Everything was on track, but Tao Rui did not relax.
The Hu Kingdom was still eyeing the situation covetously. The rebels of the previous dynasty successfully brought opium to the capital to harm the emperor, and the Hu Kingdom was definitely involved.
Back then, the Duke of Protectorate risked his life to kill several generals of the Hu Kingdom, resulting in a loss for both sides. Both sides have recuperated and have not fought again since then, but the border is not peaceful and small-scale conflicts often occur.
Tao Rui carefully analyzed the history of the Hu Kingdom and their Great Qin Dynasty over the past hundred years and found that the Hu Kingdom would attack the Great Qin whenever it had the chance. No Hu monarch had ever been willing to coexist with them, and they even did not regard the people of the Great Qin Dynasty as human beings.
Well, if that’s the case, let’s fight.
Tao Rui brought up the matter of Xuan Ji using opium to make elixirs in the court, and was very dissatisfied with the inaction of the generals at the border.
The ministers immediately objected, "Your Majesty, war is costly and exhausting. Furthermore, the court was recently in turmoil, and taxes were exempted for a year. Now the treasury is empty, and we don't have a victorious general. It's best to continue recuperating."
Tao Rui asked sharply, "How long will we rest? When opium spreads all over the country?"
Tao Rui took a memorial from Deshun and tossed it directly in front of the ministers. "This is a report from a spy I sent to the border. The opium epidemic is spreading along the border, but the local officials are concealing it and not reporting it. What are their motives? If this cancer is not eradicated, how much harm will it bring to our country in the future? Have you ever considered this?"
The ministers quickly circulated the memorial, and none of them looked happy, but many still advocated peace talks instead of fighting.
"Your Majesty, this is just an accident. Please send a capable minister to rectify the situation..."
Tao Rui waved his hand, "Enough. I will naturally send capable ministers to rectify the situation, but the Hu Kingdom's ruthless ambitions and their bullying of our people on the border will not be tolerated. Besides, have you forgotten? The late emperor died at the hands of the Hu people. If your own fathers were murdered, would you still have the patience to negotiate peace instead of fighting? Hmm?"
Those who stepped out of the group didn't dare to say a word. The hatred for killing their father was irreconcilable. Although it was a matter of state that shouldn't be considered this way, if Tao Rui said so, wouldn't they be courting death by opposing it? Think about what happened to the Regent and his men.
Tao Rui had so many things to change that he didn't have time to argue with them, so he simply adopted a strong approach, almost having the final say. He would only listen to useful suggestions from truly capable officials.
After a discussion at court, Tao Rui ordered Cheng Dong to be sent to the border as deputy general, and sent the eldest son of the Chen family to take over the border city.
The two of them, armed with imperial tokens, met an official three levels higher in rank, and were ordered to ban smoking at the border and rectify the chaos.
When this order was issued, the ministers were confused again. Cheng Dong was highly regarded by the emperor, so it was reasonable to send him there for either gilding or meritorious service. After all, the empress had already decided on a daughter from the Cheng family.
But what about the Chen family? Wasn't the Chen family disliked by the emperor? The Chen family is now severely weakened, and it was the emperor's fault! Why did they not understand why he suddenly used someone again?
Both the Cheng and Chen families were preparing, but the atmosphere was very different.
The Cheng family has always advocated martial arts for generations, going to the battlefield to defend their country.
Ever since the late emperor's suicidal actions had brought down the Duke of Protectorate, earning him the wrath of the emperor, they had no choice but to remain in the army and withdraw. Cheng Dong had spent these years serving as a minor officer in the camp outside Beijing, daring not to display his martial arts skills, while his younger brothers had begun studying and pursuing literary pursuits.
Now that they are valued by the emperor, the Cheng family has finally produced a general who is heading to the border. How can they not be excited?
The Chen family, on the other hand, was just the opposite of them. They thought that Tao Rui was going to kill the eldest son of the Chen family head!
The Chen family was in a state of despair. The head of the Chen family had only two sons. The younger son was exiled to the frontier, and now the older son was going to the border to ban opium. He really couldn't bear it, so he went to the palace to find Tao Rui.
