63 Chapter 63
◎It was from her madness that night that she bit me. ◎
When news of Su Lu's ascension to the throne arrived, Xie Yutang had just finished reorganizing the 100,000 troops in the three cities when a secret edict from the capital of Dayan arrived.
Xie Yutang unfolded the secret edict, raised an eyebrow, and showed no other emotion. He put his finger to his lips, let out a sharp whistle, and the snow eagle flapped its wings and landed in front of the window.
She rolled up the secret letter she had written into a thin scroll, stuffed it into a bamboo tube, tied it to the eagle's leg, patted the eagle's round head, and the white shadow soared into the sky, heading south like an arrow.
The capital of the Northern Rong, a golden tent and domed palace.
The layers of gauze curtains cast clusters of light and shadow on the candlelight.
Tuoba Xiu was led into the inner hall by palace servants. The first thing he saw was a pile of memorials next to the gilded Boshan incense burner, and only then did he see the figure buried behind the memorials.
Tuoba Xiu looked at Su Lu with pity, and was once again relieved that it wasn't him sitting there.
Su Lu is now the rightful king of Bei Rong. To everyone's surprise, a week after the new king ascended the throne, some sycophantic ministers submitted memorials requesting a grand coronation ceremony, but he indifferently ignored them all.
However, while the new king was low-key, his decrees and official documents flowed out of the Golden Tent Palace like snowflakes every day, sweeping away the atmosphere of incompetence and complacency in the court. It was said that the minister who fainted the other day was running to submit his memorial today. Even an old mudfish like him could be driven to such a state. Tuoba Xiu's respect for this brother soared even higher.
Xie Qi, along with the Imperial Preceptor Qiu Dunyue, was ordered by the King to pursue and capture the remnants of Helou Batu's fleeing forces. Helou Batu intended to hide in the mountains and wage guerrilla warfare, but Su Lu was more familiar with the local terrain than he was, and even accurately predicted his hiding place. When the wooden box containing Helou Batu's severed head was transported back to the Golden Tent Palace, the restless Yuchi and Hexi clans were completely extinguished.
After being reprimanded by Su Lu, He Xi Tuo, who had tried to tamper with the relief silver and grain being transported to Na Se Bo, obediently opened the granary and treasury. His eyes had lost their shrewdness, and he only hoped to give away all his wealth to save his own life.
Tuoba Cangjue was amazed by his methods and even took the opportunity to test Su Lu with a few words while Su Lu was having tea. His good grandson held the teacup with his jade-white fingertips and said with a half-smile, "Actually, I was the regent in Dayan in my previous life."
Tuoba Cangjue wanted nothing more than to throw the tea in his face: "I must have been the Jade Emperor in my past life!"
...
Su Lu put down the memorial in his hand and looked at Tuoba Xiu, who was standing quietly in front of him: "Brother, what brings you here?"
Tuoba Xiu pulled himself out of his reverie, hesitated for a moment, and was about to kneel down to pay his respects when Su Lu stopped him: "No need for such formalities."
With just a few words, his demeanor was enough to win people's hearts and minds. Tuoba Xiu sighed inwardly. Although they shared the same grandfather, he sometimes had to admit that the differences between people were truly vast.
Now that the country is safe and sound, my grandfather is happy to be at ease. As the former crown prince, there is no point in him staying in the Golden Tent Palace any longer. So he came to Su Lu to ask for his resignation. From now on, he can travel all over the country and live a life of wealth and leisure.
It's just a matter of whether Su Lu is willing to release them.
Successive rulers have never trusted their predecessors; sparing their lives is already a sign of magnanimity, so how could they tolerate them no longer being under their watchful eyes?
But Su Lu said, "Brother Wang, if you want to leave, that's fine, but—"
He paused, his gaze lingering briefly on Zhou Baizhi behind Tuoba Xiu. "Miss Zhou is so talented, it would be a pity if she were to leave without a place to use her skills."
Both of them were taken aback.
When Xie Yutang brought Zhou Baizhi back from Snow Wolf Pass, he had a doctor examine her and learned that she was a woman.
Just as Zhou Baizhi was about to bow her head and confess her guilt, Tuoba Xiu interrupted her, saying, "The crime of deceiving the emperor is my fault, please do not blame Baizhi, Your Majesty."
Zhou Baizhi glared at him, about to say something more, but Su Lu raised his hand and said, "Get up."
After the two were seated, Su Lu said, "There is a mistake, but the mistake does not lie with Brother Wang and Miss Zhou."
Tuoba Xiu was taken aback upon hearing this, and subconsciously looked up. He saw Su Lu's fingers, which were twisting the pages of paper, pause slightly. He tilted his head, and for some reason, suddenly curled the corners of his lips, lowered his eyelashes, and ran his fingers along the collar of his neck.
For some reason, even though the king didn't seem to have changed much, he suddenly became much more radiant, like... a peacock spreading its tail feathers.
Tuoba Xiu composed himself: "What does Your Majesty mean?"
