Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 305: I Want to Give Consort Qin a Surprise

Chapter 305: Chapter 305: I Want to Give Consort Qin a Surprise

All the land under the heavens belongs to the emperor.

All the people at the edges of the earth are his subjects.

This saying has its merits, and the Emperor himself thought this way. In earlier years, he had even taken to the battlefield personally for the purpose of making the lands under the heavens become the lands of Great Yan and its people his subjects.

Unfortunately, he had no natural talent for warfare.

The Western Regions were annexed as a vassal state by General Fu and the Marquis of Wuan.

What is a vassal state?

To be a vassal is to be a tributary state, dependent on Great Yan, recognizing him as the Son of Heaven, bowing their heads as ministers, reporting their duties and offering tribute.

Merely having the sons of nobles send White Fleeceflower Root seeds to the Capital City was a trifle in the Emperor’s eyes, moreover, such arrangements also showcased the power of a great nation, which was the real reason the Emperor nodded in agreement.

Murong Jiu immediately smiled and said, "That’s fantastic, we can still plant the White Fleeceflower Root this year, it will bloom and bear fruit in the summer and before winter arrives, we can present quilts made from our own Great Yan-grown White Fleeceflower Root to Father Emperor and the Your Majesties in the palace!"

The phrase "our Great Yan" was well used. The Central Plains lacked White Fleeceflower Root—how could the Emperor, as ruler of the nation, fail to make a decision? If anything was lacking, one simply had to plant it!

"Moreover, Consort Qin will certainly be very happy, she will definitely be moved to have her family by her side during her childbirth," Murong Jiu added.

The Emperor, smiling, nodded in agreement, "Consort Qin is young, and it’s normal for her to feel homesick. I have decided to give her a surprise, so do not tell her about this."

Everyone naturally complied.

Imperial Noble Consort Qi had a smile on her face, her expression unreadable. Compared to before, she had long since abandoned any thoughts of jealousy.

The Emperor thought she had become sensible and treated her even better as a result.

Murong Jiu led the Emperor to a corner of the Glazed Pavilion to show them the White Fleeceflower Root that had fully matured.

"Father Emperor, Mother Consort, look, this soft fluff that looks like clouds is the White Fleeceflower Root, also known as cotton. Whether it’s made into quilts or cotton clothing, it is very warm and protects against the cold," Murong Jiu explained.

Having never seen White Fleeceflower Root before, they found its soft fluff and pure white unblemished quality quite astonishing.

The Emperor was very satisfied with this visit.

He felt that Jun Yuyan and Murong Jiu had put in a lot of effort to give him such a big surprise.

The thought of how future generations would praise his eternal achievements brought him joy.

When he tasted what Murong Jiu described as the "complete banquet from overseas," his smile deepened.

Having tired of the usual extravagant delicacies, he didn’t find boiled potatoes and sweet potatoes very tasty—he felt it was quite decent just to satisfy hunger.

But when he tasted the tangy shredded potatoes, honey-steamed sweet potatoes, persimmon fried with eggs, beans stewed with meat, stir-fried green beans, sweet potato stewed deer meat, fried peanuts, steamed Southern squash, pepper-fried meat, pepper-fried eggs, and corn soup with egg flowers, he suddenly found them delicious.

If it weren’t for the fact that he had to abstain from alcohol due to a minor ailment, he would have liked to pair the crisp peanuts with a few drinks.

Didn’t the ancestors constantly expand the territory for the sake of national strength and wealth, for various resources, for the sake of indulgence?

Without conquering the Western Regions, how could the beautiful Consort Qin have become his woman? How could the White Fleeceflower Root seeds be sent on a whim?

At this moment, the Emperor was feeling extremely pleased with himself. In his opinion, the reason Jun Yuyan and Murong Jiu were able to obtain these seeds was because he was such a skilled emperor.

Some old fogeys called him mediocre—how could a mediocre ruler have such signs of a golden age?

