NFBE Chapter 436 The Little Doctor Girl Knows How to Pamper and Flirt (Part 31)
Chapter 436 The Little Doctor Girl Knows How to Pamper and Flirt (Part 31)
That night, in the state government study.
Chu Ke spread a bamboo scroll on the table: "This was found in a secret room in the prefecture. It shows the imperial court's troop deployment in various northern prefectures."
The Emperor examined the area carefully, his brows gradually relaxing: "Just as I expected, the Emperor has transferred all the elite troops to guard the capital."
"Brother Si," Chu Ke suddenly said seriously, "there's something I've always wanted to ask you..."
"About Xiao Song?" Si Di asked without looking up.
Chu Ke nodded: "The chili smoke, the horse-startling trick, and her miraculous medicines that day... were they really just family traditions?"
The Emperor's fingers paused slightly on the bamboo slip.
He thought of the food in the cave, the herbs she always "just happened" to find, and the wheat fields struck by lightning...
"Who she is is not important." Emperor Si raised his eyes, his gaze sharp. "What is important is that she is my wife, the future queen of this new kingdom."
Chu Ke wisely refrained from asking any further questions.
*
Three days later, at the South Square of Qingzhou City.
As dawn broke, the nine-zhang-tall bronze altar stood in the center of the square.
Around the altar, banners of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise fluttered in the wind, each embroidered with gold thread, gleaming with a majestic light under the rising sun.
The square was teeming with people, with the elderly and children from all thirteen states coming and crowding every street.
There were elderly farmers leaning on canes, women carrying infants on their backs, and even more soldiers who had once followed Emperor Si through thick and thin.
They spontaneously formed a square formation, their armor reflecting the morning light, solemn as a forest.
"The auspicious time has come——"
The official's deep voice pierced the clouds.
The drums suddenly sounded, like thunder rolling across the earth.
Eighty-one bare-chested strongmen simultaneously beat the cowhide war drums, the drumbeats seeming to strike directly into the hearts of everyone, causing the bluestone ground to tremble slightly.
Si Di's figure appeared at the end of the long street.
He wore a black royal robe embroidered with nine coiled dragons in gold thread, each dragon's eyes inlaid with blood jade, gleaming with a terrifying light as he walked.
The longsword that had accompanied him in battle for many years hung at his waist, its scabbard still bearing traces of blood that had not been completely wiped away.
This was intentional, symbolizing that royal power was born from blood and fire.
Beside him, Ji Xiaosong wore a bright red phoenix robe, with a phoenix embroidered in gold thread spiraling up from the hem of her skirt, finally folding its wings at her protruding belly, as if protecting her unborn child.
She wore a beaded phoenix crown and walked with great steadiness, showing no signs of being a pregnant woman.
The people knelt down involuntarily, their bodies drooping like waves of wheat.
An elderly man with white hair wept bitterly, crying out, "God bless my people..."
As the two stepped onto the jade steps of the altar, the Emperor suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Ji Xiaosong asked softly.
Si Di didn't answer, but suddenly bent down and picked her up in his arms!
“The royal robe is too heavy,” he whispered in her ear, “I’ll carry you up.”
A burst of good-natured laughter erupted in the square.
A young woman tugged enviously at her companion's sleeve: "General... no, the King treats his wife so well..."
At the top of the altar, a raging fire had already been burning inside the bronze cauldron.
Emperor Si carefully set Ji Xiaosong down and accepted the black jade tablet offered by the official in charge of ceremonies.
"Heaven and Earth above!" He raised the jade tablet high, his voice like the clang of metal, "Your subject, the Emperor, today establishes the Northern Chen Kingdom, vowing to protect the people of this land! If I break this vow, may I be struck down by Heaven and Earth!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a bolt of lightning flashed across the once clear sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.
But strangely enough, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky!
Ji Xiaosong's expression changed slightly, and she subconsciously protected her abdomen.
She knew this was a warning from Heaven.
The Emperor seemed oblivious, turned around and took a golden battle axe from the servant, then slammed it down on the bronze pillar in the center of the altar!
"The founding of the nation—"
"clang!"
With a deafening clang of metal colliding, the bronze pillar snapped in two.
According to ancient customs, this symbolizes a complete break with the old dynasty.
The master of ceremonies announced loudly: "Issue the Imperial Seal—"
Thirteen elderly men with white hair slowly ascended the platform, representing the will of the people of the thirteen states.
The eldest man held a bronze box containing a newly cast jade seal.
The seal knob is carved in the shape of a black steed treading on snow, which is exactly the heroic posture of the emperor's warhorse.
"Please accept the seal, Your Majesty!" The old man knelt on the ground, his voice trembling.
The Emperor solemnly accepted it and turned to face the people.
As he raised the imperial seal, miraculously, the sunlight pierced through the clouds and enveloped him and Ji Xiaosong in a pillar of light.
The people could no longer contain themselves, and their thunderous cheers nearly lifted the city walls: "Long live Beichen! Long live the King! Long live the Queen!"
Beneath the altar, Chu Ke led his generals to kneel on one knee and shouted in unison, "We swear to be loyal to you to the death!"
Ji Xiaosong watched this scene, her eyes slightly moist.
She quietly placed her hand on her abdomen and silently recited in her heart:
My child, this is the empire your father has conquered for you...
At the end of the ceremony, Si Di suddenly drew his sword, the blade slicing across his palm, and blood gushed out.
"Your Majesty!" the master of ceremonies exclaimed.
However, Si Di dripped his blood into the raging fire of the altar, and the flames instantly leaped three zhang high, transforming into the form of a fire phoenix!
"Today I swear," he looked around, "that in the Kingdom of Beichen, I will never take a concubine! My throne will only be inherited by the children born to me and the Queen!"
