Chapter 99 For example, on the couch.
Lin Yan followed Xiao Che back to the palace.
As the carriage entered the palace gate, Lin Yan lifted a corner of the curtain to peek out. Upon seeing the imperial carriage, the guards immediately stood at attention, saluted, and allowed it to pass, their movements perfectly synchronized.
Lin Yan couldn't help but wonder if people in ancient times also practiced standing at attention and marching in formation.
Lin Yan lowered the carriage curtain, pulled her head back, and glanced at Xiao Che, who was resting with his eyes closed beside her.
This man remained calm, as if taking his subject back to his home for the night was the most normal thing in the world.
However, it does seem quite normal. At least for the Lin family, it's not unusual for Lin Yan to be kept in the palace by the emperor from time to time to "discuss official business" or even stay overnight in the palace.
At first, Lin Chengji and Wen Yun were worried that their son might do something wrong in front of the emperor. However, when they saw that the emperor not only did not blame them, but also rewarded them more and more frequently, and his official position rose all the way up, their worries gradually turned into numbness.
Anyway, as long as the son is well and the emperor's favor remains, doing more work or something is not a big deal.
Lin Yan even suspected that his parents might have already imagined some touching scene of "the emperor and his ministers getting along well and sleeping side by side".
Sleeping side-by-side is true; whether it's touching or not, I don't know, but it's definitely exhausting for him.
The carriage stopped in front of the Ziji Palace. Xiao Che opened his eyes, got out of the carriage naturally, and then turned around to help Lin Yan.
The hall was brightly lit and warm, dispelling the slight chill of the spring night.
Li Defu had been waiting with palace servants. When the two entered, he stepped forward to help Lin Yan remove his red official robes.
Xiao Che waved his hand, signaling him to step back.
Li Defu immediately understood and quietly led the palace servants to the outer room, leaving only the two of them in the inner hall.
"I'll do it," Xiao Che said, and personally took action to untie the sash of Lin Yan's official robe.
Lin Yan feigned concern: "Your Majesty, isn't this against the rules?"
"Rules?" Xiao Che raised an eyebrow, but his hands didn't stop moving as his fingertips deftly untied the gold belt around Lin Yan's waist. "What rules are needed between me and Minister Lin?"
The official robe was removed, revealing the moon-white undergarment underneath.
Xiao Che then took a set of neatly folded purple casual clothes from the clothes rack next to him. The material looked extremely soft and comfortable, just the style that Lin Yan usually liked.
"Change into these, they'll be more comfortable." Xiao Che handed him the clothes.
Lin Yan took it; it was warm to the touch, and indeed it was a superior material.
As he changed his clothes, he watched Xiao Che also begin to remove his dragon robe, and couldn't help but mutter, "His Majesty's service is quite thorough; he even took care of the changing."
Xiao Che took off his heavy dragon robe and casually draped it over the screen. Hearing this, he turned to look at him with a hint of mockery in his eyes: "If you feel bad about it, my dear minister, how about you serve me next time?"
Lin Yan's already impure mind immediately conjured up images of serving from that perspective: "...Serving is serving."
In the end, it's still uncertain who will serve whom.
Lin Yan quickly changed into the purple casual clothes, stretched his arms and legs, and found it much more comfortable than the tight official robes.
Looking up, he saw that Xiao Che had also changed into a casual outfit of the same color, the style of which was very similar to his own, only the pattern was more subdued.
Lin Yan blinked, looked at himself, and then at Xiao Che.
Matching outfits?
Xiao Che seemed oblivious to Lin Yan's probing gaze, straightened his sleeves, and said in a casual tone, "Purple suits you very well."
Lin Yan wondered to himself, "Is it to flatter me, or to flatter your little secret thoughts?"
Having just changed into their matching outfits, before His Majesty the Emperor could even admire them properly, he heard Li Defu outside announce, "Your Majesty, Prince Agula and Princess Qimuge are requesting an audience."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Che frowned almost imperceptibly, seemingly displeased by the sudden interruption, but still said, "Summon them to wait in the side hall."
"Yes," Li Defu replied.
