Chapter 106 If you like it, you like it
[Such arrogance! This is clearly an attempt to steal her from me!]
Huo Lin's jealous face instantly fell, and his tone became icy.
"I had no such intention. I was merely advising the princess not to lose her composure, and not to..."
He paused, then glanced meaningfully at Jiang Huan.
"Disturbing others' peace and quiet."
Who's being noisy?!
Ayina is now in a real bind and doesn't tolerate him anymore.
"Discretion? Decor? Is His Majesty lecturing me for not knowing the rules? I, the princess, can go wherever I want in the Northern Desert Royal Court. But Your Majesty, you meddle in everything. Anyone would think your concubines are prisoners!"
She met Huo Lin's icy gaze without flinching, her chest heaving slightly with anger.
"Or is it that His Majesty feels that I, Princess, am taking up Jiang Huan's time, and that's why he's displeased?"
Her words were so blunt and direct that they almost directly pointed out Huo Lin's jealousy.
Huo Lin's face was dark and uncertain, and Wang Degui was so frightened that he dared not breathe, wishing he could shrink into a crack in the ground.
[Knowing you've taken up my and Jiang Huan's time, why aren't you leaving!]
[They come and hog her every few days; they're practically wearing down the threshold of Weiyang Palace!]
[You like beautiful women, huh? I'll find her ten or eight tomorrow, all with varying body types, and send them over. I guarantee they'll all be eloquent.]
[We can chat for as long and however we want!]
Listening to Huo Lin's thoughts and looking at the two people in front of her, Jiang Huan knew she had to intervene.
She quickly turned her wheelchair and moved between the two, trying to act as a peacemaker.
“Your Majesty, the princess is my guest. She came to see me today because she has something on her mind that she wants to talk about.”
As she spoke, she quietly tugged at Huo Lin's dragon robe sleeve, her tone slightly coquettish.
Huo Lin was taken aback by her little action. He looked down at Jiang Huan's pleading eyes, pursed his lips, and said nothing more, but the cold aura around him noticeably subsided.
Seeing that one side had been stabilized, Jiang Huan quickly turned to Ayina and secretly winked at her.
Seeing Jiang Huan caught in the middle, Ayina snorted heavily, turned her head away, and stopped looking at Huo Lin's icy face, but she didn't say anything more.
Jiang Huan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly put the matter behind her.
"By the way, Princess, didn't you just say that you thought the Carefree Prince was quite like a warrior?"
She deliberately emphasized the word "warrior," looking at Ayina with a mischievous smile.
Ayina's face flushed red again, even more so than before.
She didn't expect Jiang Huan to bring this up in front of Huo Lin. She glared at Jiang Huan, feeling both ashamed and annoyed.
Huo Lin, who was still sulking, raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly upon hearing this.
What's going on?
Huo Yunxing remained silent. "I had no idea they'd progressed this far?"
"Then... I misunderstood her and made a mountain out of a molehill by throwing a tantrum..."
"Although my uncle is unreliable, he is also a man of true character."
Huo Lin coughed awkwardly twice, his tone no longer sarcastic.
[Let's change the subject, otherwise my favorability towards Jiang Huan will drop.]
Jiang Huan gave Huo Lin a reassuring look.
Don't worry, she's quite tolerant of this number one jealous person in Daliang.
Then he gently took Ayina's hand and said in a gentle but earnest voice, "Princess, when it comes to matters of the heart, the most important thing is to follow your heart. Sometimes, liking someone is enough in just a moment."
Ayina raised her head, her blue eyes shimmering with tears, revealing shyness, confusion, but more than anything, the shock of having her thoughts spoken.
Looking into Jiang Huan's sincere eyes, and recalling Huo Yunxing's smiling face despite the blood on his forehead, the strong defense in her heart finally cracked.
After a long while, just as the atmosphere in the hall fell silent again, Ayina took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind.
“Alright, Jiang Huan, you’re right. If you like someone, you like them. I came here for a political marriage anyway. If my partner is Huo Yunxing, that’s fine too.”
After saying that, she seemed to have used up all her courage, her cheeks as red as the sunset, and she turned around and rushed out of Weiyang Palace, leaving Jiang Huan and Huo Lin looking at each other in bewilderment.
The two exchanged a glance, but no words were needed.
The little commotion that started with jealousy has turned into tacit understanding in this silent laughter.
A few days later, in the Golden Palace.
The Minister of War, holding the victory report, spoke in a loud voice, filled with barely suppressed excitement.
"Your Majesty, an urgent report from the southern border states that the newly appointed vanguard general Yue Zheng led a surprise attack on the enemy's grain depot, burning countless supplies and provisions, inflicting a major defeat on the enemy's main force, beheading three thousand, and capturing two enemy generals. The enemy has retreated a hundred miles, and the crisis in the southern border has been resolved."
"good."
Huo Lin sat upright on the dragon throne, a rare and obvious expression of approval on his face.
He glanced at the assembled officials below and said in a loud voice, "Yue Zheng was appointed to a critical mission. He is both wise and brave, and has made such a great achievement, which has enhanced the prestige of our Great Liang. He is hereby promoted to the position of Deputy General of the Zhennan Army, with the rank of General Zhongwu, and is granted a thousand taels of gold and a hundred acres of fertile land. The Ministry of War shall reward the other meritorious officers and soldiers in accordance with the law, and they shall be treated with great respect."
"Your Majesty is wise!" the ministers exclaimed in unison.
After giving the commendation, Huo Lin changed the subject, his voice still steady, but with an added air of undeniable control.
"The southern border has been pacified, but everything is in need of rebuilding. We need capable ministers and generals to guard it. I have observed that the existing military deployment in the southern border is hindering many things and needs to be adjusted in order to secure our borders."
His gaze was sharp as he swept over several ministers dressed in military attire, and slowly read out a few names.
“Sun Bing, the grain supervisor, is a prudent official. He has been transferred back to the capital and appointed to the Ministry of War.”
"Furthermore, as Deputy General Chen Ming is getting old and has worked hard for the country for many years, he is hereby ordered to return to the capital to retire. Yue Zheng will take over the defense of the southern border under his jurisdiction."
This series of transfer orders appears to be a reward for meritorious service and a gesture of consideration for veteran officials.
In reality, it was a demotion in disguise, precisely eliminating the core henchmen and foundation of Consort Jia's family in the Southern Border Army.
The Lin faction officials turned ashen-faced instantly. They wanted to say something, but under Huo Lin's gaze and amidst the court officials' shouts of "Your Majesty is wise!", they couldn't utter a single word.
Huo Lin sat upright on the dragon throne, calmly accepting the congratulations from the court officials, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
The first step in eliminating this cancer has been taken; now, we just need to wait and see.
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