The Ugly Empress

[T/N : Heey.. sorry again for the late update. Know what, I"ll just save my breath. LOL. Here you go!]

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Teng Yun felt that every day, he was more and more unable to read Xue Junliang, as his actions always contradicted Teng Yun"s first impression of him. The more Teng Yun thought he had Xue Junliang figured out, the more he would be surprised.

What did Xue Junliang"s intention in allowing Xue Houyang take Teng Shang along with him? Teng Yun always thought Xue Junliang didn"t want his brother to have a feeling towards a man, let alone a man who came from their enemy country. He shouldn"t want anyone seeing his younger brother as a joke.

Marquis Wannian, as a very influential n.o.bleman, people might think it was not so surprising if he indulged in having a male lover, but surely it would affect their opinion of Xue w.a.n.g. But Xue Junliang, not only he never blamed Xue Houyang, he even allowed Xue Houyang take Teng Shang with him.

When Chen Yi finally left the flower garden, Xue Junliang noted the Empress was still frowning. He seemed to know what the Empress was thinking about because he smiled and said, “What is it that makes my Empress frown like this?”

As he said that, Xue Junliang reached his hand out and rubbed the s.p.a.ce between Teng Yun"s eyebrows to smooth it.

Teng Yun dodged a little, but then was a bit shocked by his own reaction towards Xue Junliang"s touch. Instead of feeling panicked like he usually did, now he was already used to Xue Junliang"s various small touches. At first, he always felt disgusted, but nowadays he almost forgot to dodge. Since he started living in this Xue Country"s Imperial Palace, he"d changed so much.

Xue Junliang said, “Is it because of Teng Shang? You were thinking why I allow him to go with Xue Houyang?”

Teng Yun didn"t deny Xue Junliang"s guess, but it was confirmation enough.

Xue Junliang smiled and said, “I thought so. A usually calm and collected person like you frowning like that, it must be because of something related to Teng Shang.”

Teng Yun was a bit startled, “Your Majesty…”

Xue Junliang waved a hand as if it was no big deal and said, “If Teng Shang wasn"t Marquis Wannian"s wife; seeing how deep your concerns towards him, I would have already forced him to commit suicide a long time ago… But now, not only you harboring feelings for him, even Houyang does too. As Houyang"s brother, I don"t want Houyang loving another man, but I also know Houyang"s temperament; he is quite stubborn. I was hoping he would find a young lady he likes and then he would forget about his infatuation towards Teng Shang, but now I don"t think that would ever happen.”

Hearing this, Teng Yun could feel how Xue Junliang truly cared about Xue Houyang"s feelings.

Having a male lover was actually not so uncommon in this society, but was still considered as unseemly. When a king took in a male lover, people would judge the king as an incapable ruler; they would never dare saying bad things in public, instead they would ridicule the king in private and in the safety of their own homes. When a n.o.bleman took in a male lover, people would judge the n.o.bleman as treacherous; even if the n.o.bleman never did any crime in his life, he would be punished as if he was a traitor.

In other words, in this day and age, having a male lover was still something that the society would advise against.

Xue Junliang, as a king, could just prohibit something like this to happen, especially because it could damage his own reputation. But instead of considering what people might think, he was considering it from Xue Houyang"s perspective.

Teng Yun sighed. For the first time, he was thinking what would have happened if he was not from Teng Country. Maybe this king, who was so adamant in searching and recruiting talented people to his side, would seek out and give Teng Yun a position in the court where Teng Yun could help him manage the civil affairs. Or maybe, like Xue Houyang, Teng Yun would be stationed at the frontier and tasked to defend and protect the country.

Xue Junliang saw the Empress" expression turned cloudy so he asked, “What is it? Are you not feeling well? Should we call the royal physician?”

Teng Yun bit his lower lip and said, “Your Majesty, you don"t have to fuss over me this much.”

“Why? Why do you suddenly say so?” Xue Junliang said with a smile, “If I don"t fuss over you, who else should I fuss over? Or are you uncomfortable with my fussing over you? Afraid you"ll be moved?”

Teng Yun said, “To tell the truth, I really am moved, but it"s because of how you treat Marquis Wannian.”

