Accord de Mu Yucheng

Chapitre 70

The only way to ensure the Grand Commander of the Palace Guards' loyalty in protecting the Emperor's safety is to elevate Lady Yao to the position of Empress.

My father knew I was unwilling and didn't want to force me.

I asked for it myself, and I am naturally aware of the interests involved.

The Grand Commander is now the only lifeline.

I traded a marriage certificate for Lu Xiu's freedom.

I also asked the Emperor to bestow Yan Zheng upon Lu Xiu, and the Emperor hesitated but still agreed.

Perhaps she wanted to witness the fall of the empire, but I didn't want her to remain in this chaotic world.

She should fulfill her promise to Lu Xiu and roam the martial world freely, instead of being trapped here.

Even though I know perfectly well that she is a traitor plotting against the court, I still want to protect her.

I would forsake my kingdom, even if it meant becoming an enemy of the world, as long as she lives.

I instructed Lu Xiu to take her away. He brought her back, so he should take her away too.

Lu Xiu promised me he wouldn't say anything. I'm truly at ease entrusting Zhao Zhi to him.

I know she will eventually beg my mother, and my mother will surely let me take her away, but I cannot.

I didn't dare look at her, afraid that I would lose control and take her home the next moment.

She said I was just protecting myself, and I'm willing for her to think that way about me, at least it would make my departure more decisive.

I wasn't wrong. She was the woman the Emperor had chosen, the woman he had given to the Eighth Prince as his wife.

The light boat disappeared into the sea of clouds and the horizon; that was my last attachment.

Xiao Si landed behind me and whispered, "Master, the ship... is far away."

I laughed, then turned around stiffly. "Xiao Si, go and bring the princess back."

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Extra Chapter - Lu Xiu's Story

After boarding the ship, Zhao Zhi stopped talking. Unlike her usual playful and carefree manner before boarding, her current silence made me somewhat uneasy.

She knew I had kept it from her, she knew I was lying when I said my father had come to see me, and I think she should know even more that it was Seventh Brother's idea to take her away.

I truly want to travel the world with her, but I also know the timing isn't right.

"Lu Xiu."

She called to me from behind, and I turned around to look at her.

“Yan Zheng can go with you, but Zhao Zhi cannot.”

She spoke so casually that I didn't go up to her.

I smiled at her and let her go; no one could stop her.

He turned away from her, and after a long silence, the boatman's panicked voice rang out, "That girl jumped off the boat!"

"Let her go." I seemed to be talking to myself as I turned around. The wind picked up, and as I returned to the cabin, I could smell the scent of rouge. There was another woman in the cabin? I lifted the curtain and froze in shock.

“You—” I hesitated.

"I am Yan Zheng." Xi Wen looked at me, smiled, and nodded. "From now on, I am Yan Zheng."

A mix of emotions welled up inside me. A thousand feelings swirled within me. I looked into her hopeful eyes. "I can't take you with me."

Her gaze turned cold instantly. She smiled, a desolate smile.

"I can't take you with me." I still smiled. "I have a wife, Xiwen."

I have never acknowledged my wife. As for Xiwen, I borrowed her position.

She didn't intend to marry me. She was just being stubborn with Seventh Brother.

I didn't intend to marry her; I just went along with her whims.

But I have to admit, she resembles Consort Yuan, the one I once called Mother.

On the day she leaped and crashed into the pillar of Seventh Brother's bedroom, I suddenly fell into a dream, as if I saw another mother.

I hate my mother, I hate her fierce spirit, and I hate her sudden departure.

It seems like just yesterday she was leading me through the Chu Ci by the window, and the next day, when the battle report arrived, she resolutely let go of my hand and jumped. Xuanming Palace was sealed for her from that day forward.

I don't know what kind of hatred could make her abandon everything in the world, including me.

The imperial concubines said my mother was foolish, the empress said my mother was loyal, but my father only said my mother was too strong-willed.

When my mother was alive, she often said that she was trapped in a golden cage. Before becoming my father's woman, she was the empress of an enemy country, renowned throughout the land for her dancing skills. That was a empire destined to crumble, and the fate of an empress of a weak nation was nothing more than a brief period of splendor.

My mother didn't like me because I wasn't the life she hoped for. Before I was born, she had children, and I always knew that those large and small palace robes in my mother's front palace weren't made for me; my mother was still dreaming.

That man, the man whom my mother regarded as her husband, fought for her for ten years.

His mother was his source of dignity, a dignity he vowed to reclaim at all costs.

In the autumn of the eleventh year of Tianyou, the Emperor's father annihilated that dynasty in one fell swoop, and the general brought back the head of the enemy monarch. The Emperor's father held a grand banquet in the Xuanming Palace, indulging in wine and women for three days and three nights, surrounded by music and dance. For three days and three nights, the Emperor ordered his mother to perform dances to entertain the guests.

The Empress Dowager stood in the Xuanming Palace, her long sleeves billowing, colorful satin hanging in the air, her skirt fluttering, captivating everyone who watched.

As she bowed one last time, my mother's gaze fell upon me. For the first and only time, she smiled at me. That smile was so beautiful it stung my eyes.

That was a fleeting moment of glory; the mother leaped into the air, completing her final jump in this world.

