bayedsolid Chapter 1082 [Ancient Juechen 23]
Chapter 1082 [Ancient Juechen 23]
Bai Jue said respectfully to Murong Sangsang, "Your Majesty, do we need to send people from Daxia to take over this place?"
Murong Sangsang nodded slightly and replied, "Yes, but they may not be able to arrive immediately. I have already sent people to meet them, and they are probably on their way."
Bai Jue expressed his understanding, and then asked, "Yes, Your Majesty, what specific plans do you have for the future?"
Murong Sangsang was puzzled when she heard this. She looked at Bai Jue in confusion and said, "Didn't I say it before? Of course, we should return to Da Xia."
Seeing this, Bai Jue quickly explained, "Your Majesty, that's not what I'm asking. I want to know what you plan to do next after returning to Daxia?"
Murong Sangsang thought for a moment, then replied, "At present, no country in the surrounding area poses a threat to Daxia, so there is no need to capture them all for the time being."
Bai Jue nodded, but seemed dissatisfied with the answer. He continued to ask, "Your Majesty, that's not what I'm asking. I heard before that Your Majesty intends to hold a beauty contest. This time when you return to Daxia, you may choose Queen Feng and all the noble lords. So, I would like to ask, does Your Majesty have a favorite candidate in mind?"
Murong Sangsang was moved when she heard this. She stared at Bai Jue and asked, "You are asking this, is there anyone you want to recommend to me?"
"Your Majesty, please answer my question first. Do you have someone you like in your heart?" Bai Jue looked at Murong Sangsang seriously and said slowly.
Murong Sangsang couldn't help but chuckle when she heard this. Her beautiful eyes moved as she looked at Bai Jue with a smile on her face. She said coquettishly, "No, what's the matter? General Bai, are you going to recommend yourself?"
Bai Jue blushed slightly when Murong Sangsang asked him this, but he quickly regained his composure, took a deep breath, and said, "Your Majesty, if you really want to choose a husband, please consider me. I have admired your Majesty for a long time and am willing to spend my life with you."
After hearing what Bai Jue said, Murong Sangsang's smile gradually faded, replaced by a look of surprise. She stared at Bai Jue, as if she wanted to see his true thoughts through his eyes. After a while, Murong Sangsang slowly said, "Are you...are you serious, General Bai?"
Bai Jue met Murong Sangsang's gaze and said without flinching, "Every word I said is true, without a single falsehood."
Murong Sangsang was silent for a moment, then said, "Do you know that if you enter my harem, you will no longer have anything to do with the affairs of the previous dynasty. Didn't you say before that you wanted to serve Daxia? In this way, aren't you going against your original intention?"
Bai Jue said quickly, "Your Majesty, I know the pros and cons of this. But my feelings for Your Majesty are not impulsive. Moreover, I heard from my father that the Prime Minister and others have prepared suitable candidates for Your Majesty, and are just waiting for Your Majesty to return to the palace to choose them personally. Your Majesty should choose me instead of others. After all, I grew up with Your Majesty and naturally understand Your Majesty better than others. Your Majesty may wish to consider me."
"Please let me think about it." Murong Sangsang said. Her voice was calm and steady, but her heart was surging like a raging sea.
Seeing this, Bai Jue nodded slightly to show his understanding, "Okay, I hope Your Majesty can give me a definite answer before returning to the palace." His eyes fell on Murong Sangsang, revealing a hint of expectation and anxiety.
Murong Sangsang nodded and said, "Okay, we'll talk about it when the time comes." Although her answer was brief, it made people feel an unspeakable heaviness.
The next morning, the sun shone through the windows onto the palace floor, creating patches of light and shadow. Murong Sangsang got up early, but her heart was heavy. She knew that today was the day she had to make a decision.
Sure enough, not long after, the envoy sent by Daxia arrived. Murong Sangsang took a deep breath, calmed himself, and then summoned the envoy. After a conversation, Murong Sangsang decided to let the envoy stay in the Nanman Kingdom and grant him the title of King of the South.
After dealing with these matters, Murong Sangsang led the army on the journey home. Along the way, she seemed a little absent-minded, and Bai Jue's figure and his expectant eyes kept appearing in her mind.
However, Murong Sangsang could never muster up the courage to face Bai Jue. She didn't know how to respond to his feelings. After all, for so many years, their relationship had always been pure brotherhood, with no signs of love between men and women.
