On the second day of June, Emperor Chu Qi, who had just turned 57, officially issued an edict on his birthday, righteously stating that he would follow the example of Yao and Shun and abdicate the throne to Crown Prince Chu Yi.

The current Prime Minister Mu Sheng, on behalf of all the ministers, respectfully requested the emperor to revoke his decision. He also made a high-sounding speech praising the emperor for his hard work and diligence in governing the country, and believed that given the emperor's age, he could wait until he was in his 80s to consider abdication.

But the emperor responded firmly: My mind has been made up, and it is difficult to force people to follow my will.

All the ministers knelt down and shouted "Long live the emperor".

Three days later, the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Observatory drafted three dates for the abdication ceremony for the emperor and the crown prince to choose from.

Finally, the abdication ceremony was scheduled for October in the golden autumn.

When the news came out, the whole country celebrated.

Not only Dajing, but other countries in all directions also learned of this good news, and they sent envoys to the capital to participate in the abdication ceremony on October 1st.

Starting from mid-September, envoys from various countries arrived in the capital one after another. The excited people of the capital spontaneously ran to the city gate to welcome these envoys. The capital had not been so lively for many years.

Many people gathered at the city gate that day. There were crowds of people, bustling about, and noisy voices everywhere: "Brother, why are there so many people today?"

"Don't you know? An envoy from South Vietnam is coming today!"

"What's so special about the envoys from South Vietnam? It's not like the envoys from South Vietnam haven't come to the capital before!"

"This time it's different! I heard that the one coming this time is the Regent of South Vietnam!"

"The regent and the lord of the Tianyuan Division, Xiahou Qing?"

"I heard that even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will come in person to welcome the Regent of Yue today."

“…”

When the regent of South Vietnam was mentioned, the crowd near the city gate suddenly became excited.

Xiahou Qing, the regent of Nanyue, is a legendary figure.

When the saint Baili Hong was in power in front of Nanyue, Xiahou Qing was in charge of Tianyuansi. He had great power in the court of Yue and was second only to the emperor.

Five years ago, when Baili Hong was seriously ill, he ordered Xiahou Qing to govern the country, and Crown Prince Baili Zhao was sidelined by Xiahou Qing. Baili Hong fell ill and died within a year.

After that, Xiahou Qing drafted an edict to depose Crown Prince Baili Zhao on the grounds that the crown prince was unfilial and unvirtuous, and replaced him with Baili Wu, the sixteenth prince of Yue who was only three months old at the time. From then on, Xiahou Qing became the regent of Yue, used the emperor to command the princes, and completely seized power in Yue.

Xiahou Qing's reputation also spread to Dajing, and his shadow appeared in many operas.

"Here they come, here they come, the envoys from South Vietnam are here!"

Excited shouts came from outside the South City Gate like waves.

The eyes of the people on the street were all shining, and they stretched their necks curiously to look towards the city gate.

After a while, the rumbling sound of horse hooves came from outside the city gate, becoming louder and louder.

The flowers arrive before the people.

In the gentle autumn breeze, big red petals were blown over and fell like flowers scattered from heaven, as if it was raining a large number of petals.

The people watching the excitement on the roadside let out bursts of exclamations one after another.

Outside the city, hundreds of horses were galloping towards this side at a moderate speed, led by a young man in red with an extremely handsome appearance who did not look like a real person.

The young man was dressed in a fiery red robe, with a red jade hairpin inserted in his half-tied and half-loose bun. He was very handsome, and there was a dangerous and eerie aura lingering around him.

The bright red dress, made of unknown material, shone brightly in the sunlight. When the wind blew, the dress fluttered gently, creating ripples like water.

Behind the young man followed a group of personal guards in black clothes and light armor, riding on black horses. Several of the personal guards in black clothes held a flower basket in their hands, and scattered big red petals into the air one by one, covering the street with a carpet of petals.

The air was filled with a rich floral scent, and the golden horse bells made clear and melodious sounds.

At the end of the team were several gorgeous gold-painted and carved carriages. Under the sunlight, the carriages shone with a golden glow and looked extremely luxurious.

The people all looked at Xiahou Qing in red in amazement, unable to believe that this handsome young man was the ruthless and cruel Regent of Nanyue as rumored.

Soon, the street ushered in another climax.

"It's the Crown Prince who's here!"

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has really come to welcome the Xiahou envoy."

The people looked towards the direction of the imperial palace with great excitement, and saw a handsome young man in an apricot-yellow dragon robe leading dozens of imperial guards riding towards the south city gate.

The people shouted enthusiastically in unison: "Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Countless voices gathered together and resounded through the sky.

Chu Yi's horse stopped about four or five feet away from Xiahou Qing. He and Xiahou Qing smiled at each other from a distance, bowed to each other, and then galloped side by side towards the imperial palace.