Xue Junliang immediately said, “Then tell me how your beloved relatives treat you.”

Teng Yun was silent for a time, recalling his past, before saying, “Since I was born, I had never felt I had relatives who loved me… The only one who loves me sincerely; the one teaching me reading and writing, is not a family member, but a marquis who"d been granted the family"s surname. All my life, I"ve been wondering, how come my family members treat me so coldly, yet someone who is not family could treat me so kindly?”

Xue Junliang then asked lowly, “What about your younger brother?”

Teng Yun knew that Xue Junliang meant Feng w.a.n.g, the original Empress" younger brother from the same mother; but Teng Yun, too, had a younger brother from the same mother.

Just like Feng w.a.n.g who had tried to get his sister killed, Teng Yun"s younger brother, too, had tried to get Teng Yun killed but failed. Later, Teng Yun"s younger brother went to his va.s.sal territory where he built his own military power. Teng Yun remembered, that time he had just returned from war in the border and was immediately sent to subdue his younger brother"s rebellion.

Teng Yun didn"t say anything as answer, but Xue Junliang who had also grown up in the Imperial Palace, knew exactly what the Empress was thinking. Beside Xue Houyang, Xue Junliang had many other brothers. Those brothers, just like Xue Yu, all wanted him dead. Xue Junliang had to remove all of them so he could live well and happy.

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After the day he heard Chen Yi"s warnings, Xue Junliang changed all the guards around Yunfeng Palace and strengthened the protection in and around the Imperial Palace. Although he didn"t doubt the three He brothers" loyalty towards the Empress, they were still too reckless for his liking, so he didn"t stack all his bet entirely on them.

With only a few days of preparation, Xue Houyang and Teng Shang were ready to go. The refugees would not wait for long and Teng Xin had been mobilizing his soldiers for quite some time; they had to quickly go subdue the rebellion before it was too late.

Xue Junliang held a small farewell banquet at the Palace Gate and ordered Xue Houyang sat next to him. Teng Shang went to Yunfeng Palace"s gate. When Jiao Shui noticed him standing outside the gate, she led him in and to the main room where the Empress was.

Teng Yun didn"t expect Teng Shang would come to see him by himself. Perhaps Teng Shang was a bit doubtful about what Teng Yun had said the other day. Teng Yun had only said one sentence, not enough to explain anything, so Teng Shang must be coming to inquire about it.

Teng Yun allowed Teng Shang to take a seat and ordered Xiu Yao pour him tea.

“What brings Master Teng here?”

Because there were Xiu Yao, Jiao Shui and other palace maids in the room, Teng Shang could not plainly ask what he had in mind. Teng Shang paused for a second before finally saying, “I"ll be leaving soon, but before leaving, I decided to come here. I heard Your Majesty is very intelligent and clever; that time, we could successfully defeat Cheng Tian"s attack was all thanks to Your Majesty"s planning, so I wish to ask your guidance for the success of this task.”

Teng Yun nodded and gestured for Teng Shang to continue.

Teng Shang said, “Teng Xin"s soldiers are very brave and strong. If they have the Imperial Palace surrounded, what should we do to break their siege?”

Teng Yun"s eyes brightened as he smiled, “Use small troops to launch small attacks and throw the enemy into a disorder.”

Teng Shang said again, “There are too many refugees. Setting food relief centers would be costly and time consuming. Do we really have to set them?”

Teng Yun said, “When your stomach is full, you don"t know to feel thankful. If you never suffer hardship, you will never know the value of one sip of water. Giving the refugees food is only to make them feel grateful, then you can organize them to do farming. This way, they can produce their own food. The soldiers stationed at the borders don"t have be worried their army provisions have to be cut down to provide for the refugees.”

As Teng Shang listened to the explanation, tears threatened to gather in his eyes. He lowered his head to hide his eyes, pretending as if he was taking in Teng Yun"s explanation. Then he whispered, “Good job.. for keeping that lesson in mind, not a word was incorrect.”

Teng Yun"s hands clenched into fists under his sleeves. These methods were all taught to him by Teng Shang and Teng Yun never forgot them. Teng Yun could see Teng Shang was testing him, to see if Teng Yun would recite those lesson he taught.

