Xiao Zili waited until they knelt down before slowly letting them stand up. "You two ladies need not be so polite. I am very grateful to you for helping me solve my problems. Tonight, I will host a banquet in the palace to entertain you two ladies."
"But a mere banquet is certainly not enough to prove my gratitude, so I have decided to confer upon you the title of First-Rank Imperial Consorts."
"Of course, you are ultimately women, and the position of First-Rank General of the Cavalry is your job. It is the young people who should be given a chance to lead troops into battle."
Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent instantly. The ministers all lowered their heads in surprise. Although the emperor did not directly order the two generals to hand over their military tallies, his words conveyed the same meaning.
It sounds nice to say that she was conferred the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady, but who doesn't know that General An's son is a First-Rank Prime Minister? It would be an easy matter for him to ask for the title for his mother, and he doesn't need the Emperor's decree at all.
It seems the Emperor intends to discard the useful tool after it has served its purpose, and then abandon the bridge after it has been used. How ruthless!
Although Wen Liu and the others were angry, they could only lower their heads and hide their emotions, remembering their mother's instructions from the previous night.
Compared to the ministers' surprise and Wen Liu and others' resentment, An Shuyi and Xia Hua appeared extremely calm. An Shuyi said with a smile, "Your Majesty is right. We are getting old after all. Let the young people handle the matter of leading troops into battle."
After saying that, he took out the military tally from his bosom. "Your Majesty, this is the military tally. Now that we don't have this military tally, we can relax a bit. Otherwise, we would be exhausted from thinking about how to fight every day."
He handed the military tally to the eunuch before returning to the center of the hall.
Xiao Zili had not expected that the two women would hand over the military tally so easily. He had thought that if he invited them alone, given their personalities, they would definitely not hand over the tally, so he decided to have them hand it over in the main hall.
It seems he's gotten old after all, not as formidable as he was a few years ago. Now his maternal grandfather is very old, and his uncle is staying in Jincheng. Without his imperial decree, he can't return to the capital. After some time, he'll find an opportunity to bring Lin Wenshan to the capital and hand over the military seal. Then he'll no longer be afraid of Xiao Yubai.
Those vassal kings were all killed, leaving only one, who was no threat at all. The barbarians and people from beyond the Great Wall were terrified and dared not invade again. He could sit on the throne until his son succeeded him.
"I am very pleased with the magnanimity of both ladies. I still have to attend to state affairs, so please return to your residences first. We will arrange a carriage to invite you to the banquet later."
"Farewell, Lady!" After saying this, the two clasped their hands in a fist salute and left the palace.
As soon as they stepped out of the main hall, they looked at the sky outside, exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with malice, and then left the palace. There was already a carriage waiting outside, carrying Xiao Yubai and Cheng Yumo.
Disguised as servants, they hurriedly helped them into the carriage upon seeing them emerge and continued their journey back to the manor. It wasn't appropriate to speak on the way, and it wasn't until they entered the house that Cheng Yumo asked, "What did Xiao Zili say? Did he order you to hand over the military tally?"
Xia Hua nodded, "Not only did he hand over the military tally, but he also bestowed upon us the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady. That's really good. It seems he's forgotten how I helped him ascend the throne."
People always deceive themselves. Do they really think that after four years, they will be too old to even use their brains?
An Shuyi sat down and drank a large cup of tea. She hadn't even had a sip of water during her trip to the palace.
"Hua Hua, when you make your move tonight, tell those cavalry to be gentle and not to damage those things; they're quite valuable."
"Xiao Zili is really amazing. In just a few years, the palace has become even more luxurious. Do you see that tallest pavilion? It's so beautiful, and it's newly built. They must have really spent a lot of money."
“If you like, go and stay for a while. After all, you’ve traveled through time, so when you go back, you can brag to others that you’ve lived in the palace and been the Empress Dowager,” Xia Hua said.
An Shuyi nodded, "Okay, then let's stay for a few days. But if we go back to the modern world, no one will believe us. They'll definitely think we're bragging."
"Let them boast. If others don't believe us, there's nothing we can do."
“That’s right, Xiu Yi, have Tao and the others prepare food, I’m hungry.”
"Yes, Master."
“Since we’re going to make our move tonight, let’s make it happen during the banquet. It would be a shame if Xiao Zili got off the throne before he could enjoy himself for long,” Xia Hua said.
Just thinking about Xiao Zili's smug look made her want to play a trick on him and let him know that they were not people he could outmaneuver.
“Okay, as long as it doesn’t come after tonight, any time is fine.”
Xiao Yubai asked, "Lady and Madam Xia, please go into the palace first tonight. As for the matter of infiltrating, let Yu Mo and me handle it. We can't just sit around doing nothing, otherwise we won't be able to complete the mission."
Xia Hua nodded, "Okay, I'll leave this to you. Xiu Yi, your most important task is to protect Yan Zhen. He can't be harmed."
"Rest assured, Master." A voice came from the air.
While they were eating, Wen Liu and the others returned home. The Emperor was going to host a banquet that evening, so they didn't need to attend to any matters.
In the afternoon, An Shuyi and Xia Hua put on gorgeous dresses and exquisite headdresses and jewelry. They did not wear the official robes of noblewomen, but instead wore their own traditional clothing.
As he stepped out of the room and was helped into the carriage, Xiao Yubai said, "My lady, wait for me in the palace. Be careful."
Upon hearing this, Wen Liu and the others were stunned. They were all confused about what was going on. They had been helping their mother onto the carriage, but not only were they robbed, they also heard such a surprising thing.
An Shuyi wished she could beat this idiot to death. Cheng Yumo still calls Hua Hua Xia Madam, but this old rascal has never been honest. He not only calls her Madam, but also "wife," as if he's afraid others won't know about their affair.
Seeing the surprised looks on Wen Liu and the others' faces, he offered no explanation or answer, as if what he had just said was just a hallucination.
Xia Hua couldn't help but chuckle as she sat in the carriage. It seemed that Shu Shu hadn't managed to tame this Young Master Xiao. Cheng Yu Mo had originally wanted to change his mind, but after being beaten once, he didn't dare to do it again.
After the carriage drove away, he said, "It's alright if Wen Liu and the others know. If they disagree, that's fine too. As long as Yan Zhen can secure the throne, we'll leave."
They have done all they can. The rest is up to the Lin clan. If they have to interfere with everything they do now, like finding a husband, it would be very disappointing.
“It’s not that I’m afraid Wen Liu and the others will find out, it’s just that this old guy is disobedient. No matter how many times I tell him, he always does the opposite,” An Shuyi said.
She knew he was doing it on purpose, but she let him do it anyway. In the end, it was because there was nothing she couldn't say about it. If her sons agreed, so be it; if they didn't, they weren't her biological sons, so it was ultimately her decision.
"You just love to play around, and Young Master Xiao can play along with you, which is fine."
"You are fine too."
Xia Hua smiled but didn't say anything.
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