The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 720 - 720 335 Tricked her (two updates)_2

Chapter 720: 335 Tricked her (two updates)_2 Chapter 720: 335 Tricked her (two updates)_2 “I will do it!” The emperor took the teacup and personally fed it to Empress Dowager Jing. Once her expression relaxed slightly, the emperor finally shifted his attention back to Duke Xuanping.

He said coldly, “Duke Xuanping, what on earth is going on with this?”

Duke Xuanping felt even more wronged. He too wanted to know what was happening, damn that old wine barrel! Was he playing some trick on him?

With a serious expression, he said, “Your Majesty, this jeweled box was given to me by Huo Jijiu. I haven’t opened it, and I didn’t know the hidden weapon was inside it.”

He was a rogue and a roughneck, not exactly a guy of principle, but not one to steal or invade other people’s privacy either.

But primarily because he didn’t expect old Huo Jijiu to play such a trick on him!

Why though?

The emperor’s expression turned cold spelling out, “Summon Huo Xian!”

“Yes!” Eunuch Wei responded.

Eunuch Wei immediately sent a small eunuch to Guozijian to bring Huo Jijiu to Huaqing Palace.

Empress Xiao and Consort Zhuang also stayed, waiting for the emperor’s judgment.

Old Huo Jijiu entered the side hall of Huaqing Palace’s Qiuhua Pavilion calmly, with an open demeanor. His gaze swept over the crowd, as if surprised to see so many people there. He greeted them with a bow, “Greetings, Your Majesty. Greetings, the Empress. Greetings, the Empress Dowager. Greetings, Consort Zhuang.”

The box and the dart had been picked up by the palace maids and placed on the table next to the emperor.

The emperor waved his hand impatiently, “Save your empty formalities, I didn’t call you here to witness your greetings!”

Huo Jijiu raised an eyebrow at this, the Emperor’s disposition seemed rather ill-humored.

The emperor casually picked up the box on the table and coldly threw it to the ground in front of old Huo Jijiu, “What is this! Do you recognize it?”

The box split open as it fell, and the shiny dart rolled out, stopping right by Huo Jijiu’s feet.

Huo Jijiu squatted down and picked up the box and the dart, his expression somewhat taken aback.

“What, you don’t recognize it?” The emperor said as he cast a deep glance at Duke Xuanping.

Duke Xuanping said to old Huo Jijiu, “Huo, don’t play dumb! This box was personally handed to me by you last night. You asked me to deliver it to the Empress Dowager.”

Privately exchanging items between officials and consorts is a major taboo, but old Huo Jijiu was so upright and sincere that it really made people suspect his intentions.

Old Huo Jijiu said with an innocent face, “Indeed, I did give you the box, but what happened to the things inside it?”

The emperor said coldly, “This dart is what’s inside the box!”

Old Huo Jijiu looked at the emperor with a bewildered expression, “How could it be? I clearly put twenty taels of silver in it!” He looked at Empress Dowager Jing, “Empress Dowager, do you remember many years ago, I visited the temple to offer incense. At that time, there were so many tourists that a thief slipped among them, and my money was stolen. You happened to pass by, and after hearing the story, you lent me ten taels of money to buy incense. I promised that I would surely repay you double the amount!”

This incident happened a long time ago. If Old Huo hadn’t brought it up, the Empress Dowager would have almost forgotten it. She tried hard to recall and asked uncertainly, “Didn’t we agree back then that it was for buying your couplet? This money should not be counted as a loan to you.”

Old Huo Jijiu said righteously, “Empress Dowager, you offered me money to solve my urgent need, fearing it would injure my self-respect , you said you were buying a pair of couplets written by me. But I also said that I would definitely repay this money.”

Empress Dowager Jing didn’t remember what happened next.

After all, who would keep a record of ten taels of silver for so many years?

The emperor asked suspiciously, “Why you choose to repay it now – neither earlier nor later, but at this very moment?”

Old Huo Jijiu laughed awkwardly and said somewhat embarrassingly, “To tell you the truth… I… I completely forgot about it… it was only when I heard that Empress Dowager Jing had come back that I suddenly remembered this old debt.”

Oh dear, it was just as well Empress Dowager Jing had actually lent him the silver.

And he did indeed say he’d repay it double. At the time, Empress Dowager Jing did not agree but said, ‘Instead, write a Spring Festival couplet for me, and consider it as if I bought your couplet.’

But after so many years, he insisted that he had maintained the promise to repay the silver, and Empress Dowager Jing probably couldn’t clearly remember.

Even if she did remember, memories can be faulty.

He was just sticking to his own version!

Fortunately, both the Empress Dowager and the Emperor didn’t bring up the finer details about the silver and began to speak about the contents of the jeweled box again.

The emperor said, “You were to give silver, but Duke Xuanping brought a dart today, which almost hurt Empress Dowager Jing.”