Chapter 236: You are Zhen’s Meaning
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“What…what’s going on? Volcanic eruption? Earthquake? Is it the end of the world?” Xia Yuqing was startled by the sudden shock, her body swaying and almost falling. Fortunately, Feng Tingye was next to her and helped her stand steady.
When she regained her balance, she noticed that the situation of the people around her was not much better than hers. Worse yet, some of the elderly people had fallen to the ground and the people around them all looked pale, keeping their distance and not even willing to lend a helping hand.
“…” Hey, you guys! Although helping the elderly these days comes with risks, you shouldn’t be so obvious in ignoring them, right? Where has the traditional virtue of respecting the elderly and caring for the young gone? Oh, wait…
Xia Yuqing suddenly came back to her senses and looked at Feng Tingye with anxiety, “Your Majesty, what’s going on?”
“It’s nothing, just a warning to some people.” Feng Tingye pinched Xia Yuqing’s face and his face showed no panic at all. Instead, there was a hint of gloating, as if he had already anticipated that something like this would happen.
“A warning?”
Feng Tingye chuckled and whispered in Xia Yuqing’s ear, “Ai Fei, our reinforcements have arrived.”
“What? Reinforcements!” Xia Yuqing’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Feng Tingye.
The other day, Feng Tingye said that their reinforcements were too far away from Xia Country and could not arrive in time. She thought Feng Tingye deliberately sought assistance from the armies of Xue Country and Shu Country, without resorting to the military of Ye Country.
But now Feng Tingye told her that their reinforcements had arrived, which means Ye Country’s army had arrived? But now that the coup has long been over, why would they bring in these reinforcements? To show off?
Xia Yuqing really guessed right this time. Feng Tingye called his army here not for any other reason but to show off, and it was in front of people from the other three countries, a complete show-off.
Before Xia Yuqing could ask for more details, they heard someone below shout: “Outside, look outside, quickly look outside!”
The people who were still immersed in the shock of the earthquake suddenly regained their senses and hurriedly rushed outside.
“You guys want to go out and see too? That kind of spectacle isn’t something you can see every day.” Feng Tingye glanced at the people who were rushing out, then looked back at the few people who were looking at each other in confusion, and asked with a mischievous look.
The few people looked at the smile on Feng Tingye’s face and raised their eyebrows in unison.
“Big Brother, what should we do?” Yun Zhongyue crossed his hands and supported his head with a low voice.
Su Wuduan shrugged and said indifferently, “What else can we do? Let’s go out and see. A spectacle? I don’t believe he can still bring down half of the sky!”
The few people felt that this made sense and nodded their heads, walking out one by one behind the Darens.
When passing by Feng Tingye, Xia Mingyuan glanced at him with a somewhat intriguing light in his eyes, but didn’t say anything and followed the others out.
Feng Tingye didn’t mind, he just glanced at Xia Yuqing’s curious little face and smiled slightly, “Let’s go too.”
As Xia Yuqing and Feng Tingye walked out of the main hall, they heard the people nearby exclaiming and murmuring anxiously. From time to time, they could also hear whispers coming from ahead.
Xia Yuqing was a little puzzled and before she could ask, she saw a flash of red rushing towards her and grabbing her hand excitedly. “Little Princess, look over there, that…!”
“Hmm?” Xia Yuqing followed Xia Muyun’s pointing direction and her eyes almost popped out of her head!
Feng Tingye didn’t really make the sky fall, he just forcefully collapsed half of the tallest mountain in Xia Kingdom’s capital city! The mountain, which had once towered into the clouds, had shrunk by half and was now bald!
Holy cow, Your Majesty, you’ve gone too far this time, haven’t you?! That was a mountain, a real mountain! Not like the fake one by the lotus pond in our palace that looks like it’s about to collapse but is actually very fake! You went so blatantly into someone else’s country and collapsed their capital city’s mountain. Don’t you think it’s too outrageous?!
“Your…Your Majesty, did you do that over there?” Xia Yuqing asked, her face stiff and her lips twitching.
Feng Tingye smiled but remained silent, and someone else answered the question for him.
“It looks like they finally arrived before we returned to our country.”
It was Leng Ruofeng, who had come with Xia Muyun. However, he was less worried than Xia Muyun, who had rushed over with great enthusiasm. Leng Ruofeng was much more calm, only because he believed that Feng Tingye would never let Xia Yuqing suffer any harm.
