《The Ugly Empress》


 CH 1

    Ch1 - An Ugly Empress


    Xue Country had a famous Ugly Empress.


    The Ugly Empress¡¯ surname was Feng, which was the Feng Country¡¯s royal surname. She was Feng Country¡¯s current monarch¡¯s blood sister. Naturally, there was only one purpose she was sent to Xue Country¨C diplomatic marriage.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Teng Yun¡¯s skin didn¡¯t look too good. After only two short days of imprisonment, his body was covered in various signs of torture.


    He walked unsteadily, gripping the shackles that bound him; he was extremely weak and at the end of his strength. If he could just crawl on the ground, he wouldn¡¯t even bother trying to walk. But this place wasn¡¯t his hometown. He couldn¡¯t show any trace of weakness, even as a prisoner.


    He was pushed and shoved by the guards into the main hall.


    Every eye in the hall was watching the spectacle of this legendary figure. Teng Country¡¯s God of War¨C the proud son who had been invincible on battlefields, who was now eventually defeated. Looking at his current state, people could already imagine the future changes happening in this man¡¯s home country.


    But the man himself was defiant, his dark eyes were sharp, bright as crystals, and shining brilliantly not showing even an ounce of  weakness.


    People¡¯s hearts trembled slightly; this man unfortunately wouldn¡¯t live for much longer.


    Teng Yun glanced up to the top of the main hall. One person was sitting there, garbed in black clothes with a black tassel crown. The person¡¯s eyes were narrowed while one corner of his lips was curled; the man appeared to be smiling, but the smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes.


    The man was handsome and exuding power, his figure was robust and tall under his black robes. He had a kingly aura around him, his conduct ruthless, firm and headstrong. He could command military forces swiftly and decisively, and also could govern his country just as well¡­


    Teng Yun had heard about the man. He was Xue Country¡¯s highest ruler, Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang stared down at Teng Yun with arrogance and disgust, as if he was looking at a lowly peasant.


    ¡°General Yun, raise your head, let this Seat look at you.¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t resist and raised his head; his gaze unfriendly, icy cold and full of hostility. He looked at Xue Junliang with calculation; this man was his lifetime nemesis.


    Seeing the official¡¯s reaction, Teng Yun couldn¡¯t help laughing out loud. But his laughter contained a deep despair like an arrow at the end of its flight.


    Xue Junliang waved off his official, gesturing him to back off, as he walked closer still and stopped just one step away from Teng Yun.


    Looking down at his opponent, Xue Junliang said, ¡°General, maybe you don¡¯t know me. You¡¯ve never met me before, but I have. I saw you once, three years ago at the battlefield. At that moment, I was in awe and I thought¡­¡±


    He paused, then he gave a slight smile as he continued, ¡°This person, should die.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves, then strode past Teng Yun and out of the hall, saying, ¡°Come, let me show you some of Xue Country¡¯s military skills.¡±


    A guard at the side received the order, and at once, Teng Yun was pulled up and dragged out of the main hall. The entire court officials, both civil and military, followed after them. The majestic procession walked on as the surrounding areas became more and more open, and finally came to a large and empty field.


    The empty field was vast, surrounded by flags. Lined at the westside was a row of targets, at the east side were shelves of weapons, at the north, facing the south was a dragon seat, and built at the south was the extensive training grounds.


    Xue Junliang walked directly to the side with the row of targets. He lifted his chin, an order which the guards immediately understood. Teng Yun was quickly tied up, arms behind his back, and secured against a wooden stake.


    After the guards finished binding him, they retreated silently.


    Xue Junliang narrowed his eyes and stretched his arm. A military officer in red came over to him, in his hands was a long bow which Xue Junliang took. Then another officer handed him a long arrow.


    Teng Yun shifted his gaze to Xue Junliang¡¯s eyes, and suddenly wanted to laugh. Only now he understood what this Xue Emperor had in mind; he wanted to assert his power.


    Was he going to shoot through his throat, or through his heart?


    Under the glaring sun, the arrow was illuminated with blinding radiance. Xue Junliang raised his bow and picked the arrow, the five jade-strings on his tassel crown swayed gently.


    Suddenly, it came to Teng Yun¡¯s mind that this enemy country¡¯s Emperor was actually somewhat tolerant, so domineering and dignified. He was an excellent and wise monarch. But it was a pity¡­ his surname was Teng, added that he was born as a prince of Teng Country.


    Teng Yun was nineteen when he was appointed as a Great General and sent to lead military troops. For ten years, he helped his country deal with civil war then went to defend his country from outside forces. Even after ten years of fighting, he failed to save his country.


    The Emperor of Xue gripped his bow, raised it. Then he pulled the arrow, and unclasped his fingers. Teng Yun never wavered¡­


    ¡°Zap¡ª¨C!¡±


    Then there was blood splattered¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Teng Yun¡¯s head was pounding. He could sense that he was lying down, but the whole world was spinning violently. He tried to open his eyes but found he was very weak all over, starting  from head to toe. He felt extremely dizzy as if he had been sleeping for too long.


    He was very sure that he had been killed by the Xue Emperor, so how was he conscious now? Was it possible that Xue Emperor¡¯s bark was worse than his bite? Was he actually a dimwit? Couldn¡¯t he shoot arrows properly?


    As these thoughts came to mind, Teng Yun wanted to laugh. But his laugh pulled at a wound on his face and he felt the wound sting.


    Groggy from sleep, he opened his eyes. He saw that he was lying on a bed with the curtains open, inside of what looked like a grand room with exquisite furnishing.


    Teng Yun gave out a slight smile. How kind was the Xue Emperor, to be treating a prisoner like this?


    He tried to get out of the bed but felt so weak and fragile, he fell off it; hands grazing the floor as he flailed about. Since when he had to stop and fret about a wound on his hand?


    Teng Yun tried standing up with the help of a wooden shelf next to him. On top of the wooden shelf was a polished and smooth bronze mirror.


    The maidservants who were waiting outside the room heard a loud crash and rushed in. When they came inside, they immediately covered their mouth to hide a snicker.


    One of them, who was wearing peach-colored clothing, ran over and lifted Teng Yun who had fallen on the ground again. She said with a laugh, ¡°Empress, did you get scared by the bronze mirror? The mirror is not the monster here, it is you.¡±


    Hearing the maid calling him ¡®Empress¡¯, his eyes grew wide. He roughly pushed the maid¡¯s hands off him and grabbed the fallen bronze mirror on the ground. It was so big that Teng Yun, who was now very weak, couldn¡¯t even hold it up. Reflected in the smooth mirror on the ground, he could see a woman with a graceful figure but had a very odd and ugly face.


    The woman was wearing a brocade gown, her built, slender and elegant. But her face had bruises-like marks that looked awful and shamefully ugly. If people saw her face, no doubt they¡¯d think she was a ghost. Even Teng Yun was shocked.


    Teng Yun stared at ¡®himself¡¯ in the mirror and couldn¡¯t repress a shiver all over.


    The maidservant scolded, ¡°Empress, be careful! This bronze mirror was sent to you by Her Highness Defei. If it¡¯s broken, even if you¡¯re an Empress, Defei can have you punished because she is the Emperor¡¯s favorite consort.¡±


    Teng Yun, after all, was a man raised on battlefields so he quickly calmed down and assessed the situation. Still looking down at the mirror in the ground, he took in the maidservant¡¯s words and finally came to a conclusion.


    There was only one country that had an empress this ugly. The empress was no one other than Xue Emperor ¨C Xue Junliang¡¯s first wife.


    The Ugly Empress¡¯ name was Feng Yun, blood-related sister of the King of Feng country. Other than the fact that she was ugly, it was also said she had a weak constitution. By her maidservant¡¯s rude words, it was easy to conclude that a certain favored consort put a large bronze mirror in this Empress¡¯ room. It was a common trick.


    As Teng Yun said nothing, the maid grew bolder and her mocking words grew even more rude. Perhaps this was something that happened on a daily basis, so she didn¡¯t find anything fishy with this Empress.


    ¡°Empress, you¡­ Ah!¡±


    The maid didn¡¯t get to finish her sentence before she suddenly touched her cheek and looked at Teng Yun incredulously. If it wasn¡¯t for the sting on her face, she would have thought the slap was just an illusion.


    Teng Yun stared coldly at the maid and smiled, ¡°What are you going to do, will I get slapped back by a lowly servant?¡±


    ¡°Em¡­Empress¡­¡±


    ¡°Get out of here, take the bronze mirror and give it back to Defei.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Thank you everyone for all the support. And thank you to NZRose and Elanor for staying with me on this one..~zaki.

 CH 2

    The maidservants who were waiting outside the room, hoping to see some jokes were shocked by the slap and hurriedly withdrew with their hands down.


    Teng Yun was exhausted. That one slap had drained all his strength. He sat on the bed and raised a hand to cover his eyes. When his hand grazed his swollen cheekbone, it stung painfully.


    Teng Yun had no idea what was going on with this ugly empress. If she was born ugly, why would her face hurt when it was touched? Clearly it was some kind of wound.


    But he did not have the strength to think about it right now. In fact, he felt that he had almost broken this borrowed shell by using too much force. He sat paralyzed on the bed, and even trying to regain his breathing was quite an effort.


    Teng Yun fell asleep unconsciously and had a lot of strange dreams. In his dream, he saw himself being appointed as a general and went to war for ten years before he eventually was captured and killed. He also dreamed that his country was conquered by Xue Junliang, while Teng Country was in the middle of ceaseless civil war. And finally, his country perished altogether.


    Teng Yun woke up sweating. From outside his room, he could faintly hear some noise and commotion. With a frown, Teng Yun got up from the bed. As soon as he pushed the door open, the maidservant waiting outside greeted him.


    The maidservant in peach-colored clothing, now sporting a swollen cheek and looking a little scared, said, ¡°Empress¡­ is there something you need? Xiu Yao will help you.¡±


    Teng Yun said nothing and just looked at her. Xiu Yao shivered, she could still feel her cheek throbbing in pain. Had she said anything wrong again? She did not think so.


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t that Xiu Yao had said anything wrong. But Teng Yun thought it was strange that a maidservant would stop an Empress when she wanted to go outside.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t know about this Ugly Empress¡¯ reputation. Emperor Xue and Defei had always treated her as a joke, so Defei took this opportunity and ordered people to spread rumors that although the Empress was a noblewoman, her manners weren¡¯t so noble, what if she would threaten people?


    From then on, this sorry excuse of an Empress was put into her chamber and was restricted to go outside.


    Xiu Yao didn¡¯t dare stop the Empress. After all, His Majesty didn¡¯t especially prohibit this Empress from going outside. Also, the Empress was still the mistress of the Imperial Harem. Defei might be arrogant and relying on the favor given by His Majesty, but her rank was still lower.


    As they stepped outside the room, Teng Yun asked, ¡°Why is it so noisy?¡±


    ¡°Answering to Your Majesty,¡± having learned her lesson, Xiu Yao respectfully answered, ¡°Today was the day His Majesty executed the prisoner from Teng Country, so everyone seemed to be gathered in the flower garden to drink in celebration.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Suddenly, Teng Yun lost his voice as his heart froze; it was getting harder to maintain his calm, ¡°Then¡­ the prisoner¡¯s body, has it been sent back to Teng Country?¡±


    ¡°No, it hasn¡¯t.¡± Xiu Yao said, ¡°This servant heard that envoys weren¡¯t allowed to bring the corpse back to Teng Country. His Majesty has already ordered a grand funeral.¡±


    ¡°Grand funeral? Grand funeral¡­¡±


    Teng Yun almost laughed out loud. Xue Junliang was for sure asserting his power. He killed a Great General, the Prince of an enemy country by his own hands, then arranged the corpse to be buried here? Was he trying to show mercy?


    For Teng Yun, this wasn¡¯t a show of generosity. As a Teng citizen, if he could choose, he absolutely wouldn¡¯t want to stay in this hostile land even after his death.


    ¡°Your Majesty? What is wrong? If you are feeling unwell, I will call the imperial physicians.¡±


    Xiu Yao saw the Empress was swaying and quickly went to help. Although Xiu Yao usually belittled and talked rudely to the Empress, there was still a reason this ugly woman was crowned and could sit firmly as the head of the Imperial Harem. Her younger brother was Feng Country¡¯s king.


    Therefore, Xiu Yao still had to take care of this ugly empress.


    Teng Yun steadied his feet and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go outside.¡±


    This time, Xiu Yao obediently followed behind, not daring to have any ideas again.


    As soon as the two of them walked out of the door of the hall, they saw someone in bright yellow attire coming from a distance. The person was small and it seemed to be a child.


    He was wearing a small yellow robe with a pair of small blue-black boots on his feet. He was walking fast with hands clasped behind his back. A nervous-looking servant followed closely behind him.


    When they walked closer, Teng Yun could hear the old servant saying, ¡°Crown Prince, please walk slowly¡­ Walk slowly¡­ If you collide with someone, you¡¯ll be in trouble!¡±


    The little child said, ¡°Who dares to collide with me? I want to see this famous Empress.¡±


    By their faintly-heard conversation, Teng Yun could guess that this little Crown Prince had especially come here to find something to nitpick.


    Arguably, the Empress was Xue Junliang¡¯s legal wife and the head of the Imperial Harem, the Crown Prince should still call her ¡®Empress Mother¡¯ even though she was not his biological mother. But obviously this newborn calf of a prince thought he was higher than an Ugly Empress.


    When Teng Yun heard the news of ¡®his own¡¯ death, his heart had become cold as ice. Now that his identity was that of a different person, how could he be loyal to this country? Yet, Teng Yun was still not reconciled¡­


    And at this moment someone came looking to find fault with him. Just as well, Teng Yun could use this opportunity to vent his anger.


    The Little Crown Prince walked forward casually, but just as he started to walk up the bottom step, only then did he look up and found Teng Yun standing right at the gate.


    Although the little prince said that he was not afraid of anything, he was actually just a seven to eight years old child. When he saw the first side of Teng Yun, he took two steps back so abruptly that, if not for the old servant catching him, his butt would have been planted on the steps and would have rolled down.


    Teng Yun was amused to see the little prince looking at his face with a peculiar expression. In fact, when he first saw himself in the bronze mirror, he too, got a fright and couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. His face was bruised black and blue, his cheeks were swollen, and there were even bloodstain-like marks, which almost squeezed his eyes shut.


    But the little Crown Prince didn¡¯t have Teng Yun¡¯s experience and wisdom of seeing the world, so he could only stare blankly for a long while. Gradually he calmed down and sneered, ¡°She is not scary, just appalling.¡±


    The old servant behind him, who actually knew about etiquette, was afraid the little prince didn¡¯t know how to control his speech. He immediately knelt down and said, ¡°This old servant pays respect to Your Majesty, the Empress.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Yu, get up.¡± The Little Crown Prince glared at the old servant.


    The servant with cautious speech and thoughtful deeds was called Jiang Yu. He was the Head Internal Servant of the Imperial Palace who had served Xue Junliang himself. Later on, because the Xue Emperor loved his only son very much, sent Jiang Yu to serve the Crown Prince.


    Teng Yun said nothing, so Jiang Yu didn¡¯t dare get up. The little Crown Prince became more and more dissatisfied that his own servant didn¡¯t listen to his words. He said, ¡°Jiang Yu, why do you kneel for her? Our mighty Xue Country shouldn¡¯t need to be afraid of this Ugly Empress. She was just here because of a marriage alliance. We¡¯ve already conquered Teng Country, it¡¯s only a matter of time before we conquer Feng Country too.¡±


    Hearing this, Teng Yun laughed coldly and said, ¡°Crown Prince, have you ever studied books?¡±


    The little prince raised his chin to Teng Yun, looked him in the eye and said, ¡°Of course I¡¯ve studied books. Do you think I¡¯m illiterate?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡± Teng Yun said, ¡°If you are educated, how come you speak nonsense like an uneducated child?¡±

 CH 3

    Although Xue Junliang didn¡¯t spoil the Crown Prince, the little prince was still Xue Emperor¡¯s only heir so he was always pampered and held in high esteem by subordinates around him. Naturally he grew up feeling his station was above most people. An arrogant child being told that he was uneducated by an ugly woman, it was no surprise he got angry.


    Before the little Crown Prince could throw a fit, they heard a low chuckle. A man dressed in black robes approached slowly from a short distance away. He was followed by many attendants.


    Teng Yun watched the man walk over, and he suddenly felt a burst of anger in his heart. Since he was born, his father had always taught Teng Yun to guard himself against Xue country¡¯s ambitious nature. Later when he grew up, he had fought with Xue Country for many years, and he came to wear the advice on his skin like an armor.


    Teng Yun¡¯s feelings towards Xue Junliang was conflicted as he felt admiration towards him as well. This man was a powerful opponent. He also led his country towards peace and prosperity. Teng Yun¡¯s own country was inferior to Xue Country in many aspects. But at the end of the day, Xue Junliang was the villain who had inflicted the scourge of war and calamity on Teng Country¡¯s innocent people, year after year¡­


    Xue Junliang was still wearing the same clothing he had worn when he killed Teng Yun, as well as the five-jade-stringed tassel crown. He walked over with a slight smile on his face, seemingly unperturbed by the Ugly Empress¡¯ face.


    Seeing Xue Emperor coming this way, the servants present were both shocked and scared because they all had heard the Empress¡¯s sarcastic words to the little Crown Prince. Anyone with eyes could see how Xue Emperor loved the Crown Prince above anyone. Everyone also knew this Ugly Empress was just an ornamental mistress of the Imperial Harem, without any real power.


    Xiu Yao quickly knelt down. From the corner of her eye she saw that the Empress was still standing and her eyes were glaring darkly¡­


    Xiu Yao thought the Empress was frightened upon meeting His Majesty. After all, this woman had been living inside the Imperial Harem for three years and this was the first time she saw His Majesty. It was indeed a pitiful story, but Xiu Yao didn¡¯t want to be implicated as well because of her Empress.


    It wasn¡¯t that Teng Yun was unaware that he had to kneel in front of this man, but this man was not his Emperor. Teng Country¡¯s King was Teng Yun¡¯s father. Moreover, Xue Junliang was his mortal enemy, and even when he was a prisoner, Teng Yun never knelt for him. A man should always have his moral dignity and should not kneel down easily. He could only tolerate kneeling in front of his own father and mother.


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    Xue Junliang, of course, had no clue that his empress wasn¡¯t the same person anymore, so he thought this empress refused to kneel down out of her high-standing station as Feng Country¡¯s Grand Princess.


    Three years ago, Xue Junliang had accepted the marriage alliance with Feng Country. At that time, Xue Country was not as strong as it was now, but had been struggling with many wars coming in all directions and its destiny was unknown. Then the King of Feng Country offered his elder sister in marriage and therefore formed an alliance between the two countries.


    In the war between Xue country and Teng country, King Feng had also sent a lot of troops to support Xue Junliang.  So even though Xue Junliang disliked the Empress¡¯s ugly appearance, he had not shaken the Empress¡¯s position as the Mistress of the Imperial Harem in the past few years.


    But now, as the Crown Prince Xue Pei had said, Teng Country was already at the brink of collapse. The marriage alliance between Xue Emperor and the eldest Lord of Feng was coming to an end.


    Xue Junliang addressed the Ugly Empress, calmly smiling, ¡°Aifei, you were saying?¡±


    Teng Yun tried his best to look calm and peaceful. Even though he felt a sneer coming up, he fought to pull himself together. After all, he was now occupying the body of Feng Country¡¯s Royal Princess; provoking the Xue Emperor was not a wise move.


    ¡°Has Your Majesty ever heard that an army burning with righteous indignation would always win? It is indeed true that right now Teng Country is at the end of its tether. If Teng loses another city, it will be the destruction of the country. On the other hand, Your Majesty has conquered another city, it would be only one more subsidiary city. It goes without saying which situation would urge the soldiers to fight¡­ Moreover, if Teng sends someone to plead with Feng Country, how sure are you that the Feng Country would not turn their back against us? After all, by sending troops they could be trying to reap benefits from the side.¡±


    As Teng Yun finished speaking, Xiu Yao drew in a sharp breath. She couldn¡¯t understand a single thing that was said, but from the tone of it, it sounded like the Empress was criticizing His Majesty, just as she had criticized the Crown Prince. This kind of crime wouldn¡¯t just end up with the beheading of only the Empress, but also every one under her.


    Xue Junliang just silently stared at Teng Yun, and after a while he finally laughed and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Aifei to be familiar with the art of war. You surpassed my first opinion of you.¡±


    Then he turned to look behind him and patted Xue Pei¡¯s head, ¡°Stay here and spend some time with your Imperial Mother.¡±


    Xue Junliang had actually ¡®slipped¡¯ out of the palace banquet intended for celebrating the defeat of Teng Country. Xue Junliang, as the Emperor, naturally had to be present. After encouraging his military generals to drink wine, he had slipped out to take a walk.


    But a servant sent by Jiang Yu had come reporting that the Crown Prince had taken off on a whim, saying he wanted to go to the Empress¡¯ palace. So Xue Junliang had gone after the little Crown Prince to bring him back.


    After telling the Crown Prince to stay with the Empress, Xue Junliang went back to the banquet. Hearing what the Empress had said, he not only didn¡¯t punish her, but he had started to see her in a new light and regard her with special respect.


    Xue Pei was reluctant and didn¡¯t want to stay with the Empress. What she had said was reasonable, but almost everyone could talk about theories of war. She was just speaking ignorantly and taking wild guesses, it just so happened at the same time that what she said fit with his Father¡¯s idea as well.


    But even though Xue Pei was unwilling, he still respected Xue Junliang, so he could only stay behind.


    In the Palace there were no secrets that were really hidden. Especially when the appalling ¡®secret¡¯ was that Xue Emperor had gone to visit the Ugly Empress.


    The news that Xue Junliang stood at the same place with the Empress for one incense time traveled to the ear of every palace maids and eunuchs, and eventually to the ears of the Imperial Concubines. Each time it passed down, the story was altered bit by bit.


    In the end, people thought that last night His Majesty had bedded the Ugly Empress. Also that the Crown Prince had become very close with the Empress, just like real mother and son, and even accompanied her for lunch.


    Teng Yun couldn¡¯t help laughing when he heard this. He had seen himself in the mirrors and was self-aware; his looks really were very frightening. To consummate with this Empress, Xue Emperor had to be very brave and courageous.


    The little Crown Prince had indeed stayed with Teng Yun, but it was only for lunch. The Prince looked as if he hadn¡¯t wanted to see Teng Yun¡¯s face for too long, so Teng Yun sent him out.


    Now Teng Yun felt he was quite fortunate that he had this face. Otherwise, he really would have to serve Xue Junliang at some point¡­.


    He touched his face. It looked ugly but it was also painful, especially when touched.


    Xiu Yao came in bringing dinner and saw the Empress staring at a mirror with an expressionless face.  She thought that the Empress was feeling sorry for herself. ¡°Your Majesty, please have your meal. Today, the kitchen has made your favorite fish soup.¡±

 CH 4

    Edited by Elanor


    Teng Yun looked at the bowl of fish soup on the table and said, ¡°There was fish soup at noon as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± said Xiu Yao. ¡°You¡¯re from Feng Country, and most Feng people like freshwater fish dishes the most, so the kitchen made an effort to prepare fish soup for you as often as possible.¡±


    Teng Yun frowned. Others just thought that the Empress was ugly, and because she was the mother of the country, they didn¡¯t dare look closer to examine the Empress¡¯ face. They couldn¡¯t find anything obviously wrong with her.


    But Teng Yun, how could he be oblivious? These purple and red swelling on his face obviously weren¡¯t something that naturally occurred.


    Fish causes body heat and it could cause or aggravate sickness. Having the fish soup every day would only make the swelling on his face even more painful.


    Teng Yun did not drink the fish soup. But people in the Palace weren¡¯t all fools. If someone really wanted to harm him, they could use other methods, other than giving him fish soup.


    Xiu Yao didn¡¯t understand why the Empress wouldn¡¯t drink the soup. Teng Yun lightly said, ¡°It¡¯s salty.¡±


    After the evening meal, the Little Crown Prince came again, looking extremely reluctant and unwilling to be there. Acting tough, he reasoned, ¡°If Father hadn¡¯t asked me to come, I wouldn¡¯t have come here.¡±


    Teng Yun merely said, ¡°Xiu Yao, pour tea for the Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°I am not drinking,¡± Xue Pei said, ¡°I¡¯ve come, so I can say I¡¯ve come if he asks. I¡¯m not staying here even for a moment longer.¡±


    Actually, Teng Yun had already heard about that. Perhaps, Xue Junliang had deliberately sent the little prince to come and tell the news, in order to incite jealousy from the Empress. But Xue Junliang, of course, had miscounted Teng Yun. Teng Yun wasn¡¯t a little consort striving to earn favors; he obviously wasn¡¯t going to be jealous. He¡¯d love to see Xue Junliang try.


    In Teng Yun¡¯s heart, only when Xue Junliang¡¯s harem was in complete confusion and chaos, would he feel refreshed.


    The little prince saw that despite his news, the Empress was calm and gentle. He fought to keep a smile on his face and said, ¡°I heard that it was Defei who proposed that Mother should be present at the court tomorrow, and Father readily agreed¡­ Defei also said¡­ She said that you should wear a veil to cover your face so as to not scare Marquis Wannian.¡±


    Teng Yun inwardly snorted. He hadn¡¯t met this Defei, he didn¡¯t know if Defei was as arrogant and domineering as rumored, but her being favoured was most probably true. Xue Junliang must definitely know about what generally happened inside the Imperial Harem, especially if Defei was bullying the Empress. Since he knew but did nothing about it, it could only mean that it had his tacit approval.


    ¡°Thank Defei on my behalf for her kindness.¡±


    The little Crown Prince was stunned by these words. With his mood to mock the Empress gone, he excused himself.


    ¡ª


    Xue Junliang did indeed go to Defei¡¯s Yuxiu Palace. In the beginning, Defei was a little apprehensive that the Emperor really had changed his temperament and started favoring the Ugly Empress. Her concern hadn¡¯t yet bloomed into full-blown anxiety when Xue Junliang announced he was planning to visit Yuxiu Palace that evening.


    Defei instantly felt her suspicions were unnecessary and superfluous. That ugly and hideous Empress; no matter how smart and clever she was, she was still ghastly. And which Emperor did not judge a person by her appearance.


    In order to capture Xue Junliang¡¯s heart, Defei took great pains to entertain him. In one evening, she did everything from dancing to playing the zither. She pulled out all the stops, frantically trying to entice Xue Junliang.


    By her estimation, after three rounds of performances, Emperor Xue should be pretty drunk. At this time, Defei planned to pretend she was also drunk, then throw herself into the Emperor¡¯s arms and coax him into bed.


    However, her expectations were only wishful thinking and did not come into fruitification. Xue Junliang drank a lot of wine but he was certainly not drunk. Still, Defei gritted her teeth and pretended to be drunk. She was about to snuggle into Xue Junliang¡¯s embrace when someone reported that Head Servant, Jiang Yu, requested an audience.


    This late at night, His Majesty was alone with his consort in her bedchamber. Naturally, even if it was an important business, it should wait, right? But unexpectedly, Xue Emperor immediately ordered Jiang Yu to come inside, while telling Defei to go to the inner room so she wouldn¡¯t disturb them.


    Jiang Yu came in, and after saluting Xue Junliang, he said, ¡°Reporting to Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has returned from Yunfeng Palace. This old servant had been following him, Crown Prince¡¯s words were exactly as Your Majesty had expected, but the Empress remained unmoved.¡±


    Xue Junliang leaned on the big chair, holding the wine cup in his hand, glanced at the slightly flickering candle on the table, smiled and said, ¡°It seems that I really underestimated her before.¡±


    Just as he finished saying this, he suddenly had an interesting thought, ¡°Being the single heir, the Crown Prince has been spoiled for these many years, what do you think of letting him follow the Empress?¡±


    Jiang Yu lowered his head and replied, ¡°Your Majesty is wise, this is a good way. According to this old servant¡¯s foolish opinion, though His Highness Crown Prince is intelligent, he is inevitably a little arrogant. Her Majesty the Empress¡¯ temperament can help subdue him a bit.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Xue Junliang threw his cup on the table and unfolded his long body up, ¡°Then it¡¯s settled¡­ It¡¯s getting late, let Defei rest early.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he strode out of Yuxiu Palace.


    When Defei came out of the inner room, she couldn¡¯t see even Xue Junliang¡¯s shadow. Only Jiang Yu was alone in the outer room. Jiang Yu relayed Emperor Xue¡¯s words and then excused himself.


    ¡ª


    Although it would be a difficult situation for her Empress, Xiu Yao still nursed a glimmer of hope. Also, the Empress was her mistress, if it wasn¡¯t up to her to dress the Empress sincerely, who else would bother?


    Xiu Yao couldn¡¯t sleep a wink last night in her excitement, she paced outside, afraid of waking up the Empress. Teng Yun¡¯s face was hurting the whole night. Also, this wasn¡¯t his home so he wasn¡¯t comfortable. He was always a light-sleeper, too. Hearing Xiu Yao pacing back and forth, he shouted at her before she finally quieted down.


    At dawn, Xiu Yao started helping Teng Yun to dress. This part was extremely uncomfortable for Teng Yun. Since he was nineteen, he¡¯d started donning his leather armor by himself. He ate and slept with his soldiers everyday. He didn¡¯t like being served by people. This was especially uncomfortable, because Xiu Yao would keep muttering things like, ¡°Your Majesty, does this look good?¡±, ¡°This dress will compliment your waist.¡±, or ¡°Which hairstyle would be suitable?¡±


    Xiu Yao fussed with Teng Yun¡¯s head for one hour. By the time she finally finished, Teng Yun had used the whole time as an exercise of reigning his temper.


    Teng Yun had just finished dressing up, when the Little Crown Prince came.


    Xue Junliang indeed had been baiting Teng Yun. But his intention was only to test the Ugly Empress by using both Defei and the Crown Prince. He didn¡¯t intend to make things difficult for the Empress, hence he sent the Crown Prince to accompany her.


    The Crown Prince¡¯s status in Xue Country was undoubtedly high. Emperor Xue sending the prince to the Empress¡¯ Palace to accompany her to the hall, was to let everybody see she wasn¡¯t an ordinary woman.


    The court officials¡¯ hearts were brimming with apprehension. They had seen for themselves how the Crown Prince and the Empress¡¯ relationship was very close, just like biological mother and son.


    Today was the day of change, the day people of the Imperial Harem felt alarmed that the Empress still had the Phoenix Seal, also had brought the Crown Prince to her side.

 CH 5

    Edited by Zaki & Elanor


    At the top of the Main Hall, Xue Junliang had long ordered a beaded curtain to be set up, after all, the appearance of the Inner Palace¡¯s Empress was not something that everyone was allowed to see.


    Marquis Wannian, Xue Houyang, was Xue Junliang¡¯s younger brother from the same mother, and the two of them have always had a close relationship. Since Xue Junliang¡¯s ascension to the throne, all of his other brothers had either been eliminated or distanced, leaving only one younger brother who was then granted a title, Marquis Wannian.


    When the prince was still young, a wandering fortune-teller once had foretold that Xue Houyang¡¯s character was ruthless and that he would bring disaster someday.


    Xue Houyang was still very young when he has conferred a title, and had yet to build any achievements and merits. Naturally, many people were dissatisfied with him, and consequently, he was often bullied. Added with what the fortune-teller had once said, even more people joined in to bully Xue Houyang.


    However, Xue Junliang had never doubted his younger brother even once, and had always been very trusting of him. Young Xue Houyang may have looked naive, but he was a member of the royal family, so inevitably he had learned to observe people surrounding him. He knew Xue Junliang had always treated him with kindness because he himself would never compete for the throne against Xue Junliang. For Xue Houyang, such precious brotherly love was very rare and uncommon in the Imperial Palace.


    Three months after he was conferred a title, Xue Houyang went out for war. He left the capital city for almost seven to eight years, and had not returned back even once during this time.


    Many officials petitioned Emperor Xue, suggesting him to call Xue Houyang back to the capital. After all, the Marquis was outside for far too long and it was possible he was cultivating his own followers and power.


    Every time they suggested this, Xue Junliang merely smiled and told them that if this Seat couldn¡¯t trust his own younger brother, then who else would he be able to trust?


    Xue Houyang returned to the capital city and surprisingly, even though he had been away for so long, he still felt a little bit nostalgic and emotional.


    On top of the Main Hall, the Civil and Military officials were standing on both sides. After unloading his weapons outside the hall, Xue Houyang strode in wearing full armour and bowed down.


    The Marquis didn¡¯t care about his life at all. It seemed as if he would go crazy at the sight of blood.


    This time, Xue Houyang came back to the capital city after successfully defeating Teng Country, naturally, such a meritorious act had to be rewarded with a promotion in title. But if he was to be promoted again, his achievements would be too high and it would be difficult to avoid criticism.


    Xue Junliang got up and personally came over to Xue Houyang and raised him up from his kneeling position. During the whole court session, though there were many rewards awarded, there was no mention of promoting Xue Houyang¡¯s title. He also invited Xue Houyang for lunch in the Palace.


    Although Teng Yun never said a word, he couldn¡¯t help but sneer inwardly. Xue Junliang was really a hypocrite and villain; on the surface, he treated his brother affectionately, but who knew if he wasn¡¯t using Xue Houyang for his own gain.


    As he thought this, Teng Yun couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He had been in battles outside the country for ten years, and in those ten years, Teng Country had also been suffering civil unrest. Among his own brothers, there were always ones who plotted rebellion, there were always usurpers. Many of the court officials, ministers and noblemen must have fled the country, too.


    Perhaps it was actually a good thing for an Emperor to be detached and be a bit fickle in affection, after all, a country was built on a pile of bones.


    After the court assembly, the young crown prince Xue Pie was also called to dine together with them. Unexpectedly, despite Xue Pei¡¯s temperament, both he and Xue Houyang got along quite well.


    When Teng Yun returned to Yunfeng Palace, Xiu Yao had already been waiting anxiously. She asked, ¡°Empress, how was it?¡±


    ¡°How else should it be?¡±


    His words did not dampen Xiu Yao¡¯s excitement at all. She then added, ¡°Your Majesty, today the kitchen made some very delicious dishes, would you like to have lunch in the garden?¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t refute her good intentions. He was also bored staying inside his room all day, so a walk in the garden would be a good idea.


    Xiu Yao prepared the meals in a small pavilion. The scenery from the pavilion was very nice; one side was facing the waters, while lush green plants and flowers surrounded the other sides of the pavilion. Xiu Yao waited on Teng Yun with an exuberant mood, chattering away endlessly.


    Halfway through the meal, they saw Xue Junliang and Xue Houyang coming from the sidewalk. They were walking leisurely, a group of palace maids following them a little distance away. The brothers seemed to be discussing something.


    Teng Yun knew he shouldn¡¯t be eavesdropping and should avoid this situation, but he also knew that the topic Emperor Xue and Marquis Wannian were discussing, must be something he really wanted to hear and know about.


    Xiu Yao considered withdrawing as well. She looked to her mistress, but found the Empress didn¡¯t move.


    When the brothers walked closer, Teng Yun heard Xue Houyang say, ¡°Although Teng Yun is dead, we should still be cautious about Teng Country¡¯s Teng Shang.¡±


    ¡°You make a reasonable point,¡± Xue Junliang added with a laugh, ¡°I heard Teng Shang treated Teng Yun very well, is that so?¡±


    Xue Houyang thought for a moment, then said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard something similar as well.¡±


    Xue Junliang chuckled and said, ¡°I heard that Teng Shang was originally a Marquis with a different surname, then was bestowed with the royal surname. Later, as he achieved more and more merits, King Teng grew dissatisfied and suspicious with his increasing fame.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t understand what Emperor Xue meant by bringing up this fact, so inevitably he compared this with himself and his heart began to palpitate. To be honest, he had returned from the war and felt that his temperament was untrue. He didn¡¯t dare to look up at Xue Junliang. He feared, just like Teng Shang, he¡¯d be discarded as well, despite being loyal all his life.


    Xue Junliang glanced at him and seemed to understand what Xue Houyang was thinking, but he didn¡¯t point it out. Instead, he continued, ¡°I plan to send an envoy to the Teng country. The envoy would only see Teng Shang and report that Emperor Xue intends to return Teng Country¡¯s Sixth Prince, Great General Yun¡¯s ashes. What do you think?¡±


    Xue Houyang came to an abrupt stop in shock; he finally understood. This was an excellent way to create a drift between King Teng and Teng Shang. With King Teng¡¯s suspicious nature, if Xue Country¡¯s envoy only wanted to see Teng Shang, he would be even more wary and suspicious and send Minister Shang away. Teng Country then would have no one else to lead their troops, and therefore vulnerable to attack.


    Teng Yun felt like he¡¯d been hit on his head; hands and feet turned cold. King Teng was his own father, how could he not know that Father was suspicious of Minister Shang? He and Teng Shang weren¡¯t even blood-related, but he always considered Teng Shang as his family. After hearing the trap designed for Teng Shang, he felt helpless.


    Xiu Yao saw her Empress was distracted and lost in thought. So, she didn¡¯t dare make a sound and could only pull at the Empress¡¯ sleeves.


    At the tug on his sleeve, Teng Yun came to himself but his hands were still trembling uncontrollably. Xue Junliang hadn¡¯t finished talking and continued as an afterthought.


    ¡°There is more than just that.¡± Xue Junliang smiled smugly and with an air of ease, he said, ¡°How could I let Teng people take General Yun¡¯s ashes so easily? If Teng Shang wants to get Teng Yun¡¯s ashes, he¡¯d have to come over in person.¡±


    Xue Houyang pondered for a moment, ¡°But¡­ Is Your Majesty really sure that Teng Shang will come? It¡¯s like asking him to walk willingly into a trap, Teng Shang is not so shallow.¡±


    Xue Junliang was unmoved, he faintly said, ¡°I¡¯m betting on people¡¯s hearts.

 CH 6

    Edited by Zaki & Elanor


    Xue Houyang finally nodded, then said, ¡°Your Majesty is wise.¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t say anything for quite some time, only stared at the other. Xue Houyang felt a bit apprehensive, so he lowered his head trying to look more respectful.


    Xue Junliang reached out then patted his shoulder, laughed and said, ¡°We seem to be getting more and more unfamiliar with each other.¡±


    ¡°This should be the way of kings and ministers. This younger brother, would not dare to cross the boundary¡­¡­¡± Xue Houyang said.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Xue Junliang said, ¡°But these few years, I¡¯ve been thinking about the past¡­ Houyang, have you never noticed? I¡¯ve never once used ¡®this seat¡¯ in front of you, because to me you are always my beloved younger brother.¡±


    Xue Junliang sighed, then took a few steps forward. With his back to Xue Houyang, he added, ¡°Many things didn¡¯t turn out as I wished them to be. In the past, I also wanted this country to be peaceful and prosperous without having to suffer wars, but the past Xue Junliang is already ¡®dead¡¯. Now, I can only be a tyrant who would open up new frontiers by conquering more territories and protecting his country and lands. A hundred years from now, people would be evaluating my governance¡­ Do you also blame me?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Xue Houyang added with a resolute and loud voice, ¡°Although Houyang has been away from the capital for the past few years, he can understand Your Majesty¡¯s painstaking efforts. Doesn¡¯t matter if someday Houyang would be a great general or a commoner, he would not dare to forget and regret that he has such a respectable brother. He would never blame His Majesty.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded, then smiled, ¡°You go back to the capital and rest well. Don¡¯t rush away again. But before you go, would you call me Brother just once?¡±


    People often say that accompanying a king was like accompanying a tiger. Their speech could sound deeply sincere, but whether it was genuinely true or just a sham, it was difficult to discern. In the end, Xue Junliang was still an Emperor. His words may contain sixty percent truth and forty percent lies, but he was a wise monarch. He could easily move people¡¯s hearts, and of course, his brother¡¯s heart too.


    Xue Houyang lifted the hem of his clothes and immediately knelt down on both of his knees, bent his head and gently whispered, ¡°Big brother.¡±


    Immediately after saying that, he rose up and turned his head and retreated.


    Xue Junliang waited until the sound of footsteps grew faint before he turned and looked at Marquis Wannian¡¯s retreating back.


    May their brotherhood last for a long, long time.


    Teng Yun stood there still and unmoving. When he heard Xue Houyang whisper, ¡®Big Brother¡¯, his heart trembled with emotions. If only his own brothers called him like that, let alone leading military troops, he would be willing to guard the borders forever, never setting foot in the capital city even once. It really was a pity¡­ even at this point, the royal princes would never do that. It was no wonder Teng Country was failing.


    Teng Yun knew that he was powerless in this situation, especially now that he was a married princess from Feng Country. . He now no longer had any connection to Teng Country. But he was still worried about Teng Shang.


    Xue Junliang stayed there for a little while and then walked back. As we walked away, intentionally or unintentionally, he cast a gentle look of askance at the small pavilion.


    ¡ª


    After returning, Xue Junliang immediately asked Jiang Yu to call the minister to write a letter and sent an envoy to send the letter to Teng Country.


    In the beginning, the minister wrote a very formulaically polite letter, but Xue Junliang waved his hand and asked him to rewrite it.


    The final result was a slimy letter. Each sentence was so sweetly flattering, as if Emperor Xue and Teng Shang were old acquaintances. The letter also discussed whether Teng Yun¡¯s ashes should be sent back to Teng Country, but the Xue Emperor was afraid it would be disrespectful to Great General Yun, hence he could only request Minister Shang to undertake this big job and come to the Xue Country to collect the ashes himself.


    At first, the ministers didn¡¯t understand Xue Junliang¡¯s intentions clearly, but they did not dare to question him. After reading the final letter, they immediately understood the deep hidden meaning of such a letter.


    The messenger rushed as fast as possible to deliver the letter to Teng Shang. After entering the Main hall and paying respect directly to Teng King, the envoy requested Teng Shang to personally open the letter.


    King Teng¡¯s face turned really ugly, this act implied that Teng Shang was the true ruler of Teng. This was simply a kind of a slap on his face.


    Teng Shang and Teng King were of the same generation. Because of his outstanding military achievements, Teng Shang was adopted as a son by the previous king of Teng Country and treated like the current Teng King¡¯s younger brother. However, he was still young, only five years older than Teng Yun.


    When Teng Shang was appointed as a minister, the current King of Teng took the chance to seize all his military powers so he could no longer lead troops. He was now only a civilian official.


    Teng Shang certainly understood what such action meant, but at the moment, other than Teng Yun, he didn¡¯t care about anything else, so he took the letter and opened it.


    At a glance, the letter clearly stated the word ¡®ashes¡¯. All of a sudden, Teng Shang¡¯s world was crumbling. His hands trembled so hard the letter fell to the ground.


    Teng Shang¡¯s throat dried, while his eyes were tearing. He and Teng Yun were not related by blood, but they had similar aspirations that they often discussed. In this multi-parties court, it was rare to have someone he could share deep friendship and support.


    And now¡­ Teng Yun was dead, leaving himself alone.


    Teng King saw Teng Shang¡¯s face had turned ghastly pale, so he ordered the chamberlain to pass the letter. A quick read later, he was shocked. Teng Yun was his son and was the pulse of Teng Country. With civil strife occupying Teng Country for these ten years, they had come to depend solely on Teng Yun to protect their borders. And now, Teng King had lost a son, but he knew he also lost the last person who could save his life.


    In the Main Hall, a sudden cry of shock was heard. Teng King couldn¡¯t withstand the blow and had fainted. The King¡¯s ministers called for the royal physicians, while also mourning loudly for the passing of the Sixth Prince, Teng Yun.


    As soon as Teng Shang arrived at his residence, he received a decree from the King. He was to ride to Xue Country immediately and bring back the Sixth Prince¡¯s ashes, also he was to escort the Eldest Royal Princess for a marriage alliance with Xue Country.


    Teng Shang didn¡¯t refuse and accepted the decree. He knew Teng King was afraid of his position and power. After all, he was not originally a Teng, he was a mere marquis who had been granted the surname.


    At this moment, after getting rid of Teng Shang, Teng King didn¡¯t know what else to do. Half of him wished Teng Shang could somehow turn the situation for the better, but half of him despised and was deeply suspicious of Teng Shang.


    In fact, Xue Junliang wasn¡¯t gambling. He already knew Teng King would definitely send Teng Shang to Xue Country. It was a bet that he was bound to win, because he already knew about Teng King¡¯s suspicious nature. No matter which angle he saw this fact from, he was sure Teng King would send Minister Shang away so he could breathe easier and free himself of the worry.


    ¡ª


    To Xue Pei, this Ugly Empress was merely a lowly woman. Although the Empress had pointed out a logical and reasonable strategy, he still thought it was something that was generally written on papers. Every time he was countered by Teng Yun, he was even more fired up and came to ask her more questions.


    Today, Xue Pei insisted on taking his so-called Empress mother to observe horse riding and shooting arrows. The little Crown Prince had learned horse-riding since childhood, so he was pretty good at riding and shooting. Though he was still very young, could only pull a light bow, his aim was good. So he was considered accomplished.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t have the mood to be provoked by him, but as the crown prince kept pestering him, he finally took the light bow. The bow really wasn¡¯t that big, but even with this light bow, Teng Yun could not pull the string with ease.


    Teng Yun stabilized his posture, took the arrow and pulled the bow. He squinted his eyes slightly, these days the arrow targets were really troublesome. He suddenly let go of the bow with a clang. Xue Pei, who was standing beside him, gave out a big laugh and said, ¡°It¡¯s off course! Deflected!¡± Sure enough, you are just an armchair strategist. If it was really a battlefield, wouldn¡¯t you have by now killed your own commander-in-chief?


    Teng Yun glanced at him, then took three more arrows.


    Xue Pei laughed some more, he happily said, ¡°You are taking three arrows? If you can shoot those accurately, I will be your servant. A man keeps to his words.¡± He patted his chest proudly, with a little adult-like look.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t answer. He just took the arrows and pulled the bow again. He closed his eyes and recalled many things from his previous life; including his home country, including his loyal friend Teng Shang, including his spilt blood when he was slashed by a sword. When he opened his eyes, they were burning.


    ¡°Zap!¡±


    The sound of the bowstring was continuous. Three arrows shot in succession. Xue Pei¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he gaped at the three arrows which were now stuck firmly in the middle of the target.


    Xue Junliang arrived just in time to see Teng Yun release the arrows. That wintry-cold, biting gaze¡­ was so similar to the one he had seen not too long ago¡­

 CH 7

    Teng Yun and Xue Pei heard the sound of someone clapping, they turned and saw Xue Junliang coming over and with a smile, he said, ¡°It turns out that this Seat¡¯s Empress is actually a heroine, as expected, I¡¯ve been really underestimating you.¡±


    Then he patted Xue Pei and said, ¡°So you will be serving your Mother Empress now?¡±


    Xue Pei had no way of escaping it, and with an embarrassed expression on his face, he said in a small voice, ¡°This son will obey.¡±


    Xue Junliang stopped talking to Xue Pei and turned to Teng Yun and said, ¡°Aifei, I come here to find you, as I¡¯ve got something to discuss with you.¡±


    Hearing this, Xue Pei tried to excuse himself first, but was stopped by Xue Junliang. Xue Junliang said, ¡°Teng Country¡¯s Minister Shang is escorting the Grand Princess to form a marriage alliance, I wonder what Aifei thinks about this matter?¡±


    Teng Yun was a bit surprised, pursed his lips and was silent for a moment then lightly said, ¡°Chen-qie doesn¡¯t dare to meddle in the country¡¯s affairs.¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed, ¡°This Seat has decided to accept the peace negotiation with Teng. Just as Aifei had said, there is no real need to chase a cornered enemy. After so many years fighting, my Xue Country soldiers are exhausted, it¡¯s a good opportunity to recuperate.¡±


    Hearing this, Teng Yun sighed in  relief, but he also knew Xue Country backing off now was just a delaying tactic and this peace wouldn¡¯t last long. Once Xue Country¡¯s military power recovered, the destruction of the Teng Country was inevitable.


    Teng Yun also had quite a clear understanding on why Xue Junliang wasn¡¯t attacking Teng Country right now. This was because he had other misgivings. He was afraid that when his energy was entirely focused on Teng country, Feng Country whose intentions were cold and ruthless while sitting on the side nursing their own ambitions, could easily launch a sneak attack. Then they would be effortlessly able to conquer both Xue and Teng countries.


    Xue Junliang saw the Empress was frowning and saying nothing, his mood suddenly became very happy. Now he was sure there was nothing out of ordinary about this Empress. He¡¯d been perturbed and worried by her, after all someone who wasn¡¯t from the same family, usually had a different way of thinking and upbringing, so he was determined to find this woman¡¯s flaws and weaknesses.


    Therefore, he had deliberately told the Empress that Teng Country wanted to form a marriage alliance. As the mistress of the Imperial Harem, the one thing that the Empress must most fear is that her position as the head would be shaken. Thinking that the Empress was frowning and mulling over the possibility of a new favorite concubine, Xue Junliang inwardly laughed. Sure enough, this Empress was still a woman, nothing extraordinary or anything to be worried about.


    Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°Aifei, as an Empress, this Seat requires you to help with arrangement and the preparation for the wedding and welcoming the new wife. After all, Teng Country has been very sincere in their intentions, they even sent Minister Shang to personally escort the Princess, we cannot let people look down on it.¡±


    Teng Qianyi, the Eldest Princess of Teng Country was a famous talented woman in the Teng Kingdom. Most people associated her name with being talented and knowledgeable, but they ignored one thing ¡ª The fact that Teng Qianyi and King Teng were having an affair.


    When their taboo relationship was first revealed, in order to appease the protesters and keep the peace, King Teng relegated his eldest daughter out of the palace to a temporary imperial residence for self-cultivation. Only after the situation gradually passed, King Teng took Teng Qianyi back, never mentioning about what had happened.


    The royal family and other noblemen naturally avoided mentioning this topic. After all, this was a very shameful and disgraceful issue. The ministers also did not dare to discuss the matter. In the end, the affair became a well-known secret.


    It was impossible for this matter to be known in the Xue Country. Xue Junliang must have only thought that Teng Qianyi was a talented woman, and wasn¡¯t aware of the other things about her.  Teng Yun, although he felt a bit guilty and ashamed,  how would he dare to mention it? If Xue Junliang knew that Teng¡¯s Eldest Princess was no longer a pure jade but instead was an incestuous and immoral person, he would definitely implicate Teng Shang who escorted her here for a marriage alliance.  He might even be further enraged and continue to attack Teng Country.


    Teng Yun could immediately see the flaw in sending Minister Teng Shang to escort the princess for the marriage alliance. So, it actually turned out that his own father, King Teng had never trusted Teng Shang; sending him to escort this impure princess, Teng Shang would definitely be killed if the matter was exposed.


    Teng Yun sighed deeply, his father had only thought of getting rid of Teng Shang, and had not spared a single thought about how Xue Junliang¡¯s wrath would affect Teng Country.


    As the Empress kept her mouth shut, Xue Junliang¡¯s mood became even more pleasant. Other people might feel happy to have an opponent, but for an emperor, having everyone submit to him was an even more pleasant thing.


    ¡°Aifei, get everything prepared in the next few days. Talk to this Seat directly if anything needs to be mobilized.¡±


    When he finished, he went back and asked Jiang Yu to invite the Marquis Wannian into the palace.


    The Little Crown Prince had been listening from the side. Although he was young, he actually already understood many things. So naturally he realized his father was taking an indirect and subtle approach of showing his dominance over the Ugly Empress.


    After what had happened just now, although the little prince couldn¡¯t lose face by showing it obviously, he started treating Teng Yun differently.  He thought that his father putting the Empress in charge of welcoming the new wife was although understandable,  still it felt somewhat excessive and unreasonable.


    Even though Xue Pei never said it, he decided he would become closer to Teng Yun.


    As soon as Xue Houyang handed over his summoning letter at the palace gates, Emperor Xue summoned him to enter into the palace.  Inside, Xue Junliang was sitting in the warm pavilion in his study.


    Xue Junliang handed King Teng¡¯s letter to him and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Xue Houyang unfolded the letter and read it fully, then he said, ¡°Just as Your Majesty had predicted, the Teng King has deliberately sent Teng Shang into our death trap.¡±


    ¡°But we must first find a good reason for killing Teng Shang. To act without justification would be unpopular, so we can¡¯t act too recklessly. What¡¯s more, Teng Shang is famous among the scholars. If we kill him for no reason, people will label us indiscriminate killers of virtuous people.¡±


    Xue Houyang pondered a bit and obviously felt what was said was indeed true, but he could not think up any reason as justification. He could kill in battles no problem, but bureaucracy or officialdom really didn¡¯t suit him.


    ¡°Because Minister Shang is personally escorting the princess, Houyang, I want you to go outside the city walls and welcome them.¡±


    ¡°Chen-di will do as ordered.¡±


    ¡°You and him are old acquaintances on the battlefield, but this time it is not the battlefields. We are to welcome and treat the guests as equals. Make sure you are giving him enough respect and flattering his prestige too. We cannot let the Teng people be looked down upon.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, rest assured, Houyang will live up to the expectations.¡±


    Teng Yun wanted to save Teng Shang but he was utterly powerless in his current body. He even considered sneaking out of the palace at the same time Teng Shang entered Xue territory. After all, he was neither a Feng nor Xue person. He was still Teng Yun from the inside, and it was just impossible for him to just sit in the Imperial Harem as a concubine.


    But the problem was, he couldn¡¯t tell Teng Shang who he was, because who would believe him? And he couldn¡¯t turn to Teng Shang for help either, because he knew just one wrong step could end with both of them killed.


    Also with a face like this; a face this ugly would stand out obviously in the crowds. With a single glance he would be recognized. Not only would he be not able to escape, it would actually end up with him being caught.


    Teng Yun kept sending Xiu Yao to inquire after Teng Country¡¯s envoy, but Xiu Yao wasn¡¯t too enthusiastic about it. She felt that as long as the Empress maintained a stable position in the Imperial Harem, all was well.  But she didn¡¯t dare to defy orders, so she still went to find information though very half-heartedly.


    Jiang Yu came a few times to deliver gifts for the Empress, but his true purpose was to pry gossips from Xiu Yao. Xiu Yao was not a total fool, she knew her livelihood was at stake and she could only rely on the Empress, so how would she dare say that the Empress had been seeking information about Teng Shang? Xiu Yao instead complained to Jiang Yu that after the Empress knew that the Emperor wanted to welcome a new wife, our Empress had been sincerely working on the preparations. But it was evident that she wasn¡¯t happy, so could Emperor Xue, please  be considerate towards the Empress¡¯ feelings as a woman?


    When Xue Junliang heard Jiang Yu¡¯s reports, added with the good praises from the Crown Prince, he felt that he had subdued Teng Yun. Although her face was very ugly, the Empress was educated and quite knowledgeable in the arts of war. She was even able to teach and handle Xue Pei well, keeping him in line. So Xue Junliang considered giving the Empress red dates as gifts.


    Since ancient times, it was a known fact that a king loved beauties. Emperor Xue, too, of course didn¡¯t really want to bed the ugly Empress, so instead he ordered Jiang Yu to invite the Empress to accompany Emperor Xue for a meal.

 CH 8

    Teng Yun was invited to dine with Xue Junliang.  He was informed that Xue Junliang had ordered delicious dishes to be prepared, and was now waiting for the Empress.


    Xiu Yao ensured that the Empress was especially dressed up very well, hair was combed and styled into the latest hairdo. The original Empress¡¯ figure was actually very beautiful; her jet-black hair was thick as cloud, soft and smooth as silk; her waist was slender and graceful. Only her face looked horrific. If viewed from behind, she looked so delicate and graceful that she could stir-up the imagination and fantasies.


    Teng Yun¡¯s head, ears, and waist were decorated with so many lavish jewels that he didn¡¯t dare to move too much.. He was afraid if he moved too quickly, the jewels would all be shaken off. Xiu Yao on the other hand, was proud of her mistress¡¯ beauty and kept praising her.


    When Tengyun arrived at the entrance to Xue Junliang¡¯s residence, Xiu Yao wasn¡¯t allowed beyond the entrance of the hall. Only Xue Junliang¡¯s personal servants were allowed to enter, including his most trusted aide, Jiang Yu.  Jiang Yu was no longer young. He had been by Xue Junliang¡¯s side since he was still a prince, and had watched him grow up. As a Royal Prince, Xue Junliang had experienced many sufferings and tribulations before he became the Emperor


    Jiang Yu escorted the Empress inside, where Xue Junliang was already waiting.


    Xue Junliang saw the Empress coming from afar. From a distance, he couldn¡¯t see the face clearly, but he found her figure was very pleasing to the eyes and he couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    In truth, it was not known whether the Ugly Empress was originally ugly or not. When the Ugly Empress was married into the palace, Xue Junliang put up a very ostentatious and extravagant show as he wanted to borrow troops from Feng King. So he naturally wanted to please King Feng¡¯s sister.


    Just when she married over, Xue Junliang was very busy managing the court affairs as he had been recently enthroned as the Emperor. Moreover, the Imperial Harem had more than 3000 beauties, so he soon forgot about his own Empress. King Feng also didn¡¯t seem to care too much about his sister and it was obvious the marriage was only to promote the union between the two countries. With all these reasons combined, Xue Junliang just ignored the Empress altogether.


    Then, a year later, the Ugly Empress suddenly made a name for herself in the Harem; for being extremely ugly.  Everyone talked about it until eventually Xue Junliang also heard about it.


    He never wondered why, after not seeing her for a year, the Empress was suddenly considered ugly. After all, in the Imperial Harem, it was not rare for the concubines to fight for Xue Junliang¡¯s favour. Also it was obvious that King Feng and his sister were estranged and he didn¡¯t care about her. Hence inevitably the Empress was bullied.


    Xue Junliang had originally thought that the Ugly Empress was weak. Women always took good care of their appearance and yet the Empress was easily bullied and showed no resistance. But now he understood that he was mistaken about her. This Empress had forbearance and patience, but she was not weak.


    When he came inside, Teng Yun inwardly gritted his teeth in anger, as he knelt down for a courtesy in front of Xue Junliang. After all, it was necessary as he was now living under this man¡¯s roof and not paying the respect was just inviting trouble to oneself.


    Xue Junliang helped Teng Yun to sit next to him, then even personally served him the dishes. Seeing this, the palace maids who were attending upon them to help serve the dishes were inwardly apprehensive.  They had all heard that Emperor Xue was going to take a new consort but it looked like the Emperor still favoured the Empress.  It seemed like the new concubine¡¯s status wasn¡¯t anything very special.


    Because he was inwardly trembling in apprehension, Teng Yun barely managed to eat two bites of his meal. He just couldn¡¯t take eating in a same table with Xue Junliang, and for the life of him, couldn¡¯t understand how Xue Junliang could be happily eating in front of Teng Yun¡¯s ugly and unsightly face.


    After the meal, Xue Junliang did not let Teng Yun go back. Jiang Yu came forward and reported, ¡°Your Majesty, Her Ladyship Defei has come to give her regards to Your Majesty.¡±


    Xue Junliang sneered and said, ¡°Defei? This Seat has not summoned her, unexpectedly she called on me? You go and tell Defei, this Seat has invited the Empress to accompany and will not be going anywhere. Ask her to return back and reflect upon her actions. She is forbidden to leave her palace for a month.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Jiang Yu received the order. He excused himself and silently withdrew. For a moment, the hall was extremely quiet.


    Defei was younger than the Empress, but because she was very much favored by Xue Junliang, she¡¯d become arrogant and mean towards others. Nobody dared to say anything about it. But who would have thought the Monarch¡¯s favor was a flimsy thing, someone could be favored at one moment then disgraced the next moment as easy as turning a page of a book.


    After Xue Junliang refused Defei, he sent Jiang Yu, who had just returned back, to go and summon the Imperial physician. Teng Yun just watched coldly while Xue Junliang took out some red dates.


    The Imperial  physician soon rushed over, not daring to be negligent.


    Xue Junliang asked Teng Yun to sit on the long couch, then he himself sat just beside Teng Yun and waved at  the Imperial  physician to come closer before saying, ¡°Take a look at these wounds on the Empress¡¯ face.¡±


    Hearing the order, the Imperial physician trembled so hard he almost fell down on the ground. He had been asked to examine the Empress¡¯ face countless times. Hearing Emperor Xue using the  phrase ¡®the wounds on the Empress¡¯ face¡¯, the Imperial physician was scared witless that he would be exposed.


    Because they were indeed wounds on her face, not ugly birthmarks.


    The Imperial physician didn¡¯t dare to look too closely or directly at the Empress¡¯ face, because after all this was the Empress. And now that the Emperor had attached great importance to the Empress, one wrong look, he was afraid he¡¯d be punished for blasphemy.


    Xue Junliang watched intently as the physician examined the Empress, then he asked lightly, ¡°How is the condition of my beloved wife? When will Her Majesty¡¯s wounds be healed completely?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The Imperial physician hesitated, trying to carefully weigh in his own words and deeds. He finally said, ¡°Answering to Your Majesty¡­ This lowly servant will do everything in my power to¡­¡±


    He was interrupted in the middle of his words by Xue Junliang saying, ¡°No need to speak nonsense. Say it properly!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes, it will be healed within one month.¡±


    ¡°One month?¡± Xue Junliang mused, ¡°That¡¯s quite long. Turns out, this Seat¡¯s hospital staff were extremely useless. Mere bruises would take one month to heal.¡±


    ¡°Your¡­. Your Majesty, please spare my life! Half a month¡­ Within half a month, this lowly servant guarantees that the Empress will be fully cured.¡±


    Xue Junliang hmm-ed in satisfaction and added, ¡°I have told Jiang Yu to go back with you. Send back a soothing ointment for the pain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yes Your Majesty.¡±


    Jiang Yu was very swift and quick in following orders; before long he came back bringing an ointment jar. Knowing Xue Junliang¡¯s nature, after presenting the jar, he sent other servants out then excused himself.


    Xue Junliang opened the ointment jar¡¯s lid and told Teng Yun to lean down on the couch, gesturing that he would be applying the ointment himself


    This kind of pampering manner, if it was any other concubine, by now her heart would be over the moon. But Teng Yun was no woman, he could not understand the other person¡¯s gentleness, instead suspected that Xue Junliang was planning something.


    Maybe Xue Junliang planned to marry Teng¡¯s Eldest Princess, all the while stabilizing the Empress in her position, then when his soldiers had recovered enough, he¡¯d first destroy Teng Country then aim at King Feng next.


    Perhaps it was the nature of a king to expand his territories, without this, a king was not a king. Indeed, Teng Yun was not a good candidate for seizing the throne, instead he could only be a general defending his country¡¯s borders for a lifetime.


    Teng Yun¡¯s entire body was stretched taut, leaning stiffly against the soft couch. Xue Junliang¡¯s face was too close to his, making him extremely uncomfortable. So he simply shut his eyes firmly.


    Teng Yun¡¯s posture only made Xue Junliang laugh. Looking at his nervous appearance, Xue Junliang couldn¡¯t help himself from wanting to tease more.


    Teng Yun, braced himself as if waiting for execution, he waited for Xue Junliang to apply the medicine, wanting to just get over it. He waited a nerve-wrecking half-a-day but the other man didn¡¯t move at all. He carefully opened his eyes and peeked.


    Xue Junliang was looking at him with a smile, bemusement dancing on his face.


    Teng Yun realized he¡¯d been played with and his face turned dark. Xue Junliang however only said warmly, ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t make fun of you anymore. Don¡¯t move, I¡¯ll apply the medicine now.¡±


    A perfect re-enactment of an ordinary husband trying to appease his wife.


    Arguably in this situation, the appeased wife would then act coquettishly, trying to butter up and enhance their affection with Emperor Xue.


    But Teng Yun was undoubtedly a man. Listening to this monarch talking to him with a gentle coaxing voice, he couldn¡¯t stop a shiver going down his spine.

 CH 9

    The palace maid stood in front of a floor-length bronze mirror, carefully combing the black hair of the person sitting in front of her.


    The person was wearing a bright yellow wide-skirt; the flowing yellow silk was tightened around the person¡¯s slender waist, the figure was lithe and graceful.


    ¡°Rui Xue, can you see if I am starting to have white hair?¡± The person asked, his soft fingers gently picked a few strands of hair.


    Although the person was wearing a skirt, the voice that came out didn¡¯t at all sound tender or gentle like that of a woman; the voice had a low timbre. It was clear that the person was, in fact, a man.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Rui Xue smiled, ¡°What white hair? This slave servant can¡¯t even see a shadow of it.¡±


    The man gave a laugh that sounded like flowing water, his lightly powdered face giving him an elegant appearance and compelling aura, he said,  ¡°You¡¯re just indulging me.¡±


    ¡°This slave servant doesn¡¯t dare, this slave servant is only telling the truth! Also, if Master comes to know that this slave servant lied to you, he would definitely break off this slave servant¡¯s legs.¡±


    Hearing Rui Xue say ¡®master¡¯, the man¡¯s smile abruptly dimmed. He said, ¡°How is your master these days? He doesn¡¯t come to the palace but sends you here everyday, aren¡¯t you tired of me?¡±


    ¡°How could I be tired of Your Majesty?¡± Rui Xue said, ¡°Master is working hard, running around every day in the morning court to handle all the political affairs for Your Majesty. This slave servant is only a small woman and does not understand much, but my master  has been very exhausted lately and has become thin as well. I heard that it¡¯s because Minister Zuo has always been opposing Master. He doesn¡¯t want you to be worried, so he instructs me not to tell you.¡±


    The man suddenly gave a sarcastic laugh, ¡°Minister Zuo actually dares to oppose Marquis Zhulu? Who gave him the courage?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, please don¡¯t be angry, this slave servant is talkative and has spoken out of turn. Master was afraid Your Majesty¡¯s health would be harmed if you got very angry and he would be very distressed if that happened.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just saying that to appease me.¡±


    The man knew Rui Xue¡¯s words were only half-truth, yet he couldn¡¯t resist smiling over hearing them. The frown on his face melted away instantly, his knitted eyebrows loosened with a smile.


    While the two of them were talking, a chamberlain came in and said, ¡°Reporting to Your Majesty, King Feng, Marquis Zhulu and Minister Zuo are asking for an audience.¡±


    ¡°Perfect timing¡±


    If you asked about Feng Ming, everyone would immediately curse him, saying he was an incapable ruler.


    But the truth was, in the past generations of Kings of the Feng Country, there was no one whose achievements were even comparable to Feng Ming. This man was cruel and ruthless. But just saying he was vicious and tyrannical was not a major issue. After all, which King was not ruthless? Which King was not domineering? These small flaws were all insignificant when one was a King.


    It was just that, Feng Ming had one grave fault that doomed him in people¡¯s eyes. The fault was that he played favorites; he only favored one person.


    The extent of Feng Ming¡¯s favoritism to this particular person was tacitly understood by everyone.


    In Feng Country, there was a Marquis Zhulu, by the name of Zhao Lu. It was said that young Zhao Lu originally was a refugee; destitute and homeless. Later, he joined the army for the sake of his livelihood. One time, Feng King was personally taking part in an Imperial expedition and inadvertently set eyes on this one young soldier.


    From then on, the young soldier¡¯s career had a meteoric success. All the way from an order-obeying soldier to a Marquis, overshadowing more than ten thousand people beneath his boundless path of success.


    Moreover, this Marquis climbed onto King Feng¡¯s bed. Because of him, the cold-hearted and iron-fisted King eagerly tossed and turned on the bed under the marquis¡¯ body, enjoying pleasure every night.


    Also due to Marquis Zhulu¡¯s words, the insufferably arrogant King even willingly wore women¡¯s clothing.


    When Zhao Lu and Minister Zuo entered the main hall, King Feng had already situated himself behind a veiled couch bed. Behind the curtain, the newcomers could only see a silhouette of someone lying languidly on the bed.


    Zhao Lu was wearing a black official attire; his figure tall and sturdy, his features strong and sharp as a knife. His straight and sharp-pointed nose along with his firm-set lips made him look grim and cold.


    As soon as Minister Zuo entered, he immediately kowtowed to pay respect to King Feng, meanwhile Zhao Lu, neither knelt nor paid any respect, instead he walked straight and opened the gauzy curtain.


    None of the palace personnels dared to stop him.


    Zhao Lu entered through the gauzy veil , and it was unclear whether it was done intentionally or not, he just left the curtain open and also did not bother to close it fully. He reached out and embraced Feng Ming into his arms before saying lowly, ¡°Have you been thinking of me?¡±


    A faint crimson seeped into Feng Ming¡¯s face, making him look a bit shy and embarrassed. Then his long and slender fingers hooked around Zhao Lu¡¯s belt, he gazed intently at Zhao Lu from under his very long eyelashes. He didn¡¯t answer, but there was no doubt in regards to what his actions meant.


    Zhao Lu smirked, and then didn¡¯t bother about Minister Zuo, who was still paying respect outside. The two of them made out for quite some time, before he indicated that there was still a person outside kneeling on the ground, paying respect to King Feng.


    Leaning lazily against Zhao Lu¡¯s embrace, Feng Ming said, ¡°Minister Zuo, no need to be so polite. Rui Xue, bring a chair for Minister Zuo.¡±


    Rui Xue obediently moved a chair closer to the elderly minister, for him to sit.


    Minister Zuo was still shaking in anger due to Zhao Lu¡¯s unbridled impudence and arrogance, he said, ¡°Your Majesty, this old subject has come here because I have a little disagreement with Marquis Zhulu, and hope Your Majesty could help in resolving it.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Feng Ming didn¡¯t sound too enthusiastic, as if he was just going along with what Minister Zuo was saying, ¡°Minister, please tell me about it.¡±


    ¡°Today at the court assembly, many ministers proposed to immediately send troops to sneak attack Xue¡¯s Capital City, taking advantage of its shortage of soldiers. Otherwise it would be too difficult to win after Xue Country has welcomed Teng Country¡¯s Grand Princess and Xue¡¯s soldiers have recuperated their strength. It¡¯s just that, it seems like Marquis Zhulu disagrees¡­¡±


    Zhao Lu suddenly cut Minister Zuo off, ¡°This servant, indeed, does not agree.¡±


    As he spoke, his hands which had been holding Feng Ming, got unruly. He turned sideways and pushed King Feng down to the bed, Zhao Lu lay on top of him then reached out to tear open his collar, feeling up King Feng¡¯s naked skin.


    Feng Ming almost yelped in shock. There were still people outside and the curtain was not closed properly.


    However, Zhao Lu had not come to his palace and bedchamber for more than half a month. Let alone being intimate, he thought Zhao Lu was tired of him. After all, this person was not a cut-sleeve, which was why Feng Ming, a proud king of Feng, was actually willing to wear women¡¯s clothing.


    And now, because Zhao Lu had suddenly shown interest, Feng Ming instantly melted; his body turning soft and pliant.


    As Zhao Lu was kissing King Feng¡¯s chest, he continued, ¡°Xue Junliang is very cunning and scheming, that¡¯s why for so many years, we have been in a deadlock against Xue Country. I wonder how Xue Junliang would be stupid enough to let his Capital City be vulnerable enough for a sneak attack to happen. Also, even if our soldiers managed to travel long-distance to Xue at full-speed, they would be exhausted. Launching a sneak attack at that kind of situation, it¡¯s clearly a suicide.¡±


    As he spoke, Zhao Lu¡¯s lips opened and closed at each word, grazing and brushing against Feng Ming¡¯s skin.


    Feng Ming¡¯s garments were torn open, but not taken off fully. They were messily entangled around his elbows and waist. In all honesty, Feng Ming didn¡¯t want anyone to see him like this, but he was afraid of defying Zhao Lu¡¯s wishes and making him unhappy. So, even if he felt ashamed, he simply complied with the other man¡¯s wishes.


    Zhao Lu saw Feng Ming¡¯s corner of the eyes turning red, and knew the other party was aroused. He turned Feng Ming to lie on his stomach on the couch and took his clothes all the way off, leaving Feng Ming¡¯s back completely exposed and bare. Then Zhao Lu¡¯s palms stroked the bare back and slowly his fingers rubbed at the crack between his butt-cheeks.


    In a low whisper, he said, ¡°Your Majesty, please reflect on this humble servant¡¯s words, is my reasoning truly faulty?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Feng Ming moaned lowly. Clearing his throat, he tried to restrain the strangled sounds from his throat. When he regained a steadier voice, he said coldly, ¡°I think Marquis Zhulu¡¯s words are quite correct. Minister Zuo, you haven¡¯t thought thoroughly¡­¡±


    Halfway through his speech, abruptly his voice trembled and both of his hands gripped his clothes that were crushed under his body. The man behind him had entered his body without any preparation or gentleness.


    Feng Ming urgently took deep breaths, he was in so much pain that his body was covered in cold-sweat. Still, gritting his teeth, he continued, ¡°Minister Zuo, King Teng is a coward. If we attack Xue Country, King Teng might send his troops to help fight against us just to please Xue Junliang. Did you even consider this fact?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± Minister Zuo was stunned by Feng Ming¡¯s question. What Feng Ming said was indeed true, King Teng had always been cowardly, in order to survive he often took refuge from either Xue or Feng.


    After saying this much, Feng Ming did not speak anymore words. He and Zhao Lu hadn¡¯t seen each other for more than half-month, so naturally his butt had become too tight due to disuse. He was in so much pain that he almost fainted.


    Zhao Lu, on the other hand, had no intention of stopping.  Hearing that Feng Ming had managed to convince Minister Zuo, who then excused himself, he gave a pleased smile. His hand on King Feng¡¯s waistline tightened even more forcefully.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Xue Junliang was applying soothing ointment on Teng Yun. He had originally intended to give the Empress a red date, so he was not in a hurry to go do something else. He spread the ointment slowly, little by little.


    The ointment was a bit cold, but it seemed to be working immediately. Teng Yun, who had been bothered by the slight pain on his face and by being in a foreign country, couldn¡¯t be relaxed enough to have a good sleep. Only now he felt the pain ease.


    Although he didn¡¯t like Xue Junliang¡¯s face being so close, he¡¯d just had to accept it. The other man was smearing the ointment very carefully, Teng Yun¡¯s tight nerves slowly loosened and without him knowing it, sleepiness washed over him and his eyelids grew heavy.


    Xue Junliang noticed the other party hadn¡¯t said anything for a long time. Unexpectedly, the Empress had actually fallen asleep on the soft couch.


    He straightened up and whispered to Jiang Yu to go find him a cloak, then he personally covered the Empress with it.


    Jiang Yu leaned closer and whispered in his ears, ¡°Your Majesty, there is a message from the spy in Feng Country.¡± After saying that he handed him a note.


    Xue Junliang took the note. There was only a small row of letters on it   ¡ª First remove Minister Zuo.


    The note was just signed with, ¡°Lu.¡±

 CH 10

    Teng Yun slept very well. It might be because he was always tense these days and now that he had relief from pain, he actually fell into a deep sleep.


    During the time Teng Yun was sleeping, Xue Junliang moved to the warm pavilion in his study to review some official reports, as well as to reply to Zhao Lu¡¯s letter before ordering Jiang Yu to send it out.


    When he returned to the couch, Xue Junliang found the Empress was still asleep. He then ordered the Imperial  physician to make more of this cooling, pain-relieving ointment to send to Yunfeng Palace.


    Without waking the Empress, Xue Junliang asked a palace maid to go and get him a brocade quilt to cover the Empress. Although the soft couch was very comfortable, if someone slept on it all night with only a cloak to cover them, they would surely catch a cold.


    Teng Yun woke up disoriented and realized in alarm that he had actually fallen asleep; a very sound sleep at that.


    Jiang Yu stood waiting on him. He saw that Teng Yun was awake and  said, ¡°Empress, you woke up? His Majesty has already gone to attend the morning court, he said to inform Your Majesty not to hurry back to the palace yet and to have breakfast with His Majesty.¡±


    As Teng Yun got up, a line of palace maidservants came inside to help him freshen up and change his clothes. Because he had slept for a long time, Teng Yun¡¯s head was still a bit groggy, so he just let the servants fuss over him.


    These maidservants were Xue Junliang¡¯s close and trusted servants; naturally they understood Emperor Xue¡¯s preferences. They combed the Empress¡¯ hair into a regal and dignified, yet gentle looking hairstyle, adorned her person with simple yet elegant jewelries.


    Xue Junliang wasn¡¯t gone for too long and soon came back. At the morning court assembly, there were not much to discuss; mostly it was about the marriage with King Teng¡¯s daughter and also about the necessity to be on guard against Feng Ming.


    Feng Ming had always been known to be vicious and ambitious; he had many cunning tricks on his sleeves and could not be compared to ordinary people. That was why the court officials also felt the need to be more cautious. However, they didn¡¯t know that Xue Junliang was prepared. He had put a loyal and well-trained subject inside Feng Country. The spy was deeply loved by King Feng, and even managed to make the King fawn on him.


    Xue Junliang was very proud of his own schemes. Speaking about Teng King, he was nothing but a coward and couldn¡¯t really become a great challenge. Teng Country right now could be considered finished, there was only an empty shell left there. Feng Country, on the other hand, was now completely under Marquis Zhulu¡¯s control, and was no longer a threat for Xue Junliang.


    After Xue Junliang came back to his residence, Jiang Yu immediately spread out the meal. Teng Yun silently accompanied Xue Junliang for breakfast; from start to finish he never said anything. This made Xue Junliang very puzzled.


    People said that women¡¯s heart were difficult to read, and he wholeheartedly agreed, especially this Ugly Empress¡¯ heart. Even Xue Junliang, who had come out as the winner in every battle he had encountered, couldn¡¯t understand what she was thinking.


    After the meal, Xue Junliang asked Jiang Yu to prepare a jade carriage, and personally put on a cloak for Teng Yun. Today was the day Marquis Wannian, Xue Houyang would depart to welcome the bride. In the normal course of events, it was no big deal. Officially, he was to personally welcome the Emperor¡¯s awaited new consort, but in fact, Marquis Wannian was delegated because Xue Junliang wanted to deal a blow to Teng Shang.


    Xue Junliang helped Teng Yun as they climbed the capital city tower, Marquis Wannian, Xue Houyang followed a little behind them, with his head bowed.


    Under the city gate stood five thousand soldiers. They were all Xue Houyang¡¯s loyal and personal army. They uniformly wore silver armors, each holding the reins of a big horse. When seen from the high tower, the ground looked spectacular, as if  it was covered in white snow.


    Xue Junliang waved his sleeve slightly, indicating everyone to arise. The sea of sliver-white armors and red tassels moved uniformly, no one was slower nor quicker than the other.


    ¡°Aifei, what do you think of these soldiers?¡±


    Teng Yun was called upon suddenly. He knew Xue Junliang was showing off his military forces, but his current identity was that of a noble from Feng Country, and an Empress of the Inner Palace; this kind of demonstration was a warning for the Ugly Empress to just mind her own position as the Head of the Harem.


    Therefore, Teng Yun just hung his head and without any deflection in his voice, said, ¡°I¡¯m merely a woman, I don¡¯t understand this kind of thing.¡±


    What he said unexpectedly made Xue Junliang very satisfied. In fact, which King didn¡¯t like having a gentle and agreeable woman as an empress? A woman who would readily praise his own accomplishments and never contradict him or be disobedient.


    Xue Junliang raised an arm. Jiang Yu came forward carrying a tray covered in red cloth, held in both hands. There were two cups of wine placed on it.


    Xue Junliang took one cup, then Jiang Yu moved to present the other cup to Marquis Wannian who stood a little behind Xue Junliang. Marquis Wannian took the wine with both hands.


    Xue Junliang took the wine cup and didn¡¯t speak. He just held it in his hands and raised the cup slightly. Then he directed his cup towards Xue Houyang for a quick second before immediately redirecting it to the soldiers under the city tower.


    As one, the soldiers knelt again. Xue Junliang drank his wine in one gulp, then smashed the cup on the floor next to his feet. Xue Houyang and all the soldiers kneeling on the ground, also drank their wine; their cups smashed on the ground with a loud noise.


    Immediately Xue Houyang spoke a command, holding his helmet, stepped down from the city tower and hopped onto his horse. The troops set off, with him on the lead.


    Such was a true example of a well-trained and powerful military force; a glimpse of Xue Wang¡¯s authority. Today, Teng Yun saw it himself, how a King raised his people¡¯s spirit and morale without saying a single word.


    Which king didn¡¯t want to boost his people¡¯s spirit and build a strong country? But those Kings often forgot one thing; that was to give trust and honor to each one of their countrymen and soldiers. Whether those were given sincerely or falsely, it didn¡¯t matter, because then the subjects would always repay it tenfolds. And today, Xue Junliang showed how he did it, by his slight bow and his raised wine-cup.


    Xue Houyang and his troops marched directly to their destination. In fact, they didn¡¯t go very far; after only a few days they¡¯d arrived. The soldiers set a camp and waited for Teng Shang¡¯s procession to arrive.


    Three days later, Teng Shang¡¯s escort party arrived at the intersection. Xue Houyang already had his five thousand soldiers standing by. The view of lines upon lines of five thousand armors and red tassels made for a magnificent sight.


    Xue Houyang was sitting on his horse; behind him the border-city gate was open wide.


    Teng Shang rode on a horse, the princess¡¯s sedan chair followed, flanked by the entourage. From a distance away, he saw a person standing in front of the gate. He¡¯d heard that Marquis Wannian, Xue Houyang would be  personally escorting the new bride. He¡¯d also heard that this person was an outstanding man, but he¡¯d never had the chance to meet the man in person. Finally seeing him here at this time, Teng Shang was a bit surprised.


    Teng Shang, wearing a blue official robe, dismounted from his horse¡¯s back once he got close to Xue Houyang. He cupped both his hands in salute and smiled, ¡°Marquis Wannian came personally to receive the princess, it is a great honor.¡±


    Teng Shang¡¯s manner and speech was calm and collected, as if not afraid of Xue Houyang¡¯s show of power.


    Xue Houyang laughed, then dismounted from his horse before saying, ¡°Minister Shang, you¡¯re mistaken there. Houyang came here today on the order of Emperor Xue,  especially to welcome you.¡±


    Teng Shang lowered his eyes and didn¡¯t answer. He already knew Xue Houyang saying those words was actually for the princess to hear, also because among this entourage from Teng Country, there surely was King Teng¡¯s spy. Marquis Wannian welcoming Teng Shang instead of the princess, wasn¡¯t it to imply that Teng Shang had a deep relationship with Xue Country?


    Teng Shang chuckled wryly. The King wanted the subject to die, the subject would not just obediently die. At the very least, these troops of horse-riders should accompany him to his grave¡­


    ¡ª¡ª-


    ¡°Empress¡­ stop pacing. You¡¯re making this slave dizzy with the pacing.¡±


    Xiu Yao watched as the Empress paced back and forth, again and again. She thought her mistress was anxious because the Emperor hadn¡¯t invited Her Majesty to his residence today and also because of the imminent arrival of the new consort.


    The latter was true, because as soon as Teng Country¡¯s princess entered the capital city, as soon as Teng Shang entered the capital city, Teng Shang wouldn¡¯t live for much longer. Teng Yun couldn¡¯t stay still, worrying over Teng Shang¡¯s life.


    He drew up several speeches and words to convince Emperor Xue not to kill Teng Shang, but he couldn¡¯t even convince himself. There was no chance he would convince the Emperor.. In this country, Teng Shang was like a thorn stabbing in the eye that had to be pulled out as quickly as possible.


    Unless Teng Shang surrendered.


    However, Teng Yun knew very well; just like himself, Teng Shang had vowed to sacrifice his own life for his home country. He would never lay down his pride and honor to become a surrendered minister.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Rui Xue hurriedly exited Feng Ming¡¯s bedchambers, and on her way she bumped into Zhao Lu who had just come out of the morning court.


    Rui Xue greeted Zhao Lu, then said, ¡°Master, His Majesty said he missed you, won¡¯t you come over to see him?¡±


    Zhao Lu frowned in annoyance, but soon restrained his expression. At this time, Rui Xue, without other people noticing, had slipped a piece of paper into his hand.


    Zhao Lu said, ¡°Go and serve the King well. If there is anything to report, make sure you report to me in a timely manner¡­.. To the King, inform him, although Zhao Lu wants to come to pay respects to His Majesty, he is unfortunately too busy and unable to get away.¡±


    Rui Xue nodded, then she seemed to want to add something but stopped herself.


    Zhao Lu said, ¡°Is there something else?¡±


    Rui Xue said, ¡°Master¡­ This subordinate knows it¡¯s not her place to say this, but His Majesty¡­ It¡¯s been a half-month since you visited him, since then His Majesty  has been unable to get out of his bed. The King¡¯s temperament is such that he also refuses to call for the Imperial physician¡­¡±


    Zhao Lu snorted, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it wasn¡¯t your place to say this? If there¡¯s no more to say, just go then.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Rui Xue bit her lips, ¡°This subordinate understands.¡±


    Looking at Marquis Zhulu¡¯s retreating back, Rui Xue hesitated for a moment then still turned to go to the Imperial hospital. After asking for an ointment to reduce swelling and stop the bleeding, she returned to King Feng¡¯s bedchambers.


    Zhao Lu went out of the palace and returned to his own residence where he unfolded the note. It was Xue Junliang¡¯s reply; instructing him to create a discord between Feng Ming and Minister Zuo.


    Minister Zuo, though already old, could still be considered a loyal and talented subject. Xue Junliang intended to recruit such a talented minister, so he and Zhao Lu had to work as a team; Zhao Lu was to force Minister Zuo to resign from court, then Xue Junliang would take him in and play hero to a sad subject.


    Zhao Lu burned the paper using the fire from a candle, then he opened the window to dispel the smell of burnt paper.


    He stood by the window, hands leaning on the windowsill, staring at the pond outside. Suddenly he sighed; the cold and grim mask on his face loosened up quite a bit.


    Zhao Lu originally lived in Xue Country. At that time, the previous King of Feng had just died, and one of his imperial sons rebelled and created chaos. The Crown Prince, Feng Ming, was forced to flee the country. He hid among a family of hunters and accidentally implicated the family, causing the death of all members. Even until today, Feng Ming didn¡¯t know that they were Zhao Lu¡¯s family. Later, Zhao Lu was picked up by Xue Junliang and was placed in Feng Country¡¯s military barracks as a spy and this has been the case from then until now.


    Zhao Lu had been orphaned for 30 years. Right now, Feng Ming was completely wrapped in Zhao Lu¡¯s fingers, but Zhao Lu still wasn¡¯t able to let go of his resentment. He still wanted to trample all over Feng Ming¡¯s feelings. Everytime he saw Feng Ming painful but forbearing expression, Zhao Lu felt like he had retaliated, like he hadn¡¯t spent years of effort in vain.


    However, he also felt uncomfortable inside his heart. And he did not knew why.

 CH 11

    When Rui Xue entered King Feng¡¯s bedchamber, the curtains in the room and the veils around the bed were tightly closed.


    She walked over to the bed and gently opened the curtain, but found Feng Ming wasn¡¯t asleep.


    He was lying on his side staring at the pattern on the brocade quilt.


    Rui Xue said, ¡°Your Majesty, do you want to get up? Master ordered this servant to bring you some ointment.¡±


    When Feng Ming heard Rui Xue mentioning Zhao Lu, his eyes suddenly lit up, but then they dimmed just as quickly. Knowing Zhao Lu¡¯s personality, of course it was impossible for him to send him ointments. Most probably, Rui Xue herself had gone to get it and was lying to appease him.


    King Feng didn¡¯t make a move to get up, still lying down he said, ¡°Teng Country¡¯s Princess will be arriving at Xue Country¡¯s territory in the next few days, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this slave servant also heard that this time, Xue Houyang, Marquis Wannian, came to personally welcome her. Master has been busy lately because of this¡­ Your Majesty, don¡¯t be angry because Master cannot visit you, Master has been missing you very much.¡±


    Feng Ming smiled and said, ¡°I know.¡±


    Just as he was talking, the chamberlain at the door announced that Minister Zuo was requesting an audience.


    Rui Xue frowned, ¡°Your Majesty, you are not feeling well. Shall this slave servant send away the minister?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡±


    Feng Ming got up and let Rui Xue help him freshen up and change his clothes. Then he held the meeting with Minister Zuo in the warm pavilion of his study.


    Minister Zuo didn¡¯t take a seat, and as soon as he saw King Feng enter the room, he immediately dropped down to the floor to kowtow, ¡°Please, Your Majesty, grant this old subject permission to resign and return to my hometown.¡±


    Feng Ming sighed as he helped Minister Zuo off the ground, he said, ¡°Minister, why are you saying that? Do you have dissatisfaction towards this Seat? Let the minister feel free to raise it.¡±


    ¡°This old subject doesn¡¯t dare! But the king asked the old minister to speak clearly, so even at the risk of death, this humble servant would not dare to deceive Your Majesty. Many officials have openly expressed their discontent with Marquis Zhulu. Today, in the morning court, Marquis Zhulu dismissed a number of officials from their post¡­¡±


    With tears almost ready to burst out of Minister Zuo¡¯s eyes, he kowtowed again and continued, ¡°This old subject understands that His Majesty favours Marquis Zhulu, but I beg the King to allow us a way out by giving us permission to resign and return to our hometown.¡±


    Rui Xue rushed forward to catch Feng Ming, when she touched him she found he was burning up and was unconscious. His eyes were squeezed shut and there was a crease between his eyebrows; Feng Ming looked to be in a lot of pain.


    Zhao Lu was having guests at his residence. Unexpectedly Rui Xue returned back suddenly and in a flaming voice, said, ¡°Master, Please could you go to the palace and take a look. The King has fainted.¡±


    Zhao Lu¡¯s heart tightened as if someone was squeezing it. In reflex, he stood from his seat, but then stopped himself.


    The ministers all tactfully excused themselves and said they¡¯d come back later.


    When all the guests left, Rui Xue said again, ¡°Master, please hurry. Just now, Minister Zuo entered the palace to complain about you. His Majesty didn¡¯t say anything, but he might be dissatisfied with you¡­ Maybe you should coax the King. Aren¡¯t you worried in case it becomes a big issue?¡±


    Zhao Lu hesitated for a moment, then said, ¡°Prepare my horse, I¡¯m going to enter the palace.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Because a new consort was entering the palace, half of the Imperial Harem¡¯s population was displeased. But the other half only regarded the matter as a no big deal; after all Teng was a defeated country, even if the new consort was very beautiful and talented, her status wasn¡¯t that important at all.


    Since Xue Junliang had ordered medicine from the Imperial Hospital, Teng Yun definitely felt the pain on his face had gotten better. Xiu Yao was the happiest of all. The Empress¡¯s appearance was getting prettier, added with her graceful and lithe figure, there was no  need to worry even if Emperor Xue was to take many new wives.


    Xiu Yao was also very smart and quick on uptake; she had begun supervising the Empress¡¯s meal carefully. And with the regular ointment and the medication, the improvement was very obvious. .


    When it was announced that the new concubine was about to enter the palace, this made the Harem secretly agitated. And now, there was another piece of news that the Ugly Empress¡¯ face was beautiful like a goddess. Many anxious consorts had been visiting the Empress at the Yunfeng Palace in the name of ¡®coming to visit the sick¡¯. To see whether the news was true.


    Her Ladyship Defei was able to stay calm and collected. When she went to make a visit to the Yunfeng Palace, Teng Yun was not there. The Little Crown Prince, Xue Pei, had dragged Teng Yun to the martial arts field.


    Since that day Teng Yun had shown his skill in archery, though the  Crown Prince did not say it verbally. He was convinced in his heart. Xue Pei no longer thought the Empress was a mere woman pretending to be knowledgeable in theories of war.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t want to get close to the Crown Prince. After all, he was the Crown Prince of Xue, the next in line to Emperor Xue¡¯s throne. Teng and Xue had been enemies for more than a decade, their mutual resentment and hatred had grown deep. Apart from the debt of life and blood, Teng Yun didn¡¯t know what else their two countries could give to each other.


    The Crown Prince, of course, didn¡¯t know about Teng Yun¡¯s reluctance. He was determined to stay close to the Empress, asking him to teach him both theories and martial arts.


    This reminded Teng Yun of a lot of things from his past. When he was still very young, he and his brothers had all studied and practiced martial arts together. Later when they¡¯d grown up, they began to form cliques.


    Perhaps it was a good thing that among Xue Junliang¡¯s large harem, there was only this one son.


    When Defei arrived at the martial arts field, she saw the Crown Prince pestering the Ugly Empress to show him equestrian archery.


    Teng Yun, with a light bow in one hand, rode on a horse¡¯s back, his posture straight. In a series of  fluid motion, he took a long arrow from a quiver on his back, aimed the arrow and shot it. The arrow hit straight at the bull¡¯s eye.


    Defei clapped her hands, walked over and with a smile, she said, ¡°Your Majesty the Empress is really skilled in martial arts. Everyone says that Feng Country people are all experts on horse¡¯s back. Today, this sister has  seen it for herself.¡±


    Just as Defei finished talking, Teng Yun urged his horse to turn around. Sure enough, the bruises on his face had almost disappeared, and his skin gradually revealed its true color. Seemed like the Imperial physician had taken great efforts, because Teng Yun¡¯s skin looked as healthy as a newborn baby¡¯s skin.


    Because of horse riding, his skin was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, and his slightly exposed neckline had a touch of pink.


    Defei was shocked to the core. Usually, Xue Junliang preferred delicate and beautiful women. Well, which King didn¡¯t like delicate and beautiful women? Women who were good listeners and could understand a King¡¯s heart after a tiring day at the court?


    But the King¡¯s mind was constantly changing. It was not impossible that one day a King got tired of seeing beautiful things all the time.


    When she realized no one gave her a response, Defei laughed again, acting very friendly, ¡°Elder sister¡¯s face has really become so much better. You are a beautiful woman.  It¡¯s no wonder His Majesty dotes on the elder sister.¡±


    Noting the peculiar way Defei said things, Xue Pei immediately understood. Defei was usually the most favored consort, she felt she was secure thinking that Emperor Xue would always back her up. After all, though the Empress¡¯s face was much better, it still wasn¡¯t as beautiful as Defei¡¯s.


    Also earlier she said that ¡®Feng Country people are all experts on horse¡¯s back¡¯ as if she was complimenting the Empress¡¯ skills. But if her words were listened carefully, it was clear she was implying that the Empress had a foreign country¡¯s surname and was skilled in martial arts; having a person like the Empress in the Harem was akin to feeding a tiger ¨C in short it would bring trouble some day.


    Xue Pei was about to reproach Defei but before he could speak, Teng Yun let out a sarcastic laugh. Teng Yun gently urged his horse to walk and stop next to Defei before saying coldly, ¡°It is one thing whether Emperor Xue favours me or not. But it is completely a different thing, when you, a mere consort, do not kneel and pay respect to the Empress.¡±


    Xue Junliang was reviewing court reports in the warm pavilion of the study room when he heard someone wailing loudly outside. He sent Jiang Yu out to take a look, and when he came back inside Jiang Yu reported, ¡°It¡¯s Her Ladyship Defei¡¯s personal maidservant, saying the Empress has been harboring a resentment towards Defei for a long time, and is now torturing Defei at the martial arts fields.¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t react for a few seconds, then he laughed out loud. This Ugly Empress somehow always managed to surprise him.


    He called the maidservant in, and as soon as she entered the room she kowtowed on the floor and wailed, ¡°Your Majesty, please save my mistress¡­¡±


    The maid sobbed, crying miserably. She wiped her tears before adding, ¡°My mistress was only complimenting the Empress, saying the Empress was very skilled and that Feng Country people were all experts on horse¡¯s back. But the Empress accused my mistress for speaking out of turn¡­ Your Majesty, please hurry to save Defei!¡±


    Xue Junliang knew without doubt that the maid was exaggerating the small bits while avoiding saying the important parts. He was also aware that Defei was spoiled and arrogant. He¡¯d never said anything about it as she didn¡¯t really cause any serious trouble in the Harem, so he hadn¡¯t bothered to correct her attitude..


    Xue Junliang wished he could go see the excitement for himself, but if he went, Defei would for sure, be wailing to the sky and cause his ear to bleed. Therefore, he instructed Jiang Yu to act as his messenger.


    Jiang Yu leaned closer as Emperor Xue whispered his message. The maidservant thought Emperor Xue was ordering Head Servant Jiang Yu to save Defei. She kowtowed again to thank Emperor Xue, her face alight with joy.


    Thinking she¡¯d come bearing reinforcement, the maidservant rushed to the martial arts field and to Defei¡¯s side in order to stop the torture.


    Defei¡¯s bruised arrogance came back as soon as she saw Jiang Yu. She also thought Emperor Xue had sent Jiang Yu to help her, so she acted innocent and pitiful.


    Teng Yun had ordered servants to bring some chairs over, and he sat leisurely on one of the chairs with the Crown Prince at the seat next to him. Behind him, Xiu Yao stood silently, watching the excitement. She, of course, understood the Empress¡¯s temper very well.  On the surface, her mistress could talk nicely, and might seem laid-back and easy-going. But if the Empress was provoked¡­ Just thinking about that time she received a slap on her cheek, Xiu Yao¡¯s heart began to palpitate wildly again.


    Jiang Yu greeted the Empress and Xue Pei, then said with a smile, ¡°This old servant is only here to pass His Majesty¡¯s message, and will immediately return after that.¡±


    Turning to address Defei, Jiang Yu said, ¡°His Majesty said, since the Phoenix Seal is still in the Empress¡¯ hands, then everything inside the Imperial Harem is for the Empress to handle as she pleases. In the future, anyone who comes to the warm pavilion of the study room without permission will be punished severely.¡±


    After he finished speaking, Jiang Yu knelt towards Teng Yun and Xue Pei, then excused himself.


    Defei¡¯s eyes widened in shock, she couldn¡¯t believe what she¡¯d just heard.


    Teng Yun also couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d stooped so low as to have a petty fight with Defei. But honestly, he¡¯d been extremely vexed by Xue Junliang¡¯s concubines lately. Every day, this consort or that concubine would come with the pretense of paying respect and visiting the sick, but some of them actually wanted to probe him, some wanted to provoke him, and some even wanted to rope him in.


    Defei also had to come at this time, when early morning the next day, the new consort was entering the Palace which meant that Teng Shang was going to enter the Capital City. Teng Yun was high-strung right now, and Defei had served as an outlet for venting.


    In the wake of Jiang Yu¡¯s message, many things suddenly changed inside the Imperial Harem.  Defei had lost Emperor Xue¡¯s favor, because apparently having a pretty face was not enough. His Majesty preferred someone who had both integrity and talent; additionally, also skilled in martial arts.


    That evening, Jiang Yu asked Emperor Xue which concubines¡¯ bedchambers he wanted to visit that night. Putting down his red writing brush on the table, Xue Junliang massaged his forehead. Suddenly he thought of something; with an unfathomable smile on his face, he turned the Empress¡¯ nameplate.

 CH 12

    When the chamberlain came with the news, Xiu Yao was unmistakably much happier than her mistress. She immediately prepared a bath and fresh clothes for Teng Yun. She also wittingly rewarded the servant for relaying the news.


    Teng Yun was not excited at all. He wondered for what reason this Emperor chose the Ugly Empress for his bed partner. Sure, the Ugly Empress wasn¡¯t as ugly as before, but still she wasn¡¯t as pretty as many other consorts.


    In the end what exactly was Xue Junliang¡¯s intention; Xiu Yao was so overwhelmed with joy that she didn¡¯t bother thinking about all the reasons. Teng Yun thought the reason really was simple; Xue Junliang accepting a marriage alliance with Teng Country¡¯s Eldest Princess was just to buy time for his soldiers to recuperate, and to show off Xue Country¡¯s military power.


    The Empress¡¯ sole role in Xue Junliang¡¯s plan was to pave the way. Similar to the story of stick and red date. The Emperor wanted to use the Ugly Empress to keep the new concubine in her place by giving gifts and favouring the Empress. This would also make the Empress, who was from Feng Country, feel grateful and indebted to Xue Junliang.


    What a flawless plan. Pity Xue Junliang had to meet Teng Yun.


    Teng Yun deliberately took a long time to bathe, his movements were neither slow nor fast as if the opportunity to sleep with Emperor Xue wasn¡¯t something to be taken seriously. Xiu Yao, who was so happy at the beginning, gradually felt that something just wasn¡¯t right.


    When finally Teng Yun finished bathing, Xiu Yao helped him into a fresh set of clothes. The Empress had a beautiful physique, all around enchanting appearance; even wearing simple clothing she looked dignified and poised. Xiu Yao inwardly sighed, wishing her mistress¡¯ face would quickly heal completely. That way, Yunfeng Palace¡¯s position in the Imperial Harem could be truly stable and secure.


    Jiang Yu came in as Xiu Yao was combing Teng Yun¡¯s hair into a bun. He said, ¡°Your Majesty, please don¡¯t make His Majesty wait.¡±


    Xiu Yao started to smile apologetically and say something to make amends and also wanted to urge her Empress to hurry but before she could even say anything, Teng Yun instead said, ¡°Letting Head Servant make a trip to Yunfeng Palace himself, I feel even more ashamed of failing His Majesty¡¯s regards¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu didn¡¯t understand what the Empress meant, ¡°What does Your Majesty mean?¡±


    Jiang Yu quickly rushed back. Bowing his head lowly, he reported respectfully, ¡°Your Majesty, the Empress said she¡­ She said she was feeling unwell, and couldn¡¯t serve Your Majesty tonight¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed when he heard it. Jiang Yu thought the Emperor must have lost his temper, yet he didn¡¯t look even remotely angry. Instead he said, ¡°Unexpectedly this Seat has married an Empress that can read my heart, I don¡¯t know if that is a good or bad thing¡­¡±


    He pondered for a moment then said, ¡°Prepare my sedan chair, since the Empress is unwell, I¡¯ll go visit her personally.¡±


    Xiu Yao wilted like she¡¯d been hit by a frost, ¡°Your Majesty, why did you say that? If you¡­ If you¡¯re like this, don¡¯t blame this slave servant for speaking out of turn and not seeing the seniority. If you are angry, it is still not the time to show your anger¡­ If you¡¯re like this, what are we going to do if right this moment His Majesty is angry?¡±


    Teng Yun sighed but said nothing. Poor Xiu Yao, she could be considered unlucky for being his servant. Which servant didn¡¯t want to follow a master or mistress who were favored? If the master or mistress was favored, the servants¡¯ status would also rise.


    However, Teng Yun didn¡¯t want to be Xue Junliang¡¯s  Empress. He was Teng Yun. He was Teng Country¡¯s Minister of War and a military general. His previous life had ended in Xue Junliang¡¯s hands. He was still dreaming of the scene when the arrow pierced through his heart moments before his death.  So how could he now use this Empress¡¯s body to serve the enemy?


    Teng Yun was not stupid, he knew he had to find a way to survive, until the day he could finally escape Xue Country. But sleeping with Xue Junliang was where he drew his bottom line. Xue Junliang couldn¡¯t touch him, even if Teng Yun had to lose everything else.


    Sweating even from her hands, Xiu Yao said, ¡°Empress, shouldn¡¯t you go get dressed? You can just say.. just pretend and say  that you have a headache!¡±


    As she was saying that, Xue Junliang had already reached Yunfeng Palace¡¯s gate. Xue Junliang stepped down from his sedan chair. The servants in the palace lit the lanterns and walked all the way inside bearing the lantern.


    As soon as Xue Junliang entered the main room, everyone knelt on the floor to pay respect to the Emperor.


    Xue Junliang looked around. Teng Yun was kneeling right in the middle of the room, his face bowed low so Xue Junliang couldn¡¯t see his expression. Xue Junliang walked over to Teng Yun and helped him to stand before saying, ¡°Why are you so polite Aifei, I heard you were sick, so I came here to visit you.¡±


    Teng Yun was held in Xue Junliang¡¯s arms, with one hand grabbing Teng Yun¡¯s waist and the other holding his wrist. Teng Yun almost shuddered in disgust, but he knew he shouldn¡¯t push Emperor Xue away, so he could only hold himself back.


    Teng Yun dryly thanked for his concern.


    Xue Junliang helped Teng Yun into the inner room before saying, ¡°How is Aifei¡¯s face these days? Do the medicines prescribed by the Imperial physician still work?¡±


    Teng Yun listened to Xue Junliang half-hearted concerns; every time he asked a question, Teng Yun answered equally half-heartedly.


    Xue Junliang found this conversation between the two of them very intriguing. It was like him painting a gourd, while the other painting a ladle; their conversation just didn¡¯t match up. His Empress¡¯ manner looked very respectful but the true meaning was obvious; the Empress didn¡¯t have any romantic feelings for him.


    Emperor Xue couldn¡¯t say that his reign for so many years had been smooth sailing, but there wasn¡¯t any serious trouble either. Basically, people liked to listen to nice words, but Emperor Xue had come to dislike people who used flattery to gain their own benefits.


    But here was someone, appearing out of nowhere. Other people always tried to flatter him, but this person didn¡¯t even pay attention to him. This person piqued Xue Junliang¡¯s interest.


    ¡°Since Aifei is fine, me staying here tonight, should not disturb your rest right?¡±


    Just as he said it, Xue Junliang saw the other party tensed up, she seemed like she was about to refuse him but immediately stopped herself. The expression was very fleeting but Xue Junliang saw it all. This person really got him even more and more intrigued.


    Xue Junliang ordered the servants to bring him a Go board and its pieces, then he asked all the palace staff to go out. Surprisingly he wanted to play Go with Teng Yun.


    Xue Junliang actually enjoyed playing Go, but he¡¯d never had a good opponent to play with him. Xue Houyang would always let him win. Xue Houyang had always been inflexible if it involved a relation between a King and a subject; he would never try to beat a King even when playing Go.


    But Teng Yun didn¡¯t feel the need to follow such social norms. After losing three rounds straight, Xue Junliang put aside his Qi pieces laughing, ¡°Aifei¡¯s Go skills are exquisite, this Seat if fully convinced, there is no ground to turn to anymore.¡±


    Teng Yun lightly said, ¡°Playing Go is also a training in cultivating moral and spiritual character. In my humble opinion, Your Majesty is not suitable for playing Go.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°Why does Aifei think so?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s hostility is too overpowering,¡± Teng Yun said, ¡°You focused on only one thing until you lost sight of the other and had to sacrifice your pieces.¡±


    Xue Junliang examined the Qi board for a long time, pondering over Teng Yun¡¯s words. Finally he said, ¡°Seems like this Seat was too greedy.¡±


    Teng Yun sneered in his heart and almost snorted, but he only said, ¡°I had no intention of offending Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Xue Junliang said, ¡°This Seat won¡¯t blame Aifei for giving an honest opinion, this Seat will consider your good advice.¡±


    After three rounds of Go, Xue Junliang decided to stop playing. But the time was not yet late, he didn¡¯t return back  and instead offered to apply Teng Yun¡¯s medicine. After that, he let the palace staff prepare for bed.


    Xue Junliang,  in addition to his tasseled crown, took off his outer garment. But he saw that Teng Yun was standing not far away, without moving.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°I won¡¯t disturb Your Majesty¡¯s sleep, so please accept my regards before you retire.¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t know whether he should cry or laugh. The Emperor went to his Empress¡¯s room to sleep but the Empress left. Was there even such a thing?


    Teng Yun turned around to go out but Xue Junliang quickly moved forward and caught his wrist.


    Seeing this scene, the palace staff all tactfully withdrew, secretly thinking that the Empress sure was very skillful in playing hard to get and this in turn had captured the Emperor¡¯s interest.


    Teng Yun was trapped in Xue Junliang¡¯s arms. This body he was borrowing was weak, and didn¡¯t have enough strength to break free from Xue Junliang¡¯s hold, so Teng Yun could only subconsciously brace himself while staring guardedly at the other party.


    But Teng Yun¡¯s expression only made Xue Junliang even more amused. Like an angry kitten whose fur was all puffed up and with its claws bared.


    Xue Junliang grabbed the Empress¡¯ waist tightly with one hand and didn¡¯t let go, the other hand stroked her back suggestively, and said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t Aifei want to attend to me tonight?¡±


    Teng Yun curtly answered, ¡°This concubine¡¯s appearance is very ugly, afraid of scaring Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re angry with me for cold-shouldering you before.¡±


    Teng Yun had no idea how Xue Junliang came to that conclusion, so he could only add, ¡°It¡¯s getting late, Your Majesty should go to sleep, you have to welcome your new bride early tomorrow morning.¡±


    Teng Yun was only stating the truth, but as soon as he finished the sentence he just knew the other would mistake him for being jealous.


    Xue Junliang laughed, then suddenly he exerted force and held Teng Yun up in his arms and laid him on the bed.


    Teng Yun was shocked and immediately tried to prop up his hands to sit up. Xue Junliang thought it¡¯d be so much fun to tease some more, but maybe the other person might find it annoying.


    So he held the Empress¡¯ shoulders to push her back onto the bed, then said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, since you¡¯re not willing, I¡¯m not going to force you. It is only a matter of time. Sooner or later, you will be willing in your heart.¡±


    Xue Junliang said that confidently, as if he was very sure of the outcome. Teng Yun didn¡¯t bother pondering over his words; he only knew that he was currently safe this time. As he sighed in relief, he realized he had broken into a cold-sweat.


    Xue Junliang reached out to pull down the curtain, then lay down beside Teng Yun, tucked in the brocade quilt and said, ¡°Sleep.¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t want to sleep on the same bed as Xue Junliang, but having escaped a great ordeal, he did not want to demand anything further. He scooted down to the inner side of the bed, trying to get as far away as possible from Xue Junliang.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Xue Houyang¡¯s army set a camp on the outskirts of the Capital City and would be able to enter the capital within half a day.


    The sun was about to set. By this time tomorrow, the princess will be married into Xue Country. Teng Shang watched the sunset with many emotions warring on his face, maybe he would already be dead when he entered the Capital City.


    The attendant who followed him was a close confidant of King Teng. At this time, he hesitated for a moment, then suddenly knelt on the ground, ¡°Your Excellency! Using the dark as cover, this servant begs you to please escape here!¡±


    Teng Shang looked down at the person kneeling on the ground and smiled, ¡° Strange, how could you advise me to escape? Me escaping would be disloyal and treacherous.¡±


    The palace attendant cried, ¡°Your Excellency¡¯s loyalty and faithfulness is known by the whole Teng Country, but only King Teng refuses to acknowledge it. Even if you were killed in Xue Country, His Majesty would still not acknowledge¡­ Although this old servant is greatly favoured by the King, this servant also understands Minister Shang¡¯s loyalty for the country. Your Excellency, if you do not go now, all your hard work so far is for naught. Why suffer!¡±


    Teng Shang sighed, ¡°But why? The whole country knows about my loyalty, only King Teng doesn¡¯t¡­ Just as you said, I am also deeply indebted to the King, maybe it¡¯s time for me to repay him.¡±


    As the two of them were talking,  Xue Houyang suddenly walked over, making the attendant jump with fear. Did Marquis Wannian hear their conversation?


    Xue Houyang¡¯s well-defined, angular face was unreadable as he said, ¡°We will enter the Capital City tomorrow. Minister Shang, would you mind having a drink with me?¡±

 CH 13

    Xue Houyang invited Teng Shang for a drink but didn¡¯t set a banquet in one of the tents. Instead, he set up a fire in an open field, and put a small table next to it. There were several simple side-dishes and quite a selection of large jars of wines.


    The table was very low, but Xue Houyang didn¡¯t ask people to bring chairs, he just sat down there on the ground next to the table. Teng Shang might look like a scholar but he wasn¡¯t the pretentious type. After all, he was a man grown on the battlefields and had shed blood of his enemies. Teng Shang also followed suit and sat down on the ground.


    Xue Houyang cracked open the sealing clay on the wine jar and filled a very large bowl to the brim, then said, ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯re already going to enter the Capital City, I haven¡¯t had time to entertain Minister Shang properly.  I hope Minister Shang doesn¡¯t blame me?¡±


    ¡°How would I blame you?¡± Teng Shang smiled as he took the large bowl and gulped down the wine, ¡°Someone who offers to have a farewell drink before my execution can be considered a special friend. How could this Teng blame such a friend?¡±


    Xue Houyang stilled for a moment, then filled Teng Shang¡¯s cup again before saying, ¡°I see, you are already aware what this wine is for.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been self-aware. Having Marquis Wannian bidding me farewell, now my whole life has been worth it.¡± Teng Shang said calmly.


    It was mid-autumn, a few days before the 15th day of the 8th month. The weather was getting colder and colder. There were no trees in this part of the capital city¡¯s outskirts; the blowing wind brought a thick dust with it, making the fire dance frantically. There was a sense of bleak desolation in the night.


    Teng Shang wasn¡¯t a person who made a fuss over small inconveniences; he didn¡¯t mind the dust and dirt soiling the food and drinks.


    Xue Houyang watched the other man for a long time, until Teng Shang noticed and looked down to examine his clothes. Teng Shang said, ¡°Is there something wrong with me?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s not that.¡± Xue Houyang drew back his gaze. The two men, after three rounds of drinks, had started to get a little drunk. The weather itself was not too cold, but the strong liquor warmed them up.


    Suddenly, Xue Houyang said, ¡°Does Minister Shang, remember, many years ago¡­ King Teng had organized a hunting party, and you saved a little child from being accused as an assassin.¡±


    Teng Shang was stunned when he mentioned it. Obviously he didn¡¯t remember it, but after thinking about it carefully, he seemed to have some impression and said with a smile: ¡°How does Marquis know about that? Do you perhaps have clairvoyant  eyes? It¡¯s been a long time ago¡­ At that time, the previous King Teng was still alive. A child had mistakenly run into the Imperial hunting grounds and was going to be put to death. I was also soft-hearted at that moment¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Minister Shang  shouldn¡¯t have had such a soft heart.¡±


    Suddenly Xue Houyang spoke very coldly. Teng Shang seemed to feel that he¡¯d had too much to drink. His head was throbbing and his mind was sluggish. He said, ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    Xue Houyang stared at the other man, pondered for a while, before saying, ¡°Minister Shang¡¯s moment of kind heartedness  has cost the death of many of your soldiers. I¡¯m just afraid you¡¯ll regret it, when I say it.¡±


    Teng Shang stared at the other person; his sight was blurry because of the wine. After staring at Marquis Wannian for a long time, an answer slowly came to his mind, making an uncomfortable feeling spread across his heart. His voice was hoarse as he said, ¡°Why?¡±


    Xue Houyang had a knowing look in his eyes. He stood, and with his back to Teng Shang he added, ¡°I don¡¯t know if  Minister Shang had heard about this. Once, a wandering fortune-teller had said that my character was ruthless, that I would bring a disaster someday. At that time, I was still very young, my temperament had not matured yet. In a fit of anger I ran away, but I would¡¯ve never expected to meet you, Minister Shang.¡±


    Teng Shang let out a bitter  laugh. He also wouldn¡¯t have expected saving a child, and later meeting him; finding he¡¯d grown into the enemy¡¯s Great God of War.


    Teng Shang had no idea what to say.


    Xue Houyang turned around, bent over to pick the large bowl of wine and proceeded to drain it in one go. Then he threw the cup on the ground laughing, ¡°Did Minister Shang think that I dragged you here for a drink to prevent you escaping, actually it is on the contrary, I wanted to send you off¡­ You can go.¡±


    Teng Shang also stood up. The wine rushed through his head, making his limbs unsteady he almost fell. He laughed, ¡°Go? Where would I go? The Marquis wants to let me go, but I don¡¯t have anywhere to go¡­ You might think I am being stubborn and pedantic, but Marquis put yourselves in my shoes; for the repayment of saving you, right now I want you to change sides and lead your 5000 elite soldiers to face and kill Xue Junliang, will you be willing?¡±


    Teng Shang might be drunk, but his voice wasn¡¯t small. Beside the open field they were standing, there were some soldiers on night patrol. At Teng Shang¡¯s words, the soldiers stopped walking and alertly pointed their sharp spears towards the bonfire.


    With a shallow smile, Teng Shang said, ¡°How can I be willing, when you also are not willing¡­ But I thank Marquis for the good intentions.¡±


    Xue Houyang only gave a deep look at Teng Shang and said nothing. The two people continued drinking large bowls of wine, empty jars of wine piling next to them.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t close his eyes that night, yet Xue Junliang seemed to fall asleep rather quickly. Teng Yun kept staring at the wall and didn¡¯t dare move; his back was starting to numb due to the lack of movement.


    He didn¡¯t know how long he¡¯d stayed like that when suddenly he felt something heavy fall upon his waist. Xue Junliang apparently had placed one arm over Teng Yun¡¯s waist and had leaned his whole body against Teng Yun¡¯s back.


    Teng Yun stiffened. He shifted to the side a little bit, but the other person followed the movement. If not for the even breathing of the person behind him, he¡¯d thought Xue Junliang was deliberately sticking close to him.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t dare to move a little while, waiting until he felt the other person stopped moving, then he shifted again. The person behind him actually followed him again.


    Suddenly, Xue Junliang chuckled. Sure enough, he wasn¡¯t asleep either. His arm tightened around Teng Yun¡¯s waist and pulled Teng Yun closer and into his embrace. He laughed, a warm breath blowing ambiguously into Teng Yun¡¯s ear, and said, ¡°What¡¯s so wrong with me that makes Aifei so disgusted with me ?¡±


    His low whisper sounded loud and clear inside the silent bedchambers, but Teng Yun didn¡¯t answer; pretending not to hear Xue Junliang¡¯s question, he  closed his eyes. He¡¯d already retreated to the farthest side of the bed and there was nowhere else to go.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t take offense, instead he put one hand under the blanket to pat Teng Yun, as if coaxing a child to sleep. Gently in a warm voice, he said, ¡°Just sleep.¡±


    Early next morning, Jiang Yu called out for the Emperor from outside the room several times, but he didn¡¯t hear Xue Junliang¡¯s voice. When the time was running short, he called out again louder, still no one responded.


    When the Emperor was inside his concubine¡¯s chambers, no one dared to go inside. But the people outside had started to get anxious. Today was, after all, the day Teng Country¡¯s Eldest Princess entered the Palace. Early this morning, Marquis Wannian had led his elite troops into the Capital and had already entered the Palace. Now he was waiting for Xue Junliang to arrive at the morning court.


    In fact, Xue Junliang had been awake for a long time. Only he did not move, still holding Teng Yun in his arms, as if he had all the time in the world.


    Teng Yun was also awake, in fact he hadn¡¯t slept a wink last night. As time passed, Jiang Yu¡¯s voice got louder and louder, indicating his anxiousness. Yet, the person beside him didn¡¯t make a move to get up.


    Teng Yun had already guessed what the other person was playing at, so he also didn¡¯t say anything..


    Xue Junliang purposefully got up late, as it served dual purpose ¡ª one was to make the envoy from Teng Country wait and secondly letting everyone know that yesterday the Emperor spent the night in the Empress¡¯ palace, indulging in pleasure until he forgot his duties. In His Majesty¡¯s eyes, a little princess from an insignificant Teng Country wasn¡¯t important; she was nothing special.


    After waiting for another moment, a drum suddenly sounded from outside. Only then, Xue Junliang slowly woke up and called Jiang Yu in.


    Jiang Yu hurriedly rushed inside, ringing the drum was not a trivial matter.


    In the Palace of the Xue Country, there was a very big drum. When it sounded, it could be heard even from the most remote corners of the Forbidden Palace.


    The drum was used for diligent administration. When the King does not attend the morning court even after one shichen, the officials would sound the drum to remind the King of his duties. The drum would be played again once every one incense time. After the drum was played three times, the King would be abolished and replaced by a new King.


    But Xue Junliang took his time; giving Jiang Yu a hard time. He got people to help Emperor Xue wash his face and rinse his mouth and change his clothes. Meanwhile he rushed to arrange for the sedan chair to be ready at the main hall gate.


    Before he left, Xue Junliang also instructed Xiu Yao to take good care of the Empress; the medicine should be had in time and the soothing ointment should be applied regularly; if the medicine was too bitter, let the kitchen make some sweet dishes for the Empress.


    Xiu Yao was grinning from ear to ear and every time she looked at Teng Yun she would smile knowingly. She giggled and said tentatively, ¡°Empress¡­ Your body¡­ Um, are you feeling okay? Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable? This slave servant thinks you look a little pale, are you tired? This slave servant will prepare a bath for you.¡±


    Initially Teng Yun didn¡¯t find anything wrong, but looking at Xiu Yao¡¯s ambiguous smile, made him feel that her words were very weird. Xue Junliang must have said something ambiguous to Xiu Yao, and she must¡¯ve definitely misunderstood something.


    ¡°No need for a bath, I¡¯ll just simply wash my face and rinse my mouth.¡±


    He had taken a bath only last night. Although Teng Yun¡¯s body was now a woman¡¯s body, he didn¡¯t feel the need to bathe too often; it might be bad for the delicate skin.


    Xiu Yao was taken aback, ¡°No need for a bath? Your Majesty.. that.. If you don¡¯t bathe, you¡­ You need to clean it properly¡­ It¡­.¡±


    Teng Yun felt a headache coming. He did look pale, but it was because he was tense all night and didn¡¯t sleep. With Xue Junliang sleeping next to him, how could he relax?


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Xue Junliang eventually made it to the morning court. He received Teng Country¡¯s envoy, Teng Shang, and arranged a newly built palace for Teng Country¡¯s Princess. The palace actually had been built for some time, but it was never lived in, so he assigned the palace for the new consort.


    The new palace wasn¡¯t very far from the Empress¡¯ Yunfeng Palace.


    Though Teng Yun wasn¡¯t close with the Eldest Princess, they were after all blood-related. He thought about seeing Teng Qianyi, but he didn¡¯t dare to. He didn¡¯t know what identity he should use to meet this relative of his.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    The marriage was scheduled for two days after the Mid-Autumn Festival.


    And these two days, Xue Junliang often stayed at Yunfeng Palace, which was good for the new consort; it was very convenient for her if she wanted to inquire about any information.


    Teng Yun¡¯s existence became one of Xue Junliang¡¯s Qi pieces, helping him maintain the relationship between Xue and Feng Countries, also keeping Teng Country in check.


    It could be said that though Xue Junliang was not  good at cultivating his own moral and spiritual character, he was indeed good at playing Qi in real life. His moves were systematic and careful in defeating his opponents.

 CH 14

    Edited by Zaki & Elanor


    The new consort lived close by, but because she wasn¡¯t yet married, it was not good to move around freely, so she sent her personal maid to pay respect to the Empress.


    Teng Yun recognized this personal maid from when he still lived in Teng Country. She was favored because of her cleverness. Not only did she become Teng Qianyi¡¯s favorite, but even King Teng also praised her, saying she was exceptionally intelligent. If not for the fact that Teng Qianyi didn¡¯t like being served by a stranger, Teng Yun reckoned this palace maid would¡¯ve left her branch and turned into a phoenix.


    Seeing her in this place and time, Teng Yun didn¡¯t know what to think of her.


    On the 15th day of the 8th month, Xue Junliang was very busy for the Mid-Autumn Festival. He was busy welcoming the Teng Country Princess. Only at this time, Teng Yun felt considerably free and leisurely without anyone disturbing him.


    But unexpectedly the Crown Prince, Xue Pei came instead of Xue Junliang.


    Xue Pei entered Yunfeng Palace. First, he let Teng Yun read what he (Xue Pei) had written, before bombarding Teng Yun with questions regarding the Art of War.


    Although Teng Yun was fond of the Crown Prince¡¯s intellectual virtues, the Crown Prince was still Xue Junliang¡¯s son, so Teng Yun didn¡¯t dare to say much. Also, he still had some qualms. Should he teach the other side what he had learned in his years of military experience, only for the Crown Prince to use this learning and attack Teng Yun¡¯s own country?


    The Little Crown Prince, of course, couldn¡¯t know what was in Teng Yun¡¯s mind. No matter how clever and sophisticated he was, Xue Pei was still eight years old; not yet an adult.


    Xue Pei saw that the other person was not very interested in their study today, so he said, ¡°Today when practicing riding and archery, my mentor brought an amazing horse; said it was a rare breed. Do you want to see it, Mother?¡±


    Teng Yun really loved horses, but he¡¯d only had a leisure day today, so he wasn¡¯t that interested. Xue Pei thought for a moment, then asked again, ¡°I see the wounds on Mother¡¯s face have got better, is the medicine prescribed by the Imperial Physician very effective?¡±


    Teng Yun saw the child talking cautiously; talking about one thing then another. He couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°What is it that you actually want to say?¡±


    Having been exposed, Xue Pei was a bit embarrassed, but he trudged on, ¡°I heard from Xiu Yao that the Empress Mother seemed unhappy these days¡­ For the Emperor, taking a new consort is something as mundane as having a meal. This son asks Mother, please don¡¯t be upset over it.¡±


    Teng Yun blanked for a second, then immediately understood. The Little Crown Prince thought the Empress had been unhappy because Xue Junliang was taking a new consort. Teng Yun didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry at Xue Pei¡¯s absurd train of thought, yet Teng Yun was unable to refute him.


    The wedding ceremony of Xue Junliang and Teng Qianyi was quite grand. The party carried on until the evening.


    It was already dark and Teng Yun was having dinner when he heard a racket outside. He knew a wedding was a matter of celebration, but he didn¡¯t think it should be this noisy.


    Xiu Yao threw open the door in her rush to get in. In a panicked voice, she said, ¡°Empress! His Majesty is coming here!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Teng Yun, who was normally a level-headed person, was so surprised he didn¡¯t react for some time. His surprise was justified. After all, the Emperor should be sharing nuptial cups of wine with his newly-married consort at said consort¡¯s bridal chamber. Why would he run away here?


    But with a little thought, it was quite easy to understand. Seemed like Xue Junliang¡¯s power play wasn¡¯t over yet; he was aiming to trash Teng Qianyi¡¯s face in public.


    The newly-married bride waited in a vacant room while the Emperor actually ran away to his other wife¡¯s chambers; wasn¡¯t that the most shameful?


    Other people might see that the Empress was the person the Emperor favored above a thousand people. But Teng Yun saw this Empress as a victim who would be targeted for public criticism.


    With an indifferent expression on his face, Teng Yun greeted, ¡°Your Majesty, welcome.¡±


    Xue Junliang was surrounded by a flock of palace servants, his attire was new and tailored to fit him perfectly; even his tasselled crown looked more elaborate than usual.


    Xue Junliang seemed to be drunk; even with Jiang Yu¡¯s support, his steps were unstable, swaying right and left. The jade tassels, shaking and swaying against one other noisily.


    Xue Junliang was assisted into the Empress¡¯ bedchamber and onto the phoenix-decorated bed. No one dared to say anything and quickly retreated very knowingly.


    Teng Yun stood nearby, coldly looking down at the drunk Xue Junliang.


    If Xue Junliang was truly drunk, Teng Yun could easily kill this all-powerful and insufferable monarch. His current body and strength might be that of a woman¡¯s, but he was certain killing a drunk man was still within his abilities.


    But Teng Yun knew very well Xue Junliang wasn¡¯t drunk and was just pretending.


    A person who toyed and played with everyone¡¯s heart would never be intoxicated and vulnerable in front of his so-called beloved wife, especially if this wife wasn¡¯t from his own immediate family.


    As expected, Xue Junliang wasn¡¯t drunk because he suddenly said, ¡°Why is Aifei standing so far away? Come here and lie down with this Seat for a while.¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t come closer and instead said, ¡°Today is the day when Your Majesty and the new concubine will complete their marriage. Your Majesty had better go over quickly so as not to provoke people¡¯s criticism.¡±


    He was stating the obvious, but he also knew Emperor Xue was very clever. Xue Junliang would naturally understand what Teng Yun really meant; that he wanted Xue Junliang to hurry and leave and not to think that Teng Yun was a foolish little wife who didn¡¯t know the world and only cared about competing for favor.


    Xue Junliang laughed. He got up, braced his hands against the bed and reached out to grab Teng Yun¡¯s waist. Seeing the panicked expression in the other person¡¯s eyes, Xue Junliang wanted to tease instead.


    Xue Junliang pressed Teng Yun onto the bed and leaned down. The jade tassels on Xue Junliang¡¯s crown were cold against Teng Yung¡¯s forehead, making him shiver invisibly. But then Teng Yun calmed down, his expression was serene and even melted into indifference. Smiling, he asked, ¡°Your Majesty, are you going to kiss me?¡±


    Xue Junliang was stunned for a split second as the other person confidently challenged him.


    Looking down at the Empress¡¯ face, he noted the blue-green bruises had mostly cleared and the skin had started to show its true appearance. But the bruises had changed into scars. The Empress¡¯ face did indeed look a lot better than before, but considering she lived in this Imperial Harem where beauties were a common sight, a face that was still scarred was something that was not usually seen in the Harem.


    Xue Junliang propped himself up on one hand, thumbing Teng Yun¡¯s earlobe and used the other hand to gently caress Teng Yun¡¯s cheek, tracing the large and small scars and scabs on Teng Yun¡¯s face.


    Teng Yun¡¯s skin had started to heal; when touched, it no longer felt painful, but it had also become more sensitive. Teng Yun tensed against the feeling of being touched. He wanted to turn his face away but Xue Junliang gripped his chin, preventing him from moving his head.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s fingertips stroked the Empress¡¯ cheeks, the bridge of her nose and even the corner of her lips. He whispered, ¡°Does it still hurt?¡±


    Teng Yun swallowed against a lump in his throat. Suddenly he remembered an incident, a long time ago when he was a little child, vying for his father¡¯s praise, Teng Yun and his brothers had competed to hunt the biggest prey. Teng Yun ended up with an injury. All the people had only clamored to praise the prince that had gotten the biggest prey and how brave he was. Only Teng Shang cared about Teng Yun and came to visit him and inquire about his injury.


    Since Teng Yun was sent to the battlefields and Teng Shang was so far away in the capital city, no one had ever cared enough to ask if Teng Yun was okay.


    Never would have Teng Yun expected that so many years later, he¡¯d heard this sentence from Xue Junliang¡¯s mouth.


    While Teng Yun was distracted, he felt a shadow fall upon him and something warm touched his lips.


    Actually, Teng Yun was certain that Xue Junliang would never kiss the Ugly Empress¡¯s face that was full of scars. Even if the Ugly Empress wasn¡¯t as ugly as before, no one would consider this face as beautiful. Especially not Emperor Xue, who was used to seeing many unusually pretty faces.


    But Teng Yun miscalculated Xue Junliang¡¯s character. The more people thought he couldn¡¯t do something, the more Xue Junliang was determined to prove that he could. That was why, despite him not being a very powerful prince, Xue Junliang could successfully claim the throne in a relatively short time.


    At first, Xue Junliang just wanted to tease Teng Yun. Then when he traced the other person¡¯s lips with his fingertips and couldn¡¯t move his fingers away. Those lips felt so soft and supple. Added with Teng Yun¡¯s ¡®provocation¡¯, in the end, Xue Junliang really leaned down further and kissed those soft lips with his.


    Stunned in shock, Teng Yun couldn¡¯t react at all for a time. Xue Junliang¡¯s lips against his were warm and wet. Xue Junliang even bit his lower lip and traced it with his tongue.


    Teng Yun¡¯s eyes widened. He was once a Great General, but right now all he felt was his strength failing him.


    When Xue Junliang pressed his hips against Teng Yun¡¯s, Teng Yun¡¯s waist trembled softly. Even the kissed lips shook uncontrollably.


    Xue Junliang felt the person beneath him trembling and suddenly a fire surged through him. Capturing the other person¡¯s jaw, he deepened the kiss, fiercely attacking the lips.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s other hand wasn¡¯t idle either. He¡¯d opened Teng Yun¡¯s belt, sneaked a hand inside the hem of the clothes and stroked Teng Yun¡¯s bare waistline.


    It was only then Teng Yun emerged from his daze. With a renewed effort ¨C like a firecracker spitting violently, he pushed Xue Junliang away and recoiled back into the corner of the bed, struggling furiously to wipe his lips with his sleeves.

 CH 15

    Xue Junliang looked at Teng Yun¡¯s reaction and instead of getting angry, he laughed. ¡°You¡¯re still the first person who has ever dared to refuse this Emperor.¡±


    Teng Yun felt as if his lips were catching fire, burning hot.


    He was nineteen when he was sent to the battlefields and has been conquesting and protecting the borders for ten years. It was not an age where one didn¡¯t know anything but Teng Yun would always keep himself out of trouble. Although prisoners were always offered for personal pleasure when they conquered a city, the Military discipline was strict. And as a Great General, Teng Yun had to be even more mindful of his own conduct and be even more self-disciplined.


    Consequently, he was rather reticent and unsophisticated in this area. Not to mention such a deep lingering kiss, he was in no way comparable to Xue Junliang.


    Teng Yun¡¯s earlobes were bright red. Even his chest peeking between the slightly-opened collar of his clothes was tinted pink. Noting all of these, Xue Junliang thought this Ugly Empress was shy.


    In all honesty, if one were to only compare the body and figures, then few beauties could compare in front of the Ugly Empress lithe figure.  Xue Junliang stared at that blushing pink neck, and probably because the after-effects of drinking wine was too strong, surprisingly, felt his body was a bit hot.


    Sitting on the edge of the bed, Xue Junliang reached out to caress Teng Yun¡¯s earlobes ambiguously. Teng Yun shuddered fiercely; eyes glaring daggers at Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang retracted his hand and thought his Empress was quite intriguing. Since he married the Empress, he had not consummated the marriage with her. In the beginning, he was too busy fighting the war, and didn¡¯t really have the mood to fool around the Imperial Harem. Later, he just forgot about her, sparing her a thought only as far as letting her maintain the Empress title.


    The Empress¡¯s inexperienced and youthful reaction to his teasing made Xue Junliang very pleased and even somewhat smug. Patting the bed, he smiled and said, ¡°Alright, come here and lie down. I won¡¯t make a move on you.¡±


    Teng Yun did not made any move, which only made Xue Junliang even more smug and proud. But Xue Junliang really did stop teasing the Empress. He removed his outer clothes and threw away his tasseled crown. After blowing the candles off, he lay down on the bed and patted the empty spot next to him.


    ¡°Jbwf tfgf delmxis, la¡¯r ufaalcu mbiv.¡±


    Coafg wjxlcu regf Wef Aeciljcu kjr gfjiis islcu vbkc, Kfcu Tec ribkis mgfqa bnfg. Qlat jii atf mjcvifr ecila, la kjr qlamt vjgx lc atf gbbw. Kfcu Tec abbx atf rqba oegatfra jkjs ogbw Wef Aeciljcu jcv ijs vbkc klatbea ajxlcu boo tlr mibatfr.


    There was only one quilt on the bed; it wasn¡¯t small, but there was such a huge gap between the two people, that naturally, it didn¡¯t cover Teng Yun.


    Xue Junliang laughed. He turned on his side and pulled Teng Yun into his arms, then covered Teng Yun with the blanket. Gently patting the other person¡¯s back, he said, ¡°Sleep. I had to follow too many customs today, I¡¯m really tired.¡±


    Naturally, it was another sleepless night for Teng Yun.


    Early morning the next day, Jiang Yu and Xiu Yao were let in to attend to their respective masters. They saw the clothes scattered everywhere on the floor; even Emperor Xue¡¯s tasseled crown had rolled into the corner of the room. Added with the Empress¡¯ sleepy appearance, they automatically surmised the passionate scene that had happened last night¡­


    Since it was the princess¡¯ grand wedding, as her uncle, Teng Shang had to stay back for the celebrations in the palace during the night.  Whether in good intentions or not, many people toasted Teng Shang forcing him to drink a lot of wine.  Since he entered officialdom, he had rarely been so drunk, after all, even skills to drink had to be practiced.


    But yesterday, Teng Shang was the only person from Teng Country surrounded by Xue Country¡¯s court officials. Inevitably, he was bullied into drinking too much wine.


    When Teng Shang woke up, he was totally groggy and disoriented. The pounding in his head and the hangover made him feel nauseated. But honestly, he would rather endure the hangover compared to the nausea.


    Teng Shang sat up and blinked repeatedly trying to clear his sight. Suddenly his complexion turned ashen. He swallowed several times, attempting to relieve the dryness in his throat. His throat hurt so much and seemed to be lacerated.


    The hands placed on the bed clenched fiercely and he found the brocade quilt on the bed was stained with specs of blood and something unspeakable.


    Burying his head between the palm of his hands, Teng Shang clamped his thighs together; something trickled down from the area in his behind. His breath faltered before he let out a deep sigh.


    Teng Shang still remembered the events from the previous night. Xue Junliang¡¯s attitude towards him was not hard to understand. In a way, Teng Shang, like Teng Yun, couldn¡¯t be left alive. No matter how talented and accomplished Teng Shang was, he was a wild tiger that should not be tamed.


    Teng Shang had been favored by the previous Teng King since childhood, and for that reason, he would never think of betraying Teng Country. But now there was no place for Teng Shang in the Teng Country. Luckily at a time like this, he met Xue Houyang¡­


    People often said that Teng Shang and Teng Yun were very much alike in character. They were both benevolent and resolute, but Teng Shang knew that it was all not true. Teng Shang was an abandoned orphan. After many years occupying an official post he thought he didn¡¯t deserve, Teng Shang¡¯s benevolence had long been trampled out and now he was only a shameful liar and a hypocrite.


    When Teng Yun left for the battlefields, as a Great General, he was forced to curb violence with equal violence despite his lifelong wish of never killing people.


    But Teng Shang was different. Teng Shang¡¯s only lifelong wish was a strong country. In order to make the Teng Country powerful and honoring his ancestors, Teng Shang felt he¡¯d become a despicable person.


    Meeting Xue Houyang was an unforeseen turn of events. When he noticed how Xue Houyang looked at him, Teng Shang immediately knew that when he entered Xue¡¯s capital city, he might not necessarily be dead after all.


    They¡¯d all drunk too much wine last night. Intentionally or unintentionally Xue Houyang had actually blocked a few cups coming Teng Shang¡¯s way and drank them in his stead. Marquis Wannian reasoned that Teng Shang had saved his life but everybody knew that wasn¡¯t the truth.


    Xue Houyang was undoubtedly a great man. Unfortunately, he had to meet Teng Shang.


    Teng Shang stood and put on his clothes to cover the ambiguous traces all over his body. Something trickled down the back of his thighs, yet he ignored it. After he finished dressing, he opened the door and went out of the palace.


    Xue Houyang looked a bit dishevelled. It was time for the morning court and he was already late when he entered the Palace. He had to change clothes inside the Palace then hurriedly entered the court hall.


    He wasn¡¯t drunk at all last night. He just went crazy with desire and under the cover of being intoxicated, strongly hugged that person and dragged the intoxicated man to bed.


    Xue Houyang wiped his face with his palm, feeling ashamed by his own action last night. He felt so ashamed that as soon as he woke up in the morning, he knew he didn¡¯t have any face left to look at Teng Shang. So he ran away as if his life depended on it.


    Throughout the entire morning court assembly, Xue Houyang was distracted, looking as if his soul had left his body. Xue Junliang obviously took notice and asked him to stay back.


    As they strolled in the garden, Xue Junliang said, ¡°What kind of matter could make our Great General so troubled?¡±


    Xue Houyang scratched his head in embarrassment and said, ¡°Your Majesty actually noticed¡­ I¡­¡±


    Seeing Xue Houyang¡¯s reaction, Xue Junliang laughed while patting the other person¡¯s shoulder, making Xue Houyang confused.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Houyang, I don¡¯t know what or who it was that made you like this. But you know, since you came back to the capital city, you had never used this kind of tone when talking to your brother¡­ I really seemed to have seen the second brother when he was a child.¡±


    Xue Houyang stilled, then the corner of his mouth pulled into a smile and said, ¡°No matter what this brother becomes, Chen di will never be estranged from Your Majesty.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded. ¡°I believe you, naturally I believe you¡­ Okay, now let¡¯s talk about you. Right this moment, I¡¯m only your brother. If my second brother has anything that is troubling him, then he can tell me. Whatever it is that¡¯s been troubling you, just tell me. Even if it can¡¯t be solved, I can lend you my ears.¡±


    Xue Houyang¡¯s face turned feverish red. Coughing once to clear his throat, he then said, ¡°I¡­ I accidentally did something to someone that I am sorry for. I want to apologize but I¡¯m afraid that person wouldn¡¯t even want to see me¡­ Ah, maybe apologizing won¡¯t do any good anyway. What can I do?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Xue Junliang seemed to be thinking deeply, then he added, ¡°I think maybe this other person is my second brother¡¯s beloved, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Bi.. big brother?! How can you say such¡­¡± Unable to finish his sentence, Xue Houyang fell silent and sighed deeply.


    Xue Junliang patted Xue Houyang¡¯s shoulder again and said, ¡°My second younger brother has talent, courage and good looks. Who dares to not like you? I¡¯ve decided, I¡¯ll bestow you with a marriage. No matter who this person is and what status they have, you can get married to them immediately.¡±

 CH 16

    Xue Houyang¡¯s head snapped up to stare at Xue Junliang; his expression grave. Suddenly he dropped down to the ground on both his knees.


    Xue Junliang noticed Xue Houyang¡¯s change in facial expressions ¨C an almost battle-ready look, but still, he amiably asked, ¡°Houyang, what is it? Why are you suddenly so courteous and giving me such a big salute?¡±


    Xue Houyang lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, ¡°His Majesty doesn¡¯t know who that person is. If he did, he would surely condemn this Chen di of sin.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Xue Junliang smiled and tried to pull Xue Houyang to stand. ¡°How about you tell me first, then I¡¯ll decide whether it is so serious or not?¡±


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t get up but just hung his head down. Just now, when he heard Emperor Xue¡¯s willingness to bestow him a marriage, his heart soared in joy, with a burst of excitement. If he and Teng Shang were to marry, Teng Shang would not have to die. But Xue Houyang wasn¡¯t sure if Teng Shang would accept him willingly.


    After all, which man would be willing to marry another man? Although it was common for royalties and noblemen to have secret male lovers, there never was a male wife because it was still considered a big taboo and shameful. Moreover, the other person was a minister from Teng Country, a younger brother of Teng King.


    Moreover, if Xue Junliang came to know that it was Teng Shang they¡¯d been talking about, he would probably retract his words.


    Xue Houyang knew it was impossible, but couldn¡¯t help but hold on to a glimmer of hope. Finally, he said, ¡°Houyang doesn¡¯t dare to get up¡­ Chen di doesn¡¯t deserve to ask anything from Your Majesty. Also, Chen di doesn¡¯t think that person would return my feelings.¡±


    Xue Junliang¡¯s smile was still good-natured and amiable. ¡°Which family¡¯s young lady is it? Is Xue Junliang¡¯s younger brother afraid of not being worthy of her?¡±


    ¡°Not a young lady¡­¡± Xue Houyang finally gritted his teeth and determinedly said, ¡°It¡¯s Teng Shang.¡±


    ¡°Teng Shang¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t have any great reaction, he just repeated the name lightly.


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t hear him speak for quite a while, he kowtowed and said, ¡°Chen di deserves a death sentence! Your Majesty, please punish me!¡±


    ¡°What death sentence?¡± Xue Junliang reached out to pull the other person to stand. ¡°Though you went to the battlefields for many years, I can still understand what kind of person you are. Seeing you braving yourself to say this to me, I can realize your feelings for that person must be real and very deep¡­¡±


    Xue Houyang trembled, never could he have thought that Emperor Xue wouldn¡¯t punish him. Yet he didn¡¯t dare to look up.


    Then Xue Junliang continued by saying, ¡°And how does Teng Shang feel? Does he return your feelings or are they unrequited?¡­¡­ By the way, didn¡¯t I hear my brother say that he did something wrong to that person¡­¡­.. ¡± Xue Junliang laughed teasingly, still joking.


    Embarrassment was written all over Xue Houyang¡¯s face. Scratching his head again, he said, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ Your Majesty, Let¡¯s not talk about it anymore.¡±


    ¡°Rba ajixlcu jybea la jcswbgf? Ktja¡¯r j rtjwf, yfmjerf P kjcafv ab rjs atja lo Kfcu Vtjcu kjr kliilcu, P¡¯v lwwfvljafis rfcv rbwfbcf ab Blcu Kfcu, lcobgwlcu tlw bo Kfcu Vtjcu¡¯r yfagbatji.¡±


    ¡°Efjiis?!¡± Wef Lbesjcu ibbxfv eq klat tlr fsfr klvfcfv.


    Wef Aeciljcu¡¯r tfjga kjgwfv. Mbg rb wjcs sfjgr, tf¡¯v gjgfis rffc tlr sbecufg ygbatfg rtbklcu jcs fwbalbcr. Ktlr Lbesjcu abvjs kjr abajiis vloofgfca ogbw atf Olaaif Lbesjcu ktb kjr ralii j ybs klat j nlbifca afwqfg, ibcu jub. Kfcu Vtjcu gfjiis vlv tjnf delaf atf jylilas. Lf mbeiv fnfc mtjcuf Zjgdelr Qjccljc¡¯r lcoifzlyif mtjgjmafg.


    Xue Junliang let out a sigh, then smiled. ¡°Every word carries weight, what¡¯s more from a monarch¡­ But I have to say in advance, whether Teng Shang agrees or not, it all depends on yourself.¡±


    Xue Houyang knelt once more and kowtowed. ¡°Thanking the Emperor for his grace.¡±


    ¡°Go, then. Ask for Teng Shang¡¯s agreement. When you¡¯ve solved this matter, I¡¯ll personally administer your wedding.¡±


    ¡ª


    Teng Shang hadn¡¯t even left the Palace when he was stopped by a palace maid. This maid was Teng Qianyi¡¯s personal servant, Jiao Shui.


    Jiao Shui said, ¡°Your Excellency, please wait. The Princess invites Your Excellency to meet her, she said she has something to discuss.¡±


    Teng Shang was feeling unwell and wanted to quickly get out of the Palace. Moreover, his relationship with Teng Qianyi was not that close, he didn¡¯t think there was anything they could be discussing, so he said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not appropriate¡­ The Princess is already married and is now a Xue Country¡¯s Imperial Consort. Teng Shang is only a foreign country¡¯s minister, if I go to Her Ladyship¡¯s residence, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll attract people¡¯s criticism.¡±


    Jiao Shui smiled. ¡°Your Excellency need not worry too much. The Princess has something urgent to discuss in person. This matter, the Princess has already anticipated and specially invited Your Excellency to come to the side garden.¡±


    Jiao Shui¡¯s argument left no place for Teng Shang to refuse, so he could only endure his slight discomfort and follow Jiao Shui.


    The side flower garden was about half the size of the main garden, but it had a small bridge over the flowing stream, the pavilion wasn¡¯t so magnificent yet still had its own uniqueness. Many concubines of the Imperial Harem often came here for a walk.


    Teng Qianyi sat inside a small pavilion across the stream. When she saw Teng Shang, she immediately stood. She seemed pale and dispirited, as if she¡¯d been crying. She said, ¡°Imperial Uncle, you came.¡±


    Teng Shang stopped at the pavilion¡¯s stone step and said, ¡°Your Ladyship has summoned this subject, what seems to be the matter?¡±


    When she saw Teng Shang didn¡¯t come in, Teng Qianyi simply sat back on her chair. Rubbing her eyes, she sobbed. ¡°Qianyi has travelled over a thousand miles to marry into Xue Country. As a stranger in a strange land, Qianyi can only ask Imperial Uncle to listen and let me pour my heart out¡­ Imperial Uncle might not have heard yet, but last night¡­ Last night, Emperor Xue didn¡¯t stay at Qianyi¡¯s residence. He never once set foot inside my palace¡¯s gate.¡±


    She cried to the point of choking. ¡°Qianyi doesn¡¯t dare think too highly of my own status, but Emperor Xue¡¯s treatment of me is too cruel.¡±


    Teng Shang simply hung his head low. A cold breeze blew by as if trying to bite into his bones. From some unspeakable place in his behind, some equally unspeakable liquid trickled down, slowly running down his thighs. Added with Teng Qianyi¡¯s interminable wailing, Teng Shang¡¯s head started to throb.


    ¡ª


    The new consort had only just entered the Palace gate, naturally her every move was watched. The second she expressed her intention to summon Teng Shang; the immediate next second, Teng Yun caught the news.


    Teng Yun listened as Xiu Yao reported that Teng Shang was now in the side garden. Teng Yun¡¯s first thought was that he wanted to see Teng Shang, but then he thought it was improper. Teng Shang didn¡¯t know about Teng Yun¡¯s current identity and appearance. If suddenly they were to meet face to face, Teng Yun was sure it would be awkward.


    Teng Qianyi was also there, so it would be difficult to talk openly.


    Teng Yun paced around in his room, completing two full laps of the room, before deciding he¡¯d just go and see Teng Shang. Teng Yun hadn¡¯t seen his Imperial Uncle for so many years, so he really wanted to see him.


    Xiu Yao was happy to follow Teng Yun. She was very happy that the new consort was meeting a foreign country¡¯s minister in the flower garden. Being able to catch other consort¡¯s flaws and faults, she was more than happy.


    Xiu Yao deliberately arranged many palace maids to follow her mistress out, after all this was no ordinary occasion. The mistress who ruled the Imperial Harem should never be compared to a mere consort from a foreign country!


    It seemed like Xiu Yao had forgotten that her own mistress was also a foreigner¡­


    A group of people entering the side garden was easily seen from the small pavilion a little distance from the entrance. Jiao Shui was the first to see them. She immediately warned, ¡°Princess, not good. Someone is coming.¡±


    Teng Yun, like any other man, didn¡¯t like dressing up excessively. But Xiu Yao had taken charge of freshening and dressing him up according to the rules, so even when he wore plain clothes, people could still easily see his status as the Empress.


    Teng Qianyi started to panic, but Jiao Shui said, ¡°Princess, don¡¯t worry. This is the first day since you¡¯re married, it¡¯s natural that you want to meet your family member.¡±


    Teng Qianyi felt that Jiao Shui was right. She stood, straightened her dress then bowed. ¡°Qianyi pays respect to Your Majesty the Empress.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s eyes never once went to her; he just raised a hand, motioning for her to get up.


    Teng Shang had lost a lot of weight. When Teng Yun first departed for battle, Teng Shang had still looked very young, but now he looked a lot older. Teng Shang had changed so much, as if he¡¯d had many things weighing on his mind.


    Teng Shang bowed and said, ¡°This subject from Teng Country greets Your Majesty, the Empress.¡±


    Seeing Teng Shang bowing and saluting with his hands, Teng Yun¡¯s heart was bitter and sad. They might as well be strangers now.


    Teng Yun had always considered Teng Shang as his closest relative, the one who¡¯d personally taught him literature and military knowledge.


    When Teng Yun¡¯s life ended in Xue Junliang¡¯s hands, he¡¯d already been away from his hometown for ten years. His corpse remained in Xue Country, and now he somehow ended up inside a woman¡¯s body. There were so many things he wished to tell Teng Shang. Now, Teng Shang was right in front of him, yet he couldn¡¯t tell anything.


    Teng Yun had always been invincible. He always thought he was strong enough that nobody could beat him even if his blood was spilt and his head was severed. However, now he understood that people could not be without feelings. Teng Yun himself was vulnerable in front of his family.


    Enduring the bitterness in the corners of his eyes, Teng Yun said coldly, ¡°No need to be so courteous.¡±


    Teng Shang had been very respectful since the beginning, hence he hadn¡¯t yet looked up. But when it was finally appropriate for him to look up, he couldn¡¯t help thinking this stranger¡¯s gaze was very familiar. But Teng Yun and this Empress were two totally different persons.


    Teng Shang lowered his hands. When he straightened up, his head was spinning and his stance unsteady, as if a harsh wind was blowing through his ears.


    Just as Teng Qianyi cried in alarm, Teng Shang fell to the ground.


    Teng Yun was shocked and stepped forward to help Teng Shang, but his hand that had just stretched out, immediately retracted. It¡¯d be better if he didn¡¯t help Teng Shang; if he helped, he might invite more trouble.


