Chapter 7 He Protects Me

Inside the Hall of Diligent Governance, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

The emperor sat upright behind the dragon throne. Although he was over fifty years old and his temples were streaked with gray, his brows still exuded the majesty and profundity of an emperor.

He looked at Lou Jin in the wheelchair below, and Ye Xunyang, dressed in a princess's robes, with a complicated expression.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty." Lou Jin bowed slightly, while Ye Xunyang knelt in accordance with etiquette, addressing his father as "Your Majesty" as a matter of course.

The emperor's voice was devoid of emotion: "Rise."

"Jin'er, you're not feeling well, there's no need for such a grand ceremony. Um, Xunyang, you should get up too."

"Thank you, Father Emperor."

The eunuch brought over a stool. Lou Jin remained in his wheelchair, while Ye Xunyang sat down to his side and behind him, trying his best to appear reserved.

The emperor briefly inquired about Lou Jin's health, and then routinely asked a few questions about the wedding and the return visit to the bride's parents' home. Lou Jin answered respectfully and appropriately.

Ye Xunyang listened from the side, admiring Lou Jin's composure, as if he hadn't been the one fiercely confronting the Entropy King on the palace road just now.

Sure enough, the emperor changed the subject, asking seemingly casually, "I heard that you ran into Shang'er on your way here? And it seems you even had a little argument?"

Oh dear, the Emperor is truly sharp-witted! Ye Xunyang's heart tightened, and he subconsciously looked at Lou Jin.

Lou Jin remained calm and replied, "Father, I did indeed run into my fourth brother. He was concerned about my health and asked me a few questions. Perhaps because I have been ill for a long time, my speech is slow and I failed to understand his good intentions. There may have been some misunderstandings in our conversation."

"Xunyang is young and impetuous. He saw that the fourth prince was speaking urgently and mistakenly thought that he was being disrespectful to me. He spoke up to defend me, which led to a slight argument. It was my fault for not disciplining him properly and disturbing the palace. Please forgive me, Father."

Ye Xunyang was stunned, thinking: Is that how it is? This prince's ability to lie through his teeth is truly masterful!

But why did he take all the blame upon himself?

The emperor's deep gaze swept over Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang, and he remained silent for a moment.

How could he not know about the power struggles among his sons? He had probably already been informed in detail of what was happening on the palace road.

He might not believe Lou Jin's explanation entirely, but at least it saved face and gave him a way out.

"I see."

The emperor spoke slowly, his tone revealing neither belief nor disbelief.

"Shang'er is a bit impatient. However, Xunyang, now that you have married into the royal family, you are a member of the royal family. Your words and actions must be proper. You must not be as reckless as you were in the army. Let it go this time, but remember this in the future."

These words, seemingly blaming Ye Xunyang, were actually a high-handed remark that was ultimately delivered with a light touch.

Ye Xunyang quickly stood up and respectfully replied, "Your subject knows his mistake and will follow Your Majesty's teachings."

But I breathed a sigh of relief; this hurdle was finally over.

The emperor then looked at Lou Jin, his tone softening: "Jin'er, now that you are married and have someone to take care of you, I am somewhat relieved. Take good care of yourself and if you need any medicine, just ask the Imperial Hospital."

"Your son thanks Your Majesty for your concern."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the emperor showed signs of fatigue and signaled that they could leave.

Before leaving, the emperor instructed that since the Empress Dowager was currently ill, it would not be too late to pay his respects after she recovered.

This suited Ye Xunyang's wishes perfectly, as he no longer needed to stay in the palace for several more hours.

After leaving the Hall of Diligent Governance, Ye Xunyang pushed Lou Jin along the long palace path until they were far away from the palace buildings. Only then did he let out a long sigh of relief, feeling that his back was a little damp with sweat.

This palace is no place for humans; every word I utter has to be carefully considered in my mind.

"Thank you very much, Your Highness," Ye Xunyang said in a low voice.

If it weren't for Lou Jin's response, the emperor probably wouldn't have let him off so easily.

Lou Jin gazed at the vermilion palace walls ahead and said calmly, "I am merely stating the facts."

"However, you must remember what Father Emperor said. Lou Shang will not let this go. Be careful outside the mansion, especially inside the palace."

"Understood," Ye Xunyang replied, his tone much more serious this time.

It was already afternoon when they returned to the Jinwang Mansion.