“Master Teng, when you arrive at the border, please don"t forget to take care of yourself…”

Teng Shang nodded. Without saying any more words, he stood and left.

As Teng Shang came back from Yunfeng Palace, Xue Junliang had just finished bidding farewell to Xue Houyang. Teng Shang and Xue Houyang then led the soldiers out of the Palace and left for the border.

Xue Junliang knew Teng Shang had been to Yunfeng Palace, but he wasn"t worried. He had Jiao Shui there who would report everything to him.

Before long, Jiao Shui found an excuse to come to Xue w.a.n.g"s residence to report. She said, “Teng Shang said, ‘Good job.. for keeping that lesson in mind, not a word was incorrect.‘ This servant thinks this sentence is a bit suspicious.”

Xue Junliang was slowly knocking on the table with one index finger. His expression revealed nothing, but inside he was speculating that the Empress must have known Teng Shang for a long time and that the two had been very close.

Jiao Shui said, “Having been attending the Empress these few days, this servant feels that the Empress is somewhat.. somewhat strange. Her Majesty doesn"t like being served by anyone, also doesn"t like dressing up and putting on make up. In her free time, Her Majesty often reads military books. When the Crown Prince comes visit, she would teach the Crown Prince martial art and archery. This servant thinks that the Empress is more like a soldier. How come a Grand Princess from Feng Country capable of martial art…”

Before she could finish her speculation, Xue w.a.n.g said lightly, “Jiao Shui, Gu orders you to pay attention to the Empress" every move, not to question the Empress" every move. If you"re the one doing the thinking, should this king follow your thinking?”

Xue w.a.n.g didn"t sound angry but Jiao Shui"s heart turned cold. Realizing she had come on too strong, Jiao Shui quickly knelt on the ground and plead, “This servant is loyal, doesn"t dare dictating Your Majesty. Your Majesty, please spare this servant"s life.”

Xue Junliang"s index finger was still steadily knocking on the table. He was leaning back in his chair; legs crossed casually, the jade-beads strings on his crown swayed gently and the golden threads on his official attire were reflecting the light.

Jiao Shui chanced a single glance up at Xue w.a.n.g and her heart was trembling. Jiao Shui had been living inside Teng Country"s Imperial Palace since she was very young. Later, because of her cleverness, she was appointed to serve the Eldest Princess, Teng Qianyi. It could be said, she had seen and experienced many things in this life, had seen many handsome and beautiful royal members and n.o.blemen. But she had never seen anyone whose stature and presence were as majestic as Xue w.a.n.g"s.

Xue w.a.n.g could remind someone of their place, yet still sounding amiable and friendly. The more she found Xue w.a.n.g unpredictable, she became even more captivated.

After the human-shaped puppets incident, Xue w.a.n.g had promised he would consider promoting her to be a consort. Therefore, Jiao Shui had thought she would do Xue w.a.n.g a favor by reporting the Empress" suspicious behaviors.

Who knew that her tactic only displeased Xue w.a.n.g.

Xue Junliang said, “You don"t have to go back to Yunfeng Palace. Jiang Yu will give you a pa.s.s, and you can go to Zhuxiu Palace and join the final Selection.”

“Your… Your Majesty,” Jiao Shui looked up sharply, feeling so happy she almost forgot her manners. She immediately said, “Thank you for Your Majesty"s grace!”

Xue Junliang waved a hand, signaling she could go.

If it was Xue Junliang from a few months ago, he would immediately and gladly take Jiao Shui into his harem. Jiao Shui was clever and her appearance was not bad. More importantly, Jiao Shui knew when she was allowed to say her mind and when she had to be obedient. As a king, Xue Junliang thought he should like this kind of woman who knew how to please him.

Instead, he thought he must be sick for liking a woman who, not only was cold and indifferent, didn"t know how to please him. This woman also could not cook, could not do embroidery and could not play music and dance.

Perhaps he was used to and bored by all those warm and welcoming women in his harem, and then there was this one wife knowledgeable in military strategies and the art of war, appearing so suddenly like a breathe of fresh air.

At least, that was the only explanation he could come up with. Otherwise, how come the more suspicious he found her, the more eager he was to be with her?

