Huangfu Yuchen looked at the document in his hand, and a pensive expression appeared on his brow. After a moment, he spoke, “Deng Mande, summon Prime Minister Wu.”
Soon, an announcement came from outside the Imperial study—
“Prime Minister Wu seeks an audience—”
Prime Minister Wu arrived promptly, and Huangfu Yuchen stopped his formalities.
“Prime Minister Wu, there’s no need for excessive courtesy. I have just finished reading your document.”
Prime Minister Wu bowed and said, “I humbly listen to Your Majesty’s instructions.”
During the morning court two days ago, Huangfu Yuchen proposed the idea of inviting martial experts from the martial world to teach soldiers martial arts in the military camps to enhance their abilities. Prime Minister Wu expressed opposition, so Huangfu Yuchen asked him to submit a written report with detailed reasons. In the document, Prime Minister Wu pointed out that the martial world emphasizes respecting teachers and valuing traditions, and if martial experts were allowed to teach soldiers, it might blur the boundaries between the martial world and the imperial court. If the soldiers respected the martial experts as their teachers, there might be a risk of the martial experts using that influence to their advantage, thereby endangering the military’s secrets.
Huangfu Yuchen had grown up in the palace, so he indeed lacked a deep understanding of these matters. Additionally, Yan Ge had never traveled in the martial world, so both of them had overlooked this.
“Your words make sense,” Huangfu Yuchen said, “but then, how can we have the soldiers learn a more systematic martial art if we can’t invite martial experts?”
Prime Minister Wu replied, “I have thought about this as well. It can work if we have a specific set of techniques that the generals can learn and then pass on to the soldiers. This way, we won’t have any connections with the martial world.”
Huangfu Yuchen pondered for a moment and said, “The imperial treasury does indeed have a few martial arts manuals, but it would be too slow to have a few people learn and then teach others. Besides, these manuals might have been learned by martial experts before, as they were tributes from various regions.”
“This…” Prime Minister Wu also felt troubled.
“Let’s leave it for later discussion,” Huangfu Yuchen said.
“Yes, I will take my leave.”
Huangfu Yuchen glanced at the remaining documents, planning to review them later in the afternoon. “Return to Tenglong Palace.”
Under Yan Ge’s influence, Huangfu Yuchen rarely used the dragon sedan chair anymore and preferred to walk at a leisurely pace.
“Where is Yan Guiqing?”
Yan Ge was taking a day off today.
Deng Mande said, “Your Majesty, the Empress has invited Yan Guiqing to the Imperial Garden. He should still be there.”
Huangfu Yuchen frowned but didn’t say anything. Previously, the four consorts asked Yan Ge to find something meaningful for them to do, and he suggested the idea of creating feminine makeup products. The four Consorts were interested and have been handling the cosmetics business, selling their products through the First Company. Occasionally, they would seek Yan Ge’s advice when they encountered some issues. Since the Empress and the consorts were well-behaved, Huangfu Yuchen didn’t make a fuss about it.
However, Tian Guiren was persistent, and her presence always irritated Huangfu Yuchen. So half a month ago, he pressured Tian Guiren’s father, a fifth-ranked local official, to take her out of the palace.
On arriving at the Imperial Garden, Huangfu Yuchen saw the four consorts behaving properly, standing aside and listening to Yan Ge without huddling together, and he was pleased.
As Huangfu Yuchen approached, the Empress and the four consorts quickly paid their respects.
Except for the Empress, who referred to herself as “this concubine,” the other four consorts tacitly omitted such titles.
“Greetings, Your Majesty!”
“Rise,” Huangfu Yuchen replied, looking at Yan Ge and asking gently, “Are you done?”
Yan Ge nodded, and the two of them left the Imperial Garden. The Empress and the consorts remained in the pavilion, continuing to discuss the appropriate timing for launching their newly developed beauty cream.
Huangfu Yuchen discreetly glanced back, and felt reassured on seeing no one looking after him or Yan Ge.
Yan Ge chuckled and said, “Don’t worry; I can tell they’ve genuinely moved on. Now, all they’re concerned about is developing various beauty creams. Our decision back then was the right one.”
