Longevity, starting from traveling and telling stories

Chapter 172 The Bridal Chamber First
Li Chunfeng suffered a great loss. Today he just casually proposed it to disgust the empress, but he didn't expect that she would agree to the competition and marriage today.

In this case, my son is a genius, both civil and military, and will definitely win the first place.
So what does Lin Jiuyuan's loss matter? Everything is worth it.

When the Prime Minister saw that the empress agreed, he was so happy that he even forgot to return the gift and stood there daydreaming.

How could the Empress not know his intentions? But who could possibly defeat him? This was a good opportunity to force him.

So the two people who had the same idea were both overjoyed.

On the streets of Kyoto.

The prosperity here far exceeds any other place in the world that Ye Beixuan has seen. Whether it is the size of the shops or the variety of goods, it is dozens of times that of other places.

People on the street are also dressed much more luxuriously than in other places.

He did not disguise himself because there was no need. He walked to an inn and prepared to stay for one night. Wow, the price of an ordinary inn was the same as that of Home Inn.

After getting rid of his fatigue, Ye Beixuan checked in safely, told the waiter not to disturb him, and planned to have a good sleep.

Boom boom boom!
Just as he was half asleep, there was a knock on the door. Ye Beixuan opened his eyes and said in a somewhat unhappy tone, "Didn't I tell you not to disturb me?"

Boom boom boom!
The knock on the door continued stubbornly. Ye Beixuan frowned, feeling a little impatient. He didn't want to pay attention, but the knock on the door showed no sign of stopping.

He sighed, got out of bed, put on his coat, walked to the door, and asked in a cold tone, "Who?"

A respectful voice came from outside the door: "Sir, someone asked me to deliver a letter to you. It's urgent and I must deliver it to you personally."

Ye Beixuan raised his eyebrows slightly.

He opened the door and saw the inn's waiter standing outside, holding an exquisite piece of letter and what seemed to be a registration booklet in his hands.

"Who sent it?" Ye Beixuan took the letter and asked casually.

The waiter shook his head and whispered, "I don't know either. He just said he must hand it over to you personally. He didn't say anything else."

Ye Beixuan nodded and sent the waiter away. After closing the door, he carefully looked at the letter in his hand.

He opened the envelope, took out the letter inside, unfolded it, and was stunned.

The content of the letter was concise and clear:
"Tomorrow at noon, there will be a test of civil and military skills. You must be there."

Ye Beixuan stared at the lines of words, with a thousand thoughts in his mind.

The Empress? How did she know I was coming so quickly? And she even signed me up for a duel? Was she calling me here just for this?

It seems she has quite a lot of eyeliner!
Ye Beixuan took a deep breath, folded the letter and put it back into the envelope.

I'm afraid I have to go for this one. It must have a deep meaning. Anyway, hard work is a piece of cake. I can't take the literary test, but as nature's porter, there is nothing I can't accomplish.

He walked to the window, opened it, and the night breeze blew on his face, bringing a hint of coolness.

The night sky of Kyoto is dotted with stars, and the imperial palace in the distance is brightly lit.

"A literary and martial arts test...what's this?" Ye Beixuan returned to his bed helplessly, covered himself with the quilt, and fell asleep.

At the same time, deep in the palace, the empress was standing on a high city wall, overlooking the night view of the entire Kyoto.

Her eyes were deep and cold, and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised with an elusive smile.

"Bei Xuan..." She whispered to him, as if she was thinking about something, and a smile suddenly appeared on her face: "Will you be startled?"

The night wind blew by, and her dragon robe fluttered gently, like a divine dragon in the sky.

The next day.

The arena in Kyoto was bustling with activity. This competition not only concerned the future of the Great Zhou, but was also a struggle for power.

Young talents in the capital city gathered here, all eager to try. For them, this was a matter of reaching heaven at one step, and they could get a stunningly beautiful woman for free.

Ye Beixuan disguised himself as someone else and stood among the crowd with a calm expression.

Looking around, he found that the atmosphere was very lively. The audience seats were filled with dignitaries, and there were also people from the Immortal Palace hiding in the scene.

In the center of the arena, Li Qingyun stood tall and straight, like a solitary pine tree, with a heroic look between his eyebrows.

