EWRN - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Married You by Mistake (IV)

After a long and bumpy journey, the group finally returned safely to the imperial palace. Huo Jinyu settled Yan Xi in Jinxiang Palace. It was the closest residence to Huo Jinyu's own Hall of the Slumbering Dragon. Huo Jinyu thought that by keeping her close, she could better look after her and prevent her from being bullied by unwelcome people.

After resting in the palace for some days, Yan Xi's wounds slowly healed. She reverted to her cold and detached disposition, as if the gentle, polite person who occasionally smiled on the journey back was not her at all. Now, though her face was beautiful and her figure graceful, a chilling aura emanated from her. Her eyes were filled with a frostiness that seemed ready to produce daggers at any moment. The palace servants were terrified of her, whispering amongst themselves that this future imperial consort was as cold as an iceberg, and they hoped she wouldn't freeze His Majesty.

Half a month later, the Emperor announced that a date would be chosen for the grand wedding with Princess Yan, to be organized by the Ministry of Rites. Around the same time, news spread from the inner palace that Noble Consort Bai was with child. With this double blessing, the ministers were all delighted. No one mentioned that the late emperor had passed away only a few months ago, far short of the three-year mourning period. Compared to the matter of an imperial heir, the late emperor was long forgotten.

Prime Minister Bai's face was beaming. If his daughter, Noble Consort Bai Qing, gave birth to a son, her position as Empress would be all but secured. Since the Second Prince's right hand was crippled and he was still young and immature, wouldn't it be wonderful for his own grandson to become the Crown Prince? The pitiful Second Prince had no idea that the Bai family had already abandoned him. He was still in his own palace, throwing tantrums, smashing objects, and punishing his servants.

Prime Minister Bai could already see that beautiful future, little knowing that the seed in Bai Qing's belly would soon become his family's talisman of doom.

Emperor Huo Jinyu listlessly listened to a few more memorials. With no major issues to address, she hastily concluded the court session.

After court was dismissed, on the way out of the palace gates, the officials flocked to congratulate Prime Minister Bai. The Prime Minister, glowing with pride and smugness, was unaware that a full account of his precious daughter's sordid affairs outside the palace was already sitting on his Emperor's desk, just waiting for the right moment to be exposed.

After leaving court, Huo Jinyu walked briskly toward the study. Though she had little interest in politics, the current situation was precarious. She had to ensure she held the upper hand.

Inside the study, Eunuch Wang stood by the desk, diligently reviewing memorials. This was the touching scene that greeted Huo Jinyu as she entered. She walked over, sat down, and casually pulled over a few of the memorials Eunuch Wang had already processed. There were no major problems. Eunuch Wang was a truly fast learner; in just one short month, he had more or less mastered how to handle state affairs.

Huo Jinyu weighed her options and decided to delegate a portion of the palace's internal management to Eunuch Wang, bestowing upon him the title of Chief Eunuch. He was to act as her, Emperor Huo Jinyu's, steward, managing all matters great and small within the palace.

As for Eunuch Li, she had other uses for him. It was best to prepare for all contingencies as early as possible. She was going to form a private army!

What was a private army? Since ancient times, private armies were personal forces recruited, trained, and commanded by princes, nobles, and wealthy merchants. The Second and Third Princes were still young and had not even been granted titles, so it was impossible for them to have private armies. In her past life, she had handed military authority to the Second Prince, so he had no need to raise one. In this life, military power was concentrated in the hands of General of the State Hou, and that General Hou was a blockhead. General Hou had not read many books, but his son was well-versed in literature and military strategy, displaying extraordinary talent from a young age. General Hou listened to his son, Hou Yuwen. And she had stolen Hou Yuwen's beautiful fiancée. A feud had been forged, but it was forged well!

Huo Jinyu chuckled to herself. No matter how brilliant Hou Yuwen was, he was still a teenager in his teens, an age when one is driven by emotion. She would deliberately push him, push him… to rebel!

