Chapter 9

I have no time to engage in childish games with you. With someone like you, it is truly a wonder that you have managed to survive in the palace. " He said with a slight frown, "Who did you learn your rules from? It seems you gave up before even completing your training, resulting in such a half-baked outcome.

He did not quite understand, "What does a fat mule have to do with a hot car?" He grew up in the Forbidden City, often playing with grasshoppers and oil gourds, but the thought of cockroaches, being so filthy, was enough to make him feel disgusted.

What does it matter if she is beautiful? It only serves to diminish the king's fighting spirit, trapping him all day in the entanglements of love and affection. How far is such a woman from bringing disaster to the country? He looked at her again, with long eyebrows and exquisite eyes, her face like congealed fat. The cicada seems to have taken a liking to her face, perhaps intending to confine her within the Court of Rites! After all, he saved her life, and it is only right for her to feel grateful to him. Yet, how dull-witted can she be? Even now, she has not recognized him. After all, he saved her life, and it is only right for her to feel grateful to him. Yet, how dull-witted can she be? Even now, she has not recognized him

She restrained herself and explained, "I do not serve in front of my master; this can be considered fate! My master is a good person, and perhaps seeing that I am not capable, he did not assign me to go out." When she spoke of the aunt who had brought her in, she expressed deep respect, "My master is indeed an extraordinary person; he once served in the imperial court and later was transferred to the Bureau of Ceremonial as a manager."

He turned to look at the autumn scenery outside the corridor after listening for a while, and finally said, "The person you mentioned, I know, is it the grasshopper?"

In the palace, in the palace! Su Yi felt that this person truly knew how to treat a chicken feather as a command token, as if the palace were his own home. However, she was not entirely sure; it could very well be the current Emperor, who had come out in disguise to pay respects to his father-in-law. There was an old custom among the officials: during funerals and celebrations, they loved to invite distinguished guests to sit on the southern kang, serving them white meat dipped in sauce. Earlier, the young prince had mentioned accompanying the Emperor for a meal, which indicated that the master was still at the Kun residence. Could this person be him? She felt a bit scared and looked again; the more she looked, the more he resembled the Emperor. Earlier, the young prince had mentioned accompanying the Emperor for a meal, which indicated that the master was still at the Kun residence. Could this person be him? She felt a bit scared and looked again; the more she looked, the more he resembled the Emperor. However, she could not directly ask, "Are you the Emperor?" So she had to inquire indirectly, "Are you also from the palace? Do you visit often or reside here? Are you from the military's duty room or the imperial front? Forgive my poor eyesight; I cannot recognize you at once."

He pursed his lips, for he saw Enyou coming from afar, fastening his buttons. When he reached the front, he made a vague gesture of greeting and grinned, saying, "Why has Your Majesty come to the back? I was delayed for a moment, please forgive me, my lord." Glancing at the girl beside him, who looked as if she had been struck by lightning, he looked up and wondered, "The weather hasn't changed, so what is going on?"

Yuanbao Ling held a beautiful face, tilting her head as she stood on the steps, smiling and saying, "Sir, you love to joke. If I couldn't even tell the difference between birds and insects, wouldn't that make me a fool? When I was young, I loved to play with insects, and I could tell the male from the female with just a glance."

His expression was strange, "Aren't you a noble lady? Why are you still playing with such filthy things?"

She paused for a moment and said, "This ... ..."

It is quite surprising, "You certainly know quite a lot, you must often walk around the inner court! My master is a good person, but good people do not live long..."

Nodding reluctantly, "It is indeed a flaw that cannot be cured. When I meet someone for the first time, I tend to forget their appearance almost immediately. Those who do not know me might think I am being aloof, but that is not the case. I simply lack this ability; it takes me ten or eight encounters to remember someone."

She timidly glanced down, noticing a half footprint on the surface of the Zhangrong beaded cloud boots. He seemed quite angry, furrowing his brows as he looked at her. Feeling embarrassed, she slightly bent her waist and said, "Please don't glare at me like that, I know I was abrupt, let me clean it for you!"

