The system fell silent.
It didn't know if this host was too greedy or too confident.
*
*
Jiang Yu was quite annoyed.
It was so restrictive to have someone tailing him everywhere.
'He just wanted to leave the palace for a stroll, but the Empress Dowager still insisted on sending someone to follow him. Didn't that make him, the Emperor, seem completely devoid of authority!'
A sudden glint appeared in Jiang Yu's eyes.
A sudden commotion broke out on the street.
It was an old woman with a shrewish face, gripping a small child's hand and refusing to let go. She was spewing insults, her behavior utterly brazen.
Jiang Yu turned to Eunuch Zhang. "Go take a look."
The two stared at each other, at a loss.
Eunuch Zhang was the first to back down. "In that case, Your Majesty... this servant will go take a look. Please, you mustn't run off anywhere."
Jiang Yu felt his imperial authority was being challenged yet again and waved his hand impatiently.
"Yes, yes, just go quickly."
The moment Eunuch Zhang left, the Little Emperor raised his eyebrows in a smirk and instantly slipped away.
He'd arranged to meet a few young lords at a brothel earlier, but had been delayed by the Empress Dowager's meddling. He wondered if that pack of dandies was still there waiting.
「Drunken Dream Building.」
"Your Majesty, you're quite late today."
He heard a laugh from within the private room before he even stepped inside.
Jiang Yu strode in, a wine jug in hand, and said, "I may be late, but I've brought imperial wine as an apology."
For an emperor to speak in such a manner... if word got out, he would surely be criticized.
But Jiang Yu saw no problem with it whatsoever.
He was a powerless emperor to begin with. The Empress Dowager held all the real authority. To put it bluntly, he was just a figurehead, placed there for decoration.
The private room was quite lively.
Knowing the Little Emperor had always detested the "powder and rouge" types, the young noblemen hadn't called for any women to serve them. They were simply drinking and trading verses.
The moment Jiang Yu walked in, everyone in the room rose in unison to salute him.
He gave a casual wave of his hand and set the wine jug on the table. "No need for formalities."
He might have told them not to stand on ceremony, but who would dare? The man before them, no matter how gentle and harmless he seemed, was the true Son of Heaven who sat on the golden throne and ruled over all the land. Who would dare to overstep their bounds in the slightest?
This group of young lords usually chatted about everything under the sun, holding nothing back, and they never censored themselves for the Little Emperor—who, for his part, loved to listen.
"Miss Luo really stole the show at the Chonghua Banquet the other day."
"That's right. She was already arrogant, with her nose in the air all the time. After this, she'll probably start thinking she's a goddess."
"Who knows? That Princess Yu Yin is so capricious. She said she wasn't going, and she simply didn't. She basically handed the spotlight over to that Miss Luo for free."
"I don't think it's capriciousness... It's laziness, right?"
The group burst into laughter.
Jiang Yu listened, taking a sip of wine. "This Princess Yu Yin you all speak of," he asked suddenly, "what's her background?"
One of them laughed. "In your presence, Your Majesty, who can truly claim to have any background! But, this Princess Yu Yin is the eldest daughter of Prince Chen. The Prince and his consort treat this daughter like a treasure, doting on her completely."
Another picked up the thread. "The woman is astonishingly lazy. She's a complete homebody who never has to lift a finger for anything. But her looks are truly, stunningly beautiful. Unforgettable, once you've seen her."
Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow. "Then why do you say she just gave the spotlight away?"
"That Princess and Miss Luo have never gotten along. Whenever she attends the Chonghua Banquet, she always dresses to the nines, striving to outshine everyone else. In the entire Capital City, only Princess Yu Yin's beauty can surpass Miss Luo's."