Chapter 22 "Ashamed?"

Xiao Yuanjing was supposed to go to the palace to pay his respects, but he was instead given an imperial edict to wait at the hunting grounds.

According to custom, when an emperor requests assistance from his ministers, a face-to-face meeting and discussion are unavoidable. The young emperor's behavior was rude and went too far.

But Xiao Yuanjing remained calm and did not feel offended. "I will now set off for the hunting grounds."

The messenger eunuch chuckled, "Lord Xiao is so considerate."

After exchanging pleasantries, the carriage from the western hunting grounds arrived leisurely after a while. The coachman gestured to him, and Xiao Yuanjing's stern expression softened instantly.

They're one of our own.

The bamboo curtain was lifted from the inside by a folding fan, and the advisor Chen Mian said with a grin, "My lord."

The compacted ground was fairly flat, and the sound of the wheels masked the already deliberately lowered conversation, which almost disappeared.

"It seems the young emperor truly has no soldiers to command. This hasty summons of the lord to the capital must be out of fear of those refugees in Jizhou. The lord already enjoys popular support; this campaign will make him famous. When he commands Longnan to sever the tyrant's dragon vein, the world will belong to the Xiao family."

Chen Mian's words are always very pleasing to the ear.

Listening to Chen Mian's analysis of the current situation, he lowered his head to wipe the long sword on his leg, his solemn and handsome face showing no reaction.

"The people have long suffered from the tyranny of the Yan clan, and many are eager to rebel."

Chen Mian laughed: "Of course, everyone wants to act on behalf of Heaven."

Xiao Yuanjing sheathed his sword, pressing his thumb against one end of the scabbard to muffle the ear-piercing clang of the sword colliding with the scabbard.

It's not unreasonable to say that it's acting on behalf of Heaven, given the turbulent and unstable times we're in.

There are quite a few well-known warlord families today. The Li family of Longxi, the Cui family of Boling, the Yuan family of Chenjun, and so on, number nearly twenty in total.

Although it was a large clan that had lasted for more than three hundred years, the vast majority of its members belonged to the Yan and Jin states, and those distinctions on the surface could not be erased.

But Xiao Yuanjing was different. The Xiao family was originally a poor military family; his father trained soldiers for a noble family and fought his way up to gradually establish his dominance in Longnan. The aristocratic families were arrogant and looked down on him.

So what?

He treated Lin Fu like he was dead, and his great cause collapsed overnight. Amidst the chaos of warring states, he, having received imperial favor, then followed Lü Zhuo's example of using the emperor to command the feudal lords...

Xiao Yuanjing rubbed the corner of his eye. "Is it really impossible to persuade Prime Minister Lin?"

Chen Mian clicked his tongue and shook his head:

"My lord has asked about this seven times already. I have also said that my teacher once studied under Prime Minister Lin, and whenever he talks about this man, he says that he is rigid and blindly loyal. Even if he dies, he will die in front of the Yan family's imperial tomb."

"…pity."

“It is a pity.” Chen Mian took out a candied fruit and chewed it. “That person is the last remaining pillar of the Great Jin Dynasty.”

Xiao Yuanjing remained silent for a while, then said, "Lin Xiangding will also be at the autumn hunt. Find a way to meet him privately, and I will personally go and persuade him."

This is indeed a difficult situation. "I will do my best. However, my lord, it is not the time to raise an army yet. It seems that the young lady has been wronged in the palace. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, she will come with me today. As her elder brother, my lord, you should comfort her."

When Xiao Yuanshu was mentioned, Xiao Yuanjing's face showed a change of expression.

“Yuan Shu is willful, and I knew she would offend people. With expenses piling up, I can’t give her much money right now. I will inform her and ask her to be patient for another year.”

Things happening in the palace will inevitably get out, more or less. Xiao Yuanjing had already accepted this situation after deciding to send Xiao Yuanshu in.

I feel a little sorry for her, but only a little.

"It'll be good to temper her temper."

Chen Mian cupped his hands in greeting: "If it's a lucky year, the young lady will give birth to a prince. At that time, as the uncle, everything will be easier to handle."

“However,” he frowned, “that young emperor may have some hidden illness. I’ve heard that the Wen family woman from Taiyuan has never been pregnant.”

“…Send some more people to infiltrate the palace and help Yuan Shu.”

During their conversation, the carriage stopped. The two immediately ceased their conversation and dismounted. The hunting grounds were in the outskirts of the capital, and when they arrived, Prime Minister Lin and a group of ministers were already sitting and brewing tea.

In Xianning Palace, the young emperor, suffering from a hidden ailment, had just finished washing up. Gazing at himself in the mirror, he carefully applied face powder, the swirling white mist carrying a fragrant aroma. Yang Liuqing, under the watchful eyes of the guards, reluctantly retrieved her waist token and lingered inside. Even ten meters away, she couldn't resist the itch in her nose and almost sneezed.

