NOVEL NEXT chapter 2
Chapter 2 Meeting the Emperor
“Ling Yan, stop playing and put this gem away. I need to take it with me when I go to have tea with His Majesty tomorrow.”
Qin Ji knocked on Ling Yan’s head as she played with the gem in her hand.
“Oh, got it.”
Ling Yan nodded, then picked up the gem: “Do you need me to go with you tomorrow?”
“You better not go. If I bring a guard when I meet His Majesty, this gift will be for nothing.”
In theory, you can bring weapons inside the palace as long as you don’t take them into the main hall or the emperor’s bedchamber. Bringing a guard is naturally not a big problem either—as the Duke of An, he could even bring a full set of armor and swords into the main hall if necessary. But Qin Ji would never do something so foolish.
Everyone in the court knows what kind of person Ling Yan is. The short-haired young lady who looks elegant and cute may have a slender figure, but she is the last disciple of the “Desolate Ridge Sect” of the Great Xia.
The so-called Desolate Ridge Sect is one of the most ferocious demonic sects in the Great Xia. To eradicate this demonic sect that plagued the common people, the court dispatched the most elite Black Armored Cavalry to annihilate the entire Desolate Ridge Sect. Out of mercy, the late emperor did not execute the young children of the sect who had not yet become a threat, but arranged for some masters to guide and teach them, so they could serve the country.
Ling Yan was one of them. She has some traces of the demonic skills she practiced in the Desolate Ridge Sect, and the rest were personally taught by the court’s masters. Qin Ji’s father chose her to be his son’s guard because she had a good foundation.
Letting a former “demonic sect remnant” and the current court’s biggest “traitor” go to have tea with His Majesty together, let’s not even talk about sincerity. The court’s most elite guards (the emperor’s personal guards) would probably rush in to protect His Majesty at the risk of defying the imperial decree upon hearing this news…
“Yes, young master.” Ling Yan obediently stopped talking.
“I’ve already told you, I am now the Duke of An, you shouldn’t call me…”
Qin Ji was about to correct her, but hesitated for a moment, “Forget it, call me whatever you want.”
“I’m used to it. If you feel uncomfortable and want me to call you master, I will try to correct it.”
“No need.”
Qin Ji said helplessly.
Calling him young master is fine. Changing a habit formed over many years is not an easy task.
…
The next day, in the morning.
New Emperor’s Bedchamber, Listening Wind Palace, Qin Ji stood at the door and whispered a few words to the female guard at the entrance.
The latter immediately bowed and saluted, then quickly walked into the bedchamber.
In less than a minute, the female guard came out and made a “please” gesture.
Qin Ji stepped into the bedchamber.
Although it was called a bedchamber, it was more like His Majesty’s private study. The entire bedchamber was filled with bookshelves, and there were a few cats in the room, curiously observing the visitor. This room, called the “bedchamber,” actually had little space for the owner to sleep, with only a very ordinary large bed and not much luxurious decoration.
To be honest, if it weren’t for the fact that this was His Majesty’s bedchamber, the furnishings inside could only be compared to those of an imperial official. The most expensive decoration in the entire room was the wall full of books.
Qin Ji entered the room with his head slightly lowered, ensuring that his eyes did not wander, and then said in a deep voice:
“Minister Qin Ji, paying respects to Your Majesty.”
“Come in.”
A cold voice came from behind a pile of books, and Qin Yue walked over with the box in his hands.
“You are very punctual.”
A slender, fair hand reached out from behind the pile of books, casually pushing aside the books on the desk, revealing the true face of the person hidden behind the books.
Her long black hair was casually draped behind her, and her delicate face and soft skin, which were somewhat at odds with the steadiness in her eyes, reminded people that the new emperor was actually just a newly grown-up girl.
The black luxurious robe with golden embroidery added a touch of seriousness and solemnity to the girl in front of him, but it also outlined the graceful figure of a girl in the process of developing.
It was no exaggeration to say that wherever she went, the girl in front of him would definitely be someone who would make it hard for people to look away.
Provided they ignored her identity.
The current emperor of the Central Empire of Daxia—Xia Yuxiao.
She was the second female emperor in the history of the empire. As the seventh child of the late emperor and born of a concubine, Xia Yuxiao originally had no hope of inheriting the throne.
However, no one expected that the elderly late emperor would finally designate this girl, who had no chance of winning, as the heir to the empire’s throne. This action caused an uproar among the civil and military officials—the empire had indeed had a female emperor before, but that female emperor had ascended the throne in an emergency when the emperor was killed and the crown prince was not yet mature. Now, the empire needed an excellent successor, and they thought it was unreasonable for the late emperor to let an underage girl be the crown prince.
If this was still tolerable, when the late emperor ordered Duke Anguo to assist the crown prince, the civil and military officials were completely in an uproar.
Good heavens! An underage female heir + an ambitious traitor, this combination couldn’t be called a prosperous era, at least it could be called decadent.
But after the new emperor ascended the throne, everyone realized a problem—this new emperor seemed to be quite fierce.
But a treacherous minister is still a treacherous minister!
“At Your Majesty’s invitation, I am honored and dare not delay for a moment,” Qin Ji said, sitting down in front of Xia Yuxiao.
Xia Yuxiao said nothing. After all, this guy had already stepped into the hall with his sword, and the title “Brother Ya” was also personally bestowed by her. Of course, this treacherous thief treated the bedchamber as his own home. But although he was “Brother Ya,” she would never really call this treacherous thief “Onii-chan,” it was disgusting.
She waved her hand, and the attendant beside her immediately brought over a white jade tea tray and set up the exquisite tea set.
Qin Ji also noticed that His Majesty now wished to skin him alive, but he should act naturally and not let His Majesty see too much change in him—otherwise, given the emperor’s suspicious nature, she might start imagining all sorts of conspiracies again.
“Well, I see you have been holding this box all the time. Does it contain something good?”
“Recently, while handling state affairs, a collector from the Western Holy Church came uninvited, hoping to make friends with me and exchange friendship, and gave me a treasure. I dare not keep it for myself and present it to Your Majesty.”
As he spoke, Qin Ji opened the box in his hand, revealing the Tear of the Virgin Mary inside.
“The Holy Church? They have approached you?”
“It was a collector from the Holy Church.”
“I see,” she showed a very trusting smile, although this smile looked somewhat forced, “I will accept your great gift, but the Holy Church is always thinking about preaching in our country. You must handle this matter properly and not side with them.”
When she said this, her smile seemed to be joking, but Qin Ji felt a hint of coldness in her tone.
Her meaning was clear: if he really dared to bring the priests of the Holy Church into the Xia Kingdom, it was likely that this emperor would soon eradicate him at the cost of mutual destruction.