High-class Spring Joy

The emperor exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay.

This was the first time Qinghe had met the emperor so closely, and no matter what, she couldn't help feeling a sense of trepidation.

When Qinghe learned that the child she had rescued was the young prince of the Northern Frontier Kingdom, she realized that this was bound to happen, but she didn't expect it to happen so quickly, and it didn't even last until the next day.

"You're here?"

Finally, a light, indifferent voice came from the Chinese emperor, seemingly without any particular emotion.

Upon hearing that voice, Qinghe, who was standing at the door, hurriedly knelt down and bowed, saying, "This commoner, Qinghe, greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Qinghe felt the oppressive aura and imposing presence that made it difficult to relax. The Chinese emperor in front of her did not speak quickly or make any reaction.

Qinghe, who was kneeling on the ground, became even more nervous, flustered, and anxious after realizing that the emperor had no reaction.

Qinghe lowered her head, staring intently at the floor tile in front of her, her hands nervously clenching and pinching herself. Her gaze remained fixed on the tile, afraid to look away, afraid to move, and afraid to turn her head, lest any mistake she made cost her her life.

Although his life as an ordinary citizen meant nothing to these superiors, or even the emperor—just a life—this path was of paramount importance to her. Human life is only once; once someone dies, there's no going back. Every life is precious, especially since Qinghe was so afraid of death. Everything she had done before, her words and actions, was carefully chosen to ensure her survival. Even her one and only confrontation, her attempt to show off, was to ensure the safety of herself and her unborn child.

Having finally reached this point, and seeing that things are about to improve and become much better than before, how could Qinghe possibly allow herself to easily fall back into that state of fear and anxiety because of one or two people?

But Qinghe wasn't truly terrified. After all, he had saved the prince of the Northern Frontier Kingdom today. Although Qinghe hadn't said much in that situation, and no one knew exactly how he had saved the prince, Fei Sheng's personal admission—admitting it publicly in front of so many people—made it clear that many knew about it, and it was only a matter of time before the news spread. Under these circumstances, even the current emperor of China would never disregard his own reputation and harm Qinghe, especially since Qinghe believed he hadn't done anything wrong; on the contrary, he believed he had rendered meritorious service.

But in this situation, Qinghe would naturally be nervous; any normal person would be nervous.

Just as Qinghe tensed up, feeling her senses heightened by the tension, she heard footsteps approaching. Qinghe quickly realized that the Chinese emperor had turned around by the window and was walking towards her step by step.

One sound after another, like stepping on Qinghe's heart, like a sledgehammer hammering at Qinghe's heart. It was not a flutter of the heart, nor a palpitation, but a pure life force at work.

Qinghe tensed up even more, lowered her head even further, and dared not look around. She held her breath, not daring to even breathe too loudly, for fear of being punished for breathing too loudly, which would be a great loss.

In this unsettling and tense atmosphere, the sound of footsteps echoed in Qinghe's ears, making her feel anxious. Then, a pair of bright yellow boots embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon came into view, and her tension reached its peak.

Qinghe didn't know what to say, but felt she should say something, so she knelt down and performed a full curtsy again, whispering, "Your Majesty, this commoner greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Only then did the Chinese emperor's voice, seemingly casual yet tinged with emotion, emanate from his high vantage point: "You are Qinghe?"

Qinghe braced herself on the ground, nodding frantically, and answered with great certainty: "It is indeed I, a humble woman. I fear my name would offend Your Majesty's ears."

"I heard it was you who saved the young prince of the Northern Frontier Kingdom? Is that true?"

The emperor's voice didn't sound very young, but it had become increasingly deep and husky with the passage of time, and it was magnetic. Just by listening to it, you could tell that he was definitely not a young man, and it carried many traces of time.

When this question was asked, Qinghe was unsure how to answer. As for whether it was Qinghe who saved the young prince, so many people in the South Garden had clearly heard it. The young prince himself had said it, so the fact was undeniable. The Chinese Emperor was also present, not far away; there was no reason he wouldn't have heard. Even if he hadn't, his attendants would have. In other words, the question posed by the Chinese Emperor was strange. Why ask again when he already knew the established facts?

Qinghe was somewhat puzzled. After all, the emperor's heart was like a needle at the bottom of the sea, and serving the emperor was like serving a tiger. These two sayings were indeed not unfounded.

Qinghe couldn't think of a good answer. If she said yes, it would seem too arrogant or make people think she was taking credit. But if she said no, it would seem like she had saved the person.

Putting aside whether Qinghe's efforts were wasted, just considering that the young prince said he saved her, if Qinghe said she didn't, wouldn't that be a serious crime of deceiving the emperor?

Qinghe couldn't think of anything else, so she simply gave the first answer that came to mind: "Your Majesty, it was I who was fortunate enough to save the young prince of the Northern Frontier Kingdom."

"A fluke? Why do you say that? If someone is saved, they are saved. What's there to be ashamed of? How can it be considered a fluke? But what's the explanation?"

The Chinese emperor's voice came again, sounding rather relaxed, but Qinghe couldn't detect even a hint of a smile.

Even though Qinghe had never seen the emperor in person, and even though this was the first time she had been so close to him, she knew that the emperor was the supreme ruler, and that the supreme ruler could decide too many things. Sometimes, with a wave of his hand, a single finger could be enough to crush a group of people.

Moreover, being too greedy and reckless at this time is definitely not a good thing, especially since the current emperor in front of Qinghe has quite a reputation.

In terms of who ascended the throne, this emperor was not the most legitimate one; rather, he was arguably the most illegitimate.

