The grand secretary of the Censorate asked, "Your Majesty, what do you mean? Do you have offspring outside the palace and want to recognize them?"
Huo Wei lowered his eyes and said slowly,
"Yes, I have two children. But now they are in the hands of Ling Xi, the empress of Southern Chu, and she refuses to return them. I intend to lead the army in person to seize back the heirs to the Northern Yan throne."
Shen Guilan wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. "Your Majesty, are you serious?"
Huo Wei replied, "What do you think?"
Since the founding of the Northern Yan royal family, it has been stipulated that as long as the reigning emperor has an imperial heir, the throne will never fall to the sons of the clan.
Huo Wei has two sons outside. According to the rules, if there are no other heirs, these princes will be the new heirs to the Northern Yan Empire.
Huo Wei had valid reasons to start a war.
Huo Wei, the Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Yan, launched an attack on Southern Chu and his army reached Danyang City at the border between the two countries.
When the news reached Southern Chu, the Empress Dowager Zhao Minghua was both anxious and angry:
"That Huo Wei is such a scoundrel! I kindly let him come to Southern Chu to clear up the misunderstanding with you, but instead, he has the idea of snatching the children!"
Zhao Minghua was so angry that she rummaged through the wardrobe and found the armor she wore on the battlefield back then. She said she would go into battle herself.
Du Gu Luanyue was extremely annoyed. "Mother, please calm down. You're really too impatient.
Huo Wei is leading the army in person this time. We will surely have no chance of winning if we attack head - on. With the reputation of being the god of killing in the war against Liao, his battle tactics, and an army of one million, we can't fight against him."
Zhao Minghua said anxiously, "Then what should we do? Am I just going to watch helplessly as Huo Wei takes away my two grandchildren?"
Du Gu Luanyue lowered her eyes and looked at the two little kids. A smile appeared in her jade - like eyes. "We can't attack head - on, but we can use softer methods."
A month later, the armies of Northern Yan and Southern Chu confronted each other at Danyang City.
On the Northern Yan side, rows of black - armored soldiers gathered like dark clouds, dense and imposing, bringing a heavy sense of oppression.
The man riding at the head, wearing golden armor with flying dragons embroidered on it, was Huo Wei, the Emperor of Northern Yan, who was leading the army in person.
Shen Guilan gritted his teeth. "I've seen crazy people, but I've never seen someone as crazy as you!"
For the sake of snatching two children, he actually wanted to destroy Southern Chu. He was really a madman.
Huo Wei glanced at him indifferently:
"Later, I'll let Du Gu Luanyue have a good look at what the one - million - strong army of Northern Yan is like.
I'll make her cry and admit that she won't be tough with me anymore. I'll take her and the children back to Northern Yan together."
The two armies were facing each other, with drums and horns sounding and smoke rising.
But on the Southern Chu side, there didn't seem to be a vast army approaching.
Huo Wei stood at the front of the formation. "Where are the Southern Chu soldiers? Are they going to admit defeat without even fighting?"
The scout went out to investigate and came back on horseback to report. "Your Majesty, only a few hundred people from Southern Chu have come. They haven't raised the white flag to surrender. We don't know what their intention is."
Huo Wei said, "They must be up to some tricks. Come on, prepare the arrow formation!"
Just as the arrows were about to be fired, two small red figures jumped onto the battlefield in front.
They had already stepped into the range of the arrows.
Just as the arrow formation was about to be launched, Huo Wei's black eyes widened in shock. "Stop, all of you stop!"
Xie Si'an and Du Gu Jingshu were given this mission by their empress mother. Their goal was to tie up the man in the golden armor on the opposite side and take him back to the Southern Chu camp.
The two little kids were chubby, with two round buns on their heads. They were wearing red training uniforms and started walking forward on the border.
A lieutenant under Huo Wei squinted his eyes and said angrily, "Southern Chu is really going too far. In a war between two countries, they send two little kids. It really infuriates me!"
Shen Guilan pulled him aside. "Well, it seems that the outcome is hard to predict."
Huo Wei quickly ordered the army to retreat and withdrew the arrow formation. Then he rode his horse across the battlefield.
Xie Si'an took a bite of the candied haw on a stick. Du Gu Jingshu stood there quietly and watched as Huo Wei's figure became clearer. "Brother, hurry up. Our enemy is coming."
Huo Wei dismounted. Xie Si'an and Du Gu Jingshu ran over with ropes.
Huo Wei was too tall, so he squatted down obediently and let the two children tie his hands. They didn't tie them well, and then they started pulling him towards the Southern Chu camp.
The Northern Yan army behind Huo Wei was stunned and all looked at Shen Guilan.
Shen Guilan said, "General Wang, order the army to withdraw. His Majesty loves his children so much that he has fallen into the trap of Southern Chu and been tied up and taken into the Southern Chu camp. I will try my best to negotiate a peace."
Huo Wei was pulled into the Southern Chu camp by the two children. In fact, there were just a few tents and not many soldiers, mostly guards responsible for the safety of the empress and the emperor.
Du Gu Luanyue actually knew early on that Huo Wei was just bluffing with his hot - tempered nature. But for the sake of appearances in front of the two countries, she had to cooperate.
Because she knew that Huo Wei would never attack Southern Chu. This was the greatest promise Huo Wei had made to her.
Du Gu Luanyue was wearing a bright red long dress and stood smiling in the wind. "Congratulations, Si'an and Jingshu. You've won your first battle!"
