Chapter 75 Chapter 75 [VIP]

She was dumbfounded, her heart sinking… Of course, she couldn't say she hadn't dreamed at all: "When I think of Your Majesty sending my father to Yongzhou and sending my brother to the account of General Xue, I feel a little scared."

The emperor's favor and appreciation are not necessarily good things. He looked up to Shen. Her father, brothers, and even her cousins ​​in the future would all vie for the honor and favor of the emperor's relatives to prove that they deserved this opportunity.

Except for the royal family members who had no ambition, the emperor did not think that any minister should comfortably enjoy everything the king bestowed upon him. The reason why she could live a carefree life was that Emperor Yuan Shuo was used to controlling her in every way.

Emperor Yuan Shuo patted her and said patiently, "Lord Shen is my father-in-law. Do you think I wouldn't be more partial to him?"

As for Chen Huaian, life and death in the army were decided by fate, so there was no way to have a perfect plan. He really couldn't say for sure, and he vaguely disliked Yi Niang's brother, and even had some unspeakable jealousy. Only by looking at her bulging belly could he calm the occasional ripples.

Yi Niang values ​​blood more than love, and the time he has with her alone is short. However, Shen Huaian, as her brother, has spent fifteen years with her and even restricted her marriage. In Yi Niang's eyes, her brother is no match for the child she carried for ten months and gave birth to herself.

But this child is his, which is enough to eliminate the emotions that even he himself cannot understand. He values ​​this royal uncle as always, but he has chosen a smooth path for his young uncle. This young man relies on his youth and is willful, wanting to experience the hardships of a battlefield.

He had specially picked out a few of Shen Yupu's memorials and reports from the front line to help Yi Niang relieve her homesickness. However, there were no words of concern in the memorials, and at most they could tell her what her father and brother had been doing recently.

Especially my brother, even if General Xue received such a hot potato, he would not spend too much time and effort to describe the daily life of the emperor's uncle. The military report is concise and to the point. It can tell the emperor where they were half a month ago, the outcome and the process. He has done his duty.

After watching this, Shen Youyi's eyes were filled with tears and she felt a lot more sad: "It's so cold, and Aye is still going up the mountain and down the river at his age."

She felt that when she was young, her father was not so busy that he neglected food and sleep.

Although Emperor Yuan Shuo understood her feelings about valuing her family, he couldn't help but laugh when he thought of Shen Yupu's age. "The court collects and transports taxes every year in the autumn, and in the winter, they take stock of the household registration and resettle the refugees. Although Lord Shen is familiar with doing these things, he is willing to offer advice and has my support behind him. He will inevitably have to work extra hard and deal with more powerful people. Even if it is physically tiring, he is willing to do so."

Shen Youyi glanced at him. Aye naturally liked this job, but she felt sorry for her parents and couldn't bear to see the emperor taking it for granted. She said angrily: "Thunder and rain are all the emperor's grace. Your Majesty is well-versed in classics. Don't you know that although the world is vast, there is Nanyang that you can't ask too much about?"

Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty measured the land because powerful people were encroaching on the farmland of the common people. However, Nanyang was the emperor's hometown, where powerful people gathered, and it was the most important city in the world together with the imperial capital. The hundreds of people below obeyed the emperor but secretly disobeyed him, which was enough to make it difficult for court officials to take a single step. Her father-in-law was only one person, and when he governed Yuezhou, he was still afraid of the King of Yue who was the emperor below him. What's more, in Yongzhou, the imperial hometown, there were countless nobles who looked like the King of Yue.

She saw Aye's memorial with her own eyes, and there was a hint of worry in his words. Although Emperor Yuan Shuo did not bring a memorial to impeach her father, she probably guessed that Aye's life would become difficult.

How can I not be shaken and regretful?

The beauty's charm was so boundless that even the emperor's heart trembled. Emperor Yuan Shuo looked at her lovingly and said with a smile: "I gave you the emperor's sword as a gift, and Lord Shen acted on my behalf. No matter how noble those royal relatives were, they were not as good as Yiniang's father-in-law."

Shen Youyi felt relieved, but then she heard him say softly, "Yi Niang, when you chose to be with me, your brother probably advised you, but what do you think?"

The emperor can ask for any beauties in the world, but he also knows that not every family is willing to offer their beauties to the imperial court.

She was slightly dazed. No matter when she threw herself into the emperor's arms, her brother would not be happy from the bottom of his heart. But everyone has their own ideas. Even her closest parents, brothers and sisters would not agree. But she just wanted to do that.

"I also want to teach my father-in-law to live a more stable life, but people choke to death while eating, and fall into wells while walking. A real man is born between heaven and earth, and should accomplish unparalleled feats for his king and ensure a safe and happy life for the people. Rather than living in mediocrity and dying in bed, it is better to take advantage of your remaining ambitions and do something earth-shattering so that you can rest in peace before your death."

