How could my childhood sweetheart be the current empress?

Hearing his words, Tongxin felt warm in her heart, and she continued to say to Xu Chengling:

"Master, New Year's Eve is in two days. By then, Tong'er won't be able to serve you like this, so today, Tong'er wants to give you a surprise."

Tongxin explained the whole story to him clearly. It was for this reason that she planned to give Xu Chengling a surprise.

However, he didn't seem to like this surprise very much.

At this time Xu Chengling also figured out why Tong Xin dressed like that and behaved in a way that was completely inconsistent with her personality. It turned out that all of this was just to give him a surprise.

He couldn't help but hold Tong Xin tightly in his arms and said to her:

"Tong'er, I already understand your feelings. You don't have to dress up like this to please me. For me, as long as you can stay by my side and be happy, it will be the best surprise."

"Lord……"

Tongxin buried her head in Xu Chengling's arms, listening to his caring whispers. She was so moved that her eyes became red.

"Master, Tong'er promises you that from now on, Tong'er will always be with you in your life, forever and ever... until forever."

Tongxin's eyes were red as she assured Xu Chengling.

Then, she stretched out her two small hands, skillfully untied Xu Chengling's belt, and said to him:

"Let Tong'er serve you tonight as well."

It is said that the beautiful woman plays the flute with three-quarters of her affection, and the talented man cuts half of his shirt open.

Chapter 126: Separatist Rule by the Princes (Part 5)

Inside the palace.

At this time, there are still two days until New Year's Eve.

But if we count New Year’s Eve, there is actually only one day left.

Today, the eunuchs and maids in the palace were busy climbing up ladders and hanging rows of red lanterns.

The entire capital city is making intensive preparations for this New Year's Eve, and His Majesty also attaches great importance to it.

New Year's Eve is the last day of every year and represents a new year for the wild geese.

In the new year, even the current emperor may not know where the wild geese will go.

The challenges that the geese will face next year will be even more severe than this year.

Because the empress delegated power when she ascended the throne, although the princes in various places were restrained, their power also became stronger, which had already posed a subtle threat to the imperial power.

The second problem is famine in various places. Countless victims were displaced. This problem has troubled Dayan for more than two hundred years. The efforts of several generations of emperors have not been able to improve this problem.

In addition, border threats are increasing, and surrounding countries are eyeing Dayan's territory.

Once a fight breaks out among the geese, the surrounding countries will naturally not let go of this opportunity and will also take a big bite of the fat meat of the geese.

It can be said that it is most appropriate to describe today's wild geese as facing internal and external troubles.

As the supreme leader of Dayan, every decision the empress makes will determine the fate of tens or even hundreds of thousands of people.

Just as Xu Chengling said at the beginning, a person can make mistakes, but a king cannot make mistakes.

Every mistake a king makes will cost thousands or tens of thousands of lives to make up for it.

Just when everyone was busy preparing for New Year's Eve two days later, inside the palace.

Today is a very special day.

On this day, the princes who had ruled other places outside the palace returned to the palace one after another.

Most of these princes were brothers of the late emperor, and there were a few familiar figures among them.

At this time, a group of officials set out from the Noon Gate and walked towards the West Heaven Gate. On the way, they paid homage until they arrived at the altar.

In front of everyone, there was a hundred-meter-long staircase with an avenue in the middle carved with exquisite reliefs, extending from the bottom to the top of the stairs.

And right above the stairs is the altar.

Today is the day to worship ancestors, which is the top priority of the Dayan Dynasty. Even those vassal kings who are separatist outside the palace must return to the palace to offer sacrifices today.

The last time we offered sacrifices to our ancestors was three years ago, when the late emperor was still alive and it was he who performed the sacrifices.

This year, the new emperor will be responsible for ancestor worship.

At the front of the team, a dozen men in python robes stood in a row, each with a different expression.

Among them were Prince Jing and Prince Xian. Prince Jing was the third oldest and Prince Xian was the eighth. These princes controlled most of Dayan's military power and had their own territories.

In the past few years, the empress has been frantically expanding the army. In fact, she is guarding against these separatist princes and preventing them from rebelling at any time.

At this time, a middle-aged man in a python robe came over from the crowd, patted Lao Ba on the shoulder, and greeted him enthusiastically:

"Old Eight, I haven't seen you for many years. I didn't expect you to still be the same."

"Haha, Fourth Prince is joking. You are the same."

The two princes chatted like brothers who had not seen each other for many years.

"Old Eight, you clearly have your own territory outside, so why did you come back to the capital? You've made it so difficult for us brothers to see you."

The fourth brother patted the eighth brother's shoulder and couldn't help but smile, but there was clearly no smile in his eyes.

"I'm not used to living in other places. I feel more comfortable living in the capital. But you, fourth brother, don't stay in your own territory and run around everywhere. You should pay more attention to your health."

"Haha, Old Eight is still the same as always. He is the closest to the eldest brother among us brothers."

The person who spoke was Lao Liu, a pale and thin man who looked like he had indulged in excessive sexual activities.

As for the eldest prince he mentioned, he was naturally the late emperor of Dayan.

"You, the Sixth Brother, why are you back? Why don't you come and chat with your Third Brother?"

At this time, a burly bearded man came over and patted the sixth brother's shoulder with his hand as big as a casserole. It was Prince Jing.

I don’t know if he intentionally failed to control the strength, but those hits on the shoulders almost made Lao Liu vomit blood on the spot.

