The Favorite of the Sick and Weak Lady - Chapter 70

With some free time, Xiao Yu sat on the stone steps, and a line of text suddenly appeared in her mind: “Congratulations to the host for completing the ascension mission. The system randomly rewards a bottle of detoxification pills.”

Xiao Yu was startled. The system hadn’t been active for so long that she had almost forgotten she had a random reward system.

She hadn’t expected that this ascension would trigger a system mission. Her thoughts couldn’t help but connect to the previous missions. They seemed unrelated but shared a common point: they were all triggered by survival issues. Whether it was getting married, starting a family, or planting crops, by completing these missions one step at a time, she had managed to find her footing in this ancient world. This ascension mission, however, was triggered by a threat to her life. Looking back at the rewards, they all seemed to be related to the “eldest miss.”

So, in other words, she had transmigrated to save the eldest miss.

A realization dawned on Xiao Yu. Just then, the system, which usually only appeared during reward missions, unexpectedly displayed another line of text: “Congratulations to the host for comprehending the plot. Our random reward system also has another name: the ‘Save the Abused Female Lead’ system. It has been detected that the female lead’s life value in this world has been steadily draining. For every mission the host completes in this world, the female lead’s life value will increase accordingly, and the male lead’s fortune will be randomly transferred to the host.”

Xiao Yu fell silent for a moment as she read the text, then pursed her lips.

No wonder she had become the emperor. It was because the male lead’s fortune had been added to her.

Xiao Yu retrieved the bottle of detoxification pills from the void. The bottle had a label with instructions: take one pill daily for ten days to complete the detoxification.

Since the goal was to save the female lead, she knew without a doubt that this medicine was tailor-made for the eldest miss. She put the detoxification pills into her sleeve, intending to give them to her when she arrived.

Jiang Ziqin had mentioned before that the eldest miss was suffering from fetal poison. Would taking the detoxification pills mean that the eldest miss’s illness would be completely cured?

The original story ended with the male lead’s ascension, and what happened afterward was unknown. Once the eldest miss’s illness recovered, the random reward system should no longer appear.

Now, only one task remained: to suppress the rebel army, completely defeat the male lead, and take all of his fortune.

Just thinking about it made Xiao Yu happy. Not only would she have the beauty, but she would also be the emperor, free to do whatever she wanted.

Wait!

That wasn’t right. As emperor, she had no real power. Did she have to seize power next?

If that were the case, she would rather go back to Chenjia Village and farm. The rice she had planted should be ready for harvest.

Xiao Yu sat on the stone steps with a look of distress.

Before long, Song Luoning was escorted to the palace.

Seeing the carriage from a distance, Xiao Yu’s face lit up with joy, and she eagerly went to meet it: “My wife.”

Xiao Yu wanted to go forward and help her, but a palace maid beat her to it, assisting Song Luoning down from the carriage.

Song Luoning bowed gracefully to her: “This concubine…”

“My wife!” Xiao Yu grabbed her hand. The earlier joy was gone, and her voice was muffled: “I’m just your husband.”

She didn’t refer to herself as “We” (a term used by emperors). Not because she had forgotten, but because she wanted to be equal with Song Luoning. No matter if she was the emperor, she would only have one wife, Song Luoning.

“Your Majesty,” Song Luoning pursed her lips and shook her head at her: “These are the rules.”

“What rules? You’re my wife. How can a husband and wife bow to each other? If that’s the case, what’s the point of being this emperor?” Xiao Yu was indignant and retorted.

Song Luoning chided her: “Your Majesty, how can you talk such nonsense?”

Xiao Yu pouted, helping her walk towards the palace hall: “If I can’t even call you my wife as emperor, what’s the point? Besides, I didn’t want to be this emperor in the first place.”

With that, she carefully glanced at Song Luoning, helped her sit on a couch, and waved her hand to the palace maids in the hall. The maids exited the sleeping quarters.

Just like in the prime minister’s residence, she sat down beside Song Luoning.

“Your Majesty is the emperor now. Some things cannot be said carelessly. There are palace rules, and you can no longer be as you were before,” Song Luoning said.

How did this become “willful”?

These ancient rules were truly numerous. After only half a day as emperor, she was already getting fed up. She really wasn’t cut out to be an emperor.

Xiao Yu sighed slightly, knowing that Song Luoning had been educated in ancient ways since childhood and couldn’t change in a short time. She gave in and asked for a compromise: “Can we at least call each other ‘my wife’ when we are alone?”

Song Luoning curved her lips, and a smile appeared in her eyes. She reached out and straightened Xiao Yu’s collar, saying with a faint smile: “Outside, the rules must still be followed, or we’ll be laughed at.”

This scoundrel, how she treats her now. But what about in the future? Ten years, eight years from now, her face will grow old. She is the emperor. What kind of women won’t be by her side? Will she still treat me the same way then?

Thinking of this, a trace of melancholy flashed in Song Luoning’s eyes, which she quickly suppressed.

Now was not the time to be thinking about these things. Just before she came, her father had instructed her on some matters, and she needed to keep a close eye on this scoundrel to prevent any more trouble.

The two chatted for a while in the sleeping quarters. Then, a palace maid came to inquire about dinner. Dinner was served in a side hall. Compared to the meals at the prime minister’s residence, the palace maids were like an assembly line, placing one exquisite dish after another on the table. Following them, a eunuch would test each dish with a silver needle. When everything was ready, the eunuch and palace maids would retreat and wait at the side.

The personal eunuch serving Xiao Yu was a newly promoted one. He was not old and looked quite perceptive. As he waited, Xiao Yu glanced at him: “You… what’s your name?”

