webnovelvip Chapter 342 Xu Longxiang visits the Commander of the Imperial Guard
Chapter 342 Xu Longxiang visits the Commander of the Imperial Guard
The entire imperial city of Qin changed overnight.
From the main gate of the imperial city to the inner city, and from the inner city to the outer city, every street, every archway, and every shop's lintel was adorned with large red lanterns.
The lanterns swayed gently in the morning breeze, like a red sea stretching from the foot of the palace walls all the way to the horizon.
The sun rose from the east, shining on the lanterns and bathing the entire imperial city in a warm, festive orange-red hue.
Before dawn, the streets were already bustling with activity.
The breakfast stalls were set up earlier than usual, the fried dough sticks sizzled in the pan, and the aroma of soy milk mingled with the morning mist, permeating every alley.
The steamers at the baozi shop were stacked higher than a person, and white steam poured out from the gaps in the steamer baskets, enveloping the string of red lanterns in front of the door in a thin layer of mist.
A woman selling flowers, carrying a bamboo basket filled with bundles of red silk and silk flowers, called out at the top of her lungs from the street corner:
"Big red flowers! Red silk for weddings! Don't miss it!"
The children were the most excited.
They chased each other in small groups, moving from one alley to another, waving red paper scraps they had picked up from who-knows-where, and shouting words they had only half-understood from the adults.
A little boy with a topknot ran ahead, shouting as he ran, "His Majesty is going to marry the Empress! His Majesty is going to marry Empress Li Yang!"
A group of children shouted after them, their voices as crisp as a string of exploding firecrackers.
An old man sat on his doorstep, gazing at the red lanterns lining the street, his eyes crinkling with a smile, revealing his missing teeth, and slowly said:
"I've never seen such a lively scene in my life."
The teahouse was packed with people.
Upstairs are private seating areas, downstairs is the main lobby, and even the steps at the entrance are occupied by people.
The tea master, carrying a long-spouted copper kettle, weaved through the crowd. With a tilt of the spout, the boiling water traced a silvery arc before precisely falling into the teacup. The tea leaves tumbled and unfurled in the boiling water, releasing a delicate fragrance.
Nobody was really enjoying the tea; everyone's mind was on that important matter.
"Have you heard?"
A middle-aged man in a blue cloth robe lowered his voice, but his eyes gleamed with barely suppressed excitement, "The Li Yang Dynasty will henceforth be a vassal state of our Great Qin!"
"I've heard about it before!"
A chubby, white man across the street slapped his thigh, his voice so loud it could be heard throughout the entire street.
"My cousin works in the Ministry of Rites, and he heard Prime Minister Li say it with his own ears last night! The army and laws of Liyang must all be subordinate to Qin! No one is allowed to act on their own!"
"That's Liyang!"
A young man, his face flushed with excitement, exclaimed, "The overlord of the Eastern Continent! A million-strong army! Just like that—gone?"
"What do you mean by 'gone'?"
An elderly man with white hair stroked his beard and slowly corrected, "It was annexed by our Emperor. Without bloodshed, without losing a single soldier. His Majesty didn't even leave the capital city before taking over Liyang."
A collective gasp filled the teahouse.
"How did Your Majesty manage to do that?" someone asked.
No one can answer.
Everyone looked at each other, their eyes filled with awe.
They didn't know how His Majesty did it; they only knew that His Majesty did it.
That young emperor they once thought was a foolish ruler, that emperor who had only attended the morning court a few times in the three years since his ascension to the throne and spent his days playing hide-and-seek with his concubines in the harem, quietly swallowed up the greatest threat to the Qin Dynasty.
"I knew it!"
The chubby man slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups jump.
"His Majesty is feigning incompetence! He's putting on a show for those with ulterior motives! Think about it, who is Empress Li Yang? She's an empress who fought her way out of a bloodbath! Would she willingly marry a tyrant? Impossible! She's marrying our Majesty for his abilities!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" The middle-aged man in the blue robe nodded repeatedly. "His Majesty is fishing! Fishing for those with ill intentions! Look, Li Yang has been caught, and the fish in the Northern Border will probably be caught soon!"
"The Northern Border?" the young man leaned closer. "You mean Xu Longxiang?"
"Shh-"
The chubby man quickly made a shushing gesture and lowered his voice, "Keep your voice down. That person is not someone to be trifled with. But—"
He paused, a smirk creeping onto his lips. "With Li Yang gone, the Northern Frontier is isolated and helpless. What trouble can they possibly cause?"
