Chapter 53 There's no rush regarding menstruation and offspring; you should focus on recuperating...
Several days later, Xie Lanzhou reappeared at the court assembly, still dressed in black robes, exuding natural majesty.
The court officials below had different thoughts, but they all breathed a sigh of relief. Some were relieved for the stability of the court, while others were glad that they had not done anything wrong.
Last night, Eunuch Fu reported on the unusual activities of the past few days. Xie Lanzhou already had a plan in mind, but he still asked:
"Having achieved a great victory in the war against the Yan state, do you all think we should sound the retreat or press our advantage?"
The Grand Tutor stepped forward and said, “The State of Yan has surrendered and is willing to submit to our Great Qi, paying annual tribute and providing for its people. Why not stop here and demonstrate the magnanimity of our Great Qi?”
Xie Lanzhou rubbed his fingers but couldn't find the ring. He thought he would definitely ask Su Panyue where she had put his ring after court.
Such a moment of distraction was seen as hesitation and dissatisfaction by the court officials. Immediately, the commander of the vanguard battalion stepped forward and said, "I believe we should press on while we are ahead. Our army has already broken through the strongest line of defense of Yan and is only a stone's throw away from the capital of Yan. Why not take advantage of the momentum and bring Yan into our hands?"
The Northern Army Commandant retorted, "It is indeed risky to continue deeper into the heart of Yan. Yan borders Lu to the north. If Lu takes the opportunity to send troops to encircle and annihilate our army, wouldn't Lu be able to reap the benefits without lifting a finger?"
Xie Lanzhou glanced at the captain in the corner a couple more times before speaking:
"The Yan Kingdom is rich in resources. If we can bring it under our control, it will greatly reduce the taxes on the people and enhance the strength of our Great Qi. We must not give it up."
"As for the State of Lu, it harbors wolfish ambitions and must be guarded against. I have my own plans."
Thus the deal was finalized. General Chang Sheng continued to advance deeper into the border region, while Ji Hongxi led his elite troops northward to provide support and guard against a potential attack from the State of Lu.
There were methods for handling the other trivial matters of state, and Xie Lanzhou listened to the reports from the officials one by one until he was drowsy.
He waved his hand, "Alright, that's enough for today, court adjourned."
He left several military officers behind to discuss matters in the imperial study.
"Taking Yan is already a foregone conclusion. Are you all confident that we can take Lu as well?" Xie Lanzhou asked directly.
The men present were all distinguished military officers, but upon hearing his words, they all hesitated and did not respond.
The Qi army that was sent to fight against Qi at the border numbered 10,000, but now only 30,000 are available. The Lu army probably has more than 30,000, and the Lu army is known for its bravery and skill in battle, so the chances of winning are slim.
Seeing the hesitation of the crowd, Xie Lanzhou said, "Don't forget that Yan still has 10,000 troops that can be used by our Great Qi."
Using the newly captured defeated army to continue expanding the territory was unprecedented, because the newly surrendered army was likely to be outwardly compliant but inwardly resentful and would not truly fight to the death for the Great Qi. This was the most important aspect of morale on the battlefield.
If the morale of the troops is not high, they can easily fall apart on the battlefield.
Several people hesitated whether to voice their objections, when Xie Lanzhou continued, "Who is willing to take on the role of commander-in-chief? Let's train the Yan army well in a month."
Upon hearing this, everyone present finally understood that Xie Lanzhou was not discussing matters with them, but rather selecting military leaders.
This was a rare opportunity for them, but also a challenge that could lead to their utter ruin if they were not careful, so no one responded for a time.
Xie Lanzhou wasn't in a hurry and said calmly, "You all have a day to go back and think it over."
After saying this, he had Eunuch Fu issue an order to leave, and the officials departed one after another.
Xie Lanzhou sat down at the table and leaned back in the armchair. Eunuch Fu poured him a cup of tea and couldn't help but ask:
Your Majesty
Xie Lanzhou responded.
Eunuch Fu exclaimed excitedly, "If we can recover the State of Lu and unify the world, then His Majesty will truly be a great emperor for all time!"
Xie Lanzhou took a sip of tea but did not reply.
