After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

Sure enough, not long after, news of victory came from the war that had been deadlocked for a whole winter.

Yanhe Hall.

The morning court session was in progress when a series of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the hall.

"Urgent report from 800 li away! Great victory in the Northwest! General Qin has captured four cities in succession, and the Northern Di have retreated to a place a hundred li away on the grasslands!"

The imperial court erupted in chaos.

"May Heaven bless the Great Yong!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations!"

Xiao Chengyu stood up from the dragon throne after a long while, a look of satisfaction on his face. With a wave of his sleeve, he said loudly:

"Excellent! Excellent! Issue my decree: reward Qin Lie with a thousand taels of gold and bestow upon him the title of General of the Cavalry. He shall immediately return to the capital to receive his rewards!"

All the civil and military officials shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

The Vice Minister of Rites stepped forward first, beaming with joy, and announced in a loud voice:

"General Qin is brave and skilled in battle, a true blessing to our Great Yong. Her Highness the Princess has raised her son with great virtue, setting a model for the world!"

The old ministers who had impeached Xiao Mingyue exchanged glances, then lowered their heads, their minds racing.

But at this moment, no one dares to disagree.

Xiao Jingchen stood in the line of princes with his eyes downcast, bowing and offering his congratulations along with everyone else.

Only the tightly clenched fist hidden in his sleeve betrayed the chill in his heart.

The Princess's household is now even more powerful, and it seems he really can't win her over.

Xiao Chengyu maintained a smile and instructed the Secretariat to draft an imperial edict praising Xiao Mingyue.

He then generously bestowed upon them a quantity of fine silks, satins, gold, and silver objects.

Xiao Mingyue smiled coldly and bowed to express her gratitude: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace."

The entire court of civil and military officials unanimously praised the Emperor's boundless grace.

After the morning court session, Xiao Chengyu did not return to the Imperial Study, but went straight to Cining Palace.

Zhou Lianhai jogged behind him, barely daring to breathe.

In the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager was being served bird's nest soup by her nanny when she saw the Emperor enter with a cold face. She put down the bowl and sighed softly.

"What's wrong with the Emperor? On such a joyous day, why does he look so unhappy?"

Xiao Chengyu sat down opposite the Empress Dowager, took the tea handed to him by a palace servant, and gently scraped the floating tea leaves with the lid.

"Mother, Qin Lie has captured three cities in succession this time. After returning to the capital, he will be appointed as a General of the Cavalry."

Empress Dowager Zhao paused, slowly turning one of the prayer beads in her hand.

"Yes, they should be rewarded. Not rewarding meritorious officials will discourage the border troops."

Xiao Chengyu clenched his fist on the table. "But now the Princess's mansion has two generals: my elder sister controls the Shenji Battalion in the suburbs of the capital, Qin Lie leads the Northwest military, Xiao Changgeng holds the Jinyiwei, and then there's Xiao Changqi, that treasure trove..."

He let out a heavy sigh: "I, the emperor, am more like a gatekeeper for her family."

The Empress Dowager put down her prayer beads and looked up at the emperor, whose face was gloomy.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should."

"Please speak, Mother."

"Has Xiao Changgeng's leg been useless for over a year now?"

As she spoke, she observed Xiao Chengyu's expression.

"The position of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is such an important one, yet it is always occupied by a disabled and incapacitated person."

Even though the court officials didn't say it, they had their own thoughts.

Xiao Chengyu's fingers hovered over the rim of the glass, but he didn't reply.

Empress Dowager Zhao continued, "The Emperor is benevolent; out of consideration for our past relationship, he has allowed him to remain in this position for so long, which is already an immense favor."

"But the Embroidered Uniform Guard is the emperor's eyes and ears and henchmen; he should be kept in the hands of his own people to feel at ease."

A dark glint flashed in Xiao Chengyu's eyes as he raised them and asked, "Does Mother have someone in mind?"

Empress Dowager Zhao smiled slightly: "Your maternal uncle's son, Yunfan, has served in the Imperial Guard for three years. He is a steady and honest man, and also the elder brother of Consort Liang. We know him well, isn't he better than an outsider?"

"Clang!"

Caught off guard, Xiao Chengyu put the covered bowl back on the table and stood up.

The emperor, in the prime of his life, looked weary, and his eyes, which resembled those of the late emperor, held a turbulent mix of emotions.

But after only a moment, a gentle and humble smile appeared on his face as he said, "What the Empress Dowager said... I'll think about it some more."

The Empress Dowager did not press him, but simply nodded and watched him leave.

Once outside the red-walled passageway of Cining Palace, Xiao Chengyu quickened his pace, his robes fluttering in the wind.

Zhou Lianhai, breathless, asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Xiao Chengyu sneered: "Hmph, I had no idea that the Empress Dowager could interfere in politics."

Zhou Lianhai, unaware of what the Emperor and Empress Dowager had discussed in the palace, carefully chose his words before speaking: "The Empress Dowager also wanted to share your burdens..."

"Share my burdens?" Xiao Chengyu scoffed, continuing his steps. "Is she sharing my burdens, or the Zhao family's?"