“Fu Shun,” the young eunuch quickly replied.

Xiao Yu nodded: “You may step back. You’re not needed here.”

As soon as she said this, the young eunuch was so scared that he immediately knelt on the ground: “Your Majesty, this servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die.”

“…” Xiao Yu was dumbfounded. What did she even say?

What was wrong with this young eunuch who was frantically kowtowing to her?

Song Luoning, on the other hand, sighed: “You may get up. His Majesty does not mean to blame you.”

Is that so?

Fu Shun did not dare to raise his head. His trembling hands betrayed his current feelings.

Seeing that he was still kneeling, Xiao Yu had recovered her wits. She rubbed her forehead. What kind of rules did these ancients have, to kneel at the slightest provocation? She said with a touch of annoyance: “Get up already. What she says is more effective than what I say. You all must listen to her, understand?”

“Yes.” The people in Funing Palace finally understood. It turned out that the beautiful woman sitting opposite was the real master. Their emperor was afraid of his wife, but no one dared to say it.

Xiao Yu was satisfied. She waved her hand: “You can all go now.”

“This…” How could a master eat without a servant serving them? The crowd looked at each other and, after a moment, quietly exited the side hall, but they dared not go far, lining up in two rows by the entrance.

Seeing that they had all left, Xiao Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly got up and started serving Song Luoning: “My wife, you must try this.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Hmm?” Xiao Yu looked at her: “What’s wrong? You don’t like this?”

“No,” Song Luoning shook her head and pressed down on her hand: “How could you forget again? You are the emperor now. If the servants see this, where will your majesty be?”

Xiao Yu was indifferent: “What’s wrong with me serving my wife? Besides, there’s a table full of food. How can two people possibly eat it all? Isn’t that a waste? No, tomorrow I will issue an edict that this kind of extravagance is forbidden in the future. Each meal will have a maximum of six dishes.”

Song Luoning looked at the dishes on the table. The long dining table had at least fifty or sixty dishes. The level of extravagance was something ordinary people couldn’t even imagine. It was indeed a waste for just two people to eat. She curved her lips and did not object, letting her have her way.

Having received Song Luoning’s unspoken approval, Xiao Yu immediately had an edict drafted after dinner and sent it to every palace.

Xiao Yu had just ascended the throne, and there were no concubines in the harem. The women whom Xiao Chengan had favored had been dismissed by Xiao Qin’ya. The entire harem only had the empress of the late emperor and two concubines.

When the edict was issued, no one objected. It was said that the empress dowager and the late emperor had a deep love for each other in their youth and had supported each other for many years. Since the late emperor’s death, she had been devoted to Buddhism and rarely stepped out of her palace. Another one was Consort Liu, an old acquaintance, and the last was Consort Yu, who was even more reclusive. She hadn’t vied for favor when the late emperor was alive, and she wouldn’t come out to say anything now.

After doing all this, another imperial decree was issued to make Song Luoning empress, and, unprecedentedly, the emperor and empress would live together in Funing Palace. As soon as the edict was released, it caused the ministers to submit memorials one after another.

Xiao Yu was indifferent, tossing the memorials onto the desk: “These ministers are truly idle. The rebels are at our doorstep, yet they have the leisure to worry about my personal matters.”

Song Luoning walked over, picked up a memorial, and opened it. Her brows furrowed slightly: “I told you last night, how can an emperor and empress live together? It’s not in accordance with the rules.”

“Rules are meant to be broken. Why should I follow someone else’s will?” Xiao Yu said carelessly.

“Although that’s true, you have just ascended and your foundation is not yet stable. You should first stabilize the court,” Song Luoning said.

This scoundrel was truly accustomed to being willful. Not to mention deciding on the major matter of enthroning the empress by herself, what emperor and empress live in the same palace? It was truly outrageous.

Song Luoning rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache.

There was no use trying to reason with her.

Song Luoning wanted to persuade her further, but Xiao Yu had already stood up, took her hand, and, as if to curry favor, pressed it against her cheek. Her peach blossom eyes blinked, bright and innocent, as if they had a magical power to soften people’s hearts.

“My wife, you don’t want to live apart from me, do you?” Xiao Yu pushed her luck, her tone full of the stubbornness of a young boy waiting for an answer.

Doesn’t she want to?

She does. How could she not?

Song Luoning lowered her eyes and, uncharacteristically, didn’t argue. In the other person’s confident and gentle eyes, there seemed to be infinite strength, making her want to trust and rely on her.

Seeing her concede, the youth’s eyes curved with a smile. She pulled the person into her arms, her voice firm: “Don’t worry, you have me.”

Song Luoning curled her fingers, and after a moment, slowly raised her arms to wrap them around her waist.

Outside the city, the Imperial Guard, having received the emperor’s edict, no longer just defended the city. They adjusted their deployment and prepared to fight the rebel army. On the other side, the rebel army had long been disheartened by hunger.

When King Chang learned that his son had been deposed and would soon be sent back to Qingzhou, he was so furious that his blood rushed to his head, and he fainted. Xiao Chengze took over the rebel army. By the time King Chang woke up again, the tide had already turned.

Xiao Chengze ordered his men to cut off King Chang’s head and present a letter of surrender.

The letter of surrender and King Chang’s head were quickly sent to the palace. Xiao Yu’s eyes fell on the blood-stained wooden box, her expression grim. She hadn’t expected Xiao Chengze to be so deranged as to even kill his own father.

Xiao Yu’s gaze swept over the civil and military officials: “What do the ministers think about this matter?”

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