El paisaje es como una pintura

Capítulo 110

"I can't be bothered to talk to you!" Noticing the weariness in his eyes, Rongyue gently advised, "It seems the medicine has taken effect. You should lie down and get some sleep! There are still some things in the army that I need to take care of. You rest first, and I'll come to see you later."

Holding Rongyue's hand, Tuoba Chen was unwilling to let her go: "But I hope that the first person I see when I open my eyes is you..."

"Don't worry, I'll be there when you wake up."

"Then I'll wait here for you to come back."

"Alright, rest now. When I return, I hope to see a Second Prince with bright eyes and a radiant spirit."

"Oh? Would someone like me make your heart flutter?"

"Ugh, you should really rest..."

...

After Rongyue left, Shaye quickly slipped into the hall.

"Your Highness."

He beckoned and lowered his voice: "Come closer."

Sha Ye took a few big steps and brought his ear close to Tuoba Chen.

"Go, thoroughly investigate all information about Liu Rongyue, the wife of Prince Yao of the Eastern Dynasty. Investigate carefully, from childhood to adulthood, what she has done, what she has experienced, no detail is too small, try not to miss any link, I need to know everything about her."

Sha Ye nodded in agreement, but then hesitated, "But Your Highness, if I leave, who will protect you?"

"With your abilities, Second Prince, are you afraid of being bullied? Stop talking nonsense and go!"

"Your subordinate obeys."

...

The attendant gently closed the palace door, leaving only Rongyue and Dongfang Yao in the magnificent Ming Palace.

"Dongfang Yao, I'm giving you one last chance to choose. Are you going to leave or not?" With her back to Dongfang Yao, Rongyue looked up at the bright and golden plaque in front of her, her tone as cold as the melting snow of March.

He quickly walked a few steps around to Rongyue's front, leaned down and stared intently into her eyes, brooking no retreat from her: "Wife, tell me, do you want me to stay, or do you want me to leave?"

"Of course, the farther away the better!" Rongyue retorted without hesitation, meeting her gaze head-on.

She took a few steps back. Leaning against the pillar behind her, Dongfang Yao gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, I'll leave! But you have to tell me the truth. What exactly happened between you and Chu Xuyao that day? Didn't you used to rack your brains trying to seduce him? Why do you say he assaulted you? What is it between you that I don't know? If you don't explain it to me clearly today, I won't leave!"

Her slender hands clenched tightly beneath her wide sleeves, her sharp nails digging into her delicate palms, carving deep into the flesh and drawing out streaks of crimson blood.

Her eyes were silent, and her lips uttered a nonchalant remark: "It's nothing, just think of it as me being a fool..."

"Wife!" he shouted, his refined face now contorted with anger. "You're not allowed to degrade yourself!"

She chuckled mockingly, "Heh, what you say is quite interesting, Young Prince! Didn't you call me lewd and shameless the other day? If that's the case, then what's the big deal about a lewd person doing shameful things? Why is it forbidden to defile them?" Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, Rongyue continued, "Also, please remember, Your Highness, there are no wives here, only generals! Don't forget, Prince Yao!"

Her contact lenses were filled with pain: "Tell me, what are you hiding? We've lived together for so long, I know your personality quite well. If there wasn't something that's making you uncomfortable, you wouldn't be so sharp! Tell me, what is it that's causing you so much distress?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed in her eyes. With her neck stiff, Rongyue said fiercely, "Dongfang Yao, don't be so self-righteous! So what if we've lived together for so long? People always change. We've been separated for over a year; the living environment has changed, and naturally, habits and temperament have changed accordingly! I am no longer the same person I used to be! Dongfang Yao, let me give you a piece of advice: if you know what's good for you, go back to your Dongfang Dynasty as soon as possible, continue being your little prince, and enjoy your wealth and luxury with your beauties! If you're still obsessed and insist on staying, don't blame me for saying this upfront—this will be the beginning of your nightmare!"

"The beginning of a nightmare?" Dongfang Yao gave a wry smile, neither confirming nor denying: "Losing you, that was the real nightmare..."

