The Sinful Woman's Golden Branch: The Jade-Faced Yama is Actually Me (Twenty-Four Chapters...)

Ji Siyin knelt down to accept the imperial decree, but before she could return, her mother, the Empress, summoned her back.

He couldn't help but grin, and got up from the ground: "How is my mother?"

She had only asked casually, not really expecting an answer, but Shangguan Lanyi, who had come to deliver the imperial decree, fell silent for a moment, then looked up at her: "I'm afraid this is not good."

Ji Siyin was stunned: "What?"

Shangguan Lanyi lowered his head again: "Recently, the Holy Mother Emperor has been unwell. After examination by the imperial physicians, it seems that things are not going well. Therefore, I hereby summon you back to the capital immediately!"

Ji Siyin's expression changed instantly: "How is that possible! Everything was fine when I left the capital!"

Shangguan Lanyi looked at her seriously: "When you left the capital, everything was indeed fine, but Your Highness, ten years have passed!"

Ji Siyin:...

...

Not only Ji Siyin, but even Li Wenyuan didn't realize that she was getting old.

The beauty pill's effect is to consistently add 100 beauty points. Regardless of age, these 100 points remain a fixed number and will not diminish, which is why Li Wenyuan always ages more slowly than her peers.

Over the past decade, even when she felt a slight decline in her energy, she never thought that she was getting old or useless. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she was indeed still very young!

But the decline of bodily functions cannot be reversed by human will. One morning, when she was unable to sit up in bed, she realized that the shadow of death had come so quickly.

She was somewhat afraid. She had never been afraid of anything in her life, but death always threatened all living beings equally, regardless of whether she was the emperor or not.

For the first time, Li Wenyuan suspended court and government affairs, refusing to meet with anyone except an old minister who had been with him for many years.

For the first time, she inquired about her own affairs after death: "If I were to appoint a crown prince, should it be a son of the Li family or a son of the Ji family?"

That old minister was a highly respected and trusted advisor, whom Li Wenyuan also greatly admired, and he was just as old as she was.

The elderly minister, with his eyelids barely open, looked at the still somewhat "young" emperor and slowly spoke.

“Your Majesty, the members of the Li family are your nephews and nieces, and the Prince of Nankang is your biological son.”

"Who will truly respect you, your nephew or your own son?"

Li Wenyuan fell silent instantly; she already knew the opinion of her beloved minister.

After seeing the old man off, Li Wenyuan looked down and asked, "You've all been following me for a long time. What insights do you have?"

Qi Yulian was already old, her expression sorrowful, silently shedding tears.

Shangguan Lanyi, a young female official standing to one side, raised her head and looked at the old emperor: "Your Majesty, I also think that what the old man said makes sense. How can the affection between a mother and her son be compared to that between relatives of the empress?"

"It's just that the old man is getting old and forgetful. He seems to have forgotten that His Majesty not only has one son, but also a daughter."

“Princess and prince are all born of the same mother as His Majesty, and their hearts are no different in serving their mother.”

Li Wenyuan slightly raised her eyes; she was already aware of her subordinate's opinion.

After a moment's hesitation, Qi Yulian presented her imperial seal: "Shangguan Lanyi, I hereby order you to go to Dengzhou to deliver an imperial edict, summoning Yongning back to the capital immediately!"

...

The princess's residence, which had always been a place of peace and prosperity, was suddenly filled with tension.

Upon receiving the urgent news from the capital, Ji Siyin immediately donned his armor, drew his sword, and prepared his horse, startling his servants into a panic.

She had once promoted a commoner maid from the countryside, but she was quite capable. Now that she was no longer able to raise children, she was promoted to the rank of Chengxuan. In the absence of a consort in the household, she was the most senior among all the servants.

He was often favored by the princess, so he became a little smug and grabbed her waist sash, teasingly saying, "Princess, you look so majestic today. Where are you going?"

Ji Siyin was known for her indulgence towards her servants, often indulging in frivolous fun with them, speaking and acting without restraint, showing no regard for hierarchy, making them forget that she was a truly decisive and ruthless princess.

Upon receiving news of her mother's serious illness, Ji Siyin had completely lost her senses. At this critical moment, someone actually dared to pull her along, with a playful expression on their face.

Ji Siyin couldn't stand it, so she slapped him across the face, knocking him to the ground.

"roll!"

Liu Chengxuan, who had always been the only one favored, fell to the ground and even forgot to cover his face. He looked at Ji Siyin in shock, but Ji Siyin didn't bother to pay him any attention and strode away.

Her impulsive actions naturally alarmed her subordinates, so Ye, Zhao, and Cui hurriedly followed her out, with Ye Xiqing even pulling on her reins.

Ji Siyin was now completely ruthless, coldly saying, "You dare to stop me?"

The less likely a person is to get angry, the more serious their anger can be when it does. But Ye Xiqing was not intimidated and looked at her without changing her expression: "Take me with you!"

Ji Siyin paused.

When the news first arrived, she was furious and momentarily lost her composure.

Looking at Ye Xiqing, who was slender and resolute, standing on horseback, he felt a pang of sorrow and his eyes turned red: "What good will it do you go! Will you be able to return my mother to me!"

Ye Xiqing had been used to such unreasonable remarks for many years.

But as the princess's advisor, one must always guide her onto the right path.