    Right at this time, Xue Houyang suddenly rushed out and grabbed Teng Shang off the ground. Holding Teng Shang tightly in his embrace, Xue Houyang felt Teng Shang¡¯s forehead.


    Teng Yun was confused by Xue Houyang¡¯s perturbed expression, but he(Teng Yun) quickly came to his senses. ¡°Xiu Yao, call for the royal physician.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xiu Yao was somewhat unwilling to go, she wanted to stay and enjoy watching a bustling scene, but she also thought that her mistress calling for the royal physician was a good move. This way people could see that her mistress was treating the new consort¡¯s family with kindness.


    But then Xue Houyang had already lifted Teng Shang in his arms and said, ¡°No need for the trouble. This brother-in-law will come back another day to properly pay respect to the Imperial Sister-in-law. Please, excuse me.¡± After he finished speaking, he rushed away; taking Teng Shang with him.


    ¡ª


    The news that the new consort had complained to another person, about the Emperor not staying on her wedding night, soon travelled to Xue Junliang¡¯s ears.


    Xue Junliang was the kind of person who would always exchange a good deed with rewards. This matter should be taken care of accordingly.


    Sure enough, today Xue Junliang picked Teng Qianyi¡¯s nameplate.


    Teng Qianyi was excited, and at the same time was afraid Emperor Xue would tell her off for complaining to someone, so she thought of a way to divert Xue Junliang¡¯s attention.


    Pouring a cup of wine for Xue Junliang to loosen him up, she casually said, ¡°Today, Chen Qie met the Empress in the side garden. Your Majesty¡­ Does the Empress and my Imperial Uncle know each other?¡±


    Xue Junliang, of course, knew that Teng Qianyi was up to something. Gently fiddling with her hair, he smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t think they know each other.¡±


    Nestling against Xue Junliang¡¯s embrace, she brightly said, ¡°Aiya, then it¡¯s weird, Chen Qie almost thought they were old acquaintances.¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed and pushed the other person away saying, ¡°Seems like Aifei doesn¡¯t know. A gossiping wife is what bores me the most.¡±


    Then he raised his voice saying, ¡°Jiang Yu, send Her Ladyship back to her residence.¡±

 CH 17

    When Teng Shang regained consciousness, he heard someone laughing outside the door and saying,  ¡°Lord Marquis, why don¡¯t you go in? What are you pacing at the door for?¡±


    Xue Houyang¡¯s voice was heard replying, ¡°I¡¯ve not returned in the Capital for a while, you think you can poke fun at your master?¡±


    The first voice was still laughing, ¡°This slave doesn¡¯t dare! This slave is just tired of watching Master act so nervous. This is Master¡¯s residence, your own territory. Why pace outside? If you want to see him, just go in already.¡±


    Having his thoughts seen through, Xue Houyang was a bit embarrassed. Finally he forced his feet through the door.


    Bypassing the separating screen, his gaze immediately collided with Teng Shang¡¯s.


    Xue Houyang was even more embarrassed. Scratching his nose, he coughed once to clear his throat before saying, ¡°Minister Shang has woken up?¡±


    Teng Shang didn¡¯t say anything for a moment. His throat felt raw and painful. He opened his mouth to say something but no sound came out.


    Xue Houyang was being a scatter-brain and looking elsewhere, so of course he didn¡¯t notice. He thought that Teng Shang said nothing because he didn¡¯t want to pay attention to himself. The servant girl who had come in behind Xue Houyang noticed and quickly poured tea into a cup which she then placed into Xue Houyang¡¯s hand. Then she went out the door giggling.


    Being laughed at, Xue Houyang felt even more embarrassed and his face was bright red. He steeled himself to go over to the bed, gently lifted Teng Shang up and made him lean against himself and handed him the cup.


    Teng Shang didn¡¯t have any strength to hold the offered cup. His hand shook and trembled, spilling the water. Luckily, Xue Houyang had quick reflex; when he caught the cup, it was still more than half-full.


    Xue Houyang quickly got up and wiped the spilled tea. He was about to reach out and wipe Teng Shang¡¯s clothes before he retracted his hands; afraid the other person would not want him to touch him after what had happened the previous night. would misunderstand that he wanted to take advantage, after what he did last night.


    At this reaction, Teng Shang suddenly laughed.


    Wef Lbesjcu kjr rajgaifv jcv tlr ujhf rtbkfv tlr lcojaejalbc, yfobgf tf abbx yjmx tlr ujhf. Lf tfiv atf meq ab Kfcu Vtjcu¡¯r ilqr agslcu ab jnblv abemtlcu Kfcu Vtjcu jcsktfgf firf.


    Kfcu Vtjcu vgjcx atf afj ugjafoeiis, atfc rjlv, ¡°Ktjcx sbe.¡±


    Wef Lbesjcu qea vbkc atf fwqas meq bc atf ajyif jcv atfc rja vbkc j ilaaif vlrajcmf jkjs ogbw Kfcu Vtjcu. Lf tfrlajafv jcv raewyifv klat tlr kbgvr obg j ktlif yfobgf olcjiis rjslcu, ¡°Qtja jgf Zlclrafg Vtjcu¡¯r qijcr tfgfjoafg?¡±


    Teng Shang lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. He said, ¡°Marquis might as well just say what he wants to say.¡±


    ¡°Minister Shang was kind to Houyang, Houyang never intended to humiliate Minister Shang¡­¡­¡­..¡±


    Xue Houyang said cautiously, ¡°Minister Shang must also have understood the situation. With the way King Teng treats you, there is no way you can go back to Teng Country¡­.. Yesterday, when I went to the Palace, His Majesty had promised me he¡¯d spare your life, it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°Just what? Nothing in this world is worse than having your own family doubting you. This Teng person has prepared for the worst already. Lord Marquis mustn¡¯t hesitate to tell me.¡±


    Xue Houyang said, ¡°It¡¯s just that you¡­ to have marry into the Marquis family willingly.¡±


    Teng Shang immediately opened his eyes and turned his head sideways to look at Xue Houyang, but the latter was facing away from him, as if avoiding his eyes. Then Teng Shang laughed lightly before saying in a low voice, ¡°Teng Shang is willing. Thank you, Lord Marquis, for your kindness¡­¡±


    ¡ª


    The new consort hadn¡¯t even climbed into the dragon bed before she was thrown out of Emperor Xue¡¯s residence. This news became the source of great amusement among the residents of the Imperial Harem and many concubines were happy to hear the news.


    Since Xue Junliang ascended the throne, he had only ever favored Defei. She was young, beautiful and also well-educated. Furthermore, Defei was also backed up by her older brother, the Great General Zuo. On the contrary, Teng Qianyi was only a foreigner, who was just a pampered princess¡­


    At the moment, Xiu Yao was doing Teng Yun¡¯s hair, smiling happily. ¡°Your Majesty, you¡¯re so lucky. His Majesty has picked your nameplate three days in a row.¡±


    Teng Yun felt somewhat powerless and couldn¡¯t say anything. The same concubine being called to serve the Emperor in bed was naturally a very lucky thing. But for Teng Yun, this was especially like hell.


    Xue Junliang enjoyed teasing Teng Yun, even promising that he wouldn¡¯t touch and force Teng Yun to do anything Teng Yun was unwilling to do. But in Teng Yun¡¯s mind, Xue Junliang was still the Xue Junliang he hated. Sleeping on the same bed and same pillow, not killing the man was good enough, so how could he sleep.


    Teng Yun hadn¡¯t slept properly in three days and it had started to show in his pale sickly face.  So Xue Junliang had summoned the Imperial Physician to examine Teng Yun for illness and reminded Teng Yun to recuperate well before leaving to attend the morning court.


    The Imperial Physician felt Teng Yun¡¯s pulse but couldn¡¯t find anything wrong. He only said that the Empress¡¯ body was fragile but it was nothing a good bed-rest could not cure. When the physician left, Teng Yun immediately led Xiu Yao and hurried back to Yunfeng Palace, fearing Xue Junliang would soon come back from the morning court and wouldn¡¯t let Teng Yun go back.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t see the Empress when he came back to his residence and knew this Empress was avoiding him, not because of fear¡­ but because of dislike or disdain towards him.


    This made Xue Junliang, an Emperor, feel unbearable, as if he didn¡¯t want to let that person go. Therefore, Xue Junliang always deliberately teased the Empress. Looking at her expression of forbearance and as if she was contemplating attacking him, Xue Junliang¡¯s heart was somehow happy.


    Watching Xue Junliang smiling strangely, Jiang Yu came up with a thought. He said, ¡°Emperor, please forgive this old servant for speaking out of turn¡­. The Emperor only has one heir, the Crown Prince. The Empress is gentle and proper, so maybe it¡¯s time to let the Imperial  physician make her a new prescription?¡±


    Xue Junliang was silent for a moment before smiling. ¡°You think I should have another heir, and that heir will come from the Empress?¡±


    ¡°This old servant doesn¡¯t intend to be presumptuous.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°In that case, even you think the Empress is suitable.¡±


    This time, Jiang Yu did not speak anymore and Xue Junliang didn¡¯t ask more questions. But Jiang Yu was wrong at one point; even if the Imperial physician made her a prescription, the Empress would never become pregnant with an heir, not because of Xue Junliang¡¯s lack of effort, but because Teng Yun simply ignored Xue Junliang.


    Other people¡¯s harem might have many wives and many sons, but Xue Junliang was different. All the consorts who spent the night with him were given a prescription by the Imperial  physician to prevent them becoming pregnant with a son. That was also the reason that though Defei was favored for so many years, she hadn¡¯t had a single child.


    Xue Junliang had his reason. That was because the fight for the throne was fierce and cruel, and he didn¡¯t want to subject his children to that. He had experienced it himself, naturally he knew the fight was full of treachery and tricks. Of course, he, too, had done many treacherous things.


    Xue Junliang reviewed the official documents for a while before suddenly looking up and said, ¡°If this time the Empress comes back here this time, I¡¯ll consider giving her a child.¡±


    Jiang Yu wasn¡¯t sure what he meant. Xue Junliang threw the rolled parchment in his hand to him and said, ¡°This was sent by the ambassador from Feng Country. It is written here that King Feng misses his sister and hopes that the Empress could return to her hometown and visit her relatives.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Jiang Yu was at a loss of words.


    Xue Junliang waved a hand while the other hand supported his head. ¡°Send Marquis Wannian a  summoning placate.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡ª


    For the past few days, Xue Houyang had been taking care of Teng Shang. Teng Shang was supposed to live at a different residence, but because of his health he had stayed back at the Marquis¡¯ Residence. The people in the Marquis¡¯ Residence all treated Teng Shang kindly without discriminating against his identity.


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t always come to see Teng Shang, but he had ordered his servants to take good care of Teng Shang in his stead. Xue Houyang was afraid the other person would hate him if he showed up. After all, they were both men. Teng Shang had his own dignity to maintain. Xue Houyang gazed at Teng Shang from afar. Teng Shang was currently absorbed in a book in the pavilion. A servant girl came up from behind him giggling. ¡°Lord Marquis, why are you acting so sneaky?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Xue Houyang stroked his temple and said, ¡°Lower your voice. You¡¯ve been behaving more and more insolent.¡±


    ¡°Lord Marquis, don¡¯t lecture this slave servant and also don¡¯t always stare at Lord Teng. The Emperor sent you a summoning placate!¡±


    ¡°Then I should quickly enter the Palace. Go and prepare my horse.¡±

 CH 18

    Feng Ming hadn¡¯t attended the Imperial court for almost a year, it was inevitable that when he finally attended today, many officials burst into tears.


    Today, it also happened that Zhao Lu had pleaded sickness and had taken a leave of absence from the morning court. Minister Zuo, followed by most of the court officials, took the opportunity to file an open complaint against Marquis Zhulu.


    When Feng Ming returned to his residence, Rui Xue was waiting outside. She cautiously said, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ Master is here. He is inside.¡±


    Feng Ming paused for a moment before stepping inside the hall.


    Marquis Zhulu was standing with his hands behind his back; seemingly appreciating the intricate ornaments. His posture was straight as if nothing was wrong with him. No matter how closely one looked at him, it was quite evident that he wasn¡¯t sick at all.


    Zhao Lu turned around and said with a smile, ¡°Your Majesty, you have returned from the court.¡±


    Feng Ming didn¡¯t meet his eyes, just moved his gaze around and gave a non-committal response.


    Zhao Lu strode closer and grabbed Feng Ming and held him. Feng Ming wasn¡¯t small; his black official attire emphasized his tall and robust figure. But standing next to Zhao Lu, Feng Ming looked a lot thinner.


    Zhao Lu pinched Feng Ming¡¯s chin and lifted his head. The jade tassels of the crown felt cold against his forehead, but Feng Ming stubbornly refused to look at Zhao Lu; his eyes looking away nervously, flustered.


    ¡°What?¡± Zhao Lu smiled. ¡°Your Majesty has been getting closer to Minister Zuo these few days, and now you don¡¯t even want to look at this humble servant anymore?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ It isn¡¯t?¡± Zhao Lu gently caressed Feng Ming¡¯s lips and said, ¡°Is Your Majesty so tired of looking at this lowly subject, that this lowly subject wasn¡¯t even informed that His Majesty sent a messenger to Xue requesting the Grand Princess to come visit home.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Feng Ming opened his lips as if about to answer, only to close them without saying anything.


    His silence seemed to infuriate Marquis Zhulu. He grabbed  Feng Ming¡¯s wrist and dragged him to the inner room and threw him on the bed.


    Rui Xue protested, looking anxiously, ¡°Lord Marquis! Lord, You¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zhao Lu snapped at her and in a bout of anger swept the inkstone on the table off to the floor. He shouted, ¡°Get out! You are not allowed to talk here!¡±


    Rui Xue sighed and reluctantly went out.


    Itjb Oe qgfrrfv Mfcu Zlcu bc atf yfv jcv rcffgfv, ¡°Qtfc sbe kfgf rlmx atfrf vjsr, P algfifrris abbx mjgf bo sbe. Ljnfc¡¯a P yffc ubbv ab sbe? Rbk sbe kjca ab jaajmx Wef Jbecags, jcv sbe vlvc¡¯a fnfc ajix ab wf jybea la, lcrafjv xfqa wf lc atf vjgx. Gb P rffw ilxf jc jwerlcu ujwf ab sbe?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lie to you.¡±


    Feng Ming was lying on his back, his  crown had fallen off and his hair scattered messily on the quilt. Reaching out a hand, Feng Ming gently touched Zhao Lu¡¯s left chest saying, ¡°Ask yourself honestly, how have I treated you in all these years. Hadn¡¯t it been for all the court officials filing a complaint against you, I simply would not care¡­ This Feng Country¡¯s foundation has been built for hundreds of years, I won¡¯t let it fall into ruins in my own hands!¡±


    Zhao Lu laughed out loud and said, ¡°So now you¡¯re blaming me?¡±


    Feng Ming said lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t believe that you can¡¯t see it. All I¡¯ve been doing is to protect you and defend you. If I don¡¯t send troops to Xue Country this time, do you think you could withstand many court officials trying to impeach you?¡±


    ¡°Then I ask you, what do you mean by sending a messenger, requesting the Grand Princess to come back?¡± Zhao Lu clasped Feng Ming¡¯s hand on his chest, not allowing Feng Ming to touch him, then he added, ¡°Are you planning to intercept and assassinate the Grand Princess on her way here, and then put the blame on Xue Junliang, creating an excuse to send troops?¡±


    There was no change in Feng Ming¡¯s expression, as if the Grand Princess wasn¡¯t his own sister, ¡°If you already knew, why do you need to ask me?¡±


    ¡°Why do I need to ask you?¡± Zhao Lu narrowed his eyes and laughed, ¡°She is your own sister. You and her are siblings, born from the same mother!¡±


    Feng Ming didn¡¯t know what had agitated Zhao Lu so much; Zhao Lu was an orphan with no other relatives. For Zhao Lu, having a family was something to be cherished. But Feng Ming was a ruthless and cruel person by nature; all his life he only cherished one other person, and sacrificing his own sister was not a big matter at all for him. Feng Ming¡¯s indifference towards his own sister, stabbed the thorn buried deep in Zhao Lu¡¯s wounded heart.


    Feng Ming eyes flashed, watching as Marquis Zhulu¡¯s agitation shone through all over his face. Inevitably, Feng Ming concluded Marquis Zhulu was harboring an affection towards the Grand Princess. This realization left his heart feeling exhausted. Closing his eyes with his hands, he said coldly, ¡°Lord Marquis need not say anymore. This Seat has already sent a messenger to the Xue Country. Isn¡¯t it too late to talk about it now again?¡±


    Zhao Lu was taken aback. Although Feng Ming was the ruling monarch, he had always been compliant towards Zhao Lu and never disobeyed. Zhao Lu had never expected that someday Feng Ming would turn against him and be disobedient. Without saying another word, Zhao Lu turned and strode out of Feng Ming¡¯s bedchambers.


    Rui Xue, who¡¯d been standing outside waiting anxiously, immediately greeted Zhao Lu when she saw him coming out, ¡°Master¡­ how was it?¡±


    Zhao Lu did not say anything; his expression was extremely cold. After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°You return back to the house with me, I have a task for you to do.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Xiu Yao hurriedly rushed into Yunfeng Palace saying, ¡°Your Majesty, this is bad!¡±


    Teng Yun had sent her out to inquire news about Teng Shang. When she came back saying things like ¡®this is bad¡¯, immediately Teng Yun thought Xue Junliang had executed Teng Shang.


    Xiu Yao added, ¡°This slave servant heard about something else when enquiring about news.¡±


    Realizing Xiu Yao wasn¡¯t talking about Teng Shang being executed, Teng Yun¡¯s heart settled back in his chest. He said, ¡°First, tell me about Teng Shang.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Teng Shang¡¯s news is very interesting,¡± said Xiu Yao, ¡°His Majesty has personally promised a marriage for Marquis Wannian and Teng Shang.¡±


    ¡°What? Marriage¡­ with who?¡±


    ¡°Marquis Wannian with Teng Shang. Your Majesty, don¡¯t you also think this is funny? An officially-married male wife.¡±


    Teng Yun was shocked into complete silence, even his mind blanked for a moment. Then he said, ¡°Then what did Teng Shang do? He agreed for this marriage?¡±


    ¡°Of course, he agreed,¡± Xiu Yao said, ¡°Wasn¡¯t that obvious? Between marrying Marquis Wannian or being killed, who in the right mind would choose to be killed? But Your Majesty, before all that, you should worry about yourself!.¡±


    Teng Yun grasped the edge of the table as he lowered himself down onto a chair. He, of course, understood Teng Shang¡¯s character. Teng Shang was very proud; it was impossible that he¡¯d condescended  so low as to agree to marry another man. A man who was also his enemy.


    ¡°Empress, on the way here, this slave servant also accidentally heard that the Feng King requested you come to visit your hometown and pay a visit to your relatives, but I didn¡¯t get when you¡¯ll have to go. How is it a good thing? Since when a married Empress was allowed to go visit her hometown?¡±


    It was a widely known fact that the relationship between Xue and Feng Countries had always been tense, especially now that Teng King had offered his daughter for a marriage alliance with Emperor Xue. King Feng must certainly have felt displeased. Hence King Feng, requesting the Empress to come home at this time definitely meant  a war was coming.


    Teng Yun¡¯s current identity was both ¨C Xue Country¡¯s Empress and  also Feng Country¡¯s Grand Princess. It was inevitable he¡¯d be caught in the middle.


    When Teng Yun heard the news, he was not anxious at all. He found it to be a good opportunity. As the mistress of Imperial Harem, he was restricted from going outside the Imperial Palace. However, if it was about visiting Feng Country, Teng Yun could use this opportunity  to fulfill his wish of escaping.


    Xiu Yao watched as her mistress took the news calmly as if she wasn¡¯t even surprised. Xiu Yao thought that the Empress surely was worth the title Empress, calm even in the face of danger.


    ¡ª¨C


    After Xue Junliang was done with the afternoon recital of the various official reports, he went straight to Yunfeng Palace. It was almost like a habit.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°I think Aifei had heard about the matter that King Feng has said he misses you and has requested you come to visit your family. I wonder what Aifei thinks about this?¡±


    Teng Yun without any pause, only said, ¡°I¡¯ll follow as per Your Majesty¡¯s will.¡±


    Teng Yun could tell Xue Junliang was testing him. Both the options of wanting to stay or not wanting to stay were not right in this situation. The only safest option was to not have any opinion.


    Teng Yun¡¯s ¡®obedience¡¯ matched Xue Junliang¡¯s expectations. Xue Junliang remembered Jiang Yu saying that an Emperor having only one son was not reasonable and suddenly he felt depressed. He had promised that he would never touch or force the Empress without her consent, that he would wait for her to become willing. But looking at the other person¡¯s indifference, he didn¡¯t even know what year and what month she¡¯d give her consent.


    Sitting opposite Xue Junliang, Teng Yun was not aware of Emperor Xue¡¯s intent gaze.


    Xue Junliang had already warmed up to the idea of having another son, so of course he loathed to let the Empress go back to Feng Country. Regardless of whether King Feng really missed the Eldest Princess or was just faking it for some other ill-intention.


    Xue Junliang had no intention of leaving, after all, he did have some leisure time these days.  He read over his account books before letting Xiu Yao pass on the message that he¡¯d have his dinner in Yunfeng Palace.


    ¡°By the way,  In a few days, I plan to hold a wedding ceremony for Marquis Wannian. Aifei will need to postpone the visit back to her hometown. After all, Houyang is still an important figure and it would not look good if so Aifei is absent from the celebration.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s hands trembled and he tentatively probed, ¡°I heard that Marquis Wannian is marrying the minister from Teng Country.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded, ¡°Yes indeed, it¡¯s Teng Shang.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­. It¡¯s just that I heard Teng Shang was an upright kind of person, perhaps it was unlikely that he would consent to ¡±marry?¡±


    Hearing this, Xue Junliang suddenly laughed, making Teng Yun confused as to why Xue Junliang was laughing. After laughing, Xue Junliang said, ¡°What Aifei said is right, but¡­. Teng Shang is also a cunning sort of person and his thoughts run deep. He has been in the officialdom for almost thirty years, he understands what it means to keep a head on his shoulder and reputation on his face. When a man doesn¡¯t even have his head, is there any use in saving face or talking about Country¡¯s ambition?


    Then he suddenly sighed and added, ¡°That said, this Seat  had to think about this multiple times. This Seat has been rather worried about Marquis Wannian¡­Mainly perhaps,  Houyang¡¯s intention is purer than Teng Shang¡¯s. No matter how this Seat sees it, Houyang gets the worst of this union as he would suffer losses and might be controlled by the other person. It¡¯s like watching him stepping into a pit and this Seat is the one, who has to fill the pit with earth.¡±


    Teng Yun asked, ¡°Then why did His Majesty agree to  this marriage?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Xue Junliang shook his head and said, ¡°Because this Seat is always worried about my younger brother. He is stubborn; won¡¯t even budge even if he is pulled by nine cows. I know he has deep feelings towards Teng Shang, and this Seat is an elder brother first, and Emperor next and hence cannot just sit at the side and do nothing.¡±


    Teng Yun listened to him thoughtfully. Even if Xue Junliang said it was for the sake of his own brother, for him to take such a step was truly not easy. Though Teng Yun was still not fully convinced whether his reasons were out of genuine concern or not.


    As he was deep in thought, Teng Yun felt something heavy on the back of his hand; Xue Junliang had already pulled the hand into his hand. Xue Junliang¡¯s hands were well defined and slender with some callouses. They were in perfect size to cover Teng Yun¡¯s hand.


    Teng Yun trembled, almost reflexively snatched his hand away, but managed to restrain himself. It was not good to disrespect Xue Junliang.


    Since Xue Junliang wanted Teng Yun to give consent voluntarily, he himself, of course, had to take some actions.


    Women always like to be treated with tenderness and affection. Xue Junliang had countless women filling his harem, so he knew very well how to please women and win their favour. But he made one miscalculation. He didn¡¯t know that this particular Empress was not a delicate and fragile woman¡­


    Xue Junliang said gently, ¡°Does Aifei feel homesick?¡±

 CH 19

    Teng Yun¡¯s hand was being held constantly, making him feel uncomfortable. From time to time, he tried to pry his hand away but Xue Junliang was completely unaware and was focused on showing his gentle and tender side to the Empress.


    When it was time for dinner, he even personally put dishes onto Teng Yun¡¯s plate. Watching the scene from the sidelines, Xiu Yao felt very happy at the Empress¡¯s good fortune. After dinner, he also sent for the Imperial physician to examine the Empress¡¯s face.


    The scabs on Teng Yun¡¯s face had started to fall off, revealing the pink and tender skin underneath, but the drying scabs were itchy and the skin around them were red and dry. Teng Yun himself wasn¡¯t bothered, but Xue Junliang observed the scabs closely and ordered the physician to prescribe an ointment.


    The Imperial physician assured repeatedly that, after all the scabs fell off, there would be no marks left on the skin. Only after hearing that, Xue Junliang allowed the physician to leave.


    Xue Junliang was helping apply the ointment on Teng Yun when he suddenly smiled and said, ¡°Aifei is so fragrant.¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t react to the other party¡¯s teasing. He just said, ¡°It¡¯s the scent of the ointment.¡±


    Xue Junliang sniffed the ointment jar and shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s Aifei who is sweet smelling, not the ointment.¡±


    Then unexpectedly, he held Teng Yun in his embrace before gently kissing his forehead.


    The kiss was warm on Teng Yun¡¯s skin. It was brief but left Teng Yun¡¯s heart beating like a drum at the sudden kiss. This gentle kiss somehow felt even more terrible than the time Xue Junliang kissed him passionately. Frowning deeply, Teng Yun leaned back to put some distance between them.


    Xue Junliang played innocent at Teng Yun¡¯s reaction and feigned a slight surprise, ¡°Am I so heavy? Did I hurt Aifei?¡±


    Of course, Teng Yun couldn¡¯t say the true reason. He only pursed his lips and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to trouble Your Majesty, I can apply the ointment myself.¡±


    This time Xue Junliang didn¡¯t protest, he gave the jar to Teng Yun then said, ¡°It¡¯s already so late, this Seat will return  back first. In a few days, let Teng Shang come to the Palace to pay you a formal visit. He¡¯s going to marry into the Xue family. As the Empress, Aifei must give him some directions  so that he does not become a laughingstock in front of others.¡±


    Xue Junliang said all that and finally left. Teng Yun suddenly felt a wave of agitation in his heart over Xue Houyang¡¯s intentions. Based on what Emperor Xue had said, was it true that Xue Houyang really had feelings towards Teng Shang?


    As far as Teng Yun knew, there had never been actual, in-person interactions between Teng Shang and Marquis Wannian, nor was there any direct confrontation on the battlefield. By the time Xue Houyang was appointed as a military general, Teng Shang had already been called back to the capital city by King Teng. A short time later, over a trivial matter, King Teng had stripped Teng Shang off his military powers and restricted him from stepping a foot outside the capital city gate, embroling Teng Shang fully in officialdom. Teng Shang and Marquis Wannian had never met each other, let alone having any private or personal relationship.


    Regarding Teng Shang agreeing to marry down into the Xue family, after thinking about it for some time, Teng Yun felt he could somewhat understand Teng Shang¡¯s decision. Teng Shang was fiercely loyal to Teng Country and certainly would not let himself die so soon.


    In fact, as long as Xue Junliang permitted, indeed it was as he said, even if Xue Houyang was invincible in battlefields, in the matter of heart and mind, he was not as cunning as Teng Shang and could definitely be influenced by Teng Shang.


    But still, no matter how Teng Yun thought about it, he still couldn¡¯t understand why Xue Junliang would let this marriage happen. Taking in an enemy was like inviting a tiger into the residence, waiting for a calamity to happen. No matter how much Xue Junliang might love his younger brother, this type of behavior did not match Xue Junliang.  Teng Yun reckoned Xue Junliang had some hidden plans that were not yet revealed.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Zjgdelr Qjccljc¡¯r kfvvlcu kjr mbcrlvfgfv j wjpbg fnfca lc Wef Jbecags, atfgfobgf atf bmmjrlbc tjv ab yf mjgglfv bea lc qgbqfg jcv bgvfgis wjccfg. Cvvfv atja Wef Qjcu kbeiv qfgrbcjiis boolmljaf atf kfvvlcu, cjaegjiis cb bcf vjgfv ab yf cfuilufca jcv rjs yjv atlcur jybea la.


    Xue Houyang and Teng Shang entered the Imperial Palace together. Teng Shang, as an ¡®insider¡¯, went to the Imperial Harem to pay a formal visit to the Empress. Xue Houyang, on the other hand, went to chat with Xue Junliang.


    Obbxlcu ja Wef Lbesjcu¡¯r mbwqijmfca jcv qgbev ojmlji fzqgfrrlbc, Wef Aeciljcu mbeivc¡¯a tfiq yea ijeut jcv rjlv, ¡°Cigfjvs rjalrolfv?! Qtfgf lr atf jwylalber Zjgdelr atja P xcbk? Gbc¡¯a ifa qfbqif atlcx atlr Zjgdelr lr atf asqf ktb lr tfcqfmxfv.¡±


    Xue Houyang laughed giddily and said, ¡°Your Majesty, please stop making fun of Chen-di.¡±


    Xue Junlaing said, ¡°Although I agreed to your marriage, you must remember that Teng Shang is not an easy man to deal with. His mind is probably much deeper than even you, a military general. Whether you can touch his heart or not, all depends on yourself. There is nothing else I can help you with.¡±


    Xue Houyang sighed and said, ¡°To tell the truth¡­ I never imagined this would ever come true.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°I can see that the two of you get along well, at least Teng Shang is not avoiding you¡­¡±


    The sentence trailed off before he coughed and cleared his throat, ¡°Houyang, let¡¯s say there is a wife that is always avoiding her own husband, what do you think the husband should do to make her not avoid him?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Xue Houyang pondered for a moment, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ Chen-di is not yet married, so¡­ still do not know much about a problem like that.¡±


    Xue Junliang waved a hand and said, ¡°Just a casual question, that¡¯s all.¡±


    As he finished, Xue Junliang felt like a thief protesting his innocence, so he wanted to say something to remedy the situation. But Xue Houyang was not paying attention. Insead, he carelessly said, ¡°Maybe there is another man in the wife¡¯s heart?¡±


    Hearing this, Xue Junliang¡¯s face dimmed in a blink of an eye. Xue Houyang couldn¡¯t help thinking he¡¯d unwittingly said something he shouldn¡¯t. Sure enough, one should not say things straightforwardly without considering their words.


    Xue Junliang pondered over this possibility and suddenly tensed. He recalled Teng Qianyi saying that the Empress and Teng Shang might be old acquaintances, and he¡¯d just now sent Teng Shang to go see the Empress.


    Xue Houyang had started to become quite anxious at the silence when he heard Xue Junliang say, ¡°Let¡¯s go to Yunfeng Palace. It¡¯s almost time for lunch, we can all have a family lunch together.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    Teng Shang had come to pay a visit to the Empress. Although he was going to marry into the family, he was still a man and couldn¡¯t be in the presence of the Empress directly. Therefore, he must be separated with a bead curtain.


    Teng Shang was led into the main hall by the Palace staff. Xiu Yao informed him that the Empress was in the tea room, so she led him there.


    The tea room was situated at the side  of the main hall. Through the door, there was a curtain. After the curtain, there was a desk with a small bookcase and the bead curtain next to it and a beauty couch.


    Teng Shang lowered his head and swung down to the ground and respectfully said, ¡°Teng Shang greets Her Majesty, the Empress.¡±


    Through the bead curtain, Teng Yun could see Teng Shang clearly. But the other person had hung his head very low, hence Teng Yun couldn¡¯t see his expression.


    Foreign ministers did not need to kowtow when having an audience with another country¡¯s royalties. They only got down on their knees before their own King, when having a marriage ceremony or before their parents. In front of Monarchs of other countries, as long as they were not affiliated, they would not bow.


    Previously, Teng Shang was a minister escorting the new consort for the marriage, so he did not kneel in front of Teng Yun. But this time, he was no longer a minister from Teng, but a soon-to-be wife of Marquis Wannian, Xue Houyang; he had to kneel.


    Teng Yun tried his best to make his tone calm as he said, ¡°Stand up. Xiu Yao, bring a seat.¡±


    Teng Shang¡¯s polite gestures never once wavered from start to the end. He thanked the Empress before taking a seat.


    Both of them happened to be the introverted type and didn¡¯t really talk much. Teng Shang didn¡¯t know that the person in front of him was Teng Yun, so naturally he had nothing to say. While Teng Yun didn¡¯t know how to start a conversation.


    Teng Shang was a man. Hence it was impossible for Teng Yun to send all the palace maids out lest he attracted suspicions. The Imperial Harem walls had many eyes and ears, he wasn¡¯t foolish enough to create trouble for himself. In front of these bystanders, Teng Yun couldn¡¯t talk openly.


    For a long time, both of them were silent and the atmosphere was awkward.


    Xiu Yao kept her gaze to the floor respectfully but couldn¡¯t help thinking that the Empress might not like this Teng Shang. It was no wonder; a male as a legitimate wife was something too shocking for the society; of course the Empress didn¡¯t like him. It would be strange and terrifyng if she did.


    Xiu Yao took the opportunity to discreetly go out to refill the tea pot. She came out of the tea room and had not yet left the main hall when she saw Xue Junliang arriving with Xue Houyang behind him.


    Xiu Yao didn¡¯t hear the servant announcing Emperor Xue¡¯s arrival, so she was very surprised. She kneeled down and was about to open her mouth to pay respect when she  was stopped by Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang looked around and did not see Teng Yun or Teng Shang in the main hall. His heart thumped uneasily as he asked, ¡°Where is the Empress?¡±


    Xiu Yao said: ¡°Her Majesty is in the tea room.¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t make a move to go  to the tea room, instead asked, ¡°Has Teng Shang come over?¡±


    ¡°Replying to Your Majesty, he has come but hasn¡¯t left yet. He is in the tea room.¡±


    Xue Junliang then turned towards the tea room, leaving Xiu Yao bewildered.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t let people announce his arrival; quietly entered the tea room. Reaching near the curtain in the entrance of the tea room, he was greeted by complete silence. When he passed through the curtain, he saw Teng Shang was sitting on the side while the Empress sat behind the bead curtain; nothing looked amiss or improper. Only then his heart calmed down.


    When Teng Shang saw Xue Junliang, there was not much reaction, he readily stood and knelt on the floor to pay respects to  Xue Junliang. Teng Shang¡¯s seemingly calm exterior made Xue Houyang a little uneasy and uncomfortable.


    Although Xue Houyang had not met Teng Shang more than once, their two countries had been caught in war for years. It was inevitable Xue Houyang had heard about Minister Shang¡¯s character quite often.


    For Teng Shang to kowtow before Xue Country¡¯s royalties, one could only imagine the amount of restraint and forbearance Teng Shang must have.


    Xue Junliang walked over; a palace maid immediately parted the bead curtain. Teng Yun also stood to greet Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang helped Teng Yun get up before addressing Teng Shang, ¡°Teng Shang doesn¡¯t need to be so courteous. Houyang, quickly help him stand.¡±


    Xue Houyang responded affirmatively and then stepped forward to help Teng Shang off the floor. Teng Shang didn¡¯t refuse his touch; his conduct was still calm; as if there was nothing out of the ordinary.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Did the Imperial physician come today?¡±


    Teng Yun listened to his nonchalant questions and answered, ¡°He did.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to apply your ointment. The Imperial physician said it needed to be applied regularly for it to show results.¡± Xue Junliang reminded him, seemingly in true concern; as if he didn¡¯t care about letting Teng Shang and Xue Houyang hear him.


    After giving Teng Yun a lengthy reminder, Xue Junliang turned to Xue Houyang, ¡°After Houyang¡¯s wedding, I need you to escort the Empress as she goes to visit Feng Country.¡±


    ¡°This subject has received the order,¡± Xue Houyang said, ¡°Chen-di  will ensure Her Majesty returns to the Palace safely.¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°Naturally, there is no one that this Seat trusts more than you, Houyang.¡±


    As he was saying, Jiang Yu entered with his head bowed and said, ¡°Your Majesty, a secret report has been sent for you.¡±


    Xue Junliang said ¡°Present it¡± and Jiang Yu respectfully presented the note to him.


    Xue Junliang took a look at the note. The piece of paper was small and the text on it was even smaller. It was reasonable to say that even if Teng Yun stood very close to Xue Junliang, he should not be able to see the text.


    But Teng Yun didn¡¯t know whether it was deliberate or not but when Xue Junliang read the note, he tilted it slightly and Teng Yun could clearly see the small letters.


    ¡ª Feng King has schemes.


    The signature, however, wasn¡¯t visible because it was covered by Xue Junliang¡¯s thumb.


    After reading the note, Xue Junliang slipped it into his wide sleeve and did not mention it again. He ordered Jiang Yu to arrange the meal in Yunfeng Palace before inviting Xue Houyang and Teng Shang to stay and have a family lunch together.

 CH 20

    On the day Teng Shang, Minister of Teng country, married Xue Houyang, the messenger sent by Xue Junliang also arrived at the Teng Country bearing the news of Teng Shang¡¯s betrothal. But it was simply an ¡°act first ask permission later¡± kind of situation.


    At first, King Teng thought Xue Junliang¡¯s messenger came to bring Teng Yun¡¯s ashes, because he knew Teng Shang might have been already executed and would not be able to return back. But even in his wildest dreams, King Teng would never have expected that Xue Country¡¯s messenger had come to offer congratulations on the happy nuptials.


    It wasn¡¯t only King Teng; all the court officials present were shocked too. If Teng Shang was marrying a Xue Country¡¯s Princess, then it would be understandable. But currently, in Xue Country there are no princesses nor grand princesses that their minister Shang could have married.


    Teng Shang was actually the one to be the wife?


    The messenger offered congratulations on Teng Shang¡¯s betrothal, but in fact, it was more like a warning. Teng Wang didn¡¯t dare to kill the messenger in his fit of rage. After all, Teng was a country in name only.


    Moreover, Teng Wang had a daughter clutched in Xue Junliang¡¯s hands; officially she was now an Imperial concubine, but King Teng knew she was just a hostage.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Xue Houyang drowned himself in alcohol. He had drunk a lot of wine and was hesitating to go back to his room. Some of the court officials thought Xue Houyang didn¡¯t want to see his new wife, which was understandable given the new wife was a man. But some of them actually thought Xue Houyang was lucky. This marriage was made to happen as a proof of Xue Houyang¡¯s authority.


    Based on these two reasons, waves of people approached Xue Houyang, and kept offering  him toasts.


    In the end, Xue Houyang was coaxed back to his room.


    When they opened the door, they saw Teng Shang sitting on a chair next to the bed, wearing a groom¡¯s wedding attire. They had thought Teng Shang would wear a bridal veil, but by the way Teng Shang looked, people who didn¡¯t know the actual story would think Teng Shang was the groom instead; a very handsome groom at that.


    Everyone laughed and teased merrily but no one dared staying there too long. This part of a wedding was the awkward part. People had no idea how the wedding night would proceed from here, but they thought better to not get involved. Eventually, they all went out and closed the door behind them.


    Xue Houyang staggered his way to the bed, then stood with a hand leaning on it. Touching one of the dates scattered on the bed, he sobered a little. He turned his head, his eyes searching for Teng Shang¡¯s figure.


    As soon as he laid his gaze on Teng Shang, he took it back as if it burnt him, holding the edge of the bed to stabilize his swaying feet.


    Xue Houyang coughed to clear his throat, then said, ¡°It¡¯s already late. Minister Shang, you should rest. I¡­ I¡¯ll sleep in the guest room tonight.¡±


    He turned to go but before he opened the door, he was stopped by Teng Shang who said , ¡°I know Marquis has good intentions but he is too naive and doesn¡¯t consider the implication of his actions and what the others would think.  They¡¯ll think it¡¯s inappropriate.¡±


    Xue Houyang paused. The wine he had drunk was still coursing strongly in his body and his reactions were sluggish. Nodding his head, he said, ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ I didn¡¯t think about that. Then I¡¯ll sleep on the floor.¡±


    Xue Houyang¡¯s naive expression made Teng Shang laugh suddenly. He said , ¡°Lord Marquis, you seem to be quite drunk, how will you sleep on the floor with just one quilt? It¡¯ll be troublesome if you catch a cold.¡±


    Wef Lbesjcu rajgfv ja atja rwlif jcv revvfcis ofia tlr atgbja alutafcfv. Vkjiibklcu ab gfilfnf tlr vgs atgbja, tf aegcfv tlr ujhf jkjs.


    Kfcu Vtjcu rjlv, ¡°Fcifrr atf Zjgdelr vbfrc¡¯a kjca ab riffq lc atf yfv klat atlr Kfcu. Ktf yfv lr delaf ylu, kbc¡¯a la yf fcbeut obg akb qfbqif?¡±


    Feeling his head started to spin, Xue Houyang finally slipped into the bed beside Teng Shang.


    The candles were still lit, casting flickering light across the room. The atmosphere felt surreal to Xue Houyang.


    ¡°Minister Shang¡­ Minister Shang, do you, perhaps, blame me for this situation?¡± Xue Houyang himself didn¡¯t know where he got the courage to finally ask the question that had been troubling his mind for all this time.


    Teng Shang inwardly sighed. How could he blame Xue Houyang? After all, he was the one trying to save Teng Shang. The one with impure motives, the one who took advantage of Xue Houyang, was Teng Shang himself.


    Teng Shang smiled, ¡°No¡­ This Teng is very grateful to Marquis. But, Lord Marquis, you are so drunk. Aren¡¯t you afraid that I, a person with a different surname, would kill you while you¡¯re vulnerable?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Honestly, I didn¡¯t even think about that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Marquis, for your trust in me. This Teng really¡­ Really does not feel deserving of your trust.¡±


    Just as he finished saying, Teng Shang heard the person next to him breathing evenly; seemed to be fast asleep.


    Teng Shang sighed again. Xue Houyang wasn¡¯t someone who would easily lower his guard around strangers. On the battlefield, he always had to stay alert and ready for life-threatening battles at any time. But he should know, there was always an enemy smarter than him, so he could never ignore the possibility of danger being close to him at all times.


    But now, it could only be said that for Xue Houyang, Teng Shang was very special. And that Teng Shang had grasped that fact and skillfully used it to his own benefit.


    In other people¡¯s point of view, Teng Shang was the one who suffered a great loss and most humiliating insult. But, just as Xue Junliang had said, it was impossible to judge who would suffer heavier loss.


    Facing such unguarded Xue Houyang, Teng Shang should indeed strike him to death. After all, Teng Shang and Teng Yun were similar; both were the Great Generals of Teng. At this time, Teng Yun was dead. Xue Houyang was alive. If Teng Shang wanted Teng country¡¯s position to strengthen, then, Xue Houyang must definitely die.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Xue Junliang¡¯s residence was still brightly lit and the man himself was still reviewing reports.


    Jiang Yu said, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ forgive this old servant for talking too much, but don¡¯t you think  it would be appropriate to send some Imperial guards to protect Marquis Wannian?¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°Why guards? Do you fear Teng Shang will assassinate Marquis Wannian?¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t even look remotely worried or anxious, Jiang Yu couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°It seems like this old servant was overly worried.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Indeed. The reason why Teng Shang is still respected by people is because he can fake his benevolence. False benevolence is still benevolence. Otherwise, based on Teng Shang¡¯s capabilities, the current position of Teng King would have long changed hands.¡±


    After he finished, Xue Junliang suddenly thought of something. He put down his writing brush and asked, ¡°How is the Empress today?¡±


    ¡°Replying to Your Majesty. Her Majesty seemed to be unwell today. The Imperial Hospital had sent someone to examine her.¡±


    ¡°En¡­ Anything else?¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡± Jiang Yu tried to recall and think and finally said, ¡°Also, I heard from the palace maids serving at Yunfeng Palace that Her Majesty seems unhappy these days, her mood is low and the dishes made by the kitchen failed to evoke her appetite.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ This old servant doesn¡¯t know. This old servant doesn¡¯t dare presume to speculate Her Majesty¡¯s mind.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Xue Junliang responded; without revealing what he was thinking.


    After a few moments, Jiang Yu realized Emperor Xue was no longer reviewing the reports. So he said, ¡°Your Majesty, would you like someone to accompany you tonight?¡±


    Xue Junliang thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Let Defei come over.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Teng Yun stood by the window. It was very dark outside but he could still see the small pond behind the hall, under the moonlight. The trees were all withered and bare. In summer, the inner garden inside the Imperial Harem was very vast and magnificent but very solemn. In the winter, it only looked mournful.


    Teng Yun was just simply thinking about Teng Shang. After all, today was Teng Shang¡¯s wedding day. With Xue Junliang himself acting as the wedding officiant, three kowtows and nine salutations were indispensable. So Teng Yun wasn¡¯t in a good mood.


    Teng Shang had dedicated more-than-thirty years of his life doing many things for Teng Country; his sincere heart had been worn down. He might have become a liar and a hypocrite, but still he¡¯d worked hard for Teng. The country was where he placed all his lifetime wishes on.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t know how he survived, when he remembered those days of his captivity. He was locked in a prison cell; watching as his subordinates were beaten, tortured and bled to their deaths. At that time, all Teng Yun felt was despair. Who would have thought that he¡¯d be alive today; that he¡¯d have to be living like this.


    After Marquis Wannian¡¯s wedding, Xue Houyang would escort Teng Yun to visit Feng Country. This was an excellent opportunity to escape. But Teng Shang would not go with them, so what could Teng Yun do to help Teng Shang?


    Teng Yun was still thinking about the matter when Xiu Yao opened the door to report, ¡°Empress, His Majesty has called Defei to accompany him tonight.¡±


    ¡°En.¡±


    Xiu Yao wilted, ¡°Empress, don¡¯t just say ¡®en¡¯. It must be that you look pale these days, His Majesty hadn¡¯t felt happy when looking at you. Tomorrow, I¡¯m going to dress you well and make you look pretty.¡±


    She hesitated for a second before adding, ¡°Maybe once His Majesty is pleased, maybe you won¡¯t have to go to Feng Country.¡±


    Teng Yun stepped away from the window, sat down and said, ¡°Be mindful of your speech. If people hear you, you¡¯ll get into trouble.¡±


    Xiu Yao nodded, ¡°Oh! This servant knows she is wrong.¡±


    When she saw her Mistress was looking very calm and collected, Xiu Yao got even more worried. Other wives and consorts were desperately inquiring about His Majesty¡¯s preferences and who was sleeping with His Majesty, or even occasionally visiting each other to share gossip and talk about their feelings. But her mistress did nothing of the above. When His Majesty came to visit, she wasn¡¯t even happy. Forget even trying to win over other people¡¯s hearts, all the Empress asked was news about Teng Shang.


    If Xiu Yao hadn¡¯t been following the Empress for a long time, she¡¯d have thought the Empress was in love with Teng Shang. After all, Teng Shang was talented and famous, it was inevitable he¡¯d attract many admirers.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Xue Junliang did call Defei to come, but he didn¡¯t intend to let her serve him in bed. When Defei entered Xue Wang¡¯s residence, before she had stepped into the inner room, she was stopped by Jiang Yu saying His Majesty hadn¡¯t finished reviewing the reports and had asked Her Ladyship to wait outside.


    Defei waited all night before Jiang Yu informed her that His Majesty was very busy working on official duties. Since it had not been easy for Her Ladyship, His Majesty had rewarded Defei with some gifts and invited her to stay the night and she was allowed to leave early the next morning.


    Defei was called to serve His Majesty, so she had spent a long time dressing herself. But when she came she didn¡¯t even get to see His Majesty. Anger and indignation burned in her heart but she had to force a happy smile and kneel to express her gratitude.


    The next day, when she went back to her residence, Defei could no longer stay still. She didn¡¯t know where to vent her anger. The Empress used to be her outlet; after all, though Defei didn¡¯t have the Phoenix Seal, she had been the most favored consort. But now, it was different. Now, the Empress was favored. The Empress also had her hands on the Phoenix Seal. Defei didn¡¯t dare touch the Empress lest she invited calamity upon herself.


    Every day, Defei was on edge, worrying that the Empress would retaliate for what Defei had done to her previously. It was another reason why Defei should not provoke the Empress.


    However, she could not hold her anger back so she set her target on the new consort, Teng Qianyi.


    Teng Qianyi used to be a pampered princess. She is now newly married and didn¡¯t know the rules around the Imperial Harem. She didn¡¯t come and pay respect to other consorts¡¯ residence and only sent her closest maidservant to greet the Empress. The other consorts obviously didn¡¯t like Teng Qianyi.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    The day after Xue Houyang and Teng Shang¡¯s wedding, they had to enter the Imperial Palace to have tea with the Emperor. Xue Junliang had to attend the morning court so he sent Jiang Yu to invite the Empress.


    Teng Shang entered the Palace together with Xue Houyang, but could not follow into the court hall. He could only wait at the side hall until Emperor Xue was free to have tea.


    After waiting for a long time, a palace servant came to invite Teng Shang in. At this time, Teng Yun had also just arrived from the Imperial Harem and met Teng Shang right at the entrance.

 CH 21

    Teng Shang didn¡¯t know the Empress was in fact Teng Yun. Naturally, he felt nothing when he saw her. He just greeted the Empress, and that was that. Only Teng Yun felt uncomfortable.


    When the two entered the main hall together. Jiang Yu shook his head at the unfortunate coincidence. By His Majesty¡¯s attitude, Jiang Yu could guess His Majesty was suspecting that there was another man in the Empress¡¯ heart. Although Teng Shang and Her Majesty didn¡¯t know each other, by these several encounters, Jiang Yu could clearly see His Majesty was keeping an eye on Teng Shang.


    After all, Jiang Yu had also heard what Teng Qianyi had said.


    Jiang Yu meant to support this well-behaved Empress, but he was also powerless. The Empress¡¯ appearance had become so much better in a short time, it was inevitable she¡¯d attract rumors and slanders.


    Xue Junliang saw the Empress and Teng Shang coming in together and his heart began feeling upset. Although it was impossible to say how deep the Emperor had feelings for his Empress. And he, as the Emperor, often said he would deeply love all and every one of his wives and concubines. But in reality, it was a lie, because he, like any other Emperor, had this one common flaw. That is supremacy; everything under the sky was his, including this one wife.


    Xue Junliang invited Teng Yun to sit next to him. Smiling, he said, ¡°How come you two entered together?¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°I just met him at the hall door.¡±


    Xue Junliang kept smiling as he glanced at Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu promptly nodded slightly, indicating that it was so and the Empress was telling the truth.


    Although Xue Houyang had a straight disposition, he and Emperor Xue had always been close since childhood. He was the one who knew Emperor Xue the most. Looking at Xue Junliang¡¯s seemingly indistinct smile, Xue Houyang couldn¡¯t help being nervous. He racked his brain trying to find a way to tell Teng Shang to be cautious; to not do anything that might touch Emperor Xue¡¯s reverse scale. Because that would be very dangerous.


    Xue Country¡¯s former emperor had passed away, Xue Junliang and Xue Houyang¡¯s mother also passed away early. Xue Junliang as the eldest of the two brothers, was like the father, therefore Xue Houyang and Teng Shang would pour tea for Emperor Xue and the Empress.


    After having tea, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t insist the for new couple to stay. He talked a few things then let them go back.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t mention Teng Shang anymore, instead said, ¡°It is rare to have a bit of free time. Go for a walk with this Seat?¡±


    Jiang Yu was very perceptive. He immediately ordered servants to bring over two fur cloaks, which he then helped Emperor Xue into one. Xue Junliang personally helped Teng Yun to put on the other cloak.


    Xue Junliang walked around with no specific destination in mind, followed by a group of maidservants carrying some wine and fruit plates.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°The wedding of Marquis Wannian is all wrapped up, we can no longer delay preparing for Aifei¡¯s visit to Feng Country. When does Aifei think it¡¯s appropriate to go?¡±


    ¡°Whenever Your Majesty deems appropriate.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded. At once, his mood was much better because of the Empress¡¯ answer. Yet, that wasn¡¯t the answer he was waiting for. He was waiting for the Empress to say honestly what she wanted. As long as she said she didn¡¯t want to go to Feng Country, Xue Junliang would not let her go.


    On the other hand, Teng Yun was waiting for Xue Junliang to allow him to go¡­


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Aifei seems to be down lately, is it because the pain on your face has relapsed?¡±


    Teng Yun kept his gaze on the ground, trying to look respectful as he said, ¡°Chen-qie just feels a little under the weather. The pain on my face is now a lot better.¡±


    Wef Aeciljcu rwlifv jcv rjlv, ¡°Po la¡¯r yfaafg, atfc la¡¯r ubbv.¡±


    As he said, he reached a hand out to lift Teng Yun¡¯s chin, squinting slightly as he stared at the other¡¯s face, ¡°Aifei looks more and more stunning.¡±


    Kfcu Tec gfragjlcfv atf eguf ab rijq Wef Aeciljcu¡¯r tjcv jcv rjlv cbatlcu.


    Xue Junliang waited a long time for a reaction before he added, ¡°I have heard that Aifei and King Feng are twins. You must look very similar to each other.¡±


    Kfcu Tec tjv cfnfg rffc Blcu Mfcu, jcv tjv cb lvfj ktja tf ibbxfv ilxf. Lf mbeiv bcis jcrkfg njuefis, ¡°Tfr.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Then Aifei, could you tell me stories about your childhood?¡±


    Kfcu Tec ofia tlr tfjga vgbqqfv ab tlr rabwjmt. Lf atbeuta atja Swqfgbg Wef rjk rbwf oijkr jcv kjr rajgalcu ab olcv tlw rerqlmlber rb tf jrxfv Kfcu Tec ab afii tlw rabglfr jybea tlr mtlivtbbv lc Mfcu Jbecags.


    ¡°Replying to Your Majesty,¡± Teng Yun said evasively, ¡°Truth is, the everyday life in a royal family is relatively monotonous, I am afraid that Chen-qie will make Your Majesty feel bored.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Xue Junliang looked as if remembering something. As soon as he lifted his clothes and sat inside a small pavilion, the maidservants followed inside to put the wine and the fruit plates on the table and then retreated.


    Xue Junliang beckoned Teng Yun to sit down, then he continued, ¡°When I was a child, I didn¡¯t understand anything. I had always felt that all my brothers and sisters were not enough; not lively enough and not close enough¡­ When I got older I finally understood, we were not close, not because there were not many siblings¡­ But because there were too many.¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled and sighed, ¡°Now, this Seat only has one brother, Houyang, but I feel complete¡­.¡±


    As Teng Yun listened, he thought Xue Junliang might be only telling lies, but he also knew that, just as Xue Junliang had said, Teng Yun¡¯s family was also like that.


    The parent was wary of his own sons, fearing the princes who were outstanding would snatch away his throne. The older he got, the more he was afraid. He sent out all those capable princes to do tasks. But even after sending the princes away, he was still afraid the princes would gather too much military powers and would lead a rebellion.


    The princes themselves would form parties and alliances. If one person didn¡¯t join any group, the other would be suspicious and then drive him away. The princes would also try to win over as many officials as possible by marrying their daughters.


    Teng Yun had lived for twenty-nine years. It was impossible that he had no wife and children. But when he died, indeed, he didn¡¯t even have a wife.


    Most of the princes¡¯ wives were all daughters of influential families. After all, which young ladies from wealthy families, who were spoiled and pampered since childhood, could allow their husbands to leave and who could only come see them once in every ten years, and when the husbands did occasionally come home, they could only stay for less than a month, and they would have to leave again for war?


    With the head of the family always away from home, those wives were like living widows.


    When Teng Yun returned victorious for the first time, his wife cried and begged him to divorce her. Out of good intentions, Teng Yun sent her back to her mother¡¯s house.


    Teng Yun was unhappy at that time. Later, he was captured and killed. The iron-fisted Great General didn¡¯t even leave any children behind when he died. He had no one to collect his ashes, no one to guard his funeral hall.


    Xue Junliang had been watching the Empress¡¯ face all the time, and by her expressions, he knew she was moved by his words. He thought the Empress was not happy in Feng Country.


    It was said that King Feng was vicious, merciless and tyrannical. The Grand Princess, Feng Yun, had offended King Feng once. As a punishment, she was sent away to marry. The Grand Princess¡¯ offence was actually very simple; she opposed King Feng¡¯s relationship with Marquis Zhulu.


    Xue Junliang had said so much, yet the Empress hadn¡¯t uttered a single word. Since she was so unhappy when she still lived in Feng, why didn¡¯t she just say she wanted to stay here? Xue Junliang usually couldn¡¯t stand people who hid their feelings for fear of offending others. There were 3,000 women in his harem; without this one woman, he still had many.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°It is understandable if Aifei misses her hometown. But preparing for your journey will need some time. You are still Xue Country¡¯s Empress, your journey should be arranged properly.¡±


    After Xue Houyang and Teng Shang¡¯s wedding, there were no more out-of-ordinary business other than Xue Houyang leaving his residence early and coming back very late.


    The Empress¡¯ journey to her hometown could not be done carelessly. If her escorts weren¡¯t cautious, something bad could happen and would likely lead the two countries to war. Everyone already knew what King Feng¡¯s character was. Xue Houyang had also been quietly transferring his troops into the capital city while preparing for the Empress¡¯s journey.


    It¡¯s not a small matter to mobilize troops. They had to move the military provisions in advance. All these things needed money, and had to be carried out in secret; they couldn¡¯t let King Feng hear any news.


    The preparation took two months to be done. In these two months, Teng Yun never saw Teng Shang.


    When the date for the departure was set, Teng Yun could no longer sit still.


    Living in Xue country, Teng Yun was constantly in fear of having a lot of unnecessary trouble. Especially since the Ugly Empress was suddenly cured; people could see that the Empress was very favored. Many of the imperial consorts were eyeing Yunfeng Palace, like watching a prey.


    Teng Yun had tried to avoid troubles after troubles, but his departure was getting closer, and he could not hold himself back anymore.


    He sent Xiu Yao to invite Teng Shang into the Palace. Teng Shang¡¯s identity was fortunately Marquis Wannian¡¯s wife, so it should be reasonable for him to enter the Palace and chat with the Empress.


    Teng Shang was led into the tea room, but this time Teng Yun didn¡¯t sit behind a beaded curtain.


    Teng Shang knelt down to greet the Empress, then sat down.


    Tengyun knew that if he couldn¡¯t say anything this time, it would be likely the last chance for him. He was determined he would escape. If he couldn¡¯t successfully escape it meant death; either he would be killed by King Feng or once again be killed by Xue Junliang¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Although I always lived inside the Inner Palace, I also heard many stories about righteous and loyal persons and I often heard a lot about Master Teng.¡±


    At first, Teng Shang thought the Empress inviting him was to persuade him to surrender. But somehow, he couldn¡¯t help thinking that this Empress¡¯ words were very familiar.


    After all, he hadn¡¯t seen Teng Yun for many years. Even the few times Teng Yun returned to the capital city in victory, Teng Yun would attend the Palace Banquet then had to hurriedly leave again.


    Teng Shang¡¯s memories of Teng Yun was when Teng Yun was still young.


    Teng Shang said, ¡°Your Majesty is too kind.¡±


    Teng Yun smiled bitterly, ¡°The weather is getting colder lately. Master Teng, please wear more warm clothes.¡±


    Then Teng Yun waved his hand and motioned to Xiu Yao to send the guest out.


    Teng Shang knew this weird Empress was the type that would not say anything as long as she wasn¡¯t required to speak. He could not understand what she meant. The more he thought about it, the more he found it even weirder. The Empress was a Feng Country¡¯s Grand Princess, while he himself was from Teng Country; it should be impossible for them to have anything to do with each other.


    Not to mention that a few days ago, Xue Houyang had also warned him to stay away from the Empress. Which was very strange.


    On the other side of the Palace, Xue Junliang was listening to Jiang Yu¡¯s report. He calmly put his writing brush down and asked, ¡°What do you think of the Empress¡¯ intention in inviting Teng Shang into the palace?¡±


    Jiang Yu said, ¡°This old servant is unknowledgeable, and cannot guess what¡¯s Her Majesty¡¯s intention is.¡±


    ¡°I cannot guess either.¡±


    Early the next morning, the Empress¡¯ entourage was about to depart. Emperor Xue would personally send her off.


    Xue Junliang climbed into the Imperial carriage with the help of a servant. Then he reached out a hand to help Teng Yun up. Although he was merely helping the Empress, people who saw it thought it was a great honor for Her Majesty to have the Emperor bend down and bow his head slightly for her.


    The carriage was very large. Inside, there was a soft couch which was very spacious. Not to mention two people, it was big enough for five or six people lying together.


    Xue Junliang and Teng Yun sat side-by-side in silence. Xue Junliang closed his eyes as if he was taking a rest.


    The ride was very steady, the carriage only swayed a few times. After some time, the carriage stopped and they heard Jiang Yu¡¯s voice from outside, ¡°Your Majesty, we have arrived at Shili Pavilion.¡±


    Xue Junliang opened his eyes and lifted the curtain. Immediately, someone placed a low stool for Xue Junliang to come down.


    Not far from the carriage, there sat a huge pavilion and in its front, there were a group of officials kneeling on the ground.


    At this time, the snow was falling, covering the ground with a thin layer of white. It made the Shili Pavilion look even more magnificent.

 CH 22

    ¡°Guards!¡±


    Before Teng Yun could come down from the carriage, he heard a commotion outside.


    Xue Junliang was already out of the carriage. He had predicted and expected that someone would intercept the Empress¡¯ entourage en-route, but he didn¡¯t expect them to be so brazen to attack here, at the Shili Pavilion, where it was so close to home.


    Although Xue Houyang had been prepared, he didn¡¯t think they would be ambushed here at the post house. Since this entourage was to escort the Empress, they had especially brought many female servants and this ambush immediately caused chaos


    Teng Yun was still sitting inside the imperial carriage; his heart beating rapidly. This was the perfect chance to escape. But his current body was so weak; if previously he was afraid of being captured while trying to escape, then right now he was more afraid he would be killed by the assassins.


    Teng Yun lifted up the corner of the curtain and peeked. The assassins outside seemed to be targeting Xue Junliang.


    However, Xue Junliang was the Emperor of a country, how could he be killed that easily? If the assassins wanted to kill Xue Junliang, they should have come prepared with a more thorough plan.


    But Teng Yun also thought that this was actually a better cover. The assassins were targeting Xue Junliang, which meant they were occupied. There were a lot of them. No one should be able to notice a single person sneaking out of the carriage.


    At this time, Xiu Yao climbed up into the carriage in a panic. Pulling Teng Yun, she said, ¡°Empress, you must run! The guards won¡¯t be able to hold back these assassins for long!¡±


    Teng Yun, on the contrary, thought that even if he didn¡¯t run, these assassins wouldn¡¯t be able to kill him, let alone reach him. After all, these Imperial guards were all elite soldiers picked personally by Xue Houyang. But this was the best chance to escape, and take advantage of the chaos, he reasoned.


    After pondering for a bit, he finally reached up and took off the phoenix crown on his head, then took off all of the excess jewelries on his body. Xiu Yao was not a fool, she immediately understood her mistress¡¯ intentions. She hurriedly searched inside a small drawer for a set of plain clothes. She then helped her mistress to take off her intricate outer robe and put on the newly-found clothes.


    Xiu Yao was a maidservant who had seen many things in her life. At this time, although she looked calm, but inside, she was so scared that she felt her soul would fly away. Her hands kept shaking. By the time her mistress had finished putting on the plain clothes, Xiu Yao was already drenched in sweat.


    Xiu Yao secretly lifted the curtain and peeked outside. When she deemed that the coast was clear, she jumped out of the carriage and reached out her hand to help her mistress jump down.


    Teng Yun had taken off every bit of his jewelries, and since he was now dressed up in plain clothes, he now looked like any other ordinary palace maid. He and Xiu Yao looked inconspicuous enough.


    The road where their carriage stopped has a small forest on the one side, and a small lake on the other. Teng Yun and Xiu Yao ran into the forest, but as they trudged in, they heard voices and sounds of footsteps coming from behind them, as if someone was chasing them.


    As Xiu Yao started to panic, Teng Yun whispered to her, ¡°Let¡¯s split up.¡±


    ¡°Swqgfrr¡­¡± Wle Tjb kjr eckliilcu. Vtf xcfk akb qfbqif kfgf jc fjrlfg ajgufa, yea rtf vlvc¡¯a vjgf ab ub bc tfg bkc. Kfcu Tec vlvc¡¯a ulnf tfg wemt alwf ab atlcx; tf lwwfvljafis kfca lc jcbatfg vlgfmalbc jcv ifoa tfg yftlcv.


    Ktfgf kfgf j iba bo ajii kffvr lc atlr obgfra. Kfcu Tec kjr kfjglcu j rxlga; atf ujgwfca wjvf abb wemt cblrf ktfc lc mbcajma klat atf ugjrr, tlr obba-kfjg mgecmtfv cblrlis bc vgs ifjnfr. Llr meggfca qtsrlmji ragfcuat kjr cbc-fzlrafca, jcv tf kjr jigfjvs ujrqlcu fnfgs akb-rafqr. Lf mbeivc¡¯a ygfjatf, la ofia jr lo tlr atgbja kjr mbcufrafv.


    Teng Yun simply shrunk himself in, among the tall weeds, covering his nose and mouth and tried to calm his breathing.


    Just as he had hidden himself, the next moment  he heard voices coming closer to where he was hiding. Teng Yun held his breath, fearing they would find him there.


    When those people walked past his hiding place, Teng Yun relaxed a tiny bit. His sight had started to dim and he could feel the world spinning. He swayed and collapsed on the ground.


    Those assassins seemed to be well-trained. When they heard the smallest sound of someone falling, they immediately turned back, cutting the grasses with their blade as they went.


    Teng Yun tried to use his hands to force himself to get up but they were shaking. His body had no strength whatsoever. Then the next moment, he was suddenly pushed by someone.


    Teng Yun fell into the slope behind him. The slope was not too steep, but the fall was very deep. The base of the slope was well into a deeper part of the forest; it was too dark to see.


    When he was pushed down, Teng Yun couldn¡¯t put up any resistance. Then he felt he was being held firmly inside someone¡¯s arms as the both of them rolled down the slope.


    The other person¡¯s hands clasped the back of Teng Yun¡¯s head, pressing him tightly in his embrace, trying to protect Teng Yun from protruding blocks of stones.


    Their descent was dizzying. His stomach was churning and their rolling brought out bursts of nausea. Teng Yun squeezed his eyes shut, as if closing them would stave off the urge to throw up.


    When they finally landed on a flat ground, Teng Yun exhaled loudly. He kept his eyes closed because he felt as if the world hadn¡¯t stopped spinning. When he felt the spinning had slowed down, he pushed himself off the ground. He was immediately pulled up, and before he could take two steps, he was dragged into a pit next to him.


    After some time, when his nausea and dizziness gradually calmed down, Teng Yun opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s tasseled-crown was gone. Although his hair was tied, most of it had escaped and was loose in a mess. His black intricate robe was now grey with dirt and had scratches in many places. He looked like a mess but the expression on his face was calm as always.


    Xue Junliang held Teng Yun in one hand and shrank deeper into the pit, while the other hand was covering Teng Yun¡¯s mouth, and motioning not to make a noise.


    When the assassins saw someone fall down the slope, they naturally followed. Fortunately it was very dark down here. Fallen trees and weeds littered the ground, and there were also several small rivers and ditches that emitted foul odor. The assassins searched for some time, but fearing their targets had run away, they dared not linger too long and eventually moved on deeper into the forest.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t retract his hands. When he was sure that the assassins had gone far, he finally released Teng Yun.


    Teng Yun gasped in deep breaths. For a time there, he¡¯d thought he¡¯d be suffocated to death.


    Watching the other person¡¯s face red with exertion, Xue Junliang chuckled slightly. They were crouching very close together, and Xue Junliang¡¯s hot breath brushed by Teng Yun¡¯s ear, making him shiver. Teng Yun turned around and sat facing away from Xue Junliang.


    By a tacit understanding, the two didn¡¯t move, they waited longer to make sure the assassins wouldn¡¯t come back before they got out of the pit.


    Xue Junliang had open and bloody wounds all over his body. It seemed he was scratched by dirt and stones during their fall. Although the wounds looked awful, fortunately they were not very serious. But his right hand seemed unusually stiff.


    Not bothered by the dirt and dust, Xue Junliang casually sat on the ground next to Teng Yun and said, ¡°Aifei, what should I do? Seems like I broke my hand.¡±


    Teng Yun really didn¡¯t expect that this person would save his life. He stared at Xue Junliang with complicated emotions battling in his eyes. They were mortal enemies in his last life, and Teng Yun even died by Xue Junliang¡¯s hands. But now, this person was willing to save him.


    But how had Xue Junliang suddenly appeared here? Did Xue Junliang find out that Teng Yun tried to run away?


    Teng Yun took in Xue Junliang¡¯s poor appearance. It was as if Xue Junliang wasn¡¯t afraid of losing against a group of assassins, as if he didn¡¯t realize he¡¯d landed himself in a difficult situation.


    ¡°What? Is Aifei feeling moved? Don¡¯t worry, when we¡¯re back at the Palace, you can stare at me to your heart¡¯s content.¡± Xue Junliang remarked ambiguously and deliberately deepened his voice.


    Teng Yun ignored him. He got up to search for a fairly-thick twig nearby. Then he sat beside Xue Junliang, tore a strip from Xue Junliang¡¯s tattered outer robe and fixed him a makeshift splint for the broken hand.


    Xue Junliang poked at his torn robe with his other hand, as if regretting how bad its shape was now. He inadvertently smiled, and casually said, ¡°Aifei is very skilled at this.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s movement paused, and then he continued, pretending not to care. Teng Yun was used to fighting outdoors. These minor injuries and wounds were usually handled by himself. But a sheltered and pampered Grand Princess most definitely wouldn¡¯t; not to mention handling injuries, she would have been very flustered in this kind of situation.


    He thought all of the above, yet he still helped fix Xue Junliang¡¯s hand.


    Although Xue Junliang also felt that something was a little odd about his Empress, the feeling was fleeting and he didn¡¯t give it much thought.


    With one good hand, Xue Junliang took off his black outer robe and spread it on the ground.


    Patting it, he said, ¡°Sit down and have a rest. Houyang¡¯s soldiers should find us soon.¡±


    Teng Yun glanced at the robe on the ground. He didn¡¯t want to talk and didn¡¯t have the strength to argue. As expected, this body he was in right now was really spoiled, it had zero physical strength and poor endurance. Teng Yun¡¯s throat also felt raw and swollen. He thought he¡¯d throw up if he attempted to talk.


    Teng Yun sat at the spot farthest away from Xue Junliang. Seeing this, Xue Junliang shifted to sit right next to Teng Yun. He reached a hand to guide Teng Yun¡¯s head to rest on his shoulder and said, ¡°If you¡¯re tired, close your eyes and have a rest.¡±


    Teng Yun was indeed very tired and as soon as he sat down, his weariness came back, overpowering him. But because he was leaning against Xue Junliang, he couldn¡¯t relax.


    Xue Junliang found that, despite obediently leaning her head on his shoulder, the Empress was tense all over. He couldn¡¯t help letting out a laugh, then he circled the Empress¡¯ waist, hugging her from behind.


    Teng Yun¡¯s drowsiness fled away in an instant, replaced by shock. Xue Junliang only felt the other person trembled in his arms so he tightened his hold, saying, ¡°It¡¯s cold, we¡¯ll be warmer like this.¡±


    Xue Houyang¡¯s actions were also fast. He had already found Emperor Xue and the Empress within an hour, and had captured most of the assassins.


    Xue Houyang knelt down, pleading guilty and apologizing. Xue Junliang didn¡¯t say anything because at this time, the Empress had fallen asleep and no one dared to speak too loudly for fear of waking her up.


    Teng Yun surfaced from his slumber in a daze, feeling very warm, like he was cocooned in something. He shifted to burrow deeper into the cocoon but felt something fur-like tickling his face. He was startled into waking up.


    Xue Junliang watched as the Empress woke up in a startled manner and thought she had a nightmare. He gently patted the other person¡¯s back, and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Go back to sleep, we¡¯ll arrive at the Palace soon.¡±


    Still half-awake, Teng Yun stared at Xue Junliang for a long time. He felt like he was swaying gently and was tightly covered with a fur blanket. Xue Junliang had changed his clothes and was now back to his usual well-groomed and confident self.


    Xue Junliang looked down at the Empress, who was resting her head on his lap and still in a daze from sleep. He thought the Empress wouldn¡¯t wake up until after they arrived at the Palace. He had not allowed the maidservants to change the Empress¡¯ clothes because he didn¡¯t want her to wake up. He didn¡¯t mind being dirty again, so he lent his own legs as the Empress¡¯ pillow.


    Right now, the Empress¡¯ face was a little bit flushed, maybe because she was feeling warm and comfortable. Her eyes were somewhat dazed, staring at him vacantly with a trace of haze.


    Xue Junliang knew this time and place were not appropriate; but being stared like that, with that kind of expression, he felt a stirring of excitement. Added that the Empress¡¯ head was pillowed on his legs; this kind of position really gave people ideas.


    If they were to stay in this position for a minute longer, Xue Junliang knew the other person would discover his reactions.


    He laid the Empress down onto the couch and put a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear. When he gently pinched the Empress¡¯ earlobe, she softly moaned ¡®Umn.¡¯ When Xue Junliang heard the sound, his heart suddenly tightened as if someone was squeezing it.


    His hands slipped from the Empress¡¯ earlobe and grasped her chin, then he leaned down and kissed her lips.

 CH 23

    ¡°This old servant has committed a grave mistake! This old servant deserves to die a thousand deaths! This old servant cannot be forgiven¡­¡± Jiang Yu knelt on the ground and kowtowed over and over again, his official hat had fallen aside and his forehead was swollen.


    The Imperial physician was treating Xue Junliang¡¯s wounds while shaking in fear. When Emperor Xue waved his hand slightly allowing him to leave, he immediately escaped.


    Working as Imperial physicians was not easier than those officials of the Imperial court. They would sometimes hear words that they shouldn¡¯t be allowed to hear. Those words might not be very precise and not good to hear, but still they could be leaked to outsiders. Therefore, if His Majesty let him go, he would hurriedly go. It was better to know less.


    Xue Junliang touched his right hand and leaned back on the couch. There were a few small cuts on his face but those did not hinder his majestic presence. Even when he doesn¡¯t speak, he always wore a barely-there smile on his face, making people unable to see through, yet not dare to guess, what was on his mind.


    Jiang Yu didn¡¯t hear Emperor Xue saying anything, so he continued to kowtow.


    Finally, Xue Junliang leisurely said, ¡°Alright, get up.¡±


    ¡°Th¡­ Thank you, for Your Majesty¡¯s kindness and mercy.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Yu,¡± Xue Junliang said, ¡°I have always looked up to you as I grew up, I treat you like a senior, as you had served the former Emperor¡­ This matter, how come you couldn¡¯t handle it properly?¡±


    ¡°This old servant¡­¡± Jiang Yu¡¯s legs trembled and he fell back on his knees. Lowering his head to the ground, he said, ¡°This old servant deserves to die.¡±


    Xue Junliang gave him a look, then said, ¡°You have followed me for a long time, you are always so dedicated and hard-working. Although this time you made a mistake, I don¡¯t have the heart to punish you. If it¡¯s only me getting hurt, then it¡¯s nothing big. But this time, the Empress was very frightened.¡±


    ¡°This old servant¡­ This old servant¡­¡± Jiang Yu couldn¡¯t say any more words. This time, even if he was executed by a thousand cuts, he wouldn¡¯t be able to pay for his crime.


    The Empress was intercepted by assassins on her journey to her hometown. This matter was actually something that Xue Junliang had predicted. But it was also a brilliant play Xue Junliang had arranged.


    Xue Junliang was an old cunning fox. Feng Ming might be full of schemes, but he was no match against Xue Junliang. Instead of letting Feng Ming assassinate the Empress at Xue Country¡¯s border, he might as well arrange the assassination by his own two hands.


    Her Majesty, the Empress was frightened by the assassins, therefore it was impossible for her to continue her journey to Feng Country according to plan. She was better off staying home and thereby ensuring her safety. Feng Ming, then, could only complain a few words, and could not use this as an excuse; it would be too far-fetched for him to send troops to attack Xue Country.


    What Xue Junliang didn¡¯t expect was that his perfect play would go off-track. The assassins had attacked half-way. These assassins definitely couldn¡¯t be Feng Ming¡¯s people, because Feng Ming¡¯s people were still waiting at the border to ambush the Empress¡¯ entourage.


    Ktf jrrjrrlcr atja tjv jaajmxfv atfw kfgf bynlberis j yjcv bo wfgf qfaas mglwlcjir. Ktfs kfgf cba fnfc jogjlv jcv gfmxifrris jaajmxfv bcis afc wlifr jkjs ogbw atf Jjqlaji Jlas. Lfgf, atfgf kfgf wjcs rbivlfgr jcv uejgvr, jcv klat j ilaaif alwf jcv foobga, atf jrrjrrlcr tjv jii yffc mjqaegfv ys Wef Lbesjcu.


    Xue Junliang was also a military commander and suffering a few minor wounds was nothing to him. But what made him angry was that Jiang Yu had treated this matter too lightly.


    Xue Junliang deliberately paused for a long time between speaking, making Jiang Yu shake like a sieve. People most likely saw Jiang Yu¡¯s status was very high and was highly favored by Xue Junliang. However, Jiang Yu himself knew that Xue Junliang was unlike any other Emperor. He was not someone to favor one eunuch above everyone else. Xue Junliang¡¯s trust was built upon the layers of tasks done right.


    Jiang Yu was old and experienced, he¡¯d served as long as two generations of kings. Jiang Yu¡¯s decisive and clever assistance had helped Xue Junliang a lot when he was still dealing with his competitors. Xue Junliang could say he was very grateful to Jiang Yu and this Emperor¡¯s iron hand didn¡¯t want to punish Jiang Yu too severely, but still, Jiang Yu had to be disciplined and warned. Letting Jiang Yu sweat and shake miserably was a form of punishment, too.


    When he deemed Jiang Yu had been shaking long enough, Xue Junliang said, ¡°This Seat will not punish you, you failed but you did work hard to complete this task, it could be regarded as the offset of credit and fault. However, you had caused the Empress stress, so you¡¯ll have to attend to the Empress for a few days. If she needs anything, you¡¯ll directly report it to me.¡±


    Naturally, Jiang Yu was very grateful for the amnesty, but he also understood Emperor Xue¡¯s temperament very well. Though Emperor Xue¡¯s order was reasonable given the situation, Jiang Yu also knew Emperor Xue meant to plant Jiang Yu at the Empress¡¯ side, to watch and report if there were any unusual activities.


    Jiang Yu kowtowed, ¡°Your Majesty is merciful, this old servant¡¯s broken bones are not enough to repay Your Majesty. I will dedicate my whole life to repay Your Majesty!¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled, ¡°No need to be so serious. You have this heart and you are loyal, therefore I am happy.¡±


    When he finished, Xue Junliang looked up at the direction of the door. He was sitting inside his inner room, between him and the door was a separating screen. Even without the screen, he would not be able to see anything outside the door, but Jiang Yu understood and immediately said, ¡°Marquis Wannian is still kneeling outside. Does Your Majesty want to see him?¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded and said, ¡°Let him in.¡±


    Jiang Yu stood and went outside to inform Xue Houyang to enter.


    Xue Houyang had been kneeling on the stone steps outside the hall for an hour. Allowing assassins making trouble at Shili Pavilion was not a small matter. The Shili Pavilion, as the name implied, was only ten miles away from the gate of the Capital City. The enemies were under his nose and Xue Houyang was caught off guard. This kind of mistake was a capital crime and was equal to assisting enemies to commit treason.


    As soon as Xue Houyang entered the inner room, he immediately knelt and said, ¡°This criminal, Xue Houyang, pays respect to Your Majesty.¡±


    Xue Junliang stood and walked over to Xue Houyang. With his left hand, he helped Xue Houyang to stand and said, ¡°Quickly get up, let me see if you¡¯re uninjured.¡±


    Those words made Xue Houyang feel touched. He got up but kept his head low to express his shame and guilt. He said, ¡°Chen-di is useless, and has committed a crime. Please, Your Majesty, punish me.¡±


    ¡°You did nothing wrong. This matter was the local governors¡¯ fault, you don¡¯t need to take the blame. I assigned them to watch the gate, and even allowed them to lead military troops, but they could not even guard the gate properly. This is ridiculous.¡±


    Patting Xue Houyang¡¯s shoulder, Xue Junliang added, ¡°Since ancient times, there have always been capable and incapable people like that everywhere. But, Houyang, you were so quick in subduing all those assassins. From here on, you will be responsible for those governors¡¯ military troops. I will hand them over to you.¡±


    Xue Houyang was so stunned he looked up at Xue Junliang. Seeing that he was not making a joke, he immediately knelt down again and said, ¡°Chen-di is guilty yet still granted Your Majesty¡¯s trust, Chen-di¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say anything superfluous. You know very well I don¡¯t like those overly-sweet talks.¡±


    Xue Houyang¡¯s face promptly heated up with embarrassment. He said simply, ¡°Your Majesty is wise.¡±


    Xue Junliang sat back down, ¡°Have you caught all of the assassins?¡±


    Xue Houyang¡¯s expression turned somewhat unnatural. He nodded stiffly and said, ¡°Yes¡­ I have.¡±


    Xue Junliang glanced at him, taking note of Xue Houyang¡¯s expression. Pretending he didn¡¯t know anything, he smiled and said, ¡°So quick, as expected from Marquis Wannian. Who sent them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Xue Houyang looked down, ¡°Chen-di ordered people to interrogate them. At first, the assassins wouldn¡¯t say anything. Later, under torture, they confessed they were sent by King Feng. But then, some of them changed their confession and said¡­ They said they were sent by a former subordinate of Teng Country¡¯s Minister Shang.¡±


    Xue Junliang pondered for a moment, ¡°Hmm¡­ Teng Shang.¡±


    Xue Houyang couldn¡¯t see his frame of mind so he hurriedly said, ¡°Your Majesty, Chen-di thinks there is something strange with their confession. Teng Shang is very clever and careful. If he wants to kill someone, he will never send people to do it so recklessly, also¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, Xue Junliang suddenly raised a hand, motioning him to keep silent, and said, ¡°I know, Teng Shang is now your wife. I can understand that you care and are worried about him. However, since the assassins named Teng Shang, you should not get involved in this case, lest you attract people¡¯s criticism.¡±


    Xue Houyang suddenly knelt back down with determination clear on his face. He said, ¡°But Chen-dii personally thinks it is inappropriate to hand over this matter to other officials.¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid they will deliberately make things difficult for Teng Shang?¡±


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t reply, he just nodded.


    ¡°I have also thought about that, so I¡¯ve found an excellent solution. This way this case will be handled without bias.¡± Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°That is¡­ To let Teng Shang take full charge over this case. He has to find out who the real culprit is and prove himself innocent. If he can¡¯t¡­ Then I¡¯ll just accept the assassins¡¯ confession as fact.¡±


    Xue Houyang was stunned for a moment and could not find any words to refute.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s solution was indeed very brilliant, but for Teng Shang, it would be a heavy pressure. Teng Shang had to let go of his own dignity by marrying a man. The only thing he hadn¡¯t let go was his own country. Now, by ordering him to investigate the case, Xue Junliang could bind Teng Shang within Xue Country¡¯s imperial court.


    It was like being stuck in a mud; Teng Shang would not be able to get out.


    Teng Yun was taken back to the palace. Because of excessive physical exertion, his head was aching and he slept for a long time.


    In his sleep, he dreamed he was swaying gently back and forth while he slept soundly with his head resting on Xue Junliang¡¯s lap. At some point in the dream, Teng Yun didn¡¯t know what happened, because Xue Junliang suddenly pushed Teng Yun onto the couch and leaned down to kiss Teng Yun¡¯s lips and neck.


    And then Teng Yun fell into deep sleep and forgot what he had dreamed about. He only had the impression that Xue Junliang was interested, but seeing that Teng Yun was very exhausted, Xue Junliang had to give up.


    Teng Yun felt the hair on his back standing, he woke up from his sleep very slowly. Because he may have been lying for too long, his head felt heavy and his body was stiff. He felt that the side of his cheek near his ear felt painful and when he touched it, he found it was covered with a bandage.


    When Xiu Yao saw that her mistress had woken up, she immediately came over crying, ¡°Empress, you finally woke up. You scared me to death!¡±


    Teng Yun struggled to get up, but his movement was still very slow. Xiu Yao helped him to get up and lean against the head of the bed. Teng Yun asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Xiu Yao said, ¡°Empress, you don¡¯t remember? We almost died! Not long after we split up, I met Marquis Wannian. I led Lord Marquis to follow Your Majesty¡¯s trail but we couldn¡¯t find you. Apparently, His Majesty had found you. When Lord Marquis found the two of you, you had already fallen asleep and His Majesty¡¯s hand was injured.¡±


    As Xiu Yao told him what happened, Teng Yun¡¯s memory came back. He remembered he was saved by Xue Junliang and they had hid in the pit together. Then he fell asleep. The gentle swaying he felt must be when he was on the carriage.


    Teng Yun cautiously touched his lips and then his neck, his face turned bright red and then slowly switched to pale white. He said in a cold voice, ¡°I want to take a bath.¡±


    ¡°Bath?¡± Xiu Yao was puzzled, ¡°Does the Empress feel sweaty? When we came back to the Palace, this servant had already cleaned you up. Also, the Imperial physician said you have so many small wounds and you should avoid getting them wet.¡±


    Xiu Yao¡¯s words ¡®clean up¡¯ was making Teng Yun nervous.


    Of course, Teng Yun didn¡¯t know that at that time, Xue Junliang had been considerate and didn¡¯t do anything to Teng Yun. But Teng Yun, on the other hand, only remembered that he was half-awake when Xue Junliang pushed him down onto the couch¡­


    Xiu Yao saw her mistress¡¯ face darken and carefully asked, ¡°Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell? Do you want me to call the Imperial physician?

 CH 24

    ¡°This old servant has committed a grave mistake! This old servant deserves to die a thousand deaths! This old servant cannot be forgiven¡­¡± Jiang Yu knelt on the ground and kowtowed over and over again, his official hat had fallen aside and his forehead was swollen.


    The Imperial physician was treating Xue Junliang¡¯s wounds while shaking in fear. When Emperor Xue waved his hand slightly allowing him to leave, he immediately escaped.


    Working as Imperial physicians was not easier than those officials of the Imperial court. They would sometimes hear words that they shouldn¡¯t be allowed to hear. Those words might not be very precise and not good to hear, but still they could be leaked to outsiders. Therefore, if His Majesty let him go, he would hurriedly go. It was better to know less.


    Xue Junliang touched his right hand and leaned back on the couch. There were a few small cuts on his face but those did not hinder his majestic presence. Even when he doesn¡¯t speak, he always wore a barely-there smile on his face, making people unable to see through, yet not dare to guess, what was on his mind.


    Jiang Yu didn¡¯t hear Emperor Xue saying anything, so he continued to kowtow.


    Finally, Xue Junliang leisurely said, ¡°Alright, get up.¡±


    ¡°Th¡­ Thank you, for Your Majesty¡¯s kindness and mercy.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Yu,¡± Xue Junliang said, ¡°I have always looked up to you as I grew up, I treat you like a senior, as you had served the former Emperor¡­ This matter, how come you couldn¡¯t handle it properly?¡±


    ¡°This old servant¡­¡± Jiang Yu¡¯s legs trembled and he fell back on his knees. Lowering his head to the ground, he said, ¡°This old servant deserves to die.¡±


    Xue Junliang gave him a look, then said, ¡°You have followed me for a long time, you are always so dedicated and hard-working. Although this time you made a mistake, I don¡¯t have the heart to punish you. If it¡¯s only me getting hurt, then it¡¯s nothing big. But this time, the Empress was very frightened.¡±


    ¡°This old servant¡­ This old servant¡­¡± Jiang Yu couldn¡¯t say any more words. This time, even if he was executed by a thousand cuts, he wouldn¡¯t be able to pay for his crime.


    The Empress was intercepted by assassins on her journey to her hometown. This matter was actually something that Xue Junliang had predicted. But it was also a brilliant play Xue Junliang had arranged.


    Xue Junliang was an old cunning fox. Feng Ming might be full of schemes, but he was no match against Xue Junliang. Instead of letting Feng Ming assassinate the Empress at Xue Country¡¯s border, he might as well arrange the assassination by his own two hands.


    Her Majesty, the Empress was frightened by the assassins, therefore it was impossible for her to continue her journey to Feng Country according to plan. She was better off staying home and thereby ensuring her safety. Feng Ming, then, could only complain a few words, and could not use this as an excuse; it would be too far-fetched for him to send troops to attack Xue Country.


    What Xue Junliang didn¡¯t expect was that his perfect play would go off-track. The assassins had attacked half-way. These assassins definitely couldn¡¯t be Feng Ming¡¯s people, because Feng Ming¡¯s people were still waiting at the border to ambush the Empress¡¯ entourage.


    Ktf jrrjrrlcr atja tjv jaajmxfv atfw kfgf bynlberis j yjcv bo wfgf qfaas mglwlcjir. Ktfs kfgf cba fnfc jogjlv jcv gfmxifrris jaajmxfv bcis afc wlifr jkjs ogbw atf Jjqlaji Jlas. Lfgf, atfgf kfgf wjcs rbivlfgr jcv uejgvr, jcv klat j ilaaif alwf jcv foobga, atf jrrjrrlcr tjv jii yffc mjqaegfv ys Wef Lbesjcu.


    Xue Junliang was also a military commander and suffering a few minor wounds was nothing to him. But what made him angry was that Jiang Yu had treated this matter too lightly.


    Xue Junliang deliberately paused for a long time between speaking, making Jiang Yu shake like a sieve. People most likely saw Jiang Yu¡¯s status was very high and was highly favored by Xue Junliang. However, Jiang Yu himself knew that Xue Junliang was unlike any other Emperor. He was not someone to favor one eunuch above everyone else. Xue Junliang¡¯s trust was built upon the layers of tasks done right.


    Jiang Yu was old and experienced, he¡¯d served as long as two generations of kings. Jiang Yu¡¯s decisive and clever assistance had helped Xue Junliang a lot when he was still dealing with his competitors. Xue Junliang could say he was very grateful to Jiang Yu and this Emperor¡¯s iron hand didn¡¯t want to punish Jiang Yu too severely, but still, Jiang Yu had to be disciplined and warned. Letting Jiang Yu sweat and shake miserably was a form of punishment, too.


    When he deemed Jiang Yu had been shaking long enough, Xue Junliang said, ¡°This Seat will not punish you, you failed but you did work hard to complete this task, it could be regarded as the offset of credit and fault. However, you had caused the Empress stress, so you¡¯ll have to attend to the Empress for a few days. If she needs anything, you¡¯ll directly report it to me.¡±


    Naturally, Jiang Yu was very grateful for the amnesty, but he also understood Emperor Xue¡¯s temperament very well. Though Emperor Xue¡¯s order was reasonable given the situation, Jiang Yu also knew Emperor Xue meant to plant Jiang Yu at the Empress¡¯ side, to watch and report if there were any unusual activities.


    Jiang Yu kowtowed, ¡°Your Majesty is merciful, this old servant¡¯s broken bones are not enough to repay Your Majesty. I will dedicate my whole life to repay Your Majesty!¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled, ¡°No need to be so serious. You have this heart and you are loyal, therefore I am happy.¡±


    When he finished, Xue Junliang looked up at the direction of the door. He was sitting inside his inner room, between him and the door was a separating screen. Even without the screen, he would not be able to see anything outside the door, but Jiang Yu understood and immediately said, ¡°Marquis Wannian is still kneeling outside. Does Your Majesty want to see him?¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded and said, ¡°Let him in.¡±


    Jiang Yu stood and went outside to inform Xue Houyang to enter.


    Xue Houyang had been kneeling on the stone steps outside the hall for an hour. Allowing assassins making trouble at Shili Pavilion was not a small matter. The Shili Pavilion, as the name implied, was only ten miles away from the gate of the Capital City. The enemies were under his nose and Xue Houyang was caught off guard. This kind of mistake was a capital crime and was equal to assisting enemies to commit treason.


    As soon as Xue Houyang entered the inner room, he immediately knelt and said, ¡°This criminal, Xue Houyang, pays respect to Your Majesty.¡±


    Xue Junliang stood and walked over to Xue Houyang. With his left hand, he helped Xue Houyang to stand and said, ¡°Quickly get up, let me see if you¡¯re uninjured.¡±


    Those words made Xue Houyang feel touched. He got up but kept his head low to express his shame and guilt. He said, ¡°Chen-di is useless, and has committed a crime. Please, Your Majesty, punish me.¡±


    ¡°You did nothing wrong. This matter was the local governors¡¯ fault, you don¡¯t need to take the blame. I assigned them to watch the gate, and even allowed them to lead military troops, but they could not even guard the gate properly. This is ridiculous.¡±


    Patting Xue Houyang¡¯s shoulder, Xue Junliang added, ¡°Since ancient times, there have always been capable and incapable people like that everywhere. But, Houyang, you were so quick in subduing all those assassins. From here on, you will be responsible for those governors¡¯ military troops. I will hand them over to you.¡±


    Xue Houyang was so stunned he looked up at Xue Junliang. Seeing that he was not making a joke, he immediately knelt down again and said, ¡°Chen-di is guilty yet still granted Your Majesty¡¯s trust, Chen-di¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say anything superfluous. You know very well I don¡¯t like those overly-sweet talks.¡±


    Xue Houyang¡¯s face promptly heated up with embarrassment. He said simply, ¡°Your Majesty is wise.¡±


    Xue Junliang sat back down, ¡°Have you caught all of the assassins?¡±


    Xue Houyang¡¯s expression turned somewhat unnatural. He nodded stiffly and said, ¡°Yes¡­ I have.¡±


    Xue Junliang glanced at him, taking note of Xue Houyang¡¯s expression. Pretending he didn¡¯t know anything, he smiled and said, ¡°So quick, as expected from Marquis Wannian. Who sent them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Xue Houyang looked down, ¡°Chen-di ordered people to interrogate them. At first, the assassins wouldn¡¯t say anything. Later, under torture, they confessed they were sent by King Feng. But then, some of them changed their confession and said¡­ They said they were sent by a former subordinate of Teng Country¡¯s Minister Shang.¡±


    Xue Junliang pondered for a moment, ¡°Hmm¡­ Teng Shang.¡±


    Xue Houyang couldn¡¯t see his frame of mind so he hurriedly said, ¡°Your Majesty, Chen-di thinks there is something strange with their confession. Teng Shang is very clever and careful. If he wants to kill someone, he will never send people to do it so recklessly, also¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, Xue Junliang suddenly raised a hand, motioning him to keep silent, and said, ¡°I know, Teng Shang is now your wife. I can understand that you care and are worried about him. However, since the assassins named Teng Shang, you should not get involved in this case, lest you attract people¡¯s criticism.¡±


    Xue Houyang suddenly knelt back down with determination clear on his face. He said, ¡°But Chen-dii personally thinks it is inappropriate to hand over this matter to other officials.¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid they will deliberately make things difficult for Teng Shang?¡±


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t reply, he just nodded.


    ¡°I have also thought about that, so I¡¯ve found an excellent solution. This way this case will be handled without bias.¡± Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°That is¡­ To let Teng Shang take full charge over this case. He has to find out who the real culprit is and prove himself innocent. If he can¡¯t¡­ Then I¡¯ll just accept the assassins¡¯ confession as fact.¡±


    Xue Houyang was stunned for a moment and could not find any words to refute.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s solution was indeed very brilliant, but for Teng Shang, it would be a heavy pressure. Teng Shang had to let go of his own dignity by marrying a man. The only thing he hadn¡¯t let go was his own country. Now, by ordering him to investigate the case, Xue Junliang could bind Teng Shang within Xue Country¡¯s imperial court.


    It was like being stuck in a mud; Teng Shang would not be able to get out.


    Teng Yun was taken back to the palace. Because of excessive physical exertion, his head was aching and he slept for a long time.


    In his sleep, he dreamed he was swaying gently back and forth while he slept soundly with his head resting on Xue Junliang¡¯s lap. At some point in the dream, Teng Yun didn¡¯t know what happened, because Xue Junliang suddenly pushed Teng Yun onto the couch and leaned down to kiss Teng Yun¡¯s lips and neck.


    And then Teng Yun fell into deep sleep and forgot what he had dreamed about. He only had the impression that Xue Junliang was interested, but seeing that Teng Yun was very exhausted, Xue Junliang had to give up.


    Teng Yun felt the hair on his back standing, he woke up from his sleep very slowly. Because he may have been lying for too long, his head felt heavy and his body was stiff. He felt that the side of his cheek near his ear felt painful and when he touched it, he found it was covered with a bandage.


    When Xiu Yao saw that her mistress had woken up, she immediately came over crying, ¡°Empress, you finally woke up. You scared me to death!¡±


    Teng Yun struggled to get up, but his movement was still very slow. Xiu Yao helped him to get up and lean against the head of the bed. Teng Yun asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Xiu Yao said, ¡°Empress, you don¡¯t remember? We almost died! Not long after we split up, I met Marquis Wannian. I led Lord Marquis to follow Your Majesty¡¯s trail but we couldn¡¯t find you. Apparently, His Majesty had found you. When Lord Marquis found the two of you, you had already fallen asleep and His Majesty¡¯s hand was injured.¡±


    As Xiu Yao told him what happened, Teng Yun¡¯s memory came back. He remembered he was saved by Xue Junliang and they had hid in the pit together. Then he fell asleep. The gentle swaying he felt must be when he was on the carriage.


    Teng Yun cautiously touched his lips and then his neck, his face turned bright red and then slowly switched to pale white. He said in a cold voice, ¡°I want to take a bath.¡±


    ¡°Bath?¡± Xiu Yao was puzzled, ¡°Does the Empress feel sweaty? When we came back to the Palace, this servant had already cleaned you up. Also, the Imperial physician said you have so many small wounds and you should avoid getting them wet.¡±


    Xiu Yao¡¯s words ¡®clean up¡¯ was making Teng Yun nervous.


    Of course, Teng Yun didn¡¯t know that at that time, Xue Junliang had been considerate and didn¡¯t do anything to Teng Yun. But Teng Yun, on the other hand, only remembered that he was half-awake when Xue Junliang pushed him down onto the couch¡­


    Xiu Yao saw her mistress¡¯ face darken and carefully asked, ¡°Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell? Do you want me to call the Imperial physician?

 CH 25

    When Rui Xue entered the room, Feng Ming was lying on the bed with his back to her. She couldn¡¯t tell whether he was asleep or not.


    She glanced at the untouched dinner on the table, seemed like King Feng hadn¡¯t even eaten yet.


    Feng Country was located more to the south, the weather had turned very cold but it wasn¡¯t snowing yet.


    King Feng had always had a strong constitution, even if a rumor was secretly passed by everyone that he was made as a woman by Marquis Zhulu, he was still worthy of being the military commander he once had been. Feng Ming had shown his outstanding talents since he was still very young, and since then he had already led troops of soldiers to many wars.


    These few days, because of a difference in opinion regarding the Grand Princess¡¯ matter, Feng Ming¡¯s relationship with Zhao Lu had been tense. Other than the days when Zhao Lu actually showed up at the court assembly, they had not seen each other at all.


    Feng Ming was unhappy about this, but he was still a king of a country, he refused to back down.


    Right at this time, Xue Junliang¡¯s messenger arrived and informed him that their Empress was frightened in an assassination attempt and could not come to Feng Country as planned.


    Feng Ming realized he¡¯d been outsmarted by Xue Junliang, he was so angry he fell ill for ten days.


    Rui Xue was an aide and an asset personally picked by Zhao Lu, but she was also a woman. She had been around Feng Ming for so long, she knew that King Feng¡¯s feeling for the Marquis was deeper than anyone could say, and could not so easily be erased. But she was helpless and powerless, and even if she had the power to help, she could not. Because it was no longer a matter between two men, it was also a matter between two countries.


    Rui Xue walked over to the bed and said gently, ¡°Your Majesty, please, eat something.¡±


    An infinitesimal shake of the head was Feng Ming¡¯s only answer.


    Rui Xue said, ¡°Your Majesty, you¡¯re Lord Marquis¡¯ most important person. You are also the one who knows Lord Marquis the best. These few days, he didn¡¯t want to enter the Palace for fear of offending anybody. Your Majesty, please, don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    Feng Ming let out a curt laugh, then rolled around to face Rui Xue, staring at her intently. His gaze somehow made Rui Xue uneasy.


    ¡°Tbe¡¯gf gluta,¡± Mfcu Zlcu rjlv, ¡°P qea tlw ja atf vffqfra qijmf lc ws tfjga, yea obg rb wjcs sfjgr, tf tjr cfnfg ajxfc wf rfglberis¡­ atlr Vfja lr atf tlutfra wbcjgmt lc atlr mbecags, cbybvs vjgfr ab agfja wf ilxf tf vbfr. Snfc lo¡­ Snfc lo P kjrc¡¯a jc fwqfgbg, P vfrfgnf ab yf agfjafv klat atf wbra mbwwbc mbegafrs.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, you¡­¡± The more Rui Xue heard Feng Ming¡¯s grievance, the more her heart ached. She wanted to say something but Feng Ming was not finished.


    Feng Ming said, ¡°Rui Xue, I know, in the entire Marquis Zhulu¡¯s residence, you¡¯re the only one who actually treats me kind. Not only the Marquis¡¯ residence, everyone at the Imperial Court despises the mere mention of me. If I¡­ If my feeling for Zhao Lu wasn¡¯t this sincere, how would I ever be willing to lower myself for him? How would I always strive to please him?¡±


    Rui Xue wanted to say that Lord Marquis was aware of how sincere Feng Ming¡¯s affection towards him was and that Lord Marquis understood that very well, it was that the two of them, unfortunately, each stood on different and opposing sides.


    Those were words she wasn¡¯t allowed to say, though¡­


    Feng Ming laughed again and said, ¡°Are you sad? I am even sadder.¡±


    Then he got up and walked towards a knife hung on the wall. He took the knife off its sheath then proceed to cut the clothes he wore to pieces. His movement was sure and methodical, as if he hadn¡¯t been ill these few days.


    Feng Ming balled the bright-yellow garments and tossed them into Rui Xue¡¯s hands. His tone was flat as he said, ¡°You should go. Give this to Zhao Lu, and¡­ From here on, you don¡¯t have to come to the Palace anymore, you should serve Zhao Lu well.¡±


    Rui Xue clasped the bundled up garment with two hands and said with a shaky voice, ¡°This servant¡­ says farewell.¡±


    Zhao Lu naturally knew very clearly what Feng Ming meant by cutting the clothes to shreds. It was actually the result he was expecting. Gripping the bright-yellow clothes tightly, Zhao Lu let out a deep sigh. Then he bitterly laughed.


    The very next day, Minister Zuo humbly plead guilty over advising the return of Her Highness the Grand Princess. Kowtowing on the floor, he said he didn¡¯t think the advice through. King Feng ordered someone to drag Minister Zuo and flog him with a stick. Though Minister Zuo was very old, King Feng didn¡¯t relent in the slightest. He also said, whoever pleads for leniency would be punished along with Minister Zuo, so nobody dared stand up nor argue.


    Feng Ming coldly said, ¡°Was it fun to gang up and fight each other? That time, who filed a joint petition requesting the Grand Princess to come home? All of you who had selfish motives and ignored the possible consequences of your actions, you all ganged up on me to force me out of my throne!¡±


    The court officials present were all terrified by Feng Ming¡¯s imposing speech. Since he favored Marquis Zhulu, the Feng King rarely attended the imperial court, rarely dealt with court matters, and even more rarely flew into a violent rage.


    Without any more preamble, King Feng ordered the start of Minister Zuo¡¯s punishment. At first, Minister Zuo was sorely disappointed, thinking King Feng was still partial to Marquis Zhulu. But as he heard the Feng King scolded the court officials about ganging up with selfish motives, the Minister¡¯s disappointment immediately disappeared.


    Minister Zuo was one of the most senior court officials, everyone knew how loyal he was. But even a loyal and dedicated minister would have some selfishness; the more power he possessed, he became greedy for even more power. Minister Zuo¡¯s power had always been butting head with Marquis Zhulu¡¯s, it was no secret that the Minister wanted to push the Marquis out.


    But what puzzled the officials was that, though King Feng punished Minister Zuo, he never praised Marquis Zhulu. If it was yesterday, King Feng would definitely promote Marquis Zhulu¡¯s status. Today, he didn¡¯t even mention Marquis Zhulu¡¯s name.


    The strange atmosphere these few days drove people to speculate that maybe His Majesty was fed up with Marquis Zhulu. After all, the Marquis was a man and was no longer very young; his youthful beauty should have started to fade. It was no wonder if His Majesty got tired of him after a few years.


    ¡ª


    Since having that strange dream, Xue Junliang rarely visited Yunfeng Palace. This, naturally, made Teng Yun very happy.


    The Little Crown Prince visited once. Xue Pei knew Mother was in poor health so he didn¡¯t dare stay too long and disturb her rest. Only Teng Qianyi came over almost every day.


    Teng Qianyi had just visited Yunfeng Palace once and she¡¯d already met the Xue Emperor; she was very lucky indeed. Therefore, she made sure to visit Yunfeng Palace as often as possible. This caused Teng Yun to have a headache.


    Teng Yun was attentively cared for by Xiu Yao. Added that Jiang Yu still stayed in Yunfeng Palace, which made things easier for Teng Yun. Jiang Yu also did his duties diligently; didn¡¯t matter if Xue Junliang didn¡¯t come over, because he had planted an eye in Yunfeng Palace, every move and every speech that happened in this place, Xue Junliang knew everything.


    When Teng Qianyi came to visit for the fourth time, she was stopped by Jiang Yu before she could even enter Yunfeng Palace. Jiang Yu invited her to meet Xue Junliang first.


    Teng Qianyi was so excited, thinking her auspicious day had finally arrived and her effort these few days had paid off. Maybe the Empress had sent a few good words about her so the Xue Emperor was interested in seeing her.


    However, when she arrived at the Xue Emperor¡¯s residence, her wishes didn¡¯t happen. Xue Junliang didn¡¯t look pleased, but he also didn¡¯t look angry. He lightly said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard Aifei has been visiting Yunfeng Palace these days.¡±


    Teng Qianyi sweetly said, ¡°Answering Your Majesty, Chen-qie is only concerned about Her Majesty the Empress¡¯ condition.¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled, ¡°Yes, even Defei can see your concern.¡±


    ¡°Defei?¡± Teng Qianyi¡¯s heart dropped to her stomach, sensing something was not right.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Just now, Defei came to tell me that these few days, you often came visiting the Empress¡¯ residence, disturbing the Empress¡¯ rest so her health could not improve.¡±


    ¡°Chen-qie¡­ Chen-qie¡­¡± Teng Qianyi realized Defei had come to tell her off to the Xue Emperor. Defei had always been targeting her. Defei had even come to her residence once to create troubles, and now Defei wanted to frame her.


    Feeling wronged, she cried miserably and said, ¡°Chen-qie only meant well.¡±


    Xue Junliang ignored her cries, without saying anything, he let Teng Qianyi return.


    Of course, this time Teng Qianyi couldn¡¯t come to Yunfeng Palace for fear of alerting Defei. Defei was famous for her atrocious behavior. Even if she wasn¡¯t favored right now, she was still very beautiful. Who knew if the Xue Emperor might pamper her again someday.


    ¡ª


    Since coming back, Xue Houyang had stayed in the capital city for a few months now. He should have gone back to the frontier, but now that the Xue Emperor assigned Teng Shang to investigate the Empress¡¯ assassination attempt, Xue Houyang was unwilling to go and left Teng Shang behind. If he left Teng Shang alone in the capital city, his heart would never relax.


    He dragged his feet against leaving until the point where, if he still wouldn¡¯t leave, he would attract people¡¯s criticism. Right at this time, Xue Houyang received news that Marquis Zhenjiang, Xue Yu, wanted to visit the capital city to pray for the Late King. Xue Houyang received the news too late; said Marquis had already left for the capital city.

 CH 26

    Xue Yu was the Late King¡¯s youngest son, several years younger than the youngest of his older brothers. When his older brothers all fought for the throne, Xue Yu could be said to be still innocent and naive, as he was still locked up in the study room to learn.


    Later, when Xue Junliang ascended the throne, there was a small and insignificant city at the northern border that often caused troubles, and he sent Xue Yu there to handle it.


    After subduing the troublesome city, Xue Yu didn¡¯t come back to claim a seat at the Imperial Court, instead insisting he¡¯d stay guarding the northern border. This was his way of staying out of trouble because, at this time, Xue Junliang was in the process of eliminating his opposing parties. Xue Yu was in a remote place, had little to no military power and was still very young, therefore Xue Junliang let him be.


    Xue Junliang never forgot about Xue Yu; letting this one younger brother go was a one-time generosity, but as was his nature as a king, deep beneath his generosity buried a suspicion; the little tiger he¡¯d let go had grown and was now a crouching tiger, there would be a day the tiger would pose a threat.


    These past years, as Xue Junliang dealt with wars on every side, Xue Yu had also cultivated a lot of his own military power on the border. Perhaps his power had grown quite ripe now, or perhaps he was just missing the Late King, that he informed he was coming to the capital city to pay respect to the Late King.


    As soon as Xue Houyang received the news, he wondered to himself why there were so many troubles happening. The assassination case hadn¡¯t yet been solved and now came Marquis Zhenjiang.


    When Xue Houyang entered the Palace, Xue Junliang was feeding the fish in a small pond.


    Xue Houyang presented the news report, Xue Junliang took it and promptly threw it into the pond without even looking at it first. At once, the piece of paper was drenched in water and then started to sink. The fish vying for food was startled, so was Xue Houyang. But on Xue Junliang¡¯s face, there was not a single trace of anger.


    Xue Junliang laughed. ¡°The border is only a small piece of land, he doesn¡¯t want it so he wishes to come home¡­ I¡¯m going to welcome him and hold an Ancestral Worship Ceremony.¡±


    When Xue Houyang listened to Xue Junliang¡¯s words, he could finally let go of his anxiousness because he knew Xue Junliang had heard the news and already had a plan, that was why Xue Junliang could act so calm.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s calm and collected demeanour was actually mostly for show. Inwardly he thought it¡¯d be better to be prepared. He ordered the reinforcement of security all around the Imperial Palace, and the Palace Guards would be personally picked by Xue Houyang.


    Because of this matter, Xue Houyang was able to delay his departure to the border even longer.


    ¡ª


    After the strange dream, Xue Junliang rarely went to Yunfeng Palace, but he still came there whenever it was time for a meal as usual. This made people who originally thought Her Majesty the Empress was no longer favored, ate back their words.


    Her Majesty¡¯s face was now fully healed, there were no longer traces of bruises and scars. She still had a small scar near her ear, but she got this one because she wasn¡¯t being careful and it didn¡¯t even look that obvious. If anything, the scar made people who saw it feel charmed by her frailty.


    Teng Yun was reading a book in the tea room. Xiu Yao came in to refill his tea and serve him some snacks made by the kitchen staff. Then she went out, but not long after, she came back in to change the incense.


    Xiu Yao went out and then came back in a few more times until finally, Teng Yun could no longer ignore her. He put down his book and looked up at Xiu Yao.


    Dflcu rajgfv ja ilxf atja, Wle Tjb rtgjcx tfg cfmx agslcu ab ibbx rwjiifg.


    ¡°Gb sbe tjnf rbwfatlcu sbe kjca ab rjs?¡± jrxfv Kfcu Tec. ¡°Po sbe vb, pera rjs la.¡±


    Wle Tjb qeiifv eq tfg mbegjuf jcv qgbwqafv, ¡°Tbeg Zjpfras, P tfjgv atja Zjgdelr Itfcpljcu lr mbwlcu ab atf mjqlaji mlas!¡±


    Teng Yun casually asked, ¡°Who is Marquis Zhenjiang?¡±


    Teng Yun always believed that if he wanted to win battles, he had to know himself and his enemies, but sometimes there would always be small things he had never heard of, such as this Marquis Zhenjiang.


    Xue Yu, though he was able to stay alive by staying put at a remote place, he was just as obscure as his chosen place.


    Teng Country was located in the south, it was no wonder Teng Yun had never heard of Xue Yu.


    Xiu Yao was stunned for a moment, and with her eyes wide open, she said, ¡°Empress, Marquis Zhenjiang is Emperor Xue¡¯s youngest brother.¡±


    Teng Yun searched his memory. He vaguely remembered Xue Junliang indeed had another younger brother and realized this younger brother must be this marquis. But he felt it odd because as far as he knew, Xue Junliang only had one younger brother from the same mother and that was Xue Houyang. According to Xue Junliang¡¯s nature, Xue Junliang would never let a brother from a different mother live.


    Xiu Yao waited for a long time but only got a curt nod as a response. The bruises on her mistress¡¯ face had all but disappeared and she now looked very beautiful. Her mistress only nodded, yet the gesture looked so graceful and elegant. But what Xiu Yao was waiting for was not a single nod.


    Teng Yun pushed his book aside and leaned back on the recliner. When he threw a glance at Xiu Yao¡¯s way, he saw her jumped slightly. He dryly laughed.


    ¡°Do you still have any more to say?¡±


    Xiu Yao said, ¡°Empress, it¡¯s like you can read minds. This servant wasn¡¯t meant to keep it from you¡­ I¡¯m only a bit curious, but am I allowed to say it?¡±


    ¡°En.¡±


    Having been given permission, Xiu Yao cautiously said, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ I heard that, when the Late King was still alive, he once ordered Marquis Zhenjiang to go visit Feng Country.¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t show a response, but his heart skipped a beat. This body was not his and he didn¡¯t have the original Empress¡¯ own memories. Being asked about things that happened in the past he knew nothing about, he could only say, ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°Then,¡± Xiu Yao said, ¡°Then I also heard rumors about Marquis Zhenjiang.. and you.¡±


    ¡°About?¡±


    When she heard her mistress¡¯ single-word response, Xiu Yao immediately thought her mistress was angry. Not daring to hide things from her mistress, Xiu Yao confessed, ¡°Empress, please forgive me! This servant is just a bit angry about a rumor. Marquis Zhenjiang is coming to the capital city and the whole Inner Palace was abuzz with this one rumor, saying that the Late King once sent a messenger to Feng Country asking your hand in marriage, but he wanted to marry you with the youngest Prince. At that time, Feng Country refused the marriage proposal¡­ This time Marquis Zhenjiang wants to come to the capital city, the whole Imperial Harem speculate that he actually wants to see you.¡±


    Hearing this, Teng Yun coldly laughed.


    So, the young prince, Xue Yu might have been to Feng Country once, there he might have seen Feng Country¡¯s Princess. But now the story had been summed into this. This might be a small trick made by people inside the Imperial Harem.


    Men usually were prone to jealousy, especially a mighty and arrogant king as Xue Junliang. If Xue Junliang heard a rumor about his Empress and his own younger brother, he might feel unhappy eventually start to favor his other wives.


    Or, this might be made by Xue Yu himself, which was even more ridiculous. Teng Yun, too, had grown up inside an Imperial Palace, Teng Country didn¡¯t lack such dirty tricks. Also, he never believed in such thing as love at first sight.


    People would discard the feeling of love in favor of power and money. People could turn and become hostile even against their own blood relatives, let alone against such flimsy things as lovers.


    Teng Qianyi was one perfect example of that. When King Teng liked her, she was regarded high above everyone, but when something happened, he easily sent her away as a bargain for an alliance.


    ¡ª


    After become married, Teng Qianyi was not idle, there was no way she could miss such good news. When she first heard about the rumor, she was so happy she almost fainted.


    Teng Qianyi knew her status was not very high. If the Empress happened to lose favor, people might think Emperor Xue¡¯s favor would lie upon Defei, but Teng Qianyi didn¡¯t necessarily think so.


    A king always loved to see beautiful things and his taste was always changing. Sometimes, he would like the silent and clever type and sometimes he would like the virtuous and talented type. Teng Qianyi was still young, she believed she still had a chance.


    Jiao Shui had keen eyes. Laughing, she said, ¡°Congratulations, Your Ladyship! This is a great opportunity, indeed. If there was no one to rely on, it¡¯s always easier to rely on ourselves.¡±


    Teng Qianyi was happy, yet distressed. Xue Junliang had said he disliked a wife who liked to gossip about other wives. How would she make Emperor Xue despise the Empress?


    Jiao Shui laughed, ¡°Your Ladyship, this servant has an idea¡­ But when you become the Xue Emperor¡¯s favorite, you must not forget about this servant.¡±


    Hearing her term, Teng Qianyi was unhappy. Jiao Shui actually didn¡¯t look so bad, she was also very clever. When she was in Teng Country, people often praised Teng Qianyi¡¯s talent in literature, but truthfully those poems were actually written by Jiao Shui.


    Teng Qianyi was afraid Jiao Shui would climb higher than herself. King Teng had hinted a few times he liked Jiao Shui. If not for Teng Qianyi strongly refusing and disagreeing, Jiao Shui would have become one of King Teng¡¯s consort, instead of still being a maidservant.


    However, Teng Qianyi needed Jiao Shui¡¯s ideas, so she could only swallow her displeasure and promised to Jiao Shui.


    Teng Qianyi ordered all other palace maids to go, then Jiao Shui leaned closer to Teng Qianyi¡¯s ear to whisper, ¡°Your Ladyship might have heard that witchcraft could destroy a country¡­¡±


    Jiao Shui¡¯s tone was low and faint but sounded very sinister and malicious. Teng Qianyi couldn¡¯t help shuddering. Jiao Shui added, ¡°People have long stopped believing in this kind of thing, but it is actually very easy to do. Your Ladyship could let a trustworthy maidservant made several human-shaped puppets and secretly bury them in Yunfeng Palace¡¯s backyard, it would be better if we could put them in the inner room¡­ Then we should kill the maidservant, so nobody else knows about this.¡±


    Teng Qianyi¡¯s eyes brightened at each word, then she said, ¡°But if we bury it in the backyard, how would Emperor Xue find out?¡±


    Jiao Shui apparently already had her plan thoroughly thought out, she said, ¡°It¡¯s easy. We often have strong winds and heavy snow these days. We bury the puppet under one of the trees and then the wind will topple the tree down. Yunfeng Palace¡¯s people will want to replace the fallen tree with a new one, then the puppet will be found¡­¡±


    Teng Qianyi laughed merrily. ¡°You are so smart.¡±


    Jiao Shui fawned, ¡°This servant follows Your Ladyship. You are a talented woman, this servant should be smart too. Otherwise, this servant would bring you shame.¡±


    ¡ª


    Marquis Zhenjiang was coming to the capital city in a few days. Teng Qianyi wanted to hurry with the plan but was stopped by Jiao Shui saying they should wait until after Marquis Zhenjiang entered the capital city. If witchcraft was found at that time, wasn¡¯t it even more exciting?


    Xue Junliang was a king of a country, naturally, he must express his own grace. Xue Yu, so suddenly and without warning, said he wanted to pay respect to the ancestors, Xue Junliang had to welcome him with kindness. Not only Xue Junliang didn¡¯t take offence, he even wanted to hold a banquet for Xue Yu, wanted to set a stage for a close-knit brotherhood drama.


    The banquet was said to be a family feast, but he allowed the court officials to join in the banquet.


    Xue Houyang led his personal and well-trained troops to camp in the capital city¡¯s suburb two days before Xue Yu¡¯s scheduled arrival. They were to wait for Xue Yu before he entered the capital city.


    If anyone wanted to enter the capital city, they must pass by Xue Houyang¡¯s army camp. The army camp was strong enough to act as a barrier surrounding the capital city. Xue Yu came from afar, it was impossible he didn¡¯t bring soldiers with him. Xue Houyang and his soldiers were officially ordered to welcome Xue Yu, but unofficially their purpose was to force Xue Yu to hand over his soldiers.


    Only after handing over his soldiers, was Xue Yu allowed entering the capital city.

 CH 27

    Marquis Zhenjiang, Xue Yu had already arrived at the army camp, but the day was already late and it was time to close the city gates. He stayed overnight at the camp and entered the Capital city the next day to have an audience with the Emperor.


    Life in the Imperial Palace proceeded like normal, nothing changed due to the arrival of Xue Yu. It was only that Teng Qianyi was surprisingly quiet and didn¡¯t go to visit Yunfeng Palace again.


    Teng Yun had been reading a book when Jiang Yu came in with his head bowed, bringing a wooden tray covered with a cloth.


    Jiang Yu said, ¡°Congratulations, Empress. His Majesty has invited you to serve him tonight, and also rewarded you with a new set of clothes.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s heart jumped in his chest. Putting his book down, he reached out and picked the cloth covering the tray. Laid on the tray was a set of thin silk garments.


    Teng Yun¡¯s face was unreadable as he picked up the extremely thin garment. Jiang Yu instinctively felt that Her Majesty seemed unhappy. Emperor Xue had never gifted such explicit clothes to anyone, and though it was embarrassing, it was still a favor to receive a reward. He thought maybe Her Majesty looked unhappy because she was embarrassed and shy and felt that the garment was too thin.


    Jiang Yu called Xiu Yao to help Her Majesty bathe and change her clothes. Xiu Yao thoughtfully found a fur cloak for her mistress because the garment would not protect her from the cold on her way to Emperor Xue¡¯s residence.


    Teng Yun took his time to bathe and refused anyone from attending to him. Xiu Yao waited for more than a half-shichen  before she could no longer wait and had to come inside to check. She was almost frightened to death because the Empress looked as if she was trying to drown herself.


    The atmosphere was solemn and strange as they helped Her Majesty onto her Phoenix carriage.


    At Emperor Xue¡¯s residence, Xue Junliang was sitting on a large chair, with his legs braced on the ground and leaning to one side with his elbow resting on one arm of the chair.


    He glanced lazily at Teng Yun as he entered and with a light laugh, he said, ¡°Come here.¡±


    Hearing this, Jiang Yu and Xiu Yao silently withdrew, not wanting to disturb Xue Wang¡¯s good mood.


    Teng Yun¡¯s clothes were so thin, that even after wearing a fur cloak on top, he was still cold. Teng Yun walked in closer with his head bowed and then stood by the bookcase.


    Xue Junliang stood up and walked around the table, and went to Teng Yun. Reaching out to grip Teng Yun¡¯s wrist and taking him to the bedside. With no much difficulty, he easily pushed him onto the bed.


    Xue Junliang leaned down on top of Teng Yun, one hand next to Teng Yun¡¯s ear and the other on Teng Yun¡¯s waist, caressing him through the thin garment.


    Teng Yun almost cried out in shock and alarm, eyes glaring daggers at Xue Junliang. Then suddenly, Teng Yun squeezed his eyes shut and closed his lips, gripping the quilt in his fists; seemingly bracing himself with a great look of righteousness.


    Looking at Teng Yun¡¯s expression, Xue Junliang wanted to laugh out loud. Which concubine had such a look when serving her husband?¨C almost looking like she was about to be executed.


    Wef Aeciljcu, bo mbegrf, tjv cjaegjiis tfjgv jybea atf gewbgr atja kfgf mlgmeijalcu. Wef Te vlv lcvffv ub ab Mfcu Jbecags bcmf, yea Wef Aeciljcu vlvc¡¯a xcbk lo tf¡¯v wfa atf Swqgfrr bg lo tf¡¯v ojiifc lc ibnf klat tfg ja atf olgra rluta. Ktf Ojaf Blcu tjv jirb tjv atbeutar jybea jqqgbjmtlcu Blcu Mfcu ab obgw j wjggljuf jiiljcmf, yea tf cfnfg jmafv bc atlr qijc.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t easily believe in rumors, but suddenly he had an idea of wanting to tease the Empress. Therefore, he sent her a new set of clothes. As expected, the other person looked utterly ashamed of the clothes. Her reaction was extremely fascinating


    But he didn¡¯t expect that the Empress wearing those clothes would look so enticing. Added with the half-afraid, half-determined expression on her face, she really made Xue Junliang feel very tempted and impulsive.


    His mood to tease had not yet subsided, Xue Junliang found that the other person was very sensitive when touched. When he caressed the Empress¡¯ waist, she trembled slightly and bit her lips. Xue Junliang wondered, if she wasn¡¯t biting her lips, would she let out all kinds of melodious gasps?


    He leaned down to gently kiss the other person¡¯s lips. Not surprisingly, the other person snapped open her eyes. She looked shocked and even a bit humiliated. Xue Junliang didn¡¯t expect that.


    Xue Junliang reached out to pick Teng Yun up and put him in the bed properly. He also removed his own clothing and then lay back down on the bed. He wrapped his arms around Teng Yun and looked at the other person¡¯s pale and miserable face. Smiling, he said, ¡°I¡¯m not about to execute you. Why are you so scared?¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s eyes were open but he refused to look at Xue Junliang. He said in a low voice, ¡°Your Majesty said you would not force me.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Xue Junliang pretended to search his memory before smiling, ¡°I really forgot. When did I say that? Yun¡¯er should remind me.¡±


    Teng Yun wrinkled his eyebrows in disgust. He and the original Feng Country Grand Princess shared the same first name but with different surnames. Teng Yun remembered when he was still a child, his father often called him Yun¡¯er.


    But just now, when Xue Junliang had unintentionally called him with childhood nickname, Teng Yun was somehow touched. But because this nostalgic feeling was caused by his sworn enemy, he couldn¡¯t help but feel disgusted.


    Xue Junliang covered both of them with the quilt and said, ¡°Aifei is always so serious, it makes people want to tease you everytime.¡±


    Feeling the person in his arms was still very tense and stiff, Xue Junliang retracted his arms. He lay down on his back and gazed at the bed curtains above him. His tone was somewhat unfathomable as he said, ¡°You don¡¯t like me and I don¡¯t want to force you. But in the end, you¡¯re still my wife. So tell me, who is the person in your heart?¡­.. Is it Marquis Zhenjiang?¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, here comes the interrogation. Xue Junliang was suspicious. No matter how open-minded and benevolent Xue Junliang acted on the outside, he was still an Emperor who always had a suspicious mind.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Chen-qie doesn¡¯t know Marquis Zhenjiang.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded, though he knew the other person couldn¡¯t see it. Smiling, he said, ¡°Aifei is really smart, always knows what kind of answer others like to hear.¡±


    ¡°I only speak the truth.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Xue Junliang turned sideways to face Teng Yun. With a slight smile on his face, in a low husky voice he said, ¡°Whether it¡¯s true or false, it doesn¡¯t matter. When will Aifei love this Seat then?¡±


    Seeing Xue Junliang shifting closer, Teng Yun started to panic before forcing himself to stay calm. Xue Junliang hadn¡¯t tried to make a move; Xue Junliang was only teasing him by talking in a low and husky, suggestive voice near his ear.


    Teng Yun smiled and said, ¡°Your Majesty doesn¡¯t really sincerely like Chen-qie either, so why insist on my love?¡±


    Xue Junliang paused, gently rubbing the scar in Teng Yun¡¯s ear with the pads of his fingers. The scabs had started to fall off, revealing the new skin underneath. The new skin was slightly pinker and more tender than its surrounding.


    Caressing the other person¡¯s ear, Xue Junliang said, ¡°You¡¯re really smart¡­..  But you have exaggerated your opinions. Aifei grew up in an Imperial Palace, do you really believe in the so-called true feelings? These feelings are nothing but an absurd joke.¡±


    Hearing the question, Teng Yun couldn¡¯t help sighing, ¡°I don¡¯t believe in it either.¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed and suddenly grabbed Teng Yun¡¯s hand and brought it to his lower body.


    Teng Yun shuddered violently, he was so shocked he could only stammer, ¡°You¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang was rather calm as he said, ¡°It¡¯s a dark night with no candles and this Seat is alone with a beautiful woman. It would not be normal if there was no reaction.¡±


    Without letting go of Teng Yun¡¯s hand, Xue Junliang propped himself with an elbow and leaned down, trapping Teng Yun under him. His voice deep and low as he said, ¡°This reaction was provoked by Aifei. I¡¯m not going to force you. But shouldn¡¯t you be helping me with this?¡±


    Then he guided Teng Yun¡¯s hand to stroke his manhood up and down¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Even at night, the camp on the outskirts of the capital was very bright all night long. The patrolling generals did not dare to slacken off at all.


    From one of the big tents, a man came out. He walked leisurely with hands clasped behind him as if he was only stretching his legs and there was no purpose. The soldiers watched the man¡¯s movement with their peripheral visions but didn¡¯t stop him.


    The man was dressed in a light green robe and was wearing a fur-trimmed jacket. He had a slightly-delicate face and a scholarly air about him. He was not very tall, didn¡¯t look very strong, but didn¡¯t look weak either.


    He walked aimlessly until he arrived at a large training ground. In daylight, the training ground looked very spectacular. But tonight, only four braziers, one in each corner of the square ground, were lit; leaving the areas between the braziers dark.


    The man stopped and stood right in the middle of the dark training ground; it was unclear what he was looking at. After standing there for a while, he stepped forward and went to a wooden platform set in the eastern end of the square. There was a banner with the word ¡®Xue¡¯ on it.


    The man got on the wooden platform, turned around and quietly looked into the distance. Probably because the wooden platform was somewhat high, he could see farther away, but outside the camp, it was dark, and it was not known what he was looking at.


    ¡°Marquis Zhenjiang seems very peaceful.¡± Someone suddenly said, yet the man didn¡¯t even look startled, instead he turned to look at Xue Houyang and said, ¡°It¡¯s Second Brother.¡±


    Xue Houyang said, ¡°I heard that your evening meal was not touched. I¡¯m sorry there is nothing in this army camp that suits your taste. Tomorrow, when we enter the Palace, His Majesty has already prepared a banquet to welcome you.¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± Xue Yu said. He sounded very humble as he said, ¡°It¡¯s not like that, it¡¯s just¡­ I have turned to following Buddha¡¯s teachings, and have been a vegetarian for years.¡±


    Xue Houyang nodded, ¡°Then I¡¯ll order people to prepare vegetarian meals for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The night was peaceful, and Xue Yu was very modest and unassuming. Nothing about Xue Yu spelled arrogance. Yet, Xue Houyang was still in doubt because Xue Yu had brought a thousand soldiers to the capital. Furthermore, Xue Yu had a person who accompanied him everywhere; he seemed like a master and was called Lang Jing.


    Xue Houyang could see that Lang Jing was a master in martial arts. The person always spoke without any expression on his face, and it seemed like he only listened to Xue Yu¡¯s words.


    The next day, escorted by Xue Houyang, Xue Yu arranged for his soldiers to stay at the army camp and then he and Lang Jing entered the Imperial Palace.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Xue Junliang got up early in a good mood and saw the Empress was pretending to be dead; her back was to him and her head was buried deep under the quilt as if trying to suffocate herself to death.


    He called Jiang Yu in to help him freshen up and change his clothes, then deliberately said, ¡°The Empress was very exhausted last night, don¡¯t wake her up in a hurry, let her rest a little longer.¡±


    Jiang Yu complied. His actions and speech became light and gentle for fear of waking up the Empress.


    At this time, Teng Yun was already awake. Hearing Xue Junliang¡¯s words, he almost ground his teeth to powder. Last night, he was forced to help Xue Junliang find relief. He barely slept last night; he felt the palm of his hand burning.


    Teng Yun had been very disciplined for so many years and never believed in love. He¡¯d never met anyone who made him want to believe in it, let alone someone who wanted him to help them find release. Teng Yun was an iron-fisted Great General who was not afraid to die in battle, but apparently he was afraid of Xue Junliang¡¯s shamelessness¡­


    At the morning court, Xue Junliang gave Xue Yu the warmest welcome as if Xue Yu was his favorite brother. After the court, Xue Junliang announced a welcoming banquet for Xue Yu and invited all the court officials present to join the banquet for welcoming back the family.


    Xiu Yao helped her mistress freshen up, then she folded the clothes given by Emperor Xue carefully and put them in a cupboard. Giving a knowing smile, she said, ¡°Next time, you must wear it again, Your Majesty.¡±


    When it was almost noon, Xue Junliang sent Jiang Yu to invite the Empress to the banquet. The banquet was intended to welcome a family member so the Empress and the Crown Prince needed to attend. How could the Empress miss this occasion?


    Jiang Yu led Teng Yun to the garden where the banquet was being held. When they passed through a winding corridor, they ran into Marquis Zhenjiang who was entering the garden from the other side.


    Xue Yu, who was only followed by Lang Jing, froze for a moment when he saw the Empress before saying, ¡°Chen-di pays respect to the Imperial Sister-in-law.¡±


    At first, Teng Yun didn¡¯t recognize who this person was, but by his greeting, Teng Yun realized this must be Marquis Zhenjiang who had been causing such a buzz even before arriving at the Capital.


    After accepting the greeting, Teng Yun was not keen on having any longer contact with the marquis. He started to walk again but was stopped by Xue Yu. Teng Yun thought Xue Yu still had something to say but he didn¡¯t expect Xue Yu to suddenly reach a hand and touch his temples, touching the place where there was scar left by the assasination attempt.


    Jiang Yu was shocked by Xue Yu¡¯s action. He was about to remind Marquis Zhenjiang to conduct himself with decorum but then he saw a group of people coming over from another side of the winding corridor. The person at the lead was wearing black official robe with gold accents and a jade-beaded tassel crown.

 CH 28

    Xue Yu took back his hand without any haste, as if what he¡¯d just done was just a casual greeting and nothing like crossing decorum.


    Xue Junliang had a faint smile on his face. One couldn¡¯t tell if he was happy or angry by his appearance.


    Everyone else who saw this situation were trembling in fear in their hearts. They immediately knelt down and cried out ¡°Long Live the Emperor¡±.


    Xue Junliang helped Teng Yun get up and smiled, ¡°This Seat has been waiting for you, but I see you meet each other here. Are the both of you reminiscing about the past?¡±


    Xue Yu, still kneeling, calmly said, ¡°Replying to Your Majesty, Chen-di hasn¡¯t been in the capital city for years and is moved with emotions quite a bit .¡±


    Xue Junliang¡¯s tone was unfathomable as he said, ¡°Oh, really, then later, you must come to talk and catch up about the past with this Seat.¡±


    After he finished his speech, he gestured to the crowd to stand up, and then walked towards the garden.


    At the banquet, the court officials had been waiting respectfully for a long time for the honored guests to arrive.


    Xue Junliang offered a few polite words before allowing the song and dance performances to start. Emperor Xue and the Empress sat at the highest seats. Xue Houyang sat at the second highest seat while Xue Yu sat below him. Xue Yu¡¯s position in the family, as well as his official ranking, was not as high as Marquis Wannian. And just by hearing the titles granted to them, it was quite clear on who was more trusted by Emperor Xue.


    Xue Yu dressed appropriately and was not too eye-catching. His conduct was refined, his manner cultured and his temperament was rather humble and kind. He always wore a faint smile on his face, but his gaze intentionally or unintentionally, often shifted towards the direction of the highest seats.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t looking at Xue Junliang. He was looking at Teng Yun.


    The court officials were all observant about people¡¯s body language. Naturally, they noticed Xue Yu¡¯s line of sight but they all pretended as if they did not see anything.


    Xue Junliang was especially affectionate today. His tone when he conversed with Teng Yun was smooth like the flowing water. Teng Yun did not even need to raise a hand, Xue Junliang personally picked the dishes and poured the drinks for him. Which seemed to be a good show of showering love and affection between husband and wife.


    Standing behind the couple, Jiang Yu and Xiu Yao couldn¡¯t stand watching the scene. Xiu Yao surreptitiously wiped away her sweat. Although she was happy that His Majesty treated her mistress very well, she wished he didn¡¯t have to personally serve the Empress. Serving dishes and pouring drinks were duties of a servant. Letting His Majesty do the work himself while they stood idle, it really made all the servants feel awkward.


    Teng Yun glanced at Xue Yu who was sitting not too far from him. He reckoned Xue Yu¡¯s so- called affectionate feelings towards the original Empress were not true. Because if he really did love her, he would not accept her marrying someone else and stayed still for so long and only now come see her in the Capital city.


    Xue Junliang had stationed his troops at the borders to fight the Teng Country. Although Xue Country was victorious, the inner side of Xue Country lacked soldiers and also, the soldiers still needed time to recuperate after wars. Xue Yu coming to the capital city at this time, definitely did not hint at any good intentions.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t want to get involved in the provocations between Xue Junliang and Xue Yu. But Teng Yun¡¯s current identity was a Feng Country¡¯s Grand Princess who was living under Xue Country¡¯s roof. He was constantly dragged by either Xue Junliang and Xue Yu into their mess.


    Coafg tjnlcu atgff vglcxr, Kfcu Tec kjr algfv bo rlaalcu. Ccv cb ibcufg kjcafv ab kjamt atf akb wfc¡¯r ojirf rwlifr. Kfcu Tec abiv Wef Aeciljcu atja tf kjr algfv jcv jrxfv ab yf fzmerfv olgra.


    Pcrafjv bo yflcu jcugs, Wef Aeciljcu rwlifv jcv rjlv afjrlcuis, ¡°Tbe wera yf algfv yfmjerf bo ijra cluta. Tbe kbgxfv tjgv.¡±


    Instantly, Teng Yun was reminded of last night. His face heated up and his hand also felt as if it was burning. After stammering a few words, he quickly retreated.


    Teng Yun and Xiu Yao walked back to his residence. He drank only a bit of wine but already he felt a little drunk. Teng Yun¡¯s alcohol tolerance used to be quite high, but his current body was so weak, the effect of the wine had started giving him a headache, making him feel uncomfortable.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t immediately return to his residence, instead, he opted to walk around a small garden. The weather had turned cold and the blowing wind, although cool, was quite refreshing.


    Xiu Yao said, ¡°Empress, let¡¯s go back. It¡¯s cold here, it will be troublesome if you fall sick again.¡±


    Teng Yun assented but made no move to return. His head was throbbing and only when the cool wind was blowing, the pain subsided. When he still lived in the military barracks, he never paid attention to the small inconveniences. The conditions in the barracks were often inadequate. Teng Yun lived and ate together with the soldiers. The Imperial Court was always dawdling when it came to funding the army, resulting in the army provisions being scarce. The soldiers had learned to take pleasure in something as trivial as a cool breeze.


    Perhaps he was affected by the wine because, when he recalled about the past, he suddenly felt sorrowful. He was stuck in Xue Country, unintentionally caught in a battle for power and had no means to protect himself. Also, it had been more than half a month since he last saw Teng Shang. Teng Shang was a man; not allowed to enter the Inner Palace too often.


    Teng Yun sighed, then he heard someone echoing his sigh. From the corner of his eye, Teng Yun saw someone wearing a light green robe standing at the other side of the garden¡¯s pavilion; it was Xue Yu.


    Xue Yu came over and smiled, ¡°Your Majesty, why are you sighing?¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t turn to look at him and said, ¡°Why isn¡¯t Lord Marquis at the banquet?¡±


    Xue Yu laughed. Taking a step closer, he said, ¡°Naturally it¡¯s because of Yun-mei.¡±


    Xiu Yao took a sharp breath, but didn¡¯t dare say anything. She had been serving the Empress, naturally she didn¡¯t easily believe her mistress and the marquis knew each other. But hearing Xue Yu¡¯s words just now, even she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little doubtful.


    Teng Yun also laughed, but his tone was neutral as he said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid Lord Marquis mistook me for someone else.¡±


    ¡°For Yun-mei to say this¡­¡± Xue Yu was still smiling, but there was a touch of loss in his smile, and finally acceptance of the situation, he said: ¡°for you to say this, I think there must be a deeper reason behind it.¡±


    Teng Yun threw him a brief glance then said, ¡°Lord Marquis should go back, the banquet is intended for you, it will be unacceptable if you¡¯re not there.¡±


    Xue Yu saw the other person looking indifferent, his own expression turned hostile for a moment but he recovered his smile in an instant, ¡°Yun-mei, you forgot about our agreement¡­¡±


    Teng Yun now turned to face him and said, ¡°I remember no such thing.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Xue Yu¡¯s expression turned grim. He coldly laughed and said with a sneer, ¡°I should have known¡­At the time what did we agree? You are really fickle. I heard recently Emperor Xue has been favoring you. It must be why you decided to forget our agreement.¡±


    Xiu Yao saw Marquis Zhenjiang¡¯s expression turned cold and suddenly felt a bit scared. Gathering her courage, Xiu Yao said, ¡°Lord Marquis¡­ please, behave yourself.¡±


    Xue Yu threw an icy glare at Xiu Yao, deeming her unimportant before he turned his gaze back to Teng Yun. He opened his mouth to say something but then he heard footsteps coming their way.


    Little Crown Prince, Xue Pei ran over and threw himself at Teng Yun¡¯s arms; almost toppling them both to the ground.


    Xue Pei looked up at Teng Yun innocently and asked, ¡°Mother, Mother, why haven¡¯t you returned to your Palace? This son has been looking for you.¡±


    Then Xue Pei turned towards Xue Yu, as if he was surprised, he said innocently, ¡°Little Imperial Uncle is here too. Father was looking for the Imperial Uncle everywhere, and said there were many officials who wished to have a toast with you, but you weren¡¯t there.¡±


    Xue Yu looked down at Xue Pei¡¯s innocent face for a long time before his advisor, Lang Jing, whispered from behind him, ¡°Lord Marquis.¡±


    Xue Yu retrieved his gaze then said, ¡°I drank too much wine and was bored. I was walking around and had arrived here unknowingly.¡±


    After saying that, Xue Yu took Lang Jing and turned to go.


    Xue Pei stared at Xue Yu¡¯s back as he walked away, then patted his chest with his hands saying, ¡°Mother, how come you were talking with that fox?¡±


    Teng Yun smiled, ¡°You¡¯re still a kid. How can you see if a person is a fox?¡±


    Xue Pei said, ¡°In the future, I will be a great military commander, I¡¯ll have to lead this country to peace and stability. Of course, I should be able to see if a person is a fox or not. Besides, I¡¯m no longer young anymore.¡±


    Xue Pei was almost eight years old; though he had started studying literature and martial arts since he was six, being raised in the Imperial Palace made his views of the world even more sophisticated.


    Children of the Imperial Palaces could all recognize falsehood even before they started learning reading and writing. And not to mention, Xue Pei was an intelligent child.


    Xue Pei beamed with joy as if feeling proud after doing such a good deed. He turned his head to look at Xue Junliang. The Little Crown Prince had always been fawned by everyone and he was pampered but Xue Junliang never spoiled or coddled him. Xue Junliang was always strict about rewards and punishments. Therefore, Xue Pei felt deep respect and admiration towards Xue Junliang.


    Teng Yun saw Xue Pei trying to curb his joyful smile, when he followed Xue Pei¡¯s line of sight, he saw Xue Junliang coming over, who was followed only by Jiang Yu.


    Xue Junliang patted Xue Pei¡¯s head and asked, ¡°How many drinks have you had?¡±


    Xue Pei puffed his chubby cheeks, mumbling, ¡°This son only drank two gulps¡­¡±


    Accidentally he looked up at Xue Junliang¡¯s half-smile, then he rephrased, ¡°Just¡­ Just two cups¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Apparently Xue Junliang wasn¡¯t about to scold the Little Crown Prince, he only asked nonchalantly. He said, ¡°In the afternoon, go back to your study. Don¡¯t be lazy.¡±


    ¡°This son understands.¡± Xue Pei nodded, then excused himself and left obediently.


    Xiu Yao, who was standing at the side, respectfully kept her eyes down. But she could clearly see; Emperor Xue appeared so suddenly, but his appearance was actually staged. The Little Crown Prince coming to drive Xue Yu away, was also orchestrated by Emperor Xue.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°I¡¯ve had a few drinks. Aifei, will you accompany me for a walk?¡±


    Teng Yun assented, but his heart was beating rapidly. By Xue Yu¡¯s tone just now, it seemed like Feng Country¡¯s Grand Princess indeed had some connections with Xue Yu in the past. But he didn¡¯t think they were lovers, because if they were, Xue Yu wouldn¡¯t talk to her in such a threatening manner.


    Teng Yun only wished to stay alive until he could escape from Xue Country. He didn¡¯t want to be used by Xue Junliang and didn¡¯t want to have any relation with Xue Country. But reality was really different from expectations.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°What did Aifei and Marquis Zhenjiang catch up on just now?¡±


    Teng Yun narrowed his eyes and replied curtly, ¡°Chen-qie and Marquis Zhenjiang were not talking.¡±


    Jiang Yu and Xiu Yao heard the Empress¡¯s harsh tone and suddenly felt nervous. But unexpectedly, Emperor Xue only laughed, ¡°That was the perfect answer.¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Just telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Xue Junliang added, ¡°This Seat likes those who speak plainly. Aifei really surprises this Seat more and more every time.¡±


    He paused for a moment, then said, ¡°Then let¡¯s speak plainly about some things, shall we?¡±


    Then he waved a hand, signaling Jiang Yu and Xiu Yao to retreat some distance.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Your Majesty, please speak.¡±


    Only then Xue Junliang continued, ¡°Does Aifei have Xue Yu in her heart?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Xue Junliang had been watching Teng Yun¡¯s eyes and was not surprised when his question was answered so readily and quickly. He added, ¡°I¡¯ll also tell you the truth. Aifei¡¯s words, this Seat only believes half of them¡­..this Seat has always felt Aifei is very intelligent, so this Seat wants Aifei to think of an idea to prove your words.¡±


    Teng Yun said nothing; only waited for Xue Junliang to unravel his calculations and schemes.


    Looking at the Empress¡¯ expression, Xue Junliang smiled. He reached out a hand to touch the scar on the other person¡¯s ear. He thought he didn¡¯t have any feelings towards this Empress. But as a person, he disliked other people setting eyes on his wife. And as an Emperor, he disliked those people even more for setting eyes on his possessions.


    Being touched by Xue Junliang, Teng Yun was reminded again about the incident last night and couldn¡¯t help shuddering.


    Xue Junliang saw the other person¡¯s face turn bright red and his mood became lighter. He said, ¡°It¡¯s actually very simple¡­ Marquis Zhenjiang is accompanied by his thousand soldiers. This Seat wants him to leave his troops behind. Let¡¯s see if Aifei has any ideas.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    Ela¡¯s thoughts ¡ª XJL ¡ª my empress¡¯s ears are the softest!

 CH 29

    When Teng Yun heard Xue Junliang¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh inwardly. Sure enough, Kings liked to haggle over every penny, even a troop of one thousand soldiers, he could not let them go. But if Xue Yu brought one thousand soldiers, then these soldiers must be his best and most powerful soldiers and his most trusted ones as well.


    Xue Junliang deliberately wanted to give the Empress an impossible problem to solve to embarrass her. He saw the Empress and Xue Yu standing together with his own eyes. It was hard to say if they were talking to each other. He was sure she wouldn¡¯t be able to prove her innocence this way but unexpectedly she gave a very clear smile.


    He already knew this Empress was smart, but no matter how smart she was, she was still a woman of the Imperial Harem. Docile and obedient women would not know anything about military tactics.


    But Xue Junliang didn¡¯t know this was Teng Yun in the Empress¡¯s skin. Teng Yun might be able to suffer hardships in silence, but he was always talented and far-sighted. When it came to competing for favors from Emperor Xue, he chose to not make any moves unlike the other consorts. But when it came to military and war tactics, no one was more capable than Teng Yun.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°If Your Majesty just needed to take over his military power, this is just a matter of a few words.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°I want Xue Yu not to be able to refuse.¡±


    ¡°When you want something, you have to give something first. Since ancient times, all wise rulers have given both grace and power, so if Your Majesty wants to take away the Marquis Zhenjiang¡¯s army, why not give him a sweetener first.¡±


    Xue Junliang seemed to be enlightened by his point of view, but still wanted to hear Teng Yun finish, so he said: ¡°Continue.¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Marquis Zhenjiang¡¯s purpose of coming to the capital city is to hold a Worship Ceremony for the ancestors. After the ceremony, he will return to the border. Before he returns, Your Majesty can hold a military evaluation and deem his soldiers unfit. Then Your Majesty can appoint about twelve to twenty Imperial Guards to escort Lord Marquis back.¡±


    Hearing this, Xue Junliang couldn¡¯t help smiling, ¡°I never expected Aifei to be so unscrupulous.¡±


    ¡°This is just outwitting a person,¡± Teng Yun said, ¡°Your Majesty handing over your own personal Imperial Guards, is a great favor to whoever receives it. Lord Marquis will not be able to say no or show if he is unhappy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, then I can use these twelve to twenty Imperial Guards as an exchange for a thousand elite soldiers, it is indeed a good bargain, right?¡±


    Xue Junliang reached a hand to catch a few loose hairs on the Empress¡¯ cheeks and put them behind her ear. His touch was extremely gentle. Then he said softly, ¡°This Seat never expected to have an Empress who, not only has intelligence that is not inferior to any man, but is also very resourceful.¡±


    Hearing those words, Teng Yun felt a chill run through him. Because of his current identity as Feng Country¡¯s Grand Princess, if he talked about military tactics, he would definitely attract suspicions.


    However, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t continue talking about the current topic, instead he digressed into a new topic, ¡°This Seat almost forgot about another thing¡­ The date for Triennial Selection is approaching. This Seat wants Aifei to help organize and supervise the event so it can run smoothly according to the rules.¡±


    Xue Junliang thought the Empress would be nervous when she heard about the Triennial Selection. After all, the Empress still did not have any child of her own, hadn¡¯t even consented to bed with him. Hearing about the Triennial Selection should give her a sense of crisis.


    But there was no change in the Empress¡¯ expression; she seemed all calm and indifferent as if the Triennial Selection was not a matter that involved her. The phrase ¡°currying for favour¡± did not seem to be in her vocabulary at all.


    Ktlr qehhifv Wef Aeciljcu ab cb fcv. Rb wjaafg tbk ojnbegfv j mbcrbga kjr lc atf Pwqfglji Ljgfw, la kjr cbatlcu yea j tsqbmglalmji rfio-qgbafmalbc wfmtjclrw. Vtf kbeiv jikjsr yf qgfrrfv ab wjxf tfg qbrlalbc fnfc wbgf rfmegf. Ccv lo atf rlaejalbc vfwjcvfv la, rtf kbeiv vfolclafis ags ab milwy jybnf batfg mbcrbgar. Dea atlr Swqgfrr kjr cfnfg ilxf atja.


    Xue Junliang stared at Teng Yun with narrowed eyes, half-smiling half-serious, and said, ¡°Sometimes, this Seat always feels that the Empress is very difficult to read.¡±


    Teng Yun stilled by reflex. Nobody knew that he had been occupying Feng Country¡¯s Grand Princess¡¯ body and identity. Not even Teng Shang, whom he trusted most. Hearing Xue Junliang¡¯s words, Teng Yun¡¯s heart began to palpitate, thinking maybe Xue Junliang had found out. But that should be impossible. After all, the Empress and the enemy country¡¯s Great General, had nothing in common and were both completely unrelated.


    Xue Junliang added, ¡°You see, you never even let me touch you. Other wives would burn incense three times a day, praying for a favour from me. Lingering around everyday hoping to be with the Emperor. I already know you¡¯re smart, and you¡¯re more knowledgeable when talking about strategies. Like just now, you looked ready to march into battles¡­ this Seat almost forgot, you are even very good at horse riding and shooting arrows.¡±


    Full of amusement, he asked, ¡°Or was Aifei mistaken at birth? If you were born a man, right now you would have been a very talented military general.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s hands inside his sleeves were clenched into fists as he trembled slightly.