Su Lu handed over a booklet: "I have ordered He Lou Wulan to borrow personnel from the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue to run the girls' school."
Tuoba Xiu took it and saw that the booklet was very detailed.
The girls' school taught them everything from horseback riding and archery, horse training and falconry, to law, mathematics, classics, history and policy essays, just like the boys' school. After completing their studies, the girls could also serve as officials in the court, just like the boys.
Tuoba Xiu and Zhou Baizhi exchanged a glance, both seeing deep shock in each other's eyes.
“Brother Wang is skilled in poetry and prose, and he also established a school in the past. Now that the girls’ school has just been established, it is still lacking a person who is well-versed in the classics, has high reputation, and is familiar with teaching. I think Brother Wang is the most suitable candidate.”
Su Lu paused, then looked at Zhou Baizhi: "Miss Zhou is skilled in calculation and knowledgeable in the ways of commerce. If you are willing, you can temporarily take up a lectureship in the Department of Commerce at the Girls' School. As for the other courses on classical studies, you may also audit them at will."
Zhou Baizhi felt her heart pounding. It took her a while to find her voice, and every word trembled as she said, "Your subject will not fail in your mission."
After seeing the two off, Su Lu waved his hand, and the palace servants retreated like the tide. He no longer looked at the mountain of memorials, got up and walked to the antique shelf, his fingers tracing a plum blossom in a porcelain vase.
Seeing that he always liked to look at the plum tree in the courtyard, the palace maid broke off a plum branch and put it in a porcelain vase. The porcelain white fingertips against the plum blossoms, and the cold and snowy feeling filled the hall in an instant.
"How long does Master intend to watch?"
The young man remained with his head bowed, gazing at the plum blossoms, his voice, tinged with amusement, drifted through the half-open window into Xie Yutang's heart.
He was dressed in imperial robes, with a jade belt outlining his slender waist, looking as if he had stepped into a painting.
The hall was silent. The smoke from the Boshan incense burner suddenly stopped for a moment, and the half-open window seemed to tremble. Su Lu was then embraced from behind.
The crabapple blossoms under the moon were tinged with the chill of snow, and the candlelight burned quietly behind the heavy gauze curtains.
Xie Yutang asked, "Do you know when I arrived?"
They embraced each other in the most intimate way, yet addressed each other with utmost formality.
Su Lu grabbed her wrist and pulled her close, kissing her.
Their lips intertwined, silently expressing their longing after being apart for several days.
After a few breaths, the young man pressed her into the crook of his neck, calmed himself for a moment, and then said in a hoarse voice, "I know."
Xie Yutang pressed her nose against his neck, and the collar of his shirt came undone in the entanglement, revealing the skin that had been covered. At the junction of his neck and collarbone, there was only a ring of light-colored teeth marks, which at first glance looked like white jade smeared with rouge.
She bit me when she went crazy that night.
Xie Yutang recalled his action of touching his collar in front of Tuoba Xiu and the others, and felt a thirst in his throat. He snorted, "You're quite good at it."
The guards of the Golden Tent Palace are now all their own people. When Xie Yutang arrived, he did not have anyone announce his arrival. Hearing the sounds of discussion inside the house, he stood under the corridor and waited for him.
A window in the hall was half-open, and looking through it, one could see his back.
He was dressed in imperial robes, with golden wolf heads embroidered on his shoulders and the seven luminaries of the grasslands around his waist. He was sitting in front of the imperial desk discussing the matter of girls' education with Tuoba Xiu.
Xie Yutang's gaze greedily slid over him inch by inch, from behind his ears to his shoulders, and then to his waist... Looking at his profound and imposing appearance, it seemed as if he was born to be a superior.
Her eyes darkened, and she pushed Su Lu to the table, pinning him down on it.
The cold edge of the table bumped against his lower back. Before Su Lu could utter a sound, Xie Yutang silenced him with a kiss.
...
She then wanted to push him onto the table.
He stood there in this imperial robe, at the desk where he reviewed memorials and received kneeling worship.
Every drop of blood in my body is screaming and boiling.
This person who is high above her belongs to her.
It belongs to her alone.
No one else is allowed to touch it.
Xie Yutang remembered the secret letters from the bodyguards.
The letter said that he had only been on the throne for a week when he quelled the rebellion, reorganized the court, and implemented sweeping reforms and appeasement policies. This calmed the hearts of the court officials who had been on edge because of his ruthlessness on the day he seized power. It must be said that some people are born to be kings who are admired by all and can turn the tide with a flick of their wrist.
Who could have imagined that someone as untouchable as snow on a high mountain would now have their wrist held by her, their face gradually turning red under her teasing intimacy, from their eyebrows to their nose, from their cheeks to their lips.
She personally placed him on the throne, and then watched as the king bowed down before her.
The smoke on Boshan Road was completely out of control, and the mountain of memorials piled up on the ground was scattered all over the ground with a whoosh.
