Chapter 283: The Empress Has Waited For Her Nemesis

Chapter 283: Chapter 282: The Empress Has Waited For Her Nemesis

The man who had been driven away walked back, glancing over his shoulder several times, unwilling to give up.

The Empress was right there. This was the closest he had ever been to Her Majesty.

He hadn’t wanted to come today. Someone had dragged him to the Royal Hunting Ground to broaden his horizons. Unwilling to bow and scrape to curry favor with others, he had wandered off on his own. He never expected to run into the Black Dragon Guards, and he immediately knew the Empress was here.

It was as if the heavens themselves were helping him.

But he couldn’t get any closer, and he hadn’t even managed to see Her Majesty’s face.

Just then, a youth dressed in white walked past him.

The youth was handsome with fair skin. His hair was simply tied back, and he wore plain cloud-patterned brocade, his entire outfit adorned only with a single Jade Pendant.

Even so, he was so striking that it was hard to look away.

He held a bouquet of freshly picked flowers in his hand, a smile on his face as he walked forward with a light step.

That direction…

The man turned his head and, sure enough, saw the youth walking toward the place where the Empress was.

He stopped in his tracks, gloating as he waited for the youth to be rebuffed.

However, completely contrary to his expectations, the youth walked straight through. The very guards who had just stopped him didn’t block the way, acting as if they didn’t see him.

They just let him pass!!

Why?

That person just looked a little younger and more delicate than him, so why!?

The man stared intently as the youth walked in, went right up to where the Empress was lounging, sat down beside her, and even handed her the flowers.

Someone suddenly clapped him on the shoulder. It was his friend.

“What are you doing here?”

He jumped, but he had no time to be startled. Right now, all he cared about was what was happening before him.

“That person…” He looked over again. “Her Majesty is over there, and no one is allowed to approach. But just now, a youth in white carrying flowers walked right past.”

His friend looked baffled. “Hm? And?”

The man said angrily, “Her Majesty forbade anyone from approaching, so why was he able to go over?”

His friend chuckled at him. “Has it occurred to you that maybe that person knows Her Majesty? You also said he was carrying flowers. He’s probably one of the Imperial Consorts.”

The man was skeptical. “That person looks sixteen or seventeen. How could he be an Imperial Consort?”

His friend replied, “Of the four Imperial Consorts, the youngest, Mr. Xu, is only twenty-one this year. He’s exceptionally good-looking and has a very youthful air about him, so it’s not that strange.”

The man still refused to believe it, but arguing was pointless now.

He returned to the crowd, absent-mindedly watching the lively competitions.

Suddenly, the noisy chatter died down, and the surroundings fell silent. He looked up, and in an instant, his gaze snapped to the side in unison with everyone else.

A group of people on horseback was crossing the grassy field.

Black-clad guards with cold, vigilant expressions exuded a stern aura. Their signature gold-emblazoned uniforms made them instantly recognizable as the Black Dragon Guards.

Surrounded by them were two youths on horseback.

The youth in white was the same person he had just seen. And the one beside him… couldn’t be the Empress, could it?

That person looked about the same age as the youth in white, dressed in magnificent purple-and-gold robes, with her hair in a high ponytail held by a jade coronet, radiating youthful energy.

Though they were too far away to see her features clearly, a single distant glance was enough to tell she was stunningly beautiful.

And in her hand, she still held the flowers the youth in white had given her.

“It’s Her Majesty and Prince Consort Xu.”

Those who could come to the Royal Hunting Ground were all children of nobles and officials with some status. Many had seen the Empress in person, and even if they didn’t recognize the Empress, they certainly recognized Xu Xingchen.

As the procession drew closer, everyone straightened their clothes and bowed silently.

The heavy thud of hooves seemed to beat upon everyone’s hearts, making them afraid to look up and gaze directly upon the imperial presence.

Even though they had done nothing wrong and were lost in a crowd, the overwhelming sense of pressure that washed over them made their hearts pound with uncontrollable nervousness.

The procession didn’t speed up or slow down, simply passing naturally through the crowd. Only after it had completely disappeared did everyone slowly let out a breath of relief.

“Whew! That scared me to death. I had no idea Her Majesty was here.”

“I really wanted to greet Her Majesty, but I didn’t dare speak. What a missed opportunity!”

“They say Her Majesty is even more beautiful than the Imperial Consorts, and it’s really true.”

“Ahhh, I saw Her Majesty!!! She’s even more beautiful than in the portraits.”

“Wait… where did you see a portrait of Her Majesty?”

Portraits of the Empress weren’t something just anyone could paint, much less casually own.

