Chapter 300 – Princess of the Prairie Rules the World – Taking Over the Central Plains (24)
The next day at noon, the young boy woke up, surprised to find that despite drinking wine, he didn’t have a headache.
Tuoba Jingyao brought over a cup of hangover tea. Bai Tang exclaimed excitedly, “Ah Yao, grape wine is so tasty! And there’s no hangover at all!”
Little did Bai Tang know, the reason he didn’t have a headache was because Tuoba Jingyao had looked after him all night.
Tuoba Jingyao just smiled and didn’t respond. Once Bai Tang finished the hangover tea, it was time to settle the score.
Tuoba Jingyao dragged over a stool and sat down by the bed.
“Who was it yesterday that promised me he’d stay quietly in the tent? Then why did a little squirrel show up in the palace, hmm?”
His deep, pleasant voice sounded beside Bai Tang’s ear. The little squirrel was so startled that his fur stood on end. He sneaked a glance at Tuoba Jingyao, who was looking at him with a half-smile—not quite amused, not quite angry. It was chilling.
“Um… well, I just…” The little squirrel cowered, stammering without a proper explanation.
“I just wanted to help Ah Yao~” Bai Tang whispered softly—just loud enough for Tuoba Jingyao to hear.
“Do you know how dangerous that was? How am I supposed to focus on the battlefield if I’m worried about you?”
“I’m sorry~” the boy lowered his head and apologized in a soft, sticky voice. With two systems watching over him, he hadn’t thought he was in any danger—but of course, Tuoba Jingyao didn’t know that.
“Well, since you’ve admitted your mistake, you have to accept punishment. Tang Tang, what kind of punishment do you think you deserve?” Tuoba Jingyao looked at Bai Tang’s rapidly changing expressions with amused interest.
Bai Tang’s mind raced.
How would Ah Yao punish him? No nuts to eat? Sleeping on the floor? No milk with breakfast…?
The thought made the little squirrel sink into despair. “Then… then I just won’t eat… that’s all…”
His quiet sniffling was just about to escalate into full-on sobbing.
Suddenly, a large hand gently patted the boy’s hair. A low, magnetic voice murmured beside his ear:
“Next time Tang Tang wants to be naughty… take me with you.”
Choking back sobs, Bai Tang paused, then looked up to meet Tuoba Jingyao’s indulgent gaze.
“Ah Yao~”
“Mm, I’ve always been here…”
Outside the door, the maid holding lunch trays heard the breathy, intimate sounds from inside the room. Her face flushed red, and she quietly walked away.
More than half of the people in the Aixi Kingdom were dissatisfied with the emperor. To them, it didn’t matter who sat on the throne. What mattered was no longer living under the burden of heavy taxes, being able to eat their fill, and simply staying alive.
With the support of Bai Tang and the former subordinates of the Prince of Nanyun, Tuoba Jingyao had a strong foundation. Many influential ministers and noble families who remained in the capital were also closely tied to the empress’s family. Because of this, Tuoba Jingyao’s entry into the city with his army went smoothly—so smoothly, in fact, that it accelerated his original five-year plan.
The capital’s city gates stood wide open as Tuoba Jingyao rode in on a tall horse, Bai Tang beside him, leading a mighty force of hardened soldiers toward the imperial palace.
Behind the army, the deposed emperor followed in chains. Citizens crowded the streets, pointing and gossiping about him.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd hurled a rotten egg. The foul-smelling yolk and whites dripped down the emperor’s face.
Once one person started, others quickly followed. The long-suffering citizens began throwing spoiled vegetable leaves and discarded trash at the prison cart.
The emperor’s mouth was stuffed with a rag. He tried to speak, but only muffled sounds came out. All he could do was passively endure the people’s wrath.
Bai Tang also carried royal blood. The emperor and the Prince of Nanyun were both sons of the late emperor. However, when the emperor passed away and ascended to the heavens, the Prince of Nanyun had been away managing the river affairs. The emperor had left no edict naming a successor, so for the sake of national stability, the court had chosen this emperor to ascend the throne.
