Time flies, and July is here in the blink of an eye.
Helian Jue set off in April, and three months have passed since he left.
Small battles continued along the northwestern front, but the location of the Turkic royal court remained elusive.
With Xie Yuan in command, Helian Jue was confident in his ability to outlast the Turks.
Xie Yuan, after three months of preparation, has firmly established himself in the imperial court.
The three prime ministers, Wang, Cui, and Zheng, along with the nine ministers and other court officials, had become accustomed to the presence of Empress Xie sitting beside the dragon throne.
They got used to it, and female officials began to appear in the imperial court.
Ahem, they're not used to it, but there's nothing they can do. The Emperor and Empress, this supreme couple, are just too domineering.
One insisted on personally leading military campaigns, while the other frequently tested his court officials.
They handle accounting, adjudicating cases, and other trivial matters... They are high-ranking officials of the imperial court, in charge of governing the country, not those petty officials.
However, Empress Xie's intention was clear: only those who could answer her questions could be considered capable ministers.
If the official could not answer, Empress Xie would not demote or dismiss him, but would directly bring out the female official.
Thus, the "humiliation" suffered by the court officials was even greater—you are not even as good as a woman!
fall!
This is unbearable.
The three prime ministers originally planned to take the opportunity to flatter Empress Xie and then kill her.
Empress Xie became obsessed with power, which ultimately alienated her from the emperor.
As a result, the emperor, far away in the northwest, suppressed all the memorials he received impeaching Empress Xie for seizing power.
He seemed completely unconcerned that his empire would be stolen by a woman.
Helian Jue: ...Hmph, what do you know!
Ah Yuan never hides anything he does.
Even the fact that her shipyard had built a treasure ship, that she had secretly selected personnel to train for naval warfare, and that she had sailed to Fusang Island—A-Yuan told him all this in detail.
It can be said that A Yuan held nothing back from him.
Unlike many women in the imperial harem, she didn't develop her own selfish thoughts after having children.
After all, being the Empress Dowager is much more secure than being the Empress.
Ah Yuan doesn't have any!
He was the only one in her heart!
The prime ministers: ...They're clearly not newlyweds anymore, so why are they still so clingy?
Regardless of their inner complaints, the relationship between the emperor and empress was not soured.
At this moment, the prime ministers suddenly realized that the four prime ministers who had been placed in the council hall by Empress Xie had successfully gained a foothold.
The rights that should have belonged to the three of them were divided among seven people.
This is a perfect example of what it means to try to steal a chicken but end up losing the rice instead.
What's even more ridiculous is that they had previously planned to have several of the leading female attendants, such as Mu Jialuo and Nanling, marry and have children, which would be considered as cutting off one of Empress Xie's arms.
Unexpectedly, Nanling and Helian Yan did indeed get engaged as they wished, but they showed no intention of withdrawing from the court.
This is pretty much what it means to waste your efforts and act like a petty person.
...
Xie Yuan was unaware of, and did not care about, the resentment of the three prime ministers.
"It's settled? The wedding date is set for two weeks from now?"
Kneeling on the main seat in the main hall of Jiaofang Palace, Xie Yuan smiled and spoke to Nanling across the steps.
"Hmm! Actually, I didn't intend to be in such a hurry—"
Nanling still carried a hint of shyness.
Her marriage was fraught with twists and turns, and she originally thought she would be alone for the rest of her life.
I never expected to meet such a good person.
Yongchang was also very satisfied and went to the palace to plunder many good things from the Empress Dowager's private treasury.
As for Yongchang himself, he had already prepared a dowry for his daughter.
The Prince of Ruyang's residence was also in dire need of assistance.
The prince is already twenty years old, but he is still not married.
He had delayed his engagement for three years to observe mourning for his fiancée.
The Prince of Ruyang had long been looking forward to having a grandson.
Both sides' elders were anxious, and they were all top-tier nobles in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Even the most tedious formalities of the Three Letters and Six Rites could be completed as quickly as possible.
Xie Yuanyuan thought they would hold their wedding at the end of the year, but he didn't expect that the other party's wedding date was set for the end of July.
What surprised Xie Yuan even more was another couple—
Helian Yan and Yan He.
Well, I'm still a novice in love, but thankfully I didn't get fooled by a jerk and become infatuated with him.
Yan He, although he has some shortcomings such as being rigid and aloof, is reliable in terms of both ability and character.
Moreover, he was more disciplined and believed in etiquette.
Rules and etiquette can certainly restrict people, but sometimes they can also be a form of protection.
Love will fade away.
People's hearts can change.
But the rules and regulations were written in black and white and were imprinted in Yan He's heart, so Helian Yan was able to get by.
"Yan Lang said that once my brother returns in triumph, he will come to my house to propose marriage!"
Helian Yan ran over to Xie Yuan with a shy expression to share the good news.
Xie Yuan: ...Uh, I guess it should be considered a "happy event".
Xie Yuan informed Helian Chen about Helian Yan and Yan He's relationship via carrier pigeon.
Helian Chen didn't object, but he didn't seem particularly happy either.
Putting himself in the shoes of the elder brother, Xie Yuan could understand: the peony he had painstakingly nurtured had been taken away, pot and all.
Anyone would be happy in that situation.
However, Yan He is indeed a very good person.
She is outstanding in appearance, talent, family background, and so on.
Most importantly, he treats everyone equally.
He didn't treat Helian Yan, who was of mixed race, as an outcast, which was already quite remarkable in this era.
This is probably the main reason why Helian Chen did not object.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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