Chapter 80 Chip Chip Chip☆
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Li Jinyu was momentarily stunned.
Disbanding the harem was something he had never really considered.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t bear to part with these concubines, but rather that the women who were expelled from the palace would not have a good situation after returning to their families.
In the eyes of ordinary people, once someone entered the imperial palace, they belonged to the Emperor. Who would dare to take the Emperor’s concubines? Moreover, if they were driven out of the palace, it meant they had made a mistake, and respectable families would be even less likely to accept them.
In the novel, after Huo Caiyu conquered the capital, a lot of money and connections were spent to disperse the women in the harem, ensuring that they had a place to go. At that time, the old dynasty had already collapsed, so there were no taboos.
Li Jinyu looked at Consort Hui hesitantly and said, “It doesn’t matter to Zhen, but if you leave the palace, where can you go?”
He had initially planned to maintain the harem as a collective “dormitory,” accommodating these concubines within the imperial palace without any shortage of space.
Consort Hui was prepared to be scolded by His Majesty when she spoke these words. However, she was relieved when His Majesty responded kindly. She quickly replied, “As imperial concubines, we have failed in our duty to serve Your Majesty. If disbanding the harem can be beneficial to Your Majesty, we will naturally have no complaints.”
Li Jinyu was no longer the naive little hamster who didn’t understand anything. He didn’t believe in these roundabout conversations at all. “Tell Zhen the truth.”
The concubines in the harem did not have the same loyalty to the Emperor, at least not like Emperor Jingchang. Most of them saw the Emperor as a boss who needed to be pleased, nothing more.
Consort Hui hesitated for a moment, adjusted her sleeve, and clenched her teeth. “Your Majesty… this concubine wants to start a business venture with her sisters.”
Li Jinyu looked at her with surprise. “Zhen never realized that Aifei had such ambitions.”
“Please forgive this concubine, Your Majesty.” Consort Hui knelt down, gathering her courage to speak honestly. “The imperial concubines have been farming within the palace for a year now. Thanks to Your Majesty’s grace, this concubine and Sister Wei have taken the lead in selling the crops grown by our sisters to merchants… After a year has passed, this concubine feels that the money we earn with our own hands holds special meaning. Last year, we sisters in the palace donated the harvested grains to the Beiyue Army, and hearing the victorious news from the army made us feel different.”
She paused, lowered her head, and carefully considered her words before summoning her courage. “This concubine increasingly feels that the idle days in the palace are devoid of purpose. This concubine cannot share Your Majesty’s worries or contribute to Great Di’s prosperity. If Your Majesty wishes to show sincerity to the officials, Your Majesty could release us concubines as well. This concubine is willing to establish a business venture to provide shelter for our sisters who have nowhere to go, and also contribute to Great Di’s progress.”
Consort Wei also knelt down, silently expressing the same sentiment as Consort Hui.
Li Jinyu blinked his eyes, suddenly feeling a sense of emotion.
Consort Hui and Consort Wei, one astute and the other timid, had been avoiding the limelight of the imperial concubine and the Emperor throughout their years in the palace, cautiously reaching the present day.
He never expected that now they would have the courage to approach him and request to return to the harem.
Initially, he had sent the concubines to work in the fields simply because he was tired of their constant attention and wanted to challenge General Meng at that time… He never expected that it would give these women from the deep palace a sense of purpose and drive.
Allowing the concubines to return to the harem and even form a business venture was a matter that challenged the established rules, but Li Jinyu never cared about regulations. He acted solely based on his own instincts.
After some thought, he spoke, “Gather all the concubines. Zhen wants to hear your opinions.”
Consort Hui took a desperate gamble by proposing this idea, even mentally preparing herself for His Majesty’s furious reaction and exile to the cold palace. However, she was pleasantly surprised when His Majesty did not get angry. She was instantly overjoyed and said, “This concubine will take care of it right away.”
Emperor Jingchang had a three-digit number of named concubines and palace maids, and a single hall couldn’t accommodate them all.
Li Jinyu had to move the meeting to the spacious Imperial Garden.
After briefly explaining Consort Hui’s plan, Li Jinyu had the eunuchs bring paper and pens. “Draw number one if you want to join Consort Hui’s business venture, number two if you want to stay in the palace, and number three if you want to return to your maiden homes.”
Concerned that these concubines might be too intimidated by imperial power to make genuine choices, Li Jinyu emphasized, “Choose based on your true desires. No matter what you choose, Zhen won’t blame you.”
The concubines remained silent for a while, then took the pens and paper handed to them by the eunuchs, struggling to make their own choices.
When the final count was done, the majority chose to follow Consort Hui, a small number chose to return to their maiden homes, and not a single person chose to stay in the palace.
Li Jinyu held a peanut in his mouth and glanced at Consort Hui, saying, “Consort Hui seems to be quite popular.”
Consort Hui instantly felt nervous, fearing that Li Jinyu might have reservations.
However, Li Jinyu genuinely believed that Consort Hui was impressive. She managed to earn the sincere admiration and loyalty of so many concubines with diverse backgrounds.
“Since that’s the case, Zhen approves,” Li Jinyu thought for a moment and set aside the peanut. “But Zhen has a request.”
Consort Hui felt a surge of excitement but forcibly suppressed the joy on her face. She respectfully said, “Please tell this concubine Your Majesty’s request.”
“After all, you are all people who have left the palace. Zhen also wants to have a stake in this business venture,” Li Jinyu said.
Consort Hui was taken aback, her lips moved, and she lowered her head. Joy and gratitude lingered in her heart, rendering her speechless.
How could His Majesty, who held dominion over the entire realm, be interested in her uncertain business venture?
His Majesty was protecting them!
A new organization formed by a group of vulnerable women would naturally attract attention from outsiders. Even with the support of their maiden families, it paled in comparison to the words of His Majesty.