Huangfu Yuchen hugged him and kissed his forehead. “You’re truly brilliant, my dear.”
“Weren’t you dealing with the matter of inviting martial experts to be instructors? How did you manage it so quickly?” Yan Ge asked curiously.
Huangfu Yuchen explained, “I reconsidered it while on the way here. The fundamental martial arts manuals in the treasury are excellent resources. I’ll send someone to investigate whether anyone in the martial world has practiced those manuals. If not, we’ll take them out and use them. If they have, we’ll think of another solution.”
Yan Ge added mischievously, “One becomes wiser with age. Prime Minister Wu had a valid concern. Speaking of manuals, why didn’t you ask if I have any?”
Huangfu Yuchen was taken aback. “You do?”
“The Flowing Sands Sword Technique!” Yan Ge communicated through their voice transmission. “Now that we’ve both reached higher levels of cultivation, the value of the Flowing Sands Sword Technique isn’t as significant. It wouldn’t hurt to share it with others. I could have tens of thousands of disciples. Haha…”
Huangfu Yuchen furrowed his brows. “Baby, I know the origin of the Flowing Sands Sword Technique is remarkable, but wouldn’t revealing it affect you? You know I care about you the most and wouldn’t want anything to happen to you because of this.”
Yan Ge’s heart filled with sweetness, and his eyes reflected his affection, warming Huangfu Yuchen’s heart as well.
This was his treasure—a single look from Yan Ge could enchant him.
Huangfu Yuchen’s concern was unwarranted, but it reminded Yan Ge to think more carefully about any potential drawbacks.
“You’re right, the Flowing Sands Sword Technique cannot be revealed. Once people know that I brought it out, my reputation would rise even more, which would affect your imperial authority.”
Though Huangfu Yuchen wouldn’t mind, having a consort with a reputation surpassing that of the Emperor would lead to various problems and could impact the stability of Great Han.
“But don’t worry, I have other techniques,” Yan Ge reassured.
Back at the Tenglong Palace, Yan Ge accessed the system store. Most of the soldiers used spears and swords, so he found a manual that was easy to learn and versatile for spears, as well as a highly explosive sword technique. He spent 500 taels of silver to purchase them and handed them to Huangfu Yuchen.
“Say you found them in the palace treasury,” Yan Ge suggested.
Huangfu Yuchen held Yan Ge’s face and gave him a kiss before opening the manuals to peruse them. “Your gifts are truly treasures. Both of these manuals are top-notch.”
Yan Ge leaned on his shoulder and said, “I’ve noticed that the Zhantian Vine’s movements have been getting stronger these days. It will leave seclusion in three days at most. Then we can extract more of its essence, which will greatly benefit the soldiers. I’m looking forward to seeing our nation’s soldiers become stronger. If there’s a war in the future, they’ll defeat the enemy effortlessly!”
“It’s all thanks to you,” Huangfu Yuchen replied. Looking at Yan Ge’s lips reflecting a soft glow, he couldn’t resist pecking them once more.
A eunuch’s voice was heard from outside the door, “Announcing Your Majesty, Grand Tutor Song seeks an audience.”
“Let him in,” Huangfu Yuchen said, putting away the manuals.
Yan Ge began peeling an apple on the side.
“Greetings Your Majesty,” Song Chaobang said as soon as he entered the hall, kneeling respectfully, “Long live Your Majesty!”
“Grand Tutor Song, please rise quickly,” Huangfu Yuchen replied.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Song Chaobang said as he stood to the side.
Huangfu Yuchen inquired, “What brings you here, Grand Tutor?”
“This…” Song Chaobang looked at the palace maids and eunuchs inside the hall.
Huangfu Yuchen waved, signaling them to leave.
Only then did Song Chaobang speak, “Your Majesty’s permission to allow this old minister to visit Song Guiren once a month is truly a great favor, for which this old minister is deeply grateful. Yesterday, when I went to see Song Guiren, he told me that Prince Dai has visited him several times with unwavering affection. So, Song Guiren had a request…”
He hesitated to speak, but continued, “This old minister earnestly implores Your Majesty to consider Song Guiren’s recent well-behaved conduct and grant him permission to leave the palace.”