    Xue Junliang took the Empress into his arms and thought the other person was shivering because of the cold. He said, ¡°Are you cold? Feng Country is located in the south, I think it would be hard for you to adapt to the weather here¡­ But don¡¯t you have snow there, too?¡±


    Teng Yun answered without thinking, ¡°No¡­¡±


    Feng Country was located in the south of Xue Country, just like Teng Country. Though the weather in Feng wasn¡¯t as warm as in Teng, they still had snow in winter. Teng Yun had only seen snow once in his life. At that time, he was in high spirits, he had defeated Xue Country¡¯s Marquis Wannian at Xue Country¡¯s border. That year, the snow was falling. It was the only time Teng Yun had ever seen snow.


    Smoothly, Teng Yun corrected his slip of tongue, ¡°Not very often.¡±


    Xue Junliang, naturally did not take this seriously. The two people embracing on the small pavilion created such a pleasing sight, but each had their own thoughts inside their hearts.


    ¡ª¡ª


    Marquis Zhenjiang was, after all, still a member of the royal family, a direct descendant of the Emperor. Although Xue Junliang didn¡¯t like him in his heart, he still had to pretend to treat his younger brother with warmth and kindness. Seeing this, the court officials didn¡¯t dare act rude to Marquis Zhenjiang. After exchanging toasts, the court officials came to the Marquis requesting him to visit their houses for meals.


    After having too much wine at the banquet, Xue Yu naturally could not return home riding a horse. The officials thoughtfully prepared a sedan chair to take him home. They also had thought of sending a few beautiful girls to accompany Xue Yu, but Xue Yu was very scholarly and modest, didn¡¯t look like he enjoyed indulging in worldly pleasures. In the end, Xue Yu only accepted the sedan chair.


    Xue Yu leaned back on his sedan chair and opened the curtain covering the side window to have some fresh air. He saw a person in white clothing walking on the street. Smiling softly, he used his folded fan to knock on the sedan chair¡¯s door. The sedan bearers immediately stopped walking.


    Xue Yu didn¡¯t come down. He pushed the curtain open and with a smile, called out, ¡°Master Teng, do you still remember me?¡±


    Teng Shang suddenly heard someone calling his name and stopped walking. He turned and saw a young gentleman. The young man¡¯s face was flushed, looked like he had one too many drinks; and he was smiling.


    A vague recognition flashed in Teng Shang¡¯s mind. He covered up his surprise and gazed over the sedan chair¡¯s splendor.


    Xue Yu rode a horse when he came to attend the banquet, when he returned, naturally he had people lead his horse back. Xue Country¡¯s hierarchy and ranking system was very strict. The separations between the royal family¡¯s direct lines and their branches were tightly regulated. The color of the reins were very distinct.


    Teng Shang only needed one glance to understand Xue Yu¡¯s rank in Xue Country¡¯s royal family.


    Seeing Teng Shang not surprised by their encounter, Xue Yu smiled and raised an eyebrow, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since seeing Master Teng, how about we go to a tea house and catch-up?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Marquis Zhenjiang¡¯s purpose of coming to the capital city was to pay respect to the ancestors. When the Late Emperor died, Xue Yu had been in the northern border resolving a conflict and could not return home to accompany the Late Emperor during his last days. In the end, he did not return until now.


    When the Late Emperor was still alive, he especially doted on the youngest prince who was much younger than his older brothers. Marquis Zhenjiang admitted he was feeling guilty and regretful, so he wanted to return and hold a worship ceremony and asked for forgiveness.


    Of course, an ancestor worship ceremony wasn¡¯t something that could be done at a moment¡¯s notice because it would require some traveling by the Royal family; therefore it was considered a special event.


    This time, Xue Junliang would also go and attend the ceremony, making the event even more special. Everyone was busy preparing for the event, readying the food and accommodations and of course entertainment. The place for the ancestral worship wasn¡¯t that far, but the preparations had to be done properly.


    They were scheduled to set off the next day. Xue Junliang would bring along the Crown Prince and the Empress. Amongst the ladies in the Inner Harem, only the Empress was invited; it made all other consorts and wives disappointed.


    That night, it was snowing and windy. In no time at all, the ground was completely covered in snow.


    Since hearing the plan made by Jiao Shui, Teng Qianyi had been waiting impatiently for executing the plan. Earlier in the day she found out that Emperor Xue only allowed the Empress to go with him. Driven by hate and resentment, she decided today was the perfect day. It just so happened that the weather was very accommodating; the snow was falling heavily and the wind was blowing strongly enough.


    Teng Qianyi made several palace maids to do her bidding according to the plan. When the maids returned, Teng Qianyi immediately sent them to their death. She accused them as dirty thieves who had stolen their mistress¡¯ valuables. And said that they were afraid that they would be reported and executed, so the maids hanged themselves to die.


    The next day at dawn, palace maids and servants went to clean up the yards. The snow hadn¡¯t been cleared last night and had started to pile on Yunfeng palace courtyard. If not cleared properly, there was a chance the Empress could slip and fall and no one could afford the problems that would arise. They immediately started clearing the snow and that was when they found human-shaped puppets under the trees in the yard.


    Teng Qianyi, hating the fact that Emperor Xue only favored the Empress, had made several puppets that looked very alike Marquis Zhenjiang. She also made a few puppets wearing black robes and wearing crowns and had those puppets slashed with knives.


    Jiang Yu, who had just now been sent back by Teng Yun, heard someone running after him to report about the matter. He froze as if he¡¯d been splashed from head to toe with cold water, but then he calmed down, trying to convince himself it might not be anything to worry about.


    He walked in and reported the matter with his head bowed low. Xue Junliang listened to the report from beginning to end without any change in his expression.


    Jiang Yu didn¡¯t dare utter a single word as he helped Emperor Xue change his clothes. But after some time, when there was still no response back, he finally asked, ¡°Your Majesty, should we delay the departure?¡±


    Xue Junliang let out a laugh with unknown meaning, ¡°For such a trivial matter, do we have to delay the departure?¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­ This old servant is ignorant.¡±


    Xue Junliang flicked his sleeves and said, ¡°How long before we have to depart?¡±


    ¡°Replying back to Your Majesty, there is still one shichen.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Xue Junliang nodded, ¡°Let¡¯s go to Yunfeng Palace first.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    It was still very early in the morning, yet the Imperial Harem was already bustling. Emperor Xue was coming to Yunfeng Palace and had summoned all of his consorts and wives to gather there as well. Everyone had heard about the puppets incident this morning, and if right at this time Emperor Xue wanted all of them here together, his reason must not be good.


    The consorts and wives didn¡¯t dare delay for the fear of evoking His Majesty¡¯s anger. When Xue Junliang arrived at Yunfeng Palace, all of his consorts and wives were already there, waiting cautiously. They immediately knelt down to greet him.


    Xue Junliang was dressed splendidly. The attire he wore was the special one for the ancestral worship ceremony, naturally it was very elaborate and most fitting for his status as the supreme monarch.


    He strode straight into the main hall, not sparing a glance at the consorts and wives kneeling on the floor, went to the huge seat and sat down.


    After sitting down, Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°Empress, come and sit with this Seat.¡± He patted the seat next to him.


    As soon as he said that, everyone was baffled. Obviously the incident involved the Empress, but Emperor Xue let her sit down next to him? Could it be that Emperor Xue had already found out who the mastermind was?


    Teng Yun thanked Emperor Xue and walked over to sit down.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Yesterday, there was strong wind and heavy snow. This Seat ordered Jiang Yu to bring some warm clothes to Yunfeng Palace. Do you all know what he saw then?¡±


    He said this so convincingly as if it was the truth. Teng Qianyi, who was still kneeling on the floor, was so scared that she almost fainted. If it wasn¡¯t for Jiao Shui steadying her, she was afraid she would be found out right away.


    Xue Junliang smiled gently, ¡°This Seat had heard people saying that Xue Country¡¯s Emperor is a tyrant, has no heart and feeling, and treats people ruthlessly and meanly¡­ This Seat has been doing self-introspection, it seems that to be a compassionate ruler it¡¯s necessary to be more understanding towards people¡¯s feelings in dealing with cases. So for this time, whoever is the culprit, this Seat wants you to confess yourself.¡±


    In the wake of his speech, Yunfeng Palace fell quiet as everyone was silent. Behind Xue Junliang, Jiang Yu was sweating profusely because he hadn¡¯t been ordered to go to Yunfeng Palace yesterday¡­


    Teng Yun sat quietly, sweeping his gaze to all of the consorts and wives kneeling on the floor; all of them were keeping their heads low and their mouths shut.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s expression changed slightly as if suddenly recalling something. He turned to the Empress and affectionately said, ¡°The weather has been cold recently, you must take good care of yourself, don¡¯t exhaust yourself for the sake of preparing for the Selection.¡±


    Teng Yun sneered inwardly. Xue Junliang sure was very capable. He was talking and threatening so menacingly just now. Then he expressed concern towards the Empress, though Teng Yun could see those words were actually meant for all the palace maid servants to hear.


    Xue Junliang meant to let the palace maids know that the Triennial Selection was approaching and he would offer additional rewards to those who confessed. If the palace maids were clever, they would immediately understand what a good opportunity this was.


    Before Teng Yun could respond, there was a low cry.


    Jiao Shui dropped down on all four and crawled desperately forward. She then hugged Teng Yun¡¯s ankles and wailed, ¡°Your Majesty, Empress, please save this servant¡¯s life!¡±

 CH 30

    When Teng Shang walked out of the tea house, he saw Xue Houyang standing at the side of the street holding his horse¡¯s reigns.


    Xue Houyang also saw him and called out, ¡°Are you going home? Or do you still want to have a walk?¡±


    Xue Houyang purposefully waited here for Teng Shang, showing that he knew Teng Shang had gone to the tea house with Xue Yu. But he didn¡¯t say anything, and Teng Shang didn¡¯t comment on his knowledge about it either.


    Teng Shang said, ¡°If the Marquis does like it, would you like to have a walk with me?¡±


    The two men walked along the market and continued along the small river. The sky was indicating a snowfall, and the water surface was already covered in a thin layer of ice.


    The two men were silent the whole time, until Teng Shang opened with a laugh, ¡°Lord Marquis doesn¡¯t have to treat me so cautiously, or is it because I¡¯ve saved you once? Well, you¡¯ve saved me twice already.¡±


    Xue Houyang opened his mouth to say something, but in the end he didn¡¯t say it.


    Teng Shang said, ¡°I also have a heart made of flesh. You¡¯re treating me like this makes me feel cautious, too. This way, I cannot repay your kindness because I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m allowed to say things openly. There are so many things I want to tell you, but¡­¡±


    Teng Shang paused. He stopped walking and turned towards the river before whispering, ¡°Lord Marquis, be careful of Xue Yu.¡±


    ¡°What did he say to you?¡± Xue Houyang stepped forward, subconsciously wanting to hold Teng Shang¡¯s arm, but then he retracted his own hand.


    Teng Shang smiled, ¡°Xue Yu is not a simple man. But after all, I don¡¯t think he can do anything to turn the sky¡­ I can only warn you, but I don¡¯t know if Lord Marquis wants to listen.¡±


    Xue Houyang said, ¡°You can tell me.¡±


    ¡°Lord Marquis is favored by Emperor Xue, but there is a saying that accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger. If I¡¯m not mistaken, His Majesty wants to take over Xue Yu¡¯s military power. Seizing other people¡¯s troops usually means wanting to incorporate those troops into one¡¯s own power. This is like Emperor Xue¡¯s signal¡­ After dealing with Xue Yu, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be long before it¡¯s the Lord Marquis¡¯ turn.¡±


    Seeing Xue Houyang¡¯s expression turned pale, Teng Shang added, ¡°I know you won¡¯t like listening to these, but thank you for listening anyway. I¡¯m not saying this to create a rift between you and Emperor Xue, it¡¯s just a heartfelt concern.¡±


    Xue Houyang pondered for a while before slowly saying, ¡°I understand¡­ Other people might think Minister Shang is good at manipulating people¡¯s mind, but Houyang will never forget Minister Shang¡¯s kindness in saving my life that year.¡±


    Teng Shang glanced at Xue Houyang and suddenly smiled, ¡°Lord Marquis, you¡¯re still thinking that you owe me for saving your life? You¡¯ve already repaid it.¡±


    Xue Houyang stared intently at Teng Shang¡¯s smiling face, seemingly infatuated. Then his face heated up and he coughed, ¡°Last time¡­ that time happened because of Houyang¡¯s own fault. Houyang decided that I won¡¯t have any wild thoughts anymore. I¡¯ll be happy if we won¡¯t ever mention it again.¡±


    Xue Houyang was a man used to living on the battlefield, but when it came to talking about feelings, he was too honest and straightforward. His face is naturally not as thick as Xue Junliang who had many wives and was an expert in flirting. This made Teng Shang inwardly laugh in amusement.


    Teng Shang didn¡¯t insist on discussing the matter further, instead said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back, it¡¯s too cold outside.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Jiao Shui was hugging Teng Yun¡¯s ankles and crying miserably, ¡°Empress, this is all Jiao Shui¡¯s fault. Jiao Shui was threatened by Teng-fei into helping her to harm you¡­It¡¯s not enough even if Jiao Shui dies 10 thousand times. This servant cannot be forgiven!¡±


    Teng Qianyi was so shocked she immediately stood up, her whole body was trembling all over as she shouted, ¡°You lowly servant, what nonsense are you talking about?¡±


    Xue Junliang glanced at Teng Qianyi and scolded, ¡°Impudent.¡±


    Jiang Yu was quick to give the order, ¡°Push her down.¡±


    Guards came forward and pushed Teng Qianyi back on the floor.


    Jiao Shui continued as if not afraid of her own mistress, crying, ¡°Empress, please spare this servant¡¯s life, this servant was forced into doing the crime. Teng-fei had already had a few people killed to cover the crime, accusing them of stealing. If this servant hadn¡¯t been serving Teng-fei for a long time, this servant would have already been dead too¡­ This servant cannot apologize enough even if this servant were to die, but this servant is willing to die to prove my innocence.¡±


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    But for Teng Yun, even if he might not be close with Teng Qianyi, he still considered her as a blood-relative; a family member in this Xue Country where he had no one with whom he was familiar with.


    Teng Yun felt his faith had started to crumble. Teng Qianyi¡¯s action only created a crack, but for so many years, all of his brothers had cheated and mistreated him; his father had harbored suspicions and envy towards him. Every betrayal created a crack, and those cracks had become a big fracture.


    Whether it was true or not, to think that the ones who treated him so badly were his own relatives; not his enemy, Xue Junliang¡­


    Teng Yun closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Instead of becoming calmer, his heart began to beat even more rapidly. Teng Qianyi¡¯s action would be considered a huge offense, but the problem was; she wasn¡¯t just implicating her own position as a consort, but also Teng Country where she came from. Based on what he knew of Xue Junliang¡¯s cunning nature, he would definitely seize this incident as an excuse to destroy Teng Country.


    Xue Junliang thought the Empress would be happy knowing she could get rid of one rival; at the very least, he thought she would be as calm and indifferent as always. But then he noticed the other person¡¯s pale face and could not understand why she looked so.


    For a time, everyone was speechless, only the sound of Jiao Shui¡¯s sobbing could be heard. Not knowing what would be done about this case, Jiang Yu started to get anxious. In the end, he pulled up his courage and said, ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s almost time. Why don¡¯t you¡­ go first?¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded, ¡°What Jiang Yu said is reasonable. For the time being, Teng Qianyi is not allowed to go anywhere. This Seat will deal with you later. As for Jiao Shui¡­ You¡¯ve done good by confessing, this Seat hasn¡¯t had any idea to whom you¡¯ll be re-assigned, so for now you¡¯ll follow this Seat.¡±


    Jiao Shui¡¯s eyes widened as she took a sharp breath. Pretending to shed one or two drops of pitiful tears, she kowtowed to thank Emperor Xue.


    The trip could not be delayed any longer. Xue Yu, the Marquis Zhenjiang, had already arrived in the Palace and was waiting for Emperor Xue and the Empress, ready to leave together.


    Xiu Yao supported her mistress and said, ¡°Empress, what¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?¡±


    Teng Yun shook his head. Xue Junliang was about to climb into his carriage when he heard Xiu Yao¡¯s question. A servant was holding the curtain open, but Xue Junliang didn¡¯t enter his carriage, instead he turned around and said, ¡°Empress can ride with this Seat.¡±


    Nobody was surprised by Emperor Xue¡¯s order. After the human-shaped puppets incident, no one could doubt Her Majesty¡¯s importance in Emperor Xue¡¯s eyes. She had already reached the level where Emperor Xue would believe everything she said. Maybe even if the Empress did something wrong, His Majesty would turn a blind eye.


    On the way, Teng Yun¡¯s mind turned a thousand directions. He had failed to escape. The Imperial Harem was heavily guarded, it was impossible to run without being noticed. Now, Xue Junliang would definitely use this opportunity to challenge Teng Country. Teng Yun¡¯s heart was in a mess and he could only think of one idea. This idea was too stupid and might not necessarily feasible.


    That is, to murder¡­


    Maybe other people had no chance, but Teng Yun might be able to, because Xue Junliang had relaxed a lot of his vigilance in order to express his favor to the Empress. Even if Teng Yun could no longer use swords, he could still use sharp gold and silver jewelries. Teng Yun was well-trained in weapons and martial arts, he knew how to take a person¡¯s life with any means available.


    But Xue Junliang¡¯s cautiousness forced Teng Yun to think maybe this idea was too stupid.


    He had been Xue Junliang¡¯s Empress for quite some time now, he felt enough was enough. He was feeling like he¡¯d been kept in a sealed cage and it was driving him mad.


    As the carriage swayed gently, Teng Yun recalled a lot of things. In his previous life, he¡¯d been killed personally by Xue Junliang¡¯s hands. Xue Junliang didn¡¯t only owe Teng Yun a debt of one life, but also the lives of tens of thousands of Teng Country¡¯s soldiers who died in their war.


    Teng Yun¡¯s breathing was a little disordered, he thought this time he would be the one to collect payment from Xue Junliang. On the battlefield, if someone killed another, then they should expect to be killed too; No one owed anyone. But the blood debt was also between the two people. Xue Junliang killed Teng Yun, it was understandable if Teng Yun did the same to him.


    Xue Junliang grabbed Teng Yun¡¯s waist, ¡°What are you thinking so seriously?¡±


    He said the question right in Teng Yun¡¯s ear, startling him. Teng Yun immediately fought to calm himself.


    Xue Junliang using Teng Qianyi¡¯s case as an excuse to send troops to Teng Country, it was a sure thing to happen. If Teng Yun wanted to kill Xue Junliang, there was no other better opportunity than today. After the Ancestral Worship Ceremony, they would be camping outside for a night and then returning to the Imperial Palace the next day. The Imperial Palace has sufficient troops and very strict security, so Teng Yun could only do it this very evening.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t answer.


    When Xue Junliang saw that the other party was ignoring him, he smiled and gently pinched the other person¡¯s earlobe before saying, ¡°Is Aifei feeling jealous?¡±


    Being touched by a flirting expert like Xue Junliang, Teng Yun couldn¡¯t help shuddering in disgust. But when he thought back how he was going to kill this man, it was necessary to act more obedient and docile. He needed Xue Junliang to put his guard down in front of him.


    Xue Junliang felt the person he was holding was very welcoming and didn¡¯t even push him away like usual. This made him inevitably pleased.


    ¡°Why? You¡¯re a little unusual today, are you really feeling jealous? Are you blaming me for taking Jiao Shui in?¡±


    Xue Junliang¡¯s lips were right next to Teng Yun¡¯s ear; with every word, warm and moist breath blew in his ears.


    Teng Yun said nothing as he tried his best to pretend to be obedient. Xue Junliang noted the other person¡¯s ear had turned bright red and he suddenly felt a fire ignite in his heart. He reached out and pushed the other person onto the couch.


    The couch in the carriage was very soft. Although it wasn¡¯t big enough for two people laying on it side by side, it was enough if one person was lying on top of the other.


    Pressing the other person on the couch, Xue Junliang¡¯s hand gently caressed the other person¡¯s cheek and sliding down his chin to his neck.


    Teng Yun wanted to dodge. In the end, he only closed his eyes and lips firmly.


    Xue Junliang could feel the other person¡¯s throat was slightly trembling with tension. This little movement echoed all the way to his heart, making it feel itchy.


    Xue Junliang lowered his head and gave the other person a chaste kiss on the lips. Teng Yun opened his eyes to look at Xue Junliang but didn¡¯t push him away.


    ¡°What a strange day. You even changed your temper. Why is that? I took Jiao Shui in and you felt anxious?¡±


    Teng Yun said nothing and just stared at the other.


    Xue Junliang laughed, ¡°Or are you willing to consummate with me now?¡±


    Then he leaned down and kissed the other person again.


    Teng Yun closed his eyes. At first, he also tightly shut his lips. Xue Junliang was still kissing him gently. Then, with his heart beating a drum in his chest, Teng Yun slowly unlocked his jaw and opened his lips.


    Xue Junliang felt the other person¡¯s lips open and immediately deepened the kiss. He was still gentle and considerate, observing the other person¡¯s reactions, as if he really wanted to impress. If the receiving party was the real Feng Country¡¯s Grand Princess, she would have been deeply moved by this passionate Emperor.


    Teng Yun had never had a deep kiss with anyone. Naturally, he was not as comfortable as Xue Junliang; he was clumsy. He was flustered being teased by Xue Junliang like this, at first he could only feel disgust, but then his mind blanked, he couldn¡¯t even think of anything. His two hands unconsciously clutched at Xue Junliang¡¯s sleeves.


    Teng Yun felt numb and his body turned soft under Xue Junliang¡¯s hands. Suddenly his waist felt cold; it looked like Xue Junliang¡¯s hand had been busy untangling Teng Yun¡¯s belt and was now gently stroking along his waist.


    Teng Yun immediately panicked, and a gasp escaped his lips loudly.


    Xue Junliang rose, his thumb wiping the silver thread of saliva that both of them had not managed to swallow. Smiling, he said, ¡°Aifei tastes so good¡­ Unfortunately I cannot eat more of you, because then you will be uncomfortable for the rest of our journey.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s face was so red, he could squeeze blood out of it, his chest was rising and falling rapidly, and his eyes were still staring at Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang covered the other person¡¯s eyes with his palm and laughed, ¡°If you keep looking at me like that, I won¡¯t be able to hold myself back¡­ Let¡¯s rest for a while, we were up quite early this morning.¡±


    He bowed down to kiss Teng Yun¡¯s forehead and helped him rearrange his messy clothes.


    Teng Yun turned to lie sideways facing the inner part of the couch, his hands clenching tightly into fists. For the rest of the journey, he could not sleep. His mind was too preoccupied.


    When they arrived at their destination, Xiu Yao helped Teng Yun to get off the carriage. When she¡¯d made sure they were alone, she giggled, ¡°Empress, you were too loud.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Teng Yun could not understand.


    Xiu Yao¡¯s face had turned red and she smiled, ¡°I mean, that¡­ You and His Majesty¡¯s love-making¡­ Your voice was too loud, the maidservants could even hear it from outside the carriage. Fortunately I only heard it once.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s own face turned bright red, then quickly turned pale white. Seeing the expression on his face, Xiu Yao didn¡¯t dare to tease anymore. Xiu Yao had learned her mistress was sensitive to topics like this; she should not make such jokes.


    Although Teng Yun did not speak to Xue Junliang all the way, Xue Junliang could feel the other person¡¯s attitude was more agreeable than before. As an Emperor, Xue Junliang felt proud of himself. He was sure what had happened this morning had caused the Empress to realize her own situation. After all, which person didn¡¯t want to monopolize the Emperor¡¯s favor? It was definitely the greatest honor one could have.


    When Emperor Xue and the Empress got off the carriage, all the officials had been waiting. The Ancestral Shrine¡¯s stewards were also present and had stood by according to their official positions.


    When Xue Junliang stepped a foot away from the carriage, the officials all knelt and prayed ¡°Long Live the Emperor!¡±.


    Xue Junliang warmly said, ¡°Xue Yu, you will walk next to this Seat.¡±


    Xue Yu¡¯s head was still bowed. When he heard Xue Junliang¡¯s instruction, he thanked Xue Junliang and walked at a respectable distance behind him.


    Xue Yu was a smart man. How could he dare to walk side by side with Xue Junliang? He knew Xue Junliang only said that just to let people think he was an approachable Emperor.


    They had walked for a few minutes when the snow started falling. The falling snow wasn¡¯t very heavy but Jiang Yu tactfully ordered someone to fetch a warm outer robe for Emperor Xue.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°It¡¯s cold, take one for Marquis Zhenjiang too.¡±


    Xue Yu thanked him. Xue Junliang said, ¡°Does it snow often in the north?¡±


    ¡°Answering to Your Majesty, the snow had already started to fall a few days before Chen-di left for the capital city.¡±


    Xue Junliang idly asked, ¡°When it¡¯s snowing, the road would be hard to get through, hindering the distribution of supplies. Do you have enough provisions in your region?¡±


    ¡°Answering to Your Majesty, the distribution of provisions has been very timely.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Well, you are this Seat¡®s younger brother. Although this Seat is in the Capital, this Seat has always been worrying about you; cannot bear thinking what if you and your army have no food and are starved. This Seat also knows you don¡¯t like to ask anything from anyone, but if you have any needs or difficulties, you must immediately talk to this Seat, or at least talk to Houyang. You are the only brothers this Seat has left.¡±


    He turned to Xue Houyang and inquired, ¡°Is that alright?¡±


    Suddenly being called, Xue Houyang respectfully bowed, ¡°Yes, will do as Your Majesty ordered.¡±


    When he heard Xue Houyang¡¯s reply, Xue Junliang smiled gratefully. Then he turned to Xue Yu and said, ¡°You see, this is where you¡¯re different from Houyang.¡±


    Xue Yu couldn¡¯t comprehend why Xue Junliang suddenly said that. Xue Junliang continued, ¡°You are this Seat¡®s younger brother, but you¡¯re also Marquis Zhenjiang. You hold the northern border in your hands and have great power. You might be too far away for this Seat to count on you¡­¡±


    Before Xue Junliang finished speaking, Xue Yu had already knelt and said, ¡°Chen-di doesn¡¯t dare. Chen-di truly will do anything.¡±


    Xue Junliang looked surprised, ¡°Oh? Why are you kneeling? This Seat only said ¡®might¡¯, it was just a theory and not the truth. Quickly, get up.¡±


    Xue Yu said thanks but inwardly he was aggravated. He reckoned Xue Junliang was deliberately putting him in a difficult situation but he couldn¡¯t complain.


    Xue Junliang slowly added, ¡°You act like we¡¯re strangers. What was this Seat talking about just now?¡±


    He looked around but no one dared to speak, they could not figure out which mood Emperor Xue was in. Teng Yun swallowed a laugh then prompted, ¡°Your Majesty, you were talking about ¡®being too far away¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xue Junliang nodded, ¡°You are a Marquis, but there are many officials whose power seems stronger and grander than yours, such as those low-ranking county magistrates who like to show off. You drove from a very far-away place bringing a thousand soldiers. That is improper.¡±


    He laughed coldly and said with a sneer, ¡°Were you afraid This Seat would detain your soldiers and take away your power?¡±

 CH 31

    Xue Yu suddenly felt his heart drop to the ground, although he pretended to be shocked, somehow he wasn¡¯t surprised that Xue Junliang had taken to address this point to his show of power. It still seemed a little too difficult to compete with Xue Junliang, he¡¯d have to work harder. Xue Junliang was the Emperor, and he himself was just a subordinate; he would always be inferior to Xue Junliang and could only force a smile and swallow his anger.


    Xue Yu knelt back down and said, ¡°Chen-di would not dare. Your Majesty, please calm down, don¡¯t be angry. Chen-di is just too used to spending moderately and doesn¡¯t like to be extravagant, because Chen-di always bears in mind His Majesty¡¯s generosity. That¡¯s why Chen-di only brought a thousand soldiers and had no other thoughts of opposing His Majesty.¡±


    Xue Junliang: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you today? You say don¡¯t be angry, but this Seat isn¡¯t angry. This Seat is just asking¡­ But hearing you being loyal, never wanting to oppose me, this Seat is really moved.¡±


    Xue Junliang then turned around to face all the other officials present before saying, ¡°It just so happens that we¡¯re here standing in front of the Late Emperor¡¯s shrine. Let¡¯s all vow, in the name of our ancestors, that if we ever even think about rebelling, may the heaven and earth combine to destroy us, may our hearts be pierced with a thousand arrows and may we die in agony.¡±


    Xue Yu shivered, his delicate face turned a bit pale.


    Everyone else did not dare to speak and held their breath, fearing His Majesty¡¯s strange mood might turn upon them. An Emperor¡¯s might was really powerful; one moment he could be talking gently and amiably inquiring about someone¡¯s well-being, the next moment he could force people to fall on their knees and vow in front of the ancestors.


    The snow was slowly getting heavier, leaving a thin layer of it on the ground. Xue Yu was still kneeling on the ground, declaring his vows and kowtowing repeatedly for a few times.


    Xue Junliang stood at the side with a smile on his face. Finally he again said to Xue Yu, ¡°Actually, this Seat believes in you, after all, you are this Seat¡®s younger brother. However, you haven¡¯t come back to the capital city for years, it is inevitable that there are some rumors and slanders among the Imperial Court officials about you. As the saying goes, stand straight and do not be afraid if the shadow inclines. This Seat making you vow in front of the Late Emperor¡¯s Shrine is to stop those rumors once and for all. Hope you understand this Seat¡¯s intention.¡±


    Xue Yu ground his teeth and forced a smile, ¡°Yes, Chen-di understands. Thank you for Your Majesty¡¯s benevolence.¡±


    Xue Junliang talked some more, mentioning about this and that ¨C all nonsense; making every court official present, nervous and uneasy. If Emperor Xue¡¯s goal was to frighten the tiger by shaking the mountain, he succeeded.


    In the evening, Xue Junliang held a banquet. Xue Junliang knew it was good that he had frightened the tiger, but he should not force the tiger to feel overly anxious. A tiger with long teeth was still a tiger, only after he really pulled out the tiger¡¯s teeth and claws would it be safe to start grabbing the tiger, otherwise he would only injure himself.


    The entire time they had dinner, Xue Junliang praised Xue Yu time and time again, saying he¡¯d like to learn from Xue Yu as he was hard-working but not extravagant. He complained there was too much food on his table; this was excessive, he only ate a few dishes then ordered the rest to be rewarded to the officials so the food would not go to waste.


    After the meal, Xue Junliang sent Jiang Yu to call the Empress over. At this point, His Majesty calling for the Empress was a foregone conclusion.


    Xiu Yao had intentionally brought many pieces of jewelries and pretty clothes, all to be used in an evening like this. His Majesty went on an outing and had only brought the Empress to accompany him, it was as if he was giving the Empress an opportunity to win his favor.


    After her mistress bathed, Xiu Yao combed her hair into a simple hairstyle. It was tied loosely, like a loose cloud that would scatter at any time, a few strands were left untied and fluttering in the wind; whoever saw the hair would want to touch and set it free.


    Xiu Yao had been serving in the Palace for a long time, she knew the perfect dress for every occasion. She had skillfully prepared a few dresses. Teng Yun¡¯s mind was too preoccupied so he let Xiu Yao choose any dress.


    Xiu Yao snickered. Being allowed to pick a dress, of course she would pick the loose-fitting one; the one which was easy to wear and even easier to take off.


    When the Empress arrived, Xue Junliang was forced to admit the Empress¡¯ appearance really had taken his breath away.


    He wasn¡¯t talking about how beautiful her face was, but about how she looked delicate and feminine. Her charming face showed a touch of nobility; how she carried herself with composure, without arrogance, no self-indulgence, but with gracefulness.


    Xue Junliang had asked someone to set up a table with a few plates of small dishes and fortunately, Teng Yun thought, a few jugs of wine. Xue Junliang was very cautious, if Xue Junliang wasn¡¯t drunk, Teng Yun reckoned he may not have any chance in attempting to kill Xue Junliang.


    Teng Yun took a seat next to Xue Junliang. His action wasn¡¯t coquettish by any means, but compared to any other day, was much more obedient. This made Xue Junliang very proud for finally conquering this haughty Empress.


    Xue Junliang drank a few cups of wine before he suddenly laughed and said, ¡°Having drinks, but having no entertainment to accompany the wine. It¡¯s rather boring. How about Aifei perform a dance?¡±


    Tengyun never learned any songs or dances. If he was asked to recite theories of war, there would be no problem. Even though he had started studying diligently since childhood, he had never been taught about women¡¯s literacy. Now being asked to play music or to dance, his heart beat like a drum.


    Before Teng Yun could answer, Xue Junliang called out, ¡°Someone come!¡±


    Hearing this call, the guards stationed outside went in. Emperor Xue seemed to be drunk and his movements unstable. Supporting himself with a hand on the table, Emperor Xue stood and staggered to the guards. When he was in front of one of them, he reached out a hand.


    Ktfgf kjr j rbecv bo wfaji mijrtlcu jujlcra wfaji. Wef Aeciljcu tjv ogffv j rkbgv ogbw lar rtfjat. Ktf iluta ogbw atf mjcvifr ofii eqbc atf rkbgv jcv liiewlcjafv la.


    Kfcu Tec rajgfv ja Wef Aeciljcu lc mbcoerlbc, cba xcbklcu tlr lcafcalbcr.


    Xue Junliang walked back to Teng Yun and handed him the sword, saying, ¡°How about Aifei perform a sword dance for this Seat?¡±


    Kfcu Tec¡¯r tjcv, ktlmt kjr tbivlcu atf rkbgv, revvfcis aegcfv mbiv. Lf vlvc¡¯a xcbk ktfatfg Wef Aeciljcu rjk bg obecv rbwfatlcu jybea Kfcu Tec bg ktfatfg tlr jmalbcr jgberfv tlr rerqlmlbc.


    The sword Xue Junliang gave Teng Yun was a real sword, let alone using it for a sword dance, raising it in front of an emperor was considered a grave crime. Xue Junliang didn¡¯t even order the guards to retreat; the two guards stood blocking the door, eyes alert and hands ready to grab their weapons.


    Even holding the sharp sword, Teng Yun didn¡¯t stand a chance of killing Xue Junliang right this moment.


    Xue Junliang sat back on his seat, leaning forward with hands on the table and watching the Empress with a smile on his face. Teng Yun always felt that the old fox saw through his actions and could only raise the sword.


    Teng Yun had been using swords all his previous life. He¡¯d been holding a sword right from when he started to learn at the age of six, all the way until he was killed by Xue Junliang¡¯s arrow.


    But now, the long sword was too heavy for this body he was in.


    Teng Yun swung the sword. He had seen a sword dance, but seeing it and imitating it were not the same thing. He also didn¡¯t want to try too hard, because if an Empress of the Inner Palace looked skilled in sword dance, other people would find it too suspicious.


    With his chin rested on his palm, Xue Junliang watched the Empress¡¯ clumsy movements; her wide flowing skirt gently swirled with each move, and her white belt bound around a slim waist that looked smaller than his fist.


    She looked so fragile and weak. The sword dance should be smooth; with infinite softness, but her movements were stiff.


    Xue Junliang smiled. Seeing the Empress struggling because obviously she couldn¡¯t hold the sword properly. His eyes darkened and he stood up again.


    He slowly walked over to the Empress. He pried the sword from her hands and threw it aside before pulling the Empress¡¯ body to his. Teng Yun¡¯s eyes widened, and then remembered to keep his calm, he restrained himself from struggling and lowered his gaze.


    Feeling the Empress¡¯s body softening in his arms, Xue Junliang let out a chuckle. One hand was still around the Empress¡¯ waist, while his other hand reached up and removed her hairpin and threw it aside, just like he did with the sword.


    Teng Yun turned his head, watching as the hairpin fell to the ground and his heart froze. Xue Junliang waited until the other person¡¯s gaze was back on him before he lifted her in his arms, carried her to the inner room and threw her on the bed.


    Without the hairpin, the Empress¡¯ black and glossy hair was scattered messily on the quilt, contrasting with her white face; she looked stunning.


    Xue Junliang gently ran his fingers through her hair before smiling, ¡°When you¡¯re looking at me like this, it reminds me of someone¡­¡±


    After he said this, he didn¡¯t speak again. This kind of unclear words made Teng Yun uneasy.


    Instead, Xue Junliang said, ¡°All day, somehow it feels like we¡¯re wanting the same thing. But if Aifei¡¯s willing to be more active, I won¡¯t even mind.¡±


    As he said that, Xue Junliang¡¯s hand had reached out to unfasten the other person¡¯s belt, leaving the outer garment loose.


    Teng Yun raised a hand to pull his clothes tighter around him. The only sharp object on his body had already been thrown aside, and there were still guards outside¡­


    Slowly retracting his hand, Teng Yun gritted his teeth. He¡¯d had two lifetimes and been placed into Xue Junliang¡¯s hands in both of them.


    Initially, he thought he was reborn so he could fight Xue Junliang, but it all actually was a play of cat and mouse. In the end, no matter how high he jumped, he would always fall into Xue Junliang¡¯s traps.


    Xue Junliang, who had been staring at the other person¡¯s eyes, felt as if he¡¯d seen that same eyes before; the same dark and brilliant eyes, the same glint of defiance, even the same expression of despair.


    At that time, Xue Junliang was drawing a bow, looking at that person with narrowed eyes. The enemy looked miserable; full of bruises and scars, not an inch of his skin was intact. But the person still stubbornly returned Xue Junliang¡¯s gaze.


    Somehow, just like how this Empress did right now¡­


    It was undeniable that Xue Junliang always appreciated talented people. A thought inevitably came to his mind when that person glared at him like that. Maybe if he let this person go, would he be grateful and later be willing to become his ally?


    But that was something that was implausible, so Xue Junliang ignored that line of thought. He immediately readied his arrow and then released it.


    In his heart, Xue Junliang always admired that Iron-handed General, Teng Yun. Therefore, that time he was full of appreciation and admiration. Now, seeing this person under him looking back at him with the same kind of expression, it only added to his excitement and a burst of quick heat poured into his lower abdomen.


    Xue Junliang pushed the memory of the other time aside. Teng Yun was Teng Yun; he was already dead, his body had already been cremated and was now dust. The person under him was his own Empress; it was a wife¡¯s duty to attend to her husband¡¯s needs.


    Xue Junliang thought maybe he¡¯d drunk too much wine, because he felt unbearably hot all over his body. With one hand, he opened the other person¡¯s outer garment and gently kissed her neck.


    His other hand was not idle at all. It slid up slowly along Teng Yun¡¯s bare ankle, gripped it and slowly raised it up.


    Teng Yun realized it with a shock. He tried to kick his leg free but it was caught by Xue Junliang. He grabbed his ankle and forced him to open his legs.


    The Empress was trembling like a leaf. Xue Junliang tried to appease her by gently kissing her lips and her forehead. He said, ¡°You don¡¯t like it? But by your reaction, it seems like you¡¯re enjoying it very much.¡±


    Being teased by Xue Junliang, Teng Yun¡¯s face instantly turned blood-red. He ground his teeth forcefully; looking half-afraid and half-angry.


    Xue Junliang saw the other person¡¯s reaction and was momentarily distracted. He was reminded again how he felt he¡¯d seen this same expression from that person too.


    When Xue Junliang was pondering over that, suddenly he heard Xue Houyang shouting from outside, ¡°Your Majesty, there is an urgent report! Your Majesty¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu and Xue Houyang were standing outside. Although it was not very late, Emperor Xue had been alone inside with the Empress for quite some time, it was clear he was busy. But then Marquis Wannian came in a hurry, demanding to have an audience with Emperor Xue.


    Jiang Yu was in a dilemma. Even if he was given all the courage in the world, he would never dare disturb His Majesty when he was having a good time with his wife.


    Xue Houyang saw Jiang Yu hesitating, so he himself called out loudly while knocking on the door. Xue Houyang used to be very straightforward and had many Palace propriety rules that he disliked. But after so many years in the Imperial Court, he¡¯d learned to tolerate those rules.


    Xue Junliang knows that Xue Houyang has a sense of propriety. Still acting this impetuous despite knowing the proper rules, such recklessness was naturally due to a matter of great urgency.


    But still, he was not pleased. Who would be pleased when they were interrupted at a time like this?


    Xue Houyang had already called out a few times when the door was finally opened. He immediately stepped inside and presented the urgent report. The report was still tightly sealed, and on the outside, there was a word ¡®Urgent¡® written with red ink.


    One glance at the sealed report, Xue Junliang¡¯s expression hardened. He led Xue Houyang and Jiang Yu to the side room.


    He opened the report letter, it was an emergency report from the border station.


    Since Xue Yu left for the capital city, a group of people started to make troubles around the northern border. These people lived as nomads and were very aggressive by nature. Xue Yu¡¯s military power wasn¡¯t as strong as Xue Houyang¡¯s, but his soldiers could still control these nomads all this time. The reason for it was simple, because these skilled and brave people were still living in a chaotic situation.


    Their leaders had fought to build a country and named it with their surnames, but none among their generations of leaders had succeeded. One day, a son could rise to the throne, the next day the uncle could rebel, therefore throwing the whole country into the chaos of war.


    Some years ago, a certain Cheng Tian helped push his own nephew into the throne. Cheng Tian held a large and powerful military force and had many skilled counselors under him. No one could compete with him, so for a time, all was well.


    However, after some time sitting on the throne, the young King gradually disliked being restrained under another person. His eunuch advised him that he could not remove Cheng Tian, because then the whole nation would be in an uproar. Instead, he could use another military commander to suppress Cheng Tian¡¯s arrogance and influence. The young king chose a descendant of three generations of Kings, Zou Zhenying.


    So the young King began gradually shifting the military powers. Cheng Tian found out and led his soldiers to surround the Imperial Palace. At this time, Zou Zhenying and his soldiers, using the justification of rescuing the King and protecting the country, crossed swords with Cheng Tian¡¯s soldiers all over the Palace¡¯s surroundings.


    The young King apparently distrusted and trusted the wrong people. Zou Zhenying, wanting to seize the throne for himself, took advantage of the disorderly situation to invade the Palace and kidnap the young King and the Queen Dowager.


    Cheng Tian led his soldiers to catch up to Zou Zhenying, but he didn¡¯t want to forfeit the capital city so he chose to return.


    Presently, there was no chief commander on Xue Country¡¯s border. Cheng Tian and Zou Zhenying, who had been in a deadlock, came up with an idea to reconcile. They immediately hit it off together and started giving birth to a new crafty scheme.


    Using the excuse of searching the whereabouts of their young King, they said they heard some people saw the young King inside Xue Country¡¯s territory and wanted to send troops there to rescue their King and bring him back to the Imperial Palace.


    Their real goal was easy to see. Seeing as Xue Yu wasn¡¯t at the border right now, they wanted to take this opportunity to enter Xue Country¡¯s land. Xue had been at war with Teng Country for many years, naturally Xue Country had a shortage of troops. When else was a better opportunity than this time?


    Xue Junliang balled the letter and laughed out loud, ¡°Those barbarians, their own country is still unstable, yet they dare to covet my Xue Country¡¯s land.¡±


    Hearing this, Xue Houyang couldn¡¯t help straightening his back. Xue Junliang threw the letter to him. Xue Houyang quickly read it and then his expression turned ugly.


    He said, ¡°Your Majesty, please let Chen-di handle it, we cannot let those barbarians treat us like a joke.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°If you go, I can rest assured as you will definitely succeed, but this matter should not be handled by you.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Xue Houyang paused. He knew Emperor Xue¡¯s reason was justified. After all, this was concerning Xue Yu¡¯s appointed station and not his. But if they were to send Xue Yu back right now, Xue Houyang would not be relaxed either.


    Xue Junliang sat down, signaling for Xue Houyang to take a seat, then said, ¡°It is not impossible to send Xue Yu back, we just need to send another person to join the army; a person who could keep Xue Yu in check.¡±


    Xue Houyang said, ¡°Please forgive Chen-di¡®s ignorance, but Chen-di can¡¯t think of any such person.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t?¡± Xue Junliang actually laughed, ¡°That person is actually very closely related to you, it¡¯s Teng Shang.¡±


    ¡°Teng Shang.¡± Xue Houyang repeated. Then he frowned, he thought of that time he saw Teng Shang and Xue Yu having tea together in a tea house but he could not tell this to Xue Junliang.


    He only said, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ It¡¯s not that Chen-di doesn¡¯t want to let Teng Shang go, but¡­it¡¯s Teng Shang he will eventually¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang waved a hand and said, ¡°With Teng Shang¡¯s ability and intelligence, he could easily keep Xue Yu in check, he hadn¡¯t been keeping his seat as a minister for years for nothing. You only have to bring him in and I¡¯ll tell him what to do¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang stood and said unhurriedly, ¡°Teng Shang will definitely accept. The reason Cheng Tian and Zou Zhenying invaded Xue Country¡¯s land is because they and Teng Country are separated by a vast distance. If they succeed to occupy Xue Country¡¯s land, their distance to Teng would be shorter. I am lending Teng Shang, elite soldiers and letting him protect his own country.¡±


    Xue Houyang was stunned by Xue Junliang¡¯s foresight. That was indeed true.


    Teng Country was weak, Feng Country was strong, Cheng Tian was skilled, so was Zou Zhenying. If Teng Country was not separated by Xue Country, this country would be too easy to attack. Whoever it was, as long as they occupied one area of Xue Country¡¯s border, they could easily open a road directly into Teng Country¡¯s land.


    A person¡¯s feelings could be predicted, a person¡¯s loyalties could make him selfish. If there was a relationship between Teng Shang and Xue Yu, it didn¡¯t matter. Teng Shang would spare no effort to lead this troop to defeat Cheng Tian and Zou Zhenying.


    After they finished speaking, Xue Junliang exited the side room. Xue Houyang absentmindedly followed, thinking that  Xue Junliang still had more orders.


    As soon as he turned out of the side room, he saw a flash in front of him. In reflex, he stepped in front of Xue Junliang to block whatever it was; the thing he blocked was actually a sword.


    Xue Houyang¡¯s skill in martial arts was by no means lacking, yet he was unable to fully block the coming sword. The person who stabbed the sword almost managed to badly hurt him. If it wasn¡¯t for that person¡¯s clumsy movement; as if that person¡¯s hand was not in tune with the sword, Xue Houyang reckoned he would have been defeated by such awkward handling of the sword.


    The reason Xue Houyang could not fully block the sword was because he was too surprised.


    ¡°Si¡­ Sister-in-law!¡±

 CH 32

    ¡°Si¡­ Sister-in-law!¡±


    Xue Houyang came to an abrupt stop and quickly retracted his hands. The sword that he¡¯d blocked fell to the ground with a clank; the sound was quite loud, alerting the guards outside. They rushed inside but then halted in shock.


    Jiang Yu thought he¡¯d been caught in a dilemma too many times today. What kind of situation was this?


    Her Majesty the Empress¡¯ hair was loose as it wasn¡¯t pinned with anything; cascading down her shoulders. Her clothes were untidy, her belt was missing and her outer garment was loosely hung on her shoulder, her wide flowing skirt barely covering her long and slender legs.


    Her Majesty¡¯s eyes were slightly bloodshot, her lips blood-red as if she had been biting them. She was glaring at Emperor Xue like she wanted to skin him alive.


    Xue Houyang noted the way she was dressed and at the same time he realized he was standing too close to the Empress. He immediately lowered his gaze. Eyes still down and not daring to lift his head, he retreated several steps behind Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s reaction was also not slow. He quickly took off his own outer robe then reached his hands towards the Empress and wrapped her tightly; preventing others from seeing her disheveled state. His expression wasn¡¯t angry at all, instead he smiled and said, ¡°Aifei, are you angry with this Seat? This Seat realized that what this Seat wanted just now must have worn you out.¡±


    Hearing this, everyone at the scene instantly bowed their heads and scrambled to withdraw. The couple were having a lover¡¯s quarrel; they, as lowly subordinates, should remove themselves from the room as quickly as possible.


    This incident only cemented their realization that no one could shake and doubt Her Majesty¡¯s status. Her Majesty throwing a sword and glaring daggers at Emperor Xue; instead of getting angry, Emperor Xue actually put on such a pleading expression, trying to appease the Empress.


    A woman who could make a supreme emperor beg for her favor, really should not be taken lightly.


    The others could see that the Empress had gone pliant when tightly hugged by Emperor Xue, confirming Xue Junliang¡¯s words.


    But the truth was, Teng Yun couldn¡¯t move. His whole body became soft being held by Xue Junliang because Xue Junliang had hit and blocked his acupuncture point.


    His whole body felt so numb and painful that if Xue Junliang wasn¡¯t holding him, he would have already fallen on the floor.


    After wrapping the Empress, Xue Junliang lifted her into his arms. Jiang Yu thoughtfully pushed the door to the inner chamber open. When Xue Junliang and the Empress had passed the door, Jiang Yu silently closed it.


    Xue Houyang scratched his nose in embarrassment. Taking the urgent report away, he turned to leave.


    Xue Junliang threw Teng Yun on the bed and sneered, ¡°You actually tried to kill this Seat. I didn¡¯t expect that you would be courting death.¡±


    Then he tidied the Empress¡¯ messy hair and covered her with the quilt. The action didn¡¯t match up with his menacing tone, making it hard for Teng Yun to predict Xue Junliang¡¯s mood.


    Xue Junliang added, ¡°Or were you thinking that, even if this Seat hated you, this Seat wouldn¡¯t be able to kill you?¡±


    As he said this, Xue Junliang turned to look at the inside of his own wrist. There was a small wound on the back of his hand; it was still bleeding but didn¡¯t look very serious. It turned out that if Xue Houyang¡¯s reaction had been even a tiny bit slower than the speed he had reacted, Xue Junliang reckoned the sword might have taken his life.


    Noting the other person said nothing, Xue Junliang continued, ¡°This Seat has finally taken Teng Country¡¯s Eldest Princess as hostage, but now those barbarians are attacking, so this Seat really cannot deal with you right now. If by any chance King Feng sends his troops here right this moment, this Seat would have too many enemies attacking at the same time. But you must understand, even if this Seat won¡¯t throw you away to the Cold Palace; even if this Seat can¡¯t kill you, you shouldn¡¯t be too happy. There are also many ways to make your life so miserable, you¡¯d think you¡¯d be better off dead.¡±


    It was at this time that the Empress opened her eyes and turned to look at Xue Junliang. There was a glint of something in those eyes that Xue Junliang was unable to comprehend.


    Xue Junliang thought the other person opened her eyes because she was afraid of his threats, but it was obvious the Empress wasn¡¯t afraid. On the contrary, her eyes suddenly regained their brilliance as if she had found a reason to continue living. This expression made Xue Junliang speechless though he didn¡¯t understand why.


    Xue Junliang, of course, couldn¡¯t understand. Teng Yun suddenly saw hope because Xue Junliang said there was an attack from the barbarians. This would prevent Xue Junliang attacking Teng Country anytime soon.


    Wef Aeciljcu rlutfv jr tf ragfamtfv bea tlr tjcv ab mbnfg atf batfg qfgrbc¡¯r fsfr. Lf mbeiv offi atf batfg qfgrbc¡¯r fsfijrtfr ygertlcu ufcais jujlcra tlr qjiw. Lf ktlrqfgfv, ¡°P gfjiis mjccba ecvfgrajcv sbe. Lbk mbeiv rbwfbcf yf rb lucbgjca jybea atflg bkc ilof jcv vfjat?¡±


    Cr tf rjlv atja, Wef Aeciljcu mbeivc¡¯a tfiq bcmf jujlc gfmjiilcu atja Pgbc-tjcvfv Xgfja Xfcfgji ktb tjv vlfv ys tlr bkc tjcvr. Ktja qfgrbc, Wef Aeciljcu mbeivc¡¯a ecvfgrajcv flatfg. Lbk mbeiv atja qfgrbc yf rb lucbgjca bo vfjat? Lbk mbeiv atja qfgrbc yf rb ibsji jcv vfafgwlcfv ab remt jc fzafca?


    Cheng Tian supported the young King to ascend the throne, he wasn¡¯t disloyal. Otherwise, he¡¯d have already appointed himself as a King. Zou Zhenying kidnapped the young King and absconded, he wasn¡¯t disloyal. If he was disloyal, he¡¯d have already appointed himself as a King so much earlier.


    But they didn¡¯t appoint themselves as Kings despite having so many chances to do so. It was because in their hearts, they were indeed loyal.


    Then something that was more beneficial to them came up and their loyalties changed. They became arrogant and started disregarding their own King¡­


    However, Teng Yun wasn¡¯t like that. For him, Teng Country seemed to be his one and only faith.


    Xue Junliang pushed away his thoughts and said, ¡°When we return to the Imperial Palace, reflect diligently about your own actions.¡±


    At dawn the next day, the Emperor¡¯s convoy set out to return to the Palace, but this time the Empress didn¡¯t ride in Emperor Xue¡¯s carriage.


    Emperor Xue also transferred a palace maidservant that he¡¯d just taken in, to Her Majesty the Empress¡¯ side; the maidservant was Jiao Shui.


    Xiu Yao and Jiao Shui rode in the Empress¡¯ carriage; waiting and ready to serve Her Majesty at any time.


    Xiu Yao was very unhappy with the transfer of Jiao Shui. Firstly, she thought Jiao Shui might be a fox in a sheep¡¯s clothing. She could betray Teng-fei without batting an eye. Having such a vicious and untruthful person by her side, Xiu Yao also felt unsafe.


    Secondly, Jiao Shui acted according to the opportunity, she was quick-witted and skilled in using her eloquent sweet mouth. If somehow the Empress grew fond of Jiao Shui¡¯s sweet talks, wouldn¡¯t Xiu Yao¡¯s own position be threatened?


    The Empress didn¡¯t talk all the way on their journey. Xiu Yao had also heard about the quarrel between the Empress and His Majesty last night. She thought maybe His Majesty had made the Empress too tired, so the incident wasn¡¯t something so serious.


    As soon as he arrived at the Imperial Palace, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t delay for a moment. He immediately summoned a group of court officials and informed them he was appointing Xue Yu as a chief commander and Teng Shang as an army consultant. The officials inwardly questioned this decision but because Emperor Xue had said it, they didn¡¯t dare object. Xue Junliang also let Xue Yu take a few of his own trusted soldiers, and spared Xue Yu¡¯s a thousand soldiers of the military evaluation; letting go of his own plan of detaining Xue Yu¡¯s military power.


    Xue Yu and Teng Shang were both skilled and smart. Xue Junliang only needed to say a few words and they immediately understood. As soon as the preparations of the army provisions were completed, they set off.


    When an army went to war, it was important that they had enough food. Therefore, the transportation of food supplies should be handled seriously. Added to that, they only had a short period of time to prepare.


    Xue Junliang rarely had rest these few days. He¡¯d taken to personally supervise everything and didn¡¯t dare to relax.


    When Xue Junliang was busy reviewing a set of documents, Jiang Yu, who had been waiting on him, fell asleep leaning against the door. Jiang Yu was no longer young; he was considered one among Xue Junliang¡¯s most trusted aides because he¡¯d been following Xue Junliang for so many years.


    Xue Junliang cleared his throat. Jiang Yu woke up with a jolt, hitting his head on the door. Before he could even start apologizing, Xue Junliang said, ¡°You can go. I can handle this by myself.¡±


    Feeling moved, Jiang Yu thanked him and then withdrew himself.


    Having no time for a good rest these few days, Xue Junliang felt exhausted. He still wanted to finish reviewing this set of documents but started feeling a little bit sleepy. He forced himself to continue reading for a few more minutes before he finally decided he couldn¡¯t read any more. He considered resting his head on the table to take a short nap before continuing the task at hand.


    He hadn¡¯t even managed to shut his eyes when Jiang Yu stumbled back in to report, ¡°Your Majesty, the Empress has fallen ill.¡±


    Xue Junliang¡¯s heart jumped but he immediately strove to stay calm, ¡°This Seat is not a physician, what¡¯s the use of telling this thing to this Seat?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu felt maybe His Majesty was in a bad mood. He was hesitating for a long time before Xue Junliang had to add, ¡°What are you mumbling to yourself?¡±


    Jiang Yu hurriedly said, ¡°The palace maids serving by Her Majesty¡¯s side said that Her Majesty won¡¯t let them call the Imperial physician. Now Her Majesty has fainted.¡±


    Xue Junliang smacked the table-top, immediately stood up and said, ¡°She was sick and unable to think clearly when she said not to call for the physician, they obeyed and didn¡¯t call for the physician? Now the Empress has fainted. If something happens to the Empress, are they willing to have their heads severed?¡±


    Jiang Yu stammered that he understood before rushing out to order people to call for the Imperial physician.


    Xue Junliang pondered for a few moments before deciding to go to Yunfeng Palace.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Teng Yun was half-awake. He heard the frightened voice of Xiu Yao; she sounded like she was crying. Then he felt dizzy, he thought he was dreaming but he could not wake up.


    He felt that he could not move his hands and feet. Looking down he saw he was tied securely against a wooden stake. The sun was blazing down on him and he had to squint to see anything.


    Just a few steps in front of him, there was a man wearing black robe. The man was standing straight, holding a bow in one hand and an arrow with a red tassel in the other.


    When Teng Yun saw who it was, his chest tightened and his breathing faltered. He said, ¡°Xue Junliang.¡±


    The man in black robe smiled before gently whispering, as if with tenderness, ¡°Aifei, you dare to call this Seat¡¯s real name?¡±


    Teng Yun was stunned for a moment. He quickly looked down to see he was himself and in his own body. Yet, Xue Junliang still called him Aifei.


    ¡°Aifei, are you not afraid of death? Then what are you afraid of?¡±


    After saying that, the man slowly raised his long arrow, using the pointed-tip to gently pick at the neckline of Teng Yun¡¯s clothes.


    The cold tip of the arrow occasionally brushed against Teng Yun¡¯s neck, which made Teng Yun tremble. If he hadn¡¯t experienced how it felt like having an arrow stabbing through his heart, perhaps Teng Yun would still be fearless.


    The other man chuckled. The arrow had cut Teng Yun¡¯s neckline open, the man dragged the tip down, passing Teng Yun¡¯s chest and then started to pick at Teng Yun¡¯s belt.


    Teng Yun seemed to be only wearing a piece of ragged clothing. The clothes and the belt fell to the ground at the same time, immediately revealing Teng Yun¡¯s scarred upper body.


    The man in black robe narrowed his eyes, loosened his hand, then threw away his bow and arrow. He stepped closer to Teng Yun and whispered in his ear, ¡°Let¡¯s continue that thing we never seem to finish, shall we?¡±


    Teng Yun started to panic. He struggled to step back but because he was tied, he couldn¡¯t move anywhere.


    The man reached out to hug Teng Yun¡¯s waist and pulled off Teng Yun¡¯s lower garment, leaving Teng Yun completely naked.


    The man leaned his head down to take Teng Yun¡¯s earlobe in his mouth, alternating between gently kissing and biting it. He did it for a short moment before continuing to kiss Teng Yun¡¯s chest.


    Teng Yun¡¯s body was covered in small and big scars. The man seemed to be fascinated by these scars; slowly tracing each and every one of them with his tongue. Teng Yun felt his back going numb. Without his knowing, his lips opened in his effort to keep breathing and his throat kept letting out pained moans and groans; as if he was dying.


    Teng Yun¡¯s eyes were bloodshot-red, glaring harshly at the other man. Then the man reached a hand and took Teng Yun¡¯s manhood.


    Teng Yun¡¯s brain suddenly exploded and his whole body tensed. But the other man didn¡¯t seem bothered by Teng Yun¡¯s struggles; his hand kept holding Teng Yun¡¯s manhood with his palm and playing with it.


    Before Teng Yun could reach climax, the man forced Teng Yun¡¯s legs to open; exposing the unspoken part in Teng Yun¡¯s behind for him to see.


    Teng Yun¡¯s breathing grew heavy and hoarse, and his lips were trembling. The man¡¯s skill was superb; one hand still rubbing Teng Yun, while the other hand touching every inch of Teng Yun¡¯s skin.


    When the man lowered his head to kiss Teng Yun¡¯s lips, Teng Yun could feel the other man¡¯s breathing; he was breathing heavily as if there was a sense of urgency. The man gripped Teng Yun¡¯s chin with a hand, forced Teng Yun¡¯s mouth open with his tongue and then kissed Teng Yun deeply. Teng Yun let out a weird sound each time he breathed.


    When Teng Yun was about to climax, the man suddenly withdrew, lifted Teng Yun¡¯s legs with both hands, and gently rubbed the tip of his own manhood against Teng Yun¡¯s hole.


    Teng Yun began to shake his head violently but the other man didn¡¯t seem to be softening in the slightest. He slowly opened Teng Yun¡¯s hole, bit by bit and then entered inside¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    When Xue Junliang arrived at Yunfeng Palace, the place was in a mess. The Imperial physician had come and examined the Empress. He said the Empress had caught a common cold, but her heart was suffering from pent up emotions which was disrupting her blood circulation.


    Xue Junliang was relieved, but then a burst of anxiety arose in his heart. Why did he have to worry over this person? In the final analysis, their relationship was that of a person who used and a person who was being used. Also, this person only recently planned to rebel against him.


    The more he thought about that, the more Xue Junliang became more agitated. He ordered everyone to retreat before sitting on the bed, watching the sleeping form in it.


    The Empress¡¯ sleep didn¡¯t look peaceful and her forehead was drenched in sweat. Xue Junliang touched her arms briefly to find her clothes were wet.


    Emperor Xue, who had never taken care of any sick person before, decided to help wipe her sweat. Looking around, he found a basin of water and a towel just beside the bed. He put the towel in the water to wet it, then used the towel to wipe the Empress.


    First, he wiped the Empress¡¯ forehead and temples. Then, loosening the neckline of her clothes, he wiped down her neck. The Empress seemed to be sweating a lot.


    Afraid the Empress would feel the cold wind, he pulled over the quilt. But he didn¡¯t know how to cover her when he was wiping. In the end, he used a hand to wipe her and his other hand to hold the blanket over her; doing his best not to let her catch a cold.


    With every intention to care for the Empress, he started opening her clothes. That was when he heard the Empress saying lowly as if in a moan, ¡°Xue Junliang.¡±


    Never had he expected the Empress would call out to him with that kind of pleasant voice. The voice made something explode inside Xue Junliang¡¯s heart, his eyes which were staring at the Empress¡¯ body turned dark.


    His hand didn¡¯t stop, still holding a cloth towel to wipe Teng Yun¡¯s sweat, but his action became more and more delightful and naughty.


    The person on the bed frowned as if her sleep became more restless. Her lips were pursed, and her throat was trembling; occasionally letting out low mewling sounds, slightly like a meowing of a kitten..


    Xue Junliang¡¯s breathing grew heavier. His hand lingered on the other person¡¯s skin. Every inch he touched, the other person would tremble harder and harder. This reaction, naturally, pleased Xue Junliang very much.


    Xue Junliang lowered his head. Then, seemingly in a trance, he gently traced the other person¡¯s lips with his thumb. He seemed to be fascinated with the soft texture under his thumb, then he held her chin. The arrogant and dignified Emperor couldn¡¯t even stop himself leaning down to kiss the person sleeping on the bed.


    The Empress keened like a little kitten, looking helpless and vulnerable. The Empress didn¡¯t usually show this kind of vulnerability. Perhaps the illness had exposed her usually hidden self without her being aware of it.


    When Xue Junling let go of Teng Yun¡¯s lips, Teng Yun was half-awake but still in a daze. He felt he was lying on a bed and was panting heavily. Unconsciously, he stuck out his tongue to lick his lips up to the corners of his mouth.


    Xue Junliang watched as the person on the bed started to open her eyes. Finally, he helped rearrange her clothes, covered her with the quilt then called for the maidservants to attend to her.

 CH 33

    Xue Yu reined his horse to make it trot slower, deliberately keeping up with Teng Shang¡¯s pace.


    Xue Yu smiled and said, ¡°The journey is long. I hope Minister Shang can withstand it. Or shall I order a halt for you to rest a bit?¡±


    Teng Shang said, ¡°A long journey is what I¡¯ve been looking forward to, how could I feel tired?¡±


    ¡°That is what is wrong with Minister Shang,¡± Xue Yu said, ¡°Lord Minister could have easily stayed in the safety of the capital city, where you could have anything you wanted. Why insist on irrelevant principles and land yourself in an inconvenient plight like this?¡±


    Finally Teng Shang turned his gaze towards Xue Yu, ¡°It seems that Marquis Zhenjiang had a thorough look. Then this Teng will have to borrow flowers to offer them to Buddha and give the words back to the Marquis, intact.¡±


    He paused, then smiled, ¡°You could have stayed comfortably in the border as a chief commander, where you could have anything you wanted. But why did you insist on doing irrelevant things?¡±


    Xue Yu¡¯s face changed slightly, and then returned to his usual gentle and elegant appearance. He said, ¡°Haven¡¯t seen Minister Shang for some years, but your speech is still very unforgiving. I have always heard Teng Country¡¯s Minister Shang was generous and kind, but how come when talking to me, you are so mean?¡±


    Teng Shang said, ¡°I never meant to be harsh towards Lord Marquis.¡±


    Then he glanced at Xue Yu; there was a glint of triumph in his eyes. Still smiling, he said, ¡°If Lord Marquis had given a rope to lasso the horse, how would this Teng think about causing trouble for you?¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯re saying¡­¡± Xue Yu said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Before you left for the capital city, Emperor Xue ordered me to thoroughly investigate the assassination attempt on the Empress¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xue Yu exclaimed, ¡°The Empress was attacked? What was found out?¡±


    Teng Shang said, ¡°Before meeting Lord Marquis, there were still some questions that I couldn¡¯t figure out. But since having a few cups of tea together with Lord Marquis the other day, surprisingly I thought it through quite thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Teng Shang saw Xue Yu still riding beside him and didn¡¯t seem nervous in the slightest. He slowly added, ¡°The assassins were indeed Teng Country people, but they weren¡¯t former subordinates of this Teng Shang. When they were interrogated, at first they said they were sent by King Feng, but then they took back their confession and said they were actually sent by me. This was a two birds in one stone type of thing, wherein they wanted to anger King Feng and, at the same time, get rid of this thorn at Teng¡¯s side¡­ Unfortunately, Lord Marquis might never have expected that Emperor Xue would hand over the case to me.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Xue Yu pretended to be surprised and said: ¡°Well, how did I get involved? This criminal charge of assassinating the Empress, I cannot afford to take it¡­..  What¡¯s more, almost everyone in the Capital has heard that the Empress and I once had romantic feelings for each other. Why would I even want to harm her?¡±


    Teng Shang laughed and said, ¡°Why say obscure things in front of people with discerning eyes. That year when we first met, you were already a Marquis Zhenjiang, were you not? A Marquis, left his appointed station without permissions, disguised himself as a scholar and served in a Teng Country¡¯s senior official¡¯s Residence. Lord Marquis, what is your real intention?¡±


    Xue Yu also gave a laugh, but did not deny it, and suddenly spurred his horse to walk faster and turned his head: ¡°You want to fight, do you?¡±


    He said, ¡°You are ambitious and very talented. But you have a blocked headed foolish heart. Foolish loyalty will only kill you.¡±


    Teng Shang pulled the reins of his horse. Xue Yu did have a point. Teng Shang was so loyal that he would spare no effort and was even willing to sacrifice himself for Teng Country. Other people would find it easy to change their loyalties, but they weren¡¯t Teng Shang. They didn¡¯t know what it felt like being an orphan without any blood-relatives. When he was most helpless, he could only have unconditional trust in his own feelings.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Wef Aeciljcu ragfamtfv bea tlr tjcv obg atf qjijmf rajoo ab ragjlutafc tlr mbega vgfrr, jcv Aljcu Te rabbv ja atf rlvf gfjvs obg bgvfgr.


    Wef Aeciljcu rjlv, ¡°Lbk lr atf Swqgfrr¡¯ mbcvlalbc?¡±


    Aljcu Te rjlv, ¡°Ktfrf ofk vjsr, atf Pwqfglji qtsrlmljc tjv yffc wjxlcu nlrlar ab mtfmx bc tfg fnfgs vjs. Ktf qjijmf wjlvr rfgnlcu ja Tecofcu Ujijmf lcobgwfv atja fzmfqa obg Lfg Zjpfras¡¯r jqqfalaf, ktlmt kjr ralii cbc-fzlrafca, tfg mbcvlalbc tjr yfmbwf wemt yfaafg.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Was Xue Junliang¡¯s only response. Then he strode out of his bedchambers and went to the front hall.


    In the middle of the court assembly, a senior official presented a report concerning Xue Yu and Teng Shang¡¯s army. Xue Junliang didn¡¯t order the official to bring the report to him, instead said, ¡°Read it, let this Seat hear it¡­ this Seat reckons this must contain good news.¡±


    Hearing this, the official carrying the report letter trembled a little. If the report really contained good news, then it was fine. But if it contained news of the army¡¯s defeat,  for sure he would be the one to suffer.


    With apprehension, the official opened the report letter and started reading, almost trembling in fear.  The gist of the report was that- Marquis Zhenjiang, Xue Yu¡¯s army and the provisions he brought hadn¡¯t yet joined with the vanguard army, when they encountered an ambush from Cheng Tian¡¯s elite soldiers. Apparently, Cheng Tian was prepared. Fortunately, Marquis Zhenjiang and his army fought bravely, deflecting the enemy¡¯s attack. The army consultant, Teng Shang successfully killed Cheng Tian¡¯s General, Ma Jing. Although their army lost a small amount of army provisions, the victory boosted the soldiers¡¯ morale and spirit.


    When the official read the first part of the report, he stumbled and stuttered and almost fell down on his knees. But then, he came to the part that mentioned how the army was able to deflect the attack, he finally left out a sigh of relief.


    Xue Houyang was also among the court officials present. As he heard the news he couldn¡¯t help but surreptitiously wipe his sweat. The report only mentioned Teng Shang in a few words and the information was not thorough. But Xue Houyang was very well-versed about the situation on the battlefield and knew how dangerous it could become. Added that Teng Shang wasn¡¯t originally a person from Xue Country, the fact that the report mentioned Teng Shang¡¯s name even once, meant that Teng Shang had indeed contributed to a great achievement and thereby winning the hearts of the soldiers.


    After the report was finished, Xue Junliang was silent for a long time. Then, suddenly he laughed, making everyone sigh in relief.  Xue Junliang said, ¡°Cheng Tian has always been cunning and conceited. The sneak attack he launched actually failed, it must¡¯ve been a big blow to his pride. This Seat must bestow nice rewards for Marquis Zhenjiang¡­ Oh, and for Teng Shang.¡±


    Xue Junliang thought for a moment, then said, ¡°Teng Shang is not in the capital city right now, this Seat doesn¡¯t know what to reward him with. How about this¡­ Teng Shang¡¯s reward will be given to Teng-fei. Her previous misbehavior will be dropped, it should motivate her to conduct herself more carefully in the future. If she misbehaves once again, this Seat will not forgive her as easily.¡±


    After he finished saying this, the court officials all kneeled, praising His Majesty¡¯s wisdom.


    Xue Junliang added, ¡°Now, how about you all suggest, what should this Seat give to the Chief Commander? He is already a Marquis Zhenjiang. If this Seat were to promote his rank, probably would have to give this hat to him, don¡¯t you think?¡± He said pointing at the tasseled-crown on his own head.


    The court officials¡¯ hearts jumped. No one dared offering opinions or suggestions. Emperor Xue was still smiling, but his words were ambiguous; the words didn¡¯t sound like a compliment, and didn¡¯t sound like sarcasm either. How could His Majesty make such a joke about his giving his crown to a subject?


    Xue Junliang said in a strange way, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This Seat was only asking for suggestions, you all don¡¯t need to be so worried. We were talking about rewards, not about banishing anyone from the court.¡±


    After a long time, still no one dared to speak. Finally, Xue Junliang named an official and asked for opinion. The official suggested rewarding Marquis Zhenjiang with golds and silvers.


    Xue Junliang somehow still looked unsatisfied with the suggestion and asked, ¡°Houyang, what do you think? What should this Seat give to Marquis Zhenjiang?¡±


    Xue Houyang took a half-step forward and said, ¡°Replying to Your Majesty, Chen-di thinks Marquis Zhenjiang loves his soldiers and is loved back by them. Instead of giving Marquis Zhenjiang golds and silvers, it¡¯s better to convert the golds and silvers of his rewards as military provisions and army funds for his soldiers to use. This way, his soldiers would have enough food, and can get better weapons and armors. In the future, Marquis Zhenjiang will be able to win more battles and help bring more prestige for the Emperor.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded, ¡°Houyang is right. You all listen to him. Here¡¯s a person who can truly help and share this Seat¡¯s worries. He is helpful even if this Seat doesn¡¯t give him a raise in title; so should this Seat still give those corrupt, low-rank officials a raise in title? He is still helpful even if this Seat doesn¡¯t give him rewards; so should this Seat still give those criminals and traitors rewards?¡±


    The whole court assembly was thrown into confusion and clamoured for a while. They couldn¡¯t decide which was better to be said; that the Emperor was truly wise, or that the Emperor should restrain his anger. The oratorship of the Emperor was truly skillful, making everyone panic in just a few words.


    This confusion was exactly the result Xue Junliang wanted.


    Thus, the morning court assembly ended with Xue Yu, who had made a great military achievement, not being rewarded but ridiculed instead. At least, the soldiers in the border would have a lot more food and provisions.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After leaving the court, Xue Junliang did not go back and said, ¡°Change course and go see the Empress.¡±


    The servants bearing His Majesty¡¯s sedan chair immediately turned and proceeded to Yunfeng Palace, but on the way, they encountered Teng Qianyi.


    Teng Qianyi was kowtowing on the ground. The clothes she was wearing weren¡¯t warm enough for the cold winter day and her appearance looked pitiful.


    Teng Qianyi said, ¡°Qianyi is loved by Your Majesty. Majesty is very generous and forgiving. Qianyi will forever keep Your Majesty¡¯s generosity in mind and promise not to make another mistake.¡±


    Not coming down from his sedan chair, Xue Junliang said, ¡°Since Aifei knows your mistake, this Seat will put this matter to rest. The ground is cold, quickly get up.¡±


    Teng Qianyi thanked him profusely. With the help of a palace maid next to her, Teng Qianyi started to get up. But then she pretended to trip and almost fell. Xue Junliang still didn¡¯t step down from his sedan chair, and didn¡¯t move to help Teng Qianyi either. In the end, the palace maid was the only one helping her up.


    Teng Qianyi coyly pleaded, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ Qianyi has personally prepared some wine and light dishes. Your Majesty has forgiven Qianyi, so would you please allow Qianyi to sincerely thank you by inviting you to visit Qianyi¡¯s residence and have some wine and food?¡±


    After she finished her request, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t answer for quite some time, seemingly considering the offer. In the end, looking extremely reluctant, he agreed.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s sedan chair changed route again, this time to Teng-fei¡¯s residence. Teng Qianyi had already prepared some wine and food. Seemed like she wasn¡¯t a novice in this kind of thing as she also had already prepared songs and dances to liven things up. She tried her best to coax Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang spent a whole afternoon at Teng Qianyi¡¯s residence, talking about Teng Qianyi. Although she wasn¡¯t considered very beautiful, Teng Qianyi had succeeded in captivating King Teng. Since she was little, she already knew how to make people fawn at her and had many tricks.  Whoever they were, they would always pamper and spoil her. She had never been humble or shy. Her temperament could not be compared to a pretty girl from a humble family.


    The thing Teng Qianyi could do the best was acting coquettish.


    Men usually liked women who showed their own soft side, weakness and acted coquettishly. Especially an overbearing and dominant man like Xue Junliang. He admired people who were very powerful and determined in battles, but he also liked people who were obedient and submissive to him.


    When the sky turned dark, Teng Qianyi thought Xue Wang would spend the night with her. Contrary to her expectations after a few more drinks, Emperor Xue decided it was time for him to go.


    Leaning against Xue Junliang¡¯s embrace, Teng Qianyi gently traced the gold threads on his robe with the tip of her fingers; the teasing and the suggestions  were quite obvious.


    However, Xue Junliang was indifferent. He pushed the pliant and delicate Teng Qianyi away saying, ¡°This Seat has had some wine and should leave now.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Teng Qianyi pouted, ¡°You¡¯re going to go just like this?¡± As she said that, she traced the neck line of her clothes, further emphasizing her suggestions.


    Xue Junliang only patted her hand. He called his sedan chair and walked away.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Xue Junliang¡¯s thoughts were quite deliberate. He never said anything, but it didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t know. Most of Xue people only knew Teng Qianyi as talented and beautiful, but how could the news of her debauchery escape Xue Junliang¡¯s ears?


    Although he didn¡¯t clarify the matter with her, it didn¡¯t mean he was willing to accept a woman who was not pure.


    Xue Junliang couldn¡¯t say that he was devoted to each and every of his concubines, after all, the number of women in the Imperial Harem were innumerable. But he was very domineering, the things that were touched and used by others, he would never use them. That was too dirty.


    A King had qualities for tolerating when others could not tolerate and being ruthless when others could not be ruthless. This is why as an Emperor he had  such unequal privileges; a harem full of women who were all waiting despondently for his favour.


    Having appeased Teng Qianyi, Xue Junliang continued to Yunfeng Palace. The things he had to handle and manage in the Imperial Harem were not any less easier than the matters of the Imperial Court.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Emperor Xue¡¯s sedan chair had already arrived at the entrance of Yunfeng Palace.


    Xiu Yao got the news at the entrance of the Phoenix palace, and she rushed to dress her mistress up.


    The Empress was sick for a few days and looked very haggard. Before she fell sick, because she was greatly favored by Emperor Xue, people didn¡¯t dare neglect the Empress. Though she wasn¡¯t fat in any way, everyone still took care of her meticulously in order for her to always look radiant. But since she fell sick, the Empress¡¯ appetite was very low and could only eat very little; now she had lost weight and looked very emaciated.


    Xiu Yao felt that all Kings liked their women well dressed and made up. So she used to make sure her mistress was always dressed up well but not with any garish makeup that would make her look ugly. She was worried if the Emperor didn¡¯t like the look it might make him displeased with the Empress and he might stop paying attention to Her Majesty and wouldn¡¯t that be bad?


    But Teng Yun refused. For one, he didn¡¯t like these red and white powders on his face. And second, he had mustered up all his courage to finally try and kill Xue Junliang because he feared Xue Junliang would use Teng Qianyi¡¯s mistake as an excuse for attacking Teng Country.


    Unexpectedly, Cheng Tian and Zou Zhenying¡¯s armies suddenly launched a sneak attack; conveniently delaying the possibility of Xue Junliang attacking Teng Country and giving a temporary relief. But the friendly pretenses between Teng Yun and Xue Junliang had been torn apart. Therefore there was no need to pretend or dress up anymore.


    As soon as Xue Junliang entered the main room, he noted that the Empress was kneeling on the ground wearing a very plain set of clothes. She was kowtowing on the ground but it was obvious she wasn¡¯t doing so out of respect. Compared to Teng Qianyi¡¯s bird-like behavior, this woman was the total opposite.


    Xue Junliang helped the Empress stand and as he did so, he could see and feel that the other person had lost a lot of weight. It had only been a few days, but she had become so much thinner; it didn¡¯t make sense to him.


    No matter how he saw it, he was the one who was almost killed by the Empress, the one who could not afford to punish her. On the surface, it might look like he had the upper hand; but the truth was, the Empress benefited the most from this situation. She had no reason to suffer and became so thin like this.


    The Empress¡¯ face wasn¡¯t powdered, lips weren¡¯t painted, and eyebrows weren¡¯t drawn. Xiu Yao felt bad. Her Mistress wasn¡¯t ugly; her appearance wasn¡¯t ghastly either. But without any makeup, she looked blander than any other well dolled-up consorts.


    Xue Junliang led the Empress to sit in the front of the bronze mirror. Then he surprisingly took the eyebrow pencil, to help draw her eyebrows.


    The two were very close to each other, and although Teng Yun forced himself to ignore the person in front of him, as if he was meditating and adjusting his breath, he seemed to be not very successful.


    Every time Xue Junliang¡¯s breaths exhaled against Teng Yun¡¯s face, his eyelashes would tremble.


    It reminded Teng Yun of the nightmare he¡¯d had when he was sick. He had never been afraid of anything in his life, but that day, he was actually frightened to wake up from the dream and see the retreating back of Xue Junliang leaving the hall.


    Xiu Yao had told Teng Yun how His Majesty had taken care of her all night when the Empress was sick. His Majesty had attentively cared for him, and didn¡¯t even allow any of the servants to help.


    Xue Junliang held Teng Yun¡¯s chin with one hand and lifted his face towards him. He held the eyebrow pencil with his other hand and carefully shaped one eyebrow. Xue Junliang was well-trained in using swords and weapons, but this was the first time he ever held an eyebrow pencil.


    Xue Junliang was very attentive, and when he was done with one side, he found that Teng Yun¡¯s cheeks were slightly red, and his eyelashes were trembling slightly, as if they were small fans, tickling Xue Junliang¡¯s heart.


    Teng Yun felt something warm touch his forehead. Startled, he subconsciously backed away, but Xue Junliang stopped him with a laugh, ¡°Don¡¯t move, or my hand will slip and make you an ugly Empress, then you cannot blame me.¡±

 CH 34

    Xue Junliang slowly and carefully drew one eyebrow, as if nothing had happened and then continued to draw the other side.


    The way Xiu Yao saw it, there was no other Emperor more affectionate and more infatuated than this Emperor Xue. But Teng Yun could only think that this Xue Junliang was indeed a hard to understand, elusive personality.


    Xue Junliang had been quite angry and moody. He was temperamental with Teng Yun until a few days ago. That made sense because after all Teng Yun had tried to assassinate him. Though the attempt failed miserably, it was just two days ago and there was no way Xue Junliang had forgotten or forgiven him. So it was quite puzzling as to why he was acting so lovey dovey now.


    When Xue Junliang finished drawing the eyebrows, he leaned back to admire his own handiwork; seemingly very satisfied. Then he waved a hand, letting all the servants go while telling them he¡¯d like to spend the night here at Yunfeng Palace.


    Xue Junliang daubed a thin layer of powder on the Empress¡¯ face. After Xue Junliang finished, her face didn¡¯t look that much better but at least it wasn¡¯t so bare as before.


    Xue Junliang then picked up a carved wooden comb, stood behind the other person and started to comb her hair gently.


    Teng Yun glanced at Xue Junliang¡¯s reflection on the mirror. Xue Junliang¡¯s reflection was a bit blurry, looking a bit surreal as if he was in a dream. Teng Yun took a deep breath, trying to suppress his face from heating up.


    Xue Junliang said nothing, Teng Yun also did not speak. Both were quiet, one of them quietly combing the hair, while the other sat quietly getting their combed.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Your Majesty ¡­¡­ I heard that the troops sent to the North were attacked by surprise.¡± Since he had already exposed his hand and put his life and death on the line, there was no need to debase himself and call himself this servant or Chen-qie anymore in front of Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang looked up at the mirror and his gaze collided with Teng Yun¡¯s. He smiled and said, ¡°This is the first time Aifei initiated a conversation with this Seat. This Seat is happy. Does this mean our relationship has become more affectionate?¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t respond nor answered as if he didn¡¯t hear Xue Junliang¡¯s question.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t stop combing, carefully untangling each strand of the long hair. The black glossy hair was long like a waterfall. He recalled that night, when he¡¯d pressed the other person onto the bed; her hair was loose and spread messily on the quilt.


    ¡°Do you want to know if Cheng Tian¡¯s sneak attack succeeded, or do you want to ask¡­ about Xue Yu?¡±


    When Xue Junliang mentioned Xue Yu, Teng Yun remembered that everyone was still speculating about the half-true, half-false relationship between the Empress and Marquis Zhenjiang.  Probably the question about the attack now, in Xue Junliang¡¯s ears sounded as if he was concerned about Xue Yu.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Neither.¡±


    ¡°Oh, neither?¡±


    Xue Junliang also did not pursue the line of questioning further. He was totally uninterested in talking about state affairs. Nothing was more interesting than the other person¡¯s hair right now.


    Teng Yun added, ¡°I¡­ want to ask about Teng Shang.¡±


    This time, Xue Junliang laughed before saying, ¡°Aifei might have not heard. Before, Teng Qianyi had said she thought that Aifei and Teng Shang had a close relationship.¡±


    Hearing this, Teng Yun¡¯s heart jumped.  He took a quick glance at the mirror, but he didn¡¯t expect Xue Junliang¡¯s eyes were watching him in the mirror as well. His glance was fleeting, but Xue Junliang surely could catch the panicked and shocked expression in Teng Yun¡¯s eyes.


    Xue Junliang pinched a clutch of hair and brought it to his lips. Smiling, he said, ¡°At that time, I didn¡¯t believe her, I even reprimanded her¡­ Why? Does Aifei want to tell me the truth that you indeed have a close relationship with Teng Shang?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty is confused. Feng and Teng Countries are separated by thousands of miles. Teng Shang had never visited Feng Country even once, how could we have a close relationship?¡±


    Xue Junliang took the tips of the hair that was still in hand and brushed them against Teng Yun¡¯s lips, with narrowed eyes and a smile, he said, ¡°Clever mouth.¡±


    Then he added, ¡°Teng Shang had made a great achievement, my vision in sending him wasn¡¯t mistaken. He hadn¡¯t even reached the military barracks, when he had already killed Ma Jing.¡±


    ¡°Ma Jing¡­¡±


    Kfcu Tec gfqfjafv. Lf kjr jkjgf atja Zj Alcu kjrc¡¯a rbwf lcrluclolmjca cbybvs.


    Jtfcu Kljc kjr nfgs ygjnf jcv nfgs ubbv ja olutalcu, jcv tlr lcoiefcmf kjr nfgs qbkfgoei lc atf Pwqfglji Jbega. Fcobgaecjafis, tf tjv cb rbc; tlr mtlivgfc kfgf jii vjeutafgr. Zj Alcu kjr tlr cfqtfk. Jtfcu Kljc tjv ajxfc tlw rlcmf tf kjr ralii j ilaaif mtliv jcv agfjafv tlw ilxf tlr bkc rbc.


    Ma Jing was still quite young but he had already inherited his uncle¡¯s unyielding bravery and talents. As long as he held a sword or a blade, he was invincible. He had never lost to anyone, but now he was already beheaded by Teng Shang.


    Teng Shang used to be a military commander. He¡¯d followed the previous Teng King into every battle he¡¯d had. That time was Teng Country¡¯s most glorious era.


    However, since Teng Yun¡¯s father, the current Teng King sat on the throne, Teng Shang¡¯s military powers were cut-off and he himself was prohibited from leaving the capital city. Counting till today, it had been ten years since Teng Shang last held a sword.


    People who learned martial arts would never forget those skills easily, but they could become rusty if they didn¡¯t use it for very long. Therefore, now that Teng Shang returned to the battlefield, Teng Yun could only worry over his safety.


    Xue Junliang watched the other person lost in thought; the other person didn¡¯t mention Teng Shang any more, but she didn¡¯t look happy either. Xue Junliang couldn¡¯t help thinking that maybe this Empress really had a relationship with Teng Shang, but somehow there were so many points that didn¡¯t connect.


    As the Empress herself had said, the Grand Princess, Feng Yun was born deep inside Feng Country¡¯s Inner Palace. A daughter of a royal family wasn¡¯t allowed to appear out in public until it was time for her marriage. Moreover, he knew Teng Shang had never been to Feng Country.


    Yet, the eyes of his Empress weren¡¯t lying.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Feng Country¡¯s Imperial Examination used to be held once every six years. If a scholar couldn¡¯t enter the examination, he¡¯d have to wait another six years. This practice had been going on for decades leading to many wasted years.


    Although Feng Ming was famous for his vicious and merciless temperament, he still had many good points and achievements. As soon as he was crowned as the King, he ordered the Imperial Examination to be held once in three years, winning many people¡¯s support.


    In Feng Country, there was a scholar named Lu Shichen. Three years ago he was elected as a Xiaolian nominee by the local governor from the county where he lived.


    Lu Shichen could be said to be a man of great talent and extremely rich in knowledge. But he was too simple and honest. He only knew his books but didn¡¯t know much about the ways of the world and didn¡¯t understand how the Imperial Court worked.


    It was said that after the local governor elected him as a Xiaolian nominee, the local governor gave Lu Shichen one liang of silver as fare, ordered him to arrange his own horse and carriage, and told him to go to the Capital city.


    But since ancient times, it was a publicly known secret that no superiors would give money to their subordinates as a fare; the money was to be used by the subordinates to please the superiors and higher authorities, and people also knew one liang wasn¡¯t enough.


    Lu Shichen¡¯s family was very poor. He would sell his paintings and calligraphy in exchange for rice and porridge. Having been given money, he saved it to be used in case of emergency, and didn¡¯t even know about using it to bribe people.


    Because Lu Shichen had no pretty or delicious things to give, the higher authorities were angered and revoked Lu Shichen¡¯s Xiaolian nomination despite him being a perfect candidate for the Imperial Examination. The Xiaolian was then given to someone else who had more money than Lu Shichen.


    Lu Shichen waited until he had enough money and someone to lend him a carriage. A month had already passed by when he finally arrived at the Capital city. Only then he found that there was another Xiaolian that had arrived earlier. He became the laughingstock of the town.


    Lu Shichen became the source of ridicule and was told he¡¯d never cross the gate of the Imperial Palace.


    Three years later, Lu Shichen was dismissed from the Xiaolian nomination for the same reason. Grieving the wasted time, Lu Shichen could no longer stay still. He assembled a group of scholars and launched a loud protest.


    The local officials arrested a lot of the scholars trying to subdue the protest, but their method aroused public¡¯s anger instead.


    It so happened that at the same time, Feng Ming, upset and unable to calm himself after his falling out with Zhao Lu, decided he was ready for an expedition outside the Palace. And while he was out, he wanted to observe the common people¡¯s sentiments.


    When Feng Ming arrived at the small county, the scholars were still protesting and creating disturbances. The officials were extremely busy; trying to subdue the scholars¡¯ protests at the same time preparing the food and accommodation for King Feng¡¯s arrival.


    At first, everything went well, until King Feng was driving along the street. A piece of paper was blown by the wind and fell right next to King Feng¡¯s feet.


    The writing on the paper was clear for Feng Ming to see. At a glance, somehow it looked very familiar, and from far, he thought the handwriting looked very much like Zhao Lu¡¯s.


    Feng Ming knew he was a fool for thinking so. The handwriting was indeed a bit similar, but when he picked up the paper, it was clearly different from Zhao Lu¡¯s. Though his mouth was determined, wanting to let go of Zhao Lu, his heart was still thinking about him and refused to let go.


    The piece of paper told about the corruption of the officials in Feng Country and how they often pilfered money off the poor. It also contained condemnations against Feng Ming.


    The officials in charge of welcoming King Feng, immediately knelt down and were trembling in fear and could not lift their heads up. But then King Feng just laughed and said, ¡°Great literary talent.¡±


    And so Lu Shichen¡¯s status started to rapidly rise to the sky. Forget the one or two liang of silver, the entire local authority of the small county lined up to give him a carriage and money to send him to the Capital city.


    Lu Shichen arrived at the capital city and took part in the Imperial Examination. Feng Ming once again praised his talents. Since then, everyone knew King Feng¡¯s interest in Marquis Zhulu had faded and his current favorite was a bookworm named Lu Shichen.


    This bookworm¡¯s reputation had gone so high that was promoted several ranks in just three months since he entered officialdom, and now he already rose to Feng Country¡¯s Prime Minister¡¯s seat.


    Lu Shichen was a bookworm in every sense of the word. He was also loyal to a fault, affable and even-tempered, and hated bad people like he hated enemies.


    The young Prime Minister was so naive that he wasn¡¯t even aware of the maliciousness of the Imperial Court. Many people privately speculated that Lu Shichen had also climbed into Feng Ming¡¯s bed. The rumor was known by everyone, including King Feng¡¯s former favorite, Marquis Zhulu; only Lu Shichen himself didn¡¯t know.


    One time, King Feng was watching birds singing in the flower garden. Minister Lu was accompanying him. King Feng off-handedly asked, ¡°Which bird looks prettier, the green one or the red one?¡±


    Lu Shichen said earnestly, ¡°This subject only knows how to conserve the river water, prevent floods and help the flood victims. If His Majesty asks about birds, please forgive this subject for being dull and ignorant, and cannot offer help to His Majesty by giving any opinions.¡±


    Everyone present was frozen in shock. A subordinate daring to use this kind of tone in front of a tyrannical and vicious king, this person must be asking for death. But then King Feng just laughed, ¡°This Seat is at fault. Shichen¡¯s wise words have enlightened this Seat.¡±


    This cemented people¡¯s belief; Lu Shichen¡¯s status really was unmistakable.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Zhao Lu took in the happenings around him. He was feeling a bit stifled in his heart, but he had no idea why.


    Rui Xue smiled and said, ¡°Master is not in a good mood lately?¡±


    Zhao Lu nodded and said, ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Rui Xue said, ¡°Then you should enter the Palace and see His Majesty.  Rather than suppressing your emotions, is it not better to just go and meet His Majesty?¡±


    Zhao Lu frowned, ¡°What does this have to do with King Feng?¡±


    ¡°Master, don¡¯t try denying it. Rui Xue has been following you for five years already,¡± Rui Xue said, ¡°These few days you haven¡¯t eaten well and your sleep is restless. When His Majesty was out on the expedition, Master enquired about his return at least three times a day. Since His Majesty has found Minister Lu, you¡¯ve been frowning all the time.¡±


    Zhao Lu¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He felt there was indeed some truth in Rui Xue¡¯s words, except he didn¡¯t think it was because of his relationship with King Feng.


    Or should he say, it was indeed related to his relationship with King Feng. Because he didn¡¯t want a talented and educated person like Lu Shichen to get too close with Feng Ming.


    He didn¡¯t want that person to help Feng Ming to become a better king, because Zhao Lu¡¯s purpose in Feng Country was to lead Feng Ming astray, so that Feng Ming becomes the most condemned and incapable ruler of all history.


    Now that he¡¯d almost succeeded and had Feng Ming in his grasp for so many years, making him a lazy and an inconsiderate ruler. So how could he be happy with the appearance of this Lu Shichen?


    Lu Shichen had only been appointed as Prime Minister for half a month, but he¡¯d already enforced the conservation of river water, reduced taxes and modified the Imperial Examination rules.


    He¡¯d suggested that scholars shouldn¡¯t be elected by the local county governor, instead be allowed to apply and enter the Imperial Examination by themselves. This way they would be protected from the corrupt officials and would not be trapped under layers of bureaucracy.


    Feng Ming almost regarded this person as his benefactor and respected Lu Shichen like a mentor.


    The more Zhao Lu thought about it, the more he got annoyed and agitated.  After thinking about Feng Ming, he no longer could sit still. He got up and ordered his horse to be prepared for him to go to the Palace.


    When he arrived at the Imperial Palace, he didn¡¯t have to hand over his nameplate and dismount from his horse; didn¡¯t have to unload his weapons either. These were all old rules; because his reputation was known in the entire palace, Zhao Lu was excluded from them. Even though Feng Ming had declared their relationship was over, clearly he hadn¡¯t revoked Zhao Lu¡¯s special rights.


    Zhao Lu dismounted from his horse right before the jade steps in front of King Feng¡¯s residence. When he was about to enter the main hall, the chamberlain guarding the door stopped him. The chamberlain paid respect to Zhao Lu, and then said, ¡°Lord Marquis comes at an unfortunate time. His Majesty has ordered that no one is allowed inside the hall during his deliberations with Minister Lu.¡±


    Zhao Lu snorted, ¡°Not even me?¡±


    All these times, if he wanted to enter Feng Ming¡¯s residence or even if he climbed onto Feng Ming¡¯s bed, no one dared to stop him.


    ¡°But¡­¡± The chamberlain hesitated. Zhao Lu was, after all, once a high-ranking soldier; he had an imposing air about him. Any other time, the chamberlain would never dare defy him, but he had no choice but to grit his teeth and say, ¡°His¡­ His Majesty said even if Marquis Zhulu came, he should not be let in.¡±


    ¡°Great.. Great¡­¡±


    Hearing what the servant had said, Zhao Lu understood. Feng Ming had even specifically mentioned his name. Zhao Lu could not decide if he should thank King Feng or feel honored for the mention.


    Without saying anything more, Zhao Lu immediately turned to go.


    After some time, Zhao Lu calmed down. He came again for the second time, but was stopped again. People said that third time¡¯s the charm, Zhao Lu decided the third time was the last time he would try. It was at this time that, fortunately, Lu Shichen came out of the main hall.


    Although Zhao Lu was a Marquis, his rank was equal to Lu Shichen¡¯s. When the two of them met, they didn¡¯t need to bow and instead just cupped their hands as greetings.


    Zhao Lu said coldly, ¡°I wonder what Minister Lu and His Majesty were deliberating together for so long. I came three times and was blocked outside the door every time.¡±


    Hearing this, Lu Shichen thought Marquis Zhulu had a military matter he needed to report to King Feng. Lu Shichen promptly apologized, ¡°No, no. It wasn¡¯t any big deal. It¡¯s just that these days, His Majesty was suddenly interested in playing Qi and invited this Lu to play a few rounds.¡±


    Zhao Lu¡¯s face darkened in anger, hearing Lu Shichen¡¯s explanation, but Lu Shichen himself was completely unaware; he sincerely apologized several times, fearing he¡¯d delayed Marquis Zhulu¡¯s important task, and then left.


    Silently fuming, Zhao Lu entered the main hall. Feng Ming was inside the warm study room reviewing documents. Zhao Lu pushed the room door open. At the sound, Feng Ming raised his head and looked up.


    The two men¡¯s gazes collided. Zhao Lu¡¯s anger was slightly mollified by the complicated emotions he could see warring in Feng Ming¡¯s eyes.


    The expression was fleeting as the next second Feng Ming immediately put on a cold and an indifferent expression. Feng Ming said, ¡°Bring a seat for Lord Marquis.¡±


    A servant did as ordered; brought a chair for Marquis Zhulu to sit, then withdrew himself and closed the door silently.


    Zhao Lu didn¡¯t take the seat. Still standing, he looked around the study room, and then asked, ¡°Where is the zither behind the curtain?¡±


    ¡°Zither¡­¡± Feng Ming seemed to think about it for a moment before remembering about the zither Zhao Lu had mentioned. His eyes returned to the documents he was reading, as if nothing was amiss, he said, ¡°Minister Lu said doing trivial things could distract us from our duty; this Seat agreed with him and ordered someone take the zither and throw it away.¡±


    ¡°Throw it away?¡±


    Zhao Lu narrowed his eyes. Feng Ming was good at playing musical instruments. On Feng Ming¡¯s birthday after he had ascended the throne, Zhao Lu had personally picked the zither as a gift.


    Feng Ming looked up at Zhao Lu and added, ¡°No, it was too much of a pity to throw away such a good zither, so this Seat gave it to Minister Lu.¡±

 CH 35

    Zhao Lu silently stared at Feng Ming. At first, Feng Ming could hold his gaze but after a while he looked away. His heart still had lingering feelings for this man, Feng Ming was afraid if he looked at Zhao Lu too long, his heart would just give in.


    Zhao Lu chuckled and then turned to go.


    Only at this time, Feng Ming lightly cleared his throat and finally found his voice. He said in a low voice, ¡°Marquis Zhulu, wait a minute.¡±


    ¡°Does His Majesty have any orders for this servant?¡± Zhao Lu said without even turning around.


    Feng Ming looked up at Zhao Lu¡¯s back. Finally, he sighed and said, ¡°This Seat plans to visit the Ming River, perhaps for about a month.¡±


    ¡°Ming River¡­¡± Zhao Lu couldn¡¯t help repeating; seemingly lost in thought. This place was where the two of them first met. Feng Ming might not remember that he had seen Zhao Lu at Ming River. At that time, Zhao Lu was still young, his family and relatives were still alive.


    Feng Ming said, ¡°Today, the court officials presented a case. The dam on the Ming River has been broken for many years and the refugees¡¯ condition is becoming quite a problem. This Seat wants to go and personally see the place. The matters in the Capital city will be handled by you.¡±


    Zhao Lu paused for a moment, then nodded and said, ¡°This subject will do my best.¡±


    Saying that he stepped out of the room.


    Rui Xue aas waiting outside King Feng¡¯s residence. She hoped Marquis and King Feng had reconciled their differences. But then she saw Zhao Lu coming out with a cold expression on his face.


    Actually, the two hadn¡¯t only fought once or twice. When Zhao Lu had just entered officialdom and wasn¡¯t yet a Marquis Zhulu, his temper was rather cold and curt. He was quite straightforward and would say everything very bluntly. It was because of King Feng¡¯s protection that he was able to maintain his stature. Else for the way he talked, for sure he would have been ostracized by everyone in the court.


    At that time, Zhao Lu was still very young and very bold, and Feng Ming had just ascended to the throne. The two of them were similarly hard-headed. If King Feng hadn¡¯t treated Zhao Lu so sincerely, these two closed-off people wouldn¡¯t be together until today.


    But seeing that her Master¡¯s mood wasn¡¯t good, Rui Xue who had always been good at reading people, immediately understood that perhaps this time, King Feng didn¡¯t want to lower himself to cater to Zhao Lu¡¯s wishes any more.


    When Zhao Lu returned to his residence, he locked himself in his room. He didn¡¯t come out for lunch or dinner, and the servants didn¡¯t dare to disturb him.


    Rui Xue hesitated outside Zhao Lu¡¯s room several times but in the end decided against knocking the door. As she was about to leave, she heard Zhao Lu¡¯s voice calling her in.


    Rui Xue pushed the door open. The room was very dark so Rui Xue lit the candles. She found Zhao Lu standing by the window, gazing out but it was not known what he was thinking about.


    Zhao Lu said, ¡°There¡¯s a letter on the table. Help me send it.¡±


    Rui Xue did as ordered. As she picked up the letter, Zhao Lu said again, ¡°Go and return quickly. Remember, the content of the letter is not something you¡¯re allowed to read.¡±


    ¡°This servant understands.¡±


    Rui Xue hurriedly went out of her Master¡¯s room. She changed her clothes and disguised herself before leaving the residence. Rui Xue had always been the point of contact. First, she was Marquis Zhulu¡¯s most trusted aide and second she was very favoured by King Feng and hence no one dared to suspect her or stop her.


    When Rui Xue exited the back door, she finally couldn¡¯t help herself. Reaching inside her pocket, she carefully took out the letter.


    Her Master was cooped inside his room all day writing this letter. Rui Xue knew she should not read it but still she couldn¡¯t help her curiosity, so she opened it. A quick read later, she was so shocked that her hands shook so violently and she almost dropped the letter to the ground .


    Staring at the small handwriting, Rui Xue clamped her fist in her mouth trying to stop herself from crying.  Finally, her Master had come to this step.


    Ktf tjcvkglalcu kjr ecvbeyafvis Itjb Oe¡¯r. Ktf mbcafca kjr bcis obeg kbgvr.


    ¨CXblcu ab atf Zlcu Elnfg.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Ktf ybgvfg yfakffc Wef jcv Mfcu tjv j glnfg atja mea atgbeut atf akb mbecaglfr ogbw kfra ab fjra.


    Mfcu Jbecags kjr ibmjafv lc atf rbeat bo atf glnfg, jcv tjv yffc tla ys tfjns gjlcr obg j ofk sfjgr, mjerlcu atf Zlcu Elnfg ab bnfgoibk.


    The governing of the place surrounding the Ming River was very difficult but many officials wanted a position to govern the area. The reason was very simple. Because the area was always under crisis, the Imperial Court allocated a great sum of funds to control and repair the dam on the river. The corrupt officials would embezzle a lump sum of amounts for themselves. And if the refugees living in the area died ¨Cwell it was due to the natural disaster and unfortunately inevitable.


    Xue Junliang received Zhao Lu¡¯s letter at such a fortunate time. Ming River was located on the border and King Feng personally leading an Imperial expedition to Ming River was a good thing, but also a dangerous thing. Dangerous because now Xue Junliang had the knowledge of the expedition due to the letter from Zhao Lu.


    Xue Junliang took the letter to a candle and let the fire burn the paper slowly. He smiled and said, ¡°When this matter is finished, this Seat plans to move this Qi piece, Lu. This Seat will order him to return.¡±


    Jiang Yu opened the window to dispel the smell of burnt paper. Then he said, ¡°This old servant does not understand. Zhao Lu¡¯s position is like the sun at high noon in Feng country, why should he be ordered to return?¡±


    Xue Junliang glanced at Jiang Xue and laughed, ¡°Do you think that being the ruler of a country, using wisdom and strategy alone is enough?¡±


    ¡°This old servant is ignorant.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not enough.¡±


    Xue Junliang shook his head, ¡°A good king has to know how to ¡®move with emotion¡¯. Zhao Lu has been in Feng Country for very long. Initially he was unwilling but now he has to meet with King Feng every day and attend the Imperial court daily. If he stays any longer, this Seat is afraid that someday he would hesitate when ordered to do something or be unwilling to return home.¡±


    Jiang Yu nodded, ¡°Your Majesty is very far-sighted.¡±


    ¡°Zhao Lu is loyal and talented. This Seat has always appreciated people with talent. Hence this Seat cannot bear to see him in a dilemma. After this one event, this Seat will let him take a rest and see the great mountains and rivers.¡±


    Xue Junliang waved his hand to extinguish the candles, sat down and said, ¡°This Seat is in a good mood today. Let the Empress bring some wine and food.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. This old servant will go and immediately inform them now.¡±


    The Emperor wanting his wife to bring wine and some dishes wasn¡¯t something that unusual; said wife would only need to make an effort in preparing it.


    But for Teng Yun, it was a puzzling thing, because he could not cook at all.


    Xiu Yao took charge in helping her mistress prepare the wine and the dishes. Actually, if one thought about it, it was common that a proper daughter from a rich family could not cook.  And her mistress was a Grand Princess of the Feng country; she had been well-kept deep inside the Inner Palace, pampered like the moon and the stars. Let alone cooking, she was never required to do needlework or knitting.


    Xiu Yao ordered the kitchen to make a few light but delicious dishes. The dishes weren¡¯t very complicated, rather they were quite simple and ordinary.


    An Emperor was used to eating many extravagant and delicious foods every day, therefore, simple dishes would taste better. Moreover, His Majesty asked the Empress to personally prepare the dishes. It was impossible for an Empress to cook complicated dishes. If the dishes were simple, at least it would look more sincere and genuine.


    Teng Yun refused to dress up, Xiu Yao also didn¡¯t dress her mistress up too much. The simple but elegant clothing happened to match the simple yet delicious dishes.


    The kitchen put the prepared dishes in a basket, added with a jug of wine and two porcelain cups.


    Xiu Yao followed Teng Yun until the entrance of Emperor Xue¡¯s residence and stopped at the entrance. Teng Yun took the basket and entered alone.


    The Empress¡¯ simple elegance made Xue Junliang rather pleased. When De-fei was called over, she would always dress herself elaborately. The Empress dressed like this, actually exuded another kind of charm.


    Teng Yun arranged the wine and the dishes on the table while his mind was running a mile a minute. Initially, he didn¡¯t want to do things like this only to please Xue Junliang, but then he recalled he wanted to seek news about Teng Shang so he¡¯d have to endure.


    Residents of the Imperial Harem couldn¡¯t interfere with the affairs of the government. Even if Xiu Yao had a wide network and great connections, she still couldn¡¯t inquire. If Teng Yun wanted to hear news about Teng Shang¡¯s current situation, Xue Junliang was his only source.


    Xue Junliang had just started to eat when Jiang Yu rushed inside to report, ¡°Your Majesty, Marquis Wannian requests for an audience, says there is an urgent military report.¡±


    Xue Junliang put down his chopsticks and, without telling Teng Yun to leave, said, ¡°Let him in.¡±


    Xue Houyang walked in with a military report and a map in his hands. He saw the Empress sitting next to the Emperor and was a bit surprised. But he didn¡¯t have time to think too deeply into the matter, so he immediately presented the report to Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang unfurled the report open and read it. It was indeed a pressing matter and furthermore required quite urgent attention.


    Because of the cold  and unfriendly atmosphere between Xue Yu and Teng Shang, the army started to gradually split apart. Most of them stood by Marquis Zhenjiang¡¯s side; after all, the Marquis was a true Xue Country citizen. A small part of the army stood by Teng Shang¡¯s side; although Teng Shang was a foreigner with a different surname, he was talented in leading soldiers and was not just talk. He personally got into the battlefield and made a great achievement by killing the enemy.


    ¡ª


    The two forces were divided, which naturally gave the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of.


    Not far from the border pass was a small county. The county was remote and sparsely populated; it had no water source nearby and wasn¡¯t protected by mountains. The county really didn¡¯t look valuable but it had been used as a military focal point for a long time.


    Teng Shang proposed to send reinforcements to garrison the small county and strengthen its defense to prevent Cheng Tian and Zou Zhenying from sneaking in. If the small county was successfully attacked and claimed by the enemies, it would become a turnaround point for the enemy¡¯s army, and the food and supplies could be distributed and supplied in the small county, and the army could avoid long distance travel, and go to the small county first to recuperate before attacking the pass.


    For Xue Country, the small county was like a watch tower that could give them early warning if the enemy was attacking. For the enemy, the small county was like a bowstring; they could load an arrow and it would hit Xue Country¡¯s territory without fail.


    Xue Yu, who had been sent to the battlefield unwillingly by Emperor Xue, didn¡¯t want to dispatch troops to the small county. He said if they dispatched some of their troops there, their army would be weakened. If by chance the enemy attacked the small county as a disguise tactic, they would be in trouble.


    Teng Shang was only a consultant, he wasn¡¯t even a deputy general. His words naturally weren¡¯t heeded. On the third night, a small troop led personally by Zou Zhenying made a move and attacked the small county and captured it.


    Only then did the Xue army feel the crisis and hastily wrote to the Imperial court, asking for reinforcement.


    Xue Houyang said, ¡°Your Majesty, How can we deal with this situation? I¡¯m afraid sending reinforcements right now would not solve the problem.¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t react much after reading it, just waved his hand to indicate to the maids  to remove the food and wine. Then he placed the report on the table and said, ¡°I also think that it is too late to send troops.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Xue Houyang frowned. Then he clenched his hands into fists and knelt on the floor, ¡°Your Majesty, please send Chen-di there.¡±


    Xue Junliang only laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty and think clearly. There is already a Marquis Zhenjiang, and there¡¯s also Teng Shang who is favoured by the army as well. Now if this Seat sends another Marquis Wannian, who will the rest of the army follow? Won¡¯t they be divided more and confused?¡±


    ¡°Chen-di¡­¡± Xue Houyang also felt that he had not thought it through thoroughly. After all, this wasn¡¯t his appointed station; if he rushed there, he would only cause dissatisfaction with Marquis Zhenjiang.


    Xue Junliang pushed the report on the table towards Teng Yun and said, ¡°Maybe the Empress has some insights.¡±


    Teng Yun was startled by this sudden action. How come Xue Junliang allowed an Empress to meddle in a military affair? However, when he saw the other man¡¯s slightly smiling face, Teng Yun understood somehow.


    Teng Yun hadn¡¯t realized his eagerness to know about Teng Shang was too obvious. After all, Teng Shang was his relative, the only person who sincerely cared about him. Even if Teng Yun forgot other people¡¯s kindness, he could never forget about Teng Shang.


    Perhaps, seeing how Teng Yun was so concerned about Teng Shang, Xue Junliang allowed Teng Yun to see the report in exchange for Teng Yun¡¯s insights.


    Teng Yun took the report and read through it a few times, and turned his head to Xue Houyang and said, ¡°May I take a look at the map in the hands of the Marquis?¡±


    Xue Houyang hesitated, but then Xue Junliang nodded his permission, so he placed the military map on the table and slowly unfolded it.


    Teng Yun stood and leaned down with his head lowered to see the map. He examined it carefully. The small county was only a small distance from the border pass. Xue Country¡¯s army would be encircled on both sides whether they hit the small county first or the main force first.


    At that time, because the small county wasn¡¯t protected, it was easily claimed by the enemy.


    And now there was almost no chance to snatch back the small county from Zou Zhenying¡¯s heavily guarded army.


    Xue Junliang watched the Empress¡¯ movements intently. The Empress, who was usually meek and docile, when talking about military affairs and strategies and also about war, her eyes would light up making her look very compelling.


    This kind of lively appearance really made Xue Junliang unable to look away¡­


    Xue Junliang had always appreciated talented people. He¡¯d been looking for more talented people who could help him protect his country and expand his territory, but these people were really hard to find. Teng Shang was one; but Teng Shang would never submit to him. Teng Yun was one; but Teng Yun would rather die than kneel for him. Now he had discovered another one; but this person was, unfortunately, a woman and also a Grand Princess from Feng Country.


    Teng Yun wasn¡¯t aware that Xue Junliang was staring at him intently. He lightly touched the military map. Suddenly he felt a fire on his fingertips; spreading warmth all over him. Although Teng Yun didn¡¯t like to fight, in troubled times, the battlefield was where he found his passion; not a desolate and confined place such as an Imperial Harem.


    When Teng Yun traced a finger on the small county, his eyes suddenly brightened, shining with a glinting light.


    Xue Junliang laughed: ¡°It seems that I did not ask the wrong person.¡±


    Teng Yun then raised his head and resumed his usual indifference and said, ¡°Your Majesty can retake the small county and beat back Cheng Tian and Zou Zhenying without spending a single soldier.¡±


    Xue Houyang couldn¡¯t help but be a little shocked as he listened to the Empress¡¯ words. He hadn¡¯t even heard her plans or tactics, but by her tone alone, he felt he was already convinced.


    ¡°Oh? Really?¡± Xue Junliang reached a hand to stroke the Empress¡¯ cheek gently and then pinched her earlobes, his gesture very intimate and playful.


    Teng Yun leaned back, absent-mindedly stepping away from Xue Junliang¡¯s touch, and continued, ¡°Zou Zhenying has always been brave and good at fighting, and since he has claimed the small county, for sure he must have sent heavy troops to guard it. If Xue Country¡¯s army tried to fight head-on, you would only lose troops ¡­¡­¡±


    Xue Houyang nodded. This was what he¡¯d been fearing, too.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Therefore, not using the troop is the wisest plan. Zou Zhenying is brave but he is too cunning and calculative, even his most trusted aides are all wary of him. Your Majesty can use this flaw of his to create a rift between Cheng Tian and Zou Zhenying.¡±


    ¡°The first thing to do is to send a messenger to Cheng Tian, tell him that Zou Zhenying had an agreement with Emperor Xue from the beginning. Zou Zhenying agreed to only send a small part of his army and half-heartedly attacked Xue Country because his true goal was to send his main army into the Palace and eventually appoint himself as the king. That is why Zou Zhenying, being a single man with little army, could very easily take over a strategic place like this small county.


    ¡°When Cheng Tian starts to doubt Zou Zhenying, Your Majesty can spread a rumor for Zou Zhenying to hear. The rumours should say, while Zou Zhenying was isolated in the small county, Cheng Tian planned to seize this opportunity to get rid of Zou Zhenying. When the Xue Country army attacks the small county, Cheng Tian will then take this opportunity to cut off  Zou Zhenying¡¯s military provisions and relief troops. The small county would be isolated and have no back up, making the elimination of Zou Zhenying a piece of cake.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Xue Junliang listened to the Empress with a gentle smile on his face.


    At this time, Xue Houyang was already rendered speechless. He didn¡¯t expect an Empress of the Inner Palace to have a character like a brave and capable man. She was only a woman yet capable of saying such intimidating words.


    Xue Junliang nodded and smiled, ¡°Sure enough, the Empress is very intelligent. This Seat is even more unwilling to let you go.¡±

 CH 36

    After listening to Teng Yun¡¯s strategy and receiving Xue Junliang¡¯s approval, Xue Houyang immediately left to respond to Xue Yu and Teng Shang¡¯s urgent report.


    Teng Shang, who was still on the northern border, was the first to give warnings about the small county. Now that His Majesty had given order, even though Xue Yu was still reluctant, they would have to move to reclaim the county from the enemy.


    Teng Shang personally took charge of this strategy. After spreading the rumors for nearly half a month, Teng Shang finally assembled his troops and began to send the troops to the small county.


    Zou Zhenying in the small county had heard the rumors but at this point, he had nowhere to retreat. He could only wait until Cheng Tian conquered the border pass and then started attacking Xue Country¡¯s army.


    As a result, Teng Shang led his troops to attack the small county, and Cheng Tian never once sent reinforcements to support Zou Zhenying. Although he was very brave, Zou Zhenying was incapable of creating soldiers from nothing. The small county was surrounded, isolated and was helpless; Teng Shang surrounded the county and attacked it from all sides. Zou Zhenying fought with all his might but eventually his troops had used up all of their food supply.


    Zou Zhenying was at a dead end. After being stuck for three days, he opened the county gate and sent out all the old, weak and injured soldiers, as well as any women and children, creating a ruse to confuse his opponent, and then led the soldiers facing Xue Country¡¯s army head on.


    Zou Zhenying¡¯s soldiers had been trapped inside the small county for three days. Naturally, it was inevitable that their morale was low. Soon, the whole county was taken down by Teng Shang¡¯s soldiers and Zou Zhenying was captured alive.


    However, after the battle, the county was almost desolate and there were few surviving people.


    Upon hearing that Teng Shang had taken over the small county and had captured Zou Zhenying, Xue Yu took his one thousand elite soldiers to the small county. In front of the enemy soldiers, he personally cut off Zou Zhenying¡¯s head and hung it on a bamboo pole right at the county gate. He also ordered to kill all the captured soldiers, with no exception, and throw their bodies out of the city gate.


    Cheng Tian¡¯s spies soon got the news; how the usually barren surrounding of the county suddenly was full of wild dogs and crows, and how the rotten smell of the abandoned corpses was thick in the air.


    Xue Yu¡¯s action not only shocked the whole army, but also shocked the entire Xue Country¡¯s Imperial Court and people of Xue Country.


    Some thought that Xue Yu was too cruel. The enemy obviously had surrendered and Xue Country could use more soldiers and talented military commanders; he could have taken in the captive prisoners and kept them alive.


    The others thought Xue Yu¡¯s action was necessary and unavoidable. In the end, the prisoners were still enemies. Who could guarantee they would not just pretend to surrender, just to buy time before someday rebel against Xue Country? Those prisoners weren¡¯t worth it.


    Moreover, if they were to be used as soldiers, the prisoners would need food to eat. Xue Country¡¯s own soldiers had to use the army provisions wisely because of how hard it was to transport supplies to the border; how could they afford feeding the prisoners?


    For a time, the response of the entire Imperial Court to Xue Yu¡¯s actions were inconsistent, and then they started to argue about Teng Shang.


    Although Teng Shang had contributed a great victory for Xue Country, he was still a foreigner. In this battlefield, he had consolidated his prestige and had gained quite a few followers. Many of the court officials suggested that Teng Shang had to be pulled back to prevent him from cultivating too much military power.


    After this battle, Cheng Tian, realizing the plan to use the small county to attack Xue Country had failed and he had suffered a loss of a great deal of soldiers, didn¡¯t dare launch any more reckless move. Moreover, knowing Xue Yu¡¯s action, Cheng Tiang was extremely afraid. He became even more restrained and cautious. Although fighting on the battlefield required ruthlessness, he had never met such a heartless action. In the end, Cheng Tian moved his soldiers to withdraw as far as 30 li.


    Since the incident in the small county, Xue Junliang would always ask Teng Yun¡¯s opinions about military affairs and plans. Sometimes, he would discuss with Teng Yun until very late into the night.


    Xue Junliang had been increasingly convinced that the Empress of his being confined in the Inner Palace was a huge misstep of the Heavens.


    At the moment, Teng Yun was scanning the military map, entirely focused. Jiang Yu came in bringing tea but Xue Junliang motioned to him not to make any noises. Xue Junliang then personally brought a cup of tea and gently placed it in Teng Yun¡¯s hand.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t even turn his head to see who was giving him the tea. His eyes didn¡¯t stray from the map. He just took the cup and opened the lid to drink.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Be careful, it¡¯s hot.¡±


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    Now that Teng Country was on the verge of collapsing, it was not enough to guard against Xue Junliang alone. If Cheng Tian had the mind to attack Teng Country, it would be a huge trouble.


    Xue Junliang saw the Empress would sometimes knit her eyebrows, and sometimes smile to herself. Finally, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from asking, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    Teng Yun came back from his musings and said, ¡°It¡¯s been sometime since Marquis Zhenjiang had been in the north, the army provisions should be getting insufficient. I don¡¯t know whether Your Majesty is planning to transport more supplies?¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been frowning for half a day only thinking about army provisions? Of course, the transport of supplies is already arranged. I¡¯m not so mean I would let my soldiers starve while fighting.¡±


    Xue Junliang said that lightly as if it was a joke, but for Teng Yun, it was unexpected. Not every King would do anything to keep his soldiers from hunger. At least, Teng Yun¡¯s own father wouldn¡¯t do it¡­


    ¡°If Your Majesty wants to transport supplies,¡± Teng Yun pointed to the map with a finger, ¡°Your Majesty must use this road.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Xue Junliang had been in constant amazement these days. He still couldn¡¯t wrap his head around how his Empress was so familiar with the battlefields and could remember and analyze the roads seemingly without any effort. If his Empress were to lead troops and fight against Xue Country, he reckoned she would be a formidable enemy that can not be underestimated.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Are you saying that Cheng Tian might launch a sneak attack on our usual supply transportation route? That is impossible. The route goes deep into a remote and difficult terrain, if they somehow manage to trek the remote route, they would be too exhausted to ambush us.¡±


    Teng Yun smiled while shaking his head, but Xue Junliang unexpectedly found that the smile looked more like a sneer. He couldn¡¯t help flicking the tip of the Empress¡¯ nose and said, ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this? My Empress has a better idea?¡±


    Teng Yun pointed to the map again, ¡°Cheng Tian is an arrogant man. These days, he has neither sent troops, nor harassed the civilians to create trouble, it doesn¡¯t seem like his usual style¡­ The usual transportation route passes a land that is very low. Although the area is not a canyon, the road is very narrow. I heard that there is a river next to the narrow road. The river is so rapid that even with the northern cold weather, the water would not freeze.¡±


    Teng Yun then turned his head towards Xue Junliang, still smiling, he continued, ¡°If I am Cheng Tian, I would order people to quietly dig up a river channel. When the soldiers bringing food supplies are passing the narrow road, I would reroute the water course and drown the soldiers. The food would be lost, so how can they think about fighting? At that time, it would bring chaos and discourage Xue Country¡¯s army in the front lines. I could win the battle without lifting a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Xue Junliang nodded and stared dazedly at the Empress.


    Noting this, Teng Yun thought maybe there was something on his face. Sometimes when he was examining the map, he always liked to pick up a brush and ink to draw circles or make notes on the map. Thinking maybe he had ink on his face, Teng Yun rubbed a hand on his cheek but his hand came up clean.


    Xue Junliang lifted a hand and gently caressed the other person¡¯s lips with his thumb. With a sly look on his face, he said, ¡°Fortunately, you¡¯re not Cheng Tian, are you?¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He suddenly looked away trying to avoid Xue Junliang¡¯s gaze and said, ¡°Of course. There is no way Chen-qie is Cheng Tian.¡±


    Xue Junliang sat down, with a hand on the Empress¡¯ waist, he pulled her to sit on his lap. Then, he gently caressed her cheeks and earlobe. Teng Yun let him; he didn¡¯t find Xue Junliang¡¯s gestures suspicious.


    Xue Junliang, on the other hand, had discovered this pattern for a while now. If he occasionally touched the Empress when they were discussing about something, she would not push him away. His hand which was on the other person¡¯s waist climbed slightly up; with it, he pushed the other person¡¯s back so the other person was slightly bowing. Then he himself raised his head and lightly kissed the corner of the other person¡¯s lips.


    ¡°You speak so cleverly, how can I be willing to trust you?¡±


    Teng Yun was startled and suddenly stood up. He took a step back, but then he accidentally knocked over the map behind him. The map, and the board holding it, fell to the floor with a loud bang.


    Xue Junliang also stood up following Teng Yun. Suddenly, he pressed the Empress against the wall. The two were standing so close that their breaths brushed each other.  Xue Junliang¡¯s tall and robust frame almost completely covered the Empress¡¯ smaller one.


    Teng Yun turned his head away and didn¡¯t look at Xue Junliang. Xue Junliang lowered his head slightly, staring at the other person¡¯s thin and graceful neck, and smiled, ¡°Are you still not willing?¡±


    Xue Junliang could see the Empress¡¯ throat tensing abruptly. She opened her mouth as if she was struggling to say something, but in the end she didn¡¯t say anything.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t insist much. At this point, Emperor Xue didn¡¯t act like an overbearing Emperor.  If he were to tell everyone that this arrogant Emperor had never really touched his own Empress, people who didn¡¯t know him would not believe him.


    ¡°Needless to say I want us to be on mutual consent, so I won¡¯t be forcing you, but¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang lifted Teng Yun¡¯s chin, making the other person look at him. Smiling, he said, ¡°I must ask you, are you really admiring Teng Shang?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Teng Yun¡¯s eyes widened as he stared at Xue Junliang. But Xue Junliang didn¡¯t look particularly upset nor angry, he only said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to answer.. But since you want to know about Teng Shang¡¯s news, how about we make an agreement?¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t reply, only staring at Xue Junliang with wide surprised eyes.


    Xue Junliang found the other person¡¯s expression amusing. He lowered his head onto the Empress¡¯ shoulder and whispered softly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t embarrass you and ask anything difficult.¡±


    He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°I said I won¡¯t force you, but you¡¯re after all, still my Empress. Obviously, I suffer the most here. So how about this; if you want to hear more news about Teng Shang, you have to kiss me.¡±


    Hearing Xue Junliang¡¯s words, Teng Yun subconsciously pursed his lips, and the tip of his tongue involuntarily swept his lower lip. This action ignited something inside Xue Junliang and his face flushed red.


    Xue Junliang laughed teasingly, ¡°No matter how you see it, you¡¯ve got a good bargain. After all, military affairs are not something that can be easily leaked out¡­¡±


    Teng Yun was silent and didn¡¯t answer for a long few minutes. All the while, Xue Junliang kept looking at him intently. Teng Yun was frowning deeply, seemingly having a battle in his mind. The other party¡¯s reaction really fascinated Xue Junliang.


    Pretending to be impatient, Xue Junliang said, ¡°So? Don¡¯t take too long to consider or I might take it back.¡±


    Teng Yun finally spoke up, ¡°Your Majesty should never take your words back.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded, ¡°I haven¡¯t said anything that doesn¡¯t count, have I?¡±


    With a smile still on his face, Xue Junliang held the Empress¡¯ back in one hand, dragging her closer, and with his other hand he pointed at his own lips, urging the Empress.


    Emotions were warring in Teng Yun¡¯s eyes but he was still for a long time.


    Just when Xue Junliang thought that his teasing had gone too far, the other person pulled her courage. She closed her eyes, stretched out her hand fiercely, pulled down Xue Junliang¡¯s neck and kissed him on his lips.


    In fact, rather than a kiss, it was more like a quick peck, or a smack of the lips. There was no trace of affection or tenderness in the action; it was just a careless kiss.


    Xue Junliang was so amused by her that he just wanted to laugh, but then he saw the other person¡¯s cheeks were blushing bright red. The corners of her eyes were also slightly red and her pair of dark pupils were glossy as she glared at him.


    Xue Junliang felt that his heart seemed to have been severely crushed by a heavy stone. He lowered his head and kissed the other person¡¯s lips again. Teng Yun wanted to push Xue Junliang away but was held closer instead. His hands uselessly gripping Xue Junliang¡¯s sleeves.


    Xue Junliang was aware the Empress didn¡¯t love him. When he thought about how his own woman was forcing herself to submit because of another man, Xue Junliang¡¯s pride as an Emperor was wounded. However, Xue Junliang would never feel he was inferior to this other man. On the contrary, even if this woman didn¡¯t love him, he could let this person stay with him forever and gradually removed her heart¡¯s defense little by little.


    Xue Junliang had years of experiences in his sleeves. He gently embraced the Empress and kissed her as tenderly as possible. Certainly every wife would not be able to resist such a passionate and gentle Emperor.


    But Xue Junliang certainly didn¡¯t know that his Empress, in fact, was not a woman. His Empress was actually an iron-fisted Great General.


    Fortunately, Teng Yun was unaware of his predicament. When talking about kissing, he was not as skilled as Xue Junliang. Being deliberately teased and kissed gently by the other man, Teng Yun soon felt paralyzed. Xue Junliang¡¯s kiss wasn¡¯t only touching his own lips against Teng Yun¡¯s, but also including gentle nibbles and teasing bites. Teng Yun felt a tingling sensation spreading across his back and it was starting to feel numb; if it wasn¡¯t for Xue Junliang holding him close, Teng Yun would have already fallen on the floor.


    As he was kissed, Teng Yun held his breath. His face had turned red from lack of air. He wanted to breathe but somehow he forgot to use his nose. A thin thread of saliva started to form between the two people¡¯s lips.


    Xue Junliang held Teng Yun in his arms and was very pleased by the person¡¯s reactions. He liked how the usually indifferent person went pliant and soft in his arms. This kind of excitement was similar to conquering another country.


    After a long time of kissing, Xue Junliang finally let go of Teng Yun. Teng Yun¡¯s vision had started to dim and his legs were shaking. He leaned back against the wall and was breathing hard; trying to compose himself to regain his breathing.


    Seeing the other person¡¯s rumpled appearance, Xue Junliang narrowed his eyes. He lowered his head again to kiss the other person¡¯s neck and traced it up to the corner of her lips and kissed off the silver thread of saliva that she hadn¡¯t quite managed to swallow.


    Teng Yun just felt a wet and warm sensation from his neck and couldn¡¯t help a shiver. Xue Junliang smiled and salaciously said, ¡°You taste as sweet as I imagined.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s brain only now started working again. His face was so heated he could not calm himself, he could only try hiding how rumpled he was by glaring daggers at Xue Junliang.


    The glare wasn¡¯t scary at all. Xue Junliang saw how the Empress¡¯ was glaring sharply at him but her eyes were slightly red and misty; the combination looked intriguing instead, peaking his interest.


    Jiang Yu, seeing the two people having an intimate time, had quickly withdrawn outside. He had been serving in the Palace for a long time. He hadn¡¯t gotten to this point without hindsight and knew he should not stay in the room where there was a scene like this.


    When the Empress finally left, Jiang Yu entered the room again to clean up the Empress¡¯ cup, refilled Emperor Xue¡¯s tea and straightened the knocked over map.


    Seeing Jiang Yu tidying up the room, Xue Junliang coughed. The mess could make people believe there had been a passionate scene, but it was actually just a kiss. Jiang Yu had been following him for a long time, but thinking Jiang Yu assuming he¡¯d been doing indecent thing in the study room was making Xue Junliang felt quite awkward.


    But of course, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t try to explain himself. He did wish that he and his Empress did something in the study room, but unfortunately, his trick hadn¡¯t been enough to make the Empress change her mind.


    Xue Junliang walked over to the map and stood in front of it. He was examining the map when he suddenly laughed; tracing with his fingers the route the Empress had pointed out earlier, an idea formed in his mind.


    ¡°Jiang Yu.¡±


    ¡°This old servant is here.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°About Zhao Lu, I¡¯m thinking of a good idea.¡±


    Jiang Yu kept his head bowed and respectfully waited for Emperor Xue to continue.


    Looking at the map, Xue Junliang thought the idea was indeed very good, ¡°A river is very beneficial; it can carry a boat, but can also overturn the boat¡­ If King Feng goes to visit a river, do you think it is possible he drowns in the river?¡±

 CH 37

    Xue Yu¡¯s action of killing the captive prisoners was spread widely into people¡¯s ears. Not only the court officials, but also the common people in the entire capital city, were alarmed by the cruel action.


    Common people¡¯s minds were always simple, they didn¡¯t know the politics and elaborate intrigues of the Imperial Court. Therefore, if a subordinate acted a certain way, they thought it was according to His Majesty¡¯s order.


    By the end of the day, Xue Junliang had suddenly become a tyrant who was being scorned by the people¡­


    Xue Junliang understood the ¡®good intentions¡¯ of  Marquis Zhenjiang quite well and had to laugh out loud at the audacity. He really had underestimated Xue Yu. This brother of his was no longer a little prince who only wanted to protect his own life, but a tiger who had already grown and now begun thinking about how to hunt and to eat.


    Xue Junliang had been already consulting the Empress¡¯ opinions in solving the small county matter and the transportation of army supplies, so now he asked her again about this Xue Yu¡¯s trouble.


    However, Teng Yun didn¡¯t want to help Xue Junliang. In the end, he only helped solve Cheng Tian and Zou Zhenying¡¯s attack because it benefitted his purposes; not only he had completely memorized Xue Country¡¯s layout, he also got news about Teng Shang from the front lines.


    But if asked to help regarding Xue Country¡¯s people¡¯s hearts and politics, even if Teng Yun had a way, he didn¡¯t want to tell Xue Junliang; After all, they were still enemies.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Chen-qie only came upon some unusual books and therefore knew a little about military laws and strategies, but if asked about important matters like politics and people¡¯s hearts, Chen-qie really has no knowledge and doesn¡¯t dare to give opinion rashly.¡±


    Xue Junliang was stunned by this ¡®modesty¡¯ and realized that his Empress was a master at trading; if the trade would not give her any advantage, she would not help in any way.


    Xue Junliang naturally didn¡¯t insist. After all, he only asked for the Empress¡¯ opinion because he was looking forward to whatever surprises she would give him this time. As for the common people¡¯s speculations, he was one to prepare umbrellas even before knowing it was going to rain.


    Emperor Xue sent people to the northern border, berating Xue Yu for his recklessness and acting violently without permission and demanded that, within a few days, Xue Yu had to send Zou Zhenying¡¯s body to the capital city.


    Now, everyone was puzzled. Zou Zhenying¡¯s head had already been hung on the county gate, and because the weather was harsher in the north, the head would already been severely deformed in just a few short days.


    Xue Yu was not in a hurry, he didn¡¯t think it was a big deal. He let people take down Zou Zhenying¡¯s rotten head from the gate and find a body, no matter whose, and then put it in a brocade box and ordered someone to send the body and the head to the capital city.


    When Xue Junliang opened the package box, all the ministers present almost vomited right then and there; the rancid smell of rotting flesh filled the entire court hall.


    Xue Junliang put on a mournful mask as if he was regretting the loss of a formidable person and a hero. He arranged a burial ceremony for Zou Zhenying according to Xue Country¡¯s customs. He said that, although Zou Zhenying wasn¡¯t from Xue Country, he had once invaded Xue Country¡¯s territory and therefore considered him a very talented man; an invincible general. Emperor Xue was a person who always appreciated people with talents; if only Zou Zhenying was still alive, Emperor Xue could use his talent and the man¡¯s life would not just end like this.


    Xue Junliang also ordered not to kill any of Zou Zhenying¡¯s remaining family members and that the local government would be responsible for providing them support.


    People with a deeper mind would think that Emperor Xue¡¯s move was vicious and hypocritical, but it had indeed appeased common people¡¯s heart; letting them think that what happened was not Emperor Xue¡¯s original intention and that he wasn¡¯t as merciless as people thought.


    After that, Xue Junliang went as far as introducing a series of regulations, which did not allow the arbitrary slaughter of war prisoners, otherwise they would be punished as crimes of treachery.


    Xue Yu, of course, knew this decree was meant for himself, yet he didn¡¯t care about it. Here in a place so far away from the capital city, added that situations would always change in a battlefield, at some point, the army wasn¡¯t affected much by rules and regulations.


    After being busy solving the matters above, Xue Junliang summoned Jiang Yu and said, ¡°I have two orders.¡±


    Jiang Yu kept his head bowed respectfully and waited for Emperor Xue¡¯s orders.


    ¡°First, ask Jiao Shui to go back to the Empress¡¯ side. I want her to report to me everything the Empress says and does every day. If she dares to miss anything, she could go back to serving Teng-fei.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Second,¡± Xue Junliang said, ¡°Write a letter to Zhao Lu, tell him to find out every information about the Empress from when she was still living in Feng Country, whether they were important or trivial things, he should report in detail.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this old servant will do as ordered.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Xue Junliang gestured to Jiang Yu not to leave yet. He smiled, ¡°Has King Feng departed to visit the river?¡±


    ¡°Answering back to Your Majesty,¡± Jiang Yu said, ¡°According to Zhao Lu¡¯s reply, King Feng had set off three days ago. It is estimated he will arrive at Ming River in a few days.¡±


    ¡°The matter that this Seat told you about before, how is it going?¡±


    ¡°It has already been done. It has been cloudy and constantly raining in Ming River these days. King Feng would arrive there at the right time.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded but he was still frowning. Jiang Yu took note and asked, ¡°What is it that Your Majesty is worrying about?¡±


    Wef Aeciljcu rjlv, ¡°Ciatbeut atf kfjatfg lr ojnbgjyif jcv atf alwlcu lr gluta, yea atf qfbqif jgfc¡¯a¡­¡±


    Aljcu Te vlvc¡¯a delaf ecvfgrajcv ktja Swqfgbg Wef wfjca. Glv tf wfjc tf cffvfv wbgf qfbqif ab tfiq atf qijc?


    Swqfgbg Wef pera rwlifv jcv rjlv, ¡°Itjb Oe tjr yffc lc Mfcu Jbecags obg rb wjcs sfjgr. Ktlr Vfja lr jogjlv tf tjr obgwfv jc jaajmtwfca. Lbkfnfg, atlr Vfja xcbkr ktja xlcv bo qfgrbc tf lr; tf lrc¡¯a atf asqf ab yfagjs qfbqif, yea tf lr jirb fwqjatfalm. Dfobgf atlr wjaafg lr mbcmievfv, lo tf vfmlvfr ab tfiq Blcu Mfcu, gfwlcv tlw atja atlr Vfja tjr yffc qijcclcu atlr obg sfjgr, atlr Vfja wera cba ojli ja atf nfgs ijra rafq.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s planning is not going to fail.¡±


    ¡°You go tell those people in Feng Country, tell them to pay close attention to Zhao Lu¡¯s movements. When King Feng leaves the capital city, make sure Zhao Lu stays in the city and fulfill his duties diligently.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Feng Ming started his journey to Ming River, but announced he was going south. He didn¡¯t want the local government of Ming River to know of his arrival and be prepared in advance, he intended to personally see what was the real situation; he always ordered the river to be conserved, but why did the river flood every year?


    Feng Ming didn¡¯t bring Zhao Lu this time; neither did he bring Lu Shichen. He left Lu Shichen to assist Zhao Lu in handling the capital city.


    Before leaving, he especially spoke with Lu Shichen, telling him that not everyone wanted to seek instant benefit so he shouldn¡¯t be too hard on the other court officials and leave them some leeway. A cornered dog could still jump over a wall especially if those dogs were officials more senior than Lu Shichen.


    Feng Ming ordered Lu Shichen to discuss matters with Zhao Lu first.


    Lu Shichen was very attentive to King Feng¡¯s instructions. He knew very well he himself always hated dishonorable people. This way of thinking was certainly good, but he would not be able to achieve anything if he did it alone without the other officials. Little by little, Lu Shichen started to learn how to tolerate people, he became less strict.


    Also, Lu Shichen always admired Marquis Zhulu, so King Feng¡¯s order wasn¡¯t a hardship at all.


    The only problem was¡­ Since King Feng left the capital city, Zhao Lu had been absent from the Imperial Court assemblies due to illness; even the military affairs were presided over by his subordinates instead of Zhao Lu himself.


    Among the military affairs that were brought to the court; the ones that could be handled by the military council were handed over to the military council, the more important ones were brought to Marquis Zhulu¡¯s residence by Rui Xue to be reviewed by the marquis first and then handed down to the military council.


    Marquis Zhulu¡¯s illness had come to the point where he couldn¡¯t leave the residence. He had called several most qualified Imperial physicians to examine him, but they all said he only caught a common cold added with exhaustion and that he should take a proper rest to recuperate for a few days.


    But the court matters could not be ignored and the documents sent to Marquis Zhulu¡¯s residence every day were not a few. This made the marquis¡¯ illness gradually start to worsen until even his servants could not see him for a few days at a time.


    Lu Shichen was very worried about Marquis Zhulu¡¯s condition and came to his residence bringing a physician. But he was stopped at the door and not allowed to come in. Rui Xue said, ¡°Lord Minister is very kind and Lord Marquis really appreciates it. But he says he could not see you because he is afraid he would infect you with the illness. If Minister Lu falls ill, the Imperial Court would be in trouble.¡±


    After all, Lu Shichen didn¡¯t have Zhao Lu¡¯s deep mind. He thought the marquis was right. He thanked Marquis¡¯s kindness and then left.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Inside the marquis¡¯ residence, Rui Xue held a wooden tray covered in yellow cloth and knocked on a door. She said, ¡°Lord Marquis, this is Rui Xue.¡±


    Pushing the door open, she entered and then closed it firmly behind her.


    Rui Xue turned to the inner room but the room was empty. She placed the covered tray on the table and sighed.


    The night King Feng departed to Ming River, her master faked an illness and secretly followed King Feng¡¯s entourage in disguise.


    Maybe Master trusted Rui Xue too much that, without saying any more detailed instructions, he left her to deal with people asking for him. Although Rui Xue was happy for His Majesty; that Master still had feelings for His Majesty, she still thought Master was a bit mean. She was only a maidservant yet had to fend off important people¡­


    But even if Master disregarded her feelings, Rui Xue would never betray him because he had done her a great favor. She had followed Zhao Lu for quite some time, but she still couldn¡¯t understand her master¡¯s devotion to his home country. She only knew that Feng Ming was a great person; Feng Ming was the one who loved Zhao Lu the most. No one could surpass Feng Ming¡¯s feelings, not even Rui Xue herself.


    In fact, Zhao Lu, though he had a sharp mouth, actually had a soft heart. As soon as Feng Ming left the capital city, Zhao Lu couldn¡¯t sit still even for a second and had to go and follow Feng Ming.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    When Feng Ming left, from the capital city he went south first where he was welcomed by the local officials. The very next day, he left again and this time, they changed their route and went all the way to Ming River.


    The area around Ming River had constant rain for a few days straight and the dam could not withhold the volume of rain water. The local government could only repair the dam when it wasn¡¯t raining, but even when they did repair the dam, the dam was useless. Once there was heavy rain, the dam would break again and the river would overflow.


    A rainstorm occurred in the middle of the night and the governor was still asleep. Because his house was located in slightly lower terrain, the water had reached and seeped-in through his door. The servant knocked on his bedroom door and had to call out loudly for the governor and his wife several times before they woke up.


    The governor quickly put on his official attire and ran to the river bank.


    At this time, many local officials had already arrived at the dam. The heavy rain had toppled down the makeshift river watchtower. People were wearing oiled coats. At the beginning, when it was still slightly windy and drizzling, their servants had been holding oiled umbrellas for them.


    But now, the umbrellas were already ruined; the paper was soaked, leaving only the bamboo bones.


    The oiled coats were not very useful either, they were not big enough to protect them and their clothes underneath were already wet, and even their official hats were blown away.


    When the governor arrived at the river dam, he started yelling curses. But it only ended with rain water pouring into his open mouth, and the wind was too strong; drowning his voice and making his soaking-wet hair sticking to his face. His bedraggled appearance completely cancelled out any of his prestigious presence.


    Even money would not be able to instantly cover the broken parts of the river dam. The governor thought about organizing people to repair the dam right now. The rain was too heavy; it was an emergency.


    Feng Ming had arrived at Ming River the day before but ordered his boat to stop at a distance from Ming River, in case the local officials found out and made superficial efforts to hide any ugly truths. He then got off the boat with several of his aides and went to Ming River to check the dam.


    It rained heavily tonight, his aides originally pleaded with Feng Ming to delay going to Ming River; after all, King Feng¡¯s health and safety was the most important. If something happened to him, even their death would not be sufficient as an apology.


    However, Feng Ming was determined to go, so they could only follow His Majesty¡¯s order. Rain water pooled on the roads and made them impassable, but the aide knew he could never change His Majesty¡¯s mind. He could only knelt and requested to be allowed to follow King Feng to Ming River. This is the difference between Kings and officials.


    When Feng Ming arrived at the riverbank, people were shocked.


    The governor realized it wasn¡¯t the time to yell at people. He quickly flopped down on his knees and shouted ¡®Long Live the King¡¯. The rain added with overflowing river water had already passed above people¡¯s knees but no one dared complain and not kneel. Compared to King Feng¡¯s expression, the flood looked friendlier.


    Feng Ming swept his gaze at the hasty repair people had done to cover the broken dam and almost exploded in anger. His aide berated the governor and the governor could only kowtow on the ground repeatedly.


    Feng Ming smiled warmly and said, ¡°How nice of you all to do a makeshift repair. The money this Seat gave, could only pay you all to do this? Every year, many people have died. Maybe tomorrow you all should die too just to see how it feels.¡±


    The governor was dizzy for kowtowing repeatedly; but he didn¡¯t dare saying anything and could only keep kowtowing.


    Feng Ming coldly said, ¡°Get lost! When no one comes here to inspect, maybe you¡¯re all too busy wasting your officials¡¯ salary. You don¡¯t need to be officials any longer. When the day is clear, throw these people into the river to feed the fish!¡±


    Voice trembling, the governor pleaded repeatedly, ¡°Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Your Majesty¡­ this lowly subject begs Your Majesty to step back, the rain is too heavy and this dam is not safe, please step back!¡±


    Feng Ming said, ¡°How unusual, you actually know this dam is not safe?¡±


    ¡°This subject knows his mistake, this subject deserves death. But please, Your Majesty, step back. This subject had committed a grave crime, if something happened to Your Majesty, this subject would not be able to face the ancestors even if I die!¡±


    Feng Ming listened to the governor¡¯s seemingly sincere words. Under such heavy rain, the governor had run to the river dam and tried to temporarily repair the dam.


    Feng Ming¡¯s angered expression turned a bit warmer and he said, ¡°This Seat knows that this Seat cannot rely on any of you, but the situation has come to this, are you able to say you didn¡¯t steal the river fund? Can you still say there is no money to repair the river dam? Common people pay taxes with their hard-earned money, it is not for raising and feeding leeches. If the river dam is broken, people would drown and die, and then who will pay your salaries?¡±


    Everyone listening to Feng Ming¡¯s speech started to feel apprehensive. Indeed, some people would not be able to understand how desperate and serious a situation was without experiencing it for themselves.


    It was actually the effect Feng Ming wanted to achieve and he wasn¡¯t about to dwell too much over it. After all, if he threw all these officials into the river to feed the fish, who else would work for him?


    Finally, after people pleaded again and again, Feng Ming decided to return to the Imperial ship. Since the people of Ming River had all known he was here anyway, there was no reason to stop the ship at a distance away.


    Feng Ming hadn¡¯t even turned around when suddenly, an official ran over to him. The official, ignoring a series of formal greetings and etiquette, yelled, ¡°The dam has collapsed! The dam has collapsed! The flood is coming!¡±


    The sound of rain and wind almost drowned the official¡¯s words, but his tone and warning was clear. Everyone instantly panicked. The governor and other officials immediately tried to escort His Majesty towards a higher ground on the hill.


    However, the flood came fiercely; in a blink of an eye, the water had flooded the place they had been standing on a moment ago and followed closely at people¡¯s heels. The hill suddenly looked very small in the face of the raging flood.


    Although Feng Ming had stayed in the Palace all year round, he never neglected practicing his martial arts and exercising. The governor didn¡¯t have Feng Ming¡¯s physical strength, and when the others had almost reached the foot of the hill, the governor had to stop to take a breath but only managed to swallow a mouthful of water.


    Feng Ming was said to be cold hearted and indifferent. In fact, it was just an appearance; inside he still had feelings. When he saw the governor falling on the ground right by his feet, Feng Ming stopped running to pick the governor up and encouraged, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    At this time, the governor wasn¡¯t sure he should say he was moved by King Feng¡¯s encouragement. He was already an old man. He didn¡¯t know if the water on his face was either rain or tears.


    There was a small temple on the top of the hill, and the terrain was quite high. The small temple had a level roof, barely sheltering them from the falling rain. If it wasn¡¯t such an urgent situation, people would not remember there was a temple here at all.


    After racing to reach the temple, everyone was exhausted. Feng Ming hit his hand severely on a wooden table; the roof had broken in many places and the table was already wet.


    The table collapsed under Feng Ming¡¯s smashes. These days, the rain has been falling heavily, but according to the court officials¡¯ report, this year¡¯s rain was less intense than the previous year. Feng Ming didn¡¯t think it was possible for the water volume to be this large.


    However, Feng Ming didn¡¯t consider that Xue Junliang might have knowledge of his whereabouts. Xue Junliang had deliberately built a way, connecting the water from Ming River and the flood and making it flow into the city.


    Feng Ming stared at the heavy rain outside. Although they were presently safe here inside the temple for the time being, there were many more people still in the city. The river dam had collapsed and soon the whole city would be flooded. This small temple would not be a safe shelter for long either.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Zhao Lu had been secretly following Feng Ming and his entourage. When he arrived at Ming River, an official near him was yelling that the river dam had collapsed. Zhao Lu¡¯s heart dropped to his feet and he froze. Suddenly, he understood Emperor Xue¡¯s intentions.


    Zhao Lu knew as a king, one should not be too soft-hearted; a country was built upon piles of bones, why care about some refugees of a small insignificant town? But Zhao Lu had personally experienced the devastating sadness of losing his family and having no home. He also knew that, because of this feeling, he would never be a person who did big things.


    There was chaos on the riverbank. It seemed like the officials were escorting Feng Ming and starting towards the hill. Zhao Lu gritted his teeth and finally turned around and rushed back towards the city.


    Maybe Zhao Lu should thank those officials who hadn¡¯t gone to the river side. Zhao Lu rushed into the local government office and showed his official seal. The local officials immediately woke up but weren¡¯t allowed time to formally greet Zhao Lu.


    Zhao Lu immediately ordered people in the office, whether they were officials or guards, to all go knocking on every door and urging the city¡¯s residents to run to higher grounds.


    When he finished these things, he immediately turned back and went to find Feng Ming.


    Feng Ming had drowned in the water. When he woke up, he felt his chest was filled to the brim with water and his throat was burning. He threw up a mouthful of water; almost vomiting his intestines as he did so.


    He looked around for a moment. It seemed like he was in a dilapidated house. There was a person sitting not very far from him. The person didn¡¯t move even after Feng Ming was awake, so Feng Ming thought the person must be asleep.


    When Zhao Lu found Feng Ming, the small temple had already collapsed. Everyone else had scattered and fled, but Feng Ming couldn¡¯t swim; he must have fainted after swallowing too much water.


    Rescuing and bringing Feng Ming to a safer place was easy. He had changed his countenance but Zhao Lu was still afraid Feng Ming would recognize him. Although a king¡¯s ruthlessness was understandable, Zhao Lu never thought his own actions had almost taken innocent people¡¯s lives. He didn¡¯t have the courage to see Feng Ming again.


    Feng Ming¡¯s official attire had long been discarded somewhere, leaving only the white robe underneath. Dirty water and mud had turned the white into grey; people would not be able to know his true identity by seeing his appearance now.


    Feng Ming¡¯s blurry eyes saw the other person in the distance, but he couldn¡¯t recognize who it was. He just said, ¡°You saved this Seat¡­coughs.. You saved me?¡±


    When Zhao Lu realized Feng Ming didn¡¯t recognize him, his heart started to relax but he still didn¡¯t speak, afraid Feng Ming would still recognize his voice. Zhao Lu only nodded as an answer.


