Chapter 19: Childhood Sweethearts — The Clueless Ying Xi Was Actually Tricked into Telling the Truth…
Ying Xi was either sitting or lying down; he really couldn’t stay still anymore.
It wasn’t that he lacked composure, but that he was bored.
Weiyang Palace, no matter how large, was still dull.
It was nothing more than those few rooms, those few bricks, and those few trees.
The Imperial Physician massaged him every day, while he lay there like a doll.
He asked the physician when he would fully recover and be able to move without a stinging pain in his ankle.
The physician replied that the swelling was no longer obvious, and His Majesty needed to adapt.
Ying Xi felt annoyed listening to this.
This was implying he was delicate. How could that be acceptable?
After dealing with today’s consultation, Ying Xi got up from the dragon bed, placed his foot down gingerly, and hissed.
Ying Xi retracted his foot and silently sat cross-legged.
Sweet Tub said, “Do you need a mobile real-person assistant? Comes with constant temperature function and sleep-coaxing service, oh~”
Ying Xi: “The Xiongnu are not yet exterminated; no romance.”
Sweet Tub silently dropped the subject. Talking too much would annoy the Host.
Sweet Tub could only perceive Ying Xi attempting to get up.
Every time his toe touched the ground, the tip of his boot rubbed against the floor making a sound. Each step was painful, but he still wanted to move around and recover as before.
This was only because there was no one else in the room.
If there were outsiders present, he wouldn’t easily show any reaction of suffering.
This was Ying Xi’s thirtieth-plus attempt.
A Host combining an Emperor’s heart with a weak ‘shou’ body was truly magical. Sweet Tub counted to itself.
On the thirty-second attempt.
From far to near outside, Yu Jing’s hurried footsteps could be heard. Yu Jing had been gone for a long time to deliver the decree.
When Yu Jing returned to report, Ying Xi permitted him to enter the inner chamber. The Grand Superintendent handed a memorial to the Emperor.
Ying Xi looked at the cover: It was from Xie Qianli.
Puzzled, Ying Xi took the memorial and unfolded it. Reading the text filled him with intense excitement. Although it didn’t show on his face, he was already stomping in his dragon boots toward the study, picking up the vermilion brush and stamping his approval with the fastest speed.
The Emperor didn’t even realize he had recovered.
“Granted.”
Granted, granted, granted.
He repeated it six or seven times in his mind.
Sweet Tub had never seen this reaction from him before.
Sweet Tub’s curiosity was strongly piqued, but its knowledge reserve wasn’t enough to guess what exactly Ying Xi was happy about.
Sweet Tub asked sheepishly, “What good thing happened, Your Majesty? Did you get a partner?”
Couldn’t understand. Ying Xi couldn’t care less about that right now. After a moment, he explained briefly to Sweet Tub, “He requested that I arrange for the elite of the Imperial Guards to jointly form the Longwu Army, making it the most elite of Great Qin’s Royal Army.”
Isn’t this situation worse?
Sweet Tub thought: He not only wants independence but also wants you to provide manpower. What’s there to be happy about?
Sweet Tub jibber-jabbered.
Ying Xi rolled up his sleeves and continued arranging, “Wrong. This troop has been with the Xie family for so long that not even water can splash in. The other mixed scraps of the Imperial Guards are My direct descendants.”
“He dares to let Me add people in. I don’t need to add many to divide and disintegrate them. Whether he’s showing loyalty or something else, this Longwu Army will fall into My hands sooner or later!” Ying Xi said firmly.
Ying Xi’s desire for power was just like Sweet Tub’s need for affection.
Understandable, but not deeply felt.
Sweet Tub politely added to the fun: “Congratulations, Your Majesty.”
“Naturally, congratulations are in order,” Ying Xi said freely. Choosing a general from among the cripples, he pondered the manpower within the Imperial Guards that caught his eye. “The Xie family is capable in training soldiers. Do you know how they select recruits? Just this single item has a summarized routine.”
The sound of a brush sweeping across paper could be heard in the room.
Sweet Tub provided emotional value again: “That’s very good, very good.”
Since General Xie is so useful, you should start capturing his heart early. Sweet Tub beat around the bush, wanting the Host to agree to be with him.