His desire to attack the State of Lu stemmed from the fact that the people of Lu had forced Su Panyue to become a spy and even used a curse on the two of them, which they truly deserved to die. As for the title of "Emperor of the Ages," he did not care.
With that thought in mind, he went straight to Jingchun Palace.
Su Panyue was sunbathing on a recliner in the courtyard, while Feiyan read a storybook to her from the side.
Seeing Xie Lanzhou approaching, Feiyan quickly put away her storybook and retreated.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Su Panyue lay there lazily, not even bothering to get up and bow. She had long noticed that Xie Lanzhou didn't care about these formalities, so she became increasingly perfunctory.
Xie Lanzhou walked over to her, sat down beside her, and looked at Su Panyue, dressed in black, lying on the recliner, and asked, "What are you doing?"
Su Panyue turned her head to look at him, and said with a hint of smugness, "Has Your Majesty ever heard of sunbathing on your back?"
Xie Lanzhou pondered for a moment, then said in a serious tone, "I've heard that turtles often do this."
"It's not a tortoise, it's a person who can absorb the yang energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon by sunbathing their back during the hottest days of summer, which is beneficial to the human body."
As Su Panyue was explaining, she saw the man's smiling eyes and suddenly realized that he was teasing her.
She pouted slightly, a little annoyed. "Your Majesty, why don't you join me and learn from the tortoise's ways? Maybe you'll live a long and healthy life."
Xie Lanzhou was obedient; he happened to be wearing a black outfit today, so he lay down next to her.
Although the recliner was spacious, it felt a bit cramped when a long-armed and long-legged man was added to it.
Just as Su Panyue was about to say it was too crowded and ask the servants to bring over another recliner, she heard Xie Lanzhou's inner thoughts: [I want to be close to her.]
So Su Panyue shut her mouth. Before, when she couldn't hear Xie Lanzhou's thoughts, she only felt that this man was cold-hearted and seemed to have everything under control. But after she could hear his thoughts, Su Panyue realized how wrong she had been.
The midday sun was just right, and the two of them lay side by side in the courtyard of Jingchun Palace. A thick osmanthus tree was overhead, and the dense branches cast shadows that covered their heads. Occasionally, a gentle breeze would blow and stir their hair.
The sun warmed her back, and Su Panyue closed her eyes, pretending to sleep, while Xie Lanzhou turned his head to look at her.
The dappled sunlight shone on her profile, and coupled with her black dress, her skin appeared radiantly white, making Xie Lanzhou almost dazzled.
As she lay there, Su Panyue fell asleep comfortably. Xie Lanzhou gently kissed her cheek and let her sleep past lunchtime.
Su Panyue slept for an hour. When she woke up, she found Xie Lanzhou still beside her, but he was no longer lying down; instead, he was facing her sideways.
"Let's have dinner when you're awake," he said.
Su Panyue rolled over, touched her burning back, and felt that she had sunburned enough for the day and could reward herself with some ice cream.
After the two had eaten together, Xie Lanzhou returned to the Imperial Study to continue his official duties, while Su Panyue asked the Imperial Kitchen to send her two more bowls of ice cream.
Although she was confined to this place, the Imperial Kitchen would provide whatever she wanted to eat.
As a result, she started experiencing severe abdominal pain in the evening, and only then did she realize that she had actually started her period.
Her periods are always irregular, and the timing is never fixed each month; you can only find out when it comes.
However, her dark dress today prevented her from noticing at first, which led her to indulge in two extra bowls of ice cream. Little did she expect to be so unlucky, coinciding with her irregular period.
Waves of pain caused Su Panyue to curl up on the bed, clutching the hand warmer Feixue had prepared for her, but it had little effect. Sweat beaded on her forehead from the pain, and she bit her lip to endure it.
Feiyan quickly brought over milk, red date, and bird's nest soup. Su Panyue took it and drank it spoonful by spoonful, praising, "This soup is very good."
Feiyan said, "Yes, His Majesty also instructed the kitchen to prepare this soup last time."
Su Panyue asked in confusion, "Last time?"
"Um... it was the time when you left, my lady," Fei Yan said somewhat awkwardly.
