Chapter 89: Queen

The female official quickly stepped forward and took the portrait from Yan Wuque's hand, thanking him before continuing to hand it over to the Queen.
The empress took a look and said, "Bring me paper, pen, and ink."
Guo, the female official, had prepared them early and quickly presented them.
Just as the empress was about to start writing, Yan Wucue suddenly spoke up, "Wait a moment."
Yan Wuque took a step forward and knelt down: "Your Majesty, there is something that I don't know if I should say."
"What message?"
"May I ask Your Majesty, is the man in the painting the future husband of the prince?"
"Not bad."
The Empress glanced at the portrait and found no problem.
Yan Wuque hesitated slightly, "To be honest with Your Majesty, on my way here, I happened to encounter this man, and most importantly, he was accompanied by two children who seemed to be his twins."
"I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is sixteen years old and has never been married before, I wonder about this..."
Yan Wuyi added from behind, "Perhaps people who are similar have never been known."
"Oh? I never knew such a thing existed."
The Empress' hand that was about to write suddenly paused, feeling somewhat surprised.
"So, there may be suspicions that Xiahou Qian has concealed his personal marital status. Lady Guo, set aside the engagement matter for now and go investigate thoroughly."
While the maid on the other side sent Yan Wuque and Yan Wu Yi away, she said, "It's been a long and tiring journey for the two of you. Please come with me to the inn and rest."
"Okay."
Yan Wuque and Yan Wu Yi followed the maid's guidance and left.
Guo, the female official, hurriedly said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I will immediately find out the truth."
"Hmm." The Empress pondered for a moment, deep in thought.
"Yan Yi's two sons are not bad. Ordinary people only know that being by the ruler's side is like being with a tiger, it's better to avoid trouble. But they dare to speak their minds. If all court officials had their courage, it would be great."
"Your Majesty, Yan Wuche is indeed the future pillar of our country. He has obtained top three results in the provincial examinations three times in a row. In a few more years, as long as he stays sane and healthy, he will come to Beijing to become an official, starting from the fifth rank official, which is already considered quite a high starting point."
“They have actually participated in the state exams three times in a row? But these two brothers look quite young.”
The empress was slightly surprised, as she had just seen them and they appeared to be no more than sixteen or seventeen-year-old teenagers.
"He is very young. Yan Wu Que is the older brother, seventeen years old this year, and Yan Wu Yi is the younger brother, only sixteen years old."
"Seventeen years old, such a big boy, hasn't Yan Yi started arranging his marriage?"
"I heard that it was arranged by Zhang Luo, but the Yanzhuo prince is very fond of this son and he has the final say in the marriage matters. However, Yen Wuye has very high standards and is not interested in any of the girls who come to propose, so the marriage is currently undecided."
The empress responded casually and did not continue to inquire.
Hualuo still did not know about the changes, she was just worried about why the empress hadn't settled her marriage yet.
Just as she was worried, Zhan Xing brought a huge piece of good news: "Arlo Arlo, you don't have to worry every day about how to get Young Master Yan out anymore. I have good news here, absolutely good news. Do you want to know?"
"Of course I want to know, what good news?"
Hualuo looked at Zhanxing.
"His Majesty ordered to release Yan Gongzi."
"Really?" This news surprised Hualuo, "Why would the Empress suddenly release my father."
Lowering his voice, Zhānxīng said to Huāluó, "I heard that His Majesty went to have a heart-to-heart chat with Yàn Gōngzi last night."
"At night? To have a heart-to-heart chat? Are you sure it was just a chat?" Huāluó questioned back.
Zhanxing crossed his arms and said, "Since you already understand, why bother asking again."
"Understood."
Hualuo responded with a nod.
"Now you are not hoping that His Majesty will arrange your marriage,"
Hualuo shook her head and said, "Even my father has been released, what else do I hope for."
"Do you really want to use the pill made by Dan Shi? Don't you want to experience the feeling of being pregnant and giving birth?"
"Of course, I will use it. After all, I paid a lot of money to hire the Dan Shi and sourced the materials. If the pill can reduce the pain, why would I want to experience that feeling? Isn't it true, as Blue Ruofeng's mother said, that life is incomplete without having children? If I don't enjoy the blessings, may thunder strike me."
"You're amazing."
XingXing gave a thumbs up to the lotus.
The two brothers from Yunzhou are walking in the palace's garden. Yan Wuyi looks left and right, as if he has discovered a new world: "It's so beautiful here, I have never seen such a big garden before. It's filled with rare flowers and plants. Brother, let's explore here, I've never seen these plants before."
Yan Wuque cast a glance at his younger brother and said to the maid leading the way ahead, "We would like to pause here for a moment. We will leave the palace on our own, so please go back and report it."
The maid made a salute and then left.
Yan Wuyi picked off a leaf and said to Yan Wuque, "Brother, why is this leaf so green and vibrant."
"I don't know. It's very rare. Take one back as a specimen."
Yan Wuyi took the leaf and put it in his bag.
At that moment, a scent of liquor drifted over, and Yan Wuque couldn't help but say the name of the liquor, "Maotai."
Shortly afterwards, a layer of wine fragrance floated in the air.
"Fenjiu."
"Not bad."
At this moment, a abrupt voice came from the side.
