Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 391 I’m afraid I will lose you

Chapter 391: Chapter 391 I’m afraid I will lose you

The Emperor, though furious, was still hesitant.

He had already dispatched a large army last night to support the Borderlands of the Western Regions, determined to rout the Western Regions retreat after retreat, and then behead the entire Western Region Royal Family, send a trusted minister to take over, and ensure that the Western Regions were no longer a vassal state.

His plans were well thought out, but who could have anticipated that the Prince of Yundian would also rebel.

The ministers were also correct; once the Prince of Yundian rebelled, other minor countries would be eager to try, and at that point, Great Yan could be said to be besieged on all sides.

What then?

Could it be that the Emperor really intended to let Yundian become independent and hand it over to the Prince of Yundian?

The Emperor’s face at this moment was so dark that it seemed water could drip from it.

His gaze swept over his subjects and finally settled on General Fu and Jun Yuyan.

He narrowed his eyes and asked Jun Yuyan, "Eldest, you excel in military strategy, do you have any good ideas?"

Jun Yuyan replied respectfully,

"This son dares not presume. However, this son believes that if the Prince of Yundian has truly rebelled, there must be collusion both domestically and abroad, or else it would not be possible for the rebellion to be so ’timely.’ Yet, the Prince of Yundian has always been loyal to Great Yan, so could there be some mistake in the news?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, if the Prince of Yundian wanted to rebel, he would have done so years ago when Great Yan faced domestic and foreign troubles. Instead, they repelled the small southeastern countries and paid tribute on time every year. This minister also cannot find a reason for their sudden rebellion,"

General Fu spoke up.

Several other ministers echoed his sentiments afterwards.

"How could there be a mistake in the war reports? Do you think this is a child’s play?"

Prime Minister Li, stooped with age, said in a low voice.

He looked at the Emperor, "Your Majesty, this old servant believes that the Prince of Yundian is too young, so he has developed unwarranted ambitions. We must suppress him with military force, take back control of Yundian by opportunity, and prevent the Prince of Yundian from acting like a local emperor!"

A few other ministers agreed with Prime Minister Li.

Jun Yuyan, unchanging in expression, said, "Father Emperor, the Prime Minister’s words are not without reason. However, this son believes we can first send someone to negotiate and ascertain whether the Prince of Yundian is truly rebelling or if the rumors are being spread by someone else. If it turns out to be a true rebellion, we can first understand their demands and stall for time. After resolving the traitors in the Western Regions, we can then redirect our military forces."

This suggestion received the Emperor’s approval as it seemed to be the best course of action for the moment.

However, he did not trust Jun Yuyan and General Fu with this task; naturally, he would assign it to another trusted minister.

The main enemy for now was the Western Region army, which had obtained the fire-thunder technology unique to Great Yan, increasing its destructive power.

This was the true critical concern.

What angered the Emperor even more was that someone had conspired with foreign enemies, providing a large quantity of fire-thunder, or perhaps the formula for it, to the Western Regions, causing the Yan Army to lose its biggest advantage.

The Emperor had initially planned that, after another year or two of rest and recuperation, once the nation was stronger, he would conscript more soldiers and use fire-thunder to take down all the surrounding countries and continue to expand outward.

He wanted to be a great Emperor, remembered through the ages; by expanding Great Yan’s territory, he would secure a glorious reputation, for the more territory one has, the greater their fame.

Perhaps generations later, people would praise him as a sovereign unmatched throughout the ages.

But this beautiful dream had suddenly shattered.

If the formula for fire-thunder truly had been given to the Western Regions, this battle would not be so easily halted.

The Emperor was even more worried about the ’besieging from all sides’ that his ministers mentioned. If the cities were invaded, or even worse, the country fell, he would not be an unmatched sovereign but a sinner of Great Yan for eternity!

...

Murong Jiu finally waited for Jun Yuyan to return home at dusk.

