My Husband Is Not Easy To Mess With. - Chapter 22: Whether You Want to Live Depends on Yourself

Chapter 22: Whether You Want to Live Depends on Yourself

Du Suilan nestled in the arms of the person he loved, the sorrow of losing his A-die (Father/Dad) gradually subsided.

A long time passed. The fire beneath the pot had completely gone out.

He finally pouted and used his finger to poke Nie Yao’s belt, asking casually, “A-Yao, will you always stay by my side?”

‘Brother A-Yao’ when you need something, ‘A-Yao’ when you don’t, right?

Nie Yao released the young master. He returned to his seat, poured himself some tea, and said without much thought, “Probably not. My father and A-die are both at the border. Once someone can take my place, I should go back to the border.”

He learned his lesson this time. He said that when the time came, they could write letters to each other, occasionally sending gifts, and they wouldn’t forget each other again.

Heh, who wants your letters? Who wants your gifts! Du Suilan didn’t care for such things. What he wanted has always been Nie Yao himself!

“Your Majesty, the time has come.” Little Douzi knocked on the door from outside the hall, reminding Du Suilan.

Nie Yao didn’t know what he was up to, and looked at him upon hearing the words.

With a look, Du Suilan had Nie Yao help him tidy his messy hair and clothes before replying, “Let him come in.”

Before long.

Guan Junmao, the only surviving high-ranking official in the Ministry of Rites, walked in fearfully with his head bowed and knelt to pay his respects.

“Your servant Guan Junmao, greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand, ten thousand, ten thousand years.”

“Minister Guan.”

Du Suilan didn’t immediately tell him to rise. A calm, almost cold voice echoed in his ear: “Do you know why We have summoned you?”

Guan Junmao had been summoned by Little Douzi a long time ago. He had been waiting outside for over three hours on an empty stomach, and was now ravenous and terrified.

“R-Reporting to Your Majesty, your servant does not know.”

“Do not know?”

Du Suilan let out an enigmatic chuckle, the pressure instantly mounting. “All officials in the Ministry of Rites of the fifth rank and above, except for you, have been imprisoned. Minister Guan, why do you think you were spared?”

As expected, this was about it! The hope in Guan Junmao’s heart finally died.

“Your Majesty, please observe clearly, your humble servant is innocent! They disregarded the law and colluded to deceive the sovereign, that is their own doing! Although your humble servant is in the Ministry of Rites, my heart has always been dedicated to Your Majesty!”

He passionately declared his loyalty, repeatedly stating that he was the Emperor’s man and had absolutely no intention of forming factions with Sun Ji.

“Oh, is that so?”

Du Suilan’s reaction was ordinary; he neither said he believed it nor that he didn’t. He was playing psychological mind games with Guan Junmao.

Nie Yao, finding nothing to do, had the Imperial Kitchen staff come in and reheat the hot pot. He had a large appetite and wasn’t full from before, so he planned to eat more.

How strong was the smell of the hot pot! Guan Junmao was already hungry, and being tempted by the aroma, his stomach kept rumbling “gugu gugu.”

It was over. The Emperor already disliked him, and now he would have the added charge of impropriety before the throne. Guan Junmao prostrated himself on the ground, feeling sorrowful about his current predicament.

“Minister Guan, you’ve seen it all, haven’t you?” The hot pot was being replenished.

Du Suilan wanted to quickly enjoy a world for two with his beloved, so he played his trump card to end the battle swiftly. “We and Minister Nie are on the same path. And Minister Guan… and the Guan family behind you, which path are you planning to stand on?”

Oh, my pure-broth Lord! He certainly didn’t mean to look! Whose fault was it that the two of you were so… so intimate in private! And not even hiding it from people!

Guan Junmao was forced to pick a side, feeling terribly bitter. He understood that if he couldn’t show enough sincerity in pledging allegiance to the Emperor today, he would silently disappear the next moment for knowing too much.

“Reporting to Your Majesty.” Luckily, Guan Junmao had been prepared.

He took out a stack of items from a secret interlayer in his clothing and held them above his head. “Your humble servant is loyal to Your Majesty and is willing to go through fire and water for Your Majesty!”

Du Suilan did not take the items, gesturing for Guan Junmao to place them on a nearby table.

Nie Yao glanced over and saw that the top piece of paper was the deed to a very famous chain bookstore. Below it, there was a stack of papers about six centimeters thick.

It couldn’t all be land deeds, could it? That would be too rich!

Nie Yao’s scorching gaze rested on Guan Junmao, making him feel immense pressure. He unconsciously shifted to the right, hoping the ‘evil spirit’ would stay far away from him.

“Not bad.” Du Suilan generally looked through the items Guan Junmao presented and was quite satisfied with them. “We are deeply gratified by Minister Guan’s loyalty.”

After a slap, one must offer a sweet date. Since Guan Junmao was so sensible, Du Suilan generously promoted him to the Minister of Rites (Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites), a rank two official.

“Thanking the Sovereign for the great favor!”

Guan Junmao had escaped disaster and was promoted, feeling delighted, and shouted, “May my Emperor live for ten thousand, ten thousand, ten thousand years!”

The Ministry of Rites was now severely understaffed. The Emperor graciously assigned him a few people. Among them was a highly skilled guard who could provide Guan Junmao with full-time, comprehensive protection.

Anyone with sense knew that assigning a guard was to monitor him. Guan Junmao certainly understood this. However, he didn’t mind.

He was genuinely pledging his allegiance and would not do anything detrimental to the Emperor or his own life. As long as he didn’t make a mistake, the guard would truly be protecting him. That was an Imperial Guard! Their martial arts were unquestionably superb.

Being constantly guarded by them, Guan Junmao felt that his personal safety was genuinely guaranteed. After thanking the Sovereign for the favor again and again, he happily exited.

“He quite likes to prepare two steps ahead,” Nie Yao said, putting food in the young master’s bowl.

Du Suilan was already full. After finishing his last bite, he thoughtfully added and retrieved food for Nie Yao from the pot.

“Your Majesty, no!” Nie Yao’s eyelid twitched when he saw him reaching for the beef again. He pressed down on his hand. “Let me do this one myself.”

Even though he had good teeth, beef was still better when it was tender.

“Alright.” Since he didn’t want it, Du Suilan didn’t insist.

He rested his idle left hand on his chin and chatted with Nie Yao, “Brother A-Yao, what do you think of Guan Junmao?”

What did he think? Balding, looks old, has a wife but is honest enough to have no concubines or mistresses, not overly brave but not a coward either…

That’s what Nie Yao thought, but he said, “Hardworking and capable, with decent work efficiency. Being able to produce a new budget so quickly shows he had a backup plan from the start; and that stack of papers, he probably knew you would bring him under your wing.” Otherwise, how could he show so much sincerity immediately upon being asked?

All in all, Guan Junmao was a smart person. He understood the situation and knew where his best interest lay.

“We heard that Minister Guan’s relationship with the military officials is not very harmonious,” Du Suilan said faintly. “We promoted him; Brother A-Yao won’t be mad at Us, will you?”

That ‘little white flower’ tone sent a shiver down Nie Yao’s spine. His hand trembled, and the piece of meat on his chopsticks dropped into the pot, nowhere to be found.

“Your Majesty, speak properly. I beg you.”

“Begging Me, are we~~” Du Suilan drew out his words, as if he had finally caught him in a weak spot. “Since Brother A-Yao is pleading with Us in such a pitiful manner, We shall grant you this favor.”