Chapter 24: Charge! Everyone Here Knows Each Other—This Scandal I Must Witness!

The old emperor met the officials halfway up the mountain.

The old emperor forced a smile: “You gentlemen sure are leisurely today.”

The officials kept their heads down, too afraid to speak.

That gentleman acted as if he just realized what was going on and exclaimed, “You’re the emperor?!”

—He had returned after finishing his business.

The officials shuddered.

Who is this? Is he even more reckless than Xu Yanmiao? At least Xu Yanmiao has special privileges, but do you? Even if you didn’t know the emperor’s identity before, you should be playing it safe now, right?

And… that fake reaction is so obvious; who would believe you didn’t know the emperor’s identity earlier?

As expected, the emperor shouted into the forest, “Take him away and lock him up.”

A few teams of imperial guards emerged from the seemingly empty forest, with a few members dragging the gentleman away. He didn’t dare struggle much and let himself be taken, only looking toward Ji Sui with hopeful eyes.

Lord Ji! Lord Ji! You promised me! You said you would implement the “Admonitions for Women!”

However, Ji Sui lowered his head and gently flicked the dust off his sleeve, as if that hope had nothing to do with him.

After all…

Ji Sui’s face showed no emotion.

As for implementing the “Admonitions for Women,” he actually had a daughter of his own.

—He had never intended to let the “Admonitions for Women” replace the current customs.

After a foreign tribe took control of the Central Plains, they brought some of their customs with them. The barbarians never adhered to the idea that women should stay within the confines of their homes. Both men and women had to herd livestock, and after five hundred years, these customs had become deeply ingrained in the fabric of the Central Plains.

When the Han dynasty Zhou dynasty came to set things right, it brought with it a blend of prairie wildness and openness. Women could freely roam the streets, engage in commerce, and work outside the home. When they reached marriageable age, they were also allowed to choose their partners according to their own will.

Although the rules became stricter during the mid to late stages of the dynasty, the society overall remained more relaxed compared to other dynasties. In the current Xia dynasty, which inherited the Zhou system, it adopted not only the Zhou system but also the customs and traditions of the Great Zhou.

—This is why Ji Sui planned to abandon the bridge after crossing the river from the very beginning.

As for whether the Emperor would be tempted to implement this…

Ji Sui could only say that with the prestige of the founding Emperor and his personal preference for female virtue and obedience…

It’s long been rumored that even the Emperor’s favorite, Princess Xiangyang, had to recite Lessons for Women as punishment when she made a mistake.

If the Emperor wanted to promote Lessons for Women, he would have done so at the beginning of the dynasty. In fact, thirty years ago, the former Emperor did consider “reforming” the previous dynasty’s wild customs. Wasn’t it the Empress who stopped him?

That man’s eyes were bloodshot.

“Ji Sui! You lowly bastard! How dare you go back on your word! Shameless!”

Xu Yanmiao glanced at the Royal Gurads guards, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind—

Hmm? Have they been protecting the Emperor this whole time? So, did they witness the Emperor… uh… doing that?

The Royal Gurads Commander’s legs went weak, and he suddenly knelt before the Emperor.

Hmm? Why did he suddenly kneel? Did I miss something?

Under the Emperor’s cold gaze, the Royal Gurads Commander hurriedly said, “Your Majesty! I arrived too late to save you!”

After dispelling Xu Yanmiao’s doubts, he emphasized, “I will never turn my back on you again! Never again!”

He repeated it twice for emphasis.

The Emperor understood. His expression softened slightly.

It seemed the Royal Gurads still had some sense. Realizing something was wrong, they had turned their backs and didn’t see him… uh… didn’t see anything!

Xu Yanmiao, feeling safe to indulge in his thoughts since the Emperor was physically unharmed, couldn’t help but think gleefully: Thank goodness I don’t like tea; I dodged a bullet, haha!

The Emperor’s face darkened.

The officials didn’t dare make a sound, silently chanting that they were mere wooden figures.

I wonder how the aphrodisiac got into Yulong Temple. So unlucky, how did it end up being the Emperor and his men who drank it, hahaha!

