After the rebirth, the queen took the Meiqiang tragedy script

Chapter 256 Majesty
The two chatted for the better part of an hour, discussing everything from political factions in the court to officials in various departments, from the war against the Northern Barbarians to the people of Qing County. Finally, Ye Qinghuai requested to meet Qi Liyi alone.

Qi Liyi had been waiting outside for ages, like an ant on a hot pan.

Lu Yanchen and the black-robed man of unknown origin closed the door and remained silent for an hour. During this time, the city defenses sent someone to report that they had observed the Yingzhou army arrayed outside the city, but Lu Yanchen could only issue a warning and dared not give any orders rashly.

Therefore, when Lu Yanchen pushed open the door and called him in, he immediately stood up and followed him in, almost as if he had seen a savior.

Only after the door closed behind him did he see the black-robed man's face clearly. To his surprise, he was a very young boy.

"Qi Liyi, are you willing to leave your hometown and follow General Lu to fight against foreign enemies?" Ye Qinghuai asked bluntly.

Although Qi Liyi didn't know Ye Qinghuai's identity, her imposing presence made him unconsciously lower his head. He hesitated for a moment, then knelt down and said, "This subordinate is willing!"

Ye Qinghuai nodded in satisfaction and said, "Raise your head and let me see clearly what the man General Lu described as the most courageous in the entire Qing County looks like."

Upon hearing this, Qi Liyi looked up at Ye Qinghuai, and then he suddenly realized that she had not referred to herself as "I" but as "朕" (Zhen, the imperial "I")!
His eyes widened, and he subconsciously looked at Lu Yanchen standing next to Ye Qinghuai.

Lu Yanchen nodded in response to his questioning gaze.

Qi Liyi immediately lowered his eyes and said, "This humble official greets Your Majesty!"

His mind went blank, and even his tongue seemed to be tied in knots.

Silence fell over the room. Qi Liyi heard Ye Qinghuai's voice coming from above him: "'Heaven is unkind, taking from the needy and giving to the rich. I hate the inequality between the rich and the poor, and now I will equalize it for you.' Can a man who can raise a knife and shout such words to charge into battle actually have a moment of fear?"

"This humble official knows his mistake and begs Your Majesty for punishment." He lowered his head further, but his neck remained ramrod straight.

"You know you're wrong, so will you admit it?" Ye Qinghuai's voice was cold and authoritative.

"Your Majesty, please forgive us. The people of Qing County are truly destitute. The county magistrate has concealed the famine and refused to open the granaries to provide relief to the people, even though they are full. We beg Your Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly and give the people of Qing County a way to survive!"

"The people of Qing County are innocent, but what about you? Qi Liyi, you are not a commoner. You are a ninth-rank official of the imperial court, wearing official robes and eating the emperor's rice. You should have known when you raised an army that this was a capital offense."

Ye Qinghuai's sudden anger surprised Lu Yanchen. He immediately bowed to Ye Qinghuai, wanting to plead for Qi Liyi.

But before he could speak, Ye Qinghuai raised her hand to stop him.

After a moment of silence in the room, Qi Liyi knelt on the ground with his head bowed and said, "This sinful subject has failed the Emperor's grace. I beg Your Majesty to punish me. Whether you kill me or torture me, I will have no complaints. But I have no regrets, and I would do the same again if I had to do it again."

Ye Qinghuai looked at him, her anger and authority vanishing in an instant. A satisfied smile appeared on her lips as she said, "Indeed, you are the most courageous man in the entire Qing County. Since you have confessed your crime, but it does not warrant death, I will punish you by making you enlist in the army to fight against the Western Rong."

Qi Liyi suddenly raised his head and looked at Ye Qinghuai. He was stunned for a moment before kowtowing heavily to the ground and expressing his gratitude.

"Get up. Remember to think twice before you act in the future. Some things are beyond your control. Do you know that General Lu even gave up his official hat to protect you this time?" Ye Qinghuai said.

Qi Liyi had just stood up when he heard Ye Qinghuai's words, and his expression immediately became flustered, wanting to defend Lu Yanchen. Ye Qinghuai, however, smiled lightly and interrupted him: "Of course, I did not agree."

Qi Liyi breathed a sigh of relief, then bowed deeply to Lu Yanchen: "General, I have no way to repay your great kindness. I am willing to follow you by your side for the rest of my life, to repay your kindness with kindness, and to serve you with loyalty and dedication."

Seeing this, Ye Qinghuai lowered his eyes, a look of relief flashing across them.

"There are too many people here, and it is inconvenient for me to appear in public. I will have Yuan Renting read this imperial edict aloud in front of both armies as an imperial envoy. After the edict is read, I will return to the capital overnight to prevent any unrest in the capital."

Ye Qinghuai looked up at Lu Yanchen, opened her mouth, but paused for a moment, as if she had a thousand words to say, but in the end she only said one sentence: "Sir, I am waiting for your good news in the capital."

Lu Yanchen looked at her, his dark eyes brightening, and then clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general will certainly not fail in his mission. Your Majesty... I also urge Your Majesty to take care of yourself and not to overwork yourself on state affairs, lest you harm your health."

Ye Qinghuai was taken aback. She seemed somewhat surprised, never expecting that her usually stern and taciturn tutor would one day start nagging her about her daily life like Aunt Fanghua.

She smiled and said, “Sir, I am in the prime of my life and not yet at the age to worry about my health. With the current turmoil in the court, I dare not slacken my efforts. It will not be too late to rest when the world is at peace and the four seas are at peace. Sir, you once taught me that all things in the world are hard-won, and I have deeply remembered that. I ask that you encourage me to keep this in mind.”

The young emperor's eyes sparkled with the light of stars, a gaze unique to youth—clear, bright, and full of hope, as if it could illuminate the murky world.
-
On the 20th day of the second month of the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Suihe, Yuan Renting, a bodyguard of the emperor, stood on the city wall of Qing County and read out the imperial edict bestowing a title upon Lu Yanchen in front of the soldiers and civilians of Yingzhou and Qing County.

This imperial edict was completely unexpected by Deng Shangyuan. He had been willing to let Yuan Renting and his party into the city because, in his view, the emperor issuing an edict to Lu Yanchen at this time was most likely to order Lu Yanchen to leave Qing County and not get involved in this matter.

In this way, Lu Yanchen was saved, and the task of suppressing the rebellion by the state army was made simpler.

He never expected that the emperor would go to such lengths to send a messenger to the front lines, only to convey a message that was not directly related to the current battle.

But this seemingly unrelated imperial edict has put him in a difficult position, leaving him with no way out.

The man he had so ostentatiously campaigned against has now risen to the rank of a first-grade general, on par with him, and even has the authority to mobilize his state army.

This rendered all his claims and plans for encirclement and suppression baseless.

Ye Qinghuai's imperial edict was undoubtedly a trap for him.

Deng Shangyuan immediately sent another message by carrier pigeon to the capital.

The next day, Chen Yuansi, who was resting at his residence because the emperor was on holiday, unusually kept his doors closed all day and declined all visits.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the rosewood window frames, reflecting in his calm and aloof eyes.

The nearly seventy-year-old Grand Secretary's gaze fell on two letters sent by carrier pigeon on his desk, as if he were pondering or waiting.

I was too busy with work before, but now that things are more stable, I'll try to update more often~