Le charme d'une femme puissante se répand à travers le monde

Chapitre 122

I smiled, not intending to give a perfunctory answer, and replied respectfully, "Although Mother has no official title, my brother and I are, after all, Father's flesh and blood, a fact that no one can change or deny. Now that my brother and I have both returned to Xiuruo, at this time, if Father is sincere, we will do our best to help Father fulfill his wishes. Father should also have heard that Yue'er and my brother's identities are actually quite extraordinary. Since Grandfather could make an exception and bestow upon me the title of princess, as long as Father is willing, my brother's problem will not be difficult."

"What does Yue'er mean?" He asked, a rare hint of interest in his voice.

“The Princess Consort’s illness still needs Father’s treatment.” As I spoke, I raised my left hand and held it out to examine it closely. The fine gold thread wrapped around my left little finger reflected a golden-red light under the palace lanterns at the gate of the Prince’s Mansion. I smiled and continued, “But the logic is always the same. Didn’t Grandfather do the same thing? He could help himself and strengthen Xiu Ruo, but he didn’t say that Father, being the Second Prince, had no chance.”

"What do you know?" He suddenly stopped, turned his head to stare at the direction of my hand, his eyes cold and sharp.

“No matter what I know, in Xiuruo, I only have one stance, and that is you, Father.” I also stopped and smiled very sincerely. “So Father, please persuade Grandfather to persuade you to marry me off to Longyao. This is the best thing for Xiuruo and for you.”

"Why?" He was neither angry nor did he express his opinion.

"For no reason other than if Father insists on marrying me off to Tianqing, or leaving me in Xiu Ruo in the hope of gaining the world through this, then I will also tell Father that at that time, the ambitions of my grandfather and Father will probably vanish into thin air."

"Are you so sure, Yue'er?" He finally withdrew his gaze from examining my left hand and looked at me carefully, a hint of interest in his eyes.

I smiled and said, "It's still more certain than my father's."

"Your marriage was arranged by your royal grandfather, so why is Yue'er coming to discuss it with your father?" He didn't dwell on the question any further and turned his head away from me.

I also shifted my gaze and looked straight ahead, saying calmly, "As for Grandfather, Yue'er will explain to him when the opportunity arises. I just hope that Father will put in a good word for Yue'er then."

"reason?"

I lifted the carriage curtain, nimbly climbed into the carriage, and turned to look at him below, saying, "The reason? It's simple. If I marry Xi Lan, I'll travel and enjoy life with him, ignoring all these mundane matters. If I stay in Xiu Ruo to settle down, Father should understand Tian Qing Wang's ambition, right? When the world is divided into three kingdoms, do you think Tian Qing Wang will choose to ally with Xiu Ruo to deal with Long Yao, or with Long Yao to deal with Xiu Ruo? Yue'er knows Long Yao's emperor too well. Perhaps at that time, Tian Qing Wang won't even need to put in any effort; just a nod will be enough to make Xiu Ruo's situation immediately dire."

He frowned, his expression slightly somber. I continued with a faint smile, "Father, please don't be angry, and don't blame Yue'er for speaking without thinking. Father understands better than anyone that Yue'er has the blood of the Xiu Ruo royal family, and perhaps even the blood of the Feng Shen Kingdom royal family, but Yue'er would rather have always been a true citizen of the Long Yao Kingdom!"

After saying that, he stopped looking at him and said to the three people who had retreated to a short distance away and were waiting quietly, "Wang An, return to the palace!"

I lowered the carriage curtain, and once again, it was a quiet world just for me. I let the carriage speed away, and the smile on my face deepened.

Back at Zuiyue Palace, Chen Shou came to deliver a message, saying that starting tomorrow, I would still report to the old man's palace early in the morning and resume my life as a censor. I personally saw him off out of the palace and only felt somewhat relieved after confirming that the old man's condition was relatively stable.

The next morning, I went straight to the old man's palace. Guards were still on guard outside, but they automatically made way for me. The old man still looked haggard. Perhaps his illness wasn't serious, but for someone his age, even a simple cold could be very damaging. Perhaps it was a habit he'd developed over decades of attending court early, but he was already awake when I entered. I bowed and greeted him, then gestured for Chen Shou to bring in the memorials from the desk in the outer room. I placed a low table in front of the old man's bed, put the memorials on it, and prepared pen and ink. As before, I began to read the memorials one by one. The memorials on top were all military reports. The old man seemed to have neglected state affairs for quite some time, as several battle reports from the front had piled up. Unfolding them one by one, I felt quite comforted, as the war was progressing smoothly. From the initial capture of the Hanxing border to the subsequent breaching of several cities, the reports of victory were frequent and all good news. Upon reading the last letter, it was reported that King Ye Cang had issued an edict to withdraw his troops. Fortunately, the messenger who delivered the edict had been stopped, but it was estimated that Xiu Ruo and Ye Cang would have to break off their relationship in a few days.