Bai Jue seemed to understand Murong Sangsang's thoughts. He did not go to her directly, but chose to give her some time and space to think. He knew that this kind of thing could not be rushed, and he had to wait for Murong Sangsang to think it through herself, otherwise everything would be in vain.
After returning to the palace, Bai Jue did not follow Murong Sangsang back to the palace as everyone expected, but turned around and walked directly towards the Bai Mansion. Seeing this, Murong Sangsang finally felt relieved. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She originally thought that Bai Jue would immediately question her about certain things after returning to the palace, but she didn't expect him to be so patient and not come to question her directly.
At the same time, the ministers in the palace were all very excited and delighted to see His Majesty return. After all, His Majesty's return meant that the matter of selecting a husband would be put on the agenda, and it also meant that before long, Daxia would welcome a new little prince or princess, and the bloodline of the country would be continued, which was undoubtedly a vital matter for the entire court.
At the celebration banquet, the atmosphere was extremely warm, and everyone was toasting each other. However, at this moment, the prime minister suddenly stood up, holding a thick list in his hand, and walked straight to Murong Sangsang, saying respectfully: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty has led the army in person this time, and you have been exhausted all the way. This is the information collected and sorted by me and other staff. It is a list of candidates for the selection of husbands. I hope Your Majesty will take a look." After saying that, the prime minister gently placed the list in the hands of a maid beside him, then bowed slightly and returned to his seat.
Murong Sangsang's heart tightened when she heard this. She subconsciously looked in the direction of Bai Jue, only to see Bai Jue sitting there, expressionless, with eyes as cold as the stars, which made people shudder. Murong Sangsang's heart tightened, but things had come to this point, so she could only bite the bullet and take the list, and said calmly, "Thank you, my dear."
The Prime Minister waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty, you are too polite. This is all my responsibility. However, I hope Your Majesty can choose a few more candidates to ensure that the most suitable husband can be selected for the Great Xia Kingdom."
"Let's talk about this later. There's no rush." Murong Sangsang's voice was a little hurried, as if something behind her made her feel uneasy. She said hastily, hoping to end this topic as soon as possible.
However, the prime minister obviously did not think so. He immediately said: "Your Majesty, how can this not be urgent? This is related to national affairs!" His tone was serious and firm, and he seemed to be somewhat dissatisfied with Murong Sangsang's attitude.
Murong Sangsang secretly groaned in her heart. She certainly knew the importance of this matter, but she really couldn't deal with it at the moment. So, she calmed down a little and said, "Leave this here for now, and I will look at it later. It's getting late, my dear ministers, please go back first." There was a hint of helplessness in her words.
Upon seeing this, the ministers did not know what to say and said in unison: "We, the ministers, take our leave." Then they left the palace one by one.
Murong Sangsang breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the ministers leave. She turned around and took her maid back to her bedroom, but when she walked to the door of the bedroom, she suddenly felt a strange atmosphere.
She stopped and looked around carefully, but didn't find anything unusual. But the feeling became stronger and stronger, making her alert. So she stopped the maid who was about to enter and said, "You should leave first. I don't need you here anymore."
The maids were a little surprised, but still responded obediently: "Yes, Your Majesty, we will take our leave." Then they slowly retreated.
Murong Sangsang took a deep breath and walked into the bedroom. As soon as she entered the bedroom, she felt a chill coming towards her, and her heartbeat accelerated involuntarily.
"Come out." Murong Sangsang's voice echoed in the silent bedroom with a hint of majesty.
A moment later, Bai Jue walked out from the darkness. His figure was a little blurry under the candlelight, but Murong Sangsang recognized him at a glance.
"General Bai, what brings you to my bedroom?" Murong Sangsang's voice was a little unhappy. "Also, I don't think I kept you here. You dare to break into my bedroom."
"I came here only to get a definite answer from Your Majesty. Since Your Majesty won't tell me, I will come here to ask in person." Bai Jue said.
"What if I don't agree?" Murong Sangsang said.
"If Your Majesty does not agree, I will not leave tonight and will stay in Your Majesty's palace." Bai Jue said.
"Are you forcing me to make a decision?" Murong Sangsang said.
"No, I'm just giving Your Majesty a choice. Your Majesty may wish to consider it. I am sincere to Your Majesty. I don't covet anything, I just want to be closer to Your Majesty." Bai Jue said.