Yan Nanxing stood up from the flower bushes on the other side and upon closer inspection, there was a stone table on the other side with several jars of wine placed on it.
Yan Wuque and Yan Wu Yi just realized that there was someone beside them. They just didn't see him for a moment.
Yan Wuque quickly clasped his hands: "May I ask who you are?"
"I'm Yan Nanxing."
"That's really a coincidence, I have the same last name, Yan, and my name is Yan Wu Que. This is my younger brother, Yan Wu Yi."
"Yan Wu Que..."
Yan Nan Xing repeated these three words, "How come I have never seen you before."
"Oh, we are from Yunzhou," Yan Wuyi interrupted
Yan Nanxing was also bored drinking alone, so he started chatting with Yan Wufei.
"You seem to be familiar with these drinks."
"I don't dare to claim that, I just know a little more than ordinary people."
"You don't need to be humble, I can tell that you are fond of good wine. Why not come and have a few drinks?" Yan Nanxing invited.
"Okay." Yan Wuque agreed.
And so, Yan Nanxing and Yan Wuque drank heartily.
After a while, Yan Wuque slumped onto the table and fell into a deep sleep, completely oblivious.
Yan Wuque nudged Yan Wuyi, but Yan Wuyi slept like a dead pig, not moving at all.
Yan Nanxing felt a bit dizzy in the head, feeling a bit tipsy. He stood up and said, "Impressive, young man, you have good alcohol tolerance."
"A thousand cups of wine are not enough with a bosom friend."
Because she was wearing a face veil and couldn't see the face clearly, Yan Nanxing could only see a pair of slender almond-shaped eyes and said, "Good, very good, we might have been a family five hundred years ago since we share the same surname Yan."
"You seem a little drunk, sir."
Yan Nanxing glanced at the sky and said, "Where do you live, sir? How about I escort you back? I should also..."
"I dare not make any gestures."
Suddenly, Yan Nanxing beckoned Yan Wuque with his hand: "Back in the military camp, I could take on ten like you."
"Gesture, isn't this inappropriate?"
After all, this is the palace, and Yan Wuque still had concerns.
But at this time, Yannanxing was a little drunk and didn't care about these things. He pulled Yawnuque and wanted to compare with others.
"Why, are you scared?"
"What's there to be scared of, I'm ready to offend."
Yan Wuque felt a little stuffy, and combined with the Confucian robe he was wearing, he would probably not be able to move freely if he wanted to fight.
Yan Nanxing also felt that his clothes were getting in the way, so both of them simply took off their upper garments and let them pile up around their waists, revealing their bare torsos for close combat.
Yannan Xing looked up and down, although Yawuque had a gentle temperament, he still had a good figure, with a lot of lean muscles and no extra fat.
He punched towards Yawuque's face, but Yawuque tilted back and evaded the attack. The mask on his face hit Yannan Xing's arm.
Afterwards, Yi Yanwuque attempted a sweeping leg to sweep away, but Yannan Xing's quick reflexes allowed him to avoid it.
After exchanging blows for about a hundred rounds, Yannan Xing waved his hand and said, "I can't fight anymore."
Yan Wuque put on his clothes again and slightly bowed, saying, "I am grateful for your indulgence."
He then walked over and patted Yan Wuwei's face, but there was no response.
Yan Wuque simply poured the tea on the table onto Yan Wuwei's face.
"It's raining!"
Yan Wuyi shouted and sat up from his seat, looking confused.
"What rain? Let's go."
Yan Wuque pulled Yan Wuyi up and nodded slightly towards Yan Nanxing, and then the two went back.
Yan Nanxing walked shakily towards his residence, and along the way, a palace maid approached him with concern and asked, "Young Master Yan, what's wrong? Do you need me to support you back?"
"No need." Yan Nanxing decisively refused.
When he returned, the empress was already waiting for him.
Before Yan Nanxing could get close, a strong alcoholic smell hit him.
"Where did you go? You drank so much. Go make a pot of sobering tea for Mr. Yan."
"I'm fine," Yannan Xing sat down, his tone relatively calm.
The Empress then began to tell Yannan Xing about Xiahou Qian.
Little did she know, Yannan Xing decisively said, "Xiahou Qian won't do, I've met him."
“为什么不行。”
“男子健壮为美，他弱不禁风细胳膊细腿，就是个小白脸，也不见得他有什么本事，估计要是没了萝儿就什么都不是。”
The Empress, however, disapproved of his words, saying, "One should not judge a person by their appearance. Xiahou Qian still possesses great abilities. The loss of the Crown Prince does not make him worthless."
Yan Nanxing turned to the Empress and said, "Recently, a person named Yan Wuque has arrived from the vassal states."
Although there have been many warlords who have come in the past few days, the Empress still has an impression of Yan Wuque: "Yes, you have met him."
"I just happened to have encountered him."
"Yan Wuque also has a somewhat feminine appearance, but his physique is robust, and he has an extraordinary demeanor. This is the kind of person who can stand on his own. I think if we want to find a husband for Luo'er, we should consider someone like him."
On the second day, Xiahou Qian was once again summoned by the Empress alone. The Empress got straight to the point and said directly, "Xiahou Qian, I will ask you, and you must answer truthfully. Have you ever been married before."
Xiahou Qian heard this question and saw the empress' solemn expression, so he understood that she already knew something.