As Murong Yunshu had expected, there were uninvited guests that night.
"Can you now tell this Chu what you all want?" Chu Changge indifferently asked as he sat in the main seat. Murong Yunshu sat beside him. Men are in charge of the outside, and women of the inside. In front of outsiders, it was Chu Changge who was in charge.
The courtiers in civilian clothes were sitting on either side of the court, with the literary ministers on the left side and military on the right. Plus Nie Qing, there were a total of eighteen ministers, second rank or above. When all of the ministers heard Chu Changge's words, they all looked at Nie Qing.
Nie Qing was the Auxiliary Minister, an upper first rank minister, the most prominent official position among all officials. "We would like to invite the Prince to return to the palace to preside over the situation." [T/N]
Although he had already guessed that the matter must be related to his birth, Chu Changge was still stunned when he heard Nie Qing's words. Return to the palace to preside over the situation? What kind of a play was this?
"What a joke. The current Emperor is still around. Why is Master Nie still looking for another person to preside over the whole situation?" Chu Changge asked.
Nie Qing stated, "Your identity as a Prince has long been spread."
"So what?"
Nie Qing was silent for a while and said, "In fact, the Crown Prince died prematurely on the second day ofter the late Emperor's death. Fortunately, Empress Dowager blocked the news in time so that the foundation of the court remained intact. But we can't wrap fire with paper. Sooner or later, word will spread. Besides, the country cannot be without an Emperor for a day. I hope that the Prince will take into account the overall situation by accepting the important task of reviving the Daye Dynasty and return to the capital to ascend to the throne as Emperor."
As soon as Nie Qing's words fell, all the ministers rose from their seats and knelt on the ground, chanting in unison. "Please return to the capital to preside over the situation, Your Highness!"
Chu Changge, however, was indifferent, "I'm not interested in being an Emperor."
"The life and death of the Daye Dynasty are at stake. Please think twice, Your Highness."
"Please think twice, Your Highness."
"Please think twice, Your Highness."
Everyone fell to their knees and cried out in unison.
After a long time, when the ministers heard no response from the main seat, they quietly looked up to see, but there was no sign of Chu Changge.
"This......."
"You're still kneeling? Are you going to support me as your reigning Empress?" Murong Yunshu asked with a smile.
Everyone looked at each other and got up one after another. "Where did the Prince go?" An old general, over half a hundred years old but still in high spirits and glowing, asked.
"I don't know." Murong Yunshu answered quite neatly.
"He was clearly here just now......."
"General Liu." Nie Qing interrupted him and said, "Give the Prince some time to think about it."
Old General Liu nodded his head. "Alright. But nowadays, the situation is urgent. This matter should not be delayed for too long."
"Now, the city of Jinling has become a dead city. As long as the Prince disagrees, we will not open the city gates." Someone threatened.
Murong Yunshu smiled and said, "The Murong Mansion has a good stock of food. So it will not be a problem for it to last for a year and a half. But you all should think of a better way out. After all, even a fierce dragon is no match for a snake in its home territory."
All the people in the room were appalled at these words.
"How dare you threaten important court officials!" Old General Liu blew his beard and glared at her with rage.
Murong Yunshu laughed again at his words as if she had heard a big joke. "Your Excellency should not forget that under your feet, you are stepping on the ground of Jinling City, the soil of Murong Mansion."
"So what? Is there no law here?!"
"The General has a problem with Master Nie, right?" Murong Yunshu suddenly asked something unrelated like wind, horse and ox.
"I'm on good terms with Master Nie. Don't you dare try to stir up trouble!"
"Is that so?" Murong Yunshu smiled faintly, "If so, why didn't he remind you that it's not your turn to be arrogant in Murong Mansion." When she said the last sentence, a few cold lights flashed in Murong Yunshu's eyes. Her tone of voice aggravated a few points, but the smile on her face remained the same, making people feel like they were cleansed by the spring breeze.
Old General Liu stammered in anger, "You, you......rebel, rebel!"
Murong Yunshu ignored his rushing anger and instructed indifferently, "Chief Steward Qian, see the guest off." After saying that, she left with a slow step.
"Yes." Chief Steward Qian immediately stood directly below the main seat and ushered, "Gentlemen, please return."
Old General Liu's face was stiff as he bellowed, "I'm not leaving! I won't leave until she gives me an explanation today!"
At this moment, Nie Qing, who had been quietly watching the situation, spoke up, "She won't let others behave atrociously on her turf. If you insist on asking for a statement, go and wait at the door. When she's in a better mood, she might meet your request."
Old General Liu: "Master Nie, what do you mean by that?"
Nie Qing said: "So that you won't make your life difficult yourself." His tone was calm, without a trace of personal feelings.
*
When Murong Yunshu left the hall, she went straight to the pavilion. As she had expected, Chu Changge was indeed there.
"Actually, being an Emperor isn't that bad." Murong Yunshu commented as she walked to his side and stood alongside him.
