Chapter 909 Xiao Ji, the One Who Deserves a Slap (First Update)
The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.
Her Majesty the newly enthroned Empress is busy with state affairs.
Shangguan Yan sat in the chair, looking at the mountain of memorials in front of her, feeling utterly overwhelmed.
"Is being a ruler this tiring...? I'm suddenly starting to regret it..."
Shangguan Yan gritted her teeth and picked up a memorial to the throne.
A new emperor brings a new court. Zhang Dequan was once the most favored person in the imperial study, but now he has gone to the Taiyi Palace with the retired emperor. Shangguan Yan has promoted a eunuch named Wu Sixi.
Wu Sixi brought in a bowl of freshly cooked lotus seed soup and smiled as she approached Shangguan Yan: "Your Majesty, you've been reviewing memorials for an hour now, take a break."
Shangguan Yan placed the brush on the brush holder and leaned back wearily in her chair: "I've been reviewing documents for an hour, but I haven't seen many."
Wu Sixi smiled and said, "His Majesty has already approved a lot. Besides, you have just ascended the throne, and all the civil and military officials are counting on you. You must take good care of your health."
Shangguan Yan looked at the lotus seed soup he handed over. Wu Sixi understood and moved the folded paper in front of her, carefully placing the lotus seed soup beside her.
Shangguan Yan scooped up a spoonful, about to drink it, when she remembered something and asked, "Has the wedding procession set off yet?"
"We've set off," Wu Sixi said. "We should have already left Shengdu by now."
Shangguan Yan sighed.
Wu Sixi smiled, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
Shangguan Yan noticed his unusual behavior and asked, "Is there anything else?"
"Ah..." Wu Sixi chuckled awkwardly, "The twenty princes who came as tribute from Jin... are still being housed in Chuxiu Palace. I wonder what Your Majesty plans to do with them."
"I haven't arranged anything..." Shangguan Yan muttered under her breath. Of all the things Jin could send, why did they have to send twenty handsome men? What kind of harem does she want to fill? Her son is already so grown up!
She said seriously, "Among these people, they might all be spies from the State of Jin. You can make your own arrangements, just make sure they don't starve to death."
"Yes," Wu Sixi replied with a smile.
He secretly lamented that those men were indeed extremely handsome. Since the Crown Princess had become Empress, it was only natural for her to open a large harem.
"Your Majesty, Lord Yeonsan requests an audience."
A eunuch's voice came from outside the door reporting.
Shangguan Yan put down her spoon: "Announce."
Wu Sixi cleared his throat, looked towards the door, and announced loudly, "Summon—Lord Yanshan to an audience—"
Shangguan Yan glanced at him speechlessly.
Wu Sixi turned around and smiled sheepishly, "This is my first time too."
Now that we can announce it to others, let's have some fun!
King Yeonsan entered the imperial study and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty."
Shangguan Yan asked, "What brings you here today, Imperial Uncle?"
Lord Yeonsan looked to both sides.
"You may all step back," Shangguan Yan said.
"Yes!" Wu Sixi and the eunuchs and maids in the imperial study respectfully withdrew.
Seeing that Lord Yanshan was staring at her bowl, Shangguan Yan pushed it towards him and said, "Do you want to eat lotus seed soup? I haven't touched it."
Yeonsan-kun sat down at the desk, took the lotus seed soup, and then took an empty teacup from the side.
He smiled faintly and said, "To be honest, I have come today to bid farewell to His Majesty."
Shangguan Yan asked, "Are you leaving again?"
Yanshan Jun smiled slightly and said, "I don't have anything to do in Shengdu anymore. I want to take Xiaoxue out for a walk."
Shangguan Yan muttered to herself, "They've all left one by one..."
Yeonsan-gun paused for a moment, then said in a gentle tone, "In addition, I have come to request Your Majesty to revoke my royal status."
Shangguan Yan looked at him strangely: "Why take it back? I said I wouldn't pursue your matter of secretly hoarding troops."
“That’s not the reason.” He lowered his head and smiled bitterly. “I was never a member of the Great Yan royal family. I was born to my mother and a Turk.”
“I know,” Shangguan Yan said.
She stared at him intently. Having experienced so much life and death, the innocence and naivety of her youth had long since faded from her eyes, replaced by the unwavering determination of someone in a position of power.
The only thing that remains unchanged is that when facing someone she trusts completely, she has no ulterior motives.
Yeonsan-gun shifted his gaze to the scenery outside the window, and sighed helplessly: "Besides, my brother and I are not half-brothers. My brother was adopted by our mother from Consort Liu. When our mother gave birth to a girl, Consort Liu gave birth to a prince. To consolidate her position as empress, our mother and Consort Liu switched their babies. Consort Liu was unlucky and died a few years later. Don't worry, it wasn't our mother who poisoned him, otherwise my brother wouldn't be so filial to her."
Shangguan Yan exclaimed in surprise, "There's such a thing... Does he know about it?"
Yeonsan-gun looked at her again: "You mean my brother? He should know that Princess Anle is the Empress Dowager's own flesh and blood."
Shangguan Yan recalled, "No wonder he was so close to Aunt Anle and even told me to be filial to her when I grew up."
Lord Yanshan said, "Princess Anle's fief is in Nanjun, which is the most prosperous fief besides your original fief."