Tao Rui simply asked him, "Does your Chen family still want to restore its former glory? Do you think I would promote some wealthy and powerful people who just live a life of idleness and wait for death? The Cheng family's glory was also earned by them with their lives. Why can the Cheng family go, but the Chen family can't? It's okay if you don't want to go. Don't mention the Empress Dowager again in the future."
The Chen family's head was shocked, realizing that this was Tao Rui's only chance for the Chen family. Previously, the Chen family had indeed had some ulterior motives, wanting to support the young master, which was a big taboo for Tao Rui.
Now Tao Rui gave them a chance because of the Empress Dowager.
He immediately thanked the emperor and left the palace. When he got home, he ordered his men to pack their luggage as he wanted to go to the border with his eldest son!
Tao Rui was both amused and confused when he found out about it, but since the head of the Chen family had brought all his guards and disciples with him, he must be fighting a desperate battle and preparing to help his eldest son achieve merit. This was a good thing, so he just let him go.
Tao Rui's personnel decisions are incredibly difficult to fathom, with no discernible pattern. If anything, he employs only capable individuals. Those found incompetent or with ulterior motives are severely punished.
The atmosphere in the court was boosted. At least in the short term, no one dared to have any bad thoughts, and everyone worked seriously.
After Cheng Qianqian knew Cheng Dong was going to the battlefield, she gave him a box of medicine. She had specifically requested it from the Imperial Hospital, which contained a variety of high-quality medicines. She had somehow added spiritual spring water to all of them and gave it to her brother to save his life.
It was also the first time she remembered that with her current status, she could always give gifts to her family. So she asked Tao Rui for a set of gold-threaded soft armor and gave it to Cheng Dong. It was said to be invulnerable to swords and spears, and impervious to water and fire. This was the ultimate way to save one's life in this era.
For a moment, she regretted not having studied how guns and ammunition were made before she traveled through time. Other powerful weapons would have been fine, but she knew nothing about them. She only knew those fancy little gadgets, which made her very disappointed.
When Tao Rui saw her, he took her out of the palace, personally saw Cheng Dong off at the city gate, and then strolled around the streets of the capital.
This was the first time Cheng Qianqian left the palace after traveling through time, and it felt quite fresh, as if the ancient streets on TV had come true.
When she walked to the most prosperous place, Cheng Qianqian saw at a glance that there was a store that was different from the other stores around. It looked noble and elegant. The most important thing was that the shelves at the door were filled with soaps, toothpastes, blushes, eyebrow pencils and other items she had just made. The waiter was wearing neat clothes of the same style and looked like a waiter. There was also a sign on the window saying "Grand opening sale, 20% off for all items".
She was so stunned that she stopped and said in disbelief: "This, has anyone else made these?" This is clearly modern, is there anyone from my hometown in this world?
Tao Rui held the fan in his hand and pointed upwards, "Look at the plaque, what does it say?"
Cheng Qianqian looked over and said, "Royal Grocery Store? Royal...is this the store you opened?"
Tao Rui nodded and smiled, "Didn't you say that? Selling so many miscellaneous items would only be called a grocery store. Also, I've had people make all the usable items you made in bulk and sell them. Let's go in and take a look at your store."
Cheng Qianqian followed him dazedly, still asking, "How come this is my shop? I don't even know it."
"You came up with the idea for the things, and you chose the name. If it's not your store, whose is it? Let Hai Fuan run it. I'll give you 10% of the profits, and the rest will go into the national treasury. Okay?"
Cheng Qianqian nodded repeatedly. She hadn't contributed much to the cause, having merely come up with an idea. If the royal family could make money, then of course the best place to put it would be in the treasury. She also reminded them, "Make sure there's enough food and fodder at the border."
"Don't worry."
When they entered the shop, Cheng Qianqian felt a momentary trance, as if she had entered one of those modern specialty shops, with an antique feel, but everything else was very modern. But a closer look revealed a different feeling, as the old-fashioned atmosphere was still a bit too strong.
She smiled and actually felt more accustomed to this place.
There are many things in the store, some of which she made, and some of which she suggested. Before they were even made, Tao Rui had others make them. So the products are quite rich, and the packaging is also very beautiful, giving people a sense of novelty without being tacky.
There are many kinds of snacks in the store, which she also mentioned casually. She was a little curious, "How are these made? I was just mentioning it casually, I don't know how to make them."
