EWRN - Chapter 72
Chapter 72: The Northern Kingdom
After a long five-day journey, Huo Jinyu, Yan Xi, and their entourage finally arrived at the imperial capital of the Northern Kingdom.
Along the way, Huo Jinyu took in the scenery. In her past life, she had never left the Great Yuan Kingdom and didn't know what the Northern Kingdom was like. She only knew they were a people of the grasslands and assumed their lands were vast and sparsely populated, mostly desolate.
But this journey reshaped Huo Jinyu's understanding of the grassland clans. As they traveled, she saw large and small nomadic encampments clustered together in designated areas, forming mobile cities of varying sizes. While not bustling metropolises, these cities had a prosperity of their own. The grassland clans of the Northern Kingdom were no longer limited to a nomadic existence; they had also begun to cultivate fertile land. Although agriculture still accounted for a small portion of their life, their grain reserves were now sufficient to get them through winters without food shortages. This was a fundamental reason why, over the past few decades, the Northern Kingdom had reduced its invasions and raids on the Great Yuan's borders.
In addition to gathering the tribes into cities, the Northern Kingdom's imperial capital was modeled after that of the Great Yuan. It was built in a fixed location, becoming the only city in the Northern Kingdom that did not move.
The capital was built beside a lake, and the common people had reclaimed land around its massive shores for farming. The annual harvest from these fertile fields fed countless people in the capital and the surrounding cities.
With a look of admiration, Huo Jinyu and the others entered the capital through the city gates. However, when the soldiers saw their own empress nestled in the arms of another woman, their eyes widened in astonishment. Realizing their gaffe, they quickly averted their gazes and pretended they had seen nothing. After all, this Empress Yan was truly fierce. The soldiers still had fresh memories of the battle that day.
Once inside the capital, Huo Jinyu was slightly surprised. The city was more prosperous than she had imagined. The streets were lined with vendors selling local specialties, as well as silks from the Western Regions and jades from the Great Yuan.
Although the Great Yuan and the Northern Kingdom had engaged in some trade over the years, she never thought that in just a few decades, the Northern Kingdom could achieve such a state. Its future was truly limitless.
Yan Xi led Huo Jinyu and her retinue to the imperial palace. She ordered someone to arrange quarters for the guards, then pulled Jinyu off her horse. Ostensibly, she wanted to show Huo Jinyu around the capital, but in reality, she just wanted to spend more time alone with her.
The guards were uneasy and wanted to follow.
Yan Xi: No need. Don't follow us. I want to have some private time with my handsome pup!
Huo Jinyu: Huh?
The guards: ...
And so, Yan Xi cheerfully dragged Huo Jinyu out onto the streets.
Yan Yi: ??? Where did my Imperial Sister go? I've waited until dark...
Yan Xi and Huo Jinyu walked side-by-side down the street. Both were dressed in white as pure as snow, their hair tied up in high topknots with the rest falling down their backs. Both were as beautiful as celestial beings, and walking together like this, they drew quite a bit of attention.
A few young masters were itching to approach and strike up a conversation, but they feared being too forward with such beauties and managed to restrain themselves. But none of their subtle movements or glances escaped Huo Jinyu's sharp eyes.
She was getting displeased. A pack of stinking men were staring incessantly at her wife. Who wouldn't be annoyed? Huo Jinyu completely failed to include herself among those being gawked at. Not a shred of self-awareness...
The two stopped in front of a sugar figurine stall. Though it wasn't Huo Jinyu's first time seeing one, she still found it novel. Seeing her interest, Yan Xi asked, "Jinyu, do you see a figurine you like? Let's have the old woman make one."
Huo Jinyu nodded and picked a design, and the two waited by the side.
After a short while, the sugar figurine was ready. Just as Huo Jinyu was about to fish out some silver to pay, a fair, jade-like hand holding a string of copper coins reached out to the old woman. The voice of a gentle, refined young master sounded out, "Granny, allow me to pay for them." The young master flicked his hair back, putting on what he thought was a very handsome expression as he looked at Huo Jinyu and Yan Xi.
"That won't be necessary, Young Master. My wife and I have money," Huo Jinyu said, somewhat annoyed. She placed a silver ingot on the old woman's counter. "Thank you, Granny."
