The Tyrant’s Cannon Fodder Male Empress Chapter 89

Chapter 89

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Chapter 89

The Crown Princess walked to the edge of the bed, quickly helping her husband take off his robe and loosening his belt. Suddenly, her fingers paused.

Sensing the scorching gaze directed at her from above, the Crown Princess curiously lifted her face to look at her husband.

The Crown Prince promptly averted his eyes, looking at the ceiling beam with a serious and restrained aura.

Crown Princess: “……”

Could it be just an illusion?

Why did it feel like Jinan was unusually stiff today?

Worried that her attire might displease her husband, she instinctively recoiled a bit, bowing her head to continue unfastening her husband’s outer garment at the waist.

“I haven’t seen you wear this robe before,” the Crown Prince’s steady voice sounded above her, “Is it a new style from the Directorate for Royal Clothing?”

“No…” She noticed her husband’s tone was colder than usual, confirming his dislike for her outfit. Her initial anticipation was abruptly dampened. With a sense of disappointment, she murmured, “It was acquired some time ago. I won’t wear it again in the future.”

A thunderbolt-like “Why not wear it?” accompanied by a subtle movement in the Crown Prince’s throat, forcibly swallowed back.

The two fell into silence again.

The Crown Prince himself removed his inner garment and sat on the edge of the bed, gazing up at his wife, dressed so enticingly for the first and last time.

The Crown Princess, with a touch of melancholy, shed the thin veil, shrugged her shoulders, and reached behind to untie the chest straps of her robe.

The dress had a unique design. When she put it on, the palace maids assisted in fastening the ties at her back. Now, with no one around to attend, her own hands struggled to reach the ties. She could only cast a pleading look at her husband, “Your Highness, can you help me untie the straps?”

Crown Prince: “! ! !”

The Crown Prince, heedless of others, stood up and strode over, standing behind his wife. His gaze, sharp as lightning, closely observed the Crown Princess’ jade-like back, unseen in the three years of marriage under the lamplight.

As he reached to untie the straps, the Crown Princess cooperatively lifted onto her tiptoes.

As her body rose, the Crown Prince’s fingertips glided over the slightly protruding spine between her beautiful butterfly bones—a slightly cool and silky touch, with a hue akin to white jade.

Unfortunately, the dress had only one strap. After the Crown Prince untied it, he seemed reluctant to stop, as if wanting to untie another thirty or fifty.

The Crown Princess turned around, and the Crown Prince quickly nonchalantly turned his head, exuding a restrained aura.

The room returned to silence.

After taking off her outer garment, the Crown Princess turned around to find her husband looking crestfallen. Thinking he disliked her matching lotus-colored chest wrap, she considered extinguishing the lights, not wanting him to see her anymore.

Just as she opened the lampshade, preparing to turn off the light, the Crown Prince’s low voice suddenly came from behind—

“This outfit suits you well.”

The Crown Princess turned in surprise, her eyes widening as she looked at her husband.

The Crown Prince’s gaze became sincere, as if he had made a decision, staring directly at her.

It was the first time she saw such possessive eyes from her husband, representing admiration.

The feedback was so sudden that the Crown Princess felt a flutter and immediately regained confidence, wilfully asking her husband, “How about we keep the lights on a bit longer, Your Highness? We can chat.”

Keeping the lights on was acceptable to the Crown Prince, but chat?

The Crown Prince quickly estimated— from now until the night bell tolls at midnight, probably less than half an hour.

“Let’s chat tomorrow morning. It’s time to rest.” The Crown Prince couldn’t sacrifice precious “entertainment” time.

The Crown Princess almost immediately obeyed, but thankfully, the warmth in the man’s eyes gave her a bit of daring courage.

Xue Yao’s advice to “maintain some individuality” continued to echo in her mind.

“I want to have a heart-to-heart chat with Your Highness now.” The Crown Princess placed the lampshade back on the lamp, walked gracefully to her husband, and teasingly raised her eyes to him, “Otherwise, Your Highness can rest on your own. I can’t sleep.”

“How can I rest alone?” His enthusiasm, unlike before, hid behind a pair of phoenix eyes.

Suddenly realizing that the woman in front of him was no longer just any woman thrown at him by matchmakers but had transformed into a treasure he needed to restrain possessiveness for, patiently woo, and carefully obtain.

That night, he indeed relented, spending the time chatting with her over a cup of tea.

However, she paid the price of joy until the middle of the night, waking up the next day with a sore back.

For the first time, he served her in dressing in the early morning.

He coaxed her with “you’ve suffered,” but there was a proud smile on his lips.

She laughed foolishly, the first time “suffering” felt so sweet. This kind of tiredness was almost addictive.

•••

A year after the implementation of the new reform, the trial counties reclaimed loans and interest, and the profits essentially met Crown Prince’s promises. The Emperor was very satisfied.

