Empress: Your Majesty, please respect yourself, I don't want to be promoted

"Hmm."

With a low groan, Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes.

"Huaiyu!"

As soon as his consciousness began to return, a surprised voice sounded next to him.

"You're awake."

The voice was familiar, obviously someone familiar.

The moment his vision returned, a pair of red eyes as hot as flames appeared in Lu Chen's eyes, looking at him intently.

"Miss Chai?"

Consciousness quickly came to his senses, and he directly recognized the person in front of him.

It was Xuanji Wei Qianhu, Chai Hongyu, who was the former rebel general who was influenced by him a year ago and has now become his personal bodyguard and die-hard follower.

Chai Hongyu responded, then helped Lu Chen get up.

Lu Chen leaned on the bed, rubbing his swollen head, and asked, "Miss Chai, why are you here?"

Chai Hongyu said softly: "The imperial court is already aware of the matter in Xingping County. His Majesty sent Mr. Xiao Ge to take charge of the overall situation, find out the matter and restore people's livelihood as soon as possible."

After hearing this, Lu Chen's memory began to recover, and the scenes that happened in Xingping County quickly came to his mind.

Finally, the scene of tens of thousands of people gradually disappearing in the beam of light with smiles on their faces.

Before Chai Hongyu could finish speaking, Lu Chen took a deep breath.

"Miss Chai, how long have I been unconscious?"

Chai Hongyu said honestly: "Three days."

"It's been three days."

Lu Chen groaned, and then asked: "My food estate is gone, right?"

Chai Hongyu was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"According to the current investigation of Xuanji Guard, the thieves attacked dozens of villages including Dashi Village and Liujia Village, killing more than 17,000 villagers. Huaiyu your food. Except for the 511 who happened to be out, Twelve people escaped, but none of the others survived."

Not only that, those monsters killed people in extremely cruel ways in order to refine their resentment.

However, Chai Hongyu hid these words.

Lu Chen had just woken up and his body hadn't recovered yet. It was better not to stimulate him at this time.

Moreover, Chai Hongyu didn't want Lu Chen to know about this.

Hearing this, Lu Chen's eyes suddenly darkened.

"Is it."

Although he didn't care much about his fief, he still knew the approximate name, location and population of the village. Those monsters attacked a large area centered on his fief.

It is possible that the slaughter of his fiefdom was not enough, so he slaughtered the surrounding villages again, collecting the remaining souls to refine the soul puppets to bring harm to the world.

As soon as he thought of this, Lu Chen felt a lump in his chest, making him breathless.

Although the people who were killed did not blame him for their tragic experiences, and they did not have any resentment towards him, they only blamed this cannibalistic world.

But because of this, he felt even heavier.

Whether it is the violent deaths of the villagers in Gou'er Village and Qu'er Village, Chai Hongyu's childhood experience, or the misfortune of the people in Shiyi, all of them describe how cruel this world is.

It was so cruel that the living people thought that death was a kind of relief, and he just did what an official should do, and he was worshiped like a sage.

ticking

When he thought about the real appearance of the world he had come into contact with, a few drops of cold sweat quietly slipped from Lu Chen's cheeks and landed on the extremely soft brocade, immediately staining it with water stains.

In this world, it is true that enlightenment can ascend, martial arts can reach the mystic, and people who become immortals will also leave legends of immortality for future generations to talk about.

But hidden behind this coveted path to immortality are the incomprehensible wails and bones of countless powerless ordinary people.

Fighting in the court, evil cultivators, demons, natural disasters, alien wars, great demons appearing, court turmoil, corrupt officials, unkind powerful people, and cowardly tyrants. All these are almost the end of the world for the common people. Disaster, in this world with supreme power, it is so difficult for ordinary people to struggle to survive.

Even if the body dies, the soul may be mutilated and difficult to reincarnate.

Although this world is huge, at least ten times that of Blue Star, and the Great Xia Dynasty is also a vast empire, there is almost no place for the weak to stand?

