roccoschili Chapter 12 "The rules are set by me. I can change them if I want to."
Chapter 12 "The rules are set by me. I can change them if I want to."
Qin Mu kept walking, as if he hadn't heard anything.
Walking on the bustling street, the sunlight shone on him, warm and comforting.
He suddenly spoke: "Yunluan."
"Young master."
"Tell me, if I am truly incompetent and foolish, shouldn't this empire be passed to someone else?"
Yunluan replied without hesitation: "Young Master would never be foolish."
"I mean, if."
"There are no 'ifs'." Yun Luan's voice was firm. "The young master is the young master, the emperor of Great Qin, the ruler of all people. Anyone who dares to harbor disloyal thoughts will be the first to be killed by me."
Qin Mu smiled.
He turned and glanced at Yunluan.
This woman has been by his side ever since she was rewarded by the system ten years ago.
From the Crown Prince's bodyguard to the commander of the Imperial Ladies-in-Waiting, from a ninth-rank martial artist to a first-rank Vajra Realm expert.
Her loyalty never wavered.
"Empress Li Yang... Zhao Qingxue." Qin Mu repeated the name, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. "Interesting."
Yunluan asked, puzzled, "Is Young Master interested in her?"
"It's nothing," Qin Mu shook his head. "I just feel that the world is becoming more and more interesting."
An empress, a powerful minister.
In addition, there was his status as a "tyrant".
This game of chess is getting more and more exciting.
"Let's go back to the palace." Qin Mu turned around and walked towards the palace.
"We've had enough of some of these shows."
"It's time to get ready to go on stage."
His voice was very soft, carried away by the wind.
But Yunluan sensed the chill in his voice.
She knew that the young master was about to get serious.
Those clowns, their good days are over.
"Order the Embroidered Uniform Guard to pay close attention to Zhao Ce, the one from earlier."
Qin Mu gave the instructions.
Yunluan bowed and said, "Yes."
The two figures gradually disappeared into the distance, blending into the bustling street scene of the imperial city.
Meanwhile, within Tingfeng Tower, the legends surrounding Xu Longxiang, the discussions about Empress Liyang, and the speculations about the future of the world continued.
But no one knew that the young man in the white brocade robe sitting in the corner was the center of their discussion.
Emperor of the Great Qin Dynasty, Qin Mu.
He heard everything, and he remembered everything.
This game of chess has only just begun.
But there is only one person who plays the game.
When they returned to the palace from Tingfeng Tower, it was already late afternoon.
Sunlight slanted through the palace walls, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone path.
Qin Mu changed back into his black dragon-patterned casual clothes and walked alone toward the Phoenix Palace.
Yunluan is going to deal with Zhao Ce's matter.
The Imperial Guards had already begun secretly keeping an eye on this seemingly ordinary but treacherous scholar.
Qin Mu, on the other hand, wanted to see the little concubine who was dejected because she lost the chance to serve him in bed in a game.
Fengyi Palace is located on the east side of the inner palace and is the closest palace to Yangxin Hall among the four imperial concubines.
The white jade steps in front of the palace gate were swept spotless, and several weeping crabapple trees were planted on both sides. The flowering season had passed, but the leaves were lush and green.
Qin Mu did not have anyone announce his arrival and went straight in.
The palace maid guarding the gate was about to kneel down when he raised his hand to stop her.
The clear, melodious sound of a zither drifted from the warm pavilion, accompanied by soft footsteps.
Qin Mu lifted the beaded curtain and saw Consort Wan practicing her dance.
Today she wore a water-red dance dress with an extremely long skirt that cascaded down in layers like clouds.
The top was made of light silk gauze, with wide sleeves and cuffs embroidered with golden lotus flowers.
Her long hair was styled into a flying bun, adorned with a gold hairpin, and she wore a floral decoration on her forehead, with a cinnabar mole between her brows.
At this moment, she was facing away from the door, her arms outstretched like a white crane spreading its wings, her waist arching back gracefully, forming a beautiful curve.
Her skirt billowed as she twirled, like a blooming peony.
The music was coming from the west.
A palace maid of sixteen or seventeen was kneeling in front of the zither table, her fingers lightly plucking the strings, playing the "Rainbow Feather Dress Dance".
Qin Mu watched quietly.
Consort Wan's dancing skills have indeed improved.
Compared to her naivety when she first entered the palace three months ago, she now possesses a more mature and charming allure.
Every turn, every glance back, was perfectly timed.
Especially those eyes.
At this moment, she was immersed in the dance, and the usual ingratiating and flattering look was gone from her eyes. Instead, she revealed a pure enjoyment of art.