Zhou Lianhai immediately shut up and followed behind, shrinking his neck.

He dared not accept that.

Even a single wrong word can cost you your head.

Xiao Chengyu suddenly stopped.

How many old friends died beneath the walls of this imperial city during that power struggle?

Few people probably remember that he was not Empress Dowager Zhao's biological son.

His mother was a concubine whose name was forgotten; she died of postpartum hemorrhage on the day she gave birth to him.

So, Zhao Duanhua, who was then the Empress, took him in as an infant and raised him.

If his wet nurse hadn't told him this before she died, he might have treated the Empress Dowager as his own mother.

But in the past two years, the Zhao family's reach has become increasingly extensive.

There's Consort Liang in the harem, Marquis Yong'an in the court, and now even the Embroidered Uniform Guard wants to send people in.

If it weren't for the fact that the Empress Dowager had defied public opinion and insisted on making the eldest daughter of the Langya Wang clan Empress, using the noble lineage of four generations of high-ranking officials to suppress the Zhao family.

It seems that even the imperial harem is now under the control of the Zhao family.

Thinking about this, Xiao Chengyu himself felt ironic.

His most feared elder sister was actually the one who shielded him from the most crucial blow from his maternal relatives back then.

As they walked to the entrance of the Wuying Hall, an eunuch came running out of the hall and bowed to report.

"Your Majesty, Commander Xiao of the Embroidered Uniform Guard has been waiting in the side hall for half an hour, saying he has important matters to discuss with you in person."

Xiao Chengyu paused, his brows furrowing.

Xiao Changgeng? What's he doing here?

"Announce."

Inside the Wuying Hall, Xiao Changgeng pushed his wheelchair to a stop in the hall and slowly bowed, saying, "Your subject Xiao Changgeng pays respects to Your Majesty."

Then he glanced down at his leg and said, "Your Majesty, my leg injury has not yet healed, so please forgive me for not being able to kneel down to pay my respects."

Xiao Chengyu quickly said, "My dear minister, there's no need for such formalities. Is there something important you need today?"

Without exchanging pleasantries, Xiao Changgeng presented the secret memorial directly.

"Your Majesty, there has been significant progress in the case of the poisoning and arson at the New Year's Eve palace banquet."

Xiao Chengyu took the folding book and opened it. The more he looked at it, the more his brows furrowed. In the end, he sat up straight.

"It's infiltrated to this extent?"

"That's not all." Xiao Changgeng's voice was calm. "The Northern Di people also used face-changing and disguise techniques to replace palace servants and wealthy merchants in order to assassinate them and disrupt the foundation of the country."

As he spoke, he handed over another list: "There are now a total of seventeen infiltrators, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard has captured them all."

Xiao Chengyu broke out in a cold sweat, his mind reeling as he looked at the list.

The Northern Di people had actually extended their reach into his palace. If it hadn't been discovered, they might have quietly slaughtered the entire palace one day.

He closed the secret document and remained silent for a long time.

"Well done."

Xiao Chengyu's voice was somewhat hoarse.

He recalled that just now in Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager had mentioned wanting to replace Xiao Changgeng.

This young man, who was unable to walk properly, performed a great service in a very unexpected way.

Xiao Changgeng didn't say much, but simply bowed and said, "It's my duty."

As he left, Xiao Changgeng's wheelchair stopped at the door.

Without turning his head, he said, "Although my leg ailment has not yet healed, I am still capable of handling matters concerning the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Your Majesty, please rest assured."

The palace doors closed.

Xiao Chengyu broke out in a cold sweat when he heard Xiao Changgeng's last words.

He was speechless for a long time.

He suddenly realized that everything he had said in the Cining Palace had already been relayed to Xiao Changgeng's ears without missing a single word.

……

Meanwhile, at the Princess's residence.

The eunuch delivering the imperial decree had a high-pitched, thin voice and was chanting the emperor's bestowal of gifts.

Shen Jingque knelt at the very end of the line, her eyelids drooping as if filled with lead.

She stayed up all night reading storybooks.

It's called "A Romantic Encounter".

As for the content, if you changed the title to a modern book, it would probably be called "The Overbearing Minister Pampers His Little Wet Nurse Every Night".

She was laughing strangely under the covers, so much so that she couldn't get up in the morning.

After finally managing to get up and head to the academy, he encountered a eunuch who had come to deliver an imperial decree of reward.

So at that moment, she felt that the voice was hypnotic, like chanting, and her head slumped down little by little.

I'm so sleepy, really sleepy.

I'm so tired I feel like my soul is leaving my body.

Green Calyx nudged her from the side, and Shen Jingque jolted awake, looking up to find that everyone had already stood up.

She almost fell asleep on the floor.

So he scrambled to his feet, glanced at the sky, and finally came to his senses.

Oh, she was originally going to the academy.

and many more……

Shen Jingque sprang up as if her tail had been stepped on, screaming as she ran towards the door.

"Aaaaaah, I'm going to be late!!! Today's class is with Professor Cen!!!"