Chapter 79: The Fake Princess and His God of War Prince (36)
previously in the Northern Border, Xiao Ji was the Princess Consort of Beichen, and the initiative lay in Xiang Yinnian’s hands, so he naturally felt secure.
Now, Xiao Ji was the Master of Great Yue, the Son of Heaven. That earlier marriage alliance, when spoken of now, had become a farce that no one took seriously.
At first, when Xiao Ji had just ascended the throne, he was swamped with work, so Xiang Yinnian kept it bottled up inside.
But as he gradually heard more and more talk about Xiao Ji establishing an Empress, Xiang Yinnian couldn’t hold it in anymore, even if he wanted to.
He began to stare gloomily at Xiao Ji all day long, trying to make Xiao Ji realize that he was unhappy.
But Xiao Ji feigned blindness and deafness, seeming not to notice at all. Even when their eyes met, he would compliment Xiang Yinnian, saying his eyes resembled the stars.
Half a month later, Xiang Yinnian finally couldn’t bear it anymore and smashed Xiao Ji’s desk in the Imperial Study with a single slap.
The gathered palace servants fell to their knees in terror, begging Xiao Ji to quell his anger.
What kind of person was Xiao Ji?
As soon as he ascended the throne, he calmly disposed of a batch of officials.
Beheadings, tearing apart by carriages, exile.
Those who were guilty had their homes raided and clans exterminated without hesitation. He acted like a thunderbolt, uprooting the cancerous tumors that had plagued Great Yue in recent years.
He reformed systems and established new rules. Those who should be pardoned were pardoned; those who should be exempted were exempted. He applied both kindness and severity, caring not a whit for anyone’s feelings.
Although Xiang Yinnian was a meritorious subject and had always been close to Xiao Ji, the people around them dared not gossip. Most people still hadn’t seen through the true nature of his relationship with Xiao Ji.
Thus, after he split Xiao Ji’s table in half just like that, everyone’s hearts leaped into their throats.
They felt that Xiao Ji’s next sentence would be an order to drag Xiang Yinnian out and behead him.
But in fact, Xiao Ji just sat there quietly. Let alone lifting his backside, he didn’t even blink.
Only when the rising dust and powder settled back to the ground did he speak:
“Throwing such a big temper, are you hungry?”
Xiang Yinnian wanted to twist Xiao Ji’s ear, but looking at Xiao Ji’s smooth, handsome ear, he couldn’t bear to do it. He could only say angrily:
“I haven’t found you pleasing to the eye these past few days!”
The palace servants were sweating profusely.
Xiao Ji extended his hand, signaling Xiang Yinnian to come over.
“Why?”
Xiang Yinnian looked at that slender, beautiful hand and ground his back molars.
“If you dare to establish an Empress, I will raise an army and rebel!”
Xiao Ji looked at him. “Then rebel. Is the military power not in your hands? I never took back the Tiger Tally.”
Hearing this, Xiang Yinnian’s eyes widened like copper bells. “You bastard! You really have thoughts of establishing an Empress?!”
Seeing that Xiang Yinnian was about to explode, Xiao Ji unhurriedly bent down. From the pile of scrolls scattered on the floor, he picked one out and placed it in Xiang Yinnian’s hand.
“The thought has always been there, but the preparations take time.”
Xiang Yinnian opened the scroll. It was clearly an edict to establish an Empress.
And before all those nonsensical adjectives like ‘virtuous and benevolent,’ ‘gentle and chaste,’ the name written was his—Xiang Yinnian.
Judging by the handwriting, it was penned by Xiao Ji himself.
And the Great Seal had already been stamped in the proper place.
Xiang Yinnian’s nose soured. His dissatisfaction with Xiao Ji over these past days vanished instantly. He even began to feel a vague sense of guilt toward the innocent table in front of him.
He opened his mouth. “Then why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Xiao Ji was also very innocent. “We were already hair-bound husbands, having bowed to heaven and earth, officially wed. Others might not take it seriously, but why don’t you take it seriously either?”
Xiang Yinnian was speechless. After a long while, he guiltily pulled out a piece of iron from his chest and tossed it to Xiao Ji.
“I overthought it and misunderstood you. I apologize.”