The Emperor’s face grew blacker with every laugh that echoed in his ears.

Laugh, laugh! What’s so funny?! If you had been affected by the aphrodisiac, you’d be ashamed enough to throw yourself into a well!

Wait a minute! This temple…

Xu Yanmiao seemed to have noticed something, his eyes widening.

The Emperor paused, deciding that in the name of justice, he would temporarily forgive Xu Yanmiao for his disrespect.

He strained his ears—

What’s wrong with this temple?!

Could it be one of those infamous “brothels in disguise”? The kind where so-called fertility rituals are just a cover for monks seducing and impregnating women?!

The Emperor’s thick brows shot up, his eyes burning with anger.

Villains! Corrupt monks!

The next moment, Xu Yanmiao’s voice came as expected.

This temple is full of monks having affairs with noblewomen!

Oh wow! It’s all consensual! This place is one big cuckold factory! Yulong Temple, more like a place where men come to get their green hats, hahaha!

The officials on the scene: “?!”

What did you say? Who’s getting a green hat from whom???

Many officials felt their hearts skip a beat, nearly fainting.

Their female family members had visited this temple plenty of times!

The Emperor’s eyes also widened like saucers.

Of course, while others were stricken with grief, he… was thrilled.

A cuckold temple!

Who’s ever heard of something so thrilling!

—And since his sister would never cheat on him, he could safely enjoy the drama!

Before they could finish processing this juicy gossip, Xu Yanmiao suddenly shifted his attention elsewhere, chasing after another piece of gossip, clearly losing interest in the temple drama.

The Emperor and the officials: “!!!”

But we’re interested!

But no matter how many tricks they had up their sleeves, they couldn’t make an uninterested Xu Yanmiao spill the rest of the story. Hinting at it wasn’t much help either. If they tried steering the conversation toward the temple, he’d just give a couple of uninterested “oh”s and move on, thinking to himself that this green hat temple wasn’t all that interesting after all, unlike some other…

We don’t want to know about “some other”!

We just want to finish this piece of gossip!

Leaving us hanging is just torturous!

The next day was a rare day off, and it wasn’t until the third day that there was another court session. At this session, many officials noticed that their colleagues seemed wilted, listless, and lacking energy.

When asked, they would simply give a bitter smile and add, “Don’t ask.” Which, of course, made it all the more intriguing!

The officials who had gone to Yulong Temple to burn incense were lost in thought, too preoccupied to notice their colleagues’ murderous glares.

—They wanted to kill someone too! Two whole days without a thought for tea or food, too scared to even ask their wives and concubines if they’d been unfaithful.

They were certain that if they asked, Xu Yanmiao would notice. Whether or not they really were cuckolds, if he so much as glanced their way during court, they’d be humiliated beyond repair!

They had to wait until Xu Yanmiao spilled the beans about Yulong Temple before they could make any moves!

This time in court, Xu Yanmiao didn’t stir up any trouble, attending the session in a rare display of seriousness.

The Emperor and the officials felt a mix of relief and disappointment—relief that nothing went wrong, but disappointment that there wasn’t any entertainment (crossed out) drama.

As court was adjourning…

“Your Majesty!” someone called out.

The Emperor turned in surprise, but recognizing the voice as that of Marquis Jian’an, he responded with kindness, “What is it, my loyal subject?”

Most of the Dukes and Marquises of his generation were either comrades who fought with him to establish the empire or the sons and grandsons of those comrades. The Emperor treated these old friends with respect, as long as they didn’t cross his bottom line.

However, the Marquis of Jian’an was not a hereditary title, so his status was a step lower in the Emperor’s eyes.

The Marquis of Jian’s face was glowing with pride. “Your Majesty! And all esteemed colleagues, my ninth son has reached his full month today. I specially invite Your Majesty and all of you to honor us with your presence.”

The elderly emperor was surprised. “Is this your legitimate son?”

“Yes!” The Marquis of Jian’s voice was particularly loud and proud. “He is the ninth child born to me by my wife! And it’s a boy!”