No one in the royal clan objected to Bai Tang becoming emperor. But if Tuoba Jingyao were to take the throne—that was another matter entirely.
Tuoba Jingyao had no desire for the throne. All he ever wanted was for his young beloved to live a better and longer life.
After much discussion, they selected a child from the royal family to become the new emperor. Tuoba Jingyao took on the role of regent. Once the boy matured and was capable of ruling on his own, Tuoba Jingyao would step down and return power to him.
The first thing Tuoba Jingyao did as regent was address the relationship between the Central Plains and the grassland tribes.
Those who were accustomed to life on the steppes were free to return. Those willing to stay in the Central Plains could remain. According to the agreement with the tribal leaders, the annual tribute from the tribes was abolished. The grassland tribes were now free and no longer subject to any ruler.
At last, under the watchful eyes of the full court of civil and military officials and the royal clan, the emperor confessed to having harmed his own brothers. Before the memorial tablets of the Prince and Princess of Nanyun, he knelt three times and kowtowed nine times in repentance.
“I—I’ve done everything you asked. Can you let me go now?” the emperor said, terrified of death. Tuoba Jingyao had used his life as leverage.
But Tuoba Jingyao had never truly intended to kill him. This was a deal struck between Deputy General Qin Fu and the empress. Since the emperor was now one of their own in a sense, sparing his life was acceptable.
“I won’t kill you,” Tuoba Jingyao said.
Upon hearing those words, the emperor smiled in relief. “Then I’ll leave my fate to Aunt Empress.”
Seeing the emperor’s stunned, bewildered expression, Bai Tang nearly laughed. The empress had once loved him. After forcing his abdication, she had intended for them to live out a quiet life together as commoners. But after what happened at the imperial residence… she had likely changed her mind.
Sure enough, when the empress heard Tuoba Jingyao’s judgment, a faint smile appeared on her face.
“Thank you, Regent.”
“Don’t come near me! Just kill me instead, kill me—” the emperor cried out in panic. Falling into that woman’s hands… he knew he’d be better off dead.
“The emperor—no, the disgraced one—has lost his senses. Guards, gag him and take him away. Don’t let him further offend the eyes of our noble ministers and royal kin,” the empress said with a graceful smile. But her gaze toward him was icy cold—devoid of even the slightest affection.
She would be sure to ‘entertain’ him thoroughly.
What remained were matters of state—left to the men who had stayed behind to do great things for the realm.
The empress waved at Bai Tang, her expression almost exactly like the Big Bad Wolf coaxing Little Red Riding Hood.
“Tang Tang, come here. I just had some new pastries made~”
Bai Tang was tempted. The imperial kitchen gathered the finest chefs from across the land, constantly rotating through an endless variety of pastries—he could never get tired of them.
The boy turned to Tuoba Jingyao with pleading eyes. The latter pinched his cheek.
“Go on.”
Then, turning to the empress, who was about to take Bai Tang away, he added, “Aunt Empress, please don’t let Tang Tang drink any wine.”
The empress chuckled. “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
Bai Tang leaned over and whispered in Tuoba Jingyao’s ear, “I’ll save something tasty for you,” and then happily followed the empress.
As the female lead of this world, her original plotline had been completely disrupted by Bai Tang. No longer did she endure the power struggles of the imperial harem or assist the male lead in ascending to the throne.
Now, she was simply a more mature version of herself than before her transmigration.
Having crossed into this world, she had lived a life entirely different from the one she’d known for over twenty years. Her heart and outlook had broadened considerably.
She gently declined Bai Tang’s kind offer to stay in the capital as a pampered young lady. Instead, she proactively requested to enter the palace and study medicine from the imperial physicians. Once her studies were complete, she planned to return to the grasslands and serve her people.
Aqi, always cheerful, ran after Rong Ningjing with a wide grin. Though he had no foundation in medicine, he shamelessly begged the imperial doctors to take him as an apprentice too.
With Aqi’s energetic presence, the once-serious Imperial Medical Bureau turned into a daily scene of chaos—chickens flying, dogs jumping—leaving the physicians exasperated and red-faced.