His stubble grew quickly and he had to shave every day. Upon returning, Murong Jiu saw that there was an additional circle of blue stubble on his chin. He came over to hug her, and his stubble just buried into her neck, tickling her intolerably. Instead of letting go, Jun Yuyan purposefully rubbed his chin even more into her neck.

She laughed from the tickling, and thus, the worry in her eyes was no longer visible.

Murong Jiu slapped at him, "Let go quickly, it’s so ticklish."

Jun Yuyan laughed and kissed her face a few more times.

It wasn’t until Murong Jiu intentionally glared at him that he stopped rubbing his stubble against her.

However, Murong Jiu had also realized that there was nothing to worry about regarding the matters of the court. Otherwise, Jun Yuyan would have been wracking his brain, not in the mood to tease her.

The whole Capital City was abuzz with rumors that the Prince of Yundian had rebelled. Of course, she didn’t believe it, thinking it was the Fourth Prince’s conspiracy and worried that Xiao Wen, who followed the Prince of Yundian, might encountered trouble.

But now, seeing Jun Yuyan like this, she guessed that the Prince of Yundian may have already come to an understanding with him, so there was nothing to fret over.

"Ah Jiu, in at most half a month, the situation will be settled,"

Jun Yuyan said to her in a warm voice. Although he was no longer nettle her with his stubble, his hands were still rather restless.

Murong Jiu thought about it and realized that the two of them hadn’t been intimate for quite some days. No wonder he was like a frisky monkey as soon as he returned, with the pressure off him.

"Let’s have dinner first!"

Seeing him actually starting to untie his belt, Murong Jiu hurriedly spoke.

Jun Yuyan whispered in her ear, "Let’s eat you first."

The words made her cheeks burn red.

Jun Yuyan’s gaze was deep and dark as he picked her up horizontally and went to the bathroom at the back. To make it convenient for Murong Jiu to soak and bathe, that place had long been transformed into a bathing pool with flowing warm water all year round.

It had been a long time since Murong Jiu had relaxed like this.

Sometimes Jun Yuyan was very dominant, but he was always gentle during their intimate moments, never hurting her and always considering her feelings first. Each time, they would be drenched in sweat, yet it was deeply satisfying.

Murong Jiu let him help her wash. She fell asleep in his arms and woke up to find herself already on the bed. She moved her hand and found it held by him, then settled down to sleep again, reassured.

In the morning, she woke up early. The large hand on her waist held her tight, filling her with a sense of security, and she couldn’t help but smile.

When she looked up, she found that he had already woken up and was watching her tenderly and affectionately.

Murong Jiu’s cheeks reddened, and she asked him, "When did you wake up? Why didn’t you call me?"

"I just woke up not long ago. Ah Jiu, looking at you sleeping peacefully, I feel so at ease, so happy. I want to watch you like this for a lifetime," he said with a sincere gaze.

Murong Jiu buried her head in his chest and said, "I will stay with you for a lifetime, that will never change."

Jun Yuyan’s warm breath descended, and unexpectedly, their intimacy turned into another bout of folly.

Later, when her stomach was growling with hunger, Jun Yuyan finally knew restraint and helped her dress and called for food to be brought in.

Murong Jiu’s complexion was rosy, her eyes filled with post-intimacy glow, feeling a bit shy to see people. It indeed felt better to dine in the privacy of the room.

After finishing the meal, she noticed something was off with Jun Yuyan. He kept his gaze on her, as if reluctant to look away.

"Husband, are you feeling unwell? Let me check your pulse," she suggested.

Jun Yuyan obediently extended his hand, still looking at her, "Ah Jiu, I’m not unwell. I just... I had a bad dream and I’m scared of losing you."

"What dream did you have?"

It couldn’t also be a dream from a previous life, could it?

Jun Yuyan said, "I can’t remember clearly, but the sense of loss and regret in the dream left me feeling somewhat sad."