Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

Ever since the emperor firmly handed over the Western Guard to Yin Yin, the number of banquets from the residences of several princes who were vying for the throne has increased.

These invitations were difficult to refuse, and she couldn't attend them all, so Yinyin turned down those without a particularly good reason.

If someone insists that she attend every banquet, she will turn around and go to the palace.

Anyway, she had a place to live in the palace, which was close to the emperor and convenient for training the Western Guard.

Under the emperor's watchful eye, these people didn't have the nerve to hold a banquet for even a concubine's birthday, and they insisted that she attend.

The barracks of the Western Guard were in a remote location, and with a little tidying up, they could perfectly meet the emperor's requirements.

However, Yinyin still asked the emperor for permission to set up a mountain forest outside the city as her residence.

In any case, the Western Guard was nominally an imperial guard, but it was relegated to the periphery, guarding many remote palaces and other imperial residences, most of which were located near royal forests. As long as the emperor forbade people to go there, such areas were extremely secretive.

When Yinyin comes up with something else new at the Imperial Estate, it will make others think that Xiwei was handed over to Yinyin just to guard this place.

The method of using one secret to cover up another is not new, but it certainly works.

Yinyin was so devoted that the emperor supported her.

It just so happens that no one thought Yin Yin could train the Western Guards to be that powerful. After the Western Guards were handed over to Yin Yin, apart from their original guard duties, most of them were taken by Yin Yin to a royal estate.

The Imperial Estate was completely protected by the Western Guards, and as Yin Yin had expected, they no longer paid much attention to it.

The following spring, after the snow melted, was Yin Yin's wedding.

Before the wedding, Yin Yin specially invited the emperor to visit the estate.

The emperor looked at the repeating crossbows that had been made on the estate and used them for quite a while, admiring them.

Yinyin smiled and said, "If Father Emperor likes it, then it was worth it to have someone make a copy of the incomplete records in the ancient book."

The emperor's face was full of understanding: "Don't worry, you will be rewarded handsomely."

"How much would this thing cost to manufacture, and is it possible to mass-produce it?"

Yinyin said, "The construction time is not short, and the cost is not cheap. It's fine to equip a small team with it, but it won't work if it's everywhere."

The emperor nodded: "Then let's have a few more built. Keep two in Xiwei, and the rest... You've been on this estate for so long, you should at least show some 'achievements' to outsiders."

Yinyin understood his meaning, turned to instruct the craftsmen beside her, and told them to hand over the finished products to the people brought by the emperor.

Once they were outside the weapons storage area and no one else was around, Yin Yin invited the emperor to move into the mountains.

The emperor had a suspicion in his mind, but still asked, "Don't the people on the estate know what's going on in the mountains?"

“Yes,” Yin Yin replied, “they also thought that the Western Guards came to protect them.”

The emperor was pleased with Yin Yin's prudence: "You are just like your father, you are extremely thorough in your work."

Upon reaching the deep mountains, Yin Yin and her companions arrived at the new campsite just as the Xiwei Zhengtong Boxing Competition was taking place.

Thousands of people performed the same set of moves in unison, without shouting, yet each punch carried the force of wind.

When the orderly whistling of the wind converges into a single sound, even the faintest sound becomes loud enough to catch the emperor's attention.

Seeing that the emperor couldn't help but take two steps forward to get a better look, Yinyin asked proudly, "Father, what do you think of my Western Guard? How is it now?"

"They are an elite and valiant army," the emperor thought, but it was not the right time, so he had to suppress his thoughts again.

"Yinyin, train hard. I will need this West Guard."

Yin Yin quickly relayed the Emperor's satisfaction to others.

This is a great encouragement to Xiwei, and they are even more enthusiastic about training.

The emperor was very satisfied with Yin Yin's achievements, and coincidentally, a good opportunity arose for him to openly reward Yin Yin.

Therefore, when Yin Yin was showing off her makeup before her wedding, the amount of dowry she received from the emperor was far more lavish than that that ordinary people could imagine.

Some of the concubines in the palace who knew about this went to the Empress and said sourly, "If only our princess could be so valued by His Majesty when she gets married. I'm afraid that His Majesty has so many daughters, but none of them can compare to an outsider."

If she only said the first half of the sentence, the Empress would comfort her, but once she said the second half, the Empress didn't want to pay any attention to her.

"Who are you referring to as an outsider? I don't understand."

The concubine, not knowing when to stop, insisted on continuing, "Besides Princess Shou Kang, who else could it be? If she advances further, none of the princesses in the entire palace can compare to her."

The Empress's face turned cold: "Shut up!"