    Feng Ming struggled to sit up. His limbs were still numb and he was still weak. He forced himself to sit straight and cup his hands, ¡°Thank you so much for saving my life.¡±


    Feng Ming¡¯s voice grew fainter with each word. His body leaned forward and started to fall to the floor. Zhao Lu got up and caught the man, and laid him carefully back on the floor. He felt too ashamed to touch Feng Ming, Zhao Lu took a few steps back and sat down.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    Xue Junliang had been less busy these days so he decided to check on the Little Crown Prince Xue Pei¡¯s study. It so happened that Xue Pei was discussing about military arts with Teng Yun.


    The Little Crown Prince¡¯s relationship with the Empress has gone quite close but Xue Junliang didn¡¯t mind. He himself admired this Empress, it was only natural the Crown Prince did too.


    When Xue Junliang came, Teng Yun and Xue Pei meant to kneel and greet him, but Xue Junliang stopped them saying there was no need to be so polite. He smiled and said, ¡°Continue with the discussion, this Seat will just sit here and listen.¡±


    Although Xue Pei felt that his Father¡¯s smile was merrier and the light in his eyes were brighter, Xue Pei kept it to himself, and didn¡¯t dare saying it. Compared to Father, the Empress Mother looked a lot calmer which was really admirable.


    Jiang Yu didn¡¯t want to disturb Emperor Xue at this kind of time, but there was an urgent military report. If Jiang Yu delayed reporting it to Emperor Xue, he would be punished, so Jiang Yu could only gather his courage.


    Xue Junliang saw Jiang Yu fidgeting, so he said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, just say it here. The Empress and the Crown Prince are not outsiders.¡±


    Even if Jiang Yu had all the courage in the world, he would never dare say the report loudly. His Majesty said those words to show he was trusting the Empress and the Crown Prince, but Jiang Yu still had to be careful.


    He bowed to whisper close to Emperor Xue¡¯s ears, ¡°Your Majesty, the spy sent a reply, he reported that Feng Country¡¯s Marquis Zhulu¡¯s official seal was found near Ming River.¡±

 CH 38

    Xue Junliang listened to Jiang Yu¡¯s report. His expression only chilled for a second before resuming his usual calm and poised demeanor and continued to listen to the Empress teaching the Crown Prince.


    Only Jiang Yu felt the cold sweat in his heart. Emperor Xue was in such a good mood today because the spy had reported that King Feng had arrived at Ming River right on the day Emperor Xue¡¯s plan to drown the city was scheduled to happen. But who knew that another report would come saying the spies found the official seal of Zhao Lu somewhere near the Ming River.


    Naturally, there was no need to speculate what had happened. It could only mean Zhao Lu had come to Ming River. And it also went without saying what Zhao Lu had done in Ming River, Jiang Yu was very sure Emperor Xue had already deduced it.


    Xue Junliang stayed with the Empress and Crown Prince for a few more minutes before he finally came out. As he walked outside, he said, ¡°This Seat really hadn¡¯t guessed wrongly¡­ I was hoping I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ How does Your Majesty plan to deal with Zhao Lu?¡±


    Xue Junliang stopped walking, ¡°No need to deal with him. What good would it do if I dealt with him? Pretending not to know is not useful either. Zhao Lu helped King Feng this once, but his loyalty is still completely towards Xue Country.¡±


    At this time, on the northern border, there was another event happening. Just like what Teng Yun had said, Cheng Tian sent his troops into the remote terrain to quietly dig the river, preparing to divert the river water to drown Xue Country¡¯s soldiers bringing supplies to the vanguard and to shake Xue Yu and Teng Shang¡¯s soldiers¡¯ confidence.


    Teng Yun had suggested sending a small troop to attack Cheng Tian¡¯s soldiers. Cheng Tian was too caught up in digging the river and forgot to guard the working soldiers. When Xue Country¡¯s troops came upon them, most of his soldiers were killed right then and there, and the rest were scattered. Xue Country¡¯s troops didn¡¯t even chase the escaping soldiers and went back to the army camp instead.


    This happened several times, leaving Cheng Tian utterly vexed. He started to realize that his plans had been exposed and predicted by Xue Junliang. There was no use in continuing digging the river so he ordered his soldiers to withdraw.


    Teng Yun felt Cheng Tian¡¯s situation had come to quite an unfavorable point. If at this time, Xue Country were to deliver a big hit to Cheng Tian, Teng Yun reckoned Teng Shang might come back to the capital city sooner.


    At least, here in the middle of the Imperial Court, Xue Junliang¡¯s schemes were obvious. But there in the northern border, Xue Yu was another unpredictable dark horse.


    So Teng Yun drew another plan for Xue Junliang.


    Having been defeated by Emperor Xue twice already, Cheng Tian was bound to be furious and would plan to launch an attack.


    However, Cheng Tian was also someone who had worked and dominated the Imperial Court for so many years, he knew not to directly attack the border pass. The border pass had been known since ancient times as a place easy to defend but difficult to attack; directly attacking it would undoubtedly be like throwing sheep to feed the tigers. Therefore, Cheng Tian also thought of a plan, that is, to sneakily attack Xue Country¡¯s army stronghold in the middle of the night, relying on catching the enemy off guard.


    Teng Yun pointed to a small village on the northern border to Xue Junliang. The small village was the closest to Cheng Tian¡¯s army camp and was hard to defend, so Cheng Tian would consider claiming this place first. Teng Yun suggested sending Teng Shang to empty the village within one day.


    When Cheng Tian¡¯s army arrived at the small village, it turned out to be empty and desolate, Cheng Tian felt a bad premonition. Just then, a soldier rushed to him to report that their army camp was in flames!


    Cheng Tian realized his moves had been predicted once again. He ordered the soldiers to return to the camp. Before he could leave the village, Teng Shang and his army came to surround the small village and close three of its four gates; the last gate opened to a river just outside the village.


    Cheng Tian¡¯s soldiers were trapped inside the small village. In panic, they tried to flee and save their lives. Three of the gates were closed, so they could only choose the remaining gate which was left open. Just as they came out of the village gate, they were blocked by a river. The situation became even more chaotic.


    The river blocked their way forward, and behind them, Xue Country¡¯s army was chasing them. It was either run or die kind of situation. The soldiers had no other choice but to start crossing the river. But the river current was quite rapid, many of the soldiers were drowned. The ones who were able to cross the river were too exhausted to fight any more.


    The remaining soldiers escorted Cheng Tian to return to the army camp. In the camp, there was no fire at all, instead there was Teng Shang sitting on the top of the watchtower, calmly sipping tea. Teng Shang smiled, ¡°Great General, welcome back. Was the attack successful?¡±


    Cheng Tian realized once again that his moves had been anticipated. But at this point, there was nowhere else to go; Xue Country¡¯s army was still chasing behind them. They had no choice other than to fight Teng Shang here.


    Having exhausted themselves escaping, added to that their weapons and horses had drowned in the river, their defeat was a sure thing.


    But Cheng Tian¡¯s subordinates worked hard to actually break through Teng Shang¡¯s soldiers. Which surprised Teng Shang and Teng Yun. One thing that Teng Yun and Teng Shang failed to predict was for Cheng Tian to have such brave and loyal subordinates.


    The three subordinates guarded Cheng Tian, protecting him from the sides and from behind. They fought back with all their might and led the remaining soldiers to withdraw.


    Teng Shang thought these three subordinates were very talented, but looking at their posture, it was easy to see they were only loyal to Cheng Tian. He didn¡¯t force the subordinates to surrender, nor did he pursue them. He burned Cheng Tian¡¯s abandoned camp and took his soldiers back to Xue Country¡¯s border pass.


    Xue Yu berated Teng Shang for not pursuing the retreating enemy and blamed him for being disloyal.


    Teng Shang coldly sneered. The reason why they could force Cheng Tian to such a difficult situation was not because of how heroic and powerful Xue Country¡¯s army was, it was because they could take advantage of a good momentum to catch Cheng Tian off guard and  therefore push Cheng Tian to be defeated. But if they were to pursue Cheng Tian, they would have to fight and in the end, suffer more loss than what they had now.


    Cheng Tian returned to the Palace in defeat. Cheng Tian¡¯s vice general, who was his own younger brother, saw that Cheng Tian was exhausted and worn-out. When Cheng Tian was sleeping, he slayed Cheng Tian by cutting off his head and then took his own soldiers into the Palace. He arrested the young king and forced him to abdicate. With his faithful aide urging him on, the young king didn¡¯t dare to refuse. He stepped down and selected Cheng Tian¡¯s younger brother as the new king.


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    Xue Junliang laughed and said, ¡°We should also not forget the contributions and merits of the officers and soldiers. Since they had achieved great success, this Seat is calling Marquis Zhenjiang and Consultant Teng back to the capital city. We should hold a huge celebration.¡±


    Hearing that Xue Junliang was letting Teng Shang return, Teng Yun finally could put his worries to rest.


    A few days after the decree came down, Teng Shang and a part of the army returned to the capital city. This small portion of the army had sworn their loyalty to Teng Shang. At that time of the small village¡¯s battle, Teng Shang wasn¡¯t only sitting idly and sipping tea as Cheng Tian had been led to believe; he had also played the war drum, encouraging and boosting the soldiers¡¯ morale.


    An army commander who fought alongside his soldiers, who ate and slept together in the soldiers¡¯ barracks; how could the soldiers not respect him? In the end, more soldiers had decided to follow Teng Shang.


    But this time, Xue Yu didn¡¯t return, therefore the bigger portion of the army didn¡¯t return either. The small troops following Teng Shang were the result of Teng Shang¡¯s own hard work.


    Xue Junliang had already predicted Xue Yu would not be coming back, because if he came back, Xue Yu would be arrested and put under a restriction. Xue Yu managing to escape Xue Junliang¡¯s clutches this time proved that he indeed had been cultivating his own soldiers and power. Xue Junliang wasn¡¯t surprised and also didn¡¯t bother too much about him.


    When the army returned, Xue Junliang led his Empress and all the court officials to welcome them by the Palace¡¯s gate and ordered a celebration banquet to be held for three consecutive days.


    Teng Shang, as the bringer of a great victory, had to meet and pay respect to Xue Country¡¯s Emperor and Empress. Xue Junliang said, ¡°This Seat wasn¡¯t mistaken, Master Teng is a great talent and is able to deliver a great contribution to my Xue Country¡­¡±


    When Teng Shang said nothing, Xue Junliang added, ¡°But this Seat also knows, you¡¯re a person who is fiercely loyal. As an Emperor, this Seat doesn¡¯t like to act without consulting others¡¯ opinions and force people to do something; people would gladly do things when they aren¡¯t forced to do it.¡±


    Teng Shang was still, while inwardly, an unknown feeling spread across his heart. Such a simple principle, Xue Junliang could understand, yet King Teng never could. Teng Shang felt that every time Emperor Xue insisted Teng Shang change his faith, his heart would be affected little by little.


    Teng Shang was aware Emperor Xue was persuading him to surrender, and Teng Shang himself couldn¡¯t say he was unmovable. He was afraid that one day, he would not be able to resist Emperor Xue¡¯s understanding and benevolence and then he would really surrender.


    As Xue Junliang had finished saying what he intended to say, he laughed, ¡°This victory is made possible mostly thanks to the Empress¡¯ plans and strategies. The Empress often talks with this Seat about Master Teng, so now how about you two talk a bit?¡±


    Then he got up and went out, Jiang Yu following behind him.


    Teng Yun was surprised and thought maybe Xue Junliang had found him out. Even if there were other people; there were still Xiu Yao, Jiao Shui and other palace maids in the room, Xue Junliang would never let his Empress be alone with another man, especially a man from another country.


    Teng Shang could not understand what Xue Junliang meant. He thought that Emperor Xue was delegating his own wife to persuade him to surrender this time.


    Teng Yun noted how Teng Shang tensed, he didn¡¯t know why but he couldn¡¯t help laughing bitterly. They had always been close; to think that there would be a day they would be suspicious of one another¡­


    When the Empress still said nothing after a long time, Teng Shang had to say, ¡°According to what this Teng has heard, the reason we were able to defeat Cheng Tian was all because of Your Majesty¡¯s plans. Many thanks to Your Majesty.¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t respond, but motioned for Xiu Yao to help Teng Shang off the floor.


    In order to avoid people¡¯s suspicions, Teng Yun didn¡¯t dare to look at Teng Shang in the eyes, not even the corners of Teng Shang¡¯s clothes. He just stared at his own sleeves as if busy counting how many kinds of flower threads there were.


    After a long time, Teng Yun finally opened his mouth. His throat was a little dry, and his voice was a bit shaky, as he said with difficulty, ¡°When you have no soldiers, do something the enemy least expects and catch them off guard¡­ Master Teng¡¯s teaching, I would never dare to forget.¡±


    Then Teng Yun quickly picked a cup of tea and drank the tea hurriedly. Jiao Shui immediately announced the Empress was tired and had to take a rest.


    At those words, Teng Shang, disregarding a number of formality etiquette, suddenly raised his head to stare at the Empress, but the Empress¡¯ face was covered by her tea cup and her eyes were down, Teng Shang couldn¡¯t see how her expression was.


    Teng Shang was beside himself in shock. For a long time, he was lost in thought; Jiao Shui had to call out three times before he came back to himself. He knew it was impolite, but he had a confused expression. He even stumbled, and he pretended to look embarrassed and kowtowed a few times. Then he went out.


    Xue Junliang was fiddling with the fire on a candle with a tablespoon when Jiang Yu came in bringing Jiao Shui. Without turning around, Xue Junliang said, ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°Answering to Your Majesty, Teng Shang has gone out of the Palace.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ What did they talk about?¡±


    Jiao Shui said, ¡°From beginning to the end, the Empress only said one sentence; ¡®when you have no soldiers, do something the enemy least expected and catch them off guard¡¯. Teng Shang¡¯s reaction, however, was somewhat strange. He almost forgot his manners. This servant had to call out for him three times before he took back his gaze.¡±


    ¡°When you have no soldiers¡­.¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed and repeated the sentence word by word slowly. This wasn¡¯t something difficult to understand. It means relying on the principle of winning without soldiers, in order to reduce the number of casualties.


    Everyone knew this principle, there was nothing too shocking in this sentence. People who heard it might feel glad for the enlightenment, but they would not be so shocked that they would forget their manners. Xue Junliang was smart, so of course he understood it wasn¡¯t the sentence that shocked Teng Shang, but maybe the person who had said it¡­


    When Teng Shang left the Palace, he was still in a bit of a daze. Xue Houyang hadn¡¯t seen Teng Shang for several months and was very eager to see him. Naturally, he missed him very much. He prepared a carriage and waited to pick Teng Shang at the Palace gate.


    At first, Xue Houyang didn¡¯t find anything wrong with Teng Shang¡¯s expression; after all he was quite simple and blunt, not very familiar with people¡¯s subtle expressions and feelings. But eventually, he started to realize that something wasn¡¯t right.


    ¡°Master Teng¡­ Is there something wrong? In the Palace, what did His Majesty say to you that  has made you so unbalanced? You mustn¡¯t think about it too much.¡±


    Teng Shang shook his head. There were too many emotions playing in his heart.


    ¡°When you have no soldiers, do something the enemy least expected and catch them off guard.¡±


    ¡°How can we fight if we have no soldiers?¡±


    ¡°Use people¡¯s minds, use your brain¡­ You must remember, after a war, there would be a change in leadership. A war doesn¡¯t only involve the leaders of the countries, but also involves the innocent and common people. Their lives and deaths are placed in your hands, no matter how big or small a war is. You have to make sure to reduce the number of possible casualties. In a world where people would trick and betray each other, let¡¯s make any good merits we could make for ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Uncle, Teng Yun will never dare to forget.¡±


    Teng Shang recalled the past and couldn¡¯t help sighing deeply. He never would have expected to hear someone say those very same words a few years later, and certainly not after that person had died¡­


    When Teng Shang didn¡¯t say anything, Xue Houyang thought Teng Shang was tired. He could only see Teng Shang¡¯s profile but he saw Teng Shang¡¯s eyes were red, his face showed some complicated emotions that Xue Houyang couldn¡¯t understand.


    Xue Houyang had never seen Teng Shang so vulnerable. Teng Shang always looked calm and unperturbed, his composure was always elegant and poised. Even when Teng Shang knew he would die, Teng Shang always acted unfazed, as if everything was as per his expectation.


    Xue Houyang felt as if his heart was being squeezed and he felt numb all over. Without saying anything, he stretched out his hand and gently put it on Teng Shang¡¯s shoulder, pulling Teng Shang to him and letting him bury his head on his own shoulder.


    Teng Shang was silent as he quietly hid his face against Xue Houyang¡¯s shoulder. For the first time, Xue Houyang felt he was very close to Teng Shang, he could even feel Teng Shang¡¯s breath.


    After a long time, Teng Shang raised his head and cleared his throat. He said, ¡°Forgive me for letting you see me like this, it¡¯s just¡­ For some reason, I just thought of an old friend.¡±


    Xue Houyang immediately thought of Teng Yun. Knowing how close Teng Shang had been with Teng Yun, he didn¡¯t bring it up again.


    After listening to Jiao Shui¡¯s report, Xue Junliang went to Yunfeng Palace.


    In Yunfeng Palace, Xiu Yao couldn¡¯t find Jiao Shui and thought she was hiding from her duties. Xiu Yao complained to her mistress, saying, ¡°Your Majesty, you should scold that Jiao Shui. Did she believe that if His Majesty said a few words to her, she was now an Imperial Consort? Every day, she would disappear somewhere. The only servant that is serving you whole-heartedly is this servant alone. In my opinion, you should be careful of that person, who knows someday she will betray you like she did to Teng-fei?¡±


    Just as Xiu Yao finished talking, Jiao Shui came back. She brought a few dishes and said with a smile, ¡°These days having so many celebration banquets, this servant thought maybe Your Majesty was tired of having extravagant dishes, so this servant especially asked the kitchen to make a few appetizing fresh dishes.¡±


    Jiao Shui¡¯s words were very sweet and pleasing. Even Xiu Yao, who had been bad-mouthing her just now, was already appeased and impressed by her.


    Just a few minutes after Jiao Shui came back, Xue Junliang arrived at Yunfeng Palace. Seeing the dishes on the table, he said he would stay and eat here.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°The time for the Triennial Selection is nearing. The young ladies participating in the Selection have started to arrive in the capital city these days. This Seat is thinking of selecting a concubine for Marquis Wannian, what do Aifei think?¡±


    Teng Yun pondered over it. He did think there was a good point in choosing a concubine for Xue Houyang; this way Teng Shang didn¡¯t need to see Xue Houyang as often.


    But Teng Yun didn¡¯t know if the concubine would acknowledge Teng Shang; after all, Teng Shang was a Teng.


    The young lady who would be suitable for a Marquis Wannian must be a sheltered daughter of some famous and rich family. With a background like that, Teng Yun was afraid she would not get along with Teng Shang.


    Xue Junliang saw the Empress thinking hard, he added, ¡°After all, Teng Shang is a man who cannot give birth. Xue Houyang is an extraordinary and loyal subordinate. This Seat cannot let him have no descendant, right?¡±


    Teng Yun tried to compromise, ¡°Since this matter is concerning Marquis Wannian, isn¡¯t it best to discuss it first with him? Other people can make decisions, but in the end, Lord Marquis is the one who has to live with the decision.¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed as he touched Teng Yun¡¯s lips, before saying, ¡°Who knows this Seat¡¯s Empress has become even more clever in her speech?¡±


    Having his lips touched, Teng Yun subconsciously pursed his lips. Somehow, Teng Yun thought this was almost like he was kissing Xue Junliang¡¯s fingers. These days, in order to get news about Teng Shang from the northern border, Teng Yun had been tricked so many times by Xue Junliang into kissing him.


    Teng Yun¡¯s face heated up, which pleased Xue Junliang very much. He liked to see the Empress, who was always calm and collected, being taunted by him. She would look as if she was feeling at loss, panicked, and indignant; all at the same time. The expression was addicting to Xue Junliang.


    At first, Teng Yun would glare daggers at Xue Junliang in order to hide what he was feeling, later on, he slowly got used to it. No matter how someone¡¯s personality was, a habit was the most terrible thing. Time was the best companion for feelings; with time, feelings could fade, but with time, feelings could be nurtured, too. A feeling that was nurtured by time, ran deep, and that was what Xue Junliang was aiming for.


    While the two of them continued talking, someone came in saying there was some matter to report. Although the matter was not too serious, it was quite urgent. It was sent by the official stationed in the suburb. The official¡¯s influence wasn¡¯t that powerful and therefore was unable to do anything, he could only send this report and disturb His Majesty.


    Xue Junliang laughed after reading the report. Throwing it onto the table, he said, ¡°A small matter like this, yet he still dares to ask for help. Maybe this Seat should just replace the official.¡±


    Listening to this, Jiang Yu said he would pass the message, he took the report and was about to withdraw. Disturbing the Emperor was alright, but it wasn¡¯t going to be easily forgiven.


    Before Jiang Yu took the report, Teng Yun glanced at the report and unintentionally saw a few words.


    Xue Junliang noted the interest in the Empress¡¯ eyes. He raised his hand and motioned to Jiang Yu to bring the report back and present it to the Empress.


    Teng Yun read the report quickly. Sometimes, he would frown, and other times, he would raise his eyebrows. The scene tickled Xue Junliang¡¯s heart. He reached out and pulled the Empress to him by the waist.


    When Teng Yun was focused on something, he couldn¡¯t pay attention to his surroundings; especially if that something was beneficial to himself.


    There were three names mentioned in the report, and the names weren¡¯t even that obnoxious. They were He Daba, He Erba , and He Sanba. The names could lead people into thinking they were names of some village chiefs, no wonder Xue Junliang didn¡¯t put much thought over it.


    The report said that the young ladies who were going to participate in the Triennial Selection, were met with a band of robbers just at the capital city¡¯s suburb. These bandits were led by these three chiefs. No matter who the entourage were, whether they were daughters of common people or from big families, all were stopped by the bandits, as if the bandits were disregarding the fact that these young ladies were to be selected by His Majesty.


    Moreover, these bandits would just intercept and stop the carriages and horses, just steal the money and the carriages but never killed anyone. The people, men or women, would then be let go.


    The young ladies, having no carriage nor belongings, naturally could not enter the capital city and participate in the Triennial Selection.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t know who these three people were, but Teng Yun knew that these three people were the generals who fought hard to escort Cheng Tian out of the siege that day.


    These people were generals, graced by Cheng Tian¡¯s knowledge and teachings, it was inevitable they would pledge loyalty. Then, Cheng Tian died. Deciding not to follow another master, they simply packed their belongings and left. The three brothers who once had names and reputations were demoted into bandits.


    The three hated Emperor Xue for sending troops to kill their master, but because they had no power to avenge their master¡¯s death, they secretly dwelt in the suburbs and deliberately caused troubles, making the local official completely helpless.


    The three had been in the army for a long time, and their strict military discipline had sunk deep into their bones. They were robbing people¡¯s money and carriages but they weren¡¯t willing to kill people indiscriminately.


    When Teng Yun saw the three names, his heart was elated with joy. If he could recruit them for himself, it would be a great advantage. But he was now in Xue Country; if he helped Xue Junliang recruit these three, Teng Yun was afraid Xue Junliang would be even more powerful and more difficult to deal with.


    But if he didn¡¯t recruit them right now, these three could be even more lost. If they only used their great talents to rob people, it would be a waste.


    Teng Yun had been lost in thought for a long time before he suddenly realized that a hand was kneading his waist, sometimes the pinch was light, sometimes hard; and now his waist was sore.


    Teng Yun leaned back a little to get away from the pinching hand. Jiang Yu, who was standing on the side, had to cover his laugh with his hand. Emperor Xue had been playfully teasing the Empress¡¯ back. The teasing was light, but it made Emperor Xue seem more humane.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Your Majesty doesn¡¯t know, but these three people are valiant military leaders. One person is already very powerful, three of them will be triple the power. They are Cheng Tian¡¯s former commanders.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Xue Junliang showed interest, ¡°Do you have any way to recruit them?¡±


    ¡°There is a way¡­¡± Teng Yun said, ¡°But Chen-qie has a request.¡±


    The Empress¡¯ serious tone only amused Xue Junliang. He smiled and said, ¡°Then you should kiss me. The Empress is so beautiful, when you kiss me, this Emperor will lose all common sense and agree to everything you ask.¡±

 CH 39

    Teng Yun blinked, not expecting Xue Junliang to say that, but he realized Xue Junliang was deliberately flirting with him.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t expect the Empress to smile winningly after blanking for a moment. She said with a smile, ¡°Since His Majesty doesn¡¯t want to recruit the bandits, then maybe troops could be used to suppress them. But in my opinion, these people would not be easy to get rid off. Your Majesty will have to send at least eighty to a hundred thousand soldiers to the suburb to successfully apprehend the bandits and destroy their stronghold and thereby making sure the young ladies are able to participate in the Selection.¡±


    Hearing this, Xue Junliang couldn¡¯t stop himself from laughing out loud. Even Jiang Yu, who was standing to the side, laughed.


    Xue Junliang cleared his throat and tried to look stern, ¡°Jiang Yu, what are you laughing at?¡±


    Jiang Yu said, ¡°Your Majesty, this old servant is laughing because Her Majesty¡¯s virtuousness and intelligence surpasses others.¡±


    Xue Junliang used Jiang Yu¡¯s words to extraciate from the awkward situation and turned to the Empress and said, ¡°Sending eighty to a hundred thousand soldiers is not a problem, but it does seem a bit too many. So I think I will first listen to your unsolicited request then.¡±


    Teng Yun paused for a moment before saying, ¡°After recruiting these three generals, can they be given to Chen-qie?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Xue Junliang pondered for a moment, ¡°Do you plan to go to war too? Are you collecting military powers now?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily for war, it¡¯s just that these three He brothers are extraordinarily talented people. They would rather let go of their respectable status and choose to be bandits than to accept a new master, it meant that they would not be easy to recruit. I am certain I can make them loyal and obedient.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°If they are really that talented generals and they can be made loyal to you, I guess I can allocate them to you.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, your word is your bond.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Teng Yun smiled, ¡°Then may I also implore Your Majesty to lend me fifty soldiers?.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Fifty? Looks like you really have it all planned.¡±


    Xue Junliang immediately decreed that as long as it was still within the Capital city¡¯s territory, the Empress could mobilize a team of soldiers as she pleased. Since Teng Yun had boasted that he needed only fifty, so only fifty soldiers could be mobilized.


    Teng Yun then hand-picked fifty Imperial Guards. These Imperial Guards were stationed to guard inside and around the Imperial City, their background wasn¡¯t ordinary. And because they had entered the Imperial Palace to train as guards since very young, one against ten was absolutely nothing for them.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t even try to interfere and let the Empress arrange everything herself. He stood silently to the side and watched Teng Yun¡¯s every move.


    After picking the fifty guards, Teng Yun assigned ten of them to disguise themselves as wealthy merchants who were about to enter the Capital city to attract the attention of the three He brothers.  Then Teng Yun assigned another ten guards to sneak up into the mountains. When the three He brothers came down from the mountain to rob the rich merchants on the road, the ten guards would secretly enter the bandits¡¯ thatched huts and spill all their water and douse flammable oil on their kitchens and firewood storage.


    The He brothers tried to hijack the road and rob the group of wealthy merchants but they unknowingly put themselves into a trap. The Imperial Guards, who were waiting in hiding, immediately surrounded the bandits. When the bandits successfully broke the circle surrounding them, the merchants also suddenly brandished weapons and turned to attack the bandits. The bandits were few in number and soon lost to the guards.


    The guards captured the eldest of the He brothers, therefore the other two didn¡¯t dare to act recklessly. The captain of the Imperial Guards asked the three He brothers whether they would surrender or not. The eldest He brother indignantly accused the guards for cheating them with an amoral trick and declared they would rather die than surrender.


    Before this mission, Teng Yun had ordered the guards to let the bandits go if they didn¡¯t surrender, so the guards did as ordered.


    The three He brothers were very angry when they returned to their huts. That night, when it was time for dinner, someone came to report to the three He brothers that there was no water.


    The three didn¡¯t pay attention to the report, assuming one of their subordinates were careless. But a moment later, a fire started and it spread too rapidly. Everyone rushed out of their huts to fight the fire but it was already burning out of control.


    The He brothers could only swallow their loss, order the others to pack their remaining belongings and go seek shelter down the mountain. At this time, Teng Yun¡¯s guards had been stationed at the bottom of the mountain, waiting for the bandits to come down.


    Because the bandits were escaping from a fire, they didn¡¯t carry weapons and weren¡¯t prepared to fight at all. As soon as they saw the guards, even though they were many in numbers, most of the bandits were frightened and fled in every direction. Teng Yun ordered the Imperial Guards to once again capture the three He brothers.


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    This time, the captain of the Imperial Guards was prepared with Teng Yun¡¯s instruction. He took out a letter written by Teng Yun and read its content out loud right in front of the three brothers.


    As the captain read the letter word by word, he realized the Empress had already predicted how the three brothers would react.


    The content was : ¡°When the master died, instead of vowing to follow the new King, you chose to flee with your money; this is not loyalty. You robbed the rich but never tried to help the poor; this is not compassion. Convincing your brothers to be bandits, but could not keep them well-fed and instead forcing them to suffer hardships of rain and wind with you; this is not righteousness. When your own variety of crimes are wicked beyond redemption, how can you call yourself a gentleman?¡±


    The captain of the Imperial Guards smiled and asked, ¡°Can He brothers shoot arrows?¡±


    The three He brothers with full confidence said, ¡°Of course, we can all shoot an arrow through a willow leaf at a hundred paces.¡±


    The captain of the guards laughed and said, ¡°But our Empress is an excellent shooter, too. Since ancient times, there have been countless people who can shoot, people who can invade the enemy camp, people who can go to war, but there are only a few heroes and heroines who are exceptional. Because those people who can shoot choose to become merchants, people who can invade the enemy camp choose to become scholars, and people who can go to war choose to be bandits. People who neglect the country aren¡¯t gentlemen either.¡±


    Being told this, the three He brothers¡¯ faces turned red in shame. In their heart, they were always honest and principled, so they immediately felt ashamed when their shortcomings were pointed out.


    The captain of the guards once again asked if they would surrender or not, and the three brothers said, ¡°We¡¯ll only follow your leader who wrote the letter.¡±


    The next day, in the Morning Court, Xue Junliang welcomed the three He brothers. Teng Yun deliberately sat behind the beaded curtain to listen to the court.


    The three, without any preamble, asked who the leader was, and Xue Junliang did not reprimand them for their rudeness, but had a very indulgent face and said with a smile, ¡°The leader is none other than this Seat¡¯s Empress.¡±


    The three He brothers were shocked and their cheeks flushed red, thinking they had lost to a woman of an Imperial Harem. Of course, they didn¡¯t know, they were bound to lose from the beginning, because the other side was Teng Yun, who was once an undefeated iron-handed Great General.


    Xue Junliang accepted the three brothers and gave them new names : He Zhong, He Ren, and He Yi. Xue Junliang didn¡¯t break his word and allocated the three brothers under the Empress¡¯s name.


    Although the court officials thought it was inappropriate for a woman to do something like this, in the end it was still a great achievement by the Empress. Such an achievement, if it had come from a man, that person would have already been titled marquis and gotten put on a pedestal. The court officials were all convinced of the Empress¡¯ talent and no one raised any objection.


    Because the troubling bandits had been subdued, there was nothing that could stop the carriages, therefore the young ladies now could enter the Capital city without any further troubles and participate in the upcoming Triennial Selection.


    At this time, Xue Houyang heard that Emperor Xue was going to choose a concubine for him and couldn¡¯t help feeling anxious. He would soon return to the frontier and surely the new concubine would not be willing to live in the border, where the land was so barren that even a blade of grass did not grow.  Also, Xue Houyang didn¡¯t want to marry again. Although he wasn¡¯t very good with words, he did have romantic feelings for Teng Shang. He thought it was inappropriate for a man to talk and indulge in romance all day long, but his feelings for Teng Shang were very deep since a long time ago.


    When Xue Houyang decided he would enter the Palace, at the same time, Xue Junliang, having heard that the Empress was strolling around the flower garden, went there so he could ¡®accidentally¡¯ run into the Empress.


    Xue Houyang rushed into the Palace only to find Emperor Xue¡¯s residence empty and his heart grew even more restless. It didn¡¯t even cross Xue Houyang¡¯s mind that at this time, Xue Junliang might be busy wooing the Empress. Instead, he immediately went towards the flower garden.


    He arrived at the Bishou Pavilion, when he saw Jiang Yu with his head lowered down, standing just outside the small pavilion. The pavilion¡¯s four sides were not obscured by a wall. Xue Houyang could see very clearly what was happening inside. Xue Junliang was currently pressing the Empress against the banister and kissing her.


    Xue Houyang was not thick-skinned, so he decided to wait beside Jiang Yu. But the two people inside the pavilion seemed to have difficulties separating; Xue Houyang waited and waited until his patience started running out.


    Jiang Yu noted that Marquis Wannian was fidgeting anxiously. He coughed dryly twice to attract Xue Junliang¡¯s attention.


    Xue Junliang noticed the two of them standing outside and was annoyed by the disturbance. His expression was dark as he turned to Jiang Yu and said, ¡°What? You have a chicken feather down your throat? Do you want the Imperial physician to come?¡±


    Jiang Yu was wronged unfairly but he didn¡¯t protest his innocence, instead he announced Marquis Wannian was requesting an audience. Jiang Yu thought it might be regarding a military affair, and if he were to delay reporting to the Emperor, he would be the one blamed.


    When Xue Houyang was finally allowed to speak, Jiang Yu realized it wasn¡¯t about military affairs at all, it was because the marquis didn¡¯t want a concubine¡­


    Xue Junliang¡¯s face was unreadable and had a profound look as he said, ¡°Houyang, explain to us, why don¡¯t you want a concubine?¡±


    After stammering and hestating for a long time, Xue Houyang poured out, ¡°Chen-di is about to leave for the frontier in a few days. Taking a concubine at this time doesn¡¯t seem appropriate. Which young lady would be willing to become a living widow as soon as they married¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang was at the end of his wits and very frustrated, ¡°You¡¯re someone who would be always fighting at the frontier, you never say any auspicious words, always cursing yourself like this¡­ Also, regarding your reason; which young lady dares to refuse my younger brother?¡±


    Xue Houyang did not know how to express himself. He wanted to openly talk, him not wanting a concubine was an excuse. He knew himself was not willing because of Teng Shang, but he still wasn¡¯t clear the real reason why. His mind was in chaos.


    But Xue Houyang also knew he could not talk about Teng Shang in front of Emperor Xue, so he had no other words to argue. He tried to subtly send a message to the Empress standing besides them, using his eyes, hoping the Empress felt empathy towards him and would help him somehow.


    But Teng Yun was also upset about this matter, he still could not make up his mind on what was better for Teng Shang. He was too preoccupied and didn¡¯t notice Marquis Wannian¡¯s subtle glances.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Houyang, you¡¯re no longer a child. You are always at the frontier fighting, I cannot see you living your life and ending up alone with no heir¡­ If there is already a young lady you¡¯re in love with and you don¡¯t want me selecting another one, tell me honestly. Whatever and whoever you wish for, as long as you¡¯re happy, I¡¯ll grant her to you.¡±


    Xue Houyang stayed still and said nothing for a long time. In the end, he said, ¡°Chen-di only has Teng Shang in his heart.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Feng Ming slumped to the ground and Zhao Lu helped to straighten him up. Zhao Lu didn¡¯t dare touch Feng Ming any more than this, so he retreated a few steps back.


    But then Feng Ming¡¯s eyes suddenly opened wide as if he just found out about something; something unbelievable.


    Feng Ming said, ¡°Benefactor, where is this place?¡±


    Zhao Lu deliberately lowered the tone of his voice, ¡°We¡¯re still near Ming River, the rain hasn¡¯t stopped outside, so if you wish to go somewhere in a hurry, you¡¯ll have to wait until the rain stops.¡±


    Feng Ming nodded. The sound of the rain could still be heard from outside, the sky was so dark it wasn¡¯t clear whether it was day or night. The room they were in was dark as there was no fire lit to evade darkness and cold.


    Feng Ming rubbed his palms together to gather some warmth. The ground was damp, his clothes were all soaked and clinging uncomfortably on his skin; he was feeling very cold.


    Feng Ming was sitting on a pile of hay but most of it was already damp. He searched his clothes for something to make a fire with, but found nothing. Zhao Lu only now regretted not making a fire for Feng Ming. He, too, searched in his clothes and found a fire fuse but then realized his official seal was gone.


    Zhao Lu panicked but could not express anything loudly in case Feng Ming heard it. The seal must be lost when he was urging people to flee to higher grounds. If his official seal was lost, near the Ming River, there was a possibility of being found by Emperor Xue¡¯s spies who were also nearby. If his seal was found by those spies¡­


    Feng Ming saw that the other man, instead of starting to make fire, was staring off into space. He went over to get the fire fuse. When his warm hands touched the other man¡¯s hands to take the fire fuse, the other man woke up from his daydream and together they made a fire.


    Feng Ming¡¯s outer robe was long gone. He took off his soaked inner robe. There was a broken chair near them so Feng Ming draped his clothes on it and dragged the chair close to the fire so his clothes could dry.


    Zhao Lu was used to seeing Feng Ming¡¯s naked skin. Feng Ming had a lot of scars; Zhao Lu knew by memory where each and everyone was located. Since they broke up, it had been more than half a year since Zhao Lu had stepped into Feng Ming¡¯s residence. So he hadn¡¯t paid close attention to Feng Ming. Right now, he looked closely and saw that Feng Ming had actually lost a lot of weight. Feng Ming¡¯s body was still well-proportioned, but he looked very thin and haggard.


    Zhao Lu gulped down a mouthful of saliva to wet his suddenly dry throat. He immediately moved his gaze away to avoid looking at Feng Ming¡¯s alluring body.


    Feng Ming didn¡¯t notice Zhao Lu¡¯s strangemess. He sat close to the fire to stay warm and said, ¡°Benefactor¡¯s clothes are soaked too, you may want to dry it by the fire.¡±


    Zhao Lu just shook his head.


    Feng Ming asked, ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going on in the city?¡±


    Zhao Lu said, ¡°The officials urged the people to take shelter on higher grounds just in time. The biggest problem is the flood. Once the flood has receded¡­ the whole city would have to be rebuilt.¡±


    Feng Ming didn¡¯t talk anymore. He only gave a bitter smile, looking a bit tired and then lay down on his side as if he was about to rest.


    Knowing Feng Ming was tired, Zhao Lu didn¡¯t talk either. After a long time, Zhao Lu guessed Feng Ming had fallen asleep. And maybe because he was curled up on the half-wet hay, he might be feeling cold.


    Zhao Lu went to the other side of the fire and touched Feng Ming¡¯s clothes. It was almost dry, so he took it and carefully covered Feng Ming with it.


    Feng Ming frowned in his sleep but didn¡¯t wake up. Zhao Lu stared down at him and sighed, couldn¡¯t stop himself from reaching out to caress Feng Ming¡¯s cheek.


    Feng Ming¡¯s chin was thinner and more pointed now, his lips were thinner, too; making him look gaunt and grim. Zhao Lu sighed in regret but could not take back his hand.


    At this time, Feng Ming slowly opened his eyes. Shocked, Zhao Lu was about to retract his hand but it was caught by Feng Ming.


    Feng Ming¡¯s eyes were unfocused and a bit misty, he obviously was not fully awake.


    Zhao Lu released the breath he was holding as his heart stopped thundering in his ears and pried his hand off Feng Ming¡¯s hold. But then Feng Ming half-rose and locked his hands around Zhao Lu¡¯s neck. The two people¡¯s breaths mingled and their body intertwined tightly as if compensating for the lack of physical contact all these months.


    Zhao Lu¡¯s brain stopped working for a moment. Although he never admitted it, inwardly he realized Feng Ming¡¯s place in his heart had grown deeper and deeper every time.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_NSFW_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Zhao Lu pinched and rubbed Feng Ming¡¯s lips and listened to Feng Ming gasping for breaths as if he was being punished by Zhao Lu. He sounded like he was begging for mercy, but also enticing him further; like a feather lightly tickling Zhao Lu¡¯s heart.


    Zhao Lu kissed Feng Ming. A burning fire slowly spread through the arms holding Feng Ming; they were no longer happy with just holding Feng Ming close, they started to cruise so slowly along Feng Ming¡¯s naked skin. Feng Ming¡¯s waist had always been very sensitive; with only a gentle touch from Zhao Lu, Feng Ming gasped an ¡®ah¡¯ out loud and his hips unconsciously thrust forward as if searching for more of Zhao Lu¡¯s touch.


    The sweet sound of Feng Ming¡¯s moan brought back rationality to Zhao Lu¡¯s mind. He pushed Feng Ming away and Feng Ming groaned in pain as he fell back to the ground and hit his jaw.


    Zhao Lu¡¯s eyes flickered around, he was about to stand up and retreat but then he was pushed by Feng Ming. Feng Ming was well-trained in martial arts; he was also quite strong.  Since Zhao Lu was not prepared for the sudden attack, he stumbled to the ground.


    Feng Ming conveniently used this and pressed Zhao Lu forcefully to the ground.


    Lying on the ground, Zhao Lu started to get up again but then Feng Ming lowered his head; once again leaving no space between them. This kind of position was very intimate and their breaths mingled once again.


    Zhao Lu gulped and then lowered his head back to the ground.


    Feng Ming was straddling on top of Zhao Lu. His upper body was naked. His black hair wasn¡¯t bound, hanging down like an open curtain around his shoulders; the length of his hair passed down his slim waist, covering the hint of a valley between his buttocks. A few strands of his hair were spread on Zhao Lu¡¯s half-exposed chest.


    Zhao Lu¡¯s throat felt like desert as he said hoarsely, ¡°Hurry get up.¡±


    Feng Ming¡¯s eyes were now sharp and focused as if he wasn¡¯t asleep moments ago.


    Feng Ming ever-so-slowly lowered his head. His breathing was still a bit shaky as if he hadn¡¯t recovered from the kiss. His chest was rising and falling as he breathed and the two little nubs on his chest were slowly lowering towards the person he pushed to the ground. The sight was provocative.


    Feng Ming gathered all his hair to his front. Then he pulled Zhao Lu¡¯s hand and put it to his back and then he slowly dragged the hand towards his smooth waist and down to his buttocks¡­


    Zhao Lu shivered a bit. He wanted to take back his hand but then Feng Ming hugged him tightly. Feng Ming buried his face in Zhao Lu¡¯s shoulder as he whispered shakily, ¡°Zhao Lu¡­ Zhao Lu¡­ It¡¯s really you¡­¡±


    Feng Ming rubbed Zhao Lu¡¯s other hand. Zhao Lu had a long scar on the inside of his palm, he had gotten it in earlier days when he had joined the military barracks to become a soldier.


    Zhao Lu  only then realized that his identity had been exposed long ago and Feng Ming already knew who he was.


    Without saying anything, Zhao Lu forcefully pushed Feng Ming and reversed their position. Feng Ming lay down on the ground willingly, he even loosened his pants for easy access.


    Zhao Lu didn¡¯t hesitate anymore. His one hand explored Feng Ming¡¯s lower belly but deliberately avoiding the body part Feng Ming most wanted him to touch, his other hand caressed the cleft between Feng Ming¡¯s buttocks before slowly pushing one finger inside Feng Ming.


    Feng Ming moaned. Zhao Lu grabbed his chin and kissed his lips brutally. Feng Ming felt the other person¡¯s hand, which had been slowly opening him, gradually started moving faster as if the other person had already reached the limit of his patience. He himself was already aroused, so he pushed back on Zhao Lu¡¯s finger as an encouragement.


    As his behind was being played roughly by Zhao Lu¡¯s finger, his whole body was shaking and shivering in pleasure. A feeling of numbness spread all over him, reaching up to his head. He lifted his hips, indicating Zhao Lu to come in.


    Zhao Lu¡¯s breathing had turned erratic. His hand was still toying with Feng Ming¡¯s behind as he kissed Feng Ming¡¯s lips haphazardly. As Feng Ming lifted his hips again and again, Zhao Lu couldn¡¯t hold back any longer but was still stalling out of concern for Feng Ming.


    Zhao Lu stopped all his movement and pulled his hand out. Finally he said, ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer, but I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re still not ready¡­¡±


    Before he even finished his sentence, Feng Ming sat up. With hands on Zhao Lu¡¯s shoulder, Feng Ming pushed him to the ground. Straddling Zhao Lu, he then slowly started to take Zhao Lu inside himself.


    Feng Ming gasped for breaths with his mouth wide open, like a fish out of the water, struggling for air. His eyes were bloodshot, his cheeks and ears were bright red. Feng Ming looked like he was having a high fever, but his eyes never blinked and never strayed away from Zhao Lu.

 CH 40

    Zhao Lu and Feng Ming hadn¡¯t been with each other for about half a year; being together with Feng Ming like this, Zhao Lu¡¯s reservation was thrown out the window and he couldn¡¯t stop wanting Feng Ming again and again.


    When they were finally done, Feng Ming couldn¡¯t even lift a finger and simply laid down weakly on Zhao Lu¡¯s lap.


    It was still raining outside, but the pitter-patter sound of the rain wasn¡¯t as loud as before.


    It looked like the rain was getting lighter and was about to stop soon.


    Listening to the sound of the rain, Feng Ming suddenly smiled, ¡°In a situation like this, I still feel very content.¡±


    Zhao Lu felt the irony of his words. If the other person wasn¡¯t Feng King, maybe their relationship would not have to be this complicated.


    Lu Shichen heard about Ming River¡¯s dam collapsing and immediately sent people to reconstruct the dam and control the river water, while also sending people to search around Ming River for King Feng.


    Feng Ming was trapped in the Ming River for two days before Lu Shichen¡¯s people finally found him and escorted him back to the safety of the Palace.


    Zhao Lu obviously did not show himself in front of the rescuers, as he couldn¡¯t be seen and couldn¡¯t go back with them. After making sure Feng Ming was alright, he rushed back to the Capital City ahead of Feng Ming.


    Rui Xue was waiting for Zhao Lu¡¯s return to his residence. She was still a very young woman; having to maintain Zhao Lu¡¯s pretended illness by herself was quite difficult for her. When she saw that her master had finally returned, she almost burst into tears, tears of joy.


    A few days after Zhao Lu¡¯s return, Feng Ming¡¯s entourage also arrived and was welcomed back into the Palace. Although Rui Xue didn¡¯t say anything, she could see that the two men had actually reconciled.


    When Feng Ming came back, he had a slight fever. Zhao Lu sent Rui Xue to the Palace to visit and take care of King Feng. King Feng said he himself didn¡¯t remember most of what had happened, but Rui Xue could see that, though King Feng was having a fever, overall he looked more energized. Seemed like his spirit was restored.


    The flood incident, and the fact that King Feng had almost drowned, scared Lu Shichen to his very core. How could a river¡¯s dam be so easily broken like a block of soft tofu?


    Feng Ming was appreciative of Lu Shichen¡¯s loyalty and made him responsible for the investigation. He should thoroughly investigate the cause of the Ming River flooding the city.


    Rui Xue kept silent. She felt anxious but she also knew she wasn¡¯t allowed to say anything. She was almost sure Emperor Xue had sabotaged the river somehow and diverted the river water to the city. Right now, people didn¡¯t know yet, but if it¡¯s investigated carefully, people would soon find out. A dug river left traces that would not disappear in a matter of a day or two. Wouldn¡¯t the people investigating easily connect it to Xue Country?


    It was exactly as Rui Xue had feared, not even a few days later, Lu Shichen had already found out and reported his findings to King Feng during the morning court.


    All the other court officials were in an uproar. Some people suggested sending troops to Xue Country in retaliation. Emperor Xue¡¯s action was really too deceitful, if it wasn¡¯t pursued, then how would the Feng Country¡¯s dignity be maintained?


    However, some people also thought that, since Emperor Xue dared to use this method, it was clear he wasn¡¯t afraid of being discovered and was prepared in advance. If they recklessly sent troops to Xue Country, they might actually end up falling into the enemy¡¯s evil traps. In the end it would be them suffering a great loss.


    Feng Ming asked for Lu Shichen¡¯s opinion.


    Lu Shichen said, ¡°This subject also thinks we must not rush into sending troops. Firstly, let¡¯s not forget that Xue Country¡¯s military power is very strong. Also, there is still Her Highness the Grand Princes in Xue Country¡­ If Emperor Xue imprisons her and uses her as leverage, this could pose a problem.¡±


    When he mentioned this point, everyone else was a bit peeved. When the previous King Feng had been alive, he very much doted on the Grand Princess. Now, she was Xue Country¡¯s Empress, but right now she was nothing more than a person who was a hostage in Xue Country.


    People had feared someday it would be a rope binding their hands, restricting them from freely taking action. But current King Feng never made his intentions very clear, so the officials didn¡¯t dare to voice their opinions rashly.


    Feng Ming didn¡¯t comment after Lu Shichen stated his opinion. But people who knew him, knew that Feng Ming would feel great murderous intent towards Xue Junliang. After all, Feng Ming was a volatile king; he might not attack if he wasn¡¯t attacked first, but if someone sent him a written war challenge, he would gladly oblige.


    Zhao Lu¡¯s official seal was lost, so for the time being he used his own personal seal. People of Feng Country had gotten used to Marquis Zhulu¡¯s dictatorial ways, although he¡¯d been somewhat better this year; still nobody dared saying anything regarding him losing the official seal and using his own personal seal.


    Feng Ming thought Zhao Lu¡¯s seal was lost when Zhao Lu was in River Ming saving him, so he ordered the people to make another seal for Marquis Zhulu and didn¡¯t blame Zhao Lu at all.


    But of course, the seal wasn¡¯t lost. It had fallen into Xue Junliang¡¯s hands.


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    But Xue Junliang never imagined that his own brother would really have genuine feelings towards a man.


    Xue Junliang might have noticed it since the first time, but he never really believed it. Teng Shang was indeed an exceptional figure and handsome. But he was still a man with an independent temperament. This peculiar specimen of a man, how come Xue Houyang was so dead-set on him?


    Xue Junliang, for the life of him, could not understand. But one thing he was very certain of was that he couldn¡¯t let his younger brother like such a person. If Teng Shang was sincere towards Xue Houyang, then it was another matter. If Teng Shang was using Xue Houyang¡¯s infatuation like a Qi piece for his own gain, then choosing a concubine from the Triennial Selection for Xue Houyang was a decided thing.


    The Triennial Selection was not an event that could be finished in a matter of a day or two. Just to enter the Capital City, the carriages bearing the young ladies would be queued in front of the City gates for about a half a month. There were also many participants; the officials in charge had to select them, and then His Majesty himself would also select them; therefore the selection wasn¡¯t only done once, but many times. Participants whose sign-plates were put down, had to return home and those whose sign-plates weren¡¯t put down would move to the next round of selection.


    The Emperor wasn¡¯t only choosing the young ladies for his own, he also had to choose concubines for other royal members and noblemen. Not only he had to look at the participants¡¯ appearance, but also their social backgrounds and family statuses had to be well-matched, too. The entire process was a very taxing activity.


    Xue Junliang was busy with the Imperial Court all day, yet could not neglect his selecting duty, so he would only see twenty participants a day and no more. Due to this the selection process itself usually took quite long.


    Xue Junliang had just finally finished seeing today¡¯s twentieth participant. He had put down all of their sign-plates and asked them to return home. He was ready to go to Yunfeng Palace and see the Empress, but Jiang Yu approached him with an untimely report.


    Noting the sour expression on the Emperor¡¯s face, Jiang Yu pulled all his courage to say, ¡°Your Majesty, the guards sent a report, saying that there was someone at the Palace entrance shouting and making a ruckus, yelling rebellious words.¡±


    Xue Junliang did not take it seriously at all, ¡°Then capture and kill that person.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ This old servant heard the offender yelling things about the Empress, so¡­ this old servant thought it was prudent to report to Your Majesty privately. Also, there were too many people at the Palace Gate. If the offender was left yelling loudly there, this old servant thought it would be unwise.¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed, ¡°Since when did your skill in speech become this good?¡±


    Jiang Yu smiled, ¡°It is all thanks to Your Majesty¡¯s influence and also thanks to the Empress¡¯ teachings.¡±


    Xue Junliang knew it was just Jiang Yu¡¯s sweet talking to him, but it actually did work in calming his mood. Whatever it was, if there was any connection to the Empress, Xue Junliang¡¯s mood would be greatly improved. Did this mean he was starting to fall for this clever Empress?


    If the Empress remained obedient and docile, and was willing to sever her connections to Feng King, Xue Junliang felt he could really give her his sincerity. Then, who knew, maybe he could even grant her children.


    Jiang Yu saw Emperor Xue¡¯s ¡®smirk on his face¡¯ and had to cough discreetly before saying, ¡°Your Majesty, the offender has been caught, do you want to see him?¡±


    Xue Junliang then returned to his senses. He cleared his throat as well trying to hide his embarrassment at being caught daydreaming. He then said, ¡°Then bring him here. This Seat wants to see what kind of person dares to cause ruckus at the Palace entrance.¡±


    Soon, the offender was taken to see the Emperor. He was being dragged by He Zhong, He Ren and He Yi. The three brothers were wearing the uniform of Imperial Guards; three thick and burly men pulling an offender whose hands were bound tightly behind him.


    The offender was actually a rather pale-looking scholar. He was tied tightly and his mouth was stuffed with a balled piece of cloth as if to prevent him from talking. But the offender looked calm, as if he wasn¡¯t a prisoner at all; there was no sense of panic in his eyes.


    The three He brothers, after being recruited by the Empress, were not willing to be officials. Instead, they opted for the Imperial Guards¡¯ position and devoted themselves to protecting the Empress.


    Teng Yun liked talented people, so naturally he didn¡¯t want to let go of these three brothers. Xue Junliang indulged the Empress, so naturally he didn¡¯t want to deny what she wanted; this way, the three He brothers were put under the Empress¡¯ name as her subordinates.


    Xue Junliang took in how three strong men treated the scholar ruthlessly and said, ¡°What are you three doing? Don¡¯t let people see you and say that this Seat¡®s Imperial Guards are abusing the weak.¡±


    Hearing this, the three brothers laughed out loud. But after laughing, they suddenly remembered to pay respect to Emperor Xue and they immediately lowered themselves to the ground and kowtowed. The three burly men¡¯s expressions were very honest and innocent-like, Xue Junliang decided not to berate their rude behavior.


    However, the offender didn¡¯t kneel down. He Zhong lightly kicked the offender behind the knee. The offender¡¯s pained shout was muffled by the cloth as he fell to his knees. Apparently the offender was not only a pretty-faced scholar, but also a person with no strength to bind a chicken.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Why did you gag him?¡±


    He Ren said, ¡°Your Majesty, please don¡¯t believe his scholarly look, this little kid has supernatural powers. As soon as he talks, he can hypnotize and confuse people who listen to him. Just now, us three brothers were almost tricked into letting him go.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is that so? But this Seat doesn¡¯t believe in supernatural powers. Untie him.¡±


    Because Emperor Xue said he doesn¡¯t believe in supernatural powers, the three He brothers loosened the tie binding the offender and pulled off the strip of rag covering his mouth. The offender then stood up and dusted his knees, but still didn¡¯t kowtow to pay respect to the Emperor.


    Jiang Yu shouted, ¡°How dare you not pay your respects to His Majesty!¡±


    The scholar sneered and said, ¡°I am not a Xue Country person, why should I kowtow to him?¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t show any anger; still smiling amiably as usual. He slowly played with the ring on his thumb and asked with a smile, ¡°Then which country are you from, and what are you doing in Xue Country?¡±


    The scholar didn¡¯t even use a respectful tone when he said, ¡°I used to be a Teng Country person, later I moved to Feng Country. But when the Ming River overflowed and flooded the city, I had no choice but to flee Feng Country, and finally come to Xue Country.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Xue Junliang didn¡¯t show it on his face, but inwardly, he was quite shocked. Looked like this person had something to say to him so he waved a hand, signaling everyone else to withdraw.


    Jiang Yu, fearing the offender would assassinate Emperor Xue when there was no one around, was not willing to leave the Emperor alone. But then, Xue Junliang indicated Jiang Yu should leave, too. Xue Junliang carelessly allowed the three He brothers to stand guard, and ordered the rest to withdraw from the flower garden for the time being.


    When everyone else had left, Xue Junliang said, ¡°You are smart, this Seat can hear what you¡¯re implying¡­ But still, this Seat has doubts. You said the Ming River City was flooded, but then why did you come to Xue Country? And by coming here, what is your intention?¡±


    The scholar said, ¡°Although it was not a great thing to do, the mastermind who planned and diverted the Ming River to flood the city is a person who is a clever strategist and has great courage. Unfortunately he is only surrounded by military commanders and does not have a Literary Minister who is an expert in civilian affairs. So wasn¡¯t this a good opportunity to recommend myself?¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t respond, so the scholar continued, ¡°I came to Xue Country to show my ambition. As I had said earlier, I originally came from Teng, but Teng Country¡¯s king is muddleheaded and incompetent, he has appointed treacherous people around him. The Imperial Princes who rebelled and wanted to usurp him also were too many to count. I went to Feng Country but at the most, I could only climb to a small county magistrate¡¯s seat. If I¡¯m being honest, that was King Feng¡¯s own loss.¡±


    ¡°You really dare to say such insolent things!¡±


    ¡°It is because I have the strength to prove myself¡±


    ¡°Then bluntly tell this Seat,¡± Xue Junliang said, ¡°What are you shouting at the Palace Gate?¡±


    The scholar smiled and said, ¡°I was shouting that Her Majesty the Empress¡¯ life was in danger!¡±


    ¡°Disgraceful!¡± Xue Junliang slammed a hand on his armrest and sat straighter in his seat, ¡°Where did you get the courage to say malicious words about the Empress of this Nation!¡±


    The scholar didn¡¯t look afraid as he said, ¡°It¡¯s not about courage, it¡¯s a fact. The Empress¡¯ lifetime is coming to an end, her end is nearing. You should think about the future first.¡±


    The scholar¡¯s words made Xue Jinliang so angry that he was speechless with the amount of anger he felt. At this time, Jiang Yu rushed to him and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress requests an audience.¡±


    Xue Junliang glanced at the scholar and then turned to Jiang Yu, ¡°Tell the Empress to wait at the front hall, this Seat will see her there in a moment.¡±


    Jiang Yu grimaced and said, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ The Empress said she wanted to see the unparalleled counsellor who called himself, Jiang Ziya.¡±


    Hearing that, Xue Junliang realized that the Empress must have heard the news, he had no other way to hide this matter. Well, the Empress was clever and had a sharp mouth, maybe she could put this arrogant scholar in his place.


    As soon as the Empress arrived, she was surrounded by her three guards. Xue Junliang ordered Jiang Yu to bring a chair, but before Jiang Yu could act on the command, the three He brothers had brought one; the look on their faces was as if worshiping an eldest brother¡­


    Xue Junliang waited until the Empress sat down before turning back to the scholar, ¡°Continue talking.¡±


    The scholar boldly looked directly at the Empress and said, ¡°Every word I speak is true and justified. I don¡¯t speak empty words.¡±


    He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°After the flooding of the Ming River City, King Feng would definitely order people to investigate it. When he finds that all the evidence points to Xue Country, he will definitely find reasons to send troops. Not sending troops would be unreasonable. However, the flooding of the city alone is not a sufficient enough reason for sending troops. After all, Emperor Xue could just say he is framed by someone. So, if King Feng really wants to send troops, his best excuse is the Empress.¡±


    Teng Yun smiled and said, ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Xue Country¡¯s Empress was Feng Country¡¯s Grand Princess, the relationship is inextricably linked. The presence of the Eldest princess restricts Feng Country¡¯s actions as they could not openly send troops. But if the Grand Princess is assassinated, the situation would be drastically different and they could use it as an excuse to send troops.¡±


    Xue Junliang glanced at the Empress. After all, the scholar had just said that King Feng, her own biological younger brother, was wanting to harm her.


    Teng Yun¡¯s expression showed nothing, but inwardly he let out a deep sigh. Sure enough, every country was all the same; flesh and blood relations didn¡¯t matter, everything could be used to achieve their own personal goals. Xue Junliang was the only peculiar example for treating Xue Houyang sincerely for so many years.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Then what is your intention for saying this? Aren¡¯t you just saying frightening words to scare people? Then you¡¯re just spoiling Jiang Ziya¡¯s great reputation.¡±


    The scholar knew Emperor Xue was only baiting him. If any other King heard him spouting rude words, they would have already ordered him to be beaten to death. This Xue Junliang, on the other hand, was able to keep his calm.


    Feeling that Emperor Xue had passed his personal test, this time the scholar spoke again in a respectful manner, ¡°This lowly subject is not spouting nonsense, only wishing Your Majesty would consider this fact seriously and forgive this lowly subject for speaking impetuously and recklessly¡­ This lowly subject has a plan to prevent dangers threatening Her Majesty the Empress¡¯ life, but this plan and its aftermath is quite treacherous.¡±


    As the scholar turned to act more respectfully, Xue Junliang¡¯s tense expression also eased. He said, ¡°You can speak.¡±


    The scholar said, ¡°This lowly subject¡¯s family name is Shen, given name Yi. Originally, this lowly subject was from Teng, had served as an official for two years, but the political situation in Teng Country didn¡¯t allow this lowly subject to stay there for much longer. This time, if King Feng wants to use the Empress as a pawn to send troops, then Emperor Xue could use Teng Country to help ensure the Empress¡¯ safety.¡±


    Although Teng Yun was knowledgeable, he could not discern Shen Yi¡¯s meaning.


    Shen Yi continued, ¡°Teng Country has been suffering internal strife for a long time now. Not long ago, because King Teng wanted to impress his favourite wife, he decided to make her son the heir to the throne and abolished the eldest prince. Since ancient times, such abolistment has always led to chaos. Though Madam Wang¡¯s son is smart, he is young and weak. He obviously could not obtain the respect of the masses. The eldest son, Teng Xin, has started to move his military power to rebel since half a month ago.¡±


    Hearing the news, Teng Yun felt like he had been doused in ice cold water. His eldest brother, Teng Xin, had always been a loyal and honest person. Whenever one of the princes acted rebellious, he would send his soldiers to help suppress the rebellions. Teng Yun never would have imagined that Teng Xin himself would rebel one day.


    But Teng Yun knew that Teng Xin might have been forced to act now. Madam Wang was very beautiful and charming. Although she was no longer very young, her means and tricks were still countless. She used to be very popular and pampered by King Teng. Now that Teng Qianyi had been sent away to Xue to marry, no one could compete with her ever again. Madam Wang had plotted the death of Teng Country¡¯s Empress, and now she wanted to establish her own son to become the Crown Prince.


    Shen Yi said, ¡°At this time, Your Majesty could send troops to Teng country to assist the King in quelling the rebellions. After that, King Teng would feel extremely grateful to Your Majesty. King Teng would also be in constant fear that another rebel would emerge, so Your Majesty could say that you have a solution to keep Teng Country safe and peaceful, that is for King Teng to surrender and pay allegiance to Xue Country. With this, Emperor Xue could effortlessly take over Teng Country and King Feng would not dare act rashly.¡±


    Shen Yi¡¯s plan was simple, but Xue Junliang was doubtful. Taking over a country was not a simple matter. Some people of that country might sincerely surrender, but a country consisted of numerous and various people; it might be dangerous in the long run.


    Shen Yi said, ¡°Your Majesty, please do not take too long to consider the matter. King Teng still has clever strategists around him. As soon as they hear that King Feng wants to send troops to Xue country, they would be happy to encourage Xue and Feng Countries to fight each other. They might suggest adding fuel to the fire between Xue and Feng. One of the main opportunities is Her Majesty, the Empress¡­ This lowly subject says this with his head as a guarantee, if Your Majesty doesn¡¯t act immediately, then for sure King Teng will send someone to assassinate the Empress.¡±


    Teng Yun gazed at the small lake at some distance with complicated feelings in his heart. Previously, Teng Qianyi had tried to frame him, and from that time, he was very upset and his heart was unsettled. Now, he heard that his own father might want to kill him. Even though they had no way of knowing it was him, Teng Yun, inside the Empress¡¯ body, still, how could Teng Yun not feel upset? All the grievances knotted up inside his heart, could no longer be untangled easily.


    Teng Yun was a Teng Country¡¯s person, he obviously knew his father¡¯s worth. For so many years, Teng Yun had spared no effort to fight and serve for the country, but then he would be forced to retreat because of the lack of army provisions. If King Teng had agreed to send more soldiers as assistance, they would not have been isolated, left alone defending the border city. In the end, Teng Yun and his soldiers were defeated and captured.


    King Teng was a coward and timid, and would only be too happy to sacrifice his trusted aides to achieve what he wanted. Right now, Teng Yun could not understand if there was any comparison between King Teng with Xue Junliang, but Teng Yun still could not let go of this tanglement from his heart.


    Xue Junliang felt Shen Yi had made a valid point and gave him an official position as the Crown Prince¡¯s tutor and let him stay at the Palace.


    Shen Yi sincerely thanked Emperor Xue. He hadn¡¯t yet withdrawn when Xue Houyang came in and reported, ¡°Your Majesty, there is a large influx of refugees at the border of Teng.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Refugees?¡±


    Shen Yi supplied, ¡°Because Teng Xin mobilized his soldiers, the commoners are feeling threatened. They must have had no other choice but to seek shelter in Xue Country. Your Majesty must open the border gate, you cannot let them travel a long distance only to be blocked outside.¡±


    Xue Houyang knitted his eyebrows, ¡°Opening the border gate is not an easy decision. If there are criminals and bandits mixed among the refugees, they could cause troubles inside our land.¡±


    Xue Junliang agreed with Xue Houyang, it was what he had thought, too. Opening the border gate for Teng Country people, wasn¡¯t it like allowing the enemy to attack from the inside?


    Teng Yun also frowned. He could not bear it if Xue Country didn¡¯t let the refugees seek shelter.  But if one looked from Xue Country¡¯s perspective, letting the refugees in was risky too.


    After thinking for a long time, Teng Yun finally couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Your Majesty, if we don¡¯t let the refugees into the pass, the refugees will pile up at the pass and pose a threat to the guards instead.  Why don¡¯t we let the refugees into the pass, gather them and open a food relief center and make them work there? Then we can send soldiers to guard them. This way there¡¯s no fear of anyone doing anything wrong.¡±


    Xue Junliang knew the Empress was very kind-hearted. He himself also thought it would be a good opportunity to make Teng Country people feel grateful to Xue Country, so he nodded and said, ¡°But this Seat wants Houyang to go handle it. This Seat cannot be assured with any other people for this.¡±


    Xue Houyang knelt and accepted the decree. He stood up and was about to leave when Xue Junliang stopped him, saying, ¡°You can take Teng Shang with you.¡±


    Xue Houyang¡¯s eyes widened in surprise and delight. He knelt once again and finally withdrew to pack and prepare for his departure.

 CH 41

    Teng Yun felt that every day, his understanding of Xue Junliang had reduced and he could no longer adeptly understand his actions. Contrary to this, Xue Junliang¡¯s understanding of himself was getting better.  He seemed more familiar and understanding of him.


    For example, if he took the matter of Xue Houyang¡¯s expedition, Teng Yun felt that he did not understand Xue Junliang¡¯s thoughts, Xue Junliang certainly did not want his brother to love a man. After all, the identity of this man was a minister from the enemy country. If others heard the news, they would treat his younger brother as a joke.


    After all, saying that Marquis Wannian had the label of losing his head and indulging with his male lover, was too absurd and inappropriate. For sure Xue Junliang¡¯ss reputation would also suffer.


    But Xue Junliang not only did not reproach Xue Houyang, in this expedition even let Teng Shang follow him.


    When Shen Yi finally left the flower garden, Xue Junliang noted the Empress was still frowning. He seemed to have understood what the Empress was thinking, because he smiled and said, ¡°What is making my Empress frown like this?¡±


    Saying that, Xue Junliang reached his hand out and tried to smoothen the frown between Teng Yun¡¯s eyebrows.


    Teng Yun moved slightly sideways, but then was a bit panicked by his own reaction and acceptance towards Xue Junliang¡¯s touch. It looked like he had gradually grown accustomed to Xue Junliang¡¯s various small touches. At first, he always felt disgusted, but nowadays he almost forgot to evade. Since he started living in this Xue Country¡¯s Imperial Palace, he felt he had changed too much.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Is it because of Teng Shang? You were wondering why I allowed him to go with Xue Houyang?¡±


    Teng Yun did not refute, acquiescing to Xue Junliang¡¯s speculation.


    Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°I thought so. A usually calm and collected person like you frowning like that, it must be because of something related to Teng Shang.¡±


    Teng Yun was a bit startled, ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang waved a hand as if it was no big deal and said, ¡°If Teng Shang didn¡¯t already have the title of Marquis Wannian¡¯s wife, I would have already put him to his death seeing how concerned you are about him. Now not only do you seem to have some affection for him but Houyang also loves him. As his older brother, I obviously do not want him to be infatuated with a man but with Houyang¡¯s stubborn temperament, once he has decided on something, even ten cows couldn¡¯t pull him back from his decision. I was hoping to get him to take a concubine so that he could forget Teng Shang but I think this possibility is unlikely.¡±


    Listening to this, Teng Yun could feel how Xue Junliang was truly worried about Xue Houyang¡¯s feelings.


    Indeed, after all, having a male lover was actually not so uncommon in this society, but was still considered ¡®muddleheaded¡¯.


    In the eyes of the common people, when a King took in a male lover, they would consider him a muddleheaded and incapable ruler. Though they would never dare to say bad things in public, the topic would become a tea-time gossip and joke when people gathered. But when a minister took in a male lover, he would be seen as a treacherous person; even if he was not corrupt or never committed any crime, he would be punished as if he was a traitor.


    In the end, having a male lover was still not allowed within the secular world. Other people would never think such feelings as true feelings of a person.


    No matter who was the king, it was estimated that they could not allow this kind of thing to happen openly, as it could definitely spoil their reputation. But Xue Junliang instead of considering the opinion of others was actually considering things from Xue Houyang¡¯s perspective.


    Teng Yun sighed in his heart. For the first time, he thought about what it would be like if he was not from Teng Country.  Maybe Xue Junliang, who loved talents and recruited them actively, would have sought out Teng Yun and given him a position in the court where Teng Yun could help him manage the civil affairs. Or maybe, like Xue Houyang, Teng Yun would be stationed at the frontier and tasked to defend and protect the country.


    Xue Junliang saw the Empress¡¯ expression was still sombre so he asked, ¡°What is it? Are you not feeling well? Should we call the Imperial physician?¡±


    Teng Yun pursed his lips and suddenly said, ¡°Your Majesty does not need to be so attentive to me.¡±


    ¡°Qts? Qts vb sbe revvfcis rjs rb?¡± Wef Aeciljcu rjlv klat j rwlif, ¡°Po P vbc¡¯a oerr bnfg sbe, ktb firf rtbeiv P oerr bnfg? Cgf sbe jogjlv sbe¡¯ii yf wbnfv?¡±


    Kfcu Tec rjlv, ¡°Po atf ageat yf abiv, lcvffv P kjr abemtfv ys Llr Zjpfras, yea lc atf wjaafg bo Llr Zjpfras¡¯r agfjawfca bo atf Zjgdelr Qjccljc.¡±


    Xue Junliang immediately understood and said, ¡°Then tell this Seat, how your beloved relatives treated you when you were in Feng Country.¡±


    Teng Yun was silent for a long moment, as if recalling his past, before finally saying, ¡°Since I was born, I felt I did not have any relatives who were affectionate towards me. The only one who treated me well, taught me to read and write; was not a family member, but a marquis who¡¯d been granted the family¡¯s surname. All my life, I¡¯ve always wondered how could blood relatives treat me so coldly but a person who was not a family member was very kind to me?¡±


    Xue Junliang was silent and said softly,, ¡°What about your younger brother?¡±


    Teng Yun knew that Xue Junliang meant King Feng, the original Empress¡¯ younger brother from the same mother; but Teng Yun, too, had a younger brother from the same mother.


    Just like King Feng who had tried to get his elder sister killed, Teng Yun¡¯s younger brother, too, had tried to get Teng Yun killed but was unsuccessful. Later, Teng Yun¡¯s younger brother went to his own fiefdom where he built his own military power. Teng Yun remembered that time he had just returned from a war on the frontier and was immediately sent to subdue his younger brother¡¯s rebellion.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t say anything in response, but Xue Junliang who had also grown up in the Imperial Palace, knew exactly what the Empress was thinking. Beside Xue Houyang, Xue Junliang had many other brothers. Those brothers, just like Xue Yu, all wanted him dead. Xue Junliang had to remove all of them so he could live a long and comfortable life.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    After listening to Shen Yi¡¯s warnings, Xue Junliang changed all the guards around Yunfeng Palace and strengthened the protection in and around the Imperial Palace. Although he didn¡¯t doubt the three He brothers¡¯ loyalty towards the Empress, they were too careless after all and could only be used as a trump card at the finale.


    With only a few days of preparation, Xue Houyang and Teng Shang were ready to go. The refugees would not wait for long and Teng Xin had been mobilizing his soldiers for quite some time; they had to quickly subdue the rebellion before it was too late.


    Xue Junliang held a small farewell banquet at the Palace entrance and ordered Xue Houyang to sit next to him to personally bid farewell to him. Teng Shang took this time to go to Yunfeng Palace¡¯s gate. When Jiao Shui noticed him standing outside the gate, she led him in and informed the Empress of his arrival.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t expect Teng Shang would come to see him today. Perhaps Teng Shang was a bit doubtful about Teng Yun¡¯s words from the other day. Teng Yun had only said one sentence, not enough to explain anything, so Teng Shang must be coming to inquire about it.


    Teng Yun allowed Teng Shang to take a seat and ordered Xiu Yao to pour him some tea.


    ¡°What brings Master Teng here?¡±


    Because Xiu Yao, Jiao Shui and other palace maids were in the room, Teng Shang could not plainly ask about the doubts in his mind. Teng Shang paused for a second before finally saying, ¡°This Teng will be leaving for a long journey soon. Before leaving I wanted to pay respects to Her Majesty. I heard Your Majesty is very intelligent and clever; this time, we could successfully defeat Cheng Tian¡¯s attack and it was all thanks to Your Majesty¡¯s planning, so I wish to ask your guidance for the success of this upcoming task.¡±


    Teng Yun nodded and gestured for Teng Shang to continue.


    Teng Shang said, ¡°Teng Xin has many strong troops. If they have the Imperial Palace surrounded, what should we do to break the siege?¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s eyes were indifferent, and he said with a smile, ¡°Use light cavalry to make surprise attacks and throw the enemy formation into disorder.¡±


    Teng Shang again said, ¡°There are too many refugees. Setting up a food relief center would be costly and time consuming. Do we really need to set them?¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°When the stomach is full, one does not realize to be thankful for it. If one never suffers any hardship, they will never know the value of one sip of water. Opening the food relief center can make the refugees feel grateful, then the exiles can be organized to cultivate the land. This way the border can become partly self-sufficient in producing their own food. And even if the army provisions were not supplied, the morale of the army would not be shaken.¡±


    As Teng Shang listened to the explanation, his eyes wavered. He lowered his head, and just nodded as if in acquiescence of Teng Yun¡¯s words. Then he whispered, ¡°Very good¡­ good that you keep that lesson in mind, not a word was incorrect.¡±


    When he spoke that, his voice actually had a slight tremble, as if restraining something, then picked up the cup of tea and took a sip to calm his own state of mind.


    Teng Yun¡¯s hands clenched into fists under the wide sleeves of his robes. These military techniques were taught to him by Teng Shang back then, Teng Yun remembered very clearly. He knew that Teng Shang was testing him, so he deliberately said the words, and sure enough Teng Shang also understood.


    ¡°Master Teng, when you arrive at the border, please don¡¯t forget to take care of yourself¡­¡±


    Teng Shang nodded. Without saying any more words, he knelt down to ask for grace and retreated.


    As Teng Shang came back from Yunfeng Palace, Xue Junliang had just finished bidding farewell to Xue Houyang. Teng Shang and Xue Houyang then led the soldiers out of the Palace and left for the border.


    Xue Junliang knew Teng Shang had been to Yunfeng Palace, but he wasn¡¯t worried. He had Jiao Shui there, who was reporting everything to him.


    Before long, Jiao Shui found an excuse to come to the Emperor¡¯s residence to report. She said, ¡°Teng Shang said, ¡®Not a word was incorrect.¡¯ This servant thinks this sentence is a bit suspicious.¡±


    Xue Junliang was slowly tapping on the table with his index finger. His face was expressionless and did not say anything, but inside he was speculating that the Empress must have known Teng Shang for a long time and that their relationship was quite close.


    Jiao Shui said, ¡°This servant has been attending to the Empress for these days, this servant feels that the Empress is somewhat ¡­. Somewhat strange. Her majesty does not like being attended upon, does not like to dress up or have any makeup on. Whenever the Empress has any free time, she reads books related to the Military. When the Crown Prince visits her, they always talk about horse riding and archery. Though the Empress is a person with great wealth, even as the Eldest Princess of Feng country¡­..How could she know archery¡­..¡±


    Before she could finish her speculation, Emperor Xue said lightly, ¡°Jiao Shui, this Seat ordered you to pay attention to the Empress¡¯ every move, not to question the Empress¡¯ every move. If you do all these, what do you want me to do as the Emperor of the country?¡±


    Emperor Xue didn¡¯t sound angry but Jiao Shui¡¯s heart turned cold. Realizing she had overdone it, Jiao Shui quickly knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying mournfully, ¡°This servant was only being loyal and would never dare to do it again. Your Majesty, please forgive this servant this time.¡±


    Xue Junliang¡¯s index finger was still steadily tapping on the table. He was leaning back in his big chair, a bit lazily and his legs crossed, the jade beads on his tasseled crown swayed gently and the golden threads on his official attire made him look magnificent.


    Jiao Shui chanced a quick glance up at Xue Junliang and her heart trembled. Jiao Shui had been living inside Teng Country¡¯s Imperial Palace since she was very young. Later, because of her cleverness, she was appointed to serve the Eldest Princess, Teng Qianyi. It could be said, she had seen and experienced many things in this life, had seen many handsome and beautiful royal members and noblemen. But she had never seen anyone whose stature and aura were as majestic as Emperor Xue¡¯s.


    Emperor Xue did not need to show his anger or might and would usually remain amiable and friendly to remind someone of their place. The more inscrutable he was, the more people were fascinated by him.


    After the human-shaped puppets incident, Emperor Xue had promised he would consider promoting her to be a consort. Therefore, Jiao Shui had tried to be even more vigorous in her reports about the Empress to the Emperor.


    Who knew that her tactics, instead of making her look favorable, only displeased the Emperor.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to go back to Yunfeng Palace. Jiang Yu will give you a sign-plate, go to Zhuxiu Palace to wait for selection.¡±


    ¡°Your¡­ Your Majesty,¡± Jiao Shui jerked her head up, feeling so happy she almost could not speak. She hurriedly kowtowed and said, ¡°Thank you Your Majesty for your grace!¡±


    Xue Junliang waved a hand, signaling she could go.


    If it was his old self, he would have already taken Jiao Shui into his harem. Jiao Shui was clever and her appearance was not bad. More importantly, Jiao Shui knew when she was allowed to speak her mind and when she had to be obedient. Which King did not like a woman who was obedient to him?


    Xue Junliang thought he must be ill for liking the Empress who, not only was cold and indifferent, but also didn¡¯t know how to please him. This woman also could not cook, could not do embroidery and could not play music and dance.


    Perhaps he was used to seeing gentle and pleasant women in his harem, and then there was this one wife knowledgeable in military strategies and the art of war, appearing so suddenly like a breath of fresh air.


    At least, that was the only explanation he could come up with to convince himself. Otherwise, how else could he be considering more and more favourably of her when there are too many suspicious things about the Empress?


    On the table in front of Xue Junliang, there was a bundled document. The document was compiled by Jiang Yu. Xue Junliang had ordered Zhao Lu to investigate everything about Feng Country¡¯s Grand Princess¡¯ matter and Zhao Lu had sent many letters reporting all his findings in detail. Fearing the letters could reveal Zhao Lu¡¯s identity, Jiang Yu copied the content into one document and then burned the letters.


    The content in the document was very detailed, probably because of the close relationship between Zhao Lu and Feng Ming.


    Xue Junliang glanced at the document on the table and laughed. The Empress had talked about her past several times and Xue Junliang didn¡¯t think she was telling false stories. He could feel that her feelings about her past were all genuine; her stories matched with what he had experienced himself while growing up in an Imperial Palace.


    Yet, according to the document on the table, no one of those stories had ever happened¡­


    Xue Junliang randomly idly turned from pages of the document on the table, seemingly in an idle boredom and randomly fiddling. But the expression on his face made Jiang Yu shiver in apprehension.


    ¡ª


    When Xue Houyang and Teng Shang arrived at the border, Teng Shang proposed using light cavalry to disrupt the enemy¡¯s army. This way they not only could recondition their own soldiers and prevent them from fighting after a long and arduous trek to the border and but also at the same time free the Imperial Palace from the siege.


    Teng Xin was suspicious by nature. He¡¯d been attacked over and over again. How could he not be afraid? In particular, each attack was carried out by small troops, and didn¡¯t merit mobilizing all of his troops. And without knowing how big and strong this opponent was, he didn¡¯t dare to make any further rash moves.


    After the sneak attacks, Xue Houyang¡¯s army was reconditioned and then divided into three parts. Teng Shang led two parts of the army to surround the Imperial Palace from the sides, whereas Xue Houyang led the remaining part of the troops directly into the heart of Teng Xin¡¯s vassal territory.


    This vassal territory was the heart and foundation of Teng Xin¡¯s rebel army. If they could capture this territory, Teng Xin¡¯s army could not continue to fight because of lack of food and support.


    Teng Xin did not expect that Xue Junliang would send troops to help his enemy, nor did he expect that he would be fighting against Xue Houyang and Teng Shang.


    Teng Xin¡¯s army surrounded the Imperial Palace. His army was disordered and inexperienced in the first place, so when Xue Houyang¡¯s two troops attacked them, many of the soldiers chose to flee and abandon the fight. At this time, Teng Xin received news that his vassal territory had been taken over. Apparently Xue Houyang had offered a great sum of money to bribe the gatekeeper. When Xue Country¡¯s soldiers arrived, the gate was wide open as if the territory had no owner, and Xue Houyang had quickly taken over.


    Because the heart of their rebel army had fallen, the rebels were demoralized and had no more will to fight. Teng Shang easily subdued the rebel army and captured Teng Xin and his generals alive.


    King Teng knew that Xue Junliang would send troops to support him, but he never dared to think that the one who would come to the rescue would be the former minister, Teng Shang.


    When Teng Shang entered the Imperial City, the people inside were still shivering. The city had been under siege for more than half a month, but fortunately there was a lot of grain, otherwise it would have become a graveyard.


    When the people saw Teng Shang, someone recognized him and suddenly knelt down and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s Minister Shang¡­. Minister Shang is back!  Minister Shang has returned to save us all!¡±


    The man¡¯s shout was echoed by another, then another. The city, which had been bleak and joyless a moment ago, was immediately filled with shouts loud enough to shake the sky. Even the people inside the Imperial Palace could clearly hear the chant of ¡°Minister Shang! Minister Shang!¡± from quite a distance.


    The loud noises startled Teng Shang¡¯s horse, and it immediately raised its front hooves and stood on its hind legs.


    Teng Shang immediately pulled his reins to steady the horse. Under him, like a wave, people dropped to the ground and kowtowed to him; even the soldiers guarding the city gates took off their helmets as a sign of their respect.


    This scene brought tears to Teng Shang¡¯s eyes.


    ~~~Zaki and I, were super excited about this chap!! Teng Shang finally found out! YAY!! ~~~

 CH 42

    Inside Teng Country¡¯s Imperial Palace, people could hear the shouts from outside and realized that Teng Xin¡¯s seige had been broken. The guards opened the Palace Gate to welcome their savior.


    An Imperial Guard ran all the way from outside to the main court hall. He fell on his knees and rejoiced, ¡°Your Majesty, Minister Shang has returned! Minister Shang has defeated the rebel army and broken the encirclement!¡±


    At first, King Teng was happy. Who would not feel happy when they were freed from a crisis? But then immediately, he felt resentment, because even after all this time, the common people and even his own Imperial Guards held Teng Shang very highly in their hearts.


    King Teng was always suspicious of everything, he naturally thought Teng Shang was going to take this opportunity to gain power and eventually topple him off his throne. He had to be on guard. Especially now that Teng Shang came under Xue Junliang¡¯s decree. When Teng Shang went to Xue Country, he was not killed, instead, he was allowed to lead a quite powerful troop of soldiers. This showed that Teng Shang had already defected to the enemy country and committed treason.


    The more King Teng thought of it, the more he was afraid of Teng Shang. At this time, Teng Shang had already entered the main court hall. Behind Teng Shang, two guards were dragging Teng Xin by the rope binding him.


    When they stopped in the middle of the court hall, Teng Xin didn¡¯t kneel on the ground and only laughed coldly.


    King Teng yelled, ¡°Bold rebel, you still dare to laugh!¡±


    Teng Xin said, ¡°Of course I dare. To be honest, if Teng Shang hadn¡¯t come today, can you still talk to me alive?¡±


    King Teng shook in anger. He grabbed a report document on the table in front of him and threw it to Teng Xin¡¯s face, ¡°Impudent! Such an unfilial son!¡±


    Teng Xin¡¯s expression turned grim for a moment, then he laughed loudly and said, ¡°You even know that I¡¯m your son¡­¡±


    Before he even finished his sentence, Teng Xin suddenly got up, ripped the ropes binding him and grabbed one of the guards¡¯ sword. Teng Xin leapt forward straight towards King Teng.


    Teng Shang was just standing on the side and keeping silent. He immediately reacted when Teng Xin started to move. He stepped forward and slapped the sword out of Teng Xin¡¯s hand. The guards quickly caught Teng Xin and held him down.


    Scared by Teng Xin¡¯s sudden movement, King Teng crouched and hid under the table, his face pale. Seeing Teng Xin had been subdued, he realized how poorly his action would reflect in people¡¯s eyes. He immediately stood up, but because he stood up too quickly, he hit his head against the underside of the table; knocking off his crown and loosening the hairpin binding his hair.


    King Teng made a mess out of his own appearance right in front of everyone. His face quickly turned from blushing red to green, and then from green to purple. He yelled to one of his attendants to bring him a sword; vowing to behead Teng Xin right there, right now.


    The court ministers closest to KingTeng held him back and pleaded with him not to do it. Since ancient times, no King was ever recorded killing his own offspring. Even if the Imperial children rebelled against the King, the King could only send people to subdue the rebellion but never kill his children. If this time King Teng killed his own son, it would definitely cause an uproar among his people.


    Teng Shang stayed silent while everyone else tried to persuade King Teng against beheading Teng Xin. It seemed like since meeting Xue Junliang, Teng Shang was even more aware how incompetent King Teng was. Was this man really the King of the country to which he had been loyal to all these years?


    Having no success in persuading King Teng, the ministers turned to Teng Shang for help. Before Teng Shang could speak, someone entered the court hall. The man was one of Xue Houyang¡¯s trusted commanders.


    The man said, ¡°Emperor Xue asks for King Teng¡¯s leniency. Our Emperor sees that General Teng Xin is a brave military general and really appreciates his talent. Emperor Xue requests King Teng to hand Teng Xin over to Xue Country.¡±


    King Teng¡¯s expression turned even more sour. Because he owed Emperor Xue for helping him in quelling the rebellion, he had no other choice than to agree to Emperor Xue¡¯s request.


    Two days later, Xue Houyang and his soldiers arrived at the Imperial Palace. Xue Houyang didn¡¯t enter the Palace, instead, he sent someone to inform Teng Shang to come out, and then they all returned to Xue Country.


    King Teng sent Xue Houyang and Teng Shang off, saying he would also personally go to Xue Country in a few days.


    In this way, Teng Country smoothly became a territory under Xue Junliang¡¯s name.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Teng Yun and the Crown Prince Xue Pei, were practicing martial arts at the training ground. At this time, the High Mentor, Shen Yi walked slowly over to pay respect.


    Xue Pei didn¡¯t seem to like this mentor very much. He deliberately laughed and said, ¡°High Mentor, will you practice archery with us?¡±


    Shen Yi was clever, naturally he knew what the Crown Prince¡¯s intention was. He just bluntly said, ¡°I cannot shoot arrows.¡±


    ¡°Then will you practice riding with us?¡±


    ¡°I cannot ride a horse either.¡±


    ¡°Yt¡­¡± Wef Ufl rjlv, tlr wjccfglrw kjr nfgs rlwlijg ab Wef Aeciljcu¡¯r. Lf atfc mbcalcefv ab rjs, ¡°Ktlr raevfca rffwr ab gfmjii bcf pbxf, yea lrc¡¯a regf lo atf Llut Zfcabg klrtfr ab tfjg la bg cba.¡±


    ¡°Gb afii, Tbeg Llutcfrr.¡±


    Xue Pei smiled and said, ¡°White-faced scholars cannot carry weights on their shoulders, cannot pick up tools in their hands. ¡±


    Kfcu Tec mbeutfv ibevis ab gfwlcv Wef Ufl atja Vtfc Tl kjr ralii j qfgrbc klat ajifca, glvlmeilcu tlw ilxf atlr rffwfv j yla abb wemt.


    Shen Yi didn¡¯t look bothered by the sentence, he instead said, ¡°It is true that this lowly subject could not carry weights and cannot pick up tools, but this lowly subject can see the world while sitting in my seat, and can create powerful soldiers by spreading bean seeds. Your Highness must keep this in mind, ¡®physical strengths can shake the whole world, but knowledge can bring peace¡¯.¡±


    Xue Pei pursed his lips. Teng Yun noted the Crown Prince¡¯s expression and guessed that Xue Pei was a bit dissatisfied with his mentor but unable to say it out loud.


    When Shen Yi finally left, Teng Yun asked Xue Pei, ¡°Why were you so rude to your mentor? Do you think he is not good enough to become your mentor?¡±


    Xue Pei pursed his lips while wiping the sweat on his forehead. He said, ¡°He is only good with books. I have asked around, He Zhong and his brothers told me about him but I didn¡¯t believe them. But today, I¡¯m convinced¡­ But I also think his words towards me are rude, too.¡±


    Teng Yun nodded, agreeing with Xue Pei¡¯s opinion. Shen Yi relied too much on his books, he was also arrogant. This made him too fixed on his principles. To other people, he appeared too straightforward and rude. He had to move from Teng Country to Feng Country, then again to Xue Country, because people found him unbearable and didn¡¯t want to mingle with him.


    Teng Yun: ¡°Still, he is your mentor. What he said and did, you have to consider the lessons behind them.¡±


    After practicing for some time, Xue Pei had to go back to his literature lessons. Teng Yun also returned to Yunfeng Palace.


    On the way to Yunfeng Palace, Teng Yun saw Shen Yi standing by the road, waiting.


    Shen Yi smiled and said, ¡°This lowly subject has something to discuss with Your Majesty. Could Your Majesty send your attendants to retreat a few steps?¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t know what Shen Yi was getting at by acting this secretive, but he still ordered Xiu Yao to lead the other palace maids to retreat some distance.


    Shen Yi then said, ¡°Actually, this lowly subject has two problems, and this subject hopes Your Majesty, the Empress can answer them.¡±


    Shen Yi was smiling, yet his gaze at Teng Yun was unnervingly intent as if watching for Teng Yun¡¯s every reaction.


    Shen Yi said, ¡°When I traveled to Feng Country, I often heard stories about the Grand Princess¡­¡±


    Eyes still looking intently at Teng Yun, he continued, ¡°I never understood, what offense had Your Highness done to the Prime Minister that caused you to be sent away to marry so far from home?¡±


    Teng Yun frowned. He didn¡¯t know anything about the original owner of this body. Also, Feng Country¡¯s Grand Princess was a member of the royal family, it was impossible whatever offense she had done would spread to people outside the Palace, let alone to other countries. Teng Yun had been busy fighting with Xue Country at the border, he never had the need to hear news about Feng Country¡¯s Grand Princess.


    So when Shen Yi asked him this, Teng Yun didn¡¯t even know what to say.


    Shen Yi¡¯s smile grew bigger. Without insisting for Teng Yun to answer the first question, he continued, ¡°This lowly subject is eager to ask the second question. Has the Empress heard about someone named Teng Yun?¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s heart skipped a beat but he fought to stay calm. He said, ¡°High Mentor has been mentioning this and that, what is it that you really wish to say?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to conceal anything from Your Majesty. I have lived in Teng Country for almost twenty years, I have learned a lot of tales and stories, especially tales about heroic people. This lowly subject¡¯s most admired hero is actually Teng Country¡¯s Sixth Imperial Prince, Teng Yun, who was a reputable great military general. Maybe Your Majesty has never heard of him, or maybe never paid attention to this one story. Legend has it that he was an iron-handed general who was very talented in fighting. One time, when fighting with Marquis Wannian, his right hand was heavily injured. Later, though he could still shoot arrows without flaw, it was said that his right hand would tremble slightly when pulling the bow¡­¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s face paled slightly. Shen Yi noted this but still he continued, ¡°That time, Minister Shang sent a very famous and talented physician to the border, to examine and treat Teng Yun¡¯s injured hand. But I thought maybe General Teng Yun¡¯s injury was too serious to be cured completely¡­ Just now, I saw Your Majesty¡¯s archery. Your right hand was slightly shaking, but your arrow¡¯s point was not affected in the slightest. This lowly subject guessed, maybe it had already become a habit.¡±


    Teng Yun narrowed his eyes but apparently Shen Yi wasn¡¯t done talking, ¡°Previously, this lowly subject asked Your Majesty what had the Grand Princess done to offend the Prime Minister, but the truth is the Grand Princess never offended the Prime Minister. Instead, she offended Feng Country¡¯s king. She opposed King Feng¡¯s relationship with Marquis Zhulu and as a result was sent away by King Feng to Xue Country as a bargain for marriage alliance.


    ¡°So,¡± Shen Yi smiled, ¡°What does Your Majesty think about this?¡±


    Teng Yun silently stared at Shen Yi for a while before laughing, ¡°High Mentor really is very observant and has a great mind. I don¡¯t even know how to argue with you. So, what is it that you want to say to me?¡±


    ¡°This lowly subject didn¡¯t want to say anything, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m the type that cannot hold back something that is on my mind. I assure Your Majesty that I will never tell anyone. After all, this is an astonishing thing. Even if I try to tell other people, they would think I was hallucinating¡­ As I had said at the beginning, I always admired and respected General Teng Yun and his brilliant achievements. Even if Shen Yi were to read books all my life, I can never be like General Teng Yun.¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Oh¡­ Aren¡¯t you even afraid I will get your head cut off?¡±


    ¡°In all my life, this lowly subject is most afraid that someone will cut my head off. But I also think it is impossible that anyone would want to do that. General Teng Yun is respected by everyone, I think it¡¯s because General Teng Yun is very benevolent. If he isn¡¯t kind, people would not respect him.¡±


    Listening to this, Teng Yun nodded and smiled, ¡°You¡¯re bigger than me, I cannot deny any of your statements. I only wish you will keep your mouth shut.¡±


    Then Teng Yun turned and walked away. He called Xiu Yao and returned to Yunfeng Palace.


    Shen Yi stood still in wonderment for a long time. He had heard a lot about Teng Yun¡¯s reputation. He had lived in Teng Country for quite some time before he had to leave, then he moved to Feng Country trying to make a living before he eventually had to leave again. He never expected that as soon as he arrived at Xue Country, he would encounter such a shocking thing. If he didn¡¯t believe in his own eyes and his own observation, maybe he would never believe it.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Xue Houyang soon returned to Xue Country¡¯s capital city. Xue Houyang was smart enough to know he should not bring all of his troops back. He left a small part of his troops to help ensure Teng Country¡¯s safety.


    Helping King Teng in subduing the rebel army was easy enough, but if King Teng asked all of Xue Country¡¯s soldiers to be withdrawn, Xue Houyang could not allow it.


    This time, Xue Houyang returned with a great victory. He also had caught and escorted Teng Xin alive, and made sure Teng Country agreed to pay allegiance to Xue Country. He had contributed great achievement to the country.


    Emperor Xue wanted to bestow reward to Marquis Wannian, but there was nothing else he could give as Marquis Wannian¡¯s status was already so high. Xue Houyang was smart and purposely said he didn¡¯t need any reward.


    Xue Junliang said a few praises and easily accepted Xue Houyang¡¯s request regarding no rewards. But of course, it was essential to still bestow him golds and silvers. Emperor Xue also rewarded Marquis Wannian the three beautiful girls King Teng had personally picked as a gift for Emperor Xue.


    It was said these three beautiful young ladies were carefully selected by King Teng on his way to Xue Country, to be given to Emperor Xue as a token of goodwill. But everyone knew King Teng¡¯s true intention was to buy Emperor Xue¡¯s good opinion.


    Because he didn¡¯t like people flattering and bribing him, Xue Junliang gave these young ladies to Xue Houyang. Although he didn¡¯t want to force Xue Houyang to forget his infatuation towards Teng Shang, he still hoped Xue Houyang would have a good impression towards women.


    Xue Houyang was not willing to accept these three young ladies, but because Emperor Xue had decreed it, he could not refuse. After the morning court assembly, Emperor Xue ordered Jiang Yu to personally escort the three young ladies to Marquis Wannian¡¯s residence.


    At this time, Teng Shang had just come back from taking Teng Xin to the prison. He entered the residence just in time to see the three beautiful and graceful young ladies getting down from a grandly decorated sedan chair and Xue Houyang standing by to welcome these ladies into the residence.


    Xue Houyang had never had interactions with women all his life. He just arranged a courtyard for these three women, and ordered the servants to serve them food and drinks; they were still human who needed food and drink, after all. As for any other needs, Xue Houyang had no clue, therefore he didn¡¯t arrange anything else.


    Xue Houyang was afraid Teng Shang saw him welcoming the three young ladies and drew a bad opinion of himself, so he went to Teng Shang to discreetly ask his mood.


    Even if he and Teng Shang got married out of necessity to save Teng Shang from possible execution, in his mind his and Teng Shang¡¯s marriage were true, and they were already husband and wife.


    But then Xue Houyang realized that Teng Shang acted like nothing had happened; he didn¡¯t even seem jealous nor angry. Xue Houyang¡¯s heart felt very complicated.


    A few days later, Xue Houyang heard faint sounds of someone crying. He asked his attendant to check. It turned out the one crying were the three beautiful young ladies bestowed by Emperor Xue. The three said they had been brought to a place so far away from home and weren¡¯t allowed to serve Lord Marquis. Days and nights they prayed to see Lord Marquis¡¯ face but the wish never came true. Unknowingly, tears started to flow down their beautiful faces. The three women said they didn¡¯t have any selfish wishes, they only hoped Lord Marquis would see them dancing and playing music even just for once.


    Xue Houyang was put in a helpless situation. What if other people knew and criticized him for letting the beautiful young ladies bestowed by His Majesty cry? Xue Houyang could only grit his teeth and forced himself to go to the three young ladies¡¯ courtyard and listen to their performances.


    The three beautiful young ladies wore very strong perfume. They sang, played music and danced; all the while persuading Xue Houyang to drink cup after cup of wine. Xue Houyang was too overwhelmed he could only accept the drink again and again.


    In the end, Xue Houyang had drunk too much wine. The three women saw him starting to get disoriented and dragged him to the bed. Xue Houyang felt uncomfortable as if there was a fire eating him up from in and outside. He thought he was attacked by three water snakes. His breathing also started to grow unsteady.


    At this time, they all heard someone knocking on the door. Before anyone could react, Teng Shang pushed open the door and came inside, smiling, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I have to disturb your good times.¡±


    Xue Houyang felt a fresh and cold air coming from the door, and suddenly his mind cleared. He was out of the bed in an instant and went to chase Teng Shang out of the room. He felt like he had to explain, but didn¡¯t know what to say, he could only stammer a few unfinished words.


    Teng Shang went back to his own room before turning to Xue Houyang, ¡°If Lord Marquis wants to sleep with beautiful women, of course you can. But these three women¡¯s intentions are not pure. The fragrant wine they gave you is actually¡­¡±


    Suddenly Teng Shang realized he wasn¡¯t acting like his usual calm and collected demeanor. He cleared his throat once and said lightly, ¡°Lord Marquis should return to your room first¡­ Try to calm yourself down, alright?¡±


    As Teng Shang said that, Xue Houyang felt his entire body burning up. He tried to suppress the feeling down, afraid Teng Shang noticed it and thought Xue Houyang would do something immoral. But the burning feeling only grew more and more unbearable.


    Xue Houyang¡¯s skin was not as thick as his brother¡¯s. If it was Emperor Xue in a situation like this, he would just take advantage of the wine¡¯s effects and sleep with whoever. But Xue Houyang was not like him; he was honest and straightforward. Because there was Teng Shang inside his heart, he didn¡¯t think it was appropriate to sleep with anyone but Teng Shang.


    Xue Houyang just wanted to escape this awkward situation. He turned to go back to his own room, but then he heard Teng Shang say, ¡°Uhm¡­ Do you still want to do it with women? Because maybe doing it with your hand alone would not be enough¡­¡±


    Xue Houyang¡¯s face instantly flushed blood-red with embarrassment, gone was his usual majestic and valiant pose. But his heart was heavy. He said, ¡°Houyang doesn¡¯t think it is appropriate¡­ You might not understand Houyang¡¯s feelings, but Houyang never wants you to suggest such a thing.¡±


    Teng Shang stared at Xue Houyang for a while, then said, ¡°Suggest what? Finding a woman to help satisfy you?¡±


    Xue Houyang could not understand why Teng Shang was so indifferent to his feelings. He sighed and moved his feet to go.


    Xue Houyang had made up his mind, had even dared saying in front of Xue Junliang that he would not love anyone but Teng Shang. It didn¡¯t matter if Teng Shang agreed to live with him as a refugee. In his mind, Teng Shang was the most hurt and the one who should be feeling angry at this situation.


    Xue Houyang hadn¡¯t yet stepped out of the room when suddenly Teng Shang reached out a hand to close the door, preventing Xue Houyang to leave.


    When Xue Houyang stopped in shock, Teng Shang turned him and backed him against the door. Slowly, Teng Shang¡¯s hand slipped from Xue Houyang¡¯s shoulder to his waist, where he loosened Xue Houyang¡¯s belt and started to rub his manhood.


    Xue Houyang was shocked. The burning feeling surged up into his head, almost turning his good judgement to ashes. He pulled up all his strength to push Teng Shang away.


    Teng Shang stared at Xue Houyang in astonishment and said, ¡°Lord Marquis, don¡¯t you want it?¡±


    Xue Houyang¡¯s expression was somber as he said, ¡°Tell me, how do you think of me in your heart?¡±


    Teng Shang narrowed his eyes at Xue Houyang and asked back, ¡°How does Lord Marquis think of me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very wise and clever, I¡¯m sure you know whether I¡¯m joking or not. Why do you still ask something you already know the answer to?¡±


    Teng Shang chuckled, ¡°Lord Marquis, you speak too highly of me. I¡¯m not a deity, just a human being made of flesh and bones. I have a heart which can feel emotions and I can see if someone genuinely cares for me¡­ But because I have a heart, I can feel hesitant, too.¡±


    As he said that, Teng Shang lowered his head slightly and rested his forehead on Xue Houyang¡¯s shoulder. Xue Houyang stood still with his back straight, afraid to make a little move. He was still drunk by the wine, his body was still burning, and his throat felt dry.


    Teng Shang said, ¡°If I say that¡­ I have feelings for Lord Marquis, but I don¡¯t always want to submit under other people¡¯s body, do you think you still want me?¡±


    As he said that, Teng Shang¡¯s hand sneaked behind Xue Houyang and then traced his stiff back all the way down to the swell of Xue Houyang¡¯s buttocks.


    Xue Houyang stood even stiffer and his face turned even redder. Provoked by the sight, Teng Shang laughed, ¡°I thought Lord Marquis didn¡¯t like me that way. Other people could not tell you and make you understand how I feel. Now, do you understand?¡±


    Xue Houyang gripped Teng Shang¡¯s wrist and said, ¡°Please, don¡¯t think so low of me. Everything I¡¯ve ever said is all true and well-thought out. My feelings for you are genuine and not because of short-lived infatuation.¡±


    Teng Shang stilled while his eyes stared intently at Xue Houyang.


    Xue Houyang thought maybe his speech was too heavy and burdensome to Teng Shang, but before he could say anything, Teng Shang fondled his manhood again.


    Xue Houyang wanted to tell Teng Shang to stop playing jokes with him. The intense pleasurable feeling surged through him and he could not hold it in anymore. But then Teng Shang lowered Xue Houyang¡¯s head with a hand at the back of his neck, and kissed the corner of Xue Houyang¡¯s lips.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Xue Junliang played with a jade pendant presented by King Teng and said, ¡°Jiang Yu, do you think the young ladies bestowed to Marquis Wannian are beautiful?¡±


    Jiang Yu complained bitterly in his heart. His Majesty asking a eunuch whether the young ladies were beautiful or not. Surely His Majesty was jesting, right?


    Jiang Yu could only say, ¡°According to this old servant¡¯s observation, their beauty depends on whom they are compared with. Compared to those women who hide their faces behind excessive makeup, the three young ladies are more beautiful. But they are still nothing compared to Her Majesty the Empress.¡±


    When Xue Junliang heard Jiang Yu saying ¡®the Empress¡¯, his usual slight smile instantly turned gentler and wider; scaring Jiang Yu a little.


    Xue Junliang said again, ¡°Then, do you think they will change Marquis Wannian¡¯s mind?¡±


    Jiang Yu thought for a moment before answering, ¡°According to this old servant¡¯s observation, these three young ladies are given by King Teng, it is possible their intention are not pure. Marquis Wannian is mature and wise, surely he has already seen past their innocent facade. Lord Marquis absolutely would not be swayed.¡±


    Xue Junliang wordlessly side-eyed Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu complained again inwardly; he was only telling his honest opinion.

 CH 43

    The next day, Xue Houyang looked quite bright and refreshed. Seeing this, Xue Junliang said, ¡°Looks like Houyang¡¯s mood is very good today. Did those three beautiful girls serve you well?¡±


    Xue Houyang¡¯s initial happiness instantly diffused at Xue Junliang¡¯s mention of the three beautiful girls. He said, ¡°Your Majesty, please don¡¯t joke around. Currently, I¡¯m not in the mood for jokes.¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled, ¡°Seeing that you¡¯re this happy, wasn¡¯t it all because of me? Giving those three girls to you actually became the bridge that finally connected you and Teng Shang.¡±


    Xue Houyang was half grinning happily and half embarrassed. Xue Junliang saw this and sighed, ¡°Houyang, please remember that your mind is still not as deep and complicated as Teng Shang¡¯s. I know that whatever I say would be of no use, but I only hope Teng Shang will treat you sincerely.¡±


    Hearing this, Xue Houyang took a deep breath in relief. He opened his mouth to say thanks, but Xue Junliang was faster, ¡°But still, Marquis Wannian cannot be without an heir.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang raised a hand to stop him, ¡°No objection. It¡¯s also for your own good. If not for the fact that I care about your feelings, today there would have been already many wives piled up in your residence.¡±


    Xue Junliang then paused, thinking he should change the topic. He knew he could not push Xue Houyang too hard, and too fast. He then said, ¡°Teng Xin is still in prison. When you have time, go to the prison and see him. Teng Shang would not be able to persuade him to surrender to us. You should try, promise him with a Marquis title if necessary. But if he still refuses¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t finish the sentence, but Xue Houyang was clear about what he meant.


    Xue Houyang: ¡°If it¡¯s about persuading people to surrender, Chen-di thinks it would be better if Your Majesty asks Her Majesty the Empress. Her Majesty is very wise; surely she would know what to do.¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled, ¡°Do you think I haven¡¯t asked her? I have, but I was rejected.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Your Majesty was rejected¡­¡± Xue Houyang had no idea how Emperor Xue could still be smiling so amiably when he has been rejected by someone. Very strange, indeed.


    Xue Houyang added, ¡°But¡­ But Chen-di doesn¡¯t know what to say to Teng Xin. If it¡¯s regarding war and military affairs, Chen-di is more capable¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang could not think of anyone else to send to persuade Teng Xin. At this time, Shen Yi came forward to recommend himself, promising that Teng Xin would definitely surrender to Emperor Xue.


    Shen Yi hadn¡¯t even gone away for two shichen when he came back with the result. Teng Xin was willing to surrender, and even bringing his soldiers to surrender to Emperor Xue. He didn¡¯t even need to be given the title Marquis, but Teng Xin¡¯s only request was that Emperor Xue would not execute his subordinates, and would treat his soldiers kindly.


    Xue Junliang asked how Shen Yi had persuaded him.


    Shen Yi smiled, ¡°This is very simple. Teng Xin is a soldier at heart. If he could not be a soldier, he was better off dead. For a desperate soldier, it¡¯s best to give him hope. Your Majesty is a lot better than King Teng. Teng Xin had thought about it and he considered it was better to follow Your Majesty than to follow King Teng. If Your Majesty could give him a slightly big responsibility to show that Your Majesty was willing to trust him, this lowly subject guarantees that Teng Xin will become a loyal subordinate and a great asset for Xue Country.¡±


    Xue Junliang then sent Xue Houyang to the prison to let Teng Xin out. Then he promoted Teng Xin as a General and gave him the responsibility of leading the soldiers to guard the Imperial Palace. The soldiers under Teng Xin would not be detained, instead they were allowed to continue to follow Teng Xin. Teng Xin and his soldiers were all stationed at the army camp just outside the capital city¡¯s wall as a supplementary troop.


    Teng Xin was aware that Emperor Xue would try to recruit him, but he didn¡¯t think he would see an Emperor who would go this far to recruit someone. He thought about it again, and he could not believe how he could even compare Xue Junliang and King Teng¨C they were really too different.


    Truth was, Xue Junliang had his own agenda in promoting Teng Xin as a General guarding the Imperial Palace. The title general was good, stationed at the forefront was good too. But in reality, Teng Xin had no real status and power. Also, in the army camp at the Capital City¡¯s suburb, Teng Xin and his soldiers would be isolated among strangers.


    Sometime soon, King Teng would personally visit Xue Country to pay respect to Emperor Xue. As a general guarding the Imperial Palace, Teng Xin would be standing right in front of Xue Country¡¯s Palace. It was what Xue Junliang wanted King Teng to see.


    King Teng was reluctant to go, but this time, he had no other choice. After taking a half month of preparation, King Teng finally left for Xue Country. King Teng didn¡¯t dare to bring too many soldiers. He was afraid that Emperor Xue would detain his soldiers in the Capital City. But as a result, all along the journey, he was constantly trembling in fear, thinking Emperor Xue would secretly send troops to ambush and kill him.


    Halfway through the journey, King Teng was indeed ambushed. But these people weren¡¯t Emperor Xue¡¯s people. They were his old acquaintances.


    The man in front of him was dressed in simple and plain clothes. He had only one guard following behind him. The man smiled and said, ¡°Long time no see, King Teng.¡±


    King Teng was indignant at the man¡¯s rude manners. King Teng¡¯s attendant shouted, ¡°Insolent! How dare you talk like that to King Teng?¡±


    The man continued to smile and still did not bother to kneel to pay respect. He said, ¡°King Teng? I think as soon as you enter Xue Country¡¯s Capital City, your title would be changed. Let me think. You might be a Marquis Teng. After all, you¡¯re already defeated. If you¡¯re defeated, it¡¯s the norm you should go pay respect to your new King. You think you¡¯re still a King? How disgraceful.¡±


    King Teng shook in anger. But the man was still smiling, ¡°Now you¡¯re just a Marquis from the southern land, I don¡¯t need to pay respect to you¡­ I¡¯ve been talking so long, yet haven¡¯t even introduced myself. My surname is Xue, given name, Yu. I¡¯m Xue Country¡¯s Marquis Zhenjiang.¡±


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    Xue Yu said casually, ¡°Me coming here is not to give you any trouble. I just want to give you a fair warning, so you won¡¯t be too surprised when you¡¯re stripped off your throne and your military power.¡±


    Xue Yu arrogantly patted King Teng¡¯s shoulder. Then he turned to go, calling, ¡°Lang Jing.¡±


    The person who followed Xue Yu didn¡¯t utter a single word the whole time. When he was called, the man also turned to leave, following Xue Yu.


    Xue Yu raised a hand as he walked, ¡°When we meet again in the future, I hope King Teng will not be so hostile. Let us support each other.¡±


    Although King Teng was an incapable King, he was still the King of Teng for many years and still had a King¡¯s arrogance and haughty temper. Seeing how rude Xue Yu acted towards him, King Teng wanted to chase Xue Yu to teach him a lesson but was stopped by his attendants. This was King Teng¡¯s first time ever entering Xue Country¡¯s Capital City, it would not be wise to act recklessly here. Moreover, Xue Yu daring to be so arrogant must be because he was very sure of his own power and ability.


    A few days later, King Teng and his entourage entered the Capital City. He was only greeted by minor local officials; the meaning behind it didn¡¯t escape King Teng. He stayed the night at one of the guest residences near the Imperial Palace, and the next morning he was permitted to have an audience with Emperor Xue at the morning court assembly.


    At the top of the court hall, Xue Junliang had invited the Empress to sit behind the beaded curtain, intending everyone from Teng Country to see his Empress and see how high she was regarded because of her contributions in military affairs.


    But of course, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t know the Empress¡¯ identity. Having to be at the Court hall, although, from behind the beaded curtain, Teng Yun couldn¡¯t see King Teng¡¯s face very clearly, Teng Yun was very uncomfortable.


    When King Teng came in, he immediately saw two general-ranked men guarding the court hall; one of the men was Teng Xin. King Teng couldn¡¯t help glancing up and glaring at Teng Xin.


    Teng Xin lifted his chin slightly as if he was unafraid of King Teng. The two might be father and son, but since King Teng abandoned him, it wasn¡¯t a hardship for Teng Xin to ignore their relationship.


    Just as Xue Yu had said, Emperor Xue only said a few words before quickly sealing King Teng as a Marquis. He would still be stationed in Teng Country¡¯s territory, but his title would be changed into Marquis Tengnan, and Teng Country became a land under Xue Country¡¯s banner.


    Xue Junliang announced it like he was giving rewards to King Teng, but in fact, he was stripping him off his Kingly throne and power. Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°So, if Marquis Tengnan has no objections, you can kowtow and pay respect.¡±


    Of course, King Teng could not object. He could only lower himself to the ground, his knees bent stiffly as if someone had kicked his legs and said, ¡°Thank you, for Your Majesty¡¯s grace.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded and leaned back a bit on his seat. He said, ¡°From now on, you don¡¯t have to wear this kind of attire. Take it off.¡±


    Because he was now merely a Marquis, King Teng could no longer wear a King¡¯s attire. King Teng was aware of this, but it didn¡¯t make his feeling any less bitter.


    Teng Yun watched as Xue Junliang easily and effortlessly defeated King Teng. Teng Yun¡¯s heart was filled with complicated feelings. He¡¯d never thought that one day his own father would kneel in front of him, much less kneel in this kind of situation.


    Xue Junliang noted the Empress looking slightly dispirited and thought maybe the Empress was not feeling well. He said a few more words then dismissed the morning court assembly.


    Teng Yun¡¯s heart was in turmoil, his face also looked pale. Seeing this, Xue Junliang suggested calling the Imperial physician to examine the Empress.


    Xue Junliang: ¡°Since you¡¯re not feeling well, you don¡¯t have to stay and attend the banquet. It¡¯s better if you take some rest.¡±


    Then he added, ¡°If you have something bothering you, don¡¯t keep it in your heart. You can talk to me and I will listen.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s heart jumped a bit by Xue Junliang¡¯s words. Was it possible Xue Junliang had seen and known something? But Teng Yun doubted it, Shen Yi was able to notice because he had once lived in Teng Country, and had traveled to many places, therefore was more perceptive and knowledgeable. Xue Junliang might be an Emperor who sat above the whole world, but he would have never heard of small news about Teng Yun¡¯s injured right hand, or about Feng Country¡¯s Grand Princess¡¯ offenses to King Feng.


    However, Teng Yun was still feeling uneasy, ¡°There is nothing to worry about. Chen-qie is fine.¡±


    Since the weather had gotten warmer, the banquet was set at the flower garden. Marquis Tengnan and the other court officials had all arrived. A guard was standing behind Marquis Tengnan. This guard was tall and sturdy, and his manner was straight and impressive. He was carefully holding a sword in his two hands.


    As soon as Xue Junliang arrived, Marquis Tengnan came forward and said, ¡°This.. this lowly subject heard that Emperor Xue was very skilled in martial arts. This subject had deliberately looked for a sword to gift to Emperor Xue. This sword could cut a block of iron smoothly as if cutting a block of mud; it¡¯s very famous and truly one of a kind. This subject hopes Emperor Xue will accept it.¡±


    King Teng signaled the guard behind him to come forward with the sword.


    Xue Junliang took the sword and unsheathed it. Under the scorching midday sun, the sword seemed like it was emitting cold and imposing aura. With only one glance, it was clear the sword was indeed a very good one. Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°Marquis Tengnan is too generous.¡±


    Then Xue Junliang noted the guard¡¯s unusual pose and asked his name.


    The guard¡¯s name was Teng Ying. Although his surname was Teng, he wasn¡¯t a member of the royal family and was born a slave. Because his conduct was very respectful, the previous Teng King picked him and tasked him to take care of the swords. Teng Ying was very obedient and skilled in speech, but actually he didn¡¯t have any talent.


    After listening to the guard¡¯s introduction, Xue Junliang soon lost interest. Many people were good at flattering their superiors, but not many people could hide their wisdom and intelligence. Xue Junliang could see that Teng Ying was only good on the outside.


    Marquis Tengnan turned to the Empress and signaled to Teng Ying to present her a gift. The gift was merely some treasured pearls from the southern seas. These things might be enough to please a woman, but Teng Yun didn¡¯t like them.


    Marquis Tengnan saw the Empress¡¯ disinterest towards the gift and his heart dropped to his stomach. He had long heard about the Empress¡¯s ability to win Emperor Xue¡¯s favor, if someone could please the Empress, they could easily please Emperor Xue too. But Marquis Tengnan thought his strategy didn¡¯t work well.


    Soon, the banquet began and the performances also started. After drinking a few rounds of wine, Teng Xin watched as Marquis Tengnan tried to fawn over Emperor Xue and the other court officials and Teng Xin became very angry. He took his sword and charged towards Marquis Tengnan.


    The Marquis was used to living comfortably and surrounded by guards; he didn¡¯t even have the awareness to notice Teng Xin coming forward. Teng Ying, who stood behind Marquis Tengnan, blocked Teng Xin¡¯s sword with a chair.


    With a loud crack, the chair broke in two. The Minister of Culture and Civil Affairs, who stood the closest to the scene, immediately held Teng Xin back and persuaded him not to act recklessly. They were all now subordinates under one court, it was better to put down grievances and resentments. Also, the banquet was still on, they didn¡¯t want to anger Emperor Xue.


    On the top seat, Xue Junliang sat with his chin resting on his palm, looking lazy and disinterested as if he was too high to pay attention to petty fights.


    Teng Yun was the one cold-sweating. Teng Xin was his eldest brother, and Marquis Tengnan was his father. Teng Yun didn¡¯t want to see his family fight. Eldest brother Teng Xin was a loyal and honest person. He had steadily and responsibly done all his duties as a Crown Prince. But Marquis Tengnan had to spoil Lady Wang to an extent that he disregarded his own country.


    Xue Junliang picked up his wine cup and called Marquis Tengnan for a toast. Marquis Tengnan was surprised and quickly came forward to return the toast. After drinking the wine, Xue Junliang laughed, ¡°This Seat has heard that Marquis Tengnan has a very beautiful wife named Lady Wang¡­¡±


    Hearing Xue Junliang¡¯s comment, Marquis Tengnan knew Emperor Xue was about to win people¡¯s good opinion by putting himself as the bad guy. Marquis Tengnan had no other choice than to affirm Emperor Xue¡¯s question.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°This Seat also heard that Lady Wang is more beautiful than the moon and the sun combined, is that true?¡±


    Being asked like this, Marquis Tengnan could only shake his head, ¡°She is only of average beauty, could not be compared with the moon and the sun. This lowly subject thinks she is far less beautiful than Her Majesty the Empress.¡±


    Xue Junliang seemed very satisfied when he heard this answer. He continued, ¡°Could not be compared to the moon and the sun, then she should be as beautiful as the stars. If not, how come you pamper her so much?¡±


    Xue Junliang¡¯s tone turned harsher and colder, ¡°This Seat thinks you¡¯re making a mistake.¡±


    Marquis Tengnan¡¯s legs trembled so much he helplessly fell to the ground and knelt, ¡°This subject knows his mistake, this subject is guilty¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang was very pleased with Marquis Tengnan¡¯s pleas. He smiled and said, ¡°Since you know and admit your own mistake, you¡¯re allowed to redeem your mistake. This Seat is a benevolent king, this Seat will allow you to send Lady Wang to Marquis Wannian¡¯s residence.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡± Xue Houyang¡¯s name was suddenly mentioned, and he was very confused. Why did this have to fall upon his head?


    Marquis Tengnan hesitated, ¡°This subject doesn¡¯t understand¡­ Why send her to Marquis Wannian¡¯s residence, and not to Your Majesty?¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled winningly, ¡°You don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. The three beautiful young ladies that you presented before, this Seat bestowed them to Marquis Wannian. And then this Seat sees you have one woman more beautiful than those three but didn¡¯t want to give her away. It meant you looked down on Marquis Wannian. You were wrong and you had just admitted you were wrong. Now, if you send this Lady Wang to Marquis Wannian¡¯s residence, you can redeem your mistake. This Seat is sure Marquis Wannian is a very generous person, he would not blame you anymore for your past mistake.¡±


    Xue Junliang said it as if he was the one being embarrassed by Marquis Tengnan for not giving away Lady Wang. But all of the court officials present knew the meaning behind it. Emperor Xue didn¡¯t attach any single importance to Marquis Tengnan.


    Teng Xin watched how Emperor Xue played Marquis Tengnan and his anger quickly dissipated. He stood straighter and didn¡¯t try to create any more reckless act.


    Marquis Tengnan didn¡¯t stay very long in the capital city. He purposefully left Teng Ying to be a guard in the Imperial Palace, and then took his entourage back to the south. Marquis Tengnan said Teng Ying was to be a guard, but in reality he wanted to plant a spy in the Imperial Palace to report to him about Emperor Xue¡¯s movements; in case he needed to prepare himself.


    Marquis Tengnan came and went, but he never once mentioned about entering the Palace to see his daughter. Teng Qianyi had been looking forward to meeting him, and had drawn many scenarios of their reunion. But unfortunately, Teng Qianyi¡¯s hope was one-sided. Perhaps Marquis Tengnan had simply forgotten he had a daughter as soon as she married away.


    It didn¡¯t take long before Marquis Tengnan sent Lady Wang to Marquis Wannian¡¯s residence. Xue Houyang¡¯s relationship with Teng Shang had only recently grown closer, and at this time, Emperor Xue had to trick him into receiving this Lady Wang. Xue Houyang vowed he¡¯d be better off dead than letting Lady Wang into his residence; no matter how hard and how loud Lady Wang cried and wailed.


    In the end, he brought the topic to Emperor Xue.


    Xue Junliang open-handedly took Lady Wang into the Palace, but he didn¡¯t take her as a wife, instead he sent her to Zhuxiu Palace to attend to the young ladies participating in the Triennial Selection.


    After the Lady Wang incident, Xue Junliang received a letter. The letter stated that, during and after the war, a disease broke out in Teng territory. The number of the people infected had recently increased sharply. In order to prevent the disease spreading, Marquis Tengnan drove all of the people living in the affected areas out of the city wall and ordered the guards not to open the gate.


    A large number of people had no home and tried to take refuge in Xue Country¡¯s territory. Marquis Tengnan stated he had no money for a disaster relief plan so he sent this letter requesting Emperor Xue to allocate some funds.


    The letter came too late.


    Because the refugees didn¡¯t have home and food, many of them had died under the city wall. Their corpses piled up as high as a mountain and emitted foul odor. Desperate and hungry, the refugees were forced to eat the corpses; crying as they did so.


    No one among the soldiers guarding the city wall was brave enough to see this scene.


    Xue Junliang was furious. In front of the court officials, he tore the letter to pieces and let out a cold laugh, ¡°Marquis Tengnan, this damn bastard!¡±


    The officials all looked down at their feet, didn¡¯t dare saying anything for fear of igniting Emperor Xue¡¯s anger even more and then ended up being used as a punching bag.


    After a moment, a few of them carefully suggested transporting food to Teng territory. At this time, it was necessary to give the refugees food. Otherwise, more refugees would move to Xue Country¡¯s territory and the disease would spread even wider. By then, the disaster would be even harder to solve.


    Shen Yi spoke up, ¡°Your Majesty, we¡¯re not even sure if it isn¡¯t Marquis Tengnan¡¯s trick. He deliberately locked the refugees out in order to make you think he was powerless and had no money, then Your Majesty would return him his military power. If we send food to Teng territory, it would be like releasing a fish back into the water. Marquis Tengnan would be free of responsibilities and consequences.¡±


    Shen Yi¡¯s words made sense, but people also thought those words were too cold-blooded; they could not ignore the refugees. Previously, because Teng didn¡¯t belong to Xue Junliang, Xue Country could just sit idly and do nothing. But now, Teng had become a part of their territory, the refugees were now people of Xue; they must help them.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°You dare to speak, you must have some ideas.¡±


    Shen Yi said, ¡°That is true. Your Majesty can send soldiers along with the food, added with a large number of physicians to help treat the patients. Since Marquis Tengnan basically invited us into Teng territory, why not use this opportunity to send troops there?¡±


    Xue Houyang came forward, ¡°If we send troops in times like these, won¡¯t it provoke people to criticize us? They could say that Your Majesty sending troops is like a thief in a troubled time. People could think badly of us for a long time, and it would be hard for us to win their hearts.¡±


    Shen Yi smiled, ¡°Winning people¡¯s hearts. Marquis Tengnan had to pay allegiance to Xue Country mainly because he could not win people¡¯s hearts. Your Majesty, besides sending troops and physicians, you can also provide medicines.¡±


    Xue Junliang only now spoke up, ¡°Oh¡­ what medicine?¡±


    ¡°The medicine is His Majesty, yourself. Imagine being a Teng refugee; Marquis Tengnan forced the refugees out of the city wall, but at this time Emperor Xue comes personally to help. This way, people can easily draw conclusions about which one is the better leader.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Xue Houyang said, ¡°Although the High Mentor¡¯s suggestion is very good, His Majesty¡¯s safety and health is the most important. If His Majesty falls ill¡­¡±


    ¡°Marquis Wannian worries too much,¡± Shen Yi said, ¡°His Majesty only needs to make an appearance at the site, he doesn¡¯t need to go to the places where the disease is rampant. There are so many refugees; His Majesty doesn¡¯t have to meet every single one of them.¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t utter a word for a long time. Finally, he nodded and said, ¡°This Seat will consider this a bit longer.¡±


    After the court assembly was dismissed and the officials all retired, Xue Junliang was too preoccupied by this matter and unconsciously went in the direction of Yunfeng Palace.


    Teng Yun had heard about the refugees and knew Xue Junliang would come and ask his opinions, so he especially waited for Xue Junliang.


    At Yunfeng Palace, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t immediately talk. He was silent for a long time until Teng Yun had to prompt, ¡°Your Majesty, do you know about Teng Zhengxuan?¡±


    Xue Junliang was a bit confused as to why the Empress suddenly asked this question. He said, ¡°Of course, I do. He was the late King of Teng.¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Teng Zhengxuan reigned for thirty years and during that time, Teng Country was prosperous and peaceful. Marquis Tengnan reigned for only fifteen years, yet he bring the country to an almost-collapse.¡±

 CH 44

    Xue Junliang was completely baffled that the Empress would bring up this topic. Sometimes, some problems might look very complicated, but they were actually very simple. This was one of them; with the Empress¡¯ mention of  just one name, Xue Junliang suddenly found the answer to his problems ¡ª it was quite a simple one.


    Teng Yun saw the moment Xue Junliang had understood. He slowly said, ¡°Your Majesty, do you know why Teng Shang vowed not to surrender to Xue and still swore his loyalty to Teng? Why did Teng Shang agree to marry Marquis Wannian who is also a man just so he could stay alive and continue serving his country? It¡¯s not because Teng Shang was a fool, it was because he wanted to repay a huge debt of kindness.¡±


    Teng Yun continued, ¡°That year, Teng Zhengxuan had many battles from the North to South. Wherever there was a war, naturally many people would be injured or catch disease. No matter what the purpose of the war was, the ones who suffered the most were the innocent common people. Teng Zhengxuan never hesitated to come see and tend to the patients. He even personally served them food. Once, he rescued a dying child. Seeing that the child was very pitiful, he took the child in as his own. The child only asked Teng Zhengxuan for a set of clothes to resist the wind and cold. Teng Zhengxuan then named the child Teng Shang.¡±


    Xue Junliang listened quietly and sighed, ¡°No wonder.¡±


    ¡°Since Your Majesty has obtained the whole world within your hands,¡± Teng Yun continued, ¡°This time, why not take advantage of this to use the power in your hands to bring peace to your people?¡±


    Xue Junliang thought for a long time before finally nodding. He left Yunfeng Palace and returned to his residence. He told Jiang Yu to summon the court ministers to start discussing the disaster relief plans.


    Shen Yi guessed that General Teng Yun had convinced Emperor Xue. He smiled and bowed down, ¡°A worthy King will bring peace to his people.¡±


    Managing a disaster was a matter of emergency and had to be done immediately, but going on a journey would take some time. Even if Xue Junliang ordered the preparation to be as simple as possible, it would be a while before he could arrive at the site. Therefore, Xue Junliang ordered Shen Yi to bring a group of people and go to Teng to open food centers first. This would resolve the urgent need for food.


    Shen Yi immediately accepted the order. Emperor Xue didn¡¯t have to give detailed instructions for Shen Yi to understand what he had to do. As soon as he left Emperor Xue¡¯s residence, he ordered people to prepare a few items he would need and soon, he set off.


    This time, Xue Junliang would be going somewhere quite far from the capital city. He arranged Xue Houyang to supervise the overall situation. Any military troops would have to be made known to Xue Houyang and approved with his official seal before they could be moved or transferred.


    A few days later, the preparation for Xue Junliang¡¯s journey was finally completed. His scheduled departure was already right before his eyes yet the Empress never once took the initiative to come see him. Feeling helpless, Xue Junliang had to go to Yunfeng Palace and spend his last night there.


    Knowing Emperor Xue would depart tomorrow, Xiu Yao figured tonight he would not be merely sleeping. She tactfully ordered the other palace maids to leave the room. Teng Yun didn¡¯t suspect Xiu Yao¡¯s schemes because his thought never once went into that direction.


    Speaking of Teng Yun and Xue Junliang, they had been having less intimate times lately, especially since that time Xue Houyang and Teng Shang went to Teng to subdue Teng Xin. Xue Junliang shamelessly asked to kiss Teng Yun in exchange for news about Teng Shang. He was eager for something to happen between them, but in the end he didn¡¯t make any move.


    On the other hand, although Teng Yun was now inside a woman¡¯s body, his mind was still that of a man. Sure, Teng Yun didn¡¯t hate Xue Junliang as much as he did before. He even admitted to himself time and again that Xue Junliang was, indeed, a good emperor. Teng Yun never spared a thought about what the relationship between him and Xue Junliang really was.


    Also, despite having intelligence far superior than average people, Teng Yun was never good at feelings. He could talk endlessly about military theories, but if asked about the matter of feelings between two people, Teng Yun knew nothing because he had never thought about it before.


    From time to time, Xue Junliang would get a bit handsy with him, but Teng Yun guessed maybe it was because he was now Xue Junliang¡¯s Empress. It was only natural Xue Junliang would want to be close and intimate with his wife. Who else would he want to be intimate with other than his wife?


    Xue Junliang was a supreme king and he was used to getting things he wanted easily. For him, being honest and frank about his feelings towards his Empress was not easy.


    As a result, Xue Junliang who was always teasing Teng Yun, and Teng Yun who was used to Xue Junliang¡¯s teasings; both just sat at the table silently.


    The room was quiet, there was no other person besides the two as the palace maids were all driven outside by Xiu Yao. The door was closed and the candles were burning gently. There were exquisite dishes and drinks on the table.


    Xue Junliang was going on a long journey. Shouldn¡¯t the Empress, as a wife, say something auspicious or maybe even try to make him happy somehow? After all, he would have to be away for quite some time.


    But Teng Yun just sat silently across from Xue Junliang, wondering why Xue Junling was still sitting here; he didn¡¯t talk, didn¡¯t eat or drink. And because tomorrow Xue Junliang would have to go, wouldn¡¯t it be better if he went to bed early and rest?


    Xue Junliang finally couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He cleared his throat and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s rather boring if we just sit here silently. How about you tell me some stories?¡±


    Since Xue Junliang felt bored, why didn¡¯t he just leave but instead asked Teng Yun to tell stories? The Little Crown Prince, Xue Pei always came to visit Teng Yun, asking him to read stories. Like father, like son. Apparently, hearing stories wasn¡¯t just Xue Pei¡¯s unusual quirk.


    Teng Yun searched his memory for a bit. He had many stories about wars, but mostly were wars against Xue Country¡¯s army, which of course Teng Yun couldn¡¯t tell Xue Junliang. In the end, Teng Yun chose to tell local folklores and ancient sage¡¯s stories.


    Because Teng Yun was from Teng Country, which was located in the south, there were many differences and dissimilarities compared to Xue Country¡¯s cultures. Xue Junliang, who initially only asked the Empress to tell stories out of boredom, became very fascinated. He laughed and said, ¡°I know you¡¯re very knowledgeable, but I never thought you¡¯d know this much about Teng Country.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s heart jumped, feeling maybe he had talked too much. But when he glanced at Xue Junliang, the other man¡¯s face didn¡¯t show any suspicion and Teng Yun¡¯s heart calmed down slightly.


    Wef Aeciljcu rjlv, ¡°Lbesjcu rjlv tf tjv ifjgcfv jii jybea ragjafulfr obg kjgr atja abbx qijmf bc ijcv, yea tf xcfk cbatlcu jybea cjnji lcojcags. Zjsyf cfza alwf tf mbeiv mbwf jcv ifjgc ogbw sbe.¡±


    Kfcu Tec tfrlajafv jcv vlvc¡¯a lwwfvljafis jcrkfg. Snfc atbeut Kfcu Jbecags tjv yfmbwf j qjga bo Wef Jbecags jcv Blcu Kfcu kjr cbk j Zjgdelr Kfcucjc, Kfcu Tec ralii tjv rbwf gfiemajcmf ab qjrr vbkc tlr xcbkifvuf ab Wef Lbesjcu, ktb kjr tlr obgwfg fcfws mbecags¡¯r ugfja ufcfgji.


    After all, Teng Yun¡¯s most reliable strategy in winning against Marquis Wannian was his expertise in leading a troop of naval infantry. Xue Houyang was born and raised in the north and there weren¡¯t many lakes and seas in the north, unlike in Teng Country. Xue Country¡¯s soldiers were used to fighting in dry lands, and therefore when the battlefield was dragged to the seas, they were helpless. Moreover, a ship would be unstable on the sea, it would sway right and left with the sea waves. It would be hard for Xue Country¡¯s soldiers to use their usual weapons such as swords and spears.


    The two people talked for a long time under the light from the candles. At one point, Xue Junliang noticed the Empress was looking tired and thought maybe she was sleepy. He then called Xiu Yao to take away the wine and the dishes on the table and prepare the bed.


    On the bed, Xue Junliang was lying on the outer side, staring at the ceiling. If this journey wasn¡¯t for inspecting the refugees, truthfully he didn¡¯t want to go. When he thought he would not be able to see the Empress for a long time, his heart was slightly unhappy.


    He had considered bringing the Empress with him to the south, but this journey wasn¡¯t just for sight-seeing but to help the refugees, the situation there would be hard for the Empress to endure. Moreover, the report said that the epidemic in the south was very terrible. What would he do if the Empress caught the disease and fell ill?


    Xue Junliang had been staring at the ceiling all night when suddenly he sighed. Who knew he could fret over someone this much, could obsess over someone to the point he could not think clearly. Moreover, this someone came from another country. Sure, this person was not like any other, but Xue Junliang shouldn¡¯t be this relaxed when he was with this person. Teng was finally defeated and now a part of his country, but Feng Country was still a potential threat.


    Xue Junliang turned his head. The Empress was laying on her side, facing away with her back to him. Xue Junliang could only see her silk-like hair, and could not see her expression. By the sound of her even breathing, the Empress seemed to be sleeping soundly.


    Xue Junliang rose and supported his weight on his elbow. With his other hand, he gently gathered the Empress¡¯ stray hair on her cheek and neck.


    Perhaps because her neck was no longer covered by her hair, and perhaps the Empress felt the cold wind, her shoulders lifted as if trying to protect her neck. Xue Junliang was startled by this and froze, just like a thief afraid of being caught.


    After the Empress stopped moving, Xue Junliang waited for a long time until he was sure she didn¡¯t wake up. He looked down at her face, her long eyelashes casted shadows on her cheeks like a little paper fan, trembling from time to time. A warm affection spread all over his heart.


    Suddenly, Xue Junliang remembered Shen Yi¡¯s words, ¡®A worthy king could bring peace to his people.¡¯


    Xue Junliang slowly lowered his head and gently kissed the Empress¡¯ earlobe. Then he gathered the blanket to cover her more securely before laying down again.


    Early the next morning, Jiang Yu was called in to help Xue Junliang clean up and dress. Today, Xue Junliang¡¯s attire was more formal than usual.


    Xue Junliang gestured to Jiang Yu not to make too much noise. After he was dressed, Xue Junliang ordered Jiang Yu to prepare breakfast in the outer room in order not to disturb the Empress¡¯ sleep.


    The person on the bed heard the sound of the door being closed and opened his eyes. He was still for a moment before his hand reached up from under the blanket to touch his earlobe.


    Last night Teng Yun didn¡¯t sleep much, but he didn¡¯t know why. It wasn¡¯t as if last night was the first time Xue Junliang slept at Yunfeng Palace. In fact, since that first day Xue Junliang unexpectedly said he¡¯d like to spend the night at Yunfeng Palace, he slept here almost every day. Xue Junliang also never initiated anything. He would tease Teng Yun a few times but then he would cover Teng Yun with the blanket and then lie down to sleep.


    At this point, Teng Yun should have gotten used to sleeping with Xue Junliang, but last night Teng Yun couldn¡¯t sleep as soundly as usual.


    Xue Junliang had moved closer, molding his body against Teng Yun¡¯s back. Teng Yun was still not used to the weather in the north, which was colder than in the south. Xue Junliang¡¯s body was very warm against Teng Yun¡¯s. Because he was feeling warm, Teng Yun started to feel sleepy. But then Xue Junliang sighed and rose.


    Teng Yun was almost afraid Xue Junliang would do something inappropriate when he was sleeping, but Xue Junliang didn¡¯t. His hand was only gently touching Teng Yun¡¯s hair. When Teng Yun moved a bit, the man behind him stilled as if he was startled. After a while, Teng Yun felt a warm breath on his neck and a moist kiss on his earlobe. Teng Yun almost jumped but restrained himself from moving. Xue Junliang then secured the blanket around Teng Yun.


    If Xue Junliang found out Teng Yun wasn¡¯t sleeping, Teng Yun didn¡¯t know what Xue Junliang would have done to him.


    A long time after Xue Junliang left, Xiu Yao came in.


    Xiu Yao saw the Empress sitting on the bed, staring dazedly in front of her. One of her hands was touching her earlobe and there was a faint suspicious red on her cheeks.


    Xiu Yao couldn¡¯t help giggling and said, ¡°Empress, wake up!¡±


    Teng Yun was startled, which made Xiu Yao laugh even louder, ¡°Empress, you must have been tired last night. This is why you¡¯re daydreaming this early in the morning. His Majesty has been gone more than half a shichen ago.¡±


    Teng Yun glared at Xiu Yao, and seeing this, Xiu Yao didn¡¯t dare make any more jokes. She knew her mistress was sensitive. If she was teased, she could get angry and the one suffering would be no one other than Xiu Yao herself.


    Xiu Yao silently took out an envelope and presented it to the Empress, ¡°Empress, His Majesty gave me this before he left, and said to give it to you when you wake up.¡±


    Teng Yun wondered why Xue Junliang was being so mysterious, as if they were exchanging secret letters containing grand schemes and strategies.


    Teng Yun took the envelope and tore it off. Inside, there was a piece of letter. He took the letter and read¡­


    ¡ª A worthy king could bring peace to his people.


    Teng Yun read the sentence again and again, but he still could not understand the meaning no matter how long he stared at it.


    Xiu Yao saw the Empress staring at the letter thoughtfully, but didn¡¯t dare peek at the letter¡¯s content. After a moment, Xiu Yao silently retreated. Sometimes, she could not understand what the Empress was thinking.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    On the way back to Teng Country, Marquis Tengnan spent a night at a post house.


    The post house was small and Marquis Tengnan had to share space with those of lower ranks than him. The food that they ate was simple and common dishes.


    After dinner, Marquis Tengnan returned to his room to rest early, as they would have to wake up early tomorrow to hurry continuing the journey home.


    Just as Marquis Tengnan¡¯s attendant was about to close his room¡¯s door, someone reported there was a guest looking for the Marquis.


    Marquis Tengnan couldn¡¯t think of anyone wanting to meet him here. This place was far from the village and from the city, there should be no one looking for him here. Also, at this time, there was no urgent situation that needed his attention, so it was strange that someone would come here asking to see him.


    It turned out, the person looking for him was no other than Xue Yu.


    This time, Xue Yu came alone without his assistant, Lang Jing. Therefore, Marquis Tengnan was suspicious of Xue Yu¡¯s intention.


    Xue Yu saw Marquis Tengnan¡¯s wary expression and smiled, ¡°Lord Marquis, don¡¯t be like that. Haven¡¯t I already said that next time we meet again, we should help each other out in order so you can stay at your ¡®Imperial Palace¡¯ and I can defend my northern border?¡±


    Marquis Tengnan stayed silent, so Xue Yu added, ¡°You must be still angry to be demoted as a Marquis, then you should understand how I feel. When the previous Xue Emperor was still alive, I was his favorite son. Because of Xue Junliang¡¯s trick, I had to quickly escape and then gather my own power on the northern border. If not, maybe I would have been long dead. Now, you¡¯re only a Marquis, I¡¯m also only a Marquis. You understand my feeling, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Marquis Tengnan still said nothing.


    Xue Yu said, ¡°You used to be called ¡®Your Majesty¡¯, now you have to call another person as ¡®Your Majesty¡¯. Aren¡¯t you angry? If you say you¡¯re not angry, then I will immediately leave and never bother you again.¡±


    Marquis Tengnan¡¯s expression finally changed. He then said, ¡°You have to have a good plan.¡±


    ¡°I dared to come here, of course, it¡¯s because I do have a good plan,¡± Xue Yu smiled, ¡°We¡¯re pretty much old acquaintances by this point, so of course I know what sort of person you are. I cannot talk strategies with you right here. Later when you¡¯re back at Teng Country, I will send someone to meet you and tell you my plans in detail.¡±


    Marquis Tengnan started to get angry. He used to be a King, no one dared suspect him or keep secrets from him. By the way Xue Yu talked, it was clear he wasn¡¯t afraid of Marquis Tengnan.


    Xue Yu smiled and said, ¡°Whether you want to be someone above everyone, or you want to stay being someone else¡¯s slave, it¡¯s the time you chose. You could be the only ruler in the south, and I can hold the highest power in the north; we could be close friends.¡±


    With a smile, Xue Yu turned to open the door and then went out.


    Marquis Tengnan was still doubtful. He could not dispel the possibility of Xue Yu saying empty words. He was half-hopeful and half-suspicious all the way on his journey back to Teng Country.


    Not long after Marquis Tengnan arrived at Teng, Xue Yu sent his people. Coincidentally, at that time, an epidemic broke out in Teng and many people, even in the capital city, were affected by the disease. Xue Yu¡¯s man told Marquis Tengnan to send his soldiers to go to every house in the city; search everyone who was ill and throw their whole family out of the city, regardless if they were noblemen or commoner. Anyone who resisted would be buried alive.


    The people¡¯s livelihood had started to decline in the first place, caused by the war they endured for so many years. And now, if they were driven out of their hometown by the soldiers, the people¡¯s anger would grow louder. The news would soon travel into Xue Junliang¡¯s ears.


    When that happened, Xue Yu¡¯s man added, Marquis Tengnan should secretly gather a group of people capable of martial arts and place them along the road from Xue Country to Teng, waiting for Emperor Xue.


    Marquis Tengnan thought it was a stupid plan. Since when did a king, much more an emperor of a country personally travel to help a disaster recovery? If it was a flood, it was possible. But this time, it was an epidemic. Surely, no King was not afraid of catching a disease.


    Marquis Tengnan was surprised as Xue Yu¡¯s man convinced him Xue Junliang would come down himself to the disaster area.


    However, Marquis Tengnan still could not believe that Xue Junliang wasn¡¯t prepared with bringing heavy guards. Wherever Xue Junliang went, there was always a mountain of elite soldiers guarding him. How could a group of assassins kill him that easily?


    Also, if Xue Yu¡¯s tactician only suggested sending a group of random and unprofessional thugs, wouldn¡¯t it only alert Xue Junliang¡¯s entourage? Even if they managed to ambush Xue Junliang a few times along the road, for Xue Junliang they were likely just be considered as a joke.


    Xue Yu¡¯s tactician had it all planned. Laughing, he said that of course a group of lowly thugs would not be able to kill Xue Junliang. Their purpose was not to kill him but only to distract Emperor Xue. Marquis Zhenjiang didn¡¯t want to kill Xue Junliang, instead wanted Xue Junliang to be alive to see how his own country was attacked by another enemy.


    Marquis Tengnan was still doubtful. After all, Xue Yu was already quite powerful and capable, why did he have to include Marquis Tengnan in this? It was quite possible that Xue Yu was placing the target on Marquis Tengnan, and then when Xue Junliang found out, Xue Yu would be standing to the side and throwing stones at him.


    Moreover, Xue Yu was still a Xue person, and his surname was Xue. If this plan fell out, Marquis Tengnan would be the first person to receive the blow.


    So, Marquis Tengnan put on an amiable and agreeable expression, and did as the tactician ordered. He sent a group of thugs to ambush Emperor Xue. After that, he switched face, and ordered the tactician be captured and thrown into prison. He put guards to watch over the tactician, not letting him escape nor kill himself.


    Marquis Tengnan was proud of his own cleverness. If things didn¡¯t work as planned, he could hand over the tactician and place all the blame on Xue Yu. After all, a wise man had to protect his own hide.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    All along the road to the south, Xue Junliang took in the beautiful and lush scenery, the verdant hills and limpid waters. It¡¯s truly an affluent land, unlike Xue Country, which mostly consisted of vast deserts and snowy mountains.


    Teng Country not only had many bodies of water, but also a chain of green mountains in its territory. The country could have been able to support itself by extensive farming and fishery, but when Xue Junliang arrived at the border pass, all he could see was a large number of refugees.


    When Xue Houyang took back his army after subduing Teng Xin, he had left an order that any refugee who was willing to work and do farming, after passing an inspection, should be allowed to enter the border pass.


    Before Xue Junliang¡¯s entourage arrived, a group of officials had arrived in advance to set up two temporary food centers.


    Xue Junliang stood by one side, watching as the refugees all rushing and clamoring to grab food. At this time, Xue Junliang realized that in the eyes of these commoners, it wasn¡¯t important who was King and who wasn¡¯t. In the face of hunger and cold, they had no time to leisurely talk about Kings and royalties, let alone discuss the country¡¯s affairs.


    Xue Junliang ordered people to set up large tents for these refugees to sleep at night and to distribute warm clothes. He left some of the royal physicians that he brought with him here to treat the refugees.


    He then continued the journey. A few days later, he met with Shen Yi¡¯s group, who were supposed to arrive in Teng Country long before him.


    The officials and attendants accompanying Xue Junliang were all astonished to see Shen Yi here. Hadn¡¯t Shen Yi left the Palace a lot earlier than them? He should have arrived at this moment. They all thought Shen Yi was slighting an imperial edict and didn¡¯t want to work a sweat.


    Shen Yi smiled and said, ¡°These few days I have been watching the sky and the stars. There is a black cloud coming above the southern lands. This lowly subject is just an ordinary human, who didn¡¯t want to hastily go to the south because it might be dangerous there.¡±


    Hearing this, everyone laughed. Indeed, this Shen Yi was just a pale-faced scholar, who didn¡¯t dare coming to a place where there was a disaster.


    Xue Junliang also heard Shen Yi¡¯s narration. He laughed and said, ¡°Oh? High Mentor is able to read the stars and predict bad and good luck.. Then tell us what did you see?¡±


    Shen Yi said, ¡°Answering to Your Majesty, this lowly subject saw this black cloud is gradually moving northward, possibly the direction of the Capital City. I am afraid the Capital City is in danger.¡±


    Shen Yi was being enigmatic, which at first made everyone want to laugh at him. But then when he continued talking, everyone immediately got the seriousness of Shen Yi¡¯s prediction. They promptly shouted, ¡°It¡¯s not good!¡±


    Shen Yi smiled, ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s not good. The black cloud is bringing bad luck, but this lowly subject had already had a premonition. I had left a letter to be sent to Marquis Wannian.¡±


    Xue Junliang chuckled and said, ¡°You have done a great merit in preventing whatever danger coming to the Capital City. Now, what is your solution to our immediate problem?¡±


    Shen Yi had already arranged everything in the Capital City, and he was a proud man, so of course he was proud of his foresight. He laughed and said, ¡°This lowly subject doesn¡¯t deserve Your Majesty¡¯s praise. The one who is going to protect the Capital City is Marquis Wannian. As for the immediate problem¡­ Your Majesty only needs to send one hundred archers to surround the forest in front of us. After that, Your Majesty can continue the journey without any more trouble, and this journey will run smoothly as planned.¡±

 CH 45

    Before Shen Yi left the Capital City, he made sure to visit Marquis Wannian. Unfortunately, Shen Yi¡¯s way of speaking was too vague and mysterious. Xue Houyang could not understand anything of what Shen Yi was saying.


    Teng Shang understood, but he thought he didn¡¯t need to say anything.


    Since Emperor Xue left the Capital City to visit the south, Xue Houyang had been very busy managing everything. Every court-related affairs, no matter trivial or important, had to be reported to Xue Houyang before any decision could be made. As a result, Xue Houyang had to check each and every report carefully. Also, he also had to oversee the soldiers¡¯ training at the Capital City suburb¡¯s military camp.


    Less than half a month of Emperor Xue¡¯s absence, someone reported to Xue Houyang that there seemed to be some movement up north.


    These people moved in little groups as if they were just travelers passing by the country. But then, gradually they seemed to behave too much like a military troop. Marquis Wannian hadn¡¯t been transferring troops north, so his subordinates started to get suspicious and decided it was best to report to Marquis Wannian.


