Whоsе уоung master is this, sinсе hе hаs tiеs to the Guan fаmilу, why would hе need tо bе sеnt аll thе wаy to his militаry camp to gain ехpеrienсе?
Nаrrоwing his eуеs, Yin Gеzhi tарpеd the table: "Whаt's his nаme?"
Niu Ziсang didn’t know why Нis Majеsty suddenlу tооk аn intеrеst in а lowly sоldiеr, but the реrsоn he hаd arrаngеd naturallу knеw the dеtails. He рromptly rерliеd, "Pеrsonally аssignеd bу the Sесоnd Yоung Маster оf thе Guan fаmily, his nаme is Guan Qing. Нe’s bееn with уou fоr а fеw mоnths—is there anуthing improper abоut him?"
Guan Qing? His eхpressiоn darkеnеd, and Yin Gеzhi closed his eyes.
It wasn’t Guan Qing at all—it was Guan Qingyue! No wonder he found it strange. Guan Qingyue had no real connection to him. Even if they had shared half a month of intimacy three years ago, she shouldn’t have known his habits and thoughts so well! So it turned out she had been lurking by his side for months. How had he not noticed at all?
Well, no wonder he always felt a strange sense of familiarity every time he saw her eat three bowls of rice—it was her!
"Your Majesty, regarding the defense of the northwestern border..."
"You all discuss it first." Putting down the map in his hand, Yin Gezhi smiled gently and nodded. "I have something to attend to and must return to the palace."
Stunned by this sudden smile, everyone in the tent was left speechless. Yin Gezhi strode out, mounted his horse, and galloped toward the palace.
"Your Majesty!" The imperial guards behind him were terrified, their souls nearly leaving their bodies. "Please slow down!"
What emperor gallops on horseback like this? What if there are assassins?
Hmm? Wait, assassins?
Thinking this, the guards actually relaxed. Assassins were useless against this emperor!
And so, Yin Gezhi galloped back to the palace all by himself, in a rather dashing manner.
Feng Yue was standing on tiptoe, trying to reach the jar of dried plums on top of the cabinet. The cabinet wasn’t too high or too low—setting up a stool seemed unnecessary, but reaching for it herself was always a bit of a struggle.
After struggling for a while without managing to get the jar, the Empress grew annoyed. Stamping her foot and turning her head, she happened to see the emperor barging in.
"Ah, you’ve come just in time." Pointing at the jar on the cabinet, Feng Yue looked at him with sparkling eyes. "Could you get it for me?"
Catching his breath, Yin Gezhi glanced at her, easily reached out, took the jar down, and stuffed it into her arms. "I have something to ask you."
Opening the lid and popping a plum into her mouth, Feng Yue asked while chewing, "What is it?"
"Did you serve as a soldier under me?"
A plum nearly got stuck in her throat. Feng Yue guiltily turned her face away. "What nonsense are you talking about? I don’t understand."
Then, clutching the jar, she tried to slip away!
Narrowing his eyes, Yin Gezhi snatched the plum jar from her and placed it back on top of the cabinet. He then crossed his arms and leaned against the cabinet, as if to say, "If you don’t tell me today, don’t even think about me getting the plums down for you."
Amused and exasperated, Feng Yue asked, "How old are you?"
Gazing at her deeply, Yin Gezhi said, "I always feel like you’re still hiding many things from me."
"Your Majesty, you are now the emperor. Please refer to yourself as 'Zhen.'" Feng Yue teased. "Using the informal address isn’t proper."
"Referring to oneself as 'Zhen' is something emperors do to appear unique and lofty." Reaching out to grab her hand and pulling her into his embrace, Yin Gezhi said calmly, "But there’s no difference between you and me, and I have no intention of being lofty."Pausing slightly, Feng Yue opened her eyes, pressing her ear against his chest. She could clearly hear the sound of his heartbeat.
"I just want to know why Guan Qingyue from three years ago came under my command, willingly serving as a lowly soldier," he said in a muffled voice. "What were you thinking back then?"
Feng Yue fell silent, clutching his lapel as she earnestly recalled the past.
What had she been thinking at the time? Honestly, she hadn’t thought much at all. She had clung to Guan Qingmu’s back, throwing a tantrum and rolling around. "No way! I want to go to the First Prince’s command!"
"Silly girl, you’re a general," Guan Qingmu said with a helpless expression, shaking his head. "Going to serve as an inner guard—Father would never agree."
"Second Brother, just keep it a secret from him!" Clasping her hands together, Guan Qingyue pleaded pitifully. "Do me this favor, won’t you?"
Unable to resist her, Guan Qingmu affectionately patted her head. Taking advantage of the army’s rest period, he sent her to the nearby camp under the First Prince’s command.
Truthfully, when she went, she hadn’t given it much thought. She had simply heard people talk about how incredibly skilled and formidable the First Prince was at such a young age. Feeling both unconvinced and curious, she decided to follow along and take a closer look. But when she actually arrived at his side, Guan Qingyue was stunned.
She had never imagined there could be someone so handsome—clad in silver armor, wielding a long blade, majestic and awe-inspiring, invincible on the battlefield. Yet, once he removed his armor, he transformed into an elegant young man, his features carrying an ethereal and refined aura.
Falling for someone might happen in an instant. In that moment, Yin Gezhi shot an arrow straight through the enemy commander’s head. The Wei army erupted in a thunderous roar of ten thousand voices. Riding beside his horse, she suddenly felt her heart skip a beat.
A young girl’s first awakening to love did not happen amidst flowers and moonlight but on the battlefield shrouded in yellow sand, amidst the blood dripping from the crescent blade, and in the emotionless gaze of that man.
