Chapter 8: Guests from Afar
Just when Xiang Ying and a group of brothers were making a mess in the capital, the underground transmission room in the palace (the batch positioning point for the "return home" of spiritual crystals) quietly welcomed two people - Gu Yinyue and a beautiful woman dressed as a young woman.
Gu Yinyue's prestige in the palace was obvious to everyone, so along the way, even though many guards and maids cast curious and slightly contemptuous glances at the women around him, no one stepped forward to ask or stop them. They just felt a little unfair for their own queen: Humph, I thought you were a taciturn and loyal good man, but you are having an affair with the queen here, and you brought back another woman here. You really have no moral integrity.
The woman didn't care much about being stared at by all kinds of eyes, and Gu Yinyue just slowed down his pace and walked side by side with her, whispering something to her.
Soon they arrived outside the Queen's study. Just as Gu Yinyue was about to push the door open, he heard voices coming from inside. The woman stopped Gu Yinyue, winked at him cunningly, then turned her head closer to the door and listened. Gu Yinyue showed an embarrassed and shy expression on his face, but did not stop her.
The topic of conversation in the room was indeed quite interesting—for this woman.
"In other words, are you really going to turn down those gigolos sent to you?"
A dignified voice with a hint of arrogance sounded - it was Li Ye's voice.
"Yes. I don't want any of them. No matter if they're the most handsome man in the continent or the hunk who has sex 30 times a night, I want to send them all back to where they came from."
Beichen's clear, bright, and resolute voice followed. Upon hearing this, the woman turned to Gu Yinyue and raised her eyebrows. Gu Yinyue coughed lightly and turned his head away.
"Honestly, Beichen, this is no joke. Sending these people back would be like slapping the kings of those countries in the face. Elysion has only just been established, and it's not capable of such an outburst yet. And do you think these people can survive after being sent back?"
"Then let's find them a slightly safer job. Elysion doesn't keep freeloaders. If they can't stand it anymore and run back, we won't stop them."
"Then maybe they'll think you're dissatisfied and send you more and better quality ones next time."
The room was silent for a moment.
"Beichen, don't forget." Li Ye's tone was filled with persuasion. "Before you married a woman, you were still a king. Since you have embarked on this path, you should have foreseen the consequences. You cannot avoid the situation of a political marriage. You will not like these people, and they will not like you. You use them to balance the power among the ministers, and they use you to lay a solid foundation for their own power -"
"Elysion is still a new country. Does that mean it must follow the customs and routines left by these ancient great powers? If the emperor marries one, the power behind that one will change within the court and the country. That's why the emperor has no choice but to keep marrying. On the other hand, if I don't want any of them, what else can they say?"
"If the water is too clear, the fish can't survive. Your idea is good, but it's too idealistic."
"Of course I know the truth is that the water can't be too clear, but even if I want to relax the bottom line, it's not in this area."
"They'll always have a reason. You're of marriageable age now. In a year or two, once the state's operational systems are completely stabilized, they'll start demanding you give birth to an heir as soon as possible. So, what background do you plan to choose as the heir's father? Imbalances are always going to occur."
"...So, I still have to get married as soon as possible to shut these people up?"
Beichen's voice sounded a little helpless.
"Don't tell me you want to move Gu Yinyue out?"
"What's wrong? Can't I?"
"Of course not. He is the son of a criminal, stripped of his nationality, and do you know the status of his mother? If he were to take your husband's place, Elytheon would become a laughingstock."
"...Li Ye." Beichen's voice suddenly lost its warmth. "Who secretly investigated Yin Yue's past? You or Xiao Peng?"
"It's me. You silly woman, now is not the time to be emotional—Gu Yinyue's mother is a..."
"Sorry, Li Ye, I want Yin Yue to tell me this himself."
"Please don't be so stubborn!"
Li Ye's voice became louder.
"Do you think I want to say that? I'm a warrior, and I've had to deal with people's faces all the way. I certainly know how uncomfortable it feels to be discriminated against, but you're the king who's being watched by everyone now!"
"Because I am the king."
Beichen's voice did not contain any hesitation.
