Feng Yue rаisеd аn еуebrow. "Thеу're cоming all this waу?"
"Наving rесеived such grеat kindness from you, theу fеel thеy must соmе nо mattеr whаt," Маmа Jin noddеd. "But they'rе quitе worriеd about yоu. Their urgеnt letters аll sау thеу insist уоu wait for thеm."
Аs pеорle whо had аlsо taken rеvеnge аnd had no regrеts, He Chоu аnd Duаnxiаn naturally undеrstооd best whаt shе might bе thinking. Whеn thеу had sоught dеath аfter аvenging their griеvanсеs, shе had bееn thеrе to persuаde them otherwise. Вut now that it was hеr turn, who would рersuаdе her?
Рeople are often like this—able to advise others, yet unable to forgive themselves. So as soon as they received Yin Gezhi's letter, they hurried to the Wei Kingdom. It had nothing to do with her becoming empress; they simply wanted to try to keep her here.
The person beside her probably thought the same way. That was why he had brought these people into the palace today and had Mama Jin say those words.
Glancing sideways at Yin Gezhi's impassive profile, Feng Yue felt a softness in her heart. Lowering her eyes, she replied, "Alright, I'll wait for them."
Yin Gezhi silently breathed a sigh of relief. He stood up and said, "I have matters to attend to and cannot stay long. I'll head to the front hall first. Lingshu, take good care of Her Majesty."
"Yes," Lingshu answered obediently, and everyone bowed their heads to see him off.
Only after the figure in the dragon robe had vanished without a trace did the people in the hall come alive again, chattering excitedly. "When I saw him back at the Dream Return Pavilion, I knew this gentleman was no ordinary person—destined for great things in the future!"
"Pah! You're so good at being wise after the event! If you saw it early on, why didn't you make a move?"
Jinzhu said pitifully, "Who didn't try? Many of us did, but he just wasn't satisfied. His expression was terrifying—which sister dared to approach and serve him? Only Her Majesty was bold enough back then to pluck hairs from the tiger's mouth!"
"You flatter me, you flatter me!" Feng Yue covered her mouth with a smile. "How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den?"
Mama Jin scolded immediately, "You little hussies, behave yourselves! Being so unrestrained in the palace, be careful you don't get dragged out and beheaded!"
With the empress herself being so unrestrained, who below would stick to the rules? Everyone was as free and easy as they had been at the Dream Return Pavilion, laughing and joking, making the lifeless palace seem to come alive.
Life in the palace was actually quite dull. With this group of people here, Feng Yue was happy, joining in their mischief—eating, drinking, chatting, and joking—until the sun set.
The girls were drunk, leaning on each other and stumbling about. Mama Jin was slightly better off, still able to keep her eyes open and observe the scene in the hall.
The fading glow of the sunset shone through the doorway. Someone's robe hem swayed slightly, brushing past Jinzhu, who was lying on the floor, avoiding Weiyun, who was drooling in front, and slowly walked to the soft couch at the main seat.
Rubbing her eyes, Mama Jin tried blearily to see the person's face but could only make out his purple-gold robe. As his wide sleeves rose and fell, the person on the couch was gathered into his arms.
"Don't you know to put on some clothes before sleeping when you're tired?"
The person in his arms mumbled something, grabbing the front of his robe and nuzzling against it.
Yin Gezhi sighed, his eyes full of emotion, and gently shook his head as he carried her into the inner hall and laid her on the bed. "If you keep fooling around like this, I won't let them come to keep you company next time."
"Don't..." Feng Yue mumbled twice, her eyes closed and full of weariness. "I didn't drink any wine. I was very obedient...""Good girl." Stroking her head, that cool voice carried a hint of warmth: "Sleep."
The person on the bed breathed evenly, falling asleep with great ease. Reaching out to touch, there was a bit more flesh on her face and body, finally looking less worrisome.
Tucking the blanket in and straightening up, Yin Gezhi turned his head and saw Lingshu staring at him wide-eyed.
Raising an eyebrow slightly, he gestured with his hand, signaling the clever little girl to follow him outside.
"Your Majesty," Lingshu was utterly puzzled. "You are flawlessly good to my mistress, especially when she is drowsy—you are always very gentle. But when she is awake, you become fierce... Why?"
"Don't speak out of turn," Yin Gezhi said. "I know exactly how I should treat her."
"But..." That way, my mistress won’t appreciate Your Majesty’s kindness at all! Lingshu frowned.
Glancing back at her, Yin Gezhi said calmly, "Your mistress has a fiery temper and a straightforward nature. If I were truly gentle and tender with her, she would become spoiled, lawless, and push her luck."
This way is just right—everything is perfectly balanced.
A sudden flash of insight struck Lingshu, and she understood the emperor’s meaning. She gasped sharply!
This person, this person...
"Knowing but not speaking is true wisdom." Giving her a deep look, Yin Gezhi turned away, his dragon robe fluttering slightly.
Lingshu stared blankly at the ground, pinched her own lips, turned around in place, and obediently went back to care for her mistress.
The news of the new emperor’s ascension in Wei Kingdom reached Wu Kingdom half a month later.
Holding Wangyou, Ye Yuqing looked at the letter in his hand and chuckled softly, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
"It hasn’t been long at all. Song Kingdom hasn’t even mobilized troops after receiving the news of General Yi’s death, yet he has already ascended the throne."
Wangyou pursed her lips. "Does Your Highness now believe that I wasn’t trying to run away, but truly wanted to return to Wei Kingdom to see for myself?"
