“Then… how do you share the money you’ve earned?” Mahal’s eyes lit up.
Tarico gave him a vague reply, “I don’t know the details. We have someone responsible for calculating our earnings. Let’s just make do with it and talk about it later”
Mahal suddenly felt that he was a false leader. He could do nothing except for deploying manpower.
When he was about to leave, he thought maliciously: Money! Money! These people are so crazy! They’d better be careful not to store up too much material or die in the desert!
In the capital.
The highest-ranking eunuch minced into the palace and came up to Li Chengkun who was busy reading and checking memorials. Afraid of bothering the emperor, he stood to one side and remained silent.
It had been less than a year since Li Chengkun came to the throne. He either had imperial meetings or reading memorials almost every day. He was so occupied that he seldom took a walk in his back garden. Being an emperor, he had an important task; to spread his genes widely. But he didn’t take it seriously. To get this supreme position, he and his brothers had fought against each other furiously. By then, many ministers had got involved and many had died in the farce. Li Chengkun didn’t want such a bloody tragedy to be repeated among his sons. He had had three sons, among whom the eldest would succeed him if everything went smoothly.
With a glance at the eunuch’s anxiously puckered face, Li Chengkun stopped writing and asked, “Speak if you have anything to tell me!”
The eunuch said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, a eunuch from the rear palace reported that…”
“Reported what? Speak up!” Li Chengkun became impatient.
“He said… that the state preceptor entered the empress dowager’s bedroom again.” The eunuch was abashed. He felt that this was too shameful to be spoken out.
Li Chengkun paused for a second and then just nodded. “I see.”
“Do I need to write down the times?”
“Yes!”
The eunuch then left the palace, took out a notebook and made a stroke on a page.
In the empress dowager’s bedroom at the rear of the palace.
On a canopy bed filled with warm breath, two figures were entangled with each other.
“You’ve come here three times this month. The others may gossip about us,” the empress dowager said shyly.
“Is it too much? Do you want me to only come here every six months? I’m afraid that you can’t hold yourself for that long.” The state preceptor stroked her face which was slightly blushing.
She pushed away his hand softly and pretended to be angry. “Don’t you dare!”
“It was you who complained. In such a boring palace, you’ll be very lonely without me.”
The empress dowager revealed a serious look. “I’m afraid that the emperor might be suspicious of us. Besides, too many people out there are watching our behavior, but you’re so reckless every time you come here. The ministers will know about this sooner or later.”
“Don’t worry. The emperor indeed has a suspicious nature. But it was I who helped him to get his position, so he will turn a blind eye to whatever I do. Otherwise, he would have said it explicitly to me. Besides, the ministers can do nothing more than report this to the emperor. But who has the courage to say it in the imperial court? As I see it, I deserve to be envied. You’re still so beautiful and I’m still vigorous. We’re a perfect match for each other!”
“You’re not young anymore. Why don’t you feel ashamed to say that?”
“Not young anymore? You mean I’m old? All right, let me show you how energetic I am!”
“You… Ah, be gentler with me…”
“Then tell me – am I young and strong or not?”
The state preceptor thought no one would condemn him for his misdemeanor. But in the imperial meeting the next day, the prime minister stood out to report what he was up to. He looked as upright as before.
Bluntly, he said, “Your Majesty, it has been recently heard that a minister enters the rear of the palace frequently. Although the reason is unknown, I guess he’s dating an imperial concubine. Please look into it.”
The other officials had also heard about this, but they hadn’t expected the prime minister to be so outspoken.
But Li Chengkun appeared as if it was his first time hearing about this. “How do you know?”
Naturally, the prime minister couldn’t divulge the informant’s name. “I heard from someone.”
“The affairs in the rear palace shouldn’t become a topic to be gossiped about. If this man has any evil intention, he may tarnish the reputation of the royal family. So please get to know his motive first. If he has an ulterior motive, please be careful not to be used.”
The prime minister was rendered wordless.
Li Chengkun went on, “Next issue. It’s now midsummer and floods are frequent in the south. Let’s focus our discussion on this problem.”
As such, the prime minister’s words were ignored again. He let out a deep sigh.
Near Longmen Inn in the desert.
