CH 202

At the beginning of summer, due to frequent floods in various places, a   lot of common people were displaced and in precarious conditions. Some local officials, or it should be said corpse and vegetarian meal, concealed this matter; or used this as pretext to defraud disaster relief funds, not care whether the common people live or die. Because of this, large and small civil unrest occurred from time to time. Just when Emperor Sheng Yuan was anxious thinking about how to pacify the chaos, Xue Mingrui launched an attack on Wei Kingdom under the banner of restoring the former dynasty.

In order to deter the Xue Rebellion and boost morale, Emperor Sheng Yuan decided to personally go to battle, but at this time, Guan Suyi found out that she was pregnant. She could almost imagine how the Empress Dowager and others would smash her body to pieces when the emperor left the imperial city and her belly grew bigger and bigger. In order to protect the child, she tried every possible way to persuade the emperor to take her on this campaign.

In the first three months she didn’t look pregnant, so she covered up the truth. When they got to the border, the sign of morning sickness became more and more obvious, and Emperor Sheng Yuan realized that something was wrong. He was happy, angry, and very helpless. He originally wanted to teach Madam a good lesson, but when he saw her pale cheeks and slightly bulging belly, all the reproaches turned into a long sigh.

“You are too wilful!” He took her into the main tent and placed her on the soft couch, he then carefully stroked her belly.

Guan Suyi’s expression was in a trance for a moment. Before going out on this campaign, she asked herself thousands of times, is it right to take the great risk to follow? What will happen to her if she could not keep the baby due to the fatigue of the journey? Heirs or concubines, which one more important in the emperor’s heart?

At this time, seeing this man’s eyes full of joy and worry, she suddenly understood that the reason why she was so wilful and reckless was because she was always indulged by this person.

“Wherever Your Majesty go, this concubine will go too.” She put her hand on the back of his hand, “If this concubine told you the news before you go on this campaign, can you rest assured with this concubine staying in the palace alone?”

“No, Zhen will take you along.” Emperor Sheng Yuan was even more helpless, and said in a sullen voice, “But this doesn’t mean that you can hide the news. No matter what happens, you should make it clear to Zhen.”

“This concubine will not dare anymore.” Guan Suyi immediately softened. The border pass was cold and the war was raging, but with this person by her side, she could endure anything. Her father wandered for half his life, didn’t her mother also come with him?

Emperor Sheng Yuan let out another long sigh, but a warm current gradually filled his heart. Without complete trust, and if she was not prepared to live and die together with him, how could Madam follow him to the border and suffer, knowing that she was pregnant? In any case, he could not betray Madam’s trust and must send her and the child back to Yanjing safely.

The war was about to break out. Because Xue Rebellion had been planning this for a long time and took advantage of the terrain, the two sides came to a stalemate as soon as the war began. Guan Suyi’s belly was getting bigger and bigger, and she had been transferred from the military camp to a town behind the front line, and was taken care of by the grand princess herself. A few months later, the two sides finally entered a decisive battle, and Guan Suyi also gave birth to a baby girl at this time.

The grand princess was a little disappointed, but she didn’t say anything, and just arranged a carriage overnight to secretly send the mother and daughter back.

“Your Highness not worried that the Empress Dowager will tear us to shreds? Although I gave birth to a daughter, I have also proved that the emperor can have children. She finally won over the courtiers in the past, where willing to settle.” Guan Suyi hugged the child, her face full of resistance.

“Don’t worry about the Empress Dowager, it’s just an old hag, just send troops to surround Changle Palace. With the support of This Palace’s military force, who would dare to move you? You just need to remember one thing, you gave birth to a son and not a daughter.” The grand princess said with her eyes closed.

“What?” Guan Suyi was stunned, and after thinking for a while, she came to her senses, “Do you want the civet cat to change the prince?”

“No, just let the little princess disguise as a man and inherit the throne in the future. This Palace will assist her, and the emperor has arranged four regent ministers to take care of the order. Your father is now a big official in the border, which is enough to intimidate people. You can be at ease to become the Empress Dowager.”

Regent ministers, Empress Dowager? Guan Suyi’s heartbeat was getting faster and faster, and for a while, all the chaotic thoughts, all the fragmented memories gushed out, condensed and shattered in front of her eyes. The thrill of their first meeting, the eagerness of their first kiss, the tranquility of their first walking hand in hand. There was a misunderstanding between them, but they were finally replaced by the beauty of relying on each other. But now, this person seems to have arranged his own funeral and handed her over to someone else. How could he?

“I’m going back!” she said firmly.

“This victory or defeat is only in fifty-fifty. If you go back to Yanjing with This Palace now, you can still get a good ending. If you turn around, the end may be very miserable.” The grand princess opened her eyes and looked at her, “Don’t you believe in This Palace? Once This Palace promises to assist the little princess then This Palace will never back out.”

