Seeing that he didn't respond, Xu Yixing felt bored and just kept looking out. Suddenly, his eyes passed through the guards and fell on a person kneeling by the roadside. His heart skipped a beat. Isn't this Ying Wu? Why is he with the courtesan again?
In fact, the tent was so deep that she couldn't see the face of the man kneeling on the side of the road outside. However, she was very familiar with Ying Wu's figure. It seemed that he didn't run far after escaping that day, and was still thinking of finding an opportunity to get close to her.
Fortunately, the carriage was moving fast, and Xu Yixing didn't stare at the figure too closely, so Ah Er didn't notice anything unusual. The carriage drove all the way to the Miaozhou Armaments Field, then stopped. Someone outside the carriage lifted the curtain and helped Xu Yixing down.
Looking far away, the armory was full of ant-like little people wearing armor and holding spears and shields. These were the border troops of Daxia.
It turned out that Lu Anyuan had come directly for the military review today. No wonder he hadn't ascended the tower at the city wall. Before Xu Yixing could take a closer look, his guide had already escorted him to the emperor's side. The emperor and empress walked hand in hand as they ascended the Temple of Heaven together, a scene of great grandeur.
"The garrison troops under Miaozhou respectfully welcome His Majesty. Long live the emperor, and a thousand years of live the empress!" Since the generals and provincial governors took the lead in saluting, the ground of the entire military training ground was shaking with the sound of congratulations.
Xu Yixing had never seen so many soldiers before. Even though she had known the border troops numbered in the hundreds of thousands, seeing them today finally gave her a clear understanding of what a mighty army truly was. One could imagine the shock she felt. Back in the capital, everyone had said her father was arrogant and domineering, but only now did she finally understand where his confidence came from. If she could command these hundreds of thousands of troops, she would probably be even more arrogant than her father.
You know, when she was in the capital, the largest force she had ever seen was the fifty thousand Dragon Guards that accompanied the Crown Prince to war. However, the capital was small, and even when they went out to war, they marched slowly out of the city in small formations. It was nothing compared to the sprawling, unbroken display of force today, a truly majestic scene of a sea of soldiers and generals.
The envy in their eyes was quickly noticed by Lu Anyuan, who said proudly, "Stand!" All the generals rose in unison, shocking Xu Yixing again. It turned out that Lu Anyuan was so imposing in front of his subjects. No wonder he was able to intimidate those princes into ascending the throne smoothly, and even dared to leave the capital to lead the army in person less than a year after his accession.
The process of the military parade was quite simple, consisting of a symbolic inspection of the troops' appearance and a few words of encouragement. Lu Anyuan had already visited the Northern Territory once when he was a prince, and now that he was the emperor, he was naturally more adept at it. The ceremony at the armaments field was over in just half a day.
The emperor returned to the palace and headed for the previously prepared residence, the former governor's mansion where Xu Yixing had been staying for several days. The Empress was supposed to be present at the banquet in the front hall, but Lu Anyuan hadn't allowed Xu Yixing to attend. Officially, it was because the harem was forbidden from interfering in government affairs, but Xu Yixing had a feeling he was afraid he'd use the opportunity to connect with some of his father's old subordinates and try to stir things up. Or perhaps he was just being more direct and didn't want those grown men to see him.
She was naturally happy to be free since she was not going to the banquet. She stayed in the Orchid Garden and looked at the gifts sent by the ministers and generals. Although it was boring, it was enough to kill time.
It was not until it was getting dark that he saw Lu Anyuan coming towards his room, seemingly with a hint of alcohol on his body.
"Why is it over so early?" Xu Yixing stood up to greet him, just like a real imperial couple, full of courtesy but no warmth. This really made Lu Anyuan very dissatisfied. He frowned and sat in a seat farther away from her.
"You once said that a banquet like this would just be about drinking and singing hymns. How long can it last?"
"Haha, what are your plans next? Winter is almost here, and we can't start a war in winter, right? If it drags on until next spring, then you've been away from the capital for so long, aren't you afraid of changes in the capital?"
Lu Anyuan seemed to be smiling. He did have his own purpose for coming out this time, but he didn't want to tell her right now. "Why, have you found out when I'm going to the battlefield so you can escape? Or are you just hoping I'll die on the battlefield so you can go and be free and at ease?"
Xu Yixing felt a surge of inexplicable anger and a dull, inexplicable ache in her heart when she heard him speak so harshly. She suppressed her feelings and sat down next to him, a gentle look in her eyes. "Look at what you said. If you die, who will protect the people of Daxia? You are the emperor now, so you naturally have the responsibilities of an emperor. Don't say that again."
“You…” Lu Anyuan was so confused by the sudden soft words that he didn’t know what to say. He could only swallow the few harsh words he was about to say and changed his words: “Forget it, even if I go to the battlefield, people will keep a close eye on you, so just give up the idea of escaping!”
"I wasn't planning on running away." Xu Yixing tilted her head. Unsure if Lu Anyuan would call her halfway, she was still wearing the empress's formal attire. This tilt of her head was incompatible with her solemn and dignified demeanor, adding a unique touch of charm. "I told you, from now on, I'll listen to you. I'll do whatever you say, and I won't disobey."
"Then why did you disguise yourself and leave me?" Lu Anyuan had already drunk quite a bit today, having changed his clothes and washed up before coming here. The alcohol was so strong that even the corners of his eyes were red. He had wanted to ask this question more than once, even in his dreams, but if it weren't for the alcohol, he wouldn't have been able to open his mouth.
"Well... I wanted to leave at the beginning because I was afraid of unexpected events and trouble." Xu Yixing said this ambiguously. You can't say that I asked someone to poison your father to death because you were afraid of being exterminated, right?
When Lu Anyuan heard this, his drunkenness mostly subsided. He sternly told everyone in the room to leave, and even drove all the guards in the yard out of the courtyard.
"Chao Jianyi, he is your man, right?" Lu Anyuan lit the candle himself, placed it on the round table in front of the two of them, and covered it with the lampshade, as if this little flickering light could dispel the huge darkness.
"You knew?" Xu Yixing offered no explanation or quibbling. She had known for a long time that Chao Jianyi was wanted, but she hadn't known whether Lu Anyuan had learned about their relationship from Uncle Bai or Chao Jianyi himself. After Ying Wu left Beijing, the Shadow Guards had sealed the information, leaving her in the dark about Bai Yu and Chao Jianyi. Now that it was suddenly brought up, she felt uneasy, fearing they would be implicated by her.
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