He straightened up, leaning against the pillar, and stared directly into Rongyue's eyes, pressing them firmly into hers: "Since you don't want to tell me, then forget it. But, what did you mean by those last words you said to me at the cliff edge that day?"

Rongyue's heart skipped a beat: "What words?"

"You told me to stop investigating my uncle's family, otherwise, the truth will come out and I will be in unbearable pain. Such a mysterious statement still leaves me completely bewildered. Shouldn't you take responsibility and enlighten me?"

Rongyue raised her chin: "It was just a threat he made before he died, don't take it seriously!"

"daughter in law!"

Call me General!

"You...you won't tell me? Believe me, even if you don't tell me, I'll still find out!"

"Then go ahead and investigate! Nobody's stopping you!"

"You!" Pointing at Rongyue, Dongfang Yao was extremely angry, but there was nothing he could do.

After catching his breath in anger, Dongfang Yao said resentfully, "You should at least give me an explanation for Mother's death!"

"I can't stand that old witch. She's always causing trouble for no reason. Let's just burn that old hag's bones and be done with it!"

Dongfang Yao's beautiful eyes narrowed dangerously: "But as far as I know, Mother Empress committed suicide by self-immolation..."

Startled, he suddenly turned his gaze to Dongfang Yao, and without thinking, blurted out, "How did you find out?" As soon as he finished speaking, he wished he could bite his tongue off. This was practically an admission of guilt!

"As expected!" Dongfang Yao's eyes grew increasingly dangerous. He took a large step towards Rongyue and suddenly grabbed her slender shoulders with both hands: "How many things are you hiding from me! How many things is the Liu family hiding from me, from my brother, and even from the Dongfang Dynasty! Tell me, tell me!"

She kicked his kneecap hard with her toe and pushed him to the ground. "How annoying! This is never going to end! Let me tell you, Dongfang Yao, if you're so capable, go back to the Dongfang Dynasty and investigate yourself! As for me, well, my mouth is tight. Don't even think about getting a single word out of me!" With that, she turned and left.

Watching Rongyue practically flee the door, Dongfang Yao slumped onto the stone floor, gazing blankly in the direction she had gone...

Volume Two: The Resolute Heroines, Chapter Forty: Should They Ascend the Throne?

The Eastern army arrived full of fighting spirit, only to return dejected. What disheartened them even more was that after traveling thousands of miles, they not only failed to win a single battle but also lost hundreds of thousands of comrades. Worse still, they inexplicably "lost" their young prince! It was truly baffling what had possessed their young prince; he had abandoned his comfortable life as a prince and stubbornly insisted on remaining in the Louxi Palace, becoming a lowly guard in the Louxi Kingdom…

As the saying goes, conquering a country is easy, but maintaining it is difficult! The country has just been conquered, and the state is already unstable; how much more so for invaders. The slightest misstep could easily lead to unrest within the army and among the people, unleashing a massive and devastating upheaval. Therefore, appeasing the people and stabilizing the army is of paramount importance.

A meeting was convened in the Chongde Hall with over a dozen important generals, including Ye Fan, Zhang He, Zhou Bo, and Ding Fu. The meeting re-established the military system, formulated a reward and punishment system, clarified current tasks, and streamlined organizational structure. A system of ten men forming a squad, ten squads forming a brigade, ten brigades forming an army was established, and the Military Administration Department, Logistics Department, Weapons Department, and Military Headquarters Department were formally announced. All tasks proceeded smoothly, with clear division of responsibilities and well-defined objectives. Even the generals originally under Lou Xi's command were secretly impressed by Rong Yue's arrangements.

Soon after, Rongyue issued a decree on rewards and punishments throughout the army: Those who behead the enemy will be rewarded; those who destroy enemy chariots and horses will be rewarded; those who are the first to scale a city will be awarded a large reward; those who offer advice and strategies will be awarded a large reward… Those who disobey orders will be executed; those who indiscriminately kill innocent people or rape women will be executed; those who disobey military discipline will be punished; those who loot property will be punished… It was clearly stipulated that rewards would not be given to soldiers of any rank or status, based solely on military merit; punishments would not be spared even for generals, regardless of past achievements. Rewards and punishments would be handled impartially by the Military and Political Affairs Department…