Chapter 34

Ning Rushen scrutinized it for a moment, then plucked it again, swallowing hard, unable to let go.

He held two oblivious fat pigeons, plucking their feathers while pondering: Prince Xuan only mentioned he would send a reply, but he didn’t specify how long it would take.

Why not breed these pigeons first, hatch some eggs, and raise a flock of little pigeons…

The more Ning Rushen thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He called Shiyi, who was hanging on the wall, “Come here, help me put the pigeons in the cage.”

Shiyi nimbly jumped down, “Two today?”

Ning Rushen, “Crazy Thursday.” Bought them at a discount.

That afternoon, a newly built pigeon cage was set up in a corner of the main courtyard.

Ning Rushen, thinking of future pigeon feasts, pampered them with luxurious food:

“Eat up, eat up, a full stomach leads to lascivious thoughts.”

The two pigeons finally realized they were living a canary’s life, flapping their wings in panic while uncontrollably pecking at the grains: coo coo coo!

Beside him, Yan Min curiously observed, “Master, are you keeping pets?”

“Uh… sort of,” Ning Rushen replied vaguely, then instructed, “Starting tomorrow, I will be serving in the Ministry of Rites, so I won’t have much time at home. Take good care of them for me.”

“Yes, Master!”

Ning Rushen nodded and happily returned to his room.

After he left, Yan Min glanced at the cage for a while, then reached out and flipped the pigeons’ tails:

Oh, both are males.

The next day, Ning Rushen went to court.

During the morning session, the decree had already been issued to the public, undoubtedly causing a stir among the noble families in the capital.

He was secretly scheming, calculating in his mind:

How to slaughter gently and without a trace?

After contemplating through the morning session, Ning Rushen had a rough plan. Just as he was refining it, he heard De Quan’s long and thin voice from above: “Dismissed—”

He snapped back to reality and looked up.

He saw Li Wuting stand up, the bright yellow dragon robe accentuating his cold, handsome profile, exuding an unattainable noble dignity.

Ning Rushen was momentarily dazed.

He vaguely recalled that when he was in a coma two days ago, he seemed to have grabbed onto something and climbed for quite a while. If Li Wuting was the one taking care of him then…

He licked his lips:

Could it be that he had turned this dragon robe into a cat climbing frame?

While he was pondering, Li Wuting’s figure had already disappeared behind the hall.

Ning Rushen hesitated, unsure whether to go to the Imperial Study to report.

“Master Ning—” At that moment, Guan Fan approached from the other end, enthusiastically turning him around to face outside the hall:

“Let’s go, time to head to the Ministry of Rites!”

“…” Ning Rushen was half-pushed out, “Oh, okay.”

Never mind, Li Wuting hadn’t summoned him anyway.

The two chatted as they walked out of the palace together.

Their scarlet official robes fluttered in the wind.

One was the Minister of Rites, and the other was the City Supervisor, a position technically below third rank but almost independent of the Ministry of Rites’ jurisdiction, holding real power comparable to that of the Minister.

For a moment, the distant court officials speculated:

With the decree just issued, causing turmoil among various factions, these two top figures of the Ministry of Rites must be discussing countermeasures in secret.

…

On the long path outside the palace gates, Ning Rushen asked excitedly, “What are we having for lunch today?”

Guan Fan replied, “Braised eggplant, fried four treasures, and roasted goose!”

Ning Rushen’s mouth watered, “Oh, roasted goose sounds good… Speaking of which, I’ve recently raised two fat pigeons. Once they hatch some chicks, I’ll treat you to a pigeon feast, Lord Guan.”

Guan Fan suggested, “You can also keep some pigeon eggs.”

Ning Rushen realized this was a great idea, casting an admiring glance: indeed, the older, the wiser, not missing a single detail.

They arrived at the Ministry of Rites in a cheerful mood.

Ning Rushen’s office was set up separately. After parting ways with Guan Fan, he entered the room, finding it bright, clean, and neatly organized.

Several officials assigned to assist him were already familiar with him: “Lord Ning, this is our first time doing this. What should we pay attention to?”

Ning Rushen sat down, “Just make sure not to show your tails.”