The concubine looked embarrassed, wondering why the empress had suddenly become angry.

The Empress said bluntly, "You only see how good His Majesty is to Princess Shou Kang, but why don't you see how Princess Shou Kang treats His Majesty with such sincerity?"

"The princesses in the palace are His Majesty's own daughters, but what have they done for His Majesty? They can't even make His Majesty happy from time to time."

The Empress glanced at the concubines below and called out their names directly.

"The eldest princess is spoiled, and news of her fighting with her husband has spread. Didn't His Majesty suppress the matter, side with the princess, and reprimand the husband?"

"The second princess is cowardly. When she sees His Majesty, she is like a mouse seeing a cat, and she can't even hide in time. His Majesty has spent a lot of money raising her, but he may not even see her once a year."

"The Third Princess is indeed a talented woman, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. But has she devoted the same amount of effort to greeting His Majesty and paying her respects to him morning and evening?"

"Everyone claims to admire His Majesty, but apart from the three festivals and two birthdays, they haven't even sent a single memorial to pay their respects. Yet they have the nerve to blame Princess Shou Kang, who always puts His Majesty first?"

Seeing that the concubines below were still dissatisfied, the Empress snorted coldly and said to the eldest princess's mother, "The eldest princess is His Majesty's first daughter, and she is more than five years older than Princess Shou Kang. When Princess Shou Kang first entered the palace, the eldest princess was already more than eight years old."

Actually, it wasn't just the eldest princess; the three princesses mentioned by the empress were all older than Yin Yin.

They had the advantage of being first, yet they couldn't get the emperor to favor them. Instead, they blamed Yin Yin, who came later, which is simply unreasonable.

Moreover, in the Empress's view, although the Emperor gave Yin Yin many additional rewards and subsidies, in terms of wedding ceremony and expenses, it was actually inferior to that of the princesses.

The Empress threw a tantrum and chased everyone out. Then she saw the Emperor coming in from outside. She was startled, but smiled and said, "When did Your Majesty arrive? Why didn't you let anyone know?"

The emperor, in a very good mood, took her hand and said, "I've only been here a short while, just in time to witness my virtuous wife's debate with the other concubines."

"Your Majesty," the Empress said, feigning embarrassment, "you're making fun of me."

“How could that be?” The emperor pulled her to sit down with him. “You are too kind-hearted. You even tried to reason with them, but you don’t know how many people listened to your words today.”

The Empress said, "I have said everything I needed to say, and I have fulfilled my duties as Empress and stepmother. Whether you listen or not is up to you."

Outside the court, an empress would certainly not be considered a virtuous empress in the eyes of ministers. But to the emperor, a rare and virtuous wife is one who can manage the harem well, prevent him from being disturbed by harem affairs, and refrain from abusing power, causing trouble, or harming offspring.

Therefore, the emperor agreed with the empress's argument: "You said it, and they didn't listen, so it's their fault."

The Empress couldn't help but ask the Emperor, her eyes filled with affection, "Why did Your Majesty come at this hour today?"

"It's all thanks to Yinyin," the emperor said with a smile. "Yinyin said that you, Empress, are the only daughter of the Great General. You've been influenced by your surroundings since childhood and will surely be able to help me. That's why she urged me to ask you."

The Empress's heart pounded like a drum, and with a hint of expectation she herself didn't realize, she asked, "Can I help Your Majesty? What is it?"

The emperor did not immediately get to the point: "The empress comes from a family with a long history of learning, so she must have studied a lot of military strategy. Has she ever seen the general's prowess on the battlefield?"

Thinking of the Western Guard that the Emperor had given to Yin Yin, the Empress nervously pursed her lips and made a bold decision: "Of course I have seen it. To be honest, Your Majesty, when I was young I dreamed of being able to display my talents on the battlefield like my father."

"Although I didn't get my wish in the end, I still secretly followed them when they were suppressing bandits."

"It seems my queen is quite a heroine," the emperor said, showing no surprise.

Seeing his expression, the Empress suddenly lowered her head: "But that's all in the past. Since returning to the capital, I've had very few opportunities to ride horses."

After her engagement, the Empress lived in the capital for a long time. Whether it was preparing for her wedding or her fiancé's unexpected death, she would reduce the number of times she went out to avoid affecting the future.

"From now on, the Empress will have many more opportunities like this," the Emperor said gently, looking at her. "Yinyin gave me a batch of fine things. Would the Empress like to keep an eye on them for me?"

The empress didn't know what he was talking about, but since the emperor had spoken, she had no reason to refuse.

