stonecrandall Chapter 155 Dying Openly and Honorably
Chapter 155 Dying Openly and Honorably
Li Yuanke had the carriage brought down and then held her in his arms.
She was still holding the purple bamboo flute in her hand, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Li Fude watched in trepidation, fearing that Consort Chen might misbehave and hit the Emperor on the forehead with the flute.
"What tune is that? I've never heard you play it before."
"It's called 'Dream of the Hexi Corridor.' I heard a musician named Yanni play it when I went to Dunhuang. Isn't it beautiful?"
He's a handsome old man from over a thousand years later, and the music he plays is exceptionally beautiful.
"It sounds great!"
It was so beautiful that for a moment Li Yuanke felt she would drift away with the sound of the flute.
He held her in his arms, holding her tightly, feeling her fresh and warm body. Her breath brushed against his neck and ears, and her faint fragrance lingered in his nostrils, calming his heart.
Li Yuanke kissed her forehead, touching her soft skin. "Why did you suddenly think of playing a tune?"
[You're rambling on and on, just bored and wanting to brag. I happen to be in the mood today!]
I want to sing it for you!
Li Yuanke smiled and gently rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand. "Have you eaten yet?"
"I've already used it! How late is it? You haven't used it yet?"
Li Yuanke had a faint scent of wine on him. Shen Shixi took two deep breaths and became somewhat dazed.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm thinking about something! I'm wondering whether I should do it?" Shen Shixi asked, sitting in his lap. "What do you plan to discuss with Beisha during the meeting?"
"The year before last, Beisha suffered a drought, leaving few cattle and sheep. Last summer, a hailstorm killed another batch of cattle and sheep. That's why they invaded Da Zhou last year. They were originally going to join forces with Xiling. The fall of Tianfei Pass was not just Xue Ju's problem. At that time, the situation in Shanzhou was indeed very tense, which is why Xue Ju led troops to provide support."
Even now, neither Beisha nor Xiling knows how we managed to reach the cliff tops on either side of Tianfei Pass. This is unbelievable to them, and they are quite wary of it. I think Beisha's desire to talk is partly a test.
In matters of state, Li Yuanke never considered hiding anything from Shen Shixi; he always spoke frankly and without reservation.
Even when he talked about politics with her, he felt a sense of relief, as if the burden on his shoulders had been temporarily taken away, allowing him a moment to catch his breath.
He hugged Shen Shixi even tighter, resting his chin on her shoulder, their cheeks touching.
Shen Shixi said, "His Majesty has made this trip and must give an explanation to the people. There must be no war between the two countries for at least a year and a half. As for the Beisha Islands, we must stabilize them with both deterrence and incentives."
"There are two supplies in Beisha that must come from Da Zhou: tea bricks and salt. These are necessities, but if we want to earn more from Beisha, we'll trade them for luxury goods. The horses in Beisha are truly excellent!"
Li Yuanke asked, "How can we deter them? How can we entice them?"
Shen Shixi asked, "Does Your Majesty still remember the things I asked the Ministry of Works to make for me? I wonder if they are finished?"
"I'll urge them again."
That's not something that can be done overnight. The person in charge didn't go home for the New Year and has been working overtime the whole time.
"The crossbow is one, and we have another newly forged weapon. The luxury item I just thought of is wine, a kind of wine that is much stronger than the wine Your Majesty is drinking now. Your Majesty, please have Li Yuanyin come to the palace tomorrow. I want to get some glass to make this kind of wine."
"Isn't it enough to just brew wine? Is your winemaking method different?"
"No, we'll use the current wine, refine it, and then sell it to Beisha," Shen Shixi said. "The reason I hesitated is because this wine is somewhat toxic, addictive, and can damage a person's liver and brain. I'm afraid you'll become addicted too."
Li Yuanke's heart skipped a beat, but he stubbornly retorted, "Am I really that spineless?"
"That's not what I meant. Harming others will inevitably harm yourself; this is the way of Heaven, and no one can escape it. I'm afraid that if I do something so heinous, the retribution will come back to me."
Li Yuanke leaned down and kissed her lips, their breaths mingling. "Make it out so I can see."
