Chapter 96 What does it matter if the Empress steals my heart...?

While Yuan Chaolu was asleep, he felt someone embracing him. The scent of the person was quiet and pleasant, and it entered his nostrils. When he opened his eyes, he saw the figure sitting by the bed.

"Why has Your Majesty come?"

Xiao Zhuo leaned forward and said softly, "Shouldn't you ask the Empress? Tell Zhong Changjun that she will come to Xuande Hall after I finish my meeting. I have been waiting for a long time, but I have not seen my cousin."

"However, the Empress was already outside Xuande Hall this evening, why didn't she come in?"

She shifted her body, propped herself up, and looked puzzled: "You told me to go back, how could I stay any longer? Besides, Zhong Changjun said that Third Brother was in a bad mood and asked me to go back first. If I had entered the palace then, I could have comforted Third Brother."

Xiao Zhuo looked at her silently for a moment, then, as she nestled into his arms, he leaned down and slowly wrapped his arms around her waist. "No one else can do it, but you can. Cousin, you have no idea how much of a headache I've had to deal with all the official business since you left."

His words, seemingly pleading for comfort, were gentle yet coercive, his breath falling on Yuan Chaolu's neck. Yuan Chaolu had never seen him like this before; her heart skipped a beat, and her shoulders and neck stiffened.

"What's troubling Third Brother so much?"

He gazed at the earrings hanging from her earlobes, his tone casual and languid: "In the previous battles, the enemy country surrendered several border towns to Daqi. These were places where Han and non-Han peoples lived together. Several months ago, the court discussed sending a minister to manage them, but his methods were clumsy and he did a terrible job. Such a stupid person is truly giving me a headache."

Yuan Chaolu said, "I've heard that those places aren't very peaceful. If they're not managed properly, I'm afraid they might cause a riot."

Xiao Zhuo rested his chin on her shoulder, his figure completely enveloping her.

"That's right. I plan to send someone new over there. The court officials discussed it for half a day, but I'm not satisfied with any of the people they selected. They're either old ministers who don't know how to adapt, or they lack experience and skills. And you don't come to Xuande Hall, completely disregarding me. I can't stay here for a moment longer."

Yuan Chao, his ears burning, said, "No, it's not true. I was just too tired and overslept. Your Majesty speaks so pitifully, as if I deliberately ignored you. Your Majesty should be understanding."

She raised her hand, letting his cheek rest against her shoulder, and wrapped her other arm around him as he used to embrace her. Under his intense gaze, she felt the temperature gradually rising. She brought her cheek close to his lips and said, "Your Majesty is the ruler of a country, and you are not easy to coax. What should I do?"

He pressed his lips to her cheek, grasped her wrist with his other hand, and traced his fingertips along her pulse, saying, "You don't need to think about how to coax me."

Her words, which touched the heartstrings, came from her shoulder, carrying a hint of languor, like a feather brushing against one's ear: "They say that those who steal a hook are punished, while those who steal a country become lords."

As the candlelight flickered, sparks flew from it.

The next moment his voice rang out, making her heart pound rapidly in the darkness.

"What kind of queen is she who stole the heart of a king?"

Yuan Chaolu hugged him tightly, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the table outside the curtain. She was glad that she had been careful; she had burned each letter of recommendation after reading it, leaving nothing behind while she was asleep so that he wouldn't notice anything amiss...

**

Yuan Chaolu spent two days sorting out the recommendation letters. Two days later, she left the palace under the pretext of going to the outskirts of the capital to relax. On her way back, she stopped at a teahouse outside the palace and met a military officer.

She was also the one she was most interested in among all the letters.

The man's name was Di Hu. He was in his thirties, tall and strong. Due to years of guarding the frontier, he had developed a bronze complexion. His thick brow bones framed a pair of bright, piercing eyes.

This man was a military officer in the northwestern border region of Daqi. His family had lived on the frontier for many years and had been stationed there. Because he lived in a place where Han and non-Han peoples lived together, he was extremely familiar with the non-Han language and customs.

At the beginning of the year, Daqi was fighting against the enemy in the northwest. Di Hu, who was a fourth-rank guerrilla general, also contributed a lot to the war: logistics, intelligence gathering, and procuring supplies...

Originally, Di Hu should have been promoted according to the merits of his service, but unexpectedly, after the war ended, he was marginalized and ostracized. At the same time, the surrendered country surrendered several important towns, and officials were reassigned to take over the cities, and the border generals were also reshuffled.

Because of his humble origins and his past offenses against the Helan family, Di Hu's original official position was replaced.

Frustrated by his unfulfilled ambitions, he came to Luoyang seeking a turning point.

Another reason Yuan Chaolu met him was that he used his elder sister's connections to deliver letters to him.

After her elder sister awoke in Longxi, she set off for Luoyang. Among the group accompanying her was Di Hu. On the way, they encountered bandits, and Di Hu had protected them.

However, his ability to leverage the connection with Qingheng of the Imperial Medical Bureau, proactively build relationships, and gradually advance until he could finally sit before the Empress and speak to her, demonstrates an ambition and capability that should not be underestimated.

Di Hu bowed his head and said, "I am truly grateful that Your Majesty is willing to see me. I will do my best to serve you in the future and will not let Your Majesty down."

