binnovel Chapter 300 Won't Be a Burden on My Cousin
Chapter 300 Won't Be a Burden on My Cousin
Chapter 300 I Won't Be a Burden on My Cousin
The Emperor's words indicate that he intends to send Zhou Bai to a post outside the capital, appointing him as the Transport Commissioner of Jianghuai.
This Transport Commissioner, also known as the Water Transport Commissioner or the Water and Land Transport Commissioner, was in charge of collecting and transporting taxes by land and water in the Jianghuai region. He was a fourth-rank official, which was a true promotion for Zhou Bai.
Normally, this would never have fallen on the shoulders of Zhou Bai, a sixth-rank Left Chancellor.
But at this critical juncture, there was a suspicion of antagonism towards powerful clans. After a quick realization, Hua Yan couldn't help but feel inwardly skeptical; this burden was not only heavy but also extremely dangerous...
My uncle was already impatient with being an official, and this time he really suffered an undeserved disaster.
Hua Yan paused for a moment, then said tactfully, "Although my uncle is learned, he did not enter officialdom through the orthodox imperial examination. I'm afraid the court officials will find it hard to accept Your Majesty's arrangement."
The emperor's gaze was piercing, and his tone was calm, yet one could vaguely detect an innate majesty.
"Zhou Bai was personally appointed by me. Moreover, Zhou Bai has been lying low among the Xiongnu for many years. He is resolute, upright, and magnanimous. During his tenure as Left Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, he made a series of meritorious contributions. I want to see who in the court dares to speak out against him!"
With that tall hat, Hua Yan's shoulders felt heavy.
The Emperor looked down at Hua Yan and gently comforted her, "Don't worry, Shu'er. I will send two Dragon Guards to secretly protect Minister Zhou. He will be recalled to the capital when his term of office is over."
Hua Yan was grateful and thanked her uncle on his behalf.
"I have a request... Before I take up my post, may I meet with my uncle?"
After a moment of silence, the Emperor granted his permission: "Once we arrive at the Changchun Garden Palace, I will order Jingming to make the arrangements."
Upon hearing this, a tender look flashed in Hua Yan's eyes. She gently raised her hand and grasped the Emperor's palm, then rested her head lightly against his chest. "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace."
The Emperor's smile widened, and even his eyes revealed amusement. He took the initiative to say, "Minister Zhou is newly married. The day after tomorrow, I will allow him to bring his family to meet with Shu'er."
Hua Yan never expected such a surprise. At this moment, she was willing to temporarily let down her guard, leaving only a quiet moment of closeness.
......
The day before leaving the palace, the emperor did not issue an edict reprimanding Consort Rong.
Everything happened silently.
When Consort Rong was removed from the list of accompanying concubines, the news caused a stir among the concubines in the palace.
Yun Yao arrived at Huining Palace early in the morning.
This time, she dared not bring Dujuan with her, but instead brought Guiqiu, the palace maid assigned to her by Consort Chun, with her.
Guiqiu was a palace maid who entered the palace at the same time as Lvliu. She was also left in Huining Palace with Lvliu, but she and Dou'er were assigned to work in the kitchen.
When Guiqiu learned that she was to serve Yun Baolin, it is no exaggeration to say that she felt like the sky had fallen. When she left Huining Palace, she looked back every few steps.
Everyone in the palace knows that Consort Chun is kind and generous. During festivals, she not only receives double her monthly allowance, but even the purses she casually bestows contain jewelry worth several months' allowance...
"It's no use for Cousin Yun to come to me. The list of attendees is decided by Her Majesty the Empress. If you want to go, you can still go to Renming Palace now."
Consort Chun's expression was indifferent, and she was not as warm towards Yun Yao as before.
Although Yun Yao was unwilling, she dared not offend Consort Chun. She still spoke softly, "Cousin, you have misunderstood me. I always put you first and would never go to Renming Palace to beg for mercy."
"It's good that you're staying in Ganlu Palace. I've been too impatient these past few days, and even Dujuan was influenced by me, which led her to make a mistake..."
Upon hearing this, Consort Chun raised her eyes and glanced at Yun Yao. "You are Du Juan's mistress. Since you know she has made a mistake, you should reward and punish her fairly. But you still keep her by your side, which shows that you are a fool."
“Du Juan has served me since she was a child, I... I really can’t bear to punish her.” Yun Yao’s eyes were slightly red.
"Fine, how you manage your subordinates is your business. I'm just adding my two cents."
Yun Yao quickly stood up and said urgently, "Cousin, I know I was wrong. I will punish her later. I just hope that you won't become distant from me because of this."
Consort Chun remained silent: "You are indeed wrong. How could I become estranged from you because of a mere maid?"
Yun Yao lowered her head, becoming increasingly uneasy. She didn't even dare to sit down, and for some reason, she was about to kneel down.
Mengzhu's expression darkened slightly, and she stepped forward to stop her.
“You are Her Majesty’s own cousin, Baolin, why should you do this? Her Majesty’s intention is that Dujuan has flaws in her character, and you should make a clean break with her, otherwise keeping her by your side will only cause trouble.”
Yun Yao gave Meng Zhu a grateful smile and nodded to indicate that she understood.
He then told Consort Chun, "Please don't blame me, cousin. I'm useless. I will behave myself in the palace from now on and won't hold you back."
Consort Chun had lost interest in chatting with her, but she still managed to reassure her, "It doesn't matter if you can't go to the imperial palace. Your rank is not low among the other young ladies-in-waiting. You will have your chance to rise in the future."
Yun Yao was slightly relieved.
She came from a humble background and was less knowledgeable than Consort Rong and Consort Xie. When she was being trained at the Qunfang Pavilion, she knew that it would be difficult for her to gain favor with the emperor with her own qualities. Otherwise, she would not have been so eager to use her cousin's connections to compete for the emperor's favor as soon as she entered the palace.
"It's good that you're filial, but there's no need to bother sending the jewelry I gave you outside the palace. Now that your third uncle has retired and returned to the capital, the Yun family, though not comparable to aristocratic families, will not let the third branch fall into the wrong hands."
After speaking, Consort Chun couldn't bear it any longer and offered a word of advice: "His Majesty has always favored women who are open-minded and dignified. Your attire is rather petty. I'll have Mengzhu teach you later."
A hint of embarrassment appeared on Yun Yao's face, but she quickly concealed it and sincerely thanked Consort Chun for her advice.
After Yun Yao left, Hua Yan gracefully walked out from behind the screen.
"My cousin is useless; I'm sorry to have made you laugh at me, Shu'er," Consort Chun said, somewhat troubled.
Hua Yan smiled and said, "I think Yun Baolin's personality is indeed somewhat like the Third Miss's, but he is not as decisive as the Third Miss."
Consort Chun thought of her third sister, and a trace of relief appeared on her face. "I heard from Aunt Mei that Mother found a good marriage for my third sister. My third sister is filial to Mother, so Mother will not mistreat her."
"Leaving aside them, Shuer, don't worry about Lord Zhou. Once we arrive at the palace, I will write to my father and ask him to send Lady Zhou to secretly protect him. After Lord Zhou is settled and the old cases are cleared up, Sister Xiuyun can also follow along with her husband."