Yan Ge’s hand that was peeling the apple paused imperceptibly before continuing.
Although Song Ruhao’s presence in the cold palace didn’t affect Huangfu Yuchen in any way, it would be better to send him away. After a brief contemplation, Huangfu Yuchen replied, “Grand Tutor, you have been devoted to state affairs and the Crown Prince. How could I not grant your request? I will arrange for Song Guiren to feign death and leave the palace as soon as possible.”
Song Chaobang hadn’t caused any trouble since the last incident, and he had been active in state affairs and teaching the Crown Prince. It wasn’t easy to turn down his request. Besides, even if he refused, Yuhu would come to plead, so he decided to grant the request directly.
Song Chaobang was deeply moved, and his knees fell heavily on the ground. “This old minister thanks Your Majesty! In the future, I will continue to serve Your Majesty wholeheartedly until my last breath!”
“Grand Tutor, please rise. If there’s nothing else, you may take your leave.”
“Yes, this old minister takes his leave.”
After Song Chaobang left, Huangfu Yuchen took the apple from Yan Ge’s hand.
“Baby, I noticed you hesitated just now. Is there something you want to say?”
“It’s nothing. I’m just a little surprised. I didn’t expect Prince Dai to be so infatuated,” Yan Ge said with a smile.
Huangfu Yuchen chuckled, “Perhaps Yuhu and I are both slow to warm up. Once we encounter true love, we can’t let go.”
Yan Ge heard his tone and refrained from saying anything further. He wasn’t sure if it was because of his first encounter with Huangfu Yuhu, which left a bad impression on him, he had always felt a bit uncomfortable around him. It was a difficult feeling to explain—he just didn’t like him.
But Huangfu Yuchen had always been protective of his younger brother, so he kept his opinions to himself. As long as Huangfu Yuhu didn’t cause trouble for him and Huangfu Yuchen, he wasn’t his concern.
Huangfu Yuchen looked at the document in his hand, and a pensive expression appeared on his brow. After a moment, he spoke, “Deng Mande, summon Prime Minister Wu.”
Soon, an announcement came from outside the Imperial study—
“Prime Minister Wu seeks an audience—”
Prime Minister Wu arrived promptly, and Huangfu Yuchen stopped his formalities.
“Prime Minister Wu, there’s no need for excessive courtesy. I have just finished reading your document.”
Prime Minister Wu bowed and said, “I humbly listen to Your Majesty’s instructions.”
During the morning court two days ago, Huangfu Yuchen proposed the idea of inviting martial experts from the martial world to teach soldiers martial arts in the military camps to enhance their abilities. Prime Minister Wu expressed opposition, so Huangfu Yuchen asked him to submit a written report with detailed reasons. In the document, Prime Minister Wu pointed out that the martial world emphasizes respecting teachers and valuing traditions, and if martial experts were allowed to teach soldiers, it might blur the boundaries between the martial world and the imperial court. If the soldiers respected the martial experts as their teachers, there might be a risk of the martial experts using that influence to their advantage, thereby endangering the military’s secrets.
Huangfu Yuchen had grown up in the palace, so he indeed lacked a deep understanding of these matters. Additionally, Yan Ge had never traveled in the martial world, so both of them had overlooked this.
“Your words make sense,” Huangfu Yuchen said, “but then, how can we have the soldiers learn a more systematic martial art if we can’t invite martial experts?”
Prime Minister Wu replied, “I have thought about this as well. It can work if we have a specific set of techniques that the generals can learn and then pass on to the soldiers. This way, we won’t have any connections with the martial world.”
Huangfu Yuchen pondered for a moment and said, “The imperial treasury does indeed have a few martial arts manuals, but it would be too slow to have a few people learn and then teach others. Besides, these manuals might have been learned by martial experts before, as they were tributes from various regions.”
“This…” Prime Minister Wu also felt troubled.
“Let’s leave it for later discussion,” Huangfu Yuchen said.