Great power belongs to individuals, and good and evil are all in the favor of the strong, even in a single thought. For ordinary people, this is so sad.

"Huaiyu, don't think too much."

Seeing Lu Chen's expression was different, Chai Hongyu said softly: "It's not your fault, it's those thieves who are so crazy that they implicate innocent people. Besides, you have tried your best to preserve their souls so that they can have a good destination in the afterlife. Through the ages, you can Huaiyu is the only one who has done this for the people."

"It's too late for them to thank you, so how can they have a grudge against you? Without resentment, there is no room for guilt. Huaiyu, you have no shame in your heart, so why bother with this? They don't want you to be like this in heaven. Do you blame yourself?"

"Besides, this is most likely the enemy's purpose. How could you, Huaiyu, fall for the tricks of those traitors?"

Lu Chen smiled bitterly in his heart and shook his head silently.

What he was struggling with was not just the suffering of the people in Shiyi.

But, if they don't blame him, can he just let this incident change his life with peace of mind?

After a moment, Chai Hongyu glanced at the water glass next to her.

"Huaiyu, are you thirsty? Let me pour you some water."

"Well, thank you."

Lu Chen responded with a rather hoarse voice.

How could he not be thirsty after lying there for three days? My throat was so dry that it was on fire.

After taking the water from Chai Hongyu and drinking it in one gulp, Lu Chen looked around and then said, "Where is this?"

"Longxing Inn, the most famous inn in Xingping County."

Chai Hongyu responded: "The county government has been destroyed by the half-demon, so His Highness the Holy King arranged for you to heal here."

Hearing Chai Hongyu mention the Holy King, Lu Chen suddenly remembered something and asked hurriedly: "By the way, where is Miss Gu? How is she?"

When Xingping County was attacked this time, the people in the county were saved entirely because of Gu Simiao. It would be no exaggeration to say that she was the savior of the people in the county. Lu Chen clearly remembered that before he fell into coma, Gu Simiao He was covered in blood, his face was sluggish, and he looked shaky.

This girl is obviously working so hard for his Taoism. Otherwise, as a martial arts practitioner, there is no need for her to take this troubled water, let alone take such a big risk, and fight to the death when the situation is extremely unfavorable. She even does not hesitate to do so. Reveal the sacred artifacts of the demon clan that are not tolerated by the world.

How could he forget such a friendship?

Chai Hongyu frowned slightly.

In the past three days, she also learned about the incident from the Holy King. She saw a rare look of eagerness on Lu Chen's face, and his handsome brows suddenly furrowed into an imperceptible arc.

"Miss Gu is not seriously injured. I have used the power of Suzaku to stabilize her injuries."

At this point, she hesitated inexplicably, and then she bit her silver teeth and continued: "When I return to Beijing in the future, Miss Gu will take care of herself and she will be back to her original state."

Lu Chen didn't notice the strange look on her face. When he heard her say this, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah. It's okay."

To be honest, Gu Simiao's desperate attitude and the condition of her body that kept breaking apart really scared him. If this was a bad thing and left any sequelae, he would never have peace of mind in his life.

Putting the water cup aside, Lu Chen said again: "Thanks to Miss Chai, otherwise if Miss Gu had made any mistake, I would have been guilty of a big crime."

You are already guilty in every sense of the word.

Chai Hongyu sighed secretly in her heart.

"Don't say that. This is what I should do. Miss Gu was injured for the sake of the people of Xingping County. Such a benevolent and righteous person, even if I have never met Miss Gu, I will not ignore it, let alone my relationship with Gu. The girl is considered an acquaintance."

This is true.

The reason why Chai Hongyu followed Lu Chen was because she admired Lu Chen's benevolence and righteousness when he was the governor of the two states. For this reason, she risked her life to save Lu Chen in danger.

Although Lu Chen wanted to die at that time, he almost didn't greet her eighteen generations of ancestors after she rescued him.