A knowing laugh rang out in the teahouse.
"I just want to know,"
A young man leaned forward, his eyes filled with admiration.
"How exactly did Your Majesty manage to get Empress Li Yang to willingly marry him? She's Empress Li Yang! I've heard she's as beautiful as a celestial being, and skilled in both civil and military affairs. What kind of man could possibly catch her eye?"
"You just don't understand."
The white-haired old man picked up his teacup, gently blew away the foam, took a sip, and said slowly and deliberately.
"Your Majesty's ability to persuade Empress Liyang to marry into this family is undeniable. We mere mortals cannot fathom it. If we cannot fathom it, we will not; let us simply be happy."
"That's right!" The chubby man raised his teacup. "Come, let's toast His Majesty with tea instead of wine!"
"To Your Majesty!" Everyone raised their teacups.
Outside the teahouse, the sunlight grew brighter and brighter.
More and more pedestrians filled the streets, shoulder to shoulder, bustling and noisy.
A vendor selling candied hawthorns squeezed through the crowd, carrying a straw target full of candied hawthorns; the bright red hawthorns glistened in the sunlight.
The acrobatic troupe had set up a space at the street corner, and the gongs and drums were pounding loudly. A little girl of about ten years old was doing somersaults on stacked benches. Every time she did one, the crowd would erupt in cheers.
The storyteller sat at the entrance of the teahouse, striking the gavel with a resounding boom:
"Then there was Empress Zhao Qingxue of Liyang, a woman of great literary and military prowess, whose power shook the Eastern Continent. Yet, she was utterly devoted to our Emperor and willingly married into the Great Qin Dynasty as Empress. Dear readers, why is this? Find out in the next chapter!"
"Whoa—" The crowd hissed in dissatisfaction, but coins rained down into the copper plate in front of the storyteller.
This is their imperial city.
This is their home.
This is their emperor.
The Emperor who made Empress Li Yang willingly marry into the Qin Dynasty, who allowed the Qin Dynasty to annex the Eastern Continent without firing a single shot, and who made everyone dare not underestimate the Qin Dynasty anymore.
Everyone had a smile on their face and their eyes were shining.
That was the light of pride, the light of arrogance, the light of hope for the future.
They are the subjects of the Great Qin, they are the subjects of that man.
And this man is gradually transforming the Qin Dynasty into the most powerful dynasty on this land.
Nothing could be more reassuring than this.
However, amidst the city's jubilation and the brilliance of every household, one mansion remained as quiet as another world.
The residence of Meng Fang, the commander of the Imperial Guard, was located in the southeast corner of the imperial city, not far from the palace, but not close either.
The mansion gate was small, and there was no plaque above the gate. It was the kind of inconspicuous residence that could be seen everywhere in the imperial city.
The two stone lions in front of the gate have been worn smooth by the years, and moss has grown in the cracks between the stones.
The red paint on the lintel is already somewhat faded, indicating that it hasn't been renovated for many years.
Inside the mansion, in the main hall.
The doors and windows were tightly closed, and the curtains were drawn low.
Sunlight streamed in through the cracks in the window, casting long, thin, bright rays on the floor.
There was a faint scent of sandalwood in the air, mixed with the smell of wood and old paper, heavy and dull, like the stillness before a storm.
Meng Fang sat in the main seat, holding a teacup in his hands, but did not drink.
The tea had gone cold, and the water droplets on the cup had condensed into a thin layer of frost. His fingers gently caressed the rim of the cup.
His face was expressionless. His face, which was over forty years old, was square and steady. He had high brow bones, deep-set eyes, and a jawline that looked as if it had been carved by a knife. It was clear at a glance that he was a martial arts practitioner.
However, the veins on the back of his hand were slightly bulging, throbbing slowly under the taut skin, revealing his true state of mind at that moment.
He was looking at the person opposite him.
The man sat in the guest seat, his posture relaxed, as if he were not a guest, but the owner of the mansion.
He wore a dark black python robe, with a white jade belt around his waist, and his figure was tall and slender.
His face was hidden in the shadows cast by the curtain, making his expression impossible to discern. Only the slight upturn of his lips, a half-smile, and his dark brown eyes, which gleamed faintly in the darkness, were visible.
Xu Longxiang.
The heir of the Prince of Zhenbei, the master of 300,000 iron cavalry in the northern border.
That's how he arrived.
Silently, like a ghost, it appeared in the main hall of Meng Fang's mansion.