“???”

“Oh, I mean, try to be kind and show our sincerity and benefits to the others.”

They forced out a smile, “Like this?”

“…” Ning Rushen sighed, “Forget it.”

All he could see were weasel tails.

Today was the first day of the decree’s implementation.

Many noble families were still observing, and by the afternoon, the office remained unvisited.

Only the people he sent out came back to report, “It seems some family servants are outside investigating.”

“Lord, we can’t advance like this.”

Ning Rushen leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers, “Hmm…”

As he pondered, the reporting official watched him, sweating a bit:

Truly the Emperor’s favorite, mimicking the Emperor’s posture and expression during his inspections of the Ministry of Rites…

“Alright.” After a moment, Ning Rushen wrote on a sheet of paper, “Take this to a guard at my residence named ‘Pata,’ he will know what to do.”

The official snapped back to reality: What? Pata??

Half an hour later.

Five or six well-dressed individuals holding greeting cards walked into the Ministry of Rites.

The servants observing from afar saw this and hurried back to report.

In the office.

Ning Rushen watched as Shiyi and the others, disguised as stewards and heads of noble families, filled out the bidding forms.

“Just fill in a name… Don’t write Pata. Yes, fill in those sections too; the act must be complete.”

“After filling them out, line up in front. Tonight, I’ll let you join the Ministry of Rites’ dinner; I’ll inform Lord Guan.”

As they lined up and filled out the forms.

Ning Rushen’s eyes caught a familiar face. He racked his brain:

“…Lu Wu?”

Lu Wu nodded calmly, “Lord.”

Ning Rushen turned to Shiyi: ?

Where did you pluck this guy from?

Shiyi explained, “A fellow Jinyiwei. Saw him eating sweet dumplings on the street and recruited him on the spot.”

Ning Rushen thought of Lu Wu, who had accompanied the Emperor, and looked at Shiyi with difficulty: No, this is the “former colleague” who replaced you at the Emperor’s side.

He didn’t say it aloud, only remarking, “Thanks for your help.”

As they were filling out the forms, a subordinate led a young man in a dark blue brocade robe inside:

“Lord, a representative from the Lu family is here.”

The young man was startled by the line!

He looked over from the end of the line, “Lord?”

—Oh, he’s here.

Ning Rushen sat up straight, “Don’t worry, there are six families ahead of you. Please wait.”

“…?”

When it was the young man’s turn, two quarters had passed.

Ning Rushen glanced at the form information: Lu Ke, from an old pastry family in the capital, with some ties to the Imperial Censor.

He looked at it and placed the paper on top of a stack of registration forms.

Lu Ke was immediately alarmed, “Am I at the bottom?”

“Don’t worry, it’s just based on arrival order.”

Ning Rushen gently explained, starting a detailed conversation.

From strict screening criteria, to rare promotional spots, to advertising benefits, and long-term returns…

He made it sound so reasonable that Lu Ke was dizzy:

“So, do you think I have a chance of winning the bid?”

“As it stands, you have hope.”

Ning Rushen looked at him kindly, “I will post the bidding prices here, and you can check them daily. If you wish to revise your bid, you can do so at any time.”

His fair complexion and clear eyes, along with his soft voice, made Lu Ke feel he was kind and gentle, and so good-looking…

Lu Ke unconsciously held his breath and lowered his voice, “Yes, thank you, Lord.”

Ning Rushen smiled slightly, “Take care.”

After Lu Ke left, the extras and subordinates all looked at him in unison.

Ning Rushen retracted his smile and instructed, “Negotiate like this, understand?”

Everyone, “…”

You’ve completely fooled him.

Competition and news spread rapidly.

Within two days, more and more noble families sent people to submit their bids.

Each of them hesitated as they entered, and limped out.

During this time, the group of actors dug up from the mansion and the Jinyiwei office came daily, following Ning Rushen to freeload on the Ministry of Rites’ “working meals.”

Guan Fan rolled up his sleeves and ate with Ning Rushen, sighing, “Lord Ning, why do you bring your family along?”

Ning Rushen slurped his food, “We’re about to get rich, so we should pay them some appearance fees.”