She felt guilty for stepping on someone else's foot and accepted his sarcastic remarks to vent his frustration, but he should not involve her master. She took a deep breath and said seriously, "You can scold me, and I won't retort, but please do not criticize my master. She is no longer here, and I cannot bring her any blame; I owe her that much."

It is truly unacceptable for a woman to become arrogant due to favoritism. That Empress Dowager of Changchun Garden has caused no small amount of harm to others. The imperial concubines in the palace resent her for monopolizing the dragon bed, the late Empress despises her for ruining Crown Prince Dongli, and even the retired Emperor abdicated in his prime in order to be with her.

He still seemed dissatisfied, pursing his lips with a face full of impatience. She had glanced at him twice, unable to discern his background, but she knew he must be someone not to be trifled with. The guests who came here to pay their respects were all of some standing, towering over her with their feet raised higher than her head, and she truly could not afford to offend them. After pondering for a moment, she said, "In that case, could you please indicate where your esteemed residence is? I see that these boots are of an inner style; I will find a way to procure a pair and send them to your residence later." She waited for him to respond, but he still wore a look of discontent. This left her at a loss, and after gritting her teeth, she took a step forward, saying, "If you still cannot find satisfaction, then just step back!"

I have truly never seen someone with such a well-proportioned appearance; even someone like me, who is face-blind, is somewhat surprised. The Qiren are different from the Han people; their ancestors were nomadic, and in many aspects, they are more rugged compared to the Han. Tall and imposing, standing in front of you like a mountain. However, this individual is hard to place; he lacks the robust build typical of the Qiren, yet possesses a slender and healthy physique. If one were to assert that he is Han, it seems somewhat off, as Han people do not have such a three-dimensional facial structure. To be precise, he resembles a descendant of intermarriage between Han and Xianbei, embodying the strengths of both ethnicities, with sharp angles yet retaining a certain roundness. If one were to assert that he is Han, it seems somewhat off, as Han people do not have such a three-dimensional facial structure. To be precise, he resembles a descendant of intermarriage between Han and Xianbei, embodying the strengths of both ethnicities, with sharp angles yet retaining a certain roundness.

She was taken aback, thinking that this person must have seen her before, even knowing her background. This time it would be troublesome, and she was hesitant to agree, only saying, "In the past, there were many children from my family, and they played with them."

She hesitated for a moment and said awkwardly, "Playing with cockroaches, there are people outside selling them, specifically for children. Give the bugs a bath, tie a piece of straw on their backs, and then make a small cart out of paper for them to pull. It was so much fun! When we played, we would even shout out, "What a fat mule, what a hot cart..." Just like that, all the neighborhood kids would come to join in the fun.

As she spoke and looked over, she was momentarily taken aback. The person before her was tall, appearing to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Standing with his hands behind his back, he had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his posture perfectly straight. Although his expression was cold and hard, his face was exceptionally handsome, a rare sight indeed. How should one describe it? It was the kind of beauty that was complete and flawless, with no aspect lacking in attractiveness. The young master from the Kun family had a certain charm mixed with a bit of roguishness, making him quite a remarkable figure, but this man was even more outstanding. His pair of eyes was particularly deep; as he looked down at her, the bright sunlight from above illuminated him, casting two rows of fine shadows from his eyelashes onto his cheekbones. Just looking at the upper half of his face conveyed a sense of seriousness that was hard to approach, yet strangely, among his proud and refined features, there was a hint of 'red lips and white teeth.' A man with such lush and moist lips did not appear effeminate; rather, it revealed a peculiar kind of beauty.

It seems that the responsibility for this incident should be shared, as he was entirely at fault for stepping on him. He raised an eyebrow and said, "It is truly rare to encounter someone as good at sophistry as you. If you were in the palace, try talking back and you would have been crushed into powder long ago"

He shifted his gaze to look at her, his eyes cold and icy. Su Yi's heart sank; even before he stepped on her, she could already feel a faint pain in her toes. Seeing that he was indeed making a move, she was so frightened that she tightly shut her eyes. She had no intention of causing harm; how much damage could a single step do? He was a man, and if he aimed properly, she estimated that she would struggle to even walk afterwards

"You cannot be so relentless. I have already apologized to you, and I am willing to let you step back. What more do you want?" She was very adept at controlling her emotions; no matter how angry she was, her tone remained calm as she spoke. "Regarding this matter, I bear the majority of the blame, but you are not without faults either! Look, you are standing behind me. If I hadn't stepped on you, I would have been startled just by turning around, wouldn't I?"