She really only knows how to make a few snacks, and that's very little.
Tao Rui said with a smile: "There are so many talented people in the world. If we give them an idea, how can they not come up with it?"
Cheng Qianqian thought about it and agreed. She heard that the ancients were very powerful and should not be underestimated in the slightest.
Seeing that she had no doubts, Tao Rui smiled and took her to the second floor to look at clothes and jewelry. These were even simpler, and Tao Rui didn't need to worry about them. Naturally, there were people who knew how to design according to Cheng Qianqian's various suggestions.
As for the snacks in the shop, of course, Tao Rui knew how to make them himself. He just gave instructions and made a lot of them that wouldn't spoil easily. In his previous life, he started out as a snack factory, so making these things was easy, and he attributed it all to Cheng Qianqian.
The people were very enthusiastic. At first they couldn't believe that the royal family had opened a store to sell things. Later they wondered whether the royal store allowed ordinary people to buy things. But when they found that the waiters inside were all smiling and the goods were available at high and low prices, they began to buy things boldly.
If it was sold by the royal family, you would be so excited to buy it that you would spend a long time. Even if your family was poor, you would save money to buy a small thing, saying that it would bring you the royal luck and a better life.
Not to mention the wealthy families, the emperor ordered it to be opened, and all the things were made by the future queen. Only a fool would not show support.
Therefore, the Royal Grocery Store was doing a booming business. Within one month of opening, all the initial costs were recovered, and it was often out of stock.
Cheng Qianqian simply had Hai Fuan open two branches and increase production. Business continued to thrive, proving that royal goods were always easy to sell. The Royal Grocery Store then expanded to other towns, with profits flowing continuously into the national treasury and Cheng Qianqian's personal coffers.
Cheng Qianqian often summoned the women in her family, gave them scented tea with spiritual spring water, and rewarded them with many clothes, jewelry, supplements, cosmetics, etc. She also often gave Huguogong, Cheng Bin and others some homemade cakes, all of which were made with spiritual spring water.
Cheng Qianqian had cured the Cheng family of their poor health, caused by years of depression and frustration. Even the Protector of the Country's legs no longer hurt on rainy days. For an old man, this was the ultimate act of filial piety.
After several months, the vegetables, fruits, poultry, and livestock on Tao Rui's imperial farm were showing results. Although the grain harvest hadn't yet begun, it was clear that the yield had doubled. Tao Rui immediately ordered these planting and breeding methods to be promoted nationwide. He first trained a group of people, then sent them to various locations to teach, ensuring that everyone in the area mastered them.
This was simply a great thing that benefited the people's livelihood. The ministers in the court had no objections, and everyone had a happy look on their faces. Some even said a lot of flattering words, saying that Tao Rui was a true dragon emperor blessed by God, which was why he had such a blessing.
Tao Rui smiled and said, "These have nothing to do with me. At most, it's just my good vision. These things were all thought up by Concubine Duan Chun. Concubine Duan Chun is very intelligent and cares about the country. She can't bear to see the people suffer. She worries about this every day and comes up with countless ideas to benefit the people.
Well, I ordered people to conduct many experiments. Some were successful, like the planting and breeding in the royal grocery store and the imperial farm. Some were failures, which I will not mention here.
In short, as I said before, Concubine Duan Chun has great fortune. If we say that she is blessed by heaven, then in my opinion, she is the one sent by heaven to protect the people of the world."
Everyone was silent for a moment, and then Censor Yang shouted, "Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, and a thousand years of live Concubine Duan Chun!"
The others immediately followed suit.
Tao Rui smiled. This time, Censor Yang was quite good at flattering. The momentum he had created for Cheng Qianqian was already established.
A few days later, reports arrived from the border that Cheng Dong and General Chen had wiped out hundreds of opium rings, closed all opium dens, burned all the seized opium, and arrested several corrupt officials, who were being escorted back to Beijing. Furthermore, Cheng Dong had beheaded a Hu national who was involved in opium trafficking. Upon investigation, the man turned out to be the nephew of the Hu monarch.
