noveltune Chapter 5481 Care and Closeness
Chapter 5481 Care and Closeness
Chapter 5481 Care and Closeness
Empress Su, dressed in a crimson palace gown that accentuated her snow-white skin and exquisite features, adorned with jewels and exuding elegance and grace, couldn't help but utter sarcastic remarks.
I felt a little resentful.
In the past, she often used the "agreement" between the two of them as an excuse to bind Fang Jun, hoping to "sacrifice her own interests for the greater good" and use her body to gain Fang Jun's support for the Eastern Palace.
However, although Fang Jun seemed very interested in this "agreement," he mostly joked about it most of the time. He was not a fool who was blinded by lust.
But why is he so fond of Tang Dynasty princesses?
Fang Jun shook his head, sat down on a chair to the side, and said with a smile, "Rumors stop with the wise. The Empress is beautiful and intelligent, how could she believe the words of those fools? It's all nonsense."
Empress Su blushed slightly, bit her lip lightly, and glared at him, saying, "Don't try to fool me with those excuses you use to coax the princess. I won't fall for that."
"Beautiful inside and out," "intelligent and clever"... are those words a subject like you can use to describe the Empress?
Ha, that's going too far.
Fang Jun said with a righteous expression: "These are all my heartfelt words, not a single one of them is false. Moreover, everyone in the court and among the common people praises the Empress highly. I hope the Empress will not belittle herself."
Empress Su smiled and said, "Although I know you're just flattering me, I'm still secretly pleased..."
As she spoke, she leaned forward slightly, her beautiful eyes fixed on Fang Jun, and asked curiously, "Does the Tang princess really have some explanation? Otherwise, why would you be willing to bear the criticism of the world and still enjoy it so much? You wouldn't be planning to capture all the princesses in one fell swoop, would you?"
Fang Jun was speechless: "The Empress is the mother of the nation, and her duty is to manage the harem and educate the Crown Prince. Why is she putting her energy into these messy things? It's simply neglecting her duties!"
Women are always very curious about these kinds of things!
Empress Su held a teacup in her hand and said confidently, "Besides, the Grand Commandant is different from others, and I must show him more care."
Seeing Fang Jun lower his head to drink tea, he pressed on, "Jinyang is, after all, the legitimate daughter of Emperor Taizong, and is different from others. His Majesty will absolutely not agree to her marrying you... Grand Commandant, you must understand this, so why do you knowingly violate this rule, even at the cost of angering His Majesty?"
Fang Jun put down his teacup, looking helplessly at Empress Su's beautiful face, which was now filled with gossip. He sighed and said, "Princess Jinyang has a lot of affection for me, so how can I betray her feelings? In short, a man's backbone is as firm as a mountain and his ambition is as high as the clouds. What does it matter if I fight against the whole world for her!"
"puff!"
Empress Su spat out the tea she had just drunk, her hand trembled and the teacup overturned, soaking her clothes. She grabbed a handkerchief from the side and covered her face, coughing violently, her slender shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
Fang Jun was speechless. "How old are you? Why are you still like this?"
Several maids outside the door rushed in upon hearing the noise. They were shocked to see what was happening. They gently patted his back to help him catch his breath while turning to find the imperial physician.
"Stop right there!"
Empress Su finally caught her breath, her pretty face flushed, and waved her hand, saying, "It's nothing, you may all leave."
"Here."
After dismissing the maid, Empress Su took a deep breath and caught a glimpse of Fang Jun looking at her with disdain. She was both ashamed and angry: "It was just a little choking, what kind of look is that? Besides, it was your fault!"
Fang Jun shrugged: "It's not like I fed the Empress water. What does the Empress spitting out water have to do with me?"
Empress Su retorted angrily, "What do you mean by 'spitting water'? That means you choked!"
Then, unable to suppress a laugh, he said, "You are now a Grand Commandant and a high-ranking official of the empire. How could you utter such childish words?"
What do you mean by "What's wrong with fighting the whole world for her"? You're such a romantic!
Fang Jun sighed, "Things have come to this, what more can I say?"
"Ah!"
Empress Su sneered: "Regretful?"
Fang Jun shook his head: "I have never regretted what I did, including my promise to the Empress."
Empress Su blushed again, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "If we keep our promise, you won't say something like 'What's wrong with fighting against the whole world for me' to me, will you?"
Fang Jun chuckled and said, "The Empress was just mocking me. What, do you like such words? If you like them, I won't mind saying another one."
Empress Su spat and whispered, "Please, please don't! That's so cheesy!"
Fang Jun stood up and bowed: "If the Empress has nothing else to say, I shall take my leave for now. I still need to go back and deal with Duke Ying, who might cause me trouble."
Empress Su nodded and said softly, "When you have free time, come to the East Palace more often. His Highness has mentioned you several times and misses you."
Fang Jun laughed and said, "Is it only Your Highness who misses me?"
Empress Su glared at him and snorted, "Besides His Highness, who else would want a dashing and charming scoundrel like you?"
Fang Jun laughed and turned to leave.
Watching Fang Jun's figure disappear through the door, Empress Su was momentarily stunned.
Of course she knew that Fang Jun's beating of Li Jingye was not simply to vent his anger for Princess Jinyang. In any case, now that he was the Grand Commandant, even if he wanted to settle scores, he could not still act as arrogantly and spoiled as before.
At this point, every word and every action will inevitably involve a weighing of interests.