It was the time period in the novel when the Crown Prince was deposed.

There were no disturbances in the court.

Thus, they peacefully passed through the autumn.

Xue Yao cleared all potential hazards, and surprisingly, it worked, securing the Crown Prince’s position.

The Seventh Prince, as usual, enjoyed the protection of the Crown Prince.

Under Fourth Zhang’s training, the three young princes’ martial skills surpassed those of the instructors on the training ground.

Everything seemed to be progressing towards a positive direction.

However, the war drums had faintly sounded on the border, unknown to Xue Yao.

In the novel, during this phase, the focus was on the Crown Prince’s fall from power, the Third Prince intensifying his humiliation of the Seventh Prince, and the Seventh Prince secretly observing the court’s situation. There was no mention of the Khitans attacking the border.

So, Xue Yao had no way of understanding the situation and was deeply concerned that the “imperial military expedition” might happen at any moment.

Before that, Xue Yao attempted to contact the Emperor through the Seventh Prince and Crown Prince, trying to use his persuasion skills to gain favor, advising him not to risk his life on the border. He aimed to persuade him to live peacefully, abdicate in favor of the Crown Prince, as it would be the most secure outcome.

However, the Emperor was occupied with state affairs and, after that, had to attend to Consort Xi. Finding time to chat with his son was challenging, let alone paying attention to a minor attendant.

Xue Yao never found an opportunity to cozy up to the Dragon’s thigh.

This left him quite flustered.

In the novel, Prince Ning should be observing the court, deciphering people’s hearts, and beginning his journey towards becoming a cunning Long Aotian.

Meanwhile, his chubby cub—

Was casually spending his days at the training ground, holding an apple he took a few bites from.

“This move focuses on offense as defense. I always struggle to find the right point of force at the back of the lance.” The Fifth Prince wiped off sweat, slamming the spear into the ground with a “clang,” beckoning to his seventh brother. “Come, practice with me a couple more times.”

The Seventh Prince shook the apple in his right hand, indicating he was busy.

The Fifth Prince raised his chin, frowned, and admonished, “No eating during martial practice. If the instructor catches you, you’ll get a whipping!”

The Seventh Prince smirked, lifting an apple in his left hand as well. With both hands, he provocatively stuffed both apples into his mouth, challenging his Fifth Brother…

To demonstrate the courage and appetite of a “real man, never fearing the instructor.”

“Enjoy your boasting!” The Fifth Prince shook his head, turning to instruct a reader-in-waiting to spar with him.

The Seventh Prince, in the midst of attempting to stuff both apples into his mouth, suddenly froze, his expression turning serious as he looked at the Fifth Prince.

The Fifth Prince, who had just lifted his lance, noticed Seventh Brother’s concerned gaze. Thinking he had made a mistake, he asked his brother with a willingness to learn, “What’s wrong? Any issue?”

The Seventh Prince swiftly walked up to the Fifth Prince, frowned, and whispered, “Hand over the lance.”

The Fifth Prince, thinking his naturally gifted brother wanted to correct his technique, immediately handed over the weapon obediently.

The Seventh Prince, hands full with apples, couldn’t free a hand and had to pass them to his fifth brother. “Hold these for your grandpa. No sneaking a bite.”

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, the Fifth Prince took the half-eaten apples from his seventh brother.

In the instant of completing the exchange—

The on-duty instructor returned, walking confidently through the door, and glanced up to see the Seventh Prince swiftly thrusting the lance, diligently practicing.

Turning to the Fifth Prince, who held the apples, and caught in the act.

He even had two apples!

The instructor’s clenched fist with the training whip made cracking sounds. “No eating during martial practice, Your Highness. Have you forgotten the rules?”

The Fifth Prince holding the apples was thunderstruck!

He incredulously turned to look at Seventh Brother, the frame-up artist!

Turned out, he had heard the footsteps of the instructor, couldn’t hide the apples in time, and came to exchange the apples for the lance!

“No… Instructor Chen, listen to me…” The Fifth Prince hastily stuffed the apples into his seventh brother’s arms!

The Seventh Prince, with righteous words, firmly refused to eat his half-eaten food, “Big Brother, don’t do this. No eating during practice.”

“Even His Highness remembers the rules!” The instructor angrily looked at the Fifth Prince, who was unwilling to yield.

“No, listen to me!” The Fifth Prince, with a face full of despair, pleaded, “Seventh Brother just now…”

Xue Yao turned away in despair, unwilling to witness the bear cub bullying the pitiful Fifth Prince anymore.

The old father would never admit to raising Long Aotian crooked!

The chubby cub’s sinister attribute was likely innate.

The comforting thing was that the baguazhang of the warm baby made remarkable progress in this year.

In the novel, the Sixth Prince did not learn martial arts from Fourth Zhang. He focused on swordsmanship, without any outstanding martial achievements.