How could he not be proud? His previous eight children were all legitimate sons, each raised to adulthood. Now, at over fifty years old, he has a ninth child! What does this prove? It proves that his lineage is flourishing! It proves that even in middle age, his vigor remains undiminished!

The other dukes and marquises were nearly consumed with jealousy.

Though they mouthed congratulations—”Congratulations, congratulations,” “The Marquis of Jian is still as robust as ever,” “Congratulations on the birth of a big, healthy boy”—inwardly, they were seething with envy.

“Damn it, how come he, who also fought to establish the empire, has so many sons! I’m not even talking about sons, I only have two children in total!”

“I’m the same, just one daughter!”

“Exactly, we all fought alongside His Majesty, and I have eighteen concubines, yet only two sons and a daughter! And his wife alone has given birth to nine!”

“Comparing ourselves to him is infuriating!”

“But I heard his concubines are not very fertile; five of them together haven’t even produced two children.”

As they were stewing in their jealousy, Xu Yanmiao’s thoughts floated into the air.

—It carried a tone of confusion, bewilderment, and curiosity.

[It’s not even his child, so why is he so happy?]

“!!!”

Sorry, though it might be inappropriate, many court officials’ eyes lit up.

Oh, oh, oh! Eight sons! Oh, oh, oh! All born by the wife! Oh, oh, oh! Robust and vigorous even in old age!!!

Woohoo!

One of the generals, with a hint of schadenfreude, remarked, “I just knew there was something off about his concubines not being able to have children—turns out he himself isn’t so capable after all.”

The one who said this was the same person who earlier had lamented, “How come he, who also fought to establish the empire, has so many sons! I’m not even talking about sons, I only have two children in total!”

The elderly emperor coughed, trying hard to make his voice gentle and soft.

—Being cuckolded by one’s wife is just too… pfft… too tragic.

“Your Excellency, this…”

The Marquis of Jian’s face turned from glowing red to a deep flush, looking particularly grim.

At this moment, the Imperial Guards stepped forward at just the right time and quickly whispered to him about the information Xu Yanmiao had revealed—otherwise, it would be hard to explain why he went from being overjoyed to suddenly storming off in anger to catch the adulterers.

As soon as the Imperial Guard finished speaking, the Marquis of Jian, with bloodshot eyes, charged out, cursing as he went, “Wretch!”

The elderly emperor sighed, “He really is pitiful…”

So should I go and watch? But if I go, would it be too obvious that I’m just here for the show?

Looking around, he saw that the wife’s family members were already gearing up to rush out. Someone even shouted, “That old fool still has the face to catch adulterers! Bring me my sword!”

The Crown Prince glanced at his hesitating father, gave a sly smile, and immediately strode off after them.

If there’s gossip to enjoy, why not indulge!

The elderly emperor was still caught in indecision.

Then, he heard Xu Yanmiao’s lamenting thoughts.

[This Marquis of Jian is really shameless. His wife is the sister of the Marquis of Pengcheng, the only precious jewel in the Pengcheng Marquis’ family. Back then, they even considered bringing in a son-in-law. If it weren’t for the Marquis of Jian swearing to the heavens never to take a concubine, and even leaving written proof, the sister of the Marquis of Pengcheng would never have married him.]

[What’s he getting mad about? If he hadn’t taken concubines first, she wouldn’t have gone looking for that handsome monk.]

The elderly emperor, initially reluctant to accept Xu Yanmiao’s perspective, was frowning when his attention was suddenly diverted by the last part.

Handsome monk? What handsome monk?

[Wow! And he’s someone familiar! Xu Yanmiao got excited. [It’s that beautiful woman who tried to seduce the emperor in the temple!]

Ministers who were unaware of this: “!!!”

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

A temple!

How thrilling! The emperor played such a thrilling game!

A vein bulged on the emperor’s temple.

These unnecessary details needn’t be mentioned!

[She turned out to be the one who cuckolded the Marquis of Jian!]

[What the—! The adulterer! The adulterer is the abbot of that temple!]

The emperor shouted, “Prepare the palanquin!”

This gossip involves people we know! I have to catch up!