The Ugly Empress Volume 1 Chapter 31

—

Xue Yu's heart dropped to the ground, but somehow he wasn't surprised Xue Junliang had taken to address his show of power. He thought if he wanted to show his power off in front of Xue Junliang, he'd have to work harder. Xue Junliang was a king, and he himself was just a subordinate; he would always be inferior to Xue Junliang and could only force a smile and swallow his anger.

Xue Yu knelt back down and said, “Chen-di wouldn't dare. Your Majesty, please don't be angry. Chen-di is just too used to spend moderately and doesn't like to be extravagant, because Chen-di always bears in mind Your Majesty's generosity. That's why Chen-di only takes a thousand soldiers. Chen-di never thinks to oppose Your Majesty.”

Xue Junliang said, “What's wrong with you today? You say don't be angry, but Gu isn't angry. Gu is just asking… But hearing you being loyal, never wanting to oppose me, Gu is really moved.”

Xue Junliang then turned around to face all other officials present before saying, “It just so happens that we're here standing on front of the Late King's mausoleum. Let's all vow, in the name of our ancestors, that if we ever even think about rebelling, may the heaven and earth combine to destroy us, may our hearts be pierced with a thousand arrows and may we die in agony.”

Xue Yu s.h.i.+vered, his delicate face turned a bit pale. Everyone else didn't dare to speak either, holding their breath, fearing His Majesty's strange mood befell upon themselves. A king's might really was powerful; one moment he could be warmly and amiably inquiring about someone's well-being, the next moment he could force people to fall on their knees and vow in front of the ancestors.

The snow was getting heavier, leaving a thin layer of it on the ground. Still kneeling, Xue Yu declared his vows and kowtowed repeatedly for a few times.

Standing at the side with a smile on his face, Xue Junliang added to Xue Yu, “Actually, Gu believes in you, after all, you are Gu‘s younger brother. But you haven't come back to the capital city for years, it is inevitable there are some rumors and slanders among the Imperial Court officials about you. As the saying goes, stand straight and never mind if the shadow inclines. Gu making you vow in front of the Late King's mausoleum is to stop those rumors once and for all. Hope you understand Gu's intention.”

[T/N : Stand straight and never mind if the shadow inclines (身正不怕影子斜, shēn zhèng bùpà yǐngzi xié) : a man of moral integrity does not fear any slanderous attack.]

Xue Yu ground his teeth and forced a smile, saying, “Yes, Chen-di understands. Thank you for Your Majesty's benevolence.”

Xue Junliang talked some more time, mentioning about this and that nonsense; making all the court officials tense and uneasy. If Xue w.a.n.g's goal was to frighten the tiger by shaking the mountain, he succeeded.

[T/N : Frighten the tiger by shaking the mountain (敲山震虎, qiāo shān zhèn hǔ) literary means a deliberate show of strength as a warning.]

In the evening, Xue Junliang held a banquet. Xue Junliang knew it was good that he had frightened the tiger, but he should not force the tiger to feel overly anxious. A tiger was still a tiger, only after he'd removed all of the tiger's teeth and claws was it safe to start grabbing the tiger, otherwise he could injure his own hands.

The entire time they had dinner, Xue Junliang praised Xue Yu time and time again, saying he'd like to learn from Xue Yu as he was hard-working but not extravagant. He complained there were too much food on his table; this was excessive, he only ate a few dishes then ordered the rest to be rewarded to the officials so the food would not go to waste.

After the meal, Xue Junliang sent Jiang Yu to call the Empress over. At this point, His Majesty calling for the Empress was a matter of course.

Xiu Yao had intentionally brought many jewelries and pretty clothes, all to be used in an evening like this. His Majesty went on an outing and had only brought the Empress to accompany him, it was as if he was giving the Empress an opportunity to win his favor.

After her mistress bathed, Xiu Yao combed her hair into a simple hairstyle. It Was tied loosely, like a loose cloud that would scatter at any time, a few strands were left untied and fluttering in the wind; whoever saw the hair would want to touch and set it free.

Xiu Yao had been serving in the Palace for a few years, she knew the perfect dress for every occasion. She had skillfully prepared a few dresses. Teng Yun's mind was too preoccupied so he let Xiu Yao chose any dress.

Xiu Yao snickered. Being allowed to pick a dress, of course she would pick the loose-fitting one; the one which was easy to wear and even easier to take off.

When the Empress arrived, Xue Junliang was forced to admit this one Empress really had taken his breath away.

He wasn't talking about how beautiful her face was, but about how she looked delicate and feminine; how she carried herself with a touch of n.o.bility, calmness and gracefulness, but without arrogance.

