The Love Imagination System
Section 25: Visiting His Majesty
King Changle's Mansion was stirred with news of the sudden departure of the prince and his empress. On that sunny morning, all the servants were gathered and questioned one by one as to where Baili Qingchen and Liu Qingyi had gone.
Indeed, there were only a few people who knew where King Changle had gone and they would definitely keep their mouths shut.
Xiao Junjie was furious because of this. He gritted his teeth when all the waiters replied ‘don't know’. Yesterday he came home late at night and did not have time to meet Baili Qingchen.
Who would have thought that last night the man had already left the mansion without telling him at all. Xiao Junjie grew angry when he learned that Empress Dowager Changle's daughter Liu Qingyi had also disappeared.
Qingyi's presence in this mansion had completely changed everything. Ever since the girl came, Xiao Junjie had always been troubled in some ways. The waiter no longer complied too much with her. Baili Qingchen was also not as open as before.
Whereas long before Qingyi got married here, Baili Qingchen always told Xiao Junjie everything and discussed with him. Even meeting him now feels difficult.
“Liu Qingyi! I will count it slowly with you,” Xiao Junjie muttered as he clenched his hand.
The waiter who saw her thought of her as a jealous concubine. How not, here, Xiao Junjie was acting like a woman that her husband had taken by someone else. Though everyone clearly knew that Xiao Junjie was just a little prince who was left to stay at the request of King Changle and the approval of Emperor Baili. They thought, this Xiao Junjie should know himself.
“Prince Empress, it is not good to be angry like this. You better ask clearly to His Majesty the Emperor. It was possible that he knew where His Highness Changle was going,” suggested the servant in his residence.
“It just so happens that I have something to say to the Emperor,” Xiao Junjie said. He was ready to enter the palace.
Arriving at the palace, he asked Eunuch Li to let him meet with Emperor Baili. The emperor seemed to be busy with state affairs. On his desk there were a lot of unfinished reports read.
As soon as Xiao Junjie entered, Emperor Baili stopped his activities and pretended to sit firmly. He guessed Xiao Junjie's arrival was to inquire about the whereabouts of King Changle.
Xiao Junjie bowed respectfully as he said a long-lived greeting. After Emperor Baili said that he had nothing to hesitate about, he raised his head and looked at Emperor Baili.
In his eyes was a dislike, considering that he himself also knew that he was one of the pawns used by the young man to suppress King Changle. Despite knowing, in fact Xiao Junjie remained silent and let it pass like the wind.
“What is the business in King Changle's mansion so little that the Little Prince came here to visit me?” ask Emperor Baili.
“Yang Mulia joking. I'm here to ask your Majesty something. Would Your Majesty please answer it?”
“Entahlah. You see, I still have a lot of work. I don't know if I have time to answer your question or not.”
“Your Majesty, what task did you give up to make King Changle leave overnight?”
“That's it?” Xiao Junjie nodded. Emperor Baili laughed.
“I told him to visit his corner in Xizhou. I recently heard the news that the Xizhou Academy Supervisor broke the rules in the exam. So, I guess King Changle needs to deal with it for me,” Emperor Baili said lightly. Xiao Junjie finally found out that Baili Qingchen went to Xizhou.
“Good. I thank you for your Majesty's explanation. Your Majesty, I still have something to say to you.”
“Say.”
“Some time ago, King Changle's disease relapsed. She went to her queen's room and she recovered overnight. Your Majesty might be upset if I don't tell you about this.”
Hearing Xiao Junjie's explanation, Emperor Baili fell silent for a moment. So, Liu Qingyi turned out to be completely able to treat Baili Qingchen. If the girl could really cure her uncle's illness down to her roots, then she might just be harmed.
Prime Minister Liu will definitely get more arrogant and demand more profit on him. The crafty old man would definitely boast of himself and feel like a great father because his daughter could heal a prince. Moreover, his ministers would have been happy to know King Changle had recovered.
That's hazardous. The attacks of the prime minister and other ministers made Emperor Baili never sleep well all night. As a young emperor, there was no denying that his fear was still numerous. He is still not capable of governing.
Actually were it not for King Changle, he might have long since been demoted from his throne. That was why Emperor Baili balanced power between the prime minister and King Changle by tying him to a family marriage relationship.