There was no invitation card, no notification, and no one knew how he got in.
The guards outside the gate didn't see him, the sentries in the courtyard didn't notice him, and even the most alert hunting dog kept in the manor didn't bark.
That's how he arrived.
Like a knife yet to be drawn, it lay silently on Meng Fang's desk.
Meng Fang took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent emotions surging within him.
He stood up, walked to Xu Longxiang, and filled the teacup in front of Xu Longxiang with the teapot in both hands.
The scalding hot tea poured from the spout, swirling in the celadon teacup, and rising steam that blurred his vision.
"I wonder what wind blew the prince to my humble abode."
He straightened up, placed the teapot aside, and put on a perfectly appropriate smile that was neither obsequious nor aloof.
"It's truly an honor to have you here."
Xu Longxiang picked up his teacup, gently blew away the foam, took a sip, and then looked up at Meng Fang.
Those deep brown eyes held a smile, a gentle, proper smile, one that was flawless.
"General, you jest."
His voice was soft, carrying a nonchalant ease.
"General, you hold great power in the Imperial Guard and are His Majesty's most trusted general. I have long admired you and have come to pay my respects. I should have come much earlier, but I have been too busy with military affairs at the front. Now, I take the opportunity of His Majesty's wedding to visit you."
Meng Fang's smile remained unchanged, but his heart skipped a beat.
The Imperial Guard held supreme power.
His Majesty values him most highly.
These words, spoken by Xu Longxiang, seemed to be a constant reminder to him—you are important, you are important, you are extremely important.
He knew he was important.
The commander of the Imperial Guards was in charge of 30,000 imperial guards and was responsible for guarding the palace and its surroundings.
If the imperial city is a gate, then he is the lock.
Anyone who wants to enter this door must pass through him.
Anyone who wants to do anything inside this door must first get past him.
Xu Longxiang came to visit him not out of admiration, not by chance, and not to reminisce.
He came because he needed that lock.
Meng Fang's brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed.
He smiled and shook his head, his tone perfectly humble.
"Your Highness is too kind. I was merely acting on His Majesty's orders; it is nothing to boast about."
He paused, his gaze lingering on Xu Longxiang's face for a moment before shifting away.
"Your Highness, as a pillar of the nation, guarding the northern border is truly a testament to your illustrious achievements."
Pillars of the nation.
Guarding the northern border.
His achievements are numerous.
Every word he uttered was true.
But as he spoke, a strange feeling welled up inside him that he couldn't quite put his finger on.
It's like wearing someone else's clothes. The material is top-notch, and the cut is perfect, but when you wear it, you always feel like something's not right, though you can't quite put your finger on it.
He felt his voice was weak as he spoke, as if he were walking on cotton, soft and yielding, without any foothold.
Upon hearing this, Xu Longxiang's smile did not deepen; instead, it gradually faded.
The receding tide was slow, like the receding seawater slowly flowing away from the beach, revealing a wet, grayish-white expanse of sand.
He put down his teacup, and the celadon and sandalwood collided, making a very soft "tap" sound.
Then he sighed.
The sigh was very soft, as soft as a leaf drifting across the water, barely causing a ripple.
When Meng Fang heard that sigh, a string in his heart tightened instantly.
"Even Longxiang couldn't protect his own sister," Xu Longxiang's voice was low and deep, like an echo from the ground. "How can you call him a meritorious minister?"
Meng Fang's heart skipped a beat.
The throbbing surged from his chest, like a bird trapped in a cage, desperately flapping its wings and making the cage rattle.
The perfectly timed smile on his face froze for a moment, a moment so fleeting it was almost imperceptible, before he forcibly suppressed it.
He put down his teacup, stood up, walked to the door, lifted a corner of the curtain, and glanced outside.
The courtyard was empty, and the sunlight shone brightly on the bluestone slabs.
A few withered leaves were swept up by the wind, swirled between the pillars, and then fell back to their original place.
There were no outsiders.
He lowered the curtain, turned around, walked back to his seat, but did not sit down.
He stood in front of the chair, facing Xu Longxiang, bowing slightly, his voice very low.
"Your Highness, please be careful what you say."
Xu Longxiang looked at him, at his slightly bowed posture, at his lowered eyelids, and at his tense jaw.
He smiled, a very light and faint smile, as if he were talking about something extremely ordinary.
"It's alright. It's just the two of us here."
He paused, then lowered his voice.
"You can speak freely."