The Ugly Empress

Edited- Zaki

————— 

When Jiang Yu returned, Xue Junliang was still holding the memorial and seemed to be thinking about something.

Jiang Yu coughed and said, “Your Majesty… the memorial is upside down.”

Only then did Xue Junliang come back to the present, glanced at the memorial in his hand, and turned to glance at Jiang Yu and said faintly, “Did you escort Teng Ying back?”

Jiang Yu instantly felt that he had said something that he shouldn’t have said, and smiled apologetically: “Replying to Your Majesty, yes.” 

Xue Junliang tossed the memorials aside and said, “If this Seat wants to keep someone by his side, what do you think this Seat should do?”

Jiang Yu hesitated a little and said, “Your Majesty …… Your Majesty may be talking about the Marquis Tengnan? The Marquis was already Teng-fei when he went to war, and now that he’s back, he is still Teng-fei.”

Xue Junliang slanted another glance at Jiang Yu and said, “Does this Seat still need you to confirm this?”

Jiang Yu immediately knelt down and kowtowed, as he said, “This old slave is stupid, this old slave knows his mistake”

Xue Junliang didn’t say anything more. He just let Jiang Yu get up, then picked up the memorial and looked at it. After a while, he found that the memorial he was supposed to be reading was upside down again.

Xue Junliang’s heart was knotted. Now he knew that Teng Ying was actually Teng Yun so all the more he didn’t want to let go of this person. Teng Yun was the biggest threat for himself at one point of time but he had also learned to appreciate and care about this person as the one who was closest to his heart. He suddenly didn’t want to use this method to entangle Teng Yun around himself.

Xue Junliang couldn’t think of a better way to let Teng Yun stay with him, so let him recuperate for the time being. However, when Xue Junliang remembered Teng Yun’s wary eyes just now, he couldn’t help but rub his forehead as he suddenly felt a headache coming.

Teng Yun returned to Yunfeng palace. It was much more magnificent than when he went on the expedition earlier. It had been almost built. Although there were no Palace staff present, the furnishings were spotless. 

Although Teng Yun was only borrowing a room, because Emperor Xue’s meaning was not very clear when letting Teng Yun borrow this place, Jiang Yu did not dare to speculate on the reasons. He just sent two attendants to the Yunfeng Palace. After all, Teng Yun was still injured and needed care.

Teng Yun woke up having no appetite, but since he had been unconscious for some days and was feeling weak, he hadn’t had regular food. Now his stomach was burning so badly that he had no choice but to eat. Just as he was about to request the attendants some food, Jiang Yu sent someone.

Considering the fact the Emperor Xue was so distracted that he was reading the memorial upside down, Jiang Yu understood that Teng Yun was a very special person so he did not dare neglect his care. He sent several attendants and Palace staff over and especially let the kitchen send some light and nourishing dishes.

It was getting late. Teng Yun went to bed after taking only a few bites. When he woke up the next day, it was almost noon. 

When the Palace maid saw that he was awake, she helped to freshen him up, and said that the Emperor had asked not to wake up the Marquis.

Teng Yun was surprised and amazed. Was it because he had made great contributions this time that Emperor Xue planned to give him a position in the court? Or was Emperor Xue scheming against himself?

Teng Yun thought about it and felt that giving him a position was indeed possible, after all, Xue Junliang had always been seeking talented people. However, after Xue Junliang’s strategy of employing people without doubt, he always left a way out.

After freshening up and arranging his clothes, Teng Yun was ready to go and pay his respects to Emperor Xue and then leave the Palace afterwards. After all, he was now a Marquis and his residence was not in the Forbidden Palace. 

Teng Yun had just left the main hall and had not yet left Yunfeng Palace when he saw Xue Junliang walking towards him from afar.

It seemed that the man had just finished the Morning Court as his Imperial Court robes had not been taken off, showing his imposing tall figure.

Teng Yun quickly lowered his head, took two quick steps over and was about to kneel down to pay his respects, but heard Xue Junliang say, “Teng Ying is wounded, no need to be so formal, Jiang Yu, help him up.”

Jiang Yu replied in affirmative and went over. Teng Yun did not have time to kneel and pay his respects at all, so he just gave him a little support. 

Xue Junliang asked with a smile, “Did Teng Ying just get up?”

Seeing a smile on his face, Teng Yun thought he was laughing at himself for staying in bed, so he had to say, “Yes, this lowly Minister was rude.”

Xue Junliang’s meaning wasn’t that at all. Of course, he knew that Teng Yun was weak and more rest was a good thing. “I don’t suppose you had time to have breakfast?”

Teng Yun paused and replied, “Yes.” 

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Although Xue Junliang was busy with political affairs, he never neglected Xue Pei. His expectations of Xue Pei were very high. After all, there was only this one Crown Prince in Xue country.  Fortunately, although Xue Pei was naughty, he was not stubborn. He was smart and good at learning.