"To see whom?" Ye Yuqing glanced at the person in his arms and asked, "The new empress?"
"Yes," Wangyou nodded. "She once showed me kindness, and now it seems she has thoughts of ending her life. I really should go and see her."
A shadow crossed his eyes as Ye Yuqing released the letter and gently pinched her waist. "I always feel that if I let you go, you won’t come back."
A chill ran down her spine, and Wangyou forced a smile. "How could that be?"
Ignoring her words, Ye Yuqing stood up and placed her aside. "With the new emperor’s ascension in Wei Kingdom, the country is in turmoil."
At this time, how much effort could they truly contribute to the alliance against Song Kingdom? When Emperor Wen of Wei was in power, Ye Yuqing felt confident he could control the entire Wei Kingdom through an alliance. But now, with Yin Gezhi as emperor, all his previous plans might have to be overturned.
Narrowing his eyes, Ye Yuqing sighed and asked Feng Chuang beside him, "Do you think this is fate or something? Not long ago, I said it was fortunate that someone as formidable as Yin Gezhi could never return to Wei Kingdom. Yet soon after, he did. A month ago, I told you it was fortunate that Wei Kingdom was under Emperor Wen of Wei’s rule, and now, he has ascended the throne."
Feng Chuang remained silent, bowing his head.Hearing his tone, Wangyou suddenly felt uneasy. She walked over and gently tugged at his sleeve. "Your Highness..."
Gently withdrawing his hand, Ye Yuqing freed himself from her grasp and said gently, "You should stay here properly. The Wei Kingdom is not very peaceful, and I would worry about you."
Her heart sank. Wangyou widened her eyes. "But..."
"It's settled." Gently placing her hand in his own, Ye Yuqing smiled. "Be obedient, alright?"
"...Yes." Wangyou lowered her gaze, her heart tightening into a knot.
She couldn't go back, only Duanxian could return. At the very least, she had to find a way. To let her send a message!
The first major event after Emperor Wei Xiao ascended the throne was to station troops in the northwest to block the Song army. The news of Yi Guoru's passing had already spread across the nations. The Song Kingdom had amassed troops at the border of the Wu Kingdom, showing signs of impending movement. The alliance between Wu and Wei had already been established. Yin Gezhi assembled an army of one hundred thousand and handed the military tally to Yin Yanzhong.
"There are eight garrison points. General, take this route northwest, and you can rendezvous with six or seven along the way. The remaining troops will meet you at the border. Provisions and armor—I will ensure everything is prepared properly and will not delay the war."
It was good to have an emperor who had once been a general. He knew how to fight wars and understood what was needed for warfare. Yin Yanzhong saluted with his helmet and solemnly accepted the military tally.
"I thought Your Majesty would lead the expedition personally," Luo Hao joked beside him. "Emperors always like to do that sort of thing, but it's troublesome—fighting a war with an emperor in tow is the hardest!"
"General Luo!" Madam Qiu glared at him. Couldn't he watch his words? The person standing right in front of them was the emperor!
Realizing his slip of the tongue, Luo Hao quickly added, "Of course, if it were our emperor, it would be different. You would lead us to victory!"
"This time, I will not go," Yin Gezhi said with a stern face. "Now that I have ascended the throne, there are indeed many matters to attend to. A kingdom cannot be without its ruler for even a day."
Everyone nodded in agreement—that made sense!
Beside them, Guan Zhi lowered his eyelids, thinking to himself, "What 'kingdom cannot be without its ruler for even a day'? It's clearly that the master can't bear to leave the empress, afraid she might stumble or get hurt! Otherwise, he would have flown off to war long ago. That crescent moon longsword and silver dragon armor have been polished countless times, yet he still insists on finding such a lofty excuse."
"Your Majesty!" A former attendant soldier who had served under him entered the tent and, upon seeing him, excitedly knelt and saluted. "Your humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty!"
"Niu Zicang." Recognizing him, Yin Gezhi was quite familiar and waved his hand. "Rise. This time, the internal affairs of the northwest army will also rely on your efforts."
"Your humble servant obeys the decree!" Standing up with a smile, Niu Zicang gazed with emotion at the shoes of the man before him.
The undefeated First Prince had returned, but unfortunately, he had become emperor and could no longer lead them into battle.
"By the way, Your Majesty, many soldiers who had previously retired have returned upon hearing of your ascension," Niu Zicang quickly added, remembering this matter. "They are all soldiers you personally led back then. Not a single one is missing. Except for that little soldier who ate three bowls of rice per meal—he probably went home to get married."
There had indeed been such a little soldier in his camp back then—short in stature, always keeping his head down. He had carried the flag for him and washed his sword. Yin Gezhi hadn't paid much attention to him, and his only impression of that soldier was that he ate a lot—three bowls per meal.With a light chuckle, he said, "It's good that you've returned, and it's also good that you can go home and get married. All of you, return to your units. Once everything is sorted out, we'll handle the handover together."
"Yes!" Niu Zicang responded, then turned to relay the order.
Lowering his head to continue studying the map, Yin Gezhi looked on for a while before suddenly feeling something was off.
"How was that young soldier selected back then?" he abruptly asked.
Niu Zicang, who had been leaning out of the tent to speak, pulled his head back in and blinked. "Have you forgotten? He was sent over by General Guan. They said he was some delicate young master from a well-off family who wanted to follow you and see the world."
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