Chu Changge was slightly surprised. "Do you want me to be the Emperor?"
Murong Yunshu gently smiled as she said, "I just want to tell you that I will support you no matter what decision you make."
Chu Changge took her into his arms and stated, "Don't worry, I won't make a decision that you don't support." How could he let her wronged herself to support him?
With her head resting on his shoulder, looking at the starry sky, Murong Yunshu suddenly had a whimsical thought, "Why don't we go to Feng Cheng's Hua Tuo Mountain and stay at his place?" Although people said the greater hermit lived in seclusion in the city and the lesser hermit in the mountain, since they couldn't achieve the life of the greater hermit, they could only become the smaller hermits.
"Stay at his place?" Chu Changge raised an eyebrow and complained, "That lousy place of his is so small. It can't even accommodate too many people."
"......" Nobody said they would take so many people.
"Do you like it there?" Chu Changge asked.
"I liked it when I first got there, but I didn't like it too much later on." Murong Yunshu answered.
"Why?"
"Because someone burned that peach forest."
"That peach forest is Feng Cheng's favourite. How could he allow......" Suddenly, Chu Changge remembered a particular past event of an exceptionally long time ago. It seemed......as if......he vaguely remembered......that he burned that peach forest!
Seeing that Chu Changge suddenly stopped talking in the middle of his sentence, Murong Yunshu knew he had already remembered that incident. So she deliberately said, "The person who burned the peach forest was very overbearing and unreasonable. Where would that person take a turn in asking for other people's permission before doing something."
The outline of Chu Changge's handsome face twisted for a moment, then returned to normal just like a spring while he said something cool. "It's useless to blame him."
Murong Yunshu laughed at his words and muttered in her heart: It would be nice if everyone were as useful as you are.
*
The next morning. Murong Yunshu was in the middle of a good dream when she suddenly heard some kind of clanking noise beside her ear. When she opened her eyes, she saw a tiny face, holding two silver chopsticks and knocking them together next to her ear. Seeing his excited expression, he must be enjoying this type of game.
"Is it fun?" Murong Yunshu asked.
Chu Murong was so engrossed in knocking that he immediately put away his chopsticks when he heard his mother's voice. He answered, "Dad says I can't talk to Mom when Mom is asleep."
"......so you woke me up by knocking the two chopsticks?"
Chu Murong nodded. "I can talk with Mom when Mom is awake."
Murong Yunshu was speechless again and sighed helplessly. "So, what do you want to talk with Mom about?"
"Oh." Chu Murong immediately put the two chopsticks back on the table, then trotted to the bedside and asked with a serious face, "I heard that Dad is going to be an Emperor, right?"
"Who did you hear that from?"
"Uncle Nie. He also said that when I grow up, I will be an Emperor too."
This Nie Qing! Murong Yunshu cursed in her heart, but her face was full of smiles as she said, "Being an Emperor is exhausting and not beneficial. It's not worthwhile. If it's not a good deal, we won't do it."
"But Uncle Nie said that when I become Emperor, everyone will listen to me. I like it when people listen to me." Chu Murong stated.
"You don't have to be an Emperor if you want others to listen to you." Murong Yunshu continued, "Dad and Mom are not emperors, but don't others still listen to us? The current Emperor is the Emperor, yet no one listens to him. When you grow up, with your high martial arts skills and your ability to earn more money, that is when people will be afraid of you and beg for your help. By then, they will naturally not disobey your words."
Chu Murong nodded his head, even though he didn't quite understand. "I know."
"If you finally understand, you should go out and play. Help Mom close the door on your way out." Murong Yunshu said.
Chu Murong blinked while wondering, "Does Mom still want to sleep?"
"M-hm."
"The sun is already overhead." Chu Murong felt strange. Mom rarely slept in. What was wrong with her today?
Murong Yunshu's heart was incredibly embarrassed, but her face remained incomparably calm as she replied, "I was talking with your Dad last night and slept late."
"But Dad got up very early!"
"He's a man. It's different." Murong Yunshu's voice dripped with a bit of jealousy, envy and hatred. [+]
"Oh." Chu Murong nodded and suddenly glanced at his mother's neck from the corner of his eye. His expression immediately changed, and he was ready to fight. "Mom, how did you get that wound on your neck?"
Wound? What wound? Murong Yunshu was stunned for a couple of moments, and then it quickly dawned on her. She was embarrassed beyond words. How was she supposed to explain this? She couldn't say that it was left behind by his father during 'their chat' last night, could she?
"Mom, is Dad not treating you well?" Chu Murong asked with a sullen face.
Murong Yunshu was sure that as soon as she acknowledged his question, Chu Murong would kill a certain someone to settle accounts. So, without the slightest hesitation, Murong Yunshu nodded her head heavily.
☝️ Murong Yunshu
Looking at Chu Murong rushing out the door in righteous indignation, Murong Yunshu chuckled gleefully. This kind of problem should be left to men to solve.
