"Yоu аlrеady knоw, sо whу аsk?" Yin Gеzhi said irritably, "Nо, I аm stabilizing the рeoрlе's hеаrts."
Ноw very stаbilizing indeed! Glancing at the раlaсe аttеndаnts knеeling оutsidе, unаblе tо rise, Fеng Yue clickеd hеr tonguе in amazemеnt. Theу were sо "stаbilizеd" thеу didn’t dаrе get up!
"Whаt оn eаrth wеrе yоu singing just now?" Drаgging hеr toward thе innеr hall аs if taking a hostаge, Yin Gezhi said ехрressiоnlessly, "With yоu likе this, mаybе уоu shоuld just stау in the раlaсe аnd not go sеe оff Gеnеral Yin аnd thе оthеrs."
"How cаn that be?!" Feng Yue glarеd and immediatеly shoоk him off. "Whаt’s wrоng with me likе this?"
What’s wrong? This is no Empress—she’s clearly a street shrew. If she went to see them off in front of all the officials so casually, he’d probably be buried in memorials impeaching her the very next day.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, your humble consort absolutely will not cause trouble!" Patting her chest in assurance, Feng Yue said, "If I cause trouble, just punish Guan Zhi!"
Guan Zhi, who had been hiding nearby and still got dragged into it, was both amused and exasperated. "Your Majesty, why punish this subordinate?"
"The Emperor said that if I make a mistake, punish Lingshu," Feng Yue turned to look at him. "Tell me, how could Lingshu’s delicate frame withstand military punishment? Wouldn’t it have to be you?"
That made sense. But something felt off. Especially seeing the Empress’s fearless expression, he felt a chill in his heart.
Yin Gezhi shook his head, turned back to continue reviewing memorials, and ignored her, though he was still uneasy inside.
But who would have thought that when it was time to show face, Feng Yue could actually hold her own.
Clad in a gold-and-silver satin court robe embroidered with phoenixes, six gilded hairpins adorning her head, her willow brows redrawn and vermilion lips touched with rouge, Feng Yue stood with her hands folded before her, back straight, and followed him step by step to the Willow Platform. The civil and military officials below watched, nodding slightly with respectful eyes.
Yin Gezhi was somewhat surprised. Glancing at her dignified and graceful appearance, he couldn’t help but whisper, "Which family’s demon has possessed my Empress?"
Raising her sleeve to partly cover her face, Feng Yue glared at him. "Your humble consort is also earning face for you! Save the sarcastic remarks for later, alright?"
A slight smile curled his lips as Yin Gezhi nodded. "Alright."
Thus, General Yin and the others watched in astonishment as Feng Yue stood beside the Emperor for half an hour with impeccable etiquette. When the Emperor presented the banners, she respectfully received them, stepped forward with ceremonial grace, and handed them over with a slight nod.
"This departure marks the time for men to achieve merit, serve the country, and defend the homeland. May the generals take care," she raised her brows, her gaze resolute and spirited, unlike the delicate women of the palace. It reminded Yin Yanzhong of the true beauties he had seen on the battlefield years ago.
Deeply moved, Yin Yanzhong reached out to take the battle flag and knelt in salute. "Thank you for Your Majesty’s grace."
Finally, he added softly, "May Your Majesty take care."
Feng Yue smiled and nodded, watching them rise, retreat five steps in unison, then turn and march away in formation.
"Your people have left," Yin Gezhi remarked suddenly as he watched. "From now on, if I bully you, you won’t have anywhere to complain."
Glancing at him in alarm, Feng Yue’s eyes darted around. Mindful of her decorum, she whispered, "Your Majesty, is it still too late for me to leave with them now?"
"Too late," Yin Gezhi shook his head with a look of regret, then reached out, took her wrist, and ordered the imperial procession to return to the palace.Feng Yue had been trembling with fear the entire journey, stealing glances at Yin Gezhi's profile from time to time. It was said that an emperor's thoughts were unpredictable, his moods ever-changing—serving a ruler was like walking alongside a tiger! She had been living so recklessly lately. Could it be that she had unknowingly angered him, and now he was here to settle the score?
