In the end, it was Jun Yulin who couldn’t stand it anymore. He glanced at Lu Xunche, who was standing behind An Bai, and spoke in a cold voice, “Since you’re all here for the same matter, the two of you can go together. Grand Chancellor, it’s a good chance to let Young Master Lu gain some worldly experience.”
—So he would stop hovering around the little emperor all day, disturbing her from diligently handling state affairs.
An Bai still frowned, while Lu Xunche curved his lips into a smile.
And just like that, the matter was settled. Once the approvals were signed, An Bai, having received the response, dragged Lu Xunche off, saying they needed to prepare quickly.
In a flash, only Jun Yulin and Yan Luo were left in the study.
Finally having sent that big Buddha1 away, Yan Luo felt like even being a bystander could get her caught in the crossfire.
—Please lower those two points of blackening value back down!!
Feeling like her life was constantly in danger in this world, Yan Luo sat down and listened to Jun Yulin talk about how funds and supplies for disaster relief had recently been embezzled.
She nodded now and then.
Jun Yulin looked at the little emperor before him, who wore a serious and attentive expression—though her features still carried a touch of youthful innocence.
That, in turn, made her seem quite adorable. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly before he quickly suppressed the smile.
When he finished speaking, he didn’t leave. He simply stood there, looking at Yan Luo.
His gaze made her uneasy. She blinked hard, trying to act casual. “Does Royal Uncle have any other matters?”
Jun Yulin seemed to come back to himself, withdrawing that chilling gaze, and replied in a cool tone, “Your Majesty.”
Yan Luo blinked at him.
“Your Majesty is still young and should be focused on governing the country. Matters of the inner palace need not be rushed.” Especially bringing someone who might become her consort into the imperial study.
Jun Yulin’s eyes darkened, and his tone was slow, like he was teaching her.
Yan Luo stared at him blankly. After holding back for a while, she finally couldn’t help but say, “But didn’t Royal Uncle just say a while ago that I should choose a consort soon?”
It hadn’t even been that long, and now he’s saying something completely different?
Jun Yulin seemed to pause for a second before replying, “What I meant was, Your Majesty should focus primarily on state affairs right now.”
“Don’t worry, Royal Uncle. I know what I’m doing,” Yan Luo replied obediently.
But inside, she spoke to Little Pink with suspicion.
“Why do I feel like you’ve scammed me again? From the way Jun Yulin acts, he just seems like a strict elder. I don’t sense any hatred or discontent at all.”
[Dear Host, have you forgotten that there’s a kind of revenge called ‘flattering someone to death2‘?]
Yan Luo pursed her lips and said nothing.
After that, Jun Yulin didn’t linger.
Once Lu Xunche was sent off with An Bai to eliminate the bandits, Yan Luo quickly received word from Lu Yan.
First, she scolded her for sending Lu Xunche to such a dangerous place. But knowing that an imperial decree had already been issued and couldn’t be revoked, she could only accept it.
Then came her real purpose: the Flower Festival was approaching. As usual, Lu Yan planned to host a banquet in the palace. But this time, she wanted to hold a grand one and have Yan Luo personally preside over it.
After finally managing to send Lu Yan off, Yan Luo finished approving the memorials, ate lunch, and then flopped onto the bed, yawning sleepily.
—Being an emperor is so exhausting. Why do so many people want to be one?
Hugging her blanket and half-closing her eyes, she talked internally, “Why does this world feel so strange too? Jun Yulin acts like a strict elder, while Lu Yan seems more like the one trying to consolidate her family’s power and usurp the throne…”
- 大佛 (dàfó, lit. “big Buddha”) here refers to a burdensome, difficult, or troublesome person. ↩︎
- 捧杀 (pěngshā) is a Chinese idiom. 捧 (pěng) means to flatter or to heap praise on, while 杀 (shā) means to kill or to destroy. The term 捧杀 (pěngshā) describes a malicious strategy where someone is over-praised, flattered excessively, or given undeserved credit, with the intention of causing their downfall. ↩︎