…
Regent Prince’s Residence.
Another winter had come.
Early in the morning, the little squirrel dashed excitedly into the courtyard and dove into the snow that the servants had just finished clearing.
“Princess Consort! Princess Consort! Please put on your cloak!” a maid called from behind, running after him with the cloak in hand.
Bai Tang pouted. Life in the capital was comfortable, yes—but no one would play in the snow with him anymore. The servants didn’t dare join in, and he sorely missed the snowball fights from last year when everyone played together.
When Tuoba Jingyao returned from court, he saw Bai Tang sitting in the garden pavilion, staring blankly into space. The maidservants behind him were anxious, and upon seeing Tuoba Jingyao, one of them looked as if she’d seen a savior.
“Greetings to the Regent,” she said with a curtsy. “Please persuade the Princess Consort—he refuses to return to his room.”
Tuoba Jingyao stepped into the pavilion and wrapped his arms around the boy from behind.
“It’s chilly out here. How about we go back inside and take a nap together?” he said indulgently.
The maids behind them couldn’t help but feel envious of Bai Tang. The regent was so gentle and attentive. If only they could become someone special to him—even just a low-ranking concubine—they wouldn’t mind in the least.
“Ah Yao, I miss the grasslands. I miss our sheep,” Bai Tang said, leaning all his weight against Tuoba Jingyao.
Tuoba Jingyao was not only the Regent of Aixi Kingdom but also the chieftain of the Xingluo Tribe. Even though he now lived permanently in the capital, it didn’t change the fact that he was still a tribal leader. His cattle, sheep, and other assets back in the tribe were being cared for by trusted aides.
If Bai Tang had never experienced true freedom, he might have been able to settle down in the capital. But after living freely on the vast grasslands, playing with his companions without a care in the world, he found it hard to adjust to being constantly followed by a retinue of attendants.
“The roads are rough in winter. Once spring comes, we’ll return to the grasslands for a while,” Tuoba Jingyao said.
“Really? Yay! Thank you, Ah Yao—you’re the best~!”
Tuoba Jingyao pressed a kiss to the boy’s hair. “Let’s go back inside. If you catch a cold, you won’t be able to go to the grasslands.”
“Okay~” Bai Tang’s mood instantly brightened. The gloom was gone, and with nothing else on his mind, the lazy spirit of winter settled over him again.
Tuoba Jingyao scooped him up in his arms and strode toward the room.
The maids’ fantasies were shattered before they’d even had a sliver of hope. Tuoba Jingyao seemed to see right into people’s hearts. Before any overly bold maid could act on her thoughts, he had the steward dismiss them and replace them with a new group of obedient ones.
In this lifetime, he would love only Bai Tang.
He wanted no one else—only Bai Tang.
This was also the reason why the royal clan agreed to make Tuoba Jingyao the regent. Bai Tang was certainly a factor, but more importantly, Tuoba Jingyao loved only Bai Tang. He wouldn’t take any concubines and had no heirs. This kingdom, in the end, would still belong to the Bai family.
The two of them lived a peaceful and loving life together. Every year, during the first half of the year, they returned to the grasslands. In the latter half, they came back to the capital to spend the winter.
Tuoba Jingyao continued to study medicine diligently. Whenever Bai Tang so much as coughed, he would notice immediately and find the root cause to treat it accordingly.
In this lifetime, Bai Tang lived to the age of sixty-five—a long life by ancient standards.
Before passing, Bai Tang held Tuoba Jingyao’s hand and spoke slowly: “Ah Yao, in the next life, I still want you… to make… make nut milk… and drink it with me…”
“Yes, I’ll make it for you. I’ll make nut milk for Tang Tang. Whatever Tang Tang wants to eat, I’ll make it. I won’t ever limit how much you eat again. Just… don’t leave me…”
“You… said it… remember…”
With those final words, Bai Tang’s arm fell limp. Tuoba Jingyao was left holding his gradually cooling body.
He kissed Bai Tang’s forehead.
Tang Tang, wait for me.
Author’s Note:
This world has come to an end. See you tomorrow in the next one.