Chapter 91 For her alone, he would never... even in death.
Dao Yi respectfully placed the imperial edict and half of the iron scroll on the octagonal table, then looked at Yun Xi and said, "As for the other two imperial edicts, I believe Her Majesty the Empress can guess what they are."
"You don't need to say anything, I don't want to hear it," Yunxi refused without even thinking.
But Dao Yi acted as if he hadn't heard anything, bowing and saying, "One is to restore your status and honor as Empress."
Yunxi gripped the dagger, her brows furrowing with increasing impatience.
"The other option is to appoint your child and His Majesty's child as the Crown Prince of Jing, and Lord Fan Zishi and Lord Lu Xiuran as regents."
Yunxi glanced at him.
Dao Yi closed the ebony box as if he hadn't seen anything, then looked at Yun Xi and said, "Your Majesty, I don't understand why you would be so ruthless in your killing of His Majesty. Even if His Majesty has made mistakes, his crimes do not warrant death."
He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have overstepped my bounds and will not disturb you any longer."
When he reached the door, Yunxi asked coldly, "Since you're not going to kill me, that means I can leave here immediately."
Dao Yi gripped the door frame, bowed his head, and replied, "Until His Majesty's injuries have healed, please allow the Empress to accompany him."
The voice conveyed an indescribable respect.
Yunxi sneered, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Once the door was closed, the cold smile on her face vanished instantly.
She looked at the dagger in her hand with a complicated expression, her brows furrowing more and more tightly.
But soon, she heard crying coming from afar.
She was taken aback.
The next moment, he rushed to the door.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw Xiao Bei walking over with Yuanxiao in her arms.
After not seeing Yunxi for a night, Yuanxiao cried as she reached out her chubby hands, saying, "Mommy, hug me!"
Yunxi quickly hugged him and skillfully patted his back to comfort him, saying, "Mother's here, Yuanxiao, don't cry, don't cry."
"Miss, are you alright?" Xiao Bei asked impatiently as soon as she entered the room.
Yunxi shook her head. "How did you get here? Did anyone bully you last night?"
"No, no, it's just that Yuanxiao kept looking for you, but the nanny is here." After Xiao Bei finished speaking, she glanced at Yun Xi and finally chose to keep quiet.
He knew that something terrible must have happened last night.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be locked in the courtyard, and the governor's mansion is guarded by well-armored soldiers every three steps.
Xiao Bei could sense that these people were real battlefield veterans, and their killing intent was extremely strong.
But since the young lady didn't say anything, he chose not to ask any further questions.
Both of them had something on their minds, but Yuanxiao was undisturbed by her surroundings, climbing up and down and pacing around the house.
Yunxi was distracted by him, and time seemed to pass much faster.
A little while later, the wet nurse was also brought over, along with several sets of gorgeous clothes and various toys and food for the baby.
Even his three meals a day were personally delivered by Dao Er.
However, Dao Er now harbors resentment towards Yun Xi and refuses to say another word to her.
Yunxi didn't insist, and the group stayed in the courtyard until the afternoon of the third day.
A soldier led them to the carriage outside the gate, saying they were going back to the capital.
She did not see Xiao Shenjing's carriage until they set off.
Yunxi guessed that he had already been sent away.
It seems he survived the most dangerous period, which is why he dared to set off, since only by returning to the capital could he receive the best medical treatment.
What happened after Xiao Shenjing survived?
Yunxi didn't know, and she was too lazy to even think about it anymore.
She felt very tired.
With Yuanxiao in tow, she didn't even have a chance to escape.
Dao Yi clearly saw this as the reason he returned Yuanxiao to her.
They traveled along the official road and had post stations where they could change horses at any time, so they returned to the capital in less than ten days.
Seeing the familiar city gate again, Yunxi really wanted to laugh this time.
I escaped time and time again, but the outcome was always the same.
She was numb when the carriage entered the palace gates and she was taken to Yongle Palace again.
Xiao Shenjing is not dead, so some debts have not yet been settled.
Okay, she'll wait.
Xiao Shenjing truly regained consciousness on the tenth day.
The serious injury had made him lose a lot of weight, and his face was so pale that there was not a trace of blood in it.
He was momentarily dazed when he saw the familiar sleeping quarters.
Then, he saw Yunxi's indifferent face as she stabbed him with a dagger.
A sudden, intense pain shot through my chest, so much so that my vision blurred for a moment.
It was as if he had been stabbed again by the dagger in Yunxi's hand.
He had to clench his lips tightly and it took him a long time to barely suppress the intense pain.
But his back was soaked with cold sweat.
He strained to reach his hand out of the golden tent.
"Your Majesty!" Fu Shun immediately stepped forward, almost weeping with joy.