Li Qingyun has been practicing martial arts since he was young and is gifted. With the careful cultivation of Prime Minister Li Chunfeng, he has long been a leader among the younger generation in the capital.

He was determined to win this competition because he had admired the empress for many years. It didn't matter to him whether they were from the same country or not, he only loved beautiful women.

The competition was divided into two parts: literary competition and martial competition. The literary competition tested one's poetry, while the martial competition was a contest of fighting.

Ye Beixuan thought he was not good at literary work, but as a porter of nature, this was not a problem for him. He had already carried a lot of stories, as well as poems and songs.

The sound of a gong filled the scene with joy.

Then, accompanied by the deafening sound of drums, a palace maid shouted, "The literary competition begins. Today, write a poem on the theme of the moon."

The literary battle begins.

The young talents who met the requirements took up their pens and wrote down their poems one after another, all with serious expressions. This was a matter of rapid advancement, and no one dared to neglect it.

After everyone finished writing, the poems were presented to the empress, who asked her to choose her favorite one.

The answer was not announced, but the fight started directly. I think they would wait until the fight was over before announcing it, so that they could hit two targets at once. Of course, she pretended to look at the poem, but in fact she had already noticed where Ye Beixuan wrote it.

After the verbal fight ended, the physical fight officially began.

Li Qingyun was the first to come on stage. He jumped up and caused cheers from the audience.

He looked at the figure he had been thinking about day and night, and his heart was already extremely excited. He thought that this was the empress giving him a chance, and he must perform well this time.

Ye Beixuan's opponent was a burly man with strong body, but unfortunately his movements were slow.

For Ye Beixuan, it was too easy to defeat them. He tried his best to cooperate with his performance every time, pretending to resist with great difficulty, and then broke the moves just right, and finally won with difficulty.

In the following competition, only Li Qingyun and Ye Beixuan dominated the field.

In the end, only two people were left.

"Please teach me." Zheng Li Qingyun drew his sword and pointed the tip of the sword at Ye Beixuan.

Ye Beixuan smiled slightly, pretended to draw his sword and said, "Please."

Li Qingyun said no more, and the sword flashed. His sword skills were as fast as lightning, and his moves were fierce. It was obvious that he had used all his strength. Only the last step was left. I must win.

Ye Beixuan moved slightly, easily dodged it, and blocked it with his sword.

Li Qingyun's sword was as powerful as a storm, and every move was deadly.

However, Ye Beixuan remained calm and composed. Although his moves were not as flashy as Li Qingyun's, he always managed to break them just right, like a cat playing with a mouse.

Finally, after hundreds of moves, Ye Beixuan saw that Li Qingyun's moves were repetitive, and finally lost the desire to play. He raised the tip of his sword slightly, and Li Qingyun's sword slipped out of his hand.

Li Qingyun stood there in a daze, his face filled with disbelief. He had been practicing martial arts since he was a child, but he had never been defeated so thoroughly.

Ye Beixuan put down his sword and said calmly, "Thank you."

There was silence on the field. On the high platform, the corners of the empress's mouth rose slightly, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.

Li Qingyun left the stage sadly, feeling mixed emotions. He looked at the empress on the high platform, his eyes full of loss and unwillingness.

After the competition ended, the empress slowly stood up, and the maid beside her shouted loudly: "Next, the poetry of the literary competition will be read."

"The moon shines brightly before my bed, I wonder if it is frost on the ground. I look up at the moon, and lower my head to think of my hometown." (From Li Bai's "Quiet Night Thoughts")
"This poem was written by Ye Beixuan."

After the announcement, the place fell silent again, and everyone sighed with admiration, saying that his martial arts skills were unparalleled and his literary talent was outstanding, and he was indeed a perfect match for Her Majesty the Empress.

Everyone looked at Ye Beixuan and deleted the word "matched" because he was too fucking ugly.

The prime minister in the audience finally realized that he had been fooled. No wonder she was willing to compete for a husband today. It turned out that she already had a candidate.

She did this just to use her own hand so that she could get married naturally without any objection. Are you deliberately insulting my son by choosing such an ugly guy?
He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingers began to turn white.

Some were happy, some were sad, and the empress began to announce, her voice majestic, yet with a hint of imperceptible tenderness: "Ye Beixuan, the winner."