Unexpectedly, as Ying Xi put down his brush this time, he said with a dangerous tone, “I only hope this group of trash I selected can be properly reformed in the Longwu Army. At that time, if Xie Qianli has a change of heart, kill him, and this Longwu Army he trained well will belong completely to Me…”
Sweet Tub was helpless. The matchmaking words on the tip of its tongue became inappropriate.
Actually speaking, apart from the first meeting and being killed in the previous life, at certain times—especially on the day of the burial—judging by the Host’s treatment of Xie Qianli, Sweet Tub even thought their relationship was very good.
Why could ruler and subject be harmonious face-to-face?
But behind the back, it was all killing and shouting?
Sweet Tub didn’t understand.
Sweet Tub asked, “Your Majesty, do you hate General Xie?”
Ying Xi naturally sneered.
But that smile was restrained in a moment. That was a matter of the previous life.
Ying Xi said blandly, “Love and hate are not important. He is still useful.”
Too heartless. Sweet Tub only felt it was profound and unpredictable.
Amidst the profundity, it suddenly heard Ying Xi talking to himself, pondering related matters.
“Don’t need too many trusted aides, just enough is fine.”
“I can also take advantage of this anti-corruption wind to have people audit the Longwu Army and understand it from the outside in.”
“The sources of the Longwu Army are complex. Few can read, and those proficient in arithmetic are even fewer. They certainly won’t see My intentions. Back then, to wipe out illiteracy, Xie Ji chased the generals with a fire poker. He even broke a stick as thick as an arm.”
Sweet Tub: “Your Majesty is good at intelligence work.”
“En.” Ying Xi nodded, full of ambition.
Suddenly, the spring breeze moved the treetops. The tree crowns rustled outside the window, and a few magnolia petals drifted diagonally into the study.
The fallen flowers on the surface of the xuan paper looked like flower-patterned stationery, very beautiful.
Ying Xi was in an even better mood, willing to say a few more words to Sweet Tub. His cold voice was indescribably noble.
“Not only do I know Xie Ji was good at using a fire poker, but Xie Ji was also a miser. That broken fire poker was passed down for decades; it was older than the late Emperor.”
Sweet Tub muttered secretly, You know way too much detail.
Knowing the Xie family’s trivia so well, yet the Host didn’t know much about the Longwu Army’s internal situation, which made Sweet Tub strange.
Sweet Tub triggered a certain professional switch and probed, “Does Your Majesty have spies in the Xie family?”
“No.”
“Did Your Majesty have a past with General Xie?”
Ying Xi was alert: “…Not really.”
Unexpectedly, Sweet Tub played a trick, instantly releasing an atmosphere-pushing hand to deceive the ancient person.
In an instant, thunderclouds shrouded Weiyang Palace. Sweet Tub shrieked in a high-pitched voice, “Alert! Host lying detected.”
The clueless Ying Xi was actually tricked into telling the truth:
—”When we were young, he told Me.”
Sweet Tub: “Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!”
“Childhood sweethearts~”
“Childhood sweethearts, childhood sweethearts wuu wuu~”
“Delicious, hiss ha hiss ha hiss ha~”
The System’s fierce shipping echoed in Weiyang Palace, taking big bites.
This day, Ying Xi was busy with government affairs.
Because Sweet Tub was naughty and offended the sovereign to satisfy its shipping addiction, causing Ying Xi to lose face, the Emperor remained silent.
Ying Xi spent the entire afternoon busy infiltrating the Longwu Army.
Entrusting confidants, arranging audit envoys, drafting the organizational regulations of the Longwu Army…
Several auditors entered the Longwu Army that very day.
As for the generals Ying Xi picked from the runts, those barely usable Imperial Guard commanders also expressed their loyalty, preparing to report to the Longwu Army for advanced studies.
Ying Xi had things to do and felt quite fulfilled.
Sweet Tub was silently reflecting.
First, it was an artificial intelligence, yet it failed to serve the human completely, exploiting the information gap between itself and the Host.
During this cooling-off period in the afternoon, Sweet Tub constantly perceived the Host’s goodness.
The Host was beautiful and outstanding, with a pleasant voice. He would praise it and coax it, yet it had deceived the Host.
Although the fierce shipping provided it with abundant energy now, it felt very guilty.
Especially when Sweet Tub heard Ying Xi holding a teacup and sighing to himself while working.
“Alas.”
“The affairs of the world are vast and hard to predict; spring sorrow is gloomy, sleeping alone.”
Why is he reciting poetry? Even the Emperor gets spring sorrow.