After sending Lou Jin back to the main courtyard and settling him in, Ye Xunyang returned to his new room. He couldn't wait to take off his elaborate official robes and change back into his casual clothes, feeling completely relaxed.

He had just taken a sip of tea when the steward came to report that all the stewards in the manor were waiting in the front hall to pay their respects to the princess.

Ye Xunyang recalled what Lou Jin had said yesterday and knew that this meant he was officially handing over management power to him.

He roused himself, got up, and walked towards the front hall.

In the front hall, there were twenty or thirty people standing there, all of them stewards from various parts of the Prince's mansion. When they saw Ye Xunyang enter, they all bowed and greeted her: "Greetings, Your Highness the Princess!"

His voice was loud and clear, and his attitude was respectful.

Ye Xunyang walked to the main seat and sat down, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

These people had different expressions, and they were all thinking about this first male queen in history.

Ye Xunyang cleared his throat and, as he had previously discussed with the steward, said a few polite words. Then he asked each steward to come forward in turn and briefly report on the matters under their charge.

Although he wasn't entirely clear on the matter, he would ask questions directly when he encountered something unclear, and the managers didn't dare to give him a perfunctory answer.

After listening to everyone's opinions, Ye Xunyang had a general understanding of how the Prince's Mansion operated and had a few candidates in mind.

"Alright, that's all for today. After you all go back, please draft a summary of this month's affairs and a plan for next month, and submit it to the steward tomorrow."

"From now on, we will report on matters here once every ten days. You may all leave."

"Yes, Your Highness!" The others responded and withdrew.

After dealing with all of this, Ye Xunyang felt even more tired than if he had practiced martial arts all day.

He rubbed his temples as he returned to the courtyard, watching the afterglow of the setting sun, and suddenly missed the drill ground of the General's Mansion.

"Your Highness, the Prince has sent word that he wants you to have dinner with him or have it delivered to your courtyard." A maid came to ask for instructions.

Ye Xunyang thought for a moment. He had been to the palace today and met with the steward. There were indeed some things he could talk to Lou Jin about, so he said, "I'll go to the Prince's place."

During dinner, Ye Xunyang briefly recounted his meeting with the steward to Lou Jin, also mentioning a few points that he felt might be problematic.

Lou Jin listened quietly, occasionally interjecting with a word or two, pointing out the key points, which enlightened Ye Xunyang.

"Your Highness, are you really comfortable letting me do this? Aren't you afraid I'll squander all your wealth?" Ye Xunyang asked, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Lou Jin slowly picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, looked up at him and said, "I believe in General Ye's abilities. Besides, even if he loses everything, I'm sure your parents-in-law won't let their son go hungry."

Ye Xunyang was taken aback by these words. Looking at the fleeting mockery in Lou Jin's eyes, he suddenly realized that this prince could be quite cunning at times.

After dinner, Lou Jin looked more tired than during the day, and his cough became more frequent.

Seeing this, Ye Xunyang stood up to take his leave: "Your Highness must be tired after a long day, please rest early."

Lou Jin leaned against the soft pillows and nodded slightly.

As Ye Xunyang reached the door, he suddenly spoke, his voice low and hoarse: "If you have nothing to do tonight, you may stay here and rest."

Ye Xunyang paused, then turned around in astonishment.

Lou Jin avoided his gaze, staring at the flickering candlelight on the candlestick, and said in a calm tone, "The Imperial Advisor said that a marriage to bring good fortune must be conducted in a name that matches reality. After we parted last night, my old ailment seems to have... relapsed."

Ye Xunyang opened his mouth, looking at Lou Jin's pale profile and slightly furrowed brows, thinking that he might as well sleep on the floor, but then swallowed the thought back.

Everyone said it was because of his illness, and if he keeps making excuses, it seems like he's being unreasonable.

Anyway... the bed is big enough.

“…Okay.” Ye Xunyang heard himself give a dry reply.

So, on the third night of their marriage, Ye Xunyang once again slept in the same bed with her nominal husband.

This time, he still lay stiffly on the outside of the bed, trying to stay as far away as possible.

But perhaps because he was too tired during the day, he fell asleep even faster than the night before, listening to the even and soft breathing of the person next to him.

After he fell asleep, Lou Jin, who had been facing away from him, slowly turned around and stared at Ye Xunyang's blurry outline in the darkness. He felt the pain in his body that had been quietly relieved by Ye Xunyang's approach. His emotions surged in his eyes and finally turned into an almost inaudible sigh.

Why is that?