Chapter 382 Lackey
Blood trickled down Nangong Nian's chin, dripping onto her clothes, staining the blue fabric with red welts. She had no time to wipe it away, her gaze fixed on Qi Jun.
"It is said that a gentleman's word is as good as his bond, and Your Majesty the Emperor's words are of the highest quality. Your humble servant is deeply grateful."
Qi Jun's knuckles clenched until they turned white, but his smile remained unchanged. He slowly descended the steps, his black dragon robe brushing against the blood-stained history book. His gaze fell on Nangong Nian as if he were looking at a dead man, yet his words still carried a gentle warmth:
"I will marry Princess Chang Le in two days. I do not wish to hear a single word about this matter. Otherwise, the tongues of the entire Nangong family will be nailed to the beams of your Nangong clan's ancestral hall."
"I beg you to immediately arrest my second brother, who is outside the main hall, and lend me ten thousand taels of gold and ten thousand elite soldiers!"
Sun Miao's breath hitched again. He had seen people make exorbitant demands before, but he had never seen anyone so shameless! It was called a loan, but gold and elite troops were not something that could be returned so easily.
This Lord Nangong truly doesn't understand the temperament of their new emperor, daring to be so arrogant and disrespectful!
...
Nangong Nian didn't even know how she got out; her legs were so weak they were trembling.
She finally understood why Qi was able to win in the end. Qi Jun was truly emperor material. Despite being so young, he exuded an even greater aura of authority than the former emperor of Yue.
She thought she was going to die inside several times just now.
However… she raised her eyes and glanced at her beloved second brother, who had been tied up by the Qi guards at the door, and smiled.
"Let go, let go of me! What are you doing? I am an envoy of Yue! Did the Emperor of Qi order you to arrest me? Don't you understand the principle that envoys should not be killed in times of war?!" The man struggled for a while, then suddenly saw Nangong Nian emerge from inside, looking quite composed.
Although there was still blood on her head, her expression clearly showed the hypocrisy of someone who had gotten what they wanted!
Nangong Nian wiped the blood from his chin, too lazy to take out his own handkerchief, so he simply grabbed the other person's sleeve and carefully wiped his hands clean, saying slowly and deliberately:
“My dear second brother, I advise you to save your energy. After all, the Nangong family is ruthless, so don’t blame me for being unjust.”
A certain possibility occurred to the man, and he was suddenly alarmed. "What do you mean?! Did you say something to Qi Jun? Nangong Nian, are you crazy? We are all from the Nangong family, we are from Yue, and you are actually acting as a lackey for the people of Qi?"
"So what?" As if speaking specifically to Qi Jun, Nangong Nian's voice was not low: "Besides, His Majesty the Qi Emperor and I are mutually beneficial, not the lackey you speak of. Forget it, why should I talk to a fool like you? I'll trouble you, brothers."
Her last words were spoken to the guards who were holding the man captive.
The guard ignored her and, after the two finished talking, led his men straight to the prison where serious criminals were held—His Majesty only said to arrest the people, but did not say how to deal with them.
Even after Nangong Nian had walked far away, he could still faintly hear his second brother's unrestrained voice:
"Nangong Nian, you've brought this upon yourself, hahaha..."
She frowned slightly, then quickened her pace and walked towards the outside of the Qi Kingdom's palace.
In the side hall, Qi Jun stood with his head bowed for a long time.
The official history book lay at his feet. Sun Miao had not been instructed to pick it up, nor did he dare to. He cautiously glanced at His Majesty's face, which was expressionless. Yet, this expressionless face was more frightening than His Majesty's anger!
If you keep your anger and resentment bottled up inside, it will harm your health!
Thinking of this, Sun Miao tentatively asked, trembling, "Your Majesty...should this servant go and invite Princess Chang Le to the palace?"
"After all, some things can't be trusted just because you hear them from others. This servant believes that even the official history might not be true. Perhaps the Nangong family is all in cahoots to sow discord between His Majesty and the Princess..."
Sun Miao used almost all his brainpower to say these words.
Qi Jun closed his eyes and after a long while, he said, "Go and summon Princess Chang Le to the palace. Go in person."
Sun Miao was startled.
He's now the chief eunuch, the most important person in the emperor's life. To have him do such a trivial task as running errands and delivering imperial edicts is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Moreover, he had just overheard the words spoken by the Yue envoy... Could it be that His Majesty wanted him to "remind" the princess?
Sun Miao dared not delay, immediately responded, and hurried off.
Before leaving, he even picked up the red paper and placed it on the long table.
When Qi Yuxuan arrived at Hanyuan Hall, the rain had just stopped.
The east and west side halls were occupied by court officials who had just finished their morning meal and hot soup and were preparing to leave for their official duties, and by the emperor who had just held a private meeting with the envoy from Yue.
She was led by Sun Miao toward the east side hall, but before she had taken more than a few steps, she felt an extremely strong gaze directed at her from the side.
She followed that gaze and recognized the person: Xie Tingzhou.
Before he took the imperial examination, he stayed at the Princess's residence for a few days. She thought highly of his talent and had given him money several times to help him take medicine for the exam.
"Your humble servant pays respects to Princess Chang Le—" Xie Tingzhou had originally planned to leave Hanyuan Palace, but now that he was too close and Qi Yuxuan was looking directly at him, he had no choice but to take two steps forward and pay his respects.
Qi Yuxuan glanced at Sun Miao: "Eunuch Sun, please wait a moment, I need to speak with Lord Xie for a few minutes."
She rarely had the opportunity to meet outsiders. Xie Tingzhou was a talented man she had admired in the past. Since she happened to run into him, she wanted to take the opportunity to inquire about his health and whether he was experiencing any difficulties in his life.
Because for the State of Qi at present, many ministers have fallen with Qi Shen and Qi Huan, and it is precisely the time when talented people are needed to assist Qi Jun. Moreover, she is about to become the Empress of Qi. It is only a matter of saying a few words, so there is nothing to be stingy about.
Qi Yuxuan reached out and gently supported Xie Tingzhou's elbow, saying in a kind tone, "Lord Xie, there's no need for such formality. It's been a while since I've seen you. I wonder how things are at home? How is your old illness?"
The beautiful young woman in front of him, dressed in gorgeous clothes, had a gentle smile, as if she had never coldly said anything to him like, "From now on, unless absolutely necessary, we don't need to see each other again."
Her gaze was clear and bright, as if she genuinely cared about him.
Xie Tingzhou was momentarily dazed, almost thinking he was hallucinating from being in the rain: "Thanks to the princess, I am doing well."
Qi Yuxuan nodded: "That's good. I remember that the Grand Princess's residence sends an extra sum of money to Lord Xie's family every month. Lord Xie must take good care of his health and not let His Majesty and I down."
"...Yes, Your Majesty. I have other duties to attend to at the government office, so I will take my leave now."
Xie Tingzhou lowered his eyes, not daring to meet the gaze of the person in front of him. After bowing respectfully, he seemed to be fleeing as he passed by the person and strode away.
Qi Yuxuan stood there, looking back at his back with a puzzled expression.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com