Chapter 97: Extra One

The first major action the new emperor took upon ascending the throne was to confront the Yan Kingdom in the northern border and drive away external enemies to stabilize the border.

In mid summer, Yuan Mansion’s father and son were ordered to lead troops into battle.

The long dragon snaked forward, with Yu Huanchen at the forefront dressed in white robe and silver armor, wearing the chest protector mirror given to him by his wife. The war flag he held fluttered in the wind.

This war flag was handed to him by his wife before his departure every year.

His sister stood under the palace gate in a golden phoenix robe, her features clear and beautiful, smiling at him, “Cut down the enemies and wait quietly for our father and brothers to return victorious.”

Yu Huanchen understood that she wanted the enemy’s blood to stain the war flag, to intimidate the surrounding territories on behalf of the long-weakened dynasty.

She wanted the Yu family to seize this opportunity to gain fame and forever stand at the top of the court.

What a grand wish!

When his sister communicated with the most dangerous man in the world, Yu Huanchen had worries in his heart. He told his sister that he hoped she would never get involved in the whirlpool of power.

But now he knew he was wrong.

Yu Lingxi, there was courage and vision that surpassed power. Unconsciously, she transformed from an ignorant girl into a dazzling figure, radiating boundless brilliance. In that case, the Yu family was willing to be the stars guarding the moon, forever protecting her from behind.

Forever.

Early summer quietly arrived in the hot and rainy weather, and Yu Lingxi moved to the palace.

This Palace was where Empress Feng once lived, and Ning Yin always found it somewhat unpleasant. Zhao Yue Palace was now tidied up, so she simply moved there, which was more spacious and quieter.

It was raining so heavily, she wondered where the troops led by my father and brothers have reached.

War was never a simple matter, but if one didn’t establish authority, there would be continuous unrest for years or even decades to come.

If you’re going to fight a war, you also need to win the hearts of the people. Yu Lingxi spent a whole night “communicating” with Ning Yin, and finally reduced the taxes for the people by three years. Both grace and coercion were the long-term solution.

But by doing so, the state treasury became slightly tense, and the savings from reducing palace expenses were not enough to cover the large military expenditures.

The auspicious dragon furnace emitted a faint white smoke, while palace maids gently waved fans. Yu Lingxi was pondering on the couch when she heard a faint dispute outside the hall.

“Who’s speaking out there?” Yu Lingxi asked.

Hutao went out to take a look and returned shortly after to report, “Your Majesty, it’s the wet nurse from the Cuiwei Hall kneeling outside. It seems the young prince is sick.”

Yu Lingxi had been busy for these days and had forgotten about the one-year-old child in the palace.

She got up and went out, only to see the wet nurse kneeling in the rain, her clothes soaked, struggling to protect the young prince who was burning with a high fever and unconscious in her arms with a paper umbrella.

Seeing the beautiful Empress in a golden palace robe, the wet nurse immediately kneeled forward and said cautiously, “Please, Your Majesty, save the young prince!”

Everyone knew that the new Emperor was not a kind-hearted person. It was already a great favor not to have the young prince executed. Who would dare to appear in front of him?

So the child had been burning with fever for a whole day and night. Under the wet nurse’s anxiousness, she could only take the risk and come to beg the Empress. Yu Lingxi took the wet nurse and the young prince to a side hall and ordered someone to fetch the imperial physician.

After administering some medicine, the young prince’s breathing finally eased, and the flush on his face gradually faded.

“You go change your wet clothes, and let the young prince sleep here for a while,” Yu Lingxi said to the wet nurse. “When the rain stops, you can take him back.”

Rarely was the Empress both beautiful and kind-hearted. The wet nurse thanked her profusely and retreated.

Yu Lingxi looked at the young prince sleeping peacefully on the couch. The child, who had just turned one year old, knew nothing and was as fragile as a broken reed. She casually smoothed his clothes.

The young prince adjusted his bedding and got up to walk around the screen, where he saw a tall figure striding into the hall with hands behind his back.

