frightfiction Chapter 43, Section 12: Selling Consort Shen to that official as a concubine.
Chapter 43, Section 12: Selling Consort Shen to that official as a concubine.
To repay Lu Yuxi for giving him private lessons on how to review memorials, Lin Shiming indeed ordered the Eastern Palace's small kitchen to prepare meat, vegetables, and wine, and personally cooked a modern-day barbecue for Lu Yuxi.
Then, he even personally expressed his gratitude late into the night.
Lu Yuxi readily accepted.
But this also caused Lin Shiming to be grumpy again the next morning.
At the beginning of the Si hour, Lu Yuxi escorted the still sulking Lin Shiming to the entrance of Xuanzheng Hall.
"I'll be going to the Ministry of Personnel soon. I might not be back for lunch. I'll send someone to let you know when I'm there. You can eat here with Father or back at the East Palace if you want. Don't be too nervous about reviewing the memorials today. Just do your job boldly. Father will back you up."
Lin Shiming was still grumpy when he woke up, but he nodded good-naturedly after hearing Lu Yuxi's instructions.
"Go inside. It's evening now. I'll come to take you back to the East Palace."
"Oh!"
Something about this scene just doesn't feel right.
"Eunuch Li, please take good care of the Crown Princess."
"Your Highness is too kind. It is only my duty."
But I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong.
Lin Shiming scratched his head in confusion, then put the matter aside for the time being and turned to follow Li An into the Xuanzheng Hall.
The temporary desks that Emperor Longyun had prepared for him and the Crown Prince had become standard practice. After Lin Shiming went in to pay his respects to Emperor Longyun, he habitually sat down in his seat.
Two stacks of memorials were already laid out on the table, but this time the ink had been changed to vermilion ink, which immediately gave Lin Shiming a sense of responsibility for directing the affairs of the country.
Emperor Longyun walked over and said, “Don’t be afraid, just do it boldly. I will review all the memorials you have reviewed. If there are any problems, it’s alright. I will just have someone make another copy.”
Emperor Longyun's words calmed Lin Shiming's somewhat flustered mind. He stood up and bowed, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty."
Emperor Longyun nodded, returned to his desk, and began reviewing memorials.
Lin Shiming also took a deep breath, picked up a memorial and opened it.
"...Also, on February 15th, the Ministry of Rites damaged a chair..."
Lin Shih-ming: An elderly man on the subway looking at his phone.JPG
Is this all the emperor does all day? He even reports a broken chair leg in a memorial to the emperor?
Lin Shiming suppressed his temper and read through the memorial from the Ministry of Rites, which reported on the daily work. Following Lu Yuxi's usual routine, he gave his reply and then put it aside.
A few breaths later, Lin Shiming couldn't resist taking the memorial back and adding a few more sentences below it.
"...Any matter concerning losses should be reported and filed separately in a monthly memorial, and the Ministry of Revenue should conduct a unified accounting and then handle it..."
Finally, Lin Shiming imitated Lu Yuxi's refined tone and cursed a couple more times, "The Minister of Rites should know etiquette, but he should also know reason. If he is not good at managing a ministry, he can petition to add a person to assist him."
Old scholar! If you can't manage things, there are plenty of people who can do it for you!
After venting his anger, Lin Shiming felt much better. He pushed aside the memorial and took out another one.
"The Prefectural Governor's Office reports that yesterday... thieves were seen on the streets. Such a heinous act is against..."
Are you out of your mind? The thief stole something, then launched into a tirade of accusations, quoting classical texts and spewing insults throughout the entire memorial, yet Lin Shiming didn't even see what the thief had stolen!
Lin Shiming took a deep breath and continued reading.
"...It has been determined that this person stole three copper coins..."
Three! Literature! Money!
A thick memorial to the emperor, inside which was written that a thief had stolen three coins! Aaaaaaah!
Lin Shiming angrily picked up his pen, "Can three coins compare to the price of a memorial to the throne? You should know that matters have varying degrees of importance. I hope you will thoroughly study the law, divide and deal with them separately, and submit the less serious ones together..."
"...If you continue like this every day, it would be better to donate your paper and pens to help poor students. Or you could become a clerk in the government office, which would be commensurate with your efforts."
Giving someone a good scolding makes me feel good, both physically and mentally.