That person lifted his chin. “It’s obvious you’ve never taken the imperial examinations. A portrait of Her Majesty hangs in the very center of the examination hall. It’s life-sized, showing her in a Dragon Robe, looking incredibly majestic. It’s the first thing everyone sees.”

Everyone started chatting about the Empress. Some were full of adoration, some sighed in awe, and others began to harbor various thoughts of their own.

But none of it had the slightest effect on the Empress.

Xiao Yang didn’t stay at the Palace, heading instead to the farmstead of the Research Institute.

It was the height of the autumn harvest, and the estate was busy gathering crops. The rice and corn were already ripe, and the scent of straw drifted from afar.

A group of commoners were bent over in the fields, reaping with a fiery enthusiasm.

Xie Liuzheng had copied the blueprint perfectly. Although this rice wasn’t as high-yielding as the one developed by the Agricultural God, it had already tripled the world’s previous rice output, resisted diseases, and produced a bountiful harvest.

The seeds had been successfully distributed last year, and this year, scenes of bumper harvests were everywhere.

Seeing the Empress pass by, the commoners stopped their work and kowtowed sincerely, thanking the Empress for giving them the life they had today.

Xu Xingchen watched this scene, his eyes brimming with a smile. “The grain yields are abundant, and the people no longer go hungry. They are all thanking Your Majesty from the bottom of their hearts.”

Xiao Yang, however, didn’t take the credit. “I merely gave the order. This is the fruit of Xie Liuzheng’s three years of hard work. When the grain yields are announced next month, Xie Liuzheng’s name will be known throughout the land. For generations to come, everyone will remember her.”

“Your Majesty!”

Hearing that Her Majesty had arrived, Xie Liuzheng immediately came out to greet her. She was wearing practical work clothes and culottes, her hair pinned back with a hairpin. She looked a bit dusty and grimy, but her face was full of joy, and her eyes were shining.

The sense of accomplishment from succeeding at something was a feeling nothing else could provide.

“Why has Your Majesty come?”

Xiao Yang said, “I was preparing to return to the Imperial Palace and decided to stop by and see you since I was in the area.”

Xie Liuzheng led Xiao Yang to see one drying field after another, and the cartloads of grain being transported to the granaries.

In her excitement, she thumped her chest and promised enthusiastically, “Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely make sure your people and soldiers are all well-fed.”

Xiao Yang smiled. “Then on behalf of all the people, I thank you, Mr. Xie.”

Xie Liuzheng had been living here recently. After watching for a while, Xiao Yang prepared to leave. Xie Liuzheng ran back into her house and, a moment later, came out and shoved something into her arms.

“Could I trouble Your Majesty to take this little guy back?”

Xiao Yang and a little tyke with a smudged face stared at each other.

‘I hate people with no sense of personal space,’ Xiao Yang thought.

‘Why do Xie Liuzheng and her husband both love to shove their child into my arms!’

Xiao Yang frowned; the little tyke frowned. Xiao Yang pouted; the little tyke pouted.

Two big, grape-like eyes stared at Xiao Yang. A perfect little mimic.

Xiao Yang shoved the child into Xu Xingchen’s arms, and with a WAAAH, he burst into tears.

Before Xie Liuzheng, who had walked some distance away, could turn around, Xiao Yang snatched the child back with a SWOOSH.

She stared at him fiercely. “Stop!”

Xiao An instantly stopped crying, merely gazing at Xiao Yang with tear-filled eyes.

“Your… Your… Majes… ty… Zhu Zhu…”

The child was just learning to speak, his words jumbled.

Xiao Yang covered his mouth. “Be good. If you can’t say it clearly, then shut up. Or I’ll go beat up your father.”

In the Imperial Palace, Xiao Lv: “Achoo!”

Xu Xingchen laughed. “He really does like Your Majesty.”

Xiao Yang said with disgust, “Well, I don’t like him.”

Xiao Yang didn’t believe a one-year-old child could understand such complex words, but as soon as she finished speaking, he threw his head back and started to fall to the ground. It was utterly decisive.

Xiao Yang: “DAMN IT!!!!”

Xiao Yang’s soul nearly flew out of her body. Luckily, her quick reflexes allowed her to grab his foot and hoist him up.

Held upside down, Xiao An didn’t cry. Instead, he looked at Xiao Yang and broke into a very happy grin.

“Zhu Zhu.”

Xiao Yang couldn’t muster even a hint of a smile. ‘What the hell is this thing?’

In this world, for every force, there is a counterforce. The lawless Empress had finally met her match.