English Novel
Chapter 12 – Empress: Is your wife pretty?
Chapter 12 – Empress: Is your wife pretty?
The anti-corruption and anti-crime operation continued until the early hours of the morning.
Following the arrest of the King of Longshang and the young civil official, two more fifth-rank officials were apprehended, both unforgivable villains.
In contrast, others felt grateful to Meng Qingzhou, believing he had shown goodwill by sparing them.
Little did they know, Meng Qingzhou didn't even know these nobodies.
As the sweeping purge of fifth-rank and above officials concluded, no one dared to question Meng Qingzhou's promotion to Vice Minister of Rites.
"Dismissed," the Empress waved her sleeve and gracefully stood up to leave.
The court officials bowed and retreated from the Golden Throne Hall.
"Congratulations on your promotion, Minister Meng. Please support and take care of us in the future."
"Minister Meng, be careful, the steps are high."
"Minister, would you like to join me for a drink? I recently found a stunning beauty who also has the surname Meng. Perhaps you are long-lost siblings? Why not take her home and ask?"
"Ah! Minister Meng is not one to be swayed by beauty. I have an ancient treasure at home, said to be left by a Supreme Being from the Morning Glow Realm. Would you care to take a look?"
...
Along the way, many people shamelessly tried to curry favor with Meng Qingzhou, some even wanting to lick his boots.
"Thank you for your kindness, but my wife is waiting at home. I must take my leave," Meng Qingzhou quickly cupped his hands and prepared to slip away.
At that moment, a shadow blocked the stars and moon, and everyone felt a sudden darkness. The Empress's imperial carriage descended from the sky, hovering above them.
The Empress stood in the wind, hands clasped in front of her, her hair elegantly coiled. She looked down at Meng Qingzhou and said:
"Meng Qingzhou, you have no residence in the capital. Why not return to the palace with me and stay for a while?"
The Empress was very pleased with Meng Qingzhou's performance today. Even she hadn't expected the Sage's prophecy to be used in such a way, which truly opened her eyes.
In a great mood, the Empress decided to be capricious one last time!
Take Meng Qingzhou back to the palace!
After all, he is the Empress' Husband, living in the Emperor's bedchamber is perfectly reasonable, and she wasn't violating any ethics!
"Uh..." Meng Qingzhou said dryly, "Isn't this inappropriate?"
"What's inappropriate? In Great Jin, no one dares to gossip about me," Dongfang Liuli said calmly.
Meng Qingzhou was speechless but patiently replied, "My wife is waiting at home. I'm afraid she'll worry if I'm late."
Using the tiger's skin as a banner, as long as I don't say anything, who would know that Dongfang Liuli and I are a fake couple?
"I see," Dongfang Liuli was silent for a long time, chewing over the word "wife," a strange feeling rising in her heart. Her red lips curved slightly:
"I'm curious, do you like your wife very much?"
Meng Qingzhou was helpless.
Why is this Empress so chatty, unlike the cold and aloof ancient emperor from the novels?
"Sort of," Meng Qingzhou said vaguely.
"Tell me more," Dongfang Liuli pressed.
Meng Qingzhou: ...
Damn, do you have some kind of problem?
"Actually, it doesn't matter much. To a blind person, beauty is irrelevant. If I must say something..." Meng Qingzhou recalled some cheesy lines from his past life and said with deep emotion:
"In this vast world, I love three things.
The sun, the moon, and you.
The sun for the morning, the moon for the evening, and you for morning and evening."
The Empress's body trembled, her phoenix eyes widening as she asked, "Is there more?"
Meng Qingzhou lifted his chin, the moonlight casting a glow on his chiseled profile, his voice deep:
"In the morning, I see the sky; in the evening, the clouds. Whether walking or sitting, I think of you."
...
"Continue..."
"At first sight, I was delighted; after a long time, my heart still races."
...
Dongfang Liuli's red lips parted slightly. After a moment, she cleared her throat and waved her hand somewhat hastily, saying, "I understand. You may go."