After thanking her, she took the sugar figurine, pulled Yan Xi away from the stall, and left a dumbfounded young master standing there, holding his string of copper coins, utterly stupefied.
The young master: W-wife?! I must be blind, I must be blind!
Huo Jinyu: Hmph. Trying to pick someone up with a string of copper coins? Pfft. You dare show off when you're not as rich as me, you stinking man! I'm a woman who owns the wealth of a nation! And you dare covet my wife?
Having waved goodbye to the stinking man, Huo Jinyu was still a little displeased. She reached out her right hand and took Yan Xi's left, their fingers intertwining. Walking side-by-side, they created a beautiful scene all their own.
Noticing that many eyes were still following them, Huo Jinyu grew even more unhappy. "Xi'er, let's go back. We can walk around again tomorrow," she said sullenly.
"Jinyu, what's wrong?" Yan Xi had a good idea of what was going on, but she feigned ignorance and asked.
"Next time we come out together, I should wear men's clothes to stop those scoundrels from lusting after your beauty!" Huo Jinyu grumbled. "I want the whole world to know that you, Yan Xi, belong to me, Huo Jinyu!"
"Why must you be angry, Jinyu? Xi'er is yours, of course no one else can steal me away. And if you want others to know Xi'er is yours, isn't that easy?" Yan Xi looked at Huo Jinyu with amusement. She took a step forward, placed her hands on Huo Jinyu's head, and kissed her.
For a moment, the wind ceased and the trees stood still. Time seemed to pause for a few breaths. The light kiss ended, and they parted. Huo Jinyu looked at Yan Xi in astonishment. This... this... this was too bold!
Huo Jinyu hadn't expected Yan Xi to be so audacious, and her ears burned red. The surrounding crowd was also stunned. Two exceedingly beautiful women walking down the street was already a feast for the eyes, but to suddenly kiss in public was clearly explosive. It was as if one woman was declaring her sovereignty and possessiveness over the other to the world.
And... and why was it so pleasing to the eye?!
The faces of the young masters who had been secretly watching them turned pale, their minds screaming in protest. Losing one beauty was bad enough, but losing two at once was heartbreaking. And damn it, the two beauties were a couple!
The young masters: This is truly a bitter pill to swallow!
Another young master: Let's just down this shot of poison, we're still brothers!
The two wandered for a while longer. Seeing that Jinyu's spirits weren't high, Yan Xi decided to head back. There would be plenty of time and opportunities later; she wasn't worried at all.
As they walked back to the palace, they saw a small figure standing quietly at the gates from a distance.
When they drew closer, Yan Xi recognized the somewhat frail child as her younger imperial brother.
"Your subject, Yan Yi, greets Your Majesty!" As they approached, the small child dropped to his knees with a thud, performing a grand salute.
Yan Xi quickly went forward to help the boy up. Yan Yi's lips were pale, and his complexion was sallow. It was said that illness strikes like a collapsing mountain. Yan Yi had just escaped a life of poverty and hardship, and his body hadn't yet adapted to the new, better environment before he fell ill. Yet here he was, propping up his sick body to personally come out of the palace to welcome her back. Who knew how long he had been waiting at the gate.
Yan Xi felt a pang of guilt.
Yan Yi stood up and saw the graceful beauty behind his imperial sister. He looked at Huo Jinyu with confusion and asked, "And this is?"
"This is my husband." Back in the palace, Yan Xi unconsciously adopted the air of an empress.
Yan Yi was astonished. His imperial sister had only one husband, the late Emperor of the Great Yuan, Huo Jinyu. But wasn't Emperor Yuanjin already dead? And besides, the person before him was clearly a woman. What was going on? Yan Yi felt his brain couldn't keep up.
"Jinyu, go with Eunuch Zhang to my bedchamber first. I'll be back soon," Yan Xi said, turning to Huo Jinyu.
Imperial Sister's bedchamber?! Is this woman really my sister's husband? Yan Yi, the sis-con, was not happy.
Feeling abandoned, Yan Yi shed silent tears in his heart.
Yan Xi asked about Yan Yi's health, and the siblings sat in the hall for a long time. Yan Xi listened as Yan Yi recounted the many things, big and small, that he had experienced while wandering for over a year. A wave of sorrow washed over Yan Xi's heart, for this pitiful imperial brother, and for the brother and imperial sister who had needlessly lost their lives.
