Chapter 70 p1
Xie Yao was indeed better.
Yuli gradually lost the heart to be angry. Who was to blame for her falling into it?
She was not an ignorant and naive girl. She certainly knew the classic cases in the history of her past life. The struggle for power was inherently bloody; it had just never been concretized before.
Now that she knew Xie Yao’s methods, although she felt her skin crawl, at least he was the victor.
Xie Yao held her, gently caressed the back of her collar, retreated a little, and said with a smile against her lips, “Originally, I was going to give up and let my subordinates settle this battle. In the future, I would use other ways to achieve my goal. It would just take more years and effort. It was you who encouraged me.”
Yuli snorted lightly, with no deterrent effect.
Xie Yao kissed her and continued, “You said that I have reached my current position without any help, that I am the most amazing man in the world. Then I must be. And I also have considerations. Rather than letting the old and new forces be divided into two factions and waste the country’s strength in vain, it is better to solve it once and for all. After the world is settled and the court is unified, the country’s strength will surely recover extremely quickly. At that time, my dynasty will be unstoppable. At that time, foreign countries will come to pay tribute, and the four seas will submit. It will surely create a prosperous age.”
It was the first time Yuli had heard him talk about his grand ambitions. Yuli’s heart was shaken.
It turned out that besides being a psycho, he also had his own career pursuits. It was just that in the original novel, he had been occupied by the tormenting emotions and had ended up guarding the original heroine’s grave, not even handling political affairs. The court was probably in a mess.
Yuli held his face. “Do you really think so?”
Xie Yao looked at her. “Of course. If my name is left in history, and you are my empress, you will surely also have a place.”
Yuli smiled. “You say it as if it’s for me.”
“How is it not?” Xie Yao was serious.
Yuli: “It’s clearly for yourself. Don’t use me as an excuse.”
“There is no difference between for me and for you,” Xie Yao said, pressing against her without any distance. “I have said long ago, everything of mine is yours, and everything of yours is also mine.”
His expression was solemn and did not allow for any doubt.
Yuli was taken aback for a moment, then he smiled again, lowered his head, and continued to kiss her.
Xie Yao no longer had a fever, but the midsummer day was really hot. Yuli’s back was soon soaked in sweat.
Xie Yao’s palm caressed her, and after the scorching heat, there was a coolness.
The bed in the inn was not as sturdy as the one in Mingyue Residence. It creaked when they moved, and it seemed that the soundproofing between the rooms was not good either. Yuli pursed her lips and did not dare to make a sound.
Xie Yao was always pressed against her, his hot palm slowly caressing her arm, his ten fingers intertwined with hers.
At the end, they were so hot that their sweat mingled. Xie Yao still did not let her go for a long time.
Yuli pushed him. He let her go a little. “Let’s go back to the capital early, okay?”
Yuli pondered for a moment and agreed.
Only then did Xie Yao let her go, just gently holding her wrist.
*
The Shenwu Army entered the county town. The county magistrate, Mei Qing, received the news and immediately summoned all the officials of the county to welcome them.
Xie Yao sat on his horse and glanced at him.
Everyone bowed in greeting, invited the several hundred people into the post station, and settled them down.
Mei Qing faced Xie Yao, his eyes lowered. “The post station is simple. Your Highness can go to the county yamen, which will also be convenient for Your Highness to handle military affairs.”
“The Shenwu Army has already won a great victory. There are no military affairs to handle,” Xie Yao said calmly. “I will stay at Yuli’s inn.”
Mei Qing’s fingers tightened, and he did not respond.
Xie Yao smiled. “Besides, I will be leaving for the capital tomorrow. I will not trouble County Magistrate Mei.”
After a long time, Mei Qing finally said, “In that case, Your Highness, have a safe trip.”
Xie Yao was in a good mood for no reason.
Just as he was about to leave, he heard him say, “How does Your Highness plan to arrange for Miss Song?”
Xie Yao turned back. Mei Qing stood up a little straighter, his eyes looking directly at him.
In his heart, he probably still thought that Yuli was a mistress with no name or status.
Xie Yao also looked back at him. “She is my wife, and in the future, she will be the empress of this dynasty.”
Mei Qing was a little agitated and could not suppress his emotions. He said in a low voice, “She is surely unwilling. From the very beginning!”
Xie Yao sneered.
A chill spread through Mei Qing’s body, but he looked at him without flinching.