*
"Dad, why are you bullying Mom?"
When Chu Changge heard Chu Murong's question, it took him half a second to react. "Where did you hear this crazy talk?" He would bully himself instead of doing it to her.
Chu Murong pointed out, "I saw it. Mom has a bruise on her neck. Mom said you did it."
The bruise on her neck? Chu Changge was stunned for a short while. Then he suddenly thought of what happened last night. His black eyes immediately narrowed, and he smiled in a particularly ambiguous manner.
"You even look so happy for bullying Mom!" Chu Murong complained with wide eyes.
Chu Changge said, "If Dad didn't bully Mom, there wouldn't be you."
"Why?"
"You will understand when you grow up."
*
Ever since that night when the ministers failed to force Chu Changge to ascend to the throne, they had reported their attendance to Murong Mansion almost every day. They called it: lobbying. But in Murong Yunshu's eyes, they were simply here to freeload on the mansion's food and drink.
As the city gates had been closed, the people of Jinling City began to get agitated. It was unknown who had spread the rumour that the city gates were closed because the Murong Mansion had offended the Imperial Court. The discontent of the people towards the Murong Mansion was getting more profound over time.
On this day, the ministers came to visit again. The leader was Old General Liu.
Hearing Chief Steward Qian's report, Murong Yunshu only instructed, "Serve them strong tea and strong alcoholic drinks."
"Yes!" Although Chief Steward Qian was often unable to understand his own Miss' words, he understood this one. Strong tea and intense wine were all things that could hurt one's body. Let's see how long those old bones could last. Most importantly, Miss did not say that she would take care of their food. When they were hungry, they would naturally disperse.
As expected, before the tea time arrived, the ministers were so hungry till they could feel their chest sticking to their back that they had to leave the mansion and disperse. Only Old General Liu was still holding on.
Old General Liu was the most stubborn of these lobbying ministers and refused to leave every day as if he were a scoundrel. It took the trio South, East and West to 'move' him to the door.
"Avoiding them won't solve the problem." Nie Qing pointed out.
Murong Yunshu frowned unhappily and did not respond to his statement.
"I know that Chu Changge doesn't want to be Emperor. But, now that the country is in a time of crisis, I want to ask him to take a small step back and consider abandoning himself for others."
"You should go and say these things to him."
"I couldn't talk to him." Nie Qing was telling the truth. The conversation between him and Chu Changge was forever stuck at this level——
"Your……"
"I'm not interested in being an Emperor."
"But……."
"You can go now."
"Your……"
"Someone, see the guest off."
"Wait......"
Afterwards, Nie Qing was 'asked' to leave by the trio South, East and West.
When he learned that Chu Changge had gone out on an errand today, Nie Qing came to find Murong Yunshu. He knew that if he could convince Murong Yunshu, it was equivalent to persuading Chu Changge. Although he knew that convincing her was not an easy task. But at least, in front of her, he had a chance to speak.
"Consider it for the sake of the world. Please ask him to think twice."
"I heard you're getting married to Feng Ling?" Murong Yunshu changed the subject.
"Apart from Chu Changge, no one can take up this burden." Nie Qing was utterly unaffected as if he hadn't heard Murong Yunshu's question.
"Have you prepared the betrothal gifts for the marriage proposal yet?"
"Although Emperor Ye, Hua Yeli and Emperor Tian, Hua Tiansheng are both royal blood, they both have suffered loss under the late Emperor Shenwu, and they all have their own courtiers. Once they enter the Imperial City, they will inevitably make a big change. At that time, the Imperial Court will have no place for us old ministers."
"I guess Feng Cheng will not easily agree to your marriage proposal."
"Only Chu Changge is suitable for taking over the great Daye Dynasty. He is cold by nature, tough in his means, and does things with the power of a thunderbolt and the speed of lightning. He is a natural-born monarch. And you are kind by nature. With you as his Empress, he will not become a tyrant. "
"If Feng Cheng disagrees, you should just take Feng Ling away and elope."
"He is the last hope of the Daye Dynasty. He is also a descendant of the royal family. Can he bear to see the ten-thousand-year foundation laid down by his ancestors destroyed?"
This was the situation where one called a horse's lips were on an ox's head.
Suddenly, a white dove flew in and landed by Murong Yunshu's hand, with a white note tied to its leg.
Murong Yunshu took down the note and unfolded it. When the familiar handwriting came into her view, her wrinkled brow smoothed out.
You can have Hua Tuo Mountain. Feng Cheng's handwriting was full of unwillingness.
Murong Yunshu didn't need to think about it to know that someone was oppressing the good people again.
Noob Translator's Musing
He is the last hope of the Daye Dynasty. He is also a descendant of the royal family. Can he bear to see the ten-thousand-year foundation laid down by his ancestors destroyed?
Erm...yes, he can. It's not like he care about his birth family anyway.
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Black Belly Wife