    Xue Houyang was not a person who often took matters lightly. As soon as he heard the report, he immediately felt something was not right. He sent spies to investigate.


    The spies found that these groups were all heading for the Capital City, but they would often stop at random places along the road as if they were not moving as one organized unit.


    Xue Houyang immediately thought of Xue Yu and had a bad premonition. After all, Xue Yu still had a large military force guarding the northern border.


    At this time, Marquis Wannian recalled Shen Yi¡¯s vague words. He quickly took out the package left by Shen Yi. The package was actually a finely decorated brocade box, and when he opened the box, there was only a piece of paper inside.


    On the paper, it was written :


    ¡ª Seek the Empress¡¯ advice.


    Xue Houyang looked at the piece of paper and felt a little discouraged. Although he knew very well that the Empress was very skilled in military strategies, this matter should not be treated lightly. If it was really Xue Yu planning to attack the Capital city, and Emperor Xue was not in the Capital, then it would be a matter of life and death.


    Teng Shang watched as Xue Houyang was hesitating over Shen Yi¡¯s message and finally couldn¡¯t sit still, ¡°You might as well go and ask the Empress¡¯ advice.¡±


    There was no other choice. Xue Houyang immediately put on his official robes neatly and meticulously and entered the Palace seeking audience with his Imperial Sister-in-law.


    Xiu Yao let Marquis Wannian into Yunfeng Palace and led him to the main room. As soon as he was inside, Xue Houyang didn¡¯t sit down, he remained standing while keeping his gaze on the ground. Teng Yun thought that, true to his honest and law-abiding nature, Xue Houyang kept his respectful manner in order not to invite gossip. After all, his sister-in-law was still an Empress.


    Teng Yun felt admiration. This Marquis Wannian was indeed a gentleman through and through.


    Teng Yun had not heard that Xue Yu might be sending troops, but when Xue Houyang told him about the news from the spies, he didn¡¯t seem to be surprised.


    Xue Houyang noted how the Empress calmly received the report; as if this matter was not so dire and complicated. Xue Houyang thought maybe the Empress really had the solution at hand.


    Teng Yun thought for a moment before saying, ¡°High Mentor left an advice before leaving, but his message was vague. I think it must be because he feared his message would fall into the wrong ears and eventually only alert the enemy in advance¡­ Since the enemy doesn¡¯t want us to find out about them, why don¡¯t we beat them at their own game?¡±


    Xue Houyang was not clear about what the Empress meant.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°From what we¡¯ve found so far, the enemy doesn¡¯t want the Capital City to know about their movement, thereby letting us reinforce the Capital City¡¯s defense in advance. It¡¯s not because they are afraid they would not be able to enter the Capital city, but it¡¯s because their force is not big enough. It¡¯s possible they had bribed the gatekeeper to let them in, too. Marquis Wannian may want to send your people to the gates to check the situation.¡±


    Xue Houyang did as advised. Because the situation was quite serious, he immediately sent his trusted subordinates to investigate. However, his subordinates didn¡¯t know how to catch these officials who were accepting bribes.


    Teng Yun sent someone to inform Xue Houyang, ¡°Offer some rewards, there must be servants brave enough to speak up.¡±


    Sure enough, when Xue Houyang offered rewards, the servants were quick to disclose their superior. Xue Houyang caught and executed the chief gate-keeper. He let one of the chief gate-keeper¡¯s assistants escape to contact Xue Yu.


    The chief gate-keeper¡¯s assistant told Xue Yu that somehow Marquis Wannian was able to figure out they had bribed the chief gate-keeper. The assistant was afraid the chief would be forced by Marquis Wannian into confessing, so the assistant had to kill the chief himself and bring his severed head to Marquis Zhenjiang.


    Xue Yu initially didn¡¯t believe the assistant¡¯s story, but he sounded genuine so Xue Yu eventually believed him.


    The assistant also told Xue Yu that every midnight, Marquis Wannian always came to personally inspect the city gate. He suggested Xue Yu prepare a troop of skilled archers. The assistant would return to the city gate, and when the assistant lit a fire-signal, his archers could shoot and kill Marquis Wannian.


    If the most prominent figure in the capital city died, both the military and civil officials would then be in a state of chaos. Right then, the city¡¯s gate would be open. It would be so easy for Marquis Zhenjiang to seize the Capital city.


    The more Xue Yu listened to the assistant¡¯s plan, the more his eyes brightened. He was torn; half of him believed this was an excellent plan, the other believed this was a suicidal plan.


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    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Teng Ying used to be an official, tasked with safe-keeping swords. Although he didn¡¯t have any real power, at least he could be closer to the superiors. The closer he got to his superiors, he could build close relationships with them. Teng Ying was skilled in flattery; he was also skilled in gathering supports.


    Now, inside Xue Country¡¯s Imperial Palace, he was just a low-level guard. It counted as a demotion in rank. Moreover, Emperor Xue had also placed him under the three He brothers¡¯ watchful eyes. Those three brothers were barbarians who took joy in torturing idle subordinates. They always delegated Teng Ying to do task after task; making Teng Ying exhausted.


    In the end, Teng Ying had no choice but to ask Teng Qianyi to back him up. At least Teng Qianyi was also a consort in the Imperial Harem, and when you wanted to climb the social ladder, a consort¡¯s support was as good as any.


    Teng Ying waited for an opportunity to approach Teng Qianyi. One day, he saw her staring at the small pond and sighing mournfully. He drew closer to the pond and then promptly burst into tears.


    Teng Qianyi heard someone crying very loudly and ordered her servant to bring the noisy intruder over and beat him with a plank.


    Teng Ying was caught and forced to kneel on the ground. He crawled and hung onto Teng Qianyi¡¯s feet, crying, ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness the Princess! Don¡¯t you recognize this lowly servant?¡±


    When Teng Qianyi heard the guard calling her Princess, Teng Qianyi knew he was someone from Teng. She looked down at him and saw he was indeed familiar.


    Teng Ying noted that Teng Qianyi recognized him and seized the chance. He cried louder, ¡°This lowly servant begs for Your Highness¡¯ forgiveness. It¡¯s just that I saw you from a distance and unknowingly burst into tears.¡±


    Teng Ying was very eloquent as he made up an elaborate story. He said King Teng always missed the Princess. Every day, overcoming with longing, King Teng would cry over and over again. Teng Ying said he was often accompanying King Teng, and often saw King Teng crying for the Princess. Therefore, when he saw the Princess, he recalled King Teng¡¯s sadness and promptly cried.


    Teng Ying said, ¡°Your Highness, please don¡¯t be upset that your father could not come see you. Actually, he is¡­¡±


    He looked around and then added, ¡°Actually, this lowly servant doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate to talk about that right here. There are a lot of people who could get this lowly servant punished. This lowly servant could be executed.¡±


    Teng Qianyi had never been touched by Xue Junliang even once since she was married to him. Naturally, she was very dissatisfied. Which woman would want to be married and then be ignored by her husband? What was the difference between her and a widow?


    At this time, Teng Ying¡¯s words could be said to poke the sore point in her heart. So when Teng Qianyi heard Teng Ying¡¯s stories, of course she believed him completely. She wiped her tears, and true to her arrogant and spoiled nature, she said to Teng Ying, ¡°From now on, you can follow me. If I say I want someone I¡¯m familiar with to be my guard, no one cannot object.¡±


    Since then, Teng Ying had found his backing. Every day, he did everything to make Teng Qianyi happy with him. Although he was far from Emperor Xue or Marquis Wannian, Teng Ying was still quite good-looking. Teng Ying had a face as white as jade and a mouth as sweet as honey; he only needed to say one word and women would fall on their knees for him.


    Teng Qianyi was bewitched by Teng Ying¡¯s charm. If not for Teng Ying¡¯s skill in knowing the perfect things to say, he reckoned he would¡¯ve been long dead. Eventually, Teng Ying could also climb into Teng-fei¡®s bed.


    Today, Teng Qianyi was strolling along a small flower garden. Teng Ying smiled and said, ¡°Your Ladyship, this servant often saw you looking unhappy. This servant has found a personal guard for you. You¡¯ll definitely like him when you see him.¡±


    Teng Qianyi only wanted the guard if he was good-looking. But she also knew Teng Ying was aware of her preferences so she agreed to see this guard.


    Teng Ying called the guard to come over and stand in front of Teng Qianyi. Within just one glance, Teng Qianyi jumped to her feet. She was so elated she couldn¡¯t help reaching out and grabbing the guard¡¯s hand. With a shaky voice, she said, ¡°How¡­ How is it you? You¡­ You must have heard that I¡¯m here and come to find me, right?¡±


    Teng Ying knew he had pleased Teng Qianyi greatly. He laughed and said, ¡°Your Ladyship, you can reunite with this fellow guard, but it¡¯s best if we go somewhere else. It¡¯s not appropriate to talk here.¡±


    Teng Qianyi realized she was losing her manners in public. She immediately dragged the new guard to her residence and ordered Teng Ying to leave her alone.


    Teng Qianyi stared at the new guard with adoration clear in her eyes. But other people who knew the man, would be able to immediately tell this man was no one other than Xue Yu¡¯s trusted assistant, Lang Jing.


    Actually, Lang Jing was ordered by Xue Yu to enter the Palace.


    Lang Jing and Shen Yi used to be comrades. He and Shen Yi were fellow students as they studied together. Shen Yi often called Lang Jing elder brother.


    That year, Lang Jing and Shen Yi were traveling through Teng Country together. Unfortunately, they encountered bandits on the road.


    Lang Jing might appear tall and sturdy, but at that time, he was only a pale-faced scholar who knew nothing about defending himself. In the end, he and Shen Yi got separated.


    Shen Yi continued traveling to Teng, and Lang Jing was rescued by Xue Yu. Since then, Lang Jing always followed Xue Yu due to gratitude. Xue Yu found that Lang Jing was very clever and talented, so he appointed Lang Jing as his trusted aide, which made Lang Jing even more grateful.


    Lang Jing was always devoted to Xue Yu. If not for Lang Jing¡¯s advice, Xue Yu would not be able to stay alive until today. Xue Yu might look very friendly and tranquil, but Xue Yu was actually hot-headed and impulsive; always acting rashly without considering the results.


    This year, Xue Yu decided since his power had grown quite strong, he didn¡¯t want to stay idle anymore. Lang Jing had tried to persuade Xue Yu to calm down, saying it wasn¡¯t the time yet. But Xue Yu didn¡¯t want to listen, so Lang Jing had no other choice than to help him.


    Teng Ying was a cowardly, yet greedy person. Of course, his mind was far inferior to Lang Jing¡¯s. Lang Jing only needed to use a few words before Teng Ying agreed to take him to see Teng Qianyi.


    A few years ago, Xue Yu took Lang Jing to Teng Country under a guise. They met Teng Qianyi who had been sightseeing outside the Palace. Lang Jing¡¯s appearance was very eye-catching and his conduct was calm and pleasing. Teng Qianyi took one glance at Lang Jing and immediately invited Xue Yu and Lang Jing into the Palace, planning to steal Lang Jing from Xue Yu. But truthfully, Lang Jing was never interested in Teng Qianyi, even if she was a princess.


    Teng Qianyi was so happy to see Lang Jing that she thought she might pass out from happiness.


    Although Lang Jing didn¡¯t like Teng Qianyi, he hid his indifference behind a gentle facade. He said, ¡°This lowly servant has been looking for Your Highness, but I was a step too late.¡±


    Teng Qianyi immediately cried, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you find me earlier?¡±


    This sentence was exactly what Lang Jing was waiting for. He said, ¡°If Your Highness does as I ask, maybe it¡¯s not too late for us.¡±


    Teng Qianyi was eager to listen. She was captivated by Lang Jing¡¯s gentleness. But when Lang Jing told her the plan, Teng Qianyi couldn¡¯t help trembling in fear, ¡°But¡­ It¡¯s impossible!¡±


    Lang Jing laughed curtly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you want to be with me? Apparently, it was all fake¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Teng Qianyi cried louder, attaching herself into Lang Jing¡¯s embrace.


    Lang Jing added, ¡°Lord Marquis has already had it all planned. As long as the Empress died, we can go far away from here. But if you like wealth and fame, Lord Marquis has promised he would grant me a marquis title. We¡¯ll be ranked second highest citizen in this entire country. Isn¡¯t it better than being a consort who is not respected?¡±


    Teng Qianyi was still afraid. Conspiring to murder the Empress was considered a grave crime. A matter this big, if someday it was exposed, she would not have a peaceful death.


    Lang Jing said, ¡°I have already thought of an escape plan for you. You only need to send Teng Ying to set Yunfeng Palace on fire. If things fall through, your involvement in this will be very small and you can place all the blame on Teng Ying. I assure you it¡¯s going to be fine. As for Teng Ying, I know a way to make him do the job willingly and gladly.¡±


    Teng Qianyi was moved by the way Lang Jing talked so gently. Lang Jing was so gentle and warm, it was as if she was floating on the cloud. In the end, Teng Qianyi reluctantly agreed.


    She tried to coax Lang Jing to stay, but Lang Jing had to decline, saying they would be together soon enough. Lang Jing still had things to do and he was anxious to go.


    After persuading Teng Qianyi, Lang Jing went to seek Teng Ying. Teng Ying was weak to Lang Jing¡¯s promises, and he easily and happily agreed to the plan.


    After he finished arranging everything, Lang Jing heaved a sigh and went out of the Palace.


    That evening, Xue Yu was preparing his troops and waiting for the signal to kill Xue Houyang. The night had come but Lang Jing still hadn¡¯t come back.


    A soldier rushed over to present a letter, saying it was from Lang Jing.


    Lang Jing¡¯s letter conveyed that Lord Marquis had given him a great kindness, something Lang Jing was deeply grateful for and vowed to repay. If Lord Marquis was willing to hear, Lang Jing advised Lord Marquis to retreat to the northern border right at this moment and wait for another opportunity to realize his big plans. If Lord Marquis read this letter and got angry, it was exactly why Lang Jing decided to write this letter.


    In the letter, Lang Jing also said that he had paved an alternative route for Lord Marquis, this was the last thing he could do for Lord Marquis. With the help of one of the guards, Lang Jing had secretly entered the Palace and persuaded Teng-fei to set fire to Yunfeng Palace. If Lord Marquis¡¯ soldiers failed, you could throw all the blame on Marquis Tengnan. Moreover, Lord Marquis was still Emperor Xue¡¯s blood relative. As the Late Emperor Xue had decreed, no one could kill his clan members other than the Heavens itself. Hence Xue Junliang would not be able to kill Xue Yu.


    As Xue Yu read the letter, his whole body shook with anger and his hands were trembling. The final sentence of the letter was written: ¡®I¡¯m not afraid of dying, but I¡¯m afraid of seeing Lord Marquis fail when victory is already within your sight.¡¯


    Xue Yu grabbed one of the soldier¡¯s knife and fed the letter into the brazier. The paper immediately caught fire and soon turned to ashes, lighting the darkening night fleetingly.


    At this point, naturally Xue Yu could not just abandon the whole plan and escape. He had already placed a few archers just near the city wall¡¯s tower. With the light from one of the lit torches on the city wall, he could see someone wearing a full armor and a cloak. The figure was moving about the city wall¡¯s tower as if inspecting the situation.


    At this time, someone who was walking beside the figure in a cloak was waving their blade, knocking one of the torches and putting its flame out. Xue Yu realized this was the signal they were waiting for. He immediately ordered the archers to release their arrows and shoot the figure on the city wall¡¯s tower.


    The archers were all carefully selected by Xue Yu himself, their skill was excellent. One of their arrows shot right through the city wall¡¯s defense.


    The city wall¡¯s tower was immediately thrown into chaos. Xue Yu could faintly hear the soldiers shouting, ¡°Lord Marquis was shot! Lord Marquis was shot!¡±


    The next day, Xue Yu sent people to find news. His spies reported that Marquis Wannian was shot with a poisonous arrow, and the poison was affecting his blood circulation. An Imperial physician was immediately brought in to treat him, but the poison had already spread to Marquis Wannian¡¯s heart which made it impossible to cure him.


    The news that Marquis Zhenjiang had been waiting was exactly this, but recalling Lang Jing¡¯s words in the letter, he was still hesitating. He sent some more people to find out. His spies all came back to report that people of the capital city were all in a state of shock. Without Emperor Xue and Marquis Wannian, there was no one to lead the court hall and it resulted in heated disagreement among the officials.


    Hearing this, Xue Yu was unable to repress his excitement. He immediately ordered his soldiers to enter the Capital city. He would show Lang Jing, who was the one losing and who was winning.


    Marquis Zhenjiang himself led his most elite troops. This time, no longer having the need to disguise themselves as travelers, they all started closing in on the Capital city¡¯s gate. The assistant who had contacted Xue Yu previously opened the gate, allowing them to enter as promised.


    But as soon as he passed the gate, Xue Yu felt something was not right. Even if there was an internal strife in the capital city, it shouldn¡¯t be this desolate; there was no one on the street at all.


    By the time Xue Yu realized, his entire army had already passed the city gate. He hastily ordered retreat, but then he saw that he was too late. Xue Houyang himself entered, leading his own soldiers to surround Xue Yu¡¯s soldiers inside the city. Meanwhile, Teng Shang was leading the other half of the soldiers to barricade the city wall from outside.


    Xue Yu¡¯s soldiers were insufficient compared to Xue Houyang¡¯s. They didn¡¯t even have the chance to raise their swords before they were captured.


    Xue Houyang ordered his soldiers to try not to kill anyone. After all, this was the Imperial City; if there were corpses laying about everywhere, the commoners would panic. He announced whoever captured one rebel soldier alive would be rewarded one liang of silvers, whoever captured the rebel army¡¯s leaders would be rewarded with gold, possibly even be promoted into nobility.


    Xue Houyang¡¯s soldiers naturally were all more than glad to capture the rebel army alive.


    The situation could be described as beating an already cornered dog. The rebel soldiers panicked, and quickly realized they could keep their heads on their shoulders as long as they surrendered. In the end, most of the rebel army threw away their weapons.


    Xue Yu was deeply favored by the previous Emperor Xue, naturally he was well versed in literature and military knowledge. Unfortunately, despite his skills, he could not beat one hundred people all at once, nor could he spread wings and fly away. The soldiers, who were already imagining the rewards they could get, would not miss this golden chance. Soon, Xue Yu was captured and tied securely with ropes.


    Xue Yu was a proud man. He never imagined he would have to swallow a defeat this bitter. At this time, he recalled Lang Jing¡¯s words in the letter and realized what he meant. Turned out, Lang Jing was not mocking him, instead was warning him.


    Marquis Zhenjiang was still Xue Houyang¡¯s brother. Added with Xue Houyang¡¯s kindhearted nature, it was hard for him to see Xue Yu like this. Xue Houyang immediately ordered his soldiers to strip down Xue Yu¡¯s armor and weapons. For the time being, Xue Yu would be locked inside Marquis Zhenjiang¡¯s residence in the Capital city and guarded heavily. No one was allowed to enter the residence without Xue Houyang¡¯s personal permission and official seal.


    Two guards escorted Xue Yu. Just when they were about to enter Marquis Zhenjiang¡¯s residence, a soldier was rushing over on a horse. The soldier seemed to be beside himself with distress. Right in front of Xue Houyang, the soldiers jumped down from his horse and knelt on the ground, shouting, ¡°Lord Marquis, something bad happened! The Palace is in flames!¡±


    Xue Houyang¡¯s heart dropped to the ground and he turned to glare at Xue Yu.


    Xue Yu also stilled. He realized this must be the alternative move Lang Jing had created for him before leaving.


    Xue Yu wanted to laugh, mocking at how stupid Xue Houyang was for focusing solely on him and forgetting to watch over Xue Houyang¡¯s own family. But somehow his laugh could not come out. Recalling Lang Jing¡¯s words only left his heart bereft.


    Xue Houyang understood this must be part of Xue Yu¡¯s trick. He ordered people to carefully watch over Xue Yu and not to make any mistake whatsoever. Teng Shang knew Xue Houyang was still doubtful about leaving Xue Yu unsupervised, so he volunteered to personally guard Xue Yu. Xue Houyang then led his soldiers to the Imperial Palace.


    Inside the Palace, the Imperial Guards were all struggling to fight the fire. The fire was huge. This fire didn¡¯t seem like someone being careless and forgetting to douse a small fire. Xue Houyang grabbed a guard to inquire about the current situation.


    The guard was so anxious to put the fire out he didn¡¯t even recognize Marquis Wannian. He said, ¡°Yunfeng Palace ran out of water.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After putting Shen Yi¡¯s plan into effect, sure enough, Xue Junliang¡¯s journey to the south was smooth and trouble-free. They arrived at the same place Teng Zhengxuan had come down to help the commoner affected by disease. In this place, people had built a temple where they could worship and burn incense for Teng Zhengxuan.


    Refugees had all flocked down here as they had no other place to go or to live. They took shelter from the rain and wind in the temple. The unbelievable thing was, no matter how many refugees came here, no one was barging in and cutting the line of people waiting their turn to burn incense. This scene moved Xue Junliang very much.


    Emperor Xue ordered people to open a kitchen right in front of the temple and give out food for the refugees. Emperor Xue wanted Teng Zhengxuan to see that other than himself, there was someone else who cared and was willing to help the people to this extent.


    After the people had some food, they were provided a temporary place to stay. There was so much rain in the south, and this temporary place would protect them from rain and wind. The refugees were grateful and they all knelt on the ground to thank Emperor Xue.


    At this time, many of the refugees passed down praises that Emperor Xue was like Teng Zhengxuan¡¯s reincarnation himself, that he was like a saint descended at the temple. The refugees who heard the news all rushed to the temple and grabbed some food. In only a few days, the number of refugees grew. Among them, there were many strong and able young men who were more than happy to enlist into the military.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t expect this trip would bring so many pleasant surprises. He recalled that day, if the Empress didn¡¯t convince him to help the refugees, he reckoned he might never get to see the surprises he saw today. Also, this trip had taught Xue Junliang many lessons that he was grateful for. He went into the temple and, in front of Teng Zhengxuan¡¯s shrine, he cupped both his hands in salutations.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t knelt, instead just saluted Teng Zhengxuan, but it was clear how respectful he was to the late King Teng.


    Xue Junliang thought about something to say to Teng Zhengxuan, but right at this time, Shen Yi came in with distress written all over his face.


    Shen Yi was proud and arrogant, some might even say he was overconfident. It was rare to see Shen Yi put on such an expression.


    Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°Why is the High Mentor looking like this? Could it be that you¡¯re afraid of the refugees?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Shen Yi took a deep breath and knelt on the ground, ¡°Her Majesty the Empress¡­ has passed away.¡±

 CH 46

    Edited by Zaki


    ~~~~


    Xue Junliang¡¯s smile froze on his face as he helped up Shen Yi from the ground and said, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Shen Yi gritted his teeth and said with great difficulty, ¡°Your Majesty, my condolences.¡±


    The veins on Xue Junliang¡¯s hands almost popped up with the force of his restraint. Suddenly he pushed Shen Yi away and swept away the things on the table in his anger.


    Plates and bowls of offerings all fell to the floor and broke to pieces, making a lot of noise. People from outside looked in but did not dare to come inside.


    Xue Junliang laughed coldly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you a wise and brilliant adviser? The Empress convinced me to come here and save your people, yet you can¡¯t even protect and bless her?¡±


    Shen Yi knelt on the ground and watched Xue Junliang speak to the memorial tablet. He couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°Your Majesty ¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang did not let him finish his sentence: ¡°How did the Empress pass away? Is it Xue Yu?¡±


    Shen Yi lowered his gaze and didn¡¯t immediately answer. Any person with a discerning eye could easily see that Xue Yu was indeed behind this incident. But right now, Emperor Xue was consumed with rage. Shen Yi was afraid if he answered carelessly, Emperor Xue might order Xue Yu to be killed in his fit of rage.


    In the eyes of commoners, Emperor Xue and Xue Yu were brothers and it was an outrageous thing for brothers to point blades at each other.  Even if Xue Junliang was truly justified in this case, he would lose people¡¯s respect due to it.


    Xue Junliang noted Shen Yi¡¯s intention and his heart had a clear understanding. He didn¡¯t say anything more. He went straight out of the small temple, leaving only the phrase ¡°Back to the Palace¡±.


    ¡ª-


    Teng Yun could only vaguely hear Xiu Yao¡¯s panicked screams, but his head was so heavy that he couldn¡¯t think about anything at all. He was drowsy and just wanted to sleep.


    He felt as if there was something burning around him, and his breathing became difficult, and finally he could only fall into darkness.


    When he was aware again, he felt all of his internal organs were hurting. Pain radiated from every inch of his skin and he couldn¡¯t even move one single finger.


    Teng Yun struggled to open his eyes slowly, his face was hot and painful. His head felt as if it was being hit by a hammer repeatedly. He realized he was hung up and tied, and both arms seemed to be dislocated.


    Just as he succeeded in opening his eyes, he heard a swish of the lashing whip with a ¡®pop¡¯ sound. The whip struck his face and Teng Yun¡¯s face was so hot and painful that he could barely open his eyes.


    For a moment, Teng Yun wondered if he had a long dream, a ridiculous dream in which he¡¯d turned into someone¡¯s Empress. As an Empress, he¡¯d helped someone defeat his enemies. And when Teng Yun woke up from the dream, someone was wielding a whip, just like those days when he was in captivity and tortured mercilessly.


    His body was already skinned and split, without an inch of intact skin.


    A prison guard was whipping Teng Yun, and the other one, who looked like the leader, was sitting on the side drinking and watching the show. One of the prison guards said: ¡°Beat him hard, but don¡¯t knock him out again. Our superiors instructed us to beat him halfway to death, and then allow him a minute of rest. He should not be allowed to die easily.  If he dies easily, we will be buried with him!¡±


    Another prison guard said, ¡°What grave crime has this fellow committed?¡±


    The previous prison guard who spoke first laughed, ¡°You haven¡¯t heard? Such a big thing happened and yet you didn¡¯t know? He had murdered Her Majesty the Empress, set fire to Yunfeng Palace and almost burned the entire Imperial Palace. I heard a palace servant say that at her last moment, the Empress¡¯ end was quite miserable. The Emperor is very angry.¡±


    When Teng Yun heard the conversation, he instantly opened his eyes wide and tried to move. The prison guard mistook it as if he was trying to escape, so he whipped Teng Yun again a few times.


    ¡°This kind of crime deserves a beheading! A low-level guard like him? Impossible! Are you sure there was no mastermind behind him?¡±


    The first prison guard mysteriously said, ¡°I know, right? This Teng Ying is just a moron. He was just someone else¡¯s pawn. I heard the mastermind behind the murder was actually Teng-fei! Teng-fei was jealous that the Empress received a lot of favour from the Emperor. Just because of jealousy she conspired to burn a person alive, tsk! The women in the Palace really can do anything!¡±


    ¡°This is outrageous!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is. His Majesty is extremely angry. He has ordered both Teng-fei and Marquis Tengnan to be arrested and confined.¡±


    As Teng Yun listened, he didn¡¯t know what he felt in his heart. Apparently that ridiculous dream was not a dream after all. He had been burned alive inside Yunfeng Palace, and was once again plotted against by his own close relatives. This time it was Teng Ying who started the fire that killed him.


    The prison guard were chatting happily, they had been ordered not to kill the prisoner but to leave the prisoner just barely alive.


    ¡ª¨C


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    Teng Qianyi didn¡¯t even realize she had been deliberately tricked by Lang Jing from the beginning and used as a pawn in Xue Yu¡¯s schemes.


    When Xue Junliang arrived at the Palace, he threw Teng Qianyi into the Cold Palace. He then ordered Xue Houyang to capture Marquis Tengnan and bring him to the capital to be imprisoned, but after all this was done his mood still could not calm down.


    Xue Junliang was clever. He could put two and two together and concluded Xue Yu and Marquis Tengnan had colluded together. If not for Xue Yu¡¯s rebellion, the Empress would not have died.


    The court officials all pleaded with Emperor Xue. The previous Emperor had decreed that his descendants should not kill each other.


    Xue Yu was captured and was already disgraced. He didn¡¯t care more. Anyway, there was nothing more terrible than death. He even asked someone to send a message to Xue Junliang, saying that he was waiting for the Emperor to kill himself. He wanted to see Emperor Xue¡¯s deadly skills with his own eyes.


    Xue Houyang thought to persuade Xue Junliang, but Xue Junliang refused an audience. Xue Houyang helplessly asked Teng Shang¡¯s advice.


    However, Teng Shang¡¯s mood was not so good. Xue Houyang thought it might be because Marquis Tengnan was arrested. He tried to comfort Teng Shang, ¡°Marquis Tengnan is still a marquis. If he says he is completely ignorant of this matter, he might only receive light punishment. Teng-fei, on the other hand¡­¡±


    After hearing this, Teng Shang sneered and said, ¡°I once thought that I would be loyal to King Teng all my life to repay the grace of the former Emperor. It¡¯s a pity¡­ Unfortunately, the Heavens allowed me to do something unfaithful and unjust.¡±


    His eyes were actually a little red. Teng Shang always had a strong nature, and would not easily show feelings and thoughts, but today, Teng Shang seemed to have a hard time controlling his emotions.


    On that day, he escorted Xue Yu to the mansion, and then entered the palace. He never imagined that it was the Yunfeng palace that had caught fire. The fire had been extinguished.  The maidservant who had always been beside the Empress, Xiu Yao was kneeling on the ground amongst Yunfeng Palace¡¯s ruins, bawling her eyes out until she almost fainted.


    Teng Shang¡¯s heart was cold in dread. Later, Xue Houyang sent someone to bring an urgent message to Emperor Xue that the Empress had passed away.


    King Teng¡¯s conduct over the years had left Teng Shang¡¯s feeling bitter and cold. The only reason he was still striving to be loyal to Teng Country was because Teng Zhengxuan had adopted him when he was at his lowest and had taught him to be a good man.


    Teng Shang wanted to repay Teng Zhengxuan by being loyal to Teng Country, but Teng Shang had only been rewarded with oppression and mistreatment. Teng Yun¡¯s unexpected return was Teng Shang¡¯s last consolation.


    But now, Teng Yun was dead; burned to death inside the Yunfeng Palace. Teng Shang felt like his whole world was crumbling; the despair almost annihilating him.


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t know what had he said that made Teng Shang answer like that. Teng Shang took a deep breath and tried to rein in his feelings. He said to Xue Houyang, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannot help Lord Marquis in this. If you ask this Teng, I¡¯ll only think of ways of letting Emperor Xue kill Xue Yu.¡±


    Xue Houyang froze, then understood, it turned out that the news of the Empress¡¯s death had given him such a big blow, Xue Houyang although simple-minded, but more or less saw that something was wrong.


    Even if the Empress had vast knowledge in military theories and strategies, and could often discuss these things with Teng Shang, the two people¡¯s identities were too different and they weren¡¯t even from the same country. But their familiarity with each other indicated that they knew each other. Emperor Xue suspected this and naturally Xue Houyang had his own suspicions.


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t know how to comfort Teng Shang. In the end he suggested Teng Shang have some rest and then he himself went into the Palace to counsel the Emperor.


    ¡ª¡ª


    Xue Junliang sat alone in the warm pavilion of the study room. He¡¯d sent Jiang Yu and the other attendants out. His gaze was fixed at the country¡¯s defense map spread out at the wall in front of him. He recalled that the Empress had used this map to point out strategies about sending troops and transporting army provisions.


    Today, Yunfeng Palace has become a ruin¡­


    Xue Junliang swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. He leaned back and rested his head against the back of his chair.  He did not expect that he would be so hung up, so attached, so sad about any one person in his life.


    The person he cared about was dead, but he, as the sovereign, could not punish the one who caused the death. He couldn¡¯t kill the culprit. He couldn¡¯t even touch Xue Yu, nor sentence a severe punishment for Xue Yu. If he did, his people would condemn him as a tyrannical ruler¡­¡­.


    Xue Junliang stood and slowly walked over to the map. With his hand, he gently traced the transportation route which passed deep into a remote and difficult terrain. Smiling to himself, he said, ¡°These few days when I was in Teng, I have heard and seen many things. They were all exactly as you described to me. You sure were very capable; you knew things about a place miles away from the Palace.¡±


    Xue Junliang sighed tersely, the hand tracing the map was slightly trembling. He chuckled, ¡°You actually went away like this, you sure were resourceful, leaving me so many mysteries ¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu stood outside the study room. It was way past the time for a meal, but Jiang Yu didn¡¯t dare to bother the Emperor. He could only stand outside the warm pavilion, and from time to time he would sigh deeply.


    When Xue Houyang came, Jiang Yu said, ¡°Lord Marquis, maybe it would be better if you come again some other day. His Majesty¡­ His Majesty is grieving and not in the right mood to hear any counsel.¡±


    Jiang Yu hoarsely added, ¡°Lord Marquis, you must have already seen¡­ How His Majesty felt towards the Empress¡­ though His Majesty doesn¡¯t say anything, but this old servant knows¡­ This servant knows His Majesty¡¯s heart is very sad.¡±


    Xue Houyang was aware of this, but he couldn¡¯t bear seeing His Majesty like this. Xue Houyang was about to leave when they heard Xue Junliang calling Jiang Yu in.


    Jiang Yu soon came out. When Xue Houyang asked, it turned out that His Majesty wanted to personally interrogate Teng Ying himself.


    ¡ª¨C


    Xue Country¡¯s Empress had passed away. This matter, naturally, could not be concealed from Feng Country. Moreover, the Empress didn¡¯t die of illness; instead she was murdered by Xue Country¡¯s imperial consort, Teng-fei.


    How could Feng Ming pass up such an excellent opportunity, but some officials reasoned that,  because Xue Junliang only recently annexed Teng Country, fighting against Xue Country would be akin to fighting against two countries at the same time.


    Lu Shichen said, ¡°This lowly subject thinks there is no better time to move troops than this. Although Emperor Xue had claimed Teng Country, the two countries had been at war for so many years. Naturally, the military and the civilian¡¯s hearts were divided. It would be impossible for Emperor Xue to forcefully mobilize Teng Country¡¯s army so soon. Moreover, Xue Country¡¯s capital city had only recently endured a rebellion. Its foundation must have suffered damages. This is truly a great opportunity¡­ just¡­¡±


    Feng Ming thought Lu Shichen¡¯s reasons made sense. When going to war, it was essential that all the country¡¯s citizens had one same heart and goal. As long as the country had the same determination, it wasn¡¯t impossible said country could withstand a great deal of attack. On the contrary, when the soldiers¡¯ hearts were divided, it didn¡¯t matter even if there were a great number of soldiers. They would only be like a sheet of loose sands; unable to cooperate and act as one.


    However, when Feng Ming realized Lu Shichen still had some doubts, he said, ¡°Minister Lu, please directly say what you want to say.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ A war consumes a great deal of manpower and resources. Whether we will acquire victory or defeat, the ones who suffer hardships and torments the most were the commoner. Ming River hasn¡¯t yet recovered from the flood. If His Majesty sends troops right now, I¡¯m afraid it will cause complaints.¡±


    Feng Ming pondered over it. Zhao Lu was standing at the front line of the court, but he was silent from the beginning. Feng Ming called him and asked his opinion.


    Zhao Lu just said, ¡°I will follow the King¡¯s decisions.¡±


    Feng Ming hadn¡¯t made a decision by the time he dismissed the court assembly. Mobilizing troops wasn¡¯t a matter that could be decided in one day; it had to be considered again and again.


    After the court, Feng Ming ordered Rui Xue to stop Zhao Lu. Rui Xue laughed as she said, ¡°Master, His Majesty is looking for you. He¡¯s complaining that you haven¡¯t come to see him for several days.¡±


    Zhao Lu glanced at Rui Xue. He didn¡¯t smile, only said, ¡°Do you know that Emperor Xue has annexed Teng Country and King Teng has subordinated under the Emperor?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do. This servant also knows that King Teng is now in prison.¡±


    Zhao Lu said, ¡°Then you also know that now that Teng Country is gone , there is only Feng and Xue Countries¡¯ confrontation left.¡±


    Rui Xue stilled and was silent for a long time. Then she muttered, ¡°But¡­ This¡­¡±


    Zhao Lu sighed and said, ¡°After so many years, the time is already so near.¡±


    Marquis Zhulu left Rui Xue, who was standing still in shock, and went to Feng Ming¡¯s residence.


    Feng Ming was wearing apricot-colored robes. He didn¡¯t look as glamorous as he did before, but his attire accentuated his masculine charm more and more.


    Since returning from the Ming River, Feng Ming and Zhao Lu¡¯s relationship had grown closer and deeper. Zhao Lu would often stay the night at Feng Ming¡¯s residence. The court officials who originally thought Marquis Zhulu had fallen out of favor, turned around like a weathercock and began to flock around the Marquis once again to curry his favor.


    Since Xue Junliang conquered Teng Country, Zhao Lu had been preoccupied with worries. As a result, he spent less and less time at King Feng¡¯s residence. Now with Teng out of the way, there were Xue and Feng left. It was only a matter of time before the two countries clashed.


    Feng Ming used to wear women¡¯s clothing in order to please Zhao Lu, and now he¡¯d decided he didn¡¯t want to do that anymore just for Zhao Lu. But unexpectedly, Zhao Lu¡¯s attitude towards Feng Ming changed. Zhao Lu treated Feng Ming very nicely, it was the complete opposite of how he used to be before. Maybe it was because they suffered hardship together during the Ming River incident.


    But Feng Ming didn¡¯t know that this wasn¡¯t going to last forever.


    Because Zhao Lu hadn¡¯t been visiting Feng Ming in the Palace for several days, Zhao Lu¡¯s abnormalities were not noticed. Zhao Lu stayed in the Palace that night


    Feng Ming smiled and said to him, ¡°If we attack Xue, who do you think is the best person to send?¡±


    Zhao Lu did not expect the other party would mention this. He was also most afraid to mention this. He pondered for a while and said: ¡°At this moment, I can not think of who would be competent for this task.¡±


    Feng Ming nodded and said, ¡°The people I trust the most around me, are you and Minister Lu. Minister Lu is like my mentor, and you¡­¡±


    Feng Ming paused. Then he raised his head and gently rubbed Zhao Lu¡¯s earlobe with his lips. Smiling, he said, ¡°Naturally, I always trust your judgment, so I¡¯m thinking of sending you.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhao Lu closed his eyes and his hold on Feng Ming¡¯s waist tightened more fiercely. The more Feng Ming trusted him, the more Zhao Lu¡¯s heart felt uncomfortable.


    Feng Ming opened his lips to add something but then Zhao Lu turned him over and pressed him onto the bed. Pressing Feng Ming¡¯s body with his, Zhao Lu lowered his head and kissed Feng Ming¡¯s lips. From there, Zhao Lu traced kisses on Feng Ming¡¯s neck and all the way down. Every kiss was demanding and frenzied and devout, as if Zhao Lu had gone mad.


    They had just finished one round. These past few days, Feng Ming was exhausted due to considering the matters about Xue Country. Therefore, when Zhao Lu coaxed him for a second round more fiercely than the previous, Feng Ming immediately passed out and fell asleep.


    Zhao Lu embraced the sleeping Feng Ming, covered him with the quilt, buried his face into the crook of his shoulder. He sighed lightly and said in his heart: ¡°You trust me now, I do not know how much you will hate me later, just like I hated you back then.¡±


    Zhao Lu knew that if he was sent to lead troops, he would cross the border and never return to Feng Country.


    ¡ª¨C


    Teng Yun was beaten until he passed out again, and the prison guard concluded that though this prisoner was an Imperial Guard, he was just an empty frame.


    It was true that Teng Ying didn¡¯t have any skill. He knew nothing about and never practiced martial arts. Physically, he was weak. Also, since he was captured, he did not have any meals.  Therefore, naturally his body could not endure being beaten like this.


    The prison guard was going to use water to wake the fainted Teng Ying. At this time, someone came and said Emperor Xue wanted to personally interrogate the prisoner, and took Teng Ying away who was still unconscious. Since the prisoner was unconscious it was good, they could drag him away without struggle.


    Xue Junliang looked down at the paralyzed person on the ground. The man¡¯s whole body was covered in cuts and bruises Xue Junliang almost could not recognize him. When he first met Teng Ying, Xue Junliang noted this man was handsome and had an unrestrained elegance; he was also well-mannered. But now, Xue Junliang only felt disappointment and anger when he saw this person.


    Xue Junliang, ignored the blood dripping on the floor of the warm pavilion of the study room. He walked over with his hands behind his back, lightly kicked the man¡¯s face.


    Teng Yun felt cold all over. Saliva choked his mouth and nose. He came back to consciousness violently. When he tried to blink his eyes open, he saw Xue Junliang looking down with cold indifference.


    Jiang Yu ordered the guards to bring water to douse the prisoner awake, and could only shake his head.


    Teng Yun¡¯s face was covered in blood. When he was doused with water, he immediately lost the little bit of vision he had regained. He had no more strength to open his eyes; could only drop his head on the floor and gasp for air.


    Xue Junliang let out a laugh, his voice without a trace of emotion, said: ¡°Are you not very powerful? With someone backing you up, you even plotted to kill the Empress. You have a lot of guts. Do you think you have suffered? Don¡¯t worry, this is just the beginning. This Seat will not let you die so easily, I have ways to let you know that begging for death is also an extravagant hope ¡­¡­¡±


    As he said that, Xue Junliang suddenly recalled that day of the Ancestor Worship Ceremony. The Empress had tried to assassinate him and he had said these exact same words to her. At that time, he said it because he knew he could not kill the Empress. But then, he started trusting the Empress deeply. And now she was truly dead, but he was grieving her death and still could not let her go.


    Teng Yun¡¯s eyes also opened at this sentence. He tried to say something, but his throat felt so raw and painful and he had lost his voice. He could not form a complete sentence; only a low and short laugh.


    Teng Yun thought maybe it was because he¡¯d killed too many people in his previous lifetime that Heavens had to cast him into a game like this.


    Xue Junliang saw the man¡¯s smile and he frowned. He was about to lash out in anger when Jiang Yu came in to report, ¡°Your Majesty, Marquis Wannian requests an audience, says there is a report from the border station.¡±


    Only then did Xue Junliang walk back and sit down, and did not let anyone drag Teng Yun out, but only instructed Jiang Yu to summon Xue Houyang in.


    As soon as Xue Houyang came in, he smelled a strong odor of blood. Someone was lying paralyzed on the floor to the side and Emperor Xue was sitting on his chair; completely unaffected by the situation.


    Xue Houyang just frowned and wordlessly handed the report to Jiang Yu, who presented it to Xue Junliang with respectful hands.


    The report explained that there seemed to be a growing activity around Xue and Feng Countries¡¯ borders. King Feng had intensified the military recruitment and training; his intention could not be more obvious.


    Xue Junliang was so infuriated. He fiercely threw the report to the floor and snorted coldly, ¡°Apparently, King Feng has become too overconfident. Teng Country¡¯s military troops are already in this Seat¡¯s hands. Did King Feng want to strike a stone with eggs?¡±


    Xue Houyang wanted to remind Xue Junliang that this was not the best time to utilize Teng Country¡¯s troops. Teng Country¡¯s soldiers might still be loyal to Teng and had not completely surrendered to Xue. Moreover, at this time, Xue Junliang had arrested and put Marquis Tengnan in prison. The people of Teng must be quite frightened; afraid a disaster was going to befall them as well.


    When the people¡¯s hearts were still unstable like this, it was not wise to send troops.


    However, Xue Houyang also knew Xue Junliang was not in the right state of mind to listen to anyone.  He was thinking of a way to offer his opinion when he heard a hoarse laughter. The laughter was as rough as a dry tree bark but it wasn¡¯t difficult to hear the contempt in it.


    Xue Junliang angrily walked over to the prisoner and said, ¡°A prisoner trodden so low on the ground is still in the position to laugh so freely. This Seat really admires you.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s throat was raw. He opened and closed his mouth several times before he could barely make a sound, ¡°I¡¯m laughing at you¡­ So muddleheaded¡­ and incompetent, yet you dare to say someone is striking a stone with egg¡­ So overconfident!¡±

 CH 47

    Xue Junliang stared down at the prisoner on the ground and laughed cruelly, ¡°Oh? This Seat is overconfident? You have the ability to say this Seat is overconfident? You must think you¡¯re so modest. You are just a ridiculous, lowly guard.¡±


    Teng Yun laughed again, closed his eyes and simply didn¡¯t look at Xue Junliang. His expression seemed to be very disdainful, as if Xue Junliang wasn¡¯t worth looking at.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°What? Do you regret something?¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t open his eyes, but said weakly, ¡°To die in the hands of a self opinionated Emperor like you.. of course I¡¯m feeling regret.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Xue Junliang sneered, ¡°In this whole world, who else can be like me? Me who, presently, is merely one step away from grasping the entire world!¡±


    ¡°But this one step¡­¡± Teng Yun laughed but was cut short as he suddenly coughed out a mouthful of blood, ¡°Unfortunately, if you take this one step¡­ You¡¯ll ruin all of your reputation! Xue Junliang, think about it, if Marquis Tengnan leads a rebellion from inside the prison¡­ Instead of grasping the entire world, at that time, you¡¯ll be surrounded and be attacked by enemies left and right. By then, will you be able to protect your land? Will you be able to protect the soldiers and the people who respect you and are willing to risk their lives for you?¡±


    Teng Yun finished and both hands clutched his chest as he gasped for breath. Blood was spilling freely from the corners of his mouth; almost like a small dike, soaking into the study room¡¯s wool rug.


    Xue Junliang was stunned for a moment. He never thought that someone like Teng Ying could say such things. But he was quick to shake away his surprise and said contemptuously, ¡°Anyone can talk big. You¡¯re just saying this only to make me withdraw my soldiers. If you still dare make insults like this, apparently I haven¡¯t tortured you enough!¡±


    Teng Yun felt more blood rise to his throat and he could only struggle to suppress it. His eyes lost focus and his sight had started to dim as he said, ¡°You are not Teng Zhengxuan¡­ You weren¡¯t born in his era. You can only bow your head down to him¡­¡±


    By this point, Teng Yun¡¯s breath had gone so weak. Xue Junliang could vaguely hear a faint whisper, ¡°I have never been afraid of you¡­¡±


    Somewhere in the end of the prisoner¡¯s sentence, Xue Junliang thought he heard the word ¡®arrows¡¯ but he didn¡¯t put much thought into it, because when the prisoner mentioned Teng Zhengxuan¡¯s name, his heart felt like it was crushed under a heavy stone.


    Firstly, it reminded him of that time when the late Empress told him a lot of stories about Teng Zhengxuan. Secondly, this name was like a reminder that brought to Xue Junliang¡¯s mind the strategies he could do to defeat the oncoming threats.


    Xue Junliang looked down and saw the prisoner had fainted. He turned to Jiang Yu and slowly said, ¡°Call the Imperial physician. If this prisoner died, the entire Imperial hospital would have to pay for his life.¡±


    Xue Junliang¡¯s tone made Jiang Yu tremble with fear. Since Emperor Xue started favoring the Empress, he had never spoken with such a tone. In fact, Emperor Xue¡¯s mannerism had become somewhat warm and humane.


    But now, it seemed like Emperor Xue had gone back to how he used to be: an Emperor who was tyrannical, guarded and full of suspicions. Those characteristics were too commonly found in Kings and Emperors, and Jiang Yu was once again reminded that Emperor Xue, unfortunately, was not exempted.


    Jiang Yu rushed to the Imperial hospital without delay, leaving Xue Houyang hesitating at the study room alone. In the end, Xue Houyang called a few palace servants to quickly carry the unconscious prisoner away.


    Teng Ying was only a lowly prisoner; one who would soon be executed. Naturally, it was impossible for him to stay in a King¡¯s residence. Even though Emperor Xue insisted he was to be treated by the Imperial physician, Emperor Xue would not tolerate nor pity him. Therefore, Xue Houyang ordered people to take the prisoner back to the prison.


    Jiang Yu led the Imperial physicians to the prison to examine the prisoner.


    It became clear that Teng Yun¡¯s injuries were quite severe. If it was just skin injuries and open wounds, then it was easily treatable. But in addition to those, Teng Yun also had unseen internal injuries. The prison guards weren¡¯t aware of these internal injuries, they could only see that the prisoner was leaking blood from all over his body.


    The Imperial physicians, of course, knew this person was only a prisoner. Jiang Yu only ordered them not to let him die, which in another word, was enough as long as the prisoner was breathing. The Imperial physicians only treated the prisoner¡¯s internal injuries and didn¡¯t even attempt to check the external ones.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Teng Yun felt cold. He knew he must be suffering from a fever. After marching and fighting wars for so many years, he naturally knew the consequences of many untreated injuries and wounds. But because he was now a prisoner, Teng Yun could only endure it all silently.


    Teng Yun closed his eyes and rested his head against the prison¡¯s damp wall. Before long, he fell asleep. He dreamed that he was back to a few years ago, when he was still fighting with Xue Houyang. He vaguely knew it was only a dream, but he could not extricate himself from it.


    Everywhere he saw, there were the dead bodies and ruins of cities¡­


    Teng Yun had a hard time drawing breaths and his lower back was in pain. He was wriggling like a caught fish, struggling to get away from the thing causing him pain, then he finally woke up from his dream.


    Apparently, the one causing him pain was the prison guard kicking him and shouting, ¡°Quit pretending to be dead! Wake up!¡±


    Teng Yun laboriously opened his eyes, barely sighing in relief to be free of the bad dreams. His whole body was aching and drained of strength. He was leaning against the corner of the prison. If it wasn¡¯t for the wall supporting him, Teng Yun was sure he would be lying paralyzed on the ground at this time.


    The prison guard wanted to kick him again, but a voice told him to stop. The voice was very familiar, and Teng Yun couldn¡¯t stop himself looking up to see the voice¡¯s owner. A few steps from him, a man stood. It was Xue Houyang.


    Xue Houyang frowned with displeasure at the blood on the ground, but he also felt that the prisoner brought this to himself. He turned to the prison guard, ¡°Can he speak?¡±


    Ktf qglrbc uejgv cbvvfv jcv ybkfv ja atf rjwf alwf, ¡°Yo mbegrf, bo mbegrf. Ktf Pwqfglji qtsrlmljc tjv pera mbwf jcv fzjwlcfv tlw. Lf¡¯r jr ilnfis jr j vgjubc jcv jr ragbcu jr j alufg. Lf¡¯r pera bqfcfv tlr fsfr, rb wjsyf tf kjrc¡¯a oeiis jkjxf sfa.¡±


    Teng Yun sneered inwardly. How more awake should he be so people could deem he was awake enough?


    Xue Houyang turned to look at the prisoner, wondering what sort of person this former palace guard was. He had talked so rudely to Emperor Xue, however, Emperor Xue still didn¡¯t kill him and instead ordered the Imperial physician to examine him.


    Teng Yun opened his mouth, barely had enough strength to whisper weakly, ¡°Marquis Wannian, why do you still think so highly of Emperor Xue when he is so full of himself?¡±


    Because Teng Yun was so weak, his voice was no louder than a whisper. Xue Houyang could not hear Teng Yun clearly so he asked the prison guard to repeat what the prisoner had said. The prison guard was closer to Teng Yun, he clearly heard what Teng Yun had said but pretended he didn¡¯t, fearing that repeating Teng Yun¡¯s words would get his head cut off.


    Seeing this scene only made Teng Yun laugh.


    Xue Houyang noticed the prisoner laughing to himself and deduced that if he could still laugh, it meant he would not die any time soon. Xue Houyang turned back to the prison guard, ¡°Call the Imperial physician again to check him properly. If you neglect it, you¡¯ll regret it.¡±


    The prison guard readily promised he would do as ordered. Still bowing and nodding, he sent Marquis Wannian out. After some time, he came back inside the prison and snorted coldly, ¡°What bullshit! What does it matter if you die now or later? Who do you think you are for me to bother keeping you alive!¡±


    Teng Yun closed his eyes again. This wasn¡¯t the first time he was treated this way, he was used to it. When his whole army was defeated and captured, Teng Yun was also treated like this. The only difference was, at that time, he was shot with an arrow. If this time he was to be shot with an arrow again¡­


    Inside the prison, it was hard to differentiate between day and night. Teng Yun didn¡¯t know how long or how many days had passed when suddenly the prison guard forced a glass of water into Teng Yun, saying Emperor Xue was going to interrogate Teng Yun himself.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Teng Yun still had no strength to walk. He was dragged to a room and pushed to the ground.


    Xue Junliang stood with his back to him, a few steps away. Teng Yun knew Xue Junliang was aware that he was here, but the man didn¡¯t turn around to look at him, instead saying, ¡°Did the life in prison suit your taste?¡±


    Teng Yun smiled and said, ¡°I have tasted a life more bitter than this¡­ How can I be afraid of this?¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°You still have a backbone, and dare to talk back to this Seat.¡±


    ¡°Because I know there¡¯s no reason to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Good for you!¡± Xue Junliang turned and said, ¡°You said there¡¯s no reason to kill you? You think this Seat doesn¡¯t want to skin you alive, doesn¡¯t want to rip off your meat and bones? This Seat cannot wait to cut you to pieces, but maybe that kind of death would be too light for you.¡±


    Teng Yun wasn¡¯t afraid by the threat at all and said, ¡°You haven¡¯t killed me, isn¡¯t it because you want to hear me say the plan on how to break the enemy forces?¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Xue Junliang stared at the prisoner. Although his body was weak and thin, the prisoner looked right back at Xue Junliang without fear.


    ¡°Do you think this Seat would listen to a fool who was so stupid as to burn Yunfeng Palace to the ground?¡±


    Teng Yun laughed, knowing it was useless protesting against the accusation. He said, ¡°Emperor Xue wants to grasp the entire world, but to tell you the truth, considering the current situation, it¡¯s too ambitious for you to want to do that. At this moment, King Feng is watching for any slight disagreement between Xue Country people and would seize the opportunity to launch a large-scale attack. I am very sure you can¡¯t win this battle.¡±


    Xue Junliang sneered, ¡°Then do you know ways that will ensure this Seat to win? If you have a way, let alone sparing you death penalty, this Seat can grant you wealth and noble titles.¡±


    Teng Yun laughed over the offers.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°You don¡¯t believe it?¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°I laughed, not because I don¡¯t believe you. I was laughing at your cold-heartedness. I¡¯ve heard rumors that Emperor Xue deeply mourned the Empress¡¯ death. But it turns out, the Empress¡¯ life was no more important than seizing the whole world.¡±


    Xue Junliang glared at Teng Yun when he heard his speech. He angrily swept all the things on the table, throwing them all on the ground. The small incense burner slammed on the ground, its lid bounced off and hit Teng Yun on the chest.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s fist was shaking but his tone was flat as he said, ¡°You¡¯re so smart. Everybody in this whole world is so smart. I am indeed very cold-hearted and indifferent. It was only a single woman that died, I still have thousands of other women in my Palace¡­¡±


    For the first time since meeting him, Teng Yun couldn¡¯t look Xue Junliang in the eyes properly. At this moment, Teng Yun looked away as a strange feeling filled his heart. Why did Xue Junliang suddenly get angry? And why didn¡¯t he feel good in his heart? He could not understand, and didn¡¯t dare explore what the feeling was. Just the thought of it, his heart was like a twisted wet cloth which left him uncomfortable.


    Teng Yun tried to shift the topic, ¡°I don¡¯t care about wealth and noble titles. If I succeed in solving Emperor Xue¡¯s current problem, I will only ask permission to leave the Palace.¡±


    Xue Junliang stood straighter, shifting back into his usual demeanor, and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you so sure of yourself?¡±


    ¡°If I fail, then you will have a new reason to hate me and you can do whatever you want as revenge. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed, as if he liked the idea of having a new reason to hate this prisoner. His laugh, however, sounded quite strange.


    ¡°Fine, this Seat will take advantage of your offer and do just as you¡¯ve said. Let¡¯s see how much you¡¯ll suffer before you can die.¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°At present, King Feng is planning to send his soldiers, it¡¯s not impossible he will launch a sneak attack tomorrow. Therefore, this lowly servant requests Your Majesty to assign people to help me.¡±


    ¡°Just say it. Who do you want to help you? Do you want Marquis Wannian? There is no one better than him in this country.¡±


    Teng Yun smiled and said, ¡°This lowly servant doesn¡¯t dare to ask over Marquis Wannian. I heard there were Cheng Tian¡¯s former subordinates under Your Majesty. I request those three people, plus one thousand soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ just one thousand soldiers?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one thousand and three people.¡±


    Xue Junliang stared at him and said, ¡°This Seat still cannot understand. Where does your confidence come from?¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°I only ask for one thousand and three people, I didn¡¯t say I¡¯m going to defeat your enemy¡¯s army. Even if I was so arrogant, I wouldn¡¯t dare to lead one thousand and three people to fight with King Feng¡­ I only plan to use these one thousand and three people to conquer Teng Country¡¯s army. A country will have more power when the leader and the people have one same goal and mind. Only then, the country can defeat every enemy.¡±


    ¡°I can lend you those one thousand soldiers, but the three He brothers are only loyal to¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang¡¯s voice trailed off for a moment, before he quickly added, ¡°Those three are only loyal to the Empress, and their temperament quite disagreeable. They won¡¯t be so easy to order around, so don¡¯t complain to me later for lending them to you.¡±


    ¡°I have my own way to convince them.¡±


    Xue Junliang ordered someone to call the three He brothers.


    The He brothers were all still mourning, as shown by them wearing hemp clothes for filial piety and complete mourning garments. When they saw Teng Yun, they could only see Teng Ying who had set off the fire that killed their Empress and immediately stiffened in rage. They almost grabbed their swords to try killing Teng Yun but luckily the other Palace guards were quick to hold them back.


    Xue Junliang sat on the big chair and said, ¡°The three of you are this Seat¡®s most trusted guards. This Seat can still remember clearly the day the Empress spoke highly of you¡­¡±


    On the day he received the news of the Empress¡¯ death, he hadn¡¯t shown signs of tears. But now as he was talking in front of the He brothers, his eyes turned misty and red-rimmed.


    Hearing what Xue Junliang said, the He brothers were reminded of the Empress, and suddenly they started crying.


    For a time, silence descended inside the study room as no one spoke. Xue Junliang paused before continuing, ¡°This Seat is without a doubt that the three of you are all still loyal to the Empress. Now, this Teng Ying has boasted that he could conquer Teng Country¡¯s army with only one thousand soldiers. If we kill Teng Ying now, this Seat knows it will calm down your thirst for revenge, but he said he won¡¯t die peacefully.¡±


    He Zhong was angry, ¡°He still dares wishing to die in peace?¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°This Seat called you here because this Seat wants you to follow him and see what he would do. If he doesn¡¯t finish this task, then he will be at your disposal.¡±


    When the three brothers heard Xue Junliang¡¯s promise, they swallowed down their anger. Wasn¡¯t it good if they were to handle Teng Ying? Other people might be too soft-hearted.


    Watching Xue Junliang¡¯s acting from the side, Teng Yun snorted inwardly. How should he treat Xue Junliang? To this day, he still found Xue Junliang¡¯s mind to be unfathomable. One moment, Xue Junliang could appear sad, and the next moment he could appear indifferent. Before today, Teng Yun could have claimed he knew Xue Junliang very well. But now, witnessing Xue Junliang¡¯s cold-heartedness, Teng Yun felt he couldn¡¯t be further from the truth.


    Xue Junliang said a few more words, mostly reminiscing about the past and about the Empress.


    The three He brothers were simple-minded, and might not be able to understand the subtle meaning behind Xue Junliang¡¯s speech. But Teng Yun understood very well. These words were meant to impress the He brothers, so that they would be diligent in watching Teng Yun carefully and not give any chance for Teng Yun to escape.


    All the while through the speech, the three He brothers cried again and again. Sure enough, this was the difference between a monarch and a subordinate; not only was Xue Junliang¡¯s status superior than the others, his mind was also deeper.


    Finally, when everyone left, Xue Junliang sighed. Jiang Yu, who stood by his side the whole time, said, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ do you want to have lunch?¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t answer immediately. After thinking for a long time, he said, ¡°I have no appetite. Maybe later.¡±


    Jiang Yu was silent for a moment and said, ¡°Although Your Majesty didn¡¯t say it, this old servant has been following you for many years¡­ this old servant could still see¡­ If Your Majesty is in sorrow, you can pour it out to this old slave¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang raised an eyebrow and smiled, ¡°How come you think this Seat is in sorrow? This Seat only talks that way for the benefit of the He brothers.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Jiang Yu bowed his head, ¡°Other people don¡¯t know you, they haven¡¯t been following you for decades like this old servant. If I could not know how you feel, I would not still be standing here today¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t respond, his eyes were staring at nothing. Then he smiled and said, ¡°I have lost an Empress, I have lost a talented companion. I¡¯ve just now learned what it¡¯s like to be in sorrow¡­ I cannot punish Xue Yu, cannot execute Marquis Tengnan. I might be an Emperor, but I¡¯m still nothing compared to Teng Zhengxuan.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t say that,¡± Jiang Yu said, ¡°Teng Zhengxuan sure was a great man, but he might not be as strong as you. His life path had been smooth and straight. If he were to encounter such a big loss like yours, he might not be able to handle it better than you. Your Majesty¡­ even this old servant knows that expanding one¡¯s territory is easy, but protecting it is hard.¡±


    Jiang Yu paused before adding, ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s sincere feelings for the Empress¡­ this old servant also can see it.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Teng Yun wasn¡¯t thrown back into the prison, instead, he was quickly granted release and given one thousand plus three soldiers.


    Teng Yun was certain Xue Junliang would never let him go. Him allowing Teng Yun to do this task was just delaying the inevitable. When Teng Yun succeeded in forcing the enemy away, Xue Junliang could easily be back hating Teng Yun and eventually executing Teng Yun as a criminal.


    But Teng Yun himself could not back down from this. If he didn¡¯t do something, by the time Feng Ming launched an attack, both Feng Ming and Xue Junliang would both suffer a great deal.


    Teng Yun had once led soldiers. He had seen many corpses covering the ground. He could not sit still knowing a great number of Feng and Xue soldiers would die.


    Moreover, there was no more King Teng. The King had become a Marquis Tengnan. Teng Yun thought back to a time when his loyalty had been only for his own father and that it had shifted. Now, he was doing what he could to save Xue Junliang¡¯s life¡­


    The soldiers assigned to Teng Yun didn¡¯t want to accept Teng Yun¡¯s authority and refused to obey him. But Teng Yun wasn¡¯t concerned about people respecting or admiring him in this body. Teng Yun knew what sort of person Teng Ying was; he was a boot-licker with no valuable talent. If Teng Yun wanted something, doing hard work was the only way to achieve it.


    Also, it wasn¡¯t that Teng Yun wanted these soldiers to go to the battlefield, therefore it didn¡¯t matter if the soldiers didn¡¯t respect him. Instead, Teng Yun gathered everyone and went to Teng Country to repair a temple.


    Hearing the order, the soldiers balked. They were all well-trained and most capable soldiers of the Imperial army, how come they have to repair a temple? This task was simply beneath them and humiliating.


    Only because of His Majesty¡¯s decree, these soldiers didn¡¯t have any other option than to obey Teng Yun.


    That day, when Xue Junliang heard Teng Ying saying, ¡°You are not Teng Zhengxuan¡­ You weren¡¯t born in his era. You can only bow down to him¡­¡± These words were like a slap in his face and secretly, Xue Junliang was stunned that this bodyguard was holding such a clever mind. Solely because of these words, Xue Junliang was reminded of a plan he could use to defend against upcoming enemies.


    Hearing that Teng Ying wanted his one thousand soldiers to repair a temple, Xue Junliang was even more certain that this person was not an idiot.


    Teng Ying was right, Xue Junliang was not Teng Zhengxuan. If Xue Junliang wanted Teng Country people to submit to him, he had to accede to Teng Zhengxuan.


    Teng Zhengxuan was the most beloved King of Teng, and if Xue Junliang was willing to send people to repair Teng Zhengxuan¡¯s temple, Teng Country people¡¯s hearts would be moved.


    King Teng was cruel and ruthless. These things were known to the people of Teng. Over the years, there had been countless uprisings. King Teng had angered many people and his conduct had passed the limit of his people¡¯s patience. If at this time, Xue Junliang showed kindness to them with a benevolent attitude, the people and the soldiers would readily accept Xue Junliang.


    That was exactly what Teng Yun wanted; A thousand well-trained Xue Country soldiers to repair a temple, coupled with Xue Junliang¡¯s Imperial edict. They didn¡¯t have to fight a big war and would not disturb and alarm the commoners. This way, maybe then the people would be grateful and interested in joining the army, therefore expanding and strengthening it.


    No wonder Teng Yun was so sure of his success.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t delay for a moment. King Feng might come to attack them any day. Even though Teng Yun¡¯s body was still weak and in pain, he ordered the soldiers to start immediately.


    Teng Yun wanted this task to be completed as early as possible so he could hurry to get away from here. Teng Yun had enough of things happening, he was genuinely tired and no longer could tell what was right or wrong.


    Xue Junliang wrote an announcement stating that the local officials were required to help repairing the temple. Naturally, the greater the momentum, the more spectacular the event. This way, when Teng Country people saw that Xue Country was repairing the temple of their late King, they would think that Emperor Xue was a monarch who could still be virtuous and calm even in difficulties and hardship.


    After writing the announcement and having people send it immediately, Xue Junliang heaved a sigh. He still could not wrap his head around this person, Teng Ying.


    A person who could plan to win a war without even moving a single weapon, was also the person who had burned Yunfeng Palace to the ground. Why?


    Xue Junliang really could not understand. Even if this person and the Empress somehow had a grudge against each other, why would he listen to Teng Qianyi¡¯s instructions? Why would he kill someone with a fire he lit himself and leave trails that could lead to him being arrested by Xue Houyang?

 CH 48

    ~~~~~~


    Feng Ming never imagined that Zhao Lu was a clingy sort of person. Zhao Lu always had an indifferent attitude and his conduct was also quite cold. Yet, these past two days, Zhao Lu often came over just to see Feng Ming.


    Feng Ming though maybe it was because Zhao Lu felt the pressure of his imminent departure to the battlefields. After all, if given a choice, Feng Ming himself also didn¡¯t want Zhao Lu to go. But in this entire Feng country, there was no one else Feng Ming could unconditionally trust other than Zhao Lu.


    Even though Zhao Lu was unexpectedly being clingy, he still didn¡¯t talk very much and didn¡¯t show any of his feelings. He was still cold as he was before, so Feng Ming didn¡¯t think too much about it. Only Zhao Lu himself knew the reason behind his restlessness : Feng and Xue countries had always been leading up to war, and now the day of the final battle would finally arrive.


    As Feng Ming and his ministers were discussing strategies for sending troops, everyone wanted to know Minister Lu¡¯s opinions as well


    Lu Shichen said, ¡°This servant is only an ignorant scholar, only knows civil matters like how to calm the people of the country. Regarding war and soldiers, this servant seeks to learn from Marquis Zhulu.¡±


    Zhao Lu was looking at the map seemingly in deep thought. But internally, he was struggling; every word he was about to say gave him great pain and suffering.


    Because the steps that he¡¯d taken all of his life, every one of them was meticulously designed to deceive Feng Ming and to eventually bring victory for Xue Junliang.


    Zhao Lu said, ¡°Xue Country¡¯s army is very well trained and strong, moreover, now that Emperor Xue had conquered Teng Country¡¯s army, they could not be considered lightly. On the surface, it does seem like we are at a disadvantageous position¡­ But, Teng Country was conquered and King Teng is now in prison, people¡¯s hearts might not be quite harmonious. Taking advantage of this, maybe we can start by attacking Teng Country¡¯s territory, breaking through their weak borders and occupying their land. After that, we can turn to attack Xue Country from two sides.¡±


    Everyone nodded in agreement to Zhao Lu¡¯s suggestions.


    Lu Shichen said, ¡°It is indeed a good strategy, but Teng Country is quite far, I¡¯m afraid our army would be too exhausted after the journey. How can we easily conquer Teng country?¡±


    Zhao Lu said, ¡°The situation in Teng Country is not yet peaceful and secure. We can send some people to spread rumors among the Teng people, saying that Emperor Xue intends to kill Marquis Tengnan and holds a grudge against the people of Teng for killing the Empress. And hence, Emperor Xue wants to eliminate the whole Teng Country as revenge. This way, Teng people will be too afraid and anxious, and will not be thinking of going to war. In this situation, then I would lead an army of ten thousand light cavalry and disrupt the morale of the army in Teng, paving the way for us; making them surrender and open their gates.¡±


    Everyone once again nodded in agreement to Zhao Lu¡¯s suggestion, it was indeed a very good one. Feng Ming also agreed. If they occupied Teng Country¡¯s lands first, Feng Country¡¯s soldiers wouldn¡¯t have to worry about food and water, and wouldn¡¯t have to set up a new camp either. Then Feng and Teng could attack Xue country from both sides. Xue Country is in between the two countries. It would be difficult for Xue Junliang to defend an attack from two sides.


    Lu Shichen said, ¡°The plan is excellent, but I¡¯m afraid Emperor Xue might send troops to intercept Marquis Zhulu¡¯s escape route. If the escape route is broken wouldn¡¯t our army be depleted?¡±


    Feng Ming said, ¡°Then we can create a false alarm by attacking the Xue borders from the front. This will distract Xue Junliang enough so Marquis Zhulu can safely arrive at Teng Country.¡±


    Zhao Lu nodded, while inwardly sighed in regret. Feng Ming really trusted him, even made plans to help him and protect him from dangers.


    Feng Ming and his subordinates discussed and streamlined the plan until the sky turned dark. Just before the Palace gates were closed, the ministers were all dismissed, leaving only Zhao Lu, who stayed back in the Palace.


    Although many people thought that Zhao Lu had risen to his current position by climbing into the King¡¯s bed, they still had to admit Zhao Lu was very knowledgeable regarding military matters and couldn¡¯t help but respect him.


    Because he was going to war tomorrow, Zhao Lu was exceptionally rough with Feng Ming. Feng Ming was a soldier, was once a military general, therefore he was not weak. But after being tossed around by Zhao Lu for multiple rounds, he was utterly exhausted.


    Feng Ming had always been helpless when it came to Zhao Lu and could never refuse him, even a naive and blockheaded person like Lu Shichen could see it. On one occasion, Feng Ming was having a discussion with Lu Shichen about the incident at Ming River. The two had such a deep discussion that they almost forgot about Zhao Lu who was also present. Zhao Lu himself didn¡¯t know what came over him when he suddenly stepped forward and kissed Feng Ming right in front of Lu Shichen.


    Realizing that Zhao Lu might be jealous, Feng Ming was quite happy, but he also felt uncomfortable in showing intimacy in front of Lu Shichen.


    Lu Shichen, the innocent scholar, was not used to seeing such displays. His face turned bright red and he immediately averted his gaze. In the end he excused himself, all the while not daring to lift his eyes to look at the other two.


    The next day, it was almost noon when Feng Ming finally woke up. Rui Xue, who had been anxiously waiting for him, quickly came over and helped Feng Ming wash and get dressed.


    Feng Ming felt sore all over his body. Although he was used to the pain, he was still a human. He couldn¡¯t help but move gingerly.


    ¡°Where is your Master?¡±


    Rui Xue frowned, her voice trembling, ¡°Master said there was no use delaying things, so he already led his troops to start their journey very early this morning.¡±


    Feng Ming was frozen for a moment, then he smiled and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you worried for your master? I¡¯m not even worried but you looked like you¡¯ve been crying.¡±


    Rui Xue wiped her tears, ¡°This servant.. This servant is just worried about you, Your Majesty.¡±


    Feng Ming said, ¡°Well, don¡¯t be. I believe your master will come back to me safely. Zhao Lu has never lost in any battle before.¡±


    Ktlr rfcafcmf bcis wjvf Eel Wef fnfc rjvvfg. Vtf rajgafv mgslcu lc fjgcfra, tfg afjgr ojiilcu vbkc ecmbcagbiijyis.


    Eel Wef kjr ralii sbecu, gfjilhlcu rtf wluta tjnf cfnfg rffc kjg jcv kjr delaf vlragfrrfv obg tfg wjrafg, Mfcu Zlcu boofgfv j ofk kbgvr ab mbwobga tfg yfobgf jiibklcu tfg ab ub tbwf fjgis jcv ajxf atf gfra bo atf vjs boo.


    But what Feng Ming didn¡¯t know was that Rui Xue wasn¡¯t crying about the war. She knew that this time with Zhao Lu gone, he was gone for good and would never come back to Feng.


    This morning, before his departure, Zhao Lu stayed for a long time by King Feng¡¯s side, tenderly caressing Feng Ming¡¯s hair. He reminded Rui Xue to take good care of Feng Ming. Feng Ming had no one else around him he could trust, therefore Rui Xue must give him company.


    After donning his armor, Zhao Lu immediately left. He threw one long look at the Palace behind him before ordering the army to start their march. The ten thousand soldiers, with their high banner signed ¡®Marquis Zhulu¡¯ left for Teng Country.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    When Teng Yun led the troops to Teng Country to repair the temple, he heard rumors that Xue Junliang was going to kill Marquis Tengnan. He was afraid the people, upon hearing the rumor, would grow restless and start an uproar, especially considering Teng Country had just been conquered by Xue Junliang. Fortunately, Teng Yun¡¯s arrival dispelled the worries in their heart.


    The local officials were still afraid of Xue Junliang¡¯s authority, and although they did not want to contribute money and effort, they helped Teng Yun to repair the temple together by providing labor support.


    The three He brothers were still suspicious of Teng Yun and absolutely refused to accept Teng Yun¡¯s leadership; they only wanted to kill him off. Also they felt it was better to be decapitated than help Teng Yun with the restoration process. Teng Yun didn¡¯t force them. He only rolled his sleeves and worked together with the soldiers.


    Seeing this, although the three He brothers were still unconvinced, they no longer verbally abused Teng Yun.


    Many of Teng Country¡¯s wealthy merchants heard about the project of repairing the temple, and came from all over the country to donate money. Refugees who had sought shelter at the temple and the local residents had no money they could donate, so they voluntarily enlisted in the army as soldiers. In only a few days, Teng Yun had gained twenty thousand soldiers.


    Although Teng Yun had been away for wars, Teng was his home country after all. He knew which of the local officials were corrupt and which of them were honest.


    Teng Yun brought the three He brothers to these corrupt officials and dragged their sons and nephews to train as soldiers. These arrogant officials of course didn¡¯t want their juniors to go and become soldiers, so Teng Yun made them choose between donating money for the project or giving away their sons to the army.


    Officials who didn¡¯t have sons were ordered to be arrested. He said that these people would bear bad intentions and had renegade natures and must be killed. Otherwise they would jeopardize the country and society. The corrupt officials were the ones who were most afraid of death, so they could only give away their money to Teng Yun as a bribe to let them go.


    What Teng Yun wanted was exactly this result. He had intentionally brought the three He brothers with him. The corrupt officials would not be able to refuse because they wouldn¡¯t dare fight against the brothers.


    Soon, this matter reached Xue Junliang¡¯s ears. Several of his officials reported that the prisoner, Teng Ying, had accepted bribes and robbed people of their money, thereby taking away the peace of the Teng people.


    Just after Xue Junliang read the court officials¡¯ report, He Zhong came to report. He was sent by Teng Yun to bring the accounting books to the Emperor. The books stated that in the matter of only three days, the number of soldiers had grown to thirty thousand. They also had gained a large amount of money in the form of silver and gold, which was used as Military pay.


    Xue Junliang asked He Zhong, ¡°Did Teng Ying embezzle?¡±


    He Zhong scratched his head and said, ¡°The money we collected was all handled by us three brothers, he never once touched any of it.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded and said nothing. He also did not take any action. Since the other party made such a bold move, he naturally had a way to calm everyone. There was no need for Xue Junliang to make any waves.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Teng Yun¡¯s scouts reported that Marquis Zhulu of Feng and his ten thousand army were all heading to Teng. Teng Yun had recruited an army of thirty thousand and currently did not lack grains and provisions, and the army¡¯s funds were sufficient. Teng Yun was not worried about logistics.


    But these thirty thousand soldiers were all new-recruits and had not received any formal training. If they had to go to war, they would not have any coordination and would not win against a trained army.


    Teng Yun ordered the soldiers to dig pits and install traps. He also sent groups of soldiers on boats to the Zhi River to intercept Marquis Zhulu¡¯s soldiers.


    Many of Zhao Lu¡¯s front line soldiers fell down the pits and were immediately killed by Teng Yun¡¯s soldiers who were waiting for them hidden from view. Although Zhao Lu¡¯s soldiers were more well-trained, they still panicked over the unexpected traps. But soon they regained their balance and immediately turned their horses around to retreat.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t order the soldiers to chase the retreating enemy. He opted to camp near the Zhi River and guard the bank.


    Three He brothers were itching for a fight and wanted to attack the enemy head on. Teng Yun allowed the three to raid the enemy¡¯s camp in the middle of the night, to harass the enemy army and prevent Zhao Lu from building a camp for the night.


    The three He brothers led a group of cavalry and launched a series of sneak attacks on the enemy camp¡¯s three sides, but they were not ordered to kill. They would just turn around as soon as they saw the enemy¡¯s soldiers. The enemy soldiers, seeing only a small group coming, started to give chase. As a result, they were led into the area with the traps and fell down the pits.


    He Zhong got carried away in the excitement and forgot to watch his steps. He also fell down into one of the pits and his horse broke its leg. At this time, Zhao Lu led his soldiers to catch up with the He brothers. Afraid Zhao Lu was going to kill He Zhong, He Yi and He Ren immediately went to intercept Zhao Lu while ordering the other soldiers to help He Zhong.


    Zhao Lu was very skilled and had been at war all his life. The two He brothers could not easily defeat Zhao Lu.


    Teng Yun waited but the three He brothers still hadn¡¯t returned. He sent people to find out what had happened. The scouts returned to report that the three generals were intercepted near Zhi River by Marquis Zhulu, and were now fighting with the Marquis.


    Teng Yun knew the situation wasn¡¯t good for the three brothers. He ordered the soldiers to make open fires and beat the drums loudly to emulate a real battle. He then brought thirty elite soldiers to the river to save the three He brothers.


    When Teng Yun arrived, He Zhong had just climbed out of the pit and was rushing to fight with Zhao Lu. Teng Yun ordered his people to circle Zhao Lu, but he didn¡¯t want to fight for too long in case more of Feng Country¡¯s soldiers came, then they would not be able to fight the whole crowd.


    Teng Yun and his soldiers deliberately revealed a flaw in their encirclement, counting on Zhao Lu to take advantage of the flaw to break free and retreat to his army camp. Not wanting Zhao Lu to retaliate by bringing more soldiers, Teng Yun led his people to return to their own camp.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The army had its own process of sending reports about such incidents and soon the capital city was made aware about the altercation with Zhao Lu. Xue Junliang passed the report to Xue Houyang who was surprised when he read it.


    ¡°But¡­ Chen-di doesn¡¯t understand. If Teng Ying was this smart, why would he help Teng Qianyi set fire to Yunfeng Palace?¡±


    Xue Junliang shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t understand either.¡±


    Xue Houyang suddenly remembered an important point, ¡°Your Majesty, Zhao Lu is leading soldiers to invade our territory. Although Teng Ying unexpectedly held  Zhao Lu back, this is not going to work long-term. Sooner or later Zhao Lu would find out that Teng Ying¡¯s soldiers are all new recruits. Zhao Lu would then be naturally emboldened to attack. The situation in Teng is still tense, I think it¡¯s better if we send troops there to defend the territory, this way people¡¯s hearts can feel more secure.¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed while shaking his head, ¡°Just you wait, Zhao Lu will surrender to us.¡±


    Xue Houyang was not aware of the reason, but Xue Junliang didn¡¯t elaborate, so Xue Houyang didn¡¯t dare ask more questions.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Teng Yun was aware of how much government funds Teng country had, and realized it was not enough to train the soldiers. With him stationed south of Zhi River, he could only count on the river as the only boundary dividing them from Zhao Lu who was on the north side. Right now, Zhao Lu hadn¡¯t sent any more attacks, and this alarmed Teng Yun more.


    Teng Yun sat on a small boat overlooking the river towards the other side of shore and was contemplating countermeasures when he heard singing. A small boat was passing by, its sail was spread wide to catch the wind. The boat was slowly coming near Teng Yun¡¯s.


    The one rowing the boat looked like a beggar, there was a pot on top of the sail. The beggar was rowing with a bamboo pole while singing some song. As the beggar¡¯s boat came closer, the soldiers on Teng Yun¡¯s boat became alert and thrust their long spears to stop the beggar.


    The beggar laughed. With a flick of the bamboo pole he hit one of the soldiers¡¯ spears, sending it straight into the river water and no trace of it could be seen.


    The three He brothers saw this beggar had skill in martial art and were eager to check the beggar¡¯s potential. They took their own weapons and jumped forward to attack. But before their spear could touch the small boat, poor He Zhong was hit square in the chest by the broken pot. He fell onto the floor and could not get up for a long time.


    The broken pot was so dirty that it was black, and smelled very fishy.


    Teng Yun ordered the others to stand back then walked closer to the beggar and with cupped hands, he said, ¡°Does this brave hero want to join the military?¡±


    The beggar laughed again and said, ¡°This young good looking person is actually intelligent.¡±


    ¡°The senior just now, didn¡¯t fight with your full strength, indicating you have no intention for a petty fight with us and also harbor no ill intention.¡±


    The beggar said, ¡°If you know this truth, then why are you stationing troops in the Zhi River?¡±


    Teng Yun was unclear what the beggar meant and asked, ¡°Please, senior enlighten me.¡±


    The beggar said, ¡°Zhao Lu has been staying low at the north side of Zhi River these ten days. If he really wished to attack, he would have already done so long ago. You can see the cooking smoke from Zhao Lu¡¯s camp, but there is no sound of war drums. Isn¡¯t this indication that Zhao Lu isn¡¯t going to send troops to attack, and therefore, to borrow your words, harbors no ill intention.¡±


    Hearing the beggar¡¯s words, Teng Yun did feel it was reasonable. However, if Zhao Lu didn¡¯t come to Teng to attack, was it because he was surrendering?


    The beggar added, ¡°General might as well send troops and have a confrontation with Zhao Lu. Even if you lose, you can still destroy his army provisions. Zhao Lu actually has no reinforcement to back him. Should your thirty thousand soldiers be afraid of his ten thousand soldiers?¡±


    Hearing this, Teng Yun was secretly surprised in his heart. This person had obviously come from a far away land but he still knew all the details very clearly. This made Teng Yun both happy and surprised. Teng Yun loved talented people and this man spoke clearly and his martial arts was good as well. If this person didn¡¯t want to become a soldier, then at least Teng Yun could make him a trusted confidant.


    Having a person like this in his army was certainly beneficial. Teng Yun immediately welcomed the beggar and straightforwardly asked to teach him more knowledge. The beggar didn¡¯t refuse and said with a laugh, ¡°I had once visited Teng Country. As soon as Marquis Tengnan saw me, he called me ugly and threw me out of the city walls. Who knew I¡¯d meet another person with the surname Teng, but this one has a totally different attitude.¡±


    At this time, the three He brothers interjected, ¡°How come you¡¯re called ugly? We three brothers are ugly, but you are ugly and stinky!¡±


    Teng Yun stifled his laughter, respectfully invited the man to the big boat, ordered someone to fetch water for him to freshen up and clean up a bit.


    But no one expected that when the beggar freshened up fully, he was actually a beautiful man with an extraordinary appearance.


    He Zhong said, ¡°You dared say Teng Ying was a pretty face, but as I see it, you are even prettier than him!¡±


    The man smiled, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that just a pretty face like me, accidentally defeated the general just now.¡±


    The sentence shut He Zhong¡¯s mouth quickly. His face turned red as he yelled that they could have a rematch anytime, saying it was a mistake the previous time.


    Because Teng Yun had treated him with courtesy, the man was also polite. He said, ¡°My name is Zhao Tong. I am Marquis Zhulu, Zhao Lu¡¯s close follower.¡±


    ¡°Zhao Lu!¡± The three He brothers shouted and immediately drew their swords to attack Zhao Tong. Zhao Tong didn¡¯t even blink as he unsheathed his own sword smoothly and with a backhand flick of his sword, easily warded off the oncoming attack and returned his sword back to its sheath.


    Laughing, he said, ¡°No need to panic. In fact, I came here to deliver Marquis Zhulu¡¯s letter of alliance and surrender.¡±


    He Zhong said, ¡°Are we fools to believe this!¡±


    Zhao Tong pulled out a letter that was tucked amongst the clothes against his bosom. It was a letter written personally by Zhao Lu, explaining that he was originally a citizen of Xue Country. To repay Emperor Xue¡¯s grace, he volunteered to leave his homeland and go to Feng to become a spy and pass on information.


    This letter was written long ago, before Zhao Lu was to leave Xue Country. The letter was sealed with Xue Junliang¡¯s personal seal, written to avoid killing each other when Xue Country met Zhao Lu in the future.


    It was just that Zhao Lu had never imagined that after he entered Feng Country¡¯s military barracks, he would rise to become a general, let alone be brought to the Palace by King Feng himself and be appointed as a high ranked Marquis who held immense power over others.


    As a Marquis, it became too difficult for Zhao Lu to get away. Because King Feng now sent troops to attack Xue Country, Zhao Lu could only choose his most trusted soldiers and escape from Feng Country to surrender at this moment.


    Reading this letter, Teng Yun¡¯s heart trembled at Xue Junliang¡¯s insight. Who knew Xue Junliang¡¯s schemes were this deep and so far-reaching. Even Feng Country¡¯s own Marquis Zhulu was Xue Junliang¡¯s spy. This fact no one could have imagined even in their wildest dreams.


    Teng Yun couldn¡¯t help thinking, if someday, somehow, Xue Junliang found out that he was not the real Teng Ying, found out that his own Empress had been replaced by someone else. What kind of fate awaited Teng Yun then? Teng Yun really could not fathom what kind of person Xue Junliang was.


    The next day, Teng Yun left the three He brothers to guard Zhi River while he and Zhao Tong went to see Zhao Lu in person.


    Zhao Lu had already received the news of Teng Yun¡¯s arrival. He and his ten thousand soldiers were all ready, waiting in a neat formation with their swords and helmets placed by their feet. No one carried any weapons in their hands to show their sincerity in surrendering.


    Zhao Tong paid homage to his master. Zhao Lu¡¯s hand trembled when he struck his lance on the ground. Then he took off his helmet and hung it on top of the lance. Thereby finalizing the surrender.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    The news about Marquis Zhulu¡¯s surrender reached Feng and shook the entire country. Everyone was talking about it, some people cursed Zhao Lu¡¯s betrayal while the others took this opportunity to throw mud at his reputation.


    Initially, Lu Shichen didn¡¯t believe the rumors. He ordered people to inquire the truth, and when they came back, they reported they saw Marquis Zhulu¡¯s camp was empty except thousands of helmets and swords left behind on the ground.


    Lu Shichen¡¯s scouts even brought back Marquis Zhulu¡¯s lance and helmet as proof. Now, no one could deny the news any longer. Lu Shichen, who always respected Zhao Lu, was so shocked he almost staggered at this news.


    A few days later, a person came and begged to see Zhao Lu. That person actually was Rui Xue. She had an item tied on her back. It was a broken zither, covered in blood.


    Rui Xue said, ¡°Master¡­ Your residence was searched and everything confiscated by the Palace. You are announced to have committed a heinous crime. People even demanded all of your subordinates to be killed. Prime Minister Lu helped me out of the city gate and told me to bring this broken zither to you.¡±


    Zhao Lu reached out to touch the zither, his hands trembled slightly. He gently stroked the strings on the zither but said nothing.


    Rui Xue asked tearfully, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to enquire about King Feng?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ How is he?¡±


    Rui Xue whispered, ¡°King Feng is¡­ this servanct can only say.. that he is still alive.¡±


    Teng Yun, who was still unsure of Zhao Lu¡¯s subservience. When he heard that a person from Feng Country had come to see Zhao Lu, he was naturally suspicious.


    Never had he imagined he¡¯d come to hear such a sentence.


    Teng Yun sighed. He had heard about the relationship between King Feng and Marquis Zhulu. He didn¡¯t understand what kind of feeling could form between two men, but looking at Rui Xue¡¯s genuine sadness, it seemed that the feeling was not fake.  Fate really conspired against people.

 CH 49

    Teng Yun was still brooding over Rui Xue¡¯s words and Zhao Lu¡¯s reaction.


    Compared to other people, Teng Yun¡¯s views about human feelings were relatively simple. He knew about loyalty, and about a ruler¡¯s care towards his people. But those kinds of feelings, compared to affections between one person to another, were completely different.


    When Zhao Lu received the broken zither, he must have been very sad. But Teng Yun simply couldn¡¯t understand why Zhao Lu could still treat King Feng so cruelly, despite how he obviously liked King Feng.


    In Teng Yun¡¯s eyes, it¡¯s natural for husband and wife to have fights. And when in war, someone would kill the other and be killed by another. That was the way it was.


    However, Zhao Lu and Xue Junliang¡¯s way of doing things secretly and deceiving people was not Teng Yun¡¯s style at all.


    That night, lying on the bed with eyes wide open, Teng Yun pondered while staring at the ceiling. In the end, it wasn¡¯t about who was wrong and who was right. Even for Xue Junliang, Teng Yun could not say that he was in the wrong. As an Emperor, Xue Junliang was required to think much far ahead than others. However, Teng Yun still couldn¡¯t accept it.


    He remembered the rumors he had heard before his death, how King Feng had favored Zhao Lu to a great extent. Which meant that King Feng¡¯s feeling towards Zhao Lu was sincere.


    However, Teng Yun was sure that their relationship was not something the people would tolerate. Now that Zhao Lu had left, King Feng would be the target of public criticism.


    Teng Yun got up very early the next morning, probably because he didn¡¯t sleep well last night. When he closed his eyes, he woke up again because he was reminded about the broken zither, and the next moment, he was reminded about Xue Junliang who was far away in the Capital City.


    When he finally did fall asleep, he was awakened once again by a dream. He dreamed about that time he was shot through the heart by Xue Junliang¡¯s arrow.


    Kings or Emperors were known to ruthlessly act one way and then another the next second. Teng Yun absolutely never believed he was going to live long if he returned to the Capital City. If Xue Junliang wanted him to die a painful death, he was sure Xue Junliang could think of a thousand ways to do just that.


    Teng Yun couldn¡¯t defend himself anyway. What would he say? That he was not the real Teng Ying? It would be too ridiculous and no one would believe him.


    Teng Yun packed up his things and hid his dagger close to himself. Now that Zhao Lu had surrendered to Xue, it was a big blow to Feng Country. Even if losing ten thousand soldiers was no big deal to King Feng, a Marquis¡¯ betrayal would shake the entire country.


    When the people and the soldiers¡¯ trust was broken, how would Feng Country fight in a war?


    Sure enough, Feng Ming immediately withdrew his forces from the borders and no longer attacked Xue Country¡¯s territory. Xue Junliang¡¯s imperial edict soon came down, stating that the army had achieved a great merit and ordering them to come back to the Capital city and get rewarded for their achievements.


    Naturally, Teng Yun¡¯s newly-recruited thirty thousand soldiers would also follow back to the capital. Their vast army, marching from Teng to Xue Country, would not happen overnight.


    When a big crowd like this was traveling, it was actually a great chance for Teng Yun to escape. But Teng Yun didn¡¯t know where he would go after he left the army. He didn¡¯t want to go back to Teng. It was the country where he was born and raised, it would be impossible for him to stand still and forget everything, especially now that King Teng had become a mere Marquis and was being held in prison.


    Teng Yun was stubborn, often he would be quite determined to fix things.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t want to come back to Xue Country either, because that would be like getting back into Xue Junliang¡¯s den. Emperor Xue had very strong influence and resources, Teng Yun felt if he were to step one foot into Xue Country¡¯s territory, Emperor Xue¡¯s spies would surely find him easily.


    However, Feng Country was unfamiliar to him, which made Teng Yun hesitate. Perhaps because of his past experiences, Teng Yun felt uncomfortable living alone in a strange place.


    Since Zhao Lu assimilated with the Xue Country¡¯s army, many people still refused to accept him because they doubted his identity and loyalty. Emperor Xue then granted Zhao Lu, an official title as a chief commander of the army. Teng Yun was also appointed a deputy commander, while Zhao Tong a military captain because of his meritorious service.


    Teng Yun knew this was Xue Junliang¡¯s way to let Zhao Lu establish his footing in Xue Country, and of restraining Teng Yun¡¯s movement. Teng Yun reckoned Xue Jungliang might have guessed that Teng Yun had the idea of escaping.


    Zhao Lu led the army back to the Capital city. He appointed Zhao Tong to stay close by Teng Yun¡¯s side at any time.


    Although Teng Yun was very knowledgeable about fighting and military strategies, his current body was weak. The original Teng Ying didn¡¯t learn or practice martial arts, therefore his physical strength was low. Teng Yun, in this body, had no chance of winning a fight with Zhao Tong. Despite his fair and delicate appearance, there was a reason Zhao Tong could become a military commander. When he held a sword, no one could defeat him.


    Teng Yun was even more certain that Xue Junliang was determined to cut off his head and would not leave him a chance to escape.


    Also, Teng Shang and Marquis Tengnan were still in the Capital city. Even if Teng Yun was angry at Marquis Tengnan and had no problem leaving him, he could not cut ties with Teng Shang.


    Zhao Tong smirked at Teng Yun and said, ¡°I heard that you burned the entire Yunfeng Palace to the ground. Did you have a deep hatred towards Feng Country? Otherwise, why would you risk your life for committing such a heinous crime?¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t answer.


    Zhao Tong just laughed, ¡°I see you have so many scars on your face. Did you get those when you fought in a war?¡±


    Kfcu Tec rjlv klat j rwlif, ¡°P xcbk sbe ibbx vbkc bc wf, jcv vfrqlrf wf, yea kts vb sbe ybatfg jrxlcu rb wemt? Frlcu kbgvr bcis ab glvlmeif qfbqif, P vlvc¡¯a atlcx atlr lr tbk j ufcaifwjc mbcvemafv bcfrfio.¡±


    Itjb Kbcu kjr qgbev jcv jggbujca, cjaegjiis tf tjv j yjv lwqgfrrlbc bo Kfcu Tec, yea tf kjr cba Kfcu Tec ktbrf kbgvr mbeiv oijaafg j tbgrf jcv mbeiv wjxf qfbqif vb ktja tf kjcafv.


    Moreover, Zhao Tong came from a famous family. He had always been very smart and had read more books compared to his peers since he was a child. Xue Junliang once said, while pointing at Zhao Tong who was still a lowly guard at that time, that Zhao Tong would one day be an extraordinary talented man. Later, Zhao Tong was transferred from the palace to the military camp to become a soldier. Shortly after, he was favored by Xue Junliang and was sent to Feng Country to assist Zhao Lu. Since then, his career and rank had rapidly risen. All because, in case of courage and ability, he was above most people.


    Zhao Tong was such a man, how could he stay still when he was told off by someone else?


    Much later, when he realized he was instantly angered by just one sentence from Teng Yun, it came to him that Teng Yun could easily coax him while still maintaining a calm and modest appearance.


    Presently, Zhao Tong said, ¡°What? If you don¡¯t like it, why don¡¯t we fight it off using swords?¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°One sword can kill one person. But in a battlefield like where we are now, a sword determines the fate of one whole country. General is really courageous, but reckless. How inappropriate.¡±


    Zhao Tong was about to argue, but at this time Zhao Lu had noticed the slight disturbance behind him and interfered. Zhao Tong and Teng Yun were both high ranked commanders. While the soldiers had united under one same country, if they saw the two commanders fight, it might create doubt in their hearts and shake their morale.


    Zhao Lu chastised Zhao Tong for failing to see what problem might arise from his recklessness. He transferred Zhao Tong away and asked him to lead a troop to arrive first in the Capital city to report.


    Zhao Tong reported his troops¡¯ itinerary and his group were able to enter the Capital city just two days later.


    When Xue Junliang saw Zhao Tong, he lamented how many years had passed. Zhao Tong was still very young when he went to Feng, now he was definitely older.


    After listening to Zhao Tong¡¯s report, Xue Junliang pondered for a moment and smiled, ¡°Zhao Tong ah, Zhao Tong. You have been deceived.¡±


    Zhao Tong naturally didn¡¯t understand what Emperor Xue meant, ¡°This servant is ignorant, please Your Majesty, kindly enlighten me.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Of course you don¡¯t understand. It¡¯s no wonder that although you have many talents, you have too little experience and are naturally aggressive. You are proud and reckless. Didn¡¯t you ever think that Teng Ying deliberately made you angry? He then counted on Zhao Lu to see what the animosity between you both could cause among the soldiers and to send you away. In the military, there is no one better in martial arts than yours, so if Teng Ying were to escape, wouldn¡¯t it be easier without you?¡±


    After hearing this, Zhao Tong realized his mistake and started to leave, but it might be too late to return now.


    Xue Junliang on the other hand, didn¡¯t panic and said with a smile, ¡°Since the army has arrived, as an Emperor, it¡¯s only natural that this Seat goes and welcomes them into the Capital city.¡±


    Sure enough, two days later, the second and bigger part of the army arrived just outside the Capital city. Zhao Lu had heard the news that Emperor Xue himself was going to welcome them outside the city wall.


    Not far away from the Capital city, Zhao Lu ordered the army to stop and reorganize things. After all, it was Emperor Xue welcoming them personally, and they had to make themselves presentable.


    Taking advantage of this place that was in the middle of nowhere, no one would stop Teng Yun nor inspect anyone who passed.


    Teng Yun reasoned that he wanted to hurry and enter the city, and went ahead of the rest of the army.


    He Zhong questioned the others, ¡°Where is Teng Ying going?¡±


    Zhao Lu paused mid-step while He Ren joked, ¡°Maybe he was in a hurry to use the toilet.¡±


    He Yi laughed, ¡°When a lazy donkey grinds, it always has too much shit and urine.¡±


    As soon as Teng Yun abandoned the army, he took off his armor and put on the ordinary clothes he had prepared previously. He didn¡¯t dare to stop for too long. This suburb was still too close to the capital city and Zhao Lu was not a fool, he would find out soon. This time he must leave immediately.


    But before Teng Yun could leave, he heard some rustling noise. Suddenly, a large group of guards rushed out from all directions and surrounded him. They were led by Zhao Tong.


    When he saw Zhao Tong, instead of being shocked, Teng Yun laughed.


    From among the wall of guards surrounding Teng Yun, a man in black robes walked forward and said, ¡°To laugh so casually like this, you must be very carefree.¡±


    Teng Yun saw Xue Junliang and was dazed for a moment. He last saw Xue Junliang a few hours before he departed to Teng Country, which was a few months ago. Seeing Xue Junliang again, for some reason, Teng Yun was suddenly reminded of Feng Ming and Zhao Lu.


    Without moving an inch, Teng Yun said, ¡°A man should not cry so casually either. If a man is not allowed to laugh, then life must be so hard.¡±


    Xue Junliang slowly walked over, staring intently at Teng Yun, and said, ¡°Oh¡­ I was wondering where General Teng was going in such a hurry.¡±


    Teng Yun was stunned for a moment. When he was Teng Yun, Xue Junliang had called him General Teng. Right now, he was still surnamed Teng, but it wasn¡¯t Teng Yun that Xue Junliang meant.


    Seeing Teng Yun not answering, Xue Junliang was not surprised. Had he been in this same kind of situation, it was likely he wouldn¡¯t have anything to say either.


    ¡°The entire army is returning to the capital city. General Teng had been so skilled. This Seat is planning to give General Teng a reward.¡±


    Teng Yun still didn¡¯t speak.


    Xue Junliang was a bit baffled, but he kind of expected this response too. From his previous meetings with Teng Ying, he knew that when hearing the word ¡®reward¡¯, Teng Ying would immediately perk up. However, since Teng Ying offered to go to Teng Country, Xue Junliang felt that Teng Ying had changed. He was now unreadable and unpredictable.


    At this time, Zhao Lu and a few soldiers arrived at the scene, having found out Teng Yun had disappeared and immediately chased after him. He was surprised when he saw Emperor Xue and quickly knelt.


    Xue Junliang ordered all of them to return to formally welcome them into the Capital city, including Teng Yun.


    ¡ª¡ª


    The Imperial physician examined Feng Ming¡¯s pulse, while Lu Shichen stood aside, and then, not daring to say anything more and stay too long, he wrote a prescription and left.


    Lu Shichen stayed, even though he could not offer words of comfort to King Feng. Then again, because of this situation, he was also deeply hurt, Lu Shichen wasn¡¯t sure he could offer comfort for himself, let alone someone else.


    That day, when Lu Shichen asked Rui Xue to bring the broken zither to Zhao Lu, he was placing his hope on Zhao Lu¡¯s feelings towards King Feng and thought seeing the zither would change Zhao Lu¡¯s mind. Unfortunately, since Rui Xue¡¯s departure, there was no more news.


    No matter how he thought about it, Lu Shichen could not understand. Obviously Marquis Zhulu cared for King Feng, but how did he have the heart to hurt King Feng to this extent?


    Lu Shichen sighed regretfully. At this time, the housekeeper came in quietly and approached him to whisper in his ear. The news, the housekeeper delivered, made Lu Shichen pause. Signaling for the housekeeper to leave, Lu Shichen hesitated, not sure if right now was the right time to let King Feng know of the news. After all, it was all clear that King Feng was still seriously ill.


    Just as Lu Shichen was mulling over the options, Feng Ming shifted to look at him, likely being awoken by Lu Shichen¡¯s pacing. He said, ¡°Minister Lu, do you have something to tell me?¡±


    Lu Shichen sighed again and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Cheng Tian¡¯s nephew, Zhang Hong, who has proclaimed himself a King, is now sending his troops and aiming to claim Ming River.¡±


    Feng Ming covered his mouth as he coughed, before saying, ¡°Summon the ministers to the study room, we have to discuss this.¡±


    Lu Shichen wanted to ask if King Feng was sure he could get up, but held himself back. King Feng was still a man among men, no man wanted pity from other people. As a King, King Feng  lived a solitary life. Perhaps, other than Zhao Lu, nothing else could move him and make him show his feelings.


    Feng Country¡¯s court ministers all immediately gathered and were led into the study room.


    Feng Ming sat leaning back on a large chair, his chin supported by his hand, and was studying the report on the table.


    Everyone was afraid King Feng would explode in anger, so they entered the study room cautiously.


    Feng Ming, on the other hand, was wearing no particular expression. He raised his hand and motioned for the ministers to get in and said, ¡°All of you must have gotten the news already, this Zhang Hong is treating my Kingdom as a joke. Last year, his uncle looked down upon this Seat, and now Zhang Hong does too.¡±


    Lu Shichen said, ¡°Zhang Hong is currently aiming to attack Ming River. Because Ming River had just suffered a flood and hasn¡¯t been rebuilt properly, he must think that Ming River is the weakest part of our territory. If he could occupy Ming River, he could then set up an army base to further invade our territory.¡±


    Feng Ming nodded and suddenly smiled, ¡°But Ming River is not that easy to claim, and even if he succeeded in occupying it, it would not be an easy place to defend. Also, the other side of the river is Xue Country. He would be sandwiched between two countries¡­¡±


    Feng Ming paused for a moment, then suddenly his expression darkened as he said, ¡°It¡¯s impossible Zhang Hong plans to fight this Seat and Emperor Xue at the same time. He might want to draw support from Emperor Xue, and the best method for him to do that would be¡­¡±


    Lu Shichen instantly understood what Feng Ming was thinking, ¡°Marriage alliance?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The Grand Princess had just passed away, Zhang Hong must be in a hurry to send someone to Xue. Doesn¡¯t it mean he is looking down on the Grand Princess? Looking down on the Grand Princess naturally means he is looking down on this Seat.¡±


    Everyone saw that Feng Ming was still calm and thinking logically, it was as if he wasn¡¯t affected by Marquis Zhulu¡¯s betrayal, as if there was no such thing as Marquis Zhulu in the first place.


    ¡°Zhang Hong is treacherous and a barbarian who broke other people¡¯s faith. He killed his own uncle without remorse, Emperor Xue of course would not want to ally with him. But Emperor Xue also would not want to send troops to fight Zhang Hong. We need to drive Zhang Hong away, let¡¯s see what plan you all have.¡±


    Lu Shichen tried to rack his brain. He was never good at Military strategies, it was not his forte, so even after thinking for a long time, he could not come up with a good plan.


    In particular, Ming River, after suffering through a great flood, was bound to be weak. A great portion of Feng Country¡¯s territory was in lower terrains. If Zhang Hong, with Xue Junliang¡¯s help, were to dig the channel to divert the river and drown the country, many people and soldiers would drown and die.


    Feng Ming stood up and walked closer to a standing map near the wall. With his back turned to everyone else in the room, he scrutinized the map for a long time before finally saying, ¡°Firstly, send people to prevent Zhang Hong from digging the river. Diverting the river water is the simplest method, Zhang Hong is bound to try it. Launch at least three sneak attacks, just to distract Zhang Hong¡¯s focus. No need to fight to death, just do a quick attack and then retreat.¡±


    He paused for a moment, then continued, ¡°Secondly, Zhang Hong has a very strong and brave aide who is untouchable¡­ I heard this aide came from the same village as the scholar who won first place in this year¡¯s Imperial examination. Better let the scholar handle this aide.¡±


    A senior minister said, ¡°But Your Majesty, the scholar was placed first in the literary examination, not martial arts¡­¡±


    Feng Ming smiled, ¡°Who said to let the scholar go to fight? This Seat only wants him to meet and talk with this aide¡­ Whether it¡¯s Cheng Tian or Zhang Hong, they are both the same. They have suspicious minds and don¡¯t know how to not doubt their own people. This Seat is sending the scholar to pass near the enemy¡¯s army camp, eventually Zhang Hong will be suspicious of his own aide and send him to attack our camp by himself. That is useful enough.¡±


    The ministers all nodded and praised the plan. Feng Ming pointed to the map and said, ¡°As for who would be sent to lead this expedition, this Seat wants you all to discuss. Tomorrow, you can list several names to recommend, and then I will pick among them.¡±


    When he finished giving his order, Feng Ming allowed everyone to go back.


    Lu Shichen hesitated just outside the door for a moment, but he gritted his teeth and also left.


    As soon as Feng Ming heard the door closed, he suddenly hunched over and reached out a hand to lean against the map, almost knocking it over. With his other hand he covered his mouth as he coughed fitfully. Blood was leaking out between his fingers and tears were falling down his cheeks. It turned out that he¡¯d been suppressing his cough and that was why he turned his back to everyone.


    His coughing seemed to get worse and he couldn¡¯t help but fall to the ground like he had lost all his strength.


    Being a King was undoubtedly not easy. The person he trusted the most betrayed him. If he showed his sadness, people would accuse him of being stupid; for the sake of one puny affection, a thousand soldiers had been lost yet he still dared to mourn his impossible love.


    But if Feng Ming didn¡¯t show any sadness, people would accuse him of being a cold-hearted and indifferent King. If a King was indifferent even after losing ten thousand soldiers, then wouldn¡¯t he still be indifferent after suffering a great loss in a war? Also, was Zhao Lu just a plaything who would be discarded once the King was bored?


    Lu Shichen opened the door just in time to see Feng Ming fall to the floor. He rushed inside and called for the servants.


    Lu Shichen was just a scholar, and Feng Ming, while he was thin and lean, he wasn¡¯t exactly light. Lu Shichen staggered and struggled to help King Feng sit on the large chair.


    Lu Shichen was so worried he looked miserable. He said, ¡°Your Majesty, why are you still torturing yourself like this? Just consider Zhao Lu is dead!¡±


    Feng Ming shook his head and laughed shortly, ¡°Some people would call it obsession, but I¡¯d rather he betrayed me and is not dead¡­ If he¡¯s still alive, one day he and I will meet again on the battlefield, at that time I will be able to get him back.¡±


    Lu Shichen was confused by Feng Ming¡¯s contradicting words. Even if he was betrayed, he still wished Zhao Lu to be alive? Then he said someday they would meet on a battlefield, which was a strange thing to say because if that happened, then they would be fighting to kill each other.


    But as Lu Shichen thought about the sentence some more, he couldn¡¯t help sighing again and again. Despite his sincerity towards Zhao Lu, King Feng was still a King of a country. It was inevitable his feelings were contradictory.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Zhang Hong and his army stopped and camped at a place not far from Ming River. As soon as he settled, he sent someone to Xue Country.


    Because of the death of the Empress, the proceeding of the Triennial Selection was delayed to an unspecified time. The way people saw it, His Majesty¡¯s love towards the Late Empress must be very deep. Therefore, they thought of sending all of the candidates home.


    At this time, came a letter from Zhang Hong, stating he wanted to marry off his sister to Xue Junliang.


    In the letter, Zhang Hong praised his own sister so high as if she was from the heavens, and also stated that he only wanted her to marry the strongest man in the world. He had decided that there was no other man stronger than Xue Junliang.


    When Xue Junliang read Zhang Hong¡¯s letter, he laughed out so loud that all his ministers were left looking at each other in confusion.


    Xue Junliang ordered Jiang Yu to read the content of the letter so everyone could hear and be entertained together. Zhang Hong¡¯s words were so full of praises and fawning, people who didn¡¯t know would not think it was a marriage proposal.


    Teng Yun, who was said to have achieved a meritorious deed and granted an official title by Xue Junliang, stood below the throne among a group of military commanders.


    Xue Junliang asked everyone¡¯s opinion, should he marry this younger sister of Zhang Hong. No one dared come forward to be the first to say anything. After all, they were still not clear of what Emperor Xue¡¯s intention might be. If their opinion differed to Emperor Xue¡¯s, wouldn¡¯t that be disastrous?


    Xue Junliang looked around the crowd and laughed, ¡°Who wants to say their opinion? Teng Ying, how about you? This time though you have achieved great merit, people are still doubting you. Now, if you don¡¯t say anything, people would want you to be punished. So, say your opinion! Show them that you¡¯re still able to stand here today is not because you only have a big mouth and no brain.¡±


    Hearing the order, Teng Yun stepped forward. Looking up, he saw Xue Junliang¡¯s condescending look and let out a cold snort. Xue Junliang was deliberately finding ways to cut off his head.


    To be able to become a thorn in Emperor Xue¡¯s side, Teng Yun wasn¡¯t sure if it was a misfortune or a great luck¡­

 CH 50

    ~~~~


    Xue Junliang apparently heard Teng Yun¡¯s unamused snort. He said, ¡°I know you have your own ideas and plan in mind, but let the others hear your opinion so they can also be convinced as well.¡±


    Teng Yun cupped both his hands together and said, ¡°Zhang Hong is Cheng Tian¡¯s own nephew. Only because Cheng Tian lost to the Emperor, Zhang Hong had the opportunity to kill his uncle who was already defeated and appoint himself as a king. This alone proves he is disloyal, unrighteous and heartless. Moreover, Cheng Tian had always treated Zhang Hong as if he was his own son, yet Zhang Hong killed Cheng Tian as if he¡¯s just chopping vegetables. This shows Zhang Hong¡¯s disregard towards filial piety. If His Majesty accepted the marriage alliance from Zhang Hong, it will taint His Majesty¡¯s reputation in commoners¡¯ eyes.¡±


    Xue Houyang, who was standing at the front, couldn¡¯t help but glance back to see. He also thought the same way as Teng Ying; Zhang Hong was obviously unfaithful and un-filial, he hoped Emperor Xue would not associate with someone like that. Xue Houyang never thought that someone would be brave enough to present their opinions so frankly in front of the Emperor, whereas he himself would be hesitating.


    Whispers broke out among the court officials after they heard Teng Yun¡¯s statement. One half of the court marveled at Teng Ying¡¯s eloquence; they had originally thought Teng Ying would persuade Emperor Xue to accept the marriage proposal. The other half marveled at Teng Ying¡¯s temperament when speaking so directly.


    Instead of getting angry, Xue Junliang gave a light laugh and said, ¡°Oh ¡­¡­ then wouldn¡¯t this Seat still have to thank you, otherwise this Seat would have become a foolish ruler scorned by the world?¡±


    Teng Yun received the sentence without being condescending, ¡°This lowly servant doesn¡¯t dare.¡±


    Xue Junliang¡¯s attempt at mocking was blocked with one short sentence. He gave a brief glance at the person standing below. Had this former sword-keeper been deliberately playing foolish to save himself from trouble? Xue Junliang really could not figure him out.


    ¡°Then, in your opinion, how should this Seat reply to Zhang Hong?¡±


    Teng Yun did not open his mouth immediately, paused for a moment, then said, ¡°This lowly servant indeed has a solution, but¡­ This servant has an unsolicited request.¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed out loud, ¡°Then say it. Teng Ying suddenly acting so polite and humble, this Seat is a bit uncomfortable.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s face burned red. He knew his tone was a bit impulsive, but he couldn¡¯t keep his calm. This King who had killed him, had arrested and thrown his father into prison, had forced his beloved uncle to marry a man; why was Teng Yun still standing here, Teng Yun himself wanted to know.


    Teng Yun sorted out his thoughts and spoke, ¡°This servant implores Your Majesty, let the Marquis of Tengnan out of prison.¡±


    After he finished this sentence, the hall was immediately so quiet that even the sound of breathing could not be heard.


    Jiang Yu reprimanded, ¡°Audacious!¡±


    Shen Yi also could not help but look sideways at Teng Ying, and thought to himself in his heart that either this man was extremely intelligent or he was crazy.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Then Your Majesty.. What do you think?¡±


    Xue Junliang wordlessly stood. Slowly he walked down the jade steps, one step at a time, towards Teng Yun.


    Teng Yun felt a strange buzzing in his head, black spots danced in his vision, his eyes became bloodshot and his limbs went numb until the tips of his fingers felt ice-cold. Somehow he felt he had seen this scene before, buried in the deepest place in his heart.


    When Teng Yun was captured and beaten until he was bruised all over, and then he was escorted by the guards to the main hall. Xue Junliang had then walked down the jade steps, just like he did now, leading Teng Yun to the field with a smile, wanting to show Teng Yun, Xue Country¡¯s Martial Arts acumen.


    The past hit Teng Yun like a devastating tidal blow making him breathless and suffocated. He closed his eyes and shook his head to clear it. He had never feared death, but after experiencing it once, his subconsciousness seemed to have remembered it.


    Xue Junliang, on the other hand, had originally wanted to pat Teng Ying¡¯s shoulder for being so courageous. But before he reached Teng Ying, there was a commotion in the crowd as Teng Ying unexpectedly fell to the floor.


    Without thinking, Xue Junliang reached out a hand to catch Teng Ying. The ministers closest to him saw it and jumped forward to catch Teng Ying themselves. How could they dare let the Emperor catch a lowly official by himself.


    The court hall was once thrown into an uproar as several people called the Imperial physician to hurry over.


    Seeing the chaotic situation in the hall, Xue Junliang ordered Jiang Yu to withdraw Teng Ying from the Court hall to the side room. The Imperial physician came and examined Teng Ying¡¯s pulse. It turned out, the former guard had a heart disease. In the future, he must not have emotional fluctuations that were too much, because it could worsen his heart¡¯s condition and in critical cases it could even lead to loss of life.


    After giving some prescriptions, the Imperial physician saw the scars on Teng Ying¡¯s face. He considered treating the scars too, but he had heard that this general was the one guilty of setting fire to Yunfeng Palace. Afraid of inviting trouble for himself, the Imperial physician did not suggest any medication for the scars.


    Teng Yun slept very uncomfortably, even in his sleep he was struggling and mumbling something. Seeing this, the Imperial physician added some soothing herbs to the prescription.


    Xue Junliang impatiently asked, ¡°When will he wake up?¡±


    ¡°This servant will apply some needles, then he will wake up immediately.¡±


    Wef Aeciljcu cbvvfv jcv jiibkfv atf qtsrlmljc ab qgfqjgf atf cffvifr. Kfcu Tlcu kjr ralii abrrlcu jcv aegclcu, tf kjr jirb wewyilcu rbwfatlcu lc tlr vgfjw. Wef Aeciljcu jrxfv, ¡°Qtja lr tf rjslcu?¡±


    Ktf Pwqfglji qtsrlmljc kjr jqqislcu rbwf cffvifr, rb bo mbegrf tf tfjgv ktja Kfcu Tlcu kjr wewyilcu. Dea tf vlvc¡¯a vjgf afii Llr Zjpfras; atf qjalfca kjr wewyilcu Swqfgbg Wef¡¯r ulnfc cjwf.


    Xue Junliang saw him dilly-dallying and stammering, so he simply waved the man away, and just when he lowered his head, he heard Teng Yun mumbling ¡®Xue Junliang¡¯.


    Xue Junliang was stunned, his eyes were a bit complicated as he looked at the person on the bed. Suddenly he remembered that time when the Empress had a fever and was unconscious. When she was unconscious, she had also mumbled his name just like this.


    Of course, a man¡¯s voice and a woman¡¯s were different, but the tone was very similar. So similar that it left Xue Junliang with many complicated feelings that he didn¡¯t understand.


    After the physician applied some needles, Teng Yun immediately woke up, although he still looked groggy and a bit confused.


    Xue Junliang examined the many scars on Teng Ying¡¯s face, some were big, some were small. The scars, paired with the unfocused gaze, left him with an inexplicable impression.


    Xue Junliang spoke indifferently and said, ¡°All right, enough pretending to be dead.¡±


    Teng Yun very slowly got up and sat on the bed. Xue Junliang said, ¡°You¡¯ve said your request. But this Seat has yet to see if you really have the ability. If you are able to fulfill, this Seat promises you,  let alone releasing Marquis Tengnan from prison, this Seat will also immediately raise your status and let you replace Marquis Tengnan¡¯s position.¡±


    Teng Yun smiled bitterly. Was this how he would take over his own father¡¯s title? He never had wanted to be above everyone or get the title of Marquis.


    If Zhang Hong¡¯s proposal was rashly rejected, Zhang Hong would certainly feel humiliated and attack Xue Country just to retaliate. Although there was no need to worry about the war, it was still better to have less war than to have wars that lasted for years.


    While absent-mindedly massaging his left chest which still had slight pain, Teng Yun said, ¡°How about this? Your Majesty can first send a letter to Zhang Hong, accepting his marriage proposal. Zhang Hong is greedy, naturally he would expect Your Majesty to send troops and army provisions in exchange for his sister¡¯s hands in marriage. Then, Your Majesty can send a troop of a few thousands of old, weak and injured soldiers, as well as some hundreds of barrels of grain to Zhang Hong. Seeing the soldiers, Zhang Hong would be so angry that he would rip Your Majesty¡¯s acceptance letter. Because of that, the marriage alliance would be broken not because Your Majesty did not accept the proposal. Zhang Hong would have no ground to attack Xue Country, and could only turn back to concentrate on dealing with the Feng Country.¡±


    Xue Junliang listened to the plan and nodded; this was indeed a great plan. Early the next morning, Xue Junliang ordered Teng Yun to reveal his plan at the Morning Court. When Teng Yun proposed his idea, everyone was shocked.


    Xue Junliang laughed, ¡°This Seat has promised, naturally this Seat will fulfill it, otherwise this Seat would be no different than a lowly villain like Zhang Hong. Send someone to the prison right this moment to free Marquis Tengnan, but he would no longer be a Marquis Tengnan, instead he would be demoted to a commoner. Teng Ying, your scheming mind and courage, this Seat values a talented man like you. From now on, you will be titled Marquis Tengnan. If you are loyal to your position and duties, you will be a wealthy and well-respected man. If your behavior is respectable, no one will oppose you. But if you show hereditary rebellion, then no one will tolerate traitors.¡±


    After His Majesty dismissed the Morning Court, many court officials approached Teng Yun to congratulate him. This was the true example of an instant success. How many people worked hard all their lives and still could not get any official rank? But this Teng Ying, with just one strategy, became a Marquis Tengnan.


    True to his words, Xue Junliang sent people to release Marquis Tengnan, who had already been stripped of all his titles and demoted to a commoner. Teng Yun didn¡¯t go to the prison to see his father nor send someone to pick him up. After everything, having his father released from prison was a kindness enough, and Teng Yun considered his filial duties fulfilled.


    Marquis Tengnan¡¯s residence in the Capital city was renovated, its house plaque was taken down, and the front door was decorated with red curtains, it was only waiting for Teng Yun to move in.


    Teng Yun looked at the gold plaque and he didn¡¯t know what he felt in his heart. The residence¡¯s servants were lighting some firecrackers, saying they hoped this would drive away all of the previous owner¡¯s bad luck. At this time, Jiang Yu personally came to deliver a plaque. On it ¡®Marquis Tengnan¡¯s Residence¡®, was personally written by Xue Junliang.


    It was a great honor to have Emperor Xue himself write a house¡¯s plaque. The servants immediately hung the new plaque to replace the old one and then lined up to welcome Teng Yun into the residence.


    The residence was quite huge, the servants were all old servants of the Marquis. Living in one courtyard, there were also several beauties and concubines left by the previous Marquis.


    Teng Yun shook his head in dismay. This residence was very grand and luxurious and had too many beautiful women. Seemed like the person who used to live here, lived a very happy life.


    Teng Yun dismissed the concubines and some of the servants. Some were reluctant to leave. To them Teng Yun laughed, ¡°If you insist on staying, my salary is not high, I cannot support all of you.¡±


    A few days later, someone reported to Emperor Xue that everything had gone according to Marquis Tengnan¡¯s strategy. Zhang Hong had almost fainted due to anger, before tearing down the marriage alliance letter, loudly vowing he would never marry off his sister to a scheming villain like Xue Junliang.


    Seeing that currying favour with Xue Junliang was useless, Zhang Hong had no choice but to deal with Feng Country by himself as he had already provoked Feng Ming. Now, he could not turn back and attack Xue Country; that would be equal to having a wolf in front and tiger at the back. Zhang Hong had to fight with Feng by himself.


    On the other hand, Feng Ming really sent people to sneak attack. Zhang Hong did not dare to rashly repair and dig the river to fill the city. The moment he started any work, soldiers sneak attacked and it was becoming very annoying.


    Feng Ming then sent a large army to openly battle against Zhang Hong. The two sides fought but were evenly matched, therefore both sides called for their soldiers to retreat. At this time, Feng Ming ordered the scholar who won first place in this year¡¯s imperial examination to take short trips to the frontier every day. The scholar wasn¡¯t told to fight, only to find his friend and have a nice and relaxed talk.


    Zhang Hong ordered his commander to kill the scholar, but the general under his command said he would not kill an innocent man who knew no Martial Arts and was no match for him in a fight. It was not a victory.


    Zhang Hong was suspicious. These two people met almost everyday, yet they didn¡¯t try to kill each other. This must be some kind of a trick.


    Later, in Zhang Hong¡¯s army camp a rumor circulated that the commander and the scholar used to live in the same village. People concluded that the commander wasn¡¯t originally from their country, but from Feng Country instead. This led to speculation that the commander might have a heart to rebel and therefore should be eliminated.


    Zhang Hong was secretly alarmed in his heart, to think that there was a spy among his own people. His adviser suggested Zhang Hong to invite the general over for a feast, which the general certainly could not decline.


    Also, in the feast, a few swordsmen were placed just inside Zhang Hong¡¯s tent¡¯s entrance and ordered to slash any person entering the tent.


    The guard on duty outside Zhang Hong¡¯s tent secretly reported what he had seen to the general. The general didn¡¯t immediately believe the guard¡¯s report, but he still brought five martial arts experts with him to the banquet.


    As soon as the general arrived at Zhang Hong¡¯s tent, Zhang Hong immediately ordered the swordsmen to attack, while his adviser shouted ¡°The General is a traitor!¡±.


    Fortunately, the general had come prepared. He and his five trusted men fought, broke out of the encirclement and fled to the edge of the Ming River, with no way forward.


    At this time, Feng Country¡¯s scholar brought his men over with a boat and said with a laugh, ¡°General, it¡¯s been a while. Why are you in such a mess?¡±


    The pursuing soldiers dove into the water and tried to overturn the boat. The scholar ordered the people on the board to chop those soldiers¡¯ hands. Because of this, the soldiers dared not touch the boat and had to let the escapees go. The same day Feng army had a banquet to celebrate the addition of a great and valiant general in their ranks.


    While at the front line soldiers welcomed the surrendered general, Feng Ming also arranged a banquet at the Palace. The court officials were all in high spirits. After all, they managed to  suppress Zhang Hong¡¯s effort, how could they not be happy?


    After a few toasts, someone who didn¡¯t know the recent news, inquired about Marquis Zhulu to King Feng. Feng Ming¡¯s expression darkened in an instant. He immediately ordered the arrest of the offending person and beat him thirty times with a wooden plank. He said, ¡°In this world, there is no such thing as Marquis Zhulu! Or are you all ridiculing me? Now that you all are gathered here, right this moment I will vow, one day I will meet with Zhao Lu in a battle, that day I will show him the true face of my Feng Kingdom!¡±


    Despite starting in a happy mood, the banquet ended in an unpleasant one and everyone left discontentedly. Feng Ming on the other hand, decided he hadn¡¯t had enough to drink. He invited Minister Lu and had his own private banquet. Feng Ming cried and drank, as if trying to replace his tears with wine.


    Lu Shichen had no capacity for alcohol. Affected by Feng Ming¡¯s grief, Lu Shichen also couldn¡¯t help but cry. The two of them cried and laughed together, and compared notes of each other¡¯s ambitions.


    Lu Shichen knew that though King Feng looked strong, inside he was actually very sensitive and soft. If Lu Shichen didn¡¯t volunteer to be King Feng¡¯s listener, perhaps King Feng would¡¯ve gone insane, either driving others crazy or driving himself crazy.


    Lu Shichen said, ¡°If there was no war, everything wouldn¡¯t be this difficult to decide.¡±


    Feng Ming laughed, ¡°Actually, just sitting on the throne, there is no one who doesn¡¯t think of war.¡±


    Lu Shichen sighed, ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate that I¡¯m just a lowly scholar who only knows about literature. I know nothing about the principles of military campaigns or expanding territory. I cannot be of help to Your Majesty.¡±


    In the end, Lu Shichen drank too much. Feng Ming allowed him to stay in the palace, but the old-fashioned Lu Shichen refused, insisting he had to follow protocol and leave the Palace. Feng Ming didn¡¯t force him, only let people send him a good horse.


    Minister Lu was famous for being frugal, he didn¡¯t bring any servants. Lu Shichen went home alone, swaying right and left on his horse.


    However, in an area not far from the Palace where the grass grew quite tall, Lu Shichen¡¯s horse suddenly neighed in alarm. It stood on its hind legs, throwing down Lu Shichen from its back.


    Lu Shichen was an ordinary scholar who never trained his body. So after falling from the horse he could barely get up. When he was finally able to open his eyes, he saw that his horse had run away and there was a small puddle of blood on the ground.


    Lu Shichen was not a fool, his heart lurched when he realized someone had wire tripped the horse. Someone was trying to rob at the edge of the Imperial city?


    When Lu Shichen looked up, there was someone wearing a simple but elegant dress. When they saw Lu Shichen, they rushed over to help him up and said, ¡°Minister Lu, are you alright?¡±


    Realizing the person was Rui Xue, Lu Shichen¡¯s heart calmed down. Despite believing it was taboo for a man touching an unmarried woman, he was too in pain to refuse Rui Xue¡¯s help.


    Lu Shichen said, ¡°Rui Xue, why did you come back? Were you ordered by Zhao Lu?¡±


    Rui Xue used one hand to support Lu Shichen and the other hand was rummaging through the folds of the clothes. Next instant Lu Shichen felt the coldness of a dagger at his neck.


    Lu Shichen¡¯s blood ran cold in a split second and he immediately sobered up, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Rui Xue only laughed, but her laughter didn¡¯t sound like that of a woman¡¯s. As soon as Lu Shichen realized this, he fiercely pushed the other person, only to fall to the ground again.


    The stranger squatted down, the dagger still slightly touching Lu Shichen¡¯s neck, before finally pointing at Lu Shichen¡¯s lower body.


    Lu Shichen¡¯s heart was even more shocked. He said, ¡°You¡¯re not Rui Xue! Who are you?¡±


    The man laughed, ¡°You have guts, at times like this you can still talk to me like that?¡±


    Lu Shichen froze, ¡°Zhao Tong?¡±


    Zhao Tong took off the mask on his face, ¡°You¡¯re so smart. But don¡¯t think your being smart will make me let you go. Today Laozi will show you¡±


    As he spoke, his hands trembled on purpose, which made Lu Shichen want to run, but he couldn¡¯t stand due to his earlier fall, let alone run away.


    Zhao Tong laughed, ¡°Minister Lu is quite good. Very admirable. As soon as my master left, you dared staying in the Palace even after dark. How was King Feng, is he great in bed?¡±


    ¡°Presumptuous! You.. Shut your filthy mouth!¡±


    Lu Shichen¡¯s face turned red. He had never married, had no experience regarding intimate matters, let alone having fun with a man. It was such a blasphemy to even hear about it.


    Zhao Tong pulled Lu Shichen up, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t want to admit it. I don¡¯t even care about people like you. Be a good boy and come with me or Laozi will castrate you!¡±


    Lu Shichen¡¯s face went redder, it was almost dripping blood in shame. Zhao Tong carried him away like a chicken.


    Zhao Tong loaded Lu Shichen into a sack, changed into men¡¯s clothes and rushed back to Xue Country.


    Zhao Lu had found out that Zhao Tong wasn¡¯t in the army camp and ordered someone to look for him. A few days later, Zhao Tong returned carrying a sack on his shoulder and immediately went to the Palace to seek an audience with His Majesty.


    He greeted Zhao Lu, ¡°Master, wait until we meet with His Majesty, then I will give him to you so you can take out your anger.¡± The sentence made no sense at all for Zhao Lu.


    Xue Junliang was having deliberations with his ministers in the warm pavilion of his study. Teng Yun was naturally present. These days, Teng Yun was favoured. Every time there was something to talk about, Emperor Xue would ask Teng Yun¡¯s opinion. Only Teng Yun knew that Xue Junliang was deliberately putting him on the spot, so if he said one wrong thing, Xue Junliang could immediately punish him and execute him. This forced Teng Yun to be always vigilant and on high alert.


    At this time, Jiang Yu came over and said, ¡°General Zhao Tong requests for an audience¡­ It seems like an urgent matter.¡±


    Xue Junliang took note of Jiang Yu ambiguity and ordered Zhao Tong to quickly enter. But he did not expect Zhao Tong to carry a sack and come in and throw it down, then he knelt down to greet the Emperor.


    Knowing that Zhao Tong was still very young and arrogant, Xue Junliang felt that the situation might not be very agreeable. Zhao Tong didn¡¯t always act according to the rules. Hence telling him off would not have any effect.


    So Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°Zhao Tong, what kind of treasure are you offering?¡±


    Zhao Tong said, ¡°Not a treasure, but a despicable person.¡±


    Everyone in the room exclaimed, ¡°What? There is a man inside?¡±


    Zhao Tong opened the sack, and an unconscious Lu Shichen rolled out of it, everyone looked even more shocked. They didn¡¯t know it was Minister Lu from Feng Country; they only saw a man who was in a terrible state, and looked as pale as a corpse.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Who is this?¡±


    Zhao Tong said, ¡°He is Minister Lu from Feng Country.¡±


    As Zhao Tong finished this sentence, even Xue Junliang froze. Teng Yun had heard the great name of Minister Lu. He ducked down and checked the pulse of the fainted person. He said, ¡°I wonder if the general can tell us, how many days has this Minister Lu not eaten?¡±


    Zhao Tong was quick to answer, ¡°I travelled day and night from Feng Country till here. I didn¡¯t even have time to take any rest. How could I have time to give him meals?¡±


    Xue Junliang rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache was coming. He had, of course, heard about Minister Lu¡¯s reputation and had wanted to recruit him for himself. He had thought of many strategies to invite Minister Lu to join his side, but never once thought the ¡®invite¡¯ would happen this way.


    Fortunately, Feng Country was still focusing on Zhang Hong, otherwise if they noticed that Minister Lu was missing and was captured by Xue Country, Feng Ming for sure would have sent troops to attack.


    No wonder people said that newborn calves weren¡¯t afraid of tigers¡­


    Teng Yun could see Zhao Tong had a personal grudge with Lu Shichen, fearing that Lu Shichen would suffer if he was in Zhao Tong¡¯s hands, he hurriedly said, ¡°Lu Shichen is a well-educated and talented person. Please, Your Majesty¡­¡±


    Before he finished his words, Xue Junliang already understood and laughed: ¡°Am I that cruel? Since Aiqing mentioned it first, might as well you take him and try to persuade him to surrender.¡±


    Teng Yun actually didn¡¯t want to take the task of persuading Minister Lu. He had never met Lu Shichen in person, therefore he didn¡¯t know if he could persuade him. But if he could not do it, Xue Junliang might try to put the blame on him again.

 CH 51

    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t give Teng Yun any opportunity to refute.


    Zhao Tong had always felt that Teng Yun got the position of a Marquis due to a huge stroke of luck. Now that with great effort he had managed to capture Feng Country¡¯s Minister Lu Shichen, again Teng Yun robbed him of his opportunity to persuade Lu Shichen. Naturally, Zhao Tong was not convinced.


    Xue Junliang said with a smile: ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that you all want to contribute and this Seat is very pleased. But if the Marquis Tengnan isn¡¯t able to make Lu Shichen surrender, then the task will remain on your shoulders.¡±


    Zhao Tong had to respect the decision of Emperor Xue. He knew that he could not do anything to change Emperor Xue¡¯s mind. Even if he was young and fearless, he could not talk back to the Monarch, it would be his head on the line, so he had to stop.


    Teng Yun asked some Imperial guards to take the unconscious Minister Lu Shichen back to the Marquis¡¯ residence and asked someone to call the Imperial physician to come and check for any injuries, he also asked the servants to take care of Lu Shichen.


    Fortunately, Minister Lu Shichen seemed to be just exhausted and very weak; as he had not been fed for many days during his captivity. There were also some slight skin injuries and some broken bones, but they were not life threatening. Teng Yun was worried that if the broken bones were not fixed after so many days, it would give the Minister a permanent disability.


    Lu Shichen was woken up by the aroma of rice. He opened his eyes and saw food on the table on one side. He quickly struggled to get up.


    Seeing this, the servant nearby couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Young Master. The meal is for you.¡±


    Then she helped him to get up from the bed, holding him all the way to the table and let Lu Shichen sit down to eat.


    It occurred to Lu Shichen that the servant was a girl and being a naive scholar that he was, he thought it was not good to be so close to her, so he cupped his hand and said, ¡°Thank you, Miss.¡±


    The servant said with a smile, ¡°I was told to inform my Master, the Lord Marquis, when you wake up.¡±


    ¡°Yes.. Did your Master save me?¡±


    The servant said, ¡°This humble servant doesn¡¯t know about this. Please wait for the Master to come, young Sir, and you could ask him.¡±


    After she said this, she retreated and went out. Lu Shichen was too hungry to worry about anything right now. He grabbed the chopsticks on the table, served the dishes on his bowl and stuffed them into his mouth. Even if he was poor and his life was difficult in the past, he had never missed a meal for so many days, his body was feeling very weak and sore, after being carried in a sack and being bounced on the bumpy road. He almost thought he was going to die.


    Just as he stuffed the rice in his mouth, he heard a ¡°creak¡± sound. He raised his head to see a man in a brocade robe come in. The man was only in his twenties. He had a good appearance and a strong body. At first glance, you could see that his bearing was not like that of ordinary men, but there were some scars on his face and made him look horrific. He looked like a mountain bandit, but no bandit had such a noble temperament.


    Lu Shichen realized that this noble looking man was the Master whom the servant was talking about. Naturally, he should get up and pay his respect, after all, this man had saved him. He quickly threw down his chopsticks and stood up. He was aware that he was eating like he hadn¡¯t eaten in his life, and was seen by the other party, so he wiped his mouth in embarrassment.


    Teng Yun wanted to laugh when he saw Lu Shichen¡¯s foolish actions, but he felt it was inappropriate. After all, the other party was also a talented scholar and a celebrated Feng Country¡¯s Minister. Teng Yun, since he has not heard much about Lu Shichen, inquired about him. People said that although he was very intelligent, he was reckless, unfriendly, and spiteful. He was also very stubborn, but in order to pay King Feng¡¯s kindness, he was ready to sacrifice himself.


    They said that after Minister Zhulu betrayed King Feng Ming, the King was devastated and he stayed by Feng Ming¡¯s side, becoming the King¡¯s closest aide. Some say that Lu Shichen was an honorable Minister paying the King for his gratitude and kindness.


    Teng Yun reached out to help Lu Shichen and said, ¡°Please, Minister Lu, sit down.¡±


    Seeing that Teng Yun spoke kindly made Lu Shichen feel at ease and immediately became less nervous and sat down.


    Teng Yun asked him to help himself and continue eating; knowing that he was very hungry. At that moment, Lu Shichen only cared about the food, so he picked up his chopsticks and continued to eat.


    Teng Yun poured him a cup of tea and said, ¡°Minister. Lu, eat slowly and be careful not to choke.¡±


    Lu Shichen didn¡¯t pay any heed to why the other party knew who he was. He continued to eat, after a while, he inadvertently said, ¡°I dare to ask my revered benefactor, where is this?¡±


    Teng Yun smiled and said, ¡°Xue Country.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lu Shichen was dazed and didn¡¯t give any reaction for a moment. He didn¡¯t know whether his head became fuzzy because of the attack on his head or because of hunger. He answered and stuffed a lot of dishes into his mouth. Then he came to his senses, immediately spit out all of the food in his mouth, and said in surprise: ¡°Xue¡­ Xue Country!¡±


    The servant standing on one side was shocked by his reaction, quickly came over and took a handkerchief to wipe off the vegetable soup that had splashed on Teng Yun, and said, ¡°Lord Marquis, are you all right?¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t seem to mind very much and told his servant not to worry. The servant once again stepped back.


    Lu Shichen said, ¡°Marquis? Are you the Marquis of Xue Country?¡±


    Kfcu Tec ibbxfv gefoeiis ja tlr rtbmxfv fzqgfrrlbc jcv mbeivc¡¯a tfiq afjrlcu tlw. Lf rwlifv jcv rjlv, ¡°Tfr, kts lr Zlclrafg Oe rb regqglrfv? Ktf obbv lr vlgas. Gb sbe kjca atf rfgnjca ab jggjcuf wbgf obbv bc jcbatfg ajyif?¡±


    Oe Vtlmtfc kjr ralii rtbmxfv jcv klvf-fsfv jcv jiwbra mbeivc¡¯a mibrf tlr wbeat. Llr fzqgfrrlbc mtjcufv lwwfvljafis, tf qjaafv atf ajyif jcuglis jcv rjlv, ¡°Qts fzjmais vlv sbe mjqaegf wf? Pr atlr xlcv bo yftjnlbg vbcf ys j ufcaifwjc?! ¡°


    Teng Yun wanted to laugh. At this time, he was still asking if someone was a gentleman or not? Was it gentlemanly to kill the enemies in battle? There was no need to compare who was more scheming.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one who kidnapped Minister Lu. I was just ordered to persuade Minister Lu to surrender.¡±


    When Lu Shichen heard the sentence ¡°persuade to surrender¡±, his face turned even darker. He turned away and said, ¡°This Lu would rather starve than surrender!¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t say anything, but said, ¡°This Teng also knows that Minister Lu is a loyal man and this Teng won¡¯t force him to surrender. I just request Minister Lu to stay here for a few days.¡±


    Then Teng Yun got up and went out.


    Lu Shichen walked out from the inner room and looked out, he saw a guard outside the room. He seemed unable to escape so had to go back to the inner room. There was still a lot of food left on the table. His stomach was still rumbling but he turned his head away from the table and decided not to eat Xue Country¡¯s food.


    When Zhao Lu found out that Zhao Tong had kidnapped Lu Shichen and brought him to Xue Country, he reprimanded Zhao Tong for making decisions without consulting him first. Zhao Lu told Zhao Tong that because of his impulsive action, he had not cared about the importance of his action and didn¡¯t understand the general situation. If Feng Ming was angered by the loss of his Minister, the people of the two countries would be the one to suffer.


    Although Zhao Tong understood later that Zhao Lu¡¯s anger was reasonable, he was very annoyed at heart. He had worked too hard for this opportunity and wanted to be praised. Although taking the beloved Minister of Feng Country, he was saying it was easy, in fact, it was very dangerous, but people only saw that he had been impulsive and ignored his loyalty to Xue.


    Zhao Tong naturally accepted Zhao Lu¡¯s admonitions, he had followed Zhao Lu for a long time. Moreover, Zhao Lu has a calm and collected nature, and had reasonable reasons for doing things and making decisions. Zhao Tong had long been convinced by him, and his hate naturally transferred to Teng Yun.


    It was well known that Teng Yun was just a lowly guard who had a bad reputation before. Now he was already a Marquis and also had robbed him of his credit. He had already accumulated several resentments in his heart against Teng Yun.


    Someone in the army pretended to have a good relationship with Zhao Tong. This person wanted to raise his position by virtue of his relationship between Zhao Tong and Zhao Lu. However, Zhao Lu was a man with fair and strict characteristics, and he didn¡¯t seem to have any chance in using Zhao Lu. Now this matter suddenly gave him a plan to get rid of Zhao Tong. Zhao Tong had a very strong ability and could be considered as a stumbling block.


    The man told Zhao Tong that Lu Shichen was a stubborn man and would never surrender. Even if he surrendered, the General¡¯s achievements would only be taken by Marquis Tengnan. In the end, it would still be the credit for others. These words lit a fire in Zhao Tong¡¯s already jealous heart.


    It could also be said that Zhao Tong had no experience in dealing with people as he had been mostly under Zhao Lu¡¯s command, and couldn¡¯t distinguish loyalty and treachery. Once provoked by others, his anger rushed up and he became unreasonable.


    The man wanted Zhao Tong to be furious. At this time, he told Zhao Tong that there was a way to get rid of Lu Shichen. If Lu Shichen died in Marquis Tengnan¡¯s residence, Marquis Tengnan could not get away with it. Wouldn¡¯t it be wonderful to kill two birds with one stone?


    Zhao Tong also thought this was a good idea, but he didn¡¯t know anyone who would kill Lu Shichen. When Zhao Tong first came to the army, there were not many credible people. The man said that it¡¯s not good for just anyone to go. Only if the General went by himself could the kill be ensured. First, the General had excellent martial arts, and second, the lesser the people knew and were involved with, the fewer the rumors would be.


    Three more days and it would be Emperor Xue¡¯s birthday ¡ª the Qianqiu Festival. All the ministers would enter the Palace to present gifts to His Majesty and celebrate his birthday at the banquet. This time would be the best time for Zhao Tong to do something.


    Three days later, the man offered Zhao Tong a cup of Desheng wine, to boost his courage and kill Lu Shichen.


    Zhao Tong felt that it was not necessary to be courageous to kill a person. The man just smiled and said, this was Desheng wine, it would give him a boost, so Zhao Tong drank it.


    So Zhao Tong didn¡¯t know that in fact, the man who advised him to kill Lu Shichen by himself, wanted to get rid of him, so he came up with that plan. That glass of wine was not Desheng wine at all, but a wine he bought from a brothel. At the moment when Zhao Tong would sneak into the Marquis residence, his blood would become hot all the way. Imagine a General running to the Marquis residence and raped women ¡ª he would be beheaded according to the law.


    Even if Zhao Lu would interfere and asked for his man to be let go, the Marquis would certainly not agree.


    Zhao Tong had been tricked, but he didn¡¯t know that. Wearing night clothes that would camouflage him, he really went and sneaked into the Marquis residence.


    Marquis Tengnan¡¯s residence was not guarded by heavy troops. Although the yard was large, there were just a few servants inside who were already resting in their rooms, so the place looked a bit deserted. At this time, Teng Yun had already entered the palace to attend the banquet.


    Zhao Tong easily knocked out the guards. He went to the roof first, peeled off some of the tiles and looked down. Lu Shichen was indeed in the house. Zhao Tong was still happy. As expected, he guessed correctly. The place with the most guards was the place where Lu Shichen was being detained.


    Lu Shichen was entangled with food at this time. Teng Yun would not allow Lu Shichen to have his hunger strike. He asked the cook to cook different kinds of meals every day. Lu Shichen would not eat on the first day, and he was still stubborn and did not eat the next day. He was already hungry on the third day, and with all the different food on the table, and the aroma hitting his nose, he really had a difficult time in controlling his hunger and he was afraid that his attempt for the hunger strike would not work.


    The food delivered in the morning was already cold. Lu Shichen stared at the maidservants as they took the food out with a smile. Sitting there, he seemed to hear those women laughing and talking. ¡°The Marquis said that there were several wild cats behind the house. They were pitiful, so let¡¯s give the food to the wild cats.¡±


    After hearing this, Lu Shichen gnashed his teeth until they were about to break. He was thinking there were so many refugees who could not eat, but here, the food meant for people was even distributed to the cats.


    At noon, Lu Shichen waited for the food on the table and couldn¡¯t help but squeeze a bite into his mouth. Seeing that no one was around looking, he chewed the food quickly. He thought to himself that if he died of starvation, he would no longer be able to repay King Feng¡¯s kindness, would he? This was not disloyalty and unfaithful, so he took a few more mouthfuls, but he was afraid Teng Yun would be laughing at him, so he didn¡¯t dare to eat more.


    When the maid took it away, the food seemed untouched.


    In the evening, Lu Shichen couldn¡¯t help it anymore, he was really hungry. He ate with big mouthfuls, after eating all the pots and bowls, he started to worry. He would definitely be laughed to death by the Marquis of the enemy country.


    In fact, Teng Yun was not a mean person. He cooked food for him, but it was Lu Shichen who couldn¡¯t get through his own difficulties.


    He was staring at the empty plate on the table in a daze, when he heard a ¡°boom¡±. A dark object fell from his head and hit him. Lu Shichen, a gentle and frail looking man, was smashed and was shocked to death¡­.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    On Emperor Xue¡¯s birthday, the court ministers had already brought their birthday gifts into the palace and presented them to Emperor Xue one by one at the banquet, including some valuable treasures.


    Xue Houyang entered the palace with Teng Shang. At the banquet, Xue Houyang presented his birthday gift to Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang opened the box and laughed as soon as he saw it, and said, ¡°Houyang¡¯s gift is new.¡±


    Xue Houyang scratched his head and said, ¡°It was Teng Shang¡¯s suggestion.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded and said, ¡°It was not hard for Teng Shang to have a good heart, but what I didn¡¯t expect was that Teng Shang and Marquis Tengnan thought of the same thing.¡±


    Teng Yun heard his name being mentioned and looked over there. Xue Junliang took out the birthday gift from the brocade box. Only then that Teng Yun saw that it was a mirror, and the birthday gift he gave to Emperor Xue was also a mirror.


    It was not difficult to see that this meant that Xue Junliang needed to reflect more and examine himself more.


    Teng Yun couldn¡¯t help turning his head to look at Teng Shang. At this time, Teng Shang was also looking at him in surprise. The two people looked at each other, and Teng Yun¡¯s eyes wavered with a guilty conscience, and then retracted his gaze.


    Teng Shang naturally had come into contact with Teng Ying back in Teng Country.


    Personally, to be honest, Teng Ying was the one who put forward the idea of letting Teng Shang escort Teng Qianyi to marry to Xue Country. Teng Ying was a well-known villain in Teng Country.


    Teng Yun was afraid that Teng Shang hated him, so naturally he did not dare to look at him. However, Teng Shang was surprised that Teng Ying would gift the Emperor a mirror. It was reasonable to say that Teng Ying should take the opportunity to curry favor with Xue Junliang.


    Teng Yun felt frustrated for a while. He has now grabbed the title of Marquis Tengnan, and he didn¡¯t know how to acknowledge Teng Shang. In particular, he helped Xue Junliang take over the army of Teng Country and facilitate the retreat of the attack from Feng Country. He may have become a traitor long ago, so he didn¡¯t even dare to acknowledge Teng Shang.


    He was depressed. When he thought that his most respected elder would hate him, he inevitably drank a few more cups of wine. Maybe it was easy to get drunk when he had something on his mind. In addition, his heart ailment was not very good. After drinking a few cups, he felt weak and wanted to vomit.


    Teng Yun left the table and went out to breathe some fresh air. He went to the small pavilion in the garden and gently stroked the fence. There was an illusion that time had changed.


    Teng Yun sat down and leaned against the fence, the cool wind of early spring was blowing. Although it was a little cold, it was refreshing, it alleviated his headache and gradually he fell asleep.


    He woke up again because his whole body was cold and his breathing was a little suffocated. Teng Yun opened his eyes, but saw a face very close to his. Since the person¡¯s face was too close, he couldn¡¯t see who it was.


    The other party hugged him tightly, stuck out his tongue and kissed him.


    Teng Yun immediately came to his senses and stretched out to push the man, but although he woke up drunk, he had no strength. He was kissed thoroughly by the man before releasing him.


    Teng Yun seemed to be fixed on the ground, wide-eyed and stared at the man. The other party left his lips and raised his body slightly. The jade tassels of a crown gently hit his nose. It was Xue Junliang!


    Teng Yun struggled to get up, he looked around, he was still at the small pavilion where he had fallen asleep. His clothes were in a mess and he couldn¡¯t help but shiver when the wind blew. He couldn¡¯t help but remember that dream. The dream wherein Xue Junliang had tied himself to a wooden stake and had entered him fiercely.


    Xue Junliang seemed to be drunk. He pressed Teng Yun and pushed Teng Yun back to the ground. The cold icy stone slab touched on his bare back, and Teng Yun couldn¡¯t help shivering.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s strength was amazing. Although Teng Yun had never seen him go to battle to fight against the enemy, he was more than enough to deal with him; a drunk man.


    Xue Junliang grabbed Teng Yun¡¯s hand, turned his whole body around, and let him lie prone on the ground, while his other hand was pulling the hem of Teng Yun¡¯s clothes.


    Maybe Teng Yun has been too used to Xue Junliang¡¯s touches and it was ingrained mentally in him. He couldn¡¯t help but utter an ¡®ahh¡¯ and a memory ran through his head. He felt he was back to being the Empress when Xue Junliang would touch him sneakily.


    It¡¯s just that..


    Today¡¯s Xue Junliang seemed to be not as gentle as before. Teng Yun lay on the ground and couldn¡¯t see his red eyes because of alcohol.


    Xue Junliang tore off his pants. Tengyun felt cold, but soon there was something hot under him.


    Teng Yun shook his head desperately, but the man came forward as if he hadn¡¯t seen it. Teng Yun firmly grasped the fence of the pavilion. If the fence was not made of stone, he might have caught some marks.


    He had not opened up the back, it was tight, naturally, it was not so easy to enter. Although Xue Junliang was drunk, he also felt pain when he tried to penetrate. He frowned and rubbed to kiss Teng Yun, but he kissed a piece of dampness, which seemed to be tears. The two pairs of lips were pressed together. There was a sweet and tangent taste, it was Tengyun who gritted his teeth and bit blood.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t continue to go in. He found that the person underneath him was trembling desperately. He didn¡¯t know whether he had sobered up, his movements suddenly became gentle and murmured something in his mouth.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t pay attention at first, he just wanted to break away from the other man, but Xue Junliang¡¯s hands were too strong and he couldn¡¯t move when he kept pressing on him. Xue Junliang¡¯s lips pressed against his ear and kissed it. Teng Yun seemed to have been beaten and even forgot even his struggle.


    Xue Junliang spoke in a very low voice. In Teng Yun¡¯s ears, he called the name of the late Empress like a dream, because Xue Junliang had hardly seen the Empress before, and Teng Yun knew that the other party was actually calling himself.