What Teng Yun couldn’t understand was why a Monarch would take a Minister with a different surname to the Prince’s Palace to supervise his studies. And looking at the momentum, he was actually going to have lunch together. 

Xue Junliang didn’t give him the chance to refuse. He asked Teng Yun to go to Liujin Palace with him in the same carriage.

On the surface, the little Prince seemed to be in awe of Emperor Xue. But in the end, he naturally hoped that his father would often come to see him. Even if he just asked what text he had learned, what book he had read and what he could write, it was good.

He knelt at the entrance of the Palace early and waited for Xue Junliang to come over. Emperor Xue came as expected, but he brought another man with him.

Xue Pei raised his eyes to glance at the new person and his face immediately dropped. Shen Yi, who was kneeling on the side, naturally found that the Prince’s face was not looking good, so he quietly touched Xue Pei with his arm. The young Prince then tried to collect his expression but still he didn’t look good. 

The relationship between the little Prince and the Empress was very good and hence Xue Pei’s impression of Teng Ying was not very nice. Of course, he understood that it was not easy being an Emperor. It was not easy to just cut anyone. It depended on the general trend and the general opinion of the people. But Xue Pei’s emotion still could not be controlled.

Especially when he heard that his father had to marry him as a male consort, Xue Pei almost smashed the entire Liujin Palace. Then Shen Yi gave him good advice and analyzed the advantages and disadvantages to calm the Crown Prince’s temper.

What incensed Xue Pei’s grievance even more was that Xue Junliang rebuilt the Yunfeng Palace, but let this man with a face full of scars live in it. Since ancient times the Yunfeng Palace of the Xue country was inhabited by all the Empresses, how could a male pet now live there?

Xue Junliang first stepped off the carriage and reached out to help Teng Yun down. Even if Teng Yun had the courage, he couldn’t really let the Emperor help him. Jiang Yu had a discerning eye, immediately hurried up to help Teng Yun down. 

Although Teng Yun’s right hand was no longer visibly swollen and clotted with blood, the sensation had not returned. So it couldn’t be moved, nor could it exert any strength.

Xue Junliang watched from the side and frowned. He was not confident of Jiang Yu’s old age. What would he do if he fell? So he waved Jiang Yu back and helped Teng Yun himself.

In the eyes of the little Prince, this scene could be described as kindness and love, and this caused Xue Pei’s face to darken even more.

Teng Yun’s heart was very emotional when he saw Xue Pei. The prince’s age had crossed childhood and was nearing adolescence and he had grown up making his features more and more distinct. 

But when the eyes of the two people collided Xue Pei glared fiercely at Teng Yun.  Teng Yun immediately understood that his impression in the Prince’s eyes was no longer a good one……..

Xue Junliang and Teng Yun entered the hall door in front. Shen Yi lowered his voice and said, “Crown Prince, what are you doing?”

Xue Pei waved his sleeve, deliberately lagged a few steps behind, also lowered his voice and said, “High Mentor doesn’t need to persuade me, I know when to say what.”

Shen Yi suddenly felt powerless and thought to himself, ‘If you know discretion then why do you look so angry enough to bite people?’  

After entering the hall, Xue Junliang first asked Xue Pei about his recent studies.

Shen Yi knelt down and reported back the progress. He took off his official hat with both hands and put it on the ground. He kowtowed and then put on his official hat again. This was the courtesy of Ministers to ask forgiveness.

Shen Yi said, “The prince is smart and studious. I’m afraid that in another year, this lowly Minister will have nothing to teach.”

There were many true and false elements in this sentence. Naturally there were facts and also Shen Yi’s exaggerations. Of course, Xue Junliang was willing to listen to others praise his son, so he casually asked a few questions as an assessment, and Xue Pei answered them very fluently. 

Xue Pei was still a child at heart. Seeing him answer well, Xue Junliang praised him with a few words. Xue Pei immediately forgot his previous unhappiness and was happy again. Shen Yi let out a sigh of relief.

When the school was over, Xue Junliang asked people to prepare the meal. Xue Pei saw that Teng Yun still hadn’t left and seemed to want to eat with himself, so he suddenly said, “Father, High Mentor Shen is this son’s teacher, that is to say the eldest, may I invite High Mentor to join us?”

Xue Junliang just glanced at Xue Pei lightly and said with a smile: “Pei’er has become more and more aware of the rules and etiquettes, thanks to the good guidance of the High Mentor. Since Pei’er has already proposed it, the High Mentor might as well stay for dinner.”

Shen Yi felt that he was very unlucky today. Unexpectedly, he ran into this kind of thing. He could have slipped away and got pulled in for no reason. 

Although it was an ordinary family dinner, the meal was really weird. Teng Yun’s right hand was weak and he couldn’t use chopsticks. He just drank porridge, so that he doesn’t need to pick the vegetables.