Therefore, now that everyone had rushed out, he strolled leisurely over.
“!” As soon as Leng Ruofeng spoke, everyone present was stunned, and their astonishment became even more evident in their eyes.
According to Leng Ruofeng, was this catastrophic event that defied the laws of nature caused by King Ye? How could that be possible? How could it be possible! Is this man a monster?
After listening to Leng Ruofeng’s words, Xia Yuqing was also taken aback. After a brief shock, Xia Yuqing rubbed her chin, her little face tense as she gazed at the distant mountain that was now bald.
That mountain…it looks like it has been exploded by gunpowder! But there shouldn’t be gunpowder at this time, right? No, wait, it was the fireworks that day!
Xia Yuqing seemed to have discovered something. Her eyes suddenly shrank. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, the signal flare used by the Fourth Royal Brother and his men was just ordinary fireworks, but the one used by the Second Prince that could snake and spiral in the air…it looked like…it couldn’t be what she was thinking, could it?
Feng Tingye watched Xia Yuqing’s changing expression and understood that she might have figured something out. He didn’t reveal it and instead smiled at everyone’s eager gaze, saying, “I will tell you the specifics later. For now, there is something we need to take care of.”
He then turned his gaze to the numb-looking crowd nearby and narrowed his eyes, saying, “Esteemed officials, this is the new secret weapon recently acquired by the army of Ye Kingdom. I have always advocated for diplomacy first and war as a last resort. I will not resort to violence unless it is absolutely necessary.”
Upon hearing this, Xia Yuqing and the others gave him a contemptuous look. This guy clearly had a plan in mind, yet he spoke so righteously. Truly, a beast is a beast no matter where it goes!
Feng Tingye glanced at them and changed the subject, chuckling, “However, this is also good. Let me show you the truth. If my Ai Fei had really schemed against the land of Xia, do you think you would still be safe and sound until now?”
Upon hearing this, the faces of the crowd turned pale again, and one person even trembled and stammered, “King Ye, is that mountain really…”
Feng Tingye glanced at him, as if he had already expected that they would not easily believe him. He flipped his wrist, and a small bamboo tube slipped out of his sleeve. Before they could react, the fuse on the small bamboo tube had already been lit with a crisp sound.
The next second, the signal flare that they had seen at the banquet shot up into the sky.
The crowd looked at Feng Tingye in confusion, not understanding his intentions.
Before long, everyone heard another earth-shattering loud noise. They immediately felt the ground shaking beneath their feet and turned their gaze to the distant mountains, where they witnessed the spectacular scene of the towering mountains collapsing into rubble in an instant.
Years later, the people of the capital of Xia would still marvel at this event, recalling how they had only heard two loud noises before discovering that the entire mountain had disappeared. Many believed that a divine immortal had passed through their city and, finding the mountain obstructive, had used two bolts of thunder to destroy it. Otherwise, how could any mortal have accomplished such a fantastic feat overnight?
As rumors about the incident spread, they became increasingly absurd and eventually drowned out this epochal event in human history beneath a sea of various rumors.
By the time Xia Yuqing heard these rumors, it was long, long after the fact. She could only sneer at those who spread them and say, “Heh.”
However, the fact that this event became so legendary in later generations was a testament to the tremendous impact it had on people’s minds.
Feng Tingye was pleased with their reaction and tossed away the bamboo tube in his hand, chuckling, “Now, do you gentlemen believe me?”
“…” At this moment, those who had witnessed this epochal spectacle were at a loss for words and could only stare in amazement at Feng Tingye.
“You have seen the power of that thing,” Feng Tingye turned his head and scanned those stunned people, his eyes narrowed threateningly. “If anyone dares to say a word against my Ai Fei, I don’t care who you are or what your reason is. My Ye Country alone is enough to crush you and the land beneath your feet. You can try to test whether your heads and mansions are harder, or the mountain we just saw.”
The people who were scared by Feng Tingye’s cold gaze gasped and their faces turned pale. They looked at the place where the mountain was no longer visible and then back at Feng Tingye’s expression, which was not playful at all, and trembled slightly.
“Enough!” A loud shout interrupted the confrontation between Feng Tingye and the people.