Xue Junliang had let people prepared a table with a few plates of small dishes and fortunately, Teng Yun thought, a few jugs of wine. Xue Junliang was very cautious, if Xue Junliang wasn't drunk, Teng Yun reckoned he'd have no chance to kill Xue Junliang.

Teng Yun took a seat next to Xue Junliang. His action wasn't coquettish by any means, but compared to any other day, was so much more obedient. This made Xue Junliang very proud for finally conquering this haughty Empress.

Xue Junliang drank a few cups of wine before he suddenly laughed and said, “Having drinks, but having no entertainment to accompany the wine. It's rather boring. How about Aifei performs a dance?”

If told to recite theories of war, Teng Yun could do it no problem. He'd started studying diligently since he was still a little child, but he had obviously never been taught about women's educations. Being asked to play music or to dance, he felt anxious.

Before Teng Yun even answered, Xue Junliang called out, “Someone come!”

Hearing this call, the guards stationed outside went in. Xue w.a.n.g seemed to be drunk and his movements unstable. Supporting himself with a hand on the table, Xue w.a.n.g stood and staggered to the guards. When he was in front of one of them, he reached out a hand.

There was a sound of metal rubbing against metal. Xue Junliang had freed a sword from its sheath. The light from the candles fell upon the sword and illuminated it.

Teng Yun stared at Xue Junliang in confusion, not knowing his intentions.

Xue Junliang walked back to Teng Yun and handed him the sword, saying, “Gu is sure Aifei can give a sword dance.”

Teng Yun's hand which was holding the sword suddenly turned cold. Did Xue Junliang see or find something about Teng Yun that made him suspicious?

The sword Xue Junliang gave Teng Yun was a real sword, let alone using it for a sword dance, raising it in front of a king was considered a grave crime. Xue Junliang didn't even order the guards to retreat; the two guards stood blocking the door, eyes alert and hands ready to grab their weapons.

Even holding the sharp sword, Teng Yun didn't stand a chance of killing Xue Junliang right this moment.

Xue Junliang sat back on his seat, leaning forward with hands on the table and watching the Empress with a smile on his face. Teng Yun, suspecting Xue Junliang was suspicious of him anyway, pulled his courage and raised the sword.

Teng Yun had been using swords all his previous lifetime. He'd been holding a sword right from when he started to learn at the age of six, all the way until he was killed by Xue Junliang's arrow.

But now, the long sword was too heavy for this body he was in.

Teng Yun swung the sword. He had seen a sword dance, but seeing it and imitating it were not the same thing. He also didn't want to try too hard, because if an empress of the Inner Palace looked skilled in sword dance, other people would find it too suspicious.

With his chin rested on his palm, Xue Junliang watche the Empress' clumsy movements; her wide flowing skirt gently swirled with each move, and her white belt bound around a slim waist that looked smaller than his fist.

She looked so fragile and weak. The sword dance should be smooth and effortless, but her moves were stiff.

Xue Junliang smiled. Seeing the Empress obviously couldn't hold the sword properly, his eyes darkened and he stood up again.

He slowly walked over to the Empress. He pried the sword from her hands and throw it aside before pulling the Empress' body to his. Teng Yun's eyes widened, and then remembering to keep his calm, he lowered his gaze.

Feeling the Empres didn't refuse him, Xue Junliang let out a chuckle. One hand still around the Empress' waist, his other hand reached up to remove her hairpin and threw it aside just like he did with the sword.

Teng Yun turned his head, watching as the hairpin fell to the ground and his heart froze. Xue Junliang waited until the other person's gaze was back on him before he lifted her on his arms, carried her to the inner room and throw her on the bed.

Without the hairpin, the Empress' black and glossy hair was scattered messily on the quilt, contrasting with her white face; she looked stunning.

Xue Junliang ran his fingers through her hair before smiling, “When you're looking at me like this, it reminds me of someone…”

Xue Junliang didn't clarify who he was talking about, making Teng Yun uneasy.

Instead, Xue Junliang said, “All day, somehow it feels like we're wanting the same thing. But if Aifei's willing to be more active, I won't even mind.” As he said that, Xue Junliang's hand had reached out to unfasten the other person's belt, leaving the outer garment loose.

Teng Yun raised a hand to pull the clothes tighter around him. The only sharp object on his person had already been thrown aside, and there were still guards outside…

Slowly retracting his hand, Teng Yun gritted his teeth. He'd had two lifetimes and been placed into Xue Junliang's hands for both times.

Originally, he thought he was reborn so he could fight Xue Junliang, but it all actually was a play of cat and mouse. In the end, no matter how high he jumped, he would always fell into Xue Junliang's traps.

