Chapter 250: Song Junzhan as the Primary? In Your Dreams!!
SLAP!
Lou Yan finally got the slap he had been yearning for. Even his gloomy expression couldn’t conceal his utter delight.
Xiao Li didn’t know whether to be angry or amused.
’What a pervert.’
She still let him help her wash up. The man’s robes were half-open, revealing his chest, and he preened like a peacock in heat. His brow, his expression, his body—even a single strand of his hair seemed designed to seduce her.
Xiao Li hadn’t meant to look, but something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She abruptly grabbed the lapels of his robe and tore them open.
There was a cluster of scars on his shoulder—a crisscrossing mess of deep and shallow marks. The older, deeper ones had faded to white, but the newer ones had just begun to scab.
"What happened to you?"
Xiao Li’s first thought was, ’Who could possibly injure him?’ But the repetitive nature of the wounds made it obvious that they were self-inflicted.
After she spoke, Xiao Li raised a hand to her own shoulder.
Cen An and his fellow physicians were masters of their craft; they had not only healed her wound but had done so without leaving a single mark. Still, she could never forget where she had been injured. It was the same spot as Lou Yan’s scars.
Xiao Li looked at Lou Yan, her expression complicated. "Why would you do this?"
Lou Yan grabbed her hand, pressing it against the scarred skin. For once, his eyes were clear and serious. "This servant is the one closest to Your Majesty. Watching you get hurt right before my eyes... it is a crime for which I deserve to die ten thousand deaths."
"For these past four hundred and forty-six days, this servant has waited for Your Majesty to wake and punish me personally."
Xiao Li froze.
She had been the one to insist on killing Xiao Jingyu herself. It was bizarre how he had managed to wound her, but in any conflict, there were moves and countermoves. Getting injured wasn’t that big of a deal.
Her coma was a result of her soul being taken away, not because of the physical wound.
She knew perfectly well what had happened to her and had never blamed anyone. She never imagined that he had remained trapped in the memory of that day.
"Lou Yan..."
For a moment, Xiao Li didn’t know what to say.
She wouldn’t apologize. It wasn’t her fault; he was the one who had trapped himself in this state.
She wanted to call him a fool, but this fool had been tormenting himself for over four hundred days.
She wasn’t made of stone; she couldn’t say she was completely unmoved.
Resigned, she sighed, pulled his robe closed by the lapels, and leaned down to press a kiss to his wounded shoulder.
Lou Yan’s body shuddered, and he slowly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace.
"Don’t hurt yourself like this anymore."
Lou Yan asked stubbornly, "Won’t Your Majesty punish this servant?"
’Does he really have to be punished?’
𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
"Let me think about it."
Lou Yan’s chest rumbled with a muffled laugh. "Alright."
’He was finally... alive again.’
But Lou Yan soon regretted it.
Xiao Li hadn’t been able to think of a punishment, but when she saw Lou Yan trying to climb into her bed, an idea struck her. "I have it. Your punishment is to stand guard at the door. Do not enter without my command."
’Out of sight, out of mind. It’ll keep this man from trying every trick in the book to seduce me.’
Lou Yan was speechless. ’My world is ending.’
’He’d shot himself in the foot. This was worse than being stabbed a few times.’
"Your Majesty... could we perhaps change the punishment?" She had only just woken up; he couldn’t bear to leave her side for even a moment.
Xiao Li was ruthless. "No."
Lou Yan lowered his gaze, accepting his fate. "This servant understands."
Then he got up and walked out.
Xiao Li had just breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she had finally gotten rid of him, when she suddenly realized something was wrong. But it was too late.
Lou Yan was still wearing the same robe, its lapels still gaping open where she had torn them, and brazenly went to stand guard at the door.
Xiao Li slapped a hand to her forehead. ’So much for my reputation!’
Xiao Li resisted the urge to call him back. If she did, she would be falling right into his trap.
Hong Yue and Lan Yue exchanged a look.
Hong Yue was confused. "What’s he trying to do?"
Lan Yue, ever the shrewd one, said, "He wants to declare Her Majesty’s favor toward him."
Hong Yue didn’t understand. "Declare it to whom?"
Lan Yue pressed her lips together. "Probably to us."
Hong Yue gritted her teeth. "That bastard! As if we don’t have Her Majesty’s favor, too. We’re obviously her favorites."
Lan Yue remained composed. "We’re women, and he’s a eunuch. It’s not like he has anything we don’t. What’s he so smug about?"