It's the same now. Gu Simiao saved the whole city and was such a benevolent and righteous person. Chai Hongyu has always admired her, but for some reason, she couldn't treat Gu Simiao like Lu Chen.

Lu Chen smiled and said nothing more.

This topic has been discussed.

"By the way, Miss Chai, you were specially sent by His Majesty to escort Mr. Xiao and preside over the overall situation, right? Where is Mr. Xiao?"

Chai Hongyu shook her head.

"Huaiyu, you misunderstood. I came here not to escort Mr. Xiao Ge, but to escort Your Majesty to Xingping County. Moreover, my mission is not to act as Mr. Xiao Ge's bodyguard. I have always had only one mission. .”

"Um?"

Lu Chen's mind didn't turn around for a moment.

After a moment, his eyes suddenly widened.

"Miss Chai, what did you just say? Were you escorting His Majesty here?"

Chai Hongyu nodded.

Lu Chen was shocked.

"Your Majesty is here?!"

"Um."

Chai Hongyu responded with a complicated expression, and then added: "Actually, His Majesty has been taking care of you these two days, using the power of the Jidao Sword to recover your injuries. Three hours ago, His Majesty's spiritual power was exhausted, and you Her injuries were almost recovered, so she went back to her room to rest peacefully."

Lu Chen was not the only injured person in this incident in Xingping County.

Gu Simiao was the one who was most seriously injured, but only Chai Hongyu had the power of the Suzaku, so Jiang Chengwan asked Chai Hongyu to heal Gu Simiao's injuries, while she took it upon herself to take care of Lu Chen.

Hearing what Chai Hongyu said, Lu Chen's expression changed slightly.

This little empress really has nothing to say to him.

As soon as the news about Xingping County reached Luo Jing, she put aside government affairs and came all the way to visit and take care of him.

Your kindness is like the sea.

To be honest, Lu Chen felt that he deserved it.

After all, his initial flirtatious actions were not for the Empress, but by some combination of circumstances, he fulfilled his character of unparalleled loyalty and became a Bai Yueguang who could compete with Holy King Cangming in the eyes of the Empress. Not only did he unconditionally trust and support For all his opinions, he also regarded him as a close friend and had almost no defense against him.

There is something wrong in his heart. The better the empress treats him, the more uncomfortable he feels now.

Even the road to seeking immortality has given rise to confusion.

Shaking his head, Lu Chen shook away the distracting thoughts in his mind, then frowned and said, "How could your Majesty be so ridiculous!"

"These are troubled times. How can your Majesty not take charge of the overall situation in the capital? The affairs of the world converge in the capital, especially if important government affairs are delayed, the losses will be incalculable. How can you ignore government affairs for the next person?"

As a direct minister, even if he is not working in the six departments, he still has to speak out and give advice.

"Don't worry, Huaiyu."

Chai Hongyu had obviously expected that Lu Chen would say this, and directly explained to Jiang Chengwan: "His Majesty has made all arrangements for the affairs of the court before leaving. Mr. Fang, Mr. Liu and Mr. Wu Ge are here, and Commander Fu is in charge. , the elite Xuanji Guards have not left the capital, and there will be no problems in the short term."

Hearing this, Lu Chen's eyes relaxed a little.

It's better to have Fu Hua here.

After all, this girl is not only extremely powerful now, but also has extremely high political literacy. She is a versatile civil and military talent in the true sense of "who can bring peace to the world with his pen and settle the world with his martial arts." When he is in the Holy Realm, if the Holy King is not in court, Sometimes she oversees the country's governance.

To be honest, asking her to be the spy leader is really a bit humiliating.

But there was no way, no matter how awesome she was, she was still a senior member of the Cangming Holy Realm and a guest minister, so Jiang Chengwan did not put her in the core decision-making level of the Daxia Empire.

In Lu Chen's view, it was not that Fu Huan was not capable enough, but that her status restricted her from going further.

