Chapter 488 Extra Chapter 7: Zhao Zhao's Wish Fulfilled
The year Princess Baocheng was born, the country's name was changed to Chengzhao.
In the thirteenth year of Emperor Chengzhao's reign, Emperor Wusu abdicated, and his son Yuan Heng was enfeoffed as the Prince of Yu, with his fiefdom encompassing the eighteen northwestern states.
Ji Qingwu was reluctant to send her son to such a remote place, but since it was Yuan Heng's own suggestion, she could only agree.
Princess Baocheng had been close to her elder brother since childhood and insisted on going with him. Ji Qingwu personally saw the two siblings off at the palace gate, subtly indicating that she could visit their mother anytime they missed her.
Under the increasingly impatient gaze of their father, Yuan Heng and Bao Cheng hurriedly boarded the carriage and set off.
Princess Chenzhao ascended the throne as Empress, retaining her previous title.
The court officials did not oppose the Empress's ascension to the throne too much, because Emperor Wusu was a good ruler, and Ji Qingwu had the national fortune system in his hands. The Northern Li Kingdom was peaceful and prosperous.
When the Empress ascended the throne, she inherited a peaceful and prosperous era. The court officials only hoped that she would be a ruler who maintained the status quo. However, the Empress did not think that way. Only half a month after ascending the throne, she accomplished a major task in the court.
A few days ago, the Southern Chu state was in turmoil at the border. They crossed the border and sent some hooligans and thugs to cause trouble and bully the women, children and elderly in the vicinity.
The Empress immediately issued an edict, sending Wei Ting to lead troops to not only behead these rogue soldiers, but also to seize five towns on the southern border of Chu.
Lu Juan and Li Chengxun were both veteran officials who had served Emperor Wusu for a long time and had developed a style of planning before acting. However, the newly enthroned empress clearly did not inherit her father's style.
Empress Chenzhao excels at making swift and decisive decisions.
Her personality was unlike Emperor Wusu's, but more like Empress Mingde's; she loved to greet people with a smile. No matter how much the court officials objected, she would reply with a smile, but her words were sharp and incisive, leaving the ministers speechless.
After the court session ended, the Empress summoned Wang Wanbai to the Hall of Diligent Governance.
She smiled and gestured for him to sit down, then asked, "Do you resent me? You finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and just one month after your marriage, I sent General Wei away?"
Wang Wanbai smiled helplessly and said, "How dare I, your humble servant?"
After thirteen years of waiting, Wang Wanbai grew from sixteen to twenty-nine years old. She was often criticized, both openly and secretly, for climbing the social ladder and being shameless.
Fortunately, in his lifetime, the thick cloud over Wei Ting's heart finally dissipated.
Empress Chenzhao said, "Since you became a lady-in-waiting, you have been looking for opportunities to become my disciple. Everyone knows that you and Wei Shisi are my confidants, and the Wei family has long been inseparable from me."
Wang Wanbai sighed softly and said, "The general is willing to serve His Majesty not because of me and Fourteenth Sister."
Empress Chenzhao understood the meaning behind her words and said with a smile, "Don't underestimate yourself."
"By the way, I am planning to appoint a consort. Go to the Imperial Household Department and find Eunuch Dong to help select a portrait."
Wang Wanbai asked, "Does Your Majesty have any preferences?"
Empress Chenzhao smiled and winked at her: "Don't you know what kind of person I like?"
Wang Wanbai smiled and agreed, then respectfully withdrew.
The Hall of Diligent Governance returned to silence, with only the sound of dripping water from the water clock audible.
Empress Chenzhao closed her eyes to rest for a while. Hearing a slight movement in front of her, she opened her eyes and said, "How did you get here?"
Five years ago, Sihai assigned Chenzhao to be his secret guard.
Sihai respectfully replied, "The embassy has sent a message that he wishes to see you."
She chuckled softly and said, "No rush, we'll go later tonight."