Guan Fan, having learned many new terms these days, agreed generously, “Indeed!”

The visiting noble families were endless.

For five or six days straight, Ning Rushen ran to the Ministry of Rites right after the morning court, busy as a bee.

At night, he finally had time to check on his fat pigeons:

Did you lay eggs?

Did you hatch baby pigeons?

However, after a week, the cage was still empty.

Ning Rushen sighed while holding the cage: Living together without love is truly a pile of loose sand.

…

He was here waiting for the pigeons.

He didn’t realize he had neglected the person on the throne for several days.

In the palace, within the Imperial Study.

As night fell, a few intricately carved lamps were lit.

Li Wuting was sitting behind the imperial desk handling state affairs, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, and his deep features cast shadows in the candlelight.

The palace attendants stood quietly on both sides with their heads lowered.

In the silent space, the pressure was inexplicably low.

De Quan was worried on the side:

Sigh, it’s been so long. Ever since Lord Ning went to the Ministry of Rites, he hasn’t come back for a single day, completely forgetting about His Majesty!

There was a sound of a brush being put down on the desk.

Li Wuting had finished his work and rubbed his temples, calling out, “Lu Wu.”

A figure immediately appeared before the desk, “Your Majesty.”

Every Jinyiwei guard had their own code name, serving as the emperor’s eyes and ears. If there was nothing urgent, they would report to the emperor every seven days.

Today, it was Lu Wu’s turn.

Li Wuting said, “Speak.”

Lu Wu bowed his head, “There have been no major events recently. This humble servant has been staying with Lord Ning at the Ministry of Rites all day.”

“……”

After a few seconds of silence.

De Quan felt a chill:

His Majesty hasn’t been with Lord Ning for days, but this guy is with him every day. Really knows how to hit the sore spot!

Li Wuting’s voice came again, “Oh? What has he been doing?”

Lu Wu, unaffected, reported expressionlessly, “Lord Ning has…no, has caused over ten noble families to compete fiercely, with the situation looking very favorable. He also brings everyone to freeload on the Ministry of Rites’ working meals—”

Remembering the meals, his throat moved suspiciously.

Li Wuting tapped the table, “And after work?”

Lu Wu recalled Shiyi’s sharing, “After work, he goes home to force two male pigeons to lay eggs.”

Li Wuting, “…………”

As if he didn’t hear clearly, “What?”

Lu Wu, “Forces two male pigeons to lay eggs for him to eat.”

There was no response for a long time.

After a while, the emperor’s voice, seemingly calm, came, “He has the leisure to do this but hasn’t come to the Imperial Study even once?”

“Enough, you may leave.”

Lu Wu bowed his head and disappeared instantly.

In the Imperial Study, De Quan was furious:

Lord Ning, how could you not think of His Majesty more often!

His official robe, which had been washed clean, wasn’t thrown away or sent back but was placed in the side hall of the Imperial Study.

Wasn’t it obvious that His Majesty wanted to return it personally?

De Quan felt he had guessed the emperor’s intentions correctly, just frustrated that Ning Rushen hadn’t come.

He was so anxious that his throat was dry. Looking at Li Wuting’s cold expression, he bravely spoke, “In this servant’s opinion, Lord Ning is too busy. He’s done such an outstanding job, yet hasn’t come to report the good news to Your Majesty!”

Li Wuting glanced at him indifferently.

He didn’t know what De Quan was guessing, but he wasn’t wrong about one thing…

After working so long, it was indeed time to report.

Li Wuting lowered his lashes and pondered for a moment, unable to resist the slight itch in his palm, “Summon him to the palace.”

De Quan was overjoyed, “Yes!”

Ning Mansion, main courtyard.

Ning Rushen didn’t know that the pigeons were both male. He was squatting by the cage, trying to matchmake them.

Muttering, a palace attendant suddenly came:

“Lord Ning, His Majesty summons you.”

Ning Rushen turned his head: …at this hour again?

He followed the young eunuch into the palace, and as he approached the Imperial Study, he saw De Quan hurrying out from the door.

“Father-in-law De, long time no see.”