Noticing the person in his grasp trembling slightly, Yin Gezhi narrowed his eyes, his expression suddenly darkening. "Are you afraid?"
"Your Majesty," Feng Yue swallowed hard and turned her head to look at him. "After hearing such words from you, can't I be a little afraid?"
Meeting her earnest gaze, Yin Gezhi fell silent, lowered his eyes, and reflected deeply.
Had he not been obvious enough in his kindness toward her, always keeping it hidden, so that she truly believed he would turn his back on her?
The imperial physician had said that pregnant women should not experience drastic emotional fluctuations or live in constant fear. Perhaps his previous strategy needed to change a little?
After thinking seriously for a long time, Yin Gezhi softened his expression. When the carriage arrived at their destination, he stepped down, reached out to lift the person inside, and gently asked, "What would you like for lunch?"
The terror in her eyes grew even more intense than before. Feng Yue shakily stepped out of his embrace and retreated two steps. "Whatever Your Majesty wishes to eat, we shall eat."
"Why are you avoiding me?" Yin Gezhi took a step toward her, wanting to frown but restraining himself. Instead, he looked at her with gentle eyes and said, "I won't devour you."
With that expression paired with those words, Feng Yue instantly felt as if she were facing a wolf in sheep's clothing. She turned her head and called out, "Lingshu!"
"Mistress?" Lingshu approached, reaching out to support her, her face full of confusion.
"Let's return to the palace!" Feng Yue whispered, then looked up and forced a smile at Yin Gezhi. "Your Majesty, please enjoy your lunch alone. I... I wish to return to the central palace to take a look."
His heart sank. Yin Gezhi narrowed his eyes, wanting to grab her and drag her into the Dragon Saliva Palace. But seeing her fearful expression, he fell silent, waving his sleeve in frustration.
As if granted a reprieve, Feng Yue composedly gathered her sleeves and, with delicate lotus-like steps, hurried away with Lingshu in tow.
"Mistress?" Lingshu, still puzzled, followed her and asked, "What happened?"
"Didn't you see that His Majesty was acting strangely?" Feng Yue said with lingering fear. "How could he ever speak so gently under normal circumstances? Clearly, something is wrong!"
Lingshu was taken aback. After a moment of thought, she sighed. What had she said? She had advised His Majesty to treat her mistress well, but he wouldn't listen, insisting on "training" her. Could someone with her mistress's temperament really be trained? If he wasn't careful, he might end up hurting himself.
Emotions were the most fragile things to manipulate.
"Mistress," Lingshu thought for a moment and asked, "How do you think His Majesty treats you?"
Feng Yue paused, considering the question. "To be honest, I don't dare to draw a conclusion. If you say he treats me poorly, that's impossible—I'm not a fool, and I can certainly feel his kindness toward me. But if you say he's completely devoted to me, that's not true either. He's still as inscrutable as ever, and I can't tell what he's scheming."
Lingshu blinked, her expression innocent. "Those involved are often blind, while bystanders see clearly. In my opinion, His Majesty wouldn't scheme against you. At most, he might be thinking about how to make you let down all your defenses. You find him inscrutable, but he likely feels the same way about you."After all, he was the one who had pulled her back from the brink of death. Yin Gezhi feared losing her, so naturally, he would go to great lengths to keep her by his side. The time since that major incident had not been long enough, and the rift between them had not completely vanished. If Feng Yue was uneasy, the one who should truly be most uneasy was Yin Gezhi.