"Li Ye, I still don't know your past. Maybe people around me know, but they haven't told me. I don't plan to ask you, so it's the same here at Yin Yue. I'll wait for you to tell me in person."
“…”
"Yin Yue is the son of a criminal... His mother's identity is shameful in the eyes of the world. If he really wanted to protect them, how could he let them appear in public with such an identity? His father is a criminal. I can negotiate with You Yu and ask them to withdraw the sentence. Or, I can give him a more glorious title of meritorious official that can overshadow his unseemly title. As for his mother, I don't care what her previous identity was. Since Yin Yue is going to bring her here... Since he trusts me so much, I don't believe that anyone would dare to say anything if I give her the title of Duke."
"So, what if his mother starts forming cliques and using Gu Yinyue to stir up trouble?"
"How could a mother who raised a son like this be such a person?"
"..." Li Ye was silent for a few seconds, "But you can't always be just—"
"This is my bottom line." Beichen sighed. "When I first decided to embark on this path, I was determined to create an ideal world for those around me where they could live as they please. If I were to break that belief now for these reasons, I would be putting the cart before the horse and losing all meaning in being the Queen of Elysion."
"Naive, so naive!"
"Not all conventions and old rules are correct, Li Ye. At least, in my opinion, the disputes and disputes in the imperial harems since ancient times are extremely lamentable and helpless, and there is no need for them to exist. Since Elytheon is a new country, it is not obligated to abide by such rules. At least in the world I originally lived in, a country could function well with only one partner as leader.
Besides, if a nation is truly powerful, it doesn't need to rely on a harem... on the king's companions fighting and trampling on each other to balance power, nor does it need to rely on marriage alliances to seek help from other countries. So, instead of focusing on these aspects, I'd rather think about how to make Elytheon even more powerful and feared.
"Developing too quickly will cause panic in other countries, and accepting their gifts is a good smokescreen."
"Other smoke bombs can be collected, but men can't."
"You... forget it, I'm too lazy to waste my breath... Really, you don't want such a good fortune, if it were me, I would take it... What's so good about those perverted idiots that you hold them so dearly..."
Li Ye found that he could not convince the other party. His long tone brought out a bit of helplessness, but also a slightly doting smile.
At the same time, the two people who were listening outside the house looked at each other and exchanged glances. Then, Gu Yinyue looked at the door and smiled blankly, while the woman next to him had an interest glint in her eyes. She pulled him, whispered something to him, and left.
That afternoon, Gu Yinyue knocked on the door of Beichen's study again.
When the door opened, Yagard was standing behind Beichen, talking to Beichen with his head down. When he saw Gu Yinyue coming in, he patted Beichen's shoulder lightly as a reminder.
Beichen looked up, then immediately jumped up in surprise:
"Yin Yue! You're back!────Uh."
After walking a few steps, he found a woman standing next to him - a beautiful young woman dressed in Tang suit. Although her appearance was not as stunning as Xiao Ying, her delicate facial features could still be said to be so beautiful that they could make fish sink to the bottom of the water and geese fall to the ground. Although there were some almost unnoticeable fine lines at the corners of her eyes, it did not detract from her gentle, refreshing and peaceful temperament that made people feel like they were bathed in spring breeze and in a peaceful mood.
Beichen stared at the beauty in front of him for a few seconds, then asked tentatively in a low voice:
"Hello, could you be..."
No way...she looks so young!
"I am Yin Yue's mother. My surname is Fang and my name is Ai." The woman nodded slightly to Beichen and smiled gently, her black eyes flashing with a cunning glimmer.
"Hello, Aunt Fang."
Beichen immediately became restrained and greeted her somewhat awkwardly, while Yagard on the other side had already walked to the reception area with brewed black tea.
The two of them were brought to the sofa to sit down. Before Beichen could say anything, Fang Ai spoke first.
"Your Majesty, let's be frank. I'm a rough man, so I'll ask directly. -- May I ask, Your Majesty, what is your relationship with my son Yin Yue?"
Beichen didn't expect Aunt Fang to ask so directly, and was a little stunned. Gu Yinyue called out "Mom!" in a low voice, with a hint of complaint in his tone.
