Chapter 301: Unwilling to Give Up

After several passionate encounters throughout the night, Li Qing’an and Mingyue were finally exhausted. They hugged each other and fell into deep sleep. At dawn the next day, Li Qing’an’s biological clock woke him as usual. Reaching out, he found nothing and sat up abruptly.
“Mingyue!”
“Husband, I’m right here!”
The door curtain had been drawn back. Mingyue was sitting at the dressing table outside, combing her long hair. She turned around with a charming smile, her eyes sparkling, looking both delicate and alluring, captivating to the core.
“Come here!”
Li Qing’an waved at her with a mischievous smile. Thinking of their passionate nights, Mingyue felt weak all over, too exhausted even to stand.
“Husband, what is it?”
Swinging her round hips gracefully, Mingyue walked over and sat lightly on the edge of the bed. Holding her husband’s hand, she said with a smile, “Let me tell you first—daylight has come. Nothing is allowed during the day.”
“I don’t have any strength left. Come on! Give me a kiss,” Li Qing’an said, winking and pointing at his cheek.
“You naughty man!”
Mingyue smiled sweetly, lifted her hair, and bent down to press her soft lips against his cheek. But Li Qing’an turned his head abruptly, kissed her fiercely, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing her against him.
“Husband!”
Mingyue struggled for a while before soon losing herself in her husband’s passionate kisses and loving caresses. Her desire awaked, and she eagerly responded to his advances, completely immersed in their love.
Time passed unbeknownst to them until finally, the storm subsided. Mingyue lay on top of Li Qing’an, eyes closed, still immersed in intense excitement and pleasure.
Li Qing’an felt utterly satisfied. Breathing heavily, he lovingly stroked Mingyue’s smooth waist and plump, elastic buttocks.
“Miss!”
Suddenly, the voice of the maid Chunshui came from outside. Startled, Mingyue quickly pulled her clothes over herself, but Li Qing’an held her tightly and turned to scold her, “You don’t know the rules! If you dare be rude again, you’ll be severely punished!”
Frightened, Chunshui stepped back, not daring to speak for a long time. Mingyue quickly put on her clothes, apologized to Li Qing’an with a smile, and went outside.
“Miss, the mistress has a message for you.”
Mingyue faintly heard herself say to the maid, “From now on, you must change. The master is the head of the household. We’re no longer part of the Du Gu family. Do you understand? Never enter the house without permission—follow the master’s rules.”
“Miss, we remember.”
“That’s enough. Today I want to visit our own house. Come with me.”

Mingyue said a few words and then returned to her room. She smiled at Li Qing’an and said, “Husband, I want to go check out my residence. Will you come with me?”
“There’s no need to check out the residence, Mingyue. Come here!”
Seeing Li Qing’an’s serious expression, not the affectionate one from before, Mingyue asked in surprise, “Husband, what’s the matter?”
Li Qing’an pondered for a moment before slowly saying, “You need to return to Anxi with me. Under no circumstances can you stay in Chang’an.”
“Husband, can I really go to Anxi?”
Mingyue also became excited. She sat on Li Qing’an’s lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and cooed, “You said this yourself—you promised to take me to Anxi. I want to be with you.”
Li Qing’an smiled and said, “Of course. Since someone is so determined to have you, how could I leave you in Chang’an?”
Mingyue’s face turned pale instantly. She stood up, trembling, and said, “Are you saying I won’t be a good wife?”
“No! No!” Li Qing’an quickly shook his head to comfort her. “Where did you get that idea? I’m referring to the current emperor. Can’t you sense it?”
Mingyue bit her lip tightly and said, “Husband, don’t worry. No matter how much he pressures me, I will never yield. At worst, I’ll die to show my resolve.”
Touched, Li Qing’an held his wife in his arms and said, “Don’t say such foolish things. How could I let you die? You’re meant to grow old with me! Taking you back to Anxi is the best solution.”
Mingyue pressed her face against his chest and whimpered, “But I heard from my mother that the wife and children of a military governor must stay in Chang’an as hostages. How can you take me away?”
Li Qing’an gently stroked her hair and smiled, “Since you’ve married into the Li family, you should visit your in-laws eventually! Their memorial tablets are in Suiye. I’ll use that as an excuse to take you to Anxi. Then I’ll claim you’re unwell due to the climate, and once you recover, I’ll say you’re pregnant. There will always be an excuse, and you won’t be able to return.”
After saying this, Li Qing’an pondered for a while and added, “But it won’t be that easy to get away. If I’m not mistaken, he’ll take measures to stop you from leaving.”
“Husband, I’m a little scared!” Mingyue said worriedly.
Li Qing’an lifted her chin and kissed her soft lips. “Don’t be afraid. Trust your husband’s ability to protect you. Even if it’s the current emperor, so what? If he dares to take my wife, I’ll fight bravely for her and even seize his throne!”
Mingyue hugged her husband’s waist and buried her face deep in his arms. At that moment, she was filled with gratitude and affection for her husband.
“Let’s go to the military camp tonight.”

