Mercenary Princess - Chapter 117
"Ouch—" The servant cried out softly, rubbing his sore shoulders and twisting his stiff neck. Just as he was recovering, he suddenly heard Rongyue's authoritative voice commanding from inside the hall: "Someone come here!"
He rushed into the bedchamber, where two servants bowed respectfully: "General."
He shoved Liu Zhiyi at them and said, "Turn it off!"
"Yes, sir!" Having received the order, Ye Ming, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly stepped in front of them and blocked their way.
"Master, you can't treat the old master like this!" Ye Ming said firmly, looking at Rong Yue with disapproval.
Perhaps it was because of the more than two hundred assassins who died for her that she always felt a sense of guilt towards Ye Ming.
With a softened expression, Rongyue explained, "Don't worry, I just had him sent to another palace! As you've seen, we're completely incompatible. If this continues, we might end up fighting. I'm sure you wouldn't want that to happen, would you?"
Still somewhat skeptical, he peered through the surface of the molten moon for a while. Seeing her sincere expression, he slowly stepped aside to let them pass.
After Liu Zhiyi was taken away, Rongyue approached Ye Ming, trying to persuade him: "Ye Ming, are you planning to live like this for the rest of your life?"
"Huh?" Ye Ming looked up in confusion.
"Have you ever thought about finding a wife, starting a family, and living a good life?"
When the sensitive topic was brought up, Ye Ming's face turned bright red, and she stammered, "No rush..."
"How old are you this year?"
"Twenty-one."
"You're not young anymore. At your age, most kids are already running around in the streets. Ye Ming, how about I find you a nice woman to settle down with?" A warm home might warm his cold heart and temper his burning desire to restore his kingdom…
"No!" Ye Ming looked at Rong Yue firmly and refused decisively: "If the great cause is not accomplished, the country will not be restored, so what is the point of talking about a family? Only with a country can there be a family. Therefore, I will put aside the leader's good intentions for now and accept them after the great cause is accomplished!"
Dejected, Rongyue lowered her eyes, rubbing her temples. After thinking for a while, she raised her head and said, "Then come and help me in the army, is that alright? There are many things to do in the army, and I can't handle them all. You can help me train the troops. When the army is strong and the generals are powerful, we can discuss the grand plan and accomplish our great undertaking. This request isn't too much to ask, is it?" In short, she wanted to keep him away from Liu Zhiyi, keeping him by her side all day long, watching over that fanatic who wanted to restore the kingdom. Who knew what kind of trouble he might cause her one day!
Ye Ming's eyes brightened: "I'm afraid I'm not qualified..."
"With your abilities, how could you not be qualified? Alright, it's settled then. Starting tomorrow, you will be appointed Left General of the Cavalry, and you will learn how to govern an army from Right General of the Cavalry, Zhang He."
"Thank you for the promotion, Master!"
"We need to change it; we should address him as 'General'!"
"Yes, General!"
Volume Two: The Resolute Heroines' Chronicle, Chapter Forty-Five: Becoming Queen
After Ye Ming left, Rong Yue turned her head and met Tuoba Chen's deep gaze.
With an indifferent shrug, Rongyue said casually, "Do you think I'm incredibly rebellious?"
His gaze lingered on Rongyue's face for a long while before he smiled gently and said, "How could that be! I just think that the way you two, father and daughter, get along is truly peculiar."
"How we get along?" He shook his head dismissively. "You don't need to hide anything for me. It's as clear as day! Call me unfilial, call me a wicked child, but if you want me to acknowledge him as my father, two words: no way. I don't know if he treats me like a daughter, but I certainly won't treat him like a father! So, Chen, you don't need to worry about me anymore. If Liu Zhiyi provokes you, just go ahead and take action. Anyway, without Ye Ming, he's just a toothless old lion, all he can do is roar..."
Tuoba Chen was surprised by the obvious hostility Rongyue displayed towards Liu Zhiyi. Although he had vaguely sensed that Rongyue disliked her father, it now seemed that her dislike went far beyond mere dislike; she practically loathed and resented Liu Zhiyi! The father and daughter had met, and not only were they locked in a fierce battle of wits, but they had even come to blows! The father was hurling insults at his daughter without restraint, and the daughter was equally unyielding in her sarcasm towards her father. This was hardly the behavior of a father and daughter; it was more like enemies meeting, their eyes blazing with hatred! What had happened between them to cause this current state of mutual animosity between father and daughter…?
Seeing Tuoba Chen's stunned expression, Rong Yuexing raised her eyes and asked, "What's wrong? Were you frightened by my rudeness?"
"You're kidding!" Tuoba Chen gestured exaggeratedly. "You know, I've been scared since I was a child! How could your few words, which are so mild and innocuous, scare me?"
"You were scared since you were a child? Did your old father scare you to death?" Rongyue said with amusement.
