Chapter 25: Serve the Lord and Save the Country ( 10 )
"Fang Xu?" Zhao Changyu relaxed and leaned against the back of the chair. Fang Xu somewhat had some harvests during these years. Zhao Changyu highly valued him but his family is not powerful enough. So when he (ZCY) was looking for a bridegroom for the princess, he didn't consider him.
Ye Huai half-leaned on Zhao Changyu's arms, raising his head to look at him while he talks. Zhao Changyu only saw his flushed face in his arms. His heart moved and he can't help but lean over to kiss.
Ever since he used Jiang Hao to threaten him, his Xiao Qi had been very obedient. Kissing, hugging and even the matters done in bed were all rarely refused by him.
After the kiss, Zhao Changyu looked in satisfaction at the blushing face of Ye Huai and asked: "Why do you care about the princess's husband?"
"Wasn't Your Majesty angry about this? If the princess finds a husband for herself, Your Majesty will no longer be suspicious of this servant." Ye Huai whispered with a flushed face, seemingly a little shy, he even seemed to be complaining a little, it makes Zhao Changyu's heart itchy when looking at him.
"Don't just speculate on Zhen's thoughts as you like." Zhao Changyu said before sealing his lips with a kiss, sticking his lips to him while saying, "How does that taste? If you don't listen to Zhen later, Zhen will make you follow in a horse race together."
(Megane: I have no idea what a horse race means. Silv: Doesn't he mean horse ride as sth dirty?)
The carriage stopped outside the palace. Zhao Changyu should've changed into the imperial carriage this time but when Chen Yan came to the side of the carriage, he heard sounds that made his face and ears warm. He hurriedly made people stop the carriage in an inconspicuous corner and drive away all the people.
In the end, Zhao Changyu carried Ye Huai down the carriage and rode the imperial carriage with him before going to his sleeping quarters.
520: "Just now, the mission completion went up again to fifty-three percent (53%)!"
Ye Huai: "It seems that Zhao Changyu already agreed to the marriage between Fang Xu and Zhao Yurong."
520: "Why do you have to make the two of them marry?"
Ye Huai: "Because Fang Xu likes Zhao Yurong ah!"
520: "That's it?"
Ye Huai: "Zhao Yurong also likes him. It can be seen when you look into her eyes."
520: "Yes yes yes, you are an old driver, but why does it have to do with the mission completion?"
(Megane: I don't know if I've already explained this. Blame my short-term memory. An old driver is someone experienced and most of the times, this is an implicit meaning for being experienced in s.e.x)
Ye Huai: "Isn't that simple? What do you think will happen after Fang Xu and Zhao Yurong get married?"
520: "……Princess's husband?" This question is really strange.
Ye Huai: "BINGO! Although the Prince Consort (Princess's husband) doesn't have imperial blood, it can still be considered half an imperial family. If there is war with the North Yuan, he can be sent as the imperial supervisor!"
520: "Right! You're so smart!"
Ye Huai: "You're too stupid, my dear Xiao Lingling."
Ye Huai spent two days in bed after this. Two days later, Zhao Changyu talked to Fang Xu and Zhao Yurong about the matters of granting them marriage. There is also another decree pa.s.sed down together with this. The a.s.sistant Minister of Revenue left the capital to return to his hometown. Zhao Changyu boasted of the new policy on disaster relief suggested by Ye Huai, and then he proposed for him to take the position of a.s.sistant Minister of Revenue.
When viewed altogether, it was stupid. Two months ago, this candidate is just a n.o.body. In just a short period of time, he had become one of the third-ranked officials. It can be described as unprecedented.
The most enviable and hateful thing was that a.s.sistant Minister Gu went absent from time to time. Even when not skipping work, he only came to the Ministry of Revenue then leaves right away. The man's job was actually to accompany the Boss Emperor every day.
The tenth day after Ye Huai took office. Last night, Zhao Changyu was very ruthless again. At this moment, Zhao Changyu got up to change his clothes while Ye Huai was left lying on the bed, pretending to be dead. But outside, a voice announcing that an urgent military intelligence arrived to be reported.
"Reporting to the Emperor, the North Yuan's Army raided on our country's border last night and has now entered Lu Prefecture!"
