Since ascending the throne, the young emperor had always been on tenterhooks.
Although Song Yinghuai was far away at the border, his influence in the court was deeply rooted.
All he needed was a single word, and there would naturally be numerous court officials in the court to supervise the young emperor's actions.
The young emperor was still a child at first, and indeed did not dare to disobey the arrangements.
However, the young man had now grown another year older and was already sixteen.
He had also married the queen last year.
He was already an adult.
Moreover, once one ascended the throne of the emperor, it was inevitable to feel like floating on clouds and start to have wild thoughts.
With Li Muge and a group of other sycophantic officials around him, he began to be dissatisfied with just sitting there and listening to others' arrangements.
The incident regarding Lan Jinxiang was his first public opposition to Song Yinghuai's words while drunk.
As soon as the young emperor's question was out, the man kneeling on the ground coolly lifted his eyelids.
That glance was as cold as an icicle in the coldest winter, making the young emperor's heart tremble violently. He slumped back into the dragon throne and didn't dare to say a word for a long time.
The aura of killing and bloodshed needed no words for him to understand.
If he didn't agree, he might as well give up the throne!
"Uncle Regent..." The young emperor weakly spoke, his lips trembling.
Before he could finish, Song Yinghuai got up on his own.
The young emperor blankly watched the man stride towards Li Muge.
Li Muge's face twitched. As a grand minister of the Ministry of War, he stepped back nervously under the man's tall figure.
Suddenly, Song Yinghuai drew out his Iron Horse and Flowing River long sword and placed it on Li Muge's neck.
The cold sword was pressed against Li Muge's neck, as if it would cut open his throat at any moment!
There were low gasps in the imperial garden.
Zhu Xiao laughed heartily, "Why are you all shouting? You haven't seen the scene where the prince killed 100,000 Tartars in one go at Lake Nawuer. The Tartar Khan, Wendusu, had his head cut off like this and was hung on the mountainside behind Lake Nawuer forever."
"There's no need to panic about this little thing in front of you. The prince only acts like this towards his enemies. Haha!"
Several generals of the Yan Army burst into loud laughter below, the sound resounding through the sky.
The young emperor shrank in the dragon throne, shivering. "Uncle, Uncle Regent..."
Li Muge felt as if his soul had left his body. He trembled on his legs and blustered in a weak voice:
"Reg, Regent... What, what do you mean by this?"
Song Yinghuai frowned. Looking at Li Muge's cowardly appearance, he disdainfully said:
"Your Majesty, I'll answer your question just now."
He pressed the long sword in his hand onto Li Muge's shoulder. The latter's legs went weak, and he "thumped" to his knees on the ground.
Song Yinghuai said, "Your Majesty is now unable to distinguish right from wrong and doesn't understand how to be responsible for the people of the world. It's all because you have a villain by your side."
"I was far away at the border and couldn't take care of things before, so I let such a villain stay by your side all the time. Now that I'm back, I'm going to set things right and behead this villain with one sword!"
"In this way, Your Majesty will return to the right path and have a proper attitude as a monarch!"
Having said that, he raised his sword high.
Li Muge closed his eyes and wailed, "Your Majesty, save me!"
Just as the long sword was about to slice across Li Muge's neck, the young emperor panicked and shouted, "Stop! I promise! I promise you!"
The tip of the sword stopped at the carotid artery on Li Muge's neck.
Li Muge felt a warm trickle slowly flowing down his neck. At the same time, his crotch was also slowly soaked with moisture, all wet.
His face changed greatly. He had never suffered such a great humiliation!
Song Yinghuai didn't put away his long sword. He just stared fixedly at the young emperor.
The young emperor swallowed hard and shouted loudly to Grand Secretary Gong Qingliang, "Quick, quickly draft the imperial edict..."
Xu Ziyi stepped forward and stretched out his finger to clamp the blade of the Iron Horse and Flowing River sword. He "advised":
"Prince, the emperor has already agreed. Don't be angry anymore."
He then smiled at the shivering young emperor, "Your Majesty, the prince has just returned from the battlefield, and the bloody aura on him has not faded yet. It's inevitable that his temper is a bit irritable. Please forgive his disrespect just now."
How dare the young emperor have any objections? He shook his head like a rattle and repeatedly said:
"Forgive! There was no disrespect! No disrespect!"
"It's, it's me. I was wrong..."