“Except for His Majesty, I don’t trust anyone.” Guan Suyi said bluntly, “His Majesty cannot bear to bury me and my child in the border, only wish we could live in peace. Similarly, I also hope that he is safe and sound. He is not only the monarch of Wei, but also my husband and the father of my child. Even if death is approaching, we will not abandon him. Our family of three will be together forever. This is what I promised him.”

She said firmly, “Grand princess still has an army in your hands, right? Instead of protecting me and my child, it’s better to go to the battlefield to help. When you reach the front line and meet His Majesty, tell him that I and my child will going anywhere, but we will wait in Lucheng. If he wins, we will be reunited; if he fails, we will be buried with him, and let him weight the matter himself.” She then slapped the little table hard, and said angrily, “Coachman, turn around. Let’s go back to Lucheng!”

The little princess, who was sleeping soundly, was startled by her mother, and suddenly burst into tears, but Guan Suyi did not coax her, just stared at the grand princess, “Your Highness, the child is crying, she is so young, how can you bear to let her take on the burdens that should not belong to her. She needs her mother, but she also needs her father! Only her father can keep her worry-free in her life.”

The grand princess let out a long breath and sighed, “Alright, it seems This Palace is not wrong about you! Soldiers outside listen to the order, immediately reinforce the emperor!”

The loud horn sounded into the sky, making the little princess cry more and more miserably, but Guan Suyi smiled at ease, and then picked up her daughter and coaxed gently.

Emperor Sheng Yuan, who had already suffered defeat after defeat, suddenly saw a line of iron cavalry rushing from the high hill, and thought he was ambushed by the enemy, but when he looked closely, it was the grand princess. Horrified in his heart, he swung his halberd and rushed over, said angrily, “Why are you here? What about Suyi and the child?”

“Your Majesty, you underestimated Guan Ronghua.” The grand princess shouted while killing the enemy, “She asked me to tell you that if you win, your family of three will be reunited in Lucheng; if you lose, she and the little princess will be buried with you, and let you weight the matter yourself.”

These words ere equivalent to pull out the firewood from the bottom of the kettle, completely cutting off Emperor Sheng Yuan’s retreat. He understood that now he could only win and not lose, because his two most important people were still waiting nearby. After being stunned, he spat out a mouthful of blood and scolded fiercely, “Damn woman, it’s all Zhen’s fault for spoiling her, at this time still can’t be serious!”

“You scold, but why are you laughing?” The grand princess snorted and cut off an enemy’s head.

“Zhen is happy, what do you care?” Emperor Sheng Yuan waved his halberd to kill the enemy commander. He was now full of endless power, because he had a partner who would live and die together with him, and had a continuation of the bloodline.

—-

In the spring of the following year, Emperor Sheng Yuan’s injuries gradually improved, and he led the army back to the capital. Xue Mingrui was shot with an arrow by him, and now his life and death were uncertain, if Xue Mingrue wanted to recover his vitality, he would not be able to do it in three to five years. Wei Kingdom could seize this moment to recover, and when the next battle came, maybe they could already unify the rivers and mountains.

The little princess, Huo Gantang, was very strong, sitting on her father’s belly, she was babbling something. Emperor Sheng Yuan held her small waist with one hand and a letter in the other, glanced at it hastily, and then showed a mocking expression.

“What’s wrong?” Guan Suyi picked up a piece of cake, took a bite for herself, fed it to her daughter, and finally stuffed the rest into the emperor’s mouth.

“There’s a lot of trouble in the capital, and after we’re going back, there will be a lot of mess that need to be cleaned up.” Emperor Sheng Yuan said vaguely.

Guan Suyi leaned over to take a look, her eyebrows could not help but wrinkle. In the past year and a half, Yanjing was really lively. First, the sixth imperial grandson was infected with smallpox and died suddenly. Later, a palace maid accused a concubine of poisoning; the concubine committed suicide that very night, and the dead could not testify. Originally thinking this was over, later several imperial grandsons were also infected with smallpox and died one after another. Because of this the Empress Dowager became seriously ill, and the Empress, Shen Jieyu, and Pan Jieyu fought in full swing. The court was also not stable, one impeached the empress for not doing her best to protect her son and she should be abolished; one impeached Shen Jieyu for plotting to kill the emperor’s heir and she should be punished with death; and Pan Jieyu had a dispute with the empress, slashed the other person’s arm with a knife, and had been placed under house arrest in the palace…

In just one and a half year, all kinds of bulls, ghosts, snakes and gods have appeared. Were it not for the emperor had a million army in his hands and won a big victory, and General Zhao who was in charge of the defense of the capital city and also his hard-core confidant, and Jinyiwei which pervasively controlled, Yanjing City might have long since turned into a pot of porridge.

