Chapter 5: The Cold Emperor's Concubine

  He opened his arms wide, and I floated lightly into his embrace. His whole body trembled, as if he was afraid! The bright red lips escaped a charming smile, it's a rare good mood!

  He didn't say a word, wrapped his arms around my waist, and after a while, he whispered in my ear, "Are you crazy! Don't you know it's very dangerous to jump from such a high place? What is going on in your mind, woman!"

  I smiled calmly and whispered in his ear, "I'm carrying the Dragon's child, aren't I? You also know that a woman carrying the Dragon's child is under its protection and won't die!"

  He snorted, Yu's hands loosened, and he said in a low voice, "Yes! It won't die! But it will get cold, and it will get hungry! When it gets too hungry, it will automatically come down!"

  I kissed his lips and said with a poker face, "No no! I'm not hungry! On the contrary, I ate a lot of dragon meat upstairs!"

  He stared blankly for a moment, "What are you talking about?!"

  I snorted, "Dragon Emperor, where is your Ice Orchid?"

  His face turned cold, "She's already left the palace! What did she ask you for?!"

  I smiled faintly, "Is it the emperor's red favorite, his heart's desire? How come I'm wrong for showing some concern?"

  His chest heaved violently, and after a long while, he let out a loud roar. "Women are so boring! I've already broken up with her, yet you still ask this and that! You even came to the palace alone just to confirm your appearance! You didn't come to see me, but instead came to see him! Look at the big fuss you've caused!"

  "What's going on! Your Majesty, what does everyone say about me going up to Shenlong Peak?" I calmly said.

  He gently stroked my cheek and whispered, "I've already promised to give them an explanation after the child is born! Now that Longzi is in your belly, they can't do anything to you! No matter what, Longzi must be born! Besides, we two have already agreed that once you give birth to Longzi, I will let you go, and when you leave, I will naturally have given them an explanation!"

  I furrowed my brow, "With something like this happening, why would the Emperor still want to protect me? I thought the Emperor would behead me and then feel relieved!"

  He fell silent for a moment before saying, "After all, you are the mother of my child!"

  My heart softened a bit. This man wasn't completely devoid of emotions after all! "Does the Emperor also know that a day as husband and wife is a hundred days of kindness?" I asked quietly.

  He stared blankly, "What do you think?!" After speaking, he suddenly swept me up in his arms and sent me back to Xunxiangyuan. I hooked my arm around his neck, not saying a word, with a slight smile on the corner of my lips. Although it was only one night, after last night, my mood had improved greatly. With my face buried in his chest, I whispered, "Longnuyue, Demon Dragon Clan, start acting!"

  His whole body shook violently, he stopped in his tracks, lowered his voice and said hoarsely, "How did you know?"

  "So you already knew! I suppose you've thought of a way to deal with it. Your Majesty, what do you plan to do?" I said in a low voice.

  He didn't make a sound, and directly sent me into the house, gently putting me down, and softly said, "There's nothing to be afraid of! The Demon Dragon Clan has always been enemies with the Divine Dragon Clan. For several thousand years, they've remained unchanged, they're just a scattered sand, even if there's a new Demon Dragon King, what can they do? Demons are evil creatures, while Divine Dragons are divine creatures! Although the Divine Dragons can't occupy an absolute advantage, they've always been evenly matched. So, I'm not afraid of the Demon Dragon Clan, on the contrary, only the Demon Dragon Clan is afraid of me!" His eyes flashed with a fierce aura.

  I was taken aback, "I've never been afraid of the Demon Dragon Clan. But the current Demon Dragon Clan is no longer the same as it was in the past. My father, who was once the greatest general of the Divine Dragon Clan, had a style that determined he would never indiscriminately kill innocent people. After becoming the leader of the Demon Dragon Clan, he restrained them, and although there were still some remnants of evil, they became much better due to my father's efforts. Now, a new Demon Dragon King has appeared, I don't know what her style is like, nor do I know who will win or lose in the war between the Divine Dragon Clan and the Demon Dragon Clan. All I know is that if this fighting continues, it will only bring suffering to the people of Jiang Country! It's possible that even neighboring countries will be affected! Therefore, no matter what, the war between the dragon clans must end in your hands!" I said firmly.