The crowd turned to see Xia Mingyuan, who had been silent all along, with a grim face, staring at everyone.
“Your Majesty…”
“Huh, you still know that I am Your Majesty? I thought you knew nothing,” Xia Mingyuan sneered at the people.
The officials were speechless and didn’t know what to say. Then Xia Mingyuan said coldly, “From today on, no one is allowed to mention the previous dynasty. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!”
“Your Majesty…” Some old ministers still didn’t want to give up, but their refuting words were cut off by Xia Mingyuan’s icy gaze.
“Remember, I am informing you, not asking for your opinion.”
“But…” The old minister who spoke up at the beginning took a step forward, but before he could finish his words, Xia Mingyuan’s next sentence almost made him faint on the spot.
“The Grand Tutor and Grand Preceptor are already of advanced age, and they have devoted half of their lives to the country, working tirelessly with all their energy and thoughts. I deeply feel ashamed and guilty, and after much consideration, I have ordered the two venerable elders to retire and return to their hometowns to enjoy their remaining years, starting today.
The Grand Preceptor is the person who was just about to speak, while the Grand Tutor was the one who had been actively encouraging other officials during the previous discussion.
After hearing Xia Mingyuan’s words, the two elderly officials looked at each other and quickly knelt down, respectfully saying, “Although we are old, we hope to be able to support the new emperor in governing Xia country in the near future, so that Xia country can prosper and thrive like it did before.”
Xia Mingyuan smiled and scanned the faces of the people around him with his narrowed eyes, saying lightly, “It seems that the two venerable elders have some objections to my arrangement. Do you think you haven’t reached the age of retirement yet? Do you think you can still contribute to the future of Xia country with your frail bodies instead of being a burden?”
“Your Majesty!” Xia Mingyuan’s blunt words changed the expressions of the two elderly officials, who looked up at Xia Mingyuan in disbelief and wanted to get angry but also feared the people standing behind Xia Mingyuan.
It seemed that Xia Mingyuan had achieved the effect he wanted. His cold smile deepened as he said, “What? Does the Grand Tutor and Grand Preceptor think that I am wrong? As people get old, they cannot just hold onto their positions and prevent the rising stars from shining. They have already grown old and their eyesight is failing. It’s time for them to retire and make way for others. I believe that even our late emperor did not want to see such a situation. Don’t you agree?”
With these words, the slight objections between those people disappeared. Xia Mingyuan’s words were directed not only at the two elderly officials but also at the others present. It was true that these old officials had monopolized the court for many years, using their power to recruit and promote their own people while suppressing those who opposed them.
However, the late emperor did not dare to investigate them so openly. Now, this newly enthroned emperor, who had not yet warmed his seat on the throne, dared to hint and threaten them so blatantly. They may have underestimated the new emperor’s strength, and the consequences could be severe!
Xia Mingyuan snorted disdainfully, sneering, “Emperor, Emperor, Emperor… Hmph, you used this to suppress my father when he was alive, and now that he’s gone, you still want to use it to suppress me? It’s just wishful thinking. I’ll make it clear today, I’m not my father, I don’t have his so-called respect for you, nor will I indulge you in any way. I only know that there is a line between ruler and subject, and crossing it is rebellion. If ministers overstep their bounds, the consequences… you all know better than I do.”
Xia Mingyuan took two steps forward with an expressionless face and looked down at the two elderly ministers kneeling on the ground. He calmly dropped a sentence, “To borrow a phrase from my father, I suggest you all open your eyes and see who’s sitting on the throne now.”
The two old ministers turned pale and looked for help from the other senior ministers behind them, but Xia Mingyuan had already anticipated their move and sneered, “Anyone who dares to plead for these two will retire with them!”
Xia Mingyuan emphasized the last words deliberately, causing the ministers who were still considering pleading to turn pale and kneel down, shouting, “Long live the Emperor!”
Xia Yuqing and the others glanced at them and couldn’t help but smile, knowing that this matter was over.
“Wow, Royal Brother, you were so cool just now! You didn’t see the look on those two old ministers’ faces!” As soon as they returned to Liu Yixiang’s bedroom, Xia Yuqing couldn’t help but exclaim, her eyes shining brightly.
Xia Mingyuan smiled but said nothing. Although his face still looked gentle and humble, the laughter in his eyes gave him away.
