From cute to empress

Chapter 194 Stars and Hidden Dangers

Outside the carved sandalwood window lattice, the night deepened, the stars twinkled. I stood alone before the window, my thoughts as complex and inscrutable as the night sky. The peace proposal from our neighboring country weighed heavily on my heart like a huge rock, making it difficult for me to breathe.

"Your Majesty, it's late at night and the dew is heavy. Please take care of your health." Grand Tutor Zhang's old voice, with a hint of worry, pulled me back from my thoughts.

I turned around and looked at this old minister who had devoted his life to my dynasty, and a warm feeling welled up in my heart. "Grand Master, please take a seat as well." I pointed to the chair next to me, motioning for him to sit down as well.

Liu, the counselor, followed closely behind him, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that at this moment, accepting the neighboring country's request for peace is the best policy."

"Oh? Why do you think so, Lord Liu?" I raised my eyebrows and asked with interest.

Advisor Liu analyzed slowly, "Your Majesty, years of war have left the treasury empty and the people exhausted. Although our dynasty currently holds the upper hand, it will not be easy to completely defeat our neighbor. Moreover, excessive military spending is ultimately not a long-term solution."

Grand Tutor Zhang echoed, "Your Majesty, Lord Liu is absolutely right. War only brings pain and destruction. Now that our neighboring country has taken the initiative to seek peace, it is the perfect time to end this conflict!"

I gently stroked the teacup in my hand, lost in thought. How could I not understand their worries? But, my soldiers, they fought bloody battles, weren't they fighting to completely defeat the enemy and gain lasting peace?

"Your Majesty, I, an old minister, dare to ask Your Majesty to put the people of the world first!" The voice of Grand Tutor Zhang sounded again, with some earnestness.

I took a deep breath and finally made up my mind. "Pass on my decree. Gather all civil and military officials tomorrow to discuss peace talks with our neighboring country."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Grand Tutor Zhang and Advisor Liu said in unison, with pleased smiles on their faces.

The next morning, at the Imperial Palace, all civil and military officials gathered. I handed the neighboring country's peace request to the Minister of Rites and ordered him to read it aloud to the public.

The contents of the peace letter simply expressed the neighboring country's willingness to submit and never invade our border again. To show their sincerity, they were also willing to offer a large amount of gold and silver treasures and cede some land.

"My dear ministers, what do you think about our neighboring country's request for peace?" I sat upright on the dragon throne, glanced at the people below, and asked in a deep voice.

For a time, there was a lot of discussion and different opinions in the court.

In the end, with my insistence and the support of Zhang Taishi, Liu Moushi and others, I overruled all objections and decided to accept the neighboring country's request for peace.

I sent envoys to the neighboring country and signed a more detailed and comprehensive peace agreement with it, which clearly stipulated matters such as ceasefire, non-aggression, and trade between the two sides.

Holding this heavy agreement in my hand, I felt a mixture of emotions. The dawn of peace finally shone once again on this war-torn land.

However, just as I was about to announce this agreement to the world, a guard hurried into the hall, knelt before me, and said in a hurried tone: "Your Majesty, urgent news from the border..."

"Your Majesty, urgent news from the border..." The guard's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the silent hall. My heart couldn't help but skip a beat. Could something have gone wrong with the peace agreement?

"Tell me quickly, what happened at the border?" I tried to suppress my inner uneasiness and asked in a deep voice.

The guard did not dare to neglect it and quickly took out a letter from his pocket and presented it with both hands, "Your Majesty, this is sent by General Zhen at full speed."

I took the letter, quickly opened it, and skimmed through it. In it, Zhen Youcai described the situation at the border in detail. It turned out that shortly after the neighboring envoys left, Zhen Youcai had received news of the peace agreement. While he felt a little reluctant, he also understood that years of war had made the people suffer unbearably, and accepting the peace proposal was the best option.

I breathed a long sigh of relief, my heart finally at ease. I knew Zhen Youcai was a passionate man devoted to his country, and I was very pleased that he understood my decision.

I closed the letter, glanced at the civil and military officials below, all with varying expressions, and said in a deep voice, "My dear ministers, news has come from the border: General Zhen is doing well, and the peace agreement has been successfully implemented."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!" Grand Tutor Zhang was the first to kneel down, his face full of joy.

The other ministers followed suit, kneeling and shouting "Long live the country!" As I watched this scene, my heart was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. I had sacrificed so much for this hard-earned peace.

"Lord Zhang, you and Lord Liu must immediately leave for the border to oversee the implementation of the peace agreement. Make sure that our neighboring countries do not breach the agreement again and that our people on the border live and work in peace." I turned to look at Grand Tutor Zhang and Advisor Liu and gave them solemn instructions.

"We obey your order!" Grand Tutor Zhang and Advisor Liu responded in unison.

I nodded and motioned for them to leave. As I watched them leave, a sense of inexplicable unease suddenly rose in my heart, a feeling that things wouldn't go so smoothly.

At this moment, the royal censor suddenly stood up, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

I looked at Wang Jianguan and suddenly had a premonition...

