154: Chapter 88: What is a Divine General?

Chen Country’s Secret Treasure 154: Chapter 88: What is a Divine General?

Chen Country’s Secret Treasure Chen Country was situated in Jiangnan, a place of flourishing literary culture.

Even woodcutters along the roadside and passersby could recite a couple of lines of poetry.

The Emperor himself excelled in both painting and calligraphy, especially landscape paintings, and had considerable achievements in poetry and writing.

From the top officials to the common folk, people in the palace mostly understood poetry and could appreciate the divine charm in those two lines.

Not laying down brushstrokes upon one’s appearance, the focus was instead placed on deep meaning, with an especially profound subtlety.

Particularly so for this young girl, blessed with stunning beauty and a voice clear and pure, speaking in the soft dialect of Wu with melodic intonations, leaving one unsure whether the ‘clothes intended for the clouds and the beauty meant for the flowers’ were for the noble concubine or the girl reciting the poetry.

Xue Shuangtao softly sang the next two lines.

“If not encountered at the summit of the Jade Mountain,”

“We would surely meet below the moon at the Jade Platform.”

After reciting, silence fell for a long time.

The Emperor quietly repeated the poem to himself, shaking his head with a sigh, “I previously heard the poem ‘Sword Guest’ that he wrote.

At that time, I felt his ideas were keen, but there was always an air of defiance.

Today, displaying to the lord, who has any grievance.”

“Is my realm not peaceful enough?”

“Is Jiangnan not tranquil enough?”

“To whom do you intend to show your honed blade?

Whose grievances are you intending to voice?”

“But this poem today, it’s splendidly written, deep in its elegant charm—it truly captivates my heart.”

In Noble Consort Xue’s eyes, soft and luxurious, a smile emerged, “That child is only in his teens.

I’ve heard he’s been training in my Xue Family for ten years.

His martial skills have been suppressed by his father, unable to showcase his talents.

The frustration he feels is clearly a longing for achieving recognition.”

“Isn’t ‘displaying to the lord’ expressing a desire to stand up and support the foundation of society?”

The Emperor should be delighted by the soaring spirit of a young, talented individual—perceiving it as defiance is unwarranted.”

In this speech, she subtly revised the young man’s poetic intentions to better align with the Emperor’s mindset, crafting an image of the young man who had trained for ten years and was ready to fulfill his ambitions.

The Emperor’s heart burgeoned with admiration for talent, dispelling any animosity he held due to the issues between the aristocratic family and those with military merit.

Noble Consort Xue smiled, “I am quite fond of this poem—what does Your Majesty think?”

Privacy often excluded the formal address of ‘this subject’.

She had been married to the Emperor for twenty years, sharing deep love and affection, and now at last, she was with child.

The Emperor, cherishing her, patted her hand, “If you say you like it, then it is liked.”

“A fine child indeed.”

Noble Consort Xue spoke softly, “Recently, I’ve heard that the Prime Minister, as well as General Qi Junsong, have expressed disapproval of this child.

He’s a descendant of my Xue Family and has not even arrived yet, facing nothing but their suppression and disfavor.

Are they really against that child or against the child in my womb?”

The senior eunuch beside her stiffened, beads of cold sweat appearing.

The Emperor simply smiled as usual, “They are just unable to manage their own offspring and got involved in Yue Qianfeng’s matters with Qiu Ba.

Their anger has spilled over onto the Guest Elder of the Xue Family.

You mustn’t overthink it, I’m still looking forward to you giving birth to a fine child for me.”

“As for Li Guan Yi, he is indeed a promising talent, as you described.”

“Jingcai?”

The senior eunuch quickly responded, “Your servant is here.”

The Emperor took a sip of tea and instructed indifferently, “Draft an edict.”

“Today, I heard the poem presented by Li Guan Yi, with words of breathtaking beauty that deeply moved me.

He hails from a good family, without a trace of defiance.

Grant him one hundred taels of silver and a pair of jades, and tell Tantai Xianming and others that the court’s struggles should not involve the innocent.

As for the past events—”

The past events in question referred to the deaths of the children of those with military merit.

The Emperor casually put down his teacup and added indifferently, “let’s not mention them again.”

Yuan Jingcai bowed, “Yes.”

Yet inwardly, he sighed, feeling for Prime Minister Tantai Xianming and the aristocratic families.

When everyone, from the aristocratic families, officials, royal relatives, military and civil servants, were about to quarrel over General Qi Junsong’s son as a breaking point, the Emperor’s casually spoken words had just quelled a significant dispute.

The struggle was bound to continue, but they could no longer involve Li Guan Yi in it.

The sacrifice of those military offspring was in vain.

[Words of breathtaking beauty, deeply moving to my heart].

Those eight words had solidified Li Guan Yi’s status as a young man from a good family.

Typically, no one from the military merit clan would dare to trouble him over past events.

He glanced at Xue Shuangtao, wondering if the young girl knew that she had just set in motion a minor skirmish, providing the soon-to-arrive Colonel Zhenwei with a powerful patron.

He saw the girl release a sigh of relief, her palms tightly clutching the hem of her dress.

Her eyes earnestly fixed forward,

more focused than those scholars responding to the imperial examination.

He could tell she was somewhat nervous reciting poetry before the Emperor.

Yuan Jingcai shook his head.

She was still just a young girl, after all—how could she not be nervous?

He was curious, however, about what abilities the young man possessed to merit such effort and concern from her.

After finishing the tea, Noble Consort Xue personally adjusted the zither and sang the poem, as the Emperor kept time with his hand.

Then a voice from outside signaled that it was time for the great sacrifice.

The Emperor, feeling unavoidably torn, said, “These past few days, I have been burning incense and praying every day.

Only when I come here do I find a moment of peace.”

He held Noble Consort Xue’s hand, sharing heartfelt words, before finally standing up to leave.

Noble Consort Xue waited until the Emperor was a good distance away before summoning Xue Shuangtao.

Xue Shuangtao helped her pregnant aunt to sit comfortably.

The noble concubine stretched out her hand and tapped Xue Shuangtao’s forehead lightly, feigning anger, “You little girl, such a large amount of audacity.”

Xue Shuangtao clung to her aunt’s arm, coquettishly saying, “I was just bringing a verse to you, my aunt.

I had no idea the Emperor would be here, too!

Aunt~ please don’t be mad.”