Chapter 286: Nothing in the Mortal World Can Compare to the Magnificent Spectacle Before My Eyes

With the children no longer clamoring in front of her, Xiao Yang felt the entire world had become a better place.

When Mu Yunlian entered the palace, he saw Her Majesty lounging on the daybed, her eyes closed in a lazy nap, her features relaxed and content.

Six years had passed in the blink of an eye since their grand wedding. In that time, the imperial court had stabilized, the realm was at peace, and the nation was developing at a remarkable speed.

The granaries were full, and the common people were prosperous.

Electric lights had appeared, and all sorts of new machines were being invented.

Talented individuals from all walks of life emerged as if fated by the nation’s prosperity. Even without blueprints, they developed a wide array of new tools and machines. An industrial revolution had quietly begun.

The nation was developing at a pace that far surpassed its time.

The passage of time had touched Her Majesty not with decay, but like a spring breeze that coaxes a bud to slowly blossom into magnificent, dazzling splendor.

At twenty-six, Her Majesty was breathtakingly beautiful.

While she had been strikingly handsome at twenty, she now possessed a woman’s seductive charm. Her mature physique radiated an irresistible allure. She didn’t need to put it on display; simply by sitting there, she was captivating enough to steal one’s very soul.

She had been well-nourished over the years. Her skin was fair and translucent, suffused with a healthy, rosy-white glow. It seemed to shimmer delicately in the sunlight.

At a glance, she was so beautiful one hardly dared to look at her directly.

Mu Yunlian naturally drew close, unable to resist placing a kiss on the corner of her brow. “This year’s reports are out. The figures have doubled since last year. Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

Xiao Yang didn’t so much as stir. “As long as we’re not running a deficit, it’s fine. Keep half and allocate the rest. Use it to build roads and manufacture vehicles. And reinforce the riverbanks in the areas that flooded last year.”

Da Wei was vast and thriving. Gold and silver were piled like mountains in the National Treasury. Xiao Yang wanted for neither money nor grain, so aside from the necessary reserves, she poured everything into infrastructure projects.

The roads in the Capital City now branched out in every direction, making travel exceptionally convenient. Wherever one went, there was a horse path running alongside a cement road.

Mu Yunlian added, “I ran into Prince Jing on my way back. He had just gotten into an argument with someone.”

“Many people have been discussing the matter of the Crown Prince lately. The two of them, father and son, are trying everything they can to stop the rumors from spreading. It’s clear they truly have no such ambitions.”

Xiao Yang hummed faintly. It was only right that they had no such ambitions; it was hardly worthy of praise.

Because if they did harbor such ambitions, it would be more than just the bonds of kinship that were severed.

When it came to Xiao Yang, be it romantic love or familial affection, she was always perfectly, impartially detached.

On the one hand, she never showed deep affection for anyone. On the other, she was tolerant and forgiving of many things, and could even soften up to indulge your tantrums.

All these years, she remained neither warm nor cold, existing on the very edge of driving a person mad, yet always able to coax them back.

Whether it was the four Imperial Consorts, Prince Jing’s family, or the people Her Majesty had personally promoted like Xiao Ziling, Xie Liuzheng, and Xu Ling—in Her Majesty’s eyes, there seemed to be no difference.

Mu Yunlian hated her impartial favor, yet he adored her cool detachment and solitary pride.

This was the earthly Emperor he loved.

It was a bittersweet, frustrating love, but one he couldn’t break free from—a love that made his heart race and his soul turn upside down.

“Xiao Lv and his wife have taken their children home. Would Your Majesty care to share a drink with me tonight?”

He stared at her intently, his fox-like eyes filled with naked seduction.

After six years as husband and wife, this was an expression he was all too familiar with.

He had rushed back so frantically because, for the next few days, Her Majesty’s favor was his alone.

Xiao Yang lowered her gaze slightly. Mu Yunlian took the signal, immediately leaning in to kiss her as he reached up to draw the curtains closed.

