ebonymovies Chapter 128 Sleeping with the Emperor
Chapter 128 Sleeping with the Emperor
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!" Yuwen Huaji felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and kowtowed repeatedly to express his gratitude. His hands and feet were still trembling as he received the robe.
"Father, look how much His Majesty dotes on you."
Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, Yuwen Chenglong instantly switched to filial piety mode, fawning over him with a fawning expression.
Seeing this, Yuwen Huaji was so angry that his teeth itched. He grabbed Yuwen Chenglong by the collar and pulled him aside.
"You unfilial son! I should have drowned you in the chamber pot back then!!"
He truly regretted raising such a troublesome son who caused him constant fear and anxiety.
"Father, the struggle for the position of prime minister has always been like this. You are getting old, so you should step down."
Yuwen Chenglong broke free from Yuwen Huaji's grasp, and seeing that no one was around, he immediately bared his fangs.
He did this for the good of the Yuwen family, since his own father was an incompetent but ambitious man.
What if one day this old man has a mental breakdown and brings disaster upon the Yuwen family? Who will he turn to for justice?
Rather than cleaning up this old man's mess later, it's better to address the root cause now.
"You dare argue with me?" Yuwen Huaji slapped Yuwen Cheng's head in anger. "I'm going to change my pants first, I'll settle the score with you when I get back!"
"Hmph, we'll see. We'll see. Who's afraid of who!"
Yuwen Chenglong covered his head, his neck stiff, showing no fear whatsoever.
By this time, the streets of Liaodong City had been cleaned up, and the falling snow covered the previous bloodstains and mess, making everything seem brand new.
Inside the royal palace, the lights were bright and the atmosphere was warm.
Yang Guang sat in the main seat, with the court's generals on his left and representatives of various powerful families on his right.
With Gao Yuan dead, this long-running eastern expedition finally ended in a complete victory for the Sui Dynasty.
Everyone was waiting for the victory celebration to begin, to properly celebrate this hard-won victory.
Yang Guang raised his wine cup, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall, and said in a deep voice: "In this campaign against Goguryeo, all the generals fought bloody battles, and all the ministers worked together with one heart. You are all meritorious officials, and I will remember you."
Faced with these aristocratic families, Yang Guang temporarily set aside his usual vigilance and suspicion.
This eastern expedition not only required the powerful families to send troops, but also consumed a large amount of money and food, resulting in significant losses of manpower and a substantial reduction in their strength.
If these aristocratic families could behave themselves, he wouldn't mind if they each took a step back and lived in peace.
"The success in pacifying Goguryeo this time is entirely due to Your Majesty's strategic planning and skillful command."
Yuwen Huaji had already changed into clean trousers. Holding a wine glass, he was the first to rise and offer his flattery.
"What the Prime Minister says is absolutely right!"
"Your Majesty is truly a wise and benevolent ruler!"
"When Your Majesty ascended the throne, you said that you would achieve feats that would last for ten thousand generations. Now it seems that Your Majesty has far surpassed the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and is truly the sage ruler of our Great Sui Dynasty!"
Upon seeing this, the generals inside the hall also stood up, raised their cups in agreement, and uttered all sorts of flattering words.
Upon hearing this, the member of the aristocratic family on the right simply smiled faintly, feeling a sense of relief.
As Yang Guang listened to the flattery from the crowd, a smile appeared on his face, and he couldn't help but feel a little smug.
Since his ascension to the throne, his ambitions and promises have been realized step by step.
The pacification of Goguryeo was just the beginning. In the future, he would conquer all directions, expand the territory, and extend the territory of the Sui Dynasty to all corners of the world.
If he can live another twenty years, he will surely create an unprecedented golden age and become a sage ruler who will be remembered for all time!
A moment later, Lü Xiao changed into a brand-new brocade court robe and walked slowly toward the palace hall with an upright posture.
The Sui soldiers on duty along the way met this great Sui war god who had pacified Goguryeo.
Everyone stood solemnly, straightened their backs, raised their hands in greeting, and their eyes were full of reverence.
