Chapter 135: Do I Look Like Trash to You?

A whole crowd had promised to come for the job, so how was this to be explained now? Chu Ge looked at the mere four applicants before him, unable to summon even a smile.

He simply could not understand. After all, the deposed prince was still a prince—a wealthy one at that! Offering two taels of silver a month was a generous wage for servants. How could anyone feel uneasy about the money?

Among the four, only one was a woman; the other three were burly men with fierce faces, clearly seasoned at guarding and protecting a household.

“Alright,” Chu Ge said, looking at the frail woman. “You’ll start working at the manor tomorrow. Can you cook?”

The woman’s hands were rough and calloused, clearly from long hours of hard labor. “Yes, I can.”

“Then you will work in the kitchen. But the staff here is a bit short-handed, so it might be busy.”

“I can manage!” The woman suddenly seemed eager, as if unwilling to lose this opportunity.

Chu Ge nodded his approval, then turned to the three men. “You three will guard the house and clean the courtyard for now. Once we hire more help, you’ll only need to focus on guarding.”

The three men exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

After giving his instructions, Chu Ge returned to find Zhong Li to complain, “There are only six servants in total—guards, cooks, cleaners, protectors. Four men; the delicate tasks can’t all fall on the cook and the maid. This large estate can’t always reek of filth. Someone has to take care of the lotus pond, after all.”

The maid and Laifu had been part of the Prince Qi’s household staff from the beginning. Before hiring new servants, the maid had been doing laundry and cooking alone, working triple shifts; Laifu was similarly overburdened.

“Although Prince Qi is deposed, who knows when he might be restored? The generals who once fought under him would surely want Qi Xiu to return,” Zhong Li remarked shrewdly.

“So someone is deliberately making things difficult?” Chu Ge realized. “With so many princes in the palace, if the crown prince ever fails, others become potential replacements. The palace intrigues are deep; no one tolerates others doing better.”

Zhong Li said nothing, the reality was plain as day.

…

Imperial Garden of the Palace.

“Yesterday, Nurse Huang said that the servant Mi’er hired doesn’t seem to be a fool. On the contrary… the prince’s consort seems to have some cognitive impairments,” reported Gao Yang, his sharp phoenix eyes cold and calculating, lacking the maternal warmth befitting an empress. His peony-colored robes only emphasized his striking presence.

Empress Jin was no more than thirty this year, having long ruled from behind the scenes. Those who opposed her in the harem were now confined to the cold palace.

Opposite her stood the Emperor, clad in bright yellow imperial robes, his face weary, hair already streaked with gray at just over forty.

“The Chu family is only a minor marquisate. Though they defied the sovereign, it’s not a crime worthy of extermination of the nine clans. Let’s just pretend we didn’t see it,” the Empress said with a slight smile, sipping her warm tea. She had known the Emperor for over ten years and understood every unspoken meaning.

A minor marquis like Chu Ge could be turned into a loyal subject with some favors. Their favored eldest son Qi Ming needed reliable supporters in court. Qi Xiu, his second son, was a pity but the realm could not be entrusted to a man without strength.

Rumors said Prince Qi had grown decadent and disinterested in governance. While a fool might be easier to control, having a clever servant was not a bad thing.

Qi Ming was the legitimate son of the Empress; Qi Xiu’s mother, Consort Mei, had died tragically in the cold palace. She had even been posthumously titled Noble Consort, but it changed nothing—her son’s prospects were bleak. The Empress Jin’s position as Empress Dowager remained secure.

However, seeing Qi Xiu alone, it was clear he had inherited his mother’s petty mindlessness. Even the Empress pitied him.

“Will the hunting contest still be held as usual in a few days?” the Empress suddenly asked, recalling that Qi Xiu had always led the annual event, winning first place every time. But this year… things were uncertain.

The Emperor paused, then said, “Yes, hold it as in previous years.”

“And the boy Qi Xiu?” she probed.

“Send the invitation with the others. Whether he attends depends on his own wishes.”

The Emperor was helpless. As a father and a ruler, he planned for the future of the realm. He had not given up on Qi Xiu; in fact, he hoped more than anyone that Qi Xiu would recover.

The Empress’s gaze darkened. Without a heavy-handed strategy, the Emperor would not forget how Qi Xiu had once conquered two small kingdoms for him.

She toyed with the glazed jade cup in her hand, her expression inscrutable.

“There are many trivial matters in court today. Walk with me in the Imperial Garden,” she said suddenly, smiling like a young maiden.

The Emperor felt a pang of bittersweet emotion.

…

In a slightly cramped yet tidy study, the shelves behind were lined with immaculate military books. The desk was pristine, the ink barely dried. Opened volumes were heavily annotated. A gilded invitation lay in the center.

“So, the hunting contest will be held in Anshan in two days, and all princes and capable officials are expected to attend?”

Zhong Li nodded.

“And you? Will you represent Qi Xiu?” Chu Ge’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Zhong Li, his gaze melting hearts.

“No.”

An answer as expected. Chu Ge showed no surprise.

The hunting contest matter was put aside by the couple. Their focus was now on two other pressing issues:

First: hiring more servants.

Second: the true lotus petal.

Since Chu Ge’s marriage into the household, affairs had multiplied. Six servants were simply not enough.

Yesterday, the maid had accidentally injured her hand. The cook had to single-handedly take on the work of six people, exhausted beyond measure.

Afraid the cook would quit, Chu Ge raised her wages to ten taels, desperate to keep the only female worker from leaving.

Now Chu Ge and Zhong Li washed their own clothes and made no demands for their meals, as long as the food was cooked. Zhong Li often appeared in the kitchen as well.

The servants all admired the prince: a good master who cared for his wife, respected his servants, and was no fool. The wages at the Qi Prince’s estate were generous—besides the cook’s heavy burden, each servant earned five taels a month, and everyone kept their mouths shut tightly.

The servants were grateful, but Chu Ge insisted money was but a worldly possession, unimportant compared to cultivation.

Speaking of cultivation, Chu Ge’s progress had stagnated at the Spiritual Saint level for some time.

Normally, each true lotus petal would bring memories or cultivation breakthroughs. But the previous petal from the Eight-Tailed Fox had yielded nothing. There was also no suitable opponent on this continent to facilitate a breakthrough. It was exceedingly difficult.

“Don’t rush. Cultivation requires calmness; otherwise, one easily succumbs to inner demons,” Zhong Li said astutely, as if reading Chu Ge’s very thoughts.

[What do you mean by ‘reading thoughts’? This is true spiritual resonance!]