This reminded Qin Mu of her identity.
Consort Wan, whose real name was Lu Wanning, was the daughter of Lu Mingyuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.
The Su family was not a prominent clan; three generations of their ancestors had served as officials, with the highest rank reaching that of a fourth-rank prefect.
By the time it came to Lu Mingyuan's generation, through hard work and a bit of luck, he rose to the position of Vice Minister of Works at the age of forty, which was the pinnacle of the family.
Lu Wanning is the legitimate daughter of her family, with one older brother and two younger brothers.
When she was seventeen, it was the first time Qin Mu had chosen a consort since he ascended the throne.
Lu Mingyuan spent all his wealth to send his daughter into the palace, hoping she could become a concubine and perhaps receive some help in the future.
Who would have thought that Lu Wanning was lucky, and Qin Mu remembered her on her first night with him.
It's not because she's so beautiful.
Although she was indeed very beautiful, the imperial harem was never short of beauties.
It was because of one thing.
It was her third month in the palace. One day, Qin Mu was taking a walk in the Imperial Garden when he accidentally saw her secretly shedding tears in a corner.
He was curious at the time, so he ordered someone to inquire about it.
It turned out that an old nanny in her palace had bullied her, a newcomer, by taking advantage of her seniority, reducing her allowance, and even secretly taking her jewelry and giving it to her niece.
After Lu Wanning discovered this, the old woman actually turned the tables and accused her of framing her.
Normally, in such a situation, the concubines should report to the Empress or the Noble Consort for handling.
But Lu Wanning did not.
When the old woman stole again, she caught her red-handed. Then, without making a fuss, she took the witnesses and evidence to the Imperial Household Department and explained the whole story.
With conclusive evidence, the old nanny was flogged twenty times and banished from the palace.
Throughout the entire process, she did not cry or make a fuss, did not complain to Qin Mu, and did not ask her father for help.
Afterwards, Qin Mu asked her, "Why didn't you come to see me?"
She knelt on the ground, head bowed, and said, "Your Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state and dares not disturb you with such a trivial matter. Besides... now that I have entered the palace, I should learn to solve problems on my own."
At that moment, Qin Mu looked at her with new respect.
He then favored her several more times, and she rose step by step from a lowly concubine to a high-ranking concubine.
The music grew increasingly urgent.
Lu Wanning quickened her dance steps, performing a difficult spin followed by a backward bend, her skirt spreading out like flower petals.
Just as she finished the movement and straightened up—
"it is good."
Qin Mu clapped softly.
Lu Wanning was startled and turned around abruptly.
When she saw Qin Mu standing at the door, she was first stunned, then her eyes lit up with surprise.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
She practically stumbled over, not even having time to put on her dance shoes properly, her bare feet stepping on the cold floor.
She only remembered her manners when she ran three steps in front of Qin Mu, and hurriedly tried to kneel down.
"No need," Qin Mu said, reaching out to support her.
Lu Wanning stood up and looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears: "Your Majesty, what brings you here? I...I thought Your Majesty was going to summon Consort Shu tonight..."
She realized she had misspoke halfway through her sentence, quickly shut her mouth, and blushed.
Qin Mu laughed: "What, you're not welcoming me?"
"How could that be!" Lu Wanning stamped her foot anxiously. "I'm overjoyed! It's just... it's just that I lost the game yesterday, and according to the rules..."
"The rules were set by me," Qin Mu interrupted her. "I can change them if I want to."
He took her hand and led her to sit down on the soft couch.
The palace maids in front of the zither table had already tactfully withdrawn, leaving only the two of them in the warm pavilion.
Lu Wanning then noticed that Qin Mu was also carrying an oil paper package.
"This is……"
"I brought this for you." Qin Mu handed her the oil paper package.
Lu Wanning took it with a puzzled look, opened it, and her eyes immediately lit up.
Inside were several pieces of still-warm osmanthus cake, the golden cakes sprinkled with fine dried osmanthus flowers, emitting a sweet aroma.
There was also a bag of roasted chestnuts; the shells were shiny and already cracked open.
At the very bottom are two small dough figurines: a little girl in a red dress and a little boy in a dragon robe. They are crudely made but endearing.
"This, this is..." Lu Wanning looked at the dough figurine, her eyes suddenly reddening.
I saw it at the market and thought it was interesting, so I bought it.
Qin Mu leaned back on the cushions, his posture languid. "What, don't you like it?"
"I love it! I love it so much!"
Lu Wanning nodded vigorously, carefully holding the dough figurine in her hands as if it were some rare treasure.