    Teng Yun was stunned and couldn¡¯t move. Did Xue Junliang really hold such feelings for himself, or did Xue Junliang hold such feelings for him because he didn¡¯t know that the Empress was himself at that time?


    Xue Junliang¡¯s breathing was unsteady and he was blowing it softly on Teng Yun¡¯s ear. He didn¡¯t know why, but Teng Yun felt that he had become very hot all of a sudden, perhaps because of the wine or the other man¡¯s gentle actions.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t force himself and enter that unspoken place of Teng Yun. He just asked Teng Yun to close his legs and rubbed himself from behind¨C in between Teng Yun¡¯s legs. Teng Yun felt that he should punch Xue Junliang in the face at this time and walk away.


    But Xue Junliang even reached out and touched his lower body. Teng Yun was stunned by the feeling of being touched there, he covered his lips and made several single sounds in his throat. The two people¡¯s breathing was intertwined. They were getting heavier and more ambiguous, especially¡­ Xue Junliang who was calling out the name.


    Teng Yun had never experienced love, and sexual intercourse, and even seldom tried to relieve himself. For the first time, he was controlled by others. His brain was empty and he couldn¡¯t think of anything. Soon, he couldn¡¯t even struggle. He bit his lips hard and didn¡¯t express any shameful sound.


    Xue Junliang rubbed his lips with his hand to prevent him from biting himself again. Teng Yun opened his mouth and gasped for breath. He was so ashamed by his body¡¯s response and he bit Xue Junliang¡¯s hand with one bite.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t seem to feel pain, so he let the other party bite him. Teng Yun felt that his legs were about to be burned by Xue Junliang¡¯s heated movements. His entire consciousness was only concentrated there. For the simple Teng Yun, he almost didn¡¯t know how to make himself feel good, and he could only be at the mercy of Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang, after venting once, became upright. He lay on his body and seemed to fall asleep. Teng Yun suddenly woke up, stretched out his hand to push the man away, and hurriedly put on his clothes, ignoring the dirt and the turbid fluid on his body. His mind was so confused, he didn¡¯t know what to think, and walked away, staggering a little.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Xue Houyang had not seen Emperor Xue for the remainder of the banquet, and the little prince also retired early, so he had to go out to find him. After taking a few steps, he saw the Little Prince Xue Pei standing in a daze, he took another few steps forward and heard a heavy gasp.


    Xue Houyang was stunned. The Prince was still young. Before he knew about this kind of thing, he hurried over to cover Xue Pei¡¯s eyes. As soon as he looked up, he was shocked. In the small pavilion, not far away, it turned out to be Xue Junliang and the newly appointed Marquis Tengnan¡­


    Looking at them from this angle, it seemed that Xue Junliang had penetrated Teng Yun¡¯s body. Xue Pei¡¯s eyes were covered, but he felt that he was about to scream. Xue Houyang quickly released his hand to cover his mouth and dragged the Little Prince away.


    ¡°Little ancestor, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Xue Pei was reluctantly dragged away by Xue Houyang and said unhappily, ¡°Imperial Uncle, do you like Teng Shang?¡±


    Xue Houyang was stunned by the question and coughed without answering.


    Xue Pei said, ¡°If you like someone, would you still do that stuff with others?¡±


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t know how to answer, but he still said, ¡°Naturally not.¡±


    Xue Pei groaned, as if he wanted to curse bad words about Xue Junliang, and said, ¡°Then why did the Father Emperor¡­?¡±

 CH 52

    Xue Houyang felt his head was about to explode because of this little ancestor, Xue Pei. He really didn¡¯t know how to explain it. In particular, the little prince was so young. There were three thousand beauties in the Imperial Harem. How could the Emperor only favor one person and especially when the other person was already dead.


    Xue Houyang¡¯s mind finally brightened up with an idea and he hurriedly said: ¡°This question ¡­¡­ the Crown Prince might as well ask High Mentor Shen, High Mentor is very knowledgeable, and naturally ¡­¡­ he can naturally dispel the Crown Prince¡¯s doubts.¡±


    Xue Pei listened to his Imperial Uncle stumbling over his words, but did not question much, he really ran away to ask his High Mentor ¡­¡­


    Teng Yun returned to the table and complained that he was not feeling very good. He said that he had no capacity to hold his alcohol and retired first. Of course, people did not see Emperor Xue and no one stopped him.


    Teng Yun went out of the Palace. The servants of the Marquis¡¯ residence had prepared a carriage outside the Imperial Palace and were waiting for their master to return from the banquet. Sitting in the carriage, Teng Yun breathed out a sigh of relief. Surprisingly, there was an illusion of escape.


    Just as he got off the carriage, a servant girl ran over, panicked: ¡°Master, you should go quickly and see Mr. Lu, the guards at the gate have been knocked out!¡±


    Teng Yun was surprised, could it be that Lu Shichen had escaped? He was a weak scholar, how could he have injured his guards and escaped? Could it be that someone from Feng Country had come to help him escape?


    At such thoughts, he quickened his steps. He couldn¡¯t care about the sticky feeling on his body. Sure enough, the bodyguards in the small yard were all unconscious. No one had dared to enter the house rashly, and the door was still closed.


    Teng Yun walked over and pushed open the door of the room with one hand. He heard the sound of someone breathing heavily. It seemed that Lu Shichen was still there and hadn¡¯t run away. He went around the screen and immediately froze.


    The table in the room had collapsed, the floor was scattered with food and broken plates, Lu Shichen was standing against a corner with his clothes dishevelled, and there was another man on the bed.


    The man was naked, and the lower part of his body was obviously quite unrestrained. His face was extremely red as it was bloodshot, but his hands were tied back, so he could not break free. He was panting in confusion and rubbing against the bed.


    And this woeful man was none other than Zhao Tong ¡­¡­


    Teng Yun was also thin-skinned. He immediately turned his face away and stopped looking, he just said, ¡°Minister Lu, what¡¯s going on?!¡±


    Lu Shichen¡¯s throat rolled for a long time before he said in a trembling voice: ¡°I¡­ I¡­ how do I know what¡¯s going on¡­?¡±


    Teng Yun saw that Zhao Tong was a bit disoriented and noticed the dagger that had fallen to one side. He could approximately guess the entire situation. This kind of dirty tricks also does not look like Lu Shichen¡¯s work


    Teng Yun called someone to send Zhao Tong back. Lu Shichen was relieved. He quickly wiped the sweat on his forehead with his sleeves and almost sat down on the ground.


    Zhao Tong, of course, was tied by Lu Shichen. If it were not for the fact that  Zhao Tong was totally disoriented and had lost his mind, Lu Shichen wouldn¡¯t be so capable ¡­¡­


    The servants came in and were dumbfounded, but rushed to carry Zhao Tuan away. After serving in Marquis¡¯ residence for so long, they naturally knew what to see and what not to see.


    The maidservants picked up the smashed things on the ground and rearranged the table. Food was scattered on the floor, and she couldn¡¯t see how much food had been eaten. This was Lu Shichen¡¯s only comfort.


    Teng Yun also thinking that Lu Shichen wasn¡¯t able to eat, so he asked the cook to make another set of dishes and put them on the table. Lu Shichen seemed to be reborn after the disaster. He devoured the food; of course, only after Teng Yun left. He would never eat like that in front of Xue people, he would rather starve to death.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t have much strength to take care of what Zhao Tong did at this time and asked someone to send him back. He also specially mentioned that  Zhao Lu should not know about this incident about Zhao Tong.  Zhao Tong was a relatively simple man and it looked like he was caught up in momentary anger due to his inebriated state. If Zhao Lu knew, Zhao Tong would be dealt with according to the military law. Although Zhao Tong deserved to be punished and should learn from his mistakes, he still couldn¡¯t bear to watch Zhao Tong beheaded. After all, he was also a great general.


    He ordered someone to fetch water, and Teng Yun washed away the dirt on his body. The hot water relieved his fatigue and slowly relaxed. Just as soon as he relaxed, his mind involuntarily started thinking about things that were unspeakable and difficult to talk about¡­¡­..


    Although Teng Yun was thin-skinned, when he thought about what happened with Xue Junliang after calming down, it seemed as if there was something wrong.


    There was no need to mention but Xue Junliang had always been a good drinker, he could hold his alcohol well. And he really had not drunk too much this time. Even if Emperor Xue was drunk, he would never lose his sense so much that he would recklessly do such things in a pavilion that was open on all sides.


    Wef Aeciljcu kjr j mjealber qfgrbc. Ktf yjcdefa kjr oeii bo qfbqif mbwlcu jcv ublcu. Jbecaifrr Ujijmf rajoo kbeiv yf vfilnfglcu vlrtfr jcv klcf. Ktf rwjii qjnlilbc kjr cba tlvvfc, rb bcf mbeiv cba yf regf lo atfs kfgf rffc bg cba.


    Ciatbeut ofk qfbqif kbeiv vjgf ab rqfjx vlgfmais ab Wef Aeciljcu, atfs ralii mbeivc¡¯a yibmx atf qeyilm¡¯r wbeat yftlcv atflg yjmxr.


    Also, Xue Junliang hadn¡¯t really entered him just then. He had just called the Empress¡¯ name and asked him to put his legs together so that he could relieve himself. At that time, Xue Junliang even cared about Teng Yun¡¯s feelings and helped him find release. When one really thought about it, how could Xue Junliang call a woman¡¯s name to relieve a man?


    Teng Yun thought this much and suddenly felt that even the warm water could not help with the chills he felt just now. His body trembled. All the evidence pointed that Xue Junliang was not drunk at all.


    Even though Xue Junliang was smart and insightful enough to grab the opportunities, it was impossible for him to not know who he was. So there was only one possibility for using such an approach with him.


    Xue Junliang deliberately let the Palace staff see for themselves the debauchery between Marquis Tengnan and the Emperor. No one would dare slander the Emperor. After all, everyone knew that Emperor Xue loved the late Empress very much. So everyone would redirect their focus on Teng Yun and make him a laughing stock and spread slanderous rumours about him.


    Teng Yun slapped the water hard, and the water splashed on his face, but he only felt bitterly cold. It turned out that Xue Junliang couldn¡¯t find a way to move himself, and had begun to use other tactics to spoil his reputation.


    Teng Yun covered his eyes and sneered, the Emperor¡¯s mind was really deep, not someone like him could guess.


    The next day after morning court, Xue Junliang deliberately retained Teng Yun. Teng Yun didn¡¯t know what Xue Junliang had in mind. He could only tell himself that the Emperor was unfathomable and he could be caught in a trap if he wasn¡¯t careful.


    Xue Junliang prepared the chariot but he didn¡¯t say where he was going. He said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m going to take Teng Ying to a place. The journey is not short. Why don¡¯t you also sit up?¡±


    Teng Yun stood to the side with his head lowered. It was a great honor to be able to ride with the Emperor. Teng Yun didn¡¯t think he deserved such a special honor.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty, it¡¯s just that since ancient times, there have been differences between rulers and ministers. This servant does not dare break the rules lest it provokes unnecessary gossip.¡±


    Seeing that he did not take the bait, Xue Junliang did not force himself and said with a smile, ¡°You are really cautious.¡±


    After saying that, he asked Jiang Yu to order the departure. Teng Yun just followed the Imperial carriage. They had not even gone a few steps when they ran into the Crown Prince. The young Prince saw Teng Yun and then looked at Xue Junliang. His face was a little red. He soon raised his face and glared at Teng Yun fiercely.


    Then took out a handful of small stones from his arms, and threw them at Teng Yun, and immediately turned around and ran away, and soon disappeared.


    Everyone was stunned. Teng Yun was hit by the stones, which was not painful, but it was puzzling. Teng Yun could say that he understood the little Prince Xue Pei very well. After all, Xue Pei was really very close to himself, when he was the Empress. The little Prince was very mature, behaved moderately with proper manners. Only when he got angry would he lose his temper in such a way.


    Xue Junliang said ¡°Making trouble!¡± and then said, ¡°How did the High Mentor teach the Crown Prince? Jiang Yu, go and tell Shen Yi that the Crown Prince is not allowed to leave school without copying books a hundred times today.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu answered and went to find Shen Yi.


    Xue Junliang then asked people to depart. They went out of the Palace; it was to visit none other than Marquis Zhenjiang.


    The Maquis¡¯ residence was surrounded by heavy troops. The guards were wearing long halberds and armor. No one dared to approach the residence. Everyone knew that this was due to revolting against the Emperor


    Everyone crowded into the residence. The residence was in a sorry state of affairs as there was no one to take care of it. The flowers were dead and the weeds had taken over the garden, so much that there was no place to keep the feet down. The lanterns in the long corridors had a layer of ash on them and cobwebs could be seen in the corners.


    Teng Yun understood everything at the first sight of the mansion. Teng Yun and Xue Yu were at the same level. Xue Junliang had brought him here to beat around the mountain to scare the tiger and let him see the result of rebelling and disloyalty.


    In fact Marquis Tengnan could not be considered the same as Xue Yu. After all, his last name was not Xue. Due to the ancestral edict that stated that the Imperial family could not kill each other, else they would be removed from the family tree, was the only reason Xue Yu was still alive even after committing such a grave crime. If Teng Yun makes a grave mistake, he would be for sure, killed immediately.


    The Marquis built another row of small houses in the side yard. These houses had no windows, three sides were sealed, only one door was open, and the door was still bolted with a chain.


    Xue Junliang ordered someone to open the lock. A bodyguard pushed the door open. At this time, the light shone in and the room was much brighter.


    There was a man lying on the bed in the corner, it was none other than Xue Yu.


    Xue Yu had wasted away so much that he was only skin and bones. His hair was unkempt. He lay on his back on the bed and stared at the roof. As soon as the door opened, he was stabbed by the light and suddenly closed his eyes. After a long period of time, he looked at the light.


    Xue Junliang said: ¡°Why does the Marquis of Zhenjiang look like this? This Seat asked you to treat the Marquis well, is this how you serve him?¡±


    When the guards heard that Emperor Xue sounded angry, they hurriedly knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, ¡°Your Majesty spare our life, Your Majesty spare our life! It¡¯s not that the generals did not serve the Marquis with dedication, it¡¯s just that ¡­¡­ just the Marquis seems to be a bit mentally unwell. The physician visited him and said that Marquis  was depressed and his mind was a bit deranged. The meals sent to him often are not eaten but instead they are smashed all over the floor.¡±


    Teng Yun listened and looked at Xue Yu. The man¡¯s eyes were really in a trance-like state.  If anyone was locked in a dark room for such a long time, they would be the same. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit uncomfortable in his heart. Xue Yu could not die and this current state was worse than death. Slowly wearing him down mentally, until nothing was left of his former self.


    Xue Junliang was looking for this type of expression on Teng Yun¡¯s face and said, ¡°Teng Ying also can¡¯t bear this scene. This Seat is even more sad. After all, he is this Seat¡¯s own brother. How can this Seat bear to see him like this¡­¡±


    Teng Yun looked at Xue Junliang, this glance made Xue Junliang¡¯s heart tremble. He always felt this kind of look moved his heart, but Xue Junliang did not want to admit that this kind of disappointment, despair, sadness in Teng Ying¡¯s eyes, could make him regret what he had done.


    Xue Junliang felt that as an Emperor he had no choice. As a Ruler of a country, he had to endure and be tyrannical when the situation demanded it. If Xue Yu had not rebelled he would not have punished him so. Let alone blood relatives, no one would have the heart to punish ordinary people like this.


    When Jiang Yu came in, he saw this scene. It looked like no one dared to even breathe lest they came in harm¡¯s way.


    Jiang Yu stepped forward, lowered his voice, trying to make himself look more respectful and humble, he said, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ There is a man who calls himself Lang Jing outside the residence, requesting for an audience.¡±


    Just as his words fell, Xue Yu, who was lying on the bed, seemed to have a flicker in his eyes.


    Xue Junliang laughed, ¡°Oh, Lang Jing? I heard that Lang Jing is Shen Yi¡¯s senior brother, and Shen Yi claims that he is not as talented as this Lang Jing.¡±


    Jiang Yu added, ¡°The man who calls himself Lang Jing also said that if the Emperor did not grant him an audience, then requested to convey that he could persuade Lu Shichen to surrender.¡±


    Xue Junliang raised his eyebrows. ¡°This is a person who cannot really be told to go away without being seen. Ask him in. ¡±


    Jiang Yu quickly went out. After a while, he came in with a man.


    Lang Jing¡¯s face was still cold and expressionless. He seemed as if he was seeing through the world and his appearance was as if he had no concern for the mundane things of the world. His gaze just swept through Xue Yu who was on the bed and turned his gaze towards Xue Junliang and bowed his head and said, ¡°This sinner Lang Jing pays respect to Your Majesty.¡±


    Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°Sinner? I don¡¯t know what crime you have committed?¡±


    Lang Jing said, ¡°Instigating the Marquis to revolt against the Emperor, would this be considered a big enough crime?¡±


    ¡°Big enough.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded, still smiling, ¡°Then I can only say that you have too much guts, you don¡¯t know to run for your life at such a time, what are you running back for?¡±


    Lang Jing sneered and said, ¡°This sinner had escaped, but Your Majesty¡¯s chess is better. This sinner had no choice but to come back.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°This Seat¡¯s brother has such a loyal follower as you, this Seat is really happy for him.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty is serious¡­¡±


    Lang Jing had been speaking indifferently without much expression, only then did he say, ¡°This sinner is willing to first go and convince Lu Shichen.¡±


    ¡°What are your conditions?¡±


    Lang Jing said, ¡°This sinner shamelessly hopes that His Majesty will withdraw the troops from Marquis Zhenjiang¡¯s residence¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed out loud and suddenly turned his head to Teng Yun and said, ¡°It was your job to persuade Lu Shichen to surrender and now he wants to compete with you for the credit, and also wants me to withdraw my troops, Teng Ying, do you think it is reasonable?¡±


    Teng Yun did not immediately answer, and only after a pause, he said, ¡°This servant feels that I am not as talented as Mr. Lang, and cannot fully convince Lu Shichen.¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t get angry, but looked at Teng Yun with an ambiguous look and said with a smile: ¡°Well¡­ Since you can¡¯t persuade him to surrender, you should be punished but how could this Seat bear to punish you for such small things? Then let¡¯s give Lang Jing a chance. If Lang Jing can persuade Lu Shichen, this Seat will withdraw the army and forgive Xue Yu the big crime of committing a rebellion.¡±


    Lang Jing¡¯s expression loosened for a moment, which almost looked like a deep sigh of relief. Then he said, ¡°This sinner has watched the stars at night. Lu Shichen is a Wenqu star descending on earth. One should not act rashly before the time is right. Tomorrow during the zishi period, this sinner will go to the Marquis Tengnan¡¯s residence to persuade him to surrender¡­.. This sinner beg¡¯s to stay here today and take care of the Lord.¡±


    Xue Junliang waved his hand and didn¡¯t seem to take it seriously. ¡°Just stay if you like.¡±


    Then he walked outside the door. As soon as he was about to cross the threshold to go out, he paused, turned back and said with a smile: ¡°Lang Jing, Lu Shichen is a Wenqu star that has descended to earth. Then in your opinion, what star is this Seat?¡±


    Lang Jing paused for a moment, as if he were trying to figure out something. He said, ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s Dragon Qi is a sign of Bairui. This sinner has seen the Changgeng in the West.  Nothing is better than Your Majesty. Taibai is the Lord of Killing and Destroying. After all, the world belongs to Your Majesty. Why should there be a hurry?¡±


    These words touched into Xue Junliang¡¯s heart and he couldn¡¯t help but look at Lang Jing with appreciation. Although he looked like he didn¡¯t deal with human warfare and mundane human lives, he knew when to enter and when to retreat. He knew that people had to bow their heads under the eaves.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­¡­¡±


    Lang Jing deliberately paused for a moment, glanced at Teng Yun, and then turned to look at Emperor Xue, said:  ¡°Although Taibai can defeat the Gods, it is too violent. Since ancient times, too much violence would lose the hearts of the people¡­¡­..Yu Shun had a virtuous Empress, beautiful and outstanding, but His Majesty has no one around, no one to persuade.¡±


    Xue Junliang looked at Lang Jing and his eyes were more and more appreciative of this person. It seemed that this man was really good at understanding people¡¯s hearts, so he asked: ¡°Then you say, who should be around this Seat?¡±


    Lang Jing lowered his head and said, ¡°As soon as this sinner entered the door, they knew that Tengnan Marquis¡¯ fate is Lord of water and it will certainly bring prosperity to His Majesty. It is only¡­. Only a pity that Marquis Tengnan was born as a man.¡±


    Xue Junliang was waiting for his words. He really didn¡¯t expect that just by showing a little of his mind, Lang Jing would cleanly see through him right at the first meeting. Also he knew what to say and do, to bring the tide to his favour.


    That¡¯s right! Xue Junliang had always wanted to suppress Teng Yun, but couldn¡¯t find a reason. Even if he had a good opportunity, Teng Yun could easily fend off his method and would not give him a chance to suppress him. If he really used, ¡°failure to persuade Lu Shichen to surrender¡± as the reason to suppress Marquis Tengnan, then in the eyes of the others Emperor Xue would look stingly and intolerant.


    Xue Junliang had a plan in mind. If Marquis Tengnan was included in the harem, then harem concubines could not be involved in politics. No matter how strong and capable he was, he couldn¡¯t turn the sky. He had been laying out his plan these days. Unexpectedly, Lang Jing appeared and helped him a lot.


    Of course, he knew that Lang Jing complied to play along and followed his words in order for him to stay and take care of Xue Yu. But that was no big deal. As long as the goal was achieved, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t care what method he used.


    Teng Yun listened to them talking and he was stunned, he stood there¨C almost like a stone statue. It turned out that Xue Junliang really wanted to take this route. This was indeed a good way to suppress him. This would also immediately explain the drunken behavior of Emperor Xue at the night of his Birthday banquet.


    Teng Yun did not anticipate this turn of fate. He had just left the harem, and now he was going to be stuffed into the backyard again.


    Xue Junliang returned to the palace with Teng Yun. This time, Teng Yun was asked to return in the chariot together. Teng Yun did not refuse. Now this situation was inevitable. How else could he refuse?


    Xue Junliang was very satisfied with Teng Yun¡¯s performance. When he arrived at the palace, he let Jiang Yu summon all the ministers into the Palace. He took Teng Yun¡¯s hand by himself, and told everyone what Lang Jing said, ready to pick an auspicious day and marry Marquis Tengnan into the palace.


    Xue Houyang couldn¡¯t calm down for a long time. His Majesty had always disapproved of himself and Teng Shang. How come in a blink of an eye, his relationship had gotten so much better with the Marquis Tengnan? Was it possible that what he saw that day was not drunken recklessness?


    Shen Yi listened and with a little thought, he understood everything. He was secretly amazed. This chess move could be considered as one of the best.


    In order to express his deep love for Teng Yun, Xue Junliang also dismissed the beautiful women in Zhuxiu Palace who were preparing for the Triennial Selection. He gave them money for carriages and horses, and asked them to return home.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the news to spread; Emperor Xue was marrying a man, and the other party was Marquis Tengnan. Although there were inevitably several male concubines in the Emperor¡¯s harem, this kind of marriage was very rare. Moreover, the other party was also a high-ranking official, and so the sensation was inevitable.


    Teng Yun usually did not have any arrogance, and many people had seen him, especially since he was in the army for a long time. The scar on his face impressed many people. Although it was not too ugly, at first glance, it looked like a tattoo design that was done wrong.


    Privately, it was rumoured that Xue country had lost on Ugly Empress and got a new Ugly Empress.

 CH 53

    Teng Yun was left in the palace all day. Xue Junliang had a very ambiguous attitude towards him and just dined together with him. If Teng Yun was not conscious of the situation, he would have thought it was just like the old days when he was the Empress. It turned out that Xue Junliang could be this gentle to anyone.


    After the meal, Xue Junliang actually took him to the garden for a walk. Teng Yun¡¯s expression couldn¡¯t help but change when he saw the small pavilion, remembering what happened there on the night of the banquet. He didn¡¯t know whether his face had turned red or turned pale at this time .


    Teng Yun had not believed it before that even though Xue Junliang was powerful, he could still be a good man. However, he could believe it now. He was repeatedly uncovering new faces of Emperor Xue everyday and it was really impossible to guard against him.


    As they walked along the garden, they suddenly heard a faint cry. The voice seemed to be accompanied by rustle of silk and bamboo flute, as if sighing with faint resentment.


    Xue Junliang frowned at Jiang Yu and said, ¡°Who is crying in broad daylight?¡±


    Jiang Yu said, ¡°The voice seemed to be coming not far from the Cold Palace. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s Teng Qianyi, Your Majesty.¡±


    Xue Junliang answered with a smile, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go and have a look now?¡±


    He said this but it was directed to Teng Yun, as if to ask him his opinion.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that, Your Majesty. I am a foreigner. I can¡¯t enter the Harem.¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled and suddenly reached out to pull Teng Yun¡¯s hand. Teng Yun was startled and subconsciously stumbled on his steps, he straightened and didn¡¯t dare to move again. Xue Junliang insisted on pulling his hand and said in a warm voice: ¡°How can you say you¡¯re a foreigner?¡±


    Teng Yun couldn¡¯t get his hand free from hold, so he just let Xue Junliang hold it. The two of them really looked like a couple holding hands in other people¡¯s eyes.


    Xue Junliang took Teng Yun to the Cold Palace. Teng Qianyi was wearing a white plain Luo skirt with tears on her face. She seemed to be crying and singing her woes at the same time. Seeing Xue Junliang coming in, her face couldn¡¯t help showing joy and threw herself at his feet and said, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ Your Majesty, at last, you are finally willing to come and see Qianyi.¡±


    Xue Junliang took a step back, and Jiang Yu quickly asked someone to pull Teng Qianyi away.


    As Teng Qianyi turned her head, she saw Teng Yun at the side and her face immediately darkened. She fiercely stretched out her hand to grab Teng Yun and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s him! Your Majesty! It was him who set the fire. It was not me, Your Majesty! Teng Ying did it. Yes, this concubine was completely unaware of it!¡±


    Before Teng Yun could dodge, Xue Junliang stretched out his hand to fend her off and said, ¡°You are so bold to actually call Marquis Tengnan¡¯s name?¡±


    Teng Qianyi was stunned for a moment and her eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Your Majesty, you must have made a mistake. He is not Marquis Tengnan. He is just a lowly servant. If it were not for this concubine taking pity on him, he would not even be a slave. Now he came to harm me, Your Majesty, I¡­ I don¡¯t know!¡±


    Teng Yun still didn¡¯t speak.


    Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°Well¡­ It is indeed this Seat¡¯s mistake, because Teng Ying will no longer be the Marquis Tengnan, as he will soon marry into the palace and become Concubine Teng. You have just reminded me.¡±


    Teng Qianyi was frozen on the spot for a long time, then burst out laughing, pointing at Teng Yun and screaming: ¡°You are a man, not a woman! You also learned from women to climb a man¡¯s bed? Just the scar on your face is really ugly! His Majesty can only vomit when looking at you! Pooh!¡±


    Xue Junliang glanced at her and then said, ¡°Jiang Yu, let someone come and restrain her mouth.¡±


    Jiang Yu retreated, and soon a maidservant came to restrain Teng Qianyi¡¯s mouth. The women thrown in the Cold Palace were also concubines who were punished for whatever wrongdoings they had done. Since they were concubines, men weren¡¯t allowed to see them. The guards were also not allowed to come but the strength of these maidservants were not light. Moreover, these maid servants serving in the Cold Palace inevitably didn¡¯t get on well with Teng Qianyi, so the way they restrained her was also very rough as she fought and struggled against them.


    Xue Junliang also asked someone to move a big chair in the hall and ask Teng Yun to sit with him. Teng Yun knew that Xue Junliang was especially showing this to Teng Qianyi.


    Teng Yun had always been soft hearted and even though Teng Qianyi had harmed him so many times when they were still in Teng, he also knew that it was impossible for him to harm people, but it was necessary to guard against people. Teng Yun still felt that he couldn¡¯t stand seeing her being handled like this.


    Xue Junliang was sitting leisurely. While listening to the crisp sound of slaps and struggles, he said, ¡°Teng Qianyi, did you know that this Seat caught a fish that slipped through the net. He seems to be called¡­ Lang Jing.¡±


    Upon saying this, Teng Qianyi obviously widened her eyes and looked over here.


    ¡°Lang Jing is a very skilled person, but he is not a thief, nor a killer. However, he has made meritorious recommendations. This Seat can¡¯t kill him for the time being¡­ Lang Jing said that you instigated the arson.¡±


    Teng Qianyi was even more shocked and shouted, ¡°No¡­ not me, Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Xue Junliang said with a slow smile, ¡°Could it be that there is another secret that you¡¯re keeping?¡±


    Teng Qianyi nodded desperately, crying and said, ¡°There is a secret! There is a secret! This concubine was used and was instigated by Lang Jing. I was confused for a while, this concubine was just confused for a while¡­ Your Majesty¡­¡±


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    Kfcu Hljcsl mbcalcefv ab mgs, ¡°P mjc mbcogbca Ojcu Alcu! Pa kjr tlw ktb lcralujafv wf. Tbeg Zjpfras rtbeiv yfilfnf wf. Lf kjcafv ab tfiq Wef Te gfyfi jujlcra Tbeg Zjpfras jcv rfa atf olgf!¡±


    Xue Junliang sneered inwardly. If Teng Qianyi confronted Lang Jing, he still would not know who was really behind it all , but he was waiting for this sentence. As long as someone could prove that it was Lang Jing¡¯s instigation, it was enough for now.


    When Xue Junliang had achieved his goal, he took Teng Yun away from the Cold Palace and allowed Teng Yun to leave the Palace and go back to his residence. He had to persuade Lang Jing to surrender. After his surrender, he would persuade him to tell him who was really the mastermind of the arson.


    Teng Yun returned to the Marquis Residence. Although he mostly sat in the Palace and didn¡¯t even walk a few steps, and only a short walk to the Cold Palace, he was extremely tired. When standing with Xue Junliang, he had to be careful about being plotted or trapped. Then he thought again that even if he was careful, nine times out of ten he would still be plotted against.


    Lang Jing sent someone to send a message to Teng Yun. He said that he didn¡¯t need any servants and help and asked to inform the guards at the gate about him; he didn¡¯t want to be accused as an assassin.


    Teng Yun informed the bodyguards at the door of the residence to keep the door open and also asked them to retire early.


    Lang Jing stayed in Marquis Zhennan¡¯s residence in the south of the town for a whole day. The guards sent meals before they left and Lang Jing brought them into the house and personally fed Xue Yu.


    Xue Yu still looked deranged. He threw the dishes all over Lang Jing and laughed crazily, clapping his hands as if the sight of Lang Jing covered in food seemed very interesting.


    Lang Jing finally had some changes in his eyes. He seemed to show a little rare sadness. He sighed and said, ¡°Lang Jing knows that the Lord is angry, but the Lord, just think about it. If I didn¡¯t go at that time, how could I save the Lord now?¡±


    Xue Yu stared at Lang Jing, still laughing, and said, ¡°Are you blaming me now?¡±


    Lang Jing lowered his head, and his voice returned to calm, and said, ¡°This humble Lang has received great favors from the Lord, and doesn¡¯t dare to blame.¡±


    Xue Yu fiddled with the empty bowl and continued, ¡°Lang Jing ¡­ Don¡¯t tell me, you didn¡¯t want to walk away, and didn¡¯t come back until I got in this situation . Are you very proud?¡±


    Lang Jing looked up and stared at the other party and slowly said, ¡°This Lang has thought about leaving. After all, the Lord didn¡¯t listen to my advice, but this Lang had never wanted to ridicule the Lord. If the Lord thought so, it would make this Lang heartless.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Xue Yu looked up and their eyes collided. Lang Jing looked at him, and the other party¡¯s eyes were a little red.


    Lang Jing sighed again and said, ¡°I know the Lord has suffered these days. Have a good rest. This Lang will go to Marquis Tengnan¡¯s residence tonight and will ask to withdraw the guards tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You have to work for Xue Junliang!¡±


    Lang Jing smiled bitterly and said: ¡°Who does this Lang work for is not forced upon him by the Lord. I am afraid that even if I work for him, I still can¡¯t escape death. I can only hope that the Lord will think twice before he acts in the future.¡±


    After he said this, he bowed and turned away.


    Xue Yu struggled. He still wanted to scold Lang Jing, but it was a pity that he couldn¡¯t speak. Lang Jing¡¯s words were like parting from life and death, which shocked him a bit.


    When Lang Jing came to Marquis Tengnan¡¯s residence it was already night time. In fact, he didn¡¯t have the ability to know everything. He just wanted to make others feel unsettled and have them convinced with half truths and lies.


    The gate was open. He went in cautiously and was not stopped. Lang Jing walked inside and came outside Lu Shichen¡¯s room where he was under house arrest. There were guards at the door and this was what he expected, but no one stopped him and let him go in .


    Lu Shichen didn¡¯t expect anyone to come this late at night. Since what happened with Zhao Tong last time, Lu Shichen didn¡¯t dare to sleep deeply. He was really afraid that someone would touch him and kill him when he slept. To tell the truth, he was a weak scholar. How could he not be afraid of death? But Lu Shichen felt that if he lost his backbone, it would be more terrible than death.


    He thought many times how Marquis Tengnan would persuade him to surrender, but the past few days have been calm and the so-called Lord Tengnan has never been to see him even once.


    As soon as Lang Jing went inside the room, Lu Shichen immediately woke up. Lang Jing didn¡¯t come forward, he just paid respect to Lu Shichen.


    Early the next morning, Teng Yun ordered the servants to go over and serve Lu Shichen, but the servants came back in a panic and said: ¡°My Lord, Minister Lu has run away!¡±


    Teng Yun was stunned for a moment. He personally went over to check and saw Lang Jing sitting at the table drinking tea leisurely in Lu Shichen¡¯s clothes.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Where¡¯s Minister Lu?¡±


    Lang Jing¡¯s face remained unchanged and said, ¡°He¡¯s already gone. I gave him an unparalleled thousand mile horse and sent him out of the city. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to catch up to him at this time.¡±


    This matter was immediately reported to Xue Junliang. Surprisingly, Xue Junliang was neither worried nor angry. He just asked someone to bring Lang Jing into the palace.


    Lang Jing and Teng Yun went into the palace together and paid their respect to Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Lang Jing, do you know your crime?¡±


    Lang Jing said, ¡°This lowly subject is not only innocent, but meritorious.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then speak to this Seat with your iron mouth.¡±


    As Xue Junliang said this, he waved his hand to Teng Yun and motioned to Teng Yun to go over and sit next to him.


    Lang Jing said: ¡°Lu Shichen is an upright man and you will never succeed in persuading him to surrender. It can be said that even if he is beheaded, he would never surrender. It was better to send him on a good horse and let him go out of the city and go back to Feng Country¡­ Although King Feng trusts Lu Shichen, he can¡¯t block the leisurely talk of the public. They would talk, how did a prime minister¨C if he fell into the hands of an enemy country, how can he escape back to the country without getting hurt and get a thousand-mile horse? Lu Shichen will definitely be suspected.¡±


    Xue Junliang listened, he finally smiled and said, ¡°Although it was a good idea, it was a little too careless. It really makes me feel sorry for myself. After all, he was such a great talent.¡±


    Lang Jing said: ¡°It can only be said that Lu Shichen is ignorant of current affairs.¡±


    Xue Junliang seemed to think that what Lang Jing said were quite to his own mind. He couldn¡¯t help sighing and said, ¡°You helped this Seat a lot, but it is unfortunate that you are a dying man.¡±


    Lang Jing smiled and said, ¡°This lowly subject thinks it may not be necessary.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Xue Junliang¡¯s face sank and said in a cold voice: ¡°You still don¡¯t admit instigating Teng Qianyi to set fire and murder the Empress!¡±


    Lang Jing was not deterred by this and said, ¡°This lowly subject did instigate Teng Qianyi to set fire at the Empress¡¯ residence, but it may not be the Empress who died in that fire.¡±


    As soon as he said this, Xue Junliang was slightly stunned. Teng Yun immediately froze and immediately lowered his head to see Lang Jing kneeling on the ground.


    The man¡¯s tone was very calm, and said: ¡°This matter is of great importance, please hold back your decision to behead me, Your Majesty.¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t know what he meant, but the sentence ¡°It may not be the Empress who burned¡± has made him, a normally calm person, unable to return to his senses for a long time.


    Xue Junliang, with narrowed eyes, wanted to stand back and interrogate the man more, but Jiang Yu said, ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s time to go to the morning court. Why don¡¯t you¡­ come back and hear what he has to say.¡±


    Xue Junliang thought for a while. It was indeed important for him to attend the morning court, and the ministers could not be allowed to wait, so he told Lang Jing to wait in the hall and not take one step, until he came back from the morning court.


    The ministers waited for a while, and Emperor Xue finally came out¨C together with Marquis Tengnan. Seeing the two of them attending the morning court together, it was inevitable that everyone was in an uproar, but they didn¡¯t dare to make a noise; they could only look left and right, sending questioning looks to their fellow ministers.


    As soon as Xue Junliang came up, he announced to the ministers that someone had read the stars for him a few days ago. The content of this divination was similar to what Lang Jing said. Then he said that someone must accompany him around all the time, or he would become a tyrant of this dynasty.


    Everyone looked at each other and didn¡¯t know what Xue Junliang wanted to do. After all, he had just rejected the marriage proposal of Zhang Hong a few days ago and also dismissed the triennial selection. Who would be the beauty that he would choose to marry?


    Without letting the Ministers guess, Xue Junliang continued to speak slowly, ¡°The wandering magician said that Marquis Tengnan, is a master of water. If this Seat accepts Teng Ying as an imperial concubine, then he would gain the virtue of Yao and Shun.¡±


    This time, the ministers could not help but to whisper. No one expected that Emperor Xue would marry a man, and this man was still a surrendered minister. Forget the person being a man or a woman, Marquis Tengnan¡¯s known character alone could not convince the public.


    Xue Junliang remained silent. He waited to see who would stand up first to oppose, but no one dared to speak their mind. Suddenly someone from the Military Department came outside the hall and asked permission to go to the hall.


    Unless it was an emergency related to military affairs, no one dared to come when Emperor Xue was holding the morning court. Xue Junliang allowed the person to come in, and Jiang Yu took the military report and handed it to him.


    After a few glances, Xue Junliang asked Xue Houyang to come up and read the report.


    As soon as the court ministers heard the report, the whispers in the court became louder. Zhang Hong had tried to invade Feng Country and was driven back 80 miles by the Feng Army. He would be afraid to attack Feng Country again.


    After being driven back by Feng, he had now set his eyes on Xue Country. He had already arrived at Ming River and was ready to cross the river to attack Xue.


    Although Zhang Hong was brave and resourceful, he was also foolhardy and suspicious, he could not afford to face this fierce force. His army has already stepped on the border, so he has to go out to fight the enemy.


    Xue Junliang glanced at the crowd and said, ¡°How about it? Didn¡¯t you want to say pleasantries just now? Now, who has a countermeasure?¡±


    Some people said that Marquis Wannian could send troops to meet the enemy. Xue Houyang has made outstanding achievements in war. If he went to war, he would surely beat back Zhang Hong.


    Some of the ministers didn¡¯t think it was necessary for Marquis Wannian to go to war, they didn¡¯t think Zhang Hong would really dare to actually invade Xue. After all, he had just been beaten by Feng Country, and they must hate him. Now that Feng has driven Zhang Hong back, they would certainly come after him.


    Xue Houyang frowned thinking about the situation. If he went out to fight on his own, Zhang Hong must have already crossed Ming River and rushed to the border, this would not be conducive to fighting. It was absolutely impossible for Zhang Hong to come and attack if he did not take precautions.


    Xue Junliang waited for a while, but no one spoke again. Finally, he said, ¡°Teng Ying, you seem to be very much at ease, surely you have a clever plan to defeat the enemy?¡±


    Teng Yun was named, he stepped forward and said, ¡°This court official really has a plan to make the enemy retreat.¡±


    When they heard that Emperor Xue was going to accept him as a male concubine, most court officials disdained him. At this time, hearing the Emperor ask his opinion, they even scoffed at him, but they also wanted to hear what he had to say.


    Teng Yun said: ¡°Zhang Hong invaded Feng Country and was defeated by the Feng army causing him to retreat. In such situations, King Feng would definitely not pursue him. After a war, the country is empty and weak and Feng Country would be naturally happy to see Zhang Hong turn around. It was good to not pursue a retreating enemy. Now Your Majesty and Zhang Hong would fight and this would give Feng country to distribute their troops. Why not do it? If precautions are not taken, then when the times comes, we could only let Zhang Hong seize the counties north of Ming River¡­¡±


    After Teng Yun finished speaking, everyone was quiet, they seemed to agree with this point of view.


    Teng Yun then continued: ¡°This court official has heard that the climate south of Ming River is mostly humid and rainy, while the climate north of Ming River is so cold that even dripping water would freeze¡­ Most of the soldiers in Xue Country are northerners and are not suitable for water warfare. Although most of Zhang Hong¡¯s army are also troops who can¡¯t fight in water, the two armies will inevitably lose their soldiers and their generals in the confrontation, I am afraid that Feng Country would benefit from it. The Emperor might as well let the soldiers take Ming River, and let the soldiers set camp on the river bank. After a cold night, the water on the river bank would freeze. Naturally, the enemy¡¯s forces and horses would be in great disorder. At this time, you can set fire to the area and drive the enemy into the water. ¡±


    Xue Junliang couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°This Seat didn¡¯t read you wrong.¡±


    He paused and said, ¡°Teng Ying¡¯s intelligence reminds this Seat of an old friend.¡±


    As soon as he said this, Teng Yun¡¯s back froze. He was not at all comfortable with the Art of War he had just cited. Thinking about Lang Jing¡¯s previous words, Teng Yun naturally thought that the old friend that the Emperor mentioned was the Grand Princess of Feng Country ¨C  the late Empress of Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°In this way, this Seat feels that there is no need for Marquis Wannian to go out for war. After this court meeting, Houyang will order someone to send a message to the troops in Ming River immediately and let the soldiers act according to the plans.¡±


    After the military issue was addressed, Xue Junliang asked the court once again about their views of taking Marquis Tengnan to be his Imperial concubine, and this time, no one dared to say anything against it. Many of the court officials understood why Emperor Xue wanted to take this man into the Imperial Harem. Teng Yun¡¯s wisdom really made these Xue people afraid.


    After the morning court session, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t let Teng Yun leave, he asked Teng Yun to write the military order with Xue Houyang. After all, the plan was his idea, so he needed to write it down and had to improve it.


    Xue Junliang went back to the palace by himself. Lang Jing was still kneeling there and hadn¡¯t moved a step.


    Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°This Seat asked you to wait. This Seat didn¡¯t say you were to kneel all the time. Why don¡¯t you get up?¡±


    Lang Jing said, ¡°The Emperor asked this lowly subject to wait and didn¡¯t let this lowly subject to get up. This lowly subject is afraid of offending the Emperor.¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed. ¡°This Seat really admires you very much, but sometimes this Seat also hates your mouth very much.¡±


    When he finished speaking, he didn¡¯t give Lang Jing any more time to say anything, and then said, ¡°Just tell this Seat of what you were going to say a while back, go on.¡±


    However, Lang Jing knelt back on the ground and kowtowed with his head banging on the ground and said in a loud voice, ¡°Your Majesty, please remove the guards from Marquis Zhenjiang¡¯s residence in the south of the town first, and Lang Jing will tell you everything.¡±


    ¡°And if this Seat won¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Lang Jing is a pedantic scholar, not more faithful than Lu Shichen, but his disposition is somewhat similar to that of Lu Shichen.¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t say anything and remained expressionless. He called Jiang Yu and asked him to withdraw the guards from Marquis Zhenjiang¡¯s residence in person. Then he smiled and said, ¡°Lang Jing ah, Lang Jing ah, you can save him once, but can you save him all his life? Open your eyes and see who you should be loyal to.¡±


    A bitter smile flashed across Lang Jing¡¯s face and said, ¡°Can the great Emperor grant his golden words that he would save this lowly subject from death?¡±


    Without waiting for Xue Junliang¡¯s response, he continued, ¡°His Majesty cannot kill me. Even if His Majesty wants to kill me in his heart, but he is unable to find a reason to issue the death sentence, lest he is seen as a tyrant by the people. My Lord has saved this lowly subject. Who should be followed in this case? Your Majesty can judge fairly from his heart.¡±


    When Xue Junliang didn¡¯t speak, Lang Jing waited for him to send away the nearby attendants.

 CH 54

    Edited by ¨C Zaki


    ~~~~~~~


    Teng Yun and Xue Houyang went to the Military office to draw up the plans and the military order for the war. The officials of the Military office weren¡¯t convinced about this foreign minister, but as they discussed the strategy to stand against the enemy together, the bad feelings became a little less. Teng Yun¡¯s intelligence really made people have no choice but to be convinced.


    When they had finished drafting the Military order, they wanted Emperor Xue to take a look for his perusal. Teng Yun and Xue Houyang went back to the Palace together.


    Jiang Yu, who was standing at the entrance of the hall, said: ¡°The Emperor has summoned Lang Jing and instructed that no one should enter.¡±


    When he said this, Teng Yun suddenly remembered that Lang Jing seemed to be about to say something to Xue Junliang a while back about the Empress.


    Teng Yun and Lang Jing had no contact whatsoever in the past. The only time he saw him was when he gave a reception to the Marquis of Zhenjiang. Lang Jing had been under Xue Yu, so he did not feel that Lang Jing had known him or understood much about him, but this man did know how to read people¡¯s minds, which made him feel a little uneasy and making his heart beat wildly.


    Lang Jing was still kneeling on the ground. After Xue Junliang had issued his orders to grant Lang Jing¡¯s request, he said: ¡°Now you can tell me everything?¡±


    Lang Jing said,  ¡°What this lowly subject has said is just speculation, without evidence.¡±


    Xue Junliang sneered, ¡°Do you know the seriousness of what you are saying now?¡±


    Lang Jing didn¡¯t answer his words, but said, ¡°This lowly subject has Martial brothers and teachers who have traveled in Feng Country, and have heard of some of the Feng Country¡¯s worldly wisdom. The Eldest Princess of Feng Country was said to have been a gentle woman with a weak nature. She was someone who was good at needlework. She was conservative and disciplined and was never taught reading and calligraphy, let alone the Art of War.¡±


    Xue Junliang listened without much expression and said, ¡°As you said, this is your guess.¡±


    ¡°The best proof of this is what happened between King Feng and General Zhao Lu. The Eldest Princess was the only relative of King Feng. She was married far away just because she once said something against them being together¡­¡±


    Lang Jing said and laughed, ¡°Can it be that the Emperor thinks that King Feng has some other good intention by marrying off the Eldest Princess so far away?¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed and said, ¡°Lang Jing, just because this Seat admires you for having unparalleled talent, do you think you won¡¯t be beheaded? Just on the basis of your talent, do you think you could provoke this Emperor again and again?¡±


    Lang Jing said, ¡°Forgive me Your Majesty. This lowly subject is a man who deserves to die and dare not live in the world.¡±


    He paused and then said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if His Majesty had paid any attention to the Empress¡¯ actions. Previously, Marquis Zhenjiang had been to Feng Country and talked about the Eldest Princess to this lowly subject. Doesn¡¯t Your Majesty think the Empress¡¯ transformation was too big? Therefore, maybe it was not the Eldest Princess who had been living in Yunfeng palace.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You are saying that the Empress was swapped?¡±


    ¡°This lowly subject is also not very sure if that was the case, Your Majesty. However, during the travels of Marquis Zhenjiang, he went to Feng Country, he had some interaction with the Eldest Princess of Feng Country. Sometime ago, there were even some rumours about Marquis Zhenjiang and the Eldest Princess in the Capital City, which must have been heard by His Majesty as well. Although the actual fact was not as deep as the rumoured relationship, Marquis Zhenjiang said to this lowly subject that the Eldest Princess and the Marquis could be considered to know each other and had some occasional interaction, which was broken off, only after a long time. Only later, when Marquis Zhenjiang returned to the Capital City and met the Eldest Princess again, the Empress behaved as if she had never seen him in her life. At that time this lowly servant was also present. And it was obvious that the Empress was not pretending to not know or had forgotten the Marquis, the expression was like she had never really seen him before.¡±


    Lang Jing paused, pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Moreover, the Empress was most probably a native of Teng.¡±


    Xue Junliang slightly shuddered, and then said, ¡°Is this also speculation?¡±


    Lang Jing said: ¡°This lowly subject has heard that the Empress and Teng Shang have a good relationship, and Your Majesty should have also heard about it. This lowly subject also heard that the Empress knows a lot about the customs of Teng Country. Considering the fact that the Feng Country and Teng Country have been in a state of war for a long time and the people of the two countries have no interaction with each other, as well as the Empress has been living in the Imperial Harem, then how could she know the customs of theTeng country? How does she know Teng Shang? Moreover, wasn¡¯t their relationship closer than expected? This lowly subject may suggest, if His Majesty wants to know whether the Empress was the real one or fake and whether she was a Teng national, His Majesty has to start with Teng Shang. Your Majesty could find an opportunity or two to test it out. In addition, the people who had followed the Empress could also be inquired.¡±


    Xue Junliang pondered for a while, Lang Jing¡¯s words did make sense, he had also suspected the Empress, after all, the transformation of the Empress from the previous times that he had known her and during the time that he was spending time with her was a bit too big, but it never came to his mind that the Empress was swapped.  The Palace was heavily guarded. Even if the Empress was not favored by His Majesty, and he had not liked her, she was not watched all the time. However, there were always people around. How could someone easily swap the person without anyone knowing?


    Let¡¯s say that indeed she was switched, but what was the purpose of this switch?


    If it was really the Empress who had lived in Yunfeng palace previously, then in fact, she could have come forward as a strategist for His Majesty.  By puting forward military strategies every time for Xue Junliang, she could have improved her own standing in front of the Emperor. But she never thought to do that before. Which Imperial Concubine did not want to curry favor with the Emperor? Even if she was already the Empress and the Mother of the Nation, she would still need to stabilize her position and keep a firm hold of the Phoenix Seal.


    However, the Empress neither liked to be close to the Emperor, nor would she deliberately curry favour with His Majesty. So when one thought about it, it seemed to make sense.


    Xue Junliang collected his thoughts, turned around and sat on the big chair and said with a smile, ¡°Lang Jing, you are smart, but don¡¯t you think you have to be smart in the correct way? What evidence do you have for all this?¡±


    ¡°None, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Okay, very good¡­ Since there is no evidence, this is nothing but impudence!¡±


    Xue Junliang suddenly raised his voice and said in a loud voice, ¡°Jiang Yu, let someone drag Lang Jing out and skin him in public. This is the result of impudence and disobedience.¡±


    Jiang Yu had been waiting outside, and when he heard Emperor Xue¡¯s voice, he hurriedly pushed the door in, but Lang Jing did not show any reaction at all, he continued to kneel on the ground, allowing the guards to come in and take him up.


    Lang Jing smiled and said, ¡°Your Majesty, do you see? This is why this lowly subject can¡¯t give you advice¡­ I have told you everything as I was ordered, but I¡¯m going to die.¡±


    Xue Junliang was still sitting and looked very leisurely. He said, ¡°A person who can¡¯t paint the ground red by sacrificing himself for this Seat then even if he is a great talent, it is useless.¡±


    Ojcu Alcu rjlv mbivis, ¡°Aera ilxf Kfcu Tec.¡±


    Wef Aeciljcu rtbbx tlr tfjv jcv rjlv klat j rwlif, ¡°Zjsyf la¡¯r ralii agef. Tbe jgf j ilafgjgs wjrafg jcv lo sbe mjc yf ibsji ab atlr Vfja, sbe klii qgbrqfg¡­ Pa¡¯r j qlas.¡±


    Yearlvf, Kfcu Tec jcv Wef Lbesjcu mbeivc¡¯a tfjg ktja kjr yflcu rjlv. Ktfs tjv kjamtfv Aljcu Te ub lc jcv j yla ijafg, obiibkfv ys atf uejgvr. Coafg j ktlif, cb bcf mjwf bea.


    Xue Houyang was a little anxious. He didn¡¯t know what was going on inside. He was afraid something had gone wrong, but Lang Jing, a literary master, didn¡¯t know any Martial Arts, and he couldn¡¯t really do too much.


    They did not know what was being said inside as nothing could be heard from outside. Suddenly, there was a disturbance near the jade steps in the main hall. A person walked over. He was wearing the attire of a Maquis. Although his face was a little haggard, his elegance and demeanor was not diminished. It was Xue Yu.


    A maidservant stopped Xue Yu in front of the jade steps and told him that the Emperor had ordered that no one was allowed an audience, but it seemed that Xue Yu did not take it seriously and just wanted to go inside.


    Xue Yu passed by Teng Yun and Xue Houyang just outside the hall. Without looking at them at all, he barged into the hall.


    Xue Junliang seemed a bit surprised to see him, but quickly calmed down and smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t remember asking you to hand in a pass to enter the palace.¡±


    ¡°Chen-di came in without authorization.¡±


    Xue Junliang said with a smile,¡±You have the guts to think that this Seat really doesn¡¯t dare to touch you? It seems you haven¡¯t enjoyed enough of the days you¡¯ve been locked up.¡±


    Xue Yu just glanced sideways at Lang Jing, who was being escorted next to him, and suddenly knelt down and said, ¡°This brother pleads with Your Majesty to let Lang Jing go this once.¡±


    ¡°Let Lang Jing go? What is the use of having a law for the land? One must give an explanation for their crimes, isn¡¯t that right? Shouldn¡¯t the people know the consequences for going against the Monarch?¡±


    Xue Yu didn¡¯t speak, but Xue Junliang¡¯s smile became more pleasant and he said: ¡°Lang Jing just told this Seat about his Master¡¯s kindness. For the sake of his loyalty towards this cruel and unscrupulous person, Lang Jing didn¡¯t even turn back on his death¡­ But according to this Seat, foolish loyalty is unacceptable. Even if he died a thousand times, who will remember his kindness? Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    Xue Yu raised his eyes to stare at Xue Junliang and saw the other person¡¯s smiling face and he knew for certainty that Xue Junliang was provoking him.


    Xue Junliang said again: ¡°I almost forgot, this Seat has too many things to do recently¡­ I¡¯ll ask the Imperial physician from the Imperial Hospital to examine you later and help with your recuperation of your body. Do not think about anything else other than resting ¡­¡­..¡±


    Before he could finish his words, he heard Xue Yu say, ¡°If Lang Jing can redeem himself, I implore Your Majesty to spare his life.¡±


    Xue Junliang seemed to be interested in this statement and smiled, ¡°How will he redeem himself?¡±


    Xue Yu felt that the other party was digging a pit and had laid a trap long ago, just waiting for him to jump into it, and he had to speak up, saying, ¡°Lang Jing can help His Majesty make the enemy retreat from Xue. It¡¯s better to send him to the frontier.¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed: ¡°He is your man, I would not dare to send him.¡±


    Xue Yu gritted his teeth and said, ¡°As long as Your Majesty says one word, Lang Jing will naturally be loyal to Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Oh ¡­¡­ even the Marquis Zhenjiang has said so, but what about Lang Jing¡¯s own intention?¡±


    Lang Jing, who was escorted by the guards to kneel on the side, remained silent. At this time, he just glanced at Xue Yu, hanging his head and said, ¡°Lang Jing will obey orders.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded, as if everything was under his expectations, and said, ¡°Since you can make up for your mistakes, this Seat is not a narrow-minded person and I¡¯ll let you go for the time being. But if you dare to break the law or contradict this Emperor again in the future, then this Seat is afraid that you won¡¯t even be blessed with lynching.¡±


    After he said this,he waved his hand, motioned to the bodyguard to loosen their hold on Lang Jing, and said, ¡°Since you want to go to the frontier, start right away. Wars are like fire and can¡¯t be delayed for half a minute. As for Marquis Zhenjiang, take good care of yourself in your residence.¡±


    Emperor Xue¡¯s words were obvious. If Lang Jing went to war and didn¡¯t work hard, Xue Yu, who was in the Capital, would suffer.


    After he finished his command, he didn¡¯t say much and asked everyone to go out. Xue Junliang suddenly sighed when he looked at Xue Yu¡¯s defeated posture.


    Jiang Yu said, ¡°Is Your Majesty tired? Why don¡¯t you go out for a walk?¡±


    Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m not tired, but I suddenly understood one truth.¡±


    He said and then paused, and Jiang Yu didn¡¯t interrupt, waiting for Xue Junliang to continue.


    ¡°As expected, this Seat is inferior to Xue Yu in many places. At least, this Seat can¡¯t do it.¡±


    Jiang Yu didn¡¯t understand what he meant. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t ask. He just said, ¡°Your Majesty, Marquis Wannian and Marquis Tengnan have been waiting outside for a while. Would you like to see them?¡±


    When Teng Yun went in, he glanced at Xue Junliang¡¯s face. It seemed that his expression was the same as before. There was nothing unusual. His heart relaxed a bit. Even if Lang Jing was smart, he wouldn¡¯t know all the information under the sky. It was just some tricks to deceive people, which made people who didn¡¯t know the details be convinced of the lies.


    Xue Junliang looked at the draft and had no other opinions. Teng Yun and Xue Houyang¡¯s recommendations were very good, and their countermeasures were clear and listed one by one. The hardest part was that they should execute this plan fast and not drag on for four or five days.


    Xue Junliang asked someone to seal the Military order in an envelope and deliver it speedily.


    After Xue Houyang left the Palace and went back to the residence, he didn¡¯t see Teng Shang. After enquiring, he got to know that Teng Shang was reading in the small garden pavilion.


    Xue Houyang went to the garden and indeed there was someone in the small pavilion. But Teng Shang was lying on the table, the book aside, and seemed to be asleep.


    Xue Houyang went back to get a cloak and gently went over to him to put it on, afraid to wake up the other party, but at this time Teng Shang moved a little.


    Xue Houyang said, ¡°Did I wake my husband up?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Teng Shang said: ¡°Lord Marquis seems to have forgotten that this Teng is also a Martial Arts practitioner, so how could someone come over and not be noticed?¡±


    Xue Houyang was so told off and his face turned a little red, almost as if he had a fever. He suddenly remembered that he went to have a look at Teng Shang almost every night after he slept. Then according to Teng Shang¡¯s vigilance, wasn¡¯t he disturbing his rest everyday?


    Teng Shang didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but said, ¡°Lord Marquis, sit down.¡±


    Only then did Xue Houyang realize that he had been standing, causing Teng Shang to tilt his head in order to talk to himself, he hurriedly sat down and put the cloak on Teng Shang, said: ¡°Don¡¯t catch a cold just after waking up.¡±


    Teng Shang seemed to smile, ¡°If this Teng was a woman, he would be moved by the Marquis¡¯s care.¡±


    Xue Houyang listened to this sentence and almost blurted out, ¡°Won¡¯t Minister Teng be moved if he was a man?¡±


    But fortunately he swallowed the words that almost escaped his mouth, Xue Houyang exhaled, thinking that he was a man who had fought in battle and killed countless enemies, but he never thought he would have such sour thoughts, Xue Houyang felt that his head must have been soaked with vinegar.


    Xue Houyang thought about it and said, ¡°Did Minister Teng hear about Xue Yu being released?¡±


    Teng Shang picked up the book on the stone table and closed it. He said, ¡°I heard about it yesterday ¡­¡­ Lang Jing has the ability.¡±


    Xue Houyang paused for a moment and said, ¡°Emperor Xue had no choice but let out XUe Yu¡­¡­¡­.¡±


    When he said this, Teng Shang suddenly let out a laugh, looked at Xue Houyang, said, ¡°Is Marquis concerned because of this Teng¡¯s words from the last time?¡±


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t speak, but he silently acquiesced. Teng Shang said, ¡°Last time, this Teng said angry words, but it¡¯s also true. It¡¯s rare to have a moment of righteousness¡­ But this Teng is not a brat who is only a few years old. Naturally, he knows Xue Yu can¡¯t be killed. Even without Lang Jing¡¯s interference, he would not be locked for a long time and be released.¡±


    Xue Houyang said, ¡°It¡¯s best that Minister Teng has figured it out yourself.¡±


    Teng Shang didn¡¯t answer, but just looked at him. Xue Houyang felt that he was being stared at and said, ¡°I, cough... Is there something wrong with my face?¡±


    Teng Shang shook his head and just laughed: ¡°Nothing wrong, I¡¯m just waiting for the words that the Marquis didn¡¯t say, not sure when you would be ready to say them.¡±


    Xue Houyang subconsciously touched his face and thought there was no better time to talk than this¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°Cough¡­ I¡¯m just thinking, I don¡¯t know when Minister Teng would be loyal to Houyang.¡±


    Teng Shang laughed even more. Xue Houyang was at a loss. He only heard him say, ¡°So Lord Marquis has always been so considerate and gentle to Teng, it¡¯s because he wants this Teng to be loyal to Lord marquis.¡±


    He nodded his head with a look of comprehension, saying, ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s loyalty.¡±


    Xue Houyang knew he was being teased, but he couldn¡¯t say anything redundant. Xue Houyang was thin-skinned, although he usually had an unconventional and brash look, he actually couldn¡¯t take it when he was being teased.


    Teng Shang looked at his reddened face, said: ¡°Teng Shang¡¯s heart is touched.¡±


    Xue Houyang nodded and didn¡¯t speak again.


    Teng Shang said, ¡°Didn¡¯t the Marquis want to hear me say that I¡¯m moved?¡±


    Xue Houyang nodded again, ¡°I hoped, I hoped¡­¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, he was suddenly frozen in place. He saw Teng Shang suddenly lean over, press and hold Xue Houyang¡¯s shoulder, slightly side his head and gently kiss the corners of the mouth.


    Xue Houyang was stunned for a while. He felt the slight tingling in the corners of his mouth. Then he suddenly regained his mind, widened the distance between the two people and said, ¡°Sir, you don¡¯t need to accommodate me so much.¡±


    Teng Shang saw his face that was burning red and said ¡®righteously¡¯, as if he had made a major decision.


    He sighed and said, ¡°This Teng thinks he is a smart man. He can probably guess four or five points for what the Marquis wants and thinks in his heart ¡­ Moreover, this Teng is a man with a bit of backbone. If I don¡¯t want to, will I accommodate or indulge in being close to a man?¡±


    Xue Houyang looked at him with wide eyes. He seemed surprised but also had an expression of disbelief.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After Xue Houyang left, Teng Yun was left behind in the Palace to eat together with Xue Junliang. These days, Xue Junliang seemed a little tired. Jiang Yu specially asked someone to set lunch in the garden.


    In the past, Xue Junliang dined alone. Naturally, he did not say a word when he ate. Later, he always asked the Empress to accompany him. Now, Teng Yun accompanied him. He still subconsciously served him the dishes. Only after the dishes were served did he suddenly realize that the Empress was no longer with him, and he didn¡¯t know what the person sitting next to him liked to eat or what his tastes were like.


    However, Teng Yun was the Empress before. Naturally his habits had not changed. The dishes that Xue Junliang served him were exactly to his tastes.


    Xue Junliang suddenly said, ¡°You don¡¯t eat ginger?¡±


    Teng Yun was stunned for a moment. Then he saw that the shredded ginger in the dish had been picked out and piled on the edge of his plate. This was a subconscious action. Because when he was the Empress, the wounds on his face were still sensitive and septic. So the Empress couldn¡¯t eat spicy and stimulating things. Because though it would not affect him during the day, during the night, he couldn¡¯t sleep due to the constant dull pain. Hence he learnt to be careful of what he ate in the Empress¡¯ body. It had become a habit that couldn¡¯t be changed easily.


    Xue Junliang seemed to be thinking about something and said with a smile, ¡°You are not only as smart as her, but your habits are also similar¡­ This Seat doesn¡¯t know if it¡¯s God¡¯s will.¡±


    What he said was so ambiguous that Teng Yun didn¡¯t know how to answer. Teng Yun¡¯s current identity was the criminal minister who murdered the Empress. Although now he had the position of the Marquis Tengnan and Emperor Xue mentioned that he would be included in the Harem, the murder of the Empress couldn¡¯t be erased. Precisely because Xue Junliang liked to compare him with the Empress.


    Seeing that he did not say anything, Xue Junliang said, ¡°Do you find it boring to dine with this Seat?¡±


    Teng Yun respectfully said, ¡°This subject is blessed with this favour. How could I dare to  feel bored?¡±


    Xue Junliang, as if looking for a topic, said, ¡°Have you grown up in the Teng Kingdom since you were a child, how are the customs and people there?¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s heart had a sudden jerk. He had indeed grown up in Teng Country.  But he didn¡¯t know Teng Ying¡¯s real life experiences. He only heard that Teng Ying was a slave. Later, he was promoted because he was smart and eloquent, but he didn¡¯t know anything detailed about it. He was afraid that this was a trap set by Xue Junliang.


    Teng Yun also wanted to be vague and perfunctory, but before he could say anything, he heard Jiang Yu say: ¡°Your Majesty, De-fei has come here and said that she passed by the garden and knew that Your Majesty was eating here. She came here to add a few more dishes.¡±


    Xue Junliang let out a laugh, strolling through the garden with dishes? The Empress had passed away, and the Harem was currently without a Mistress. Teng-fei had been on an equal footing with the Empress, but she was abolished recently to a consort position. Probably De-fei felt that now was her chance for re-emergence, so she hurriedly came to Xue Junliang to curry favour.


    In fact, this was only one of the reasons, there was another reason ¡ª De-fei had heard that Emperor Xue was planning to marry a man. Although it was impossible for a male concubine to become the Empress, Marquis Tengnan was after all a Marquis. If he really entered the Imperial Harem, his position would not be a low one.


    She just wanted to see what type of man could charm Emperor Xue.


    Xue Junliang glanced at Teng Yun intentionally or unintentionally, and then said with a smile: ¡°it¡¯s rare for the De-fei to have this intention. Let her come over.¡±


    Listening to the meaning of his sentence, Teng Yun realized Xue Junliang wanted to watch the fun. Xue Junliang just wanted to see how Teng Yun would deal with it. After all, he had appreciated Teng Yun¡¯s intelligence twice, but if a woman found fault with him, he didn¡¯t know how Teng Yun would react.


    De-fei carried a small basket and was surrounded by Palace maids. She gracefully walked over. Looking at the small basket, it was mostly decorative and could hardly hold few dishes.


    De-fei gave the basket to the maid and bowed down to pay her respects and said, ¡°I heard that Your Majesty is busy everyday, so I specially cooked two dishes. Your majesty should take care of the royal body.¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t pay any special attention to the basket and just said, ¡°De-fei has a heart.¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Since Your Majesty has something to do, I will leave first.¡±


    Xue Junliang stopped him and said with a smile, ¡°Eh, the dishes haven¡¯t been touched much, why are you leaving, are they not to your liking?¡±


    Then in a tone that was even more ambiguous, he said, ¡°Maybe Teng Ying is still tired because of the banquet that day? Teng Ying didn¡¯t say anything but he must blame this Emperor in his heart.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s back stiffened when he heard Xue Junliang¡¯s words. Xue Junliang was not drunk that night. He was perfectly conscious of his actions and did everything deliberately.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Thank you NF for the Kofi!~~ Ela


    Sorry for the slow releases ¨C Zaki and I have been struggling with RL responsibilities and are not able to TL as fast as before. Rest assured we won¡¯t stop but it might be a bit slow for sometime. Thank you for understanding!

 CH 55

    Edited ¨C Zaki


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    How could De-fei not hear the ambiguity in Xue Junliang¡¯s words, but she


    had no choice but to restrain the sourness in her heart. Instead she smiled outwardly and looked at Teng Yun and said, ¡°Chen-qie heard that the Emperor was going to accept a new concubine, so it turned out to be this person?¡±


    Xue Junliang did not avoid the topic, instead said, ¡°What does De-fei think?¡±


    De-fei pretended to be virtuous and said with a smile, ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s vision is naturally good. Chen-qie also heard that the Marquis is extraordinarily skilled in military operations. Even though Chen-qie is in the Imperial Harem, was shocked three times by this name and reputation.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Really such a famous persona?¡±


    De-fei brought up the dishes in the basket with her own hands and said, ¡°Indeed naturally. Chen-qie has heard the Palace staff saying a few words about the Marquis. The Marquis went to the Teng Country and in a few months, he appeased the hearts of the people and all the people became submissive¡­Chen-qie does not understand these things but certainly these must be big achievements.¡±


    De-fei was afraid that Xue Junliang would feel that she was interfering in state affairs, and especially added the last sentence, pretending everything she said was hearsay.


    Teng Yun did not say a word to interrupt the two. The three of them were in the pavilion, Xue Junliang was sitting, De-fei stood to the side to serve dishes and Teng Yun was standing two steps back, a bit further away. His posture was very respectful, hands hanging by the side.


    When Xue Junliang saw Teng Yun standing so far away, he raised his eyes and smiled at him, ¡°De-fei praised you so much. This Seat didn¡¯t even know you have such a great reputation.¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°This lowly subject is terrified and doesn¡¯t dare to be arrogant in front of the Great Emperor.¡±


    Xue Junliang suddenly stood up, grabbed Teng Yun¡¯s wrist, brought him back to the table, pressed his shoulders and asked him to sit down, ¡°Don¡¯t be restrained, there are no outsiders here either.¡± He said with a smile.


    When he spoke, he deliberately came closer to Teng Yun¡¯s ear, his breath exhaled at the other¡¯s ear creating a very ambiguous atmosphere. De-fei noticed the scene from the corner of her eyes but the Emperor Xue did not let her sit down again.


    De-fei smiled and said: ¡°Today after seeing the Marquis, Chen-qie felt that the Emperor really has a good eye. Marquis is handsome and talented. Chen-qie has to be the first one to congratulate the Emperor in advance¡­¡­Just¡­..¡±


    As she spoke, she seemed to hesitate and said, ¡°But the Marquis is a man after all. If the Emperor wants to accept the Marquis into the Harem, would the Ministers of the Imperial court¡­.¡±


    She said till there and stopped, the meaning was already very obvious. Xue Junliang and Teng Yun also understood.


    Xue Junliang nodded and said, ¡°This Seat is also distressed about this matter. If this Seat accepts Teng Ying, all the Ministers of the Imperial court could say that this Seat has become a fool and is infatuated with male sex. If this Seat¡¯s intention is not seen clearly then this Seat is afraid that Teng Ying will become the target of public criticism.¡±


    Teng Yun sneered in his heart and thought, Wasn¡¯t that the main purpose? Still trying to show an outward appearance of compassion.


    Xue Junliang said: ¡°Many thanks to De-fei for reminding this Emperor. This Seat has thought of a good way to let the Ministers know that this Seat is not just taking Teng Ying into the Harem on just a whim¡­..¡±


    He paused. ¡°To stop the talks¡­when the time comes, this Seat plans to grant the title ¡®Noble Imperial Consort¡¯ to Teng Ying. This way no one would underestimate Teng Ying. What do you think?¡±


    Not only De-fei, even Teng Yun froze at that statement. Although Xue Junliang¡¯s Imperial Harem had a lot of people, Emperor Xue was not addicted to womanizing and hence the Harem was still relatively calm. Even if a few concubines wanted to climb up by currying favour, they would still consider Emperor Xue¡¯s temperament.


    Xue Junliang did not like the Imperial Concubines flattering him, nor did he like indulging in wine. So the concubines could not throw themselves at him and naturally did not want to be snubbed by the Emperor. De-fei was already considered to be in a better position. It was because De-fei had a brother, Yu Chen, who had made many Military achievements, and was instrumental in the war with Teng. But because he had been fighting for years, he became somewhat proud of his achievements, and later lost at the hands of Teng Yun, and was recalled to the Capital by Xue Junliang, who then sent Xue Houyang over to replace him.


    Over the years, Emperor Xue had neither promoted or demoted any Imperial Concubine. Teng Qianyi was the unfortunate one who had been demoted over her actions. De-fei had wanted to climb up, even if she did not become the Empress, she could still try to become the Noble Imperial Consort with the backing of her brother. Unexpectedly, Emperor Xue wanted to make a man as the Noble Imperial Consort.


    One must know that when a person moved to a higher position from a very low position, the etiquette when meeting would be different. De-fei, even in all her calculations, never imagined that she would end up giving her position to Teng Yun as a dowry.. Emperor Xue just followed his own words and granted the title to Teng Yun.


    Although this was not said in front of everyone, nor was it an Imperial decree, it was not said in a joking manner either. After all, Xue Junliang never joked.


    Teng Yun never wanted to enter the Imperial Harem. He had hoped to get out of the Capital City. Now that his father had been demoted into a commoner, the rest of his followers had already returned to Teng Country. He occasionally could see Teng Shang. It seemed that his current situation was quite good. Xue Houyang was also doing his best to be sincere to Teng Shang. Since everything was neatly settled, Teng Yun had wanted to leave. Staying in the Capital City was like walking on thin ice.


    Pa kjr pera j qlas atja Wef Aeciljcu vlvc¡¯a rffw ab kjca ab ifa tlw ub ¡­¡­


    Kfcu Tec rjlv: ¡°Tbeg Zjpfras¡¯r ufcfgber ibnf, atlr reypfma vbfr cba offi vfrfgnlcu.¡±


    Wef Aeciljcu qbegfv tlw j meq bo klcf klat tlr bkc tjcvr jcv rwlifv, ¡°Kfcu Tlcu pera ilxfr ab yf wbvfra.¡±


    After he spoke, he served Teng Yun, a chopstick of small dishes. De-fei looked embarrassed and awkward as she stood at one side. The palace maids and chambermaids were standing outside the pavilion waiting, she looked like a servant serving dishes.


    De-fei was born in a Noble family and she was the youngest in her siblings. Naturally, she didn¡¯t serve others. It was acceptable for her to serve Xue Junliang because at least she could gain something from it. But now, she just watched as Xue Junliang served the dishes she had made to Teng Yun, the anger in her heart began to rise.


    De-fei held back her anger and pretended to be very virtuous and caring and filled Emperor Xue¡¯s cup with wine. She smiled and said, ¡°Your Majesty, this wine was brewed by Chen-qie, please don¡¯t dislike it.¡±


    As she said this, she also incidentally went to fill Teng Yun¡¯s cup and pretended to accidentally spill all the wine over him. The weather was not warm yet and the warmed wine cooled down quickly but she couldn¡¯t restrain herself and poured the whole pot on Teng Yun.


    Teng Yun reacted in time and withdrew a step back, but was still splashed quite a bit by the wine. De-fei immediately uttered a lot of apologies and Teng Yun did not say anything. He was just worried that he would not get the chance to slip away, but now the opportunity presented itself.


    Xue Junliang naturally wouldn¡¯t be angry about these little things. Even if he perceived that what happened just now was deliberate, it was not necessary to be riled up about it. He just said, ¡°Teng Ying, go change your clothes¡­¡±


    ¡°Jiang Yu.¡± He called out.


    Jiang Yu was very discerning, he immediately came over and said, ¡°Marquis this way please.¡±


    When Teng Yun heard this command, he understood that Xue Junliang did not allow him to leave by himself and said, ¡°No need to trouble. This lowly subject will go and change myself.¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed, ¡°Is it possible that Teng Ying is not happy? Then I will personally take you to change your clothes, how about it?¡±


    As he said that, his hand actually wrapped around Teng Yun¡¯s waist. Teng Yun shuddered and hurriedly took a step back, saying, ¡°This lowly subject does not dare¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu led Teng Yun to a nearby empty hall to change clothes. Coincidentally, he saw a man coming their way from a distance. The man was not short and looked very strong. He was wearing the official clothes of a Military General.


    The man saw Jiang Yu and said with a smile, ¡°Chief Steward Jiang, His Majesty is in the garden?¡±


    Jiang Yu respectfully replied, ¡°Yes that is correct, Emperor is having his meal now, the General should go over later ¡­¡­¡± and then he added, ¡°Imperial Concubine De is also there.¡±


    The man heard that Imperial Concubine De was also present, instantly his face became a lot happier and said, ¡°That¡¯s just right, I will also go to see.¡±


    After he said that and was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of Teng Yun behind. He suddenly stopped and said with a smile, ¡°I heard that there is a Marquis who had quickly risen to the top, the one who had a scar on his face. I also heard that the Emperor wanted to accept him in the Imperial Harem?¡±


    Teng Yun listened quietly, and only glanced at the man, but didn¡¯t look more. He laughed: ¡°The General has heard a lot about me. I also heard that a person with a limp is the General. It has been cloudy and getting cold recently. This Teng hasn¡¯t seen the General since he started to attend the court. Is the General¡¯s leg hurting very much?¡±


    The man who spoke so sarcastically just now was none other than Yu Chen, De-fei¡¯s brother. Yu Chen was recalled to the Capital because he was injured during his battle with Teng Yun. Although he was treated right on time, his left leg had not healed completely and would flare up every cloudy and rainy day, and even if he walked normally, there would still be a slight incongruity in his gait.


    Teng Yun said with a smile: ¡°This Teng is also thoughtful and well-intentioned. The General might as well ask the Imperial Physician to take a look at your leg, and maybe he wouldn¡¯t need to suffer on cloudy and rainy days anymore.¡±


    Hearing his sarcasm, Yu Chen immediately became furious and shouted, ¡°What do you know, you naive brat!? This is a wound from the battlefields, not the same as that dirty scar on your face.¡±


    Teng Yun said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t do to others what you don¡¯t want to be done to yourself. Since the General feels this bad, why do you have to be sarcastic at others?¡±


    Yu Chen said, ¡°You have quite a glib tongue, but those who have glib tongues are sycophants who cause grave harm to the country and its people. I heard you were only a Sword carrying officer before. How many times did you serve your body to the Emperor to climb up to this position?¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s face sank. Yu Chen saw that the other party¡¯s face had finally changed, so he further said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you can do. But before you enter the Palace, why don¡¯t you come and serve this General.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s facial expressions further darkened, and he said in a cold voice, ¡°General, behave yourself.¡±


    Yu Chen felt that he had gotten an advantage and just laughed loudly, but at this time, he heard a cold laugh and Xue Junliang came over from behind, saying, ¡°Yu Chen, you are really getting bolder and bolder, you even want to think about the person chosen by this Seat?¡±


    Yu Chen was still smiling but after hearing the Emperor¡¯s words, his smile froze on his face and he looked very stiff. He hurriedly knelt down and paid respect and said, ¡°This lowly General¡­¡­¡­this lowly General was only joking with the Marquis. His words don¡¯t count. His words don¡¯t count.¡±


    De-fei, who had followed the Emperor, couldn¡¯t help but break into a sweat. Even before she got close, she could hear her brother¡¯s unscrupulous ridicule of Teng Ying. Perhaps if it was an ordinary person, like a maid-in-waiting or someone, then they could have been given as a reward to Yu Chen but this person was someone that Emperor Xue had taken fancy to. The news had been even announced in front of all the Ministers and officials. To say this clearly like this meant, blatantly disrespecting Emperor Xue¡¯s wishes. If such a bad name fell upon him, then his reputation would be spoiled and the charges could be anything.


    Xue Junliang put his hand on Teng Yun¡¯s shoulder, seemingly appearing that both of them have a close relationship, and laughed: ¡°You are not joking about Teng Ying, it is obvious that you are joking about this Seat.¡±


    After hearing this, Yu Chen shuddered and could only kowtow fiercely. He said, ¡°This lowly General doesn¡¯t dare. This lowly General just heard that the Marquis is easy to get close to and doesn¡¯t put up any airs, so¡­ so¡­¡±


    ¡°So you were being unscrupulous?¡±


    Yu Chen raised his head to peek at Emperor Xue¡¯s expression. Although the other party was still smiling, his words didn¡¯t carry any warmth. It was cold and chilly, like an ice pendant.


    De-fei couldn¡¯t help interrupting: ¡°Your Majesty, my brother is honest, but he is only occasionally foolish, and he has been by Your Majesty¡¯s side for a long time. Doesn¡¯t Your Majesty know him well? Please just forgive him this once. Look at his appearance, he won¡¯t dare to make the same mistake again.¡±


    Xue Junliang then slowly restrained his smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s because he has become so casual that he has become disrespectful. The Teng army has been subordinated. And this Seat has also said that regardless of past grievances, Marquis Tengnan is a Marquis. You are much older than him, shouldn¡¯t you be more calm than him? If this Seat finds out that you have any misconduct next time, this Seat will not be so forgiving. You pay respect and thank Marquis Tengnan and De-fei for this leniency.¡±


    Yu Chen was really reluctant and did not want to thank Marquis Tengnan. He was not convinced of this person, but not paying respects and thanking him would certainly annoy Emperor Xue. Emperor Xue was not an easy person to get along with. Although he seemed to be a kind and benevolent Emperor in the matter of Teng Country¡¯s submission, in reality, in terms of cold-heartedness and ruthlessness, even King Feng could not compare.


    Although Yu Chen claimed to be highly meritorious, he did not dare to be arrogant in front of Xue Junliang, so he had to pretend to thank Marquis Tengnan and say that he would not dare to do it again.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°De-fei is not in good health. If she remains outside for long, she might catch a cold. She should go back first.¡±


    Hearing Emperor Xue ordering her return, De-fei had no choice but to leave. So she reluctantly took one step and turned back three times, and finally knelt down to pay respects and went back.


    Only then did Xue Junliang say, ¡°Where did Yu Chen come from? This Seat doesn¡¯t remember asking you to hand in a token to the palace.¡±


    Yu Chen hurriedly said: ¡°This lowly General came from the Military office, in regards to Lang Jing.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ What about Lang Jing?¡±


    Yu Chen said, ¡°This lowly General is afraid but feels it is inappropriate for Your Majesty to send Lang Jing to Ming River. Lang Jing is from the rebel group. Although Your Majesty¡¯s generosity is boundless and has released Lang Jing to make contributions and earn merit to allow him to redeem himself, I am afraid that if Your Majesty lets him go to Ming River, other Generals in the army might not accept him. In the end it would disrupt the army¡¯s morale and cause more harm.¡±


    He saw that Emperor Xue seemed to be unhappy by what he said and had a sudden realization in his heart. His own reputation would not be of any value in front of His Majesty¡¯s decision so he backtracked and said, ¡°It is a fact that Lang Jing is very talented. If Your Majesty could grant a small official post to him then the soldiers would not be able to say anything. All would be easily solved.¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°Then, in the General¡¯s opinion, what official position should be given to him?¡±


    Teng Yun was held tight by Xue Junliang to his side and could not move. Hearing him ask Yu Chen this, if it was himself, he would definitely not say anything. After all, Emperor Xue¡¯s tone was already angry. How could there be a Monarch asking his subjects what official position should be given to the others? Wouldn¡¯t this be against the way of a ruler and a minister?


    However, Yu Chen still did not realize this, and continued to answer Xue Junliang: ¡°How about giving Lang Jing an official position as an Official Registrar ¡­¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled, ¡°Official Registrar? This Seat would let Lang Jing go all the way to Ming River just to let him manage the documents? So that he could write the Military reports better?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ This¡­¡±


    Yu Chen finally realized something was wrong with his actions and opened his mouth, ¡°This lowly General also wants to share the Emperor¡¯s burdens. I¡¯m just afraid the soldiers won¡¯t accept Lang Jing easily.¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t speak. He just looked at Teng Yun and asked with a smile, ¡°What does Teng Ying think?¡±


    Teng Yun tried his best to pull his body away, but Xue Junliang deliberately leaned against him. As he asked Teng Yun his opinion, he was so close that their breaths were intermingled.


    ¡°This lowly Minister thinks that although Lang Jing is an official who has committed a crime, there is no doubt in his talent and use. Since Your Majesty has decided to send him to the Ming River, it is better to trust Lang Jing. After all, Marquis Zhenjiang is still in the Capital and Lang Jing is a person who attaches great importance to loyalty and righteousness, and would certainly not dare to not do his best¡­ Besides, Lang Jing is resourceful and wise, but he hasn¡¯t gained so much fame these days. Hence taking advantage of this, it¡¯s better to grant him the title of an Assistant General to the commander. Zhang Hong would not bother to pay attention to such a lowly position and can actually be an advantage in disrupting the army. In particular, Ming River is located in the frontier, the war is changeable and Lang Jing would not be caught off guard.¡±


    Yu Chen snapped: ¡°Lang Jing is a literary master, he cannot lift his hand. He would not be even able to hold a blade. How could he be granted the title of Assistant General?¡±


    Teng Yun laughed and said, ¡°Marching to war does not depend only on who has more men and who has stronger horses. You can still be invincible while sitting in the camp.¡±


    Yu Chen stared at Teng Yun, thinking that Teng Yun was targeting himself at all times, and before he could speak, Xue Junliang said, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s take a step back and give Lang Jing a title to join the army¡­¡­ Yu Chen, you have an unfavorable view of Lang Jing but he is indeed a rare talent. This Seat hopes you can discard your former suspicions, if you try to push others aside because of these small things, you will not be forgiven lightly.¡±


    Since Yu Chen had started to fight in the war, he had started off as only a soldier and an Assistant General at the beginning, and after that he was promoted as the Commander-in-chief and he was not inferior to anyone.


    Now, at this time, when Zhang Hong had come to the gates for a war, Emperor Xue wanted to send him to support but only as an Assistant General, the same position given to Lang Jing.


    Yu Chen was not at all convinced that Lang Jing should be given the title of an Assistant General. But now that it was his turn to be given that position, he felt the official position was too low and it was a slight to himself.


    Although Yu Chen was dissatisfied in his heart, he did not dare to say anything else and retreated.


    Xue Junliang waited for him to leave, then let go of his hand and stopped holding Teng Yun.


    Teng Yun thought about the conversation, and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°With all due respect, this lowly Minister doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate for Your Majesty to send Yu Chen.¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t seem to take it seriously and said, ¡°What, are you still angry about what Yu Chen just said?¡±


    ¡°This Minister dares not¡­ But Your Majesty has granted Yu Chen the position of Assistant General. According to Yu Chen¡¯s temperament, he will not accept it. I¡¯m afraid there will be a gap in communication with the Commander. In the end it would be the soldiers and the people who would be caught between them.¡±


    After hearing this, Xue Junliang restrained his petulant expression and sighed: ¡°Do you think this Seat hasn¡¯t thought about this? But who else to send? Right now everyone¡¯s attention is fixed on the Xue Country. You do not understand the pain in this Seat¡¯s heart. There are many Literary Ministers who can give advice but there are only few Generals who can kill an enemy in a war. They are either bold or arrogant or foolhardy¡­ Houyang can¡¯t be moved lightly. For fighting only Zhang Hong, if this Seat sends Marquis Wannian, then Feng Country will have the impression that this Seat has no one reliable under him to even deal with small attacks. This will make the Feng country even more bold and unscrupulous at this time.¡±


    He glanced at Teng Yun and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s really the soldiers and the people who suffer in the end. Naturally, this Seat can¡¯t bear to watch his people suffer.¡±


    Teng Yun was silent for a long time. Although he didn¡¯t know how much of the words that Xue Junliang just spoke were real and how much were lies, he couldn¡¯t help being moved by them. After all, his father couldn¡¯t even say these words.


    ¡°This lowly Minister requests to be sent to Ming River.¡±


    Xue Junliang looked at him and could not help but laugh: ¡°You want to go?¡±


    ¡°Exactly, if ¡­¡­ if Your Majesty trusts this lowly Minister, this lowly Minister is willing to go.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t work.¡± Xue Junliang laughed, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you,  but you are my new Concubine. If you go, who will I marry?¡±


    Teng Yun was teased by him and he froze, and then his face turned red, and then turned white.


    Xue Junliang then smiled, reached out and took Teng Yun¡¯s hand, said in a warm voice: ¡°I was just joking now, I was not making fun of you ¡­¡­ Marquis Wannian has stayed in the Capital for a long time. This seat wants to let him return back and let him go to Teng, and you ¡­¡­ You are also wise and resourceful. It is naturally very useful if you stay in the Capital. If Yu Chen is unable to cope then it is not late for you to go and help.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s hand was grasped by him, his face started to burn up as if he was in a fever. At this time listening to Xue Junliang¡¯s soft and gentle words, his wrist also started to heat up, Teng Yun wanted to draw away his hand at the same time unable to draw it away.


    And his words were also familiar. At that time, Xue Junliang often teased the Empress. In the end, he said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to mess with you anymore,¡± and touched his front lightly.

 CH 56

    Lu Shichen was a talented scholar but he was not good at marching for battles and fighting, and his sense of direction was not strong. Even though he was given a fast horse to escape, it took him a long time to return to Feng Country.


    Moreover, Lu Shichen had no money on him, let alone accommodation, even eating during his flight was a problem. He was not willing to bow his head, nor beg on the streets, so naturally he could only go hungry. Fortunately, the road that he was traveling on was unimpeded, otherwise he really didn¡¯t know if he could go back alive.


    Feng Ming had sent many people as well as his spies to find Minister Lu. At the time when Zhang Hong was battling with Xue Country in Ming River, the border was in chaos.


    As soon as Lu Shichen passed Ming River, he was found by Feng Ming¡¯s people and brought back to Feng Capital.


    Court officials and Ministers had known that Lu Shichen was back, and their views and opinions differed from one group to another. Some officials were glad that he was able to get back alive, but others were skeptical. Although Lu Shichen looked run down and exhausted, the physician said that it was all just due to hunger, and he didn¡¯t suffer any injuries. He could recover after a few days of rest and be well fed.


    The opposing Ministers really wanted to catch Lang Jing into their trap, questioning whether Minister Lu was really captured and if he was really able to escape back without any injuries, and their suspicion that Minister Lu did not really escape at all, but seemed to be a spy released after being bought by Emperor Xue.


    Naturally, there were people among these Ministers and officials who wanted to exclude him. Even if Feng Ming believed him, he could not quell the gossip.


    King Feng had summoned the Ministers to the Palace to discuss Zhang Hong¡¯s attack on Xue Country.


    The Military Officials suggested that Feng Ming take this opportunity to attack Xue Country immediately while the Xue Army was concentrating on fighting against Zhang Hong as this time was the best time to attack while Emperor Xue¡¯s guard was down. If Feng Ming doesn¡¯t start their attack at this time, they would not have other opportunities.


    Lu Shichen said, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the right time. Zhang Hong had already attacked Xue Country for so many days now but he still couldn¡¯t get them down. When I crossed the Ming River, I saw Xue Villages in the distance, neat and well-organized. I am afraid their army is well prepared and just might be waiting for the King to send troops.¡±


    Although there was some truth in what he said, many people were prejudiced, and his remarks also happened to discourage King Feng from sending his troops, which inevitably made many people irritated.


    Lu Shichen said, ¡°I¡¯m just suggesting, and it is still His Majesty who has the right to a decision.¡±


    Feng Ming thought for a while, and said: ¡°If you don¡¯t attack, then you will not act at this time. Although what Minster Lu said was reasonable, this Seat is also unwilling to just press his troops like this.¡±


    Zhang Hong¡¯s surrendered minister surnamed Qi Zijie, who was also a famous scholar, suggested, ¡°Your Majesty can build a beacon tower along the Ming River, one tower every 20 miles, and send soldiers to watch the tower in turn day and night to spy on Zhang Hong and Emperor Xue at any time.¡±


    He also added: ¡°Zhang Hong¡¯s attack on Emperor Xue was entirely due to the fact that he could not attack for a long time, and the army went a long way away from the hinterland. There was no supply of food and grains behind so he became a frightened bird and had to fight left and right. To tell His Majesty the truth, Zhang Hong is a treacherous villain, and Zhang Hong will lose the fight against Emperor Xue. His Majesty can let his officers and men watch at the beacon tower, beat drums and send troops to help Emperor Xue when he sees Zhang Hong¡¯s defeat, and then send his courtiers to Xue Country for peace. This will not only eradicate Zhang Hong¡¯s invasion, but also let Emperor Xue put down his guard. ¡±


    Someone answered: ¡°I heard that there is only one concubine in the house of Marquis Wannian of Xue Country and that too it is a male concubine. His Majesty can send someone to act as a matchmaker with the unmarried daughters of the Nine Marquis of Feng to marry off to Marquis Wannian. Marquis Wannian can choose any daughter to show His Majesty¡¯s sincerity. Marquis Wannian has been abroad for many years. He is brave and good at fighting and has made outstanding achievements repeatedly. Even his military power can not be underestimated. If His Majesty has contact with Xue Houyang, why be afraid of Emperor Xue?¡±


    Feng Ming thought it made sense. It would not be a good thing for Feng if the two armies really confronted each other head-on. So he ordered Qi Zijie to personally deploy troops to build a beacon tower in Ming River, and allocated him 10,000 military forces. After all, they just went for show, not really fighting with their lives, and 10,000 military forces are enough.


    Qi Zijie was grateful to Feng Ming for saving his life, and for having granted him a post as General regardless of past grievances, so he took himself and immediately ordered 10,000 soldiers and horses to go to Ming River.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Yu Chen led his troops to Ming River. His official position was lower than that of his previous position as the Commander-in-Chief. However, relying on his connections in the Capital City, he wanted the Commander-in-Chief to meet him. Lang Jing advised him to restrain his temper, but Yu Chen simply ignored him.


    As a result, the Commander-in-Chief didn¡¯t come that day. He didn¡¯t even send a personal soldier to meet him nor someone to greet him. Yu Chen waited for several hours, and the animosity of the two people ended up like this.


    The Commander-in-Chief wanted to follow Teng Yun¡¯s strategy. He diverted the water on Ming River to freeze. Yu Chen felt that he was an armchair strategist. Hence he didn¡¯t let the soldiers obey orders, instead he sat drinking in the camp all day, and called the soldiers in the camp to wrestle and make a show for him, as if they weren¡¯t there for battle preparations but just for merry making.


    The Official Registrar wrote a letter to the Commander-in-Chief to consult Yu Chen¡¯s conduct in the army camp, but Yu Chen found out about it. He didn¡¯t agree with the report. He told them that few people dared to touch him even when he was in the Capital City. Besides, Zhang Hong is just a lowly opponent and didn¡¯t need any ¡®water splashing and freezing¡¯ strategy at all to defeat him. His army had traveled long distances and didn¡¯t even have any back up; they could never break through with the Xue army. They just have to wait patiently. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to wait for work with ease than splashing water to drive the cattle?


    An army can¡¯t have two masters. Yu Chen was yet to fall asleep even after drinking all day long. At this time, the enemy was about to cross the river under the banner of fire. Seeing the fire on the other side, he realized too late it was the banner of attack, so he thundered the drums and crossed through the Ming River.


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    Yu Chen and the Commander-in-Chief were attacked by the enemy. Although the Xue army was numerous, they were still outnumbered and had to retreat for 20 miles. Fortunately, Zhang Hong was suspicious when he saw that the other party was vulnerable. He was afraid that it was just a trap for him, so he didn¡¯t dare to pursue and withdraw his troops.


    Yu Chen asked the soldiers to set up another camp twenty miles away, and prepare themselves to fight with Zhang Hong and get back his face. After this incident, the Commander-in Chief had  a big rift with Yu Chen. He reached the point of his anger that he wanted to kill Yu Chen at this time then report to the court of his conduct in the army.


    Yu Chen also hated the Commander-in-Chief for fear that he would blame himself for their defeat and report to Emperor Xue of his actions. He decided to kill the Commander-in-Chief first, and established himself as the Commander-in-Chief. Afterwards, he asked someone to catch Lang Jing and be beheaded.


    Lang Jing laughed while in restraint: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter much if the General kills me, because the General will soon be defeated by Zhang Hong, and he will personally come to hell to keep Lang Jing company.¡±


    Yu Chen felt his skin go cold and fell to the ground. He had seen Zhang Hong¡¯s bravery at the battlefield that night. For fear of being reported by Lang Jing, he had to let him go and let him give advice.


    Seeing that the Commander-in-Chief was beheaded by Yu Chen and his head was hung on the Commander-in-Chief¡¯s flag for demonstration, the Official Registrar risked his life to write a letter and asked someone to sneak out of the military camp and send it to the Capital City.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    The news that Emperor Xue wanted to accept a male Imperial concubine as a Noble Consort soon spread. Although the people were surprised for a moment, these people would not care which Imperial concubine the emperor favored today or which Imperial concubine he liked tomorrow, because they were too far away from them and didn¡¯t care much about court politics.


    Those who really responded were the Ministers in the court, some of whom advised Emperor Xue to think twice, and some of them flattered Emperor Xue and said good things about the new Noble Imperial Consort.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t care much about these talks, because he didn¡¯t have any amorous feelings for the new concubine who was going to enter the palace. There were so many beauties in the Harem. Who said that when he enters the Palace, the Emperor must trust him and must go to see him?


    Xue Junliang¡¯s purpose was to put him under house arrest, in this way, he would not move any murderous intention to himself, but also to block the leisurely talks of the crowd.


    Xue Junliang pretended to set up a family dinner, and called Teng Yun and Xue Houyang to attend. He specially asked Xue Houyang to bring his wife with him. Because it was a family dinner, there was no need to be too formal. Everyone would just sit together for dinner.


    Although Teng Shang didn¡¯t know what medicine was sold in his gourd, he was determined not to be a good medicine, but if he didn¡¯t go, it wouldn¡¯t be as simple as refusing a family dinner, so he naturally wanted to go.


    Xue Houyang was afraid that Emperor Xue would embarrass Teng Shang, but on second thought, he would also be present, and Emperor Xue was going to accept a male concubine, so he must have tacitly approved of himself and Teng Shang. It should not be difficult night and Emperor Xue might not really do anything.


    Xue Houyang and Teng Shang dared not let Emperor Xue wait, so naturally they entered the Palace early. However, they couldn¡¯t even see the shadow of Marquis Tengnan when they arrived.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t seem to mean to make things difficult. He kindly asked some unimportant questions, as if he were just chatting with other family members. After talking for a while, he said, ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Marquis Tengnan arrived yet?¡±


    Jiang Yu bowed his head and said, ¡°This old servant will go and have a look.¡±


    Then he went out of the hall. As soon as he came out of the door, Teng Yun arrived. Jiang Yu announced Teng Yun¡¯s arrival and led him inside the hall.


    Teng Yun saw Teng Shang as soon as he entered the hall. His eyes flickered. Presently he had Teng Ying¡¯s appearance. He didn¡¯t know if Teng Shang would hate himself. After all, Teng Ying was never a loyal servant of Teng and also his current position as Marquis Tengnan was the former position of King Teng.


    Teng Yun asked for an invitation, and Xue Junliang personally stood up and gave him a false hand, laughing: ¡°Teng Ying really makes this Seat wait.¡±


    ¡°This lowly servant is guilty.¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t mind his indifference. He let everyone sit at the table, and ordered Jiang Yu to serve the meal.


    It didn¡¯t seem very warm at the banquet. When Xue Junliang didn¡¯t speak, the remaining three didn¡¯t speak. Xue Houyang really wanted to say something to ease the atmosphere, but he thought he was the most stupid and was afraid he would say something that was not appropriate.


    Xue Junliang said with a smile: ¡°This Seat suddenly remembered that Lang Jing told this Seat before he set out for the war that Teng Shang was knowledgeable and knew a lot of things. Lang Jing was naturally smart and said that Minister Teng has great wisdom.¡±


    Teng Shang was named, but he could only say, ¡°Your Majesty is full of praise, but I dare not say I am.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be modest.¡± Xue Junliang waved and said, ¡°When the Empress was still here, she often recommended your talents with this Seat. Your talents are obvious to all.¡±


    As soon as he mentioned the word ¡°Empress¡±, Teng Shang¡¯s expression became still for a moment. Not only Teng Shang, but also Teng Yun¡¯s face was unnatural for a time.


    Xue Junliang himself had heard Lang Jing¡¯s words. If he wanted to know more about the late Empress, he just needed to test Teng Shang and start from Teng Shang. He didn¡¯t know if that was so. Although Teng Shang¡¯s expression soon returned to normal, the change at that moment couldn¡¯t be missed.


    And at Teng Yun¡¯s unnatural expression, Xue Junliang thought it was because he was the one who set the fire at Yunfeng Palace, so he naturally felt guilty, and it was inevitable that he would pale when he mentioned it.


    Xue Junliang has been trying to test Teng Yun from cold to hot in the past few days, and found that this man has changed a lot, not only in his achievements, but also in his habit of talking and doing things. He used to be a sycophantic sword-carrying officer who only knew how to please and flatter those people he could benefit from, but now he suddenly became calm and wise.


    He became very much like the late Empress ¡­


    However, Xue Junliang doesn¡¯t think that the similarity between this man and the woman he cared about is a thing that made him happy. In Xue Junliang¡¯s heart, the most important thing was still vigilance. A person¡¯s changes were so great that  Xue Junliang inevitably felt that this person was actually deliberately doing something similar as the Empress¡¯ behavior, style or habitual disposition, so that he could get the other party¡¯s guard down against himself.


    Xue Junliang doesn¡¯t think he is a good man, but it is enough to be a good Emperor, so he doesn¡¯t have to think too well of anyone.


    Teng Yun has always been a knot in Teng Shang¡¯s heart, and suddenly he was brought up.  The food that could not be eaten at first was now like a stone stuck in his throat at this time, it scraped and hurt his throat.


    Xue Junliang seemed to sigh a little, saying, ¡°When the Empress was still there, she also said that Minister Teng had great talents, and it seems that he and Minister Teng hit it off very well.¡±


    Teng Shang quietly glanced at Xue Junliang. He already knew that the other party was testing himself, but King Teng had already become a commoner, and Teng Yun died again. There was no need to worry about leaving him alone. On the contrary, he felt there was nothing to be afraid of, everything was just like this.


    Teng Shang said, ¡°This lowly subject also admired the Empress¡¯s personality. There are few people in the world who are so resourceful.¡±


    Xue Junliang really sighed this time, and showed a little sadness.


    On the contrary, others were reminded of some sadness by a word from others. When Xue Junliang lost the Empress, he was indeed sorry, but also sad. This was the only person he cared about and put in his heart. He thought it was far from unforgettable. These were too melodramatic. He was a monarch of a country. If he had put his childish personal feelings in his heart, how could he sit firmly on the throne?


    But now that he thought about it, although this feeling was very weak, and seemed that he couldn¡¯t stand any scrutiny at all, but as time went by,  it was really more and more profound and clearer, which made Xue Junliang unable to let go.


    When Xue Junliang tentatively tested Marquis Tengnan, he couldn¡¯t actually tell whether he was sincere or fake. No matter what his purpose was of acting similarly in nature and habits like that of the Empress, Xue Junliang could not help but admit that he was really not acting at all and their habits were indeed similar¡­


    Xue Junliang withdrew from his thoughts and continued, ¡°From this Seat¡¯s point of view, your relationship with the Empress seemed to be very good. Did you two know each other before?¡±


    Teng Shang had waited for this question; he answered quietly and without flaws: ¡°Naturally, this Teng doesn¡¯t know her. The Empress was born with golden branches and jade leaves, and then she formed a very good relationship with the Emperor of the Qin and Jin dynasties, while this lowly subject was born as a refugee, who had been begging for a living on the river banks of Zhi River since childhood, and was only adopted kindly when he was found. How can he be lucky enough to know the Empress?¡±


    Xue Junliang listened to what he said, but the more satisfactory the answer, the more suspicious he became. He just said, ¡°The Empress once told this Seat a little story of an orphan and about the origin of your name, which was really touching and made the orphan feel a lot of gratitude.¡±


    The two people were talking in circles. Xue Houyang listened and seemed to understand but also didn¡¯t seem to understand at all, but Teng Yun was sitting very still and cold-sweating on the side..


    Of course, he heard it too. Xue Junliang was trying to test Teng Shang, and Teng Yun¡¯s heart was beating hard like a drum.


    Did Emperor Xue already find out that there was something wrong with the Empress? Or did Lang Jing step back and told him something before leaving for Ming River? Did he point out to Emperor Xue to test Teng Shang, and that everything would be revealed starting from Teng Shang?


    With his own identity at the moment, he could not dare to speak up to help Teng Shang; Teng Yun could only be anxious.


    Fortunately, Xue Junliang was just testing. After saying a few more words, he stopped saying more about the topic. He turned his head and smiled: ¡°This Seat was so confused that I neglected Teng Ying for a while.¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t say anything, and Xue Junliang continued, ¡°A few days ago, someone found a treasure and has gifted this Seat. At first glance, I found it to be a perfect match for Teng Ying . Since Teng Ying is about to enter the Palace soon, I can¡¯t be too stingy. I just wanted to give this treasure to Teng Ying.¡±


    As he spoke, he waved his hand. Jiang Yu retreated, and came back in a short while, followed by two maidservants, each of them holding a lacquered brocade box.


    The two brocade boxes were not small, they were rectangular, and the carving on the brocade boxes was not fancy but actually was a carving of Jai Xu.


    According to legend, Jai Xu was the second son of the dragon, with a very strong character and a murderous aggressiveness. Generally, his image was usually carved on a precious sword, because a sword was a fierce weapon, and the purpose of carving Jai Xu was to ward off evil spirits.


    Xue Junliang opened the first brocade box with a smile, there was indeed a treasured sword inside.


    Although the sword¡¯s body looked a little heavy, it was cold. People who know about swords could tell it at a glance that this was indeed a precious sword from ancient times.


    Xue Junliang said: ¡°In ancient times, there were three treasured swords, the Dragon Tooth, the Tiger Wing and the Dog Spirit. Now this Seat had found the two treasured swords. Although they are not comparable to ancient magical artifacts, they are hard to find in the world. They are called Dragon Tooth and Tiger Wing. This Seat will leave the Dragon Tooth for himself and giving the Tiger Wing to Teng Ying.¡±


    Although Teng Yun was not a bloodthirsty person and would not kill people indiscriminately, he has been practicing Martial Arts since he was a child. As a martial artist, he naturally liked seeing a good sword, but Xue Junliang had more to say.


    He opened the other brocade box behind him, and inside it was a scabbard. ¡°Although it is a precious sword, it is inconvenient for Teng Ying to bring it into the Harem. This Seat specially ordered someone to craft a scabbard worthy of the precious sword. However, this scabbard is not called a scabbard. The scabbard can only be called a scabbard if a sword can be drawn out from it, and this ¡­ is more suitable to be called a sword coffin.¡±


    After listening to him quietly, Teng Yun finally understood what this meant. He gave him a precious sword and the coffin of this precious sword. This was to tell Teng Yun that even if he could not accept it, he would enter the Harem. Just like this treasured sword of ancient times; the treasured divine weapon was buckled in its coffin, and it could not do anything dangerous anymore.


    Teng Yun smiled and stared at the brocade box silently. He stretched out his hand and picked up the Tiger Wing sword from the brocade box. The body was very long, slightly flat, and the blade was slightly upturned. The perfect black blade was suffused with an aggressively cold aura.


    Teng Yun put his fingers together and gently stroked along the blade. The Tiger Wing sword seemed to be very sharp, and he unexpectedly pricked his fingers along the blade. The blood dripped down the blood groove of the sword, and the soaked blade seemed to be alive and even more sporadic. It gave off a chill, but it became more and more radiant.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t take this minor injury to heart. After seeing the sword, he put the Tiger Wing back into the brocade box. Then he thanked Xue Junliang.


    Teng Shang on the other hand, who was sitting on one side, saw Teng Yun¡¯s movements from the corner of his eyes, and he couldn¡¯t help but be stunned.


    Thoughts of Teng Yun immediately came to his mind. He remembered that Teng Yun had a little trick, that is, when he got his favorite weapon or sword, he would slide his fingers on the blade like this. Teng Yun said that because the sword also has an aura, after sacrificing blood, he could fight through life and death together in the future. The great Military Commander took his sword as seriously as his handsome flag.


    Teng Shang stared at the blood dripping on the ground for a long time and couldn¡¯t recover from his shock. Maybe it was just a coincidence, because many people also thought like this. Some martial soldiers also regarded their swords as their own lives. When fighting on the battlefields, they often could not even collect their bones. After the army is withdrawn, everyone would pick up some weapons and bury it in the soil, which would be regarded as a grave.


    Xue Houyang looked at his dazed expression, he stretched out his hand and touched him under the table. Teng Shang turned to look at him. Xue Houyang turned his head and whispered, ¡°Are you feeling uncomfortable?¡±


    Teng Shang: ¡°¡­.¡±


    It was hard to be sad to think of some past events, but Xue Houyang¡¯s words made his face redden. Xue Houyang saw that his face was slightly red and thought he was ill, but the man turned his head and stopped looking at himself. Xue Houyang noticed that his ears also seemed to be red.


    Xue Houyang coughed softly and remembered what he had just said. Although it was unintentional, it certainly must have made the other party think of that aspect. Xue Houyang couldn¡¯t stop thinking of Teng Shang¡¯s initiative in bed at night and let out a giggle.

 CH 57

    Because Emperor Xue already had an Empress, even if he re-established another Empress, he would not hold a grand wedding. In particular, Teng Yun was just going to the Imperial Palace to be a consort. Xue Junliang didn¡¯t break his promise and really granted Teng Yun as Xue Country¡¯s Imperial Noble Consort.


    It took a lot of time to rebuild Yunfeng Palace after the fire. Teng Yun lived there when he entered the Palace, but it was not as magnificent as before and some parts of the Palace were still under construction.


    Xue Junliang wanted to call Xiu Yao to serve the new imperial concubine, but Xiu Yao respectfully refused Xue Junliang, saying she would rather die than serve the new consort. Emperor Xue knew that Xiu Yao was very loyal to the late Empress, and although the Emperor could order the servant to obey his orders, he didn¡¯t force her, so he picked several palace maids and sent them to Yunfeng Palace, among them was Jiao Shui who also knew Teng Ying.


    Jiao Shui seemed a little surprised to see Teng Ying. First, because they were acquainted before when she was serving Teng Qianyi and second, because of the large and small scars on Teng Ying¡¯s handsome face.


    Although Jiao Shui knew Teng Ying, they never had any interaction, and although she thought that Teng Ying had climbed to his current position by using his usual unscrupulous ways, he still could be regarded as the Master of the Harem, and offending the Master was a big taboo.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t expect that Emperor Xue would send Jiao Shui as his servant. The other party greeted him very politely. Teng Yun was sitting down in front of the dresser when she came over and started to comb his hair.


    They didn¡¯t talk. Jiao Shui wanted to find a topic to please Teng Yun, so she smiled and said, ¡°Madam, your hair is really good.¡±


    Teng Yun did not even lift his eyelids. Although Jiao Shui thought it was a boring topic to talk about, still, she continued to say things she thought pleasing to the ears of the new concubine, but Teng Yun still did not utter even a single word. Jiao Shui touched her nose and wondered how the sword-carrying official, who liked being flattered before and basked in it, had changed his character.


    Emperor Xue ordered people to hold a wedding banquet in front of Yunfeng Palace and summoned all Civil and Military officials to attend the banquet. The court officials wanted to attend as they said that it was because Teng Ying was a Marquis and could not be ignored, but most of them came to see the acceptance of a male concubine to the Imperial Harem as a source of amusement and ridicule.


    Teng Yun was dressed in a bright red wedding robe. He simply didn¡¯t wear the customary wedding attire that women wore and didn¡¯t cover his head in a red veil. From a distance, he looked tall, handsome and bearing the demeanor of a nobleman. It was a pity that there were scars on his face, showing a bit of hostility. Even though Teng Yun¡¯s temperament was gentle, due to these scars, he looked terrible and frightening at first glance.


    Sitting quietly in the room, he heard the noises of the ministers and court officials pushing their cups and plates outside, the sound of the ministers and court officials toasting their wines, and the voice of someone urging the great Emperor to drink less for a good night.


    Jiao Shui stood on one side and stayed there for an hour and a half. Everyone outside drank from dusk to dark, but they still weren¡¯t finished and continued the merriment.


    Jiao Shui was also a shrewd person. When she thought about it, she understood that although the male concubine was given a high position in the Imperial Harem, Emperor Xue had no intention of touching him.


    The banquet lasted a long time. Seeing that it was getting late, the ministers advised Xue Junliang not to neglect his Noble Consort, and urged him to leave the banquet and attend to his ¡®wife¡¯.


    Xue Houyang himself was not suitable for this kind of banquet where wine poured like a small stream. As soon as he had paid his respects and stayed a little while joining the merriment, he just wanted to leave. As he was contemplating on how he would say his goodbyes, a guard came up to him, whispered a few words and handed him an envelope.


    Xue Houyang was shocked for a moment. Then he raised his head and looked at Xue Junliang. He seemed to be considering whether it was appropriate to say the news he received at this time.


    After thinking for a while, he finally walked over without the others noticing and said something to Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s smile immediately disappeared, his eyes narrowed and motioned Xue Houyang to present the letter.


    When everyone noticed the change in the Emperor¡¯s expression, they were all quiet, staring at each other, not knowing what had happened.


    Xue Junliang unfolded the letter, only glanced at it, and laughed suddenly. He got up from his seat, and smashed the wine cup he was holding at his feet.


    This sudden action shocked everyone. They didn¡¯t know what was written in the letter, and they didn¡¯t dare to say anything, or move at all. They hung their heads for fear of harming themselves.


    Xue Junliang scanned the crowd and said with a slow sneer, ¡°This Seat¡¯s good general was sent to fight in Ming River!¡±


    Everyone immediately understood what he said. It seems that Yu Chen had lost the battle in Ming River.


    Xue Junliang fixed his gaze at Xue Yu, threw the letter to him and said, ¡°Lang Jing, who you recommended, you said he was guilty and meritorious. Now, what was the use of asking him?¡±


    Xue Yu quickly picked up the letter.


    The Official Registrar in Ming River secretly sent someone to the Capital. The letter said that ever since Yu Chen had arrived in Ming River, he was always drinking and having fun in the army. He didn¡¯t let the soldiers work on the strategies that were ordered for them to do. When Zhang Hong attacked, he didn¡¯t let the soldiers fight. The Xue army was beaten back for more than 20 miles. Later, he was afraid of being punished by the Commander-in Chief. He rebelled and killed the Commander, hung his head on the commander¡¯s flag, and threatened to behead those who did not obey. He proclaimed himself as the new Commander-in-Chief. Now the army in Ming River has lost food and grains and had to be careful of being beheaded. People were already in panic.


    Wef Te tegglfvis gfjv atgbeut la. Lf xcfk atja Wef Aeciljcu kjr jcugs klat tlw. Ojcu Alcu tjv pblcfv atf jgws atgbeut tlr gfmbwwfcvjalbc. Ktfgf kjr jclwbrlas yfakffc atf Jbwwjcvfg-lc-Jtlfo jcv atf Crrlrajca Xfcfgji Jtfc. Snfc lo Ojcu Alcu kjr gfrbegmfoei, la kbeiv yf erfifrr lo cb bcf kbeiv jmmfqa tlw. Lbkfnfg, Swqfgbg Wef kbeiv cba jvwla atja tf tjv erfv atf kgbcu qfgrbc jcv rjk atf kgbcu qfgrbc. Yo mbegrf, atlr jcufg kbeiv yf vlgfmafv ja batfgr.


    Xue Yu said, ¡°Although Lang Jing has talent and knowledge, if there is discord among the backbone of the army, there is nothing he can do. Now he has been beaten back for 20 miles. Chen-di  thinks that His Majesty should first think of a plan to retreat from the enemy. If he cuts the soldiers again, Chen-di is afraid it will be difficult for the army to rest, and Zhang Hong would see Xue Country as a laughing stock.¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t embarrass him any more, but said coolly, ¡°What is your plan?¡±


    Xue Yu was also a General who guarded the border all year round. He only paused and said, ¡°Yu Chen is proud of his achievements by virtue of his favor. Arrogance is the great taboo of the army. In Chen-di¡¯s opinion, if His Majesty wants to defeat Zhang Hong, His Majesty must first replace the commander.¡±


    He paused and continued, ¡°Chen-di is willing to ask for order to go and share your worries for Your Majesty.¡±


    Xue Junliang just looked at him and did not speak. Xue Yu was staring back at him with a guilty conscience. He was indeed selfish. Although Xue Junliang had released him from house arrest, he did not have any real military power. If he could go to Ming River, he could regain his military power, and besides, Lang Jing was still in Ming River.


    However, Xue Junliang obviously saw through his mind at once, although Xue Junliang did not expose him.


    Xue Houyang naturally heard it too. Fearing that Xue Junliang would let the tiger go back to the mountain again, he arched his hands and said, ¡°Please Your Majesty, let this Chen-di go!¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Houyang, you can¡¯t go to Ming River. Prepare yourself. You will go to Teng in the next few days. Zhang Hong has beaten back Yu Chen. Feng Country may take the opportunity to attack Teng again and make profits from both sides.¡±


    Xue Houyang nodded. It completely made sense. If Feng Country learned that Zhang Hong had beaten back Yu Chen for 20 miles, King Feng would certainly take this opportunity to attack Xue Country from the other side. Although Feng Country and Zhang Hong have different positions, their purposes were always the same. There was no reason not to pick things that pleased both sides.


    Zhao Lu himself wanted to resign from his official position because he was ill, but he didn¡¯t expect that a mere Zhang Hong, who had been beaten into a frightened bird by Feng Country, would be so arrogant to take over Ming River. Based on Zhao Lu¡¯s previous temperament,  he would definitely be the first to stand up and ask for orders.


    But Ming River was the border between Xue Country and Feng Country. Zhang Hong¡¯s commander-in-chief was captured after their battle with Feng Country. Zhang Hong won¡¯t have any choice but to stay and fight with Feng Country head-on.


    At that time, Zhao Lu felt that he had done nothing wrong when he betrayed Feng Ming. This was his purpose for so many years. It could be said that he was relieved when he left with the 10,000 elite soldiers. But at this time, when he thought about it, what he did was really too cold-blooded for Feng Ming who didn¡¯t know anything; who was innocent from Zhao Lu¡¯s vengeance and hatred.


    No one could clearly say what was ruthless and reasonable. The last thing Zhao Lu wanted to see now was that he and Feng Ming meet in the battlefields. He wanted to resign earlier; and not engage in war anymore which could be considered as a payback for the time Feng Ming nurtured him, for training him and trusting him over the years.


    Zhao Lu clenched his fist. If he avoids fighting in order not to fight with Feng Ming, and violates his own disposition, it would be cruelty to himself. As he was about to stand up and ask for orders, he heard a ¡°squeak¡°; the door of Yunfeng Palace was pushed open.


    Teng Yun, dressed in a man¡¯s bright red wedding robe, with a dark red wide belt around his waist, lined within a strong and thin waist and a straight back, walked out of the Palace door. At first glance, there was a kind of heroic aura surrounding him.


    When everyone saw that the door of Yunfeng Palace had suddenly opened, and the ¡®bride¡¯ came out by himself. Everyone looked at one another and probably were wondering with similar thoughts, couldn¡¯t the new concubine wait?


    Unexpectedly, Teng Yun¡¯s first sentence was, ¡°Your Majesty, this Minister is willing to go.¡±


    Xue Junliang also was stunned for a moment, and then said, ¡°Why did Aifei come out?¡±


    However, Teng Yun ignored Emperor Xue¡¯s words and said to Xue Yu, ¡°Could I please take a look at the letter in the hands of the Marquis?¡±


    Xue Yu hadn¡¯t made any movements since he was released. Xue Junliang told him to do whatever he wanted, which seemed to tame him a lot. After hearing Teng Yun¡¯s request, he raised his eyes to look at Xue Junliang, which was equal to asking Emperor Xue for instructions.


    Xue Junliang nodded slightly and did not disagree. Teng Yun took the letter and read through it. In addition to the letter that the Official Registrar accused Yu Chen of being spoiled and arrogant and ignoring the Military law, there was also a crude layout map of the army camp after the army retreated 20 miles.


    Teng Yun only glanced at it and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that His Majesty needs to cut off the head of the man who had set up this kind of camp.¡±


    Holding up the camp layout map in his hand, he continued: ¡°The campsite stretches for hundreds of miles along the Ming River, and the head and tail are far from each other. If one place is breached, it would be difficult to save oneself. Moreover, if Zhang Hong uses fire, he could burn hundreds of miles without effort. Here, even if he is not far from the Ming River, the Xue Army would be in chaos. How could they organize ¡ª putting out the fire and defeating the enemy at the same time? They would lose.¡±


    As soon as the Ministers heard this, they forgot who and what the new concubine was for a while. Hundreds of thousands of troops would be burned in an instant. At that time, Zhang Hong, let alone taking over Ming River, could drive straight in Xue Country, and no one could stop him.


    Moreover, Feng Country had always been like a tiger and a wolf. It had been watching for a long time, ready to leap for its prey. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t miss the opportunity to take a share of the pie. Then Xue Country would be in real danger at that time.


    Of Xue Junliang¡¯s willingness to send Yu Chen, he naturally has his reasons. First, there were not many Military Generals available in the court all the time. Second, there was De-fei in the Harem. Xue Junliang thought that Yu Chen would remember and think of his sister and would restrain himself. He didn¡¯t expect that the man was getting worse and worse.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Since Your Majesty has not yet stepped into Yunfeng Palace, this Minister is still a Minister. Teng Ying is willing to go and help the Emperor in his difficulties for Ming River soldiers.¡±


    Xue Junliang stared at Teng Yun for a long time. It seemed that he was considering whether Teng Yun¡¯s past was really suitable for him to go for the army.


    At this time, Shen Yi stood up, took a half step and said, ¡°Your Majesty, do you remember what the traveling magician said, that although Marquis Tengnan is a man, he could help the Emperor prosper in his reign? This humble Minister thinks that what the traveling magician had said is exactly this kind of situation. Don¡¯t wait any longer. If Zhang Hong burns the Ming River army, the common people in the frontier will be implicated. At that time, even if Your Majesty has the protection of a true Dragon, I¡¯m afraid it will be difficult to return to heaven!¡±


    As soon as his voice fell, it caused a ripple of commotion, and the Ministers also felt it was reasonable. Xue Junliang had seen Teng Yun¡¯s talents and knew that he was competent, but this time, going to the battlefield, was very different from Teng Yun¡¯s previous trip to Teng Country.


    Xue Junliang pondered for a while and then said, ¡°This Seat naturally believes in you, then¡­ The border of Xue Country will depend on you. This Seat will wait for Teng Ying to return victorious.¡±


    Immediately, Xue Junliang asked people to draw up an Imperial Decree. He ordered Yu Chen to return to the Capital, honor Teng Yun as his General, and build a platform in conferring his title.


    The next day, Xue Junliang, dressed in a black python robe and wearing a jade tassel crown, raised his hand motioning the servant behind him come forward. The servant respectfully stepped forward holding a brocade box in his hand.


    He stretched out his hand to open the brocade box. It was the Tiger Wing Sword, encased in its sword coffin.


    ¡°As Shen Yi had said, this may be God¡¯s will. At that time, this Seat had asked the imperial craftsman to craft a sword coffin for this precious sword, intending for it not to come out of its casing. However, I didn¡¯t expect the Tiger Wing to be out of its scabbard again¡­¡±


    With a smile on his face, Xue Junliang pulled the Tiger Wing out of the sword coffin. With a slight movement of his wrist, he cut the knife coffin in half and then handed it to Teng Yun.


    Teng Yun did not dare to dally. He held the Tiger Wing sword with both hands. All the Ministers stood far away, only to see Xue Junliang leaning forward slightly, his lips pressed against Teng Yun¡¯s ears, as if reluctantly parting farewell.


    Only Teng Yun could hear him as Xue Junliang whispered, ¡°General Teng is going to the Ming River, and will definitely make achievements, defend the territory and open up the frontier. If you have a change of heart and decide to rebel against me¡­ I do not want to think what would happen to such¡­¡±


    Teng Yun lowered his head and didn¡¯t care about what Xue Junliang said, but answered faintly: ¡°Please rest assured Your Majesty, even if this Teng is not loyal to the Emperor, he won¡¯t joke about the lives of more than hundreds of thousands of soldiers and the people in Ming River.¡±


    ¡°All is good then.¡± Xue Junliang stretched out his hand and patted him on the shoulder. He stared at Teng Yun and was slightly stunned. Teng Yun was standing tall and straight, and with the Tiger Wing sword in his hand, he really had the style and demeanor of a great General. As far as he knew, Teng Ying had never been on the battlefield.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t wait any longer. He just knelt down to say farewell to Emperor Xue and then stepped off the platform. After he came down, a guard handed over the reins of his horse. Teng Yun inserted the Tiger Wing sword into the scabbard on his waist, turned over and mounted the horse. With one move, he ordered his company to set up the military flag and took the soldiers to Ming River.


    Xue Junliang was left standing on the high platform. Because of the strong wind, he squinted his eyes and stared at Teng Yun¡¯s back. He could not help but remember that when Teng Yun was still alive and Xue was at war with the Teng Country, he drove to the front line to supervise the war. He stood on the high platform like this and looked at the mythical Iron General from a distance.


    At that time, the Xue Generals persuaded Emperor Xue to return to the camp to watch the battle. Xue Junliang had disagreed. He thought that no matter how powerful Teng Yun was, he was nothing more than a General and a Commander. Teng Country has been rotten up and down. What was there to be afraid of when there was only one general in front of him?


    But unexpectedly, Teng Yun saw the Emperor¡¯s banner on the high platform. He urged his horse forward and single-handedly drew his bow. An arrow broke the flagpole. The Emperor¡¯s banner fell down and almost injured Emperor Xue.


    Xue Junliang fixedly looked at the army in the distance, riding fast and getting farther away. Teng Ying¡¯s back was already so small that he could hardly recognize him. As Xue Junliang stood there, spontaneously, there was a feeling of deja vu. It was not the image of Teng Yun out there; it was Teng Ying riding his horse, but the feeling was very similar. At that time, he watched Teng Yun urge his horse to come forward, and at this time, he watched the Xue Country¡¯s general leaving.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Teng Shang was feeling very bored in the Marquis Wannian¡¯s residence. He had nothing to do all day. It was not difficult for Xue Houyang to ask him to enter the court. Teng Shang sometimes wondered whether Xue Houyang was careful or careless. Though careless, he could still show consideration and take care of Teng Shang everywhere. Xue Houyang was very careful in taking care of himself. So that Teng Shang, who was used to being indifferent, couldn¡¯t help but be moved.


    Teng Shang walked around the study for a few times. He had already read all the books in Xue Houyang¡¯s study a long time ago, so now there were not even new books to read. He picked up two more books at random, but he saw a pile of official documents on the desk. If Marquis Wannian was careful, he shouldn¡¯t have put the military¡¯s official documents like this. If someone with a crooked heart and ill-intention looked at them, there would be endless trouble.


    Teng Shang helped himself to close the open documents; fold them up and put them aside. He couldn¡¯t help laughing. If he had been the same self as before, he would be really interested. However, his own intentions had been completely lost. Now he didn¡¯ t have any thoughts nor interests when he saw these official documents.


    When the last document was put away, Teng Shang was immediately stunned. Underneath the last official document, there was a piece of paper on the table. The densely written characters on it seemed to be a draft. It was revised many times in circles. Some of the handwriting on it was Xue Houyang¡¯s. Though they had not been together for a long time, he recognized it immediately. Teng Shang was also a person who worked in calligraphy and painting. He could imitate the calligraphy and painting for seven or eight points, naturally he remembered Xue Houyang¡¯s handwriting.


    However, what Teng Shang didn¡¯t expect was that most of the handwriting on the paper was very familiar. This person¡¯s reading and writing was taught by himself¡­


    Xue Houyang had returned to the residence. As usual, he would immediately look for Teng Shang, but he didn¡¯t find him in their room, he was also not in the hall. After asking the servants, he was told that he was reading in the study room. As soon as he entered the study, he saw Teng Shang staring at the paper in a daze.


    Xue Houyang came over to his side, looked at the paper and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, My Lord? Is there anything wrong with this document?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Teng Shang slowly put down the document, looked up at Xue Houyang and asked, ¡°Whose handwriting is this?¡±


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t know why he asked, but answered honestly, ¡°It was Teng Ying¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Teng Ying¡­¡±


    Teng Shang¡¯s expression became even more strange. He opened his mouth and couldn¡¯t speak for a long time. Xue Houyang thought he was ill. He only heard him say, ¡°Where is Teng Ying?¡±


    Xue Houyang said, ¡°My Lord, have you forgotten? Teng Ying was conferred as a Xue General today. We have finished paying homage and I just saw him off to Ming River.¡±


    Teng Shang only said ¡°Let¡¯s go¡±, and then he didn¡¯t speak any more. Xue Houyang really thought he was ill and asked the imperial physician to come and check his pulse.


    Although Xue Houyang was worried about Teng Shang¡¯s health, Emperor Xue was sending him to Teng to guard the border. He would go to war again soon and there could be no delay. Fortunately, the imperial physicians said that Teng Shang didn¡¯t have any illness and that he just needed to have a rest.


    After three days, Xue Houyang and Teng Shang also took their own soldiers to Teng. Xue Junliang personally sent them out of the South City Gate.


    Although Teng Shang was not seriously ill, Xue Houyang was worried about his body and didn¡¯t let him ride a horse, but instead prepared a carriage for him.


    After entering Teng border, Xue Houyang ordered the whole army to stop and have a rest. He swept his gaze and saw a small pavilion not far in front of him. Xue Houyang urged his horse to go over, thinking that he could let Teng Shang come out of the carriage and breathe fresh air as it was stuffy enough to drive all day.


    Xue Houyang looked up at the plaque of the small pavilion. Such a pavilion stood on the bare border, which seemed a little desolate.


    There are three words written on the plaque¨C Blue Blood Pavilion.


    Xue Houyang stared at these three characters for a long time, he was followed by a line of Teng Country¡¯s surrendered soldiers. Xue Junliang had given them official rewards to show the kindness of Xue Country¡¯s people.


    Xue Houyang asked Chang Shui, ¡°Who wrote the characters inscribed on the plaque in this pavilion?¡±


    Chang Shui replied respectfully, ¡°It was Teng Yun, My Lord.¡±


    ¡°Teng Yun?¡±


    Xue Houyang was surprised and asked again, ¡°Which Teng Yun?¡±


    Chang Shui answered, ¡°There is only one Teng Yun in the hearts of the people of Teng. The Iron General¡­ General Yun was loyal and was stationed on the frontier. He had been here at that time and wrote a plaque for this pavilion.¡±


    Xue Houyang was stunned when he heard it. He remembered that when he occasionally entered the palace, he happened to see the Empress¡¯s calligraphy. The words Blue Blood had been written, the writing was very similar to the plaque in front of him. Xue Houyang had no memory skills, and there were only two words, which could not be used to determine anything nor could it explain anything.


    But Xue Houyang was not stupid. His mind would never be careless in places where he should be cautious. Previously, Xue Junliang had been asking Teng Shang about the late Empress, whether Teng Shang and the late Empress knew each other, and had tested Teng Shang several times.


    Xue Houyang instructed his Official Registrar to copy the plaque and send it back to the Capital City to show to Emperor Xue.


    ¡ª¨C


    Zaki~~ it¡¯s getting exciting.


    Ela ¡ª omgggg .. excitedddd¡­

 CH 58

    Edited -Zaki


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Yu Chen retreated 20 miles and ordered people to set up a camp along the river bank, stretching for 100 miles to resist the advance of Zhang Hong with the formation of the city wall.


    But Yu Chen forgot one thing, that is, the longer the camp stretched, the more difficult it would be to save themselves. Although he also thought of this, the distance between the battalion and the camp was not far, which caused even more disadvantages. Once the enemy set fire, a hundred miles of camp will be on fire one after another. Zhang Hong had no reason not to use fire attack. This could be a good way to get rid of the enemies once and for all.


    Lang Jing advised Yu Chen against it, but Yu Chen was furious, scolding Lang Jing for being young and not knowing his own place. He said that he had been fighting for decades. How would he be still afraid of Zhang Hong?


    Yu Chen not only refused to listen to Lang Jing¡¯s advice, but also ordered him to be arrested and beheaded, saying that he disturbed the morale of the army. The Official Registrar Zhang Mo and the Generals begged hard, saying that Lang Jing was the person who was personally ordered by His Majesty and was Xue Yu¡¯s confidant. If he killed him, he would offend many people. Yu Chen let Lang Jing go angrily.


    Lang Jing knew that this battle was bound to be lost, but it was a pity because the news of  defeat would be spread to the Capital and Emperor Xue would implicate Marquis Zhenjiang in a fit of anger.


    In a few days, a General came with a decree, ordering all the people to bow down and receive the decree. The decree said that Yu Chen had been careless with his troops and caused them to retreat, and that Emperor Xue had dismissed him from the post of Commander and asked him to hand over the Military plaque and the seal immediately and return to the Capital, and that General Teng Ying was rushing to Ming River.


    Yu Chen was not happy to hear this. When he heard that it was Teng Ying, the little white boy, who had caused the trouble for him, he refused to accept the decree and detained the guard who read the decree.


    Yu Chen disobeyed the Imperial decree, which made the army terrified, but no one dared to stand up against it, fearing that they would become the next Lang Jing.


    Yu Chen ordered 1,000 elite soldiers to put on armor and helmets and hold lances in their hands, and to go with Yu Chen to meet the new General.


    Official Registrar Zhang Mo was also a great General in the past, but unfortunately, he injured his right hand severely when he went to battle to kill the enemy. Although it was alright to pick up a pen and write, he couldn¡¯t hold heavy objects. He had to step back from the battle and become a civil servant. He ran to ask Lang Jing for advice. Lang Jing just said, ¡°Teng Ying can retreat from the enemy when he comes.¡±


    When Teng Yun took the army to Ming River, he heard the soldiers in front suddenly say, ¡°General, there seems to be a troop ahead.¡±


    At this time, there was some fog and he could not see far away. So Teng Yun was afraid that it was Zhang Hong¡¯s ambush and did not dare to let everyone march rashly. The team of men came forward, and the one in lead came closer, it was Yu Chen.


    Yu Chen was holding a lance in his hand, and when he saw Teng Yun, he sneered and said, ¡°Your Highness Teng is here.¡±


    Hearing his first sentence, Teng Yun knew that Yu Chen had not obeyed the Imperial decree, and said, ¡°Is General Yu here to submit the Official seal and the Military plaque?¡±


    After hearing this, Yu Chen sneered again, spat a mouthful of spit and said, ¡°What are you, did you come to lead the troops in Ming River?¡±


    Then he raised his lance, pointed its sharp head at Teng Yun and said arrogantly, ¡°If you can fight through here today, you can be the General . If you can¡¯t even pass the lance in my hand, how can you be the General? Get back to Capital and just be a fucking concubine.¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°I am afraid that if we do it in front of the army, it will disturb their morale.¡±


    Yu Chen laughed and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t dare, go back obediently, there is no need to talk about them!¡±


    At this time, Zhang Mo stood up and said, ¡°Now we are confronting Zhang Hong. If the two Generals end up fighting, it will really make all the soldiers suspicious. It¡¯s better like this ¡­ All the Generals present are witnesses. The two Generals each hold the Commander-in-Chief flag and take the hill in front as the boundary. Whoever can insert the Commander-in-Chief flag on the hill first would be the Commander of Ming River. All the Generals should be convinced.¡±


    Yu Chen raised his eyes and looked at Teng Yun. He seemed very disdainful. It was even okay to say that the other person came here as a Civil Officer, but to grab the Commander-in-Chief¡¯s flag from himself, wasn¡¯t this a joke?


    Teng Yun glanced at the Commander-in-Chief flag, although the big flag was heavy, and the physical strength of this body was half-strong, but it might not be impossible to insert the flag by skillful means.


    It was pointless for both sides to talk more, so their respective soldiers presented the Commander-in-Chief  flags.


    Teng Yun weighed the Commander-in-Chief flag in his hand. It was really a little hard to play with the flag on the horse.


    Yu Chen took over the Commander-in-Chief flag, immediately grabbed the reins, urged his horse and galloped away first. Teng Yun picked up the flag in his left hand and grabbed the reins in his other hand to catch up.


    Both horses were naturally good horses. They kept abreast of each other for a time. Yu Chen disdained his opponent. He swung the banner up with his arm and he stabbed Teng Yun with the tip of the flag. Teng Yun ducked on the horse¡¯s back and dodged the blow. He was not provoked by the other party, but tried his best to urge the horse to rush up the hill.


    Ktf tlii kjr cba ojg jkjs. Te Jtfc ofii yftlcv yfmjerf tf tjv rkecu atf oiju. Pc j teggs, tf abbx vbkc tlr ijcmf jcv atf oiju jcv rajyyfv ja Kfcu Tec jujlc.


    Kfcu Tec cfnfg gfrqbcvfv ab atf vlgfma jaajmx. Vfflcu atja Te Jtfc kjr jirb gertlcu eq atf tlii, Kfcu Tec aegcfv bnfg jcv vlrwbecafv ab lcrfga atf oiju. Te Jtfc jirb jgglnfv jcv qeiifv bea tlr ijcmf ab yibmx la.


    Teng Yun was not strong enough to wave the Commander-in-Chief flag and turned his hand to take out the Tiger Wing Sword.


    In a flash, with a single ¡°hiss¡±, a big flag was deeply inserted into the soil, and the flag in Yu Chen¡¯s hand was cut in half by the Tiger Wing sword.


    Although the fog was heavy, the soldiers stood not far away and still they didn¡¯t understand what had happened. They saw the Commander-in-Chief flag with the words ¡°Ming River General Yu¡± crashing and falling to the ground. Naturally, they knew that the victory and defeat had been decided.


    Yu Chen was annoyed by the brat who had taken the lead. He wanted to make a killing move, but at this time Lang Jing came over with his men and said with a smile, ¡°General Yu is a man of his word, naturally he will not bother with his junior.¡±


    Yu Chen was surrounded by his Generals and was ashamed to be watched by so many pairs of eyes.


    Teng Yun just clasped his fist and said, ¡°Emperor Xue has an order ¡ª He has asked General Yu to return to the Capital in a few days after reorganization.¡±


    Yu Chen could not say anything even if he was not convinced, so he threw his lance away and set his horse back to the camp.


    When Teng Yun entered the camp, he immediately called his men for a meeting to discuss the matter of dealing with Zhang Hong.


    On the table, the cloth camp map and Zhang Hong¡¯s camp map were laid out. Lang Jing said: ¡°Every fire attack will inevitably need the help of wind. It is dry and windy north of the Ming River. The reason why Zhang Hong didn¡¯t set fire immediately is because the direction of the wind is wrong. If he sets fire rashly, he will definitely bring trouble to his own army and troops.¡±


    Teng Yun looked at the army camp that stretched for a hundred miles and his heart was troubled for a moment. He said, ¡°The camp might not be so secure. But its already too late to change it now.¡±


    Lang Jing said, ¡°This Lang has studied astronomy and astrology. There will be a strong wind within three days. When the time comes, Zhang Hong will set fire to the wind. If we re-establish camp again, three days will definitely not be enough.¡±


    Teng Yun ran his fingers over the map and said, ¡°What is the name of this canyon?¡±


    Zhang Mo said, ¡°This place is called Broken Intestine valley. The valley is named after the sheep¡¯s intestines as the path mirrors the intestines. The rations and provisions that are  supplied from the nearest state and county can reach Ming River only after passing the Broken Intestine valley.  If the valley is abandoned, it would take a long time to deliver rations each time.¡±


    Teng Yun reached out and knocked on the map, and suddenly laughed, ¡°There¡¯s a way out of this.¡±


    Lang Jing also nodded in surprise at this time, and a cold face that had remained unchanged all year surprisingly changed somewhat, saying, ¡°I wonder if the General¡¯s solution is the same as this Lang¡¯s thoughts.¡±


    Teng Yun picked up the pen on the desk and wrote a word in the palm of his hand. Lang Jing also picked up the pen and wrote a word. They spread out their palms at the same time. The Generals saw that both had written the word ¡°fire¡±.


    Zhang Mo said, ¡°What is this attack with fire method?¡±


    Teng Yun pointed to the canyon on the map and said, ¡°Right now, we don¡¯t have enough time to re-establish the camp, so let¡¯s use the Broken Intestine Valley to lure Zhang Hong into a scheme and delay the time.¡±


    He paused, ¡°Zhang Hong has been stationed in the hinterland for a long time, but there must be a shortage of food and grains. At this time, if there is a troop of improperly guarded food and grain carts, Zhang Hong will certainly try to take advantage of this¡­ Especially in the dangerous terrain of Broken Intestine Valley, Zhang Hong would certainly send troops to ambush there in advance. Let the grain transportation officer pile the food and grain carts with straw that can easily catch fire. As soon as the ambush is discovered, the straw should be set ablaze and this would cause chaos among the enemy troops in the narrow Broken Intestine valley. Dozens of food and grain carts should be nailed to each other and block the exits at both ends. In this way, Zhang Hong would inevitably lose his troops and would not dare to attack rashly. ¡±


    As soon as the Generals heard this, they all felt that this was indeed a good plan. In this way, Zhang Hong would fail to ambush, but instead fall into their trap. The soldiers naturally could not escape in chaos. At that time, due to the loss of their troops, they would not attack this side.


    Lang Jing¡¯s plan was also similar. Teng Yun sent someone to spread the rumors and the matter about food passing through Broken Intestine valley was revealed to Zhang Hong on the other side of Ming River.


    Zhang Hong was overjoyed when he heard the information. Many soldiers had already complained about lack of food and provision in their army. Although Zhang Hong had cut down several complainants, even if people did not dare to say anything now, the problem of food shortage had to be solved.


    Zhang Hong¡¯s ancestral origin was nomadic. Although brave, they were people who drank wine and ate meat. Now being in an expedition outside, although they could transport wine, they could not transport meat, as it became rotten very easily. Now everyone could only eat grains to fill their stomach.


    How could soldiers fight and kill the enemy without enough food?


    Zhang Hong did not think too deeply about it. He immediately sent a thousand elite soldiers, let his General lead an ambush in the Broken Intestine Valley, and sent two thousand elite soldiers to meet at a later point, to ensure that nothing was lost!


    Zhang Mo volunteered to pretend to be the grain officer. Hundreds of grain trucks pushed mountains of ¡°food and grains¡± into the canyon. As soon as they entered, they were ambushed by the soldiers lying in wait.


    Zhang Mo was about to light the fire when he saw that someone else had come to meet the soldiers as reinforcements. Zhang Mo was secretly pleased, he did not expect Zhang Hong to send so many people. So he pretended to panic and waited for another 2,000 elite soldiers to enter the canyon before setting the grain wagons on fire.


    One of the grain trucks caught fire, and the rest of the barrage also caught fire. The enemy army panicked, Zhang Mo and others took advantage of their panic and fled out of the valley. When the soldier who was waiting outside saw the Official Registrar coming out, he ordered the men to push out the grain wagons that were nailed together to block the entrance of the valley.  The enemy troops were chased by fire and rushed out to clash. When they rushed to the entrance of the valley, they saw that there was a big fire here also. The grain wagons that were red with fire blocked the way out, because the nails were connected to the wagons, there was no place to escape at all.


    Teng Yun personally led the troops and captured all the escaped fugitives alive.


    Zhang Hong happily waited for the return of food and grains. He also deliberately distributed the rest of the wine and meat to the soldiers in order to celebrate the victory in advance.  As he was happily drinking to his fill, a soldier suddenly rushed into the tent.


    Zhang Hong pulled the soldier to drink together, the soldier knelt on the ground and shouted, ¡°Lord Commander, the sentry tower found the fire in the north, I¡¯m afraid the Broken Intestine Valley is on fire!¡±


    Zhang Hong shouted ¡°What?!¡±


    He flat out did not believe it, and said the soldier was from the enemy camp trying to disturb the morale of the army. Because he was drunk, he grabbed a big sword and cut down the soldier who reported the news.


    The banquet broke up unhappily because of the killing. The next day, Zhang Hong only sobered up at around noon, and found that none of the 3000 elite soldiers that he had sent had come back.


    Zhang Hong then realized that the situation was not good.. He sent spies to explore the Broken Intestine Valley. The spies soon returned and said that 3000 elite soldiers had disappeared in the Broken Intestine Valley fire. Only then, Zhang Hong knew that he had gotten caught in a trap and he fell onto the ground full of anger.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    The first battle report was soon sent to the Capital, General Teng Ying did not lose a single soldier, eliminating more than 2,000 enemy troops, and captured more than 100 enemy soldiers, including a Senior General who was the Deputy General of Zhang Hong.


    When the Ministers in the court heard the good news, they were awed by Teng Yun¡¯s style. Within a few days after arriving at Ming River, he had made such a great achievement. He not only won a battle, but won it in a crisp manner. It must have been a big blow to Zhang Hong. For a time, the name of the General shocked the whole government and the public.


    Xue Junliang said with a smile: ¡°It seems that Teng Ying really didn¡¯t disappoint this Seat, but also confirmed his ability to everyone. This Seat lacked such talents.¡±


    The Ministers kowtowed and shouted ¡°Your Majesty is wise¡±. Then Shen Yi stood up and said, ¡°Your Majesty, although the General has won the war, there is another urgent matter.¡±


    Xue Junliang glanced at him and said, ¡°Oh? What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Shen Yi said, ¡°General Yu Chen still hasn¡¯t returned to the Capital¡­ If we continue to let General Yu Chen stay in the Ming River, I¡¯m afraid one mountain can¡¯t accommodate two tigers and will divide the army¡¯s morale. At that time, I¡¯m afraid Zhang Hong will take advantage of the opportunity to enter. Wouldn¡¯t the loss be more than the gain?¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded and said, ¡°This is indeed the truth, but ¡­¡­¡±


    He said with some hesitation on his face and pretended to be very tired: ¡°Although this Seat is above everyone, sometimes, this Seat does not have freedom to act independently. Yu Chen holds a massive army in his control. This Seat has made a decree, but he doesn¡¯t come back. Do you have any good solutions?¡±


    All the ministers became silent when they heard the question. The military power in Yu Chen¡¯s hand could not be underestimated, and Xue Houyang was in the southern border, no one could fight against Yu Chen, if they were not careful, they would end up raising internal trouble


    Shen Yi did not say anything, so Xue Junliang ordered for the court to be dispersed, and then called Shen Yi to the warm pavilion in the study.


    Shen Yi said, ¡°This lowly Minister really has a plan.¡±


    Xue Junliang sat on the big chair in the warm Pavilion and said with a smile, ¡°I knew you had a lot of tricks, this Seat asked you to teach the young prince to read, you would not teach this Seat¡¯s son badly, right?¡±


    Shen Yi said with a dry smile, ¡°The prince is smart and can distinguish right from wrong. Could this lowly Minister be able to teach him wrong? Your Majesty, please listen to the plan, and don¡¯t make fun of this lowly Minister.¡±


    Without waiting for Xue Junliang¡¯s interface, he hurriedly continued: ¡°Your Majesty is so eager to invite Yu Chen back, he will definitely not be willing, after all, he lost the battle. His Majesty should promote the title of concubine De and then take this opportunity to make Yu Chen return to the Capital, who will naturally return without doubt. As long as Yu Chen returns to the Capital, would Your Majesty need to be worried about his troops?¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s how it will be done.¡±


    While he was talking, Jiang Yu came in, presented a memorial and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Marquis Wannian asked someone to bring this back to the Capital using a fast horse. He said he wanted to present it to Your Majesty.¡±


    Xue Junliang did not know what Xue Houyang was up to, so he asked Jiang Yu to bring it over, unfolded the memorial and took a look, and froze.


    Shen Yi had not yet retreated. He thought that Marquis Wannian had encountered some difficulties. This was the first time he had seen such an expression on Emperor Xue. So he asked, ¡°Your Majesty?¡±


    Xue Junliang recovered after hearing the sound. He spread out the memorial to Shen Yi. There were only three words ¡°Blue Blood Pavilion¡± written on it.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°You are knowledgeable, do you know who wrote these three words?¡±


    Shen Yi did not understand what Xue Junliang was trying to point out, he just replied: ¡°Naturally, I know, this lowly Minister lived in the Teng Kingdom for a little while ¡­¡­ The three words ¨C Blue Blood Pavilion has a story, but to say it now may be a little treacherous.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How treacherous?¡±


    Shen Yi said, ¡°Because back then Tengnan was still Teng Country.¡±


    ¡°Say it.¡±


    With Emperor Xue¡¯s permission, Shen Yi continued, ¡°When Teng Country was still fighting with the Emperor, Teng Country had an Iron General, called Teng Yun. The Emperor might know that that year, because the previous King Teng was stupid and incompetent, he only knew how to enjoy himself in the Capital and squandered all the food and salaries that should be used as military provisions. The eunuchs in order to please the King, seized the request report that was made for urgent provisions. General Teng Yun resisted with his troops. But because of lack of food and reinforcements, the army was beaten back again and again. At that time, he retreated to a small abandoned pavilion and General Teng Yun vowed not to surrender, and wrote the words ¡®Blue Blood Pavilion¡¯ on the pavilion pillar with blood. Later, the people living nearby, in order to commemorate Teng Yun¡¯s vow to defend the pavilion to the death, specially copied his words down and made it into a plaque. This is how the pavilion got its name.¡±


    Xue Junliang narrowed his eyes, knocked on the memorial, and said, ¡°These are exactly the three words?¡±


    Shen Yi just nodded.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t say anything more, but just got up and walked to the bookcase in the warm pavilion. He pulled out a book, turned to a specific page and handed it to Shen Yi.


    Shen Yi didn¡¯t know what Emperor Xue intended. He could only read the opened page. Some of the military techniques that were written on it were all strategies and marching plans against Cheng Tian. Cheng Tian had already been killed by Zhang Hong. This was obviously something from the past.


    Shen Yi turned to the back, could not help but stare as he saw the two small ¡°Blue Blood¡± written in the corner. The previous ¡°Blue Blood Pavilion¡± written on the memorial, the handwriting was exactly the same, not even the slightest difference.


    If it was a different word, just looking at the handwriting, there may be an imitation, but even if it was imitated again, it couldn¡¯t be exactly the same.


    At this time, Xue Junliang said faintly, ¡°What Shen Yi has in his hand is the late Empress¡¯ calligraphy.¡±


    Shen Yi¡¯s hand trembled and dropped the booklet on the floor with a ¡°snap¡±, Jiang Yu stood to the side and hurriedly picked up the booklet and wiped it clean, this was the Empress¡¯ treasured calligraphy, the crime for breaking it was not small.


    Xue Junliang narrowed his eyes and stared at the memorials on the table. ¡°Shen Yi has always been smart. What do you think of these two words?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ lowly Minister¡­..¡±


    Shen Yi naturally guessed long ago that Teng Yun and the Empress were the same person, just because Shen Yi has learned a lot of Teng Country¡¯s affairs. He had also spent a long time in Feng Country. He naturally knew that the information was conflicting. So after guessing the truth, he went to the Empress to confirm his conjecture.


    Although the Empress did not admit anything, she was silent. Now these ¡°old things¡± were suddenly mentioned by Emperor Xue. Shen Yi was a little overwhelmed. If he was asked to say something, it might be absurd, but this was the truth.


    Obviously, Xue Junliang also began to doubt this absurd fact.


    The only woman he favoured and trusted in his life was the enemy he had killed himself. If this was true, all his doubts that he had for a long time would be solved easily. It turned out to be so simple¡­¡­¡­

 CH 59

    Teng Yun had made great achievements.


    Emperor Xue ordered people to send wine and meat to Ming River as rewards to them. He also sent an Imperial Decree to Yu Chen, saying that Emperor Xue was going to reward the Imperial Harem and De-fei would soon become a high-ranking Imperial concubine, so he was allowed to go back to the Capital to congratulate him.


    Yu Chen thought it must be true. He happily prepared his things and intended to go back to the Capital.


    The Generals saw that he was leaving, but they felt it was too early to be happy as they were afraid he would change his mind. They hoped he would return to the Capital quickly. Otherwise, the Xue Army would have to put up with him being in the camp and not doing anything every day.


