thebusnovel Chapter 245 Li Yuanke Slacking Off
Chapter 245 Li Yuanke Slacking Off
Zhang Yuanpan told Aunt Qingruo about the Emperor's situation, and she came to see the Emperor again.
The emperor was still sleeping soundly. His fever had subsided, and he seemed to be doing well, so they went back.
The emperor's illness was known to the court. During the New Year period, there was no need to attend court, but visiting the sick was still necessary. Shen Shixi had people stop everyone from entering, and even Li Yuanyin was not allowed to enter.
Some people were dissatisfied, led by Pei Jia and Li Yuanzhi, with Li Yunjue and others getting involved. Their main concern was that Shen Shixi was using the emperor to command the princes, so they insisted on letting their relatives and important officials come in for a visit.
Li Fude asked, "Your Highness, what should we do?"
Shen Shixi did not allow them to come in to visit. Li Yuanke was at his weakest at this time, and with so many people coming in, who knew how many germs they might be carrying.
"It's alright. Go and tell the Empress to deal with them. Tell her that it's the Emperor's decree that she won't see anyone and that the Empress should send them away."
Li Fude thought to himself, "At this time, the Empress is still quite useful."
Upon hearing this, the Empress realized that the Emperor valued her quite a bit. In this situation, Shen Shixi would definitely not be of any use, and only she, as the Empress, the principal wife, could be of any use. So she happily went off.
Pei Xiang led the way and bowed to the Empress.
The Empress said, "Father, His Majesty has only caught a slight cold. He's been too tired during the New Year and New Year holidays. The imperial physicians are taking care of him, and I've been attending to him as well. He's fine. Please don't disturb His Majesty. Let him rest and recover. He'll be better in a few days."
Every time she went, the Emperor would send her away as soon as he woke up. But other concubines couldn't even get in, so the Empress felt she was being treated specially and was very satisfied.
With the Empress's endorsement, Prime Minister Pei and the others felt more at ease.
Prime Minister Pei asked, "During His Majesty's illness, the Empress visited him. How was His Majesty's condition?"
The Empress thought to herself, “When he told me to get out, his voice was loud and his voice was strong.”
"I can see His Majesty whenever I want. His Majesty is in good spirits and his appetite is normal, so Father need not worry," the Empress said.
That means the Emperor is alright.
It wasn't that the high-ranking officials were particularly concerned about the emperor's health, but rather that the country couldn't be without a ruler for even a day, and if anything were to happen to the emperor, they would definitely seize the opportunity to act first.
After the Empress sent her father and others away, she came to visit the Emperor.
The emperor didn't want to see her, but he had just used her, and it seemed inappropriate to refuse to even see her now.
The emperor was having his meal. It was another bowl of white rice porridge, which had been cooked until it was simmering with rice oil, along with a fist-sized buckwheat bun, a whole grain, and two dishes of green vegetables.
If it weren't for the glasshouses in the palace where vegetables are grown, we wouldn't be able to get any at this time of year.
On Shen Shixi's table were a dish of pickled bamboo shoots and pork stew, half a roast duck, braised pork chops, shredded cucumber, boiled shredded dried tofu, and a bowl of white rice, which she was enjoying immensely.
Upon seeing this, the Empress said, "Sister Chenyuan, you eat so well yourself, why are you feeding the Emperor this? It's too simple. The Emperor is still ill and very weak. Shouldn't he be properly nourished?"
Shen Shixi didn't even look up and ignored her.
She instructed, "Li Fude, have the imperial kitchen prepare a feast for the Emperor."
Li Fude stood still, smiled, and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is still ill, so he should eat something light."
The emperor was very annoyed. He couldn't eat much anyway, and he was like a rabbit every day, never getting any meat. He could only drink a sip of soup from Shen Shixi's bowl to satisfy his craving.
At this moment, he picked up the bowl and drank the white rice porridge in a few gulps, then ate the buckwheat bun with some greens.
"Your Majesty, what would you like to eat? Please tell me," the Empress said, trying to serve the Emperor with chopsticks, but she was too late because the Emperor was eating too fast.
The Emperor said, "You've worked hard today, Empress. Go back and rest. You don't need to stay here!"
The Empress asked, "How is Your Majesty feeling today?"
"Hmm, much better. Li Fude, see the Empress out. I'm going to sleep."
After the Empress left, Shen Shixi picked up a piece of dried bamboo shoot and stuffed it into the Emperor's mouth. It tasted meaty. The Emperor chewed it a few times, swallowed, and said, "More!"