  He narrowed his eyes at me, reaching out to grasp my icy hand. "You're ready, aren't you? For the sake of our child's future, stand with me and fight, and never again harbor any longing for the Demon Dragon Clan, won't you? Can you swear that you'll never betray me again, never do anything disloyal to the Divine Dragon Clan?" He spoke hastily, his words tumbling out quickly.

  I nodded, "Can! I can! For the Magic Dragon Clan, I no longer have any attachment! I don't understand what great righteousness is, for the sake of the child's future, I will fight shoulder to shoulder with you! I will eliminate the Magic Dragon King for you! Even, the entire Magic Dragon Clan!"

  He buried his head in his palms and whispered, "Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to say that?"

  I curled my lip, "But as a child, I've been tossed around enough to choke, can someone like me go onto the battlefield?" I couldn't help but doubt.

  He lifted his head from his palms and smiled, "It'll be fine after three months! Apart from being able to eat, everything else will return to normal!"

  I frowned, "How did you know so clearly?"

  He just smiled and said nothing, "Are you ready to go on a campaign with a big belly?"

  I smiled, gently stroking my belly, and said firmly, "I don't want to either! But the Demon Dragon Clan has already made its move! I couldn't think of any way to gain the upper hand, so I can only take the initiative first! Gather our forces, attack all their islands, and kill all their people! Is my idea wrong?"

  He forced a smile and said in a hoarse voice, "Thanks for your hard work, Hanmei!" He stretched out his large palm and patted my shoulder.

  I forced a smile and said, "As long as Your Majesty doesn't constantly suspect me, that's all I need!"

  "You'd better not make such dangerous moves so easily! The scenery I saw on the top of Shenlong, you've also seen!" He hugged my waist and chuckled quietly.

  "What! Long Nuyue! You've actually seen it too! How is that possible!" I thought he was a ordinary and mediocre man, but things aren't as I imagined them to be!

  The corners of his mouth slightly hooked up with a smile, he helplessly said, "It was when I was very, very young. Because I was too curious, I climbed up. As a result, there was nothing on top! But looking at the imperial palace was quite interesting! After that, Father Emperor said he wanted to punish me and told me to choose a girl to give the pearl earrings to!"

  "Why not Iceland! Ah! I still don't know why your pearl would be in my belly!" I frowned, "Do you remember?"

  He smiled faintly, "At first, I didn't remember, but later on, the old man Tianji reminded me and I recalled it myself! Previously, I went to Fenghuang Valley with Old Five, and there was a person who was just a small ball of steamed buns. We both found it interesting, and Old Five said he wanted to arrange a marriage for you. At that time, you didn't seem to care, and thought it was quite fun. Who would have thought that when I held you horizontally, you were uncomfortable, so I had to hold you vertically. When I stood up with you in my arms, you couldn't stand straight, so you leaned on my shoulder. I don't know what happened next, but you bit one of my earrings into your mouth! Originally, I wanted to take it out from your mouth, but when your master took it out for you, you resisted and swallowed the pearl! It's strange to say that the earring was something I always carried with me, but on that day, it came loose by itself. You bit down, and it fell off! To this day, I still remember your soft body and the soft little mouth when you bit my earring!"

  I was stunned, never expecting it to be like this! "No wonder Master said he owed me an apology. If Father had handled the matter, I wouldn't have been forced to swallow the pearl either! And none of what followed would have happened!" As I spoke, I choked with emotion and couldn't continue. Everything started from that day when he carried me...

  His face suddenly turned iron-green, and he stood up for a while. "Since we got married, it's as if we've never had such a calm and peaceful conversation! Although it's a bit late, I want to tell you, Ye Hanmei, when you were young, you were really dirty! You actually peed on me like that!"