Mentioning his father, Tuoba Chen fell silent, staring at the four-leaf clover in front of the bed for a long while before turning his handsome face to Rong Yue: "Do you know that when I was determined to come find you, my father was furious, just like Liu Zhiyi, cursing me for being unfilial and a wicked child..."
Rongyue felt a pang of pity: "Chen..."
"What a coincidence!" He changed from his previous serious demeanor to a grin: "Two unfilial brats together, they're a match made in heaven! A perfect pair!"
I rolled my eyes at him: "I can't be bothered with you."
Turning around, Rongyue fiddled with the four-leaf clovers that were blooming brightly, but in her heart she couldn't help but sigh: Tuoba Chen, why are you always so infatuated...?
On August 20th, the new emperor's coronation ceremony took place.
Early in the morning, Rongyue changed into a high-collared court robe embroidered with a nine-clawed golden dragon soaring into the sky, and wore a court hat inlaid with jade beads and a sash. She carried the sun and moon on her shoulders and had a majestic demeanor. Although she looked a little petite among the group of big, burly men, she had the appearance of an emperor. She walked out of the palace gate with a steady and composed demeanor.
The courtiers, who had been waiting at the palace gate for a long time, hurriedly welcomed Rongyue onto the golden imperial carriage. The carriage, in a grand procession, exited through the East Gate, passed through the Chongde Hall, and headed towards the Golden Palace.
Ten large bronze horns sounded in unison, accompanied by the deep, resonant tones of the chime bells. In the lingering echoes of the bells and horns, the clear, azure sky seemed to descend from afar, as if the heavens had foretold this momentous historical occasion. The vast天地 (heaven and earth) knew, and so did the magnificent landscape of Louxi Kingdom; history was about to begin its rewriting! The lingering sounds of the bells and horns echoed and stretched towards the distant sky, seemingly wanting to convey this joyous occasion even further…
The imperial carriage, escorted by thousands of cavalrymen clad in golden armor, passed through the west gate and entered the Golden Palace. Generals and ministers were already gathered kneeling before the palace gates to welcome it. After the formal ceremony, the emperor ascended the throne and sat upon the golden dragon throne, receiving the three bows and nine kowtows of his courtiers. The establishment of the new nation was officially proclaimed, Louxi was renamed Loulan, and the national title was changed to Qinghe Year One, thus beginning a new chapter for the Loulan Kingdom…
The *History of Loulan* records that after King Qinghe ascended the throne, he encouraged agriculture and sericulture, reduced land taxes, cared for the poor and needy, practiced generosity and philanthropy, and encouraged childbirth. The people lived in peace and prosperity, earning widespread praise. The populace flourished, ushering in a golden age of prosperity. He maintained strict discipline, implemented lenient laws, clearly defined rewards and punishments, valued the people's strength, and built fortified cities and strongholds, making other nations tremble with fear and dare not underestimate him…
The third month of the third year of Qinghe.
Wisps of pale purple smoke swirled in the air, carrying an ambiguous atmosphere, drifting and lingering, seemingly reluctant to dissipate. The dragon and phoenix red candles flickered with a hazy, yellowish light, elusive and shimmering, gently releasing their inner passion. Bright yellow gauze curtains rippled like ocean waves, their varying shades revealing glimpses of the alluring spring scenery hidden within…
Accompanying the swaying of the dragon bed were fragmented groans and heavy, suppressed breathing. The two intertwined limbs showed no sign of stopping until late at night, clinging together desperately until the lamp flickered out, reluctantly extinguishing its last flames, before finally ceasing their entanglement.
Panting, Rongyue lay on the strong, powerful body, glanced at Tuoba Chen above her, and said weakly, "Did I just go through the motions?"
Pulling the silk quilt over her exposed body, Tuoba Chen gently wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead, looking at her exhausted appearance with pity: "I was just saying it casually, why did you take it so seriously? You always like to be strong, look at how tired you are now, it breaks my heart."
What a hypocrite! Rongyue rolled her eyes, inwardly cursing this man who claimed to be indifferent and not bothered, yet was constantly calculating and petty. She had completely seen through Tuoba Chen; this man was the epitome of manhood! A complete scoundrel, a perpetually jealous man, a stingy old fox, a 100% cunning sly fox! In short, every word that could describe a despicable man could be fully embodied in him! Don't be fooled by his sweet talk, saying he was just saying it casually. Others might not know, but she knew perfectly well! If she didn't give him a satisfactory answer tonight, who knew what he might do in the days to come, some kind of "unintentional" scheme to make her suffer! (This was a valuable lesson she had learned through painful experience.)
He was one way before he got her and another way after he got her—it was like the North and South Poles! He really hid himself very well! If anyone is to blame, it's only herself. Why didn't she figure out what kind of person he was before giving herself to him?
Actually, if you think about it carefully, you can't really blame her. It's human nature to be infatuated, especially since people at the top are more prone to loneliness and isolation. So when warmth comes, they will unconsciously want to grab onto that warmth and draw heat from it.