Upon reaching the entrance of the main hall, the guards, seeing this, immediately announced loudly, their voices booming through the noise inside: "The Prince of Shuo has arrived!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lü Xiao stepped into the main hall.
His dark brocade robe accentuated his imposing figure, and he exuded a calm and collected aura, as if he had been through countless battles.
"Ah, it's Prince Shuo!"
Upon catching sight of Lü Xiao, Yang Guang immediately stood up from his seat, his face beaming with genuine joy.
On both sides of the hall, whether they were civil and military officials of the court or representatives of various noble families, they all stood up and no one dared to be negligent in the slightest.
Everyone knew perfectly well that the only one who could truly influence the outcome of the war and pacify Goguryeo was Lü Xiao.
Rising to greet someone in this way is not only a court etiquette, but also a sign of heartfelt respect.
Lu Xiao stood upright and walked steadily to the center of the hall, his posture outstanding.
"Zilie." Yang Guang personally picked up the wine pot, filled a cup of strong liquor for Lü Xiao, and pointed to the empty seat next to him, saying, "Come, sit next to me."
"Yes."
Lü Xiao responded and plopped down in the seat next to Yang Guang without any hesitation.
Such favor was unmatched by anyone else in the entire palace.
His Highness Yuwen Chenglong watched this scene with envy almost overflowing in his eyes.
As a subject, to be treated so well by the emperor is probably unprecedented in history.
He secretly made up his mind that he would dream this dream tonight and indulge in this honor.
"Gentlemen, today's pacification of Goguryeo is all thanks to Zilie's efforts! Come, let's raise a toast to King Shuo!"
Yang Guang raised his wine cup and loudly proposed the idea, his tone full of admiration.
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the hall raised their wine cups and stood up to toast each other.
Li Shimin also raised his hand, picked up his wine cup, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. As the wine went down his throat, a hint of undisguised resentment flashed in his eyes.
Just a hair's breadth away, just a hair's breadth away, and Yang Guang would have lost all his previous efforts due to the prolonged siege, allowing the Li family to seize the opportunity to rise up.
But then Lü Xiao returned and single-handedly turned the tide, destroying Goguryeo.
This battle will extend the life of the Sui Dynasty by at least ten to twenty years.
For the Sui Dynasty, Lü Xiao was an immense stroke of luck.
For those who aspire to great things in the world, this is a tremendous misfortune.
Setting down his wine cup, Li Shimin's resentment vanished, leaving only a deep, thoughtful expression.
Lü Xiao is indeed extraordinary, but there are many heroes in the world, and Lü Xiao is not the only one.
Today he can save Yang Guang from dire straits, but who can predict the outcome in the future when things change?
Unlike Li Shimin's composure, Li Yuanji's hand holding the wine cup tightened slightly, and his eyes were full of malice.
Lu Xiao truly deserves to die!
Without this person, the Li family's great cause would have already taken a crucial step forward, but now it has all fallen apart because of him.
It seems we must find a foolproof plan to eliminate this person in the future.
Amidst the toasts and praises filling the hall, Lü Xiao remained composed, downing each cup of wine with an unwavering expression.
The celebration banquet lasted from dusk until late at night. Everyone was in high spirits and returned to their camps to rest, preparing for a good night's sleep.
As for the rewards of promotion and titles, that would have to wait until after the victory was achieved and the army returned to Luoyang.
Everyone took their leave, and Lü Xiao also stood up, but Yang Guang called out to him, "Zilie, you stay and sleep with me tonight."
"This... I'm afraid it's inappropriate?"
Lu Xiao turned around, his face showing hesitation.
"I have many important military and state affairs to discuss with you in detail. Besides, what's wrong with a father-in-law and son-in-law sharing a bed?"
Yang Guang waved his hand, showing no restraint as an emperor, and spoke casually.
Having said that, Lü Xiao no longer declined and bowed in agreement.
He secretly thought to himself that from now on, he could be considered someone who had slept with the emperor.
This experience is truly unique.