Xie Yao put away his terrifying smile and put on a natural majesty. He said calmly, “The official from the Ministry of Personnel has taken a fancy to you and has submitted a memorial to promote you, which has been passed to me through the Vice Minister and the Minister. They are upright and selfless, and you are not unworthy of the name of Zhuangyuan. When I return to the capital, I will find a position for you and transfer you back to the capital.”
A breath was stuck in Mei Qing’s chest, neither up nor down. After suppressing it several times, he finally cupped his hands and thanked him.
On the day they left Lingquan County to return to the capital, all the officials of the county came to see them off. Yuli wanted to avoid meeting Mei Qing.
But Xie Yao deliberately had her stand side by side with him for a while, to let Mei Qing have a look, to see how well they matched, and only then did he get into the carriage.
With an order, the procession set off, heading for the capital at a pace that was neither fast nor slow.
*
In the evening of midsummer, the scorching sun had faded a little, and a gentle breeze was blowing. Outside the Zhuque Gate of the capital.
The civil and military officials who were welcoming the regent’s carriage were lined up. At the head was the young emperor, followed by the Grand Tutor and the Right Vice Director.
Then came the Grand General of the Shenwu Army, Cui Chengbi, and the civil and military officials stood on the left and right.
On the periphery were the eagerly waiting common people of the capital.
The battle between the regent and the Rouran had been full of twists and turns, and the common people had already compiled several versions of storybooks, greatly praising the regent for his fearlessness of death and his defense of the Central Plains, and singing his praises for exterminating the Rouran clan and cleaning up the rebels in the capital. In the end, it was concluded that he was the man of destiny, and with him, the land of the Central Plains would be forever peaceful.
Although the rumors among the common people were exaggerated, if he had not truly won the hearts of the people, they would not have spread so widely.
The people’s hearts were set, and the dissenters had been eliminated. The court and the public already regarded him as the ruler of the country, including Minister Chen, who had previously had doubts about him and had had some guesses about his methods. But, whether it was confirmed or not, they could only accept the current situation.
A powerful and resourceful emperor was not harmful to the country. In the whole country, there was no second person who could stabilize the country and bring peace to the people. It all depended on how he would govern the country in the future.
That was why Minister Chen had led the court officials to hold today’s welcoming ceremony. And the young emperor in front, under the guidance of the Grand Tutor, would naturally also make the most beneficial move for himself.
The regent’s procession came slowly, and everyone held their breath in anticipation.
Although the common people were grateful and loved him, they still, as before, did not dare to look at his face directly.
Xie Yao sat on his horse, with a carriage close behind him.
The carriage was not luxurious. It was the best in Lingquan County, and the person inside was still in a coarse cloth skirt and a plain face.
Inside, Jingyu and Xiyun were with Yuli. Just now, they had seen the crowd outside the Zhuque Gate from a distance. At this moment, they were restrained inside, not daring to lift the curtain to look, nor to speak.
Hearing the people outside bowing to welcome the regent, followed by a mountain of shouts, someone came out to read an edict, all of which were words of praise, extremely cumbersome and convoluted
After reading for a long time, she heard the young emperor’s childish voice.
It was also very literary, not at all in line with his age.
Yuli was dazed, but she understood the last few sentences.
“I, the emperor, will live among the common people. I only wish for the country to be prosperous and the people to be at peace, and I will no longer be involved in politics. Today, I entrust the country to you, and grant you the mandate of heaven. I hope that you will be diligent in your administration and love the people, and create a foundation for ten thousand generations.”
The young emperor was abdicating.
The action of fanning in the carriage stopped.
After a moment, she heard Xie Yao reply, “I, the king, am of meager talent and virtue. How dare I accept this mandate of heaven? I only wish to be an assistant and inherit Your Majesty’s country.”
He was refusing.
Outside, it was quiet for a moment. Yuli couldn’t see. Xie Yao gave the young emperor and the Grand Tutor a look.
He showed some displeasure. The Grand Tutor immediately understood. Abdication was possible, but not now.
Not long after, the ritual official continued with the next item. Without much delay, the procession continued to move forward, and under the embrace of the people, they entered the capital, passed through Zhuque Street, and headed towards the Imperial City behind the emperor’s imperial carriage.
The three people in the carriage heard that the noise outside had not stopped and finally dared to talk in a low voice.
“Where are we going?” Xiyun asked in a low voice.
“To the Imperial Palace,” Yuli replied. Xie Yao had already discussed it with her before, and she had agreed. They would first enter the palace today, and in a few days, they would see if they wanted to go back to Mingyue Residence.
Xiyun gasped.
Jingyu said calmly, “The Imperial Palace is nothing to be afraid of. It’s just that the servants are more particular about the rules. But all the rules are decided by the master.”
