Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2547 Departure from Tongque Terrace, Lord Mengchang Enters Han
The misty vapor and enchanting spring scenery inside the warm hall of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace gradually dissipated as the morning light pierced through the window lattices.

Wang Yu had already stood up and, with the help of the eunuchs, dressed himself neatly. His black casual clothes made his face look cold and stern, completely different from his carefree enjoyment in the pool last night.

As a monarch, one may indulge in fleeting pleasures, but these should only be considered occasional diversions from life.

The land of gentle pleasures can also be a graveyard for heroes. A few days of relaxation at the Bronze Sparrow Terrace is the right of the victors and another form of conquest over the enemy.

But that's all there is to it; it can only be this way.

Although his Han dynasty has conquered the ancient Cang lands and recently destroyed the Eastern Yi, the world is still not unified, and his great cause has not yet been completely completed.

Temporary relaxation is fine; it's a balance between work and rest, a reward for oneself, and a human need. However, one should never become complacent or indulge in it.

At this moment, Wang Yu sat on the warm couch by the window in the outer room, holding a cup of refreshing tea in his hands. His gaze calmly swept over the several women who had also gotten up and finished washing up, and who had been kneeling not far from the couch.

The women had changed into relatively formal palace attire by this time. The weariness in their eyes and brows, which could not be completely concealed, and the occasional ambiguous red marks on their necks and wrists, revealed their "hard work" the previous night.

They held their breath, awaiting their fate's judgment, feeling both a slight sense of security in serving the king and intense anxiety about that faint hope.

“Last night, your service was adequate,” Wang Yu said, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

Several people felt a chill run down their spines and lowered their heads even further.

"Li Qingluo," Wang Yu called out.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Li Qingluo replied hastily, her voice trembling slightly.

"She is meticulous and knows how to conduct herself properly. She is bestowed the title of Imperial Concubine and is to accompany the Emperor back to the palace."

Although the Imperial Concubine was still a low-ranking concubine, her rank was higher than that of the Imperial Concubine, which meant she had a slightly higher status and better treatment.

Li Qingluo looked up instantly, her eyes flashing with unbelievable joy. She then kowtowed heavily, her voice choked with emotion, and said, "This servant... Your Majesty, thank you for your great kindness! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

"The rest of them will all be granted the title of Lady of the Palace and will accompany the Emperor back to the capital," Wang Yu said, his gaze sweeping over the others.

Although the lowest rank was that of a "Cai Nu" (a low-ranking concubine), she finally gained a formal title and was freed from the hopeless "waiting for favor" place of Tongquetai.

The Fei family members were also very excited and kowtowed to express their gratitude.

"Get up, all of you," Wang Yu said calmly. "Now that you have been appointed, you are now members of the palace. You must strictly abide by the palace rules and behave yourselves well."

"Your Majesty's teachings will be obeyed!" The women bowed again in gratitude before carefully rising and standing to the side with their hands at their sides, their faces showing a mixture of relief at surviving a disaster and uncertainty about the future.

The investiture ceremony has been completed; it is now time for him to step down and prepare for his journey.

However, Wang Yuyan hesitated for a moment. She secretly raised her eyes and glanced at Wang Yu's face. Seeing that the emperor's expression was still relatively calm, she recalled the scene of serving him with all her might last night. A soft spot in her heart was touched, and an impulse mixed with a little bit of luck surged into her heart.

She took a deep breath, knelt down again, touched her forehead to the ground, and said in an even softer and more earnest voice, "Your Majesty... I dare to ask for another favor."

Wang Yu's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, but he didn't speak; he just looked at her.

Wang Yuyan mustered her courage and continued, "Your Majesty, in the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, there are still... there are still several of my old acquaintances, gentle in nature and well-versed in etiquette."

“They…they have been trapped here for so long, their youth wasted, it is truly pitiful. Your Majesty, I dare not hope that they too will be granted titles, I only beg Your Majesty to have mercy and allow them to leave the Bronze Sparrow Terrace as palace maids and serve in the palace.” “Even if they are only doing some rough work such as sweeping and washing, it would be…it would be a way to survive.”

After she finished speaking, she collapsed to the ground, her heart pounding, wondering if her plea for others would anger the king who had just shown her kindness.

However, there are countless beautiful women in this Bronze Sparrow Terrace, and in the future, there will likely be even more.

The emperor might not even visit the Bronze Sparrow Terrace once a year. When will he ever have a chance to rise in the ranks?

Ninety-nine percent of the women here will likely die of old age.

Only by entering the palace would there be hope of advancement. At least, compared to the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, the chances of gaining favor were greater.

Even if she was just a palace maid, and even if she never got the chance to be favored by the emperor, at least she could get the chance to leave the palace when she reached a certain age.

Fei Shi, Zhou Ehuang, and Zhou Nüying listened with trepidation, fearing that she might make a fool of herself and jeopardize the favor she had just gained.

Especially Li Qingluo, at this moment, if she could, she would have liked to cover the other person's mouth.

It's unclear whether the Fei family and others will be implicated if things go wrong, but there's almost a 90% chance she will be.

Wang Yu gazed silently at Wang Yuyan, who was lying on the ground, his eyes deep.

As an emperor, he possessed the power of life and death and the power to bestow favors, but this power was not to be abused without any cost.

They served you well last night and were given appropriate honors, which is already a reward for their service. Now they are making this unreasonable request...

After a moment, Wang Yu slowly spoke, "Do you know that there is a fixed quota for palace maids, and they are not added arbitrarily? The people of Tongquetai have their own rules for placement."

Wang Yuyan's heart sank. She knew the hope was slim, but a sliver of hope remained. Her voice trembled as she said, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty knows this request is presumptuous... but I truly cannot bear it..."

"That's enough." Wang Yu interrupted her, seemingly unwilling to waste any more words on the matter, but he was not angry, and simply said calmly.

"Considering your recent appointment and out of consideration for our past relationship, I will grant you this extra favor."

"You and the person you mentioned will be assigned to Lady Li's palace as palace maids."

"Your Majesty, on behalf of my sisters, I thank you for your grace! Your Majesty is merciful!" Upon hearing this, Wang Yuyan quickly kowtowed and expressed her gratitude.

Although she lost the newly acquired status of a court lady, this was already the best possible outcome.

Li Qingluo, however, couldn't help but resent this silly girl. Although a Cai Nu was only the lowest-ranking concubine, she was still worlds apart from a palace maid.

"Get up." Wang Yu stopped looking at her and picked up his teacup again. "All of you, step back and make proper preparations. We will depart this afternoon."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I take my leave." The group bowed again before carefully and with their own thoughts, they withdrew from the warm palace.

………………

Just as Wang Yu's imperial procession began to depart from Tongquetai, preparing to cross the river into Henan Province and return to the capital Tianjing, an uninvited guest had already arrived in Henan Province and was heading towards Tianjing.

This person was none other than Lord Mengchang, one of the four famous lords of the Warring States period in history.