On several nights when Lingshu was on duty, she could hear the emperor stirring in the middle of the night, likely awakened by nightmares. Yin Gezhi would always breathe softly in the darkness, then lower his head to gaze at his master sleeping soundly beside him. He would watch for a long time. His eyes, shimmering like moonlight, were unfathomably deep, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
The seemingly powerful and fearless emperor had long harbored a soft spot in his heart—a place where a knife remained embedded, unremoved. The sight of it was enough to make one sigh.
Stopping in her tracks, Feng Yue turned to look at Lingshu. "Why have you been speaking up for him more and more lately?"
Innocently blinking her eyes, Lingshu replied, "Master, this servant only speaks the truth. His Majesty truly has it hard. You should show him a little more compassion."
Did Yin Gezhi need compassion? Feng Yue didn’t understand. He seemed like an iceberg that would never melt, never tiring, never hungry, his face devoid of expression, and he never seemed to need anyone’s help. By his side, she often felt rather superfluous. After all, he could handle everything on his own, without even needing to inform her.
But… thinking of his face, which had grown a bit thinner recently, Feng Yue narrowed her eyes, stroked her chin, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "For the midday meal, let’s stew a chicken and add some herbs to nourish the mind."
With that, she turned and headed in the direction of the imperial kitchen.
Yin Gezhi silently reviewed the memorials. Wu Ze, who had arrived at some point unnoticed, stood before him with a serious expression and said, "We are short on troops, and the soldiers conscripted from the common people cannot be sent to the border immediately. The Wu Kingdom intends to borrow grain from us. The memorial from the Three Judicial Commissioners is here."
Taking the memorial Wu Ze handed over and glancing through it, Yin Gezhi sneered. "Truly worthy of Crown Prince Ye, unwilling to suffer the slightest loss. The Wei Kingdom has already provided a hundred thousand soldiers, and now he wants grain as well."
Wu Ze sighed. "The ? Kingdom has temporarily halted the war and is observing the situation. This humble official believes that regardless of whether the war against Song can be won, the Wei Kingdom is already in a precarious position."
Whether they won or lost, they would suffer significant losses. The ? Kingdom would reap the benefits, directly capturing over a dozen cities of the Wei Kingdom from the north, and that would spell the end for Wei.
"To think they can sit back and watch tigers fight, they should first ask whether the Wu Kingdom agrees." Pulling out a writing brush, Yin Gezhi began writing a letter while saying, "Have this letter delivered to the Crown Prince of Wu. Additionally, send along this report on the ? Kingdom’s autumn harvest and grain storage."
Startled, Wu Ze took the documents and looked at them. "The ? Kingdom’s autumn harvest and grain storage report?"
"The ? Kingdom’s grain production has always been substantial, and this year is especially abundant. The amount of grain stored by their court is three times that of our Wei Kingdom. Coupled with this highly convenient grain transportation route, Crown Prince Ye will give it careful consideration." Yin Gezhi added, "Also, allow the refugees from this year’s poor harvest areas into Lidu. Manage them properly and distribute some rice porridge appropriately."
"Yes!" Wu Ze responded in a daze, taking the documents and leaving the Dragon Saliva Palace. Only after stepping outside did he snap back to reality.
How did the emperor obtain the ? Kingdom’s autumn harvest and grain storage report?!Feeling somewhat weary, Yin Gezhi leaned back in his chair and gently massaged his temples. As a ruler, one must grasp the overall situation to strategize effectively. At present, he had informants in countries like Wu, ?, and Song, all of which were closely connected to the Wei Kingdom. However, the informant in Song was of little use, and a tough battle seemed inevitable. Not to mention that ? was eyeing covetously, and Wu was not entirely well-intentioned either. Breaking such a situation, where a flock of wolves surrounded a sheep, was no simple task.
Just as he was feeling a headache coming on, he unexpectedly caught the aroma of chicken soup. Yin Gezhi slowly opened his eyes and saw the door of the Dragon Saliva Palace slightly ajar. A beaming face peeked in, instantly dispelling the gloom in the hall.
"Your Majesty, would you like some chicken?"
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