The others looked helplessly and then cast a scornful look at Xia Mingyuan, who had only emerged at the end to take advantage of the situation.
“Little Junior Sister, am I not handsome too? Why are you so biased?” Su Wuduan gave Xia Mingyuan a glance as if he had sensed something and walked over to Xia Yuqing, looking at her with a pitiful expression.
Xia Yuqing stepped back in alarm and said with disgust, “Senior Brother, if you keep this up, I’ll make Cui Er divorce you.”
The smile on Su Wuduan’s face instantly shattered into pieces at the moment when Xia Yuqing’s words hit him like a thunderbolt, and he felt like he had been blasted into pieces in an instant.
“Junior sister is abandoning me, abandoning me, abandoning me…” Su Wuduan silently squatted aside and continued to draw circles.
…
Hua Nongying looked at his senior brother with contempt, his eyes turned, he had a plan in mind: “If I may speak, the most powerful move just now was actually Brother-in-law’s display of power. Tsk tsk, it was a whole mountain, but now it’s gone.”
Sure enough, when Hua Nongying mentioned that, everyone’s attention was immediately drawn.
“Speaking of which, I almost forgot. Your Majesty, what exactly happened just now? How did that mountain disappear?” Xia Yuqing looked at Feng Tingye curiously, and everyone else immediately pricked up their ears to listen to his answer.
Feng Tingye saw everyone’s small movements but didn’t mind. He walked up to Xia Yuqing with a smile and said, “I thought my Ai Fei had already guessed something.”
“Me…” Xia Yuqing was stunned, surprised that everyone’s eyes suddenly focused on her, feeling somewhat astonished.
After a moment of thought, Xia Yuqing suddenly remembered her previous guess and her mouth twitched: “Um, it’s not what I thought, is it?”
Xia Yuqing looked up at Feng Tingye cautiously and asked, “Is it related to the gun that Dudu had in his hand?”
Feng Tingye stared at her with a smile, and although he didn’t say anything, the pride in his eyebrows had already revealed the answer.
Xia Yuqing burst into tears in an instant. How could she have thought that someone like the Ultra Seme Lord would just play with a gun like a child without doing anything after seeing its tremendous power? She was really crying because of her own stupidity! Sniffle…
“What exactly happened?” Everyone next to them looked at Xia Yuqing and Feng Tingye, puzzled by their silent exchange, and asked anxiously.
Xia Yuqing looked embarrassed and didn’t know how to start. Feng Tingye, on the other hand, had no intention of hiding anything and said indifferently, “You know about the power of the Crown Prince’s pistol, right? And you also know that the pistol was made by Ai Fei, right?”
Everyone was taken aback and nodded silently.
“Do you know why that little thing has such a huge power that even a child holding it is so dangerous?” Feng Tingye found a place to sit down and looked at the people who were sitting up straight in silence with a faint smile.
“I mean, why don’t you just tell us directly instead of playing dumb?” Xia Muyun looked a little angry and looked at the person opposite who was deliberately teasing them.
“Since the Third Princess has said so, I won’t keep it a secret. The reason why the pistol made by Ai Fei has such great power is because of the small bullets inside the gun, and there are also some things hidden in those bullets.”
“What things?” The people at the table jumped up suddenly, staring at Feng Tingye with shining eyes. Xia Mingyuan’s eyes also sharpened instantly.
“It’s…a secret!” Feng Tingye’s eyes swept over everyone’s faces one by one, and then he calmly said a few words.
“…” Are you f*cking kidding us!
Although a few people were angry, they also knew that this kind of thing was confidential and could not be spread easily. They didn’t want to make it hard for Feng Tingye, so they asked again, “Is that the reason for today’s big movement?”
“No, that thing was very stable before it was used. It’s just that I made some small changes, and then…”
“What? Did you take out the things inside?” Xia Yuqing’s face changed drastically. She didn’t care that there were other people present and shouted at Feng Tingye, “That thing is very dangerous, and it can explode if you’re not careful!”
Xia Yuqing’s sudden shout surprised everyone present, including Feng Tingye.
However, the surprise only stayed on Feng Tingye’s face for a moment before turning into a faint smile. “It’s okay, they have experience and haven’t suffered any injuries.”
Experienced? What experience? How much experience can we expect from an ancient person in the face of these chaotic chemicals? Although the gunpowder inside bullets is different from explosives, if they really explode, it can still be deadly. Even if you regret it later, it will be too late!
