Seeing that Li Qiji had a cold face and was thinking about something, Guan Zhiyue didn't say anything more.
After sulking for a while, Li Qiji saw that Guan Zhiyue was ignoring him, and instantly transformed into a clingy, obedient baby.
"Yue'er, my wife, my lady, my beloved concubine!"
"Why do you, a mere woman, insist on going to the battlefield? Don't you trust your father-in-law with those weapons?"
"Yue'er, please don't leave your husband, okay?"
"Yue'er..."
Guan Zhiyue acted as if she hadn't heard him, let out a hum, broke free from Li Qiji's embrace, rolled over onto the bed, and as soon as Li Qiji saw Guan Zhiyue leave his arms, he instantly chased after her like an octopus.
He scooped Guan Zhiyue into his arms, using both hands and feet to trap her tightly, rendering her unable to move and forcing her to curl up obediently in his embrace.
Li Qiji rested his chin on Guan Zhiyue's head, and his voice became particularly calm and gentle, as if there was a hint of pleading in his tone.
"Yue'er, let's not go, okay? I know the greater good of the nation, but between the country and you, I still selfishly want to choose you!"
Guan Zhiyue was speechless after hearing this. How could someone with impeccable revolutionary credentials, someone who grew up in the sunshine, put her own interests before the greater good of the nation and its people?
"As the king of a country, you only think about your personal feelings. How can you be worthy of being the king of this country?"
“Those scoundrels from Japan are killing our people at will. There are hundreds of families! Even if each family has three people, that’s still three hundred people! And each family has more than three people! How can you be so selfish?” Guan Zhiyue cursed as she thought of her past life. She was one of those wolves in sheep’s clothing. But if it weren’t for the sacrifices of her ancestors, where would they have such a wonderful and happy life?
Now that I have the opportunity to deal with these people's ancestors, why shouldn't I take action? I also possess extraordinary treasures, why shouldn't I go all out?
"Yes, I was narrow-minded. I was wrong. I will allow you to go, but I will personally lead the expedition. Otherwise, I will not agree to your going." Li Qiji made his final concession. As the emperor of a country, he was actually defeated by his empress.
But he was happy to do it!
Seeing Li Qiji's response, Guan Zhiyue said nothing more and simply replied, "Alright, I understand. If you're willing, then so be it. However, I might advance with the main force first. You can set off on your campaign after you've finished dealing with matters at court!"
Li Qiji loosened his octopus-like embrace and gently pulled Guan Zhiyue into his arms, lying flat on the bed. Guan Zhiyue nestled obediently in his arms, as if the world had quieted down to just the two of them.
——
Nothing was said that night.
The next morning, when Guan Zhiyue woke up, Li Qiji was no longer by her side. Instead, Xiao Chang Le was there. The little one must have encountered something funny, because her little mouth was wide open, and she was laughing so hard that she was drooling.
"My little darling, why aren't you sleeping? Are you hungry?" Guan Zhiyue turned over and laid Xiao Chang Le flat on the bed. She reached out and poked her little face, then pinched her little arms and legs. She felt very satisfied and couldn't help but wonder what her child with Li Qiji would look like.
"Changle, do you want a younger brother or a younger sister? Let your mother give you another brother or sister!" Guan Zhiyue said to little Changle.
As soon as she finished speaking, she couldn't help but burst out laughing. What was wrong with her? How could she say something like that without any shame?
"Knock knock knock~~"
"Enter!"
Upon hearing the reply, Bilian pushed open the door and entered. Seeing Guan Zhiyue already sitting on the bed, cross-legged and teasing Chang Le who was also on the bed, she smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you're awake! Are you starving?"
Upon hearing this, Guan Zhiyue knew that Bilian must have misunderstood something again. However, she assumed that as long as Li Qiji stayed overnight in the Cold Palace, the first thing Guan Zhiyue did upon waking up the next morning was to say that she was hungry. Now, the servants in the Cold Palace were used to it. As long as the Emperor stayed overnight in the Cold Palace, they would prepare toiletries and food for him the next morning, and it would be the kind of porridge that had been cooked for a long time.
"Um... I'm not very hungry today, so I can eat later."
——
Inside the Imperial Study.
Li Qiji had already finished the morning court session and announced his intention to personally lead an expedition. However, the ministers vehemently opposed it, questioning how the emperor could personally lead an expedition, asking if the Southern Ding Kingdom lacked capable generals or if the generals of Southern Ding were no longer competent.
Anyway, after a lot of arguing, Li Qiji felt dizzy and his brain was about to explode from all the noise, so he announced the adjournment of the court.
He had just returned to the Imperial Study and was still fuming when Ji Shang suddenly appeared out of nowhere and dealt him a heavy blow.
"What? Are you telling the truth?" The teacup in Li Qiji's hand shattered instantly, showing just how furious he was.
Ji Shang took the item out of his pocket and threw out the gyrfalcon that was next to him.
"Your Majesty, this is the intelligence I have intercepted. Please take a look."
Ji Shang held up a small roll of paper above his head with both hands, gesturing for the Emperor to examine it. Hua Quan quickly and deftly took the paper roll from Ji Shang's hands, walked to Li Qiji's side, and handed the item to Li Qiji.
Li Qiji opened the paper tube and saw some crooked characters written inside, characters that did not belong to their country. Although Li Qiji did not know what they meant, he knew that they were in the language of Japan, and that someone was passing a message to the Japanese.
"Well, no matter how much you guard against it, it's hard to guard against a traitor within the palace! There's a spy inside the palace!" As soon as Li Qiji said this, he immediately asked, "Jishang, where did you intercept this intelligence?"
Ji Shang quickly replied, "Your Majesty, this gyrfalcon was intercepted over the inner palace. I do not know which concubine it belongs to."
Upon hearing this, Li Qiji became even angrier. These women were such a nuisance. He had already entrusted the matter to Hua Quan, but instead of decreasing, the number of women had increased. Did they think he, Li Qiji, was a fool?
"Okay, okay, okay, very good!"
Li Qiji was so angry that he said "good" three times in a row, which made the three people present kneel down on the ground, not daring to say anything more, afraid that they would be the next ones to suffer.
"Ji Shang~"
"Your subordinate is here."
Li Qiji took a deep breath and said, "I order you to investigate secretly and find out who this traitor is as soon as possible."
Ji Shang knelt down, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, Your subordinate obeys!"
So Ji Shang got up and took his leave, truly appearing and disappearing without a trace. Ji Wu and Hua Quan knelt on the ground, not daring to lift their heads, and directly knelt down on the ground.
Li Qiji didn't even glance at them, and strode out of the Imperial Study with the scroll of paper in his hand.
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