There was a sand dune not far away from the inn. For some geographic reason, it had become more compacted and taller than years ago. Sitting on the dune, one could see much farther. But in the distance was still desert. Every morning, Xiao Baoshan sat on top of the dune for half an hour and gazed at the sand in the distance. Two questions had been troubling him: Who was he? Where was he from? He had spent half a year trying in vain to find the answers. His memory seemed to have been cut by someone. He could merely remember the part after he came to the inn, while everything before that was a total blank in his mind.
Who am I? Where am I from?
The only clue to his past was a vague female figure in his dreams.
While he was lost in thought, Jin Xiaoyu leaped up to the roof of the inn and gazed at him affectionately. After feeding the horses, Idiot looked up at her and asked aloud, “Miss Jin, why are you looking at Dumb again? When will you get bored with this?”
She held her chin with one hand and simpered. “I’ll never get bored of him. Oh, you don’t understand.”
Idiot shook his head. “You always say that we’re thick. As far as I can see, you’re facing the same problem now. You should be called ‘Stupid’ from now on.”
“Piss off,” she said. Her voice was so soft that it didn’t sound like a scolding at all.
Idiot left and continued with his work.
As the sun gradually rose just above the horizon, Xiao Baoshan stood up and went back to the inn. Jin Xiaoyu also jumped off the roof and waited for him at the door.
“Dumb, did you remember anything today?”
“No.”
They had repeated such conversations many times.
She smiled. “If so, just stay and work here.”
“Okay!” Xiao Baoshan replied briefly and seriously.
She murmured behind him, “You’re so dumb!”
Xiao Baoshan had been here for over half a year, but he still didn’t blend in with the crowd. He was as quiet as ever, eating and working without salary. His only robe was bought by Jin Xiaoyu. She said it was a gift for him as her employee. The more indifferent he was, the more infatuated she became with him. She couldn’t hide her affection for him at all.
At dinner time.
Silly had been responsible for sending meals to Jin Xiaoyu. But since a month ago, Xiao Baoshan had taken his place doing this task.
Xiao Baoshan went upstairs with rice and dishes and knocked on Jin Xiaoyu’s bedroom door. She walked out sleepily as if she had just woken up. Her dress tilted to one side, revealing her tender shoulder. Her hair cascaded down, setting off her great femininity.
She leaned against the door and looked at him with her captivating eyes. “Hi, Dumb.”
“Miss Jin, here’s your dinner,” he said.
“Please help me bring it in. I just woke up and don’t have any strength.”
But as he walked in, she banged the door shut immediately. He paused in surprise. When he turned around, he found her dress had slipped to her waist, exposing her belly wrap.
She screamed as if she just noticed that. “Ah, when did my clothes slip down? I’m so careless.”
“Miss Jin, please enjoy your meal,” he said.
When he was about to go out, Jin Xiaoyu stopped him again. “Dumb, not so fast. Sit down. I have something to ask you.”
But he didn’t look at her or sit down. He just stood there, behaving like a gentleman.
With a sigh, Jin Xiaoyu pulled her sleeves to her shoulders again before walking up to him. “Are you satisfied now?”
Seeing that she had dressed decently, he finally looked up at her face.
“Come on, sit down. I have something to ask you!”
Reluctant as he was, he obeyed.
Slowly, she enjoyed her meal. Seeing some croquettes, she took one with chopsticks and lifted it to his mouth. “Dumb, try one.”
“What do you want to tell me?”
“Eat first.” She kept teasing him.
“I’ve had diner. I’m not hungry.”
She stuck her tongue out. “Boring.”
She could only eat alone. She held the croquette in her mouth, pushed it to her lips with her tongue, and then suck it back into her mouth again. That was another hint.
Xiao Baoshan looked away at once.
With a snort, she chewed the croquette and swallowed it. How boring this man was! But strangely, she loved his dullness.
“I had a terrible dream just now. In the dream, I met seven wolves in the desert but I couldn’t rival them alone. I was so scared that I woke up with a cold sweat,” she said pitifully.
He asked, “This is what you wanted to tell me?”
“I just want to chat with you. It’s boring to eat alone. You can take the bowl and plates downstairs after I finish,” she said.
Now that it was the landlady’s order, Xiao Baoshan could only sit there obediently.
“Dumb, have you ever had a special dream?” she asked.
He suddenly thought of the woman in his dreams.