He immediately ordered the palace maids to roll up the golden tent.
He immediately bowed and stepped forward, saying repeatedly, "Your Majesty, you've finally woken up! Is there anything else that's bothering you? This old servant will go and fetch the imperial physician right now."
Xiao Shenjing waved his hand and asked weakly, "Where is Yunxi?"
Fu Shun felt a mix of emotions.
His Majesty was perfectly fine when he left the palace, but when he returned, he was on the verge of death. Even though Commander Dao refused to reveal the reason, saying that everything would be decided after His Majesty woke up.
But when Empress Yun reappeared in the Forbidden City, Fu Shun had already roughly guessed what had happened.
Throughout history, only Empress Yun has dared to commit the heinous crime of regicide and still survive.
Although his mind was racing, it only took a moment before Fu Shun respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, Empress Yun and her son Yuanxiao are both in Yongle Palace."
Xiao Shenjing seemed to finally relax and fell asleep again.
On the fifteenth day, he was finally able to get up.
But the wound in his chest hurt with every breath, as if constantly reminding him that he and Yunxi had reached a dead end.
What should he do?
What could he do?
Xiao Shenjing slowly lowered his eyes and looked at his hands.
Throughout his life, he traversed the remains of countless high-ranking officials and stained the blood of the former dynasty's imperial family.
Every step was paved with mountains of corpses and seas of blood; the throne was built from piles of white bones.
He forged ahead against all odds, lurking and scheming all the way; his entire life was about seizing and plundering.
Fate was unfair, so he took it into his own hands until all the groveling masses bowed down to him, and he stood atop the highest heavens.
Everything he desired was firmly in his grasp; he could turn the world upside down with a flick of his wrist, and control life and death with a single thought.
He was used to being in control of everything.
But only Yunxi
no.
The emperor, a man of great stature, repeatedly encountered obstacles with her, suffering setbacks and retreating step by step until he was forced into a corner, yet he still had no way to deal with her.
She is a wildfire that burns everything, fiery, unruly, and unrestrained.
Is letting go the only option?
This thought made Xiao Shenjing feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
That ruthless decisiveness, capable of turning the world upside down with a flick of the wrist, transformed into an unprecedented cold despair, just like the dagger she wielded that night, piercing the emperor's unwavering heart.
Should we let Yunxi leave?
Do you want it?
But just thinking about it makes me feel like I can't stand it.
The emperor unconsciously clenched his hands tightly.
He would never let go of her, even if it meant death.
I can never accept that.
He and she have to be together.
We must be together.
Having barely escaped death, Xiao Shenjing still went to court on the eighteenth day despite his illness.
No matter how much Fu Shun tried to persuade him, it was no use.
Because the issue of defending the coast against Japanese pirates could no longer be delayed.
Xiao Shenjing used the pretext of inspecting the frontier to travel to Datong.
The ministers naturally couldn't find anything to say.
Everything that happened that night in Yangqu County was sealed off by Dao Yi with an iron fist.
Apart from the few people who were present that night, no one knew what had happened.
When the civil and military officials saw the emperor sitting high on the dragon throne with a pale face, they knew that the emperor was unwell, but none of them knew what had happened.
The emperor lowered his eyes to look at the urgent report from the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Zhili: "Twenty-seven Japanese pirate ships have seized grain." The words pierced his eyes in the morning light.
The Vice Minister of War reported, bowing, that "Japanese pirates looted a Ningbo merchant caravan last month at Shuangyu Port, stealing 6,000 dan of raw silk."
"Six thousand dan!" On the throne, Xiao Shenjing's knuckles curled as he pressed against the unhealed wound beneath his dragon robe. The tassels and beads of his crown concealed his instantly furrowed brows, revealing only the hand gripping the dragon armrest beneath his wide black sleeves, his knuckles white with tension as he questioned, "How many bolts of satin can six thousand dan of raw silk weave, and how much military pay can that cover?"
The entire court was deathly silent.
Left Censor-in-Chief Zhou Tingbi bowed and stepped forward. He took a deep breath and said, “Your Majesty! The rampant Japanese pirates are all due to the collusion of maritime merchants! We should close the country’s gates, shut down maritime trade, burn ships and ban the sea. Only in this way can we achieve lasting peace.”
"Lock the borders?" The Emperor's voice finally rang out, not loud, yet like a thin blade scraping across ice. He slowly raised his eyes, a fine layer of cold sweat on his forehead shimmering in the autumn sunlight streaming through the high window, making his thin, sickly profile appear even more sharply defined. When his gaze swept over Zhou Tingbi, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips, but the smile didn't reach his eyes; instead, it revealed a chilling edge. "Minister Zhou, do you want me to cut off my own limbs, handing over this vast coastal territory to the wolves?"
