Dong Gong Mei

Li Xuanye picked up a book and threw it at him again.

"Your Majesty, calm down!" He Kui did not dare to hide, and let his forehead turn red. "I fought for these things not for anything else, but because I love my daughter... I only have this one daughter. Although she is not as precious as a pearl, I cannot bear to see her humbled like dust."

He straightened his back. "Forgive me for speaking frankly. These famous families raise their daughters as precious as gold and jade, but in reality they only use their daughters as bargaining chips for the family's interests. They pretend to be upright gentlemen and let their daughters endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens. If they win, they enjoy wealth and honor, and if they lose, they let their daughters die... Such behavior, in my humble opinion, is extremely shameless. Your Majesty is a wise emperor, how can you encourage such evil trends?!"

When he finished speaking, he felt more open than ever before.

Sending a daughter to the palace is not a shameful thing. As a minister, who doesn't want to consolidate his power? As a child, who doesn't want to improve the status of the family?
But He Kui is different. Since he dared to send his daughter in jail, he must help her to succeed and not let her follow in the footsteps of others.

Li Xuanye didn't say anything. He stood up from the desk and walked to the window, looking at the wide square. I don't know what he was thinking.

After a long time, He Kui finally heard his voice. It was soft and faint, and clearly without any emotion, but it inexplicably made people's heart tighten.

"You said that an old sword is the virtue of a wise ruler. If it were you, would you be willing to be this old sword?"

He Kui was stunned. Is His Majesty asking him?
After a change of mind, he replied: "Your Majesty, I do not want to be a sword of the past, nor do I want to hate Nanyuan."

"Your Majesty!" He said bluntly, "Anecdotes are just anecdotes after all. Your Majesty is wise and powerful. Now that you have made a decision, you should go ahead and do it. The vast territory of our Great Wei is still waiting for Your Majesty to realize your ambitions!"

Li Xuanye turned his back to He Kui and suddenly smiled, "Very good." He looked out the window and gave an order, "Pass it down, and make He Kui's daughter... a beauty."

He Kui was surprised and delighted, and quickly knelt down to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After expressing his gratitude, Li Xuanye felt something was wrong. He kept looking out the window, as if the promotion was just a casual reward.

He Kui felt strange and looked outside secretly. When he saw outside, his eyes went dark and he almost passed out!

Outside the window, the sun was scorching and hot, and the heat waves were blowing straight towards people's faces. His daughter, He Manzhi, was kneeling on the white marble floor, holding a woman's shoes!
……

Zhao Xiwei sprained her ankle.

It's not serious, just a little discomfort in the ankle, but walking is not a problem.

However, He Manzhi was so frightened that her face turned pale. She didn't care that she had just received a cold stare from Gu Yuci. She dropped the food box in her hand and immediately rushed over to check on her injuries: "Sister Wei, are your bones injured? Can you still move?"

Zhao Xiwei subconsciously retracted his feet.

He Manzhi was stunned holding the shoes and said timidly, "Sister Wei... I'm sorry." She looked around and covered Zhao Xiwei's instep with her sleeves.

Zhao Xiwei was helpless, he bent down and put his hand on her shoulder, "I'm fine, you hurry up, it's not good for people to see you like this." He pointed to the main hall, "There are too many people here, let's take shelter for now."

He Manzhi suddenly realized: "Thank you for reminding me, sister!"

She had been used to being bullied since she was a child, and she didn't consider that this was in the palace. Her current status - although not a proper concubine, it was also a status determined by His Majesty himself. How could she kneel on the ground to put on shoes for others?
Wouldn't she become a laughing stock again? I wonder if Gu Yuci saw it? A wave of worry surged up, and He Manzhi hurriedly looked towards the palace gate, searching for Gu Yuci's figure.

"Let's go, stop looking." Zhao Xiwei pulled her up, "The mouth is on others, and if they want to spread gossip about you, they will spread it no matter what you do."

He Manzhi knelt on the ground and refused to get up. She looked up, full of fear and helplessness: "Sister Wei..."

Zhao Xiwei didn't understand what was going on, and suddenly saw her eyes passing over him and seemed to fall on something behind him.

There was a cold air behind him. It was a hot day, but the air seemed to have condensed. Zhao Xiwei was startled and turned his head subconsciously.

Just one glance and it's like falling into an icy cave.

The emperor arrived at some point.

The attendants on both sides stood with their heads bowed; a pair of palace maids were fanning themselves with green feathers, and beneath the fans, tall and graceful figures stood upright.

He wore the emperor's court robe with a black background and red edges. Both shoulders and cuffs were decorated with dragon patterns woven with gold thread. He was uniquely noble and elegant.

His face was half-hidden by the feather fan, and Zhao Xiwei could not see his expression clearly. She only felt the overwhelming pressure coming towards her from a few steps away.

"Your Majesty...your servant...your concubine..." He Manzhi felt guilty and frightened. She could not speak and stammered. She held Zhao Xiwei's little hand and trembled uncontrollably.

Zhao Xiwei glanced at her, sighed, and pulled her up. He took two steps forward, brushed his sleeves, lowered his body, and saluted in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Only when I got closer did I catch a glimpse of Li Xuanye's expression.

He looked down at her coldly. No, to be more precise, he was not looking at her at all, but at He Manzhi who was beside her: "Stand up."

He Manzhi responded with a low "yes", her voice trembling a little. Her legs were weak when she stood up. Zhao Xiwei remained calm and supported her with his elbows.

"Your Majesty..." She clutched her handkerchief and looked at the tip of her shoes. Her face seemed to be burning under the scorching sun. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's as she racked her brains to think of how to speak.

He Kui had a stern face and was not smiling, as if he was not involved in the matter.

The eunuch Cao Rong cleared his throat and broke the awkward atmosphere: "In compliance with the decree of your majesty, the daughter of Guanglu Doctor He Kui is promoted to be a beauty..."

"what?"

He Manzhi widened his eyes and froze in place.

Cao Rong finished singing quietly and kindly reminded: "Lady He, this is the first grace you have received. Why don't you thank me quickly?"

"I..." He Manzhi had not recovered from the shock at all and was speechless.

He Kui saw this and tried to smooth things over for his daughter: "My daughter is stupid. Your Majesty has shown great grace. She was agitated for a moment. I hope Your Majesty will forgive her."

Li Xuanye narrowed his eyes.

He Kui glanced at Zhao Xiwei beside him, and seeing that she showed no emotion, the stone in his heart lightened a little. Then he gathered his sleeves and bowed solemnly: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. Long live the emperor."

Li Xuanye snorted softly.

Cao Rong had just started serving the emperor and was unsure of his master's temper, so he did not dare to be careless. Seeing He Manzhi so reserved, he could not help but think to himself: This beauty's appearance is only average, and her manners and demeanor are even more disappointing. I wonder why His Majesty likes her so much?
Maybe it was given because of Lord He, which makes sense!

On second thought, He Manzhi currently lives in a small pavilion in the side hall of Youlan Palace. Her food, clothing and other expenses are no different from those of ordinary female officials, and are all allocated from the treasury. She is not treated harshly, but it does seem a bit cold and indifferent.

In order to buy a favor from He Kui, he kindly gave him a way out: "Your Majesty, the beauty is a fourth-rank official. Do you want to move to another palace?" (End of this chapter)