Shen Shixi stroked his shoulder and back, "Li Yuanke, if I get it and you become obsessed with it, drinking yourself into a stupor every day, how am I supposed to deal with that?"
Will I regret it so much I wish I were dead? If you were just my man, I wouldn't care, as long as you're happy; but you are a king, and the fate of the world isn't just an empty phrase. I've always wanted you to be a wise ruler, to bring a prosperous era to the people.
In fact, Shen Shixi was just giving a heads-up. Even though the alcohol in later generations was so strong that vodka could be ignited, it didn't bring down a nation.
Russian men are all alcoholics, that's because it's so cold there. If they don't drink, they'll freeze and lose all feeling. Those who criticize them are just talking without understanding the situation.
Li Yuanke was very touched by Shen Shixi's words. He hugged and kissed her, and stopped insisting on seeing her.
[If Li Yuanke really gets himself into a drunkard, I might as well become emperor! Since the throne originally belonged to him, I can make him my empress. Ah, then I can hold a nationwide beauty pageant, selecting seventeen or eighteen handsome men of all kinds—tsk tsk, so beautiful!]
Shen Shixi was drooling with anticipation when he was slapped.
Li Yuanke's move was a bit too harsh; Shen Shixi's buttocks stung terribly. Enraged, she jumped up, her anger blazing, "Li Yuanke, are you crazy? Why did you hit me?"
"What were you thinking just now that was so... disgusting?" Li Yuanke was also furious.
Shen Shixi immediately felt guilty. She wiped her mouth, thinking her expression had betrayed her true feelings, and became angry and embarrassed. "What am I thinking? I'm thinking, if I manage to produce that thing, and you get addicted to it and live a life of debauchery every day, I'll kick you off the train and go ride that dragon myself..."
Li Yuanke covered her mouth and shouted, "Get down!"
No one dared to listen; they scrambled out of the hall, closing the door behind them.
Li Yuanke just stared at her with a sinister look.
Shen Shixi rolled her eyes and collapsed onto him like a dead dog.
Whatever, I'm just lying here anyway.
Li Yuanke was so angry he was practically leaping out of his skin. "Shen Shixi, if that mouth of yours ever gets you into trouble, even I won't be able to cover it up for you. Don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Oh, no, Your Majesty, rest assured, I will never blame you for being heartless."
【You think I'm afraid? Ha! Do you think I'd expect you to be sentimental? You bastard, you're just trying to make yourself look good!】
Li Yuanke held back for a while, but he really couldn't do anything about it. He squeezed her arm and said, "Would you like to go out of the palace for fun? I'll go with you!"
"No way! It's freezing cold outside, I'd rather stand in the cold wind! No way!"
"Shall I take you to see the lanterns in a few days?"
"Aren't you supposed to be sitting on the city wall in the north wind during the Lantern Festival, enjoying the festivities with the people? How are you going to come with me? What's so interesting about the lanterns? We see them every year, it's not like we haven't seen them before. Aren't there plenty of lanterns in my palace?"
"I want to go out and have a look around. Starting on the thirteenth, the lanterns in the city will be hung up. I'll take you to see them then; you must go!"
[Has Li Yuanke been provoked? Oh my god, does he think I'm really going to seize his throne and is going to take me out of the palace and kill me?!]
Shen Shixi was startled, her eyes darting around.
Who isn't afraid of death? She kept saying she wasn't afraid of death, but if Li Yuanke really wanted her to die, she would still be afraid.
It wasn't that she was afraid of death, but rather that she was afraid of the torment she would suffer during the moment of death. She was such a person who was afraid of pain and suffering.
Li Yuanke was also caught off guard, never expecting her imagination to be so wild as to frighten him. He looked at her with a half-smile.
Unexpectedly, Shen Shixi changed her mind and became happy again.
[Oh dear! Why didn't I think of that? I could have let Li Yuanke kill me! He's an emperor; if he insisted on killing me, I could die a righteous death!]
This world can't accept her anymore; maybe she can go back.
She always felt that the reason she couldn't go back last time was because the will of the world wouldn't allow it.
She perked up and asked excitedly, "When are we leaving the palace, thirteen or fourteen?"
Li Yuanke was furious. He picked her up and put her aside, then went to the hot spring with a dark face, not even glancing at her.