If King Ye Cang has already ordered a withdrawal of troops, then there are only two possibilities: First, Ye Cang has finally discovered the secret behind this battle; second, the Longyao and Tianqing armies attacked Ye Cang too easily, and Ye Cang's situation is already dire. Or perhaps both possibilities are true.

The old man would give a brief comment after listening to each memorial, often just a few words. Even so, after nearly half an hour, he was already panting and coughing, and there were still more than half of the memorials left to be reviewed.

In fact, if the old man's health deteriorates further, these memorials could be reviewed and approved by his uncle, the Crown Prince. But those sitting on the dragon throne will not relinquish their power until the very last moment. Or perhaps, the current situation is actually somewhat strange.

"Grandpa, shall we take a rest?" I suggested tentatively.

“Alright.” He readily agreed. “Girl, tell your grandfather about your story in Longyao.”

"Uh..." I blurted out instinctively. My story in Longyao? Is it the story of Yunyue from childhood to adulthood, or the story of delivering the alliance letter to Longyao this time? No matter which one, what's there to say? The most exciting part is my experience of transmigrating, which is common knowledge, right? As for the less exciting part about what happened before I transmigrated, sorry, I don't know either.

"Then tell me why the girl likes Long Yao so much, and tell me about King Long Yao." Although he looked haggard, spoke slowly and with a slight wheezing, his voice was deep, making him seem even older. But at this moment, his usually smiling eyes were sharp and deep.

“I like Longyao because it is the place where I was born and raised. For the past nineteen years, Yue’er has always thought of herself as a Longyao person, a true Longyao person. Although she now knows her identity, people will always be nostalgic and have a sense of hometown. It is an instinct that cannot be controlled. If someone can freely control these feelings, then he has strayed too far from his true self.”

I explained in detail, using common sense and common sense—a very standard answer. He listened quietly without saying a word. I smiled and continued, "As for King Longyao, at that time he was the ruler and I was the subject. From the perspective of a subject, he was a wise ruler."

"What if we don't look at it from the perspective of a subject?"

"Huh?" What do you mean by not viewing things from the perspective of a subject? I looked up at the old man, but couldn't see the expression in his eyes, so I could only awkwardly ask, "Did the alliance document sent earlier say anything?"

Back then, the fox mentioned that he had sent the alliance document to Xiu Ruo by another person, and that it didn't matter if I didn't return to Xiu Ruo for the time being. He must have mentioned me, right? I wonder what that lecherous fox was talking about. I'm so annoyed. I looked at him, but he didn't say a word, his face a half-smile. I touched my head, thinking of the fox, and my heart softened. A smile unconsciously curved my lips as I said, "Not from a subject's perspective, he's just someone Yue'er likes."

Perhaps not expecting me to be so frank, a glint of light flashed in his eyes as he looked at me, before returning to his deep and unfathomable gaze. He spoke slowly and deliberately, word by word, "What do you think is so good about him, little girl?"

I smiled and said frankly, "Perhaps a person isn't good in the eyes of others, but in the eyes of the person who likes them, their flaws are often seen as strengths, or even endearing. He knew I was a woman disguised as a man, an imposter prime minister, but he didn't expose me and let me do as I pleased. Perhaps others saw him as having ulterior motives, but in my heart, it was tolerance, and even more so, a sense of equality and recognition. He agreed to let me go on a mission to Tianqing. Perhaps others saw it as putting me in danger, as sacrificing myself for the country, but in my heart, it was a sign of trust."

“Perhaps what others see,” he said, then coughed lightly. I quickly helped him sit up and patted him to help him catch his breath. It took him a while to calm down before he continued slowly, “that’s the truth.”

I knelt down beside the bed, lowered my eyes, and thought for a moment before looking up and saying directly, "Grandpa is right. Perhaps he knew my identity from the beginning, which is why he didn't expose me when he discovered I was a woman; perhaps from the beginning, he wanted to find out those secrets and rumors from me; perhaps his kindness towards me was for ulterior motives. But who isn't? Or perhaps not at first, but after knowing my identity and hearing those rumors, people would inevitably have different thoughts and considerations. If some destinies are inescapable, and some things are unavoidable, I will still choose the person I love. And I know that when he makes certain decisions, he will always consider me and try his best not to hurt me. I am certainly moved by someone who would give up everything for me, but I prefer someone who is always firm and clear about what he wants, and who doesn't compromise or seek a compromise."

