After the Spring Festival, Xiao Yu will embark on a journey far from the capital. He will lead General Huang's troops to the border to guard the frontier, improve relations with foreign tribes, and reduce border disputes.
Due to the importance and difficulty of the mission, Xiao Yu was granted the title of Prince, which was undoubtedly a high recognition of him.
Before his departure, Xiao Yu made a special trip to the palace to bid farewell to the emperor.
He bowed respectfully and then solemnly said, "Your Majesty, I will certainly live up to my mission, guard the western border, and never give foreign enemies any opportunity to take advantage of the situation. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."
The Emperor looked at Xiao Yu with great satisfaction and said with a smile, "I have heard that you are fluent in the languages of the Western Regions. You are a rare talent."
Xiao Yu knew that the Emperor learned of his ability to speak a foreign language from the Empress.
He quickly bowed and humbly replied, "Your Majesty flatters me. I have only a rudimentary knowledge of Western languages, which is nothing more than a trivial skill and not worth mentioning."
Then, Xiao Yu sincerely praised, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the most intelligent and capable person in the world, besides Your Majesty, is the Empress."
After hearing this, the Emperor nodded in deep agreement and said, "The Empress is indeed a capable person."
Empress Lin not only managed the harem in an orderly manner, allowing the emperor to have no worries, but also properly settled the late emperor's concubines, enabling them to enjoy their later years in peace.
In addition, she often invited the wives of officials to gather in the inner palace, taking the opportunity to admonish them to fully support their husbands, while reminding them to be honest and upright officials.
It was precisely because of Empress Lin's care and guidance for the ladies that they felt deeply honored, and upon returning home, they constantly reminded their husbands, "Be loyal to the emperor and the country, be faithful to your duties..."
As a result, the officials in the court were all proactive and diligent in offering advice and strategies to the emperor, and the country became more stable than ever before.
Knowing that he might not be able to return to the capital for a long time, Xiao Yu decided to take this opportunity to make a request to the Emperor.
“Your Majesty,” Xiao Yu said respectfully, “before leaving the capital, I would like to take my wife to bid farewell to the Empress.”
His wife, Lady Feng, was a fifth-rank female official in charge of training new palace maids. Lady Feng was beautiful and gentle, and Xiao Yu fell in love with her at first sight.
Xiao Yu first returned to his residence, gave his wives and concubines a large sum of money as a settlement fee, and then dismissed them. "I am not young anymore and want to live a few more years of comfortable life. You can take the money and enjoy your future years."
The concubine, Ren, cried and made a scene, refusing to leave. She still wanted to be the principal wife, but she couldn't resist Xiao Yu's forceful actions and could only wipe away her tears and go to another small courtyard to live out her days.
After Xiao Yu became single, he went to ask Feng for her hand in marriage, promising, "After I marry you, I will never take another concubine."
After thinking for a while, Lady Feng readily agreed to the marriage and married the elderly Xiao Yu. Although it seemed like a grievance, she would become a first-rank imperial lady after the marriage.
When Xiao Yu and Lady Feng got married, the Empress bestowed gold and silver upon them, making the newlyweds feel extremely honored.
Upon hearing Xiao Yu's request to bring his wife to kowtow to the Empress, the Emperor pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement, saying, "Alright, take your wife to bid farewell to the Empress and also listen to her advice."
Xiao Yu was overjoyed and quickly expressed his gratitude.
Xiao Yu hurriedly returned home and told Feng Shi the good news, "My husband and I are going to the palace to pay our respects to the Empress."
"Good, my husband. Her Majesty has been very kind to us. We should kneel down and thank her before we leave." Upon hearing this, Madam Feng was overjoyed. She quickly dressed up and, carrying generous gifts, went to the palace with Xiao Yu.
Central Palace
Empress Lin, dressed in magnificent palace attire, sat regally in the hall, her slightly protruding belly protruding.
Her mother, Lady Lin, the wife of the Duke of Zhongguo, sat to one side, and the two were happily discussing Empress Lin's pregnancy.
With a concerned expression, Madam Lin asked, "Your Highness, does the prince in your womb usually cause you any trouble?"
Lin Yajun gently stroked her belly, a slight smile appearing on her lips, and replied, "It's alright, Mother. He kicks a few times occasionally during the day, but he's very well-behaved at night."
Upon hearing this, Madam Lin nodded with satisfaction and praised, "What a wonderful prince!"
Just then, a palace maid quietly entered the hall, knelt down and reported: "Your Majesty, Prince Xiao, on His Majesty's orders, has come to pay his respects to Your Majesty with his wife."
Lin Yajun smiled slightly and said, "Let them in."
After receiving the order, the palace attendant turned and went out to summon him. A short while later, Xiao Yu returned with his wife. The two knelt before Empress Lin and said in unison, "Greetings to Your Majesty."
"Get up and speak quickly." Lin Yajun raised her hand.
Xiao Yu helped his wife up from the ground, paid their respects, and sat down. The two of them drank a sip of tea served by a palace servant.
Knowing that her husband had something important to say to the Empress, Lady Feng spoke quietly with the Duchess.
With a smile on his face, Xiao Yu stood up and walked respectfully to the Empress.
He held a beautifully crafted gift box in his hands and carefully presented it to the Empress, saying, "This is a gift that your subject and wife specially prepared for Your Majesty and the Prince before our departure. We hope Your Majesty will accept it."
Empress Lin Yajun smiled as she accepted the gift and slowly opened the box herself.
The moment the box was opened, Lin Yajun's gaze was involuntarily drawn to it.
Inside the box was a newspaper with a striking line of bold black text: "Lin Jiang and Ye Jingyi, who murdered for a huge sum of money from a demolition settlement, have been executed today."
Lin Yajun's heart suddenly raced, her hands trembling slightly as she clutched the box tightly. Her gaze swept quickly across the newspaper, carefully reading the description of Lin Jiang and Ye Jingyi's crimes.
The document states that Lin Jiang, in order to seize her younger sister Lin Jun's demolition compensation, conspired with her sister's boyfriend Ye Jingyi to brutally murder Lin Jun.
The two argued over the division of the loot, eventually ending up in court fighting over the huge sum of money. In an attempt to silence him, Lin Jiang drove her car into Ye Jingyi, resulting in the amputation of both of Ye Jingyi's legs.
At this time, an anonymous letter sent a surveillance video to the relevant authorities, which led to the discovery of the truth: Lin Jiang's sister, Lin Jun, had not died accidentally, but was murdered.
Faced with overwhelming evidence, Lin Jiang and Ye Jingyi confessed to their crimes and were arrested. After several interrogations, they were sentenced to death.
In accordance with her written will, all of Lin Jun's wealth was donated to an orphanage for the upbringing and education of orphans.
After reading it, Lin Yajun slowly closed the box, a bright smile spreading across her face.
She thought to herself, "It's such a joyful thing to have my revenge achieved."
Madam Lin asked with a smile, "Does Your Highness really like the gifts from the Prime Minister and Madam?" She still habitually addressed Xiao Yu as Prime Minister.
“Yes, Mother, this gift is very important to me, and I like it very much!” Lin Yajun nodded with a smile.
She looked at Xiao Yu, and the two exchanged a glance and smiled.
Xiao Yu and his wife took their leave, and Lin Yajun gave them many gifts, saying, "You must send someone to send letters back frequently."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Xiao Yu replied respectfully.
Xiao Yu avenged Empress Lin's great grudge from the modern era, and left the capital with his wife to live a free and unrestrained life on the border.
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