They could drink the wine later tonight. This moment belonged to him and his Emperor.

——

Normally, the imperial harem is forbidden from interfering in politics.

But with a woman as Emperor, such conventions were clearly no longer applicable.

Of the four Imperial Consorts, Rong Yin managed politics, Li Wei commanded the military, Mu Yunlian controlled the finances, and Xu Xingchen oversaw the law. Each man was a master in his respective field.

Xiao Yang had no reason to let such superior weapons gather dust in the palace; naturally, she would put their talents to maximum use.

On the days that belonged to them, they would come to Xiao Yang’s side. On days that did not, even if they met, it was with the etiquette of a sovereign and her subject.

However, since she had given them official status, their relationship would always hold a degree of intimacy beyond that of a sovereign and her subjects.

Li Wei was away for a month and a half inspecting the military camps.

He returned travel-worn and dust-covered, yet seemingly tireless. Like the other consorts, he had timed his return precisely for his allotted days, rushing back as if his life depended on it.

At that moment, the Emperor, dressed in a Dragon Robe, was handling court affairs in the Imperial Study Room when Li Wei, having hurriedly changed his clothes, arrived.

Seeing that Xiao Yang was busy, he offered a salute and stood aside so as not to disturb her. But the look in his eyes as he watched the Emperor made the assembled ministers, who had arrived earlier to give their reports, feel distinctly in the way.

After so many years, everyone had a tacit understanding.

They knew the Imperial Consorts and Her Majesty were close. General Li had just returned from his inspection tour and was anxious to assuage his longing for her. So, everyone quickly finished their reports and took their leave.

In less than a quarter of an hour, only Xiao Yang and Li Wei were left in the Imperial Study Room.

Xiao Yang looked up at him, and the two exchanged a smile without a word. Xiao Yang returned to the work at hand, only putting down her brush and rising after she had finished her approvals.

Li Wei reached out his hand, and Xiao Yang placed hers in it. As their hands overlapped, Xiao Yang felt his had grown much rougher.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

‘He must have been constantly on the road for the past month and a half.’

Li Wei grasped her snow-white, delicate hand and kissed it, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yang’s face, unwilling to look away for even a second.

Only after traversing thousands of miles of the empire and witnessing all the splendors of the mortal world did he truly understand: nothing on earth could compare to the magnificent vision before him now.

“It is my duty. It was no hardship.”

‘For the sake of Her Majesty’s empire, for the chance to return and see her, any hardship was worth it.’

Four Imperial Consorts, four palaces: Rong Yin’s Huayu Palace, Mu Yunlian’s Taihe Palace, Xu Xingchen’s Fuyao Palace, and Li Wei’s Tianshu Palace.

The four palaces were the closest to Zichen Palace. After special renovations, an exclusive grand avenue led to each one.

Li Wei led Xiao Yang toward his palace. Before they even arrived, he couldn’t resist pulling her into his arms. With one hand protecting her, his movements gentle yet forceful, he pinned her against the wall and eagerly lowered his head to kiss her.

The longing of more than forty days and nights was finally finding its release.

He kissed her for a long time, only letting go reluctantly when Her Majesty pounded on his chest.

The next moment, he gently lifted Her Majesty into his arms and walked, step by step, back to his own territory.

Since entering the palace, he almost never returned to the Li Mansion, living in the palace instead.

This was the only home he longed for.

Li Wei was a quintessential hard-edged man. He had lived a rough life on his own before, and his mansion had been decorated to be as cold and austere as possible.

But his residence in the palace was different.

He had taken many suggestions, adding elegant decorations and laying soft carpets on the floor.

After living here for so long, the place had still taken on his characteristic touch, retaining a sense of imposing strength.

But many items had been placed around the room for Her Majesty’s convenience, adding a touch of tenderness to its imposing air.

Li Wei was a man of action, and he had also learned a great deal over the years.

Absolute strength and stamina, coupled with an attentive effort to please.

The experience was a pleasure not meant to be described to outsiders.