The North Yuan and Da Mao were deadly enemies for generations. The Yanshan Mountain Range acts as a boundary between the two countries and it is easy to defend but hard to attack. However, Zhao Changyu's uncle, who was the first emperor when the country experienced the peace at the border, signed a peace treaty with the last North Yuan. He ceded 36 counties, including the Yanshan mountain range, in exchange for the promise of eternal non-aggression. It directly leads to Da Mao becoming wide open to the North Yuan.
(Megane: F*@# that long line! *I gave up and entered binge reading mode.*)
After Yan Prefecture was cut in half, the remaining half, which is Lu Prefecture and Feng Prefecture, were all boundaries between the imperial capital and the North Yuan. These prefectures are all flat plains and are very easy to attack.
North Yuan's political situation is very unstable. After the replacement of rulers, the new Queen directly breached the contract. It's the gravest attack after a long time of calm. Fortunately, even if they were not prepared enough, Zhao Changyu was valiant and good at fighting. He was able to drive them back.
However, the 36 counties of Yan Prefecture were like a thorn that keeps poking Zhao Changyu's heart, making it difficult for him to sleep.
According to the original plotline, Zhao Changyu was rejected in opposition of the ministers to lead the troops to battle at this time. Instead, he sent Prince Qin as the superintendent to lead the two thousand troops against the North Yuan. They fought the war for three years. Prince Qin took the opportunity to raise soldiers during the war and secretly formed an alliance with the North Yuan. Finally, in collusion with the North Yuan, he invaded for a long time and forced Zhao Changyu to abdicate.
After Zhao Changyu's death, it was difficult for Prince Qin to convince the ma.s.ses. The country was in chaos. The surrounding countries invaded them at the same time and Da Mao eventually perished.
But this time, since Ye Huai came, he will never let such a thing happen again.
520: "Suddenly I think that host is more handsome!"
Ye Huai: "Isn't it easy for this brother to not just meet his needs but also help him against foreign enemies?"
520: "Listening to you say this, I don't feel my blood boil……"
Zhao Changyu, like the last time, proposed for an imperial expedition and also received the opposition of the ministers. Ye Huai knows this– on top of this, it was hard to support his sore waist while standing between the ministers.
When Prince Qin was going to step forward, Ye Huai decisively struck forward and robbed the limelight from him: "Your Majesty, this servant would like to speak!"
Everyone knew that Ye Huai was the one most highly regarded by the Emperor. They all quieted down and turned their eyes to him. Prince Qin couldn't continue and had to return back.
"Official Gu, please speak." After Zhao Changyu received the military report today, Ye Huai had jumped up from the bed. He (ZCY) was also surprised by this person who was usually lazy at home on weekdays. Today he somehow put so much effort to come to court, he must really have something important to say.
In fact, why did he even bother to come? Telling him privately should have been enough.
"Esteemed Emperor, this servant also agrees with the seniors, The southern Miao ethnic group and Xining prefecture are both glaring like a tiger watching their prey. Your Majesty, you should not leave the imperial capital. The crown prince is the heir apparent to the throne thus it's not easy for him to leave the capital. Although Prince Qin's ident.i.ty is also valuable, he doesn't have any experience in leading the soldiers to fight. On the battlefield, the sword has no eyes and it is too dangerous. This servant thinks that there is another good candidate."
(Megane: Gosh! That was too long! By the way, 'sword has no eyes' pertains to it being a weapon and can hurt both ally and foe.)
Ye Huai stopped and took a mouthful of breath. There was a sound of air being drawn out in his surroundings. Ye Huai is clearly saying that Prince Qin is incompetent and cannot bear the life in the army. This is certainly offending Prince Qin. Can't you see that although Prince Qin still kept smiling, the corner of his mouth had already gone stiff?
This person really rely on His Majesty's favor to dare say words they can't say ah!
They heard that it was also his idea to make the emperor marry the princess to Officer Fang. They don't know what the princess thought about this. Yi? A few people reacted to this in succession with startled or shocked expressions.
"This servant thinks that since the princess and Official Fang already had a marriage contract, although he doesn't have imperial blood in his veins, he is already half a member of the imperial family. He can lead the soldiers on the battlefield. He'll be able to lead a powerful army, drive away from the North Yuan and defend the territory."
When Ye Huai finished speaking, the people in the hall reacted differently. Some people had directly scolded him saying that Official Fang is still not married to the princess and can only be considered as a quasi-prince consort. How can they not criticize him for making him represent the imperial household in supervising the army?
However, some people think that what Ye Huai said was also somewhat reasonable. This matter is urgent. Although it doesn't conform to the usual regulations, it is still reasonable.