Things were getting more and more interesting. Heh. A smile played on Huo Jinyu's lips as her fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk.

A private army valued quality over quantity. With the financial resources of her personal treasury and the Emerald Fragrance House, supporting a private army of one hundred thousand was no problem at all. She couldn't entrust this matter to anyone else; she had to do it herself. Because the army she wanted to build was not the Emperor's private army, but her, Huo Jinyu's, private army!

Huo Jinyu suddenly remembered something. In her past life, during the twenty-fifth year of the Jinyuan reign, a blacksmith shop in Yuan'an City had produced an extremely hard type of iron armor, impervious to ordinary blades, though it was a bit heavy. Later, because the blacksmith refused to forge armor for a local lord's private soldiers, and because possessing a treasure invites disaster, he was pursued all the way to the border. He was saved by the Second Prince, who happened to be on an inspection tour. To repay the Second Prince for saving his life, the blacksmith willingly shared his secret formula to forge new armor for the Second Prince's army. This became one of the secrets to the Second Prince's future military might. At the time, Huo Jinyu had been delighted to hear that the nation's army had greater protection and had happily bestowed many rewards of gold and silver. In the eyes of Prince Anping, she must have looked like a complete fool. Little did she know that by then, the army knew only of Prince Anping, not their Emperor.

In this life, she held all the advantages. It seemed she would have to make another trip after her wedding to Princess Yan.

Meanwhile, in Jinxiang Palace.

"Her Ladyship, the Noble Consort, has arrived!" Seeing Noble Consort Bai approaching Jinxiang Palace with a large retinue of palace maids, the young eunuch at the door immediately knelt in salute and announced her arrival in a loud voice.

Upon hearing that Noble Consort Bai had arrived, the palace maids inside Jinxiang Palace all knelt.

Bai Qing entered Jinxiang Palace, swaying her hips with contrived affectation. Seeing Princess Yan still writing at a desk in the main hall, she was instantly displeased. "Is my dear sister deaf or blind? Did you not hear that I have arrived?" The words that came from her cherry-like lips were anything but pleasant; one could say they were utterly ill-mannered.

One couldn't entirely blame Bai Qing. After all, she was now with child, and she often heard from her family that she was His Majesty's proper wife. In the future, all of His Majesty's other women would be considered concubines. She was the woman destined to become the Empress!

The palace maids following behind Bai Qing suddenly felt a chill, as if a cold draft was sweeping through the palace. But Bai Qing, being thick-skinned, didn't notice anything amiss. She strode to the desk, raised her right hand, and prepared to bring it down hard. Bai Qing was skilled at little else, but she was an expert at slapping. She knew just how to apply force to inflict stinging pain while leaving her own palm unharmed—a technique taught to her by the matrons in her household.

She could already picture this fallen princess before her, weeping and wailing. She could hardly wait! It was unclear where Bai Qing had heard the news—perhaps from her family—that Princess Yan's country was in turmoil, its throne usurped by another clan. Princess Yan was now a person with no family to protect her. As the saying goes, a tiger in the plains is bullied by dogs. That was why Bai Qing dared to come to Jinxiang Palace in broad daylight to cause trouble and flaunt her "principal wife" authority.

Bai Qing was still lost in her beautiful daydream, but the cry of pain she expected never came. She snapped back to her senses, only to find her right hand caught in the grip of the woman sitting at the desk. She tried to pull her hand back but found it held fast. This just went to show how brainless Bai Qing was. A tiger in the plains may be bullied by dogs, but it takes a pack of them. No matter how far Princess Yan had fallen, she was born of a grassland clan and was skilled in martial arts. How could she be compared to a pampered young lady like Bai Qing, who never stepped out of the house? A single dog like Bai Qing was not enough to pose even the slightest threat to Yan Xi!

"Insolent!" Yan Xi's eyes were like ice. Her left hand squeezed Bai Qing's right, and in just a few moments, it was bruised purple.