But what she cared about wasn't these things; what she cared about was the relationship between Fang Jun and herself.
It was quite inappropriate for the Empress and her ministers to discuss these topics in private, but neither of them felt there was anything wrong with it. The atmosphere remained harmonious and natural, as if they were old friends or confidantes.
My heart skipped a beat.
Speaking of which, it's been quite a long time since she returned to the palace...
*****
Li Ji had just returned home from visiting a friend and was sitting in his study, having brewed a pot of tea. Before he could even take a sip, the steward rushed in, saying that Li Jingye had been carried back. He quickly put down the teapot and went outside to check...
Upon arriving at the main hall, he found his younger brother Li Bi, eldest son Li Zhen, and second son Li Siwen all present, as well as his grandson Li Jingyou, who was not yet ten years old.
Everyone surrounded Li Jingye, who was lying on the bed in the hall, looking anxious and showing concern for him.
Upon seeing Li Ji arrive, everyone stood up straight.
Li Bi said, "Jingye was beaten by Fang Jun, and not only was he seriously injured, but he also lost face. This matter cannot be left unresolved!"
Li Ji glanced at Li Jingye and saw that although his face was pale, he was still in good spirits and not in any danger. He then waved to Li Bi and beckoned in one of Li Jingye's personal guards.
"Tell me the details of what happened, without hiding anything or exaggerating. Only tell me what you saw and heard."
"Here."
The guard bowed respectfully and then recounted how Li Jingye had been ordered by the emperor to invite Princess Jinyang from Xuanqing Temple, how Fang Jun had come to his door in the palace, and how he had been seriously injured in the martial arts competition, without daring to add any subjective emotions.
Li Bi angrily said, "What does he think our Li family is, that he can trample on and bully us? He even dared to chase Jingye into the Taiji Palace to beat him up while he was carrying out the emperor's orders. He is simply arrogant and domineering to the extreme! Elder brother, this matter must not be left unresolved, otherwise how can Jingye continue to hold his post, and how can the Li family face people in the future?"
Li Ji ignored him, waving the guard away and asking, "Didn't you call a doctor?"
Li Siwen said, "I was on duty at the yamen when I heard that Jingye and Fang Jun were having a martial arts contest in the palace, so I rushed over. When I arrived, Jingye was already injured. His Majesty ordered the imperial physician to treat him. The imperial physician said that there was nothing serious and prescribed medicine. I have already sent someone to the pharmacy to get the medicine."
Li Ji nodded and asked Li Jingye in a low voice, "Can you sit up?"
Li Jingye blushed and said in a muffled voice, "As long as it's not strenuous activity, it's fine."
Fang Jun held back, especially with that hook punch aimed at his chin. If he had gone all out, he probably would have shattered all of Fang Jun's teeth. Now, he only has redness and swelling on his jaw and bleeding gums.
As he spoke, Li Bi and Li Siwen helped him up and sat him in a chair, and the others also took their seats.
After the servant brought tea, Li Ji dismissed him, leaving only the Li family grandfather and grandson in the hall.
Li Ji took a sip of tea and asked calmly, "Tell me, why did you treat Princess Jinyang with such a domineering attitude?"
Instead of discussing the beating Fang Jun committed in public under the guise of a martial arts contest, he went straight to the root of the problem.
The root cause is not the current outcome, but why do it in the first place?
Li Jingye said in a muffled voice, "Your grandson was acting on His Majesty's orders, so..."
Li Ji interrupted him, asking in surprise, "Just because you were acting on the Emperor's orders, you think you can be so domineering and rude to Princess Jinyang? Who do you think Princess Jinyang is, that you can bully her at will? Even if Fang Jun hadn't intervened today, whenever Princess Jinyang cried or complained to His Majesty, do you think His Majesty wouldn't be angry just because you were acting on orders?"
After learning that Li Jingye was alright, Li Zhen remained silent.
Li Siwen drank water on the side, remaining uninvolved.
He was on very good terms with Fang Jun, and Li Jingye was his nephew and the eldest grandson of the Li family, so it would be inappropriate for him to express his opinion.
Li Bi then defended his nephew, saying, "Brother is too harsh. Since he was acting on the Emperor's orders, he was obligated to do everything he could to prevent any interference. Offending Princess Jinyang was unavoidable, and even if His Majesty was angry about it, he had to do it. As a subject, one must sometimes face such dilemmas. As long as one has a clear conscience and remains loyal and prudent, His Majesty will naturally understand."
Li Ji said calmly, "Serving one's lord with sincerity is certainly not a problem, but ask him if his thoughts are truly that pure."
Li Bi looked at Li Jingye.
Li Jingye blushed, but knew he couldn't lie to his grandfather, so he could only lower his head and say, "Princess Jinyang did such a shameless thing with Fang Jun, so she is Fang Jun's man. I think if we can be more assertive towards Princess Jinyang, it will be the same as suppressing Fang Jun..."
"You..."
Li Bi was somewhat speechless and complained, "If you are truly dissatisfied with Fang Jun, just confront him directly. Even if you are knocked to the ground like today, it doesn't matter. How can you think that disrespecting Princess Jinyang will suppress Fang Jun? Are Princess Jinyang and Fang Jun the same thing?"
Li Jingye was too ashamed to speak.
Li Ji pondered for a moment, looked at his eldest grandson, and asked, "Why don't you resign from your position as the commander of the 'Hundred Cavalry Division' and stay home to recuperate? What do you think?"
Li Jingye's expression immediately changed.