Xue Junliang, who had been staring at the other person's eyes, felt as if he'd seen that same eyes before; the same dark and brilliant eyes, the same glint of defiance, even the same expression of despair.

At that time, Xue Junliang was drawing a bow, looking at that person with narrowed eyes. The enemy looked miserable; full of bruises and scars, not an inch of his skin was intact. But the person still stubbornly returned Xue Junliang's gaze.

Somehow, just like how this Empress did right now…

Xue Junliang always appreciated talented people. When he was being glared like that by someone, inevitably a thought came to his mind; if he let this person go, would the person shed some tears of grat.i.tude and later be willing to be used as he pleased?

But that was almost impossible to happen so Xue Junliang ignored that line of thought. He immediately readied his arrow and then let it go.

In his heart, Xue Junliang always admired that Iron-handed General, Teng Yun. Therefore, that time he was full of appreciation and admiration. But this time, seeing that the person under him looking back at him with the same kind of expression, it only added to his excitement and arousal.

Xue Junliang pushed the memory of the other time aside. Teng Yun was Teng Yun; he was already dead, his body had already been cremated and was now dust. The person under him was his own Empress; it was a wife's duty to attend to her husband's needs.

Xue Junliang thought maybe he'd drunk too much wine, because he felt unbearably hot all over his body. With one hand, he opened the other person's outer garment and gently kissed her neck.

His other hand was not idle and had gripped the other person's thin ankle and slowly raised it up.

Teng Yun realized it with a shock. He tried to kick his leg free but was caught and held open by Xue Junliang.

The Empress was trembling like a leaf, Xue Junliang tried to appease her by gently kissing her lips and her forehead. He said, “You don't like it? But by your reaction, seems like you're enjoying it so much.”

Being teased by Xue Junliang, Teng Yun's face instantly turned blood-red. He ground his teeth forcefully; looking half-afraid and half-angry.

Xue Junliang saw the other person's reaction and was momentarily lost. He was reminded again how he felt he'd seen this same expression from that person too.

When Xue Junliang was pondering over that, suddenly he heard Xue Houyang shouting from outside, “Your Majesty, there is an urgent report! Your Majesty…”

Jiang Yu and Xue Houyang was outside. The night wasn't very late, but Xue w.a.n.g had been alone inside with the Empress for quite some time it was clear he was busy. But then Marquis Wannian came in a hurry, demanded to have an audience with Xue w.a.n.g.

Jiang Yu was in dilemma. Even if he was given all the courage in the world, he would never dare disturbing His Majesty when he was having a good time with his wife.

Xue Houyang saw Jiang Yu hesitating, so he himself called out loudly while knocking on the door. Xue Houyang used to be very straightforward and had many Palace propriety rules that he disliked. But after so many years in the Imperial Court, he'd learned to tolerate those rules.

Xue Houyang still acted this impetuous despite knowing the proper rules, Xue Junliang could understand how urgent the report was.

But still, his was not pleased. Who would be pleased when they were interrupted in a time like this?

Xue Houyang had already called out a few times when the door was finally opened. He immediately stepped inside and presented the urgent report. The report was still tightly sealed, and on the outside, there was a word ‘Urgent‘ written with red ink.

One glance at the sealed report, Xue Junliang's expression hardened. He led Xue Houyang and Jiang Yu to the side room.

He opened the report letter, it was an emergency report from the border station.

Since Xue Yu left for the capital city, a group of people started to make troubles around the norther border. These people lived as nomads and were very skilled at fighting. Xue Yu's military power wasn't as strong as Xue Houyang's, but his soldiers could still control these nomads all this time. The reason for it was simple, because these skilled and brave people were still living in a chaotic situation.

Their leaders had fought to build a country and named it with their surnames, but none among their generations of leaders had succeed. One day, a son could rise to the throne, the next day the uncle could rebel, therefore throwing the whole country into the chaos of war.

[T/N : Today a son, tomorrow an uncle.. it could mean the kings' surnames were all different so the country's name always changed.]

Some days ago, a certain Cheng Tian helped push his own nephew into the throne. Cheng Tian held a large and powerful military force and had many skilled tacticians under him. No one could compete with him so, for a time, all was well.

However, after some time sitting on the throne, the young king gradually disliked being restrained under another person. His eunuch advised him that he could not remove Cheng Tian, because then the whole nation would be in an uproar. Instead, he could use another military commander to suppress Cheng Tian's arrogance and influence. The young king chose a descendant of three generations of kings, Zou Zhenying.