This statement is more powerful than any ceremony.
The crowd was stunned for a moment, then erupted into even more enthusiastic cheers.
In an era when polygamy was commonplace, such a vow was simply unheard of!
Ji Xiaosong suddenly turned to look at him, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Hidden beneath his sleeves, the Emperor grasped her hand and whispered, "I told you, I would make you the most noble woman in the world."
On the distant city tower, the newly embroidered "Beichen" banner fluttered in the wind.
The flag has a black background with gold patterns, and a fire-riding Qilin raises its head and roars, which is the pattern of the Emperor's general's flag.
At the top of the flagpole, there was an inconspicuous red ribbon tied to it, which was the ribbon that Ji Xiaosong had tied to her dowry chest when she married into the military camp.
*
Three months after the founding of Beichen, Emperor Si personally led 100,000 iron cavalry south to strike directly at the heart of the enemy.
Chu Ke's Southern Frontier Army formed the left wing, while General Zhao's reinforcements from the Western Frontier formed the right wing. The three armies swept down like a torrent.
The prefectures and counties along the way surrendered without resistance, and no one dared to confront them.
When the army arrived outside the capital, the ancient city was found with its gates wide open and the city towers empty, with only a tattered dragon flag fluttering forlornly in the wind.
"Report!" A scout galloped in to report, "The city's garrison is less than three thousand strong, and the emperor fled west with his harem three days ago!"
Emperor Si reined in his horse, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Where is Prime Minister Liu?"
The scout looked troubled: "According to the prisoners, Liu Xiang and his son were left behind to cover the retreat."
Chu Ke sneered: "What a clever tactic of sacrificing a pawn to save the king."
*
The main hall of the palace was in complete disarray.
In the Golden Palace, Prime Minister Liu sat alone in the chief minister's seat next to the dragon throne, dressed in his court robes.
His son, Liu Wuyan, knelt on the steps, his hands chained, his face filled with resentment.
As the Emperor's footsteps sounded, Prime Minister Liu slowly raised his head, a hint of relief appearing in his cloudy eyes.
"You've come." His voice was hoarse, as if he had expected this moment.
The Emperor stood with his hand on his sword, coldly sweeping his gaze across the empty hall: "The Emperor abandoned you and ran away."
“Yes…” Prime Minister Liu smiled bitterly, “just like the late emperor abandoned your father back then.”
These words pierced Si Di's heart like a knife.
He suddenly drew his sword, the tip pointing directly at Liu Xiang's throat: "You dare mention my father?!"
Liu Xiang, however, did not dodge or evade: "General Si, do you really think that the defeat at the border back then was merely due to the late emperor's suspicion?"
Chu Ke stepped forward: "Your Majesty, be careful, it might be a trap."
The Emperor's sword trembled slightly, but he ultimately did not strike: "Continue."
Liu Xiang tremblingly took out a yellowed letter from his sleeve: "This is a secret edict from the late emperor... Your father was already convicted of treason before he died in battle."
Si Di snatched it away, unfolded it, and his expression changed drastically.
The secret edict read in bold: "The Si family's merits have overshadowed the emperor; Minister Liu is ordered to find an opportunity to eliminate them."
The seal was the late emperor's private seal, and the date was three months before my father died for his country!
"Impossible..." Si Di's fingers trembled. "My father was loyal to the emperor his whole life..."
"Loyalty to the emperor?" Prime Minister Liu suddenly burst into laughter, a chilling laugh. "Why do you think the emperor forced you to rebel? Because you, like your father, are too popular with the people!"
Liu Wuyan suddenly struggled to his feet: "Father! Why waste words with a traitor!"
Liu Xiang shook his head, his gaze towards the Emperor carrying a hint of pity: "When the new emperor ascended the throne, his first secret decree was for me to find a way to eliminate you... It's a pity, even my foolish son's army of 100,000 couldn't take you down..."
He slowly took out a small bottle from his pocket, tilted his head back, and drank it all.
Almost instantly, black blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
"Prime Minister Liu!" Chu Ke tried to stop him, but it was too late.
Liu Xiang slumped into his chair, his breath weak: "Emperor Si... do you think... you've won? The Emperor took the Imperial Seal... without the Seal... your throne... is illegitimate... and lacks legitimacy..."
Before he could finish speaking, he had already breathed his last.
Liu Wuyan lunged at his father's corpse like a madman, but was held down by his guards.
His eyes were bloodshot as he roared, "Si Di! I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"
After a long silence, the Emperor suddenly sheathed his sword and said, "Take him away and execute him in the autumn."
*
In the stillness of the night, in the Imperial Study.
Si Di was examining the documents left behind by the emperor all by himself.
Suddenly, he discovered a secret book in a hidden compartment, which detailed how emperors throughout history eliminated generals who had made great contributions and threatened their rule.
His father's name was prominently listed, and on the last page was a portrait of himself!
"What did you find?" Ji Xiaosong walked in, her pregnant belly protruding, holding a cup of calming tea in her hands.
Si Di closed the booklet and forced a smile: "It's nothing, just some old grievances."
Ji Xiaosong placed the tea on the table and gently hugged him: "You cried?"
Only then did Si Di realize that his tears had unknowingly dripped onto the back of his hand.
He hugged his wife tightly, his voice choked with emotion: "Xiao Song... my father... he died unjustly..."
Ji Xiaosong stroked his back and said softly, "So you must be a wise ruler so that such injustices will never happen again."
Outside the window, a bright moon hangs high in the sky.
The newly embroidered banner of the Prince of Beichen fluttered in the wind on the palace wall, while the tattered old dragon banner had long been trampled underfoot by the soldiers and turned to dust.