Seeing Zhang Cheng leave with a smug look on his face, the Empress glanced at Qin Chuan and said, "Husband, isn't your favor towards Zhang Cheng a bit excessive? I've read some historical records; favoring eunuchs is never a good thing..."
Qin Chuan was well aware of what she was saying, but things always had to be done. He could either find a civil official, a military officer, or a eunuch to do it...
There aren't many people we can trust to begin with, and now even Xiao Yun is unreliable. If we don't promote Zhang Cheng, who else can we rely on?
Thinking of this, Qin Chuan said, "I know what I'm doing and won't overly favor the eunuchs. Zhang Cheng is a trustworthy person, and I'm at ease entrusting this matter to him."
After hearing this, the Empress nodded silently and then said, "Come, take me to see your carriage."
Qin Chuan led the Empress, followed by a large group of palace maids, eunuchs, and guards, out of the palace, then out of the capital city gate, and arrived at a deserted spot on the official road.
Qin Chuan had the palace maids, eunuchs, and guards wait behind them. Then, he led the Empress along the official road for several dozen steps. Afterward, he whispered to the Empress, "Li'er, close your eyes. I have a surprise for you."
The Empress closed her phoenix eyes as instructed, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly, making her look absolutely beautiful.
There was a loud "bang"!
It looks like something hit the ground.
"Your Majesty's wife, my surprise for you is ready. You can open your eyes now."
Upon hearing Qin Chuan's words, the Empress slowly opened her phoenix eyes as instructed.
A huge black box, shaped like a small house, came into her view. Even more peculiar was that four wheel hubs grew from the bottom of this black box.
"Husband, is this the...car you were talking about?"
Qin Chuan explained, "This is an armored off-road vehicle. It's not only safe, but also extremely fast—faster than a swift horse..."
As he spoke, he took her delicate hand and helped her sit in the passenger seat.
He himself sat in the driver's seat.
"Today I'll show you the thrill of high-speed racing."
After saying that, Qin Chuan started the car and slowly drove along the official road.
The official road here has been paved into a straight road for two-way carriages, so turning around on the spot is no longer a problem. Qin Chuan then drove forward with confidence.
As the car slowly accelerated, the Empress opened her mouth in surprise: "It moved! It actually moved?"
"Haha, Your Majesty's wife, please fasten your seatbelt, I'm going to take you for a speeding ride!"
As he spoke, Qin Chuan began to slowly accelerate, increasing his speed to 40 mph.
"Seatbelt? Where is it?"
The Empress looked nervous, glancing around, wondering what Qin Chuan was talking about.
Qin Chuan had no choice but to stop the car on the spot, pull the handbrake, and climb over to fasten her seatbelt.
Unexpectedly, she slapped his butt, "Ouch, you're so annoying, you're pressing on my chest..."
Qin Chuan suppressed a laugh and fastened the seatbelt for her.
To her surprise, she said with a resentful look, "What the hell is this thing? It's so tight, can I not take it?"
"Honey, no, no, this is a seatbelt, it's for saving your life. From now on, every time you get in the car, the first thing you should do is this step. Please remember that," Qin Chuan explained patiently.
Hearing him say that, the Empress had no choice but to let the seatbelt constrict her chest.
Qin Chuan started the car again and drove along the straight road, gradually increasing the speed to 50, 60 and 80 km/h. The road was still a dirt road and had not yet been paved with cement, so he dared not go any faster.
As the empress gazed at the rapidly flashing reflections outside the carriage window, she exclaimed with delight, "My husband! I love this feeling!"
"Really? Then I'll teach you how to drive. Do you want to learn?"
"Can I do it too?"
The Empress blinked her phoenix eyes, thinking to herself, "Can I also control this carriage like my husband?"
"You can do it, believe in yourself!"
Qin Chuan drove the car back, intending to go to Nanyuan in the outskirts of Beijing, because it was a royal hunting ground, much larger than the capital city, enough for an off-road armored vehicle to move around freely.
The eunuchs and palace maids carrying canopies, along with a large number of guards, who came along the way were all startled when they saw the off-road armored vehicle.
At this moment, Qin Chuan slowed down and slowly passed through the middle road they had cleared, rolling down the window and waving to them.
Upon seeing the Empress and the Prince of Yan sitting in the carriage, these people all knelt on the yellow mud ground.
Qin Chuan drove the Empress to Nanyuan on the outskirts of the capital, and all the others followed.
One hour later...
The Empress gripped the steering wheel carefully, her phoenix eyes revealing a tense expression. While following Qin Chuan's instructions, she frantically pressed the clutch, brake, and accelerator, looking just like a driving test candidate, completely panicked...
Qin Chuan felt as if he were seeing the scene of his driving test again.
"My husband, I...I...uh, ah, ahhh!"
As the empress spoke, she mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, accelerating to 70 to 80 kilometers per hour. She was immediately terrified, her face turning pale and her chest heaving violently.
"My lord, quick, save me! I'm about to speed!"
"It's okay, don't panic, keep your foot on the steering wheel and release your right foot..."
The Empress did as she was told, and the car finally slowed down. She breathed slightly, her phoenix eyes smiling, and said, "Husband, I think I can drive now."
"Yes, my Majesty's wife is the most beautiful and the most intelligent woman in the world. My admiration for her is like a surging river, endless and unstoppable, like the Yellow River overflowing its banks."
Qin Chuan had barely uttered the words when he thought to himself, "Huh?"
Did you say the same thing to Ruyan?
Whatever, I've said it all, anyway, I was sincere towards both of them.
...
The Empress carefully drove the carriage through the city gate, intending to enter the palace, but found that the palace passageway was not wide enough for the carriage to pass through. So she had no choice but to drive the carriage to the gate of the Prince of Yan's residence.
After getting out of the carriage, the Empress clapped her hands cheerfully and looked at Qin Chuan with a smile in her phoenix eyes: "How was it? My driving skills are pretty good, aren't they?"
"Your Majesty's wife, your driving skills have truly exceeded my expectations. From now on, when we go out for fun, you can drive," Qin Chuan suggested, seemingly in a serious tone.
In truth, I was thinking, "If my empress wife became my driver, that would be incredibly awesome!"
To everyone's surprise, the Empress happily agreed.
Qin Chuan was immediately stunned. The Empress's wife had really become my driver?!
...
At this moment, Su Rushi, who wanted to talk to Qin Chuan, saw the Empress and Qin Chuan chatting and laughing in the distance, and immediately stopped walking forward, lowered her head and turned back.
Neither the Empress nor Qin Chuan noticed this scene.
After staying at the Prince of Yan's residence for a short while, the Empress returned to the palace.
The guards and servants looked at the bulletproof SUV at the entrance with curiosity, and after the Prince of Yan went inside, they began to whisper among themselves.
"I just saw His Majesty ride this thing over. Could it be some kind of divine mount?"
"It must be! Only His Majesty and His Highness can wield it; it must be a divine artifact!"
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