Chapter 189: Truly Determined
In the palace.
The emperor listened to Xie Jingmo's roar outside and looked at Yun Zhao who was kneeling on the ground.
"Doctor Yun, do you know that Xie Jingmo is determined to have you? The Queen Mother has already told me earlier that I will give you to Jingmo, and I have already agreed."
What the emperor didn't say was that the imperial edict had already been written.
Yun Zhao arrived a step late, and the imperial edict was about to be taken out and read out.
"What do you mean now?"
The emperor was a little confused about Yun Zhao. Why did Yun Zhao come to him with such a good opportunity to ascend to the throne?
Yun Zhao had been with Xie Jingmo at the frontier for seven years, and they had developed a close relationship. Although she was no longer a princess, it was quite normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. Yun Zhao had been in the palace for a long time, so she should have seen through it.
"You don't want to be just a concubine?" The emperor guessed, with a hint of displeasure in his tone. Those favored by the royal family were not despised. "Doctor Yun, but you are just an imperial physician."
There is still an essential difference between them and the royal family.
A person's birth determines everything.
"Your Majesty, I don't want to." Yun Zhao admitted frankly, "I am a human being. I am not a pawn in anyone's power struggle. You promised me before that I would decide Yun Zhao's marriage myself."
The emperor looked at Yun Zhao and said, "But now it's the Queen Mother who has spoken. I can't do anything about it."
Yun Zhao was silent for a moment after hearing this.
Just when the emperor couldn't stand Xie Jingmo's roar outside and wanted someone to take Yun Zhao out.
Yun Zhao suddenly bowed deeply to the emperor.
The emperor looked at Yun Zhao's beautiful face, puzzled, "What do you mean?"
When Yun Zhao raised her head again, her eyes were clear and resolute. She said, "If a person's background determines their stature, and my stature is only a chess piece in someone else's hand, then I will risk my life to choose the chess player."
Upon hearing this, the emperor slowly sat down.
He looked at Yun Zhao, "What do you mean?"
Yun Zhao remained calm, "You have just ascended the throne, the court is in turmoil, the harem is in turmoil, and the Empress Dowager is controlling your government affairs. This has prevented you from truly realizing your dream of ruling for so many years."
The emperor's face, which had been gentle just now, gradually darkened. "Yun Zhao, do you know what you are talking about?"
Yun Zhao said, "I know, and I also know that you have unfulfilled ambitions. I also know that no one in this world would be willing to be threatened, even if that person is your brother or your mother. You are the emperor, second only to the emperor and above all others!"
Yun Zhao's voice was faint, and the rain outside made a rustling sound as it fell on the curtains.
Her expression was stern. "If I am destined to be a chess piece, then I am willing to serve you as the one holding the chess piece."
The emperor thought Yun Zhao’s words were ridiculous.
He looked serious, then laughed, and finally, the majestic hall fell into a strange silence.
"Yun Zhao, who do you think you are? How dare you, a woman, say such big words?"
Yun Zhao was neither humble nor arrogant, and said word by word, "You are the emperor. If you think I am just a woman, then I am. If you think I am not, then I can also become the sharpest knife in your hand."
The emperor looked at Yun Zhao's serious expression and was silent for a long time.
"How to become the sharpest knife in your hand?" asked the emperor.
Yun Zhao spoke softly but forcefully, "Eight years ago, I joined the army in my father's place, concealing the need for a pre-military physical. Over the past seven years, I have treated countless critically ill soldiers and accompanied them on hundreds of campaigns. I have offered countless strategies, including using poison to defeat an enemy force of over 50,000 men. I have also persuaded the enemy to surrender three times and killed enemy leaders five times."
Yun Zhao counted carefully.
The emperor's face was filled with astonishment again and again.
Yun Zhao continued, "These achievements are well documented in history. Your Majesty, after seven years of fighting on the frontier, I have the ability to make a living and can become a sharp weapon that you can truly control and rule the court."
The emperor was silent for a moment. "You don't want to be Xie Jingmo's concubine, but you insist on getting involved in this mess. Why?"
The emperor doesn't understand.
Yun Zhao smiled and lied casually, "I once promised my deceased parents that I would never be a concubine in this life. If I ever marry, the man must marry into the family to continue the Yun family's lineage. My parents' last wish, Yun Zhao dare not disobey."
"Besides, a wise bird rests on a broken tree. You are a wise ruler. Yun Zhao has long admired you. Naturally, I would choose you as my master."
The following words are empty talk.
The emperor understood, but that didn't stop him from thinking the words were pleasant to the ear.
"So, you mean that I should reject the marriage proposal granted to you by the Queen Mother?"
Yun Zhao bowed deeply once more. "What I mean is, for a period of three years, after everything has settled, I will leave the palace on my own initiative. You will protect me and grant me three years of peace. During these three years, I will be the Emperor's sharp sword, and you will be Yun Zhao's nominal husband."
Three years.
It was enough for her to kill the real murderer of her parents!
The emperor was stunned again.
"Yun Zhao, you are so brave! Are you negotiating a deal with me now?" the emperor roared.
There was a lot of back and forth communication.
Yun Zhao looked straight at the emperor. "For you, this is not a difficult task. Your harem needs someone to control it for you, right?"
The emperor sneered, "I took you in, and Xie Jingmo still doesn't make a scene with me?!"
Yun Zhao came prepared. "You just need to tell him that I asked to enter the palace on my own initiative. Tonight, the many palace servants outside saw it clearly. I knelt at the door and begged you to let me in. He won't blame you."
The emperor was silent again.
He couldn't help but look carefully at the woman in the hall.
Every time.
Every time she made him look at her with admiration.
Although it is as insignificant as a weed, it always grows into a vibrant green like the weeds that are reborn in the spring breeze.
Immortal and indestructible.
"Think it over carefully," the emperor's expression was calm, cool, and indifferent. "If you take this path, there will be no regrets."
"Xie Jingmo is a man who doesn't tolerate any sand in his eyes. If you give up on him today, it means you have completely betrayed him. You may not know that children who grew up in the palace are not given warmth. He was once his father's favorite child, but after his father died, his temperament changed a lot.
His sincerity towards you, no matter how much, is precious. If you betray him now, he will definitely ask you to pay him back in the future.
He will protect you now, remember your kindness, and take into account your years of friendship at the frontier. He goes to the palace to look for you again and again, all because of the past with you, because you have never betrayed him.
If he knew the truth as you just said, he would probably not believe you in the future and would continue to cause trouble for you.
You know better than me how paranoid Xie Jingmo is, without me having to tell you. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Yun Zhao was about to speak.
The emperor slowly raised his hand and said, "Yun Zhao, I will give you one night to think about it. If you regret it, leave here before dawn and put an end to what we have just discussed.
If I wake up at dawn and you are still in this palace, then you have truly made up your mind."
After the emperor finished speaking, he walked into the inner hall.
Yun Zhao knelt on the ground, quietly gazing at the flickering candlelight in the palace.
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