“Yes, I will take my leave.”
Huangfu Yuchen glanced at the remaining documents, planning to review them later in the afternoon. “Return to Tenglong Palace.”
Under Yan Ge’s influence, Huangfu Yuchen rarely used the dragon sedan chair anymore and preferred to walk at a leisurely pace.
“Where is Yan Guiqing?”
Yan Ge was taking a day off today.
Deng Mande said, “Your Majesty, the Empress has invited Yan Guiqing to the Imperial Garden. He should still be there.”
Huangfu Yuchen frowned but didn’t say anything. Previously, the four consorts asked Yan Ge to find something meaningful for them to do, and he suggested the idea of creating feminine makeup products. The four Consorts were interested and have been handling the cosmetics business, selling their products through the First Company. Occasionally, they would seek Yan Ge’s advice when they encountered some issues. Since the Empress and the consorts were well-behaved, Huangfu Yuchen didn’t make a fuss about it.
However, Tian Guiren was persistent, and her presence always irritated Huangfu Yuchen. So half a month ago, he pressured Tian Guiren’s father, a fifth-ranked local official, to take her out of the palace.
On arriving at the Imperial Garden, Huangfu Yuchen saw the four consorts behaving properly, standing aside and listening to Yan Ge without huddling together, and he was pleased.
As Huangfu Yuchen approached, the Empress and the four consorts quickly paid their respects.
Except for the Empress, who referred to herself as “this concubine,” the other four consorts tacitly omitted such titles.
“Greetings, Your Majesty!”
“Rise,” Huangfu Yuchen replied, looking at Yan Ge and asking gently, “Are you done?”
Yan Ge nodded, and the two of them left the Imperial Garden. The Empress and the consorts remained in the pavilion, continuing to discuss the appropriate timing for launching their newly developed beauty cream.
Huangfu Yuchen discreetly glanced back, and felt reassured on seeing no one looking after him or Yan Ge.
Yan Ge chuckled and said, “Don’t worry; I can tell they’ve genuinely moved on. Now, all they’re concerned about is developing various beauty creams. Our decision back then was the right one.”
Huangfu Yuchen hugged him and kissed his forehead. “You’re truly brilliant, my dear.”
“Weren’t you dealing with the matter of inviting martial experts to be instructors? How did you manage it so quickly?” Yan Ge asked curiously.
Huangfu Yuchen explained, “I reconsidered it while on the way here. The fundamental martial arts manuals in the treasury are excellent resources. I’ll send someone to investigate whether anyone in the martial world has practiced those manuals. If not, we’ll take them out and use them. If they have, we’ll think of another solution.”
Yan Ge added mischievously, “One becomes wiser with age. Prime Minister Wu had a valid concern. Speaking of manuals, why didn’t you ask if I have any?”
Huangfu Yuchen was taken aback. “You do?”
“The Flowing Sands Sword Technique!” Yan Ge communicated through their voice transmission. “Now that we’ve both reached higher levels of cultivation, the value of the Flowing Sands Sword Technique isn’t as significant. It wouldn’t hurt to share it with others. I could have tens of thousands of disciples. Haha…”
Huangfu Yuchen furrowed his brows. “Baby, I know the origin of the Flowing Sands Sword Technique is remarkable, but wouldn’t revealing it affect you? You know I care about you the most and wouldn’t want anything to happen to you because of this.”
Yan Ge’s heart filled with sweetness, and his eyes reflected his affection, warming Huangfu Yuchen’s heart as well.
This was his treasure—a single look from Yan Ge could enchant him.
Huangfu Yuchen’s concern was unwarranted, but it reminded Yan Ge to think more carefully about any potential drawbacks.
“You’re right, the Flowing Sands Sword Technique cannot be revealed. Once people know that I brought it out, my reputation would rise even more, which would affect your imperial authority.”
Though Huangfu Yuchen wouldn’t mind, having a consort with a reputation surpassing that of the Emperor would lead to various problems and could impact the stability of Great Han.
“But don’t worry, I have other techniques,” Yan Ge reassured.