Qinghe heard these things from some of the old nannies in the Marquis's mansion.

It is said that when their emperor was still a prince, he had many brothers and sisters. However, at that time, China's territory was not very large, and it could even be considered a small country in a remote corner of the country. However, neighboring countries repeatedly invaded. Even if the late emperor only wanted the country and its people to live in peace and prosperity, he had no choice but to train the army and vigorously develop military power.

It must be said that the late emperor was also very talented in military affairs and was a general on horseback. He fought for decades and expanded China's territory to nearly half of its current size. The tragic price was that his sons died, were wounded, or became disabled because they went to the battlefield to defend their country and fight for territory. In the end, only the current emperor was left as a prince.

But the late emperor's favorite was not the current emperor, but the crown prince he had with the empress. However, the crown prince died on the battlefield at that time, leaving behind only the crown princess and the imperial grandson who was less than a month old.

The late emperor was also deeply saddened by the death of his favorite son. He was so heartbroken that he seemed to age ten years overnight. Once he recovered, the late emperor devoted all his extra energy and time to raising his grandson, the crown prince.

This imperial grandson was favored by the late emperor from a young age. However, sometimes excessive pampering doesn't lead to a good ending; instead, it often results in uncontrollable and disastrous consequences.

Later, the late emperor passed away due to illness, and the throne was directly passed to the imperial grandson by imperial edict, bypassing the current emperor.

Although the Crown Prince had done nothing wrong, nor did he have any bad temper, nor did he commit any heinous crimes or disregard the interests of the country and its people, he did not do any of those things.

However, during the reign of the Crown Prince, he did nothing. He did not do anything bad, but he did not do anything good either. To put it nicely, the history books could barely record a phrase like "governing by doing nothing" or "the doctrine of the mean."

But to put it more bluntly and unpleasantly, it is weakness.

How can an emperor be weak?

As an emperor, he bears the responsibility for the lives and well-being of countless people, the weight of the entire nation, and the well-being of the people. How could he be a spineless coward?

A spineless person can't lift heavy things.

The surrounding small countries had been thoroughly defeated by the late emperor's personal military campaigns, so during his reign, they dared not make any rash moves. Even if they were eyeing the country covetously, they would never dare to take that step lightly.

After the death of the late emperor, those small countries repeatedly provoked trouble on the border and tested the waters, until they found that the current emperor was a spineless coward. Then, those small countries united and launched a major attack. The army attacking China had already broken through the border cities, and one-third of the cities in China had been captured. At that time, less than half a month had passed since those small countries formed an alliance.

In just half a month, cities fell one after another, one after another. Now they were in the hands of the enemy, and the people suffered an even greater calamity, enduring the flames of war and becoming slaves. It was a time of utter darkness and unimaginable misery.

At this critical moment, the emperor was still thinking of ceding territory and paying reparations, which shows that he was truly spineless and extremely weak, unable to come up with any useful solutions.

The current emperor is actually the one most like the late emperor. When the country was in peril, he resolutely rose up in rebellion. At that time, the current crown prince had just been born.

The current emperor led his personal guards and, under the pretext of "purging the court of corrupt officials," stormed into the imperial palace in Bianjing. Originally, the current emperor only intended to use the emperor to command the princes, but who knew that the emperor could not withstand any pressure. He simply watched as Bianjing fell and committed suicide in his own palace the next day.

When people reach that point, how can they possibly suppress their ambition?

Moreover, the current emperor is himself a powerful and ruthless ruler.

At that time, in Bianjing, the imperial palace and the entire court were leaderless and faced invasions from several surrounding small countries. At such a time, what was needed most was a person with an iron fist to take charge of the overall situation and shoulder the responsibility. Therefore, the ascension of the current emperor was almost the will of the people at that time.

The actions of this emperor were completely opposite to those of his predecessor.

Of course, the greatest characteristic of the current emperor is his exceptional military talent and martial prowess. He is skilled in battle and adept at fighting. He can achieve the greatest benefit with the least loss. In particular, during the Battle of Bailu Plain, the current emperor led 800 men and single-handedly defeated a 30,000-strong enemy coalition army, and then managed to leave triumphantly.

After three months of fierce fighting, the emperor before him routed the allied forces of those small countries, driving them out of his territory. Ten years later, the entire nation enjoyed a period of rest and recuperation, a time of peace and prosperity, during which its national strength gradually developed. China as a whole grew powerful, thanks to the leadership and rule of this emperor, and the military achieved unprecedented strength.

This emperor spent another five years expanding China's already enlarged territory to its current size, effectively doubling it. Previously, China's territory was only half its current size.

China's national strength is growing stronger every day.

Qinghe felt more awe than anything else towards the emperor in front of her.

But this emperor was not only skilled in military affairs, but also far superior to ordinary people in all aspects, including understanding people's hearts, strategizing, and dealing with the court.

If she were to reveal everything now, it would appear that she had deliberately deceived him. This matter could be a serious one, or a minor one. At worst, it would be the crime of deceiving the emperor; at worst...

Forget it.

Qinghe didn't dare to gamble on this either.

So Qinghe continued, following her previous words: "What you mean is that the matter of the young prince is of great importance, concerning the peace talks between our country and the Northern Frontier Kingdom. These talks will greatly influence our nation's power and destiny. Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, favored and protected by Heaven. Therefore, Heaven will surely facilitate these peace talks, and the young prince will definitely be found. I was just lucky to save him; it was simply in accordance with the will of Heaven. That's why you said it was lucky. Being lucky means I dared to borrow Your Majesty's influence; it was Heaven's will to help Your Majesty facilitate this round of talks."