Shen Shixi picked out two more pieces for him to eat, then refused to give him any more. "Caiying, help the Emperor wash up!"
After washing up, the emperor lay down, thinking, "Even if I don't die from illness, you'll starve me to death! You bastard, taking advantage of my illness to bully me!"
[You're making it sound like I can't bully you just because you're sick? That's giving yourself away!]
Shen Shixi smiled and patted his face, "Sweetie, wait until it's ready, I'll treat you to a big meal!"
Li Yuanke reluctantly let it go, but he was really hungry.
After finishing a bowl of porridge, I peed twice.
Even with whole grains and green vegetables, it's not enough to fill you up.
Li Yuanke was at least twenty-five or twenty-six years old, in the prime of his life, so for at least twenty out of the twenty-four hours of the day, his stomach was empty.
Shen Shixi just wouldn't let him eat meat.
We force him to drink water every day, almost ten times a day, and he has to urinate after drinking it.
He was really put through a lot of trouble.
It did get better quickly; the fever subsided in just three days, but a cough developed.
Coughing after a cold caused by wind-heat is a common ailment, but it shouldn't be ignored. These days, if you cough up pneumonia, you're basically on your deathbed.
Shen Shixi had someone stew loquat and fritillaria cirrhosa for him to drink, which at least improved his spirits, but he just didn't want to get up and stayed in bed, refusing to write down his thoughts and expecting Shen Shixi to do chores for him.
Nothing major happened during the Spring Festival, so Shen Shixi didn't hold it against him.
Li Yuanke was so comfortable recuperating that he spent his days either lying in bed or wandering around the room, not reading a single word of the memorials, looking out the window at the snow, or brewing a cup of tea by the stove, roasting chestnuts, sweet potatoes, potatoes, taro, and the like, and peeling them for Shen Shixi to eat.
He has never had such a leisurely time since he became emperor.
The cough gradually subsided, and once the emperor was almost fully recovered, Shen Shixi dismissed all the imperial physicians.
A few days later, with the printing of documents imminent, Shen Shixi had almost finished reviewing the memorials for him. He picked out the memorials for Li Yuanke to look at, but Li Yuanke was too lazy to look at them. "You can handle it."
"You're really something else. When people come to report to you, you'll say you know nothing. How will you be an emperor then?"
"If I didn't know, I wouldn't have asked you."
Shen Shixi got annoyed. "Li Yuanke, don't take advantage of a minor illness to slack off at work. I know you're better, stop faking it!"
Li Yuanke simply didn't want to get up; he felt quite comfortable lying down, and there were people helping him with the work.
Shen Shixi couldn't do anything about it; the folded paper piled up more and more, and she couldn't help but look at it.
As a result, a major event occurred. The governor of Huaizhou reported that since last winter, there had been no rain or snow. Spring plowing was about to begin, and if it did not rain or snow, it would mean that the spring plowing would be ruined.
If spring planting is ruined, there will be no food to eat for the whole year.
Shen Shixi summoned Cen Yin, "Have someone go to Huaizhou and check on the surrounding counties and prefectures to see how the rain and snow have been from last winter to this year."
After Cen Yin left, she had someone summon her second uncle.
My second uncle was still celebrating the New Year when he heard that the palace had summoned him, so he came immediately.
Shen Shixi told him to end his vacation and get back to work.
The second uncle was completely stunned. After thinking for a moment, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud. "Your Majesty, where is the Emperor?"
Why is it his niece who's getting involved in politics?
Now, his concern is no longer that the harem should not interfere in politics, but rather whether this wretched thing might do something to the emperor and then she would rule as regent.
Can the Shen family ever recover?
Shen Shixi didn't think too much about it and said, "His Majesty is ill!"
"How is His Majesty's condition?" Shen Congzhang was increasingly worried. Was he really sick, or had his audacious niece done something wrong?
Good heavens! How could the Shen family produce such a thing? An ancestor who has had his family wiped out and his clan exterminated! The reputation of his ancestors for eighteen generations is gone.
"It's nothing serious, just a minor illness, I'm almost better!" Shen Shixi really didn't think much of it.
Even emperors are human; it's normal for them to get sick or not want to work.
However, it was highly unusual for the emperor to relinquish power.
Throughout history, there have been countless instances of people entrusting political affairs to others. Fathers and sons, mothers and sons, have turned against each other for power and profit. This has happened countless times in every dynasty.
Not to mention, the emperor entrusted state affairs to a concubine.
Clearly, if the emperor was not acting voluntarily, then he must have been acting passively.