  My mouth was agape, watching him leave with a scowl. Was this man Long Nu Jia? How could Long Nu Jia say such things? He should have been furious, should have blown his top, should have pinched my neck and given me a good scolding, but instead he said those few words and walked away, leaving me feeling like I'd been splashed with urine. My face remained beet red the whole time. Silently gritting my teeth, I glared at his retreating back without a word.

  The days passed quietly like this. The news from the White Dragon Temple said that Long Yunya's injuries were slowly getting better, but when asked about me, he was confused and said he didn't know. I furrowed my brow, touching my heart, where there was a place that had been cut off by someone, and could never be restored!

  From that day on, the concubines in the harem had to be carried into the Taiji Hall in a green sedan chair if they were to serve the emperor at night. The emperor would not go to any of the palace maidens' quarters, he would only flip through the name cards!

  A few days ago, the newly sealed Bai Fei was favored for several days in a row, and then it was Yue Fei. There has never been a woman who can truly capture the emperor's heart! And I, because of the child in my belly, am not qualified to serve in bed! In this way, I am happy to be quiet.

  It's just that what he did was completely opposite to the law! As long as he had time, he would come over to accompany me for meals and chats. Most of the time, he wouldn't even care about the rules of the harem, insisting on staying overnight. But I always pushed him away. He insisted that in order to quickly get rid of this miserable morning sickness, there was no other way but to use his dragon essence to make the child grow up quickly! The matter of the Dragon Clan giving birth to a child, if it were left solely to the Dragon Queen to complete, would be too exhausting!

  He said that, and I also had a vague feeling. Every time it was hard to bear, just being intimate with him would alleviate the symptoms a lot. It turned out that all along, he hadn't reduced our frequency of intimacy because of my pregnancy, but rather increased it, was it for this reason? Was he worried about me?

  Shake it off, shake off this feeling. How could he possibly worry about me? All he's worried about is the child in my belly!

  After three months passed, my vomiting symptoms alleviated a lot. My belly also became noticeably bigger than before.

  "I'm going to war!" I declared calmly!

  He raised an eyebrow and said in a low voice, "It's already been three months?" His tone was filled with too much resentment!

  "Yes! I haven't felt this energetic in a long time! My vitality is back to normal! My internal energy has also recovered!" I exclaimed loudly. The child seemed to have accepted me as his mother and gradually calmed down, no longer causing so much trouble!

  His lips slightly curled up, "It's just that the Shenlong Army has a lot of opinions about you now, do you have a way to convince them?"

  "I bit my lip, 'This is my business! Your Majesty needn't worry about it!'"

  "I'll send Yuye, Yuemei, and also Yunye to accompany you on the expedition! Forget it, forget it! How can I be at ease like this? It's better if I personally see you off!" He frowned.

  "What about national affairs? Can't just abandon them!" I exclaimed loudly, "The country's prosperity depends on winning victories on the battlefield, it's already difficult enough!"

  He hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Alright! Then you lead the troops, and make sure to wipe out the Demon Dragon Clan completely!"

  I loudly led the order, "Obey the imperial edict!"

  A suit of black armor, with a thick cloak draped over me, I held the commander's token and stood on the dock. It's already winter! I thought calmly to myself. I still remember the last time I set sail, it was summer back then, my hair was half short, and I had just earned the reputation as "Cold Commander"! But now, with six victories under my belt, I'm still the same. The wind on the sea surface is biting cold, and a layer of white frost has even formed on the warship!

  Unlike that day, that day was the entire Divine Dragon Army following us, with a long battle line stretching for ten miles, but today there is only one warship! Lonely and leaning against the dock. The sound of sea waves in my ears, I smiled calmly, and suddenly a figure flew up and stood on the ship. Such a morning, such a sea surface, it's really nostalgic!

  "Empress! How can you board the ship alone first! Not even waiting for us!" Long Yuyan shouted loudly, revealing his sharp white teeth in the sunlight.