    Taking advantage of Zhang Hong¡¯s illness, Teng Yun ordered the army to re-camp, shortened the frontline, and deliberately left a gap in the middle, waiting for Zhang Hong to recover and take revenge.


    Zhang Hong finally recovered after a month. His first thought after his recovery was naturally to take revenge. How could he not repay the enemy for such great humiliation? He called another general to lead the army to battle.


    General Qi Zhan and General Qi Zijie were of the same family. Qi Zhan had always hated Qi Zijie¡¯s war achievements and finally forced Qi Zijie away. Thinking that no one could compete with him now, he led the battle.


    Qi Zhan observed the terrain and couldn¡¯t help sneering. He found it ridiculous when he saw Xue Army¡¯s camp. The left end and the right end were divided into two piles, leaving a gap in the middle. If he broke in the middle and cut them off, Emperor Xue¡¯s army could be scattered and he could break them one by one. Xue country¡¯s large numbers of soldiers would not be terrifying anymore.


    Qi Zhan made his army shout and berate Teng Yun. The words they were yelling were very unpleasant.


    Teng Yun had waited for this moment and asked his generals, ¡°Who is willing to lead the army?¡±


    After the previous battle, most of the soldiers were already convinced by Teng Yun. Now that some people were berating their Commander-in-Chief, the soldiers were all too eager to fight.


    Lang Jing smiled and said, ¡°Zhang Mo can go and lead the troops.¡±


    Zhang Mo blushed and said awkwardly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that I would be in the battle when I joined the army. This Zhang¡­ This Zhang can only lift a pen in his right hand, not a spear. It¡¯s really¡­ It¡¯s a heavy trust.¡±


    Everyone heard that Lang Jing deliberately made things difficult for the Official Registrar, so they turned against Lang Jing. However, they heard Teng Yun say, ¡°This approach to join the battle is just what I want.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s meaning was not clear for everyone, so he continued to say with a smile: ¡°Although the Official Registrar isn¡¯t able to hold a sword to fight, he still hopes to be in the battlefield and make meritorious service, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Zhang Mo nodded and said, ¡°Of course, otherwise, this Zhang won¡¯t continue to stay in the barracks, even as a clerk.¡±


    Teng Yun said: ¡°Then you should thank the recommendation for joining the army. This time, as long as you fight, you don¡¯t need to do your best to lead the enemy into the formation. Join the army and lead a team of soldiers and meet the frontal flank head-on. I will personally take a team of soldiers to encircle the rear flank, and the rest will go back to the camp separately. At that time, we will just wait and catch the turtle in the urn.¡±


    Zhang Mo immediately understood the plan when he heard it and said with a smile, ¡°I see!¡±


    Afterwards, everyone dispersed and went back to the camp. They asked the soldiers to make a fire and cook food for the entire army. Only when they were full could they fight.


    Qi Zhan let his soldiers shout for a whole day, and the soldiers who were shouting insulting and unpleasant words were already very bored and getting tired.


    Finally, it was getting dark. He was about to withdraw his troops and would call for the battle tomorrow, when he saw a team of soldiers and horses coming their way, led by Zhang Mo.


    Qi Zhan and his soldiers were tired shouting all day, waiting for the enemy to attack. At this time, when he finally wanted to withdraw, he saw someone coming. He immediately called out angrily and rushed up to meet the enemy holding a broadsword in his hand.


    Qi Zhan was also a fierce general and since Zhang Mo¡¯s right hand was injured, he didn¡¯t dare to fight hard. After swinging a few blows and blocking attacks a few times, he immediately pulled his horse back and fled. When the soldiers behind him saw Zhang Mo fleeing away, they followed him and also ran back.


    When Qi Zhan saw this, he thought that the Xue army was fleeing in fear. In great joy, he asked the soldiers to beat the battle drums to cut the enemies and chase hard the retreating Zhang Mo.


    The enemy soon rushed into the trap left by Teng Yun. There were camps on the left and right sides. The archers shot down from the high sentry tower. Zhang Mo, who was defeated in front, suddenly reined in his horse. At this time, Lang Jing¡¯s troops had come and blocked the pursuers.


    Qi Zhan saw that the situation was bad and hurriedly called out to his soldiers to withdraw. Just as everyone had turned around and retreated, Teng Yun and a team of elite soldiers blocked their way. At that moment, Qi Zhan¡¯s troops and horses were surrounded by Xue army in all directions. The soldiers held the flag of ¡°General Teng Ying¡±. Qi Zhan¡¯s flag that had long been worn out by random arrows, fell to the ground and was trampled on by his own people.


    Teng Yun captured Qi Zhan and his men and horses alive. They took out wine and meat to celebrate the win. They trapped the prisoners under the tents and let them watch the soldiers celebrating with wine and meat, but they couldn¡¯t eat anything.


    Qi Zhan yelled and berated Teng Yun at first, but then he gradually lost strength.


    Teng Yun said at this time: ¡°This Teng had long heard of the reputation of General Qi Zhan, and it turned out to be the case today. Even when he was already captured, he didn¡¯t bow his head.¡±


    Qi Zhan screamed with hunger. He was a little ashamed to hear him say so, but he still stuck his neck and refused to accept his defeat.


    Teng Yun seemed to have drunk too much wine. He staggered towards him, his head nodding over and drew out the Tiger Wing sword from his waist with a smile. The Tiger Wing sword was completely black, but was emitting a cold aura at night.


    Qi Zhan watched warily at his unstable hands for fear that he was too drunk and would miss his steps and chop him off.


    Teng Yun held the sword and shook it casually. He heard a soft sound of ¡°chuck¡°. The rope that bound Qi Zhan was cut off, but Qi Zhan was not even injured by the point of the sword. This made him have a faint fear of Teng Yun in his heart .


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    Kfcu Tec atfc bgvfgfv qfbqif ab yglcu klcf jcv wfja ab atf afca ktlif tf fcafgajlcfv Hl Itjc. Hl Itjc kjr nfgs tecugs, yea Kfcu Tec rjlv tf mbeiv fja bcis lo tf reggfcvfgfv.


    Qi Zhan had no choice, so he pretended to surrender. He then ate until his stomach was full, and pretentiously said: ¡°This villain is already a surrendered soldier. How kind of the General can treat me like this. This villain is naturally willing to follow the General.. . But this villain couldn¡¯t bear to give up his brothers who had lived and died with him under the thief Zhang Hong¡¯s army. There are two generals under Zhang Hong¡¯s army, and they both have great friendship with this villain. Won¡¯t it be better to give this villain a fast horse and let him go back? This villain is willing to persuade them to surrender. Isn¡¯t it a good thing to lead the soldiers to surrender together with this villain?! ¡±


    Teng Yun just smiled and pretended to be surprised: ¡°This Teng has heard that there are many brave Generals under Zhang Hong¡¯s army. This is indeed a good thing.¡±


    So he personally took Qi Zhan out of the tent and led him to the back of the camp to the horses stable. As they were walking along the way, Qi Zhan saw the Xue army¡¯s pile of grains and provisions, in an open tent without any soldiers guarding it.


    Qi Zhan silently laughed at Teng Yun for being so gullible and unprepared and secretly noted down the location of the pile of grains and provisions.


    Teng Yun then led him to the stable and asked him to choose a horse he liked and go back to Zhang Hong and persuade the other two Generals to surrender.


    Qi Zhan picked a rare and fast horse and rushed back to Zhang Hong¡¯s camp overnight.


    Seeing him coming back alone, Zhang Hong was immediately furious and asked someone to pull Qi Zhan down from his horse and chop his head for public display.


    Qi Zhan knelt on the ground and cried bitterly, ¡°Teng Ying is a scheming man. He can summon wind and rain using demonic methods and throw beans at the soldiers. At the end of the day, I was reduced to such a state only by his magic. If I didn¡¯t fight to win the horse, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t be able to see the commander!¡±


    Zhang Hong watched Qi Zhan cry miserably. Besides, killing Qi Zhan would deeply hurt the other Generals who were great friends with him, it was also not a good time to hire other people to lead his army.


    Zhang Mo didn¡¯t understand why Teng Yun released the enemy and let him go back.


    Teng Yun just laughed and said: ¡°This has been a long-time method to catch a big fish. Isn¡¯t it too cheap to let Zhang Hong kill Qi Zhan? If I let Qi Zhan go back, I can let Zhang Hong kill Qi Zhan not only himself, but also his two other Generals together.¡±


    Zhang Mo now understood that Teng Yun had used an offensive scheme. If the enemy was in civil strife, he would not be able to attack again. Ming River would not need to run across the battlefield full of corpses. He admired Teng Yun more and more.


    At this time, Lang Jing opened the curtain and walked in, saying, ¡°It¡¯s ready.¡±


    Teng Yun nodded.


    Zhang Mo did not know what they were planning.


    Teng Yun just smiled and invited Zhang Mo to watch a good show.


    The three went out of the tent and came to the empty training field. The soldiers were already armed. Teng Yun ordered the soldiers to carry the grain and provisions in the granary to a large camp not far away.


    It turned out that Teng Yun took Qi Zhan to intentionally see the grains and provisions and set up a chain of traps. He was sure that Qi Zhan would make up for his mistakes after he went back to Zhang Hong and would definitely come back to rob the granary, so he ordered someone to empty the granary and give Qi Zhan an empty plan.


    On the third watch of the night, sure enough, a team of people came secretly to intercept the stronghold. They rushed into the camp, but saw no one. When they came to the granary, they couldn¡¯t even see a grain of rice. They immediately knew they had hit a trap.


    But it was too late. Zhang Hong¡¯s soldiers were captured alive by Teng Yun for the third time.


    Teng Yun deliberately pretended to be negligent, and let Qi Zhan escape, and then he took Zhang Mo and Lang Jing to see the prisoners.


    Teng Yun, holding the Tiger Wing sword in his hand, asked, ¡°Who are Qi Zhan¡¯s subordinates?¡±


    At first no one spoke, Teng Yun smiled and said, ¡°It turned out that there are no subordinates of Qi Zhan here.¡± He turned to a guard and said, ¡°Kill them all. I have promised I would leave Qi Zhan¡¯s people alive.¡±


    The prisoners were stunned when they heard this, and then a man shouted, ¡°I¡¯m Qi Zhan¡¯s subordinate.¡±


    Teng Yun asked someone to untie him and take him to eat. When the others saw this, they all scrambled to say they were Qi Zhan¡¯s subordinates.


    Teng Yun recruited all these soldiers into the army, and then sent ten people back, asking them to pretend to be defeated. He also asked them to deliver a message to Qi Zhan, asking him and the other two Generals why they hadn¡¯t sent Zhang Hong¡¯s head over. Even if they said the timing was not right, it shouldn¡¯t be delayed again and again. Did Qi Zhan forget the thousand-mile horse General Teng sent him?


    The soldiers felt that they would definitely die when they went back. They might as well tell Zhang Hong the news and save their lives. As soon as they got together, they ran to Zhang Hong¡¯s tent and conveyed Teng Yun¡¯s words to Zhang Hong.


    Zhang Hong really fell into Teng Yun¡¯s trap. It turned out that the reason he was defeated three times in a row was because of Qi Zhan. It turned out that Xue Country had bought all his Generals.


    Zhang Hong became more and more furious. He called Qi Zhan and asked, ¡°Your horse is a thousand-mile horse?¡±


    Qi Zhan thought that Zhang Hong liked the horse and he wanted to give it to Zhang Hong. He flattered him and said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a rare horse¡­¡±


    But before he could finish saying that he wanted to give it to Zhang Hong, Zhang Hong angrily pulled out his sword and cut off Qi Zhan¡¯s head with a single swipe.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Feng Ming had kept Qi Zijie watching the battle on the other side of Ming River. Qi Zijie reported everything that happened with the two armies to Feng Ming. Feng Ming was a little surprised and said, ¡°This man named Teng Ying will be a big trouble in the future.¡±


    Lu Shichen knew that Teng Ying was the Marquis Tengnan who kept him under house arrest before. Marquis Tengnan¡¯s behavior was considered a gentleman at that time. He didn¡¯t make things difficult for himself. He thought it would be a good thing if Teng Ying could submit to Feng country.


    However, Feng Ming didn¡¯t think so. Raising tigers was too dangerous. When Teng Ying defeats Zhang Hong, Emperor Xue would definitely let him continue to fight against Feng Country.


    Qi Zijie said, ¡°As I have seen at the end, Teng Ying may not win this time.¡±


    Feng Ming said, ¡°Why?¡±


    Qi Zijie said, ¡°Did the King forget that there is still Yu Chen under Teng Ying¡¯s camp?¡±


    When Feng Ming heard this he suddenly laughed and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Yu Chen may not be able to win the war, but he will be very competent to make them lose the war. At that time, we will lend a helping hand to help Xue Country¡¯s army beat Zhang Hong back.¡±


    So when Yu Chen was happily preparing to return to the Capital, someone suddenly said to him, ¡°General, why are you happy? You will die as soon as you enter the Capital. Emperor Xue was afraid that you would not return to the Capital if he summoned you, so he lured the General with the pretext of promoting the Imperial concubine De-fei. I¡¯m afraid there have been arranged swords and axes on both sides of the gate of the Capital, waiting for the General.¡±


    As soon as Yu Chen heard this, he immediately felt disillusioned. That night, a man secretly left the military camp and went to Zhang Hong¡­.


    Zhang Hong had beheaded Qi Zhan and wanted to kill the other two Generals as well. Afraid that they would get the news and rebel against Zhang Hong, he set up a banquet and invited them. At the banquet, he prepared swordsmen and archers for ambush.


    In the chaotic fighting, Yu Chen rushed in and stopped the fight, saying, ¡°It¡¯s all Teng Ying¡¯s trick. You¡¯ve been tricked!¡±


    After listening to Yu Chen¡¯s words, Zhang Hong felt unjustified and regretted that he had beheaded Qi Zhan.


    Yu Chen said with a smile, ¡°Beheading Qi Zhan was also useful. Why don¡¯t the commander let the other two Generals take the soldiers, put Qi Zhan¡¯s head in a box, and pretend to surrender? They would tell Teng Ying that this is the Commander¡¯s head. They found out that the Commander wanted to kill them, they had no choice but to raise troops and had no way to go. They came to surrender and specially presented the Commander¡¯s head to Xue Army.¡±


    Zhang Hong listened to the plan and agreed to it, ¡°In this way, Xue army would be caught off guard!¡±


    Zhang Hong rewarded Yu Chen and asked him to serve as a reinforcements to wipe out Ming River¡¯s army.


    Yu Chen also said: ¡°The army pretending to surrender would be unexpected. With Teng Ying¡¯s false benevolence, he will certainly not flee in the hinterland, where people are living not far away. He would have no other place to escape than the other side of Ming River.  At that time, this General will be willing to lead a thousand soldiers and lay an ambush in the lower reaches of the Ming River. Just wait for Teng Ying to flee there and take a net attack!¡±


    Zhang Hong was so happy that he didn¡¯t know what to do, so he called out his troops and horses and asked Yu Chen to set up an ambush.


    Within two days, Teng Yun received a report from the sentry that there was a large army outside of the camp, led by the general under Zhang Hong. Everyone in the army held a white cloth and signaled to surrender.


    Teng Yun was afraid that it was a trap and did not let them into the camp. He just personally came out to meet with the army.


    The chief General knelt down on the ground and said: ¡°Please take Zhang Hong¡¯s army in! Zhang Hong killed Qi Zhan and set up a banquet to ambush this villain. This villain clashed with his army brothers and had to cut off Zhang Hong¡¯s head. Now there is no way for us to go. Please take our soldiers in. This villain is willing to present Zhang Hong¡¯s head and vows not to rebel to death.¡± he said and presented the box to Teng Yun.


    Zhang Mo also came over when he heard the news, carrying the Tiger Wing sword in his hand and handing it over to Teng Yun.


    At this time, Lang Jing hurried over, said a word in Teng Yun¡¯s ear and entered the camp again.


    Teng Yun understood the situation at once. Lang Jing said only four words ¡°Yu Chen ran away¡±, but the weight of these four words were not small. Yu Chen rebelled and became a traitor, so it must be a conspiracy at the moment.


    The enemy¡¯s army was pressing the formation, but his own army had not been organized yet. How could he meet and fight them? Teng Yun could only delay time and wait for Lang Jing to prepare the soldiers and send troops.


    Teng Yun¡¯s palm was sweating, and the enemy General¡¯s palm was sweating too, because the box actually contained Qi Zhan¡¯s head. If Teng Yun decides to open the box, they would be found out.


    Suddenly, the sound of battle drums could be heard along the field which shocked the enemy General. Realizing that he had been exposed for a long time, he immediately let his men attack.


    For a time, the two armies clashed.


    Although Lang Jing had prepared the Xue army, the preparation was in haste. Unlike the enemy who had a long time to prepare when they had come to the camp.


    For a time, the soldiers rushed to battle and were scattered by Zhang Hong¡¯s army.


    Zhang Mo was battling with all his might, he chopped off an enemy¡¯s cavalry and grabbed his horse. He saw Teng Yun blocking the enemy¡¯s General¡¯s attack on Lang Jing. Lang Jing was a Civil Minister, he had not practiced any swordsmanship and didn¡¯t know any Martial Arts at all. He looked embarrassed at this time of confusion and chaos.


    The enemy General was also a brave man. Although Teng Yun could block him for a while, he didn¡¯t know whether he had enough physical strength to fight him off for a long time.


    Zhang Mo gave Lang Jing his horse and asked Lang Jing to escape and ask for help.


    Without hesitation, Lang Jing turned over and got on his horse. Zhang Mo opened the way for him and he rode out off the battlefield.


    When Zhang Mo saw that he was gone, he picked up a sword from the ground and went back to the battle. The Xue soldiers were now scattered and their defeat was imminent. Teng Yun and Zhang Mo knew that they should not continue to lead the soldiers to fight, so they led the rest of the troops to retreat.


    Zhang Mo couldn¡¯t bear to take the army to escape to the hinterland. After all, the common people living there would suffer if they brought the battle there. So he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°The terrain on the lower reaches of Ming River is dangerous. But we have no choice, we might as well go there, and there are also troops there.¡±


    At this time, no one could think about any other plan, so they had to head down to the lower reaches of Ming River.


    Zhang Hong personally rode out to hunt them down, as if he wanted to kill them all.


    Teng Yun led his soldiers and killed their way out of the battle and retreated all the way. Tens of thousands of soldiers and horses fought their way out to flee and died. Unexpectedly, there were only about a thousand horses left.


    Teng Yun, Zhang Mo and several Generals broke their way out and let the thousand soldiers and horses escape first and caught up with the enemy Generals. Seeing that the enemy would catch up, Teng Yun turned his horse around to meet them head-on. The Xue generals shouted at him to continue to retreat but Teng Yun stood his ground. At this time, the Xue Commander-in-Chief, Teng Ying, with the Tiger Wing sword on his hand, faced the enemy generals, slashed the stomachs of their horses and killed their riders in a swift move.


    Teng Yun then raised up his sword and stood on his horse, daring the enemies to come his way.


    Zhang Hong, who led the soldiers to chase him, didn¡¯t dare to move forward. The Xue soldiers who were retreating took advantage of this time to ride far and escape from the battle. The remaining Generals escorted Teng Yun to the lower reaches of Ming River.


    Zhang Hong was frightened by Teng Yun¡¯s courage and didn¡¯t dare to chase forward. The counselor also said that the terrain ahead was very dangerous, and the Xue soldiers were already there. He might be ambushed if he continued to chase them. Besides, Yu Chen had already set an ambush at the lower reaches of Ming River, just waiting for Teng Yun and his troops to arrive there. Zhang Hong, not feeling any regret in not being able to capture and kill Teng Yun, withdrew his troops and went back to the camp, waiting for the good news.


    The Xue soldiers were exhausted when they reached downstream. The terrain downstream was dangerous, but the scenery was quite spectacular. There was a pool of water not far away. Peach blossoms were planted everywhere around the water, which were just blooming and very pleasing to the eyes.


    Teng Yun saw that the soldiers were very thirsty but were not drinking the water from the pond, and asked, ¡°What kind of water is this? Is it not safe to drink?¡±


    Zhang Mo answered, ¡°This place is called Peach Blossom Pond. There are many reeds in the pond, and these reeds are poisonous after being exposed to the sun. You can¡¯t drink the water, so it¡¯s called Stagnant Water.


    Teng Yun looked at the Peach Blossom Pond and suddenly laughed. Zhang Mo asked him why he was laughing.


    Teng Yun frowned and said, ¡°We forgot about Yu Chen. Did you see Yu Chen just now?¡±


    Zhang Mo was surprised at this time. He already understood that Yu Chen might have been lying in ambush here long ago. As he thought of this, they heard the sound of drums. As expected, Yu Chen¡¯s soldiers arrived.


    Zhang Mo asked Teng Yun to get on the horse and escape. Teng Yun got on the horse but didn¡¯t run away. He ordered Zhang Mo to take the thousand soldiers to continue downstream. Then Teng Yun just stood there to intercept Yu Chen.


    Yu Chen had heard about Zhang Hong¡¯s pursuit but was frightened. He also heard about Teng Yun killing the enemy¡¯s Generals chasing after them with the Tiger Wing sword. He didn¡¯t dare to go forward and sent a soldier to fight as he was afraid to be cut off in half by the Tiger Wing sword.


    Yu Chen was even more afraid when he saw Teng Yun alone on his horse, face full with determination to fight. Yu Chen ordered the soldiers to fight Teng Yun first.


    Teng Yun fought with all his might, killing the enemy soldiers attacking one after another. He was already getting exhausted and understood that this was Yu Chen¡¯s strategy, but only in this way could he hold off the pursuers.


    Dusk came, Teng Yun suddenly turned over and dismounted his horse. Yu Chen didn¡¯t know what trick he was thinking of, so he didn¡¯t move. He waited for whatever Teng Yun was going to do. Teng Yun walked over to the bank of the Peach Blossom Pond, leaned against a peach tree and sat down slowly. He turned his hand, thrust the Tiger Wing sword into the ground beside him, and closed his eyes.


    The peach blossom petals were being blown down by the wind and sprinkled on Teng Yun¡¯s body under the peach tree, but the man seemed to be asleep and didn¡¯t move. Yu Chen stared at the scene for a while before he became furious. He thought Teng Yun was tricking him again and ordered the remaining soldiers to attack him.


    But when the soldiers walked over, Teng Yun still didn¡¯t move. One of the soldiers leaned over to check his breathing. He couldn¡¯t feel any breathing at all. Could Teng Yun have already died of exhaustion?


    Yu Chen happily asked the soldiers to destroy Teng Yun¡¯s body, but before that, he wanted to make sure that Teng Yun would be chopped by his sword first.


    However, before he could make a move, they were suddenly attacked by a group of soldiers from both sides.


    Qi Zijie, leading a group of Feng soldiers, surrounded Yu Chen and Zhang Hong¡¯s soldiers. Qi Zijie, killed Yu Chen with his sword and took Teng Yun¡¯s body away.


    When Zhang Mo saw that the escaping Xue soldiers were not being pursued anymore, he quickly took a few of them and led them back to help Teng Yun. When he returned to the Peach Blossom Pond, he saw a dead body. He immediately dismounted, fear could be seen on his face, as he thought it might be Teng Yun¡¯s corpse lying there. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was Yu Chen, lying on the ground and dead.


    However, Teng Yun could not be seen. Only the treasure sword Tiger Wing was left, thrusted deep into the ground, under the peach tree.

 CH 60

    Edited-Zaki


    ¡ª¡ª-


    There was fog all around.


    Xue Junliang received a report from the Official Registrar that Ming River had fallen into the enemy¡¯s hands. Xue Junliang was furious and wanted to behead the commander-in-chief, but no one was available to send at this time.


    When the Commander-in-Chief heard that Emperor Xue was intending to behead him, he immediately defected to the enemy side. Some people went to the prefecture that was next to Ming River to ask for help. At this time, the governor of the prefecture said that Emperor Xue was cruel and brutal in nature. They hadn¡¯t wanted to obey him for a long time but then the time was not right. Now the time and place was right, and in such a circumstance, how could they send reinforcements to help?


    For the first time in his life, Xue Junliang broke out in a cold sweat. He hadn¡¯t felt so frightened even when he had forcefully taken over the throne. This was a feeling he had never experienced.  It was as some people said ¨C he felt utterly isolated and deserted.


    Xue Junliang felt the powerlessness of defeat, but at that moment the Palace Hall door opened. The Empress came and said she would go to the battlefield in person. He just remembered, in Xue country there was a resourceful Empress, only it¡¯s a pity that the Empress was a woman. How could she go to command in a war?


    The Empress laughed and said, ¡°What do you see in me that looks like a woman?


    Xue Junliang and the Empress stared at each other. The Empress was not standing far away, and was wearing white Military armor and carrying the Tiger Wing sword. He remembered this person¡¯s appearance that he couldn¡¯t forget all his life. It was Teng Yun¡­¡­


    Xue Junliang looked at Teng Yun¡¯s back as it marched away on the expedition. Soon there was a good report. Xue¡¯s army had beaten back the enemy¡¯s army, but general Teng Yun was in great danger and died on the battlefield. The soldiers also presented the Tiger Wing sword without its scabbard.


    He received the Tiger Wing sword and heard a click. The treasured sword broke in half in his hand for no apparent reason.


    Xue Junliang was surprised. His inner clothes were already wet with sweat. He sat up fiercely. Only then did he realize that it was all a dream.


    Jiang Yu was on guard in the outer room and came in when he heard the commotion, saying, ¡°Your Majesty is frightened, the Dragon Tooth sword hanging on the wall suddenly fell down and the scabbard was smashed.¡±


    Xue Junliang heard the sound before looking over. The Dragon Tooth sword that had been hanging not far away was really lying on the ground, the scabbard had shattered. The treasured sword was faintly emitting a faint chill.


    Jiang Yu wanted to pick up the sword and it¡¯s broken scabbard, but Xue Junliang stopped him. Xue Junliang put on his clothes, got up and got off the bed and picked up the Dragon Tooth sword himself.


    Sighing, he said, ¡°This is not a good omen.¡±


    Jiang Yu didn¡¯t say anything.


    Emperor Xue waved his hand, and Jiang Yu was very discerning and retreated silently.


    Xue Junliang recalled his dream just now. He had been puzzled since he had seen the memorial sent by Xue Houyang from the Teng border. If he refused to believe that the Empress and Teng Yun were one person, how could the changes of the Empress¡¯s character afterwards, her acquaintance with Teng Shang, and the handwriting be explained?


    Xue Junliang put the sword on his knee and sat until dawn.


    After the morning court, Xue Junliang wanted to rest for a while. He had not slept last night, and now he felt a little sleepy, but Jiang Yu came over and said, ¡°Your Majesty, the Marquis Wannian is back.¡±


    Xue Junliang asked back, ¡°Marquis Wannian?¡±


    He wondered why Xue Houyang came back so soon. After all, he had only been to the southern border for a few months. He then asked Jiang Yu to bring him in.


    When Xue Houyang came in, he held a lot of things in his hand. He didn¡¯t care about any etiquette and piled them directly on the table.


    Xue Junliang told him to sit down and laughed, ¡°Did a fire burn your tail?¡±


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t respond to the joke and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Chen-di found a¡­ A remarkable thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Xue Houyang scratched his head and continued: ¡°Chen-di went to Teng Country and found these things. It¡¯s nothing to make a fuss about. Just before Chen-di set out, Minister Teng saw a document on Chen-di¡¯s desk and looked very surprised. At that time, Chen-di didn¡¯t think much¡­¡±


    As he was saying this, he was spreading out large and small documents of calligraphy and paintings he had brought, and said, ¡°Only when Chen-di saw these documents, that I couldn¡¯t help thinking more.¡±


    Wef Aeciljcu ibbxfv ja tlw klat j rfglber ojmf jcv rjlv klat j rwlif, ¡°Pa¡¯r gfjiis j ragjcuf rlaejalbc abvjs. Lbesjcu lr jmaejiis defralbclcu sbeg Zlclrafg Kfcu?¡±


    Wef Lbesjcu¡¯r ojmf aegcfv gfv lc fwyjggjrrwfca jcv rjlv jkxkjgvis, ¡°Rba defralbclcu, pera ¡­¡­ pera atlr lr j wjaafg bo ugfja lwqbgajcmf.¡±


    Wef Aeciljcu qlmxfv eq bcf vbmewfca jcv ibbxfv ja la. Lf ogbkcfv jcv tlr rwlif rbbc ogbhf bc tlr ojmf. Wef Lbesjcu abbx bea jcbatfg vbmewfca ogbw tlr jgwr. Pa kjr atf bcf Kfcu Vtjcu obecv bc Wef Lbesjcu¡¯r vfrx atja vjs.


    Xue Junliang took the document, lined it up with other books and texts, stood up again, took the Empress¡¯ calligraphy from the bookcase and put them all side by side.


    Xue Houyang¡¯s eyes immediately widened and he said, ¡°This¡­ This¡­ No wonder it always seemed that Teng Ying and the Empress acted in a similar manner. At that time, Chen-di¡­ Chen-di also thought that maybe Teng Ying was afraid that His Majesty would blame him for setting fire on Yunfeng Palace, so he deliberately tried to imitate the Empress.¡±


    Xue Junliang narrowed his eyes and said,¡±Did Teng Shang have any reaction?¡±


    Xue Houyang said, ¡°These days Teng Shang has always been inquiring about the war in Ming River.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°After Teng Yun¡¯s death, the Empress and Teng Shang became very close. Teng Shang saw your documents and began to inquire about Teng Ying¡¯s situation. If you want to find out the truth, you may have to start with your Minister Teng.¡±


    Seeing that Xue Houyang had an embarrassed expression, he then said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t embarrass or make things difficult for Teng Shang. Since you have returned to the Capital, I will ask Teng Shang to enter the Palace since it would be a banquet for your return. I will just cautiously ask some questions¡­ After all, it would be about my wife, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Xue Houyang also felt that this matter was too strange and did not dare to think too deeply about it again. It would be good to ask for clarification directly, so he nodded his head.


    Xue Junliang told Jiang Yu to personally go to the Marquis¡¯s residence to fetch Teng Shang, and if Teng Shang asked what it was about, just to say that Emperor Xue was intending to give a reception banquet for the Marquis Wannian¡¯s return.


    The reception banquet was just outside the Yunfeng Palace. Once shown, Teng Shang sat in his seat. Xue Junliang first asked about the recent situation of the two men, and then sighed: ¡°These days this Seat always has been having nightmares, waking up in cold sweat everyday.  This Seat has realized that I am no longer as good as I was back then. When this Seat was young and vigorous, I did a lot of things without sparing any second thoughts, but now thinking back, I feel very regretful. For example¡­¡­.¡±


    He said that and glanced at Teng Shang, said: ¡°For example, the matter of General Teng Yun.¡±


    When Teng Shang heard him say this, he couldn¡¯t help glancing at Xue Junliang, and then averted his eyes. He didn¡¯t know whether he had revealed any clues on his expression.


    But Xue Junliang continued: ¡°This Seat has heard that General Yun and you have always had a close relationship. I know you must resent this Seat¡­ Unfortunately, this big mistake has been made. Now this Seat is all alone. This Seat feels really regretful when I recollect all these past events. Fortunately, this Seat now has you by my side.¡±


    Teng Shang didn¡¯t speak and didn¡¯t even lift his eyelids. Xue Junliang couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on in his mind.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Zhao Lu hurriedly brushed aside the maidservant who was blocking him, hurried in and bowed down:  ¡°Your Majesty, Ming River sent someone to send an urgent report. The Xue Army had defeated Zhang Hong three times, but the traitor Yu Chen defected and took refuge in the enemy camp. The army was scattered and the camp was lost. Assistant General Lang Jing and the Official Registrar Zhang Mo, sent an urgent request for reinforcements¡­..¡±


    He paused and then continued, ¡°Feng Country¡¯s Qi Zijie arrived with his army. The three way army repelled Zhang Hong¡¯s army back. Feng Country offered Zhang Hong and Yu Chen¡¯s heads as a peace offering.¡±


    Teng Shang¡¯s back stiffened as he listened and interjected, ¡°What about Teng ¡­¡­ Teng Ying?¡±


    Zhao Lu was silent for a moment. Everyone felt their hearts thumping in anxiety. They didn¡¯t feel good. They only heard Zhao Lu say: ¡°According to the report from the enemy prisoners, General Teng Ying met the ambush of the traitor Yu Chen head-on and stayed back to block them from pursuing the escaping Xue army. When dealing with the rebels¡­ He died of exhaustion.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    Xue Houyang¡¯s heart sank. Suddenly, Teng Shang stood up fiercely, his body shook and nearly fell. Xue Houyang hurried forward to hold him, but Teng Shang¡¯s tears flowed down like an unbroken thread.


    Xue Houyang has never seen him cry. He knew that although Teng Shang had been a Civil Minister for many years, his Martial Arts were not weak. Being in the court for years, he had long developed a ¡°heart of stone¡± ¨C happiness or sadness or anger would never show on his face. But now¡­¡­.


    Xue Junliang took a look at Teng Shang and immediately understood everything ¡ª anymore tests were just useless. Now Teng Shang¡¯s reaction has explained everything. The thorn in his flesh that he once pierced with an arrow through his heart, the only woman who had moved his heart, and Marquis Tengnan, who had been appreciated deeply by him, were all the same person ¡­¡­¡­


    Xue Junliang held onto the stone table and couldn¡¯t speak for a long time. He had seen Teng Yun¡¯s demeanor on the battlefield when they were still enemies at that time. During those times, Xue Junliang had thought that he was indeed an Iron General. No wonder someone said Teng Yun was the Bloody Asura on the battlefield. The words ¡°Died due to exhaustion¡± hovered and circled in his mind. Xue Junliang could not imagine what these words represented. His mind was full of Teng Yun covered in blood.


    Jiang Yu felt that Emperor Xue was not in the right state of mind and whispered, ¡°Your Majesty? Your Majesty, take care of the Royal body.¡±


    Xue Junliang raised his hand to indicate that he didn¡¯t need help. Then he stretched out his hand and covered his eyes as if to restrain something. After half a second, he slowly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the body?¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been found yet,¡± Zhao Lu replied.


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t been found?¡±


    Xue Junliang seemed to be suddenly furious. With his hand he smashed the wine pot that was on the stone table on the ground, and said, ¡°Find it! If you can¡¯t find it soon, then bury Zhang Hong¡¯s 200,000 soldiers alive in place of this Seat¡¯s General!¡±


    This move of Emperor Xue not only surprised Zhao Lu, but even Xue Houyang and Teng Shang seemed to be stunned for a moment. Perhaps they thought Xue Junliang¡¯s move was just a play. After all, though the General was dead, the news from Ming River was actually a  good report.  Zhang Hong was beheaded, the 200,000 troops left alive were turned into captives, even Feng Country had taken the opportunity to seek peace.


    Even Xue Junliang didn¡¯t know what he was angry or sad about. A wave of frustration hit his heart like a flood. He had just learned that the person he admired and valued was the one to whom he had wanted to give his heart, but all this was immediately extinguished. It seemed like a blow to the head, it hurt so much that Xue Junliang almost collapsed for a split second¡­¡­..


    ¡ª¡ª


    Some Ministers suggested that the prisoner should be killed immediately, or else there would be endless trouble. This man could stop Yu Chen¡¯s elite soldiers by himself. He could not be underestimated. Even if he woke up and surrendered, it would be disastrous.


    Feng Ming couldn¡¯t pay attention for a moment. After all, this man¡¯s strategy and bravery on the battlefield was clearly seen by the people across Ming River. If Feng Ming wanted to conquer the world, he must have this kind of talent by his side.


    Lu Shichen, who had been locked up in Marquis Tengnan¡¯s residence when he was in Xue Country, knew that this person was loyal and honest. At that time, he didn¡¯t harm himself. And now Marquis Tengnan was a captive here and Lu Shichen couldn¡¯t bear to bite the hand that had fed him.


    Feng Ming ordered Lu Shichen to bring the captive back to the house and save his life first.


    The Royal Physician came over several times and told Minister Lu that Teng Yun was okay, but he was suffering from heart disease and should not be overworked. Although there were many injuries on Teng Yun¡¯s body, they were not too deep. There were no injuries to the bones and would be able to recuperate well. Lu Shichen finally could put down his worries and then sent several attentive servants to take care of Teng Yun.


    Teng Yun did not know how long he slept. His dreams were dark and the enemy tide was never ending. Teng Yun was tired and wanted to wake up quickly. He knew he was dreaming but he couldn¡¯t wake up from this nightmare.


    Just when he could no longer use his strength, a cold arrow was suddenly shot and pierced his heart. Teng Yun didn¡¯t feel pain, but his heart suddenly surged with a feeling of sadness. A man in a black Python robe emerged from the mass of darkness, holding a dragon scale longbow in his hand, smiled and said to him, ¡°General Yun, it¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    When Teng Yun woke up, he saw several figures in front of him, seemingly busy. Several maidservants were talking about some wound that had opened and how they had requested the physician to come over.


    Lu Shichen came with the physician, who re-dressed the wound. During this period, Teng Yun kept his eyes open and looked at the top of the bed without saying a word or looking at anyone.


    After the physician left, Lu Shichen came over to see the situation. However, when Teng Yun¡¯s eyes were red, he immediately panicked and said, ¡°This, this¡­¡­ This General Teng, does your wound hurt a lot? Shall I call the Royal Physician to prescribe some medication for the pain?¡±


    Teng Yun heard him say this and was surprised to find that his sideburns were wet. Did he cry unconsciously just now?


    Teng Yun chuckled and said, ¡°Court Minister Lu¡­ I didn¡¯t expect us to meet again. It seems the situation has reversed now.¡±


    Seeing that he could still laugh, Lu Shichen seemed to realize there were no serious issues and said, ¡°You should take care of your body first.¡±


    After a pause, he added, ¡°Zhang Hong and Yu Chen are dead.¡±


    Teng Yun smiled again, nodded, and didn¡¯t speak again.


    Lu Shichen couldn¡¯t bear to persuade him to surrender now, so he withdrew and let him rest.


    Feng Ming sent an envoy to Xue Country carrying the heads of Zhang Hong and Yu Chen, but Emperor Xue was in rage. In order to live, Yu Chen¡¯s men confessed that someone had provoked Yu Chen that Emperor Xue had wanted to kill Yu Chen and this is why Yu Chen was afraid to come back to the Xue Capital and defected to Zhang Hong. The person who provoked Yu Chen was actually someone from Feng Country. So Xue Junliang did not accept Feng Ming¡¯s peace offering but wanted to implicate Feng Country as well.


    Feng Ming was furious when he received the news. Some court officials said that it would be better to kill Marquis Tengnan, and then formally start a war with Xue country. Others said that Marquis Tengnan could not be killed. Emperor Xue was already furious because he thought Marquis Tengnan was dead, and threatened to bury Zhang Hong¡¯s 200,000 troops alive. If Feng country really killed Marquis Tengnan, it would be a fight to the death.


    Marquis Tengnan could not be killed and could not be kept. Lu Shichen said, ¡°The king might as well use Marquis Tengnan as a bargaining chip for peace talks with Xue country.¡±


    Qi Zijie also agreed with Lu Shichen¡¯s suggestion and said, ¡°Marquis Tengnan cannot stay in Feng country. Although Teng Ying is a rare talent, if Emperor Xue finds out, he would certainly blame the King, leading to unnecessary trouble. If the King just returns Marquis Tengnan to Xue country early and offers to make peace, then Emperor Xue would put down his guard.¡±


    Feng Ming listened and froze for a moment, seeming to be thinking about something. He just smiled and nodded, ¡°This is a good idea, since Emperor Xue values the Marquis Tengnan so much, I think he will not disagree.¡±


    Xue Junliang was unwell for a day and didn¡¯t attend the morning court the next day. When he went to the court again, some ministers who didn¡¯t properly judge his mood immediately reported the good news about Ming River. They were immediately dismissed by Xue Junliang. Only then did they realize that Marquis Tengnan had died in the battle. It was no wonder Emperor Xue was unhappy.


    Xue Junliang again sent people to the Peach Blossom Pond to look for the body, but the body still could not be found. Only the Tiger Wing Sword was brought back. The Tiger Wing and the Dragon Tooth Swords now hung side by side in Emperor Xue¡¯s bedchambers. Xue Junliang would sometimes dream of Teng Yun and then wake up with clothes drenched in sweat. He would then walk to the two swords and keep looking at them for a long time. It was not known what he was thinking.


    Jiang Yu did not know the actual reason and could only be anxious in vain.


    Feng Country kept sending envoys one after another, all of them came to offer peace. By this time Xue Junliang had already become impatient and said that if one more envoy of Feng country dared to set foot on the Xue country, then their hands and feet would be surely cut off.


    This day another ambassador came, Xue Junliang sneered and ordered someone to capture him and cut off his hands and feet. The envoy said that if Emperor Xue cut him, he would surely blame himself.


    Xue Junliang asked someone to bring the envoy up. The envoy was frightened into a cold sweat and shakily presented the report to Emperor Xue.


    Xue Junliang was not overtly interested. He just glanced at it, but then abruptly stood up and violently knocked over the penholder beside the desk.


    The audience did not know why Emperor Xue had lost his temper, but they saw Xue Junliang walk over and stare at the envoy before asking in a cold voice: ¡°Is it true that the Marquis Tengnan is still alive?¡±


    The envoy said, ¡°It is true. This Foreign Minister would not dare to deceive Emperor Xue!¡±


    Xue Junliang couldn¡¯t suppress the feeling of happiness in his heart. He once thought that if the body couldn¡¯t be found then there was still a glimmer of hope, but this hope was too slim. There were many soldiers who died on the battlefield and their bodies couldn¡¯t be found and they would never come back.


    Xue Junliang did not dare to have any extravagant hopes, but he did not expect that such an unimaginable hope would really fall from the sky one day, which made him ¨C Emperor Xue ¨C who had always been calm and poised, dizzy with happiness. It was almost like climbing to the throne for the first time. If so many people were not present, he would really laugh out loud in happiness.


    After having rejoiced in his heart, Xue Junliang settled down and looked again at the document delivered. He suddenly sneered and handed the document to Zhao Lu. Zhao Lu was puzzled as to why the document was given to him to read when Marquis Wannian was present in the court.


    But when he read it, he finally understood. The document stated clearly that King Feng had saved a Military General when he had sent his troops in aid and the person saved was actually Teng Ying who was the Xue army¡¯s Commander-in-Chief. Now they would like to offer peace by sending Teng Ying back but on the condition that the traitor Zhao Lu is sent back to Feng country in exchange.


    Zhao Lu could not help but smile bitterly for a moment, and then said, ¡°But it¡¯s ¡­¡­ Your Majesty¡¯s decision.¡±


    The envoy soon returned to Feng country and said that Emperor Xue did not agree to this exchange. If Feng country had offered peace in good faith then they would return Marquis Tengnan. Zhao Lu was a person from Xue country and his unique skills could not be handed over to Feng country.


    Feng Ming just smiled and said to Teng Yun, ¡°You see, you are nothing more than that in Xue Junliang¡¯s eyes. He had said he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to bury the 200,000 soldiers alive for you. But now it¡¯s only Zhao Lu but he didn¡¯t agree to the exchange.¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t speak immediately. He was silent for a while before he slowly opened his mouth. He seemed a little weak and said with a smile: ¡°if I were Emperor Xue, I wouldn¡¯t exchange either.¡±


    Feng Ming said with a smile, ¡°I heard that Emperor Xue wants to accept you as his Imperial Concubine, and it seems that you have a good relationship. He is cold hearted to this point. You don¡¯t blame him, do you?¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Not so ¡­¡­ King Feng might as well think about it, if it were you, would you be willing to use the important Minister of the court, to exchange for General Zhao Lu?¡±


    Feng Ming was stunned and sneered, ¡°Is Zhao Lu such an important person that would warrant me to exchange an important Minister of the court?¡±


    Teng Yun only said lightly, ¡°Zhao Lu is an important minister under Emperor Xue. If you exchange Ministers for Ministers, wouldn¡¯t you lose the hearts of the people¡­ There¡¯s nothing wrong with Emperor Xue refusing this exchange.¡±

 CH 61

    Feng Ming didn¡¯t take it seriously, and smiled, ¡°Marquis Tengnan is really so kind-hearted. Why didn¡¯t I know before?¡±


    Teng Yun stopped talking.


    Feng Ming had no expression on his face, but he just said, ¡°How did these scars on Marquis Tengnan¡¯s face come about? Would you like me to help you by adding more?¡±


    Teng Yun just smiled but remained silent.


    Feng Ming was so angry at his calm and indifferent appearance, but he insisted on refusing to admit defeat and said, ¡°Do you really think this Seat does not dare to torture you? Do you really think Emperor Xue thinks so highly of you?¡±


    Feng Ming paused and continued, ¡°Look at the scars on your face. Do you really think that Emperor Xue likes you so much that he doesn¡¯t care about your ugly face? He doesn¡¯t want to look at you at all. He just wants to take away your real power in the name of making you a concubine.¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t even lift his eyelids, but slowly said, ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Feng Ming said with a smile, ¡°It seems that you still won¡¯t give up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I won¡¯t give up,¡± Teng Yun said, still calm, ¡°It¡¯s that, I don¡¯t expect anything at all. What Emperor Xue wants to do is Emperor Xue¡¯s business. Have you forgotten? My surname is Teng, not Xue. It¡¯s enough for me to do what I want to do.¡±


    Feng Ming glared at him, and then ordered a guard to bring Teng Yun down to be tortured.


    Lu Shichen quickly knelt down, ¡°Think twice, Your Majesty. Please think twice! Teng Ying is Xue Country¡¯s Marquis Tengnan. He has a valuable position. If he is tortured, Emperor Xue will find this as enough reason to send troops. Moreover, Teng Ying is also considered a wise man. If he is tortured like this because he¡¯s charged with refusing to be virtuous. I¡¯m afraid no one will obey His Majesty again.¡±


    Feng Ming didn¡¯t speak for a long time. Finally, he waved his sleeve and ordered the guard to take Teng Yun away.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t agree to send Zhao Lu to Feng Country in exchange for Teng Yun and Feng Country wouldn¡¯t let Teng Yun go. The two sides were at a standoff.


    Xue Junliang issued an Imperial decree ordering Lang Jing back from the border.


    Lang Jing entered the Capital. However, before he could go back to the residence to see Xue Yu, someone led him to enter the Palace. When he entered the Palace gate, he met Shen Yi.


    It was the first time after a long time that Shen Yi met him in private and said with a smile, ¡°Lang Jing, we haven¡¯t seen each other for seven or eight years.¡±


    Lang Jing didn¡¯t speak.


    Shen Yi: ¡°Do you know why His Majesty is looking for you?¡±


    Lang Jing opened his mouth and answered, ¡°It¡¯s nothing more than what happened to Marquis Tengnan.¡±


    ¡°If only you had a clear understanding¡­¡±


    Shen Yi paused and sighed: ¡°Ten years of study and hard work; you were the most talented among us brothers, I think I am inferior to you. You have also seen the achievements and talents of Emperor Xue, why do you have to help Marquis Zhenjiang? You have read books for so many years, don¡¯t you even understand this truth?¡±


    Lang Jing glanced at him.


    He stared at Shen Yi¡¯s hair with an expressionless face, and then said, ¡°I just entered the Capital and immediately was asked to enter the Palace. Presumably, Emperor Xue already knows that I have entered the Palace. Now you meet me here by chance. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a coincidence at all¡­ Are you here to persuade me to surrender to Emperor Xue?¡±


    Shen Yi was seen through by him, he coughed, a little embarrassed and said, ¡°So I¡¯m naturally inferior to you. I have always admired you.¡±


    Even if he admitted it, Lang Jing said, ¡°Marquis Zhenjiang is legally a subject, and this Lang is also Emperor Xue¡¯s subject¡­ I think even if I don¡¯t say it, compared to Emperor Xue,  Marquis Zhenjiang is still far behind.¡±


    After he said this, Lang Jing took a step forward to the hall.


    Shen Yi just shook his head. Lang Jing was indeed a bull-tempered person that even ten cows couldn¡¯t pull back, but he was also right. Marquis Zhenjiang was legally a subject, and Lang Jing was also a subject. Xue Yu seemed to be going against this and had still a long way to go.


    When Lang Jing entered the warm Pavilion in the Study Hall, Xue Junliang was reading a book. He was holding the book in his hand, but his eyes were squinting and looking like he was in a daze. He didn¡¯t know what he was thinking.


    When Xue Junliang heard the voice, he immediately came back to his senses but didn¡¯t let Lang Jing get up. He said, ¡°Lang Jing, do you know why this Seat sent you to Ming River?¡±


    ¡°For war, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Pcvffv¡­¡± Wef Aeciljcu rjlv, ¡°Dea atlr Vfja ibra j ugfja Xfcfgji. Pr atlr sbeg kjs ab wjxf eq obg sbeg wlrajxfr?¡±


    Ojcu Alcu rjlv, ¡°Ktlr ibkis reypfma tjr tlr bkc kjs ab ifa Mfcu Jbecags gfaegc Zjgdelr Kfcucjc.¡±


    Wef Aeciljcu rcffgfv jcv rjlv, ¡°Ktlr Vfja xcbkr cbatlcu mjc vfofja sbe, rb vb la. Qlatlc atgff vjsr, atlr Vfja klii kjca ab rff atja Mfcu Jbecags gfifjrfr ws Xfcfgji¡­ Yatfgklrf, atlr Vfja klii jrx Zjgdelr Itfcpljcu ab atgbk sbe lcab qglrbc tlwrfio.¡±


    Lang Jing¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. He didn¡¯t even frown. He just begged Xue Junliang for leave, kowtowed and left the hall.


    Three days was indeed a little short time, but it was not impossible to spread gossip to Feng Country.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    On the second day of the Morning Court in Feng Country, someone reported that Court Official Lu Shichen, had an evil heart and was a traitor to Feng Country. In fact, when he was said to be abducted, he had already defected towards Xue Country.


    Lang Jing sent someone to spread the rumor, saying Lu Shichen didn¡¯t actually escape from Xue Country last time, because there was no way that an unarmed scholar who didn¡¯t know any Martial Arts and Swordsmanship, could escape back without being hurt at all and that also could escape on a thousand mile horse.


    It was also said that Lu Shichen treated Marquis Tengnan so well because Lu Shichen had rebelled in his heart long after receiving the great kindness of Marquis Tengnan, but he had not found the opportunity. Moreover, Lu Shichen personally prepared the letter to invite Marquis Tengnan to make peace this time and proposed to exchange Zhao Lu for Teng Ying, which was clearly a trick.


    Just imagine that if Emperor Xue doesn¡¯t change his mind and still refuses the exchange, he can only go to war. Lu Shichen clearly wanted the two countries to go to war, so he deliberately planned it like this. Xue Country must have been armed, preparing their defense at this time, waiting for Feng Country to throw himself into the net.


    Third day of the morning court.


    In fact, Lu Shichen has become the target of public criticism. Although he knew in his heart that it was Feng Ming¡¯s selfish intention to propose to exchange Zhao Lu for Teng Ying, the court officials could not publicly accuse the King. That is the way of kings and ministers.


    Lu Shichen didn¡¯t refute a word. Feng Ming didn¡¯t expect that such a situation could be turned into just by exchanging a traitor back, and Lu Shichen¡¯s attitude obviously wanted to carry the black pot and his loyalty to Feng Ming showed as he was willing to be a scapegoat.


    Feng Ming knew that if he said he was the one who really wanted the exchange, there would be more rumors. If he didn¡¯t speak up, all the court officials would insist for Lu Shichen to give up his position as court minister.


    At this morning¡¯s court session, Lu Shichen took off his official hat, put his hands on the ground and said, ¡°This lowly subject has no second thoughts. This Lu can understand the people¡¯s doubts about this Lu. This Lu is willing to hang his hat to show his innocence before the matter is clarified.¡±


    Lu Shichen hung his official hat, and the ministers proposed that he could only return Marquis Tengnan without an exchange to calm the matter. In case of losing the hearts of the people and the army, it would be the most terrible.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Early on the third morning, Xue Junliang called Lang Jing to the palace once again and asked Lang Jing how things were going. Lang Jing said, ¡°Your Majesty, you can send someone to Ming River now.¡±


    Xue Junliang also heard about the rumors being spread. The reason Lang Jing was very resourceful was that he knew how to attack the heart without using even a single soldier.


    Xue Junliang was thinking about who to send to Ming River. Now that he knows who Marquis Tengnan really is, it was inevitable that he felt a bit of a knot in his heart. He was not disgusted with Teng Yun, but he always felt erratic.


    Xue Junliang thought for a moment and asked Jiang Yu to leave the palace and go to Marquis Wannian¡¯s residence to deliver a message. He told Teng Shang that Emperor Xue asked him to set off the same day and go to Ming River to pick up Marquis Tengnan.


    Teng Shang was hit hard by the news of Teng Yun¡¯s death in Ming River. When Feng Country sent someone to say that Marquis Tengnan was not dead, Xue Houyang was almost happier than Teng Shang. Naturally, he thought that Minister Teng could finally stop being sad .


    Xue Houyang then prepared a salute for Teng Shang. He didn¡¯t point out Teng Yun¡¯s identity. He didn¡¯t know how to tell Teng Shang that he knew. He just said: ¡°Sir, you should be careful what tricks the Feng Country has when you go, and I don¡¯t know if there are any residual soldiers of Zhang Hong on the edge of Ming River.¡±


    After so many ups and downs, Teng Shang didn¡¯t know what his state of mind was. Only Xue Houyang treated him exactly the same, he naturally understood.


    Xue Houyang said again, ¡°General Zhao Lu specially sent Zhao Tong to accompany Minister Teng this time¡­ Minister Teng has always been more cautious than me, so Houyang won¡¯t talk more.¡±


    Teng Shang nodded and smiled after a while: ¡°There are some things.. I don¡¯t know how much you have found out. This time when I come back, I may have something to tell you, but I don¡¯t know whether Marquis Wannian will appreciate it or not.¡±


    Xue Houyang looked at his expression, nodded fiercely and said, ¡°Naturally, I¡¯d like to listen! When Sir wants to speak, Houyang will listen.¡±


    Teng Shang didn¡¯t speak any more. Zhao Tong had already arrived, so they rushed to Ming River.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Feng Ming was helpless.


    The only way to settle the court officials and people¡¯s suspicions was to release Teng Yun. So he sent a messenger to Ming River to relay the news. As soon as he said that Teng Yun would be released, the envoy of Xue Country had already arrived at Ming River.


    Feng Ming asked Qi Zijie to accompany and escort Teng Yun to Ming River. Teng Yun didn¡¯t expect that Teng Shang would be the one coming to pick him up. Teng Yun¡¯s battle time in Ming River was not short. He didn¡¯t know that his identity had been seen through by Teng Shang for a long time. It was not only Teng Shang, but also Xue Junliang and Xue Houyang.


    When Teng Shang saw the other, he just bowed to Teng Yun without much expression, pretending to be calm. He thanked General Qi and presented Emperor Xue¡¯s letter to show that he was willing to reconcile with Feng Country.


    Teng Shang¡¯s boat was already docked along the edge of Ming River. Teng Shang gave way to let Teng Yun pass first and said, ¡°My Lord, please get on the boat.¡±


    Teng Yun nodded and without saying much, boarded the boat. Zhao Tong then asked people to support the sail, and the boat braced the wind. Only then did they leave the border of Feng Country and went to the other side of Ming River.


    Zhao Tong was prejudiced against Teng Yun before, but he gradually changed his mind when he heard about his exploits in Ming River. When he learned that Teng Yun battled alone against the enemy, he was even more impressed.


    Teng Yun was not tortured in Feng Country during his capture, but his health was not well maintained. The wind on the water was not very calm. He was not very comfortable due to the turbulence, so he came out to the deck to get some air.


    Zhao Tong had been standing cautiously outside. His entourage was to protect the safety of Teng Shang and Teng Yun. He didn¡¯t dare to slack off. At this time, when he saw Teng Yun coming out, he wanted to make amends and felt really embarrassed.


    As soon as Zhao Tong walked over, he heard Teng Yun suddenly yelled, ¡°Be careful!¡±, and a cold arrow was shot over. Zhao Tong dodged, only to think that Teng Yun was standing behind him. As Teng Yun moved his body to avoid the arrow, he hit the mast, and the arrow grazed his arm.


    At this time, everyone saw that there was a small boat on Ming River. It was difficult to notice that it was rowing over because of the heavy fog. Zhao Tong was young and energetic, so when he saw someone injured, naturally he didn¡¯t want to give up. Teng Yun rushed over and pulled him hard. They threw themselves on the board together and avoided another cold arrow.


    Although it was only a small skin injury and a little skin was scratched, Teng Yun felt his body feeling heavier and he was getting dizzy. He turned his head to where the arrow that grazed him had fallen, and knew immediately that the tip of the arrow was poisoned.


    Zhao Tong was shouting something at him, and although he could hear him, he couldn¡¯t understand the words as he laid there in a daze; he seemed to be losing consciousness.


    Teng Shang also heard the commotion and immediately came out. He saw Teng Yun on the board with blood on his sleeves and he rushed over to his side anxiously. Unfortunately, Teng Yun couldn¡¯t hold on anymore and finally collapsed on the board, unconscious.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t expect that the person the envoy was picking up would arrive lying down, injured and unconscious. The envoy has not travelled with an Imperial Physician with them. Although Teng Yun was seen by the local physicians, the wound due to the poisoned arrow was very toxic. Teng Yun¡¯s blood was poisoned too fast, and his body itself was too weak, which led to him losing consciousness.


    Xue Junliang ordered someone to take Teng Yun directly to the Palace. Some people persuaded him not to do so, saying it was against the Imperial etiquettes and was not allowed, but Xue Junliang only said: ¡°He is first and foremost my Imperial Noble Consort, but he was asked to go to join the army and risk his life on the battlefield because all the generals and officials of this country were inferior to him.¡±


    Everyone was speechless.


    Emperor Xue took Teng Yun directly into the Imperial Palace, but did not arrange for him to go to the back palace.


    Jiang Yu asked Xue Junliang which side hall Teng Yun would be placed in.


    Xue Junliang just faintly uttered two words, ¡°Main hall.¡±


    Jiang Yu didn¡¯t know the relationship between Teng Yun, the late Empress and Teng Ying. Although he didn¡¯t understand why Xue Junliang was so attentive to the Marquis all of a sudden, and he could see worry in the Emperor¡¯s face, he still didn¡¯t talk much. He just did what Emperor Xue ordered.


    Xue Junliang called over several veteran Imperial physicians from the imperial hospital. In the eyes of these seasoned Imperial physicians, the arrow wound seemed to be no big deal. They just have to take care of Teng Yun¡¯s body as he had a heart ailment. It was not advisable for him to be overjoyed, too worried and too angry. If his heart ailment gets cured, then his body would be able to hold on.


    Xue Junliang listened to what they said and put his heart back into his stomach a little. He asked the Imperial Physician for a prescription to repair Teng Yun¡¯s body and restore his health. He was used to looking at Teng Yun with scars on his face.


    The Imperial Physician suddenly asked, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ I don¡¯t know if the wounds on the Marquis¡¯ face need to be treated or not?¡±


    He was stunned for a while, then suddenly frowned and said in a cold voice, ¡°Naturally, it needs to be treated and cured.¡±


    The Imperial physician was stunned when he said this and said, ¡°Your Majesty, please forgive this lowly subject. The scar on the Marquis¡¯s face has been around for a long time. Although it can be cured, I¡¯m afraid it can¡¯t be completely removed .¡±


    When he finished speaking, Xue Junliang¡¯s face sank again, but Xue Junliang knew that the reason why the scars could not be completely cured was actually his own responsibility. At that time, he didn¡¯t want to make Teng Yun feel better, but at this time, Teng Yun¡¯s identity changed and Xue Junliang¡¯s mind had also changed.


    Xue Junliang paused for a long time and said, ¡°Try your best to heal him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡­¡± The Imperial physician quickly knelt down and kowtowed: ¡°This old physician will try his best and dare not neglect. Please rest assured.¡±


    When the Imperial physician left, Xue Junliang stood by the bed and didn¡¯t speak. He just stared at Teng Yun.


    Jiang Yu stood not far away. Although the Emperor wasn¡¯t staring at himself, he felt goosebumps all over his body and didn¡¯t dare to speak. Emperor Xue¡¯s mind has been a little uncertain recently.


    The sky was getting dark, but Xue Junliang was still at Teng Yun¡¯s bedside. Jiang Yu had to cough lightly and said, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ Do you want your meal to be served here?¡±


    Unexpectedly, this sound woke Teng Yun up. Teng Yun felt his head was heavy and there was a humming sound in his ears. He struggled to open his eyes and tried to move his hand slightly, but he could not feel it.


    Teng Yun remembered that he had been hit by an arrow, and then he lost consciousness. His heart suddenly turned cold, thinking that his arm was incapacitated and struggled to get up.


    Teng Yun¡¯s right hand couldn¡¯t use force. His body tilted when he struggled and was about to fall off the bed. Xue Junliang himself watched him wake up and suddenly felt embarrassed to be caught staring, so he closed his eyes and pretended not to see it. However, at that moment, seeing Teng Yun about to fall off, he didn¡¯t think much and quickly stretched out his hand, holding his body to stop him from falling.


    Teng Yun was dizzy from his sudden movement. He closed his eyes to clear his head then realized someone was holding him, he opened them again and saw that it was Xue Junliang. His mind didn¡¯t have any reaction for a long time and looked at his hand again.


    Xue Junliang knew that Teng Yun didn¡¯t have any sensation on his hands, and said, ¡°Your hand is fine. It would be completely all right when the poison is cleared from your system and the swelling subsides in a few days.¡±


    Teng Yun realized that he had been leaning against Xue Junliang. He quickly got up to get out of bed and kneeled then said, ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    But before he could finish speaking, Xue Junliang waved his hand and pretended not to care: ¡°Teng Ying has done great this time. There is no need for thanks.¡±


    After that, he lifted Teng Yun up and helped him back to the bed and said, ¡°You do not need to kneel. Just lie down.¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t know why Xue Junliang was suddenly so ¡°friendly¡±. Maybe he just woke up and was not really fully awake yet. His thoughts could be seen all on his face. Xue Junliang suddenly felt helpless. Even if he had doubts, he shouldn¡¯t show it so obviously.


    Jiang Yu had keen understanding. Seeing the awkward scene, he came over and helped Teng Yun lie down.


    Xue Junliang said again, ¡°You have a rest first. Wait a while and I will ask someone to make some medicated meals to replenish your body.¡±


    Knowing that the latter half of the sentence was for himself, Jiang Yu hurried out and ordered to prepare the medicated meals.


    Teng Yun was a little surprised, but when he thought of his achievements this time, maybe Xue Junliang was behaving like this because of it. He was feeling weak and fell asleep in bed again, so he forgot to take a look around. This was obviously Xue Junliang¡¯s bedroom.


    When Teng Yun woke up again, it was already night time and there was a lamp lit in the hall.


    Xue Junliang was sitting behind the desk not far away and reading a book. From time to time, he would raise his eyes to look at the person on the bed. When Teng Yun woke up, he naturally knew, but Xue Junliang thought that if he immediately reacted and showed that he noticed that the other party had woken up, would he not lose the demeanor of an Emperor?


    So after waiting for a long time, he pretended to ¡°inadvertently¡± find that Teng Yun had woken up. He stood up and walked over the bed leisurely and said, ¡°Teng Ying is awake? How do you feel? Can you eat? Would you like to eat now?¡±


    After he finished asking, he looked at Teng Yun¡¯s stunned expression. He was surprised to see his expression, only to realize how many questions he had asked at one breath. Even if the other party was once his Empress, they were once mortal enemies and he should not care so much.


    Teng Yun paused and quickly got out of bed and said, ¡°This humble subject is much better.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, okay.¡±


    Xue Junliang turned around again and sat back, ¡°Jiang Yu, bring in the medicated food for Teng Ying.¡±


    Jiang Yu responded and went out to bring in the medicated food that had been heated on a low fire. Although it was medicated, Xue Junliang ordered some light food. He was afraid that Teng Yun would feel sick when he woke up because of the toxin on his body.


    Teng Yun was a little puzzled about Xue Junliang¡¯s reaction. At first, he was not fully awake. Now that he had slept enough, and was fully awake, he felt that Xue Junliang¡¯s behavior was really strange.


    For all of Teng Yun¡¯s unique skills and talents, it didn¡¯t cross his mind that Xue Junliang already knew his identity. He kept thinking for a while, deliberating on matters, finding any reason why Xue Junliang was being too weirdly concerned about him. Maybe Xue Junliang had thought of another way to make things difficult for himself, or perhaps to embarrass himself. At this conclusion, Teng Yun just sighed internally.


    Jiang Yu personally fed Teng Yun his meal. Thinking of the feast in front of him, Teng Yun became more respectful, not wanting to show any clues to what he was thinking or to make a fuss. The Emperor of the country was approving some memorial booklets, so how can he eat as a courtier? So he just made a gesture of taking a sip of the medicinal soup and didn¡¯t move again.


    Xue Junliang absently looked at the booklets and said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t suit your appetite?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ no it¡¯s not that,¡± Teng Yun immediately knelt down and said, ¡°This humble one doesn¡¯t deserve it.¡±


    Xue Junliang naturally understood that his kindness was regarded as a trick by the other party. He wanted to get angry, but he couldn¡¯t get angry. He didn¡¯t know whether Teng Yun was too cautious or his reputation was too bad.


    Xue Junliang sighed and said, ¡°Get up. It¡¯s already late tonight. The gate of the Imperial palace has been closed. You will stay in Yunfeng Palace for now and go out tomorrow¡­ You have made great contributions, and you can take good care of yourself.¡±


    Teng Yun still knelt on the ground and thanked Emperor Xue for his grace before he stood up.


    Xue Junliang knew Teng Yun was wary of himself, so he had to let Jiang Yu lead Teng Yun to Yunfeng Palace for this night.

 CH 62

    Edited- Zaki


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    When Jiang Yu returned, Xue Junliang was still holding the memorial and seemed to be thinking about something.


    Jiang Yu coughed and said, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ the memorial is upside down.¡±


    Only then did Xue Junliang come back to the present, glanced at the memorial in his hand, and turned to glance at Jiang Yu and said faintly, ¡°Did you escort Teng Ying back?¡±


    Jiang Yu instantly felt that he had said something that he shouldn¡¯t have said, and smiled apologetically: ¡°Replying to Your Majesty, yes.¡±


    Xue Junliang tossed the memorials aside and said, ¡°If this Seat wants to keep someone by his side, what do you think this Seat should do?¡±


    Jiang Yu hesitated a little and said, ¡°Your Majesty ¡­¡­ Your Majesty may be talking about the Marquis Tengnan? The Marquis was already Teng-fei when he went to war, and now that he¡¯s back, he is still Teng-fei.¡±


    Xue Junliang slanted another glance at Jiang Yu and said, ¡°Does this Seat still need you to confirm this?¡±


    Jiang Yu immediately knelt down and kowtowed, as he said, ¡°This old slave is stupid, this old slave knows his mistake¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t say anything more. He just let Jiang Yu get up, then picked up the memorial and looked at it. After a while, he found that the memorial he was supposed to be reading was upside down again.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s heart was knotted. Now he knew that Teng Ying was actually Teng Yun so all the more he didn¡¯t want to let go of this person. Teng Yun was the biggest threat for himself at one point of time but he had also learned to appreciate and care about this person as the one who was closest to his heart. He suddenly didn¡¯t want to use this method to entangle Teng Yun around himself.


    Xue Junliang couldn¡¯t think of a better way to let Teng Yun stay with him, so let him recuperate for the time being. However, when Xue Junliang remembered Teng Yun¡¯s wary eyes just now, he couldn¡¯t help but rub his forehead as he suddenly felt a headache coming.


    Teng Yun returned to Yunfeng palace. It was much more magnificent than when he went on the expedition earlier. It had been almost built. Although there were no Palace staff present, the furnishings were spotless.


    Although Teng Yun was only borrowing a room, because Emperor Xue¡¯s meaning was not very clear when letting Teng Yun borrow this place, Jiang Yu did not dare to speculate on the reasons. He just sent two attendants to the Yunfeng Palace. After all, Teng Yun was still injured and needed care.


    Teng Yun woke up having no appetite, but since he had been unconscious for some days and was feeling weak, he hadn¡¯t had regular food. Now his stomach was burning so badly that he had no choice but to eat. Just as he was about to request the attendants some food, Jiang Yu sent someone.


    Considering the fact the Emperor Xue was so distracted that he was reading the memorial upside down, Jiang Yu understood that Teng Yun was a very special person so he did not dare neglect his care. He sent several attendants and Palace staff over and especially let the kitchen send some light and nourishing dishes.


    It was getting late. Teng Yun went to bed after taking only a few bites. When he woke up the next day, it was almost noon.


    When the Palace maid saw that he was awake, she helped to freshen him up, and said that the Emperor had asked not to wake up the Marquis.


    Teng Yun was surprised and amazed. Was it because he had made great contributions this time that Emperor Xue planned to give him a position in the court? Or was Emperor Xue scheming against himself?


    Teng Yun thought about it and felt that giving him a position was indeed possible, after all, Xue Junliang had always been seeking talented people. However, after Xue Junliang¡¯s strategy of employing people without doubt, he always left a way out.


    After freshening up and arranging his clothes, Teng Yun was ready to go and pay his respects to Emperor Xue and then leave the Palace afterwards. After all, he was now a Marquis and his residence was not in the Forbidden Palace.


    Teng Yun had just left the main hall and had not yet left Yunfeng Palace when he saw Xue Junliang walking towards him from afar.


    It seemed that the man had just finished the Morning Court as his Imperial Court robes had not been taken off, showing his imposing tall figure.


    Teng Yun quickly lowered his head, took two quick steps over and was about to kneel down to pay his respects, but heard Xue Junliang say, ¡°Teng Ying is wounded, no need to be so formal, Jiang Yu, help him up.¡±


    Jiang Yu replied in affirmative and went over. Teng Yun did not have time to kneel and pay his respects at all, so he just gave him a little support.


    Xue Junliang asked with a smile, ¡°Did Teng Ying just get up?¡±


    Seeing a smile on his face, Teng Yun thought he was laughing at himself for staying in bed, so he had to say, ¡°Yes, this lowly Minister was rude.¡±


    Xue Junliang¡¯s meaning wasn¡¯t that at all. Of course, he knew that Teng Yun was weak and more rest was a good thing. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you had time to have breakfast?¡±


    Teng Yun paused and replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Wef Aeciljcu rjlv, ¡°Ktja¡¯r ubbv, atlr Vfja kbeiv ilxf ab ub ab Oleplc Ujijmf.¡±


    Kfcu Tec ogbhf obg j wbwfca jcv revvfcis gfwfwyfgfv atja abvjs kjr atf 15at vjs bo atf wbcat. Snfgs 15at vjs, Wef Aeciljcu kbeiv qfgrbcjiis ub ab Oleplc Ujijmf ab reqfgnlrf atf raevlfr bo atf Tbecu Uglcmf jcv rajs obg iecmt abufatfg.


    Although Xue Junliang was busy with political affairs, he never neglected Xue Pei. His expectations of Xue Pei were very high. After all, there was only this one Crown Prince in Xue country.  Fortunately, although Xue Pei was naughty, he was not stubborn. He was smart and good at learning.


    What Teng Yun couldn¡¯t understand was why a Monarch would take a Minister with a different surname to the Prince¡¯s Palace to supervise his studies. And looking at the momentum, he was actually going to have lunch together.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t give him the chance to refuse. He asked Teng Yun to go to Liujin Palace with him in the same carriage.


    On the surface, the little Prince seemed to be in awe of Emperor Xue. But in the end, he naturally hoped that his father would often come to see him. Even if he just asked what text he had learned, what book he had read and what he could write, it was good.


    He knelt at the entrance of the Palace early and waited for Xue Junliang to come over. Emperor Xue came as expected, but he brought another man with him.


    Xue Pei raised his eyes to glance at the new person and his face immediately dropped. Shen Yi, who was kneeling on the side, naturally found that the Prince¡¯s face was not looking good, so he quietly touched Xue Pei with his arm. The young Prince then tried to collect his expression but still he didn¡¯t look good.


    The relationship between the little Prince and the Empress was very good and hence Xue Pei¡¯s impression of Teng Ying was not very nice. Of course, he understood that it was not easy being an Emperor. It was not easy to just cut anyone. It depended on the general trend and the general opinion of the people. But Xue Pei¡¯s emotion still could not be controlled.


    Especially when he heard that his father had to marry him as a male consort, Xue Pei almost smashed the entire Liujin Palace. Then Shen Yi gave him good advice and analyzed the advantages and disadvantages to calm the Crown Prince¡¯s temper.


    What incensed Xue Pei¡¯s grievance even more was that Xue Junliang rebuilt the Yunfeng Palace, but let this man with a face full of scars live in it. Since ancient times the Yunfeng Palace of the Xue country was inhabited by all the Empresses, how could a male pet now live there?


    Xue Junliang first stepped off the carriage and reached out to help Teng Yun down. Even if Teng Yun had the courage, he couldn¡¯t really let the Emperor help him. Jiang Yu had a discerning eye, immediately hurried up to help Teng Yun down.


    Although Teng Yun¡¯s right hand was no longer visibly swollen and clotted with blood, the sensation had not returned. So it couldn¡¯t be moved, nor could it exert any strength.


    Xue Junliang watched from the side and frowned. He was not confident of Jiang Yu¡¯s old age. What would he do if he fell? So he waved Jiang Yu back and helped Teng Yun himself.


    In the eyes of the little Prince, this scene could be described as kindness and love, and this caused Xue Pei¡¯s face to darken even more.


    Teng Yun¡¯s heart was very emotional when he saw Xue Pei. The prince¡¯s age had crossed childhood and was nearing adolescence and he had grown up making his features more and more distinct.


    But when the eyes of the two people collided Xue Pei glared fiercely at Teng Yun.  Teng Yun immediately understood that his impression in the Prince¡¯s eyes was no longer a good one¡­¡­..


    Xue Junliang and Teng Yun entered the hall door in front. Shen Yi lowered his voice and said, ¡°Crown Prince, what are you doing?¡±


    Xue Pei waved his sleeve, deliberately lagged a few steps behind, also lowered his voice and said, ¡°High Mentor doesn¡¯t need to persuade me, I know when to say what.¡±


    Shen Yi suddenly felt powerless and thought to himself, ¡®If you know discretion then why do you look so angry enough to bite people?¡¯


    After entering the hall, Xue Junliang first asked Xue Pei about his recent studies.


    Shen Yi knelt down and reported back the progress. He took off his official hat with both hands and put it on the ground. He kowtowed and then put on his official hat again. This was the courtesy of Ministers to ask forgiveness.


    Shen Yi said, ¡°The prince is smart and studious. I¡¯m afraid that in another year, this lowly Minister will have nothing to teach.¡±


    There were many true and false elements in this sentence. Naturally there were facts and also Shen Yi¡¯s exaggerations. Of course, Xue Junliang was willing to listen to others praise his son, so he casually asked a few questions as an assessment, and Xue Pei answered them very fluently.


    Xue Pei was still a child at heart. Seeing him answer well, Xue Junliang praised him with a few words. Xue Pei immediately forgot his previous unhappiness and was happy again. Shen Yi let out a sigh of relief.


    When the school was over, Xue Junliang asked people to prepare the meal. Xue Pei saw that Teng Yun still hadn¡¯t left and seemed to want to eat with himself, so he suddenly said, ¡°Father, High Mentor Shen is this son¡¯s teacher, that is to say the eldest, may I invite High Mentor to join us?¡±


    Xue Junliang just glanced at Xue Pei lightly and said with a smile: ¡°Pei¡¯er has become more and more aware of the rules and etiquettes, thanks to the good guidance of the High Mentor. Since Pei¡¯er has already proposed it, the High Mentor might as well stay for dinner.¡±


    Shen Yi felt that he was very unlucky today. Unexpectedly, he ran into this kind of thing. He could have slipped away and got pulled in for no reason.


    Although it was an ordinary family dinner, the meal was really weird. Teng Yun¡¯s right hand was weak and he couldn¡¯t use chopsticks. He just drank porridge, so that he doesn¡¯t need to pick the vegetables.


    When Xue Junliang saw it, he personally added the side dishes and put it on his chopsticks. Teng Yun saw the smiling expression of the other party and suddenly a thought popped up in his heart. Luckily he didn¡¯t put the food directly into his mouth. It was already kind of him.


    Obviously, Teng Yun didn¡¯t feel that Xue Junliang¡¯s performance was gentle and considerate. The reason why Teng Yun was very wary of him was because he felt that Xue Junliang was going to play some trick on him.


    The little prince looked at the Emperor Xue favouring men now and the anger in his heart kept rising. Previously, the Emperor favoured the Empress and at the time also he used to be loving and very harmonious. Although Xue Pei grew up in the back Palace, he was very disgusted with the Harem of three thousand beauties.


    Xue Pei had nowhere to show his anger. Shen Yi kept winking at him trying to get him to control his temper. Xue Pei then stretched out his legs and kicked him under the table. Shen Yi didn¡¯t expect the Prince to kick himself. As expected, he became the target for the arrow. At this type of banquet with the Emperor, Marquis and Prince, this little Mentor became too pitiful.


    Teng Yun looked at his chopsticks that were always full of things, and his heart turned back and forth, thinking on what to say. He could not say that this lowly Minister was full nor could he thank His Majesty for his kindness.


    When Teng Yun was at a loss, Xue Junliang suddenly said: ¡°Are you tired? It seems that you are not in good spirits.¡±


    Teng Yun quickly nodded and said yes. Xue Junliang just generously waved his hand, and the banquet ended. He wanted Teng Yun to stay in Yunfeng Palace to recover from his injury, but Teng Yun said it was unreasonable. Finally, Xue Junliang also didn¡¯t force him and asked Jiang Yu to send him out of the Palace and rewarded him with a lot of valuable medicinal materials.


    Teng Yun let out a sigh of relief as he finally left the Palace. The carriage was very soft and smooth. Although it was not fast, it was very comfortable. Teng Yun certainly didn¡¯t think of it. Xue Junliang thought of it and ordered Jiang Yu.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    When Xue Houyang returned to the residence, he saw Teng Shang staring at the book, lost in thought. He didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, so he had to speak out, ¡°Sir.¡±


    Teng Shang was then startled at the sound and said, ¡°Lord Marquis is back.¡±


    Xue Houyang said, ¡°Today the Morning Court was let off late, then I went to the Military Office and now I have returned¡­¡±


    He paused and continued: ¡°When I came back, I saw Marquis Tengnan¡¯s carriage. It seems that he has returned to his residence to recuperate from his injuries. Sir, do not worry, if you are in a hurry to see him, you should be able to visit later.¡±


    Teng Shang asked, ¡°Has Marquis Tengnan¡¯s injury healed?¡±


    Xue Houyang nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sir. The elders of the Imperial Hospital don¡¯t eat official food for nothing. Marquis Tengnan is all right now. The only thing left is to recover and get well. I heard that Emperor Xue gave him many things, and there are quite a good number of valuable medicinal materials¡­¡±


    As he was speaking, he didn¡¯t expect Teng Shang to suddenly let out a laugh. Xue Houyang said, ¡°Sir? Did I say something strange?¡±


    Teng Shang shook his head and said, ¡°Lord Marquis¡¯s information is very detailed.¡±


    Xue Houyang hesitated: ¡°Ah¡­ I was on official business at the Military Office today and heard about it.¡±


    Teng Shang said, ¡°Did you hear or you went to inquire?¡±


    Xue Houyang was stunned, subconsciously rubbed the tip of his nose and said, ¡°I really can¡¯t hide anything from you, Sir. I really did go to inquire.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Xue Houyang initially didn¡¯t understand what Teng Shang meant when he asked ¡°why¡±, but when he saw Teng Shang¡¯s expression, he was a little embarrassed. Of course, he went to inquire about the news in order to not let Teng Shang worry.


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t speak, Teng Shang obviously didn¡¯t want to bypass him and continued to ask with a smile: ¡°Why did the Lord go to inquire?¡±


    Xue Houyang circumvented: ¡°Sir, if you want to visit the sick, you have to prepare some gifts for the visit. I don¡¯t know what to prepare.¡±


    Teng Shang didn¡¯t ask again, ¡°There¡¯s no hurry, Marquis Tengnan is weak, I can¡¯t disturb his rest, it¡¯s not too late to visit him in a few days.¡±


    He then suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard something in the past few days.¡±


    Xue Houyang hadn¡¯t seen Teng Shang¡¯s ¡°Deep and Profound¡± expression for a long time. He couldn¡¯t help feeling cramps in his stomach in anxiety. He seemed to feel that something was wrong before he said anything.


    Teng Shang smiled, his expression unfathomable and said, ¡°In order to show his sincerity regarding the peace, did Feng country¡¯s King offer any benefits in addition to sending back Marquis Tengnan?¡±


    Xue Houyang immediately felt uncomfortable and said, ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t seem to have heard anything.¡±


    Teng Shang raised an eyebrow, ¡°This Teng has been to Ming River in person. Isn¡¯t it clear?¡±


    Xue Houyang scratched his ears, his face had a somewhat overwhelmed expression. Teng Shang could not bear to tease him again. It seemed that as long as he said it himself, the other party took it very seriously.


    Teng Shang said, ¡°I heard that King Feng had sent the daughters of the Nine Marquises of Feng to form a marriage alliance with Lord Marquis. I just wanted to ask Lord Marquis, have you made your choice?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    Xue Houyang stood up quickly, his voice raised a little because of the eagerness, said: ¡°It is true, but since Houyang has ¡­¡­¡±


    He paused for a moment and wanted to say, ¡°I have already married with Sir Teng,¡± but he was afraid that the word ''married'' would hurt Teng Shang, so he had to change his words, ¡°Since Houyang already has a husband, he naturally won¡¯t think about taking a concubine.¡±


    Teng Shang smiled and said, ¡°What Concubine? Can a daughter of the nine Marquises be married as a Concubine?¡±


    Xue Houyang was a bit anxious and said, ¡°Sir, we are not talking about wives and concubines, we are talking about the fact that I will not marry again.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Teng Shang said, ¡°When I was leaving for Ming River, I said that when I came back this time, I had something I wanted to say to you.¡±


    ¡°I remember.¡±


    ¡°In fact, there are some things that I think cannot be hidden from the Marquis.¡± Teng Shang slowly spoke, ¡°Although the Marquis is sometimes reckless, he is also considered a person with a careful heart. This matter, I think the Marquis and Emperor Xue have already found out.¡±


    Xue Houyang stared at Teng Shang for a long time before speaking, ¡°Is this what Sir wanted to say? I thought it was about his own matter. Other people¡¯s affairs, Houyang does not care.¡±


    Teng Shang said with a smile, ¡°I haven¡¯t finished yet.¡±


    When the other party didn¡¯t speak, Teng Shang continued: ¡°The Marquis is young and promising, and has repeatedly made many war achievements. And in view of this all the high ranking families in the Capital want to become the Marquis¡¯ in-laws¡­¡­ Although Teng Shang has no virtue and no ability, this Teng is lucky to be favoured by the Marquis. But does the Marquis realize that being only with me, you will cut off your future generation. Lord Marquis¡­ Can you really afford to bear it? Teng is now half without any support, so regardless of any costs¡­¡­¡±


    He still wanted to  continue speaking, but Xue Houyang interrupted him and said, ¡°Sir, said at all costs. Although Houyang is stupid, he can hear it¡­¡±


    He said, reaching out his hand to hold Teng Shang and said with a smile, ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard my husband speak from his heart. I¡­ I¡¯m really happy.¡±


    Teng Shang just now spoke very emotionally without caring about the implication.  At this time, listening to Xue Houyang, his face burned as if he had a fever. Surprisingly it was so easy to say it out.


    Teng Shang originally wanted to talk to him about serious matters, but Xue Houyang only laughed giddily and held him tightly. Teng Shang wanted to push him away but unconsciously felt the other party¡¯s restless lower body.


    Even though Teng Shang had experienced the Imperial court for decades, he couldn¡¯t be so indifferent. He quickly stretched out his hand to push Xue Houyang and said, ¡°Marquis¡­Lord Marquis¡­..¡±


    Xue Houyang¡¯s lips gently rubbed Teng Shang¡¯s earlobes, and his hot breath exhaled on the other party¡¯s ears. He didn¡¯t know what to say and didn¡¯t dare to touch Teng Shang rashly, so he just kept kissing Teng Shang¡¯s earlobes and neck again and again.


    Teng Shang was heated by Xue Houyang¡¯s seemingly indistinct kisses, his limbs turned soft. He was not a pretentious person. He knew that if he didn¡¯t give his agreement, the Marquis Wannian who is invincible in the battlefields would never do anything improper or out of line.


    Teng Shang¡¯s throat rolled as he embraced the other person back and took the initiative to kiss the corners of Xue Houyang¡¯s mouth. He stretched his slightly trembling right hand to Xue Houyang¡¯s lower body to relieve him.


    Xue Houyang¡¯s breath became more thick and heavy. He narrowed his eyes and fiercely pressed Teng Shang on the desk in the study.


    The papers on the table were scattered all over the ground. Teng Shang looked at Xue Houyang in surprise, which made Xue Houyang feel even more impulsive and he stretched out his hand to untie Teng Shang¡¯s belt.


    Teng Shang was stunned and then tried to struggle to get up, saying, ¡°Lord Marquis?¡±


    He wanted to relieve the other party with his hands, but Xue Houyang was flattered by this behavior. His husband took the initiative and how could Xue Houyang bear it any longer, so he didn¡¯t care whether it was noon or not, or whether it was a study room or not.


    The two people were not really very expressive. Teng Shang always looked very calm. Xue Houyang had no idea what was on Teng Shang¡¯s mind. He had no idea what Teng Shang thought about himself. Now that Teng Shang used the words ¡®at all costs¡¯, he finally let go of the burden in his heart. So how could he easily let go of Teng Shang now?


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Teng Shang visited Teng Yun only on the third day after he returned to his residence. He had really wanted to see Teng Yun immediately, but Xue Houyang tossed him around so badly that day in his study, that he was unable to get out of bed for two days.

 CH 63

    Teng Yun received a notice  from Marquis Wannian¡¯s residence informing the intention to visit the sick. He  thought it was Xue Houyang who wanted to go through the motions. After all, Teng Yun¡¯s identity was also a high Marquis. Although his position was not as high as Marquis Wannian, he was also a Court Minister. Many Ministers had already come to visit the residence these days.


    However, Teng Yun didn¡¯t expect that it was not Xue Houyang, but Teng Shang alone who came to visit.


    Xue Houyang came with Teng Shang, but he didn¡¯t enter the residence. He stopped at the door and just passed the gifts to Teng Shang and didn¡¯t go in.


    Teng Yun was recuperating well these days and his spirit was much better. The most important thing was that he already could feel sensations in his right hand. It was due to the fact that Emperor Xue had asked the Imperial Physician to come every day to check on him and also sent Jiang Yu to bring some supplements to add to his meals. Teng Yun was allowed to take a five-day rest from Court work.


    Teng Shang could see that he was looking much better than the last time he had seen him in Ming River that day, so his heart was put at ease.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t know that the other party already knew his true identity. He politely let Teng Shang into the hall and ordered the maidservants to serve him good tea.


    Teng Shang asked the head maidservant to give Teng Yun his gift.


    Teng Yun politely received it, thanked Teng Shang and put it aside.


    Teng Shang smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to open it?¡±


    It was a bit rude to open a gift in front of the guest, but since the other party had asked for him to, Teng Yun opened the brocade box, which was actually the Four Treasures of a Scholar.


    When Teng Shang first taught Teng Yun to read, the first gift he gave him was also the Four Treasures of a Scholar.


    Suddenly, Teng Yun was stunned.


    There was a piece of paper under the inkstone. When he read what was written on it, Teng Yun suddenly stood up. He looked up in shock and stared at Teng Shang.


    Eight words were written on the paper, penetrating through the back of the paper and into the wood¨C Fly to the misty sky and shift, soar to the clouds, rise like a Phoenix.


    Teng Shang was still smiling and said, ¡°Lord Marquis, what do you think about the words written by this Teng? Does it catch your discerning eye?¡±


    Teng Yun held the paper in shock and stared at him for a long time without even blinking his eyes.


    Teng Shang sighed and continued to say, ¡°Are you getting better?¡±


    Teng Yun paused again, then nodded and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t know how Sir saw through it.¡±


    Teng Shang¡¯s face changed, smiled and said, ¡°I saw your handwriting on a draft in Marquis Wannian¡¯s study, and I knew it at that time¡­ I¡¯m afraid this matter is not only known to me, even Marquis Wannian, who has always been careless, also realized this. I¡¯m not sure about Emperor Xue, but he has tested me several times.¡±


    Teng Yun lowered his eyes. No wonder Xue Junliang was so attentive these days, but Teng Yun didn¡¯t expect Xue Junliang to know the relationship between the Empress and him, which made him even more sure that Emperor Xue knew he was Teng Yun and found a way to scheme against himself.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°I have caused you so much trouble.¡±


    Teng Shang said, ¡°No, seriously, I¡¯m very happy. I never dared to think that one day we could sit down and talk once again.¡±


    Teng Yun was afraid of Xue Junliang¡¯s eyes and ears in the residence, so he sent the maidservants to retire early and then continued: ¡°I got you into trouble. If it wasn¡¯t¡­ You wouldn¡¯t have to come to Xue Country, let alone¡­¡±


    Teng Shang listened to Teng Yun¡¯s halting words¨C and understood that he was talking about when he was to pick up Teng Yun¡¯s ashes and escort Teng Qianyi to marry the Emperor. Then he was left to marry Xue Houyang.


    ¡°There is one thing I don¡¯t intend to hide from you, so I want to tell you.¡±


    Teng Shang didn¡¯t wait for his reply and continued, ¡°No matter what you think of me in the future¡­ You don¡¯t have to blame yourself. In fact, I actually haven¡¯t done anything for you. Now, in Marquis Wannian¡¯s residence, in my heart, I am willing to stay.¡±


    Teng Yun looked at Teng Shang with his widened eyes, as if he had heard him wrong.


    Teng Shang continued: ¡°At first, I really wanted to use Xue Houyang to enter the Marquis Wannian¡¯s residence, but later¡­ this Teng couldn¡¯t help feeling that the Marquis is a kind-hearted man. I admired him, but now, I¡¯m afraid that this level of admiration has changed and even I can¡¯t stop it myself.¡±


    Teng Yun understood this, but was even more shocked, because in his heart, he had never considered what feelings these two men could have. At the beginning, when Teng Shang married Xue Houyang as a male wife, Teng Yun only regarded it as humiliation.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s heart was in a mess. He didn¡¯t know what to say. It would be totally impossible to say that he disliked Teng Shang because of this matter. After all, Teng Shang was his close relative, but he didn¡¯t know how to react for a while.


    Teng Shang again said with a smile, ¡°I have been loyal for half my life, but my country is gone. Maybe you will look down on me from now on, but I have made up my mind.¡±


    ¡°Rb. Rb.¡±


    Kfcu Tec delmxis kjnfv tlr tjcv jcv rjlv, ¡°P kbeiv cfnfg vjgf ab ibbx vbkc bc ws Fcmif¡­ Qfii, Zlclrafg Kfcu, P pera mjc¡¯a gfjma obg j wbwfca, P vlvc¡¯a fzqfma¡­¡±


    ¡°Yo mbegrf, P cjaegjiis xcbk sbeg afwqfgjwfca.¡±


    Cr tf kjr ajixlcu, atfs revvfcis tfjgv j mbwwbalbc bearlvf. Kfcu Tec rabbv eq jcv kjcafv ab jrx ktja kjr ublcu bc bearlvf, ktfc atf tjii vbbg kjr qertfv bqfc.


    Xue Junliang walked in, in plain clothes, followed by only two attendants. Jiang Yu was not even with him.


    Teng Yun¡¯s heart panicked. He suddenly turned back and quickly covered the brocade box. This small gesture naturally had not escaped Xue Junliang¡¯s attention.


    Xue Junliang walked forward on his own and the two knelt down to say their respect.


    Xue Junliang smiled and helped Teng Yun up and asked Teng Shang to rise, ¡°No need to be formal. How is Teng Ying¡¯s body?¡±


    Teng Yun retracted his hand without any trace and took a step back. He thought of what Teng Shang said just now. Xue Junliang probably already knew that he was Teng Yun, so he became more alert and said, ¡°Answering back to Your Majesty, I am much better.¡±


    Xue Junliang looked at the distance between the two, raised his eyebrows, then sat on the top chair and said with a smile: ¡°Well¡­ Teng Ying¡¯s body has gotten much better after leaving the Palace. It seems that he was restless and doesn¡¯t feel comfortable in the Palace.¡±


    ¡°This lowly subject doesn¡¯t dare to take liberty.¡±


    Xue Junliang just said, ¡°Sit down.¡±


    Then he glanced at Teng Shang standing on one side and said with a smile: ¡°Teng Shang is also here¡­ When this Seat entered the residence, he saw Houyang wandering outside the residence. It turned out that it was you who came to visit the sick.¡±


    Teng Shang was a little stunned. When he came in, Xue Houyang said that he would send someone to pick him up. He didn¡¯t expect that the other party would not leave and had been wandering outside. Teng Shang didn¡¯t know how he felt. Xue Houyang was kind-hearted, and was so considerate of Teng Shang. He was afraid that if they went in together, Teng Shang and Teng Yun couldn¡¯t talk easily.


    Xue Junliang said after a while, ¡°Teng Shang, sit down too. Don¡¯t stand.¡±


    Xue Junliang seemed to be the master of Marquis Tengnan¡¯s residence. He smiled and asked about Teng Yun¡¯s situation, what kind of food he liked, if he liked the dishes and supplements that he had sent and what the imperial doctor had ordered.


    Although Teng Yun answered fluently, his heart was hanging in the air in anxiety. He didn¡¯t know if he had said anything wrong, lest Emperor Xue would suddenly find fault.


    Teng Shang saw the interaction between them. He had already opened up about his own feelings with Xue Houyang. Naturally, he was more sensitive to this kind of thing. Emperor Xue¡¯s words and deeds made him a little suspicious, but it was obvious that Teng Yun hadn¡¯t noticed anything.


    Teng Shang didn¡¯t intend to tell Teng Yun anything. After all, he couldn¡¯t know whether Xue Junliang¡¯s mind was on a whim or if he just wanted to tease at all. It looks good now.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s concern was beaten back by Teng Yun. Xue Junliang should have been annoyed, but now he only felt powerless. It turned out that his sincerity and false intentions were almost the same in the other person¡¯s eyes¡­..


    When Xue Junliang came in, he had actually seen the brocade box on the tea table. Teng Yun deliberately closed the brocade box, which attracted Xue Junliang¡¯s attention even more. After a few decent words, he finally set his eyes on it and said with a smile: ¡°What is this?¡±


    As he spoke, he opened the brocade box and put the paper with words on it on the top. Teng Yun¡¯s heart gave a ¡°thump¡±, but thought maybe he couldn¡¯t find it. After all, it¡¯s just two lines of a poem.


    Xue Junliang picked it up, smiled and read, ¡°Fly to the misty sky and shift, soar to the clouds, and rise like a Phoenix.¡°


    Then he took a look at Teng Shang. The other party looked very calm, no sign of any nervousness.


    ¡°This was written by Mr. Teng? Houyang has always praised your talent and learning with this Seat, and your calligraphy is also very good.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he paused, then pointed to two of the words and said, ¡°Yun Feng. Isn¡¯t this the name of Yunfeng Palace?¡±


    Teng Yun thought he was being sarcastic when he mentioned Yunfeng Palace, so he didn¡¯t say anything.


    Xue Junliang knew that he had to proceed step by step and didn¡¯t stay any longer. He just said, ¡°Come to the Morning Court after you¡¯re fully recovered. I have not seen Teng Ying in the past few days, I am really worried about him. There are still many important things waiting to be discussed with you .¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness.¡±


    Teng Yun knelt down to thank him, but was stopped by Xue Junliang and said, ¡°Don¡¯t kneel. This Seat will go back to the Palace now. You can continue to talk and reminisce about the past.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know whether Xue Junliang intentionally did it or not, but when he said the word ¡°reminisce¡±, he paused a little; which made Teng Yun suddenly feel uneasy. But on second thought, Teng Shang and Teng Ying could also be said to be old friends. There was nothing wrong with talking and reminiscing about the past.


    Teng Shang knew that Xue Houyang was waiting for him outside, so he also stood up, told Teng Yun to rest, and left.


    Two days later, Teng Yun was fully rested, so he went to attend the Morning Court.


    Now that Feng Country requested for peace, Zhang Hong¡¯s troops were completely defeated again. There were no big matters to be dealt with, so the Ministers began to worry about Emperor Xue¡¯s harem once again.


    Since the death of the Empress, the Phoenix Seal of the Imperial Harem should have fallen into the hands of the Imperial Noble Consort. However, Emperor Xue did not have an Imperial Noble Consort. The only Imperial Noble Consort was still a man. Moreover, he went to join the military to command the army without completing the noble consort ceremony. There were only two Imperial Concubines with special identities.


    Teng Qianyi had already entered the Cold Palace a long time ago, and De-fei was implicated because of her brother. Although she cried out day and night that she didn¡¯t know anything about her brother¡¯s treachery and hoped that Emperor Xue would spare her this time, it was a pity that Xue Junliang was furious at that time and didn¡¯t show her any mercy. She was demoted from her position as an imperial concubine and was moved out of her Palace.


    So now it seemed that there was no one in charge of the Phoenix Seal and the Harem had no Mistress. Although Emperor Xue didn¡¯t intend to have more children, he couldn¡¯t just leave the Harem in the current state.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°This Seat misses the Empress and is unable to steel my heart to establish another Empress.¡±


    The Court Ministers didn¡¯t know whether what Emperor Xue said was true or not, but when the Empress was alive, she was indeed loved by thousands of people, and was pampered and favored by Emperor Xue, so it was hard for everyone to say anything.


    Xue Junliang was silent for a while and said, ¡°However, this Seat really needs someone to take charge of the Phoenix Seal.¡±


    Teng Yun, who was standing below, couldn¡¯t help but sneer when he heard his words. One moment he still missed his wife, but the next moment he was being hypocritical and saying he needed someone for the position.


    Teng Yun was suddenly taken aback when he was thinking about this. What did taking another Noble Consort or an Empress have to do with him? Why should he felt it was unfair? Maybe it was because he used to be the Empress¡­


    At this thought, Teng Yun¡¯s face suddenly turned red. He really didn¡¯t know what messy thoughts he was thinking about.


    Then Xue Junliang said at this time, ¡°Actually, this Seat has an Imperial Noble Consort. Have everyone forgotten Ai-qing?¡±


    Teng Yun was still caught up in his own thoughts, when he noticed that everyone was looking at him. When he looked up, Xue Junliang was also staring at himself.


    Xue Junliang then said, ¡°Last time when I received him as a Noble Consort, before this Seat could complete the ceremony, Teng Ying had to leave to take the lead in the battle. Now he has returned in victory. Let¡¯s have a banquet another day.¡±


    Teng Yun raised his head to look at Xue Junliang, but didn¡¯t say anything in the end.


    Although the Ministers had some objections; because of Teng Yun¡¯s presence, no one stood up to speak. After the Morning Court broke up, some of the Ministers asked to see Xue Junliang. Mostly saying that the Phoenix Seal could not be given to a man.


    Xue Junliang received several memorials one after another, all of which advised him not to give the Phoenix Seal to a man. Looking at the memorials, Xue Junliang sighed. He really didn¡¯t mean to make it difficult for Teng Yun. If he really accepted Teng Yun, then he would undoubtedly be in charge of the Phoenix Seal. This is tantamount to pushing Teng Yun to the top of the wave and becoming the target of public criticism.


    Xue Junliang considered it for a long time, and felt that if Teng Yun was placed in the Harem, he would be too talented. If he annexed Feng Country in the future, he would definitely send Teng Yun to battle.


    As he thought of Teng Yun going to the battlefield, he felt very upset. He got up and decided to take a walk outside. With no consciousness of where his feet were taking him, he walked to the gate of Yunfeng Palace and looked up at the plaque and couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡®Soaring in the clouds, rising like a Phoenix¡¯, was talking about Teng Yun.


    He went in, and there was a map in the teahouse next to the main hall. Jiang Yu knew that Xue Junliang missed the Empress, so he ordered the workmen to rebuild it. After the reconstruction, the layout was restored to its original state. There was no difference, even the books on the bookshelf.


    Xue Junliang sighed as he looked at the map, and Jiang Yu whispered, ¡°Your Majesty, do you miss the Empress again?¡±


    Even if he acquiesced, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t say anything, then he suddenly said, ¡°Jiang Yu, what could you say to this Seat to make others feel that this Seat really wants to be good to him?¡±


    After hearing this, Jiang Yu became excited and his heart immediately turned around. It was the first time he heard that King Xue was worried about this kind of problem.


    Jiang Yu smiled and said, ¡°This question¡­ This old slave is stupid, but Your Majesty, you can ask Marquis Wannian to enter the Palace. As far as this old slave knows, the relationship between Marquis Wannian and Mr. Teng has not always been very strong, but now they seem to be very good.¡±


    Xue Junliang coughed and said coldly, ¡°Does this Seat mean this kind of feeling? What are you thinking all day? This Seat is thinking about national affairs.¡±


    Jiang Yu thought he was really currying favor by saying the right thing, so he knelt down and kowtowed and said, ¡°This old slave is damned, This old slave knows it¡¯s wrongdoing¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang coughed again and said, ¡°Since you know you are wrong, you will call Marquis Wannian into the palace.¡±


    He added, ¡°I have military plans to discuss with him.¡±


    Jiang Yu realized that he had not curried favor, but instead had touched a sore point, so he didn¡¯t dare to say more and went on to send a messenger to Marquis Wannian¡¯s residence.


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t know why Emperor Xue was looking for him. The messenger said, ¡°Listening to Steward Jiang, it¡¯s about military plans, Lord Marquis!¡±


    Xue Houyang thought it was probably about King Feng doing something tricky. After all, everyone knew that the two countries, Xue and Feng, were just on a temporary truce.


    Wearing his official court clothes, he rushed to the Palace.


    He saw Xue Junliang sitting leisurely in the garden drinking tea.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Jiang Yu, speak for this Seat.¡±


    Jiang Yu thought, what am I going to talk about? I don''t know anything!


    Seeing that he hadn¡¯t moved for a long time, Xue Junliang put the tea bowl on the table and said, ¡°Say it.¡±


    Jiang Yu was very anxious for a while, so he said casually, ¡°What can I do to make others feel that I really want to be good to him?¡±


    Xue Houyang clearly heard what he said, but he didn¡¯t understand what he meant. He could only say, ¡°What?¡±


    Xue Junliang waved his hand and asked Jiang Yu to retreat. He seemed to dislike his stupidity and said slowly: ¡°I came to ask you¡­ How are you getting along with Teng Shang now? The Nine Marquises of Feng Country have sent portraits of their daughters and are just waiting for you to choose a daughter so that you can get married soon.¡±


    When Xue Houyang entered the Palace, he never thought about this matter, it turned out that this was the problem. He immediately knelt down and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Chen-di will not marry again.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ You say that every time. You¡¯ve made up your mind and won¡¯t change it?¡±


    ¡°No more changes.¡±


    Xue Junliang spoke windingly and other topics before reaching the main point and said, ¡°What about Teng Shang? Is he thinking the same as you?¡±


    ¡°If it had been before, I wasn¡¯t sure, but now I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Xue Junliang took a sip of tea and said, ¡°Oh¡­ How did you make Teng Shang change his mind? I have to admire you.¡±


    Xue Houyang not only giggled when he heard this sentence, but also said, ¡°Chen-di¡­ Chen-di didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    This sentence immediately made Xue Junliang want to throw away the tea bowl. He had spoken so winded and in circles for such a long time and as a result, he got back this sentence as a response, but Xue Houyang didn¡¯t seem to be false.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Teng Yun was heading back to his residence after the Morning Court, when his carriage suddenly stopped. He lifted the curtain and saw Xue Yu riding a horse, standing not far in front with a smile and said, ¡°I wonder if Marquis Tengnan has time, how about going for a drink?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Lang Jing there? If Lang Jing had followed, he wouldn¡¯t think it¡¯s a good thing for the Marquis to invite me to drink.¡±


    When Xue Yu heard of the word ¡°Lang Jing¡±, his face became a little ugly and said, ¡°Won¡¯t the Marquis accept my invitation?¡±


    ¡°I accept, naturally, I appreciate it of course.¡±


    Teng Yun said while looking aside and said, ¡°Here is okay bah.¡±


    With that, Teng Yun got off the carriage, Xue Yu also got off his horse and they entered the restaurant side by side. Teng Yun left the servants outside and didn¡¯t let anyone follow.


    Xue Yu just asked Teng Yun about his health when they were seated down. After drinking two cups of wine, he smiled and said, ¡°Today, I could see what the Emperor brother means and he wants to make you an Imperial Noble Consort. I should congratulate you, shouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    Teng Yun knew that there was nothing good for him to find himself. He said, ¡°The Emperor¡¯s mind is not something we can guess as courtiers. If we do our part well, it¡¯s enough not to exceed the moment, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Xue Yu sneered, ¡°Lord Marquis¡¯s eloquence is better than mine, I really sigh at being inferior.¡±


    ¡°You are too modest.¡±


    Xue Yu filled the wine again and said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not looking for Lord Marquis just to have a drink with him today.¡±


    Teng Yun said: ¡°Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t choose to be in this kind of compartment with you today. If you have something to say, please say it directly.¡±


    Xue Yu listened to him cheerfully. Just when he was about to speak, he heard two soft sounds of ¡°click¡±, and the door of the compartment was pushed open.


    Xue Yu had specifically ordered not to be disturbed, so when someone suddenly came in, he was ready to be angry and lash out, but it was Lang Jing who came.


    Lang Jing walked over and said, ¡°My Lord.¡±


    Xue Yu sneered, ¡°Lord Lang, how busy is the Military Office today? It is rare for you to be able to get out of the Palace?¡±


    Lang Jing didn¡¯t care about Xue Yu¡¯s strange appearance of Yin and Yang. His face was still calm, as he said: ¡°Emperor Xue heard that the Lord invited Marquis Tengnan for a drink here and ordered Lang Jing to come and invite Marquis Tengnan back to the Palace.

 CH 64

    Edited -Zaki


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    When Teng Yun left, Lang Jing said, ¡°My Lord still hasn¡¯t learnt his lesson. The last time he suffered a great loss, now he has to repeat the same mistakes.


    Xue Yu did not look at him, poured himself a cup of wine and said, ¡°Lesson? Are you worthy of teaching me a lesson?¡±


    ¡°This Lang does not dare to lecture My Lord.¡±


    Xue Yu gently waved his hand and said, ¡°Lord Lang doesn¡¯t have to call me ¡®Lord¡¯ anymore. After you returned from the Ming River, Emperor Xue neither punished you nor disparaged you. You are even more popular in the Military Office now. My congratulations.¡±


    As he spoke, he seemed to be suddenly angry as he threw the cup to the ground. He stared at Lang Jing and said, ¡°You are really comfortable, because Xue Junliang didn¡¯t lock you up¡­ Do you know how it feels to be locked in the house, without even a window in it? I am obviously of Royal and Noble lineage, but even the lowly guards could laugh at me and throw the food on the ground to be licked.¡±


    Lang Jing¡¯s face finally changed, ¡°Lord¡­¡±


    Xue Yu interrupted him, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you. I¡¯ll go my own way. Even if I lose my head, I have my own dignity. What Xue Junliang owes me will be paid back sooner or later.¡±


    Lang Jing didn¡¯t speak for a little while and just when Xue Yu was about to blast his anger at him, he opened his mouth and said, ¡°My Lord, do you think you can do better than the current Emperor if you ascend the throne?¡±


    Xue Yu glared at him sideways, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Lang Jing said, ¡°Take Feng Country for example. Feng Country is seeking peace, but anyone with discerning eyes could see that this is short lived peace and one day soon the peace would be torn apart. And the banks of the Ming River would be a war zone again. What would the Lord want to do then?¡±


    Xue Yu just stared at him without saying anything. The bloodshot eyes made the man look very gaunt.


    Lang Jing added, ¡°Lang Jing¡¯s years with the Lord were not short. I think no one has known the Lord better than this Lang. You are impatient and can¡¯t hide your emotions. You¡¯re not suitable to be the King of a country.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Xue Yu didn¡¯t get angry but instead smiled and said, ¡°You finally said what¡¯s in your heart?¡±


    Lang Jing said, ¡°The Lord is angry. In fact, he doesn¡¯t really want to be the Ruler of a country. He just can¡¯t swallow his anger. But why use the method of defeating Generals at the expense of Soldiers.¡±


    Xue Yu snorted coldly, ¡°So Lord Lang is here to lobby, but I know Xue Junliang¡¯s personality very well. He might seem very generous on the surface but in fact he isn¡¯t tolerant at all. Do you want me to make achievements and let Xue Junliang look at me differently? I¡¯m afraid Xue Junliang will think about how to seize my power at that time!¡±


    Lang Jing¡¯s face remained unchanged, and he said calmly, ¡°Since ancient times, people who have won the hearts of the people have won the world. The reason why Emperor Xue cannot move Marquis Tengnan is because he can win the hearts of the people. If an Emperor kills a wise man in vain, he will only invite rebellion.¡±


    Xue Yu did not respond, but from his face it could be seen that he thought Lang Jing was still lobbying.


    Lang Jing did not say anymore, he turned to go out and before leaving the door of the cubicle said: ¡°Perhaps the Lord does not believe in this Lang¡¯s loyalty, or perhaps the Lord is not able to listen to this Lang¡¯s advice, only ¡­¡­¡±


    Lang Jing seemed to want to say something, but his voice was too low. Xue Yu didn¡¯t catch it clearly, and then he went out. Xue Yu stared at the half-closed door, made a sudden push and smashed the wine pot. The wine pot broke all over the ground but it couldn¡¯t dispel his anger.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    The next day at the Morning Court, the Ministers still wanted to continue to discuss the establishment of the Noble Consort, but a memorial broke everyone¡¯s arrangements. Xue Junliang¡¯s uncle Marquis Zheng An had died.


    Xue Junliang just didn¡¯t know whether Teng Yun should be in the Court or in the Imperial Harem. He took this opportunity to seal everyone¡¯s mouth.


    Xue Junliang said: ¡°Although Marquis Zheng An doesn¡¯t come to the Capital City often, this Seat has always respected him. Now that this Seat¡¯s uncle has passed away, these things will be postponed.¡±


    It was absolutely impossible to say how deep the feelings between Xue Junliang and Marquis Zheng An were. Among the previous generation of Xue Emperors, Marquis Zheng An was the only one left.  The reason why he could stay was actually very simple. Marquis Zheng An held military power and was kind. He was a peacemaker and never fought or robbed any Imperial positions, because he knew he couldn¡¯t compete.


    Now that Marquis Zheng An had died, Xue Junliang began to think about his military power.


    Xue Junliang got off the Court and asked several people into the Warm Pavilion of the study  to discuss this matter. Xue Junliang naturally wanted to confiscate Zheng An¡¯s military power without moving troops. After all, Feng Ming was eyeing the country. If Xue country had a civil war, Feng Ming would definitely try to take advantage of it.


    Xue Houyang thought for a moment and said, ¡°Over the years, Marquis Zheng An has established prestige. Chen-di has seen his army. Although the number is not too many, it is really an elite army. I¡¯m afraid even if Marquis Zheng An is no more, his army might not surrender easily.¡±


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    Xue Junliang tapped his index finger on the table and smiled, ¡°What does Teng Ying think?¡±


    Teng Yun bowed his head and said: ¡°His Majesty wants military power from Marquis Zheng An. In fact, it is very simple. The title of the Marquis Zheng An is inherited by the first son. Your Majesty could pass an Imperial decree to praise the sons of Marquis Zheng An, and the territory and army of the Marquis Zheng An could be equally divided among them. Once the military power is divided, not only there is nothing to be feared but it would also be easy for His Majesty to tidy everything up.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded with a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s really a good idea. The Prince will come to the Capital City to inherit the title at the beginning of next month. It would be feasible.¡±


    When he finished, Lang Jing said: ¡°This lowly subject has heard that although Marquis Zheng An has high prestige in the army and treats people kindly, he is only considerate outside. It seems at his own place he always has a temper. There are many sons and daughters. Although the eldest Prince is the legitimate heir, he is only interested in men. Your Majesty can take advantage of this. He doesn¡¯t need to divide the territory and military power equally. Instead, deliberately give the eldest Prince a little less and then send portraits of the daughters sent by the Feng Country to him, so that he can choose the one he likes to marry and form an alliance between the two countries. Though the land and military power given would be less, His Majesty personally referred to an alliance and this would make it fair. However the Prince would definitely have a grievance, he would resent the other younger brothers ¨C even though they were not as high status as himself, they still would get the lion¡¯s share. Let them secretly have internal strife so that Your Majesty can take advantage of it when the time comes.¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°Lang Jing really is full of good ideas.¡±


    After a while, they withdrew from the Warm Pavilion of the study.


    Xue Junliang wanted to keep Teng Yun back for dinner, but Teng Yun politely thanked for the grace and declined. Xue Junliang couldn¡¯t be so obvious, so he had to let Teng Yun out of the palace.


    Instead, Lang Jing stayed behind. Lang Jing knelt down and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Lang Jing has an ungrateful request. Please grant permission, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Xue Junliang picked up the memorials on the table and looked through them. He said, ¡°Since it¡¯s an unsolicited request, then better not say it.¡±


    Lang Jing said, ¡°Your Majesty must be able to see that Marquis Tengnan is extremely intelligent. Even if he tries to find a way, he will be open and aboveboard. Lang Jing is narrow-minded and capable only of backstabbing . Lang Jing is a lowly minister, only capable of flattery. Your Majesty must not use a sycophant if he wants to fight and defend the country.¡±


    ¡°You want to leave?¡±


    Lang Jing took off his official hat and said, ¡°Your Majesty is surrounded by many talents, although Lang Jing is proud of his talent, there is not much use for him here. So please be gracious and allow Lang Jing to resign and return to his hometown.¡±


    Xue Junliang shook his head and said, ¡°This Seat does not care if you are a sycophantic Minister. Rest assured, this Seat will never let you go. After all, how can this Seat be at ease with your wealth of knowledge being sent outside¡­.. Lang Jing, if you insist on leaving, this Seat will have to take Xue Yu to the blade, you weigh it yourself.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Teng Yun exited the Palace.


    Xue Houyang was going in the same direction as him, so they went back together. They had nothing to talk about and were silent on the way back.


    As they were walking, they saw a young man in expensive clothes running after a man, which made everyone in the street look over there, just like watching a good show.


    The young master chased the person in front, to the nearby teahouse, he turned and went inside. Xue Houyang watched and his face immediately sank, because the person who was entangled was not someone else, it was his family¡¯s Teng.


    That young master looked like a dandy. He was trying to take liberties while chasing the person. However, this nobleman must have seen Teng Shang¡¯s thin and weak body, and hence had no fear. He didn¡¯t think that Teng Shang was also a Martial Arts practitioner.


    Teng Yun had still not fully reconciled in his heart. After all, he didn¡¯t understand how two men could have such feelings, but when he saw Xue Houyang¡¯s expression, his heart finally felt relieved. It seemed that Marquis Wannian really had Teng Shang in his heart.


    Xue Houyang said to Teng Yun, ¡°I have something to do first. Marquis, please go ahead.¡±


    Teng Yun said with a smile: ¡°I just seemed to have seen Lord Teng. Anyway, there¡¯s nothing important to do at the residence. Let¡¯s go together.¡±


    Xue Houyang knew Teng Yun¡¯s identity and thought that Teng Yun would mean no harm. So, they also entered the teahouse together.


    Teng Shang was sitting at a table in the corner; the luxuriously dressed young master also sat next to him. He spoke so loudly that Xue Houyang could hear him as soon as he entered the door.


    ¡°Young master, are you drinking tea alone? That is so boring. Why don¡¯t we have a chat?¡±


    As he spoke, he put his frivolous hand on Teng Shang¡¯s shoulder.


    It seemed that this kind of action was actually not frivolous, but in Xue Houyang¡¯s eyes, it was extremely frivolous. Xue Houyang couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and walked over and deliberately stood between them, saying, ¡°Husband, How come you are out now?¡±


    Teng Shang was not surprised to see Xue Houyang, he smiled and said, ¡°I thought you were coming back from Morning Court, and there was nothing to do in the house, so I came out for a walk.¡±


    Xue Houyang was in a good mood. It turned out that Lord Teng had come to find him.


    Although it was just some small gestures, Xue Houyang obviously felt that their relationship had been much closer since they talked about it the other day. This was simply a good thing that Xue Houyang dreamed of.


    Teng Shang saw that Teng Yun was also there and said, ¡°Want to sit together for a while?¡±


    Teng Yun rubbed his nose awkwardly. The relationship between the two seemed to be very good in his eyes. If he stayed, he didn¡¯t know if he would disturb them.


    Teng Shang saw his hesitation; he opened the cups that were placed upside down on the table and filled a cup of tea for Teng Yun.


    Teng Yun just sat down. All three of them sat down. The square table still had a spot free on one side. The Young Master was not polite and sat down in the free seat and said with a smile, ¡°My surname is Xue. Just call me Changjing.¡±


    As soon as he said this, the three looked at each other. Although Teng Yun was not familiar with the Royal relatives and nobles of Xue country, they had just finished talking about them in the Warm Pavilion of the study. So how could they not know?


    Xue Changjing was the eldest Prince of Marquis Zheng An. It was said that he would be coming to the Capital City to inherit the title, beginning next month. Unexpectedly, he had swaggered in the streets of the Capital this time and right under the eyes of Emperor Xue.


    Xue Houyang heard that he was the eldest Prince of Marquis Zheng An and his face immediately became wrong. He still remembered Lang Jing¡¯s words that the son was only interested in men. Now he was pestering Teng Shang, wasn¡¯t this to get Teng Shang¡¯s attention?


    Xue Changjing, of course, did not know that these three people have their own thoughts. He wanted to get close to Teng Shang but Xue Houyang¡¯s murderous aura that had been honed in battlefield was no joke. Xue Changjing had better understanding than Xue Houyang  about affairs of love and lust and immediately understood that Teng Shang was already taken.


    He felt that he would become a Marquis soon and there was no need to fear but currently he was alone and it would not be easy to play hardball. He could bring his entourage some other day to show his imposing manner.


    Xue Changjing thought in this manner and stopped pestering Teng Shang and then turned to look at Teng Yun. Teng Yun saw him looking at himself, and pretended not to see.


    Xue Changjing saw that he was born well, but there were many scars on his face. Although these scars could not be eradicated after treatment, they were much lighter than before.


    Xue Changjing had some misgiving in his heart. At first glance, he looked a little vicious, but when he looked closely at his temperament, it really shone through. Xue Changjing thought it was just fun, so he turned to Teng Yun and started to pester him.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t want to talk to Xue Changjing. First, because this person was too frivolous, Teng Yun was more conservative after all, and second, because Xue Changjing was the eldest Prince of the Marquis. He was supposed to have received the summons to travel back to Capital City sometime now. It was a great crime to have left his territory without receiving the summons from the Emperor. Teng Yun didn¡¯t want to get into trouble, especially Xue Junliang¡¯s attitude towards him now, he was afraid he would be picked on again.


    Xue Changjing talked to Teng Yun for a long time but it was like talking to a wall. The other party totally ignored him. This made the Prince who was used to getting whatever he wanted when he was in his territory, very unhappy.


    Xue Houyang sat for a while and didn¡¯t like Xue Changjing¡¯s behaviour. He was ready to get up and go back. Teng Shang followed him and said to Teng Yun, ¡°You¡¯re not well yet. Go back and have a rest.¡±


    Teng Yun nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back now.¡±


    When Xue Changjing saw them leave, he was a bit resentful, but thinking that he would stay in the Capital for a long time, he put his mind at ease.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Xue Junliang soon received a report.


    Jiang Yu said, ¡°Your Majesty, it is said that¡­¡­ someone was flirting and taking liberties with Marquis Tengnan in the street.¡±


    With a click, Xue Junliang threw the memorial on the table, raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Say it again.¡±


    Jiang Yu wiped his cold sweat and said, ¡°Err¡­ Someone reported that they saw someone trying to flirt and take liberties with Marquis Tengnan in the street.¡±


    Xue Junliang said coolly, ¡°Taking liberties?! Are there such unruly people right under the nose of the Emperor?¡±


    Jiang Yu said, ¡°This old slave¡­ this old slave has sent someone to check. It seems that the man is not a troublemaker¡­ but he is actually the eldest Prince of Marquis Zheng An.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the Prince be still on the road? How did he get to the Capital so soon?¡±


    ¡°This old slave doesn¡¯t know. The man claims to be Xue Changjing.¡±


    Xue Junliang was silent for a moment and said, ¡°Go and escort this unruly person who calls himself Xue Changjing to this Seat.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu felt as if he was asking for trouble. He hurried down and ordered the guards to catch the person, but from what His Majesty had said, Emperor Xue wanted him to go himself. So he went with the guards.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Teng Yun was being harassed constantly these days making his days unbearable. The Prince knew that he passed by the street at this time every day, so he waited on the street and started talking and trying to flirt with him everyday whenever he came by. Teng Yun didn¡¯t want to reveal his identity so he had to take many measures to go to his own residence without being discovered. It was very tricky with Xue Changjing constantly following him around.


    Therefore, he could only wander in the street every day. Xue Changjing happily followed behind and tried to flirt and take liberties. Teng Yun didn¡¯t know much about love. Besides, the other party was still a man. He just thought Xue Changjing¡¯s pestering was very annoying.


    At the end of the day, Teng Yun¡¯s carriage was stopped again, but before Teng Yun could lift the curtain, there was a commotion outside. He heard Jiang Yu¡¯s voice faintly.


    Jiang Yu should be serving Xue Junliang in the Palace at this time. He would never appear in the market at this time. Teng Yun lifted the curtain of his carriage and looked out. It was indeed Jiang Yu.


    Jiang Xue was accompanied by a bunch of guards, who were holding Xue Changjing on the ground. The Prince looked very distressed, and was shouting ¡°How dare you touch me¡± and other words.


    Seeing Teng Yun, Jiang Yu said, ¡°Marquis, this old slave has disturbed your peace and quiet. This slave is here by order of His Majesty to arrest the unruly person for questioning.¡±


    Teng Yun heard that it was Xue Junliang¡¯s orders so he didn¡¯t interfere and only nodded his head. When Xue Changjing heard that Teng Yun was called ¡°Lord Marquis¡±, his heart had a sudden anxiety. If the other party he had been harrassing was indeed a Marquis, then wasn¡¯t he in a bad spot?


    Jiang Yu took Xue Changjing into the Palace. Xue Junliang did not see him, but just had someone cane him. Jiang Yu felt that something seemed wrong.


    Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? The Prince of Marquis Zheng An is on the road now. This Seat is only punishing an unscrupulous fellow. It was kind of this Seat to only punish the unruly person with a few hits from the cane instead of directly beheading him.¡±


    Xue Junliang ordered the guards to execute the punishment on the jade steps outside the hall. The sound of wailing from outside could be heard inside. Xue Junliang drank his tea happily. When the punishment was over, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t release the person. Instead he ordered the person to be dragged into the prison and be locked for more than half a month. He only allowed the release when the date matched when the Prince was supposed to reach the Capital city.


    This day was the day when the Prince of Marquis Zheng An should have reached the Capital city to meet Emperor Xue. As soon as Xue Junliang entered the hall, he saw Xue Changjing standing below. He looked haggard and respectful. Seeing Xue Junliang looking at himself, he couldn¡¯t help shaking, as if the wounds from the cane had still not healed.


    Of course, Xue Changjing also noticed Teng Yun standing in the front row. Before Emperor Xue had come in, the ministers had greeted Teng Yun. Xue Changjing clearly heard people calling him ¡°Marquis Tengnan¡±, and the other person walking with Teng Yun seemed to be Xue Houyang, Marquis Wannian who had great achievements and military power.


    Xue Changjing¡¯s face turned green. He finally understood why Emperor Xue had taken him into the Palace to beat him up, and had thrown him into the prison. It seemed that the news of him pestering Teng Yun had reached the Emperor¡¯s ears.


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t know what his brother had done, but Xue Houyang had to admit that his heart felt some relief looking at Xue Changjing¡¯s haggard appearance now.


    Xue Houyang also specially said with a smile, ¡°Prince, hope you are all right.¡±


    Xue Changjing could only say with a smile: ¡°Marquis¡­ Hope Marquis is well too.¡±


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t look at him anymore, but said coolly, ¡°Thanks to you.¡±


    Teng Yun listened to them, and immediately felt that Xue Houyang and Xue Junliang were brothers indeed.  At this time, whether it was the tone of voice or the way they spoke, they were seven points similar. It was the first time he saw Xue Houyang ¡°strike others when down¡±.


    But Teng Yun thought Xue Houyang¡¯s attitude towards Xue Changjing was entirely because Xue Changjing had pestered and tried to take liberties with Teng Shang before. Teng Yun thought in his heart, maybe Marquis Wannian was really sincere to Teng Shang, and Teng Shang¡¯s ability to know people has always been very accurate.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Ela ~~ both Imperial brothers drinking vinegar! XD

 CH 65

    Xue Junliang walked into the hall calmly and sat down.


    After everyone had paid respects, Xue Junliang pretended to be surprised, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with the Prince? I haven¡¯t seen him for many years, but now he looks unwell. Uncle Zheng¡¯s passing away must have been a great blow. I¡¯ve heard that the Prince has always been a filial son. I could see that he deserves this reputation, this Seat feels very sorry for his loss.¡±


    Xue Junliang¡¯s previous remarks were not correct, which made the Prince feel strange. His words were a little dark and gloomy. Xue Changjing quickly thought of Xue Junliang¡¯s words and looked frightened.


    At first, Emperor Xue didn¡¯t mention his title inheritance. He just asked Xue Changjing how he had been, how the customs of the territory were, and how old Xue Changjing was.


    Then Xue Junliang said with a smile: ¡°Although this Seat didn¡¯t see him often, when this Seat¡¯s Uncle was alive, this Seat had deep feelings for his Uncle. I didn¡¯t expect that Changjing still didn¡¯t have a wife. Didn¡¯t this make Uncle Zheng heartbroken? It was not easy for you to come to the Capital this time, and this Seat has nothing to reward you. How about finding a wife worthy of you?¡±


    Xue Changjing, who was standing below, wiped his sweat. He wasn¡¯t sure whether Emperor Xue had heard that he had sex with men and was only attracted to men.


    When Marquis Zheng¡¯an was still alive, Changjing also knew that his father liked men, but he also married several concubines. He had tried to marry off Changjing, but he couldn¡¯t manage it. Finally, he didn¡¯t care anymore and let Changjing go on with his choices of lovers; men.


    Teng Yun, Xue Houyang, and the courtiers, knew Xue Changjing¡¯s sexual preferences a long time ago. Hearing Xue Junliang say this, they knew that a good show was coming.


    Xue Junliang really did live up to everyone¡¯s expectations.


    He said with an unfathomable smile: ¡°King Feng had mentioned a marriage alliance with this Seat a few days ago. Houyang is the only Marquis that this Seat can think of marrying off. However, the daughters of the Nine Marquises of Feng Country are all golden branches and jade leaves. Houyang¡¯s character is too rough, and he¡¯s afraid that he would be neglectful. This Seat didn¡¯t expect that Changjing had never married, but now it looks like it was for the best. This Seat will now personally refer to the marriage for you.¡±


    Xue Changjing was in a cold sweat. How could a daughter of the Nine Marquises not be spoiled? If her husband didn¡¯t touch her, wouldn¡¯t she despise her husband and complain about the deeds to Feng Country and provoke the two countries to war?


    Before Xue Changjing could say anything, Xue Houyang stood up and said with a smile, ¡°Chen-di also thinks this is indeed a very good idea. Chen-di is used to being on the battlefields and is afraid of neglecting the wife.¡±


    Xue Junliang: ¡°Indeed it¡¯s very good, Changjing. If you have no objection, it¡¯s settled.¡±


    Xue Changjing wanted to retort, but seeing Xue Junliang¡¯s smiling appearance, he couldn¡¯t help thinking of the previous cane punishment, and his whole body hurt again. In the end, he was too scared and didn¡¯t dare to speak.


    Xue Junliang nodded, ¡°That¡¯s settled then¡­ So now, I have another thing to mention.¡±


    He paused and continued with a smile, ¡°Before the rebel Zhang Hong invaded Ming River, Teng Ying should have been decreed as the Imperial Noble Consort, but he couldn¡¯t as he had to take the lead in the battle. Now Zhang Hong has been killed, all the rebels have been captured, and Teng Ying should be praised.¡±


    Teng Yun heard his name being mentioned, he took a half step forward and lowered his head, ¡°This lowly subject is afraid that he¡¯s undeserving of Your majesty¡¯s kindness.¡±


    Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t be modest. Since Teng Ying has returned in victory, and naturally what was decided before could not be done away with. High Mentor Shen was right. Teng Ying¡¯s destiny is to help this Emperor. It¡¯s better to take advantage of Changjing¡¯s marriage alliance with Feng and take Teng Ying into the palace at the same time.¡±


    Teng Yun was stunned at the moment. His eyes widened and looked up at Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look like he was joking. But after all, he was a man and when he said about taking him into the Palace in front of everyone, Teng Yun still seemed to feel uncomfortable.


    Xue Changjing immediately cast an enlightened look, and instantly understood why he was punished by cane beating. It turned out that he should not have made a move on this man; not because he was a high Marquis, but because he was the Emperor¡¯s favored man¡­..


    Teng Yun naturally noticed Xue Changjing¡¯s look. There was clarity and ridicule in those eyes and his fist clenched involuntarily.


    Teng Yun remained silent.


    Xue Junliang saw the way Xue Changjing looked at Teng Yun and narrowed his eyes. Now he couldn¡¯t help paying attention to Teng Yun¡¯s feelings. At this time, seeing that Teng Yun was obviously uncomfortable made his heart uncomfortable too.


    However, his mouth seemed a little disobedient.


    He said: ¡°This Seat¡¯s approach of doing this is to comply with the will of Heavens. After all, more than one person has mentioned this matter with this Seat. If anyone has any objection to Aiqing, he can raise it now. This Seat is not a whimsical person, right? In fact, this Seat has changed his mind a little. Teng Ying¡¯s achievements and contributions are also obvious to all. This Seat thinks that if Teng Ying is brought into the Palace as merely an imperial concubine, this Seat would end up wronging him. Let¡¯s do this¡­ Since Teng Ying is talented and virtuous, and has repeatedly made many war achievements, let him be the Master of the Back Palace. What do you think?¡±


    As soon as Xue Junliang¡¯s words came out, everyone was surprised and looked around one after another. Seeming to see who would be the first to stand up against this decision. But after a long time, no one came forward; at most they just kept whispering among themselves.


    Teng Yun frowned. He couldn¡¯t understand what Emperor Xue was thinking. If Xue Junliang wanted to curb his power, it was enough to make him a Noble Consort so that he wouldn¡¯t be able to take part in politics ¡ª this was the dignified approach. He could never imagine even in a million years that Xue Junliang¡¯s glib mouth would make him the Empress.


    Xue Changjing kept on glancing at Teng Yun. It seemed that he wanted to find out what made Teng Yun different or why Emperor Xue was fascinated by him. He was sure it¡¯s not as simple as his face. If he didn¡¯t have scars on his face, he seemed to make do with it.


    Finally, Shen Yi stood up and said, ¡°Marquis Tengnan is both virtuous and talented. He is indeed the best candidate for the Empress position. This lowly minister also believes that according to the Marquis¡¯ talent, even in the battlefield, he can be invincible, but not to mention the Back Palace¡­ It¡¯s just that this matter is quite cumbersome and can¡¯t be done overnight. Your Majesty might as well ask the Prince of Marquis Zheng¡¯an to choose a portrait first so that he can reply to His Majesty.¡±


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    Xue Junliang nodded and said, ¡°What High Mentor Shen said is quite reasonable. Let¡¯s leave this matter for the moment. Later, the Prince of Marquis Zheng¡¯an will choose a portrait, and then choose a good day to marry the Princess of Feng Country. ¡±


    After the Morning Court was dismissed, Xue Junliang wanted Teng Yun to stay behind, but he didn¡¯t know what to say. He suddenly felt embarrassed to talk to him. Instead, Xue Houyang stayed behind and asked to speak to Emperor Xue.


    Xue Houyang: ¡°Chen-di knows that this matter should not be talked about by Chen-di, as I don¡¯t want to embarrass Your Majesty, but Chen-di wants to ask. Why does Your Majesty suddenly want to make Marquis Tengnan the Empress?¡±


    Xue Junliang sighed and asked in return, ¡°Then why won¡¯t you marry again?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Xue Houyang scratched his face uneasily and said, ¡°Chen-di is sincere to Mr. Teng, so¡­ Naturally, Chen-di can¡¯t and won¡¯t marry again.¡±


    ¡°Do you think Teng Shang will be wronged if you marry again?¡±


    ¡°In fact, Chen-di feels that this is not a matter of grievance¡­ After all, Mr. Teng is a man. Sometimes he is even stronger than Chen-di. However, Chen-di just feels that¡­ If you really want to treat each other sincerely, then how can you accommodate others?¡±


    Xue Junliang quietly listened to what the other party said. He gazed forward and didn¡¯t know what he was looking at. After a long time, Xue Houyang even thought that he was stunned.


    Xue Junliang withdrew his gaze and said with a smile: ¡°Listening to your words is better than ten years of reading.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­ Don¡¯t make fun of Chen-di.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not making fun of you, Houyang,¡± Xue Junliang said. ¡°I¡¯ve also thought about it carefully. If I accept Marquis Tengnan as the Imperial Noble Consort and the Empress position is empty, how can I want another to be the Empress again?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Xue Houyang said half in surprise, but suddenly stopped, as if he didn¡¯t think he should go on.


    Xue Junliang nodded and seemed to confirm what Xue Houyang didn¡¯t say.


    Xue Houyang was even more shocked and his heart was even more chaotic than the mess of the Morning Court. He left the hall and ran into Teng Yun who was coming out of the Military Office. He was a little flustered at the moment and fumbled with his hands when greeting Teng Yun.


    Teng Yun was baffled by Xue Houyang¡¯s reaction. They went the same way out of the Palace. Xue Houyang then said that there were some important things he had to do first and let Teng Yun go first.


    Looking at Teng Yun¡¯s back, Xue Houyang let out his breath nervously, feeling more and more ridiculous. After all, it¡¯s none of his business. Teng Yun and Xue Junliang should be the ones who should be anxious and not him.


    Xue Houyang wandered in the Palace for a while. Thinking that Teng Yun should have gone far already, he left the Palace and went directly back to his residence. He had a lot of things in his heart and needed to talk to someone. Of course, this person must be Teng Shang.


    Xue Houyang hurriedly returned to the residence, turned over and dismounted, asked the servants to lead his horse away, threw his cloak to another servant, and casually asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Teng?¡±


    ¡°Lord Teng is in the backyard¡­¡±


    Before she could finish speaking, Xue Houyang was already striding towards the backyard.


    The maidservant just looked at the hurrying Marquis and didn¡¯t continue to complete what she had wanted to say. In fact, she wanted to say, ¡°Lord Teng is in the backyard and Marquis Tengnan has come and is having a meal with the Lord.¡±


    ¡°Sir! I¡­¡± Xue Houyang shouted from a long distance, even before he reached the backyard, but before he could finish yelling, he saw Teng Shang sitting at the stone table, with a man sitting next to him. Although there were some scars on the man¡¯s face and seemed scary at first glance, however, looking at it carefully, he could see a man with a somewhat refined temperament.


    Xue Houyang¡¯s words were immediately blocked in his throat and almost choked him to death. He coughed uncomfortably, his face red from the effort and went up to greet them, ¡°Marquis Tengnan has come. The servant didn¡¯t tell me. My apologies if he felt neglected.¡±


    Teng Yun looked at Xue Houyang¡¯s reckless appearance and thought of his calmness and sophistication in the Imperial Court, which seemed to have disappeared at this moment.


    He couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°I took the liberty to disturb the Marquis. Please don¡¯t blame yourself.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no¡­¡± Xue Houyang waved his hand and said, ¡°Speak to Mr. Teng. I¡¯ll go ahead and won¡¯t disturb you.¡±


    Teng Shang said, ¡°Did My Lord Marquis have lunch already?¡±


    Xue Houyang shook his head, ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s have our meal together.¡±


    Xue Houyang nodded when he heard Teng Shang invited him to lunch. Then Teng Shang said, ¡°Will Marquis Tengnan stay?¡±


    Teng Yun said with a smile, ¡°If it¡¯s convenient.¡±


    So the three people had lunch around the small stone table. There were no servants standing by and serving the food; Marquis Wannian¡¯s residence never paid much attention to these as Xue Houyang felt that he couldn¡¯t swallow his food when he was surrounded by people while eating.


    Teng Yun and Teng Shang had a good talk. Their preferences and styles had many similarities, naturally there¡¯s a lot of things they could talk about. Xue Houyang just listened and didn¡¯t want to interrupt the two, although Teng Shang occasionally asked him or tell him something, the atmosphere was very good. It was entertaining to see Teng Shang talking and smiling a lot.


    At first, Xue Houyang felt a little sour as he watched Teng Shang smiling a lot at Teng Yun, but when he thought that Marquis Tengnan was actually Teng Shang¡¯s nephew, the taste of vinegar seemed to lessen a lot.


    Xue Houyang thought he was an utterly idiotic man for even feeling a little jealous. Although he was born in the Forbidden Palace and was proficient in reading and martial arts, he couldn¡¯t help eating vinegar and feeling hypocritical. He was a very straightforward person and always spoke out about what he felt.


    On the contrary, Teng Shang has the charm of a Scholar. He was polite but not overly pronounced. He was very speculative with Teng Yun¡¯s elegance.


    This gave Xue Houyang the illusion of being an outsider


    The two chatted all afternoon. Teng Yun didn¡¯t leave until the evening. Teng Shang asked him to stay for dinner but Teng Yun smiled knowingly, and declined the offer, ¡°I don¡¯t want to bother you two anymore.¡±


    After Teng Yun left, Teng Shang suddenly said, ¡°In the Morning Court today, Emperor Xue must have said something, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Sir, have you heard about it?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m in the residence. Rumors don¡¯t spread that fast. But I just found out.¡±


    Teng Shang smiled then continued, ¡°My Lord Marquis may not know, although Teng Yun is only a few years younger than me, I have seen him growing up. He only talks so much when he has something bothering him in his heart.¡±


    Xue Houyang sighed, ¡°Sir knows him very well.¡±


    Then he said, ¡°This morning, Emperor Xue said to take advantage of the wedding of the Prince of Marquis Zheng An and take Marquis Tengnan into the palace.¡±


    Teng Shang didn¡¯t react much, but said, ¡°It seems that I guessed eight or nine from ten.¡±


    Xue Houyang said, ¡°There¡¯s more to come, Sir. You couldn¡¯t have guessed this.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°The Emperor wants to take Marquis Tengnan into the Palace and make him his Empress.¡±


    Teng Shang was surprised, but immediately gave another clear smile, ¡°Although it was unexpected, it indeed makes sense.¡±


    ¡°It makes sense?¡± Xue Houyang said, ¡°I went to speak to Emperor Xue. Although the Emperor didn¡¯t admit it verbally, he seemed to be sincere to Marquis Tengnan¡­¡±


    ¡°Sincere¡­¡± Teng Shang smiled, ¡°Perhaps, but for the Emperor¡¯s affection, which concubine he would not be sincere with? The key is to know how long this sincerity would last, ten days, one month, one year¡­ Ten years¡­¡±


    Xue Houyang shook his head. He didn¡¯t know.


    After the Prince of Marquis Zheng An chose the portrait, Xue Junliang ordered an envoy to Feng Country to welcome the Princess. Naturally, this matter cannot fall on Zhao Lu. If Zhao Lu was sent, wouldn¡¯t he want to provoke a war between the two countries?


    Moreover, King Feng wanted to ask for peace. Naturally, he wanted to protect his Princess from coming over. Xue Junliang didn¡¯t need to worry too much, so he sent Zhao Tong to greet him.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    When Zhao Tong arrived in Feng Country, Feng Country naturally could not neglect him and sent the Court Ministers to host a banquet to entertain the envoys.


    Although Zhao Tong heard about Lu Shichen hanging his official hat, it has been some time in the past. He thought he could see Lu Shichen at this banquet and thought of ridiculing him. Unfortunately, almost all officials, high and lower, were at the big banquet; which also gave Xue Country a face; but he didn¡¯t see Lu Shichen.


    When Zhao Tong inquired, he found out that Lu Shichen was still without a title and rank, and the Minister¡¯s residence was empty. He was now living as a commoner and found a small house in the capital.


    Of course Zhao Tong knew that Lu Shichen was innocent and had a straight character; he just didn¡¯t understand much about the twists and turns of the court. Although Feng Ming also trusted Lu Shichen, he couldn¡¯t use him for fear of discord in public opinion.


    The trustee inquired about Lu Shichen¡¯s temporary residence. Zhao Tong wanted to pay him a visit. He might be able to attract this man to Xue Country. If Marquis Tengnan and Lang Jing had not succeeded in persuading him to surrender, it would certainly make people look at him differently if he could succeed.


    It was only when he heard about the place Lu Shichen was staying that he was a little surprised.


    The land in the Capital was not cheap. Lu Shichen always had clean hands and couldn¡¯t afford living in a good house. Someone interceded and let him temporarily live in a side house in a large courtyard.


    The courtyard was abandoned by a large-scale family. There was a large gate and a main front door. Although the large house was abandoned, you couldn¡¯t go through the front door. But there were small side doors in and out of the side house.


    Lu Shichen¡¯s body had become thinner, but he was not depressed. There were a lot of books on his desk and table, and there were a lot of dotted comments in circles on the pages of the book.


    Lu Shichen saw Zhao Tong, but he didn¡¯t react. He just continued to read the book in front of him and said, ¡°I heard that the General came to pick up the Princess, but I didn¡¯t expect that the General would come here. It¡¯s really brilliant.¡±


    When he finished speaking, he didn¡¯t give Zhao Tong time to speak, and said, ¡°If the General came to persuade Shichen to surrender, you will have to forgive Shichen for speaking bluntly, there¡¯s no need to spend more words, lest this villain would annoy the General.¡±


    Zhao Tong stared at him for a long time and then said, ¡°Even if you¡¯re living here in this situation, you still refuse to go to Xue Country to show your aspirations?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps there are many people in this world who appreciate me in the wrong way, but Lu Shichen learned from childhood that he can¡¯t forget his roots. He hasn¡¯t repaid the kindness of serving the King. Unless he doesn¡¯t serve the country anymore, Lu Shichen won¡¯t give up.¡±


    Zhao Tong smiled and said, ¡°Very well said, unless there is no Feng Country.¡±


    Lu Shichen recognized his tone of voice and said with a smile, ¡°I dare ask, what will the General do if Xue Country is gone?¡±


    He continued, without waiting for Zhao Tong¡¯s reply, ¡°I think the General and I must have the same idea here.¡±


    Zhao Tong nodded and paused for a while before he said, ¡°You have studied since childhood, and I have learned Martial Arts since childhood. I am conceited and aboveboard. It is my fault that you are so down and out now. Although I don¡¯t think I have any regrets, after all, our paths are different from each other, but I am pleased with your temperament. I owe you once privately. In the future, if we meet in war, I will spare you once.¡±


    ¡°The General is so full of words that things will be uncertain in the future.¡±


    Zhao Tong smiled and said ¡°Not necessarily¡±. He clasped both his hands, bowed a little and went straight out.


    Feng Ming didn¡¯t go to the banquet and meet Zhao Tong because he still had a grudge in his heart. The Princess set out with the envoy. Feng Ming boarded the sentry tower by the Ming River and took a look at the envoy from a distance.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Xue Junliang received the report that the Princess had already set out from Feng Country. He had already asked people to prepare for Xue Changjing¡¯s marriage. He also mentioned the matter of making Teng Yun the Empress. Shen Yi was still ready to delay the matter for a while. As a result, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t let Shen Yi succeed this time.


    Everyone was in a stalemate. Shen Yi was sweating anxiously and looking at Teng Yun frequently.


    Teng Yun still didn¡¯t understand what Xue Junliang meant in his heart. Xue Junliang never said anything, and he had a strange attitude towards him. Sometimes it was cold and sometimes hot, sometimes he cared and sometimes he was alienated.


    Although Xue Houyang knew it in his heart, he felt he was an outsider; it was none of his business, and it was difficult for him to say anything.


    Teng Shang was unwilling to tell Teng Yun, because he was afraid that he would pierce this layer of paper and help Xue Junliang instead, so Teng Yun naturally didn¡¯t know.


    Finally Teng Yun stood up and said, ¡°This lowly subject is a reckless man. He is used to the battlefield. This lowly subject is afraid he has broken the rules.¡±


    Xue Junliang felt bad because he knew Teng Yun didn¡¯t understand his feelings and thought Xue Junliang was still scheming and calculating against him.


    Shen Yi went down to beg Lang Jing saying several good words, but Lang Jing didn¡¯t give him an audience.


    Shen Yi could only say, ¡°Think about it. If you persuade the Emperor, it¡¯s also a good thing. The Emperor is just being emotional for a while and will regret it in the future. If you dissuade him now, he will certainly remember your credit. It would be easy to request anything in the future!¡±


    Lang Jing just went into the Palace and only said some words. Although Xue Junliang¡¯s expression was not good, he didn¡¯t say anything about future affairs and still named Teng Yun as his Imperial Noble Consort.


    Lang Jing said, ¡°Your Majesty, it would be wise to think about it carefully. Whether Your Majesty¡¯s move is wise or not, you shall know after careful consideration. If Your Majesty insists on doing so, I¡¯m afraid people would think that he hates Marquis Tengnan deeply and wants to take Marquis Tengnan under the tip of the blade and wants to get rid of him quickly.¡±

 CH 66

    Edited by Zaki


    ¡ª-


    **The full chap is NSFW!!!! It gets quite hot and heavy. You have been warned! **


    For those who do not want to read smut or are seedlings, skip to the bottom for a small summary.


    ===============================


    There were many people at the banquet. Teng Country had sent the Eldest Princess to be married, and all officials, of high and low status, were invited to the banquet.


    Xue Junliang had only drunk a few cups of wine, but he looked a little drunk. He staggered and stumbled as he got up from the table that was surrounded by the crowd and withdrew from the table. Naturally it was assumed that he had retired to the new bride¡¯s room. But no one knew if Emperor Xue was really drunk or faking it and if he indeed really was going to Princess Teng¡¯s chambers or not.


    After Emperor Xue left the table, the atmosphere became more relaxed as people began toasting happily. Some officials finally found an opportunity and naturally wanted to curry favor.


    After Xue Junliang left, Marquis Wannian Xue Houyang became the focus. Xue Houyang was quite young compared to the other Generals, but his achievements and contributions could be described as ¡°Highly Meritorious and Worthy Prospects¡±.


    Just with the title ¡°Marquis Wannian¡±, one could understand that Emperor Xue valued him very much. Naturally, there were many people who wanted to curry favor with Xue Houyang.


    Teng Shang was a foreign minister, who had escorted the Eldest Princess for the marriage alliance. Many people came to propose a toast and it was not clear what was on their mind. After all, the Teng Country was now defeated and Teng Shang¡¯s position was inferior to others and naturally he would need to bow his head.


    Although Teng Shang was of the same generation as King Teng and was the prime minister; he was very gentle and had a good reputation among the people. Some of these Officials had grasped his gentleness and wanted to put on airs.


    After all these years in the Imperial Court, Teng Shang knew that he was actually only superficially gentle. He was not as noble as others said. After all, Teng Shang was a Minister, not a sage.


    As he was smiling and accepting the toast of drinks, Teng Shang felt that someone always seemed to be staring at him. Every time he turned his head to look, the man immediately withdrew his gaze. As if he was very wary.


    This man was undoubtedly the Marquis Wannian. In Xue Houyang¡¯s heart, he was very grateful to Teng Shang who had saved his life. Of course, he also knew the thoughts of these Officials. He couldn¡¯t help but worry about Teng Shang.


    After three rounds of wine, Teng Shang was filled with a lot of wine and began to wobble. Xue Houyang who had endured for a long time, finally pretended to walk over inadvertently.


    When the Ministers saw Marquis Wannian, they naturally forgot Teng Shang, the foreign minister, and began to curry favor with Xue Houyang.


    When the banquet was over, it was past the time when the Palace gates would be closed. The Palace staff led Xue Houyang to an empty palace room. He would be spending the night in the Palace that night and would leave the Palace the next day.


    Xue Houyang himself turned to go, but he caught a glimpse of Teng Shang sitting in the same place, leaning against the back of the chair and covering his eyes with his hands. He didn¡¯t know what the other person was doing.


    Xue Houyang hesitated for a long time, but he still walked over and said, ¡°Minister Shang, the banquet is now over.¡±


    Teng Shang said ¡°Oh¡± and there was no other response.


    Xue Houyang knew that he had drunk too much. Maybe he didn¡¯t hear him clearly, so he called again. Teng Shang obviously heard him this time and took his hand off his eyes to see the other.


    Xue Houyang had a momentary daze at this time. He felt as if he was nailed on the spot. He never knew he could be at a loss for words, and that too just because he was being stared directly by this man. His heart hammered erratically.


    Xue Houyang could even hear his own heartbeat.


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    Kfcu Vtjcu kjr abajiis ybcfifrr. Lf cfraifv lc Wef Lbesjcu¡¯r jgwr jcv ifa atf batfg qjgas tfiq tlwrfio kjix. Ktf Ujijmf rajoo ifv atfw ab jc fwqas Ujijmf gbbw.


    Xue Houyang threw Teng Shang on the bed. Although Teng Shang was a man and not short, he was not heavy for Xue Houyang, but Xue Houyang was sweating. He quickly stepped back and felt that his body and heart was very hot.


    Xue Houyang looked at Teng Shang lying on the bed, exhaled heavily, swallowed dryly, closed his eyes, and finally turned to go out.


    Just as he took one step, the corners of his clothes had been grabbed by Teng Shang.


    Xue Houyang didn¡¯t look back, but said, ¡°Please have a rest. Tomorrow, there will be maid servants who will help you freshen up and then Minister Shang can go to the main hall to have an audience with Emperor Xue.¡±


    He waited for a long time, but he didn¡¯t hear Teng Shang¡¯s reply. The other party hadn¡¯t let go of his clothes.


    Xue Houyang thought he was drunk and had fallen asleep after grabbing his clothes, so he turned back and wanted to free his clothes.


    As soon as he turned around, he was suddenly pulled by his collar and brought to the bed.


    Teng Shang¡¯s eyes were blurred and watery. His eyes showed his drunkenness. He looked down at Xue Houyang. His moist and wet breath sounded directly into Xue Houyang¡¯s ears.


    Xue Houyang¡¯s heart palpitated wildly and his eyes widened as he gazed at Teng Shang. He didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Teng Shang dropped his head and pressed onto Xue Houyang. Their bodies were pressed closely together without any gap, so much so that Teng Shang could even feel the sizzling heat from Xue Houyang¡¯s body. Just being watched like this, his heartbeat had become uncontrollable.


    Teng Shang slowly lowered his head and gently bit Xue Houyang¡¯s chin with his teeth. Xue Houyang did not even dare to move and his whole body was stiff.