The Empress picked up a memorial written by Lu Juan, advising her not to rush into sending troops. She tossed it aside. Once she made a decision, no one could stop her. Moreover, she was not acting rashly, but had been planning this for a long time.
She looked up and saw that Sihai had not disappeared and was still standing in front of her.
Si Hai compared the empress before him, adorned with a golden and jade crown, to the little girl he remembered laughing and eating sweet cakes as a child. Her features had changed, becoming more and more like her father's, exuding a calm yet sharp aura.
Empress Chenzhao asked, "Is there anything else?"
Before Sihai could recover, he spoke his mind, saying, "Your Majesty shouldn't have gone to see him."
The Empress raised an eyebrow and said, "Is it because I tolerated your offense last time that you're going to push your luck?"
Sihai was no longer the shy young man he once was. He said expressionlessly, "It was my mistake."
That offense occurred on Chen Zhao's eighteenth birthday. She deliberately tried to entice Si Hai to drink, but it turned out to be Si Hai's first time drinking, and one cup of wine was enough to knock him out.
She leaned closer to observe the rigid bodyguard, only to be lightly kissed on the cheek by him.
The Empress didn't think too much about these things. If the secret guards had feelings for her, they would be more loyal to her and even risk their lives for her.
She opened her mouth and instructed, "Go and check on the second young master of the Xiu family to see if he is really ill."
The second young master of the Xiu family was her preferred choice for the position of imperial consort. He was highly respected in the court and was upright and elegant.
Most importantly, he was incredibly handsome, with eyebrows like ink from pine soot and eyes that seemed to hold the moon and frost. If he were placed in the palace, just one glance would be pleasing to the eye.
Empress Chenzhao's heart fluttered at the thought.
Sihai's eyes dimmed slightly, and he cupped his hands and said, "Yes." Then, his figure disappeared from the hall.
As night fell, Empress Chenzhao appeared at the hostage hall, her grey-blue eyes watching her from the shadows.
She asked in a clear, crisp voice, "What do you want to do by not turning on the lights?"
As the candles were lit, Yuwen Tianqing appeared behind the screen and said, "I was thinking you wouldn't be coming tonight, so I didn't bother lighting the candles."
Empress Chenzhao asked with a smile, "You summoned me here just so I could watch you change your clothes?"
"I do enjoy male beauty, but I am very selective and have no interest in those who are old and have lost their beauty."
Yuwen Tianqing appeared shirtless and said, "I wish to ask Your Majesty to examine my wounds." He pointed to a scar on his left chest and asked, "Does Your Majesty know how I got this wound?"
Empress Chenzhao shook her head regretfully and said, "Back then, your mother shot an arrow through your chest. Luckily, you survived and your heart is on the right side."
Yuwen Tianqing said, "But I don't blame your mother. I was deceived into working for others. Now that I have a chance to take revenge, I want to make a deal with His Majesty."
He said with resentment, "Xijin can rely on Beili, but Yuwen Tiancheng must die!"
After Yuwen Tianqing came to Beili as a hostage, the situation in Xijin changed several times.
The news of Gao Zhaoyue's faked death spread, and soon after, news came that she had been captured by a vassal king. Lanling went to rescue his mother, only to find that it was all orchestrated by Gao Zhaoyue herself. Lanling was then taken into custody, and Gao Zhaoyue planned to promote Lanling to the throne.
However, Lanling disappeared the day before her ascension to the throne, and returned to the Ji family with Ji Changlin half a month later. Lanling also visited Yuwen Tianqing at the hostel once, on the eve of her wedding.
The struggle for the throne of Xijin unfolded between Gao Zhaoyue and several vassal kings, but Yuwen Tiancheng miraculously returned to life and reappeared before everyone, and Xijin was once again in his hands.
However, he was seriously injured and needed to take medicine to keep him alive. He was in a state of misery every day, but Gao Zhaoyue did not leave him. Instead, she stayed by his side.
Lanling was unwilling to become Yuwen Tianxin, and Yuwen Tianqing had had enough of being a hostage.
The feud between the two brothers should be settled, Yuwen Tianqing said, “I know you have the will and the ability to do so.”
