Chapter 43 Are you unhappy?

Chapter 43 Are you unhappy?

Su Mu acted on impulse; if he said he would take Pei Wu to the palace, then he would go. However, he was rather impolite to leave without tying his hair up or putting on his shoes.

So he was stopped at the door by a servant who tidied him up a bit before taking Pei Wu out.

The Privy Councilor was a second-rank official, and he was always accompanied by many servants when he traveled. His sedan chair was parked in the courtyard, the gauze curtains swaying gently, and the beads jingling. Su Mu was the first to get into the sedan chair, and his voice came from behind the gauze curtains: "You can get in too."

Pei Wu also got into the sedan chair. The sedan chair was very spacious and could easily seat two people. After getting in, Su Mu slumped onto the soft cushions like a limp skeleton.

The carriage was decorated for maximum comfort, with soft cushions and pillows everywhere. Su Mu didn't care about his image at all and just sprawled out like that. He even wanted Pei Wu to lie down with him, but Pei Wu refused and sat up straight.

Su Mu glanced at Pei Wu sideways and, unusually kindly, told him, "If you see the Empress Dowager, you'd better not say anything out of line, or you'll be in danger."

Pei Wu lowered his gaze: "Thank you, Grand Councilor."

Sedan chairs were not allowed to enter the palace; they could only disembark at Xuande Gate, walk along the long palace road, and then reach the various palaces.

Every afternoon, the emperor would attend lectures at the Imperial Academy. After being announced by a eunuch, Su Mu and Pei Wu would go to Ningyun Hall to wait.

Several other officials stood outside Ningyun Hall. Song Pingzhang stood in the middle, and the officials beside him were also of the second or third rank. Inside the hall, only Pei Wu was wearing a scarlet official robe, while the rest were all in purple official robes.

Upon seeing Su Mu and Pei Wu, the officials exchanged pleasantries, but Su Mu ignored them and found a place to sit down.

Logically speaking, one should not lie down so casually while waiting for the emperor unless the emperor gives special permission, but Su Mu is different. He doesn't care about rank or etiquette.

The group looked at each other, all showing a hint of disdain, and sighed as they muttered under their breath.

In such situations, the various factions are clearly distinct. Those led by Song Pingzhang are all veteran officials who have served in the court for many years, have numerous protégés, and are elder statesmen. Everyone has to treat them with utmost respect.

On the other side were several people, led by the three commissioners, who were from the Empress Dowager's maternal family, and their status was self-evident.

On Su Mu's side, there was only Su Mu himself, plus a small henchman named Pei Wu.

As they approached the imperial procession, Su Mu was already dozing off. Pei Wu whispered, "Prime Minister."

The Grand Chancellor finally woke up from his dream. He glanced at the approaching bright yellow ceremonial guard before slowly getting up.

Not long after, the sedan chair landed outside the palace gate. The emperor got out first, followed by the empress dowager. She was well-maintained, with almost no wrinkles on her face. She was beautiful and sharp, and her phoenix eyes casually glanced at everyone.

The young emperor was indeed young, his face carrying an innocent purity, and he even glanced curiously at Pei Wu beside Su Mu.

Everyone bowed in greeting, but Su Mu did so lazily and said nothing, only telling them to dispense with the formalities.

The Empress Dowager walked in front, followed by the Emperor, then several ministers and Pei Wu. After entering Ningyun Hall, the Emperor sat in the main seat, and the Empress Dowager sat in the secondary seat.

However, after everyone was seated, it was the Empress Dowager who spoke first, while the Emperor sat in the main seat, looking meek and unassuming, offering no opinion.

Su Mu, unsurprised, said, "Recently, Northern Yan has repeatedly probed our intentions, seemingly with the intention of offending us. Your Majesty, do you think we should send troops to temporarily deter them?"

The Yan Kingdom and the Great Xia Kingdom bordered each other, and although there were occasional conflicts, they had lived in peace for several years. The Empress Dowager looked at everyone and asked, "What do you all think?"

Chen Ling, the Commissioner of the Three Departments, was the first to step forward: "In my opinion, the Yan army is not a threat and need not be paid any attention to."

Song Pingzhang immediately said, "If we let them get away with it, wouldn't they be pushing their luck?"

The two sides started arguing as soon as they met, pointing fingers and cursing at each other. The conflict began when Song Pingzhang knocked off the other party's official hat, and several ministers started fighting right there in the hall.

The scene was chaotic. Pei Wu stepped forward to break up the fight, while Su Mu stood aside and chuckled.

Finally, the Empress Dowager said coldly, "What kind of behavior is this!"

At this moment, several guards finally stepped forward and pulled the officials apart.

Song Pingzhang had a few hairs plucked from his beard and was touching it with heartache, while Chen Ling's clothes were torn and he stared wide-eyed in disarray.

The Empress Dowager scolded, "All you know how to do when trouble comes to is fight! Where is your composure?"

Neither side was satisfied, and although they stopped fighting, their faces were drawn longer than a donkey's.

The Empress Dowager gave them a disapproving look and then asked Su Mu, "What do you think should be done?"

Su Mu smiled and said, "What Prime Minister Chen said is absolutely right."

This time, the conversation was handed back to Chen Ling.

Although Chen Ling looked down on Su Mu, he was immediately energized when he heard Su Mu agree with him, and he gave Song Pingzhang a provocative look.

Just as the Empress Dowager was about to speak, Su Mu added, "However, I have brought a new person with me today, Commander Pei. Tell me your thoughts."

The Empress Dowager seemed to only then notice that there was someone there, and glanced at Pei Wu impatiently.