“Then are we going to pay our respects to the master?” Xiyun asked again.
Jingyu pondered for a moment and did not dare to say too much for the time being, only saying, “The Mistress is the master.”
Xiyun was slightly relieved. She couldn’t imagine Yuli in a humble position, bowing to another woman.
The carriage entered the Imperial Palace, and the people who had been seeing them off temporarily dispersed. Although there were many speculations about the person in the carriage behind the regent, no one discussed it openly.
When they reached the Imperial Palace, it finally quieted down. The carriage continued to move forward and reached the bedchamber.
Xie Yao lifted the carriage curtain. Yuli immediately went out. She had been stuffy for a long time and only felt a sense of security when she landed on the ground.
The palace in front of her was towering, and the dougong brackets and flying eaves exuded a sense of solemnity and majesty.
The square in front of the hall was vast, with only servants standing on both sides, bowing in service.
Seeing that she didn’t like it very much, Xie Yao said, “In the future, all these stone slabs can be removed, and you can plant the flowers and trees you like.”
Yuli blinked. If she were to really live here, she would surely not be used to such a cold and hard residence. “Is that really okay?”
“The entire Imperial Palace can be renovated as you wish,” Xie Yao said with a smile.
A servant on the side saw the regent bring a commoner woman into the palace, and he was even smiling as he spoke. His mind went blank for a moment.
The chief steward was the first to react and welcomed them in.
The layout of the hall was also simple, with pillars and desks. It didn’t look cold in the summer, but it was very hard everywhere, not like a residence, but like an office.
“You can arrange everything as you wish.”
Yuli also accepted without being polite.
After traveling for five or six days, Yuli was exhausted and wanted to go back to Mingyue Residence. But she had already said that she would stay in the palace tonight, so she held back from leaving.
Xie Yao accompanied her for a meal and then went to Zichen Hall to deal with urgent political affairs.
The servants had meticulously prepared all the necessary items. Yuli saw that they were cautious and would kowtow in fear if they made any noise. She was really not used to it. She sent them all out, leaving only Xiyun and Jingyu.
Xiyun, on the other hand, was curious about the furnishings inside. After everyone had left, she would touch here and there.
Jingyu was also much more at ease and told Yuli about the personnel in the palace. Besides the young emperor, there were no female dependents in the rear palace, not even personal maids.
Simple personnel meant no complicated interpersonal relationships.
Although there were many rules in the palace, they were all for ceremonies, receiving noblewomen, and audiences with high-ranking people. If there was only Yuli as a wife in the future, these rules would not be used much.
Only then was Yuli a little more at ease. As for the long time in the future, if Xie Yao only had her, she would also walk with him. If he had other thoughts, she also had the courage to leave.
At night, Yuli lay on a bed that was twice the size of the one in Mingyue Residence and could not fall asleep for a long time.
Just as she was about to call for Xiyun and Jingyu to sleep with her, Xie Yao returned.
She held him, listened to him talk about his future aspirations, and listened to his heartbeat before falling asleep.
For the next few days, Xie Yao was so busy that he could only be seen at night.
Yuli returned to Mingyue Residence, and he still came back as usual.
He must have been too busy to rest during the day. When he came back at night, he could still wake her up to do some physically demanding things.
Yuli could catch up on sleep during the day, so she indulged his reckless behavior.
A rumor that the regent had a fiancée gradually spread in the capital, and some people even made up a lingering and moving story, mostly saying that it was that commoner woman who had saved the regent in Huilong City, and after that, the two of them had a mutual understanding, and the regent had brought her back.
During this period, Yuli went to Huayan Fang in disguise.
Because the capital had been in chaos, the business was not particularly good.
But under Lizhen’s careful management, it was still much better than the other jewelry shops.
Zhile returned to Huayan Fang and was busy with the orders.
Ye Weiqing was focused on dyeing silk threads and was also developing other colors.
Wanse Fang had come to them several times, wanting to cooperate again. Shopkeeper Liu conveyed Chu Hong’s situation. He was probably being squeezed out at home and was being held back everywhere.
Shopkeeper Liu also handed over a letter he had written. In the letter, he recalled the past and regretted that he had not fully supported Huayan Fang at that time and had missed the opportunity to become a business partner with Yuli.
Yuli considered it again and again and still signed some orders.
If she could use the deep foundation of the Chu family to expand Huayan Fang and open some branch stores in prosperous cities, it would also be a good thing. But if it really happened, the management rights and profit distribution would have to be decided by her.
*