Xiao Che looked at Lin Yan: "They must have important business to discuss with me. I need to see them. If you don't want to see Agula, you can rest first. I'll be right back."
Lin Yan immediately nodded vigorously: "Alright, alright, Your Majesty, you go ahead, I won't go."
He didn't want to see that stubborn Northern Rong prince again. Just thinking about the prince's obstinate gaze made Lin Yan feel a tightness in his chest.
Seeing Lin Yan's avoidance, Xiao Che didn't say anything more and turned to go to the side hall.
Lin Yan was happy to have some peace and quiet, so he strolled over to the soft couch by the window and sprawled out. He casually picked up a book from the small table next to him and flipped through it idly.
He yawned, wondering what Xiao Che had gone to see the brother and sister for.
Inside the side hall, Agula and Qimuge greeted Xiao Che respectfully.
Xiao Che sat upright in the high seat, his gaze sweeping over the two people standing below. Besides the brother and sister, there was also a middle-aged man dressed as an envoy from the Northern Rong.
"No need for formalities. What brings you two to the palace at this hour?" Xiao Che got straight to the point.
Agula and Qimuge exchanged a glance, and Qimuge stepped forward: "Your Majesty, my father Khan sent a messenger with some things from our hometown, and... a letter."
As she spoke, she gestured for the messenger behind her to present the letter.
Li Defu stepped forward, took the document, checked it, and then presented it to Xiao Che.
Xiao Che unfolded the letter and quickly glanced through it.
The letter was written by the Khan of the Northern Rong, and its content was nothing more than an expression of friendship towards the Great Yu, a hope that the two countries would be permanently on good terms, and a promise that Agula and Qimuge would stay in the Great Yu forever and never return to the Northern Rong.
At the same time, they also subtly suggested that the Emperor of Dayu, out of consideration for the friendly relations between the two countries, would grant marriage to his two children, and that the Northern Rong would send generous betrothal gifts and dowries in accordance with etiquette.
After reading the letter, Xiao Che's expression remained unchanged. He placed the letter aside and looked at the messenger: "I understand the Khan's meaning."
The messenger bowed immediately and said in heavily accented Mandarin, "Your Majesty the Emperor of Dayu, our Khan sincerely hopes to establish a lasting friendship with your country. The marriage of the prince and princess is entirely up to Your Majesty. Whether it is a prince marrying a concubine or a princess getting married, the Northern Rong will not be shortchanged in the slightest."
This was said politely, but the meaning was very clear: the right to choose and decide on the marriage alliance was handed over to Xiao Che.
Xiao Che did not answer immediately. He looked at Agula and Qimuge and asked, "Do either of you have any thoughts about your marriage?"
Agula's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but Qimuge quietly tugged at his sleeve.
Qimuge lowered his eyes and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, since our father has entrusted our marriage to you, we will naturally follow your arrangements."
Even so, Xiao Che still saw helplessness and resignation in their eyes.
As a price paid by the Northern Rong, they didn't really have much of a choice.
Xiao Che remained silent for a moment.
He recalled many years ago when the late emperor sent someone to the Eastern Palace with several portraits of noble ladies, asking him to choose a crown princess from them.
How did he react at that time?
They refused outright.
He could not accept his marriage becoming a political bargaining chip, and he was even less willing to marry a woman he had never met and had no feelings for, letting her waste her youth in the harem.
The late emperor was furious and imprisoned him for a whole month. The Eastern Palace was surrounded by the Imperial Guards, who forbade him from taking a single step out.
Those days of confinement were not easy, but he never regretted it.
Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.
Xiao Che raised his eyes and looked at the Northern Rong messenger: "Go back and tell your Khan that Dayu is willing to make peace with the Northern Rong forever. I also hope that Prince Agula and Princess Qimuge can stay in Dayu. As for their marriage..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Agula and Qimuge's slightly tense faces: "I will not force a marriage."
Upon hearing this, not only was the messenger stunned, but Agula and Qimuge also looked up in surprise.