Hong Yue couldn’t have agreed more, nodding vigorously. "Exactly! Exactly."
Lan Yue’s eyes narrowed shrewdly. "The only problem would be if he’s a fake eunuch."
Hong Yue’s composure shattered. "He... couldn’t be... right?"
Lan Yue turned to Yang Jun. "Brother Yang, what do you think?"
Yang Jun said nothing.
’Why am I discussing this with two young women?’ he thought. ’And what difference does it make to me whether Lou Yan is a eunuch or not? It’s not like I’m vying for Her Majesty’s affection.’
"If you’re so curious, why don’t you ask me yourselves?"
The three of them jumped in surprise, only then noticing that Lou Yan had approached them at some point. He was now staring daggers at them.
But now, his robe was properly closed, not a hint of skin visible below his neck. He looked cold, gloomy, and utterly unapproachable.
His disdainful gaze made them feel like ants, and he acted as if he were afraid they’d take advantage of him if they looked for even a moment too long.
Hong Yue, emboldened by the Empress’s favor, felt a rebellious streak surface. "I support Prime Minister Song. He’s gentle, meticulous, and thoughtful in every way. He’s the most considerate of Her Majesty."
Lan Yue and Yang Jun looked at her with pure reverence. ’What a warrior!’
Lan Yue added, "I support General Rong. He’s the most loyal to Her Majesty, strong, and highly skilled in martial arts. He just seems so dependable and reliable."
Yang Jun thought, ’...And where does that leave me?’
But on second thought, he wasn’t part of this competition, so there was no need for comparison.
He felt a certain smugness in being above it all.
For once, Hong Yue and Lan Yue were at odds.
Hong Yue: "Prime Minister Song."
Lan Yue: "Rong Qing."
Hong Yue presented her evidence. "Her Majesty has already kissed Prime Minister Song."
Lan Yue was undeterred. "That’s just a matter of time."
Hong Yue was firm. "Prime Minister Song is the best match for Her Majesty."
Lan Yue was more open-minded. "But Her Majesty is the Empress. Can’t she have both Prime Minister Song and General Rong? Worst case, we just let Prime Minister Song be the primary consort."
The two of them looked at each other, then shared a knowing smile, having reached a consensus.
Yang Jun watched as Lou Yan’s face grew so dark it looked like ink might drip from it. A chilling smile played on his lips, and Yang Jun began to sweat for the two troublemakers.
’They had to stop. They were going to drive the man insane!’
Darkness surged in Lou Yan’s eyes. His killing intent was palpable, and he was grinding his teeth so hard they threatened to shatter.
’Song Junzhan as the primary? In his dreams!’
-----
The next day, Song Junzhan came to the palace early, using state affairs as a pretext to see Xiao Li.
The bloodshot veins in his eyes proved he had barely slept the previous night, yet his spirits showed no sign of weariness.
Xiao Li sighed in resignation. ’So much for the steady and composed Prime Minister,’ she thought. He didn’t look composed in the slightest.
Song Junzhan was the Prime Minister, but the positions of the Six Ministers remained vacant.
The promotions were supposed to have been based on merit, but after the Empress’s incident, Song Junzhan had put a hold on the matter. Though he never said so explicitly, his stance was clear: he was waiting for the Empress to awaken before proceeding.
He had long since compiled and organized reports on all the candidates’ political achievements and performance over the past two years. The assessments were fair and impartial, awaiting only Xiao Li’s final decision.
In truth, it was merely a formality. Xiao Li trusted him, and he understood her.
The final selections were identical to the candidates Song Junzhan had in mind.
Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Liu Yan; Minister of War, Rong Qing; Minister of Revenue, Lin Yici; Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Tang Shuyu; Minister of Rites, Su Ziqi; and Minister of Ministry of Industry, Shi Mo.
Not a single one of the men chosen from that first "Feast of Talents" had disappointed Xiao Li.
They knew better than anyone what kind of ruler they served, and they understood more than anyone that only through desperate effort could they prove worthy of all they had achieved.
Furthermore, they were young and full of vitality, willing to embrace new political reforms and keep pace with the changing times—this was the key to their firm footing in the court.
With these six promoted from Assistant Minister to Minister, another six would rise to fill the newly vacant Assistant Minister positions.
Song Junzhan had already selected the candidates for those roles as well, all chosen purely on merit, without a hint of personal bias.
He stood at the pinnacle of the court, with immense power in his hands. In the entire world, besides the Empress, there was no one worthy of him leveraging that power for personal gain.