But in this special situation, I can rely on her for once.

There is no problem with the empress' choice of person to sit in the capital.

So now there is only one spot left.

"Who will your Majesty ask to supervise the country?"

The emperor is not in court, but the court cannot be shut down. There must be someone to supervise the country.

Otherwise, there would be no one to stamp the seal, and the trouble would be really big.

Generally speaking, when the emperor leaves Beijing, the person who supervises the country is basically the prince. However, the empress has only been in power for more than a year and does not even have an emperor. Naturally, there is no way to talk about children.

Chai Hongyu thought for a moment before replying: "Princess Linqing."

Princess Linqing?

Who is this?

Lu Chen searched his mind and couldn't remember if there was such a figure in Daxia's political circles today.

Speaking of the empress's generation, the royal family had a bad fate. First, the once famous fifth prince disappeared mysteriously, and then all the princes and princesses, including the prince, suddenly disappeared from the world. Then the Queen Mother Zhao came to power. In order to provide herself with His own son, King Qin, paved the way and killed another batch.

Except for Jiang Chengwan, the puppet emperor, those who are directly descended from the late emperor must have accumulated a lot of virtue in their previous lives if they can survive to this day.

But even so, with the empress now so powerful, other royal families really have no sense of existence, and few civil and military officials in the dynasty would pay attention to the royal family when the emperor was still a teenager.

Even Lu Chen is the same.

Chai Hongyu actually had no idea about the sudden appearance of Princess Linqing, but she knew another thing.

"His Majesty said that Commander Fu and Lord Fang just need a name, so those who supervise the country only need to be from the royal family. Others are not important. Anyway, Your Majesty will not stay in Xingping County for too long. It is not far from here. The capital is not far away either.”

Lu Chen understood instantly.

It is a puppet specially used for stamping. The empress is very familiar with this operation.

"It's almost time."

Chai Hongyu suddenly stood up.

"Huaiyu, have a good rest. His Majesty will definitely come to visit you when he wakes up later. I have to go and nurse Miss Gu back to health."

Lu Chen nodded slightly.

"Well, you go ahead."

After Chai Hongyu left, Lu Chen's eyes lowered, with a hint of sadness on his face.

He slowly turned his head and looked through the window sill at the dim night sky outside.

At this time, it is probably when night falls and the lanterns are first lit.

It was quiet outside, with only the gentle sound of the night wind whistling by. It was so quiet that it was easy to calm down the impetuous heart.

However, even in the face of such a melancholy night, Lu Chen's expression still showed a trace of wavering and struggle.

After a while, he looked away, then leaned on the bedside and let out a long sigh.

At the same time, Chai Hongyu came to another attic, walked to the door of one of the luxurious guest rooms with ease, stretched out her hand and knocked on the door gently, and said at the same time: "Miss Gu, it's me, Chai Hongyu, is it convenient for you now?" ?”

After a while, Gu Simiao's voice came from inside.

"Miss Chai, come in."

Chai Hongyu responded and pushed the door open.

Squeak~

After entering the house, she saw that her whole body was covered with a translucent spiritual membrane that had a strong restorative effect. Gu Simiao, who was only wearing a bellyband and shorts, was lying on her back in the medicine pool, using various medicines in the medicine pool. Tiancai Dibao recovers his injuries.

Through the spiritual membrane, one can vaguely see that the surface of her fair skin is covered with dark red wounds. The wounds are as big as bones, and as small as the size of fingertips. Some wounds are even oozing red. The blood was blackened, and the whole person looked miserable.

Gu Simiao's face was pale, her eyes were full of malaise, and she had no look at all as before.

It was nothing like what Chai Hongyu had just described to Lu Chen.

Seeing Gu Simiao's miserable situation, Chai Hongyu couldn't help but shook her head.

"General, Huaiyu is awake, and I followed your instructions and concealed your true injury." (End of Chapter)