“I don’t know how they did it, but in the end, they created something that can be used in fireworks, and the noise it makes can be millions of times louder than fireworks.”
“…” That’s gunpowder. It’s scary if someone doesn’t have common sense. Xia Yuqing couldn’t help but comment with a blank expression. However, those people who could integrate gunpowder from bullets into bombs were really amazing! Wait a minute…
Xia Yuqing seemed to have thought of something, widened her eyes and asked, “Did master make this for you?” Didn’t master say that he wouldn’t get involved in disputes between countries? Isn’t making this thing violating that principle?
“Xu Lao naturally couldn’t help us, but not all of my subordinates are useless.” Feng Tingye smiled contentedly, “However, one person put in a lot of effort for this thing.”
“Who?”
“Jin Lao.”
Xia Yuqing was taken aback, suddenly realizing that Jin Lao was a towering figure in alchemy. If they could ask him for help, they could accomplish things with half the effort.
“Doesn’t Jin Lao claim that he won’t easily work for others? Can the emperor convince him?”
A gleam of light flashed in Feng Tingye’s eyes, and a calculating smile appeared on his lips, “He accepted my crown prince as his disciple. It’s hard to justify not helping with this small favor, right?”
“…” Ultra Seme Lord, can you be more cunning?
Upon hearing this, the light in the eyes of Xia Mingyuan and the others gradually faded. Although they didn’t know what these two were talking about, even if they understood the meaning behind their words, it would be impossible to create the thing that Feng Tingye demonstrated today without the help of their country’s experts.
After a moment of contemplation, Xia Yuqing spoke again, “To cause such a big commotion today, we must have wasted a lot of…ore resources, right? I remember there isn’t anywhere in Ye Kingdom that produces an especially large amount of ore, right?”
Hearing Xia Yuqing’s question, Feng Tingye’s smile deepened, “My dear, do you remember the conditions of the trade between me and the Xue King?”
“Hmm? Trade conditions? Xue King? With Yin Gongzi?” Xia Yuqing thought for a moment before her eyes lit up suddenly, “You said that back then you could help Yin Gongzi ascend to the throne earlier, and in exchange, you wanted the two cities that were adjacent to the border of Ye and Xue Kingdom!”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“And those two cities…”
“…are buried with countless ore veins.”
“!”
Xia Yuqing was stunned for a moment, her eyes suddenly brightened. Ore veins, it was actually ore veins! Even if it was in modern times, it would still be a rare treasure! Xia Yuqing seemed to have already seen the shiny, golden gold ingots flying towards her! Ah-woo…
After a while, Xia Yuqing finally came back to her senses. She remembered the look on Feng Tingye’s face when he insisted on taking those two cities. She thought that the Ultra Seme Lord must have known about this, otherwise, it would have been impossible…
“Your Majesty, did Yin Gongzi…the Xue King find out about this later?”
“He knew, I told him when I went to Xue Kingdom last time.”
“…How did he react?”
Feng Tingye raised his eyebrow and grinned, showing his white teeth, “What other reaction could he have? Even if he was unhappy, the cities were already in Ruofeng’s hands at that time, could he still forcefully take them back?”
“…” You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you, Ultra Seme Lord?. As expected, you’re a cunning merchant, just like what Second Master said!”
Feng Tingye looked at Xia Yuqing’s helpless appearance, smiled and reached out to touch her wilted head, and continued, “I didn’t intend to bring this out so early, but then I thought it might be better to show some strength and let people know that the country of Ye is not easy to bully. In the future, they will be more obedient and won’t cause as much trouble.”
“Oh.” Xia Yuqing nodded as if she understood, thinking that Feng Tingye was talking about those old officials.
But Yun Zhongyue, Shao Zitang, and Xia Mingyuan beside her didn’t think so.
“…” Shao Zitang’s mouth twitched. He had thought that everything was done, but someone wanted to keep the Xue Army for a while longer. So, this was the reason!
“…” If only I had sent my brother’s elite soldiers back earlier. I didn’t check properly and fell into their trap. Brother-in-law, you’re amazing! Yun Zhongyue regretted.
“…” This kid Feng Tingye had planned this a long time ago. He had planned this after Xia Yuqing’s identity was exposed and she returned. He ended up easily intimidating the other two countries. He really made a good move. Xia Mingyuan’s face was grim.
