How is this even harder than converting US dollars to Chinese yuan?
"Eunuch Gui, exactly how much money is being allocated here?" I only recognized the numbers in the official document, having absolutely no clue about ancient currency. I looked at Eunuch Gui with a somewhat embarrassed expression, asking him for help.
With a smile, Eunuch Gui replied, "Replying to Your Majesty, the Prime Minister said you just need to approve the figures he wrote down, and you don't need to worry about anything else."
"What? This Prime Minister is too overbearing! He writes down whatever amount he wants, and I just have to approve it? What if he embezzles the funds?" I simply couldn't believe it. I had finally managed to be reincarnated as an emperor above all people, only to be reduced to a figurehead? Could I possibly be any more pathetic?
"Your Majesty, you can put your mind completely and utterly at ease! I wouldn't dare speak for the other ministers, but I can vouch for Prime Minister Murong with absolute certainty—he would never engage in embezzlement," Eunuch Gui said with a confident expression.
I still found it hard to believe, but the Prime Minister's surname piqued my interest. To think someone actually had the surname Murong; just hearing it sounded like an old stubborn fossil! After all, striving to restore the Great Yan Dynasty...
"How can you be so certain that Prime Minister Murong won't embezzle? What if he's just putting on a facade?" I had seen plenty of people like that on TV! Let me tell you, back in modern times, many of those corrupt tigers were only caught years after retirement... Tsk tsk! I couldn't let such decadent state parasites exist in the world I ruled. Absolutely not, not a chance! (Radiating with righteous and unwavering determination)
Eunuch Gui smiled and said, "Your Majesty, if you don't trust this old servant, surely you trust the Empress?"
His remark left me even more baffled. "Could it be that Prime Minister Murong and my Empress are having an affair?"
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Gui became somewhat flustered. "Your Majesty, what nonsense are you spouting again? It seems that flooding really did injure your brain. The Prime Minister is the Empress's own brother! To think you would say such a thing..." I quickly slapped my hand over his mouth and said, "Hush, stop talking." I certainly couldn't let that jealous vinegar pot of an Empress hear it. Otherwise, she'd start complaining again, squeeze out a few tears for my benefit, accuse me of not being her Yún Zhāo, and act like a lunatic all day long.
I let out an "oh," recalling the Empress's icy expression. Her brother was probably just like her—another massive iceberg with a stern, unsmiling face!
Seeing that my mood had improved much, Eunuch Gui handed an imperial brush into my hand and urged, "Your Majesty, hurry up and review them! The Prime Minister is still waiting outside."
I felt thoroughly uncomfortable inside. Why did an emperor have to be kept under surveillance while handling state affairs? How was this any different from having a security camera installed over my head to monitor me at work?
This was a violation of human rights...
Whatever. Since I had already been reincarnated as the emperor of a nation, I might as well just go along with it for now! If all else fails, I'll keep one foot in each camp and look for a suitable opportunity to steal some wealth and retire somewhere outside the palace.
Very reluctantly, I took the imperial brush and made a checkmark on the basic memorial. Seeing this, Eunuch Gui hurriedly stopped me and offered some earnest advice, "Your Majesty, you cannot approve them like this! You need to write 'Approved' or 'Noted'."
"Your Majesty, your playful temperament hasn't changed at all. Even with the amnesia, this personality of yours is exactly the same!" The moment he said those words, I suddenly thought of my dad from my previous life, and for some reason, a single tear fell right onto the open memorial.
I hurriedly wiped the memorial with my sleeve, while Eunuch Gui scrambled to find a handkerchief for my tears.
"Eunuch Gui, thank you!" I thanked him with genuine gratitude. He kept that same kind smile and said, "Your Majesty, you flatter this old servant too much. You are someone this old servant watched grow up, and since the late master entrusted you to my care, it is my duty to look after Your Majesty properly!"
Good grief! With Eunuch Gui saying that, I couldn't hold back my tears any longer. Don't look at me now as a six-foot-two, sturdy young man; inside, I was still a little girl. No, a thirty-year-old spinster...
I hurriedly finished reviewing the essential memorials, handed them back to Eunuch Gui, and said, "Eunuch Gui, I—I am tired today. As for the rest of the memorials you brought, I'll continue reviewing them after I wake up!"
Eunuch Gui nodded and exhorted, "Your Majesty, take good care of your health. With Prime Minister Murong here at court, you can rest easy!"
I didn't answer him. Instead, I pulled the blanket back over my head, as the longing for my family from my previous life suddenly broke through the dams at that moment...
I missed my mom, I missed my nagging dad, I even missed the cats and dogs we kept at home, not to mention the half-dead Chinese rose on the balcony... and, oh yes, my long-legged boyfriend!
Thinking of the large mirror still standing inside the hall, I suddenly sat bolt upright in bed. I looked myself up and down in the mirror, tsk, tsk, tsk... This body really was a mouth-watering masterpiece.
Look at those eight-pack abs, look at those heaven-defying long legs, and just look at this peerless face. Heavens, looking at it like this, it seemed I didn't miss home quite as much after all.
Just as I was about to strip off my clothes to properly admire myself from head to toe, the doors to my bedchamber were pushed open once again.
I was just about to flare up and curse, "Which bastard..."
When I heard that familiar, sugary-sweet voice: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you asleep?"
Oh, mother dearest! It was that pink-clad Little Green Tea again. It seemed she had no intention of letting my body go! That simply wouldn't do; I couldn't let her succeed. Besides, baby really couldn't handle this!
I scrambled back into bed, pulled the blanket over my head, and continued to feign sleep. The sound of her footsteps drew closer and closer to my bed. I was scared to death—well, to be precise, terrified out of my wits! Just thinking about her boneless, willow-like physique... I didn't even dare imagine it!
The sound of her footsteps grew closer to my bed, closer still, and even closer... until finally, she plopped right down on the edge of my bed. Without caring whether I was asleep or awake, she began burrowing into my covers of her own accord...
Good heavens! I sat up alertly. This time, I couldn't let her catch me off guard.
"Little Green... no, Little Li..." Ah, spit! The Little Green Tea had scared me so much I couldn't even speak properly.
"Consort Li, why have you come again..."
As if she couldn't understand human speech, the Little Green Tea pressed her entire body against mine. My brain kept telling me to push her away, yet my body's instinctive reaction was to wrap my arms tightly around her.
Why wouldn't this wretched body obey my brain? Didn't they say the brain controlled the entire human body?
It seemed men truly had no brains when faced with feminine charm!
"Oh! Your Majesty, this concubine missed you so much! You haven't kept me company in ages." The Little Green Tea's sweet, sugary voice sent a tingling sensation straight from the top of my head down to my ankles—no, even my toes were tingling. Which man could possibly endure this?