Her father and brother had never worried about food and clothing, but they only had such an opportunity when she became the emperor's favorite concubine... It was because of her, because of the emperor's favor for her, that they were able to walk on the path they really wanted to walk, rather than living a peaceful and prosperous life according to the eyes of the world.

"I also know what you mean. A person's longevity does not lie in his long life. I feel the reaction, but Luosha is located in a remote place and it is extremely cold. "The Tubo tribe sounds very powerful. You swept across the world. The old subordinates still have their spirit, but General Xue has been unable to conquer them for a long time, but..."

Talented, his great praise can also be called a famous general, the king and his subjects are united, unlike those rebels who seem strong but are actually a group of scattered sand."

Emperor Yuan Shuo laughed, pinched her nose, and said softly, "I am here too. This is not worth worrying about. Don't worry about your health. I will take care of you."

Shen, although she didn't understand military affairs, she could feel worried from the information revealed by the emperor. The border chaos would not stop, which would inevitably cause waste of manpower and money. He had already done it, but was just starting to deal with the difficulties first.

Her Aye was just a knife in his way. Besides wanting to do so himself, she had to serve the emperor wholeheartedly for the sake of her daughter's throne and her grandson. Once the trial was successful in Yongzhou, where powerful people were everywhere, all provinces and regions would implement the new law in the future.

In fact, from the past military reports that Emperor Yuan Shuo showed her, it was clear that between Tubo and the Central Plains, whoever invaded first would suffer the loss. However, if the imperial court mobilized a large number of troops, it would inevitably cause a large number of refugees. It was foreseeable that many rebellions would inevitably arise in the local areas. Once the counterattack was unsuccessful, the emperor's reputation would be damaged, and the situation would be even more disadvantageous to the imperial court.

In fact, her life was not as peaceful as Baishang's. If she was not careful, uprisings would break out in various places, and many dynasties would perish at their peak.

However, she could only feign ignorance, telling some newly heard jokes to amuse Emperor Yuan Shuo. "I'm not idle, but those Kunlun slave traders... the envoys who brought them here have tried every possible way to please me. They even sent my wife to the palace, saying a lot of bad things about paganism, and brought many interesting storybooks, much simpler than those in the Central Plains. From now on, my husband can read these to me at night."

Emperor Yuanshuo nodded and asked what they had said. He smiled and explained, "The previous emperor, in order to enrich the country and strengthen the army, twice suppressed Buddhism. This probably gave them some hope that they could spread the teachings to my wife and start a new religion."

Being an envoy to a big country is tiring and there is a possibility of death at any time. It is not a completely good job. Except for the dancers presented by the prince, the envoys mostly only select men. No one would send a wife to meet the queen.

Shen Youyi hid her smile and said, "A place's water and soil nurtures its people. They say that all non-Buddhist religions have steadfast believers, and even the emperor is not as good as a monk. But their king combines politics and religion, which is quite similar to the Central Plains. But I see that Your Majesty worships both Buddha and Taoism, and the people worship the Dragon King and the land god, but these gods have to do things for the people before they can be supported. If we add a whole group of gods, the people will not know what benefits they can bring. How can this work in the Central Plains? I only like the gems and stories they bring, and I will just ignore the rest."

Emperor Yuan Shuo paused in patting her, and Ning He said, "The emperor is not as good as the monks, how is he different from a puppet?"

Shen Youyi nodded, tilting her head in thought for a moment. "The Emperor and the Monk King ruled the country separately. It seems that a king, not wanting to share a share with the Monk King, offended the monks and believers and nearly lost his country. He apologized profusely before regaining the throne... This is what the interpreter sent by the Honglu Temple told me, but it sounds like a fabrication."

Judging from the map of all nations brought by the Honglu Temple, the territory that the so-called king or emperor could occupy was probably smaller than the counties in the Central Plains. So even if such a ridiculous thing happened, it would not be unreasonable.

Emperor Yuan Shuo was an extremely conceited monarch. Buddhism was just a tool for the monarch to control his subjects. Even if he wanted to destroy Buddhism and strengthen his power one day, it would not cause much trouble. People would probably laugh at the monarch's cowardice and incompetence.

But Emperor Yuan Shuo did not laugh. His gaze stayed on her face, but it seemed as if he was not looking at her.

Although it was only for a moment, Shen Youyi still felt a little uneasy. The king might not be able to hear such unlucky words: "Do you think this story is depressing?"

"What's wrong with learning from history?"

Emperor Yuan Shuo came back to his senses, held her finger and kissed it, his expression vaguely pleased, and said with a smile: "I will ask the Honglu Temple to ask again when the time comes."

Before Shen Youyi could tell him a more interesting story to cheer him up, her husband was already in high spirits. He even had the leisure to tease her: "Yi Niang can be called a good wife."