"I hereby announce that in three days, I will be getting married, and the whole world will celebrate together."

Ye Beixuan finally realized what was happening and shook his head helplessly. Was this a martial arts competition to win a bride? No wonder she was so anxious to call him.

The empress muttered to the maid beside her, then covered her mouth and turned away.

Ye Beixuan had only taken a few steps when he was stopped by a woman dressed as a maid. The maid bowed slightly, her tone respectful yet dignified, "Master Ye, His Majesty has ordered that you accompany us."

Ye Beixuan frowned slightly. Although he was confused, he knew that he couldn't refuse at this moment, so he nodded and said, "Okay."

The maid smiled slightly and turned to lead the way. Ye Beixuan followed her, passing through several palaces, and was finally brought to an extremely luxurious house.

The furnishings in the house are extremely luxurious, with golden nanmu furniture, screens carved with dragons and phoenixes, and candlesticks inlaid with gems, all of which demonstrate the royal style.

Ye Beixuan had just stepped into the house and had not yet reacted when seven or eight maids came in in an orderly manner, holding various clothes and accessories in their hands, and walked straight towards him.

"Young Master Ye, please change your clothes." The leading maid said softly.

Ye Beixuan was stunned and quickly waved his hand: "No need, I can do it myself."

However, the maids seemed not to hear his words, and went straight forward to start undressing him. Ye Beixuan suddenly felt a little uncomfortable, and quickly took a step back, saying firmly: "I said, I will do it myself!"

Seeing this, the maids stopped what they were doing, looked at each other, and then knelt on the ground together, their voices filled with fear: "Master Ye, are we not serving you well? Please punish us!"

Seeing this, Ye Beixuan felt helpless and could only slow down his tone: "It's not your problem, it's just that I'm not used to being served. You guys go out first, I can do it myself."

The maids heard this, but remained kneeling on the ground, not daring to stand. The leading maid whispered, "Master Ye, this is His Majesty's order. If we fail to serve you well, we will be disobeying His Majesty's order. Please understand."

Ye Beixuan sighed, knowing that it was useless to refuse any further, so he compromised and said, "Okay, you guys stay, but I'll do the changing myself, you just wait by the side."

The maids finally breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and stepped aside. Ye Beixuan quickly changed his clothes and was then led by the maids to a luxurious bathing pool.

The bathing pool is inlaid with white jade, the water is crystal clear and emits a faint fragrance.

Ye Beixuan had just stepped into the pool and had not yet sat down when the seven or eight maids took off their clothes, wearing only light gauze, slowly walked into the pool and began to scrub him.

Ye Beixuan suddenly felt his scalp tingling, and he quickly closed his eyes, muttering in a low voice: "Wine pool and meat forest, wine pool and meat forest..."

The maids couldn't help but chuckle at this, but they didn't dare say anything more and just continued to scrub him. Ye Beixuan felt uncomfortable all over and secretly complained in his heart: "Is this the 'surprise' she mentioned?"

After bathing, the maids dressed him in new gorgeous clothes, combed his hair, and put on jewelry for him.

Ye Beixuan looked at himself in the bronze mirror and felt extremely unfamiliar.

The man in the mirror was wearing a brocade robe and a jade crown. There was a heroic look between his eyebrows, but also a bit of helplessness.

"Young Master Ye, His Majesty is waiting in the Imperial Garden. Please come with us." The maid said softly.

Ye Beixuan nodded, but he had a vague feeling in his heart that this "surprise" might have just begun.

In the imperial garden, the empress was standing under a plum tree in full bloom, her back to him, her posture upright, her dragon robe fluttering gently in the breeze.

Hearing the footsteps, she slowly turned around, her eyes fell on Ye Beixuan, the corners of her mouth slightly raised with a playful smile.

"You're here." Her voice was soft, without the irresistible majesty of the past, as if it was very normal.

Ye Beixuan was startled, then said calmly, "Your Majesty."

The empress slowly approached, looked him over, and asked, "Why are you deliberately pretending to be ugly?"

Ye Beixuan smiled bitterly, but said in a teasing tone: "I don't want to be too ostentatious, for fear that others will feel inferior."