On the table in front of Xue Junliang, there was bundled doc.u.ment. The doc.u.ment was compiled by Jiang Yu. Since Xue Junliang ordered Zhao Lu to investigate everything about Feng Country"s Grand Princess, Zhao Lu had been sending many letters reporting his findings. Fearing the letters could reveal Zhao Lu"s ident.i.ty, Jiang Yu copied the content into one doc.u.ment, then burned the letters.

The content in the doc.u.ment was very detailed, probably because of the close relationship between Zhao Lu and Feng w.a.n.g.

Xue Junliang glanced at the doc.u.ment on the table and laughed. The Empress had talked about her past several times and Xue Junliang didn"t think she was telling false stories. He could feel that her feelings about her past were all genuine; her stories matched with what he had experienced himself while growing up in an Imperial Palace.

Yet, according to the doc.u.ment on the table, no one of those stories had ever happened…

Xue Junliang randomly jump-read from pages to pages, as if he was bored by the doc.u.ment. But the expression on his face made Jiang Yu shivered in apprehension.

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When Xue Houyang and Teng Shang arrived at the border, Teng Shang suggested splitting the soldiers into small troops and using these small troops to attack Teng Xin"s soldiers to confuse him. By splitting the soldiers, they could throw the enemy"s attention off the arrival of the larger troops, prevent the chances they had to fight right after they traveled long distances and also free the Imperial Palace from under the siege at the same time.

Teng Xin was suspicious by nature. He"d been attacked over and over again, of course he started to feel afraid. Each attack was carried out by small troops, didn"t merit mobilizing all of his troops. And without knowing how big and strong this opponent was, he didn"t dare attacking recklessly.

Meanwhile, Xue Houyang"s soldiers had all arrived at Teng Country territory. He split his soldiers again into three parts. Teng Shang would lead two parts of the troops, each to ambush one corner of the Imperial Palace to break Teng Xin"s siege.

Xue Houyang would lead one part of the troops to Teng Xin"s va.s.sal territory.

This va.s.sal territory was the heart of Teng Xin"s rebel army. If this land could be taken over, Teng Xin"s army could not continue to fight because they had no other source of food.

Teng Xin didn"t know that Xue Junliang would send his soldiers to help Teng Country, which was still Xue Country"s enemy. Also, he never would have guessed he was fighting against Xue Houyang and Teng Shang.

Teng Xin"s army surrounded the Imperial Palace. His army was disordered and inexperienced in the first place, so when Xue Houyang"s two troops attacked them, many of the soldiers chose to flee and abandon the fight. At this time, Teng Xin received a news that his va.s.sal territory had fallen. Apparently Xue Houyang offered a great sum of money to bribe the gatekeeper. When Xue Country"s soldiers arrived, the gate was wide open as if the territory had no owner, and Xue Houyang had quickly taken over.

Because the heart of their rebel army had fallen, Teng Xin"s remaining soldiers was disheartened as if they had already utterly defeated. Teng Shang easily subdued the rebel army and captured Teng Xin and his generals alive.

Inside the Imperial Palace, Teng w.a.n.g had guessed Xue w.a.n.g would send troops to help him, but he never expected Xue w.a.n.g would send his own former minister, Teng Shang.

When Teng Shang entered the Imperial City, the common people were still shaken; the city had been under siege for more than half a month. Fortunately, there was enough food inside the city, otherwise the city would have long become a graveyard.

When Teng Shang rode through the street, someone recognized him. The man immediately knelt on the ground shouting, “It"s Minister Shang! Minister Shang has returned to save us all!”

The man"s shout was echoed by the other, then another. The city, which had been bleak and joyless a moment ago, was immediately filled with shouts loud enough to shake the sky. Even the people inside the Imperial Palace could clearly hear what the people on the streets were shouting about.

The loud noises startled Teng Shang"s horse, making it neighing and standing on its hind legs. Teng Shang immediately pulled his reins to steady the horse. Under him, like a wave, people dropped to the ground and kowtowed to him; even the soldiers guarding the city gates took off their helmet to kowtow.

This scene brought tears to Teng Shang"s eyes.

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[T/N : Next update, we"re finally going to meet Teng w.a.n.g. Also, Xue Houyang and Teng Shang"s having an honest conversation. XD]