It is thus suspected that this gentleman has quite a temper, as no matter how one apologizes to him, it seems futile. Fortunately, he did not hold a grudge and merely uttered a few words of disdain instead of kicking her. However, his demeanor is quite extraordinary, suggesting that he is likely related to royal or noble lineage; he could possibly be a duke or perhaps even a prince.

The grasshopper was given to death, as the Empress Dowager and the Empress of Changchun Garden were at odds with each other. Before her reassignment, the grasshopper was a trusted confidante of the Empress. The Empress Dowager wanted to create trouble but could not directly act against the Empress, so she sought to make things difficult for those around her. At that time, the Emperor had not yet abdicated, and the Empress was weeping and insisting on going to guard the tomb, which nearly caused a rift between the royal mother and son due to the Emperor's feelings for the Empress.

I believe that the grasshopper's gaze is lacking, keeping you in the Shangyi Bureau disrupts the rules of the palace He turned his head away in disgust, feeling uncomfortable even with a single glance

Thus, upon hearing his two sentences, she could only stare blankly, feeling a sense of unease, always sensing that something was amiss. Why was he so arrogant? He acted as if he were the emperor himself. She scrutinized him carefully for a moment, and from his attire, she guessed that at most he was a noble from the banner. The emperor was always accompanied by Rong Shou, and with the devoted service of Chief Steward Rong, it was absolutely impossible for the emperor to be left alone.

He furrowed his brows and said, "Are you simply unable to recognize people, or do you forget everything else? Can you distinguish between the birds in the sky and the insects on the ground?"

The young lord was at a loss for words, staring in astonishment. He then looked at the person kneeling, who respectfully bowed their head and steadied their voice to respond, "This servant thanks Your Majesty for the reward"

The person behind gasped in surprise, and she quickly turned around, repeatedly saying, "I apologize, I didn't see you, I stepped on your foot, I am sorry..."

The emperor was one who did not show his emotions on his face. He gently stroked the gold-embroidered cuffs of his robe and casually dropped a remark, "I have a good method to help you remember. After attending to the funeral here, I will reward you with a bell. Attend to it promptly upon returning to the palace, without any mistakes"

He coldly glanced at her, "It really is a long-standing custom; having left the palace, all the rules and etiquette have been completely forgotten."

"This kind of flaw is indeed rare, and it is an incurable condition." He slowly strolled down the corridor, and after taking a few steps without seeing her follow, he stopped and turned to look at her, "You are so oblivious; will you be able to remember me the next time you see me?"

What is going on? The young prince understands how to cherish and protect beauty the most. He wants to get to the bottom of it, but the emperor, with a stern face, remains silent and turns to head towards the Flower Drapery Gate.

That being said, there are reasons for her inability to delegate. The palace has a large population, and with so many consorts and concubines for her to recognize, she is likely to be utterly confused upon seeing them again

Indeed, it is the Emperor! Su was startled by this and hurriedly lit a candle to kneel in worship. Feeling anxious in his heart, he thought that he had offended the imperial presence for the first time, and now he had stepped on the dragon's foot; it seemed that his days were truly numbered.

Unable to distinguish human faces, yet capable of differentiating between male and female insects. He is somewhat curious, "What kind of insects are you playing with?"

Having spent seven years in the palace, she had become accustomed to servility. Without any hesitation, she crouched down to polish the shoes for someone. After finishing, she wiped them with a cloth and said, "Look, they are all clean."

He let out a hum, "You are indeed quite blind. Do you not recognize people? I see you didn't even recognize the young prince."

It brings me great joy to recall the events of my childhood, and I am willing to explain them in detail. "There are several types of cockroaches, the size of a copper coin; the males are called 'Lord Official' and the females 'Lady Official.' The fat mule is slightly smaller, diligent, resilient to being beaten, and quite strong, able to pull a small cart quickly and over long distances."

Such a clean and sharp person, yet she stepped on someone else's foot