Chapter Fifty-One

  This morning, the little girl with red eyes like a rabbit reappeared with a strange expression on her face, giving me an ominous feeling. Before I could react, she handed me something in an unusual manner and ran away quickly. It was a small bag made of expensive material, embroidered with a pattern of goldfish playing among lotus leaves, and had a subtle, elegant fragrance. However, the style was somewhat strange, as if it had been cut from somewhere else, with uneven edges and a large piece of fabric exposed on the side. The goldfish's head was too big, its body was misshapen, and its eyes were crooked and of different sizes. The lotus leaves looked more like blocks of tofu, and the stitches were uneven in size but dense, not looking like they were done in a hurry. There were also some faint pink marks that seemed to be left behind after something had been washed off. It was clearly made by an amateur. As I wondered about it, the people around me burst into laughter and congratulations, shouting "Congratulations, sir!"

  Everyone made all sorts of strange movements, shouting "Heaven has eyes!" and finally being able to break free. They hugged trees and bumped their heads, muttering "This is real, this is real". Others jumped up and down, laughing and hugging each other in preparation for celebration. Some were talking nonsense about how troubles meet troubles, and evil people have evil spirits grinding them. Finally, they made it through to this day, displaying a scene like a collective breakout from a mental hospital.

  I grasped it, still somewhat normal, only to see Wei Tiao laughing so hard he was gasping for air. It wasn't until after I used the "Soul-Stealing Strangle" technique that I realized this thing was called a "handbag" or "pouch", and it had become a popular fashion accessory in this era, even evolving into a style of sash. According to social status and rank, there were strict written and unwritten rules governing its use. According to the Tang Six Codes, only officials of sixth rank and above were qualified to carry a red fish pouch. The colors, patterns, and designs were all regulated according to rank, such as the golden turtle pouch for high-ranking officials. I suppose that's where the legend of "hanging golden turtles" came from later on. As a fifth-rank Left Wuwei Middle General, with the military rank of Left Dragon Martial General (acting), I was issued a golden fish pouch.

  As a symbol of coming of age for girls, the first product of women's red is often this purse, and it usually has special significance, generally given to the closest male relatives such as father or brother.

  I've seen similar scenes on TV, if I still don't understand then I'm a fool. Looking at their natural expressions, this is another heavy blow to me after the incident with Xie Anman. Is my charm really that bad? Only attractive to naive little girls, do I really look like a lolicon?

  I didn't take this little girl's vague good feelings seriously, not rejecting but also not taking it to heart, and I didn't know how the other person felt, but now that they've brought it up in this situation, I'm suddenly caught off guard.

  Good grief (my god, marrying such a young girl and having to be a full-time nanny for how many years) although I once liked watching anime from that country which produced Electric Train Wolf Pervert Uncle molesting Obasan, and played some "Dai Akuto" "Dai Fan Zhu" type of training games but I'm definitely a normal good young man, absolutely no inclination to like lolis

  In the midst of Little Ye's expectant and hopeful gaze, I was in a state of absurdity, as if in a dream. The Emperor listed out a large number of my minor transgressions, praised my heroic actions, and said that although we were "emotionally compatible" and had a deep affection for each other, our private agreement was an act of disrespect towards the imperial family. As a matter of principle and law, I was to be rewarded with marriage as a meritorious subject of the Jiajing Emperor. Looking at the Crown Prince and the old Emperor's expressions, which seemed to have already reached a verdict, and then looking at the various princes and high officials who didn't seem too surprised, some even had an air of "everyone knows" about them.

  "Emotions and intentions are in harmony, private vows have been made", my god, what have I done? Now that I think about it, the way I've been interacting with Xiao Yu has also sparked some rumors. But surprisingly, there's not a peep from the Emperor or the Crown Prince - it's really too abnormal. At first, I thought they just didn't care, but it turns out they had other plans all along.

  My ideal is to follow in the footsteps of my predecessors, Item certain people's greatness, in this polygamous ancient society find a bunch of beauties mixed eat wait for death, in Chengdu comfortably spend the An Shi Rebellion although the royal family's prospects seem very tempting, little girl grow up later, also not without making people drool expectations, but I do not want to die so early tied to a sapling that still needs to wait several years to bloom and bear fruit. Moreover, what things dry on the royal family are particularly troublesome, let alone that Xie Yuan's good things are even more remote.