In other words, the monarch of the Hu Kingdom sent his nephew to be responsible for spreading opium to the Qin Dynasty. Everything had been going smoothly before, but this time he encountered an unexpected setback. Cheng Dong discovered his identity and killed him directly.
Along with the good news, there was also a memorial from General Wei at the border to report Cheng Dong. General Wei was quite angry and accused Cheng Dong of being disrespectful to him, not listening to his orders, and making decisions on his own.
Tao Rui didn't wait for the ministers to argue, and said with a big laugh: "Cheng Dong is indeed a good son of my Great Qin, and he has lived up to my expectations."
The ministers looked at each other and thought, okay, since the emperor has said so, what else can they object to?
General Wei waited a long time for Tao Rui's reply, but it turned out to be a commendation for Cheng Dong, which almost made him furious. In the past, almost all the troops at the border were considered the Cheng family army. When he was a general, he was very unhappy and often felt that his subordinates did not obey him.
After so many years, he finally got to exercise his power at the border. When he heard that the Empress Dowager had died, he celebrated happily for three days and three nights. He thought that when the dandy emperor took power in the future, his free and easy life would be guaranteed. He could even be called a local tyrant.
Who knew that the emperor would kill the regent in a few strokes and pay special attention to the Cheng family. When Cheng Dong arrived at the border, the old subordinates of the Protector of the Country took special care of him. But he wanted to deal with Cheng Dong but couldn't. Cheng Dong had the emperor's gold medal, and he was three levels higher than the official, so he didn't listen to him at all.
He had been in contact with the Hu monarch's nephew, but now that nephew had died in his territory, he was likely in trouble. If he couldn't give the other party an explanation, he would have a hard time.
The border war has not yet started, but internal strife has already begun.
But just as he feared, the Cheng family had been generals for generations, and the border had always been guarded by the Cheng family army. Although several years had passed, because General Wei was unpopular, Cheng Dong was both outstanding and favored by the emperor, so many soldiers naturally sided with Cheng Dong.
They have to obey orders, but Cheng Dong is the deputy general and has the emperor's token, so it's right for them to listen to him!
Cheng Dong also brought several handwritten letters from the Duke of Protector of the Country and personally handed them to several uncles in the military camp. After reading them, they all secretly supported Cheng Dong. Cheng Dong had only been there for a few months, but he was already on par with General Wei.
The Chen family head and Master Chen also performed exceptionally well. Their rise to power wasn't entirely due to nepotism; they had some real talent. Now, banning smoking and rectifying the chaos are paramount, matters crucial to the family's future. Naturally, they're putting their all into everything, ensuring it's done with flying colors.
While border tensions grew, the people of the Qin Empire continued to thrive. Tao Rui was dedicated to improving people's livelihoods, and he'd come up with something to do almost every few days. The ministers grew accustomed to his commanding demeanor, and their obedient compliance, finding it surprisingly easy.
Because you can hit the target wherever you point, there will be rewards for doing the job well, and those who take shortcuts will be punished. Such a simple rule makes every capable person feel comfortable.
Even the family of the former imperial concubine, who had once coveted the throne, became obedient, because their only support, Tao Yuan, was given homework by Tao Rui every day, either copying Buddhist scriptures or the Four Books and Five Classics, Records of the Grand Historian, poems, etc. He was forced to become a scholar and was sent by Tao Rui to compile books.
What else could this possibly mean? Even if they didn't want to be honest, they had to be honest. Tao Rui would give the Chen family a chance for the Empress Dowager's sake, but the Jin family didn't have that opportunity. They could only work hard to train their descendants. Anyway, as long as they had the ability, Tao Rui would make use of them.
Another year passed, and Tao Rui received news from Cheng Dong that he had found evidence of General Wei's treason and had escorted him back to the capital. It also seemed that the Hu Kingdom could no longer hold back and was considering going to war.
Tao Rui directly appointed him as the general, allowing him to start a war at any time without asking for permission. Those ministers who were worried about him once again lost the opportunity to stop him.
It has been almost two years since Tao Rui traveled through time. The court has been rectified, the borders have been rectified, and people's livelihood has begun to improve significantly. At least the number of people who starved to death or froze to death has been reduced by half, which can be regarded as a remarkable political achievement.
