Chapter 160

Chapter 160

Yu Chiyi's heart palpitations didn't last long before he heard the usually composed emperor almost gritting her teeth as she called his name: "Yu Chiyi!"

Startled, he released Su Yu, but before he could steady his racing heart, a chunk of watermelon rind hit him square in the face. He heard Su Yu's voice again: "Ayou, teach your uncle a lesson!"

Yu Chiyi: "Huh?"

Before he could react, Yu Chiyou's fist was already coming at him. He wiped his face with one hand while catching Yu Chiyou's fist with the other. When he opened his eyes, he saw a splatter of watermelon pulp on Su Yu's bright yellow robe.

Yu Chiyi guiltily looked away, suddenly remembering that before he hugged the emperor, she had been eating watermelon...

He guiltily looked away, but unfortunately, his foolish nephew only obeyed the emperor and showed no sign of stopping, throwing punch after punch.

Su Yu said with a blank face, "Ayou, keep at it. I'm going to change clothes."

Upon hearing the command, Yu Chiyou became even more vigorous.

Yu Chiyi was pleased to see that his foolish nephew's fighting skills had greatly improved. Several punches connected, and they stung. But he wasn't a pushover either. If the kid kept hitting him without fighting back, he might as well take Yu Chiyou's name.

The uncle and nephew had a vigorous fight.

By the time Su Yu returned, both were soaked in sweat. Their light summer clothes clung to their bodies, accentuating their abs, which was even more tantalizing than being shirtless.

Su Yu paused for a moment, slowly averting her gaze, but her words were full of disdain: "You two reek. Go clean up before coming to see me."

Yu Chiyi and Yu Chiyou each acknowledged the order.

Yu Chiyi took a few steps forward but suddenly halted and turned back to look at Su Yu, who continued to sit under the grapevine to cool off.

The setting sun's rays filtered through the green leaves, casting a play of light and shadow on her face. Her features stood out strikingly under the warm light.

Feeling his bold gaze, Su Yu casually glanced over, her eyes were clear and bright. Even though the red pomegranate flowers and green grape leaves intertwined behind her, they seemed to blur into the background.

Yu Chiyi smiled and looked down: "Indeed, I still prefer seeing Your Majesty like this."

Yu Chiyou hesitantly asked, "Uncle, you're acting weird. Did Aying put a curse on you?"

Yu Chiyi: "..."

He sincerely asked Yu Chiyou, "You've been by His Majesty's side for so long, and she hasn't killed you yet. It must be because of my face."

Yu Chiyou: "?" Uncle is shameless. The reason he could stay by His Majesty's side for so long was clearly because His Majesty liked him!

As night fell, it became slightly cooler. The moonlight was like water, and the summer breeze was gentle. Su Yu had the servants move the table to the imperial garden, where they would have dinner.

She had the Yu Chi uncle and nephew accompany her and even had strong wine brought over.

Before Yu Chiyi could speak, Su Yu asked, "When I summoned you back this time, did you have many questions?"

Yu Chiyi honestly replied, "At first, when I received the letter, I thought Cui Xingjian was up to no good behind the scenes. But then I thought, Cui Xingjian wouldn't stoop so low, nor would he ruin Your Majesty's plans just because he dislikes me. Your Majesty must have had a reason for summoning me back, and I just need to follow Your Majesty's orders."

Su Yu smiled and poured him a cup of wine, "Then why did you come back alone?"

Yu Chiyi picked up the wine and drank it in one gulp. He took the wine jar from Su Yu, poured her a cup first, then filled his own, "I left the army in Aying's hands. They should return to the capital in three days. I was worried that Your Majesty might have something urgent for me to do, so I came back alone."

As for that dream, he had decided to forget it entirely and saw no need to tell His Majesty.

Su Yu gave him a meaningful look. Who said Yu Chiyi had no tact? Despite his rough exterior, when it came to sweet talk, he was the best among the four male leads.

"There is indeed an important task for you," Su Yu smiled and told Yu Chiyi about the major breakthroughs Yao Feiming and others had made in wheat cultivation, as well as her plan to have Yu Chiyi lead troops to forcefully promote the new wheat seeds in various regions.