Xia Yuqing looked at Feng Tingye’s proud smile and couldn’t help feeling a bit helpless. Not long ago, he had just destroyed a mountain, and now he could easily intimidate people. He was really amazing.
As Xia Yuqing was thinking this, Feng Tingye whispered to her, “Oh, by the way, my dear, the person who brought the troops this time is an acquaintance.”
“An acquaintance?” Xia Yuqing was a little puzzled and tilted her head in confusion.
Before Feng Tingye could reveal the answer, a voice came from outside, “Why is the Xia country palace even bigger than the one we had back then? If it weren’t for you guys leading the way, I would have been lost.”
Feng Tingye smiled at the sound and said, “It’s true that speaking of Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrives.”
“This voice… is it First Master?!” Xia Yuqing’s eyes lit up suddenly when she heard the person’s voice. She turned her head and saw Wu Jun, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time, walking in from outside.
Wu Jun was also stunned when he heard Xia Yuqing’s exclamation, but then he grinned and greeted her, “Hey hey, Niang Niang, it’s been a long time.”
“I thought it was someone else. It turns out to be General Wu!” Xia Yuqing looked at Wu Jun who was sitting opposite with a smile on her face and asked happily, “How have you been lately?”
Since Wu Jun and Xia Yuqing and the others returned to the capital, Xia Yuqing had not seen Wu Jun again. On one occasion, Xia Yuqing remembered to ask about Wu Jun’s whereabouts and learned that Wu Jun had taken his group of bandit brothers to the border to defend the country, ignoring his mother’s obstruction. Upon hearing this news, Xia Yuqing’s first reaction was that the old lady’s wish to hold her grandson was dashed, and she must be very angry. She didn’t know if General Wu had found someone he liked now.
Wu Jun just kept grinning and nodding in response to Xia Yuqing’s greetings, saying “It’s good, it’s good.”
Xia Yuqing looked at him suspiciously and probed, “First Master, I see that you look pretty good and full of joy. Have you had any good news lately?”
Wu Jun felt embarrassed and scratched the back of his head, “Actually, it’s nothing much. It’s just that my wife had a baby recently, and I’m happy.”
“Poo…” Xia Yuqing spurted out all the tea she had just sipped, scaring Wu Jun to shrink back, thinking he had said something wrong.
“You got married and had a child? When did this happen?”
Xia Yuqing’s surprise puzzled Wu Jun, but he still grinned and nodded, “We got married before the expedition. The Emperor arranged it. My mother praised the Emperor a lot for this, saying that it was right to follow you back. Not only did I become a general, but I also got a wife.”
“…” You, as the First Master, saying that is very misleading! In the future, when recruiting soldiers, they might all be rushing to find their future wives because our emperor said that joining the army comes with a guarantee of marriage!”
Xia Yuqing’s lips twitched, and she suddenly remembered Su Qingyan, whom she had thought was the official match for Wu Jun.
Waaaah, I was wrong about you, First Master! I thought you would be with Second Master forever, deep in love and never dying. I didn’t expect you to end up marrying and having children. Now, Second Master must be so sad! You, the slow and inept Gong, waaaah…”
At this moment, Su Qingyan, who was sitting in a certain backyard of the palace, basking in the sun, suddenly felt a chill on his back and sneezed, wondering who was plotting against him.
The appearance of Wu Jun attracted everyone’s attention, especially Xia Yuqing, who was busy prying into Wu Jun’s unknown love story, and did not notice that Feng Tingye and Xia Mingyuan had come together again.
“How do you feel about today’s coronation?” Feng Tingye calmly spoke, his tone calm, but it made Xia Mingyuan feel a somewhat profound chill.
“It’s not bad, but it would have been better if those old ministers hadn’t caused trouble.” Xia Mingyuan paused, picked up a cup of tea from the table, took a sip, and whispered, “There won’t be a next time.”
Feng Tingye nodded calmly, also picked up the tea in front of him, took a sip, and said, “This won’t happen again.”
Today, the old ministers spoke so bluntly, and logically speaking, the most qualified person to speak was Xia Mingyuan. However, he waited until the last moment to come forward, which was still somewhat exploitative. He used their protection of Xia Yuqing and their powerful background to intimidate those old ministers, so that even if they had any opinions about Xia Mingyuan in the future, they would definitely be hesitant to express them.