Moreover, the Royal Grocery Store opened in many towns and made a lot of money. No one dared to compete with the Royal for business, and no one dared to imitate what the Royal made. Therefore, the Royal Grocery Store was like a monopoly. The products were novel and of good quality, and they were hot-selling wherever they went.
Even the teams that went to exchange goods with other countries returned with large amounts of treasures, so the national treasury was no longer empty.
Tao Rui sat firmly on the throne.
Just when the ministers thought that life would continue in this stable manner, Tao Rui threw them another thunder.
"I will lead the army in person."
All the ministers tried to dissuade him immediately, and without exception, they all said that the previous emperor died while leading the army in person!
Tao Rui waved his hand to silence them, then calmly said, "I'm not overestimating my abilities or looking for trouble. For a long time, I've been asking the Protector of the Country to teach me martial arts and military tactics. The Hu Kingdom is a serious threat to our dynasty and must be eliminated. I will bring the Protector of the Country and the Jinyiwei with me, so you don't have to worry. I now appoint Cheng Bin as Prime Minister to supervise the country on my behalf. Concubine Duan Chun is bored in the palace and misses her family, so I've specially allowed her to return home to marry. When I return, I will hold a ceremony to crown her empress and marry her into the palace."
Tao Rui once again arranged everything, but this time the obstacles he encountered were very great.
He had no children yet. If he died in battle, who would become emperor? The most important thing was that Tao Rui had been emperor for two years. They all knew that Tao Rui was a wise ruler, a monarch who could truly create a prosperous Qin Dynasty. How could they let him take such a risk?
But Tao Rui had made up his mind and rejected everything anyone said. He even set the date for departure.
Cheng Qianqian was so frightened when she heard the news that her face turned pale. She ran to find Tao Rui and insisted on going with him. Her idea was simple: she could stay behind and if Tao Rui was seriously injured, she could immediately rush over to give him the spiritual spring water.
Tao Rui took her hand and sat down, smiling, "I know you're worried, but this time you have to listen to me and go home and wait for me. I'll be back as soon as possible." He paused and said, "I promise you, I will come back safely."
Cheng Qianqian's eyes were red. "I don't believe it. Why did you ask me to go home? You must be thinking that if I go home to get married, I will still be a girl. What if, what if something happens to you, you won't delay me, right?"
Tao Rui was stunned for a moment. "I didn't think so." He said with a smile, "Really, I'm sure I'll come back safely. When have you ever seen me do anything I wasn't sure of? Am I an impulsive person?"
Cheng Qianqian thought about how he had set a trap for Doctor Li, the Regent and the others, and he was indeed very sure of his chance before he took action.
"But no one can guarantee a safe return from the battlefield. Swords are silent, so how can you guarantee that on the battlefield?"
"I can guarantee it." Tao Rui only said this, his eyes were serious.
Cheng Qianqian suddenly thought of her own spatial spiritual spring. Tao Rui was different from any emperor she knew. He was so powerful and so special. Could it be that... Tao Rui also had some special abilities? In any case, she felt that what Tao Rui said was true.
Cheng Qianqian hesitated for a moment and nodded.
Afterwards, she prepared a lot of pills with spiritual spring water added for Tao Rui to take with him. Of course, she also found two sets of gold-thread soft armor for Tao Rui and the Duke of Huguo to wear. Then she took people back to the Cheng family to get married and changed into her girlish clothes again.
This is convenient in one way, as it allows her to expand her business, make more money, and ensure that Tao Rui has enough money to fight the war.
Tao Rui set out with the Duke of Protector of the Country and all the Jinyiwei. With Cheng Bin in charge in the capital and the court already stable, no one could cause any trouble.
From that day on, the ministers could not eat or sleep well. They missed the days when they were scolded by Tao Rui during court sessions. It was better to be scolded than to be in fear of not being able to see him.
A new emperor appoints new ministers, and they don’t even think about retirement.
Tao Rui did not disappoint them. Soon after arriving at the border, there was a commotion and the Qin and Hu Kingdom officially went to war!
The Duke of the Protectorate once again accompanied the Emperor into battle, feeling as if he were in another world. He was the most nervous person, fearing that the Emperor would be in danger. If Tao Rui, like the previous Emperor, were to encounter something close to the Cheng family, then the Cheng family would be truly finished.
