Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2389 The Royal Court's Envoy Arrives, and the Re-establishment of the Dynasty

As dawn breaks, dappled light and shadows are cast into the interior of Yongshou Palace through its exquisite window lattices.

Wang Yu awoke from his deep sleep, the warm, soft touch of her body still lingering in his arms.

He turned his head slightly, and to his left was Cai Yan, still fast asleep, her hair disheveled, her sleeping face serene, with a languid air of contentment.

On the right, Li Qingzhao was facing away from him, her slender body outlined in a thin silhouette under the brocade quilt.

Wang Yu gently pulled his arm away from Cai Yan's pillow, but the slow movement still startled her.

Cai Yan's eyelashes fluttered as she slowly woke up. Seeing Wang Yu looking at her, a gentle smile immediately appeared on her face, and she said in a hoarse voice, "Your Majesty woke up very early."

"Hmm," Wang Yu responded, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Li Qingzhao on the other side.

Cai Yan understood, and looked at Li Qingzhao's retreating figure, softly calling out, "Lady Li?"

Li Qingzhao's shoulders trembled slightly before she slowly turned around.

She lowered her eyelids, not daring to look directly at Wang Yu, as this was her first time receiving the emperor's favor. Her face showed a hint of weariness as she responded softly, "Your Majesty, Your Highness."

The palace servants were already waiting outside the hall. Hearing the commotion, they quietly entered to help the emperor wash and change his clothes.

During breakfast, Wang Yu sat in the main seat, while Cai Yan served dishes and chatted, trying to liven up the atmosphere. Li Qingzhao, on the other hand, sat quietly at the lower seat, taking small bites of the food in front of her, like a delicate doll.

Wang Yu put down his silver chopsticks, looked at Li Qingzhao, and broke the silence: "Lady Li."

Li Qingzhao immediately put down her utensils and bowed respectfully, saying, "I am here."

"The Empress Dowager has high hopes for you in compiling the Yuanshi Dadian. You should assist her well and not let her down."

"I understand, Your Majesty. I will do my utmost to assist you," Li Qingzhao replied softly.

"Hmm." Wang Yu said no more. He took the handkerchief handed to him by a palace maid, wiped his hands, and stood up, saying, "I'm going to court."

Cai Yan quickly rose to see him off, saying, "Your Majesty, I respectfully see you off."

Only after Wang Yu left did the atmosphere in Yongshou Palace seem to relax.

Cai Yan walked to Li Qingzhao's side, looked at her still pale face, sighed softly, took her hand, and felt its icy coldness.

“Sister, there’s no need to be so restrained and fearful,” Cai Yan said gently.

"Now that you're in the palace, you're like family. His Majesty is a wise ruler. As long as you behave yourself and do your job well, he won't treat you badly. Compiling the Great Codex is an elegant affair, which is a good opportunity for you to use your talents. It's much better than wasting your time at the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, isn't it?"

Li Qingzhao raised her head, her expression incredibly complex. She forced a smile and said softly, "Thank you for your guidance and protection, Your Majesty. Qingzhao... understands."

Cai Yan patted her hand: "Good that you understand. Let's rest for today, calm down, and discuss the details of the book compilation together tomorrow."

She paused, then said softly, with a meaningful tone, "In this deep palace, living, and living a valuable life, is more important than anything else."

Li Qingzhao remained silent, only bowing deeply.

As for Wang Yu, after leaving Yongshou Palace, he went straight to Linde Hall. When he arrived, all the civil and military officials who had come to attend the morning court session were already there. Having just ended a major war that lasted about two and a half years, although there were many things to deal with, the major issues had already been discussed with the cabinet ministers, and all that remained was to implement them step by step.

Therefore, these past few days, the court has only been dealing with trivial matters.

Just as Wang Yu was preparing to speak his mind and then leave the court, Kuai Tong, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, stepped forward quickly, holding a leather letter of state sealed with gold lacquer.

Kuai Tong bowed and reported, “Your Majesty, the Northern Barbarian Golden Horde has sent an envoy with a letter of state, congratulating Your Majesty on the pacification of the Song Dynasty, and stating that... a grand ceremony will be held on an auspicious day three months from now to formally rebuild the dynasty. They cordially invite Your Majesty to send an envoy to attend the ceremony.”

Upon hearing this, a slight commotion and discussion arose in the previously quiet court. Many ministers showed surprise, contemplation, and even a hint of solemnity on their faces.

The Golden Horde, as the most important ally of the Han Dynasty in the northern grasslands, provided significant assistance to the Han Dynasty by sending troops to contain the powerful Tuoba tribe in the north during the Han Dynasty's campaigns against the Great Yan and the Song Dynasty, thanks to the liaison efforts of Imperial Concubine Helian Mingzhu.

Even in the next stage of the Han Dynasty's conquest, as long as the two powerful enemies, the Great Wu and the Tuoba tribe, remain standing, the Golden Horde, as an ally, will continue to be of paramount importance to the Han Dynasty.

However, the royal court and the imperial dynasty may seem to be just different names, but their political significance is completely different.

The term "royal court" is more like the name of a powerful tribal alliance, while the formal reconstruction of the dynasty signifies the birth of a more centralized, legitimate, and expansionist steppe regime.

This means that the landscape of the northern grasslands will undergo significant changes, and that the relationship between the Han Dynasty and this ally will enter a new phase that requires re-examination and redefinition.

"My brother-in-law really did choose a good time!" Wang Yu couldn't help but exclaim.

At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh that the north was really not peaceful enough. First, there was probably a big change on Nurhaci and Luandi's side, and now the Golden Horde was going to re-establish the dynasty. It was changing every day.

However, as he said, Helian Xuan did indeed choose a good time.

The once mighty Jin Dynasty dominated the entire grasslands. It was only through the combined efforts of seven other dynasties that it was brought down, causing the Jin Dynasty at its peak to disintegrate and the Northern Di to return to a state of division once again.

After all, if the Northern Barbarians were to truly unify into the entire dynasty, it would be far too terrifying for the seven great dynasties at the time.

However, after that battle, the seven dynasties spent several decades expending their strength.

Even though the Golden Horde has now absorbed more than 60% of the remnants of the Murong clan, it is still far inferior to the Great Jin Dynasty of yesteryear, and there is almost no comparison between them.

However, the Central Plains today is no longer comparable to the seven great dynasties of that time.

At that time, the Northern Di had experienced the war of unification and later reached its peak, but the seven great dynasties of that period were also in a relatively peak state.

Looking at the present, only the Great Wu and the Great Han, which has integrated the entire former Great Cang land, still look somewhat like it.

Of the remaining dynasties, the Great Wu had already perished, and although the Great Qian had nominally re-established a central court, the extent of its influence was a matter of opinion.

Moreover, in the south, the struggle between Zhu Yuanzhang and Xiao Ping'an was almost at its climax.

As for the Great Wei, it lacked a ruthless ruler, and the constant infighting among court factions dragged it down.

Moreover, after a period of recuperation and rebuilding, the powerful Li Tang dynasty had re-established contact with Yang Jian, and in the past two years, they launched the fierce War of the Division of Wei.

(End of this chapter)