Thinking of the impending separation, Xie Yutang tightened his grip even more.
She had lived two lives and never knew she could be so proactive.
Her desire for this person burned like a raging fire.
But she also discovered that this person would let her see and touch him, but not eat him.
Once again, Xie Yutang's wrist, which was trying to cause trouble, was grabbed. She stopped kissing him, nose to nose, and panted, "Are you trying to keep me hanging?"
The person beneath her showed no embarrassment at having his thoughts exposed. His hand holding her wrist was steady, and his fingertips teased her wrist intimately. "Yes, Master is going to be thousands of miles away. There are so many good young men in the capital. If I don't leave Master with something to remember me by, what will happen if Master forgets me?"
He even had the nerve to say "longing".
Xie Yutang bit his lip hard in a fit of anger, and unsurprisingly tasted the sweet and metallic taste of blood.
"You still dare to criticize me? Your Majesty's status is now so prominent, and there are so many young ladies from noble families in the palace eyeing you covetously. And then there's that Helou Wulan..." She had only mentioned it casually, but the more she talked, the angrier she became. The situation in the court had just stabilized, and those old ministers hadn't had a chance to make a fuss yet. Once they calmed down, the number of memorials advising the King to establish an Empress and take concubines would definitely be no less than the pile on the table.
"If you dare to succumb to the pressure, I will—"
Su Lu listened quietly, then pecked her neck, looking expectant: "So what?"
And they're even showing off now.
Xie Yutang glanced at him sideways, grabbed his hair and continued kissing him, threatening fiercely, "Your Majesty is welcome to try."
Moonlight streamed in through the half-open window, spilling over the twelve sandalwood screens and illuminating the snow, which was still melting, wrapped around the crabapple petals, outlining intricate patterns on the sandalwood table.
...
On the canopy bed behind the screen, Xie Yutang lay in the young man's arms, her arms around his waist, her tone languid after a satisfying meal: "I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning."
Su Lu seemed to have expected this: "A letter has arrived from Da Yan?"
Xie Yutang hummed in agreement and took out the secret edict from his bosom, handing it to him.
Emperor Chongde suddenly fell seriously ill and issued an urgent edict ordering Xie Yutang to return to the capital immediately, dressed simply and without any entourage.
Su Lu's gaze fell on the four words "lightly dressed and simply," and a chill flashed across his face: "You've certainly made a good plan."
When they left the capital, Emperor Chongde was still in good health. Why did he fall ill not earlier or later, but only after Xie Yutang won the battle and incorporated the Northern Rong?
The order to send people back to the capital in simple clothes and with minimal entourage was out of fear that Xie Yutang would have too many troops and would be difficult to control.
Xie Yutang planted a kiss on his neck, seemingly troubled by only one thing: "This mark is fading more and more."
Su Lu raised his hand and pressed her against his neck, offering her most vulnerable spot: "Then Master, put a little more pressure on me."
The wound that had just healed bled again. Xie Yutang watched with satisfaction as his mark was branded on his body once more, squinting as he wiped away the oozing blood droplets one by one.
Su Lu pulled her into his arms without a care, playing with a strand of hair that had fallen down his head: "A-Mian, have you thought it through? I'm afraid things won't be peaceful when you return to the capital."
A sudden chill ran down his wrist as a crimson jade bracelet was slipped onto his wrist. The bracelet was made to his exact size, fitting snugly against his slightly protruding wrist bone, with a crescent moon of vermilion color faintly visible at its lower edge.
"The journey back to the capital will likely be fraught with peril. I'll lock you up for now." Xie Yutang fiddled with the bracelet. "Be a good girl and wait for my return."
She deliberately misinterpreted the meaning of "peace," but Su Lu had no intention of arguing with her. Not to mention that his A Mian was already fully grown and had been secretly plotting for years, waiting for this moment. Even if someone dared to have any designs under the palace walls, he would protect her.
Su Lu stared at the bracelet on his wrist for a long time, then smiled and said, "I also have something for A-Mian."
It is a red jade thumb ring.
Jadeite is extremely precious and has always been reserved for imperial use.
The founding emperor of the Great Yan Kingdom had a red jadeite thumb ring, which he wore every day without taking it off. After his death, he even took it into his mausoleum. From then on, the emperor had the habit of wearing a thumb ring. Emperor Chongde had not been able to find a satisfactory red jadeite material. Coincidentally, a piece of top-quality green jadeite was presented as tribute from Hanzhong. So he settled for second best and had a green jadeite thumb ring made.
Xie Yutang ground the red jade thumb ring. The smooth, clean feel of the jade was very comfortable. Under the candlelight, it had a gem-like luster and was free of any impurities.
Having grown up in the royal family, she could tell that jade with such pure and vibrant colors was a rare and exceptional piece.
It is unknown where Su Lu found this ring or when he crafted it.
The young man placed the ring on her finger and solemnly kissed her hand: "May A-Mian's wishes be fulfilled on this journey."
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