Ning Yin was wearing a black regular attire today, which accentuated his handsome yet cold and pale appearance, making him unapproachable. He strolled casually, pulled Yu Lingxi to sit beside him, and began to slowly pinch her waist.

Ning Yin’s lower garments were slightly damp with a faint dark color spreading, and there were a few not very obvious mud stains on his boots, indicating he had returned from somewhere.

Yu Lingxi sat on his lap, holding his distinctly veined hand, and asked in a teasing tone, “Where did you go? You’re all wet.”

“Grave digging.”

Ning Yin’s voice softly fell into her ears, accompanied by the sudden thunder and lightning, giving him a somewhat sinister and evil aura.

Yu Lingxi suspected that her ears were damaged by the thunder, so she reached out and touched his damp and cool eyebrows and eyes, “What were you digging?”

“Graves.”

Ning Yin casually picked up a walnut, closed his fingers, and with a crisp cracking sound, he leisurely continued, “The old beasts buried their treasures, which are a waste when buried underground in the imperial tomb. It’s better to dig them up to use as military expenses.”

“…”

Yu Lingxi finally understood why Ning Yin dared to go to war as soon as he ascended the throne. It turned out he had plans long ago.

“How much is it worth?” This was what Yu Lingxi cared about the most.

“It’s more than enough to sustain military expenses for a year.”

Ning Yin picked up two intact pieces of walnut meat and stuffed them into Yu Lingxi’s mouth, smiling innocently, “And let’s dig up a few tombs of those extinct relatives as well.”

For example, Ning Changrui, the Prince of Xichuan, was a fat pig who loved money and women when he was alive. The burial goods must be quite generous!

Seeing Ning Yin’s tyrannical attitude, Yu Lingxi found it both amusing and relieving. The problem of military expenses, which had been a headache for the Ministry of Revenue, quietly ended amidst the grave digging accompanied by thunder.

Another thunderous sound erupted, as if chariots were rolling across the sky.

The young prince behind the screen woke up, murmuring with a crying tone.

Yu Lingxi immediately got up from Ning Yin’s lap, walked quickly to the bedside, and gently patted the young prince’s chest to comfort him.

Ning Yin followed, with a cold and disdainful expression on his face, “What’s wrong with him?”

“The young prince is sick, he just took his medicine.”

Yu Lingxi lowered her voice, “The rain outside is too heavy. Let him rest here for a while.”

Ning Yin stood there in the dark, looked for a while, and said, “Could just strangle him.”

The wet nurse, who had changed her clothes and entered the room, was caught off guard by the new Emperor’s words, and she collapsed in fear.

“Y-Your Majesty, forgive me!”

The wet nurse practically plastered herself to the ground, trembling like dry leaves in the wind.

“Hush.”

Yu Lingxi raised a finger to her lips, signaling her to be silent.

When the young prince fell asleep again, she got up and pulled Ning Yin’s hand to leave the side hall.

Behind them, the wet nurse, feeling as if she had been pardoned, hurriedly ran to the inner room, embracing the fragile life on the bed.

Back in the main hall, Yu Lingxi dismissed the palace attendants, then turned to Ning Yin and said, “Alright, he’s just turned one year old and can’t even speak yet! If my husband doesn’t like it, I have a solution.”

One month later.

The Yu Mansion welcomed a new grandson, said to be the orphan of a trusted general of the Yu family, adopted by Yu Huanchen and his wife, and renamed Yu Jin, hoping for his pure nature and noble character.

On the day of departure from the palace, the wet nurse kowtowed heavily three times in the direction of the Empress. She knew that being able to let this child, who was originally a sacrifice, change his name and survive was a great blessing.

She would keep the child’s origin secret, take it to her grave, and pray with a green lamp for the Empress’s longevity, wishing her a hundred years of life.

“Peace and prosperity.”

“From now on, there’s no more Little Prince in this world, only General Yu’s household raising Sun Yu Jin.”