Without waiting for Beichen to answer, Fang Ai glanced at her son's flushed face and spoke again with a smile:
"Well, this question seems too difficult to answer now. Let me ask it another way. Do you plan to let Yin Yue become the king's wife of Elysion?"
Beichen glanced at Gu Yinyue and shyly twisted the hem of his clothes with his hand: "Well... yes."
Crack. While fiddling with the tea set, Yagad suddenly crushed a teacup, then looked at Beichen and Gu Yinyue with embarrassment:
"Sorry, I lost control of my hand for a moment. Please continue, I'll take care of this."
Beichen twitched his lips, Gu Yinyue was busy blushing because of what Beichen had just said, and Fang Ai glanced at Yagard, with more interest and ridicule in his eyes.
"No wonder Your Majesty is interested in my reserved son. So you like the more aggressive type. Hmm... my son has absolutely no sense of romance, no sweet talk, and absolutely no sweet talk skills, but he has a perfect physique. And let me tell you, he had a [beep] when he was fifteen."
So this beautiful mother gave out Gu Yinyue's personal data while his face turned green. At the end, she said:
"Although there's a slight height difference between him and the guy behind you, you don't have to worry about the size—the guy behind you is a bit overkill. My son's size is just right...it's a very exciting height and physique difference!"
"Mom, what are you talking about!"
"Shut up!" Fang Aimi narrowed her eyes and glared at Gu Yinyue, and Gu Yinyue really shrank aside and shut up.
Beichen twitched his lips:
"Um, Aunt Fang, now let's talk about this..."
"It's not early." Fang Ai smiled cunningly, as if she could see what Beichen wanted to say. "If we don't push him out, what if someone else takes his place as Zhengfu?"
After saying that, he raised his eyebrows provocatively at Yagard. Yagard had no expression on his face, but for some reason, a mural behind him suddenly made a cracking sound and broke into two pieces and fell down.
But Beichen was obviously a little uncomfortable about this.
"Aunt Fang, you might know... Yin Yue is not the only one around me."
"Yes, when Yin Yue first told me about your situation, I was furious for a while, thinking that my son was really not up to the task. I was planning on him getting married and bringing me a few more wives."
Beichen lowered his head.
"But I'm not that downhearted. After hearing what he said about what happened when he met you, I finally let it go. Between being one of the partners of a capable man and having multiple partners as a mediocre man—my son chose the former, that's all. Since that's his choice, I respect it."
Gu Yinyue and Beichen looked up at Fang Ai at the same time, their eyes full of surprise.
"So you two should get married and spend your wedding night together as soon as possible. I want to have a grandchild."
puff!
Gu Yinyue originally wanted to use drinking tea to cover up his blushing face, but when he heard this very abrupt remark, he spat out a mouthful of tea.
Fang Ai looked at her son with disdain and took out a handkerchief to wipe her arm that was splashed with tea.
"Your Majesty, you see, this boy is very crude and uneducated. Do you really want him?"
Beichen twitched his lips and nodded hurriedly, so that Gu Yinyue didn't have time to wipe the water stains on the table before he turned his head away and sat back on the sofa in embarrassment.
"No, but I haven't figured out how to propose...propose...propose..." Beichen said stiffly, "I will find a...um, more formal day. Come...that..."
"No, no need to be too grand."
Gu Yinyue still turned his head away and replied shyly in a low voice.
Seeing this, Fang Ai rolled his eyes as if he was shocked.
"Oh my god... you two are such a good match! Go ahead and do whatever you want. I, an old man, am too lazy to bother with you!"
After saying that, he stood up and wanted to leave, but before he could move, a figure rushed in from outside the house - it was Li Ye.
"Hey, you silly woman, your two old lovers from Heyang Kingdom are here to play with you—the new king, Redis, and Duke Rui."
Hearing this, Fang Ai raised her eyebrows and turned to glare at Beichen.
"It's okay to have a love affair, but remember to get rid of it before marrying my son! Even if you let them in, their status can't be higher than my Yin Yue! Also, I can barely allow threesomes, foursomes are okay occasionally, but fivesomes are absolutely not allowed!"
“…”
Beichen had nothing to say. He covered his forehead with his hands with a pale face and huddled on the sofa in misery and dejection.
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