  I took a few quick steps and stood at the railing, only to see six people standing in a row on the dock! Apart from the prince, Long Nuyue and Long Lieyue, everyone else was there! Even the youngest, Long Yuyue, and the newly recovered Long Yunyue were together! They all wore beautiful armor, standing together, attracting the attention of the crowd.

  I raised an eyebrow and swept a glance over everyone before shouting loudly, "What's taking you so long to come up?"

  As soon as I drank, several of them suddenly jumped up and leaped onto the deck. Gui Yue came out of the cabin and exclaimed loudly, "Miss! It's really Miss!"

  I smiled calmly. My eyes involuntarily swept towards the dock, but he didn't come! Since I proposed setting off, he hasn't come to Xiangyuan to see me again! With a flick of my head and a wave of the commander's token in my hand, I shouted loudly, "Set sail!"

  The boat slowly started. Rushing towards the direction of the sun! After traveling for a mile, the flag bearer climbed to the top of the flagpole and looked far away, shouting loudly, "General! Commander! The Emperor has come to see us off! The Emperor is watching us from afar!"

  I was startled, and with a bound I sprang upon the deck, where I saw Long John Silver holding up his crutch, and waving it in my direction, while shouting "Come back!" The flag was flying high and low, left and right, as the flagman loudly read out the signal.

  "Flag bearer! Take down the flag and wave it at the Emperor, he will definitely come back!"

  The flag bearer got the order, with both legs clamping the flagpole, waving the flag towards the direction of Longnuyue. He will definitely come back! Again and again. Until he can't be seen!

  I'll just go back to my cabin then! Let them plan their battle!

  I spread out the map left by Long Nuyi before, and my hand gently pointed to a place on the map.

  Several people's faces changed, "Empress! You want to attack Swan Island first? Why!" Long Yuyan said in confusion, "Its location is not very good, even if we take it, it won't be of much use!"

  I smiled faintly, "But you don't know that the people of Luoye Island make a living by diving for pearls! With them, will our military pay be a problem? And if you were the Dragon King, calculate which island you would take first?"

  Long Yu Ya stroked his chin and said in a low voice, "Needless to say! It's naturally the Flame Island that should be attacked or defended!"

  I laughed loudly, "So, if you think I'll attack Flame Island, will you send a large army to defend it? Moreover, the terrain of Flame Island is treacherous. If things go wrong, the tragedy at the beginning of the year will repeat itself and my 50,000-strong army will be drowned!"

  Several people's faces were solemn, knowing that if this battle was lost, Jiang Guo would be severely damaged and it would not be easy to recover!

  "So the marshal thought to get his gold and silver first, letting her guess your thoughts, confusing her mind, and dispersing her troops, right?" Long Yunya said coldly. I raised my eyes, but saw that his eyes were icy cold at the bottom. Obviously, he had no special feelings for me.

  My heart couldn't help but feel a sour taste, I said in a hoarse voice, "Yes! We don't have many troops that can go out. To defend the border and attack the island, the dragon tribe's people are no better than pirates to the merchants at sea. If we don't have silver and gold, then we'll rob the dragon tribe of their silver and gold! And still claim to be a righteous army! Such a profitable business, we have no reason not to do it!"

  They looked at each other in dismay. After a while, Long Yuyan finally said, "But Imperial Sister-in-law, when the Emperor was at war before, he never paid attention to these things! Why would you think of this, Imperial Sister-in-law?"

  I smiled, "Fighting is not just about winning, with so many troops attacking the other side's small island, victory is a certainty! So, how can we win this war with the least cost and make it profitable? That's the real meaning! What we want is not victory, but another leap forward for Jiang Guo's economy after victory! So, there are many things to consider!"

  In the past, in the Demonic Dragon Clan, every day was spent thinking about how to plunder and pillage, with each battle fought for profit. Due to the military strength, each battle required careful calculation. But when I arrived at the Divine Dragon Army, the principle was actually the same, only the people being plundered changed from ordinary people to the pirates who used to love robbing others! And so they became what they called "justices"!