“But, Your Majesty need not worry. Some time ago King Changle managed to uncover the culprit who poisoned me. That man is from the Prime Minister's residence. If Your Majesty is worried that the Prime Minister is demanding a no-no, Your Majesty could use that excuse to suppress him. Regarding King Changle, he will not mess around because His Majesty clearly knows what kind of nature he is,” Xiao Junjie added. As a companion, his knowledge of the life of King Changle's mansion was not small.
“I'll consider it.”
“Then, I pamit.”
Emperor Baili nodded. In his mind was stupefied by the desire to get rid of Xiao Junjie, as he thought the man was a bitch. Emperor Baili hated someone offering something as if he was incapable, he hated someone threatening him.
Xiao Junjie was only the son of a noble, even if death would not have a great effect. It was different with Liu Qingyi, who some time ago managed to subtly threaten him. Xiao Junjie was dangerous, but no more dangerous than Liu Qingyi.
Xiao Junjie left Emperor Baili's study room with light steps. He felt himself great for being able to get in there, whereas he had no idea that Qingyi was even more powerful than him. The palace maid who saw him dodged because he did not want to cause trouble.
The people from the mansion of King Changle were problems to be avoided according to their thoughts. The servants of the palace were not blind and were not deaf. They could see and hear, also knowing what sort of veiled dispute between Emperor Baili and King Changle was like.
In the hallway of the palace, Xiao Junjie passed by Consort Sun's widow. Upon arriving before him, Xiao Junjie immediately behaved respectfully like a real man. Dowager Consort Sun smiled amiably. He held her and looked at her affectionately. No wonder, since Xiao Junjie had been accompanying his son for so many years.
“What are you doing here, my son?”
Dowager Consort Sun called him son, because in his eyes Xiao Junjie was like the twin sister Baili Qingchen, not a ‘istri’ as they say. No less and no more.
“I just visited His Majesty and asked where King Changle had gone. Apparently, he was assigned to go to Xizhou.”
“Ah, so. I heard it from the waiter, too. A-Jie, can you accompany me for a moment? Luo Niang is exiting the palace, I have no friends to discuss with,” pinta Widow Consort Sun.
Since Consort Dowager Sun was the mother of the person she cared about, Xiao Junjie agreed. Consort Dowager Sun took her to Empress Dowager Ming's palace, which became the current Imperial Empress Dowager Bingyue. She was the mother of Emperor Baili, as well as the sister-in-law of Baili Qingchen.
Empress Dowager Ming was very pleased to see the arrival of her step-in-law because in this palace, there was no woman from her long-lived father like Consort Dowager Sun. Even her mother-in-law, the empress of a generation before her was gone five years ago. Moreover, her age with Consort Dowager Sun was not too far away.
“Greetings, Queen Mother,” says Xiao Junjie. Empress Dowager Ming smiled amiably.
“Aiya, it's been a long time since I've seen the Little Prince. You should have brought her more often,” Empress Dowager Ming said as he glanced at Consort Dowager Sun. Dowager Consort Sun chuckled.
“He's busy with my son's mansion business. Besides, you're the Queen Mother, there's no way you'll have so much free time.”
“Haish, you're right. Why then did I not become a concubine of my father? Maybe we can be friends longer and I don't have to be the Queen Mother. Now my son is Emperor, and my husband is also dead. The fate of the woman in the palace is indeed not much better than that of a mistress,” complains Empress Dowager Ming.
“Look, you're old. If your words are heard by others, they will ask for your integrity as the Queen Mother.”
Consort Dowager Sun and Empress Dowager Ming laughed together. They were court ladies of the same generation, but their emperor husbands were in different generations. Consort Sun's life was more relaxed than Empress Dowager Ming's. Xiao Junjie knew that, and he just enlivened the atmosphere.
“Ah, true too. By the way, how was the life of King Changle's mansion after the arrival of a new empress?” ask Empress Dowager Ming. Xiao Junjie looked up, then answered the Queen Mother's question.
“Indeed somewhat changed. Princess Consort Changle often troublemakers, but King Changle never punishes her.”
“No wonder. She is a princess who was not educated at the Prime Minister's residence, her attitude may need to be corrected. Tell you what, I'll send an aunt to teach her some manners. He can't make my sister's mansion ridiculed badly by anyone else. What do you think, mother-in-law?” empress Dowager Ming asked Consort Sun's Widow interspersed with laughter and winkings.
“Tersubject only. As long as the girl is good, I won't mind her.”
Xiao Junjie was secretly pleased. Qingyi was not an easy person to manage. If a teaching aunt comes, maybe she can make it a submissive dog.