    Teng Shang said with a smile, ¡°Back at the banquet, why were you always looking at me?¡±


    Xue Houyang immediately came back to his senses, and struggled to get up. His whole body seemed to be doused with cold water. His dirty mind was instantly seen through by the other party.


    Teng Shang, however, did not let him get up, narrowing his eyes and pressed up to kiss his lips, breathing heavily on Xue Houyang¡¯s face.


    Xue Houyang called out ¡°Minister Shang¡±, but Teng Shang didn¡¯t back away. His knees gently rubbed the other party¡¯s lower body.


    The sizzling heat rushed up at once. Teng Shang¡¯s tongue eagerly reached in, and seemed to provoke Xue Houyang with his ambiguity.


    Xue Houyang¡¯s throat rolled as he swallowed dryly a few times. His eyes stared intently at Teng Shang, and he didn¡¯t turn. Next moment, he fiercely pushed at Teng Shang¡¯s shoulders, and suddenly their position reversed.


    Xue Houyang pressed the man under his body, gently held the back of his head, kissed his lips, with an uncontrollable eagerness.


    Teng Shang grunted in pain. His eyes showed a trace of complexity. Instead of pushing away, he kissed Xue Houyang back and took the initiative to tear the other party¡¯s clothes.


    The two men¡¯s clothes soon were scattered, and Xue Houyang seemed unable to think about what he was doing. He went down along the corners of Teng Shang¡¯s mouth, kissed his neck and chest, and down to his lower abdomen.


    Teng Shang¡¯s chest heaved rapidly, as if he couldn¡¯t get enough air to breathe. He arched himself up as if seeking more kisses from Xue Houyang.


    Xue Houyang¡¯s lower body swelled uncontrollably. Teng Shang was aroused by the other party¡¯s gentle and ambiguous kisses. He stretched out his hand to hold Xue Houyang¡¯s hand and groped down his back.


    Although Xue Houyang was not very familiar about sexual intercourse, in the Military barracks there had been some talks about this aspect so he knew a bit. He followed Teng Shang¡¯s waistline, roaming on Teng Shang¡¯s body and slowly probed at the place where the person¡¯s body was tightly clamped.


    Teng Shang sighed out an ¡°Oh¡± at this touch. Xue Houyang¡¯s fingers squeezed into that tightly clenched place. At this time, Teng Shang seemed to lose his mind. He raised his neck and exhaled heavily. It seemed that Xue Houyang was moving too slowly. Teng Shang even took Xue Houyang¡¯s hand that was within his body and helped it move gently.


    Xue Houyang felt the man¡¯s tightness and warmth. His eyes became red. Sweat rolled down from his chest and dripped down on Teng Shang¡¯s white and lean chest, leaving an enchanting trace.


    Xue Houyang could no longer hold back. He suddenly pulled out his fingers and lifted Teng Shang¡¯s legs.


    Teng Shang bit his lips and made an ¡°ahhhh¡± sound at the back of his throat. He could feel that his ass was bleeding. He could feel Xue Houyang¡¯s member slowly penetrating into his body.


    Teng Shang¡¯s face turned white in pain. When Xue Houyang completely entered into the other party, it was as if his whole strength had been sapped away. He pressed himself fully on the bed. The sheets and brocade quilt was fully soaked in sweat, and it was fully wrinkled in all the movement.


    Xue Houyang looked at Teng Shang as he inclined his head. His hair was scattered on the bed. His body was covered in sweat, glistening lightly. Under the dim light, Xue Houyang just felt more and more unrestrained.


    He lowered his head and kissed Teng Shang¡¯s lips. Teng Shang looked at him with disoriented eyes , but he didn¡¯t forget to kiss back.


    Xue Houyang lifted Teng Shang¡¯s legs and put them on his shoulders. He grabbed Teng Shang¡¯s thin waist and began to move his lower body slowly. Teng Shang¡¯s eyes widened and his lips gasped open as his neck arched. He tried to exhale and breathe in time with the hot member entering and exiting his lower body.


    Although Teng Shang¡¯s ass was very tight, due to the bleeding, the place was lubricated a lot. Xue Houyang also moved slowly at first until both of them got adapted to the rhythm. Soon they were completely comfortable with the movement and didn¡¯t worry about it anymore.


    Teng Shang tightly clenched at the sheet under his body. He was originally a Military General and had suffered many injuries. He did not mind a little pain, but the pain in this aspect was not so simple.


    Teng Shang could see that Xue Houyang¡¯s intention towards himself was different. If he wanted to survive and continue to work for Teng Country, then he needed to rely on this Marquis Wannian. Of course, he had heard about Marquis Wannian¡¯s temperament. If Xue Houyang could owe himself a favour, everything would be easier.


    Teng Shang used the guise of being drunk and took initiative for this lovemaking but now that it was happening in reality, the feeling was totally different. He could feel Xue Houyang¡¯s caution and restrained emotions when making love..


    On one hand he hated his own underhanded tactics, on the other hand, he was moved by Xue Houyang¡¯s thoughts and actions with regards to himself. Teng Shang was lost in turmoil and during this time Xue Houyang had accelerated his rhythm.


    Teng Shang moaned out a low ¡°ahh¡±, and a tingly feeling rushed up to the top of his head. His lower body that had softened due to pain suddenly twitched in a reaction, and his eyes watered and got redder and redder.


    Xue Houyang saw Teng Shang¡¯s sudden out of control change. Teng Shang didn¡¯t expect that he would become unrestrained and wanted to shrink his legs in shame, but Xue Houyang picked him up and made Teng Shang sit on his lower body, holding him in his arms.


    This position made Teng Shang¡¯s mind a little overwhelmed for a moment. The place where the two people were connected tightly, further deepened. Teng Shang could only sob lowly in his throat as he wrapped his hands around Xue Houyang¡¯s neck tightly and buried his face in Xue Houyang¡¯s neck.


    Xue Houyang held Teng Shang¡¯s waist and thrusted the other party¡¯s asshole on his hard cock repeatedly, the sticky, wet sounds echoing around them. Xue Houyang couldn¡¯t see Teng Shang¡¯s expression. He could only kiss Teng Shang¡¯s earlobes that were so red that it looked as if blood was dripping out of them. Xue Houyang¡¯s one hand reached down to stroke Teng Shang¡¯s hard member in time with the movement.


    Teng Shang¡¯s member was held in Xue Houyang¡¯s hand, and his breathing quickened with the added stimulation. He wanted to close his legs against the stimulation, but instead the legs clamped around Xue Houyang¡¯s waist making the stimulation more intense causing him to clench his hands tightly into fists.


    Teng Shang¡¯s body trembled and his reaction grew stronger and stronger. Xue Houyang leaned down and pressed him back on the bed. Using one hand, he continued to stroke Teng Shang¡¯s member and all the while he continued to deeply enter the other man¡¯s body, repeatedly hitting Teng Shang¡¯s prostate making him crazy and lose his mind completely.


    Teng Shang¡¯s eyes widened, his legs trembled uncontrollably as his body spasmed, and he couldn¡¯t even shout out. His mind was blank, and he orgasmed uncontrollably.


    Xue Houyang felt Teng Shang¡¯s ass hole tighten even more as he orgasmed. He couldn¡¯t help groan at the added stimulation. Taking advantage of Teng Shang¡¯s loss of concentration, he turned Teng Shang over and thrusted himself back in deeply and continued penetrating the other party repeatedly without any intention of stopping.


    Teng Shang had just orgasmed and he was very sensitive. His white, pale skin became crimson red due to sensory overload. He could feel Xue Houyang¡¯s hot member invading his body and could only let out meaningless sounds and shake his head as he tried to take in the continued intense sensation in his body. However, he didn¡¯t want to further incite Xue Houyang¡¯s passion¡­..


    Xue Houyang kissed Teng Shang¡¯s lips and could only call his name in Teng Shang¡¯s ear again and again.


    ¡ª¡ª


    Xue Houyang had an unspeakable dream. It was about the first time he and Teng Shang had sex in one of the empty room of the Palace. Xue Houyang had blamed himself for it afterwards. He was not stupid and Xue Junliang had warned him as well beforehand that Teng Shang might deliberately planned an encounter between them and made Xue Houyang owe a favour to Teng Shang. Even knowing this Xue Houyang blamed himself. After all, it was him who one-sidedly liked Teng Shang.


    Recently Xue Houyang had been very busy trying to seize control of Marquis Zheng An¡¯s Military powers. It was very late when he returned to the residence. Hence in order to not disturb Teng Shang¡¯s rest, he slept in the study. Maybe because he hadn¡¯t gotten close to Teng Shang for many days, that he had such a dream today.


    Truth to be told, Xue Houyang had a thin face. He got up quickly and cleaned himself and then lay back but he couldn¡¯t sleep. So he went to the courtyard for a stroll and found himself outside Teng Shang¡¯s courtyard without realizing it.


    Xue Houyang gently pushed open the door and walked in. There was no one standing guard at night. Xue Houyang entered the inner room and saw that the curtains around the bed were closed. The person inside seemed to be sleeping quite well.


    He walked over and lifted the bed curtains away as gently as possible. When he saw Teng Shang¡¯s sleeping face, he felt his member swelling from the remnants of the dream and scolded himself for being dirty-minded. He quickly put down the bed curtains and turned to go out.


    But at this time, his wrist was clasped. The person sleeping in the bed suddenly opened his eyes and said with a smile: ¡°Lord Marquis, Have you forgotten that I am also a practitioner?¡±


    ¡°Sorry to disturb your rest, I ¡­ I¡¯m going out.


    Teng Shang smiled and glanced at his lower body. ¡°Lord Marquis works so late every day and is still so energetic.¡±


    Xue Houyang was even more embarrassed.


    Teng Shang did not let go. He patted the bed, signalling him to come up. Xue Houyang tried to shake away the hand holding him, gritted his teeth, and simply said: ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    Teng Shang stretched out his hand forward, and Xue Houyang did not dare to use his strength, so he had to follow him to the bed. Teng Shang only kissed the corner of his mouth. Although Teng Shang was gentle, his kisses were very natural. Xue Houyang was thin skinned, but he couldn¡¯t stand the provocation of the other party. Both of them were soon provoked¡­..


    The next day, Xue Houyang naturally attended the morning court in a fully refreshed mood. When he got up, he told his servants not to disturb Lord Teng¡¯s rest. When to call them in and when to serve again.


    The maidservants answered quickly and said with a smile, ¡°This maidservant knows. Lord, you made so much noise last night. You don¡¯t need to tell the maidservants what to do.¡±


    Xue Houyang coughed, snapped ¡°talking too much¡± and fled to the Palace to go to attend the Morning Court.


    Teng Shang didn¡¯t wake up until very late in the morning. When he woke up, his waist was so sore that it felt almost broken. As soon as he tried to get up from bed, he felt shooting pain on his back. Recalling the events from last night, he pulled up the brocade quilt and covered his head.


    Although he always looked as if he was quite comfortable with this aspect of their relationship, when he thought back to the events he always felt embarrassed.


    ======


    Gist of the chap for those who do not want to read or are young ¨C Xue Houyang dreams about the first time he and Teng Shang had sex. He wakes from his spring dream and wants to relieve himself when Teng Shang offers help! So the dream turns into reality and Teng Shang is unable to get out of bed again!


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Ela~~Phew!! Too hot and heavy!


    Zaki~~ *wipes sweat*

 CH 67

    Taking advantage of the marriage between the Prince of Marquis Zheng An and the Feng Princess, Feng Country sent a large force to set up a camp by the Ming River to strengthen the defense around Feng country¡¯s borders.


    Xue Junliang had gotten the news and asked everyone¡¯s opinions. The court ministers felt that it was not appropriate for Xue to go to war now. After all, Xue Country¡¯s land was extensive, and the army had not recuperated enough. If Xue goes out for war this time, they must rearrange the provisions, horses and soldiers. This would not be ready in one or two months.


    Teng Yun also felt that Xue needed to prepare first. At this time, Teng Yun, pretending to recuperate, secretly deployed troops to watch the situation. ¡°This humble subject heard that there was a mountain near the Peach Blossom Pond near the lower reaches of the river. The terrain is very dangerous. On top of the mountain, you could see a long distance down the mountain. Your Majesty can send troops to the top of the mountain. If Feng country wants to sneak attack, they will have to cross through this place first before reaching the lower reaches of the river, where it would be the best choice for them to attack. Our sentry on the top of the mountain would be able to see and report the situation.¡±


    After hearing this, Xue Junliang nodded and ordered Zhao Lu to lead the troops.


    Zhao Lu was stunned. He didn¡¯t expect Emperor Xue to let him lead the army this time. After all, Xue Junliang knew his past history with King Feng best. Just thinking some more, he could understand the reason. If Feng Ming was not ambitious enough and was only testing the waters, then Zhao Lu was the best choice for the first parry. If he is able to keep his nose clean out of this mess, then it would be a celebratory event.


    Teng Yun watched Zhao Lu walk out of the warm Pavilion of the study. He seemed a little dazed. During Teng Yun¡¯s captivity in Feng Country, he had heard more or less about Feng Ming and Zhao Lu¡¯s relationship. Because he was not Zhao Lu and his temperament was very different from Zhao Lu, Teng Yun couldn¡¯t understand Zhao Lu¡¯s thoughts. Although Feng Ming didn¡¯t say it, Feng Ming always pretended to be cold and inhuman, but in his heart, nobody could match Zhao Lu.


    Teng Yun sighed and couldn¡¯t help thinking of himself. Once upon a time, he had also contributed in giving Emperor Xue many headaches when he was fighting against the Xue army. He was also dedicated to serving his country. Unfortunately, his country was gone and he was repeatedly attacked and taken for granted by the Teng court and its people. Teng Yun had to say that as a king, King Teng couldn''t be spoken in the same breath as Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang praised Teng Yun with a few words, but Teng Yun was distracted. Xue Junliang called him twice and still there was no response.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Zhao Lu went back to his residence to pack up his things, selected a team of elite soldiers and left after a few days.


    When the Prince of Marquis Zheng An, Xue Changjing was getting married, he looked respectful, saying that he would not get ahead of Emperor Xue. Xue Junliang was also happy to take Teng Yun into the Palace earlier.


    This time, there was again a banquet in front of Yunfeng Palace. In Xue Junliang¡¯s heart, no one could live in Yunfeng Palace except Teng Yun, although not in the name of the Empress yet, he was still happy that his person was back in the Palace.


    Teng Yun was taken into the Palace one day early. He didn¡¯t attend the early Morning Court that day, so he was not aware that Xue Junliang had lost his temper with all the ministers.


    It was because everyone saw that Emperor Xue had changed his mind regarding his intention of establishing Teng Yun as the Empress. They suddenly thought that if Teng Yun was accepted as the Imperial Noble Consort, wouldn¡¯t it mean that the Phoenix Seal would temporarily fall in the hands of Teng Yun? If a man would take charge of the Phoenix seal¡­.


    Xue Junliang sneered and coldly said, ¡°Are you trying to force this Emperor? When this Emperor initially wanted to take his stand, you said it was against the norm. Now that you have forced this Emperor to step back 3 steps of 4, you¡¯re trying to force me again. Is it this Emperor¡¯s marriage or your marriage?¡±


    As soon as Xue Junliang¡¯s cold voice fell, no one dared to speak again. Everyone of those ministers who were against this, looked at Lang Jing. After all, it was Lang Jing who had  persuaded Emperor Xue to change his mind. Now they could only rely on Lang Jing.


    However, Lang Jing suddenly took a step forward and bowed down: ¡°The Emperor is wise. This lowly subject thinks Marquis Tengnan has both talent and virtue, and complements the Emperor¡¯s lifestyle. He can certainly take the responsibility of taking charge of the Phoenix Seal.¡±


    As a result, everyone was stunned and no one dared to speak. Xue Junliang was very satisfied after hearing this, so he retreated.


    After Xue Junliang left the hall, the court ministers complained about Lang Jing¡¯s flattering the Emperor.


    Lang Jing just sneered, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you dissuade me just now if you thought I was flattering? Emperor Xue has Marquis Tengnan in his heart. Can¡¯t you adults see it?¡±


    When Teng Yun arrived at Yunfeng Palace, it was not Jiao Shui who was waiting to serve him. Hearing the talks of the Palace maids, Jiao Shui wanted to climb a high branch beyond her ability, so Xue Junliang threw her back in the Cold Palace to serve Teng Qianyi.


    It was now Rui Xue who had come to serve Teng Yun.


    Zhao Lu, Rui Xue¡¯s Master, went to war, but this time she didn¡¯t follow him. Although Rui Xue grew up practicing martial arts, she was a person with a gentle temperament and was not suitable for officialdom because of her personality.


    When Xue Junliang knew of this, he wouldn¡¯t let her do anything with the army again. At the same time, her Master Zhao Lu confirmed that once Rui Xue identified with a master, she would do her best, so he sent Rui Xue to Yunfeng Palace to follow and serve Teng Yun.


    Rui Xue came into the room holding Teng Yun¡¯s wedding clothes, and saw Teng Yun standing near the window. There was no light in the gray room. She could only vaguely see Teng Yun¡¯s back through the dim light of the window.


    Rui Xue said with a smile, ¡°Master, come and have a look at your wedding clothes. It¡¯s really beautiful.¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t turn back. He just responded with a shake of his head. He suddenly sighed and asked, ¡°Rui Xue, can you tell me about King Feng and Zhao Lu?¡±


    Rui Xue was stunned for a moment. Her hand trembled and dropped the wooden tray holding the clothes on the ground. She quickly knelt down, kowtowed and apologized, and picked up the wedding clothes.


    Teng Yun turned around and didn¡¯t want to blame her. He caught a glimpse of the wedding clothes scattered on the ground. It was not the Phoenix crown and the robe, but a man¡¯s red wedding dress.


    Teng Yun stared at the clothes in a daze. More and more, he felt he couldn¡¯t understand Xue Junliang¡¯s intentions. He thought that Xue Junliang would send women¡¯s wedding clothes to ridicule him, just like last time, but this time, the result was unexpected.


    Teng Yun let Rui Xue get up, ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything else. If you want to say it, just talk. If you can¡¯t say it, just think that I haven¡¯t asked anything.¡±


    After a long time, Rui Xue said, ¡°No, Master¡­ it¡¯s not that I can¡¯t say it, it¡¯s just that this servant didn¡¯t expect that Master was interested in the affairs of King Feng.¡±


    Kfcu Tec rjlv, ¡°Tbe¡¯nf yffc klat Itjb Oe obg j ibcu alwf, tjnfc¡¯a sbe? P pera kjca ab xcbk ktja Itjb Oe atlcxr. Gbfr tf tjnf offilcur obg Blcu Mfcu? Szmfqa obg atf offilcur jujlcra jc fcfws, atja lr.¡±


    Eel Wef rwlifv, ¡°Rjaegjiis, atfgf lr. Ktlr wjlvrfgnjca rffr la wbra rlcmfgfis¡­ Rjaegjiis atfgf lr.¡±


    Rui Xue wanted to say, ¡°If there was not, how could he risk the punishment of being beheaded and go to Ming River that time to save King Feng?¡± But these things, Rui Xue couldn¡¯t say.


    Teng Yun nodded, ¡°Perhaps I would be able to understand General Zhao Lu¡¯s feelings in Feng Country. Because I used to be like this¡­¡±


    Rui Xue said with a smile, ¡°But all this has passed, and Master doesn¡¯t have to think too much. Now Emperor Xue is really good to you.¡±


    ¡°Good to me?¡±


    Rui Xue smiled: ¡°Although this maidservant has been away from Xue Country for many years, I still know the Emperor¡¯s temperament. The Emperor is used to being an Emperor and naturally refuses to reveal what he thinks. Only this time, the Emperor called this servant four or five times a day to ask about Master¡¯s situation. What¡¯s more, he asked whether you are eating well, living considerably in comfort, what you need, what you are not used to, and whether there are enough people serving you, if Marquis Tengnan looks happy or unhappy.¡±


    Rui Xue paused for a moment, looked at Teng Yun¡¯s stunned expression and continued, ¡°This servant dare say, if the Emperor wants to marry a man just to ridicule him, there is no need to do this, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Teng Yun couldn¡¯t recover from what he had heard just now for quite some time. He was faintly frightened in his heart and his heartbeat slowly became faster with Rui Xue¡¯s words, but he didn¡¯t know why. He said, ¡°Maybe¡­ Maybe.¡±


    Rui Xue said, ¡°Master, come and try your clothes, they are beautiful. Put on your clothes, and this maidservant will fix your hair to see. If you are dissatisfied, you can help this maidservant do what you want, so as not to make a mess early tomorrow morning.¡±


    Seeing Rui Xue¡¯s excited appearance, Teng Yun couldn¡¯t refute her, so he nodded.


    Rui Xue helped him take off his outer shirt, and put on the bright red wedding dress, she tidied up his collar, and then tied the same bright red belt on his waist.


    Rui Xue said with a smile, ¡°The clothes seemed to be just right, and they are a perfect fit for the Master.¡±


    Teng Yun glanced at his reflection at the bronze mirror. The wedding dress, indeed fit him really well. He sat down in front of the mirror again. Rui Xue picked up a wooden comb and tied his hair with a jade crown.


    Teng Yun¡¯s temperament was elegant, with a scholastic look but also revealed a heroic spirit of a Military General at the same time. Rui Xue first untied Teng Yun¡¯s hair, hung it down loosely at his back and combed it neatly with the wooden comb.


    Just before she could tie his hair, she heard a commotion in the outer room. Rui Xue put down the wooden comb and was about to go out to ask what was going on. Just then, the door of the inner room was pushed open. The person who had come in was Xue Junliang.


    Rui Xue was surprised to see Xue Junliang, ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡­¡± she quickly knelt down to greet him.


    Seeing Xue Junliang, Teng Yun also tried to kneel down, but Xue Junliang held him and said, ¡°Get up, don¡¯t be so polite.¡±


    Rui Xue also stood up, ¡°Your Majesty, you can¡¯t come here. You can¡¯t see Master until tomorrow.¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t care about these beliefs and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already seen it for a long time. It wouldn¡¯t change anything to see him early first or later.¡±


    This sentence made Rui Xue want to laugh, but she couldn¡¯t laugh at the Emperor, so she had to hold it in. Emperor Xue himself said that it was nothing to see him early first. He came in a hurry and couldn¡¯t wait for even a night.


    Rui Xue said wisely, ¡°Your Majesty has more important military affairs to discuss with the Master, so this maidservant will go down first.¡±


    Xue Junliang gave Rui Xue an appreciative smile.


    Rui Xue knelt down once again and withdrew from the inner room with several other palace maids.


    Jiang Yu was also very perceptive and stepped back. He didn¡¯t forget to close the door and ordered the palace guards in the outer room to stand far away and don¡¯t get in the way.


    Xue Junliang coughed and said, ¡°Sit down, don¡¯t be too restrained.¡±


    Teng Yun thanked him and sat down.


    Instead of sitting down, Xue Junliang remained standing and lowered his head to  look at Teng Yun. Teng Yun was dressed in bright red dress and under the dim light, it seemed a little unreal. Xue Junliang was dazed for a moment.


    Teng Yun, waiting for Xue Junliang to speak, was silent.


    Xue Junliang was a little embarrassed by his reaction and said with a smile, ¡°This dress is very suitable for Teng Ying.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡±


    Xue Junliang walked over and stretched out his hand to gently touch Teng Yun¡¯s hair. His hair strands had a slightly cool feeling on his hands, which made Xue Junliang unable to move away.


    He then picked up the wooden comb on the table and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll fix your hair.¡±


    Teng Yun was surprised. He didn¡¯t expect Emperor Xue to be ¡°stylish¡± and said, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to bother Your Majesty.¡±


    Xue Junliang held him by the shoulder, and asked him to sit down. Then leaned over his ear and said, ¡°I want to tie your hair, may I?¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s body trembled slightly and no longer refused. He sat down. His hand, which was hidden in his wide sleeve, involuntarily clenched into a fist. His heart beat suddenly became very fast, and his ears and shoulders felt a burning sensation.


    Xue Junliang held Teng Yun¡¯s hair in one hand and the wooden comb in the other. For fear of hurting the other party, he combed it in thin bind one after another. In fact, Rui Xue had already combed Teng Yun¡¯s hair just now, and it was almost ready to be tied up when Xue Junliang came. However, Xue Junliang enjoyed this feeling.


    Neither of them spoke.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t know what to say. He was now afraid that his voice would tremble when he opened his mouth.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t want to speak either. He was afraid that his stubborn temper would surface again when he opened his mouth and spoil such a good atmosphere.


    Actually, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t know how to tie Teng Yun¡¯s hair. Normally, his hair was naturally made up by Palace maidservants. He didn¡¯t need to worry about this at all. Now he was just playing with Teng Yun¡¯s hair. He didn¡¯t really know how to start until he really wanted to tie his hair.


    Xue Junliang finally smiled and said, ¡°The clothes are very suitable for Teng Ying. They are very decent.¡±


    Teng Yun just said, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ It¡¯s an absurd praise.¡±


    Xue Junliang heard that the other party¡¯s voice was a little unstable. He sat down next to him and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Teng Ying¡¯s voice? Are you sick? I will call the Imperial Physician to have a look.¡±


    Teng Yun quickly waved his hand and said, ¡°No, No.¡±


    Xue Junliang suddenly grabbed Teng Yun¡¯s wrist, pulled his hand over to hold it, and sighed: ¡°Actually, you won¡¯t believe it. I know that I could see Teng Ying tomorrow, but I can¡¯t help wanting to come over and see if you¡¯re living comfortably and whether the Palace servants have neglected you¡­¡±


    After he finished saying this, he again said with a smile, ¡°You won¡¯t believe these words.¡±


    Teng Yun frowned and said, ¡°This humble one won¡¯t believe it because he doesn¡¯t know why His Majesty wants to do this.¡±


    Xue Junliang was stunned for a moment. He didn¡¯t expect Teng Yun would speak bluntly.


    Then he laughed, holding Teng Yun¡¯s hand and slowly raising it. At the same time, he slowly lowered his head and kissed Teng Yun¡¯s fingers with his lips.


    Teng Yun¡¯s hand trembled and he stared at Xue Junliang with wide eyes.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s lips didn¡¯t leave his fingers. They gently rubbed Teng Yun¡¯s skin as he said with a smile: ¡°It¡¯s because of this.¡±


    Teng Yun couldn¡¯t help shivering. The touch of Xue Junliang¡¯s lips on his skin made his heart jump. He suddenly withdrew his hand and coughed: ¡°Forgive me¡­ Forgive me for being stupid, I¡¯m really¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡±


    Xue Junliang suddenly stood up and interrupted Teng Yun¡¯s words, saying, ¡°It¡¯s late. Teng Ying should have a good rest. You will be busy early tomorrow morning¡­ By the way, I forgot to talk about the main point. You should also come out at the banquet tomorrow. Don¡¯t forget.¡±


    Teng Yun was still in a daze and forgot to kneel down.


    Xue Junliang opened the door of the inner room and walked out.


    Both Rui Xue and Jiang Yu thought that His Majesty would spend the night here today. Unexpectedly, he came out after staying for such a short time and also ordered the Palace maids and Rui Xue to sleep in Yunfeng palace tonight so they could attend to Teng Yun¡¯s needs.


    Rui Xue sent Emperor Xue off, promising that she would attend to her Master and for the Emperor not to worry. When she returned to the inner room, she saw Teng Yun¡¯s shocked face. Although the light was dim, she could still see Teng Yun¡¯s face was very red, even his ears and neck were red.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t sleep well all night. He really didn¡¯t understand what Xue Junliang had meant and why he had kissed his hand. Perhaps it was because Emperor Xue was used to being romantic in the Harem. When he was the Empress, Emperor Xue also used to treat him so gently and considerately.


    Teng Yun couldn¡¯t help laughing. He covered his head with the quilt and closed his eyes for sleep.


    Early the next morning, Rui Xue got up and started to get busy. She fussed over Teng Yun incessantly that Teng Yun started to get dizzy from all the fussing about.


    Teng Yun was still in bed, laying down lazily, and didn¡¯t get up early.


    Jiang Yu came once and asked if Teng Yun had gotten up.


    Rui Xue said no.


    Jiang Yu said that the Emperor told her not to ask Marquis Tengnan to get up early and let him rest more, as he had to go to the Morning Court on ordinary days and it was rare for him to have such a break like this.


    In fact, Teng Yun had actually woken up long ago in the inner room. He didn¡¯t have the habit of lazing in bed. But when he heard the voices outside, he covered his head again. He didn¡¯t know what Xue Junliang wanted to do. It was totally unnecessary to treat a man so tenderly.


    At dusk, the banquet in front of Yunfeng Palace began. Xue Junliang personally came to pick up Teng Yun.


    Teng Yun was dressed in wedding clothes. Although Xue Junliang was still in a black Python robe symbolizing power and position, it was much more formal than his usual imperial court dress.


    He held Teng Yun¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°Is Teng Ying ready?¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t speak.


    When the two went out, all officials knelt on the ground and shouted ¡°Long live His Majesty!¡±. When they looked up, they were surprised to find that not only Emperor Xue, but also Marquis Tengnan, who was in a bright red wedding dress was beside him.


    Moreover, they thought that Marquis Tengnan would wear the flamboyant wedding garb and the Phoenix Crown and sit in the hall waiting for Emperor Xue to pass, like all the weddings in the past. They never expected that he would be in a man¡¯s wedding clothes. There was no veil covering his face, his hair tied, locked in a simple crown and not wearing any makeup. On the contrary, he looked very handsome and elegant, which made people stare.


    Some ministers who wanted to curry favor with Emperor Xue knelt down and wanted to continue shouting ¡°Empress¡±, but there were also people with discerning eyes. Now that the new Imperial Noble Consort was dressed like this. If they call him ¡®Empress¡¯ rashly, wouldn¡¯t it mean they slap Emperor Xue in the face?


    Xue Junliang said with a smile: ¡°Today, this Seat is very happy, and you don¡¯t have to be too formal. This Seat thought that although he wanted Marquis Tengnan to enter into the Palace, he should not be too wronged. After all, Marquis Tengnan¡¯s achievements are admired even by this Seat, so he specially invited Teng Ying to come here today.¡±


    The crowd knelt down again and kowtowed to the head, ¡°Your Majesty is wise.¡±


    In this way, Teng Yun¡¯s position in Emperor Xue¡¯s heart was clearly understood by everyone. Some ministers who wanted to taunt him had already swallowed their words and dared not speak out.


    Xue Junliang entered the banquet, and Teng Yun sat beside him. Teng Shang had also come to the Palace with Xue Houyang for the banquet today. He looked up  to see Teng Yun. Teng Yun didn¡¯t dare to look back at Teng Shang because of shame.


    Teng Shang directed his gaze to Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t dodge his eyes when he saw Teng Shang looking at him. He was not at all uncomfortable.


    Xue Houyang noticed the hard stare that Teng Shang was giving at Xue Junliang, he gently touched Teng Shang and said, ¡°Sir, you¡­ You are going to be convicted if you continue to  stare at the Emperor like this.¡±


    Teng Shang smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m just looking at him. After all, Marquis Tengnan, like me, is also surnamed Teng. What should I do if he gets bullied?¡±


    Xue Houyang laughed twice. ¡°Actually, I think His Majesty is sincere, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t be necessary to make this so public.¡±


    Teng Shang said, ¡°Naturally I can see that he is sincere, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t be sitting like this.¡±


    Xue Houyang said, ¡°Sir, since you can see his sincerity, please help His Majesty. Marquis Tengnan doesn¡¯t seem to understand His Majesty¡¯s mind.¡±


    ¡°Why should I help him?¡±


    Teng Shang squinted his eyes and smiled, saying, ¡°This Teng admits that Emperor Xue is irreplaceable as an emperor, but this Teng has some grudges and naturally has to stand idly by.¡±


    Xue Houyang smiled helplessly and said, ¡°Sir¡­ You are anxious to see the world in chaos..¡±


    Teng Shang said, ¡°It¡¯s true. You do not need to worry, sooner or later he will know. Why rush?¡±


    Xue Houyang nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Xue Junliang was scrutinized by Teng Shang¡¯s gaze several times, but he didn¡¯t flinch nor shrink at those eyes at all. He even personally poured a cup of tea for Teng Yun and said, ¡°Your throat seemed a bit uncomfortable yesterday. Don¡¯t drink too much wine.¡±


    Teng Yun was drinking a cup of wine just because he had nothing to do, so he conveniently took the tea at this time. As he accepted the cup, Xue Junliang took this opportunity to squeeze the back of his hand, which surprised Teng Yun; knocking the tea cup askew and spilling the content all over his body.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t expect the tea to spill over Teng Yun. Although the tea was not very hot, it was still a bit hot. He quickly got up to check if Teng Yun was scalded.


    Teng Yun was really embarrassed with his body¡¯s reaction. At the very least he was a big man with rough skin and thick flesh. His hand was just held and he immediately shook in reaction.


    Xue Junliang was relieved to see that he was alright, and then with an enigmatic smile on his face, said, ¡°Teng Ying¡¯s clothes are stained. Why don¡¯t I accompany you to the inner hall to change them.¡±

 CH 68

    Teng Yun was about to nod, but then caught a glimpse of Xue Junliang¡¯s smile. His heart suddenly jumped again and his face involuntarily began to heat up.


    Xue Junliang naturally did not allow Teng Yun to refuse him, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Jiang Yu kept silent and stood behind. Naturally, he understood what the Emperor meant. He quickly asked the Palace servants to hold the lanterns and illuminate Emperor Xue and Marquis Tengnan¡¯s way.


    Teng Yun¡¯s hand was held by Xue Junliang all the way. He tried taking it back, but Xue Junliang held it tighter and did not let go. Teng Yun stopped trying to take back his hand and just let Xue Junliang hold it.


    Xue Junliang felt that the atmosphere was just right. When he was about to take advantage of the opportunity and make some small moves on Teng Yun, he saw lanterns in front of them¨C-someone was coming their way.


    Xue Junliang focused his sight and saw that it was the Crown Prince Xue Pei and the three He brothers.


    The three He brothers were lined up in a row, just like bandits who were about to rob, with big knives on their hands and ferocious looks on their faces. The Little Prince stood in front of them, clasping his hands and making an expression that was too old for his face.


    When they saw Xue Junliang coming on their path, they began to panic. It seemed that they didn¡¯t expect Emperor Xue to pass by.


    Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°Where is the Little Prince going?¡±


    ¡°This son¡­ this son¡­¡±


    As soon as the Little Prince was questioned, he stumbled on his step and stammered. The three He brothers behind him were befuddled as well. However, Xue Pei hesitated for a while as if he was summoning up his courage and said, ¡°This son won¡¯t hide from his father, this son came here to stop Marquis Tengnan!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Xue Junliang asked, ¡°And why do you want to stop Teng Ying?¡±


    Xue Pei coughed and seemed to be encouraging himself. Then he said loudly: ¡°This son thinks Marquis Tengnan is not worthy enough to live in Yunfeng Palace. He is neither a Queen nor the Empress. Since ancient times, only the Queen of the King or the Empress of an Emperor have lived in Yunfeng Palace.¡±


    Xue Junliang just smiled ambiguously when he heard this.


    Seeing this kind of smile from his father, made the Little Prince shrink down his neck.


    Teng Yun knew that Xue Pei was dissatisfied with himself because Teng Ying set fire to the Yunfeng Palace. Although he was not Teng Ying, he now used this body, so it was indisputable.


    As a matter of fact, the Little Prince Xue Pei was a person who valued ??love and righteousness. Although he was a little young, his behavior was a little too extreme.


    Teng Yun was afraid that Xue Junliang would hold Xue Pei accountable and said, ¡°This lowly subject really feels that he is immoral and incompetent. If he lives in Yunfeng Palace, I¡¯m afraid it may lead to malicious gossip.¡±


    ¡°Who would dare to gossip?¡±


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t give Teng Yun any room to retreat. He said with a smile, ¡°This Seat thinks that my understanding of people is quite good. Teng Ying has a great ability to quell the rebellion. He is also a virtuous man who can endure malicious gossip and still give good advice. Why is he not worthy?¡±


    The Little Prince stuck his neck and said, ¡°What I heard is totally different. Teng Ying¡¯s reputation has always been bad and only knows how to flatter to get benefits from others¡­ My Father also taught this son. If you want to convince people, it¡¯s not what you say with your mouth, but what you do with your strength.¡±


    Xue Junliang: ¡°Then what do you want?¡±


    Xue Pei: ¡°This son is bravely asking Marquis Tengnan to compete with the He brothers. If he can win and convince everyone, this Son is not unreasonable and will certainly not commit mischief. He would be at the disposal of his Father and Emperor, if he wants to punish this Son, he will not go back on his words.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise?¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, this son will stand here. Even if Marquis Tengnan can enter Yunfeng Palace, he can¡¯t block this crowd¡¯s mouth!¡±


    Seeing that the Father and Son were in a stalemate, and the atmosphere becoming more and more strained, Teng Yun suddenly smiled, ¡°The Prince wants to try this lowly subject¡¯s Martial Arts skills. Why should he be so serious? Taking advantage of His Majesty¡¯s interest today, it¡¯s better for this lowly subject to have the courage to try it.¡±


    He paused and then continued, ¡°If this lowly subject competes with the three He brothers, the harmony would be lost between the winner and loser. How about racing and shooting?¡±


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    Teng Yun turned to look at him and seeing Xue Junliang smiling with a dazed look on his face, Teng Yun first thought there was something wrong with him. However, seeing Xue Junliang¡¯s gentle smile after drinking some wine, seemed to remove his usual indifference and estrangement.


    He patted Teng Yun on the shoulder, ¡°This is just right. I have never had a chance to see General Teng¡¯s demeanor. I¡¯ll have the chance to take a good look now. I¡¯m sure General Teng won¡¯t let me down.¡±


    Teng Yun was least afraid of other¡¯s toughness, because he also had a pair of iron bones. He had never suffered too much from it since childhood. However, he was afraid of others speaking softly to him, because King Teng had numerous sons and there was no shortage of him being alone.


    Teng Yun was born like a child without a father, and his mother died when he was very young. No one had treated him gently and lovingly, until Teng Shang came into his life. He was the first person who was kind to him and had cared for him. When he left Teng Country and spent all his life outside on the battlefield, he had never forgotten Teng Shang and the kindness shown to him. Now the second person who was kind to him turned out to be Xue Junliang.


    Teng Yun swallowed and opened his mouth to say something but he was at a loss on what to say. Finally, he just said, ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty, for your care and support. I will do my best.¡±


    Xue Junliang ordered the Palace servants to hold the lanterns and everyone went to the Martial Arts training field. There were already lit torches every few feet away, illuminating the vast area. The fire sparks in the night seemed very spectacular. There was a solemn and stirring illusion in the vast Martial Arts field, just like a scene on the battlefield before hell breaks loose.


    Jiang Yu asked some guards to bring out the horses. One for each of the three He brothers and one for Teng Yun. An archery target was placed in the distance, and two torches were set up next to it. The arrow target was illuminated but still dim under the night sky. Due to the pitch darkness and dim lighting, it was hard to see the target, let alone trying to hit the center. But these four people were aiming to shoot arrows while riding on horses, which was even more difficult.


    However, this kind of riding and shooting at the same time was a small feat for the four people. When marching and fighting in the battlefield, it was inevitable that there would be sneak attacks or seizing the stronghold at night. The soldiers would practice riding and shooting in the dark.


    The three He brothers had their own bows and arrows and ordered a servant to get them. Teng Yun asked Jiang Yu to find a bow for him. Unexpectedly, Teng Yun weighed it but said with a smile: ¡°I have to trouble Steward Jiang to find another light bow. After drinking some wine, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t pull such a strong bow.¡±


    The Little Prince and the He brothers all sneered at what he said: He couldn¡¯t even pull the bow. How can he shoot an arrow? The stronger the bow string was, the faster the arrow will be and the more powerful it would be. If he changed into a light bow, he would only be ridiculed as a layman.


    The four people hoisted themselves and mounted their horses neatly. Teng Yun was carrying several arrows on his back, holding the reins in one hand and the light bow in the other. The three He brothers glanced at Teng Yun, looked at one another and then rode their horses in tacit understanding.


    Teng Yun also shook the horse¡¯s rein and followed.


    The bowstrings of the He brothers were strong. Naturally, they would shoot arrows at a distance. Teng Yun was not in a hurry at first. As he watched them draw their bows, he let go of the horse¡¯s reins, took out three long arrows from his back and pulled the bowstring with both hands.


    However, his arrows didn¡¯t aim at the target. At the moment when the three He brothers shot their arrows, Teng Yun, also at that exact moment, suddenly loosened the bow string. The flight of three long arrows were mixed with the sound of the wind. Then everyone just heard three sounds of ¡°Duo Duo Duo¡± and several slight sounds, as if something had fallen to the ground.


    Teng Yun shot three arrows without a pause, then immediately retrieved his hand, took out the last long arrow, put it on the bow, twisted his body and released it. Without even seeing if the shot hit the target, he turned his horse¡¯s head and came back in an instant.


    Jiang Yu asked a guard to raise a torch and saw that there was only one arrow on the target. There was no doubt that the color of the arrow was Teng Yun¡¯s.


    Jiang Yu then asked someone to find the long arrows of the He brothers. Not far away, he found Teng Yun¡¯s three arrows stuck on the ground. Next to them were three broken long arrows.


    Jiang Yu put all the arrows on a wooden plate and showed them to Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang smiled, picked up the broken arrows and said, ¡°Are you convinced now?¡±


    The Little Prince Xue Pei¡¯s face turned red and white.


    The He brothers looked at their broken arrows in amazement, and they couldn¡¯t help feeling ashamed.


    Seeing that they were speechless, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t force them. He just said, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s leave. It¡¯s getting late.¡±


    Xue Pei couldn¡¯t say anything. He had laughed at Teng Yun for changing into a lighter bow, but even if the other party had used the lighter bow, he could easily cut off the arrows of the He brothers.


    The Little Prince could only grit his teeth, kneel down, say he was exhausted, and then ran away without a shadow of a trace.


    Xue Junliang smiled, ¡°If the Crown Prince comes and gives you trouble in the future, you can teach him a lesson.¡±


    Teng Yun: ¡°Although the Crown Prince is still young, he is a person who values ??love and righteousness, he is upright and talented, and will certainly become a skilled person in the future.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang suddenly smiled ambiguously and said, ¡°Teng Ying¡¯s evaluation of the Crown Prince seems to be pretty good, but it¡¯s alright. This Seat¡¯s son is naturally your son.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s heart jumped in shock. Whether Xue Junliang¡¯s previous actions and words were just ambiguous, at this time, he clearly understood the meaning of his words.


    Xue Junliang said: ¡°Let¡¯s go. You haven¡¯t changed your clothes yet.¡±


    Teng Yun was thrown into panic when Xue Junliang took him to Yunfeng Palace. Today¡¯s Yunfeng Palace was fully decorated in bright red. Even the bed curtains, bed sheets and quilts were changed into bright red by Rui Xue. There were red candles, good wine and dishes on the table, and the cups and lanterns together were very conspicuous.


    Xue Junliang asked Rui Xue to bring a clean dress. Rui Xue smiled and said, ¡°Since the banquet is already finished, it¡¯s better not to wear wedding clothes.¡±


    Xue Junliang groaned, ¡°talkative¡±, but he didn¡¯t mean to blame her. He knew Teng Yun was thin skinned and couldn¡¯t help teasing. He said again, ¡°hurry up.¡±


    Rui Xue smiled and retreated. After a while, she came back carrying a big red dress and then retreated, still with a smile on her face.


    Only Xue Junliang and Teng Yun were left in the inner room. Teng Yun suddenly didn¡¯t know what to do. He took his clothes and said, ¡°I dare ask Your Majesty to excuse myself so that I can change my clothes.¡±


    Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°Why do you need to excuse yourself? Let me help you.¡±


    As he was saying this, his hands already reached out to untie Teng Yun¡¯s clothes. Teng Yun stepped back as if he had stepped on fire, but he didn¡¯t want to get near the bed, his face so red as he stopped moving.


    Seeing that he could not retreat, Xue Junliang naturally continued to untie his belt, helped him take off his outer clothes, threw it on the bed, and took the clean wedding dress to put on him.


    Teng Yun was used to being served by others, but he had never been served by Xue Junliang. His movements inevitably made him a little stiff, which made Xue Junliang laugh.


    Putting on Teng Yun¡¯s clothes, Xue Junliang finally knew why Rui Xue was smiling so happily when she went out. It turned out that this wedding dress had no belt or buckle, and couldn¡¯t be tied. It could only be opened ambiguously.


    Teng Yun immediately felt that he might as well not change his clothes. A little tea stain wouldn¡¯t matter, but he was now already dressed like this and it was not easy to change it back.


    When Xue Junliang was tidying up his clothes for him, his hands deliberately lingered on his waist for a while. Teng Yun didn¡¯t dare to move, but he felt his waist trembling. He was too familiar with this feeling. Xue Junliang always teased him when he was free, but it wasn¡¯t too much.


    This ambiguous kneading, although it had been a long time since Xue Junliang had done this to him, Teng Yun suddenly had an impression, as if Xue Junliang already knew his identity, already knew that he was Teng Yun, already knew he had been the fake Empress, and deliberately wanted to remind himself of the past.


    Teng Yun still remembered that Teng Shang reminded him that Xue Junliang might have known that he was Teng Yun, but he thought that Xue Junliang had no way to prove that he had been the Empress.


    Xue Junliang was very satisfied with Teng Yun¡¯s slight change and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s getting late. After drinking our nuptial cup of wine, why not Teng Ying accompany me to bed?¡±


    Teng Yun pursed his lips and said nothing.


    Of course Xue Junliang knew that Teng Yun was a man, and it would be impossible to break his defenses and get into his heart so easily. And also, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t want to force him, so he just smiled and said, ¡°Teng Ying¡¯s face is so red. Are you thinking of something?¡±


    Then he reached out and gently stroked Teng Yun¡¯s cheek and chin. The scars on his face were much shallower now, but Xue Junliang was still angry with the Imperial Physician; since it had been there a long time, he couldn¡¯t completely eradicate it. However, Xue Junliang had also played a part in these scars being present on Teng Yun¡¯s face, so when he thought about it, he didn¡¯t know what he felt in his heart.


    Teng Yun was tickled due to Xue Junliang¡¯s touch. He didn¡¯t try to avoid Xue Junliang¡¯s hand at first.


    Xue Junliang put his hand down and didn¡¯t trouble him anymore. Then he smiled, ¡°Do I look like such an anxious person? You must be tired today.¡±


    After he said this, he went to get the nuptial cup on the table and handed it to Teng Yun. They both drank from it. Xue Junliang then laid on the bed with his clothes on and patted the empty space next to him. Teng Yun also had to lie down with his clothes on.


    Xue Junliang pulled the quilt over and covered both of them, and suddenly laughed. He took out a handful of longan and lotus seeds from under the sheets.


    Teng Yun saw the longan and lotus seeds, and the heat that had receded from his face came back.


    On every wedding night, longan and lotus seeds would be placed on the matrimonial bed, which meant full roundness and early birth of a child.


    After that, neither of them spoke, nor did the candles in the room go out. Xue Junliang closed his eyes and his breathing soon became stable. Teng Yun didn¡¯t know whether he was already asleep or not, but he couldn¡¯t sleep. When he closed his eyes, he would think of the previous things, replaying them one after another, which made Teng Yun irritable.


    Xue Junliang naturally was not asleep. He just closed his eyes, as he was afraid that Teng Yun would be embarrassed. After waiting for a long time, he could still hear Teng Yun sighing or turning over. Xue Junliang felt that if he didn¡¯t do something, Teng Yun would be thinking around in circles with no end in sight.


    After a while, the candle light became dimmer and dimmer. After the flame struggled twice to stay lit, it finally went out.


    Xue Junliang then opened his eyes and sat up.


    Teng Yun heard the movements, and quickly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. He heard the person sitting up next to him, and then the sound of clothes rustling. The heat around him became more and more obvious, as the other party seemed to be leaning over.


    Teng Yun wondered whether to open his eyes or continue to pretend to be asleep. Suddenly, a hot breath was blown in his ear. Teng Yun almost moved in surprise.


    Xue Junliang had lowered his head to kiss his earlobe, and heat poured into his ear. Teng Yun thought that fortunately the candle was out, otherwise he would definitely be seen pretending to be asleep.


    Teng Yun¡¯s ear felt feverish. He remembered that he hadn¡¯t taken off his clothes and was covered with a brocade quilt. His whole body seemed to be hot and a thin layer of sweat came out.


    The man¡¯s lips lingered in his ears and then moved down to the corner of his mouth.


    Teng Yun¡¯s heart beat faster and faster, and soon he would be unable to hold. He thought about when to pretend to wake up.


    Xue Junliang lowered his head and kissed his lips gently. It was just a fleeting kiss and he immediately raised his head, which made Teng Yun breathe a sigh of relief.


    Teng Yun dared not open his eyes even more.


    Xue Junliang seemed to sigh, and with a very small voice; as if he was talking to himself, he said, ¡°Teng Yun, do you now understand¡­¡±


    Hearing what he said, Teng Yun didn¡¯t even dare to express his indignation. Sure enough, he knew he was Teng Yun. His hands which were hidden under the quilt pulled the corner of his clothes.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s hand continued to gently stroke his cheek and neck. He added: ¡°If you don¡¯t understand, maybe this is my retribution. I hated to kill you back then, and it turned out you were the only person ¡­.. I cared about. Everything in Yunfeng Palace was rebuilt as it was, even the books in the study were the same, it was because I had my heart set on you. Even Jiang Yu could see it. But you, a wise and decisive general, couldn¡¯t see it. It¡¯s really a bad retribution¡­¡±


    Teng Yun was even more shocked. When he mentioned Yunfeng Palace¡¯s restoration, Teng Yun¡¯s heart beat like a drum and was afraid that even Xue Junliang could hear it. Although the other party didn¡¯t say it directly, it was very clear for Teng Yun, a smart man; Xue Junliang knew everything. He also knew who the Ugly Empress who once lived in Yunfeng Palace was.


    Xue Junliang, after saying these things, kept silent. After a while, he sighed, lowered his head once again, kissed his eyebrows, and then lay down.


    Teng Yun finally breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Xue Junliang¡¯s steady breathing. His whole body seemed to be powerless and collapsed on the bed. His back was wet with sweat. Now he didn¡¯t know what to think and what to do.


    It turned out that Xue Junliang already knew everything from a long time ago, and what he said just now was that he was interested in himself. Teng Yun suddenly thought, wasn¡¯t Emperor Xue so determined in taking himself into the Palace? It was actually not to ridicule himself, but¡­..


    Teng Yun turned over and turned his back to Xue Junliang. He slowly lifted his hand and covered his lips. The scorching temperature seemed to burn his hand. Teng Yun felt that his breathing was also hot.


    He stayed up all night.


    The next day Xue Junliang woke up early in the morning, and seemed to be alright. He smiled and scratched the bridge of Teng Yun¡¯s nose and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be lazy in bed. Get up quickly. We have to go to Morning Court. If we are late, the ministers will beat the drums and abolish the Emperor.¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t sleep all night and didn¡¯t have the option to sleep on the first day after the wedding. His mind was a little dizzy and muttered, ¡°I should go to the Morning Court?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, did Marquis Tengnan want to be lazy?¡±


    Xue Junliang said, looking at Teng Yun¡¯s disheveled clothes and disheveled hair, he couldn¡¯t help squinting his eyes, quickly kissed his lips and said, ¡°Get up and take a nap after the Morning Court.¡±


    Teng Yun opened his eyes wide, as if waking up from a dream. He quickly got up and said, ¡°This lowly subject¡­ this lowly subject just didn¡¯t expect to go to Morning Court, isn¡¯t it already¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang naturally knew what he was going to say and said with a smile, ¡°I want you by my side, not just to trap you, but also to see you show your aspirations. This is the real Teng Ying, isn¡¯t it? ¡±

 CH 69

    Edited ¨C Zaki


    Happy New Year! Wishing all a very happy and prosperous new year!


    Zhao Lu led the troops to escort the provisions and food to the lower reaches of Ming River. When he passed by Peach Blossom Pond, he was ambushed. However, the other party¡¯s troops were obviously not strong, and just a small number of people. They were relying on the rugged terrain to ambush and surprise the other party but Zhao Lu was barely surprised.


    Zhao Lu ordered someone to protect the provisions and food and captured several people alive. After interrogation, he learned that they were Zhang Hong¡¯s remaining party who had fled to Peach Blossom Pond because the terrain was dangerous there.


    The area around Peach Blossom Pond was covered with Black reeds. Although Black reeds by themselves were not poisonous, it would become poisonous after being exposed to the sun. There were no nearby villages, so these remnants of Zhang Hong¡¯s army couldn¡¯t find other people to rob, had no food to eat, and were afraid that their enemies would come after them. So, when they saw the grain transportation party, they simply came out to fight for it.


    Because Zhao Lu¡¯s priority was to protect the food and grains, a small number of the remnant party were not caught and they fled to the Ming River.


    Unfortunately, the remnant group that fled to Ming River were caught by the Feng Army and in order to protect their lives, they gave up information about Xue Country¡¯s military movement and told Feng Ming about Zhao Lu moving troops to Peach Blossom Pond.


    Feng Ming got military intelligence but did not spare these people. Zhang Hong himself was an unkind and unrighteous man, and so were the rest of his party. If these people were left alive, for sure they would betray Feng Country in the future if the opportunity arose.


    Feng Ming looked at the map. There was a hill not far from the Peach Blossom Pond. Although it was not high, due to the low-lying terrain next to it, the complete scenery below could be viewed from the top of this hill. If Zhao Lu was moving troops to Peach Blossom Pond, then it was surely for occupying this land. If there would be  any movement in the future, he would be able to see it clearly.


    Feng Ming clearly understood that Emperor Xue was suspicious in nature and just because there was a marriage alliance between the two countries, it did not mean peace would be easily restored. When he secretly strengthened his defence, Xue Junliang also sent troops.


    Indeed as Xue Junliang had thought, if there would be a secret sneak attack, Peach Blossom Pond was bound to be the best place for breakthrough.


    Feng Ming closed his eyes and sneered. Xue Junliang was smart, but he was too smart. He always miscalculated when calculating others¡¯ mistakes. Did Xue Junliang think that if Zhao Lu was sent to Peach Blossom Pond, Feng Ming would not be able to let go of his old love and would not be ruthless?


    ¡°What a pity¡­¡±


    Feng Ming muttered to himself and sighed. Zhao Lu was indeed a great General. But Xue Junliang underestimated Feng Ming. Feng Ming and Zhao Lu had been together for nearly ten years. How could he not understand Zhao Lu¡¯s temperament? His routine of marching and using troops in a battle was quite clear. If a war started, it may be a blessing in misfortune.


    Zhao Lu ordered people to camp in the mountains and built a watchtower. Within a month, a camp was set up by the Ming River, and watchtowers were set up every 20 miles, facing Zhao Lu¡¯s military camp from afar.


    Because it was difficult for spies to communicate across the Ming River, it took another half a month for Zhao Lu¡¯s spies to return with news, ¡°The General of the Feng army is surnamed Lu, he is a Literary Master who only holds a pen.¡±


    Zhao Lu was shocked. Unexpectedly, it was Lu Shichen.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Xue Junliang sat on the dragon chair, with a smile on his face, and said, ¡°What do the Ministers think?¡±


    Some ministers said that Lu Shichen was only a scholar. Feng Ming sent a scholar to calm the borders. At first glance, it seemed that Feng Ming¡¯s luck was exhausted.


    Xue Junliang smiled coolly at this time and said, ¡°Oh¡­ This Emperor remembers that earlier, this Seat also sent Lang Jing, a Literary Master to Ming River. So going by your words, this Emperor¡¯s luck also has been exhausted?¡±


    As soon as his words came out, the scared Ministers quickly knelt down and kowtowed, saying they didn¡¯t dare say that.


    Teng Yun said: ¡°Although Lu Shichen is a scholar, few people can be as resourceful as him. As long as one underestimates an enemy in the battlefields, they would only be defeated miserably.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded and said, ¡°Teng Ying has a point, exactly what this Seat has in mind as well.¡±


    Teng Yun glanced at the other party¡¯s smile and couldn¡¯t stop his face from turning red in embarrassment. He quickly lowered his head. Since that wedding night  spent in Yunfeng Palace, although Teng Yun still went to the court as Marquis Tengnan and participated in state affairs, Xue Junliang¡¯s looks towards himself were different. Sometimes it was gentle and sometimes it was a worried look, which made Teng Yun think that the other party must have thought he was asleep that night as he revealed his heart.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t know that in fact, Xue Junliang deliberately confided his heart because he knew Teng Yun wasn¡¯t asleep, and then pretended as if he had confided in a sleeping Teng Yun. In this way, Teng Yun would not feel forced too much but it would also break open the thin veil so as to avoid Teng Yun from being kept in the dark about his intentions.


    Wef Aeciljcu ibbxfv vbkc ja Kfcu Tec¡¯r gfjmalbc, jcv rjk atja tlr fjgr aegcfv gfv ogbw atf ereji mjiw mbibg, jcv tlr cfmx tlvvfc lc atf cfmxilcf bo tlr mbega gbyfr, jirb rtbkfv vffq gfv. Lf mbeivc¡¯a tfiq offilcu j ilaaif qgbev. Pa kjrc¡¯a abb wemt.  Lf gfagjmafv tlr rluta, aegcfv ab ibbx ja Ojcu Alcu jcv rjlv, ¡°Ojcu Alcu, Qtja lr sbeg bqlclbc?¡±


    Lang Jing said, ¡°As Your Lordships have said, Lu Shichen should not be feared.¡±


    ¡°Oh? So Lang Jing, you already have the certainty of winning?¡±


    Lang Jing¡¯s face remained unchanged as he said, ¡°There will be no war yet, but if the Feng Country tries to fight the war using sinister means then I am sure that Lu Shichen is not enough to be feared.¡±


    Xue Junliang held his head with one hand and said with a smile, ¡°Tell us carefully.¡±


    Lang Jing said, ¡°Lu Shichen is a Literary Master. Literary Masters naturally have their weaknesses. For example, they can¡¯t pick up weapons and fight and their  benevolence towards women and children. Lu Shichen is not only unable to fight, but is also unwilling to fight. If it ends in a fight, he would use a method with the least casualties, and often on the battlefield it is impossible to have the best of both worlds.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded slightly, ¡°That¡¯s right. If you want to sit and secure the world, how could there be benevolence towards women and children? Sometimes temporary benevolence and unwillingness to fight would cause more and more soldiers to lose their lives.¡±


    Lang Jing said, ¡°As long as it¡¯s Feng country who takes the lead, no matter whether he is famous or not, Lu Shichen will definitely feel guilty. When the time comes, he will naturally feel unbearable. On the battlefields thousand miles away, If he doesn¡¯t do his best, he wouldn¡¯t be able to win.¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed: ¡°They say that Lu Shichen is too wise, I see him as inferior to you.¡±


    Lang Jing paused for a moment and said, ¡°This lowly subject thanks Your Majesty for your kindness, but unfortunately I know I am not as good as others, I just know myself and my enemy. Moreover, although King Feng was able to get Lu Shichen, he did not know how to let him develop his ambition, while Your Majesty got Marquis Tengnan, but did not stick to the customs and etiquettes, which is the real wisdom.¡±


    Everyone could hear that he was flattering, but Xue Junliang was extremely receptive to hearing them. They hit the nail on the head, praising Teng Yun as well as saying that Emperor Xue was good at judging talents.


    Xue Junliang knew that Lang Jing was flattering him mainly for the sake of Xue Yu. Although Xue Yu had been released, his freedom was still restricted and could not go to court.


    Xue Yu¡¯s temperament was relatively straightforward. He sneered at Lang Jing not for anything else, but for being a subordinate under Xue Junliang. Now, Lang Jing could enter and leave the Military Office freely, but Xue Yu, although had the title of Marquis, his access was secretly being monitored.


    Lang Jing knew of Xue Yu¡¯s disposition, but still he was bent on working for Xue Yu. Naturally, he wanted to fight for real power for Xue Yu, and Xue Junliang also knew it.


    After listening to the opinions of the court officials, Xue Junliang ordered the dismissal of the court. Before leaving, he said to Lang Jing with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen the Marquis Zhenjiang. Ask him to hand in his name plaque to enter the Palace.¡±


    Only then did Lang Jing show a hint of surprise, but immediately regained his usual composure and knelt down to thank him for his kindness.


    Teng Yun¡¯s residence changed from Marquis Tengnan¡¯s residence to Yunfeng Palace. Naturally, once the court was dismissed, he wouldn¡¯t need to go out of the Palace again. He could only go back to Yunfeng Palace. He had not even returned halfway when he was stopped by Xue Junliang, who said with a smile: ¡°Teng Ying doesn¡¯t have to go to the Military Office today, so just come with me.¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s mind has been in turmoil since that day. If one spoke it out, his and Xue Junliang¡¯s grudges could last several lifetimes. After all, Xue Junliang once killed him with an arrow, but then confided in himself. Teng Yun did not know what he should think.


    But the other party always looked breezy and light tempered, always smiling while looking at himself. Sometimes they ate together and sometimes just looked at him intently while listening to his own opinions. There were no more big things happening except the occasional cheek touching and kissing.


    Teng Yun had something in his mind and was distracted, so he didn¡¯t care where Xue Junliang was taking him. He only realized something was wrong when they got there.


    Xue Junliang smiled and pushed open the door for Teng Yun with his own hands, saying, ¡°I saw that Teng Ying was not in good spirits these days, so I specially asked someone to bring spring water.¡±


    Teng Yun looked at the steaming jade hot water pool in front of him. He didn¡¯t know whether it was the heat  from the steam or because of Xue Junliang¡¯s words, he felt his face was burning as if he had a fever.


    Xue Junliang knew that Teng Yun was thin-skinned so he waved away the maidservants who were standing at the side to serve him. Jiang Yu also understood and also retreated, before leaving he said, ¡°If Your Majesty has any problem, this old slave will be outside.¡±


    Jiang Yu closed the door on his way out. The brightness of the inner room dimmed further creating an ambiguous atmosphere. Teng Yun couldn¡¯t help trembling as he heard the door close. He felt that his legs and stomach were a little soft and feeling squeezy, which was completely unprecedented because he had never been nervous even when he went to the battlefields.


    Teng Yun took a deep breath and could smell the scent of a soaked medicine. Presumably, some nourishing herbs were added to the hot water decoction, which made the scene even more ambiguous at this time.


    Xue Junliang saw him staring at the pool water in a daze, walked over two steps and smiled: ¡°What, is Teng Ying touched by my thoughtfulness?¡±


    Teng Yun suddenly felt a breath hitting his ear, and could not help but shrink his neck. Xue Junliang leaned over and reached out to undo his clothes.


    Teng Yun did not move. Xue Junliang looked at his serious expression and laughed: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I saw that you are not in good spirits all day. I thought you might not have slept well. The Imperial Physician has prescribed some medicinal herbs for the hot water bath decoction. You go in and soak, I will be on the side, you don¡¯t need to worry much.¡±


    Teng Yun heard his undertone and understood that Xue Junliang didn¡¯t plan to enter the hot water medicinal bath with himself and he couldn¡¯t help feeling a little complicated in his heart. Xue Junliang had sent out all the maidservants who were standing to serve them. Now only himself and Emperor Xue were left. Did that mean Emperor Xue would serve him?


    Xue Junliang helped him take off his outer robes and put them on the screen separating the bath. He was about to help Teng Yun untie his inner clothes when Teng Yun took a step back and said, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ this lowly Minister can do them by myself.¡± His voice trembled as he spoke.


    Xue Junliang pretended not to hear Teng Yun¡¯s trembling voice and just said, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Then he turned around, and seemed to be looking for something, pretending not to look at him.


    Teng Yun saw Xue Junliang had turned around. Feeling a bit relieved, he hurriedly took off his clothes, and then quickly went into the hot water bath.


    Xue Junliang heard the slight sound of water and sighed in his heart, really regretting his pretence of thoughtfulness. If he had not turned his head away, maybe he would have been able to enjoy the scene of Teng Yun undressing.


    Only then did he turn back around and sit on the big chair by the pool, smiling, ¡°Is the water still warm?¡±


    Teng Yun leaned against the other end of the pool and sank down his body until the water reached his chin. Xue Junliang wanted to laugh at this. He said, ¡°Teng Ying, you don¡¯t have to hide so far. There¡¯s water vapour all around. One can¡¯t see anything clearly at all, not to mention¡­¡±


    He said with an ambiguous smile, ¡°What¡¯s more, if I want to see, why bother so much?¡±


    Teng Yun was even more embarrassed by his tone. He just moved a little closer at the edge. Xue Junliang couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡°It seems that I have caught General Teng¡¯s weakness.¡±


    Teng Yun did not speak, and did not look at Xue Junliang anymore. He stood in the pool water awkwardly. Although Xue Junliang didn¡¯t make any movement, he kept looking at Teng Yun. Although this kind of thing was very common in the Military camp, after all, no one dared to hold this kind of thought towards Teng Yun. In addition, Teng Yun pretended to be asleep when he heard the confession, so it was even more embarrassing.


    Xue Junliang just wanted to tease Teng Yun at first and just liked to see Teng Yun thinking seriously, but now he was regretting it.


    The steam was heavy and the room was humid. Xue Junliang didn¡¯t have time to change out of his Imperial Court clothes. The heavy cloth made him sweat a lot and listening to the sound of slight movements  on the water, Xue Junliang suddenly felt that he was needlessly asking for trouble.


    Xue Junliang finally couldn¡¯t sit still. He stood up and took off his outer robes. This action surprised Teng Yun who subconsciously straightened his spine and looked at his every move.


    The water in the medicinal bath was not deep. If one stood up straight, the water level would reach below the chest. Teng Yun naturally stood up straight when he was nervous. Xue Junliang looked at Teng Yun¡¯s chest that had water drops rolling off it and couldn¡¯t help but cough.


    Xue Junliang took off his outer robes, took off his coronet and loosened his collar. Only then did he feel a little cooler, but soon the heat and humidity made him sweat again.


    Teng Yun looked at Xue Junliang fanning himself while loosening his collar, and the subtle complications in his heart came up again.


    Xue Junliang was the Ruler of a country. He was above all the people of the nation. No one in Xue country would dare to compete with him. Naturally, no one could go against his will. As an assertive Emperor, doing so much for a single person; it was impossible for Teng Yun to not be moved.


    Especially Teng Yun, who was a person who remembered others¡¯ kindness and attentiveness towards himself. He would remember every bit of kindness he received.


    Teng Yun suddenly sighed and thought that it was fortunately Xue Junliang¡¯s arrow that pierced his heart at that time. If it were any other person, Teng Yun could not be so forgiving. Even if Xue Junliang was kind to him, he would absolutely never let go¡­..


    Xue Junliang was ¡°tortured¡± by the sound of water and heat, but he had decided that as long as Teng Yun did not show his willingness, he would not come on too strong on Teng Yun. After all, he had done him wrong before, he did not want to hurt Teng Yun again.


    Xue Junliang coughed again and said, ¡°Teng Ying, you soak slowly. When the water is cold, you call for Jiang Yu. I suddenly remembered I have something¡­¡­¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, he heard Teng Yun¡¯ s voice so soft that it was almost inaudible: ¡°Your Majesty... Your Majesty doesn''t have to do this.¡±


    Xue Junliang¡¯s action of pulling the door suddenly stopped, and he turned to look at Teng Yun. After Teng Yun said this, he quickly lifted some water on his face to wake himself up, but the water was warm, making him more dizzy.


    Xue Junliang was overjoyed. Naturally, he would not pretend to be a Sage. He immediately took off his clothing and went into the medicinal bath.


    Teng Yun immediately regretted so much that he wanted to die. The medicinal bath was very huge and impressive, but Xue Junliang obviously wouldn¡¯t stay at the other end. He came over and gently hugged Teng Yun.


    This was the first time the two people met sincerely. Teng Yun retreated a few steps . Unfortunately, Xue Junliang was not as behaved as he wanted. When the two bodies met, Xue Junliang obviously felt Teng Yun trembling. Although it was very slight, he couldn¡¯t restrain it.


    Xue Junliang just hugged him, rubbed his hair with his chin, smiled and sighed, and said, ¡°When would you understand? Until when would I have to wait¡­¡­¡±


    Teng Yun panicked. He knew Xue Junliang was referencing the other night but he didn¡¯t know what was in his own heart yet. So he could only keep silent and not answer anything.


    Xue Junliang did not force the issue, did not want Teng Yun to immediately reply to himself, but the hand holding his back began to wander around taking some liberties.


    Teng Yun had been soaking in the hot bath for a time, and his body was already soft. At this time, his back was rubbed by Xue Junliang¡¯s slightly callused palms and he couldn¡¯t help the rapidness of his breathing.


    Teng Yun was not good at this kind of thing, and he didn¡¯t understand how things worked between men. Although he knew about Teng Shang and Xue Houyang, because he was thin-skinned, he never asked, nor wanted to find out. At this time, he just fell into Xue Junliang¡¯s hands.


    Xue Junliang found that Teng Yun¡¯s reaction was very sensitive, which gave Xue Junliang a feeling of satisfaction ¡­¡­


    And when Teng Yun encountered this kind of thing, all the Martial Arts he had learned were forgotten. The only thing he could do was lie in Xue Junliang¡¯s arms, clutching Xue Junliang¡¯s arm as if it were a life-saving straw.


    Xue Junliang found that his back was very tight, smiled and comforted him: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do anything. Are you very uncomfortable?¡±


    Before Teng Yun could reply, Xue Junliang surprisingly held that part of his lower body with one hand and tentatively slid his hand up and down slowly.


    Teng Yun¡¯s eyes widened, he bit his lips, and his grasp on Xue Junliang¡¯s arm suddenly increased. His body curled up. And because he was curled up in Xue Junliang¡¯s arms, this posture made him look extremely obedient.


    Although Teng Yun was generally very obedient, it was the first time Xue Junliang saw him so obedient towards himself. Suddenly, a dry heat rose in his heart, as if the bath water had become scorching hot.


    When Xue Junliang felt that the other party did not struggle, the hand holding the private parts gradually accelerated and he could even hear the humming that leaked out of the corners of Teng Yun¡¯s mouth.


    Teng Yun felt that his mind was blank, his body had stopped listening to his command, and was completely dominated by Xue Junliang. The numbing pleasure seemed to allow him to only grab Xue Junliang and do nothing else.


    Xue Junliang was very proud of himself. Suddenly, he felt a stabbing pain on his neck. Teng Yun¡¯s eyes had reddened due to the pleasure he was experiencing and with blurred eyes, he had bitten down on Xue Junliang¡¯s neck to prevent his moans from echoing out.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t mind this kind of pain and was quite happy that he could make Teng Yun totally lose control.  But thinking about the area he was bitten, he thought that even the collar of his Imperial robes would not hide the bite mark¡­¡­..


    After Teng Yun had orgasmed, Xue Junliang helped him clean his body. Fortunately, Teng Yun was thin and not too heavy. Xue Junliang carried him out of the medicinal bath and wiped him dry. When everything was done, Teng Yun came back to his senses and wanted to speak, but his throat was a little uncomfortable because of what happened just now. When he tried to speak, his voice was totally hoarse.


    Xue Junliang knew Teng Yun was embarrassed, so if he teased him again at this time it would be counterproductive, he just said softly, ¡°Quickly put your clothes on, or you¡¯ll catch a cold.¡±


    Teng Yun recalled that he had just seen the bite marks on Xue Junliang¡¯s neck. He couldn¡¯t help but blush in embarrassment. He quickly put on his clean clothes.


    Jiang Yu had waited outside for a long time before seeing the door open, Emperor Xue seemed to be in a good mood, and only then said: ¡°This Seat just remembered, did you ask the Marquis Zhenjiang to hand over the name plaque to enter the Palace? Has he arrived?¡±


    Jiang Yu wiped his sweat and said, ¡°He has arrived, he has arrived¡­ The Marquis has been waiting for more than an incense stick of time.¡±


    ¡ª-


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 CH 70

    Xue Junliang nodded, his hand touched his neck and coughed slightly as he said, ¡°Jiang Yu, go and serve tea to Marquis Zhenjiang first. Teng Ying and this Seat will go and change our clothes.¡±


    Jiang Yu did not notice the marks on Emperor Xue¡¯s neck until he saw his hand movement. He felt even more aggrieved and complained in his heart. The little Marquis dared to compete with this lowly servant in serving Emperor Xue and he was given this really hard chore of entertaining the other temperamental Xue instead.


    Xue Junliang naturally knew that Jiang Yu could deal with Xue Yu, so he happily took Teng Yun to the inner hall. He had to take advantage of this chance to attend and to dally with Teng Yun. Although Teng Yun was almost invincible on the battlefield, in this kind of situation, there was nothing he could do about it, as his body kept betraying him.


    Xue Junliang finally finished changing Teng Yun¡¯s clothes; very contentedly. Xue Yu had been waiting outside of the study hall for more than an hour. He had drunk three cups of tea and already wanted to vomit as he looked at the cup of tea that Jiang Yu refilled for the fourth time.


    Xue Junliang also finished changing his own clothes and smiled at Teng Yun, ¡°Let¡¯s go and meet Xue Yu.¡±


    Teng Yun hesitated for a moment, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s inappropriate. This lowly subject still¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang interrupted him, ¡°This Seat asked Xue Yu to come into the Palace for personal matters, so it is alright if you are there with me.¡±


    When the two arrived at the warm pavilion of the study hall, Xue Junliang asked a servant to call on Xue Yu to come inside. Jiang Yu was finally relieved to see someone coming, as he was really beginning to be afraid that Xue Yu would lose his temper and smash the cup.


    Xue Yu knew in his heart that Xue Junliang was purposefully making him wait, wanting to affirm his own hold of power. He followed the Palace servant to the warm pavilion with a black face.


    When Xue Junliang saw Xue Yu coming in, he smiled gently and said, ¡°You¡¯re here. Jiang Yu, get a seat for the guest.¡±


    After saying this, he turned to Teng Yun, ¡°Come and sit here.¡± He patted the open space next to him.


    Teng Yun lowered his head, ¡°This lowly subject dares not.¡±


    Xue Junliang suddenly smiled, ¡°Oh, you dare not? Didn¡¯t you bite me on the spring pool just now? You could dare at that time?¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s face burst into flames, his head subconsciously raised and stared at Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang was pierced by Teng Yun¡¯s gaze and his heart bloomed beautifully as he returned the look with a smile.


    On the side, Xue Yu who was listening to their flirting, felt his anger rising up. Unfortunately he could not show it, he could just sit and endure. After a while, during which the two were still staring intently at each other; one was throwing a killing look, while the other was accepting with a smile, he coughed and indicated that he was still there; finally breaking off the heated atmosphere.


    Xue Junliang suddenly looked at Xue Yu, with a stunned expression as if he was surprised there was another person in the room with them, and said, ¡°Marquis Zhenjiang has been waiting for a long time. This Seat just forgot about it.¡±


    ¡°This is what Chen-di should do.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang showed an expression of thinking deeply and then said with a smile, ¡°By the way, there must be something important for Marquis Zhenjiang to come to the Palace?¡±


    Xue Yu took a deep breath, unable to swallow his anger or spit it out, he really wanted to spit out fire, but still respectfully said: ¡°Your Majesty manages everything every day. You must have forgotten that it was Your Majesty who asked Chen-di to hand-in his name plaque into the Palace.


    ¡°Really?¡± Xue Junliang asked Jiang Yu.


    Jiang Yu had to compensate and said with a smile, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ Yes.¡±


    Xue Junliang rubbed his temples with his fingers, as if he was thinking again, ¡°It seems that this Seat really asked you to enter the Palace¡­ Ah, this Seat remembered now, I really have forgotten¡­ This Seat just wanted to listen to what you honestly wanted to say; your innermost thoughts and feelings.¡±


    ¡°My innermost thoughts and feelings?¡±


    Xue Yu was surprised and said with a smile, ¡°Chen-di is really stupid. I really don¡¯t understand what Your Majesty means.¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°I still remember. When we were kids, you seemed much smaller than this Seat, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    Xue Yu nodded, ¡°Indeed, Chen-di was the smallest. Naturally, he is much smaller than His Majesty.¡±


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    Xue Yu heard Xue Junliang saying something about good sesame seeds and rotten millet. He was really getting confused now and didn¡¯t know what tricks and traps Xue Junliang was planning for him. His mind was still trying to figure out what Xue Junliang really wanted, so he just smiled and nodded with an unknown attitude.


    ¡°This Seat has attached great importance to Lang Jing, and really values his talents, but Lang Jing has always been loyal to you, and this Seat can¡¯t force him, right? I once told Lang Jing a joke and asked him: If it had been this Seat and not you that saved him that time, would he have been loyal to me? Guess what Lang Jing said? He said that everything is variable, because Xue Yu attaches great importance to love and righteousness, so he could move Lang Jing¨Ca man with a heart of stone¨C but this Seat can¡¯t move him. This Seat can use people without doubt, but is also very determined not to trust them¡­ Lang Jing¡¯s words were very pertinent, indeed.¡±


    Xue Yu didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Xue Junliang continued: ¡°I have said so much, I just want to tell everyone that although many people don¡¯t like this Seat, and thought I¡¯m exceptionally cruel, and even if they had rebelled, as long as they had survived, this Seat won¡¯t hold it against them. Although as a monarch, I might not trust anyone, this Seat can be sure of employing people¡­ This is what this Seat says in his heart, what about you?¡±


    As he said this, he glanced at Teng Yun and smiled, ¡°I almost forgot that there is such a person I want to give trust to. Of course, this Seat also wants to receive the same trust.¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t dare to turn his head to look at Xue Junliang, but he could feel Xue Junliang¡¯s eyes staring at him intently. His hand suddenly became hot and was gently held by Xue Junliang.


    Teng Yun quickly looked up to glance at Xue Yu.


    Xue Yu¡¯s head was lowered and seemed to be thinking deeply about something. Obviously, he wasn¡¯t paying any attention to Xue Junliang¡¯s small movements.


    Xue Yu was silent for a while.


    Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°Why? Is this Seat¡¯s words very thought-provoking? If Marquis Zhenjiang has thought about it for a while now, it¡¯s your turn to say something to this Seat.¡±


    Xue Yu paused and said, ¡°Since Your Majesty had spoken things from his heart, Chen-di should also do so, but please let the Palace servants retreat for a while, Chen-di is afraid that if Chen-di says something unpleasant, outsiders would hear about it and make Chen-di a laughing stock.¡±


    Xue Junliang waved his hand, and Jiang Yu led the Palace servants out of the hall. Teng Yun stood up from his seat and was about to leave as well, but Xue Junliang caught his hand, held his hand tight and said with a smile, ¡°Where is Teng Ying going? Do you still think you are an outsider?¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s hand was gripped by him and it seemed that his fingers were burning. Xue Junliang was always serious when listening to him, but why did he always smile when he looked at him? Teng Yun could not understand what he was feeling, making him extremely uncomfortable.


    He had to sit down again.


    Xue Yu started to speak, ¡°As Your Majesty said, Chen-di was indulged by the former Emperor and his brothers ever since he was born. It can be said that there have been no unpleasant things that have happened to him in 20 years. Only, Chen-di refused to obey Your Majesty and set out and made great achievements and accumulated power. Chen-di felt that he was no worse than Your Majesty, but because he was too young and lacked experience, Your Majesty could become an Emperor and Chen-di just remained a General all his life. Chen-di refused to accept this.¡±


    He spoke in a calm tone and didn¡¯t look at Xue Junliang. It¡¯s as if he was not saying these things to Xue Junliang. Teng Yun glanced at Xue Junliang¡¯s face and it was as if his heart was dangling on a string.


    Xue Yu continued: ¡°Chen-di has never been convinced. When Lang Jing became Chen-di¡¯s advisor, he often advised me that the time was not ripe. Chen-di always wondered, when would the time be right, when could I be certain? Now I understand Lang Jing¡¯s words. Maybe he meant that the time would never be right for Chen-di. Chen-di has always been proud and has high self-esteem, but I don¡¯t want to be a frog at the bottom of the well. Although Chen-di admires Your Majesty¡¯s wisdom and methods, I still do not accept it¡­ Does Your Majesty know why? Because of Your Majesty¡¯s unfeelingness. Chen-di is also an heir of the Emperor. Chen-di would rather die than give his dignity to Your Majesty and let Your Majesty abuse and trample at will. Perhaps Your Majesty feels that not killing a traitor is a kindness, and the whole world would remember your kindness, but for Chen-di, there is only more resentment. Your Majesty will never know for the rest of his life the despair of being locked in a room with not a single window.¡±


    Xue Junliang also did not get angry at all, his tone was very calm as he said, ¡°So ¡­¡­ now that we are talking about it. What are your grievances and resentments? You can bring it up and of course, if it is in the power of this Seat, then this Seat will grant you. They all say that an Emperor is above all people, but there are also things that cannot be given, such as the throne, such as military power¡­¡±


    Xue Yu said, ¡°I dare not expect this. I only hope that Your Majesty can remove the spies and give Chen-di his dignity.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Is that it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°It seems that you don¡¯t want much¡­ Come back to Morning Court tomorrow.¡±


    Xue Yu was stunned for a moment, and then his face finally changed somewhat. He seemed excited and forbearing as he said, ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. It is Lang Jing who should be thanked, even this Seat is moved by his loyalty to you. I hope you and Lang Jing can be loyal to the Xue Country together. Your talents are obvious to all. ¡±


    Xue Yu thanked him and retired soon.


    Only then did Xue Junliang brazenly hold Teng Yun¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°How about it?¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Your Majesty means to persuade Marquis Zhenjiang with only the words you have spoken just now?¡±


    Xue Junliang let out a laugh, holding Teng Yun¡¯s hand up and placing it on his lips for a quick and fleeting kiss, laughing, ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty is so sure that Marquis Zhenjiang is not just pretending to surrender?¡±


    ¡°Positive.¡±


    Xue Junliang paused and said, ¡°Xue Yu does not yet have such a mind. If he was intelligent enough to pretend to surrender then that day during his rebellion, he would have already taken over the throne and became the Emperor. Xue Yu is impulsive and easily moved, and this is why he was able to convince a sycophant like Lang Jing and that¡¯s also the reason I was able to take advantage of it.¡±


    Teng Yun was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°Your Majesty has said too much today.¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed: ¡°What are you afraid of? Now it¡¯s just you and me, and there are no outsiders ¡­¡­ Does Teng Ying treat me as an outsider? Isn¡¯t that too heartbreaking.¡±


    Teng Yun looked at his sad expression and couldn¡¯t help shivering. The Emperor who has always been high and mighty; such an expression was really not suitable.


    Xue Junliang suddenly remembered something. He said: ¡°Tomorrow I will marry off Xue Changjing, and the military power he inherited will be received. I¡¯ve been thinking for a long time about who to give these powers to and it seems that no one is appropriate. Today, after I have spoken to Xue Yu, I feel I have to give him something to sweeten the deal. I¡¯ll give him some of the military power that has been retrieved but I am not assured fully. So I want Teng Ying and Xue Yu to take charge of Marquis Zheng An¡¯s Military powers together. What do you think, Teng Ying?¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Although it¡¯s easy to take over Marquis Zheng An¡¯s military power, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not easy to get the soldiers to obey.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the reason I am sending Teng Ying, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Teng Yun froze for a moment and then said, ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve witnessed your talents¡­¡±


    Speaking till here, he paused for a moment as if he was reminiscing. Xue Junliang was indeed reminiscing. He thought of things a long time ago, seeing Teng Yun¡¯s demeanor on the battlefield. He couldn¡¯t help but smile and said, ¡°I will be most assured to leave this matter with you, especially I believe you can also handle Xue Yu.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ this lowly subject will live up to your trust.¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so formal with me, perhaps you can¡¯t drop your guard now, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s only a matter of time ¡­¡­¡±


    After all, in this world, no one else could let Teng Yun really show his ambition and style like Xue Junliang, and no one could trust and reuse Teng Yun so much.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that Marquis Zheng An¡¯s army is a small number. They are all elite soldiers who have been strictly trained. Although it is difficult to make such soldiers obedient, once they are obedient, they will swear their allegiance until death¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°By the way, I will allocate the three He brothers to you to help you train elite soldiers. After all, they were once great soldiers who have been on the battlefield and have some experience.¡±


    Teng Yun said: ¡°I¡¯m afraid¡­ I¡¯m afraid the Prince won¡¯t let people go. Aren¡¯t the three He brothers serving in the Prince¡¯s Palace?¡±


    Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°Xue Pei likes to bully the weak and is afraid of tough people. If you treat him well, he will obey.¡±


    ¡°The Crown Prince is actually intelligent and clever, just has a child¡¯s heart. When he grows older he will naturally behave better.¡±


    After Teng Yun said this, he saw Xue Junliang smiling even more and looking at himself with a special meaning, saying, ¡°So soon, you are already standing up for him? Teng Ying, you¡¯re so kind to the Crown Prince, that I feel somewhat very jealous. What should I do?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡±


    Teng Yun stood up with a ¡®whoosh¡¯ and stepped aside.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t tease him any more. When one knows to stop when the going is good only then they would get good results.


    The next day, Xue Junliang needed to officiate the wedding for the Eldest Prince of Marquis Zheng An. The princess of Feng Country had already been received into the Palace. Although Xue Changjing didn¡¯t want to marry, he couldn¡¯t violate the Emperor¡¯s decree, and Xue Changjing knew that sooner or later he would need to marry a woman.


    Because Teng Yun was the Noble Imperial Consort, there was no higher status than him in the Imperial Harem. In addition, Xue Junliang was very attentive to him, so he would naturally be attending the banquet.


    Teng Yun looked at the scene and suddenly thought of the scene when Teng Qianyi came to the Palace for the marriage alliance. No matter who was wisest, in the end, the two countries owed too much to Xue Junliang and Feng Ming.


    Xue Junliang wore clothes that were more cumbersome than usual. The bride had arrived at the Palace and waited quietly, leaving Xue Changjing outside for the toasting.


    Xue Junliang saw that Xue Changjing was so drunk that he couldn¡¯t even stand still. He said with a smile: ¡°Changjing, you are younger than this Seat. This Seat has always treated you as his own brother. Now that you have become a family, this Seat¡¯s heart is finally put at rest. When you return, you will inherit my uncle¡¯s title.¡±


    Xue Changjing¡¯s purpose in coming to Capital City was to inherit the hereditary title. Hearing this, he was so happy that he seemed to have lost his sense of direction. He finally became a Marquis from being the Eldest prince.


    Xue Junliang had an expression of worry as he said, ¡°Alas¡­ Although Marquis Zheng An was away at the frontier, he has always been close to this Seat. Now that he is gone, this Seat feels very uncomfortable and feels that he should do something for him. Changjing¡¯s marriage is barely counted as doing something. This Seat has another idea¡­¡­¡±


    He said with a smile, ¡°The second thing this Seat could do for the Marquis Zheng An is to ¡­¡­ take good care of his children, I heard that the Marquis Zheng An has many children. Changjing, how many brothers do you have?¡±


    Xue Changjing didn¡¯t understand what Xue Junliang meant. He said foolishly, ¡°Replying to Your Majesty, four younger brothers.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Well,¡± Xue Junliang nodded, ¡°Since Changjing will be inheriting my uncle¡¯s title, this Seat should also take care of others¡­ Well, how about this¡­ This seat will divide the soldiers of Marquis Zheng An into five and give them to you five brothers? What do you think?¡±


    Xue Changjing didn¡¯t pay attention, and his mind was dizzy after drinking too much wine. At first, he giggled, but immediately his face became wrong, and he waited for Xue Junliang with his eyes wide open in disbelief, saying, ¡°Your Majesty ¡­ this, this ¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Does Changjing think something is wrong?¡±


    Xue Junliang said with a smile that was not really a smile: ¡°Our Xue country puts benevolence, righteousness and filial piety as the first priority. Brothers should take good care of each other. Our ancestors also made a law that no one in my family can kill each other. We, the younger generation, should follow our ancestors¡¯ teachings, and share some things with our younger brothers. Is that not right?


    Teng Yun saw Xue Junliang¡¯s wily old fox look as he bluffed to Xue Changjing. He couldn¡¯t help laughing and adding fuel to the flame and said, ¡°I think the new Marquis is very happy.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded and said, ¡°Today is a great day. What military power is too fierce. Changjing, don¡¯t drink too much, Changjing, don¡¯t drink too much. It is a rare night. Go and accompany the princess. Your bride is the Princess of Feng Country. Don¡¯ t neglect her.¡±


    When Xue Changjing heard these words, his head was in a cold sweat. Not only was his military power distributed, but he was now told that if he dared to neglect the Princess, he would be held accountable if Feng Country comes for war!


    They didn¡¯t drink much wine, and Xue Junliang let Xue Changjing into the bridal chamber. There were people singing festive songs outside the bridal chamber, and there were maids waiting on the Marquis and the Princess to drink the nuptial wine.


    Xue Junliang had already sent someone to draw up the Imperial edict. Just when he told Xue Changjing about the division of the military power, he immediately sent the Imperial edict to the frontier. Before Xue Changjing was even back to the frontier, he had already divided the military power. To be honest, Xue Changjing was only a Marquis in name without any actual power.


    Xue Junliang ordered someone to send out the Imperial edict overnight. This matter was settled for the time being. He drank some wine and enjoyed the night breeze comfortably in the garden. Seeing the pavilion not far away, he suddenly thought back about that banquet. He remembered Teng Yun sleeping in this place and he himself had acted like a drunk and taken advantage of Teng Yun.


    At that time, Xue Junliang didn¡¯t know that originally, this Teng Ying was Teng Yun, who had a great relationship with himself. At that time, he only wanted to get rid of this talented eyesore, and didn¡¯t think too much. Now, when he thought about it, he suddenly felt that he was both smart and also very confused.


    Teng Yun went back to Yunfeng Palace when Xue Junliang was sending someone to deliver the Imperial edict. However, because he felt a bit hot after drinking wine, he went to the garden to cool down. Rui Xue followed him and said with a smile: ¡°Master, isn¡¯t that His Majesty? No wonder His Majesty treats you so carefully. I dare say that the Master and His Majesty have a linked heart.¡±


    Teng Yun wanted to reprimand her for talking nonsense, but when he looked up, he saw Xue Junliang standing in the small pavilion, staring at the pavilion¡¯s fence, seemingly thinking about something.


    Teng Yun did not know why, but the scene of that night suddenly popped up in his head, himself pressed by Xue Junliang on the stone floor of the small pavilion ¡­¡­


    The wine seemed to make his hot blood even more hot and steaming, which made Teng Yun dizzy. Rui Xue said, ¡°Master, are you not going over?¡±


    Teng Yun shook his head. ¡°Maybe Emperor Xue is thinking about something. Don¡¯t disturb him.¡±


    He said and turned to go. This place always reminds him of too many embarrassing things.


    But unexpectedly, Xue Junliang really seemed to be connected to him by heart and turned to look this way. He saw Teng Yun had turned to leave. He said with a smile: ¡°Teng Ying hasn¡¯t gone back to rest?¡±

 CH 71

    Edited ¨C Zaki


    Teng Yun had to walk over, and Xue Junliang repeated his words with a smile, ¡°Haven¡¯t you gone back to rest yet?¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°I was just about to go back.¡±


    ¡°I dare feel that I disturbed Teng Ying¡¯s rest.¡±


    Perhaps it was because Teng Yun had drunk too much wine, so he surprisingly didn¡¯t follow the usual decorum. The usual sentence ¡°this lowly subject does not dare¡± was not said.


    Xue Junliang put his hand on the railing and said, ¡°It¡¯s good to drink some wine and enjoy the breeze.¡± Then he turned his head and said, ¡°Are you cold? Ask Rui Xue to bring you a cloak.¡±


    Teng Yun shook his head and said, ¡°There is no need. This lowly subject is not so delicate.¡±


    Xue Junliang was stunned for a moment. Looking at Teng Yun¡¯s face, he seemed to be a little distracted. He couldn¡¯t help lifting his hand and gently stroke Teng Yun¡¯s cheek. Then he smiled and said, ¡°I forgot that Teng Ying is a General and had once led an army to the Ming River. ¡±


    Teng Yun just stood still, feeling the hand on his cheeks; probably because his mind was a little dazed, and his head was overwhelmed with alcohol. Xue Junliang¡¯s palm was a little hot, and his hand lingered on Teng Yun¡¯s cheeks, but he didn¡¯t even move.


    Rui Xue was smart enough to retreat outside the small pavilion and wait.


    Xue Junliang¡¯s hand didn¡¯t do anything else. He put down his hand and suddenly said, ¡°After today, Xue Changjing has no reason to stay in the Capital. I want to send someone to retrieve the military power. It¡¯s impossible to rest assured that Xue Yu can go alone¡­..¡±


    He said and glanced at Teng Yun, then smiled: ¡°However, in my heart I can¡¯t bear for you to go out of the Capital again.¡±


    Teng Yun turned his head, as if looking out of the pavilion again, but obviously his eyes were out of focus. He just didn¡¯t like Xue Junliang talking like that.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°As far as I am concerned, for now, I can only focus on the overall situation of the country and personal affairs. I hope you can go and return soon.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Your Majesty,¡± Teng Yun said, ¡°I will be just going to receive the military troops, not to the battlefields.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded, ¡°Let Teng Shang go with you, if there is anything, you have someone there to discuss things with¡­¡­ I know you trust Teng Shang, although he refused to be a court official, he will certainly help you.¡±


    Teng Yun also nodded, and they had nothing to say further.


    ¡ª¡ª


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    When Xue Junliang opened his eyes, he saw Teng Yun frozen with a crimson face, smiled and said, ¡°Teng Ying was thinking about something early in the morning?¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s thoughts were seen through and he hurriedly got up to dress. He didn¡¯t seem to have any discomfort in his body.


    Xue Junliang laughed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After all, I¡¯m a Monarch. I won¡¯t do anything while people are drunk.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he called out for Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu and Rui Xue came in, respectfully dressed Emperor Xue and Teng Yun, washed them, and went to the front.


    After the Morning Court, Teng Yun went to Marquis Wannian¡¯s residence. Xue Houyang was away handling official business at the Military Office. Teng Shang was alone in the residence.


    Naturally, Teng Yun had come here to ask Teng Shang to accompany him to Marquis Zheng An¡¯s territory to receive the military troops.


    Teng Yun did not want to ask Teng Shang to come out, because Teng Yun knew that Teng Shang¡¯s idea was different from his own. He could marry a man for the sake of building up Teng Country. His heart only yearned for a strong country, but now Teng country was annexed. Teng Yun couldn¡¯t guess whether Teng Shang was willing to go out for the sake of another country.


    Teng Shang seemed to be a little surprised to see Teng Yun. He asked Teng Yun to sit down and asked the servant to pour a good brew of tea. Teng Shang smiled and said, ¡°Emperor Xue is willing to let you go out of the Palace?¡±


    Teng Yun¡¯s face was embarrassed for a moment, and he responded vaguely, saying, ¡°Actually, I came this time to say goodbye to my uncle.¡±


    ¡°I suppose Emperor Xue is sending you somewhere again?¡±


    Teng Yun nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Teng Shang didn¡¯t say anything after that, picked up the tea bowl and blew on the leaves, took a sip, seemed to be very leisurely, and smiled, ¡°Emperor Xue seems to have something in his mind, I¡¯m afraid you haven¡¯t said it yet.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t hide anything from my uncle¡­¡±


    Teng Yun continued: ¡°There is indeed something, but I do not want to make things difficult for you.¡±


    Teng Shang said: ¡°I¡¯ve already guessed it. Knowing Emperor Xue¡¯s temperament, how can he let you leave so easily? He¡¯s obviously worried. No matter how different the reasons are before and now, in short, he¡¯s worried about you being away for too long. Naturally, he wants to find someone or something to let you come back early. If I follow you, Marquis Wannian would ask me to rush back. Things will be done quickly, and you will naturally come back early.¡±


    Teng Yun was a little shaken when he heard Teng Shang¡¯s ambiguous words. Did Teng Shang already know what Emperor Xue thought about himself?


    As he thought till here, Teng Yun didn¡¯t know what he was feeling in his heart, but it was a very complicated feeling.


    Teng Shang took in Teng Yun¡¯s expressions in his eyes and knew that Teng Yun was very simple in his thoughts. If he really didn¡¯t care, how could he take it to heart? He wouldn¡¯t care about this kind of thing. If he cared, then it proved its importance in his mind.


    Teng Shang did not want to make things difficult for him, after all, Teng country¡¯s affairs had long passed, and the hurdle in his heart had been long moved by Xue Houyang that it no longer remained.


    Teng Shang deliberately pretended to be surprised and said: ¡°What happened to your neck, are there insects in the Palace? Is this how Yunfeng Palace is cleaned?¡±


    At first, Teng Yun touched his neck with his fingers. He couldn¡¯t see what was wrong on his neck, but his hands felt a little itchy and tingling. Teng Yun was still a person who had seen this world. How could he not know what it was? At that moment, he was extremely embarrassed.


    Teng Shang changed the subject at this time and said, ¡°Naturally, I will go with you.¡±


    Teng Yun was about to say something when Teng Shang said again, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, if it¡¯s something I don¡¯t want to do, even for the deepest friendship I won¡¯t do it, since it¡¯s something I¡¯m willing to do, you don¡¯t have to care too much about it.¡±


    Teng Shang asked Teng Yun to stay for lunch. After lunch, Rui Xue came over and said with a smile, ¡°Master, His Majesty wants you to go back to discuss business.¡±


    Teng Shang naturally knew that Xue Junliang hadn¡¯t seen his special someone for a long time and hence he was anxious again. So Teng Shang deliberately took it easy and kept Teng Yun back for a while before he let him go.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t really have anything to discuss with Teng Yun, but since Teng Yun had been out of the Palace all morning, he was just anxious to have him return. Although he knew that the relationship between Teng Shang and Teng Yun was only that of an uncle and nephew, they had a strong relationship. Teng Yun¡¯s Martial Arts and Military Skills were all taught by Teng Shang. Teng Yun¡¯s respect and admiration for Teng Shang was only out of family affection.


    But Xue Junliang couldn¡¯t help but secretly drink vinegar in his heart. When he came to know that Teng Shang was Teng Yun¡¯s closest confidant, he couldn¡¯t help feeling uncomfortable in his heart.


    Xue Junliang always felt that he was capable and qualified as an Emperor. Only now did he understand that there were people who could make him out of control or anxious. He was quite capable, but he didn¡¯t recognize this person.


    Teng Yun came to see Xue Junliang, Xue Junliang smoothly said, ¡°In fact, the reason for calling back Teng Ying was for you to accompany me to visit the Crown Prince.¡±


    Teng Yun had no objection. They went there together. The Prince¡¯s class had been dismissed for lunch at noon and had not yet started the afternoon reading.


    Xue Pei did not treat Teng Yun well when he saw him, nor did the three He brothers.


    Xue Junliang asked Shen Yi about the Prince¡¯s recent situation, Shen Yi naturally had to praise the Prince, indeed the Prince was also very smart.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Pei¡¯er makes this Seat very pleased.¡±


    After a pause, the conversation changed directions and Xue Junliang said: ¡°This time, there is another thing¡­ This Seat wants to ask three people for Teng Ying to manage from Pei¡¯er.¡±


    When Xue Pei heard this, he understood that he was asking for the three He brothers, so he smiled and said, ¡°Father Emperor doesn¡¯t know this but the three He brothers are stubborn and reckless. They are only loyal to the Empress. Now that Empress mother has died. I¡¯m afraid there is no one who can motivate them and change their allegiance.¡±


    The three He brothers also acted righteously and echoed Xue Pei¡¯s words. They were very straight laced and their nature was simple. They didn¡¯t think they would be incurring Xue Junliang¡¯s wrath if they did not comply with the Emperor¡¯s wishes.


    Teng Yun said: ¡°In fact, Although the business of this lowly subject is not as dangerous as going to the battlefields, it has its own weight. This lowly subject is not assured to let the three of them follow.¡±


    He Zhong listened to his words with some contempt. He was immediately unhappy and said, ¡°What do you know? When I was a General, I¡¯m afraid you were still a young baby that was nursing!¡±


    Teng Yun was not angry, instead he laughed and said: ¡°That¡¯s true, but I know a lot¡­ The three brothers did a lot of heroic feats and were brave warriors but they became bandits and were recruited by the Empress. I didn¡¯t expect that they would be happy to be a small bodyguard now. But it is indeed easier than being a lowly bandit. They don¡¯t have to rob families on the road or be afraid of the law enforcement. Looks like the ambition and fire has been gradually smoothened and dulled out. Now even if you went to the battlefields, would you be really able to kill the enemies?¡±


    After hearing this, He Zhong, regardless of Xue Junliang¡¯s presence, scolded: ¡°Bullshit, this old master¡¯s blade is born to kill the enemy and never just for pleasure!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    At this time, Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll make you three Assistant Generals. You can showcase your skills to Teng Ying so that he can be impressed by your skills.¡±


    The three of them did not think too much and bowed to receive the decree at once.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After Xue Junliang and Teng Yun echoed each other and showed their matrimonial harmony. Later, they returned to the Main hall and convened the Ministers to discuss the time of departure. Teng Yun and three He brothers set out in the name of escorting the new Marquis Zheng An.


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t bring many people because this time he was going to retrieve military troops and not to fight. Moreover, he was afraid that Xue Changjing would feel something was wrong. It wouldn¡¯t look good if Teng Yun had been prepared long, so the preparation time wasn¡¯t too long and he set off soon.


    Although Xue Changjing was interested in Teng Yun, however, Teng Yun was Emperor Xue¡¯s person. Emperor Xue¡¯s attitude had already been expressed clearly. Xue Changjing no longer asked for trouble, especially when he was now married to the Feng Princess, who had been spoiled since childhood and had to be coaxed when travelling long distances.


    Xue Changjing was into men. Naturally after drinking the nuptial wine, he couldn¡¯t do anything. Fortunately, he was good at clever words and expressions and coaxed the Princess without any suspicion. Xue Changjing thought, when they reached the fiefdom, which was far away from Feng Country, the Princess would not have any support and he would no longer have to be afraid. So he silently endured for the time being.


    Teng Shang followed Teng Yun, and the speed of the team was not slow. Officials along the way knew that these people were Emperor Xue¡¯s favoured people, so naturally they did not dare to neglect, but the team was eager to hurry, and they all passed by in a hurry.


    When the fief came, Xue Changjing¡¯s second brother, the second son of Marquis Zheng an  came to greet them. Because the Imperial edict announcing the distribution of power had come long ago, the sons of Marquis Zheng An had all received favour, and everyone was assigned military power and land. Naturally, they were overjoyed. When they heard that the Capital had sent an envoy, they naturally had to curry favour.

 CH 72

    Edited by Zaki


    When Teng Yun and his party arrived at the fief, they rested for a day. The next day Xue Changjing tried his best to host a banquet for Teng Yun and Teng Shang.


    The three He brothers should have gone to the banquet with them, but He Zhong refused saying, ¡°We rough people are not used to your fakeness and sour jealousy.¡±


    Xue Changjing had just become the Marquis and hence naturally was very accommodating.


    The previous night, Teng Yun had already told them how to talk if they wanted to make a request to the Marquis. He Zhong added, ¡°If the Marquis doesn¡¯t mind, could the Generals go to the military camp and watch around?¡±


    Xue Changjing naturally agreed. Anyway, the three He brothers looked big and thick, and they were not very eye-catching.


    So Xue Changjing asked one of his followers to take his small seal and take the three He brothers to the barracks, while he took Teng Yun and his party to the banquet.


    The banquet was very grand, but Xue Changjing hadn¡¯t contributed anything to the preparation. It had been already prepared by the other sons of Marquis Zheng An earlier. However, because Xue Changjing was the Eldest son, the legitimate son, he naturally inherited the title of Marquis. At first, he humbly asked Teng Yun to sit in the highest seat which Teng Yun declined. Then Xue Changjing sat in that position.


    The share of military power for the other brothers was larger than Xue Changjing. But because their names were not as famous, they couldn¡¯t sit on the main seat. Naturally, they were not happy.


    These people have long heard that Teng Yun was the famous Marquis Tengnan and the new Imperial Noble Consort of Emperor Xue. When they thought of Xue Changjing¡¯s homosexuality, they would naturally think about something. Their gazes at Teng Yun were also full of different meanings.


    Teng Yun knew what they meant, but he pretended not to see as he smiled and said, ¡°When I was in the capital, I often heard that Marquis Zheng An ruled the army strictly and was diligent and thrifty. Emperor Xue often took Marquis Zheng An as an example and let all officials learn from him.¡±


    Xue Changjing thought Teng Yun was being polite and also spoke a few sentences modestly. But the others who were listening to this comment, their faces turned a bit green. It was very obvious that Teng Yun was mocking at their great pomp and show.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°Emperor Xue has always attached great importance to brotherhood. When I set out, the Emperor asked me to bring a message to the brothers, asking the  brothers to live in harmony, so as not to be laughed at.¡±


    Several people quickly nodded. In fact, in their hearts, no one was pleasing to the eye.


    Just when they had two drinks, one of Xue Changjing¡¯s attendants hurried in. Xue Changjing saw his reckless behaviour and shouted, ¡°You¡¯ve bumped into all the Lords. Watch your head!¡±


    The long time retainer knelt down and kowtowed. He seemed very worried. Then he whispered a few words in Xue Changjing¡¯s ears whose face also changed.


    He arched his hand and smiled, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, there is something at home, you guys drink first, I¡¯ll go check it out.¡±


    After he said that, he hurried away with his long-time attendant.


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    The man sneered, ¡°What Princess, to tell you the truth, my brother raises a lot of male favourites at his residence and does what adults naturally know. There are so many lawless people who rely on my brother¡¯s favor all day, which makes the Marquis¡¯ residence a mess¡­ the Princess has now married over, humph, for sure she will suffer indignities.¡±


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    But he knew in his heart that Xue Changjing might be in such a hurry to go back because of these problems.


    Even after three rounds of wine had been drunk, Xue Changjing hadn¡¯t returned. Everyone had eaten and drank a lot of wine and were ready to disperse. Teng Yun said, ¡°It¡¯s still early now. It¡¯s better to go to the military camp and see the policies of Marquis Zheng An.¡±


    Teng Yun spoke thus, and the people did not dare to refuse, so they led Teng Yun and Teng Shang to the barracks.


    The group of people arrived at the gate of the barracks, and saw only two soldiers guarding the gate. The soldier was a little frightened when he saw Teng Yun and his party.


    Teng Yun smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s so lively inside.¡±


    The soldier answered back, ¡°Just now an envoy from the Capital came to the camp, and the soldiers wanted to compete with the envoy. They are all inside.¡±


    The group went inside. There were indeed a lot of people on the training ground. There was a tall figure on the middle platform ¨C it was obvious that it was He Zhong. He Zhong dodged the attack of a soldier and threw the man off the stage with a flick of his hand. There were sighs and cheers from the people watching from below..


    He Zhong hadn¡¯t had any fighting exercises for a long time. At this time, he was very happy to play with the soldiers. He reached out and wiped his sweat. As soon as he looked up, he saw Teng Yun and Teng Shang under the platform.


    Teng Yun took the lead and walked over, smiling, ¡°It seems that you and the soldiers here have become quite close.¡±


    He Zhong came to the bottom of the military camp. Now that Teng Yun has come, someone would take Teng Yun around to see the whole picture of the camp.


    Although there were not many soldiers in the camp, they were well-organized, and their food expenses were sufficient. Teng Yun noted this down silently.


    After going back, Teng Shang said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not easy if you want to take back the military power, but you have to start with the discord between the Marquis Zheng An brothers.¡±


    Teng Yun nodded and said, ¡°I think so as well.¡±


    While speaking, someone came over. It was a spy sent by Teng Yun. He reported that it was really because of the Princess that the Marquis Zheng An hurried back to the house from the banquet.


    Xue Changjing¡¯s residence housed quite a few favourite men. Although they had no reputation, usually they were reckless and their numbers were many. Since the old Marquis was seriously ill, they had become even more lawless. Later, Xue Changjing went to the Capital City to receive his title. They were naturally unhappy when they heard that the Eldest son had married a Princess in the Capital.


    When the Princess first arrived at the Marquis Mansion, Xue Changjing was too busy  entertaining the envoys that he forgot to beat a few people to make them treat the Princess carefully.


    Several of these men thought that the Marquis didn¡¯t care about the Princess at all, and Feng country was so far away that there were only two or three maidservants around the Princess. There was no one to rely on. Hence they became presumptuous and inevitably caused problems for the Princess directly or indirectly.


    The Princess was spoiled in Feng Country. The Nine Marquis held great power on Military forces and hence no one dared not to give face to the Nine Marquis¡¯ daughter.


    Now the Princess was bullied and immediately became angry. She heard about her husband¡¯s previous deeds. How could she bear this insult and hence in anger she secretly ran away with her maid.


    Xue Changjing ran back to the mansion just to find the Princess. He couldn¡¯t search for her in an open manner. If Teng Yun knew about it and informed Xue Junliang, then the crime would be too big and the punishment would be great.


    Teng Yun and Teng Shang couldn¡¯t help glancing at each other when they heard the spy¡¯s reply. They didn¡¯t think the situation was very good. Feng Ming must have married the Princess because he must have put people around the Princess so as to find a reason to send troops. After all, sending troops should be justified. But no one expected that the Princess would not tolerate and immediately run away just after marriage.


    Teng Yun couldn¡¯t sit still after hearing the news and wanted to go back to the Capital City to report this information, but the military power from Marquis Zheng An needed to be retrieved. Feng was a big country. If there was a war, more troops were definitely needed. If Marquis Zheng An¡¯s troops were not taken back, it would be difficult to do one¡¯s best due to internal strife.


    Teng Shang could not help shaking his head when he saw Teng Yun¡¯s restlessness. He sighed thinking that  Xue Junliang really had such great ability. He said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if only I am left to receive the troops. In these two days you¡¯ve already seen that Xue Changjing has no authority or prestige.¡±


    Teng Yun didn¡¯t speak. Teng Shang paused for a moment and continued: ¡°If Emperor Xue sends you to Ming River, you can recommend Teng Xin to be sent as vanguard. Teng Xin has been under house arrest outside the suburbs of the Capital City since he was captured. He is an ambitious man. As long as he is entrusted with an important task, he will work hard.¡±


    Teng Yun nodded, ¡°I¡¯m entrusting this task to my uncle.¡±


    Teng Shang said, ¡°There is no hurry to go back now immediately. If you leave in a hurry then Xue Changjing would be suspicious. Let someone send you a false report that Emperor Xue is asking for your return urgently. Then it wouldn¡¯t be late for you to go.¡±


    Teng Yun answered in affirmative. In the afternoon, Xue Changjing came over as a courtesy and said he wanted to make amends. In fact, he also was trying to please Teng Yun to avoid Teng Yun¡¯s suspicion. Unfortunately, Teng Yun already knew the information he was trying to hide.


    At this time, a guard came over and knelt on the ground and said that there was an emergency in the Capital City, Marquis Tengnan needed to return to the Capital City to deal with it immediately.


    In fact, Xue Changjing was happy to have him leave and didn¡¯t suspect anything. He ordered men and horses for Teng Yun and prepared a pile of gold and silver to please Teng Yun.


    Teng Yun naturally accepted it and asked his men to seal the box and send it back as expenses.


    The group of people hurried to the Capital. When approaching the Capital, Teng Yun suddenly remembered Teng Shang¡¯s words. If the two countries go to war, Xue country did not lack strategists and capable soldiers, the only thing missing was the General who could act as the vanguard.


    The three He brothers were brave and good at fighting, but their temperament was irritable, and not suitable for being the vanguard, but Teng Xin was different. Teng Xin had always been calm and decisive. If King Teng had not pushed him to a dead end, he would have remained as a Crown Prince and served his country all his life.


    Although Teng Yun and Teng Xin were not born by the same mother and their friendship was not too deep, Teng Xin¡¯s personality and ability was well known.


    As soon as Teng Yun¡¯s team approached the Capital, Xue Junliang got the news. He didn¡¯t expect Teng Yun to return so soon, but the person who reported said that Marquis Tengnan looked like he was in a hurry and had travelled very lightly.


    Xue Junliang immediately guessed seven or eight points. He himself ordered someone to go out of the city to pick up Teng Yun, but soon someone came to report that Marquis Tengnan suddenly changed his direction and travelled 10 miles from the Capital and went Southeast.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    In the Southeast of the suburbs, there was a courtyard that was initially used by the Emperors of Xue for hunting or excursions. However, later, a better courtyard was built and this place was abandoned and gradually turned into a place of confinement afterwards.


    There were many high ranking Ministers who could not be killed, they would be imprisoned here. Teng Xin had lived in the courtyard since King Teng paid allegiance to Xue country.


    Although there were many guards in the courtyard, people were not allowed to enter. Teng Yun went to the place and entered the gate smoothly.


    The courtyard was somewhat lonesome, because there were very few subordinates serving here. Just after noon, the sun was very warm. Teng Yun didn¡¯t need to ask anyone where Teng Xin was. He saw a man sitting on a rattan chair, basking in the sun with his eyes closed in the yard.


    There were no servants in the yard at this time. A small teapot and two cups were placed on the small table, already filled with tea.


    Teng Xin said with a smile: ¡°Marquis Tengnan is here. The conditions are a bit shabby, please don¡¯t get offended.¡±


    Teng Yun walked over and sat down opposite him. The rattan chair was hard and the workmanship was very rough. Teng Xin then opened his eyes and pushed the tea cup on the table, gesturing for Teng Yun to drink tea.


    Teng Yun picked up the teacup, the tea was obviously cold, and said, ¡°You knew I would come?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    Teng Xin said bluntly, ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been waiting for the Marquis.¡±


    He paused, stood up, and said, ¡°Although the days here are also very leisurely, doing nothing but eating and sleeping, this is not what I expected.¡±


    ¡°Then what is that you expect?¡±


    ¡°Lead soldiers, train soldiers¡­¡±


    Teng Yun nodded and said, ¡°If that is your heart¡¯s desire, I will give a recommendation to the Emperor that you should do it.¡±


    Teng Xin¡¯s indifferent eyes suddenly flashed a glimmer of brilliance and said, ¡°If Teng Xin can go out of this secluded courtyard, he will remember Lord Marquis¡¯ great kindness.¡±


    Before Teng Yun had time to say more, he heard someone laugh and said, ¡°There is no need for a recommendation. It¡¯s decided.¡±


    A group of people came in from the courtyard¡¯s pendant door, and the person in lead was none other than Xue Junliang.

 CH 73

    Neither Teng Yun nor Teng Xin expected that Xue Junliang would personally come to this courtyard, but they could guess without even thinking too much that the city was covered with Emperor Xue¡¯s spies. He would definitely know all the information about Teng Yun¡¯s whereabouts and activities. The moment Teng Yun stepped into the border of the Capital and went to the suburbs; Xue Junliang would naturally come to know.


    Xue Junliang stepped through the threshold, dressed in civilian clothes; which was not very eye-catching.


    Teng Xin and Teng Yun stood up and saluted.


    Xue Junliang arrived at the table and sat down smoothly on one of the rattan chairs¡­then frowned when his backside touched the chair; probably because he thought the rattan chair was too hard. He immediately waved his hand: ¡°Sit down, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. We are not in the Palace.¡±


    Although he said this, there were only two rattan chairs and he had already occupied one. Jiang Yu hurriedly went to find another one and put it next to Xue Junliang.


    Teng Yun and Teng Xin thanked him and sat down.


    Xue Junliang didn¡¯t mention what he had heard and said when he arrived. He turned to Teng Yun and instead asked, ¡°Why did you come back to the Capital so early?¡±


    Teng Yun paused for a moment, contemplating whether he should say the matters that occurred in the fief right now or not.  He just said, ¡°There are some things that this lowly subject wants to report back to the Capital.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Xue Junliang nodded, then said as if he just suddenly remembered something: ¡°By the way, you just said about recommending Teng Xin¡­¡±


    When he said this, Teng Xin¡¯s back straightened in an obvious manner and looked a little nervous.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Teng Xin, I have heard of you a long time ago. You are a Crown Prince and have a noble status¡­¡±


    Teng Xin hurriedly said, ¡°This sinner dare not think of himself like this. This sinner was born without the blessing of being a Crown Prince. This sinner only hopes that he will be able to fight and kill the enemies, he is willing to be a pawn.¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed inwardly. Teng Xin seemed very modest. He knew his identity and status and acted with enthusiasm. If King Teng had not forced him into a tight corner very miserably, he wouldn¡¯t have been so angry as to rebel against the monarch.


    Xue Junliang smiled: ¡°Aiqing, and Teng Xin need not to worry, this Seat doesn¡¯t mean anything else, I am just praising your past achievements¡­ I heard that you are calm and loyal, and you are not arrogant and impetuous in using the army. Houyang also told me that fighting with you has wasted a lot of his brain cells. There is a lack of such talents in this Empire. Since Marquis Tengnan wants to recommend you, it only shows that your character is good. Your achievements are obvious to all, then there is no reason not to make use of your talents.¡±


    Xue Junliang stood up. Teng Yun and Teng Xin also had to follow and stand up as well. Xue Junliang continued: ¡°Some people say that this Seat is a tyrant and that he only knows how to fight. He is cruel and unkind, but he is still far from King Teng! At least, although this Seat will have revenge, he will not bear a grudge. If you are talented, you will be given another chance. This Seat will not push his own people out of the border to be slaughtered by others. Even refugees, in the eyes of this Seat, are just like the Prince, they are also this Seat¡¯s children¡­ ¡±


    Xue Junliang turned around and smiled at Teng Yun and Teng Xin: ¡°Perhaps you should do it. They also said that Emperor Xue is flippant. How many words he spoke are true and how many are false?¡­ In fact, this Seat can tell anyone that few words he said come from his heart, but every word he said is worth a thousand words, and he doesn¡¯t regret every one of it!¡±


    Teng Yun was stunned for a moment. Although Xue Junliang was not wearing his Dragon robes or his crown, his momentum was still an Emperor and his prestige and majesticity was unquestionable.


    He was right. When compared with King Teng, Xue Junliang was a very enlightened and benevolent Emperor. Whether it was his original intention or not, whether he wanted it or not, he didn¡¯t kill King Teng, but demoted him into a commoner. He didn¡¯t kill Teng Xin, Teng Shang or even himself. He also didn¡¯t touch Xue Yu.


    However, Xue Junliang was not a person who was very kind. Those who could not be killed, those who had no place in the court, those who could not be used by him, those who were degraded and demoted, and were of no use for him were not grateful.


    In Teng Yun¡¯s stunned moment, Teng Xin timely said ¡°Your Majesty is indeed wise.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°It¡¯s useless to say so much. In fact, I just want to tell you, Teng Xin. Although you are not originally from Xue Country, this Seat will give you food and salary, an official position and a battlefield where you can display your ambitions. From now on, you will be a person of Xue Country. If you want to lead the army, you can show this Seat your strength.¡±


    Teng Xin knelt on the ground with his legs trembling in excitement, kowtowed repeatedly on the ground and said, ¡°Thank you for your great kindness! This lowly minister will definitely live up to Your Majesty¡¯s expectations!¡±


    Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t kneel anymore, get up.¡±


    Then he turned to Teng Yun and asked, ¡°How¡¯s Marquis Zheng An¡¯s army?¡±


    Teng Yun replied, ¡°According to what this lowly subject has seen in the past two days, Zheng An¡¯s army is strict and well controlled in its management. It will take some time to subdue it.¡±


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    Teng Xin knelt down again to thank Xue Junliang. He was so grateful that he almost cried. His biological parents didn¡¯t value him so much. How could he not thank an outsider for paying so much attention to himself?


    Xue Junliang nodded and said, ¡°The scenery here is good. This Seat is not in a hurry to go back to the Capital. Teng Xin, go and organize your things and get ready to move out.¡±


    Teng Xin agreed. In fact, he could also read between the lines that Emperor Xue wanted to excuse himself and talk to Marquis Tengnan alone.


    Teng Xin was a well-advised person. As Crown Prince Teng, who had been doing his duties for so many years, he certainly knew what to listen to and what not to listen to. At present, he respectfully bowed his head and withdrew from the garden.


    Seeing that he had left, Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°Teng Ying came back so quickly. Did you miss me?¡±


    It was rare for Teng Yun to see Xue Junliang so domineering and dignified, and in an instant returned his usual joking appearance, but he had to say that Xue Junliang being like this made it easier for him to relax and lower his guard.


    Teng Yun said, ¡°This lowly subject had put spies in Marquis Zheng An¡¯s residence and have found a very crucial news that prompted this lowly subject to immediately return to the Capital.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What kind of news is more important than my Imperial Noble Consort coming back to this Seat?


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang coughed and said with a smile, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m listening. Please tell me, I won¡¯t interrupt this time.¡±


    Teng Yun sighed helplessly and said, ¡°The Princess of Feng Country was furious with  Marquis Zheng An. She ran away a few days ago.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded and responded with an ¡°En¡±, indicating that he heard it.


    Teng Yun continued: ¡°It¡¯s been a few days that the Princess has left, and this lowly subject didn¡¯t get the news that Marquis Zheng An has found her. By now the Princess may have already contacted the people of Feng Country. Once King Feng hears about the maltreatment of the Princess, he will take this opportunity to send troops to war.¡±


    ¡°But Feng Country has not recuperated enough.¡±


    Teng Yun shook his head and said: ¡°This lowly subject thinks otherwise. Although Feng Country hasn¡¯t recovered enough, the same is true with us. Xue Country first took Tengnan, then fought Cheng Tian and afterwards with Teng Xin, followed by Zhang Hong. As far as recuperation is concerned, Feng Country has recovered enough. Since ancient times, Feng Country has been famous for carrying out battle campaigns for justifiable reasons, otherwise it will lose the support of the people. Feng Country will finally make trouble under a certain pretext and we cannot ignore their unique skills.


    Xue Junliang listened to his speech and was ¡°elated¡± by his usage of the words ¡°us¡± and ¡°we¡±. Although Teng Yun was still very polite and respectful to himself on ordinary days, only when he was acting like a rogue would Teng Yun appear very helpless, but somewhat subconsciously, Teng Yun¡¯s heart had already put himself on Xue Junliang¡¯s side.


    Xue Junliang was in a good mood. When Teng Yun was away from the Capital these past few days, Although Xue Junliang still went to the morning court as usual, criticized and corrected the memorials as usual, and went to the Warm Pavilion to discuss business with the ministers as usual, he was always uncomfortable and uneasy. He  kept looking at the map hanging on the wall in the Warm Pavilion in a daze. Suddenly he remembered the feeling when the Empress¡¯s death had occurred and panic struck in his heart. What would he do if Teng Yun never returned?


    Only at that time did Xue Junliang really feel that he was also a human being, that he would also get exhausted, and that he had something in heart that he needed to say to someone, and that this person was Teng Yun. Except for Teng Yun, he would not let another person see this side of Emperor Xue looking so exhausted and ugly.


    Xue Junliang suddenly reached out his hand, held Teng Yun¡¯s hand, pulled him into his arms and sat on the rattan chair together.


    The rattan chair was suddenly overburdened and gave a ¡°squeak¡±. The rattan chair looked very simple as it must have been made by Teng Xin himself. Teng Yun was nervous; his whole body was tense. If the chair collapsed, it was fine for him to fall to the ground, but with so many servants present, if Emperor Xue fell to the ground, he would lose his reputation.


    Teng Yun was stunned once again when he thought about this. Why should he think about this person? He had killed himself once and he would never forget the feeling of that arrow piercing his heart. But even after the Emperor did this to himself, no one in the world had paid so much attention to himself except Teng Shang.


    One good and one bad, don¡¯t they have equal merits and demerits? They should not owe each other, but there was something definitely wrong with Teng Yun¡¯s heart. He would always think about Xue Junliang¡¯s well-being involuntarily. This feeling seemed to be stuck in a quagmire and he was unable to extricate himself.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Rest assured¡­ After so many years of fighting and constantly in war, I have also reflected on myself. I have been standing in my thirties for a few years, of course, I still have ambitions, but they are not as tremendous as before. Now I only want the country to be safe and hope that the two countries can co-exist for many years. However, if Feng Country were to send troops, I, Xue Junliang, would not be unprepared. I have already let Houyang secretly send troops.¡±


    Teng Yun, while sitting on Xue Junliang¡¯s lap, felt that his posture was not very elegant and wanted to stand up, but when he moved a little, the rattan chair ¡°squeaked¡± louder. Xue Junliang also stepped up his efforts; he wrapped his arms around Teng Yun¡¯s waist and burrowed his face against it.


    Although their skins were separated by their clothes, Teng Yun seemed to feel Xue Junliang¡¯s breath directly on his skin, burning hot, as if it had passed through the layers of his clothes.


    This kind of small gesture, which was neither light nor itchy, made Teng Yun feel more at a loss. His whole body was stiff, letting Xue Junliang hug him without any complaints from him.


    Xue Junliang sighed, ¡°I really missed you. I have been thinking about you these past few days, especially the mire that Xue Changjing couldn¡¯t stop doing. He had schemed against you before, entangling you on the streets, how could I be at ease that he wouldn¡¯t plot against you?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­ at that time, this lowly subject heard that someone had arrested the Prince of Marquis Zheng An and beat him up. He was also locked up in prison for half a month¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang admitted frankly, ¡°Yes, I did it. Jiang Yu personally arrested that person.¡±


    In the back, Jiang Yu quietly wiped his sweat. These two were so in love with each other, but why did they have to involve him? Sure enough, when people were getting old, they had to serve the old. It was better to retire quickly and return to his hometown¡­..


    Teng Yun frowned and said, ¡°Excuse this lowly subject for saying this bluntly, Emperor Xue should not have done this kind of thing. If the Prince of Marquis Zheng An was not as cowardly as everyone thought, wouldn¡¯t you let him bear a grudge if you caught him and beat him?¡±


    Xue Junliang buried his face deeper on Teng Yun¡¯s waist and abdomen. Instead, he laughed, ¡°Ha ha ha!¡±, making Teng Yun¡¯s whole body feel strange.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°I am glad that you care about me so much.¡±


    ¡°This lowly subject¡­¡±


    Teng Yun was about to say that he didn¡¯t care about him, but thinking about what he had just said now, it would be hypocritical to explain again.


    Xue Junliang turned him around and let him lean against his arms. Fortunately Teng Yun was thin and light, otherwise the rattan chair that Teng Xin made would have really collapsed.


    Xue Junliang suddenly changed the subject and said in a stern voice, ¡°If Feng Country wants to go to war, are you willing to go to the battlefield?¡±


    Teng Yun was stunned by his question, and then answered, ¡°If you need a place for this lowly subject, this lowly subject naturally will not refuse.¡±


    ¡°I want to hear what your heart wants to say¡­ You didn¡¯t answer right away, but just vaguely stated, indicating that in your heart, you don¡¯t want to go.¡±


    Xue Junliang pulled him gently, making Teng Yun lean on himself even more, and gently kissed Teng Yun¡¯s earlobe, ¡°I know everything about your vigilance against me. Tell me what can touch you to be impressed with me?¡±


    Teng Yun said with a smile, ¡°Your Majesty, you are used to wandering among the flowers. This lowly subject is a man and doesn¡¯t need these sweet words.¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°But I want to say this to my sweetheart.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡±


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Although as an Emperor, there are many words I speak that don¡¯t come from the heart, but these words I am saying to you now, are sincerely coming from my heart¡­ I care about you. I want to be good to you. I want to think about you. I want to make you happy.¡±


    Teng Yun fell silent.


    Xue Junliang bit his earlobe. Teng Yun moaned an ¡°ahh¡±, as he was caught unprepared, opened his eyes in surprise and looked back at Xue Junliang.


    Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°What are you thinking about? I want to take care of you and be attentive to you. This is my business and what I want to do. There is no need for you to be burdened with anything and no need for you to make a response to it.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    When Feng Ming willingly allowed to marry off the Princess, naturally he would put people around the Princess. After the Princess fled from the fief, she soon found the person who had followed to support her. After disguising herself, she returned to Feng Country without any trouble.


    The ninth Marquis of Feng Country was a veteran of two generations. How could he give up on his daughter after being bullied so much? And the Princess cried all the time, which was even more distressing.


    Feng Ming summoned all his ministers to ask for their opinions. The ninth Marquis naturally immediately agreed to send troops, but Feng Ming also raised objections.


    ¡°At present, the prefecture next to Ming River has not been re-built, and has suffered much during the battle with Zhang Hong. The people are still recuperating. If we go to war rashly, I¡¯m afraid it will cause people¡¯s dissatisfaction. How should we deal with this?¡±


    Lu Shichen was not in the imperial court. He had long been sent to the front line of the Ming River.


    Qi Zijie said: ¡°The most important thing in battle is to have a just cause. Now that we have found a justifiable reason to go to war with Xue Country, it is the best time. Xue Country has also gone through large and small battles, and both countries are recuperating. This is the best time¡­ As for the discontent of the people, you can ask people to draw up a document and post it in the streets and alleys to state Xue Country¡¯s crimes.¡±


    Feng Ming nodded and said, ¡°We are going to do just as Zijie said, but there¡¯s another problem. Emperor Xue had stationed troops in the lower reaches of Ming River early. If we send troops, how can we take them by surprise?¡±


    Qi Zijie said: ¡°According to the report of the General stationed on the frontline, the terrain in the lower reaches of the Ming River is very dangerous. Emperor Xue sent troops to guard the fortress. It is no longer suitable to break through here. If we make a strong attack, I¡¯m afraid the loss will outweigh the gain¡­ Although Xue is strong and powerful, the only thing they are inferior in is water warfare.¡±


    Feng Ming said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s true. Xue Country goes deep into the mainland. There was no lake or sea to train their soldiers in water warfare.¡±


    Qi Zijie said: ¡°It should be noted that naval warfare is totally different from land warfare. Untrained sailors will get seasick when fighting on board the battle ships, and their spears and swords won¡¯t be stable. Therefore, the King only needs to send troops to guard Ming River and prevent Xue¡¯s army from crossing the river. Then when Xue¡¯s soldiers are short of food and provisions, we will cross Ming River again and kill them while they¡¯re unprepared. Then Xue¡¯s borders will be ours to take. ¡±


    Feng Ming said, ¡°However, I heard that Xue Junliang didn¡¯t kill all the people of Teng after he accepted the state of Teng. They are a country in the south, and water warfare is their strength. If these people have pledged their allegiance to the state of Xue, they are likely to help Emperor Xue train the army for water warfare.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, speed is important. It is a good measure to send troops soon before their army has been trained!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Teng Shang took a walk around the fief. It was rumored that, when the Marquis of Zheng An had just gotten his father¡¯s title, he was dissatisfied that his brothers had more military power than him and didn¡¯t want to be an empty shell Marquis. He was now trying to kill all his brothers.


    The brothers panicked when they heard the rumors. On the other hand, Teng Shang took advantage of Xue Changjing¡¯s invitation for dinner and persuaded him to take over his brother¡¯s military power.


    So the relationship between the two sides became rigid for a moment. Several sons of the old Marquis secretly invited Teng Shang to a banquet and said it was to discuss major issues. They asked Teng Shang to give them advice on how to avoid being forced to death by their brother.


    Teng Shang finally said at this time, ¡°Who is bigger than Marquis Zheng An in this world? Who can abolish Marquis Zheng An with just a word?¡±


    A few suddenly realized, clapped their hands and said, ¡°Of course it¡¯s Emperor Xue!¡±


    Teng Shang said, ¡°Give your military power to Emperor Xue to show your loyalty. Naturally, Emperor Xue will not have the heart to take your military power. At that time, he will let you manage your own army, but Emperor Xue will remember your loyalty. How can Marquis Zheng An move a plot against you then?¡±


    Several of the brothers said it was a good move, ¡°However we are far from the Capital and can¡¯t get out of the fief without being detected by the Marquis. How can we hand over our military power to Emperor Xue?¡±


    It was difficult for Teng Shang to pretend that he didn¡¯t have a solution. Several of the sons saw that he had a way, so they urged him to say what his idea was. Teng Shang didn¡¯t say anything. After they begged for a long while, Teng Shang finally said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll think I¡¯m a villain if I say this way, but this is the only way. I don¡¯t know what other solution could work.¡±


    The sons knelt down to Teng Shang and worshiped him as their new parent. Teng Shang said, ¡°If you can trust me, give me the official seal of the army, the Tiger Seal and write a letter to Emperor Xue to explain the reason. I¡¯m leaving for the Capital tomorrow and can bring it with me. Other than Marquis Zheng An, I¡¯m afraid no one can leave the fief again except for me.¡±


    At first, they hesitated, but when they heard the words ¡°Marquis Zheng An¡±, they didn¡¯t hesitate. Immediately, they planned to write a letter, and then put the Tiger Seal in a small box and handed it to Teng Shang.


    Teng Shang set out the next day and sat leisurely in the carriage. He opened the brocade box where the four official Tiger Seals were placed. Under them was an envelope sealed with red wax.


    Teng Shang didn¡¯t even look at the letter or read it. He lit the candlestick at hand, put the envelope close to the flame and burned it.

 CH 74

    Edited by Zaki


    When Teng Shang returned to the capital, Xue Changjing still did not know that his younger brothers had sold out their military powers.


    As soon as Xue Houyang heard that Teng Shang had arrived in the Capital, he immediately had his horse prepared and went out of the Marquis¡¯ residence to meet Teng Shang in the outskirts.


    In Yunfeng Palace, Teng Yun also heard that Teng Shang was back. He asked Rui Xue to prepare casual clothes for him so he could go out of the Palace to welcome Teng Shang.


    But Rui Xue just looked at him, covered her mouth and laughed: ¡°My good master, what are you planning to do?¡±


    Teng Yun said: ¡°Naturally I¡¯m going to welcome Mr.Teng. He was left alone at the fief to retrieve Marquis Zheng An¡¯s troops and I wasn¡¯t feeling assured. Now he is back¡­¡­¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, Rui Xue interrupted, ¡°Master, don¡¯t you know that Marquis Wannian has already left his residence and has gone to the outskirts to meet him?¡±


    Seeing Teng Yun¡¯s expression showed that he did not understand the issue, Rui Xue sighed and laughed: ¡°The couple are reunited after a short separation. Master, would you not be in the way, if you go there?¡±


    Teng Yun was stunned and then felt a little embarrassed and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think of it that way. It¡¯s very thoughtful of you to remind me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that this servant girl is thoughtful, rather Master did not think of this aspect at all. I pity His Majesty. He has been invincible all his life and in the end he fell into your hands.¡±


    Teng Yun at first didn¡¯t understand why she mentioned Xue Junliang. Then, on second thought, it turned out that Rui Xue was laughing at his slowness and not understanding Xue Junliang¡¯s feelings.


    How could Teng Yun not understand? After all, Xue Junliang had made his words so clear that even he could understand. But on one hand, Teng Yun had not yet reconciled in his heart and on the other hand, because he was thin-skinned, he was not willing to think that way. It would be better to just let nature take its course.


    Rui Xue really sighed this time and said, ¡°Master, although some words are not something that this lowly servant should say, but this lowly servant still wants to remind Master ¡­¡­ Do not regret until things are irredeemable. Some feelings themselves are not allowed in the world, but are reasonable. ¡±


    Teng Yun knew she was referring to Zhao Lu and Feng Ming, so he said, ¡°I have always wanted to hear about their experiences, but I don¡¯t know how to ask you. Are you willing to tell me about it?¡±


    Rui Xue said, ¡°There is no story, it¡¯s just fate conspiring against people.¡±


    Rui Xue paused for a long moment before saying : ¡°I only followed General Zhao Lu later, but the General trusted me, or maybe because he was alone in Feng Country and had no one to talk to, so this servant became a listening ear¡­¡­ When the General was a child, he lived in the vicinity of the Ming River with his parents. During that time the Feng Country was in a period of turmoil and King Feng was still the Crown Prince. He fled the Palace and took refuge with a hunter family. Later, when the pursuers came, the General¡¯s parents were implicated due to King Feng and were killed. These things were all matters of the long forgotten past but the General only mentioned them once and never talked about it again. Just this lowly servant could see that the General was a person who cared very much about family. Even if King Feng hadn¡¯t meant to, it was because of him that the General lost his parents and became an orphan. ¡±


    Teng Yun said, ¡°If it were me, I would also take revenge.¡±


    Rui Xue nodded and said, ¡°A man without parents is most suitable to become a spy, same as this lowly servant. Although this lowly servant is a weak woman, this so-called pain, this lowly servant has also endured. Naturally, I can understand everything. Afterwards, this lowly servant was sent to the General. Later, naturally because this slave servant could speak, often spoke about the General to King Feng.


    Rui Xue could see that although King Feng was cold-hearted and cruel, he was sincere to Zhao Lu.


    Teng Yun said: ¡°Presumably, the King treated Zhao Lu so well that General Zhao couldn¡¯t bear it either.¡±


    Rui Xue said with a smile: ¡°That¡¯s why it is said fate conspires against people. Master should cherish the Emperor¡¯s feelings for yourself. There are many things that can¡¯t be recovered if you miss them. No matter how much you regret it, you should stick to it all at once.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Feng Ming looked at the map for a long time and lifted his hand to rub his forehead. In the past few days, because of the preparations for the dispatch of troops, he has done everything by himself and his mind was already a little numb. Only when you are so tired that you can¡¯t be tired anymore, you won¡¯t remember something that you can¡¯t think about and shouldn¡¯t think about.


    Feng Ming¡¯s head was propped up because he was sleepy and somewhat drowsy. He seemed to have seen that when he was a child, because his father had many children, he was often excluded. Even as a child he had a very ruthless look. When he fled to Ming River and had taken asylum in the hunter¡¯s family, that¡¯s when he knew what family affection was for the first time.


    Although the hunter¡¯s family was not rich, the family of three were very happy. They took Feng Ming in and let their son accompany Feng Ming.


    When Feng Ming became King Feng, on his very first inspection of the Military barracks, he had seen Zhao Lu. At that time, Zhao Lu looked heroic and stood among many soldiers, looking tall and different. Feng Ming didn¡¯t think that it was liking, after all, he had many concubines at that time.


    Later, during training inspection, Feng Ming saw the heroic soldier again, but what he didn¡¯t expect was that this soldier turned out to be the son of the hunter; the family he took refuge with. He clearly remembered the animal tooth hanging on his neck, because the soldier was wearing armour before, so he hadn¡¯t seen the animal tooth on his neck.


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    Because King Feng appointed an important position to a small soldier, gradually, there was a rumour in the Imperial court that King Feng preferred males and there was a new favourite called Zhao Lu, a young officer.


    Feng Ming didn¡¯t pay attention at first, and the court could always hear this unspeakable gossip. He was already used to it, but he just didn¡¯t expect that Zhao Lu would gradually show his admiration for himself.


    Zhao Lu misunderstood the gossip. He wanted to take a shortcut to get King Feng¡¯s trust. It was only natural that what happened in bed would gain the most trust.


    Feng Ming, half out of guilt and half out of freshness, also let the rumours spread wildly. But unexpectedly, at his birthday banquet when everyone was drunk, Zhao Lu forced himself on Feng Ming regardless of Feng Ming¡¯s resistance.


    From then on, the relationship between the two people became strange, gradually, bedsports became a routine for the two people and the rumours came true, Feng Ming found that his guilt also gradually changed, Zhao Lu slowly became an existence that was hard to remove from his heart.


    Feng Ming was jolted awake in a cold sweat. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, took a deep breath, and took out the animal tooth chain from his sleeve.


    He still remembered asking Zhao Lu for this animal tooth, but he had said that he thought it looked fun. Since he saw Zhao Lu wearing it every day, he wanted to exchange tokens.


    At first, Zhao Lu refused to give it, and because of this incident, there was tension between him and Feng Ming. Feng Ming knew that because this was the only keepsake left of his parents, so he never mentioned it again, but Zhao Lu came to him the next day and gave the animal tooth to Feng Ming.


    Of course Feng Ming was jubilant. At that time, it didn¡¯t even cross his mind that Zhao Lu was Xue country¡¯s spy. He thought Zhao Lu had finally decided to be with him. But in the end it turned out that the other party just wanted to gain his trust.


    Feng Ming reached out and touched the animal tooth, but couldn¡¯t help the sourness in his nose. It turned out that Zhao Lu had remembered everything and had been waiting for an opportunity to retaliate against him. Feng Ming could only blame himself for being too gullible and for running away from the Palace at that time.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Xue Houyang met Teng Shang¡¯s carriage on the outskirts, and the servant outside said, ¡°Mr. Teng, Marquis Wannian has arrived.¡±


    Teng Shang lifted the curtain of the carriage, looked outside and said with a smile, ¡°Lord Marquis has come all by himself to meet this Teng?¡±


    Xue Houyang was embarrassed by his words. Teng Shang asked him to hand over his horse to the servant, and then get into the carriage.


    The carriage was prepared by Xue Changjing. Although it was not as grand as Emperor Xue¡¯s entourage, it was definitely not shabby, in fact, it was very comfortable to sit in.


    Teng Shang took out a brocade box from a case, opened it and handed it to Xue Houyang.


    After Xue Houyang saw it, he was immediately surprised and said, ¡°Sir, you really got the Tiger Seal!¡±


    Teng Shang said, ¡°They easily handed it over. They were mere kids, naturally, easy to fool.¡±


    Xue Houyang looked at the Tiger Seal and was almost too happy that he couldn¡¯t close his mouth. He just chuckled. Then he thought of something and said, ¡°Marquis Tengnan has been back to the Capital City for some time.¡±


    ¡°I know. I have troubled you.¡±


    Teng Shang said, ¡°Now, although you have got the Tiger Seal, it depends on what you do to gain the morale of Zheng An¡¯s troops.¡±


    ¡°Emperor Xue has released Teng Xin and made him a General. He is just waiting for the arrival of the Tiger Seal to incorporate him in the Zheng An army.¡±


    Teng Shang nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it for a long time. Teng Xin is a rare talent, especially since he knows when to advance and retreat, if not¡­¡±


    If not for King Teng favouring the concubine that resulted in abolishing the crown prince to set up another one. Teng Xin knew that his own abolition was proof that he was not far from death. Which Crown Prince could tolerate the former Crown Prince? If not, how could Teng Xin raise an army for rebellion so rashly.


    However, Teng Shang didn¡¯t want to mention these old things about the Teng country again.


    Xue Houyang understood Teng Shang¡¯s mind and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sir. Emperor Xue has started to prepare and will be able to subdue Zheng An¡¯s army. Besides, Marquis Tengnan also has the ability. My husband must know that the Emperor means to let Marquis Tengnan take charge of Zheng An¡¯s military power.¡±


    Teng Shang laughed and said, ¡°You have been quite informed.¡±


    Xue Houyang chuckled, knowing that Teng Shang was concerned about this, so he naturally inquired about the situation to make him feel at ease.


    Teng Shang looked at him and smiled. He closed the brocade box and put it back in the case. He said, ¡°The Princess of Feng Country ran away because she couldn¡¯t tolerate the insult. If the Princess had married Lord Marquis, I¡¯m afraid there would be no such thing right now?¡±


    Xue Houyang heard him say this and his nerves tensed as he responded, ¡°How could I marry the Princess? Doesn¡¯t my husband know my heart?¡±


    Teng Shang raised his eyebrows and smiled. Suddenly reached out and pushed Xue Houyang on top of the soft carpet, attached himself and pressed up, smiling, ¡°I heard people often say that a small farewell is better than a new love, I wonder if the Marquis has a new love these days.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, there is none.¡±


    ¡°Then was it hard for the Marquis to endure with this Teng being so far away?¡±


    Xue Houyang looked at the other party¡¯s face that was close at hand and his heart was already beating out of its cavity, and said, ¡°Sir, how can you tease me as soon as you come back.¡±


    Teng Shang said, ¡°How am I teasing you?¡±


    As he said that, he took hold of Xue Houyang¡¯s wrist and moved it down below. Xue Houyang was stunned and looked at Teng Shang in surprise.


    Teng Shang then said, ¡°Frankly, I can¡¯t endure it.¡±


    Xue Houyang was naturally ecstatic. He held the other party¡¯s waist tightly and turned him over fiercely pushing Teng Shang under his body and their position reversing in an instant. Xue Houyang kissed the corner of his mouth and said, ¡°I naturally missed you. I just hoped you would come back soon but mostly I was afraid you would be in trouble.¡±


    Teng Shang whispered, ¡°This is a carriage. Marquis is not afraid that people outside would hear us?¡±


    Xue Houyang bristled and said, ¡°Husband, you still say you are not deliberately teasing me?¡±


    Teng Shang deliberately lifted a leg and gently rubbed his knee against Xue Houyang¡¯s bottom, laughing, ¡°But I just want you to be in the carriage, can I?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª-


    When they entered the Palace, it was already afternoon, and it was rare that Teng Shang followed them into the Palace, and did not give the Tiger Seal directly to Xue Houyang.


    When they were in the carriage, Teng Shang didn¡¯t dare to moan out loudly as he was afraid of being heard by the entourage outside. However, Xue Houyang was so provoked by him that Teng Shang completely lost control and fell apart. Teng Shang promised himself that he wouldn¡¯t dare to provoke the Marquis again next time.


    After returning to the Marquis residence, he cleaned up and hurried into the Palace.


    Xue Junliang and Teng Yun were in the Warm Pavilion of the study hall. Xue Houyang and Teng Shang conveyed their greetings. Emperor Xue asked Jiang Yu to set up seats for everyone.


    Teng Shang¡¯s voice was a little hoarse, and he looked obviously uncomfortable when he sat down. Xue Junliang naturally understood the reason, but Teng Yun, being innocent of what couples do, didn¡¯t realize it. He was very concerned about Teng Shang and asked, ¡°Sir, have you caught the cold?¡±


    Teng Shang, who rarely showed his embarrassment felt his face turn red on this rare occasion, and Xue Houyang felt that he had been seen through, but Xue Junliang laughed out loud.


    Xue Junliang said, ¡°Let¡¯s get back to business. Now that we have the Tiger Seal, we can be more sure when we fight against Feng Country.¡±


    Teng Yun nodded and said: ¡°As far as the troops are located, Zheng An is the closest to the Ming River. As long as Zheng An can send troops, then the Ming River can attack from two directions. This way, the odds of winning would be even greater.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded and said, ¡°And by surprise.¡±


    Teng Shang watched them respond to each other. It seemed that when these two talked about military strategies, others couldn¡¯t get a word in. Teng Yun was well versed in the Art of War. He was very excited about the Art of War and had many unique insights. Xue Junliang listened to him with full attention and was naturally very harmonious.


    The four men made a final decision on the Zheng An army. At present, they decided it was best to remain calm and let the Feng Country think that Zheng An was still under the military power of a fief. It was impossible to send large troops, so the vigilance against Zheng An army would be reduced and when the time comes, Zheng An could send the troops to reinforce the front lines unexpectedly.


    The four Tiger Seals were with the four brave Generals of Xue Junliang ¨C Teng Xin and the three He brothers. The next step was to canonize the generals and send out the troops.


    When everyone finished discussion, Teng Shang proposed to have a word with Xue Junliang alone. Xue Houyang and Teng Yun withdrew from the room totally puzzled.


    The Warm Pavilion of the study was a special place where the Monarch convened with his Ministers to discuss important matters. Hence the sound insulation was very tight. Once the door was closed, people outside the door could not hear what was being said inside.


    Xue Junliang said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s hard for Mr. Teng to enter the Palace. How is your health? My brother sometimes does not know propriety. You¡¯ll have to take more care of him in the future.¡±


    Teng Shang replied with a smile, ¡°Marquis Wannian and I bear each other¡¯s burden. After all, we have a harmonious marriage with each other.¡±


    This sentence seems to have touched Xue Junliang¡¯s sore spot. Xue Houyang and Teng Shang could be regarded as a perfect example of a couple living in conjugal harmony. They were respectful and affectionate with each other. Unlike himself,  who was still in the stage of enlightening Teng Yun.


    Teng Shang said, ¡°I don¡¯t tell lies in front of people with true talent. Presumably, both Emperor Xue and I think it¡¯s very tiring to talk like this, so I¡¯ll dare to speak straight.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, let¡¯s be frank.¡±


    Teng Shang smiled and said, ¡°There are some things that I think Emperor Xue has known for a long time. I have watched Teng Yun grow up and no one knows his nature better than me. Teng Yun is loyal and benevolent and as an uncle, I am naturally willing for him to find a ¡­¡­ woman who treats him well for life. ¡±


    Xue Junliang listened to Teng Shang emphasize the word ¡°woman¡±, curbed the smile, ¡°Mr. Teng please continue, I¡¯m listening.¡±


    Teng Shang said: ¡°However, everyone has their own ideas, and I will never object to what Teng Yun likes. Teng Yun doesn¡¯t know anything about this at all. Since someone dug a trap for him to jump, and he jumped willingly, I don¡¯t have any opposition. I just want to tell this person that he may be successful as a King, but he didn¡¯t do enough to treat Teng Yun ¡­ If I am not satisfied with how he treats Teng Yun, then one day I will probably persuade Teng Yun to find another spouse. ¡±


    Xue Junliang laughed and said, ¡°No wonder someone once told me that Minister Shang has sharp teeth and a sharp mouth. I¡¯ve learned it today. You¡¯re the first one to threaten this Seat, but¡­..¡±


    He paused and said, ¡°I can swear to the heavens that Teng Yun belongs to Xue Junliang no matter what life he has, and this will not change ¡­ Naturally, I have to ask Houyang for advice on how to make foxes who specialize in eating meat, obey him. Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Teng.¡±


    The two put the other down once and no one had the advantage, but Teng Shang was very satisfied with Xue Junliang¡¯s attitude towards Teng Yun.


    Teng Shang turned around and when he was about to open the door to leave, he said, ¡°Teng Yun was born to be a great General, he grew up and learned on the battlefield. You don¡¯t have to lock him in the Palace to spoil him. It may be a good thing to let him go out.¡±


    Xue Junliang nodded, ¡°I know.¡±


    Teng Shang then opened the door, Xue Houyang and Teng Yun were outside waiting. Seeing Teng Shang come out, Xue Houyang asked, ¡°Sir, can we go back now?¡±


    Teng Shang nodded and said, ¡°Yes, we better go back, it¡¯s getting late.¡±


    Teng Yun watched the two leave, and when he turned his head, he saw Xue Junliang waving at him, signaling him to come over inside.


    When Teng Yun walked into the Warm Pavilion, Xue Junliang smiled and said, ¡°Do you know what we are talking about?¡±


    Teng Yun shook his head, ¡°Naturally, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Xue Junliang changed the subject again and smiled, ¡°Do you know why Teng Shang was uncomfortable?¡±


    Teng Yun shook his head again, Xue Junliang supported his head with one hand and beckoned with the other, signaling him to come closer. Teng Yun took two steps closer and was dragged over by Xue Junliang, letting him sit on his lap.


    Xue Junliang wrapped one hand around his waist and slowly stroked his back from his spine down to Teng Yun¡¯s groin, and Teng Yun¡¯s face burned and wanted to get up.


    Then Xue Junliang said, ¡°Because they did something like this, so¡­¡±


    Only now Teng Yun understood and his face immediately flushed red. When he remembered that he had asked Teng Shang whether he was ill or not, he had an urge to knock himself on the table and die of shame. How stupid of him. No wonder everyone¡¯s facial expression was so delightful at that time.


    Xue Junliang pulled his collar and their lips pressed together. Xue Junliang laughed: ¡°When are we going to do these things too?¡±


    Teng Yun couldn¡¯t resist his teasing. He didn¡¯t know what to say. Xue Junliang naturally didn¡¯t want Teng Yun to answer him and for a while, there were only ambiguous kisses in the Warm Pavilion.