When Xue Junliang saw it, he personally added the side dishes and put it on his chopsticks. Teng Yun saw the smiling expression of the other party and suddenly a thought popped up in his heart. Luckily he didn’t put the food directly into his mouth. It was already kind of him.

Obviously, Teng Yun didn’t feel that Xue Junliang’s performance was gentle and considerate. The reason why Teng Yun was very wary of him was because he felt that Xue Junliang was going to play some trick on him.

The little prince looked at the Emperor Xue favouring men now and the anger in his heart kept rising. Previously, the Emperor favoured the Empress and at the time also he used to be loving and very harmonious. Although Xue Pei grew up in the back Palace, he was very disgusted with the Harem of three thousand beauties. 

Xue Pei had nowhere to show his anger. Shen Yi kept winking at him trying to get him to control his temper. Xue Pei then stretched out his legs and kicked him under the table. Shen Yi didn’t expect the Prince to kick himself. As expected, he became the target for the arrow. At this type of banquet with the Emperor, Marquis and Prince, this little Mentor became too pitiful.

Teng Yun looked at his chopsticks that were always full of things, and his heart turned back and forth, thinking on what to say. He could not say that this lowly Minister was full nor could he thank His Majesty for his kindness.

When Teng Yun was at a loss, Xue Junliang suddenly said: “Are you tired? It seems that you are not in good spirits.”

Teng Yun quickly nodded and said yes. Xue Junliang just generously waved his hand, and the banquet ended. He wanted Teng Yun to stay in Yunfeng Palace to recover from his injury, but Teng Yun said it was unreasonable. Finally, Xue Junliang also didn’t force him and asked Jiang Yu to send him out of the Palace and rewarded him with a lot of valuable medicinal materials. 

Teng Yun let out a sigh of relief as he finally left the Palace. The carriage was very soft and smooth. Although it was not fast, it was very comfortable. Teng Yun certainly didn’t think of it. Xue Junliang thought of it and ordered Jiang Yu.

———

When Xue Houyang returned to the residence, he saw Teng Shang staring at the book, lost in thought. He didn’t know what he was thinking, so he had to speak out, “Sir.”

Teng Shang was then startled at the sound and said, “Lord Marquis is back.” 

Xue Houyang said, “Today the Morning Court was let off late, then I went to the Military Office and now I have returned…”

He paused and continued: “When I came back, I saw Marquis Tengnan’s carriage. It seems that he has returned to his residence to recuperate from his injuries. Sir, do not worry, if you are in a hurry to see him, you should be able to visit later.”

Teng Shang asked, “Has Marquis Tengnan’s injury healed?”

Xue Houyang nodded and said, “Don’t worry, sir. The elders of the Imperial Hospital don’t eat official food for nothing. Marquis Tengnan is all right now. The only thing left is to recover and get well. I heard that Emperor Xue gave him many things, and there are quite a good number of valuable medicinal materials…” 

As he was speaking, he didn’t expect Teng Shang to suddenly let out a laugh. Xue Houyang said, “Sir? Did I say something strange?”

Teng Shang shook his head and said, “Lord Marquis’s information is very detailed.”

Xue Houyang hesitated: “Ah… I was on official business at the Military Office today and heard about it.”

Teng Shang said, “Did you hear or you went to inquire?” 

Xue Houyang was stunned, subconsciously rubbed the tip of his nose and said, “I really can’t hide anything from you, Sir. I really did go to inquire.”

“Why?”

Xue Houyang initially didn’t understand what Teng Shang meant when he asked “why”, but when he saw Teng Shang’s expression, he was a little embarrassed. Of course, he went to inquire about the news in order to not let Teng Shang worry.

Seeing that he didn’t speak, Teng Shang obviously didn’t want to bypass him and continued to ask with a smile: “Why did the Lord go to inquire?” 

Xue Houyang circumvented: “Sir, if you want to visit the sick, you have to prepare some gifts for the visit. I don’t know what to prepare.”

Teng Shang didn’t ask again, “There’s no hurry, Marquis Tengnan is weak, I can’t disturb his rest, it’s not too late to visit him in a few days.”

He then suddenly said, “I’ve heard something in the past few days.”

Xue Houyang hadn’t seen Teng Shang’s “Deep and Profound” expression for a long time. He couldn’t help feeling cramps in his stomach in anxiety. He seemed to feel that something was wrong before he said anything. 

Teng Shang smiled, his expression unfathomable and said, “In order to show his sincerity regarding the peace, did Feng country’s King offer any benefits in addition to sending back Marquis Tengnan?”

Xue Houyang immediately felt uncomfortable and said, “No… I don’t seem to have heard anything.”

Teng Shang raised an eyebrow, “This Teng has been to Ming River in person. Isn’t it clear?”

