After Tian Miao went upstairs, Dong Xiao ran to Kong Hou's side, squatted down, and watched Kong Hou repair the door frame. As he watched, he exclaimed, "Aye, the door is finally fixed. From now on, it won't creak and squeak whenever we open or close it. The sound gave people a bad impression. It made people think that we're running a rip-off shop."
Kong Hou thought about the mismatched pair of couplets at the door, as well as that big shiny gold ingot, and rolled her eyes as she thought about how other people would actually feel when they saw that pair of couplets. They were bound to feel that their shop was nothing more than a rip-off, right? In truth, that ingot was made of real gold. And it was only her boss who would be such a maverick with the tendency to do things differently.
"But this time, it's much easier. It so happens that this time, there is a kirin with an unfulfilled wish, so that kirin can make the trip. That will do. Boss can also take a break, and we can play some mahjong with those in the backyard later." Kong Hou hammered in the final nail as she spoke, feeling delighted.
"Okay. I'll first bring some food to our Boss, then I'll meet you in the backyard later." Dong Xiao got up and went to the kitchen. The light snacks that she'd put in the oven should be just about done. It was best to take them to their boss right away while the food was still hot.
"Wait. I'll make the tea, and you can serve it with the snacks." Kong Hou stood up and ran to the kitchen.
The two of them were good at different kinds of meals. Usually, they would perform their own duties with due diligence, and invest even more effort and thoughts into learning about all kinds of foods and drinks, all because their boss was simply fond of these things.
...
The Prince of Virtue felt mixed emotions as he sat on the imperial throne to receive the worship and respect of all his imperial officials. Just a dozen days ago or so, he had been all alone in despair with no way out. And now... the course of events had changed. The noble consort and Eighth Prince, who had passed a false imperial decree, had been sent to prison and were now awaiting punishment.
The events of that day came to mind. That woman, who had lived most of her life in the limelight, and who was the late emperor's favorite concubine, had long passed her prime. The look of disbelief she'd had on her face, as well as her final moment of madness, was still fresh in his mind.
"No, impossible! The throne should be my son's, and only my son can be the emperor," she had said. The formerly elegant, poised, and incomparably graceful noble consort had a ferocious, hideous look on her face. She no longer had the dignified appearance she'd had in the past.
But the Eighth Prince, on the other hand, had already resigned himself to his fate. Seeing the wretched state his mother consort was in, he couldn't help but burst out in mad laughter and roar, "I told you long ago that you were the only one he favored. He had never thought of passing the throne to me. But you refused to listen to me and insisted on vying for it. What doesn't belong to us will never belong to us." If he hadn't listened to his mother consort's delusional words, would he still have had his position as prince at this moment?
At that very moment, the Eighth Prince was filled with immense regret. The emperor, his father, had really doted on him and loved him and had even thought of him and paved the way for his and his mother consort's future. He'd thought he would get the new emperor to confer him the title of a Prince so he could bring his mother consort back to the palace to live in comfort in old age. But his mother consort hadn't been satisfied with this. After the passing of the emperor, when the Prince of Virtue had left the palace to go on an inspection tour of his country, she withheld the jade seal and falsely issued an imperial decree to arrest the Prince of Virtue, regardless of whether he was alive or dead. The basis of the arrest was that he was guilty of conspiring with foreign countries to commit treason.
Now, he had been reduced to a prisoner of war, and he deserved it.
Would his late father have been heartbroken if he had heard about this? Would he have been filled with disappointment?
"Brother, I'm so sorry…" This was the last thing the Eighth Prince said to the Prince of Virtue.
But he didn't get a reply.
He knew that some mistakes, even if the person at fault was remorseful and wished to repent, wouldn't necessarily be understood and forgiven. That night, in prison, the Eighth Prince silently ended his life with his own hands. The noble consort, who had calmed down, went crazy when she heard the news.
This ambitious woman's greed for power was real, but her deep love for her child was just as real. But what was done couldn't be undone. The only thing that she cared about, her only hope, was now gone. Naturally, she couldn't bear the blow, but she was also unwilling to accept this cruel truth.