Xiao Ji looked at the Tiger Tally, representing the military power of the Northern Border—something the late Emperor had failed to reclaim in his entire life—and handed it back to Xiang Yinnian.
“You keep it safe. Save yourself from lacking confidence the next time you lose your temper at me.”
Xiang Yinnian rubbed his nose. “I am not a violent or irritable person.”
Xiao Ji responded, “Yes, you probably just looked down on my table and sought an excuse to get me a new one.”
The palace servants let out a long sigh of relief.
Xiang Yinnian had already married Xiao Ji once.
Just as Xiao Ji said, they had bowed to heaven and earth and were officially wed.
He had no intention of making a grand affair of it again, wasting manpower and resources. Most importantly, he wanted to maintain his image of mighty martial prowess.
So, after consulting with Xiao Ji, they ultimately scrapped the Grand Empress Ceremony. They only read the imperial edict in the court.
The entire court was in an uproar, yet no one dared to voice opposition.
In the third year of Xiao Ji’s reign, he appointed the Crown Prince (Xiao Yu’s son/relative) as a Prince and sent him away to the Southwest, sending the Empress Dowager, who shared “deep mother-son affection” with her eldest son, along with him.
Xiao Ji’s word was law. If the censors’ advice suited him, he followed it; if it didn’t, even if someone threatened suicide to prove their point, Xiao Ji would simply let them die to prove it.
He seemed autocratic and domineering, but in reality, aside from the matter of the Empress, he never did a single muddled thing.
But being a wise ruler was hard, and court affairs were busy. Even though Xiang Yinnian accompanied him day and night, the two always lacked time and freedom.
Most importantly, Xiao Ji had no offspring, which was a truly grave matter for the Imperial Family.
Xiang Yinnian didn’t say it aloud, but visibly, day by day, he became more silent and taciturn.
Thus, in the thirteenth year of Xiao Ji’s reign, he followed Xiang Yinnian’s wish. He threw the throne to the Twelfth Prince, who had just reached adulthood, and took Xiang Yinnian back to the Northern Border to resume his role as the Princess Consort of Beichen.
Here, the winters were long, and the summers were fleeting like a white pony passing a crevice.
It suited Xiao Ji’s own desires well enough.
Time rushed by. Everyone was visibly aging, except for Xiao Ji. Just like when he first came to the Northern Border, he still loved lying in the small pavilion in the center of the lake to cool off. Aside from the visible gray in his long hair and the fact that he never wore women’s dresses again, he seemed no different from many years ago.
Only this day, the person lying in the pavilion first was Xiang Yinnian.
Sensing Xiao Ji looking at him, he invited Xiao Ji to his side.
Xiao Ji sat close to Xiang Yinnian. Just as Xiang Yinnian had done every time in the past, Xiao Ji scooped Xiang Yinnian’s cold feet into his embrace and said to him:
“I think you are looking to get sick.”
Xiang Yinnian smiled. Although he was over sixty, he still looked like a handsome, spirited old man.
“In the past, you always left your robe open and lay in the snow during the depths of winter. I couldn’t stand seeing it; I always felt cold on your behalf. But these days, I don’t know what’s wrong, I feel terribly hot…”
He stopped there and didn’t continue.
After a long time, seeing Xiao Ji not respond, he said another sentence, “Perhaps my allotted lifespan is nearing its end.”
Xiao Ji warmed his cold ankles, his pitch-black eyes like a pool of stagnant water, devoid of ripples.
“Humans are born to endure suffering. Birth, old age, sickness, death, love, hatred, separation. Dying is a good thing; take a rest for now. There are endless cycles of reincarnation waiting for you to continue accompanying suffering.”
Xiang Yinnian looked at Xiao Ji. “I never felt that I suffered anything in this life.”
Xiang Yinnian didn’t feel it, but in reality, the passing of the old Prince and Princess Consort, Xiang Siyou’s betrayal, the sacrifice of comrades, the day-after-day drilling, the oppression in the Great Yue Palace—these were all unavoidable sufferings.
Xiao Ji said, “That is because you paid them no mind.”
Xiang Yinnian asked, “What about you? Do you feel it was bitter?”
Xiao Ji shook his head. “Your existence dissolved my suffering.”
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