What big event is happening in Chapter 123?
After the pacification of the southwest, Lou Jin and his party embarked on their journey back to the capital.
The mood on the way back was not as heavy as on the way there. Although everyone hurried on their way, Lou Jin also dragged Ye Xunyang along and had a great time on the road.
Anar's father returned to Kapok Village and, before leaving, instructed her to express her sincere gratitude to the Ye family when she returned to the capital.
Along the way, Ye Xunyang noticed a strange atmosphere between her and her second brother, but he was too embarrassed to speak up because of the many people around.
After returning to the capital and paying homage to the Emperor, the Emperor was overjoyed and granted special permission to hold a celebratory banquet in the Taiji Hall, where meritorious officials were greatly rewarded.
Lou Jin was already a prince, the highest rank in the land, so the emperor bestowed upon him gold, silver and jewels, estates and mansions, and increased his fief.
For his merits in saving his brother and defeating the enemy, Ye Xunyang was promoted to the rank of Second-Rank General of the Garrison Army and was actually appointed as the Commander of the Capital Garrison, wielding real power, which further enhanced the prestige of the Ye family.
Ye Xunqin was also appointed as a first-rank general and received generous rewards.
The remaining secret guards and meritorious soldiers were all rewarded according to their merits and promoted.
The celebration banquet was filled with clinking glasses and a joyous atmosphere.
Lou Jin noticed that although the Emperor was all smiles, there seemed to be a hint of gloom hidden between his brows.
Even the Empress Dowager, who was sitting beside the Emperor and receiving congratulations from everyone, seemed to have a somewhat forced smile, with a hint of worry in her eyes.
After the banquet, Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang paid their respects to the Empress Dowager.
Inside the Cining Palace, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.
The Empress Dowager looked at Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang kneeling side by side before her, a kind smile on her face, and personally helped them up: "Good children, get up quickly. You have worked hard on this trip to the southwest, and you have done a great job, eliminating a great scourge for the Great Sheng."
"It is my duty to share the Emperor's burdens and to do my best for the country."
The Empress Dowager spoke with them for a while, inquiring about details of the southwest and urging them to rest well. But
Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang both keenly sensed that beneath the Empress Dowager's concern lay a heavy burden of worries.
After leaving the Cining Palace, their doubts deepened.
"Your Highness, do you feel that both Grandmother and Father seem a little... off today?" Ye Xunyang asked in a low voice.
Lou Jin frowned slightly: "Yes, Grandmother seems preoccupied, and Father can tell she's not happy. Could it be that something has happened in the capital that we don't know about?"
The two left the palace with doubts in their hearts, and just as they reached the palace gate, they met Lou Yan.
"Royal brother?" Lou Jin was somewhat surprised.
Lou Yan still had that cold and aloof look, but his eyes held a lighthearted and cheerful expression.
He glanced at Lou Jin, then at Ye Xunyang, and said casually, "Shall we chat for a bit?"
The three arrived at a secluded dead-end alley near the palace wall.
"Brother, is something the matter?" Lou Jin asked directly.
Lou Yan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the towering palaces within the palace walls. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke: "You just came from the Empress Dowager's place? Did you notice anything unusual about the Empress Dowager and Father Emperor's expressions?"
Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang nodded.
Lou Yan turned around, a relieved expression on his face: "That's because, shortly after you left the capital, Bei Chen and I informed the Empress Dowager and Father about our situation."
Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang were stunned for a moment.
"You... you said it?" Ye Xunyang asked incredulously.
He thought Lou Yan and Yu Beichen would continue to keep it a secret.
"Hmm." Lou Yan's tone was calm, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.
"The matter concerning the Nanzhao princess is both an opportunity and a problem. Since it has to be resolved sooner or later, we might as well lay it all out on the table now. In any case, our situation isn't much better than yours."
He glanced meaningfully at Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang's tightly clasped hands.
"So, you used this as a reason to politely decline the marriage alliance?" Lou Jin immediately understood the key point.
“That’s right.” Lou Yan nodded. “I have someone I love, and I can’t live without him. I cannot marry the Nanzhao princess. As for who I love… I will tell you that as well.”
Lou Jin could imagine the shock and complex emotions the Empress Dowager and the Emperor felt when they learned that their eldest son, on whom they had placed so much hope and who held considerable military power, was not only gay, but that his lover was Yu Beichen, the Empress Dowager's nephew, a man with exceptional medical skills but a sensitive background.
This is probably several times more difficult than accepting him and Ye Xunyang in the first place.
"And then? Father and Grandmother... agreed?" Ye Xunyang asked cautiously.
Lou Yan smirked: "Agree? Of course not immediately. Father was furious, and Grandmother almost fainted."
"But what can they do now that things have come to this? Are they really going to force me to marry that Nanzhao princess and then watch Beichen go far away, or for us brothers to turn against each other?"
He paused, his tone laced with a mixture of sarcasm and helplessness: "Since we already have you two as role models, adding another pair like us doesn't seem... so hard to accept?"
"They just need time to process this. That's why you see them looking so worried. They're probably worried that the royal family has suddenly produced two... well, unconventional couples. How will this be recorded in the history books? Where will the royal family's reputation be?"
After listening to Lou Yan's account, Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang were unsure how to react.
They never expected that such a major event would occur in the capital during their trip to the southwest.
No wonder the emperor and empress dowager looked like that.
Lou Jin looked at Lou Yan. Although his tone was relaxed, he could sense that Lou Yan and Yu Beichen must have been under tremendous pressure to make this decision and face the wrath and disappointment of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
"Brother, you've worked hard," Lou Jin said solemnly.
Lou Yan waved his hand, reverting to his usual cold demeanor: "It's not hard at all. Compared to hiding and living in fear, this is actually quite relaxing."
He looked at Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang, "Now we're in the same boat. There's bound to be a lot of gossip in the capital in the future."
Ye Xunyang smiled and gripped Lou Jin's hand tightly: "Your Highness and I no longer care about those things."
Lou Jin smiled calmly: "Brother, is there anything I can help you with?"
He could tell that his elder brother was waiting here not simply to inform him of this matter.
Lou Yan's face showed a rare look of helplessness. He was silent for a moment, then spoke with unprecedented solemnity: "Third brother, Your Majesty... has a request."
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