On the first day of the sixth lunar month, the emperor was getting married.
It was a grand wedding unprecedented in the history of the Great Sheng Dynasty.
Moreover, the emperor was marrying Qin Huaiqiu, the eldest son of the Qin family who had already been appointed as the general of the dynasty.
Actually, the affair between Sikong Ting and Qin Huaiqiu had long been spread. If one had to say when it started, it should be when they fought side by side in the Protectorate General's Office. At that time, the rumors had already spread like wildfire.
By the time Sikong Ting returned to the capital in triumph, the rumors had been around for a while. Sikong Ting was straightforward. He directly announced the matter in the court and declared that anyone who dared to gossip about Qin Huaiqiu would be executed. Then he promoted Qin Huaiqiu to be the supreme general of the Great Sheng army, in charge of the Ministry of War, the Protectorate General's Office, and the troops in the northwest and Hetao regions. He became the number one figure in the Ministry of War.
Qin Huaiqiu lived up to expectations. After the war was pacified, the old general Qin Feng was exhausted and retired. Qin Huaiqiu took over Qin Feng's responsibility. He guarded the Protectorate General's Office for a whole year, managing it in an orderly manner. He also led the troops to fight against the Xiongnu together with the northwest army several times.
After the death of Huyelü, the Xiongnu lost their confidence. After being suppressed by Qin Huaiqiu's strategies several times, they were completely intimidated by the Great Sheng. When the Xiongnu king, Chanyu Huye, saw that his two sons had both died at the hands of the Great Sheng, he spat out blood and fainted on the spot. He died of depression half a year later.
Since then, the border of the Great Sheng became stable, and the people's lives returned to peace. Qin Huaiqiu also strongly advocated agricultural planting, revitalizing the Protectorate General's Office area that had been devastated by the war. The people all praised him.
When things were almost over, an imperial edict came.
The edict was written by Sikong Ting himself.
The words on it were so forcefully written that it seemed as if they were going to pierce through thirty - two layers of rice paper. They were full of infinite longing: Come back quickly.
Qin Huaiqiu couldn't help laughing and crying. But since he missed Sikong Ting just as much, he didn't think twice. He handed over the border affairs to Qin Lan and Nie Rong, went to the stable, saddled a horse, and rushed towards the capital.
During the time when Qin Huaiqiu was governing the border, Sikong Ting had paved the way for him in the palace.
The first thing Sikong Ting did when he returned to the palace was to dismiss his harem.
The virtuous concubine had long expected this. After Sikong Ting issued the edict, she immediately requested to go to Jing'an Temple to chant Buddha and pray for the country's peace. The imperial concubine Zhang also immediately requested to go with the virtuous concubine.
Seeing that they had no other intentions, Sikong Ting thought for a while and then agreed.
It was the empress dowager that Sikong Ting thought would be difficult to persuade. But when he brought up the matter, the empress dowager just sighed softly and didn't say much. The vicissitudes of life had left almost no trace on her face. She smiled brightly and charmingly, still as captivating as ever. "I've actually known about this for a long time," she said.
"Mother..." Sikong Ting was extremely shocked.
The empress dowager gently shook her head and said earnestly, "I'm old. I don't have many years to live, and I can't manage so many things anymore." The empress dowager continued, "You can marry whoever you want, but there's one thing you must promise me - you must leave an heir for the Sikong family."
Sikong Ting looked at the empress dowager gratefully. All kinds of emotions welled up in his heart. Finally, he hugged the empress dowager and cried loudly.
The next day, before the second prince, Sikong Yuan, woke up from his beauty's arms, an imperial edict came, taking away his son who was not even a month old. Sikong Yuan was so angry that he almost tore down the imperial study. But Sikong Ting was thick - skinned, and he couldn't resist, so he had to reluctantly give up.
—
In a blink of an eye, it was the first day of the sixth lunar month.
Red silk decorated the entire Zhuque Long Street. Everyone was spreading the news excitedly. The popular general and the beloved emperor were about to get married. The capital had been in a festive mood since mid - May, half a month before the wedding, and the excitement reached its peak on the day of the wedding.
This was not Qin Huaiqiu's first wedding.
The first time he entered the palace pretending to be Qin Huailian. This time, he walked into the palace with Sikong Ting's hand in his, under the cheers of the people, with his real name, Qin Huaiqiu.
How lucky he was that Sikong Ting was the one by his side both times.
The one who almost filled his life.
"Pay respects to heaven and earth!" The red silk fluttered, and colorful butterflies danced. The two slowly knelt down facing the vast heaven and earth outside the palace.
"Pay respects to the elders!" On the high seat, "father - in - law" Qin Feng kept stroking his beard, smiling from ear to ear. The empress dowager covered her face and secretly sized up Qin Huaiqiu, who was wearing a red silk and had completely won her son's heart.
"Pay respects to each other as husband and wife!" The two took a step back, holding the red silk, and slowly bent down.
"Escort the bride and groom to the bridal chamber!"
On that day, the whole country celebrated. The imperial banquet lasted until midnight. Everyone was a bit drunk, and no one knew when the emperor left the banquet. But Sikong Ting had ordered in advance that no one should enter the Kunning Palace.
Inside the huge Kunning Palace, it was filled with joy. The palace, which had been covered with a red carpet before, was now decorated with even more exquisite red brocade. The big red double - happiness characters on the screen made people blush. On the wedding bed covered with red, Qin Huaiqiu was naked. A red silk blindfolded his eyes and was tied behind his head. His hands were raised high and were maliciously tied to the head of the bed by Sikong Ting with red silk.
Sikong Ting propped himself up above him. Both of them were sweating profusely, and they had reached the peak of pleasure several times.
Qin Huaiqiu's voice was already hoarse. The red silk in front of his eyes had long been wet with tears, but Sikong Ting still seemed reluctant to let him go.
He slowly leaned down and whispered in his ear, "On such a happy day today, my dear minister even submitted a memorial saying that you'll return to the Protectorate General's Office ten days later. What's on your mind? Hmm?"
Qin Huaiqiu was tortured to the extreme. He let go of his lower lip that was bitten with tooth marks and trembled, "Because... um... the grain in the Protectorate General's Office area needs to be distributed recently... ah... Your Majesty, I must go back."
"Humph, no! You were stationed in the Protectorate General's Office for a whole year last time. Do you know how much I've been longing for your return?!" Sikong Ting exerted more force out of anger. Qin Huaiqiu beneath him cried even more pitifully.
"Um... Your Majesty..."
"Today is our wedding day." Sikong Ting got closer to him and said, "You're still thinking about these things. Could it be that I haven't served you well enough?"
"No, no! It's just that this matter is really urgent." Qin Huaiqiu shook his head in a hurry to deny.
"Then I'll serve you so well that you won't have any time to think about these things in your head." Sikong Ting bit his ear and thrust his hips, starting another round of passion.
That night, the lights in the Kunning Palace burned all night long.
That night, Sikong Ting untied Qin Huaiqiu's hands, and the two hugged each other tightly.
That night, the sea had not turned into mulberry fields, and the mountains and rivers were still intact. The old lovers became new newlyweds. He took him into his arms, and the warmth remained the same.
The Main Story + Extra Stories END