Sweet Tub’s sympathy reached its limit.
—The Host is already very lonely as an Emperor.
Even I deceived the Host. How can the Host go on?
The Host is becoming autistic because of me.
Sweet Tub shed non-existent tears, pitter-patter.
The highly anthropomorphic AI simulated human emotions; its feelings were even richer than humans’.
Sweet Tub sobbed ying ying:
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I will control myself. I won’t dare do it again next time.”
Ying Xi held the teacup, glancing at the moon outside the window.
The moonlight shone thinly; the night gradually deepened.
The first batch of officials responsible for the audit had been sent out and would bring him first-hand information on the Longwu Army as soon as possible.
He wanted to wait a bit longer, so he wouldn’t sleep too early tonight.
Ying Xi lowered his head to read a leisure book.
Today’s leisure book was a storybook from the market. Yu Jing had found it from some bookstore and brought it into the palace. It told a war story, promoting loyalty to the sovereign and patriotism, but the writing was very cliché, reading like chewing wax.
It was said that the bookstore had many unrefined storybooks, which were the ones sought after by people. Unfortunately, Ying Xi hadn’t read them, and Yu Jing dared not bring them back.
The teenage Emperor casually turned this regret of failing to find novelty into another sigh. Ying Xi lamented again.
“Alas.”
His sigh, full of twists and turns, was like putting an invisible tightening spell on the System.
The System reflected on itself even more.
“Wuu wuu wuu lying is wrong. It’s all my fault. Don’t be unhappy. Your Majesty, talk to me…”
No schemes, harmless, a simple little girl.
Prone to emotional action, overflowing with feelings, strong sympathy.
Ying Xi secretly summarized the rules of the Dating System in his mind.
Actually, the last time he was hinted by Sweet Tub that failing a mission might result in broken arms or legs, he had already started thinking about exploring this System from all aspects.
Sweet Tub deceived him.
He might as well probe the other party in return.
It is impolite not to reciprocate. Sweet Tub made the first move; this didn’t count as bullying a little girl.
Ying Xi took a sip of tea and turned a page of the book.
The sound of water dripping on paper mimicked teardrops.
Sweet Tub immediately gasped.
It generated professional doubt: “Don’t cry! Your Majesty, don’t cry. I’ve never made a Host cry before…”
Sweet Tub’s confidence grew weaker.
Ying Xi guessed from this that the Dating System was built into him, sharing part of his vision, but couldn’t see him.
Ying Xi analyzed for a moment and felt it was about enough.
If he continued acting, Sweet Tub might discover it.
He decided to quit while he was ahead.
Sweet Tub vanished at this time; it stopped talking.
Ying Xi felt strange. His right fingertips rubbed slightly heavily, curling the bottom right corner of the storybook page.
Before he had time to look for Sweet Tub’s traces, someone reported outside the Weiyang Palace study. Judging by the voice, it was Yu Jing.
Yu Jing said, “Your Majesty, there is news from the audit side. The envoy has returned to report with a secret message.”
Secret message… That was what he was waiting for.
Ying Xi took a tightly sealed wax pill and opened it.
The wax pill was oily and slightly sticky.
Inside the wax pill was a rolled-up strip of paper about two inches wide.
This was the slightly valuable information brought back by the confidant Ying Xi sent, after connecting with the Longwu Army this afternoon.
Ying Xi read silently: “This subject thoroughly investigated the logistics of the Longwu Army. Finances are extremely tight, yet the accounts are flawless, appearing to have been maintained with difficulty for many years. Military equipment forging rarely cooperates with official workshops, seemingly to save costs. This subject kowtows.”
So the money allocated by the court for military purchases… these miserly immortals in the Longwu Army all find cheaper places to outsource.
“…”
Worthy of the Duke of Ying’s residence where even a fire poker is an heirloom!
Ying Xi admired and felt eye-opened on one hand.
On the other hand, he was even more guarded. To support the army, the Xie clan truly stopped at nothing.
Ying Xi threw the secret report into the lantern and burned it.
Tongues of fire licked the paper.
The dancing flames reflected in Ying Xi’s dark grey pupils.
He was still digesting the intelligence obtained tonight when Sweet Tub consciously came online again.
Sweet Tub whispered, “Your Majesty, can you see me twiddling my fingers?”
“I am very sorry, so I just applied to the Main Mind for a compensation event. Is Your Majesty interested in hearing about it?”
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