Xue Houyang scratched his ears, his face had a somewhat overwhelmed expression. Teng Shang could not bear to tease him again. It seemed that as long as he said it himself, the other party took it very seriously. 

Teng Shang said, “I heard that King Feng had sent the daughters of the Nine Marquises of Feng to form a marriage alliance with Lord Marquis. I just wanted to ask Lord Marquis, have you made your choice?”

“Of course not.”

Xue Houyang stood up quickly, his voice raised a little because of the eagerness, said: “It is true, but since Houyang has ……”

He paused for a moment and wanted to say, “I have already married with Sir Teng,” but he was afraid that the word 'married' would hurt Teng Shang, so he had to change his words, “Since Houyang already has a husband, he naturally won’t think about taking a concubine.” 

Teng Shang smiled and said, “What Concubine? Can a daughter of the nine Marquises be married as a Concubine?”

Xue Houyang was a bit anxious and said, “Sir, we are not talking about wives and concubines, we are talking about the fact that I will not marry again.”

After a moment of silence, Teng Shang said, “When I was leaving for Ming River, I said that when I came back this time, I had something I wanted to say to you.”

“I remember.” 

“In fact, there are some things that I think cannot be hidden from the Marquis.” Teng Shang slowly spoke, “Although the Marquis is sometimes reckless, he is also considered a person with a careful heart. This matter, I think the Marquis and Emperor Xue have already found out.”

Xue Houyang stared at Teng Shang for a long time before speaking, “Is this what Sir wanted to say? I thought it was about his own matter. Other people’s affairs, Houyang does not care.”

Teng Shang said with a smile, “I haven’t finished yet.”

When the other party didn’t speak, Teng Shang continued: “The Marquis is young and promising, and has repeatedly made many war achievements. And in view of this all the high ranking families in the Capital want to become the Marquis’ in-laws…… Although Teng Shang has no virtue and no ability, this Teng is lucky to be favoured by the Marquis. But does the Marquis realize that being only with me, you will cut off your future generation. Lord Marquis… Can you really afford to bear it? Teng is now half without any support, so regardless of any costs……” 

He still wanted to  continue speaking, but Xue Houyang interrupted him and said, “Sir, said at all costs. Although Houyang is stupid, he can hear it…”

He said, reaching out his hand to hold Teng Shang and said with a smile, “This is the first time I’ve heard my husband speak from his heart. I… I’m really happy.”

Teng Shang just now spoke very emotionally without caring about the implication.  At this time, listening to Xue Houyang, his face burned as if he had a fever. Surprisingly it was so easy to say it out.

Teng Shang originally wanted to talk to him about serious matters, but Xue Houyang only laughed giddily and held him tightly. Teng Shang wanted to push him away but unconsciously felt the other party’s restless lower body. 

Even though Teng Shang had experienced the Imperial court for decades, he couldn’t be so indifferent. He quickly stretched out his hand to push Xue Houyang and said, “Marquis…Lord Marquis…..”

Xue Houyang’s lips gently rubbed Teng Shang’s earlobes, and his hot breath exhaled on the other party’s ears. He didn’t know what to say and didn’t dare to touch Teng Shang rashly, so he just kept kissing Teng Shang’s earlobes and neck again and again.

Teng Shang was heated by Xue Houyang’s seemingly indistinct kisses, his limbs turned soft. He was not a pretentious person. He knew that if he didn’t give his agreement, the Marquis Wannian who is invincible in the battlefields would never do anything improper or out of line.

Teng Shang’s throat rolled as he embraced the other person back and took the initiative to kiss the corners of Xue Houyang’s mouth. He stretched his slightly trembling right hand to Xue Houyang’s lower body to relieve him. 

Xue Houyang’s breath became more thick and heavy. He narrowed his eyes and fiercely pressed Teng Shang on the desk in the study.

The papers on the table were scattered all over the ground. Teng Shang looked at Xue Houyang in surprise, which made Xue Houyang feel even more impulsive and he stretched out his hand to untie Teng Shang’s belt.

Teng Shang was stunned and then tried to struggle to get up, saying, “Lord Marquis?”

He wanted to relieve the other party with his hands, but Xue Houyang was flattered by this behavior. His husband took the initiative and how could Xue Houyang bear it any longer, so he didn’t care whether it was noon or not, or whether it was a study room or not. 

The two people were not really very expressive. Teng Shang always looked very calm. Xue Houyang had no idea what was on Teng Shang’s mind. He had no idea what Teng Shang thought about himself. Now that Teng Shang used the words ‘at all costs’, he finally let go of the burden in his heart. So how could he easily let go of Teng Shang now?

———

Teng Shang visited Teng Yun only on the third day after he returned to his residence. He had really wanted to see Teng Yun immediately, but Xue Houyang tossed him around so badly that day in his study, that he was unable to get out of bed for two days.