How cruel.
After soothing Yan Yi to sleep, Yan Xi hurried back to her own bedchamber.
Huo Jinyu had already bathed and was waiting. The moment Yan Xi entered, Huo Jinyu eagerly pounced on her, kissing her lips as she smoothly shut the door.
After Yan Xi had washed up.
The lights were extinguished. The two lay in bed, wrapped in an embrace. The night deepened, and they fell asleep.
For the next two days, Yan Xi was extremely busy. In the imperial court, she enfeoffed Yan Yi as Prince Rui, and at the same time, she was occupied with finding him a grand tutor.
The young Yan Yi had wandered for over a year and returned to the palace safely, which was considered an auspicious sign. Thus, he was enfeoffed as Prince Rui. The country would one day be handed over to Prince Rui, and the title was meant to bring good fortune to the Northern Kingdom, to bask in his auspicious aura.
In the end, Yan Xi found two grand tutors for Yan Yi. Both were former retainers who had served by their father's side and understood the art of ruling, making them the best possible choices to instruct Prince Rui.
Yan Xi was so busy she barely touched the ground. Huo Jinyu, bored and idle in the bedchamber, got a taste of the lonely life in the deep palace. She finally understood the unsettling, ungrounded feeling Yan Xi must have experienced back when she was emperor and Yan Xi was all alone.
Prince Rui Yan Yi recuperated for about a month before he fully recovered from his illness. Under the meticulous care of the imperial physicians, he had also grown much stronger. Only then did he have the energy to go see his little companions.
Chang Jiu was the leader of the children from the west side of the city. Since being brought to a side palace, he and the others had been on edge. Although they wore the finest robes they had ever seen, lived in the most luxurious rooms, and ate the most delicious food of their lives, they were still afraid. They feared that they would be cast back to their old lives. They didn't know who the "Highness" was, but they had long suspected it might be the youngest child, "Little Five."
Today, the dozen or so half-grown children finally got to meet the "Highness" the guards had spoken of.
"His Highness Prince Rui has arrived!" a young eunuch at the door announced in a loud voice.
Prince Rui? The children looked at each other in astonishment. The main doors of the hall opened, and a boy dressed in gold and black brocade walked in. It was the familiar, yet unfamiliar, "Little Five"!
Realizing he was a young prince, the children hastily knelt, their voices uneven as they called out, "This commoner greets Your Highness!"
"Dispense with the ceremony. Please, all of you, rise." Prince Rui Yan Yi made a gesture to help Chang Jiu and the others up.
These were the people who had saved his life!
Yan Yi clapped his hands, and a group of servants entered the hall carrying several chests of gold and silver.
"This is a small token of my appreciation. Please do not refuse it," Yan Yi said sincerely, looking at the older children who had helped him so much.
"Your Highness, how can we accept this?!" Faced with such a huge temptation, how could Chang Jiu and the others not be moved? But they knew that one should not be too greedy. Moreover, the person before them was the current prince.
Chang Jiu and the others now held Yan Yi in a state of reverence and awe.
"Of course, I am not giving this to you for free," Yan Yi said, nodding to himself as he observed their expressions. "I hope you will stay by my side and work for me. Consider this gold and silver an advance on your salaries."
"If Your Highness wants us commoners to work, we will naturally agree! But this gold and silver is truly too valuable. We ask Your Highness to take it back! For Your Highness to give us a job and a place to stay is more than we could ever ask for!" Chang Jiu was a smart child. He knew what he could and could not accept. The other children nodded in agreement. The world was a dangerous place; if a group of half-grown children took so much gold and silver, they would become targets. It was better to follow Chang Jiu and work for the prince, which would at least provide them with a stable life.
Yan Yi was very satisfied with the children's sensibility. He didn't press them further and waved his hand for the servants to take the gold and silver away.
"I will arrange for tutors to teach you literacy and arithmetic. You must study hard. I am counting on you to be of great use in the future," Yan Yi said with a satisfied nod, happy to have his own helpers.
Yan Yi: I'm so awesome, I could burst. Puts hands on hips.
In addition to academic tutors, Yan Yi also arranged for guards to teach them basic martial arts so they would have the ability to protect themselves.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
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