It was rare for her to see the emperor looking genuinely happy these days. Although she didn't understand what he meant, she smiled slightly and stayed quietly in his arms for a while before getting up to wash and go to Zhaoyang Palace to take care of things. It was not until the afternoon that she felt like going to the West Garden to relax for a while.

As the place where the emperor performed martial arts and held banquets, Xi Nei was inevitably deserted on weekdays. The bustle of the palace market was almost gone, and only the colorful silk flowers hanging on the branches still had some of the beauty of early spring.

She thought of the red-robed man with the strange hat on his head, and still felt a strange feeling in her heart.

Even though she knew that person was not her, she couldn't even ask Emperor Yuan Shuo about it, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble for him.

But it's still a bit funny to think that the person is only somewhat similar, but she was so distracted.

Shen Youyi stood in front of the once bustling stall for a moment, and was about to return to Zichen Hall when she heard someone calling her from the corridor.

"The Emperor's sister-in-law is also here?"

Prince Zhao seemed to have sprung out of nowhere, appearing and disappearing like a ghost. But when he rushed to her, he was breathless and looked into the distance warily. He asked, "Is it my royal brother who came with you?"

A dragon gives birth to nine sons. Shen Youyi had long known about the unruly nature of this noble man. She shook her head helplessly: "Your Majesty is busy with all sorts of affairs every day, how can he have so much free time? Has the king done something wrong again? What can he do if he meets Your Majesty?"

Although he had beaten and scolded him, Emperor Yuan Shuo was polite and tolerant enough towards his younger brother. Many members of the royal family wanted to be a puppet regent but could not get him to do so.

The King of Zhao heaved a sigh of relief, as if he had suddenly found someone to vent his grievances to. He complained, "How come the Imperial Sister-in-law misses me as much as my mother does? I'm not a talented person like my elder brother who can be relied upon. My elder brother wants me to entertain the Nanzhao envoys and has given me many instructions. How can I possibly do all this?"

Nanzhao sent a tribute only once, and the one sent was a Qingping official, equivalent to the prime minister in the court. The person accompanying him was a sorcerer proficient in witchcraft. The emperor was inevitably extra vigilant. Shen Youyi was helpless. She also wanted to let the golden melon warrior beat him up. Her tone was more serious: "What's the difficulty? Nanzhao and Tubo are close, and the soldiers can adapt to the weather. His Majesty wants the king to go, just to show the emperor's appreciation. In the future, the king of Yunnan may need help to send troops. The king is also proficient in the way, so isn't it natural for His Majesty to use you?"

Why should King Zhao make excuses when even she could understand it?

However, the emperor's brother repeatedly shook his head and sighed, "Sister-in-law, you don't know how powerful this Qingping official is. Although he's only in his early twenties, he's incredibly strange. I heard he was originally an exiled Han Chinese, but I don't see such a person on the list. He colluded with several major families in Nanzhao, sowing discord and causing chaos in the country. But I didn't expect that this man was secretly bribed by the King of Yunnan, and instead caught those major families off guard. He took the opportunity to become Prime Minister. He came to the capital once, and although he brought generous gifts, I'm afraid I can't enjoy them all. What if my brother thinks I'm a traitor and has me executed?"

He was talking to himself, probably wanting to vent all his bitterness, but he didn't notice the change in the expression of the person in front of him.

The imperial concubine, who was quite interested in the envoys from various countries, paid no attention to the hardships he described. Instead, she asked softly, "Do the envoys from Nanzhao... like to wear tall hats and wide belts? They seem quite unique."

The Prince of Zhao, as if having found a kindred spirit, clapped his hands and smiled, his words tinged with scornful accusations: "What the Empress said is absolutely right. Even though he's adopted the Central Plains clothing, his hair still doesn't look right, and his face is covered in a thousand ornaments... Any sincere tribute-paying minister wouldn't act so pretentiously. I think the Prince of Yunnan is just a stepping stone for someone to rise to the top. I'm afraid he's really aiming to marry a duke or princess and keep her as his consort!"

Shen Youyi was in great confusion, and he barely pulled the corner of his lips: "Did they offend the king?"

Prince Baishang of Zhao felt a little uncomfortable and hesitated, saying, "Your Majesty has only ordered the Nanzhao envoys to enter and exit the Eastern Palace. I believe Zihui has said something to them. However, the deputy envoy came to me privately and said that the sorcerer who originally defected to Zihui was a powerful figure highly regarded by the previous king. They are afraid that there is still something wrong with you, so they also want to enter the palace to check on you for the emperor's sister-in-law."

The fewer people who know about this kind of royal family scandal, the better. The emperor didn't summon them into the palace, but the Nanzhao people took it upon themselves to get involved. Could this be a good thing?