His injuries were still severe, and even breathing aggravated the wounds inside. The pain intensified when his emotions fluctuated. Yet, Xiao Shenjing managed to suppress the groan that welled up to his lips into a short, sharp gasp.
"Han Chengyu's victory report!" Xiao Shenjing's breathing calmed down, and his expression became even more resolute. "Three thousand soldiers, their blood staining the waves! Burning the enemy ships, beheading the bandit chief! It wasn't the 'lockdown' you speak of that we relied on!" His voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable thunderous power. "It was the sturdy ships, the powerful cannons, and the lives of our soldiers."
The excruciating pain in his chest felt like a spiderweb tightly constricting his internal organs. Xiao Shenjing finally couldn't bear it any longer and abruptly turned to the side, covering his mouth and nose with his wide black sleeves to suppress his cries of pain. His shoulders and back heaved violently beneath his dragon robe.
Zhou Tingbi's knees buckled and he fell to his knees with a thud, his forehead hitting the gold bricks heavily. "Your Majesty, your health is of utmost importance!"
As the pain subsided slightly, Xiao Shenjing straightened up, his thin lips pressed tightly together, his fingertips reaching straight for the vermilion brush. His hand trembled slightly from the recent recovery from his serious injury, yet his grip on the brush was as steady as a rock. He dipped the brush tip in scarlet vermilion, leaned forward, and on Zhou Tingbi's memorial advocating a ban on the sea, he boldly wrote down the four characters "delusional folly."
"Issue the decree!" The emperor's imposing presence suffocated the entire hall.
"Han Chengyu is hereby promoted to General of the Pacification of the Seas, in charge of the southeastern coastal defense. A Maritime Trade Commissioner's Office is established at Shuangyu Port, allowing merchant ships to enter and exit according to regulations." His gaze, like a cold star, swept over the bowing officials in the hall, finally fixing on Zhou Tingbi's sweat-drenched forehead. "Whoever again speaks of banning the seas—" His voice trailed off, his chest heaving. The sharp pain from his wound made his vision blur, but he endured it, spitting out the last words between his teeth, each one resounding like metal striking stone: "Considered as colluding with the Japanese pirates."
The sound of the court bell echoed under the clear autumn sky as Xiao Shenjing, supported by Fu Shun's arm, walked down the steps of the imperial court.
The young emperor placed almost all his weight on Fu Shun.
Extremely weak, at the limit.
Yet, they have had to endure this for the sake of national affairs until now.
Seeing the emperor's back soaked from swimming, Fu Shun felt heartbroken.
He should have been resting properly, but Xiao Shenjing only lay on the soft couch in the East Warm Pavilion for half an hour before sitting up.
"Serve the meal."
Having been away for so long, he had accumulated too many memorials that needed his review.
The snow frog and bird's nest soup in the gilded imperial bowl was steaming hot. Xiao Shenjing suddenly looked at Fu Shun and instructed, "Have the imperial kitchen make a dish of golden milk pastry and a bowl of cherry yogurt and send them to Yongle Palace. The cherries should be pickled thoroughly, as Yunxi dislikes sourness."
Fu Shun immediately gave the order.
When Fu Shun returned, Xiao Shenjing was already sitting behind the imperial desk.
Looking at the breakfast that the palace servants had cleared away, he saw that he had barely touched it.
Fu Shun advised, "Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance."
Xiao Shenjing shook his head. "I need to approve these memorials as soon as possible."
About an hour later, he put down his imperial brush and asked, "Has Yunxi used the things sent to Yongle Palace?"
"This servant will go and ask." Fu Shun returned quickly and found that Xiao Shenjing behind the imperial desk had not picked up a pen. Instead, as soon as he saw Fu Shun enter, he immediately asked, "How is it?"
Feeling uneasy and nervous.
This was almost the first time Fu Shun had ever seen such an expression in the Emperor's eyes.
His heart ached, and he respectfully bowed his head, replying, "Your Majesty, Empress Yun has not eaten."
"It seems that her tastes have changed over the years while she's been away." Xiao Shenjing nodded, paused for a few moments, and then immediately instructed, "Have someone send different dishes to Yongle Palace every day, and pay attention to which ones she likes to eat."
"Your servant obeys." Fu Shun suppressed the urge to ask His Majesty to take care of his health, and turned to walk towards the door.
At noon, Xiao Shenjing finally put down his imperial brush and rested for half an hour.
Already weak, she felt even more dizzy upon waking.
But as soon as he opened his eyes, he immediately turned his head and asked, "Fu Shun, where is Yun Xi?"
The lingering effects of the nightmare caused even the emperor's voice to tremble slightly.
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