Reminded by her, Su Panyue remembered that when she ran away, she used the excuse of Yuexin to get Xie Lanzhou away. She didn't expect that he would specially arrange for someone to cook soup for her.
She asked, "What is Your Majesty doing?"
Feiyan glanced at the sky outside and replied, "It's not yet time for dinner; His Majesty should still be in the Imperial Study."
"Send someone to invite His Majesty over. Just say... just say I'm not feeling well." Su Panyue didn't know why, but although she felt Xie Lanzhou was a bit clingy at noon, she really wanted him to stay with her when she had persistent abdominal pain in the evening.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Xie Lanzhou appeared at Jingchun Palace. He pushed open the door and immediately saw Su Panyue, who was lying on the bed with a pale face.
"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed and taking her hand.
Su Panyue was in great pain, and with a scrunched-up face, she said, "Your Majesty, my stomach hurts."
Xie Lanzhou pulled her into his arms and comforted her, saying, "The imperial physician will be here soon."
But his thoughts reached Su Panyue's ears: "Could she be pregnant?"
Su Panyue's vision went black for a moment, and she reminded him, "I'm just having my period, so there's no need to trouble the imperial physician, right?"
"Then let the imperial physician take a look." But the inner voice thought was: [So it wasn't him after all. Thank goodness.]
Hearing his thoughts, Su Panyue frowned in confusion. Why did he seem unwilling to let her get pregnant?
However, the pain prevented her from thinking too much. Fortunately, Physician Gao arrived soon. After taking her pulse, he gave similar advice as before, saying that she was deficient in qi and blood.
However, this time Imperial Physician Gao added two sentences: "The Imperial Concubine still needs to take good care of her body, otherwise she may have difficulty conceiving."
These words were addressed to Su Panyue, but while speaking, Imperial Physician Gao kept watching Xie Lanzhou's expression.
The latter didn't react in any particular way, but simply asked in detail about the medication.
Su Panyue was somewhat absent-minded. She had never thought about this before. It was only when Aunt Cui mentioned it last time that she began to consider whether or not to have a child.
Before she could even come to a conclusion, she learned that she would have difficulty conceiving. Su Panyue couldn't quite describe her feelings, but she felt that Xie Lanzhou must be somewhat disappointed.
He was the ruler of a nation, and countless people hoped he would soon have an heir to inherit the throne. But Su Panyue overheard his thoughts: [No little brat will distract her attention, that's good.]
Upon hearing this, Su Panyue even forgot about the pain and looked at him speechlessly, finding it hard to believe that he would think that way.
Xie Lanzhou patted her hand reassuringly: "It's alright, there's no rush for having children. Just focus on taking care of your health."
Su Panyue closed her eyes and could only respond with a soft "okay".
Finally, Physician Gao prescribed a pain-relieving and recuperating medicine, which finally provided some relief for her.
The two turned off the lights and went to bed. Xie Lanzhou placed his warm palm on her lower abdomen and kneaded it gently and skillfully.
Su Panyue couldn't help but ask, "How come Your Majesty's massage feels so good?" Could it be that you massaged another woman before?
Of course, she didn't ask the second half of the question aloud, and then she heard the man's inner thoughts:
[I absolutely cannot tell her that I specifically studied medical books to learn this, otherwise she'll become arrogant and spoiled again.]
Then Xie Lanzhou said indifferently, "It was just a random press."
Su Panyue smiled and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Your Majesty is so kind."
If you say I'm good, why did you only kiss my forehead?
Su Panyue looked up and kissed his lips again, but the man bit her back and wouldn't let go. Their breaths mingled, their lips and teeth intertwined, until they both began to pant slightly.
She could clearly feel his sword being drawn, and she couldn't help but reach out to push him away, saying, "Alright, alright, let's go to sleep."
Otherwise, if we keep kissing, my hands might be the ones who suffer today.
Seemingly guessing what she was thinking, Xie Lanzhou chuckled, pulled her back into his arms, and whispered in her ear, "Then go to sleep."
The bright moon hangs high outside the window, while inside, two people sleep in each other's arms.
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Author's note: The map is about to switch, look forward to it!
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