While having someone prepare a horse for him, he said to Ji Siyin in a serious tone, "Would it have been any better if the princess went back?"

"It's all the same situation; what's done is done, and there's no use being anxious."

"Immediately summon one hundred Imperial Guards, with horses accompanying them. The rest of the Imperial Guards shall march at full speed and follow behind, returning to the capital together."

"The administration of Dengzhou shall be handled by Zhao Yingying and Cui Xiaoyu. They shall remain vigilant and pay attention to any letters from the capital."

"You've done everything you were supposed to do in your previous preparations."

"Luoyang must be in turmoil right now. You cannot go alone. I will go with you!"

Ji Siyin:...

Ye Xiqing's composure was like a heavy anchor thrown into the sea.

After her anger subsided, she was finally able to think rationally.

The news of her mother's serious illness was the first time she had crossed the line between life and death in her heart. Looking at Ye Xiqing, who was also thin, she couldn't help but feel a similar sense of fear.

"Dengzhou is a thousand miles away from Luoyang, which is incomparable to traveling between several counties. Your body cannot withstand the long journey. You don't need to go this time; I will handle it myself!"

After all these years, Ye Xiqing still hasn't shaken off the label of being sickly and weak, which leaves her feeling helpless.

He mounted his horse and looked Ji Siyin in the eye: "My body is not as weak as before, and I will not die when I should not die."

"This will be the most pivotal moment of your life, and I will be there to witness it!"

Over the years, the most important people to Ji Siyin, besides her blood-related mother, have been Ye Xiqing, who has always supported her no matter what she does.

With her mother gravely ill and her confidant risking his life, these two equally intense emotions brought tears to Ji Siyin's eyes: "It's not necessary! I am not such a useless person!"

Ye Xiqing, however, comforted her with loving, motherly tenderness.

It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I want to go with you.

And don't brag! If I entrust everything to you and you mess it up, then all these years of my hard work will have been for nothing!

...

Between Ye Xiqing and Ji Siyin, it seems that one is in charge and the other is in a subordinate position. Ji Siyin is completely in charge, but as long as Ye Xiqing has her own opinions, no one can go against her and in the end she still goes along with her.

The two of them, along with Guan Lanyi and a hundred imperial guards, traveled swiftly along the official road, changing horses at post stations, rising at cockcrow and resting at dusk. In less than ten days, they arrived in Luoyang.

Upon arriving at the gates of Luoyang, Ye Xiqing, being cautious, sent someone inside first to scout out whether Li Wenyuan was still alive.

After all, the real power struggles in ancient times were nothing like the back-and-forth, deceitful back-and-forth depicted in TV dramas.

The most common method of seizing power in history is to lure the person you want to get rid of to a certain place under a pretext and then kill them.

Don't be fooled by the simple and brutal methods; they are extremely effective. Once a person is dead, they cannot be brought back to life. Once someone is killed, that's it. The only impact on the person who committed the crime is a bad reputation.

If Li Wenyuan is so ill that he has lost control of the court, then he cannot enter Luoyang.

The current court still hopes that Ji Siyin is a woman who cannot succeed to the throne.

But even the most self-deceiving person cannot close their eyes and deceive themselves into thinking that Ji Siyin poses no threat at all.

If there is a threat, someone will want to eliminate it.

Ji Siyin temporarily stayed outside the city and sent Shangguan Lanyi in to report.

Seeing Shangguan Lanyi come in to "spy" on intelligence, Li Wenyuan almost burst out laughing.

It was definitely worth the trip to the fiefdom for training; I've come back with eight hundred more cunning tricks up my sleeve.

Okay, okay, it's better to have some ideas in mind.

Summon the entire court to escort the princess back to the capital!

Ji Siyin's return this time caused a great stir throughout the city once again.

The people really came to see her this time, and even the people of Luoyang knew many of the legends about her.

However, judging from the whispers among the onlookers and the way many handsome men were flirting with her, it seemed that the two plays were more popular...

Of course, there were also women whose eyes lingered on her armor.

The imperial guards led by Ji Siyin were all women. Most women here admired handsome and tall men, but when this female army entered the city, they realized that it seemed to have nothing to do with men and women. Women in armor were even more attractive.

Dengzhou opera was very popular in Beijing, and "Sea Romance" was naturally introduced there as well.

Thinking about the story of Captain Liang Gong and Miss Lac makes me blush.

The onlookers had their own thoughts, but Ji Siyin was anxious. All she wanted to know was her mother's true health condition!

Ye Xiqing pressed her down and whispered, "Don't worry, the news hasn't reached the lower levels yet, which means it's not too bad."

Ji Siyin took a deep breath, barely managing to steady herself.

Upon seeing the welcoming party, I instinctively frowned: So many men?

The value of a person lies in their habits. In Dengzhou, women are the officials, the workers, and the merchants.

All I could see were women. Seeing groups of men walking down the street gave me a strange and unsettling feeling.

She was not used to it, and the court officials who came to greet her were even less so.

During Li Wenyuan's reign, although many female officials were promoted, male officials still dominated the court.

Ji Siyin couldn't get used to it after watching it for ten years, so naturally they were even less used to it after watching it for thousands of years.

Amidst this awkward mood, the Crown Prince of Nankang stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Ji Siyin: "Aunt, your nephew has come to take you home."