With that, Dongfang Liuli's carriage disappeared in an instant, as if fleeing.
The surrounding people looked at Meng Qingzhou with strange expressions, all remaining silent.
"Simple words that strike straight to the heart, no need for flowery language, just like life, plain yet full of sincere emotion. Minister Meng, you truly have great talent!" A civil official gave a thumbs up, having once been a top scholar in the imperial exams.
The official who had planned to bribe with a beauty immediately realized something and said:
"I was rash earlier. I didn't expect Minister Meng and his wife to have such true feelings. I will host a banquet to apologize another day!"
Meng Qingzhou slapped his forehead, realizing that modern romantic lines were too advanced for this world, akin to a dimensional reduction attack.
"Farewell, farewell."
Meng Qingzhou, his head aching, quickly left.
By the time he left the palace, it was already late at night.
The streets were desolate, finding a place to rest was difficult.
Meng Qingzhou sighed deeply, feeling the hardships of life, and decided to find a rundown temple to spend the night, thinking of finding a place to stay the next day.
Suddenly, a familiar fragrance wafted by with the breeze.
Outside the palace gates, Dongfang Liuli, now dressed in simple clothes, stood leaning against the wall with a sword in her arms, quietly watching Meng Qingzhou.
Su Qingqiu, dressed in a plain white dress, peeked out from behind Dongfang Liuli, observing him.
Earlier, Su Qingqiu had hidden in the imperial carriage and clearly heard Meng Qingzhou's confession to Dongfang Liuli.
A pure-hearted Su Qingqiu had never experienced such a scene, and her head was still spinning.
Meng Qingzhou's words echoed in her ears:
"At first sight, I was delighted; after a long time, my heart still races."
"In this vast world, I love three things.
The sun, the moon, and you.
The sun for the morning, the moon for the evening, and you for morning and evening."
Simple yet deeply moving.
"Huh? Why are you here?" Meng Qingzhou asked in surprise.
"Waiting for you," Dongfang Liuli's cheeks were slightly flushed, her voice firm.
Meng Qingzhou remembered that Su Qingqiu had mentioned Dongfang Liuli was also in the capital and wouldn't leave for a while.
It seemed she had received the news and was waiting here on purpose.
"Let's go home," Dongfang Liuli turned and walked away, her tone cold.
But Meng Qingzhou noticed she was deliberately slowing her pace for him, even stomping her feet loudly so he could hear where obstacles were and where the path was clear.
"By the way, since I married into your family, I haven't met your parents. Shouldn't I pay them a visit?" Meng Qingzhou tried to make conversation.
Dongfang Liuli said, "No parents, only an uncle in the Dongfang Family."
"..." Meng Qingzhou was silent.
Indeed, I'm not suited for flirting, only for spouting cheesy lines.
After walking for about ten minutes, they arrived at an ordinary courtyard with a plaque that read "Qin."
In the capital, where land was precious, having a courtyard was no small feat, showing the Dongfang Family's power.
What he didn't know was that this was not just an ordinary courtyard but the ancestral home of the Great Jin royal family!
A building more significant than the palace itself.
Meng Qingzhou, with pockets emptier than his face, was naturally amazed.
"Woof woof woof..." A dog in the courtyard came over, barking incessantly at Meng Qingzhou.
"Go away!" Meng Qingzhou didn't hold back, kicking the dog that didn't know its place.
Couldn't it see the man of the house had returned? No sense at all!
Su Qingqiu bit her red lips, glancing at the kicked Guardian Beast, then quickly looked away.
The Guardian Beast of Great Jin rolled twice on the ground, lying there in contemplation, then realized something was wrong.
I am the Guardian Beast, and this blind man actually treated me like a dog!
"Roar!" The Big Yellow Dog bared its teeth, looking fierce.
"Hmm?!" Meng Qingzhou slightly turned, sensing an unknown threat. He released a trace of his Sword Sense of Time and Space to probe.
The Big Yellow Dog's fur stood on end, its pupils dilating.
The supreme Sword Sense of slaughter!
This blind man... is a Sword Saint!
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