But he soon discovered that Tao Rui had been hiding his abilities in the capital. Tao Rui's martial arts skills were even higher than his in his prime. Not only did he learn his battlefield killing moves, but he also learned many moves he had never seen before.
Tao Rui never suffered a single injury every time he charged into battle and fought bravely. Wherever he went, he was invincible!
This sounds like a legend, but it is the fact. The morale of the Qin army was greatly boosted, and they simply believed that they were being blessed by God.
Tao Rui activated his life-saving tool. To avoid being hurt and affecting his morale, he set it to its maximum. This meant that if anyone used a move that could kill him, they would die. Anyone who approached him and threatened to injure him would surely be retaliated against.
He was also quite capable in combat, having led others to attack the Demon Realm in his time as a cultivator. Furthermore, in this life, due to drinking spiritual spring water daily, he had already reached the third level of the Qi Refining Stage, entering the realm of cultivation, making it difficult for mortals to harm him.
He led the army in person because he knew that he was invincible on the battlefield. He wanted to end the war in the shortest time possible, reduce the sacrifices to the minimum, resolve this matter, and then focus on creating a prosperous Qin Dynasty.
Fortunately, the ancients did not think that the emperor's invincibility was something strange. Instead, they believed that he was the true dragon emperor and worshipped him. However, the morale of the Hu Kingdom would be greatly reduced and it would be in a state of panic.
While Tao Rui was fighting at the border, Cheng Qianqian also matured a lot. She used all the knowledge she could and worked hard to make money. Of course, she would not profit from the people. She always remembered that she would become the queen, and these people would be her subjects in the future.
She wants to make money, but at the same time she also wants to bring a better life to the people.
But there was one good thing: she was the future queen, and any ideas she came up with, as long as they were truly good, would definitely be promoted and profitable. She was particularly concerned about the border food supplies and the soldiers' weapons and armor. Since she lived at home, it was convenient for her to ask Cheng Xiang about it.
Cheng Xiang didn't even need her to say anything, large quantities of military supplies were being shipped to the border. His master, his father, and his son were all at the border, so he couldn't delay anything else but this.
After Tao Rui left Beijing, King Xiaoyao went to find Tao Yuan, hoping to join forces with him to rebel, but their power was too weak and Tao Yuan had no intention of doing so, so they could not gain any momentum at all.
After Cheng Xiang discovered this, he devised a clever plan to cause King Xiaoyao to die from alcoholism, thus completely solving the problem. The capital also fell into complete peace, and everyone waited for their monarch's return.
As news of victory from the frontier reached the capital, the people would celebrate like it was New Year's Eve. Furthermore, Tao Rui earned the title of "God of War Emperor," which grew in popularity and became incredibly famous, boosting everyone's confidence.
Many ministers were secretly thankful that they had chosen the right side. Tao Rui was clearly a man of both civil and military talents, a sage and wise ruler rarely seen in centuries. They were fortunate to be ministers of this dynasty, and when the history books were written in the future, they would surely leave a strong mark on them.
Thinking of this, they became even more excited and worked even harder. It was a rare opportunity to become a celebrity, so who wouldn't want to seize it?
Just like Cheng Bin, future generations will definitely say that he was a famous prime minister. Even if they can't reach Cheng Bin's position, at least they should have a good reputation.
Another year passed, and Tao Rui led his army to capture several cities of the Hu Kingdom and the imperial palace. From then on, the Hu Kingdom disappeared.
If the Hu people are willing to submit, they will be treated kindly as the people of the Qin Dynasty. However, if they are found to have disloyal intentions in the future, they will be severely punished.
These people will be handed over to the head of the Chen family and Lord Chen to organize. After all, they have been experienced in the border area for the past two years.
Afterwards, Tao Rui returned in glory with the Duke of Huguo and Cheng Dong.
On the day Tao Rui returned to Beijing, the streets and teahouses were packed with people, and ministers gathered outside the city to greet him. Seeing Tao Rui return unharmed, seemingly only a little darker, but with a more heroic demeanor, they were all filled with heartfelt joy, and some veteran ministers even had tears in their eyes.
Tao Rui rode up to them on his white warhorse, smiled and nodded at them, "You are very good. Prime Minister Cheng has told me in his memorial that I will reward several officials who have performed very well later."