So the young king began gradually s.h.i.+fting the military powers. Cheng Tian found out and led his soldiers to surround the Imperial Palace. At this time, Zou Zhenying and his soldiers, using the justification of rescuing the king and protecting the country, crossed swords with Cheng Tian's soldiers all over the Palace's surroundings.

The young king apparently distrusted and trusted the wrong persons. Zou Zhenying, wanting to seize the throne for himself, took advantage of the disorderly situation to invade the Palace and kidnap the young king and the Queen Dowager.

Cheng Tian led his soldiers to catch up to Zou Zhenying, but he didn't want to forfeit the capital city so he chose to return.

Presently, there was no chief commander in Xue Country's border. Cheng Tian and Zou Zhenying, who had been in a deadlock, came up with an idea to reconcile. They immediately clicked together and started giving birth to a new crafty scheme.

Using the excuse of searching the whereabouts of their young king, they said they heard some people saw the young king inside Xue Country's territory and had sent a troop there to welcome their king and bring him back to the Imperial Palace.

Their real goal was easy to see. Seeing as Xue Yu wasn't at the border right now, they wanted to take this opportunity to enter Xue Country's land. Xue had been in war with Teng Country for many years, naturally Xue Country had a shortage of troops. When else was a better opportunity than this time?

Xue Junliang balled the letter and laughed out loud, “Those barbarians, their own country is still unstable, yet they dare to covet my Xue Country's land.”

Hearing this, Xue Houyang couldn't help straightening his back. Xue Junliang threw the letter to him. Xue Houyang quickly read it and then his expression turned ugly.

He said, “Your Majesty, please let Chen-di handle it, we cannot let those barbarians treat us like a joke.”

Xue Junliang said, “If you go, I can rest a.s.sured as you will definitely succeed, but this matter should not be handled by you.”

“This…” Xue Houyang paused. He knew Xue w.a.n.g's reason was justified. After all, this was concerning Xue Yu's appointed station and not his. But if they were to send Xue Yu back right now, Xue Houyang would not be relaxed either.

Xue Junliang sat down, signaling for Xue Houyang to take a seat, then said, “It is not impossible to send Xue Yu back, we just need to send another person to join the army; a person who could keep Xue Yu in check.”

Xue Houyang said, “Please forgive Chen-di‘s ignorance, but Chen-di can't think of any such person.”

“You can't?” Xue Junliang actually laughed, “That person is actually very closely related to you, it's Teng Shang.”

“Teng Shang.” Xue Houyang repeated. Then he frowned, he thought of that time he saw Teng Shang and Xue Yu having tea together in a tea house but he could not tell this to Xue Junliang.

He only said, “Your Majesty… It's not that Chen-di doesn't want to let Teng Shang go, but… But Teng Shang is…”

Xue Junliang waved a hand and said, “With Teng Shang's ability, he could easily keep Xue Yu in check, he hadn't been keeping his seat as a minister for years for nothing. You only have to bring him in and I'll tell him what to do…”

Xue Junliang stood and said unhurriedly, “Teng Shang will definitely accept. The reason Cheng Tian and Zou Zhenying invade Xue Country's land is because they and Teng Country are separated by a vast distance. If they succeed to occupy Xue Country's land, their distance to Teng would be shorter. I am lending Teng Shang a great soldiers and letting him protecting his own country.”

Xue Houyang was stunned by Xue Junliang's foresight. That was indeed true.

Teng Country was weak, Feng Country was strong, Cheng Tian was skilled, so was Zou Zhenying. If Teng Country was not separated by Xue Country, this country would be too easy to attack. Whoever it was, as long as they occupied one area of Xue Country's border, they could easily open a road directly into Teng Country's land.

A person's feeling could be predicted, a person's loyalties could make him selfish. If there was a relations.h.i.+p between Teng Shang and Xue Yu, it didn't matter. Teng Shang would spare no effort to lead this troop to defeat Cheng Tian and Zou Zhenying.

Finished speaking, Xue Junliang exited the side room. Xue Houyang absentmindedly followed, expecting Xue Junliang still had more orders.

Just as he pa.s.sed the door, he saw a flash of something in front of him. In reflex, he stepped in front of Xue Junliang to block whatever it was; the thing he blocked was actually a sword.

Xue Houyang's skill in martial art was by no means lacking, yet he was unable to fully blocked the coming sword. The person who stabbed the sword almost managed to badly hurt him. If it wasn't for that person's clumsy movement; as if that person's hand was not in tune with the sword, Xue Houyang reckoned he would be defeated by such awkward handling of the sword.

Tee reason Xue Houyang could not fully blocked the sword was because he was too surprised.

“Si… Sister-in-law!”

—