  My heart skipped a beat, and in my astonishment, I couldn't help but exclaim "Your Majesty, no!" which turned the situation into a disaster. The room was filled with shocked gasps, scolding voices, and someone's ear-piercing wail of despair. Some people were gloating, others were worried sick, some had faces as dark as iron, while others stood there with their mouths agape. I was bombarded with questions and advice from all sides, not to mention the vicious verbal attacks from those who took advantage of my misfortune. The room descended into chaos. Even Wei Da Xiang Ye's face changed color, "Your Majesty has shown you great kindness, how dare you still try to refuse?" The atmosphere was one of condemnation, as if I had committed a heinous crime.

  Luckily, I quickly changed my tone and racked my brains to list all sorts of reasons why the young girl was too young to be married, finally even adopting a stern and righteous attitude with "How can we establish a family without defeating the Xiongnu?" The prince's iron-hard face and the emperor's gaze as cold as an ice knife scraping against bone finally relaxed a bit, and everyone else also breathed a sigh of relief.

  Finally, it was Wei Daxiang who mediated and said, "I know that Liang Zong's loyalty is commendable, but how can we decline the emperor's kindness? In my humble opinion, according to our dynasty's marriage laws, Your Highness is still young and should first settle on the three rituals. When you are older, then you can have a grand ceremony." If I didn't know better, I would be asking for trouble. Looking at Wei Xian and other trusted officials close to the emperor, they had already discussed this in private, and it wasn't just something that happened overnight. Clearly, the imperial family wouldn't allow someone outside of their control to continue holding military power. If you don't agree, not to mention having ulterior motives, I'm afraid even tomorrow's sunrise is uncertain.

  The little girl who had been crying like a peach finally appeared from somewhere, saying she was willing to wait for me and so on, ending this sudden commotion.

  I didn't expect that in this chaotic world, I would have a thrilling and intense romance, but now it's happened, but suddenly it's between two young girls. To be honest, my only thought is to hit the wall when I see the little girl's expression, currently her understanding of this matter will not exceed the category of just being together with someone in a normal relationship, doing some more interesting things, and I can only accept my fate.

  The Crown Prince immediately declared comfort to the people, left a picture to restore order, and the sound of joy was thunderous. The Guangdong people were overjoyed, and the news spread like wildfire. The officials and soldiers were all happy and excited, and they all came to congratulate the Crown Prince. The Emperor's edict was read out loud, and the people all cheered and celebrated. The Crown Prince then ordered the officials to take care of the people's livelihoods, and to ensure that there would be no more suffering or hardship. He also ordered the soldiers to maintain order and stability, and to protect the people from harm.

  "Now, what I worry about is not the rebels. Although the rebel forces are currently strong, they are just a bunch of petty thieves. The rebel army's burning, killing and looting have already lost people's hearts. As long as Your Highness raises your arm and calls out, the whole country will respond, and their downfall can be expected soon. However, what is worrying is that there is internal strife and eunuchs interfering with politics."

  Here is the translation:

  Regarding my views on Empress Myeongseong, everyone says that Korean dramas are just a bunch of nonsense. I didn't think much of it either until I watched "Empress Myeongseong". Only then did I realize how impressive Koreans are at manipulating history. A small country with a backward feudal dynasty, with only a dozen or so people, can create a massive drama spanning dozens of episodes. A traditional palace that has been around for 600 years is suddenly filled with revolutionary and modern elements. A character who is clearly a Korean version of the Dowager Empress Cixi is portrayed as a heroic figure who sacrifices herself to save the country and its people. The corrupt and cruel nature of the feudal dynasty is turned into a sympathetic reason, as if all the mistakes that led to the downfall of modern Korea were caused by external factors such as Japan, Qing China, and Russia. It's as if the spiritual motivation behind it is extremely noble, just like the prostitute's signboard that is spotlessly clean. The last king, who was incompetent in both domestic and foreign affairs, is portrayed as a heroic figure who bravely maintains the dignity of the royal family even under the threat of Japanese swords. But what really makes me vomit is the scene where he kneels down in front of the invading army's commander and begs him to "go ahead and be a traitor, if you don't, I'll die right here". This is just ridiculous. The fact that a traitor can be admired by even the most brutal invaders is just unbelievable.

  The most obvious effect happened to my mom, who had to watch every episode and was so touched that she couldn't help but watch again. As soon as I mentioned the controversy surrounding that pro-Japanese empress, you and I immediately...