Yu Chiyi was stunned for a moment. After a while, he stood up and toasted Su Yu three times in a row, "Your Majesty, my vision was too narrow. I will punish myself with three cups."

Making sure the people are fed should come before attacking Luosuo.

After finishing the three cups, he poured himself another one, only to hear Yu Chiyou anxiously tapping his own cup. He glanced over and saw that Yu Chiyou's cup was still empty. He and Su Yu had been conversing back and forth, completely ignoring Yu Chiyou.

Yu Chiyi flashed his nephew a mischievous grin, clearly having intentionally not filled Yu Chiyou's cup earlier.

Yu Chiyou pouted, feeling wronged, and quickly stood up, trying to grab the wine jar from Yu Chiyi.

But Yu Chiyi was adamant about not giving it to Yu Chiyou. He moved half a step to the side, easily avoiding Yu Chiyou. Undeterred, Yu Chiyou quickly turned and tried again. However, if Yu Chiyi didn't want to give something, no one could take it from him.

Su Yu was newly impressed by Yu Chiyi's fighting skills. As the two of them struggled over the jar, it remained steadily in Yu Chiyi's hands the entire time, not a single drop of wine was spilled.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and softly said, "Alright, both of you, sit down and eat."

The two obediently stopped. Only then did Yu Chiyi act a bit like an elder, filling a cup of wine for Yu Chiyou.

Su Yu then inquired about some border matters with Yu Chiyi, particularly about the situation in Luosuo. She was just holding off on attacking Luosuo for now, not giving up on it for good.

Yu Chiyi answered each question in turn. He brought up Ruo Kong to Su Yu, "This time in Yuanzhou, I ran into that Ruo Kong again. He asked me, 'Is this war really necessary?'"

Su Yu asked, "How did Zhong Yun respond?"

"I started to say, 'Bald...'" Yu Chiyi began but stopped halfway, fearing that the original phrasing would tarnish his image in front of the emperor. He rephrased, "I said, 'If the monk has so much free time, maybe he should check out the fifteen provinces Luosuo has taken over.'"

"Did he go?" Su Yu asked again.

This time, Yu Chiyi looked a bit more respectful, "He really went to Weizhou."

Su Yu wasn't taken aback. When she had encountered Ruo Kong in Yuanzhou before, she had sensed a change in him. In the past, Ruo Kong's eyes were clean in a way that was untouched by the world. Now, his eyes were clean in a way that showed he had experienced the world yet still pursued his aspirations.

Under the moonlight, with cicadas singing and the wind whispering through the leaves, Yu Chiyi drank his wine and occasionally exchanged a few words with Su Yu. He suddenly felt a sense of peaceful times, an impulse to freeze this moment.

So much so that when Su Yu stood up, he followed her.

Su Yu smiled and said, "I've reserved a room in the side palace for Zhong Yun. You can rest there tonight."

But Yu Chiyi asked, "Your Majesty, may I guard your door tonight?"

Su Yu turned back slightly surprised, looking at the general who was two steps behind her.

The moonlight still enveloped Yu Chiyi, stretching his shadow, as if drawing out a long loneliness.

Tall as he was, at this moment he seemed like a little dog about to be abandoned, looking quite pitiful, as if her refusal at this moment would cause him the greatest grievance in the world.

Su Yu took a step forward and took his hand, "If Zhong Yun wishes to guard my door, of course he may. I only fear that Zhong Yun, having rushed back to the capital, might be too tired."

"Your Majesty need not worry. I am strong and healthy. This journey is nothing to me."

Cui Xuan knew that Yu Chiyi was returning to the capital, but he hadn't expected to see Yu Chiyi at the entrance of Su Yu's bedchamber so early in the morning.

He couldn't help but ask, "General Yu, why are you here?"

"Naturally, to guard Her Majesty's door and keep out any unsavory characters," Yu Chiyi grinned.

A vein twitched on Cui Xuan's forehead, "The army hasn't returned to the capital yet, and General Yu has already come back alone?"

Yu Chiyi replied, "The army is on its way back. I returned ahead of the army to see Her Majesty and, incidentally, to guard her door. If I hadn't been guarding the door, I wouldn't have known that Premier Cui shows up every day to bug Her Majesty during her sleep."