The Empress chuckled softly, a hint of cunning in her eyes: "That's right, he is unparalleled in handsomeness, unparalleled in martial arts, and brilliant in literary talent. If there were no flaws, it would indeed make people feel inferior."

After a pause, she continued, "Are you ready for the wedding in three days?"

Ye Beixuan looked directly into the Empress's eyes and said, "Isn't this a bit hasty?"

The empress raised her eyebrows slightly, with a hint of teasing in her tone: "Careless?"

She paused, a sly look flashing in her eyes as she said, "I have something even more hasty. Do you want to know?"

Ye Beixuan was silent for a moment, and finally sighed: "What?"

The empress smiled slightly, with a hint of tenderness in her eyes: "The wedding has not yet arrived, but the bridal chamber has come first."

"." Ye Beixuan was silent. This was indeed more hasty.

"Why?" the empress asked softly, with a hint of teasing in her tone, "Don't want to?"

Why wouldn't I want to? It's not like I'm at a disadvantage.

A hint of joy flashed in the empress's eyes. She then turned and looked at the distant sky, saying softly, "I still have things to do. You can rest here first."

Ye Beixuan looked at her back, not knowing what to say. What was she planning to do? This tyrant, obsessed with beauty, was still fighting a war on the border!
midnight.

Ye Beixuan was feeling extremely bored and was just about to go out for a walk when there was a sudden knock on the door.

The empress was supported by a maid, her face showing a hint of fatigue. When their eyes met, she smiled sweetly and said, "How is it? Are you used to it?"

Get used to it? Ye Beixuan actually wanted to say that he was not used to it at all, but he still said with a stiff upper lip: "Not bad."

"Don't force yourself. I understand you." The Empress sighed and said, "Just like before, when I clearly couldn't choose you, you deliberately pretended to leave. If I had been more resolute, perhaps you wouldn't have left."

Not necessarily. If I hadn't left, I would have been dead. Ye Beixuan thought about it. If she had really been desperate at the time, he wouldn't have known what to choose, but what was certain was that she wouldn't be as powerful as she is now.

"Everyone is born with his or her own mission." Ye Beixuan said calmly: "You carry the destiny of the Human Emperor. You have your mission, and I have mine."

"Yes! I do have my mission." The empress sighed and said, "So, I don't want to wait any longer, even for three days. I asked you to come tonight so that you can sleep with me."

Her voice was gentle, and just like before, she slowly held Ye Beixuan in her arms.

"." Ye Beixuan said after a while: "Don't care anymore?"

"No scruples."

The atmosphere suddenly reached a climax, and their lips touched each other for the second time in two years.

Perhaps it was because they were just married after a short separation, not to mention a combination of a short separation and a newlywed couple, so their clothes were flying all over the floor, and the dragon robe that symbolized power was also thrown away casually.

At this point, who can still care about these things?

In the middle of the night, two figures entangled with each other, unrestrained and forgetful of everything.

However, just as they were getting excited, a pair of warm hands touched Ye Beixuan's back.

"I asked her to come at this time. How's that? It's a surprise, isn't it?" A weak and panting voice put its red lips close to his ear with difficulty and said with a sweet breath: "We good sisters will serve you together."

It was a surprise, such a fucking surprise.

At night, in an ordinary bedroom in the imperial palace, war was raging.

Until the next day.

In the crook of Ye Beixuan's shoulder, one on the left and one on the right, two people were sleeping soundly. He stared at them as if he was dreaming.

"Woo" the empress stood up first.

It’s not that she is stronger than Li Xianglian, but she surrendered very quickly last night. Ye Beixuan was more of “torturing” Li Xianglian, and she was just a cheerleader.

"Awake?" Ye Beixuan retracted his arms and hugged her to his chest.

"Hmm" was a simple reply, but it seemed that he lacked strength.

"I was wondering why you didn't wait until the wedding. Now I've figured something out." Ye Beixuan said calmly.

"Oh?" The empress stretched out her white fingers, gently scratched his chest and said, "What did you figure out?"

"You've been making such a big fuss about getting married in three days, and now you're having your wedding night with me early. You want me to go to Pingliang and ask Zhang Bei to help me get to Kyoto in three days to get out of this predicament, right?"

The empress smiled calmly and said, "Yes!"