“The three imperial grandsons are all dead, and the remaining few are still detained in the Imperial manor and not allowed to go out. This is a mess…” Guan Suyi shook her head and whispered, “Your Majesty, you didn’t interfere, did you?”

“Zhen is so focused on the war, how can still care about them?” Emperor Sheng Yuan held Madam’s fingertips and sighed, “It’s just that people’s hearts are not enough, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. These things were all caused by Shen Jieyu, she first killed the sixth imperial grandson, then disclosed false news to the eldest prince consort in order to make her retaliate, the other person used the same method to kill the imperial grandson adopted by Pan Jieyu, and Pan Jieyu had a violent temper. Gradually it become a life and death struggle. Zhen also didn’t expect the situation to develop like this”

The two shook their heads and sighed, and finally picked up their daughter and kissed each other.

The emperor’s triumph was supposed to be a great event, but everyone in the harem had an expression of facing impending disaster. Xu Yayan had been rejected by the Empress Dowager because of her ineffectiveness in protecting the sixth imperial grandson. Her brother’s case of digging the river and causing death was brought up again and handed over to Jinyiwei for trial. Just one day in jail, he confessed everything, and also implicated Xu Guangzhi. Pan Jieyu had been sent to the cold palace for investigation, Shen Jieyu‘s suspicion of poisoning the emperor’s heir had yet not been cleared, the Empress Dowager was seriously ill and couldn’t get out of bed, and several prince consorts had completely tear each other faces and moved out of the palace one after another.

When Guan Suyi stepped into the Changle Palace with her child in her arms, all she saw were haggard, frightened, or crazy faces.

“You, you gave birth to this child? It’s the emperor’s seed?” The Empress Dowager spoke incoherently.

“Look at what you said, if it’s not the emperor’s seed, can this concubine still stand here alive?” Guan Suyi covered her mouth and chuckled.

The Empress and Shen Jieyu were stunned for a long time, and at the end, one suddenly realized and the other withered on the ground. Where is the emperor an evil spirit, where is he cannot have children? He’s clearly fine! When the two of them were about to vomit blood, Emperor Sheng Yuan, who had finished the court, strode in, first tucked in the messy hair behind Guan Suyi’s ear, then picked up the little princess and threw her to the air, and the child’s joyful laughter suddenly sounded in the silent palace.

A trace of blood slowly oozes out of the corner of the Empress Dowager’s mouth, and she asked angrily, “You, when did you break through your inner demon?”

“When Zhen met Suyi, the inner demon was completely destroyed.” Emperor Sheng Yuan took his wife and daughter into his arms and said word by word, “You can live in this Changle Palace if you like, Zhen have already recovered mother’s bones, you will recite the scriptures for her every day to atone your sins. If you are honest and obedient, you can still take care of the remaining nephews, otherwise it will be hard to say.”

He didn’t even look at the pale Xu Yayan and Shen Jieyu, holding his daughter in one hand and his wife in the other he strode out, the family of three blended into the golden sunlight and slowly disappeared. The Empress Dowager’s red eyes were bulging out and she finally fainted.

The next month, the Empress was abolished, the Xu family fell apart, and Xu Guangzhi and his son were exiled for 3,000 miles, they were not pardoned. The evidence that Shen Jieyu plotted to kill the emperor’s heir was conclusive, she was given a strip of white silk to kill herself, and Pan Jieyu continued to be detained in the cold palace. Guan Ronghua was given the title Zhaoyi for her giving birth merit. Three years later, she gave birth to the emperor’s eldest son and became the Empress.

Emperor Sheng Yuan recruited talents from all over the world to join building the prosperous world. After a series of effective reforms, he finally brought the devastated Wei Kingdom back to life.

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TN: IT’S FINISH!!

Let me tell you my thought about this novel. Guan Suyi is the reason I picked up this novel, who doesn’t like strong and smart FL, and when I said smart, the author can really back it up with evidences, because let face it, sometime we read a story with “smart” FL and we ask, where?! And Hunnar is such a controversial ML isn’t he?! But I like him, probably not so much his character but more his characterization if that make sense. Not many ML give away the FL with his own hand, which I think it’s the author’s some kind of morbid sense of humor, and I find it HILARIOUS! I was hesitant picking up this project because as you can tell, this novel contains heavy subjects, like who am I, I don’t even speak Chinese and I want to translate things that was written more than 2000 years ago LOL!! But among the novel I read last year this one is the most memorable, the plot, the pacing, the reasoning is perfect in my opinion and I want to share it with everyone. My translation is far from perfect, but I hope you still enjoy it.

I still haven’t pick up my next project, I read a lot of interesting novels but not interesting enough for me spend effort translating it, so I still searching. Please give me recommendation, but just be aware I can’t guarantee I’ll pick it up because I’m really really picky.

See you in my next translation project. Hope it’s soon.