The two young men have very different temperaments. Chu Yi is elegant and noble, like the bright moon and the intoxicating spring breeze; Xiahou Qing is as charming and ostentatious as the red spider lily.

The two men walked side by side, their horses galloping at a leisurely pace.

The people lining the streets to welcome them all followed Chu Yi and Xiahou Qing with their eyes, watching them walk further and further away.

Someone in the crowd said hesitantly, "Why do I feel like His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Regent of Nanyue seem to know each other?"

"Isn't this normal?" another person beside him said in a hoarse voice, "Our Crown Prince has been in Yue State for eight years. Isn't it natural for him to know this Xiahou Qing?"

"Then Jing and Yue countries shouldn't fight again, right?"

“…”

Amidst all the speculation, Chu Yi and Xiahou Qing rode away on their horses, and their figures disappeared at the palace gate.

Chu Yi and Xiahou Qing passed through Dajing Gate, Chengtian Gate, and Wumen Gate, dismounted at Taihe Gate, and walked.

This was not Xiahou Qing's first visit to the capital, but it was his first visit to the Dajing Palace.

The rising sun cast its warm rays of light. The surrounding palaces had red walls and yellow tiles, carved railings and painted buildings, flying eaves and pointed corners. The golden glazed tiles on the roofs sparkled, and the look was gorgeous and magnificent, with a royal solemnity and majesty.

Xiahou Qing walked forward leisurely, his enchanting phoenix eyes deep and charming.

The imperial palace in Dajing was left over from the previous dynasty.

Fifty-seven years ago, after Emperor Taizu Chu Jing established the Great Jing Dynasty, he decided to make Beijing the capital. Instead of building a new imperial palace, he directly used the Forbidden City of the previous dynasty.

His father and grandfather dreamed of returning to the Forbidden City.

They all felt that this place belonged to their Wei family.

"Oh--"

Xiahou Qing's enchanting red lips curled into a sly smile, and he lightly waved his sleeves, took out something from his wide cuffs, and threw it to Chu Yi beside him without any reluctance...

"then!"

The fist-sized jade seal drew a curve in the air.

Chu Yi raised his hand and took the jade seal with a calm smile, without even moving his eyes or eyebrows.

A few steps behind, Xiahou Qing's close follower Jingshan watched this scene and his eyes twitched slightly. This was the jade seal of the Emperor of Yue.

Xiahou Qing said with a half-smile: "What you want."

As he spoke, he continued to walk forward, looking at the Golden Palace in front of him with a deep gaze, and the enchanting smile on his face deepened by three points, "Chu Yi, you kept your promise, and I also fulfilled my promise."

"But... whether you can get it or not depends on you."

Xiahou Qing casually raised his hand to brush away a petal floating on his shoulder, and straightened his cuffs embroidered with dark patterns.

The implication of his words just now seemed to be that he would not help Chu Yi.

Chu Yi casually played with the jade seal with a dragon and tiger knob. He did this casual movement gracefully and naturally.

Of course, it is impossible to say that Chu Yi has conquered Dai Yue just by relying on this jade seal. This thing is just a symbol, representing Xiahou Qing's attitude.

Chu Yi curled his lips and smiled, saying only a few words: "One force can defeat ten skills."

These five words are extremely domineering.

Xiahou Qing was stunned at first, then burst into laughter. His smile was enchanting, crazy and wanton. The big red dress fluttered in the wind like a blazing fire.

“Snap! Snap!”

He clapped his hands happily and couldn't stop laughing for a long time, with a feeling of gloating in his smile.

“I don’t know if those people in Yue State in the past who thought that Prince Yi had a pure heart and that sending him back would cause civil strife in Dajing and cause mutual loss to the royal family of Dajing, and then Yue State could take over Dajing, were blind…” Xiahou Qing seemed to be praising Chu Yi, but also seemed to be insulting Chu Yi.

"Okay, okay." Chu Yi said with a smile, his smile was like a spring breeze, and he just regarded these as compliments from Xiahou Qing.

As they were talking, the two of them arrived outside the Yangxin Palace.

It's really boring. Xiahou Qing curled his lips and thought: This Gongzi Yi is really cunning.

The two men came to the west side hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and sat down, and immediately a eunuch served them wine.

But Xiahou Qing just glanced at the wine jug with disdain.

Jingshan naturally understood his master. He quickly took out his own wine from the food box, filled most of the glass with wine in the luminous cup, and presented it to Xiahou Qing with both hands.

Xiahou Qing shook the luminous cup, the aroma of wine filled the air, he raised his lips and smiled, and asked meaningfully: "I've given you the 'thing', when do you plan to use it?"

Chu Yi understood that the other party was asking him when he planned to take over Yue State, and said with a smile: "That depends on when Lord Xiahou returns to Yue State."

"Together?" Xiahou Qing raised his eyebrows slightly, as if asking casually, but also as if with a hint of provocation.