Just as the princes were having a friendly exchange, a voice suddenly rang out.

"The Empress is here!"

Under the gaze of hundreds of civil and military officials and more than a dozen princes, a stunningly beautiful woman in black sacrificial robes appeared before everyone. She walked expressionlessly on the road in the middle of the stairs, exuding the majesty of an emperor.

Yan Qiaoling walked forward, wearing a solemn black robe, and her whole temperament had changed significantly.

Under the gaze of all the ministers, she slowly walked across the sloped road carved with exquisite reliefs, followed by her two maids Xia Chan and Xue Yuan, and walked towards the altar.

The ministers bowed and paid homage to the empress on both sides of the road below. The slope leading to the altar was neither long nor short.

It’s no problem to walk there once, but if you walk back and forth several times, you will definitely be exhausted.

At this time, Yan Qiaoling walked to the altar, her red lips slightly parted, breathing heavily, and she thought to herself:

Which bastard built the stairs so long that I have to walk back and forth several times when I worship my ancestors. Do you want to tire me to death?

At this moment, Yan Qiaoling just wanted to drag out and behead the craftsman who designed this staircase.

But she had to maintain the composure of an empress. She turned around and looked up with proud eyes at the people below who were bowing to her.

At this moment, she was like a king who looked down upon the world, dominating the world and being the only one who was supreme.

Under the guidance of the officials in charge of sacrifices, Yan Qiaoling performed the ancestor worship activities on behalf of her sister.

Two attendants stood in front of her, one holding a golden basin and the other kneeling with a towel, asking her to wash her hands in the golden basin.

After washing her hands on the golden plate, Yan Qiaoling looked at the three-story altar in front of her and felt a little stunned.

It is said that each ancestor worship ceremony takes an hour.

She finally understood why her sister had a sly smile on her face as she watched her go to the place to worship ancestors.

It turns out that being an emperor is a physical job!

……

After the ancestor worship was over, Yan Qiaoling returned to her bedroom and was so tired that she could not lift a finger.

She took off the black robe, which still smelled of her sweat, and lay down on the bed, not wanting to move at all.

Yan Qiaoling recalled the scene of ancestor worship in her mind and murmured:

"Are those the vassal kings that my sister mentioned? They hold military power and own fiefdoms. If I don't get rid of them, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on to my position as empress."

At this time, Yan Qiaoling already had the idea of ​​getting rid of these vassal kings in her mind.

However, these princes all have their own military power and territories, and their generals are not under orders when they are away from home. How can she get rid of these princes who may threaten the imperial power at any time?

If it was Xu Chengling, would he have a solution?

Chapter 127 How Steel Was Tempered

Even at night, the capital city is as lively as ever.

One more day and the wild geese will be done for the year.

At this time, the streets of the capital were decorated with lights and there was a constant stream of people coming and going.

Little children with pigtails walked onto the streets carrying small red lanterns, wearing new clothes and playing and frolicking with other children.

Vendors from all walks of life have also taken up positions on the streets and started setting up stalls in preparation for tomorrow's New Year's Eve.

This is Dayan, this is the most prosperous and most unforgettable street in the world.

For the literati and poets of Dayan, climbing up the Yueyang Tower on New Year's Eve, reciting poems, composing couplets, and drinking wine is the best place to relax.

On the day before New Year's Eve, the capital city already had a hint of the festive atmosphere.

……

Inside the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

The Xiangguo Mansion is brightly lit tonight, with bright red lanterns hung and new couplets posted in every house.

On this day, the master went into the kitchen and made dumplings himself.

Because tomorrow is New Year's Eve, the servants in the Xiangguo Mansion have all asked for leave to go home. They will not come back until the next day after eating the New Year's Eve dinner.

Compared to usual days, the Prime Minister's Mansion may seem a little deserted and empty these two days.

However, some people did not leave and chose to stay in the Prime Minister's Mansion even on New Year's Eve.

At this time, Xu Chengling had steamed a basket of dumplings and sent it to Uncle Gu.

When we arrived at the stable, we saw a sturdy middle-aged man adding some rough grass into the trough. He then raised his sturdy arm wrapped in bandages and gently stroked the hair of the white horse in front of him.

Under Uncle Gu's careful care, the horses in the stable have all grown fat and strong, with shiny fur and very docile personalities.

"Uncle Gu, thank you for your hard work."

Xu Chengling came over with a basket of dumplings. The dumplings in the basket were still steaming, having just come out of the basket.

"Master, why are you here?"

Uncle Gu wiped his hands with his clothes, walked up to him and greeted him.

Xu Chengling opened the lid of the steamer, revealing dozens of steaming dumplings filled with fragrance.

"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. I steamed a basket of dumplings and brought them to you, Uncle Gu."

He smiled and put the dumplings in front of Uncle Gu.

"Master, how can I trouble you with this? I am a rough man, and I just need to eat some whole grains."

Uncle Gu couldn't afford it. He was a rough man and couldn't eat such good things.

"Uncle Gu, you are not the right person. You are also a member of the Xiangguo Mansion. My father has told me to treat you like a family member. Besides, I have already steamed it and brought it here. You can't ask me to take it back."

Xu Chengling shrugged and said, under his strong request, Uncle Gu had to agree.

"Then I will respectfully obey your command."

He picked up the chopsticks, picked up a few dumplings, and took a few bites. The dumplings were filled with meat and were large and filling.

Uncle Gu couldn't help but put down his chopsticks, as if he was recalling some past events.