Inside the hall, you could hear a pin drop.
Nighthawk realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly lowered his head.
Ayu sat quietly in her special chair, eating from her bowl. She seemed to sense the strange atmosphere in the hall and reached out her soft little hand to tug at her father's robe.
Yan Beimo added some steamed egg custard and minced meat to his bowl, both of which were specially prepared by the imperial kitchen.
“Keep an eye on him.”
"yes."
He was about to bow and leave when he heard...
"etc."
Nighthawk paused and looked back.
Yan Beimo moved his lips, but remained silent for a long while.
Night Hawk guessed that His Majesty dared not ask, perhaps he was deceiving himself; not seeing a body meant that the person might not be dead.
But the military doctor said that the lady had passed away, and the grass on her grave must be growing very tall by now.
Even if we find Helian Ye, what can we gain by keeping an eye on him?
"Summon all the generals who have left the north to the council hall."
Night Hawk paused, "Huh?"
For the past six months, he has been relentlessly killing, leading the young prince in battle day and night, and no one dares to mention his name.
Even after the Northern Liang was destroyed, they still attacked the Western Regions, fighting until they vomited blood and fell into a coma on the battlefield.
They've only been back in Jiankang for a few days to recuperate, and now they want to fight again? Does Your Majesty want everyone involved in that massacre to die?
"Does Your Majesty want to wage war?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a cold gaze fell upon him.
Night Hawk was taken aback and quickly bowed and retreated.
After finishing his meal, Yan Beimo carried his chubby son, who had eaten a lot, to the Hall of State Affairs.
Everyone in the hall had already arrived, and upon seeing the newcomer enter, they all knelt down to pay their respects.
The generals who left the north were all brave warriors who had fought alongside Yan Bei Mo for many years. They were extremely capable in combat, and the great Northern Liang was conquered in just six months. These generals deserve much credit for their contributions.
Ayu couldn't understand what they were saying, but she kicked her little legs and walked over, reaching out her little hands to climb onto the military sand table.
Yan Beimo picked him up and put him on the platform. The other generals watched, pointing to the mountains and rivers of the Western Regions on the map, seemingly without finding anything wrong with it.
He Xing also noticed that since the Lady's passing, His Majesty's favor towards the young prince had only grown stronger.
Ayu stared at the sand table with curiosity, pinching the flags on the mountain and grasping the terrain and mountains, having a great time.
Yan Beimo ignored his actions and listened indifferently to the generals' words.
When Xie Xuan came in, he saw them talking about military affairs. He glanced at Yan Beimo's black hair, raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"This medicine from the Imperial Medical Academy is quite effective."
Yan Beimo turned around. "What is it?"
Xie Xuan chuckled nonchalantly, "I'm bringing you medicine."
Yan Beimo took the document and said calmly to the generals, "Continue."
A layer of ethereal light spilled from the sky outside the window, and pale birds flew across the sky, fluttering and landing on the majestic, empty palace.
It was only early summer, and the nights were not hot. A cool breeze swept around the palace gardens, and the lights in the council hall burned all night long.
When the generals came out of the hall, they were exhausted and had dark circles under their eyes.
It was one thing to talk about military matters all day, but they wouldn't let anyone go home to rest until the wee hours of the morning.
They were so tired they wanted to sleep on the ground.
After fighting in Beiliang for half a year, enduring wind and rain, in that desolate place where war raged and nothing grew, we finally returned to Jiankang. But His Majesty is now launching another campaign against the Western Regions.
Sigh, what a terrible thing to do.
On the bed in the palace, Yan Beimo was asleep with his eyes closed.
Ayu couldn't sleep, so she got up and stared at her father, who seemed to be asleep.
He reached out his little hand and poked it, but there was no response. He then pinched his father's nose, grabbed his hair, and played around with it, panting.
Yan Beimo calmly opened his eyes, looking at the mischievous child without the slightest ripple of emotion.
Ayu was startled to see that his eyes were dark and bright, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept at all, and quickly withdrew her hand.
The father and son stared at each other, wide-eyed.
The dimly lit hall fell silent for a moment.
Yan Beimo got up. "Can't sleep?"
Ah Yu seemed to understand and nodded heavily.
Yan Beimo leaned against the bedside, picked up the medicine from the bedside table to take it, but was stopped by a chubby little hand.
Ayu stared at him with her round eyes, then scooped out the medicine with her little hands and threw it all over the ground.
Yan Beimo lowered his eyes, looking at his son who looked almost exactly like him, and murmured to himself.
"She will come back, as long as you are here."
His voice was too low for Ayu to hear.
Ayu just felt that taking medicine all the time was bad, because medicine was so bitter.
He sat up with his bottom sticking out, climbed into his father's arms, and stretched his neck to see the moisture in his father's eyes. He paused for a moment, then reached out his chubby little hand to wipe it away.
Yan Beimo remained motionless, his handsome face showing no change in expression, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
The dimly lit hall was completely silent.
The Qi dynasty's plan to increase its troops in the Western Regions has aroused dissatisfaction among the powerful families of the previous dynasty.
The northern frontier is too vast, the Western Regions royal court has a powerful army, and thirty-six kingdoms have submitted to it. If the Central Plains were to go to war with them, it would be impossible to know how many years the war would last.
The territory of the Great Qi is already very large. Only by taking over the Northern Capital can the unification of the North and South be achieved sooner or later.
As for those foreign tribes in the Western Regions, it's not too late to fight them after the Great Qi has become stronger for a few years.
However, the Emperor of Qi was willful and absurd, completely ignoring the objections of the powerful families, and did as he pleased, ordering the Ministry of War to allocate silver to prepare provisions.
On the twelfth, Yan Beimo had not slept for several days. While in court, he suddenly vomited blood and fainted, frightening the court officials into a state of panic.
The Emperor of Qi only has one son. If something were to happen to him, the young prince would be too young to guarantee that there wouldn't be a situation where the imperial clan kills each other.
There was much discussion in private, but no one dared to mention the matter of taking in six concubines.
Inside the Xuanming Hall.
Yan Beimo felt that he had actually been awake for a while, but he hadn't slept for too long and his consciousness was still hazy.
He kept dreaming about that snowy day, watching her fall off the city wall and into the bottomless snow cave.
At the bottom of the icy cave, a hand was pulling him upwards.
He wanted to sink, to sink with him—
"How is it? He's been unconscious for several days now."
The imperial physician put away his medicine box and said respectfully, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, His Majesty is just too tired. He'll be fine after a good night's sleep."
Xie Xuan said in a deep voice, "Go and brew the medicine."
Cui Linyuan sat by the window, holding Ayu in his arms, and teased her a few times with a smile.
Ayu sat obediently in his lap, pointing her little finger at her father sleeping on the bed, and twisted her little body.
Cui Linyuan understood his meaning, and the gentle smile on his lips deepened as he stood up.
"What a sweet baby she has given birth to."
Xie Xuan poured herself a cup of tea, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Then why don't you have one too?"
Cui Linyuan smiled without saying a word, and carried Ayu to the couch.
After getting into bed, Ayu pulled the dragon tent up a bit, then glanced at her father's pale face, lay down beside him, and even imitated how her mother used to pat her back to lull her to sleep, gently patting her father's chest with her little hands.
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