Then she said with a stern expression, "The Prime Minister is probably ready to rebel. There's news that he's colluding with Beiliang. In three days, Beiliang will launch a large-scale attack on the border, leaving Tian Huazhi unable to defend himself."

"So you pressured Zhang Bei to transfer him to Pingliang and entrusted him with important tasks, but you were afraid he couldn't handle it alone, so you asked me to go, right?"

"In this world, I only trust you now." The empress sighed.

In the entire court, only the empress's uncle can be trusted, and now only the two people who sleep together can be trusted.

"Isn't this too risky?" Ye Beixuan said, "You're using yourself as bait."

"It's okay, Xiang Fei will protect me."

"Fragrant Concubine?"

"Isn't this what you're hugging?"

Ye Beixuan was speechless. How could you do this? Taking your best friend as your wife? Thank you.

"Actually, you have another important thing to do." Ye Beixuan suddenly said in a formal tone.

"What's the matter?" the empress asked in confusion.

"Northern Expedition."

After dealing with the rebellion, the next step is to conquer Beiliang and achieve unification.

It is estimated that the major immortal palaces have now begun to launch a siege on the Demon Sect. The Demon Sect has nowhere to go and can only go to Beiliang. It is not easy for the major immortal palaces to go directly to the mortal world and start a killing spree, so the next step is for me to take charge.

The empress pondered for a moment, then suddenly said in a serious tone, "I have never thought of conquering Beiliang, but with you here, I have confidence."

at the same time.

In the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Li Chunfeng and Li Qingyun are discussing.

"Father, the entire Fengtai camp is under our control. If Beiliang attacks, the Empress will have no troops to use." Li Qingyun said calmly, "This time, I must get her. I want to get her before the wedding."

Li Chunfeng looked at his son's hopeless appearance and said sternly, "Those who achieve great things don't care about trivial matters and should never indulge in sentimental relationships! If you were in that position, you would be surrounded by all kinds of women. Why do you always keep an eye on her?"

"Father, don't worry about this matter. Think about it, if I take her down, wouldn't it be natural for us to succeed to the throne?" Li Qingyun said.

Li Chunfeng did not deny that what Li Qingyun said made sense, but he knew very well that his son loved beauty rather than the country. He was worried that even if the rebellion was successful, if he did not kill this woman, his son would sooner or later be manipulated by her.

the other side.

Ye Beixuan, who had just enjoyed a double-edged sword and an early wedding night, had quietly left Kyoto and set out on the road to Pingliang.

The journey wasn't far; if it were too far, how could they rescue Kyoto in time? In less than half a day, he had arrived at the Pingliang Jiedushi's residence.

Seeing Ye Beixuan, Zhang Bei stepped forward and bowed, but with a hint of hatred in his eyes, he said, "Master Ye."

Ye Beixuan nodded, his expression calm, and said, "Zhang Bei, accept the order."

After reading the imperial edict, Zhang Bei was filled with thoughts. He thought he had lost his military power, but now he had regained it. It seems that misfortune may be a blessing in disguise.

Ye Beixuan looked at Zhang Bei's expression and also admired the empress. He slapped her and then stuffed her with a sweet date. This was probably the art of being an emperor! The next step was to catch the turtle in the jar.

Two days later.

The Kyoto Imperial Palace was festooned with lights and decorations, a scene of joy and celebration. News of the Empress's wedding had already spread throughout the city, and common people poured into the streets, eager to witness this grand event.

All the ministers gathered in the palace hall, and Li Chunfeng also came with Li Qingyun to congratulate.

Li Chunfeng smiled as he slowly walked up to the Empress, bowed slightly, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I, Li Chunfeng, congratulate you on your wedding. May you and Lord Ye live happily ever after."

The empress smiled faintly, her eyes calm, and her tone still dignified, she said: "The Prime Minister is thoughtful."

Li Qingyun stood behind Li Chunfeng, staring at the empress with eyes full of obsession and unwillingness, thinking to himself: From today on, you are mine.

At this moment, Li Chunfeng suddenly raised his hand and waved gently.

In an instant, hurried footsteps were heard outside the palace, followed by a large number of fully armed soldiers rushing into the palace and surrounding the entire palace.

(End of this chapter)