In this life, Fourth Zhang took in the three young princes as disciples and was assigned by the Crown Prince to work as a menial laborer in the training ground.

Although he couldn’t enter the palace, Fourth Zhang could relay messages to Consort Hui through the Fifth Prince.

While not able to be physically present, it was still much better than in the novel.

The portrayal of Fourth Zhang in yhe novel was minimal and mysterious, likely because he spent all his savings and couldn’t secure a position in Consort Hui’s palace. He tried to seduce the Fifth Prince into learning martial arts with him, occasionally seizing the opportunity to inquire about Consort Hui’s situation.

Until the end, Consort Hui never knew this man was waiting for her in the palace, remaining oblivious until her old age.

When Xue Yao first read the novel, he thought the existence of this mysterious master was solely for boosting the Seventh Prince. Now, he realized Fourth Zhang had his own difficulties.

In the novel, Fourth Zhang might have accidentally discovered the Seventh Prince’s remarkable innate constitution and, out of appreciation, taught him some foundational skills.

In this life, Fourth Zhang didn’t disclose the Sword Saint’s whereabouts to the Seventh Prince but, during a casual conversation over drinks, discreetly told Xue Yao. He also emphasized not to spread the information as the Sword Saint disliked being disturbed.

Xue Yao kept it to himself but “internally transmitted” it to the chubby cub, urging him repeatedly to visit the Sword Saint on the mountain if the opportunity arose.

However, the chubby cub wasn’t particularly interested in it.

Born in hardship, die in tranquility.

In this life, the chubby cub, enjoying too much tranquility, had no interest in pursuing peerless martial arts. Xue Yao was prepared to resort to some persuasive measures to make him apprentice under the Sword Saint.

That winter, an unexpected joy occurred in the palace — the Crown Princess showed signs of pregnancy, already three months along.

It was truly a miracle. In the novel, the Crown Princess tried various methods, including traditional Chinese medicine and consulting renowned physicians, but couldn’t conceive.

In this life, she seemed less eager to conceive, yet it happened naturally.

Xue Yao had heard stories of couples struggling with infertility, trying all methods without success, only to conceive naturally after a certain intimate activity.

It was said to be related to hormones. A relaxed and joyful state of mind would make conception more likely.

The Crown Princess did indeed become more carefree in this life, likely influenced by Xue Yao’s discreet reminders.

While it was unclear how her private interactions with the Crown Prince changed, it was evident that the Crown Princess was increasingly revealing her naturally charming and lovable nature.

Moreover, this pregnancy came at a very opportune time.

As spring approached, the drumbeats Xue Yao had been worrying about officially sounded.

Xue Yao felt that the Crown Prince might choose to stay by his wife’s side, foregoing leading the expedition.

The imperial decree for the Emperor’s personal expedition was announced. The Emperor had been secretly preparing for seven months, anticipating leading the army to annihilate the Khitans and leave a lasting mark on history.

The preparations for this battle were thorough, with a clear understanding of the enemy’s situation. Forty thousand elite soldiers of Great Qi against twenty thousand Khitan iron cavalry made victory seem assured.

A sudden collective request for battle from the princes caught Xue Yao off guard after the imperial decree was issued.

Initially, it was the Crown Prince who took the lead in requesting to accompany the expedition.

Whether out of sincere intent or to express a patriotic spirit to his Father Emperor, the result was the Emperor’s gratifying approval of “granted as requested.”

Following suit, the Third Prince also volunteered for the battle.

Then came the Fifth Prince.

Seeing his younger brother stepping forward, the Fourth Prince, unable to shrink back, reluctantly knelt down to request participation.

With the room filled with kneeling brothers in this fervent atmosphere, the Sixth Prince and Seventh Prince exchanged a glance and, one after another, joined the procession, kneeling to request participation.

This was a result Xue Yao never expected.

In the novel, the princes accompanying the expedition were only the deposed Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince.

The deposed Crown Prince had lost his popularity. His call to battle naturally wouldn’t trigger competition from the Third and Fourth Princes.

The Fifth Prince, a child who had yearned for battle for over a decade, stayed behind in the palace along with the Sixth Prince and Seventh Prince.

In this life, the Crown Prince, Third Prince, Fourth, and Fifth Princes were all granted permission to accompany the expedition.

The Sixth Prince and Seventh Prince were allowed to accompany but were forbidden from engaging in the border conflict, only permitted to stay within the military camp.

Xue Yao was on the verge of losing his mind.

The three little rascals he had raised “with diapers and potty training” had, against all odds, jointly volunteered for battle behind his back.

In other words, if the Emperor were to find himself in the midst of the enemy, not only might the Crown Prince rush out to rescue, but his three little rascals could also act recklessly and follow, risking their lives.

***

Huhu they’re growing up. I hope the Crown Prince don’t die.

If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))

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