Fortunately, the wound was covered in time and the bleeding subsided.

There weren't many palace servants in Xianning Palace at this time. Still shaken by yesterday's events, she stammered hesitantly:

"His Majesty."

Yan Dibai placed the rabbit hair brush on the powder box and turned his eyes toward her. His gaze moved up, down, left, and right, slowly settling on the girl's slightly lowered eyelashes.

His face was gloomy, but when he caught sight of Yang Liuqing, it suddenly brightened and became lively, and his thin lips, which were not yet rouged, turned up happily.

These past few days, I've found this person to be far more unsettling when he smiles than when he's expressionless. Yang Liuqing instinctively went into defensive mode, standing to the side and playing dead.

Although it's not very useful.

Yan Dibai indeed ordered her: "Help me get dressed."

Yang Liuqing went there.

When the young emperor went hunting, he prepared a thin velvet Hu-style robe with a black background and red patterns. He wore thick-soled boots, gold-trimmed sashes at his waist, and a golden lotus hair ornament.

Yang Liuqing was in a dilemma; she didn't know what to wear.

Yan Dibai lay on the couch, one leg sticking out, her fair skin and beautiful.

She glanced at the person discreetly, then slowly began looking for her socks.

Yan Dibai looked down on Yang Liuqing the whole time, but when Yang Liuqing was sensible, she chuckled.

Then he kicked off the quilt covering him.

Yang Liuqing squinted slightly as the wind blew through the blanket, and just as she was about to put the blanket aside, her eyes suddenly widened into saucers. For a moment, her mind went blank, and she stood there dumbfounded in front of the bed.

A lump... a lump!

This damn thing…this thing…Yang Liuqing was so shocked she could hardly breathe.

She was still a virgin, and when she was occasionally dragged to watch porn, she would only look at the prettier ones if they were decent-looking.

Yang Liuqing had sworn long ago to spend her life with her grandmother. She had never even considered the possibility of a man, much less look at someone else's crotch.

But Yan Dibai wasn't wearing pants at all!

...He did it on purpose.

Yan Dibai stretched out his legs, casually adjusted his open inner garment, and chuckled when he saw the girl's ghost-like face, completely unconcerned that he had been seen: "First time meeting?"

Most of the maids, intimidated by his imposing manner, looked shy and frightened, and she was no exception. However, Yan Dibai proudly raised his chin.

Look at how naturally she puts on this act.

Angry, resentful, unable to bear it... Yang Liuqing didn't hear it; her brain was still frozen.

Yan Dibai arrogantly mocked:

"Are you stunned? Put your pants on for me."

With that soft, squishy thing on her mind, the girl stood there for a long time before nodding in a daze and haphazardly grabbing a piece of clothing to put on.

The boy scolded, "What are you doing with those clothes!"

Yang Liuqing: "... Oh, oh."

After they changed his boots, he cursed again: "Those are my boots!"

Yang Liuqing hurriedly agreed, her hands trembling as she touched it again—

"Get out!" Yan Dibai stood up abruptly, pulled out his underpants and wrapped them around Yan Xiaoer in front of her, then pulled out his trousers and wrapped them around his legs. He then opened his arms and said, "My personal eunuchs are all very efficient. You should carefully consider how many of their skills you have."

As he spoke, his smile deepened: "If you still can't do it well, I'll punish you by making you shovel excrement in the animal park. I won't kill you, I'll disgust you to death."

Yang Liuqing looked up in a daze, her face burning. Before Yan Dibai could look over, she quickly replied, "Yes, I understand."

Yan Dibai, however, looked at him meaningfully and tried to confirm again: "Are you embarrassed?"

The girl shuddered and hurriedly grabbed her clothes to put them on. Yan Dibai's gaze remained unblinking. He clicked his tongue and scoffed, wearing the same clothes for a long time without realizing it. So long that Yan Dibai grew tired of standing that Yang Liuqing, sweating profusely, helped him fasten his belt and then draped a thin fur cloak over his shoulders.

The boy instantly grew several inches taller with the shoes on, casually pulling a turquoise and agate pendant from the side of the box and putting it on his right ear. His hair, tied up with a hair ornament, hung down to his waist and back. He then applied some powder.

Yan Dibai woke the dazed Yang Liuqing:

"Am I handsome?"

Yang Liuqing snapped out of her daze and quickly brushed away the clump of Dick that her roommate often sent to the group chat in an anime style. Her instinctive reaction was:

"Your Majesty is extremely beautiful."

As soon as she finished speaking, her face flushed unnaturally again. She looked away, feeling uncomfortable all over.

The boy subtly parted his lips.

Yan Dibai was unquestionably confident in his appearance. He was only asking out of boredom. But the girl's cheeks flushed slightly in the bronze mirror, making him raise an eyebrow with smug satisfaction.

Many admired his looks, and this ugly maid was no exception. Thinking about it, he recalled that time from his childhood when this girl had mistaken him for an imperial concubine, and the look of astonishment on her face.