Music played, wine cups clinked, and whispers mingled—all sounds seemed to freeze for a moment, leaving only a brief silence.

The Emperor ordered that all the dancers who had accompanied the Empress that day be executed, and that the 110 palace maids who had witnessed the Empress's dance be buried alive with her.

The emperor held a funeral for his mother in the name of the empress of an enemy country, so that his mother's body could be buried with that man.

But the Xuanming Palace never heard from it again.

At that moment, I gently took Xiwen's hand and said, "Good Seventh Sister-in-law, I appreciate your kindness in letting Xiwen stay with me."

Perhaps, deep down, I also hope that a woman will give up all worldly pleasures for me and stay with me for this lifetime.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Liao Envoy Arrives in the Capital

"Isn't this Aunt Yan? What brings you back?"

"Your Highness said you went to Qiongzhou? Isn't that right?"

As soon as I appeared in the Chaoyang Rear Hall, several maids surrounded me. I waved my hand to signal them to be quiet, and was about to say something casual when I saw a maid carrying tea about to leave, so I quickly stopped her.

"I'll serve the tea today," I said hurriedly.

The little girl quickly hid behind me. I recognized her face and knew she wasn't a maid from Chaoyang Palace.

Another maid behind me pulled me back. "She was sent by the princess to serve the prince. The princess said that from now on, she will serve him from washing up to meals. She doesn't trust us to go."

I smiled to myself, thinking that Madam Yao was indeed "meticulous in every way." I cleared my throat and said to the little maid, "I'm afraid you don't understand the rules of Chaoyang Palace. I don't care about anything else, but when it comes to serving tea, I was the only one serving it when the Emperor was in power. No matter who is in power today, the custom cannot be changed. I will serve this tea."

The little girl lowered her head and remained silent. I knew she was scared, so I took the teacup from her hand, lifted the lid, smelled it, and then smiled as I poured all the tea into the basin. "It's overcooked." The little girl blushed, turned around, and ran out.

I brewed tea again and, as before, followed Eunuch Liu into the main hall. Today, Lu Li was not in the warm pavilion but had moved to a side hall to read. A charcoal fire was burning in the side hall, and several maids were replacing the old charcoal before leaving. When they saw me, they were all taken aback, nodded slightly to each other in greeting, and Eunuch Liu had already lifted the curtain for me.

I walked straight over, knelt down, and held the tea tray above my head.

After holding their breath and remaining silent for a long time, they heard the person above them say softly, "It's better than the previous cup."

"That depends on who's cooking the land," I replied.

The person before the table stiffened. Hearing this, they glanced down at me and then dispersed their attendants from the side hall. I remained expressionless, kneeling respectfully. I only felt a sliver of gaze fall upon me from above, lingering for a long time.

My arm was aching from holding the tray. I looked up sadly to meet his gaze. "Can't you let me get up?"

He ignored me. His gaze returned to the desk. He opened the folded document that had clearly been approved, then realized he'd taken the wrong one. He quickly closed it and tossed it aside, replacing it with another stack of documents. I stood up and sat down beside him, waiting for his first words.

"Name?" I'd been waiting for ages. And it was just those two words? I stared at him, my eyes wide.

He remained calm and composed. "Say what I want to hear."

Is that considered direct? I sighed. "Now named Yan Zheng, which one would you like to hear next?"

He casually switched to the next book, dipped his vermilion brush in red ink, and wrote, "Rong Zhaozhi, Nalan Qingqian, Lady Yan Zheng of the Great Mongol Kipchak Khanate, or perhaps others?"

I snapped out of my daze, shocked that he had casually uttered the latter two identities.

"Is it fun to come back from the dead? Is disguise interesting?" he asked mercilessly, opening the memorials under his men one by one. "What will pop up next? You've had your fun with the Mongols, now you want to challenge the Liao people?"

How did he know?! I felt uncertain and secretly sized him up. "Is it not allowed? Can't you send me to serve the Liao envoy?"

He wrote a single word "Approval" on the last memorial, without even glancing at me. "For that Yelü Mengshuo?"

"Yes." This time, the answer lacked confidence. "But not entirely."

"..."

"Is it not allowed?"

"It's not that it's impossible, it's that it's not possible." After saying that, he frowned and added to himself, "Eighth Brother can't even keep a woman."

"Really not working?"

"There is no room for negotiation." A new document was unfolded.

"Then I'll go back and elope with Lu Xiu."

"I couldn't have gotten it."

"I will accompany your spirit to disturb the peace and order of your household."

"You decide what to do." As he said this, the word "Approved" was quickly added to the document.

"Then have you ever touched that woman, Yao Shuhuan?"

"..." He seemed to have been looking at this report for a long time.

“I knew it.” I glanced at him. “Where is the Liao envoy staying?”

"The Imperial Edict Palace." He finally put down the memorial he had been holding for so long as he uttered these three words.

I stood up, feeling accomplished, and headed out.

“I haven’t touched her.” He coughed behind me, then added, “But I will tonight.”

I blinked hard, without turning around, and said, "You decide what to do."

Stepping out of Chaoyang Palace, I solidified my resolve. I hated Yao Shuhuan; from our first encounter, I knew I wouldn't have a good impression of her. And yet, this utterly incompetent woman stole the throne. It couldn't be more infuriating.