jdhmnovel Chapter 111: Honest advice hurts!
Chapter 111: Honest advice hurts!
After Yan Wanwan returned to the capital, she went straight to the general's mansion without stopping.
The housekeeper was surprised when he saw her, and immediately asked anxiously, "Madam, didn't the general mention this to you?"
"Yes." Yan Wanwan said indifferently.
"Then why are you still..." The butler's words stopped abruptly, his eyes full of worry.
Yan Wanwan took a deep breath and slumped down in the chair with a lazy look on her face. She said casually, "Don't worry. It's such a small matter. There's no need to hide like a coward."
The housekeeper thought to himself, how could this be a trivial matter? Looking at Yan Wanwan's expression, he hesitated to speak.
Seeing this, Yan Wanwan waved her hand helplessly and said, "Forget it, let's go arrange dinner first. We have a tough battle to face tomorrow, so we need to gather our energy first."
The butler didn't dare say anything more and quickly left to arrange the meal.
The moment Yan Wanwan stepped into the capital, the news spread straight into the palace like a message from a flying bird.
"Your Majesty, the general's wife has returned to the general's mansion." The attendant hurried into the hall to report.
"Is there anyone else?" The emperor paused for a moment with the teacup in his hand, raised his eyes slightly, and had an indifferent expression.
"Your Majesty, only the Madam is here."
The emperor put down his teacup, a hint of ambiguous arc appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said softly: "Go and make arrangements. I will summon the general's wife alone tomorrow."
"According to the order."
That night, the capital seemed to be shrouded in an invisible veil, and an oppressive atmosphere quietly spread through the streets.
The ministers in the court, all seasoned officials, sensed something unusual in the air. During the morning court session, everyone spoke and acted with caution, and a dead silence reigned. The emperor and his ministers, each with their own tacit understanding, exchanged a few words before hastily adjourning the court session.
Eunuch Wu followed the emperor in small steps, whispering, "Your Majesty, the county lady is already waiting in the Imperial Library."
The emperor's expression did not change, but his steps quickened unconsciously. He just said "hmm" softly and walked towards the study. His clothes fluttered, and there was a hint of urgency in his steps.
The moment he stepped into the Imperial Library, the emperor's face darkened.
Yan Wanwan was sitting casually on the chair, her eyes closed, her expression calm. She looked so relaxed and contented, as if she didn't take the emperor's majesty into consideration at all.
Eunuch Wu was keenly aware of the emperor's anger and quickly shouted at Yan Wanwan, "How dare you take a seat before the emperor arrives!"
Yan Wanwan slowly opened her eyes, as if she had just realized there was someone behind her. She nodded slightly indifferently in the direction of the emperor and said lightly, "Your Majesty." After that, there was no more words and no other actions.
Upon seeing this, the emperor was immediately furious: "Yan Wanwan, why don't you kneel when you see me?"
Before Yan Wanwan could respond, Eunuch Wu hurried to the emperor's side and reminded him in a low voice, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten that you previously granted the general's wife the privilege of not kneeling when meeting him?"
The emperor suddenly remembered that when Yan Wanwan presented the fertilizer formulas that day, he was excited for a moment, but was reluctant to give her a substantial reward, so he casually issued such a verbal commendation order.
But now, looking at Yan Wanwan's arrogant look, he wanted to punish her, but he couldn't open his mouth because of the decree. He felt that this gift seemed particularly glaring and annoying at this moment.
Yan Wanwan didn't bother to care about the emperor's mood and asked directly, "Your Majesty has recalled me in such a hurry, is there something urgent?"
The emperor tried his best to suppress his anger, forcing a smile of amiability on his face as he said, "Madam General, this is what's happening. The scraps you gave the Agricultural Bureau the recipe for were never as effective as the ones you sold, and their output has even dropped by half. What's going on?"
Yan Wanwan glanced at the emperor with inward disdain, thinking to herself: This man clearly hates me with a vengeance, yet he's still here, posturing and spouting irrelevant words. She had expected the emperor to ask this question, but she hadn't expected it to be so foolish. Such a level of emperorship was truly unacceptable.
Yan Wanwan looked indifferent and responded in a cold tone, "Your Majesty, the recipe I gave you is absolutely true. If the Agricultural Department can't make it, what does it have to do with me?"
The emperor was so infuriated by her arrogant attitude that he slammed the table and stood up, angrily scolding, "Yan Wanwan, I suspect that the recipe you gave me is a fake. Are you deliberately unwilling to reveal the secret recipe and using a fake one to fool me?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Wanwan rolled her eyes without any hesitation, then quickly took out a dozen items from her sleeves, placed them on the table, and started making them as if no one was around.
The emperor was immediately terrified upon seeing this. Eunuch Wu rushed forward, blocking the emperor's way and shouting in fear, "What...what are you going to do?"
They were about to call for the guards, but they found that Yan Wanwan had no intention of attacking them.
In just a moment, the bottles and jars in Yan Wanwan's hands had merged with each other, and a fresh herbal fragrance slowly spread out.
Eunuch Wu leaned forward, leaned close to the emperor's ear, and whispered, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being so nosy, but this smell... why does it smell like the feed that animals eat?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a hint of displeasure flashed across the emperor's eyes, and he glared at him fiercely. This isn't a resemblance at all, it's clearly just fodder! She even made one in front of him, wasn't it just to prove her so-called "innocence"?
Soon, Yan Wanwan had finished making the stuff and placed it on the table. She said calmly, "Your Majesty, you can ask the ministers of the Ministry of Agriculture to come and verify whether this is indeed feed. The method is obvious and extremely simple. If they can't even make this, I would dare to suggest that you replace them. They receive court salaries but lack the corresponding skills to do the work. What's the difference between them and good-for-nothings? What's the point of keeping them around?"
When the emperor heard this, he became so angry that his face turned ashen, his chest heaved violently, and he was choked to the point of being unable to speak.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Eunuch Wu hurriedly shouted at Yan Wanwan, but his eyes hinted at a warning: "Madam General, please be careful with your words! Such words are extremely disrespectful to the Emperor!"
Yan Wanwan, however, pretended not to hear. She looked directly into the emperor's eyes without fear and said frankly, "Your Majesty, throughout history, honest advice has always been unpleasant to the ear. This time, I speak frankly, also for Your Majesty, and for the sake of the integrity of the court."
The emperor's face was slightly furious, and he felt a surge of frustration. His expression darkened as he said, "Well, since you're so certain, I won't mince words with you today. Let's get straight to the point. What were your ulterior motives behind those secret activities in Nanping Prefecture? You'd better tell me everything. If you tell even a single lie, don't blame me for being ruthless and disloyal. I'll make sure you don't get away with it!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Wanwan was stunned at first, and then she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The laughter was crisp and pleasant, which seemed out of place in the solemn atmosphere of the palace, and it completely ignored the fact that the emperor in front of him was already looking angry.
The emperor angrily asked, "What are you laughing at?"