I'm afraid I'll never see anyone more handsome than him in my entire life.

He decided to postpone his plan to tease her, which he had devised the night before, and the frustration he had been holding in was released. He became unusually kind, saying, "You should change your clothes too, let's go to the hunting grounds."

Yang Liuqing took a deep breath and realized that her neck was covered in sweat.

"yes."

Before long, a long procession of carriages drove out of the palace.

The group of people waited until it was past mealtime, but the host still hadn't shown up.

They had already finished their tea and the person still hadn't arrived. Helpless, the ministers had to go around offering toasts to keep the atmosphere from becoming too awkward.

Xiao Yuanjing and his companion also took the opportunity to pay their respects to several ministers they hadn't had a chance to meet earlier, and exchanged a few words with Prime Minister Lin, who had been ignoring them. Lin Furu, however, was still angry about yesterday's events and showed even less favor to Xiao Yuanjing, this ambitious and capable man. He bluntly stated:

"Longnan is so far away, yet this letter arrived so soon after it was sent. Could it be that Young Master Xiao has not returned home?"

Chen Mian, standing behind, was seeing his grandmaster up close for the first time. He thought to himself, "He is indeed a righteous old man." However, since they were enemies, he feared he wouldn't receive a friendly response if he asked him for guidance.

He hadn't expected her to question him right away, and his expression immediately became complicated.

Xiao Yuanjing choked, "Prime Minister, you are truly a brilliant strategist. I was indeed visiting my maternal grandfather in Qingzhou when we happened to run into each other."

Qingzhouli is only one city away from the capital, so this explanation is plausible.

Lin Xiang stared at him for a moment with drooping eyelids, then nodded.

"Please take a seat. His Majesty and the lady will be here shortly."

She never spoke another word to Xiao Yuanjing after that. She was truly aloof and arrogant.

Xiao Yuanjing's lip line is stiff and straight.

Chen Mian withdrew his gaze and gently waved his feather fan.

Fortunately, the crimson carriage soon came to a stop before them. Everyone rose to pay their respects. Xiao Yuanjing quickly searched for his sister, guessing where she was in the carriage. After a while, Xiao Yuanjing frowned.

Why are there so many carriages? There are over a hundred.

…Today, the young emperor is winning him over, and Yuan Shu should be happy. Xiao Yuanjing has already enacted a whole play in his mind, but the emperor in the play hasn't shown himself yet.

Lin Xiang frowned and said, "Your Majesty, we have arrived."

Still no movement.

Lin Xiang urged again, "Your Majesty!"

Bang! A loud sound rang out, drawing everyone's attention. From the most luxurious carriage emerged a strikingly handsome young man, adorned with a lotus crown and dressed in opulent attire. His exceptionally red lips curved into a smile as he casually strolled out, arm in arm with a small, green-clad maid, still feigning resentment towards the crowd.

"What's in my way? I'm here, why are you rushing me?"

That was none other than the absurd young emperor.

Xiao Yuanjing was about to lower his gaze when he suddenly focused.

Behind him, a bright and beautiful girl with a displeased expression reluctantly bent down to get out of the carriage, glaring fiercely at the plainly dressed maid in front of her.

Yuan Shu?!

How could Xiao Yuanjing not recognize his sister whom he had spent every day with?

His brow furrowed, realizing with alarm that this was perhaps not the most absurd thing. Sure enough, at the young emperor's command, a hundred carriages opened their gates simultaneously.

Actors in white robes, empresses in flamboyant attire, cooks with aprons around their waists, and various toys and utensils... all leaped out at once.

This absurd young emperor has brought the entire palace here.

The hunting grounds, originally built for hunting, are now filled with all sorts of things. Where is even a trace of the bleak and desolate autumn atmosphere?

Xiao Yuanjing's eyes darkened.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Shu was subjected to such humiliation by a mere maid. His heart churned with rage, Xiao Yuanjing suppressed his fury.

The young emperor didn't take Yuan Shu seriously at all, nor did he, Xiao Yuanjing, take him seriously either.

The young man stared coldly at the maid in green, a vein bulging at his sharply cut temples.

Yang Liuqing, sitting in the car, felt utterly despondent under the gazes of everyone around her.

Everything was done by Yan Di for nothing, yet he was the one judged by death.

She was supposed to have come in a small carriage following the imperial procession with a group of maids. The imperial procession had clearly been shared with Xiao Yuanshu and him from the beginning, and they had been laughing and chatting just moments before…

My head hurts, it hurts terribly.

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Author's Note: *Ahem*, Bai doesn't really have any concept of propriety... Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2023-08-27 19:21:48 and 2023-08-30 23:24:17!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Clivia (1);

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Sunset Drunk 56 bottles; 24309469 10 bottles; Lue Lue Lue 2 bottles; Tianya Shuangke 1 bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!