“At the end of June, the Yu family’s army achieved a great victory in their first battle.”

“The news of the victory arrived on the same day Su Guan gave birth, safely delivering a daughter, Yu Yu.”

“With double happiness, Yu Lingxi was extremely delighted. He personally selected small gifts such as longevity locks and tiger shoes, and went to the Yu residence to visit his sister-in-law and the newly born niece.”

“The wet nurse carefully carried Yu Jin over to pay respects, telling him, ‘Jin’er, this is your sister. When you grow up, you must protect her for a lifetime, understood?’”

“Yu Jin reached out his chubby little hand, pointing at the baby in the cradle, and babbled, ‘Sis…ter!’”

“The first phrase this child learned was neither father nor mother, but sister, causing everyone in the room to burst into laughter for a moment.”

“These two children are so congenial; their future relationship will surely be excellent.”

“Yu Lingxi smiled lightly, looking at the wet nurse, ‘Take good care of my nephew.’”

“The affectionate term ‘nephew’ made the wet nurse’s eyes moisten, and she couldn’t help but kneel down, repeatedly saying ‘yes.’”

“Su Guan lay on the couch, her complexion much rosier. She quietly pulled Yu Lingxi’s finger and asked, ‘It’s been almost half a year since you and I got married. When do you plan to have another child?’”

“Yu Lingxi was startled for a moment, then lowered his eyes and said, ‘We are still young, no rush.’”

“Su Guan expressed understanding, ‘That’s true, His Majesty has just ascended the throne, he must be busy.’”

“More than just ‘busy,’ he was also not idle at night.”

“The frequency of love making was not low, but Ning Yin never mentioned wanting children. It seemed that besides Yu Lingxi himself, there was nothing else in this world worth his attention.”

“As for children, they would come as they may.”

On the eighth day of the eighth month, the scorching heat gradually receded, and the night breeze already carried a hint of autumn chill.

A low-key and spacious carriage drove out of the palace gate and stopped in front of the former Jing Wang’s mansion. Then, the carriage curtain was lifted, and a beautiful woman in red attire stepped down from the carriage, gazing at the majestic and dignified plaque of the Jing Wang’s mansion.

Ning Yin followed closely in a deep purple brocade robe, the jade belt outlining his strong and slender waist. He lazily remarked, “Tonight, Yu Lingxi, are you in the mood to revisit our old haunt?”

Dressed up like this… so stunningly beautiful.

Ning Yin tapped his palm with a folding fan, unable to help but ponder the scene of this red dress tearing apart on top of the grease.

Yu Lingxi’s thoughts drifted to a distant past, he gathered himself and smiled, “Today is the day we first met.”

Ning Yin visibly paused, then tapped Yu Lingxi’s forehead with the fan.

“You’re mistaken,” he corrected leisurely, “The first time I met Yu Lingxi was two months later.”

In the thirteenth year of Tianzhao, autumn of October, they first met in the Immortal Capital of Desire, they were the two opposing forces of shadow and light.

“There’s no mistake, it’s today,” Yu Lingxi whispered softly.

In the past life, on this day, she was forcibly adorned and pushed into the sedan chair, carried into the Prince Regent’s mansion, where she saw that man who was so domineering with his cane.

Ning Yin paused, then gave a lazy smile, “Yu Lingxi said whichever day she chooses is the day. As long as you’re happy, every day can be our first meeting.”

Yu Lingxi contentedly lowered his eyes, without further argument.

She lifted her skirt and stepped onto the stone steps. The door was already pushed open by the guards, the lights illuminating the ground, casting her slender figure in a dazzling light.

Yu Lingxi looked back, the crimson hem of her dress fluttering gently in the night breeze, and smiled charmingly at Ning Yin, “I’ve had supper and drinks prepared. Come quickly.”

Ning Yin stood at the foot of the steps, a sense of familiarity washing over him.

So familiar that it felt as if he had possessed this gentle brightness for a long, long time.

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