update more.
T/N: I made a mistake, it’s supposed to be Yun City, Yun Manor etc. I thought it was a typo so I changed it to Yin turns out it wasn’t a typo and that “Yun” was really it’s correct translation so the “Yun” that will be used from now on is “云” which often means cloud. Also in the raws, it’s really like that, sometimes the author uses Emperor Jing sometimes it’s Xie Yan and so far most of the dialogues have been really casual, there’s not much formalities going on like what you’d usually read on historical CNs. Thanks for reading my translations~
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