Chu Yi nodded calmly.

Xiahou Qing smiled again, his gloomy eyes rippled slightly, and he deliberately said: "You left right after ascending the throne, aren't you afraid that someone will take advantage of your absence..."

It was impossible for Xiahou Qing to stay in Dajing for long. He planned to leave the capital and return to Yue State after the abdication ceremony on October 1st.

"What about you?" Chu Yi asked back calmly.

What he meant was that Xiahou Qing also abandoned the State of Yue and came to Dajing. Isn't Xiahou Qing afraid that there will be some unusual movements in the court of Yue after he leaves the State of Yue?

The two looked at each other quietly.

When the wind blew, they both laughed at the same time.

They all understood each other. If the court could be turned upside down after they were away for a few days, it would mean that they were incompetent.

It took Chu Yi five full years to completely control Dajing. Now he is confident enough that the court will not be in chaos even if he leaves for a while.

"Have a drink?" Chu Yi slowly picked up the wine pot on the table and personally poured Xiahou Qing a glass of pear blossom white wine with a refreshing aroma.

Xiahou Qing frowned slightly, with an expression of disgust on his face. He lowered his eyes and stared at the cup of Lihuabai for a long time.

Finally, he put down the half glass of wine in his hand and picked up the glass of white wine.

He sniffed the aroma of the wine, raised his glass to Chu Yi as if to toast him, then raised his head and drank the wine in one gulp.

Chu Yi drank the wine in the glass slowly, and then poured himself another glass of wine.

Amid the sound of wine being poured, the eunuchs outside saluted: "Crown Princess."

“Meow!”

At the same time, a soft cat meow was heard.

Xiahou Qing had just picked up the glass of wine again when his hand began to tremble.

A little wine overflowed from the glass, and a few drops of red wine splashed on the back of my hand.

The pale skin contrasts sharply with the bright red wine.

Xiahou Qing frowned, took out a plain white handkerchief, and slowly wiped the back of his hand and fingers, wiping every finger clean. Then, he threw the wine-stained handkerchief aside.

The door curtain was opened from the outside, and Gu Yanfei walked in leisurely holding a long-haired calico cat.

Gu Yanfei is already in her twenties, with a slender and graceful figure, and is two inches taller than she was five years ago.

Today she was wearing a lilac-colored gauze jacket embroidered with hibiscus flowers, a frosty white middle-length shirt with a small vertical collar, and a green lotus-colored long skirt with embroidery.

A golden phoenix-studded hairpin was inserted in her fluffy hair. When she walked, the tassels spit out by the golden phoenix swayed gently.

The calico cat in her arms was no longer a kitten. It had doubled in size, and its fur was as shiny, soft and smooth as before.

"Lord Xiahou, long time no see." Gu Yanfei smiled slightly, his eyebrows curved like a crescent moon, and his smile was comfortable.

They haven't seen each other for five years.

But in Xiahou Qing's opinion, nothing good seemed to happen every time he met Gu Yanfei.

"Long time no see." Xiahou Qing glanced at Gu Yanfei lazily, feeling that this woman was still not gentle and virtuous even after getting married.

"Meow, meow, meow~~"

Why haven't you come to play with the cat for so many years! Qingguang still knew Xiahou Qing, and remembered that this human and his subordinates had taken good care of him, so he happily flew into Xiahou Qing's arms.

The cat jumped up, and its fluffy, soft body stretched out in the air with a very beautiful posture.

But Xiahou Qing raised his hand, his sleeves flew up, and his right hand grabbed the cat's neck and held it.

Qingguang's four claws instantly exploded into a plum blossom shape in mid-air, with sharp hook-like claws extending out.

"Get out!" Xiahou Qing threw the cat out with disgust, and his eyes seemed to say, it's so dirty.

The cat adjusted its posture in mid-air and landed lightly on the ground.

Jingshan looked at the cat eagerly and thought it was so beautiful, just like before... no, even more beautiful than before! "Meow!" Qingguang never gave up easily. She kept rushing towards Xiahou Qing, her emerald green eyes sparkling.

The red headband with gold threads on this human's hair is so beautiful!

Qingguang jumped lightly onto the coffee table beside Xiahou Qing and rubbed her furry head affectionately against his sleeves, leaving wisps of cat hair on his sleeves, which were particularly eye-catching on his bright red shirt.

Qingguang squinted his eyes happily and made a "meow, meow" sound from his mouth, and his voice was as soft as usual.

Come play with the cat!

"..." Xiahou Qing looked at the cat with an expressionless face, his eyelashes half drooped, and his eyes gradually became gentle.

“Meow meow meow~~”

“Meow meow meow~~”

The sound of cats meowing echoed in the Yangxin Palace, drifting away with the autumn wind...

(End of Extra 02) 　See you tomorrow~ 　　 　 (End of this chapter)