  The demon dragon clan is out to rob, it's intolerable for heaven and earth, and people hate each other. Even going ashore to buy rouge and powder, they can't reveal their identity as a demon dragon clan! Otherwise, they will be caught and beheaded!

  The Dragon Clan is different, also robbing and killing, but they are heroes defending the Dragon Clan, even when walking, there is wind!

  Long Yunwa suddenly enlightened, the corner of his mouth slightly hooked up, and he burst out laughing, "I know! I know!"

  I frowned at him, knowing he was reminded of his identity as a master thief. Similarly, stealing is called petty theft for others, but for him, it's called master thievery! Because he steals from the rich and gives to the poor to spend! It's similar in nature to what happens here!

  "Second Brother is laughing! Laughing so happily!" Long Yu Ya blinked her big eyes and stared at him steadily.

  He laughed so hard he couldn't catch his breath, I curled my lips, "It's likely that the things I brought up are extremely similar to some of White Dragon King's actions!" The name White Dragon King almost shattered my heart! Ah, from now on, I can only call him White Dragon King!

  His eyes flashed with doubt, and he narrowed his eyes to stare at me for a long time before saying, "Imperial sister-in-law, didn't we meet somewhere before?"

  He called me Wang Jie! He said, didn't we meet somewhere before? With him being like this, how can I still deceive myself into thinking that he would remember me? Long Nu Xia, you win! You win over him and also win over me!

  "Ah! You forgot! Lao Wu, you actually forgot! Back in Feng Guo, we even fought over her to be our wife!" Long Yu Yao shouted loudly, looking at him incredulously. "Her disguise technique was taught by you, and before this, you were calling her 'Shi Mei' with such affection! How could you just forget?!"

  I furrowed my brow and remained silent, lowering my head to avoid his gaze, yet I could still feel his eyes fixed on me. After a long period of silence, he finally spoke in a low voice, "Why did I rush to make you my wife? Imperial Sister!"

  He said he would rob me of being his wife! I twitched the corner of my lips and whispered, "At that time it was just to make up the number! Not out of true feelings!"

  He let out a sound of surprise, but didn't ask any more questions. He just calmly sat up straight, staring at me with an inquiring gaze. "Luyi Island is easy to capture, but also difficult to defend. If the Empress Dowager gets Luyi Island, how many people will she need to station there?" he asked lightly, as if Long Yu's previous words didn't exist, and soon became lazy again.

  I raised an eyebrow, staring at him intently. "I didn't say I wanted to station troops! I just want the wealth of Luoyan Island! Plunder it and then withdraw. Capture all the islanders, take them back to our military base, and they can still make a living by diving for pearls. We'll get our military pay! Then we can attack other islands! This way, we can minimize our expenses! Leave just ten soldiers to guard it, if anyone wants to attack, they'll be attacking an empty island! The land on Luoyan Island is barren and almost devoid of life, I don't think such an island would be of any use to the Jiang Kingdom. On the other hand, the pearl divers on the island are quite useful!"

  "Exactly! According to the news, Luoye Island has strengthened its defenses due to the new king's ascension. They're afraid that the new king will suddenly want to capture them all and seize their wealth! In this way, they won't have to worry anymore! Our Dragon Clan has saved them the trouble!"

  With a snap of my fingers, I said loudly, "That's it! Now everyone listen to my orders! The vanguard army will still be led by Long Yuexia! Long Yuexia, take command!"

  He bowed his head and said, "Your subordinate is present!"

  "I order you to lead three thousand soldiers and horses, attack and take down Luoyan Island! Once you obtain the treasures, you are not allowed to kill anyone! If you can't get the treasures, then just keep killing until they're willing to hand them over! The people of Luoyan Island can die, but the pearls of Luoyan Island cannot be left for others! Do you understand?" I shouted loudly.

  He bowed his head and replied loudly, "Obeying General's order!"

  Just as I was about to speak, a loud commotion broke out outside. I was taken aback, and Guiyue shouted loudly, "Miss! The Demon Dragon King has launched a surprise attack, and his ships have already surrounded ours!"