The emperor nodded and led the empress to a secluded island in the middle of a lake within the palace grounds.

This island in the middle of the lake is not connected to any other place; it can only be accessed by small boats. However, there is a team of elite soldiers guarding the island.

The empress was somewhat surprised, but said nothing and simply followed the emperor slowly.

Once inside the house on the island, after unlocking several locks, the Empress finally saw what the Emperor had entrusted to her.

The emperor didn't explain much, but simply told her to try it herself.

The Empress, who was by the General's side, naturally knew the power and importance of the repeating crossbow. She patted her chest and assured the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I will certainly not let you down."

The emperor laughed and pointed to a group of guards, saying, "These people will also be under your command, Empress, from now on."

Although there weren't many people, the significance they represented made the Empress hold her breath for a moment.

After leaving the island in the middle of the lake, the Empress returned to the Jiaofang Palace, while the Emperor went to the Xuanshi Palace.

Eunuch Wu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, shall we summon Princess Shou Kang to the palace?"

"She's getting married tomorrow, why summon her to the palace?" The emperor glanced at him. "Tell those people to follow the Empress closely. As long as they don't violate any principles, they should follow the Empress's orders."

"But if the Empress is too close to the other princes, then there is no need to listen."

Eunuch Wu responded and turned to go out to make the arrangements.

The emperor, who was alone in the palace, couldn't rest for a while, so he asked Eunuch Wu to bring out the "Appreciating Plum Blossoms" painting that Yin Yin had painted before.

After looking at it for a while, the emperor couldn't help but say to Eunuch Wu, "How come Yinyin, who was such a young child before, is already of marriageable age?"

Eunuch Wu had watched Yin Yin grow up and spent more time with her than with the other princes and princesses, so he could understand the emperor's fatherly mentality.

"Shall I attend the ceremony for you tomorrow?"

The emperor picked up a fruit and threw it directly at him: "I will go tomorrow too."

"Her father has passed away, and as her adoptive father, I should help see her off."

The emperor didn't intend for too many people to know, so he went out of the palace incognito.

Fortunately, Young Master Qi happened to be at the door. Upon seeing him, he hurriedly welcomed him inside.

The old master and his wife were honored, and the emperor also acted very amiably.

However, he soon went to Yin Yin's place.

Yinyin was delighted to see the Emperor arrive: "Thank you, Father, for coming to see me. Would you like to come to the Princess's residence with me later?"

For ordinary women, the wedding ceremony would naturally take place at the husband's home. But Yin Yin was different; she was a princess, and according to the laws of the current dynasty, she could get married at the princess's residence.

The word "can" here obviously means that it can be discussed, but when it came to Yin Yin, the emperor directly pointed to people in the palace and the Ministry of Rites to help.

In that case, the Liu family would not be a suitable match.

Fortunately, Liu Cheng was the second son, so Lord Liu and his wife didn't care too much about it.

Besides liking Yin Yin as their daughter-in-law, they also believed that this marriage would bring benefits to the Liu family.

In addition, since Liu Cheng really liked Yin Yin, they just treated it as their son getting married and then separating the family, and they didn't have to worry about what would happen to him if he didn't have a future.

"I won't be going to the Princess's residence," the Emperor asked, glancing at the house. "I remember you didn't live here before?"

“Yes,” Yin Yin said, “This used to be my parents’ home. Although I was taken to my grandparents’ home when I was little, I still wanted my parents to see me get married.”

The emperor looked at Yin Yin with a mixture of heartache and kindness: "Your parents must be very pleased."

“Then I must thank Father Emperor,” Yin Yin said, and then solemnly gave the emperor a deep bow. “If it weren’t for Father Emperor’s protection, I might have grown up safely, but I would definitely not be like this now.”

The emperor accepted her greeting without hesitation and then instructed her, "You are the ruler, and he is the subject. If he dares to give you a hard time, feel free to come to me for help."

"Even if you beat him up like the eldest princess, it doesn't matter. No matter how big the problem is, I will protect you."

Tears welled up in Yin Yin's eyes, but she said, "I wouldn't dare hit him. Father, you know that if I really hit him, it'll be fine if I can control my strength, but if I can't..."

She didn't finish the sentence, but the emperor, Eunuch Wu, and even the servants present who knew of her great achievements filled in the blanks in their minds.

If she doesn't control her strength, one slap and the princess will become a widow.

The emperor said, "That's alright, Father Emperor always has a way."

Eunuch Wu had served the emperor for many years and understood his intentions best.

If one prince consort is gone, then just find another. As long as the emperor's favor remains, even if the sky falls, it won't hit Princess Shou Kang.