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
"Stand up and follow me back. After we have rested, we will have a banquet in the palace tonight."
Tao Rui rode into the city on horseback and saw the excited Cheng Qianqian at a glance. He smiled at her, stretched out his hand, pulled her onto the horse, and took her back to the palace.
The people on both sides of the street shouted one after another, "Long live the emperor! Long live the queen!"
Tao Rui held Cheng Qianqian's hand and they both grabbed the reins. Only then did she feel the reality, sure that Tao Rui had really returned. She turned around and smiled at Tao Rui, who also smiled back at her, "I won't leave from now on. I'll come to marry you soon."
"Well, I'll wait for you."
Liu Si was standing by the window on the second floor of the teahouse, looking at their tender and sweet expressions, and her heart ached.
She had a dream a few days ago. In the dream, the emperor did not send her out of the palace, but wanted to make her the queen. She cleverly declined and used the simple-minded Cheng Qianqian as a shield.
Cheng Qianqian is silly. She thinks she has become the emperor's favorite concubine and stands up for the emperor to fight against Concubine Chen and Concubine Rong. In fact, she is the one who is favored by the emperor every day and enjoys the same treatment as the emperor.
The emperor was also stupid, deeply in love with her, and was fooled by her. She used the emperor to make the family prosperous, and used Cheng Qianqian to make other concubines suffer, climbing up step by step, cultivating her own power, and also controlling the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which indirectly controlled many things in the palace.
When she gained a firm foothold, she had the emperor kill Cheng Qianqian. When her son grew up, she killed the emperor again and became the empress dowager, ruling the country from behind the scenes. Even after she became the empress dowager, she secretly kept a handsome concubine.
Unfortunately, the Hu Kingdom invaded and she was killed before she had been the queen mother for two years when the Hu Kingdom broke into the palace and attacked her.
Although the dream turned into a nightmare at the end, the whole dream before that was a sweet dream.
And for some reason, she felt that the situation in the dream was very real, and she was unwilling to accept reality when she woke up.
How could a young daughter-in-law of an imperial censor compare to a favorite concubine, a queen, or even a queen mother?
She felt that the glory that Cheng Qianqian had was what she deserved. What she had now was like eating something tasteless, bland and making her feel uncomfortable all over.
There was a palace banquet in the evening. It was a grand banquet because it was to celebrate Tao Rui's personal expedition and his being named the God of War. Not only ministers attended, but also the ministers' children and relatives.
Liu Si sat far away from Tao Rui. She looked from afar and saw Cheng Qianqian sitting below Tao Rui, second only to the Queen Mother. Cheng Qianqian's brother, father, and grandfather all sat near Tao Rui, a close relationship they valued.
Her eldest sister-in-law was sitting next to her. Seeing this, she whispered to her, "Sister-in-law, don't look around."
Liu Si turned around and looked at her, "Is sister-in-law scolding me?"
“…I don’t dare.”
Seeing her unhappy expression, Liu Si ignored her. The power of the household was to be given to the eldest daughter-in-law. Liu Si was only the wife of the youngest son, so naturally she would not have any rights. If the family was to be divided in the future, she would not get much.
How could she accept this? So after she gave birth to a child and gradually won over her husband, she began to use her husband to compete with her eldest brother, gain the attention of her father-in-law, and frame her eldest brother and his wife in order to fight for the right to manage the household.
She and her sister-in-law had basically fallen out, so she certainly wouldn't waste Tao Rui's imperial edict, and no one in the Yang family could reprimand her.
She originally thought she had won. Within three years, she would be able to make her parents-in-law lose patience with her eldest brother and sister-in-law and drive them out of the house. At that time, everything in the Yang family would be left to them and her son in the future.
But she often wondered, if she hadn't been engaged, Tao Rui wouldn't have sent her out of the palace? Then, wouldn't she have gotten so much more? In the Yang family, she'd worked her way up, and owning the Yang family would have meant reaching the top. But Censor Yang was only a fourth-rank official.
She was born in the Prime Minister's Mansion, so how could she be satisfied with just the Yang family?