“You…” Murong Sangsang was a little angry, but she could do nothing about Bai Jue. “Okay, I agree. I’ll let you enter the harem.”
"Then what kind of identity does Your Majesty intend to give me?" Bai Jue smiled, but his eyes were fixed on Murong Sangsang, as if he wanted to get some clues from her answer.
Murong Sangsang raised the corner of her mouth slightly, revealing a sly smile, and she answered slowly: "What identity do you want?" This seemingly casual question actually threw the question back to Bai Jue, allowing him to think and choose for himself.
Seeing this, Bai Jue smiled inwardly. He knew that Murong Sangsang was testing him, so he said calmly, "That depends on what identity Your Majesty is willing to give me?" His tone was calm, but there was a hint of expectation in it, as if he was waiting for Murong Sangsang to give him a satisfactory answer.
Murong Sangsang blinked and then said casually: "Concubine? Lord? Young Master? Beauty? Selected Concubine?" She listed several possible identities in one breath, as if these were just some insignificant options.
Bai Jue frowned slightly after hearing this. He was obviously not satisfied with these identities. He looked at Murong Sangsang and said seriously, "Your Majesty, I have followed you for so many years, so I should at least have the identity of a noble lord. Otherwise, it would be unworthy of my identity. Your Majesty, don't you think so?" His words revealed a kind of confidence and determination, as if he was determined to obtain the identity of a noble lord.
Murong Sangsang smiled slightly, her smile showing both admiration for Bai Jue and some teasing. She said, "Since General Bai Xiao has mentioned the position of Noble Lord, there are also the Imperial Lord and Queen Phoenix above the Noble Lord, so why doesn't General Bai Xiao like them?" Her question was direct and sharp, catching Bai Jue off guard.
Bai Jue's face changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. He took a deep breath and said, "Of course I like it, but I don't know if Your Majesty is willing to give it to me." His answer not only expressed his ambition, but also cleverly threw the question back to Murong Sangsang, letting her make the final decision.
Murong Sangsang looked at Bai Jue and couldn't help but sigh at his cleverness and wit. She smiled and said, "You are really...honest." Although this sentence seemed to be a compliment to Bai Jue, only the two of them understood the deep meaning.
Bai Jue smiled slightly and responded, "Of course. After all, it was your Majesty who asked me to do so. How could I refuse? Otherwise, I would be letting your Majesty down."
"I am offering my title as Queen Phoenix to marry General Bai. I wonder what General Bai thinks about this?" Murong Sangsang looked directly at Bai Jue and expressed her thoughts without any concealment.
Bai Jue raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile, and replied: "Of course it's good. I will wait for Your Majesty to bring me into the palace in a sedan chair carried by eight people." His voice was gentle and firm, as if he was full of anticipation for this marriage.
Murong Sangsang nodded with satisfaction, and continued, "I will ask the Imperial Observatory to calculate the date, and I will issue an edict at the morning court tomorrow regarding the establishment of the queen." Her tone was decisive, and it was obvious that she had made all the arrangements.
Bai Jue bowed and thanked him, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I wonder if Your Majesty would like to select a few more people to accompany me in the palace?" His question seemed casual, but it actually contained a mystery.
Murong Sangsang chuckled and asked, "Why? General Bai, who does you want to accompany you to the palace? Tell us." Her eyes were as sharp as torches, as if she could see through Bai Jue's thoughts.
Bai Jue quickly waved his hands and explained, "Of course not. I just want to ask Your Majesty, after you marry me, will you take concubines?" His tone was a little anxious, as if he was quite concerned about this issue.
Murong Sangsang frowned slightly and said, "You know, if others knew what you said, you would be considered jealous." There was a hint of warning in her words.
Bai Jue disagreed and said frankly: "There are only you and me here, Your Majesty, no other outsiders." His eyes fell firmly on Murong Sangsang, as if waiting for her answer.
"What I hate most is trouble. From now on, there will only be you accompanying me in the harem, and no other men." Murong Sangsang said seriously.
Bai Jue was delighted when he heard this, but he was a little bit unconvinced, so he asked hesitantly, "Your Majesty, are you serious?"
Murong Sangsang looked at Bai Jue with a firm gaze and answered without hesitation: "My words are my bond, so I will never say a word of falsehood."
After receiving such a positive reply from Murong Sangsang, Bai Jue's doubts finally dissipated. He smiled and said softly, "Okay, then I will believe your majesty."