Yuan Chaolu raised her hand and said, "Don't rush to express your gratitude. I have read the letter recommending you. You do have some ability. The letter said that you are very familiar with the border areas where Han and non-Han peoples live together?"

“It’s more than just familiarity,” Di Hu said, his back straight and his tone steady and powerful. “I’ve been guarding the border with my father since I was young, first as a scout, then in charge of land reclamation. The border areas are inhabited by both Han and non-Han peoples, and the management is relatively chaotic. People often come and go to trade. In my early years, I quelled a fight between merchants from two places and led troops to suppress several unrests. I neither killed innocent people nor tolerated the riots. I managed to suppress the unrest. Later, I helped the people on the border to cultivate the land, so both sides are willing to give me some face.”

He paused for a moment, then said, “For many years I have been loyal to guarding the border, which is evident to all Han people. Going back a few generations, my grandmother was a Hu person, and I have some Hu blood in my body. Hu people are also willing to listen to me and know my reputation. The two places are intertwined, and this has become an advantage for me.”

After listening, Yuan Chaolu smiled slightly, took out a letter, placed her fingertips on the table, and handed it to the other party.

Di Hu was slightly surprised and reached out to take it with both hands.

Yuan Chaolu stood up and said, "His Majesty is in need of generals to manage several border towns. Your arrival is perfectly timed. I have already learned about your situation. Here is a prepared letter. Go find the person in the letter. This official will recommend you to the Duke of the Founding, Jia Li."

Di Hu unfolded the letter, glanced at it only a few times, and his face was already filled with shock. He suddenly stood up.

Yuan Chaolu said, "However, whether you can win over Jia Li depends on your abilities."

As the emperor's most trusted minister, Duke Jia Li, the person he recommended had naturally undergone rigorous screening and carried immense weight. Using Jia Li's name was far more natural than speaking directly to the emperor, and the emperor wouldn't suspect anything.

The middleman mentioned in the letter in Di Hu's hand was someone who intended to get close to the Empress, and happened to have an excellent personal relationship with the founding emperor.

In this way, one can avoid revealing oneself and take advantage of favorable circumstances to quietly place the pieces.

The Empress watched as Di Hu bowed and took his leave. As the footsteps faded into the distance, she leaned lazily against the armchair and closed her eyes for a short rest.

**

Soon, it was the twelfth lunar month. Helan Yi was about to set off back to the border before the end of the year. On this day, before his departure, he accompanied the emperor to the Lin Garden.

The emperor and his minister went hunting, with guards following behind. The winter landscape was desolate with withered trees and swirling, leaden clouds. As the two rode out of the hunting grounds together, snow began to fall. Fine snowflakes clung to the emperor's dark fox fur coat.

Helan Yi glanced at the prey in the hands of his attendant behind him. "Prey is scarce in winter. Although the field of vision is wide open, everyone is hibernating. However, Your Majesty has a good eye. The prey is still plentiful today."

The two reined in their horses together by the mountain path, gazing at the rolling sea of ​​clouds. The wind grew stronger, whipping their robes into a flutter.

"I am truly fortunate to be able to stay by Your Majesty's side before leaving Luoyang."

Xiao Zhuo looked at the mountains and smiled, "My dear minister, you are about to return to the Northwest. I am also reluctant to see you go. The journey will be difficult, so please be careful on the road."

Helan Yi said, "Your Majesty's instructions will be kept in mind."

Xiao Zhuo glanced at him sideways and asked, "How did your conversation with my Empress go when you entered the palace that day and stopped her in the side courtyard of Zhaoyang Palace?"

The emperor stared intently at him.

Helan Yi's expression froze on his face. After a long while, he said, "I saw that Your Majesty looked haggard the other day. I was tired from the Empress Dowager's passing. I beg Your Majesty to take good care of yourself."

The emperor's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Is that so?"

But then they saw the emperor's hand, with its distinct knuckles, pressing on the arrows in the quiver and gently patting them. The arrow shafts were made of fine mulberry wood, gleaming coldly in the sunlight, and each pat felt like a tap on the heart.

Along with the wind came the sweet, metallic scent of the prey's blood on the arrows.

It would be unwise to conceal this from a monarch.

He Lanyi was a demon who had walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood on the battlefield. He was always feared by others, but at this moment, a chill seeped from the very marrow of his bones.

The emperor merely asked, "Is that so?"

Helan Yi's throat was choked by the wind, and just as he was about to speak again, Xiao Zhuo stepped forward and said, "From the western deserts to the southern borders, from the eastern rivers and seas to the northern grasslands, all the lands of the Great Qi Kingdom regard her as the Queen Mother."

His voice was tinged with coldness, devoid of any emotion.

Her phoenix eyes were unfathomable.

A hand gently rested on Helan Yi's shoulder, and then the emperor's words rang in his ears: "She is my empress, and shall not be offended in the slightest."

"You have achieved unparalleled merit today because of my promotion. How history will record you in the future is entirely up to me."

Behind him stretched a vast landscape shrouded in mist, while the king's gaze fell upon him from his lofty position, his bearing as pure and unapproachable as a snow-capped mountain.

His voice was gentle and unhurried, tinged with a smile: "Do you understand what I mean?"

A cold wind blew into his robes, and cold sweat trickled down Helan Yi's forehead. He lowered his head respectfully and said, "Yes."

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Author's Note: There will be a red envelope (cash gift) in this chapter!