Consort Hui choked up a bit and said, “On behalf of this concubine’s sisters, she thanks Your Majesty’s benevolence!”
Li Jinyu didn’t understand why Consort Hui suddenly became so emotional. He assumed it was due to her joy of leaving the deep palace and waved his hand generously. “It’s alright. If you have things like peanuts and melon seeds in the future, you can offer some to Zhe .”
The concubines dispersed, and Consort Hui and Consort Wei were the last to leave. They sincerely said, “Your Majesty’s great grace is unforgettable to us. We only wish for Your Majesty to have a smooth life and accompany the Regent Prince until old age.”
Although many people thought that the union between His Majesty and the Regent Prince was a fleeting romance, Consort Hui inexplicably felt that the love between these two men standing at the highest positions of the Di Dynasty was enduring and profound, a love that even the sharpest sword in the world couldn’t sever.
Whenever she went to report on the situation in the palace to His Majesty, she would often encounter the presence of the Regent Prince.
The Regent Prince looked at His Majesty with fervent and sincere eyes, as if gazing at the only sun, and when His Majesty looked back at the Regent Prince, there was an imperceptible affection and trust.
His Majesty and the Regent Prince would discuss state affairs and the affairs of the harem, exchanging words with an unspoken understanding.
Even though she was the highest-ranked concubine in His Majesty’s palace, she felt that there was no room for a third shadow between those two individuals.
She was willing to believe that there was an extraordinary bond and deep love between His Majesty and the Regent Prince, something beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
Just like when His Majesty’s face suddenly brightened upon hearing her blessings, he smiled like a child who had just received a candy.
As Consort Hui turned away from the Imperial Garden, she glanced back and happened to see the Regent Prince approaching from the other side. His Majesty happily jumped off the chair and plunged into the arms of the Regent Prince.
Consort Wei walked beside them, and from the corner of her eye, she also caught a glimpse of that scene, sighing softly.
The two Consorts exchanged a glance, seeing the sourness of being force-fed dog food in each other’s eyes.
………
With the decision made regarding the concubines’ fate, Li Jinyu quickly drafted an edict, proclaiming the release of all the concubines from the palace.
This decision caused a huge uproar.
It didn’t matter if His Majesty and the Regent Prince were unclear about their relationship. After all, the court officials had no say in the matter… but what was the meaning of disbanding the harem?!
Was His Majesty no longer interested in having an heir?!
In no time, many loyal subjects in the court started casting unfriendly glances at Huo Caiyu.
His Majesty used to frequently select concubines from both the imperial and inner palaces, but ever since the Regent Prince assumed power, he became ascetic— clearly pressured by the Regent Prince!
The Han family’s suspicions mirrored those of the court officials. During these days, Huo Caiyu had to face a barrage of hostile looks when attending court.
Rather than feeling displeased, Huo Caiyu often wore a smile on his face.
The officials’ complaints meant less to him than a single smile from His Majesty.
He understood the strictness of court etiquette and knew that even the Emperor faced challenges when it came to defying established rituals. Therefore, he never dared to hope for a public response from His Majesty.
However, His Majesty disbanded the entire harem for him.
It was the best response he could have received. What did the cold gazes of the court officials matter in comparison?
The court officials frantically petitioned, unable to resist the affectionate display between the Regent Prince and His Majesty during every morning court assembly.
Although the two of them maintained a serious and proper demeanor, their eyes revealed a distinct connection, and their tone of speech differed from when addressing others.
Even though it appeared as a normal interaction between an Emperor and his ministers from afar, the courtiers who witnessed it repeatedly found it discomforting.
Li Jinyu suppressed and ignored the memorials concerning the harem, neither rejecting nor responding to them. It felt as though the officials’ fists were striking soft cotton, their momentum deflating.
If His Majesty were still the foolish and tyrannical ruler of the past, with Huo Caiyu as the influential Prime Minister Ye, they might have had the confidence to remonstrate. However, with His Majesty and the Regent Prince diligently handling state affairs, displaying remarkable talent and meticulousness, and with the Di Dynasty prospering day by day… they truly had no grounds to find fault.
Furthermore, the Beiyue Army that had been sent to conquer Jiao Kingdom had returned.
The focus of the court suddenly shifted to rewarding and caring for the officers and soldiers of the Beiyue Army.
Huo Caijin had led the army for half a year, and upon their return, she appeared slightly thinner, and her complexion had darkened.
However, her gaze was resolute and piercing, sharper than any of the soldiers.
Li Jinyu and Huo Caiyu personally waited outside the imperial city, to welcome them, together with the officials.
When General Meng returned to the capital city before, he failed to personally receive the soldiers due to cowardice and personal motives.
Now, Li Jinyu arrived early at the location where the army was expected to return, braving the scorching sun, awaiting the return of the border soldiers.
It was these soldiers who had shed blood and flesh to build a solid defense for the people of the Central Plains. They had left their homes and stepped onto unfamiliar and dangerous lands to fight against Jiao Kingdom.
Many people lay buried in foreign lands, only the spirits returning home with their comrades.
Li Jinyu stood there, watching Huo Caijin and the soldiers behind her, their faces filled with the joy of returning home. In his eyes, he could even see the soaring momentum circulating among the Beiyue Army, reaching the heavens and intertwining closely with the fate of the Di Dynasty.
Suddenly, Li Jinyu felt a slight tingling in his nose.
Although he had thwarted Jiao Kingdom’s plot, it was these ordinary humans who truly solidified and secured this land.
“To all the soldiers and the brave ones who lost their lives.” Li Jinyu took a deep breath, standing before the crowd of human faces that he had once feared so much. He held his head high, his voice resolute and powerful.
“Welcome home!”
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