Back at the Tenglong Palace, Yan Ge accessed the system store. Most of the soldiers used spears and swords, so he found a manual that was easy to learn and versatile for spears, as well as a highly explosive sword technique. He spent 500 taels of silver to purchase them and handed them to Huangfu Yuchen.
“Say you found them in the palace treasury,” Yan Ge suggested.
Huangfu Yuchen held Yan Ge’s face and gave him a kiss before opening the manuals to peruse them. “Your gifts are truly treasures. Both of these manuals are top-notch.”
Yan Ge leaned on his shoulder and said, “I’ve noticed that the Zhantian Vine’s movements have been getting stronger these days. It will leave seclusion in three days at most. Then we can extract more of its essence, which will greatly benefit the soldiers. I’m looking forward to seeing our nation’s soldiers become stronger. If there’s a war in the future, they’ll defeat the enemy effortlessly!”
“It’s all thanks to you,” Huangfu Yuchen replied. Looking at Yan Ge’s lips reflecting a soft glow, he couldn’t resist pecking them once more.
A eunuch’s voice was heard from outside the door, “Announcing Your Majesty, Grand Tutor Song seeks an audience.”
“Let him in,” Huangfu Yuchen said, putting away the manuals.
Yan Ge began peeling an apple on the side.
“Greetings Your Majesty,” Song Chaobang said as soon as he entered the hall, kneeling respectfully, “Long live Your Majesty!”
“Grand Tutor Song, please rise quickly,” Huangfu Yuchen replied.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Song Chaobang said as he stood to the side.
Huangfu Yuchen inquired, “What brings you here, Grand Tutor?”
“This…” Song Chaobang looked at the palace maids and eunuchs inside the hall.
Huangfu Yuchen waved, signaling them to leave.
Only then did Song Chaobang speak, “Your Majesty’s permission to allow this old minister to visit Song Guiren once a month is truly a great favor, for which this old minister is deeply grateful. Yesterday, when I went to see Song Guiren, he told me that Prince Dai has visited him several times with unwavering affection. So, Song Guiren had a request…”
He hesitated to speak, but continued, “This old minister earnestly implores Your Majesty to consider Song Guiren’s recent well-behaved conduct and grant him permission to leave the palace.”
Yan Ge’s hand that was peeling the apple paused imperceptibly before continuing.
Although Song Ruhao’s presence in the cold palace didn’t affect Huangfu Yuchen in any way, it would be better to send him away. After a brief contemplation, Huangfu Yuchen replied, “Grand Tutor, you have been devoted to state affairs and the Crown Prince. How could I not grant your request? I will arrange for Song Guiren to feign death and leave the palace as soon as possible.”
Song Chaobang hadn’t caused any trouble since the last incident, and he had been active in state affairs and teaching the Crown Prince. It wasn’t easy to turn down his request. Besides, even if he refused, Yuhu would come to plead, so he decided to grant the request directly.
Song Chaobang was deeply moved, and his knees fell heavily on the ground. “This old minister thanks Your Majesty! In the future, I will continue to serve Your Majesty wholeheartedly until my last breath!”
“Grand Tutor, please rise. If there’s nothing else, you may take your leave.”
“Yes, this old minister takes his leave.”
After Song Chaobang left, Huangfu Yuchen took the apple from Yan Ge’s hand.
“Baby, I noticed you hesitated just now. Is there something you want to say?”
“It’s nothing. I’m just a little surprised. I didn’t expect Prince Dai to be so infatuated,” Yan Ge said with a smile.
Huangfu Yuchen chuckled, “Perhaps Yuhu and I are both slow to warm up. Once we encounter true love, we can’t let go.”
Yan Ge heard his tone and refrained from saying anything further. He wasn’t sure if it was because of his first encounter with Huangfu Yuhu, which left a bad impression on him, he had always felt a bit uncomfortable around him. It was a difficult feeling to explain—he just didn’t like him.
But Huangfu Yuchen had always been protective of his younger brother, so he kept his opinions to himself. As long as Huangfu Yuhu didn’t cause trouble for him and Huangfu Yuchen, he wasn’t his concern.