"You bitch! Let go of me! You're hurting me!" Bai Qing shrieked.

"You dare to call yourself 'this consort' before this Princess? You dare to call this Princess a bitch? Such audacity!" Though Yan Xi no longer had her family's backing, she was still the princess of a nation. How could she be compared to the ill-bred daughter of a mere prime minister? At this thought, Yan Xi's gaze grew even colder.

If she didn't teach this shrew a lesson today, she would probably try to ascend to the heavens next!

Yan Xi yanked Bai Qing's hand, pulling her closer. Only then did Bai Qing get a clear look at the so-called fallen Princess Yan. The woman before her was as pure as ice and jade, her skin like fine porcelain. A natural air of cold elegance graced her brows. Her features combined to form a beauty beyond description. In comparison, Bai Qing's own vibrant beauty seemed garish. One was like a divine, inviolable celestial fairy; the other, a seductive woman of the mortal world. To put it simply, one was heaven, the other earth. There was no comparison.

Seeing such a perfect face, Bai Qing was driven mad with jealousy. She raised her left hand, intending to scratch that flawless visage.

Suddenly, a hand seized her left wrist. Bai Qing grew even more furious. "Who dares… who dares to grab…" She turned her head, but the words died in her throat. She froze in shock. Why was His Majesty here?

That's right. The person who had grabbed her hand was none other than Huo Jinyu.

Huo Jinyu had been in her study contemplating important matters when Eunuch Li reported that Bai Qing had taken a group of servants and was heading menacingly toward Jinxiang Palace. Worried that Yan Xi would be at a disadvantage, Huo Jinyu had rushed over. The moment she entered the hall, she heard Bai Qing call Yan Xi a bitch. How could such a beautiful woman suffer such an insult? Seeing Bai Qing about to lash out again, she had hurried forward to intervene.

Before Bai Qing could process what was happening, she felt something cold and wet streak across her face. She turned to look and nearly exploded with rage! That Princess Yan had actually used a calligraphy brush to write something on her face! And with both her hands restrained, she was powerless to stop it.

Bai Qing shook her head, trying to dodge the brush tip, but Yan Xi had already put the brush down.

Bai Qing came to her senses. Feeling she had lost face before His Majesty and the palace maids, she covered her face and ran out of Jinxiang Palace. The maids, who had been kneeling on the floor, didn't dare to rise until Huo Jinyu waved a hand. Only then did they scramble to chase after her. If they were too slow, there was no telling how Noble Consort Bai would punish them later. Really, the Noble Consort was pregnant and still running so fast. The servants grumbled internally as they ran.

After all the servants had gone, only Huo Jinyu and Yan Xi remained in the great hall. For a moment, the atmosphere was heavy.

"Thank you for your assistance, Your Majesty," Yan Xi said, breaking the silence. She lowered her eyes, her indifferent face showing no emotion.

"Princess, there is no need for such courtesy with Us." Huo Jinyu felt a little awkward and flicked her bright yellow imperial robes. Every time she was alone with Yan Xi, she felt a certain physical stiffness. What was wrong with her?

"Is Your Majesty not going to chase after your Beloved Consort? The Noble Consort is with child. It wouldn't be good if she were to trip and fall," Yan Xi said coolly, her tone clearly intended to drive her away.

It was unclear if Huo Jinyu genuinely didn't catch the hint. She opened her mouth and said, "In this palace, the Princess is Our Beloved Consort." Feeling that wasn't quite right, she added, "Our future Beloved Consort."

She wasn't wrong. That Bai Qing was fooling around outside, carrying the child of some bankrupt shopkeeper or destitute scholar. How could such a person be her Beloved Consort? On the contrary, she suddenly felt that only a peerless, icy beauty like Princess Yan, with her superior temperament and upbringing, was her true Beloved Consort.

Get instant access to all the chapters now.

Previous Table of Contents Next