Xu Ziyi then smiled and said, "Regent, look, the emperor has already admitted his mistake. Let's all have a happy time as monarch and ministers. Please return to your seat and drink some wine!"
Song Yinghuai put away his long sword and faintly lowered his eyes. "I've traveled a long way and am a bit tired. I won't accompany Your Majesty to drink and have fun. Farewell!"
Having said that, he turned around and strode out of the imperial garden.
As soon as Song Yinghuai left his seat, Zhu Xiao and the others shouted regardless of etiquette that it was boring here and also clamored to leave.
Xu Ziyi glanced at the pale-faced young emperor and finally had someone take the generals back to the post station.
Eunuch Cen gave the imperial edict with the imperial seal to Xu Ziyi.
The man tightly grasped the imperial edict, his heart full of excitement.
Would Xiang'er be overjoyed if she got the imperial edict tonight?
She had stayed in the Plum Garden for far too long.
The next second, the smile on his lips froze slightly.
If Xiang'er was free, would she leave him and go far away?
The banquet for welcoming the heroes ended in a fiasco.
Everyone had left, and only the young emperor was curled up in the dragon throne. His eyes were fixed on the palace lanterns hanging in the distance, swaying in the wind.
Li Muge climbed up tremblingly on his legs and hugged the young emperor's legs hanging outside the dragon throne. He cried loudly:
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
"How could you suffer such humiliation?"
"The Regent has evil intentions. He clearly intends to usurp the throne!"
—
Song Yinghuai walked for a while in the palace. Suddenly, he stopped and stared blankly at the catalpa tree in front of him.
That tree...
His vision blurred, and he seemed to see Caiyu standing under the tree, pouting in jealousy and playfully jumping onto his back with a giggle:
"Prince, this servant is tired. Carry me on your back."
Song Yinghuai couldn't help but curl his lips. "Little impudent servant. When has a master ever carried a servant?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Caiyu in front of him disappeared.
Song Yinghuai's expression changed greatly. He looked around in a panic and only then realized that it was just an illusion.
His eyes were moist. He slowly stroked the trunk of the catalpa tree with his hand:
"Little impudent servant, come back. I'll carry you on my back. You can even sit on my head."
"Xuanyao!"
A soft call came from behind.
Song Yinghuai paused his hand, withdrew his fingertips, and turned around.
He saw Lü Baiwei dressed in the usual attire of the empress dowager, walking towards him with a surprised look on her face and opening her arms.
Song Yinghuai took a step back imperceptibly and faintly lowered his eyes, saying:
"Greetings to the Empress Dowager."
Lü Baiwei stopped and stared blankly at him.
After not seeing him for more than a year, the man had become even more mature and imposing, exuding a cold aura.
Just back from the battlefield, he was full of the aura of blood and killing, looking even more masculine and charming.
Lü Baiwei slightly parted her red lips and smiled. "I heard that you've returned in triumph. I've been eager to see you right away..."
"However, I heard that Zhu'er made you angry in the imperial garden just now?"
"He's been indecisive since childhood. Li Muge has always been whispering in his ear, so it's inevitable that he's soft-eared. Please don't take it to heart."
"Your Highness is being too serious." Song Yinghuai denied, "Zhu'er is still a child. Isn't every child willful? As elders, all we need to do is correct him in time and help him get back on the right track."
"You're right..." Lü Baiwei looked at him, her eyes shining like stars. "From now on, I'll leave Zhu'er to you to teach. With you, the Regent, by his side, he will surely become a wise emperor."
"Your Highness is Zhu'er's birth mother. Usually, please also take more care to teach him to distinguish right from wrong and not to be deceived by villains."
Looking at the man's indifferent expression, Lü Baiwei was extremely excited. She stepped forward impulsively and said:
"Xuanyao, from now on, Zhu'er is also your child. Let's teach him together."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Song Yinghuai's eyes were like the cold stars in the sky, falling on her face.
He looked at her for a long time before coldly saying:
"Zhu'er is the child of the late eldest brother and my nephew. There's a distinction between an uncle and a sister-in-law between Your Highness and me. Although the eldest brother has passed away and I need to teach him, he is, after all, the Son of Heaven. I dare not regard him as my own child."
"Your Highness, it's getting late. I take my leave!"
Lü Baiwei looked at his broad back as he turned around. Suddenly, she bit her lip and rushed forward, hugging him from behind:
"Xuanyao! Now the whole world is ours! Will you stay with me?"