in2ebook Chapter 236 Consort Zhuang will still send things to the Emperor
Chapter 236 Consort Zhuang will still send things to the Emperor
"Your Majesty, Consort Zhuang specially sent me back to deliver something to you," Li Quan said, his voice filled with trepidation. As soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly untied the small, exquisite package he was carrying on his back, and then respectfully held it high with both hands before presenting it to the Emperor.
Seeing this, Li Desheng, who had been serving nearby, dared not be negligent in the slightest. He rushed forward and carefully took the package from Li Quan's hands, then cautiously handed it to the emperor's desk.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing at the inconspicuous little package placed on the dragon table before him. Unlike most people, he didn't eagerly reach out to open it. Instead, he slightly adjusted his posture, leaning forward, and slowly asked Li Quan, who was still kneeling trembling on the ground, "Has your empress mentioned to you what's inside this package?"
"Your Majesty, Her Majesty did not speak to me about this. She only instructed me that everything would become clear after Your Majesty reads the letter," Li Quan replied, bowing respectfully.
"Hmm, get up." The Emperor casually waved his hand in acknowledgment.
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty!" Li Quan kowtowed again in gratitude as if he had been granted a pardon, before finally standing up shakily.
The moment Li Quan straightened up, the Emperor had already begun to unpack the package himself. Surprisingly, the Emperor seemed completely uninterested in the letter on top, not even glancing at it. Instead, he reached out and picked up the thick stack of blueprints that were underneath the letter.
As the emperor slowly unfurled the blueprints, his previously calm expression suddenly turned serious. His brows furrowed, and his eyes were fixed on the densely packed figures and various construction models. However, no matter how hard the emperor racked his brains, he could not figure out what these things were.
So, I had no choice but to pick up the letter, open it, and read it.
The letter roughly stated: "Cheng'er harbors great ambitions, aspiring to become a magnificent general in the future, so that he can wholeheartedly assist the Crown Prince in guarding the vast borders. Since he has such lofty aspirations to become a general, he must diligently study military strategy and tactics, and personally experience various hardships and dangers to accumulate experience and temper his will. However, Cheng'er is only nine years old at present and still quite immature. If he were to go to the military camp to receive training at this time, it would be too early. After much consideration, I feel it would be better for me to teach him first."
Although my knowledge is limited, I do have some basic understanding of military strategy and tactics. In order to teach Cheng'er military strategy more effectively, I have ingeniously designed a military chess game specifically for troop deployment. Compared to the traditional red and yellow chess game, practicing with this game on a sand table makes tactical layouts clearer, easier to understand, and easier to master.
Unfortunately, I have no skilled craftsmen by my side, and it is truly beyond my ability to create this set of military chess pieces on my own. Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty's assistance in completing this set. I require two sets in total, and I earnestly hope Your Majesty will grant my request.”
After reading Consort Zhuang's blunt and utterly unhumble letter, the Emperor couldn't help but snort coldly. His face then darkened as he looked at Li Quan, who stood bowing respectfully below, and said coldly, "Your master is truly..."
The Emperor stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence. He paused briefly, seemingly deep in thought, before slowly changing his words: "Go back and tell your Empress that I have already agreed to this matter and will instruct the Ministry of Works to complete it as soon as possible. However… I will leave these blueprints here for now." With that, the Emperor's gaze gently fell upon the stack of blueprints on the dragon desk.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will obey your decree and convey it to Consort Zhuang without missing a single word." Li Quan replied, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He dared not be negligent in the slightest and stood respectfully in place, awaiting further instructions from the Emperor.
Seeing this, the Emperor nodded in satisfaction and then waved for Li Quan to leave. Having received permission, Li Quan understood and quickly bowed to take his leave.
Li Quan cautiously left the imperial study and limped out of the palace.
Before long, he arrived at the palace gate. He took his horse from the guard on duty and then nimbly mounted it.
He sat steadily in the saddle, flicked the reins, and the steed galloped away like an arrow. The sound of hooves echoed on the stone road, raising a cloud of dust. Li Quan was heading towards his small residence outside the palace. Although the residence was not large, it was quiet and elegant, and several servants were responsible for its daily cleaning and maintenance.
As for why they didn't return directly to Cuiwei Palace, the reason is actually quite simple. Cuiwei Palace is now completely empty. Those palace servants who were able to accompany their master to the estate had already left; those who couldn't go were sent back to the Imperial Household Department to be reassigned. Therefore, at this moment, Cuiwei Palace is a cold and desolate palace, utterly devoid of life.
After Li Quan hurriedly left the palace, the Emperor frowned slightly and turned to Li Desheng, who had been standing respectfully to the side, and instructed him: "Li Desheng, after the morning court session tomorrow, take this stack of drawings to the Ministry of Works and tell them to hurry up and produce three copies to present to me." After saying this, the Emperor gently tapped the drawings laid out on the dragon table with his finger.
Li Desheng immediately bowed and respectfully replied, "This servant obeys the decree." He then quickly stepped forward and carefully arranged each of the blueprints spread out on the dragon table, neatly putting them into an exquisite box.
At this moment, the Emperor's gaze slowly shifted to the outside of the palace. He saw that the once bright sky was gradually being swallowed by darkness, and the sunset was slowly losing its luster. The Emperor couldn't help but sigh softly and murmur to himself, "Does Consort Zhuang really not miss me at all?" Although his voice was soft, it was filled with a trace of loneliness and helplessness.
However, Eunuch Li, who was busy with his work, seemed not to have heard the Emperor's murmur at all, and continued to focus intently on his task.
Just then, as if suddenly remembering something, the Emperor abruptly stood up and loudly ordered, "Let's proceed to Anning Palace!"
Li Desheng was taken aback at first, but then he realized what was happening and quickly replied, "Yes!" He then began to make arrangements for the trip.
The Emperor took a few steps forward, then suddenly stopped and turned back, saying, "By the way, Li Desheng, remember to bring those blueprints with you as well."
Before long, the group set off in a grand procession toward Anning Palace.
When they arrived at Anning Palace, the palace maids, who had already been informed, knelt down to greet the emperor. Inside the palace, the empress was sitting in a chair enjoying tea. Upon seeing the emperor, she hurriedly rose to greet him.
"Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you," the Empress said with a smile.
"Your Majesty, no need for formalities. Just now, Li Quan, who serves Consort Zhuang, brought me something that I think might be useful to the Crown Prince, so I brought it here for you to see," the Emperor said, reaching out to pull the Empress up.
The Empress smiled slightly and said with a hint of teasing, "Oh, it's really rare that Consort Zhuang would actually think of sending something to the Emperor."