Rebirth as the General's Wife

39: Pushing the Waves and Pulling the Strings

A/N: Uploading it a little earlier for you sunshines! Also, I'm trying to find new nicknames for my readers. Moonlights, balls of sunshine, ray of lights, light sticks, lightbulbs? ＜(。_。)＞

It did not escape the Emperor's eyes that Ye Feng showed a trace of hurt before it quickly vanished. For a second, he felt like he saw the real face of his son; a being with emotions. His heart softened before it rapidly hardened like cement. He must remain cold, brutal, and harsh. No matter how much it hurts, he must not show any signs of hesitation.

Just then, a loud crashing could be heard from the outside. A woman's scream pierced through the air, instantly cutting the tension.

"Let me in! I'm the Empress, Mother of this nation. You dare to handle me in such manner? I'll have your heads rolling by tonight, you imbeciles!"

The imperial soldiers that were standing on guard outside hesitated and fearfully froze. Taking this to her advantage, she broke through their blockage and shoved them aside.

"Your Majesty!" the Empress hastily rolled in with tears running down her face.

The Emperor gazed at his wife in disappointment. He was exhausted and overwhelmed. His own sons and wife plotted against him.

"Your Majesty! Please, this is just a misunderstanding! Feng-er made a mistake but he has learnt his lesson now!" she pleaded by his feet with tearful eyes, her slender hands gripping his golden robe tightly.

"Misunderstanding? When he openly admitted to all of his wrongdoings? Do you think I'm an idiot?" he angrily rebuttal.

"No, no, no, Your Majesty! Feng-er is still young and has yet to understand what is wrong and what is right! Please, Your Majesty—"

"You think I didn't notice that you were plotting against me too, Wei Huilang?" his cold voice brought shivers down her spine. Suddenly, her blood went cold as goosebumps raised on her skin.

She slowly looked up into his empty eyes. She had not heard him say her name in decades. He would always call her 'my Empress' or 'Lang-er.' From here, she could finally see the wall between them. He no longer recognizes her as the Empress.

"Your Majesty, no, that is not true. I love you with all my heart and would never betray you!" she cried out anxiously.

The Emperor was not blind. With careful investigations, he could find traces of her touching upon subjects that she shouldn't be touching. How could she, Ye Feng's mother, not know what her son is up to? She simply looked away and continued to smile as if she saw nothing. Even now, she's pleading for his sake, regardless if he's at fault or not.

Facing the tragedy of the Third and Fourth prince, she even dares to widen her vicious smirk. The Emperor watched her secretly laugh from afar when his Gui Fei was pleading outside of his door, who was kept hidden from the truth in order for this play to work out. However, it still did not dispel the ache he feels for her.

He closed his stoic eyes and mercilessly kicked her off before dusting his golden dragon robe. In a heartless tone, he ordered, "Guards, imprison Ye Feng and Ye Zheng in separate rooms. In three days, Ye Feng's execution will be held. Ye Zheng will be expelled from the palace and stripped of status. As for Wei Huilang, she is banished from the Ye nation. Send her to the Western Kuju Mountains to live there forever as a nun. Assign guards to keep an eye on her and prevent her from escaping her penalty."

Wei Huilang shook her head repeatedly, refusing to accept reality that was served to her. Attempting to coax his anger, she pleaded in her sweet voice, hoping to entice him like she used to. However, he only humphed and turned away from her slim figure. She cried once more, this time with more desperation. Wei Huilang broke into cold sweat as beads of it began to form on her forehead and her heart raced in panic.

Looking at her son, she crawled towards him and swiftly evaded the guards' reaching hands. Yet, when she got to him, Ye Feng had already lost his motivation. He no longer stood proud and tall like he used to. He once resembled the tall bamboo trees; calm, unyielding, and unshakable. Now, his frame seems smaller than ever. The guards grabbed her thin arms and she sobbed loudly as she begged the Emperor for a second chance before being dragged out, "This servant was wrong! This servant was wrong! Please, Your Majesty, consider our love and give this servant a second chance!"

As for Ye Feng and Ye Zheng, guards gripped onto their shoulders with their swords pointed to their necks, daring them to make an attempt of escaping. After they were dealt with, the corpses of dead soldiers were being collected while Ye Yuan took the lead of cleaning up and reorganizing the palace.

The Emperor returned to his private quarters and quietly shut the doors. He turned his back and rested his eyes as his eyebrows furrowed. A stray of tear slipped through his closed lids.

Jufen leaned on her palm with a small smile and knocked the white king piece off the chessboard, "Checkmate."

Xu Jun smiled slyly as his phoenix eyes gazed at her, "Xiao Hua, you're truly a fox that pushes the waves and pulls the strings behind the curtains."

Xu Jun casually waved his fan, making his hair that was free from ornaments to sway lightly. Even though he was only in a casual black robe, Jufen couldn't help but to sigh helplessly when ogling his demon-like features.

She tilted her head to the side, "Are you not equally as sly? Building your own army under the Emperor's nose...do you not fear death?"

He let out a scoff, "He can only thank me now for saving his life and kingdom."

Originally, Ye Yuan had asked Xu Jun to lend a hand in guiding the men to the palace. However, Xu Jun felt like it would be a waste of his time to watch the drama unfold. Xu Jun waved his hand carelessly and told Ye Yuan not to worry before dotingly feed Jufen with grapes by hand. Ye Yuan stumbled at first but did not persisted and thanked him while wishing the couple a wonderful evening.

She let out a small giggle as she cleared the chessboard and cleaned up. As usual, Jufen was only wearing a thin, silky robe. Though it was considered indecent, he did not utter a peep of complaint. Instead, he seemed to be more than happy to let her do whatever she wants. Xu Jun put down his fan before he crawled towards her and encaged her small frame in his arms. From this close distance, he could smell the sweet scent of chrysanthemum and roses from her body. 

"You truly do act like a predator sometimes," she calmly commented as she tilted her head back to look at him looming over her. The green robe slipped off her pink shoulders, teasing and taunting him.

"Only because you're my prey," he flashed her a heart-stopping smile before capturing her lips with his own.

—:—
A/N:

Hello sunshines! As you may have guessed it, this light novel is coming to an end soon ('д｀)!

How are you guys feeling about this novel so far?

Also, thank you for helping me catch my mistakes/misspellings! I know I have a lot to improve on~

If you're interested in my writing style, I'm currently uploading a new novel called "Chasing the Fleeting Flower" on my page. By no means are you forced to read it! I'm simply promoting it <3

It starts as a casual story with a bitter twist towards the end. It's romance and a little less of political/war-focused/revenge than Rebirth As The General's Wife.

Warning! It will be slow in the beginning. Once a certain event occurs, the novel will be going at a much faster pace (similar to this novel).

Anyway, love you lightbulbs!

— Sunny/amui