*
At noon, Lin Shiming put down the last memorial, picked up his teacup, and squinted as he took a sip.
For the first time, he realized that being an emperor was a physically demanding job. He had to exert tremendous effort to suppress his inner urge to kill people.
Meanwhile, Emperor Longyun watched Lin Shiming's ever-changing, unpredictable expressions—sometimes angry, sometimes speechless, sometimes exhilarated—all from the sidelines for the entire morning. It was like watching a play; it was truly captivating!
The Crown Prince used to be like that, but as time went on, he learned the lesson of the unpredictability of imperial authority and the importance of remaining calm and collected, and gradually became less lively. Emperor Longyun once lamented this.
Today he's finally had his fill of seeing!
"Is it all approved?"
Lin Shiming put down his teacup. "Reporting to Father Emperor, the approval has been completed."
Well, actually I've finished cursing.
He criticized every single memorial today, leaving it utterly torn apart. He hadn't spoken in court for various reasons these past few days, but today he finally found the opportunity to unleash his fury on the memorials.
From high-ranking officials like ministers and academicians to lower-ranking officials like principals and members of the Hanlin Academy, none of them could escape unscathed from his pen.
If Lin Shiming hadn't been mindful of using Lu Yuxi's character, he would have directly pointed at her and cursed her, instead of being so subtle.
Emperor Longyun was also quite curious about what Lin Shiming could approve. He gestured for Li An to move the two stacks of memorials over, and then casually picked up one.
"Puff—cough cough cough..."
"His Majesty!"
"Father?"
Li An and Lin Shiming hurried over, and Emperor Longyun quickly waved his hand, "It's nothing, cough cough, I just, cough, choked a little."
Li An quickly took a handkerchief to wipe Emperor Longyun's mouth, and then directed the eunuchs to come and clean up the mess.
Lin Shiming couldn't get involved in this matter, so he tiptoed and secretly glanced at the memorial that Emperor Longyun had spread out on the table.
He was a secretary in the Ministry of Rites, and it seemed he was part of Prince Ping's faction. This memorial requested that His Majesty follow custom and distribute the power of the harem to the concubines, instead of bypassing the high-ranking mothers of the princes and directly handing it over to the younger generation of daughters-in-law.
As fate would have it, the memorial just happened to reach Lin Shiming, the person directly involved. Lin Shiming was in the middle of a frenzied outburst when he saw it, and simply replied:
"The law of the land states that concubines can be bought and sold. Since you have advised Consort Shen in this way, why not sell her to you as a concubine? Everyone will be happy."
He was having a great time cursing back then, but now, seeing Emperor Longyun choke on his tea in shock, Lin Shiming felt a little guilty.
Emperor Longyun looked up and saw Lin Shiming's guilty look as he looked around nervously, and snorted helplessly.
"Did you feel good after venting?"
Lin Shiming gave an awkward laugh.
Just as Emperor Longyun was about to say something, a young eunuch suddenly entered from outside.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is here."
Emperor Longyun gave Lin Shiming a disapproving look. "He arrived just in time, is he afraid I'll do something to you?"
"Of course not! His Highness is only visiting often because he is filial to his father."
"I didn't believe your nonsense!" Emperor Longyun threw down the handkerchief in his hand. "Li'an, serve the meal. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess are also eating here today."
"The slave obeys the order."
*
Lu Yuxi was quickly summoned into the hall. Before bowing, she subconsciously glanced at Lin Shiming from head to toe. Hmm, it seems nothing happened.
"My son, I will meet my father."
Emperor Longyun naturally saw Lu Yuxi's actions clearly. He spoke in a sarcastic tone, "Get up quickly. Are you here to pay your respects to me?"
Why are you so angry? Lu Yuxi was puzzled for a moment, but still stood up and replied respectfully, "Your subject also came to escort the Crown Princess back to the East Palace for a meal."
Emperor Longyun gritted his teeth in anger, "You can rest assured! Your wife was about to sell one of my concubines, and I didn't do anything to her!"
What? Lu Yuxi's pupils dilated in shock.
"What did Father say?"
Emperor Longyun tossed the memorial into Lu Yuxi's arms with a huff, "Read it yourself."
"...Everyone is happy. The price is negotiable, one hundred taels will suffice."
One hundred taels of silver to sell Consort Shen to that official as a concubine.