eurekapd Chapter 374 A Step-by-Step Thrill (8)
Chapter 374 A Step-by-Step Thrill (8)
Wangyou and Xixuan were having a lively discussion about how to prank the emperor and his sons when a thrush flew in through the window and chirped for a while.
Wangyou and Xixuan looked at each other, and realized that they didn't need to think about playing pranks anymore, as the enemy had simply admitted defeat.
"Plan is off!" Wangyou crumpled the paper in her hand into a ball, and then the paper ball spontaneously combusted.
Afterwards, Wangyou and Xixuan checked the messages coming from various places and handled some other matters. Then, Wangyou left Xixuan behind and went to play with Ruoxi.
Ruoxi was tired from practicing calligraphy, so Wangyou took out a few luminous pearls from the cabinet, along with two white jade ruyi scepters, and started poking at the luminous pearls.
Ruoxi now believed her claim that she used the luminous pearl as a marble; after all, seeing is believing!
What's even more extravagant is that this jade ruyi is actually made of warm jade, so warm to the touch. Even emperors might not have one.
"Ruoxi, what Mid-Autumn Festival gift do you think my brother and I should present to the Emperor when we go to the palace?"
"Or we can just give it to anyone, like that jade pendant you used to prop up the corner of the table," Ruoxi said, pointing to the corner of the table.
"No, I need to use that to prop up the table corner!" Wangyou refused.
"Then how about we send luminous pearls instead?" Ruoxi said after thinking for a moment. There were so many luminous pearls rolling on the ground, and they were all quite large. Surely the Emperor wouldn't be indifferent to them.
"I've got it! I'll give you a jade ruyi!"
"Is this the kind of warm jade I have in my hand?"
"No, my brother found this for me. I couldn't bear to give it to the emperor."
"You're not planning to give me that one you mentioned before, the one you said you'd use to prop up the table corner, are you?"
"No, he is, after all, the ruler of a country. We can't be too disrespectful. Besides, everyone else has seen that weapon. We can just find one they haven't seen before."
"That's good. I was really worried that you two might start fighting over a disagreement at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet!" Ruoxi breathed a sigh of relief.
"Am I that arrogant?!"
Ruoxi didn't speak, she just looked at Wangyou, as if to say, "Don't you know how arrogant you are?"
"I'm the kind of person who doesn't offend others unless they offend me, and if they do, I'll retaliate tenfold."
"We're on someone else's turf, so we should keep a low profile."
"I understand." Wangyou smiled, knowing that Ruoxi meant well.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was time to enter the palace.
Wangyou and Xixuan each wore a black bird robe, but Wangyou's was red and Xixuan's was black.
As they disembarked from the carriage at the palace gate, everyone gasped. The two men were dressed solemnly and mysteriously, and most importantly, they exuded an aura of unapproachability, even more so than the pressure exerted on them by Emperor Kangxi.
Today, in addition to the princes' wives and concubines, the ministers also brought their wives into the palace.
The palace gate was bustling like a vegetable market, but all of this came to an abrupt end the moment Wangyou and Xixuan stepped off the carriage.
Men admire Xi Xuan, women admire Wang You.
It turns out that women can be just as dazzling, standing next to men without losing out in the slightest.
Wangyou looked around at the people around her. To be honest, before the Manchus entered the pass, women were good at participating in politics, horseback riding, and archery. But now, these women were not much different from the Han women of the past.
After the Manchus entered the Central Plains, they suppressed the Han people to prevent their rise, while simultaneously learning Han culture and imitating Han systems. However, their attempts to learn other things were incomplete and ineffective, while their exploitation of women remained a consistent and thorough practice.
Learn from Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, or even Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Taizu of Song.
However, one thing that Wang You cannot deny is that the Manchus were indeed very good at conquering the world, because the current Qing Dynasty's territory is truly vast. However, the governance seems to be not very good, because there is turmoil almost every year.
Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, and Emperor Taizu of Song were indeed powerful, but their territories were not as large as those of others.
Wangyou glanced at Kangxi's sons, some older and some younger. Each of them was quite capable. Why couldn't they be sent out to govern a region and let their performance speak for itself? Instead, they were stuck in the capital, fighting each other to the death. Wangyou wondered what they were thinking.
Furthermore, Wangyou discovered that Kangxi's favoritism was not just ordinary; it seemed that emperors throughout history had this problem.
Just like how Emperor Kangxi favored the crown prince, he turned a blind eye to the things the crown prince's subordinates did. If other princes did something illegal or criminal, they would just be reprimanded and put in confinement to reflect on their mistakes. Of course, they would not be put to death.
Wangyou once again deeply realized the advantage that only unmarried people could succeed Xie Clan Chief. Everyone had some relationship with the Clan Chief, but the relationship was neither too close nor too distant. If anything happened, everyone would be treated equally and without bias.
Moreover, the Xie family patriarch is not only the strongest in the clan in terms of martial prowess, but also the wisest. He can suppress the entire clan with his martial skills and is also a man of profound wisdom. It would be strange if he didn't last long.
Besides, everyone lives quite a long time, so there's no rush to choose an heir; we can just pick one generation after another.
The palace gates opened, and Wangyou, suppressing her thoughts, waved to Ruoxi, who was greeting her, before following the crowd into the palace.
Stepping into the Forbidden City, one is immediately struck by a sense of oppression. No wonder the women in the harem were all so mad; how could they not go insane living in such an environment year after year?
Wangyou smelled a faint scent, as if it were coming from the heavy palace walls. Then she thought of the information in the documents. No wonder royal children are so difficult to raise.
Before long, the women and men separated. Wangyou gestured for Xixuan to follow the princes, while she followed the ladies and ministers into the inner palace.
The young eunuch leading the way didn't even raise his head, his back hunched over, displaying the utmost humility.
With her keen senses, Wangyou fell far behind. Ruoxi and Ruolan had also arrived at the back at some point and were silently keeping Wangyou company.
"Ruoxi, aren't those flowerpot shoes uncomfortable to wear?" Wangyou noticed Ruoxi's shoes and wondered which brilliant designer had created them.
"It's more than just uncomfortable," Ruoxi said softly. "But, Sister Wangyou, you're so tall. I'm wearing platform shoes and I'm still a head shorter than you."
"Then you'd better eat well, sleep well, and drink plenty of milk," Wangyou said with a smile.
"We'll make the arrangements when we get back." The two whispered to each other, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at the Shou Kang Palace where the Empress Dowager was staying.
The four imperial concubines had arrived long ago. After seeing that all the noblewomen had arrived, they paid their respects to the Empress Dowager and then led them to the place where the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet was to be held.
As Xi Xuan followed the princes and ministers to the emperor's side, he stood at the very back to avoid trouble. However, when the emperor bowed, they knelt down on the ground, making Xi Xuan, who was standing straight, stand out.
Kangxi looked at Xi Xuan with eyes like swords, his imperial aura unassailable. Xi Xuan saw that the old man still wanted to use his imperial aura to make him submit, so he simply stopped caring and no longer restrained his aura.
The people standing below the stage were nonchalant, but this made the emperor at the head of the table feel uneasy. Those inside the hall, however, felt as if a mountain was pressing down on their backs, making it hard for them to breathe.