In an instant, everyone's eyes fell on Pei Wu. Pei Wu remained calm and composed, saying, "I believe that Yan's probing is only the first step. If we ignore it, it will only embolden them. If they come to our doorstep, the consequences will be unimaginable. It is best to send troops to defend first and prepare for the worst."

The discussion had already been completed, but Pei Wu's words caused the atmosphere to become tense again.

Chen Ling glared angrily, Su Mu watched the show, Song Pingzhang was delighted, the emperor on the throne also glanced at him, and the empress dowager sneered: "Nonsense."

Pei Wu was about to speak again when Song Pingzhang said, "This makes sense. If we continue to let things go unchecked, it could become a major problem."

Chen Ling sneered: "Nonsense."

Seeing that another fight was about to break out, the Empress Dowager said calmly, "It's just a trivial squabble, there's no need to pay attention to it."

Song Pingzhang frowned, finally turning to the young emperor on the throne: "Your Majesty, the Yan Kingdom is so arrogant, yet we still allow them to run rampant?"

The young emperor: "..."

He glanced at the Empress Dowager, as if to say, "If I could make the decision, would I still remain silent?"

He could only clear his throat and say, "What Minister Chen said is absolutely right. They are nothing but a rabble."

These words were an agreement with Chen Ling. In the end, Song Pingzhang could not resist these people and could only resentfully listen to them.

When they left the Hall of Condensation, the group looked at each other with dislike and glared at each other before going their separate ways.

Su Mu was just as he was when he arrived as he was when he left. He was as carefree as if he were just taking a stroll. He was the most clever person today, and the question he asked caused several fights among the others.

Pei Wu lagged half a step behind him, and only after walking out of the palace gate did he ask, "If the Grand Chancellor doesn't want to get involved, why bother calling all the officials to discuss this?"

Su Mu gave him a strange look: "It was my fault for not reporting what I knew, but it wasn't my fault if I reported it and it was denied."

Pei Wu said softly, "The Prime Minister has a good plan."

Su Mu laughed: "Otherwise what? If everyone supports sending troops like you, would the Great Xia's treasury be enough? Do you think Chen Ling is unwilling? Would you be willing to take money from your own pocket?"

The taxes levied on the Great Xia Dynasty were not small, but who ended up with these taxes was a question for Chen Ling to answer.

No money, no food, how can we fight?

Moreover, Yan was merely testing the waters. If Great Xia were to send troops, it would only provoke war. Great Xia has always valued civil affairs over military matters, so who would be qualified to lead the army?

Everyone understands this principle, including Pei Wu, but he never imagined that the Great Xia Dynasty had reached the point where everyone was just hiding like cowards.

Upon reaching the palace gate, Su Mu boarded the sedan chair. He lifted the curtain and looked up at Pei Wu: "Chief Pei, I will not see you off. You do not need to return to the Privy Council today. Chief Pei, you may return on your own."

As the sedan chair gradually disappeared into the distance, Pei Wu stood quietly for a moment before taking his leave.

The journey from the palace to their residence was quite long, but Pei Wu usually walked to and from get off work, so he was already used to it.

Vendors carrying baskets and hawking their wares occasionally appeared along the imperial corridors on both sides. Pei Wu, dressed in his official robes, walked through them, sometimes encountering those blocking his way, which he could only patiently walk around.

When he finally arrived home, it was only a little earlier than usual. Pei Wu walked through the side door. Everyone in the family was home today. Pei Wu heard the voices coming from the kitchen. He walked along the corridor toward the direction of the voices. Inside the kitchen, everyone was busy and laughing.

Xia happened to come out of the kitchen and saw him return. She was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly called into the room, "Young lady, Commander Pei has returned."

There was a clattering sound from inside the kitchen, and Jiang Ru poked her head out, surprised, "Why are you back so soon?"

Pei Wu walked towards the kitchen. Xia Xia seemed to want to stop him, but she didn't dare and could only watch him walk away.

Pei Wu walked outside the room, where Jiang Ru was looking at him innocently with her big eyes and said, "Why are you back already? It's not time to finish your shift yet."

She had anticipated that Pei Wu would be back late today, which was why she started cooking at this time. Pei Wu's early return completely disrupted her plans.

Jiang Ru thought for a moment, then reached out her powdered hand and poked Pei Wu, leaving a white spot on his official robe.

However, Jiang Ru couldn't care less about that at this point. She pointed at Pei Wu and said, "You go first, go change your clothes, and come back in a quarter of an hour after you're done."

Pei Wu stared at her for a long time before finally moving away and returning to his bedroom to change his clothes.

After changing his clothes, he listened to Jiang Ru and did not go to the kitchen. After some time, Xiao Fang came to call him to have a meal.

Pei Wu walked out of the room and into the courtyard. They usually ate in the pavilion in the courtyard. At this moment, the table was full of dishes.

Jiang Ru smiled broadly: "Pei Wu, congratulations on your promotion."

She was saying yesterday that Pei Wu's promotion was bad and that he shouldn't be promoted so quickly, but she still cooked a whole table of dishes for him to celebrate his promotion.

Pei Wu stepped forward, his gaze falling on the dishes on the table. In the center was a pot of stewed chicken, and on both sides were some side dishes, such as melon pickles and rice noodle soup.

Pei Wu stared at the dishes on the table, stunned.

Seeing that he remained silent, Jiang Ru raised her hand and poked him: "What's wrong with you?"

Pei Wu lowered his eyes to look at Jiang Ru and said softly, "Thank you, cousin."

His tone was no different from usual, but Jiang Ru frowned. She stared at Pei Wu's face and asked, "Are you unhappy?"

-----------------------

Author's Note: A second update depends on the situation; I'll post it as soon as I can finish writing it.