Chapter 44 – Unpleasant Situation (1)
Yu Wenjie waved his hand, and Huo Zhaoyi wasted no time in leaving with the dancing girl. Having completed her mission of seeing her aunt, she had left Wanbao Hall right after saluting.
“The Emperor has been so diligent within the harem. I really admire you for it!”
A heavy silence had descended after these words. However, Hua Chun still walked up to him and said, “It is my honor to serve such a wise emperor like you.”
Whilst staring at her, the emperor leaned back in his chair with the book still in his hand. “Do you know what I’m reading?”
Hua Chun shook her head, wishing she possessed the power of clairvoyance. This was all just nonsense!
“Take it.” The book was immediately thrown in front of her at these words. She paused, nodded slightly, before taking it and opening it.
She folded the two sides with her hands, and as a result, the part in the middle dropped directly to the ground. She had obviously not expected this. The crashing sound that followed reminded her of her monthly credit card records, lying on the ground and becoming a chaotic pile of paper.
Did people nowadays pay so much effort in writing all of these? Why didn’t she see such a book back when she had been sorting out the memorial? Hua Chun picked it up to check it out with deep relief.
“I know the Prime Minister is loyal, but isn’t he, in the end, too young to do this? I cannot bear seeing others suffering out there. In the disaster relief, I had agreed that the Prime Minister’s words should be rejected…”
Hua Chun couldn’t find it in herself to smile anymore as she continued to read. Thousands of words in this book had been used to accuse her.
Glancing at the cover, she saw the name scribbled on it was Liu Shangshu, an old official who had often been with Li Zhongtang and Grand Preceptor Tang. Last time, she had been convicted at the court, and the people who carried her out of the palace had the same pair.
Her mood now taking a complex turn, Hua Chun gathered the papers before looking back at the emperor.
“Does the Emperor think that I am wrong, too?”
Yu Wenjie had originally been admiring her face, but as her innocent eyes stared up at him, the awkward eye contact forced him to avert his gaze as fast as possible.
“I don’t think you are wrong. It’s just that, by looking at the attitudes of the ministers in the palace, it is blatantly impossible to find someone who can be trusted to supervise the disaster relief.”
No matter how good a plan was, it would still be destined to be abandoned if it was not feasible. Hua Chun felt a little disappointed, looking down at her toes.
Her original boss might have been actually right. Although she always felt that she was doing the right thing, the truth was that she was still living in a world of social rules. Anyone who wanted to break the rules would automatically be considered unjust. Such a plan could only be thrown into the trash!
When she was a child, she had spent her time watching that He Shen in the TV series. She had always felt that the emperor should pull him out and cut him off, and it would again become peaceful. However, after having grown up, she soon realized that everything was not that simple. Some things were clearly wrong, and for the sake of the overall situation, they had to be made wrong.
“I understand.”
Seeing her in such low spirits, guilt rose up within Yu Wenjie, so he began comforting her in a manner that he had never done to anyone else.
“I know you have a calling for the country and the people,” he began, “but as for disaster relief, let’s try to do it in the way they wanted.”
Surprise registered in Hua Chun’s expression as she looked up at him, her nose red from aggravation, “I… okay.”
“Good.” Satisfied, the emperor gathered up the papers in front of him and gave them to Duke Qin together before speaking once more. “There is nothing else to do, you can leave now.”
She nodded and saluted with her mouth firmly shut, wanting to leave.
But how could she go?
Taking a few steps back, Hua Chun smiled again, and said, “My Emperor, the Minister is on the order of the Queen Mother, and I have to accompany you to read the history books for half an hour, and then check on the papers for another half an hour before we can leave the palace.”
At this, Yu Wenjie’s expression changed.
To be merciful to the enemy was really to be cruel to the self! Did he really sympathize with her just now? Look, was this person still so ignorant that she still wanted to be the queen mother’s spy?
With the rage building up in his heart, the emperor replied coldly, “Are you sure?”
Feeling conflicted, Hua Chun nodded stiffly with a smile on her face, but the truth was that she was just a few moments away from bursting into tears. She felt sorry about having to do this, but she was just taking orders from other people. She wouldn’t be the one to blame, would she?
“Very good,” The emperor nodded. He turned to the people nearby. “Bring a chair to the Prime Minister for him to sit next to me.”
“Yes, Emperor.”
Hua Chun felt a bit weak in her knees as she watched the chair being placed on the right side of the emperor. She couldn’t find it in herself to move over and sit down.
“Are you going to stand for an hour?” the emperor asked.
She quickly shook her head and began to move over in small steps. Slowly, she sat down on the armrest of the chair while glimpsing at the side, afraid that he would suddenly slap her. However, Yu Wenjie was not as violent as she had initially thought. After letting her sit down, he only said to Qin Gong, “Bring the history books and folds here, and let Huo Zhaoyi continue.”
Duke Qin felt stunned, glancing at Hua Chun for a second before bowing in response.