If this small advantage was used in normal times, Feng Tingye would never give anyone an opportunity to take advantage of it. However, he was an emperor after all, naturally understanding the difficulties that Xia Mingyuan faced as a new emperor. Moreover, today he had achieved his goal and successfully frightened people from other countries. He was in a good mood, and coupled with Xia Yuqing’s lack of sensitivity, she did not notice anything and he was generous and did not mind.
The dispute over Xia Yuqing’s identity as a princess of the former dynasty finally came to an end.
On the third day after Xia Mingyuan ascended to the throne, the Tuoba clan was executed because of their conspiracy to rebel. As for Xia Mingxuan, out of consideration for their brotherhood over the years, Xia Mingyuan left him a complete body and allowed him to take his own life in prison by drinking poison.
When Xia Yuqing received this news, she only nodded at Feng Tingye and said, “That day, when we went to visit Fourth Brother in prison, he said that my existence was meaningless. But on that day in the court, when those ministers were clamoring against me, I saw you and several senior brothers and sisters standing in front of me protecting me. I suddenly realized that Fourth Brother was wrong. Maybe I have no meaning in his eyes, but in your eyes, the real me is still here, not the original Xia Yuqing. So, my meaning, perhaps, is just to come here and meet you all through time and space.”
Feng Tingye was momentarily stunned, and then he understood why Xia Yuqing had been so depressed and conflicted during that period of time, and why she had acted so unusually in the Golden Luang Hall that day.
A faint smile appeared on his lips as Feng Tingye leaned down and kissed Xia Yuqing’s forehead, saying seriously, “You are my meaning. No matter how others see you, in my eyes, you are you, the person who has been with me for so many years, not the stranger Xia Yuqing. Therefore, don’t pay attention to anyone’s idle talk, just focus on me.”
Xia Yuqing was taken aback, and after a moment of silence, she surprisingly didn’t complain about Feng Tingye’s domineering attitude. She obediently hugged his waist.
This is her own little happiness, and she wants to hold onto it tightly. So, I’m sorry, Fourth Royal Brother, I can’t give back the original Xia Yuqing to you. I’m sorry!
After Xia Mingxuan’s matter was over, Xia Yuqing and her group left Xia Country. Of course, when the Second bun of the Xia family learned that the little miss was leaving again, they couldn’t help but be sad again. Unfortunately, in the end, they couldn’t keep their most beloved second elder sister and could only look at her with his big teary eyes.
After a few days of traveling, Xia Yuqing and her group finally arrived at the border of Xia Country, where they originally planned to turn back.
“After passing through this area, we will enter the territory of Ye Country. Let’s find a place nearby to rest for tonight and continue travelling tomorrow,” Shao Zitang turned his horse’s head and walked to Xia Yuqing’s carriage, whispering.
Xia Yuqing looked at Feng Tingye and saw him nod, so she responded, “Hmm, then you go find a place for us to stay tonight, Little Shang Shu.”
As Xia Yuqing spoke, she heard the sound of drums and trumpets coming from the side. She couldn’t help but feel curious and asked, “What’s going on up ahead? It seems pretty lively.”
Feng Tingye also walked over to take a look and squinted his eyes, “It seems like a bandit gang is having a wedding.”
“Wedding?” Upon hearing Feng Tingye’s words, Xia Yuqing’s mind suddenly conjured up a scene of Zhu Bajie* carrying his wife on his back.
* character from journey to the west
Struggling to drive away this strange thought from her mind, Xia Yuqing was about to hide her head inside the carriage when her body suddenly froze.
“Did you… hear any strange sounds?”
“Strange sounds?” Upon Xia Yuqing’s question, everyone became alert and listened attentively.
After a while, Cui Er, sensing something, replied, “There is indeed a strange sound, as if it’s coming from inside the bridal sedan.”
“Bridal sedan?” Xia Yuqing furrowed her brows, turning her head with a puzzled expression.
As she looked closely, she saw someone stuck at the window of the bridal sedan, their eyes wide open, with a white cloth stuffed in their mouth. It was clear that this person was being forcefully married. Xia Yuqing’s eyes widened abruptly, and she couldn’t help but curse, “What the f***!”
“…”
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