The Yang family had once been her best choice, but she had seen hope in Tao Rui, so what she had now seemed inadequate. Especially after she had that dream, no matter how she thought about it, she felt that she should be Consort Duan Chun, the one who enjoyed the emperor's exclusive favor.
It was true that her husband admired her, but the emperor only wanted one woman. Whether in dreams or in reality, the emperor was only attracted to one woman.
Liu Si felt that she had become obsessed. When she saw Cheng Qianqian leave, she subconsciously found an excuse to leave and go to the Imperial Garden to try her luck. She was lucky enough to run into Cheng Qianqian.
The two of them had met a few years ago, so Cheng Qianqian smiled and greeted her when she saw her.
Liu Si smiled and said, "Miss Cheng will soon be the Queen. I never thought the Emperor would be so devoted to her. Now, all the women in the world probably envy her."
This was the first time someone had addressed Cheng Qianqian as Miss Cheng. Even though she had returned home to get married, people still addressed her as "Niangniang." She found it quite novel and smiled modestly, saying, "I'm just lucky. There are also very lucky girls in the world, but their stories aren't publicized, so no one knows about them. Madam Yang, you're very happy. Back then, I envied you."
Liu Si was puzzled, "Miss Cheng envies me?"
"Yes, I had just entered the palace at that time and fell into the water and almost drowned. I was very frightened. Then I heard that you were the emperor's childhood playmate. The emperor specially gave you a large dowry and ordered your husband not to take concubines, and your husband's family was not allowed to scold you.
"I really envied you at that time. I thought that no matter how happy a woman is, this is the best, right? Fortunately, I am also very lucky, otherwise I would definitely be jealous of you." Cheng Qianqian found it funny when she thought about her original thoughts. She actually regretted not being dressed as Liu Si. If she really was dressed as Liu Si, she would have missed such a good man like Tao Rui.
Cheng Qianqian easily expressed her past thoughts, and when Liu Si heard it, he felt that Cheng Qianqian was showing off her unique favor from the emperor, and he felt very angry.
Why is Cheng Qianqian so annoying and sunny, both in dreams and in reality? It seems that she is dark inside and very pitiful.
"Actually, the emperor gave me other options, but I chose to leave the palace." Liu Si said softly, deliberately saying something that would cause misunderstanding.
Cheng Qianqian was stunned. What did this mean? If Liu Si hadn't chosen to leave the palace, Tao Rui would have kept her as a concubine?
"Mrs. Yang, how are you?" Tao Rui walked over with his hands behind his back and stood next to Cheng Qianqian.
Just now, Deshun suddenly told him that he saw Liu Si talking to Cheng Qianqian. Deshun always felt that Liu Si was a special person, and women were very sensitive to each other, so he quickly told Tao Rui.
Tao Rui guessed that Liu Si had no good intentions, so he found an excuse to change clothes and came over to take a look. Sure enough, he heard her talking nonsense.
Tao Rui had no intention of talking to Liu Si anymore. He turned to Cheng Qianqian and said gently, "It's cold at night. Why don't you put on a cloak when you go out?"
He took off his cloak and carefully put it on Cheng Qianqian, saying with a smile: "Let's go, don't stay out too long, I just want to share the celebration banquet with you tonight."
"Yeah." Cheng Qianqian cheered up. She trusted her own feelings more. Tao Rui definitely didn't care about Liu Si. As for why Liu Si had said such ambiguous things just now, huh, she'd seen it all in novels. She was just trying to be a mistress and steal someone else's boyfriend. It was wishful thinking!
She decided never to bother with Liu Si again.
Tao Rui took Cheng Qianqian away without even looking at Liu Si. Liu wanted to say something, but Deshun stopped her and asked her to go back with a smile.
Liu Si's only chance to get close to Tao Rui was gone, and she returned home devastated. Not long after, Tao Rui married Cheng Qianqian in a grand ceremony to crown her queen.
It has never been a secret that the emperor dotes on the queen. It is known to the world. No matter what happens, anyone who sees them can see how loving they are. They are simply a fairy couple that everyone envies.
The happier they were, the heavier the knot in Liu Si's heart became. She even had that bizarre dream many times. She was dissatisfied with her husband and even with her in-laws. As time went by, the Yang family naturally noticed it. Moreover, they did not care for her like the original owner.
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