Premier Cui gave a cold smile, "I certainly wouldn't disturb Her Majesty at this hour. Keep it down, General Yu, don't wake Her Majesty."

Yu Chiyi was speechless... So what was Premier Cui doing here so early in the morning?

He eyed Premier Cui's tall frame warily. Was being the Premier not enough for him? Did he want to take over the duties of them military officers as well?

Su Yu was used to Cui Xuan waking her up in the morning. When she opened the door, she saw Cui Xuan and Yu Chiyi standing like two guardian deities, pushing Yu Chiyou out of his usual spot.

Yu Chiyou stood behind them, giving her a pitiful look.

Su Yu paused, pretending not to notice the tension between them, and smiled vaguely, "Has Xing Jian brought the draft laws?"

She had tasked Cui Xuan with drafting a law mandating the nationwide planting of new wheat.

Cui Xuan's face softened a bit, and he nodded to her, about to hand over the written scroll.

Suddenly, a messenger's voice came from behind, "Your Majesty, a confidential letter from Qiantang."

Premier Cui: "..." A confidential letter from Qiantang, he could only think of Xie Yiguan.

Su Yu took his scroll but quickly shifted her focus to the confidential letter.

Xie Yiguan reported that everything appeared to be running smoothly at the school in Qiantang, but the very smoothness made him suspicious. In disguise, he investigated among the common folk and found that while the children of farmers came for the entrance tests, those who actually attended were the sons of influential families who had taken their spots, and this wasn't an isolated incident.

Xie Yiguan wrote to Su Yu, requesting military intervention. The current Military Governor of Zhenhai, Xiao Luo, unlike the Qiantang Governor, who had ties with various local factions in Qiantang, believed directly using the Zhenhai Army, which was completely loyal to Su Yu, would be more efficient.

Without a second thought, Su Yu penned a reply to Xie Yiguan, granting him the authority to deal with any local officials in Qiantang who obstructed the school or were involved in fraud. He could execute or punish them at his discretion without prior approval, only needing to report back later.

She also slipped in a confidential letter to Xiao Luo, instructing the messenger to rush it to Qiantang.

Only then did she pick up the law written by Cui Xuan, read it through without any changes, and directly told him, "Once the northwestern army returns, this will be promulgated."

The northwestern army arrived in the capital three days later, and Su Yu personally went outside the city to welcome them.

At the court meeting the next day, Yu Chiyi and Su Chengying, dressed in Vermilion Bird armor, one holding the Soulslaying Spear and the other the Chengying Sword, stood menacingly at the entrance of the Hanyuan Hall.

When the officials came to court, it was hard to ignore them and the row of black-armored soldiers standing behind them.

The ministers: "..." What does the Emperor intend to do? Start a massacre?

They were anxious, fearing that someone among them might foolishly follow the Lu family's rebellion and implicate them.

However, they were surprised when Su Yu only promulgated a law to promote the planting of new wheat throughout Great Qi. They sighed in relief, thinking it was a big deal with such a grand display.

Since no one stood up to oppose, Su Yu took the opportunity to appoint Tian Boyun and Zhao Qusheng as Directors of Agriculture, tasked with promoting the new wheat, with Yu Chiyi and Su Chengying responsible for their protection.

Hearing that even Yu Chiyi was assigned to protect the two Directors of Agriculture, the officials had no objections.

Seeing them as quiet as chickens, Su Yu issued another decree, appointing Cheng Heyuan as Censor-in-Chief, responsible for assisting the Censor-in-Charge in overseeing the officials.

The officials' eyes widened like copper bells. The Censor-in-Chief was a high-ranking official of the fourth rank with significant power. They had never heard of this Cheng Heyuan before, and now he was directly appointed by the Emperor as Censor-in-Chief?!

Someone wanted to stand up and oppose, but then they heard the two generals and the black-armored soldiers outside the hall kneel down in unison, their armor clashing loudly against the ground, and they shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!"

The ministers: "..."

Forget it, it's just a Censor-in-Chief. As long as the Emperor speaks nicely and doesn't scare them with the military, they wouldn't oppose even if the Emperor married a male empress—

Though they believed the Emperor wouldn't do something as outrageous as marrying a male empress...