Under Murong Jiu’s unobtrusive flattery, the Emperor was on cloud nine, feeling as high as if he had been drinking.

Imperial Noble Consort Qi also knew how to speak sweetly, with a tender and affectionate voice, making the Emperor’s face bloom with smiles.

The Emperor looked at Jun Yuyan and Murong Jiu with a feeling of nostalgia, "You two truly are the children who give me the least worry."

Perhaps because his mood was good, he even showed a bit of feigned fatherly love, patting Jun Yuyan on the shoulder, saying that he had worked hard over the years.

Joining the army as a youth for experience, he rose from a mere soldier to a leader, fighting in no less than a hundred battles, making those small nations only dare to bow and pay homage.

Be it Goguryeo, Fusang, Nipolo, Persia, or the Dashi Nation, all had harbored thoughts they should not have, and all were defeated in battle, with Jun Yuyan responsible for more than half of the military achievements.

Later, just as he was about to retire with his achievements, he was ambushed by the enemy forces, suffering a leg injury and a disfigured face; the Emperor knew better than anyone what had really happened.

The Second Prince was as ruthless and decisive as the Empress, and he, the Emperor, was happy to see them fight to the death.

The previous year, he fought against the Xiongnu and won the battle, even obtaining the powerful weapon of Fire-thunder.

This eldest son had a hard time, living a much more difficult life than the other Princes, yet he was so filial, wishing to forge a golden age for their Great Yan; how could the Emperor not be moved?

Compared to his most beloved third son, the eldest son was indeed much easier to handle—what a pity he was not born from Consort Jing.

Jun Yuyan substituted tea for wine, and respectfully offered the Emperor a cup.

The Emperor was in a good mood and specifically instructed Murong Jiu to bring over their two children for him to see.

Imperial Noble Consort Qi frowned, a thought crossed her mind—what if the two children didn’t resemble Jun Yuyan?

She wanted to look but dared not.

But when two fair and adorable children were carried over by their wet nurse, Imperial Noble Consort Qi’s eyes instantly lit up.

The two little ones looked just like Jun Yuyan when he was a child, carved from the same mold, with their pink, tender skin and outstanding features—they were sure to be very handsome when they grew up.

Upon seeing this, Imperial Noble Consort Qi grew more and more fond of them. Just as she was about to hold them, Jun Yuyan used the excuse that her fragrance was too strong and expertly took the children into his arms.

She didn’t even get to touch them!

Moreover, where was her fragrance too strong? She wasn’t like Consort Qin who was always adorned with Fragrance Beads. Consort Qin was pregnant and it wasn’t a problem, the child was already several months along, so what was so wrong with her holding them?

Imperial Noble Consort Qi knew all too well that her son simply didn’t want to let her hold them, disdaining his own mother!

It must have been Murong Jiu who whispered slanderous things in his ear.

Imperial Noble Consort Qi was seething with anger inside.

But with the Emperor present, she dared not throw a tantrum.

The Emperor did hold and play with the twins for a while; they were very smiley, although they couldn’t yet laugh with a ’giggly’ sound, but the grinning look was inherently joy-inducing.

Blood ties did play some role; the Emperor initially thought his eldest son was smitten with Murong Jiu’s beauty and became a father for no good reason, but seeing that the children were indeed his—after all, their features couldn’t belong to anyone else’s illegitimate offspring.

Thinking that these were his first grandchildren, the Emperor felt great contentment. Times immemorial have shown that the continuity of the bloodline is the most important matter.

He should also urge his third son to have an Imperial Grandson soon, to hold and cherish.

Once back at the palace, the Emperor drafted a decree ordering the Western Region Prince Na Kesi to bring a large amount of White Fleeceflower Root seeds and other crop seeds, to come to the Capital of Great Yan in person for an audience.

To surprise Consort Qin, he kept it a secret from her.

That very night, the effects of the "Thin Line Heaven" drug in Murong Jiu’s body manifested ahead of time.