She was not the kind of person to recklessly throw herself away. It was only because she truly, deeply liked him that she fled on the eve of her wedding, running to him in the night. Yet, she was not adept at expressing her feelings. She never managed to speak of her emotions, whether on the night before the army’s triumphant return to the capital or during their final intimate moment four years ago.
"You still haven’t answered my question," Yin Gezhi’s voice cut in, interrupting the memory tinged with the scent of iron and blood.
Feng Yue looked up at this man whose features remained unchanged but whose presence now felt much closer. With a mischievous smile, she asked, "Just because you ask, I have to answer?"
Giving her a displeased glance, Yin Gezhi replied, "You don’t have to answer. But if you don’t, I’ll take it as you being shy."
"What’s wrong with being shy?" Feng Yue raised an eyebrow. "Someone as thin-skinned as me would naturally be shy!"
His frustration instantly melted away. Yin Gezhi’s expression softened as he glanced at her, his eyes shimmering with emotion.
Dazzled by his boundless beauty, Feng Yue’s face flushed slightly, and she snapped in embarrassment, "What are you thinking about?"
Reaching out, Yin Gezhi took the jar of dried plums from the cabinet and placed it in her arms. Calmly, he said, "Nothing much. I just think this answer is quite good."
His empress, though rough, cunning, and stubborn, was truly captivating when she blushed—the shimmering light in her eyes swirling about was utterly enchanting. In truth, he could easily guess the reason. He simply wanted to hear her say it herself. If she didn’t wish to speak, that was fine too. Her shy demeanor was more than enough.His fingertip flicked upward, grazing the tip of her chin. Yin Gezhi straightened up and said leisurely, "Accompany me to see General Yin off to the battlefield."
The jump in topic was too abrupt! Feng Yue frowned, chewing on a plum, and asked, "Now that Your Majesty has become emperor, you no longer wish to fight in battles yourself?"
His gaze traveled slowly from her face downward, settling on her still-flat stomach. Yin Gezhi said with a heavy heart, "You’ve always been a handful. I need to see you win this battle before I dare step onto the real battlefield."
"What do you mean, I’m a handful?" Feng Yue flared up. "The troops I lead have never suffered a single defeat!"
"But the day before yesterday, you broke a bowl while eating. Yesterday, you nearly fell off the bed while sleeping." His expression darkened as he narrowed his eyes at her. "And this morning, you tried to sneak some wine!"
The anger she had just mustered instantly vanished. Feng Yue shrank back timidly. "Those were all accidents..."
"Enough with the accidents. Do as I say." Yin Gezhi said coldly. "If you disobey, you’ll face military punishment."
After a moment’s thought, he added, "If I can’t punish you, Lingshu will take the blame for you."
Her face fell. Feng Yue clutched a handkerchief and covered her eyes, beginning to wail. "Your Majesty! You weren’t like this before, Your Majesty! You promised to dote on me, and General Yin hasn’t even left yet. Are you already planning to discard me after I’ve served my purpose?"
"When the birds are gone, the bow is stored away; when the rabbits are dead, the hounds are cooked." Feigning ferocity, Yin Gezhi glared at her and gritted his teeth. "Behave yourself!"
With that, he turned away, picked up a stack of memorials, and went to the soft couch to review them.
Lingshu and Guan Zhi stood outside when, unexpectedly, they heard the empress open the window and sing to the outside world: "The trees wither in late autumn—ah, how desolate and bleak! The heartless, fickle man—ah, fills me with sorrow! How sweet his promises were then—ah, so tender and long! But now, with my belly swollen—ah, I am cast aside!"
For a moment, the palace was in an uproar. Palace servants who heard the commotion hurried over to see what was happening. After all, this was the empress who had just taken up residence in the central palace. How could she already be acting like a resentful woman in such a short time?
Seeing the crowd growing around her, Feng Yue grew excited. Covering her face, she cried even more dramatically. "Oh, my heart—ah, my soul! To have met such a man—ah, my regrets gnaw at my gut!"
Her voice was so pitiful that it would have moved anyone who heard it to tears. The young maidservants outside couldn’t help but whisper, "What’s going on? The empress is still with child. How could His Majesty treat her like this?"
"What do you know?" an older maidservant beside her snorted. "They say our new emperor is a romantic. Surely he won’t keep the palace empty with only one empress. This must mean he’s planning to take concubines, which is why the empress is so heartbroken."
"But taking concubines is normal. Is it worth crying like this? With His Majesty’s exceptional looks, countless women would fight to become imperial consorts. Once the court officials start pressuring him, the palace will surely welcome new faces."
"I think His Majesty dotes on the empress very much. He probably won’t take concubines so soon."
The group chattered noisily, and before long, they began arguing over their differing opinions, their voices drowning out Feng Yue’s wails. Startled, she shrank her shoulders.
Inside the room, the man who had been holding the memorials and listening to the commotion for a while finally stood up. He walked to the windowsill and asked expressionlessly, "Do you want to come down?""Yes!" Nodding obediently, Feng Yue reached out and wrapped her arms around the man's neck, smiling as she used his strength to step down from the windowsill.
A cool gaze swept over the scene outside the window. Yin Gezhi lowered his head and gently kissed the top of the person in his arms.
"I will not take any concubines," he said. "And you will never become a resentful wife."
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, yet it was just enough for everyone outside to hear clearly. Feng Yue blinked, glanced at the crowd hastily kneeling outside, and tilted her head to ask him, "Your Majesty, are you... standing up for your humble consort?"
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