Xiao Che continued, "I am not a matchmaker and have no interest in arranging marriages. If the two of them meet someone they love in Dayu, regardless of the other person's status, as long as they are of good character, I am willing to grant them their wish and personally bestow a marriage upon them, holding a grand wedding. If they do not meet such a person, they can stay in my capital of Dayu and live a life of wealth and leisure, ensuring their peaceful and worry-free lives, which is also perfectly acceptable."
The Northern Rong messenger was clearly not expected to receive such a reply and was momentarily at a loss for words.
This is completely different from what the Khan had anticipated.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something more: "Your Majesty, this..."
Xiao Che raised his hand to interrupt him: "My mind is made up. You only need to take my words back to the Khan verbatim."
His tone was not stern, but it carried an air of authority that made the letter writer swallow back his words. He could only bow and reply, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will obey your command and will certainly plead my case to the Khan."
Agula and Qimuge stood aside, their feelings a complex mix of emotions.
They were relieved to not be forced into marriage, but the Emperor of Dayu's words also completely cut off their possibility of gaining greater benefits or consolidating their position through marriage.
Xiao Che said no more, had Li Defu give them some gifts, and then sent them out of the palace.
After dealing with this unexpected incident, Xiao Che returned to find Lin Yan already asleep on the soft couch, the book in her hand slipped to the side, her cheeks flushed a faint pink, and her breathing even.
He walked over quietly, bent down, and tried to carry the person to bed.
As soon as he bumped into Lin Yan, Lin Yan woke up groggily. He opened his eyes, saw it was him, and asked in a daze, "Finished talking? What's up?"
Xiao Che sat down beside him, then gently lifted him up to lean against him to keep him warm, and briefly explained that the Northern Rong Khan wanted him to grant him a marriage.
After listening, Lin Yan was mostly awake and clicked his tongue twice: "The Khan of the Northern Rong is really generous. So what did you say back?"
"I will let them find it themselves. If they find it, I will grant them marriage. If they don't, they should stay put."
Lin Yan nodded; this was a very clear-headed answer.
He leaned against Xiao Che's chest, found a comfortable position, and asked lazily, "Then why didn't you want to marry the Crown Princess back then? The late emperor must have chosen a noble lady with top-notch family background and talent for you, right? After you ascended the throne, you didn't seem to want to start a harem. You were just waiting for me, weren't you?"
Although Lin Yan knew that Xiao Che had neither established an empress nor taken any concubines, Xiao Che had never explained the specific reasons in detail.
Xiao Che tightened his grip on his arm, his gaze fixed on the deep night outside the window, as if seeing his stubborn self from many years ago through the passage of time.
“Because I don’t like her.” Xiao Che’s voice was calm. “I have seen too many couples who are only together in name, and too many women who have wasted their youth in the deep palace. I do not want to marry someone I don’t like just for the sake of balancing the court or continuing the family line, and then trap her in that world and torture each other.”
Looking down at Lin Yan, he said, "If I were to marry, it would be the woman I love, someone I would want to be with for life. If I couldn't find her, I would rather not have her. Fortunately, I have met you."
Lin Yan felt a bittersweet feeling in her heart as she listened.
He imagined the young Xiao Che, under immense pressure, rebelling against his father's arrangements, all to uphold his unwavering devotion to love.
In that era, it took immense courage.
Lin Yan reached out and hugged Xiao Che's waist, burying her face in his chest: "Then you're pretty lucky, you still found it in the end."
Xiao Che chuckled softly, his chest vibrating with a pleasant resonance.
"Yes, you're very lucky." He kissed Lin Yan's head. "Therefore, I will not force anyone. If Agula and Qimuge are destined to be together, I will be happy to see it happen. If not, a forced relationship will not be sweet. We have been taught since childhood not to do to others what we would not have them do to us. We cannot have studied it for nothing."
Lin Yan snuggled against him, indicating her agreement.
However, he wanted to teach Xiao Che a lesson—
The saying "Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you" may not be applicable in some situations and in some places.
For example, on a tatami mat.
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Author's note: Just go ahead and teach me! [doge emoji]
We've reached chapter 99! Let's all wish them a long and healthy life! [Sprinkling flowers]
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