Huo Wei was pulled by the two children until he stood in front of Du Gu Luanyue. "I've never been defeated in my life. Today is the first time."
Du Gu Luanyue walked over, untied the hemp rope on his wrist and threw it away. Then she took his hand and led him into the tent.
Huo Wei followed her steps and said bravely, "Don't think you have many more tricks up your sleeve."
She gave a charming smile with her jade - like eyes. "Is this the beauty trick?"
That day in the Southern Chu palace, they had already cleared up their misunderstandings.
Huo Wei knew that she had given birth to two children alone and had been desperately protecting them until now. In fact, he was no longer angry.
When he knew that Du Gu Luanyue had named one of the children Xie Si'an and let him visit the Xie family's tomb, his heart was filled with emotions. He feared that he would never be calm again in this life.
Indeed, in Du Gu Luanyue's position, there was little she could do when it came to matters of love. But she was so determined that she made the eldest son of the royal family take the Xie family's surname. This kind of affection was as heavy as a million - strong army.
It was just that the current situation of one in the south and one in the north was hard to change, so she came up with this plan and started a war from the perspective of the Northern Yan heir.
Ten days later, the north and the south negotiated a peace.
The Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Yan and the Empress of Southern Chu negotiated and decided that the eldest prince of Southern Chu would be the heir to the two countries. The two countries would merge and be co - governed, with the capital set in the imperial city of Northern Yan. The Southern Chu court would move north.
In the same year, the Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Yan proposed marriage to the royal family of Southern Chu and married Ling Xi, the Empress of Southern Chu. They jointly ruled the north and the south and established the state title of Zhou.
From then on, Huo Wei was in charge of military affairs and Du Gu Luanyue was in charge of civil affairs.
There was still some resistance in the court regarding this matter. But both Huo Wei and Du Gu Luanyue had thought it through. Since the heir to the throne had been determined, there was actually no border between the north and the south.
It was just the decision on the capital that surprised Huo Wei. She made the decision directly and readily.
He held Du Gu Luanyue's soft hand and looked at her with his deep black eyes:
"The old conservatives in the Northern Yan court said that the capital must be set in Northern Yan and the north should be respected in the future. Why did you agree so readily?"
Du Gu Luanyue's eyes were a little moist. She looked at him seriously. "I don't have many chances to support you. I'll cherish every one of them."
For the reunion of their family, Huo Wei, as an emperor, announced to the world that he was infertile and also said in front of the three armies that he had been captured by the enemy.
They were both giving up something for the goal of reunion. So Du Gu Luanyue chose to make concessions on the matter of the capital and who should be respected.
Huo Wei wanted to live for himself once in his life. Wasn't she the same?
Huo Wei stood under the moon, held her charming face and kissed her deeply. "This is the most willing and happiest defeat in my life."
[End of the Main Text]
——————
[Small Epilogue]
Three years later, Emperor Xuanwu of the Great Zhou Dynasty died of illness, and the empress took full control of the court.
Du Gu Luanyue was so busy going to court every day that she was on her feet all the time. When she returned to the palace, she pointed at Huo Wei's nose and scolded, "Do you want to exhaust me to death?"
Huo Wei was lying lazily on the imperial concubine's couch, eating bright green grapes:
"I completed my task last year when I dealt with the stubborn Sheng family and suppressed them.
Your former fiancé has now been transferred to the western border as a governor. He won't come back to the court to see you for several years. What else do I have to worry about?"
Seeing Sheng Yunqi show off in the court every day, Huo Wei just wanted to slap him. It was obvious that he was trying to seduce Du Gu Luanyue.
Du Gu Luanyue buried her head in the mountain of memorials and said coldly, "The children are already eight years old. Aren't you tired of being jealous of Sheng Yunqi?"
Huo Wei peeled a grape and stuffed it into her mouth, teasingly saying,
"As soon as I faked my death and abdicated, Sheng Yunqi was eager to be the empress's husband. Don't think I don't know what he's up to."
Du Gu Luanyue gave him a sidelong glance and chewed in her mouth:
"Now that you've abdicated, you're nothing in the harem. You're not even as good as Sheng Yunqi's governor position. In the future, what can you do to stop me from doing what I want?"
Huo Wei said, "I just don't want to recognize the enemy as my father for the rest of my life and be a grandson of the Murong family for a lifetime. This Tomb - Sweeping Festival, accompany me to Danyang City. I want to be Xie An again."
Du Gu Luanyue nodded. "Okay, I'll accompany you."
Huo Wei put down the grape plate and snatched the vermilion pen from her hand:
"Alright, Your Majesty. Stop looking at the memorials. I didn't come here to watch you approve memorials. I'm here to serve Your Majesty in the bedchamber."
Du Gu Luanyue wasn't angry. She stretched out her arms and put them around his neck:
"Okay. Let me see if your skills have improved in the past few days. If they are good, there's no need to recruit new concubines in the harem."
Huo Wei snorted. "Does Your Majesty still have to attend the morning court tomorrow?"
"I can get up. I'm a wise emperor."
…………
"Forget it. I'll be a foolish emperor just this once."
[End of the Full Text]
The story of *The Evil Empress* has officially come to an end. I'm really happy!
I also really thank all of you for accompanying me all the way. You've been immersed in the story of the main characters, feeling happy and anxious for them.
I've read all your comments. Thank you for all the encounters and recognition. Thank you to all the sincere readers. See you again if we're fated!