"Speak, my dear Lord Wang," I said, signaling him to speak frankly. Censor Wang had always been forthright in his criticisms, and he had earned my trust.

"Your Majesty, I believe that simply signing a peace agreement cannot guarantee lasting peace," said the Royal Censor in a heavy voice. "The people still have many doubts and concerns about this peace negotiation. If they are not addressed promptly, there may be unexpected consequences!"

I frowned slightly. Wang Jianguan's words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the joy that had just ignited in my heart. Indeed, years of war had already made the people panic, and now suddenly there was a peace agreement, they were inevitably filled with doubts and fears.

"My dear Lord Wang, what you said is absolutely right. In your opinion, how can we dispel the doubts of the people?" I asked humbly.

"Your Majesty is wise. I believe that the contents of the peace agreement should be announced to the world so that the people can understand the significance of peace talks, and officials should be sent to various places to publicize and explain the agreement and appease the people." Wang Jianguan said slowly.

"Well, that makes sense." I nodded approvingly. "Let Lord Wang take full responsibility for this matter. Make sure the people understand that the purpose of peace talks is to achieve lasting peace and tranquility."

"I obey your order!" Wang Jianguan bowed respectfully and turned to leave the hall.

I watched Wang Jianguan depart, my heart filled with anticipation. I believed that with his efforts, the people would understand my decision and join me in safeguarding this hard-earned peace.

A few days later, Wang Jianguan brought several officials back to the palace to report.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live the emperor!" Wang Jianguan knelt on the ground and spoke in a loud voice.

"My dear Lord Wang, please stand up quickly. What do the people think of my incognito tour this time?" I couldn't wait to know the answer.

The royal censor stood up, a joyful smile on his face. "Your Majesty, the people are applauding the peace talks and are full of hope for the future."

As he spoke, he pulled out a coarse handkerchief from his bosom and handed it to me. "Your Majesty, please look. This is a gift from the people to you."

I took the handkerchief and saw a simple picture embroidered on it: golden sunlight filled the earth, farmers worked hard in the fields, and children played happily in the village...

"This..." I looked at this hopeful picture and a warm feeling surged in my heart.

"Your Majesty, this painting was embroidered by Old Man Zhao. He said..." Wang Jianguan suddenly paused, as if he was organizing his words.

"What did he say?" I demanded.

"He said..." The censor took a deep breath. "He said he believed that Your Majesty would lead them to a good life, just like in this painting..."

Before Wang Jianguan could finish his words, there was a sudden commotion outside the door. I was startled and stood up suddenly...

"What's the commotion?" I asked in a deep voice, my eyes sweeping outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, an envoy from a neighboring country requests to see you and says...that he is here to sign a peace agreement!" A guard ran in in a panic and knelt on the ground.

"Announce!" I suppressed my inner excitement and tried to maintain the dignity of an emperor.

The envoy from the neighboring country walked into the hall, knelt and bowed before me, and presented me with a golden scroll. "My monarch sincerely repents and wishes to establish everlasting friendship with your country, extending it to future generations. We hereby sign a peace agreement as a token of our sincerity!"

I took the scroll and slowly unfolded it. It was densely covered with clauses, every word expressing the neighboring nation's sincerity in seeking peace. I took a deep breath, picked up the imperial seal from the desk, and affixed it to the agreement. The bright red seal, like a rising sun, illuminated the entire hall and the hearts of the people longing for peace.

"Our emperor is wise!" Civil and military officials shouted in unison, their faces filled with joyful smiles.

Since then, the years-long war finally came to an end, and the dawn of peace once again descended on this war-torn land.

I declared a general amnesty, sharing the joy with the people. The entire country was immersed in a joyous and peaceful atmosphere. At the palace banquet, there was singing and dancing, drinking and toasting, and everyone's face was filled with happy smiles.

I looked at this grand scene before me, my heart filled with joy and relief. I had sacrificed so much for this moment, and now that peace had finally arrived, I could finally unload the burden from my shoulders and rest.

"Your Majesty, look!" Xiao Tao, my personal maid, suddenly pointed at a bright light in the night sky and said, "It's a shooting star!"

I looked up and saw a meteor streak across the night sky, leaving behind a dazzling streak of light. Just then, a guard hurried in and knelt before me, holding a letter high in his hand. "Your Majesty, urgent news from the border!"

My heart sank, and a sense of foreboding washed over me. I took the letter, quickly glanced through it, and my expression suddenly became solemn.

This letter was from Zhen Youcai. He explained that he had recently discovered that although the neighboring country's troops had withdrawn from the border, they had secretly assembled an elite force near the border. Furthermore, he had intercepted a secret letter between a neighboring country's envoy and certain officials in China. The contents of the letter were...

I stood up abruptly, crumpling the letter in my hand. My gaze swept across the celebrating crowd below, finally resting on Grand Tutor Zhang. He was drinking wine, chatting and laughing with the officials beside him, completely oblivious to my gaze.

"Pass the order down, I have something important to announce at tomorrow morning's court!" I said coldly, with a chilling majesty in my voice.