For a while, the quarrel between those who approve and those who oppose became a complete mess. On several occasions, Prince Qin wanted to come up and show his loyalty and fight for the responsibility to supervise the army. His voice was covered up by the voice of the ministers. Zhao Changyu even deliberately ignored the voice of Prince Qin and let them all quarrel.
"Father Emperor, your son, this servant, has something to say." In the midst of the quarrel, the crown prince stepped up and everyone present silenced down.
(Megane: Almost wrote "your child servant" there. Phew! I don't know what to put there though.)
"Talk." Zhao Changyu hadn't shown his att.i.tude from start to finish. At this moment, he also only let the crown prince talk.
"Your son, this servant, thought that a.s.sistant Minister Gu's words are very reasonable. Fang Xu entered the army at the age of sixteen when Father Emperor was still the crown prince. At that time, he served Father Emperor. He's loyal and not stupid. He also experienced and now that he has a marriage contract with imperial sister, he already half a person of the imperial household. It's appropriate for him to have the responsibility to supervise the army.
It wasn't until after Zhao Changyu ascended to the throne that both Huang Cheng and the imperial capital's safety became under their jurisdiction. Even military campaigns, big or small, are partic.i.p.ated by Zhao Changyu's direct elite troops. Many of these people followed Zhao Changyu when he was still the crown prince until the present. Fang Xu is one of them.
(Megane: Huang Cheng(皇城) is the Imperial city or the inner part of Beijing, with the Forbidden City at its center. It's different from the imperial capital(帝都), I think(at least they have different characters). Or maybe they are the same?)
After he finished listening, Zhao didn't directly agree but rather he declared the dismissal of the court a.s.sembly. He left every military and court official to feel like cats on a hot tin roof.
(Megane: Like cats on a hot tin roof(热锅上的蚂蚁) = anxious or agitated.)
Ye Huai went back to Zhao Changyu's sleeping hall. Regardless of the consequences, Zhao Changyu pressed him directly to the bed. "Tell me, did you set all this up since a long time ago? You knew that there is a problem with Prince Qin and also knew that the situation is unstable. So did you deliberately persuaded Zhen to marry the princess to Fang Xu so that he will supervise the army? What is your purpose?"
"Your Majesty, *cough* *cough*…… please lighter." Ye Huai coughed and gently pushed Zhao Changyu's arm, which is on his neck.
Zhao Changyu loosened a little but still didn't completely let go of him. Since ancient times, those people sitting in high positions are suspicious because they have no way of retreat. Once they fall from their high position, they will die horribly. Zhao Changyu also didn't dare to take this risk.
"Your Majesty, this servant is not scheming. This servant set up the princess her highness to Fang Xu because I only see they are well-suited for each other. I didn't mean for Your Majesty to be suspicious. When this servant made a proposition in the hall today, it is because I knew that Your Majesty doesn't want Prince Qin to supervise the army nor do I want Your Majesty to go to war." Ye Huai finally said as his voice gradually grew smaller.
Zhai Changyu is also not very much suspicious of Ye Huai. He just wanted a confirmation. At this moment, when the person was pressed down by him and answered him, his heartstrings were already pulled. Not to mention his(YH) final words that expressed his concern, Zhao Changyu immediately kissed him ruthlessly and it lasted for quite a while. And finally, because of the urgency of the military matters, he only hurriedly serve him with his mouth.
Zhao Changyu got up, straightened the hem of his clothes and summoned Chen Yan, "Pa.s.s on Zhen's decree, that in the hope that my future son-in-law, Officer Fang Xu, can directly lead, he will be awarded the rank of a.s.sistant general of the country, and will lead the 200,000 strongmen army to the north. The grand princess Zhao Yurong will serve as deputy commander, be granted the t.i.tle city general, and be responsible for supervising the army. There must be no mistakes in the immediate dispatching of soldiers."
Chen Yan listened to the decree for a moment, then immediately returned to carry out orders.
"Fang Xu and the princess are not married yet, the role of army supervisor requires little effort, and if he only supervises, it is a waste of his abilities." Zhao Changyu announced his intentions, and also came over to embrace Ye Huai while saying, "Earlier it was my fault, I shouldn't have doubted you."
Megane: Silv, thank you for translating some parts of this chapter and some of the previous chapters.
Again, I want to apologize to readers. I am officially dropping this novel. You can make a pick-up request in Novel Updates Forum. Thank you and sorry. *bows*