Shangguan Yan looked at him in confusion: "Why are you suddenly telling me all this?"
Lord Yeonsan laughed and said, "If I didn't tell you, why would you agree to take back my royal status?"
Shangguan Yan said resentfully, "You really don't want to be my royal uncle?"
Lord Yeonsan spread his hands and sighed, "I've been bullied by you since I was a child. There's no point in being the royal uncle."
Shangguan Yan whispered, "I didn't do it on purpose... It's your fault for being so weak..."
"Alright," said Lord Yeonsan.
"What's ready?" Shangguan Yan was taken aback.
Yeonsan-gun placed the lotus seed soup back in front of her: "You like to eat soup made with lotus seeds, but you never eat lotus seeds."
Shangguan Yan stared blankly at the lotus seeds he had picked out of the empty cup: "I have this problem?"
She was oblivious to details about food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, and had never paid attention to such details. When Wu Sixi asked her what she wanted to eat, she casually said lotus seed soup.
But when the lotus seed soup was actually served, she didn't eat it.
So they were complaining about the lotus seeds inside?
Yeonsan-gun stood up with a smile: "Your Majesty is busy with state affairs, I shall take my leave."
Shangguan Yan nodded.
Lord Yeonsan turned and walked out of the imperial study. But once he was out, he suddenly stopped and said, "Shangguan Yan, the next time we meet, I will no longer be your royal uncle."
...
The wedding procession left Shengdu in a grand and imposing manner.
Xuanyuan Qi didn't like riding in carriages; he rode a horse.
Liao Chen also rode a horse to accompany him.
The father and son were enjoying a rare moment of leisure after their reunion.
The Gu family grandfather and grandson, along with Tang Yueshan, who originally wanted to ride horses, were now forced to sit in a carriage.
Tang Yueshan had a bruised and swollen face, a large bump on his head, his left arm wrapped in bandages and slinged around his neck, a pink Peppa Pig band-aid on his face, and a wad of cotton stuffed in his left nostril.
It can be described as extremely tragic.
He said aggrievedly, "I just spoke the truth, and look how you beat me up... So many of you ganged up on me... You have no sportsmanship..."
Gu Chengfeng coldly snorted, "You deserve it! Hiss—"
As soon as he finished speaking, he gasped in pain.
His situation wasn't much better than Tang Yueshan's.
When his grandfather learned that he was the notorious thief Fei Shuang, he gave him a severe beating, leaving him covered in bruises and bandages.
Gu Changqing was different. He was neither beaten nor punished, but his faith collapsed. He sat blankly in the carriage, like a puppet that had lost its soul.
The old marquis glared at the three of them with exasperation, then silently covered the gauze on his forehead.
He was also injured. It was so embarrassing that he was in a hurry to leave the scene and slipped and fell, hitting his forehead on the threshold. He almost cracked his head open on the spot.
In the whole affair, the only one who wasn't embarrassed was probably Gu Jiao.
She was completely unaffected by falling off her horse, and sat leisurely in the carriage, counting the gold that Duke Anguo had given her.
"Are these all mine?" She held a small box and looked at the nine small boxes on the floor.
Duke Anguo smiled indulgently: "Yes, they're all yours."
Gu Jiao was very happy!
She was intently counting the gold, while Duke Anguo looked at her tenderly. The afternoon sun shone in through the open window, creating a peaceful and beautiful atmosphere inside the carriage.
...
The roads after spring are easier to travel than in the dead of winter.
After a month-long journey, the group finally arrived at the capital of Zhao Kingdom.
This was not just an ordinary marriage, but also the first marriage alliance between the two countries. Xuanyuan Qi, Duke Anguo, and Liaochen were all sent to Zhao as envoys of Yan.
Their journey was documented by post stations along the way, with messengers rushing to the palace. The Emperor of Zhao was thrilled, as this was the first visit from Yan. He attached great importance to it, ordering people to come out of the city to welcome them and hosting a welcoming banquet at the palace.
When the news reached Zhuque Street, Princess Xinyang was in the courtyard accompanying Shangguan Qing as he practiced calligraphy.
Shangguan Qing finally experienced his mother's strictness.
Ten calligraphy practice sheets a day, no food allowed until they're all done.
Marquis Xuanping was playing with his daughter in the courtyard.
Little Yiyi is five months old. She just learned to roll over a few days ago. Right now, she's lying on the big bamboo bed, being amused by her dad and giggling.
"What did you say? The envoy from Yan has arrived? Then, the people from the Duke's mansion have also arrived?" Princess Xinyang looked at the guard at the door who was reporting to her. She knew that Gu Jiao lived in the Duke's mansion.
The guard bowed and said, "Your Highness, the Duke of Anguo and his young master have arrived, as have the ten-mile-long bridal procession."
Princess Xinyang was taken aback: "What young master... a ten-mile-long red bridal procession?"
The guard, who had just gathered the news from the post station, glanced at the seemingly nonchalant Marquis Xuanping beside him and forced a smile before saying, "It's said... the Marquis sent someone to propose marriage to the young master of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, and the Duke agreed, bringing his son to marry the young Marquis. Now... now the whole capital is abuzz with the news that the young Marquis is going to marry a man..."
Princess Xinyang looked at Marquis Xuanping, and her writing brush snapped in two with a snap: "Xiao Ji!!!"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