Empress Chenzhao's eyes flickered. The person who understood her best was actually her rival. She smiled and said, "Deal."
But before leaving, he didn't forget to touch his right chest.
"I retract my statement that I am old and have lost my beauty."
Empress Chenzhao's numerous affairs were no secret in Beili; her love affairs were the talk of the world.
But she didn't care much.
Ji Qingwu didn't care when she found out. As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered. Everyone has their own way of living.
Zhao Mingyan had been so worried that he hadn't slept well for several nights, but Ji Qingwu's words relieved his worries.
So what if their blatant actions hurt some men's hearts? Do they have to wait for them all to hurt her heart at the same time?
Spring of the fourteenth year of Chengzhao.
On the night of the Empress's wedding to her husband, Xiu Ningchuan.
The Empress originally intended to pretend and get by, just being a couple in name only.
But the moment Xiu Ningchuan frowned, she felt dizzy. The handsome man insisted on offering himself to her, and moreover, he was the rightful imperial consort. The empress had no choice but to accept him.
The next morning, Xiu Ningchuan frowned even more deeply as he looked at the red spots resembling plum blossoms on his bedding.
The eighteenth year of Chengzhao.
Both Southern Chu and Western Jin successively submitted to the Han dynasty.
The tripartite balance of power was no more, and the world was unified.
Only the Empress and her confidants knew what happened back then. The rogue soldiers that Southern Chu initially sent were actually soldiers from Northern Li in disguise. Although their methods were low-class, they still needed a legitimate reason to send troops.
When the Empress's husband, Xiu Ningchuan, learned of this, he took off the gold-inlaid dragon-patterned belt bestowed upon him by the Empress and threw it in front of her, leading to a big argument.
Empress Chenzhao let him vent his anger, and simply said, "I stand on the shoulders of my father and mother and see that Beili has infinite possibilities."
"Ning Chuan, I have long been prepared that if I want to unify the world, I must become a lonely figure, abandoned by all."
"I admit it."
Xiu Ningchuan sat there all night.
The following day, he took the two-and-a-half-year-old princess to Xishan Hot Springs, where he found the retired emperor and empress dowager recuperating.
Ji Qingwu held his granddaughter, poked her soft cheeks, and said with a smile to the people around him, "Mingyan, look, Zhenzhen is even cuter than Qiuqiu was when she was little."
Zhao Mingyan nodded and said, "Just as adorable."
With just a glance, you can tell that the two are deeply in love.
Xiu Ningchuan, filled with envy, asked, "Mother, who is Qiuqiu?"
Ji Qingwu said, "Ah, Ning Chuan doesn't know? Chen Zhao was called Qiu Qiu when she was little. Qiu Qiu means kiss. She liked this name very much, but only before she was six years old."
Zhao Mingyan also thought of the time when his daughter climbed onto a high platform and kissed him at a banquet when she was little. Although his expression softened a little, he still looked cold.
“If you have a misunderstanding, you should talk it out. What’s the point of hiding here?”
Ji Qingwu placed the child in Zhao Mingyan's arms and continued, "Zhaozhao is currently very busy with court affairs. It would be very tiring for Ningchuan to take care of her."
She said gently, "Stay as long as you want, just treat it as a vacation."
However, Xiu Ningchuan did not stay in Xishan for long, because news came that Xijin and Nanchu had sent handsome men as tribute.
That night, there was an extra person in the bedchamber.
His white jade crown bound his dark blue hair, and his moon-white cross-collar robe accentuated his refined and noble air.
Empress Chenzhao's smile widened, and she said, "I knew you wouldn't want to stay away."
Xiu Ningchuan called out, "Chirp chirp."
The empress's face froze instantly, and she turned to leave, flicking her sleeves.
Xiu Ningchuan pulled her back and said, "I heard that 'jiujiu' means kiss."
He kissed her forehead and whispered, "From now on, calling her 'Chiu Chiu' will be a way of asking for reconciliation. Is that alright?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