"Yue'er doesn't know why Father King disagreed with my marriage to Long Yao Wang back then, otherwise Yue'er might already be a married woman by now. But being able to come to Xiuruo, recognize my Grandfather and Grandmother, and know that besides my brother and Father King, Yue'er has so many other close relatives in this world, Yue'er is happy and grateful. But Grandfather King, if the war ahead really goes as planned, and the world is divided into three kingdoms, will Grandfather King grant Yue'er this little wish?"

Before I could finish speaking, Chen Shou bowed and entered. He walked to my side and respectfully addressed the old man on the dragon bed, saying, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has come to pay his respects and says he has important matters to report."

Upon hearing this, the old man remained silent for a moment, only staring at me with a sharp, calculating look in his eyes. Since he didn't speak, I couldn't say anything either, and Chen Shou remained silent as well. The three of us remained quietly in our original positions. Thinking about the strangeness of the situation, I became even more convinced of my suspicions.

After a long, long time, the old man spoke, his voice aged and deep, each word spoken slowly: "Tell him that I have fallen asleep again. Girl, go and tell him that if he has anything to say, you should pass it on to me."

"Yes." I stood up, and although I had some questions in my mind, I still calmly bowed slightly to the old man on the dragon bed and walked out.

The old man's palace was vast, and the distance from his bed to the palace gate was considerable. Now, the distance seemed even longer, as if I had walked for a long time before finally reaching the gate. I took a deep breath, smiled, and slowly strolled out. Sure enough, I saw my uncle, the Crown Prince, standing outside the palace, dressed in a long, apricot-yellow robe with dragon patterns. He was tall and slender, possessing an air of refined elegance. His eyes were slightly lowered, as if in deep thought or meditation. He looked up at the sound of my voice, and upon seeing me, a flicker of confusion and slight doubt flashed in his eyes.

"Yue'er greets Uncle Crown Prince." I pretended not to know anything and smiled as I bowed.

"It's Yue'er. Where is Father?" He regained his usual gentle and calm demeanor and smiled.

"Grandpa has gone to sleep to rest. I was worried that Uncle Crown Prince might be getting impatient waiting, so I came to report. If Uncle Crown Prince has anything else to say besides paying his respects, please let me know. I will pass on the message as soon as Grandpa wakes up."

His expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and his smile faltered. However, the change in his expression seemed less due to my words and more as a sign of concern for the old man's health: "I wonder if Father Emperor's health is any better?"

"Hmm." I smiled sincerely and answered readily. But judging from my uncle's expression, he seemed somewhat disbelieving. A sudden realization dawned on me, and I seemed to understand something. Yesterday, after returning from Prince Hao's residence, I had asked Wang An about the old man's illness. Wang An only said that when they returned to the palace, the old man was already ill, but it seemed to have progressed from a minor ailment to a serious illness over half a month ago. Yes, it was a serious illness. How could it not be serious? He didn't hold morning court, didn't review memorials, and even before I arrived, only the Empress Dowager, Chen Shou, and the old man's personal imperial physician came and went from the old man's palace. Even his usual medicine was personally prepared by that imperial physician and then fed to him by the Empress Dowager herself, without being handed to anyone else. Not only that, my uncle, the Crown Prince, said that the old man would come to pay his respects every day, but he was always turned away at the door. Even if he had something to report, he would write a memorial and have Chen Shou take it in; he himself was not allowed to enter. Therefore, from the outside perspective, the old man's health might not be as bad as I perceived him to be, though he was ill. In their eyes, the old man might be in great danger this time, and he might not be able to get through this difficult period.

If so, what will happen next? Or rather, from a minor illness in the morning to the current "serious illness," has something already been happening?

"Moon." Just as my uncle, the Crown Prince, was about to say something, I heard someone calling me from afar. Without even looking at the person, I knew from the low, cold voice that it was Old Man Yun.

Oh dear, a prince came from the east, and before he's even left, an old man named Yun came from the west. This is bad luck, very bad luck.

"Yue'er greets Father." Thinking it over, but doing it, I still performed the proper greeting.

After accepting my bow without hesitation, Old Man Yun bowed to his elder brother, the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince politely offered a helping hand, and the two of them exchanged a few perfunctory gestures. I felt a chill run down my spine and tremble all over, almost gasping for breath and collapsing to the ground.