Xingqing Palace. Early in the morning, Li Longji suddenly became enraged for no reason. He smashed cups and took his anger out on the palace maids and eunuchs. At the slightest provocation, he would drag them away and beat them severely. The palace servants lived in fear, not daring to breathe loudly. Yet Yang Yuhuan understood the reason—last night, Dugu Mingyue had become Li Qingan’s wife. She was utterly helpless about this. She understood Li Longji’s problems better than anyone else. In fact, he was largely unable to engage in sexual activity. If last year he had been attracted to Dugu Mingyue because of her beauty, now he was fixated on her because he couldn’t have her. Yang Yuhuan knew Li Longji well—he was stubborn and obsessive. For the sake of a woman, he would stop at nothing. Over the past two years, he had become even more stubborn and obsessive. Once he made up his mind, it was hard for anyone to persuade him, not even her.
“Your Majesty, the emperor has arrived.”
Yang Yuhuan quickly stood up. Li Longji entered angrily. “Staying in this Xingqing Palace all day, I’m going crazy from boredom.”
Yang Yuhuan bowed gracefully. “If Your Majesty feels bored, you could go on an inspection tour. Last year, I advised you to go to Shu, but you refused.”
Li Longji sat down and ordered the maids around him, “All of you, leave!”
The maids hurriedly left, leaving only him and Yang Yuhuan in the room. Li Longji sighed. “Though I am the emperor, sometimes I feel worse off than an ordinary commoner.”
“Why do you say that, Your Majesty?”
“It’s rare for me to take a liking to a woman, yet I can’t have her. What’s the point of being emperor?”
“Who has caught Your Majesty’s interest?” Yang Yuhuan asked feigning ignorance.
Li Longji was speechless for a while. How could he say it? Could he admit he liked a minister’s wife? He came to Yang Yuhuan hoping she would understand his feelings and bring Dugu Mingyue to the palace without him having to say anything, but Yang Yuhuan just didn’t get it, leaving him at a loss.
After a long while, he slowly said, “I’m very troubled. Let’s not talk about this.”
He stood up and headed outside. “I’m going to Daming Palace today. I might not return tonight. You don’t need to wait for me, my dear.”
Yang Yuhuan sat down helplessly. She knew Li Longji was going to Daming Palace to see Concubine Mei. He was upset and went to her to vent his feelings, while becoming increasingly cold toward her. A deep sense of loneliness overwhelmed Yang Yuhuan.
……

The imperial sedan moved slowly, with thousands of imperial guards clearing a path ahead and pushing passersby aside. Li Longji sat in the sedan, coldly watching the commoners on both sides bowing in worship to him. He had been emperor for over forty years, with the lands of the Tang Dynasty firmly in his grasp. He loved both the empire and beautiful women. In his eyes, both were his personal possessions, to be used as he pleased.

His harem was the largest in history, boasting over forty thousand concubines. He longed to bring every beautiful woman in the land into his palace, though whether to use them was another matter. He enjoyed collecting beautiful women; it had become his obsession. Whenever he took a fancy to a woman, he would stop at nothing to get her. This time, his eye had fallen on Du Gu Mingyue—a woman whose beauty rivaled that of Yang Guifei—and she had captivated his heart.

If he could bring her into the palace, she and Yang Guifei would be like his “Da Qiao” and “Xiao Qiao.” With these two women, no other woman would matter to him. They would accompany him to pass his later years.

Yet the woman he desired had married Li Qingan right after he took an interest in her—a situation he had never encountered in his over forty years as emperor, leaving him deeply frustrated. But he dared not openly seize a military governor’s wife; it was not a matter of propriety or morality. He had already taken his own daughter-in-law—what did propriety matter to him? What concerned him was Anxi. He still needed Li Qingan to conquer the vast lands west of the mountains for him. Li Qingan’s goal of turning Anxi into a province of the Tang Dynasty was something no one had achieved in a hundred years—neither Emperor Taizong, Emperor Gaozong, nor Empress Wu Zetian, nor Hou Junji, Wang Xiaojie, Fu Menglingcha, or Gao Xianzhi. But with Li Qingan, Li Longji saw hope.

For this reason, Li Longji did not want to act against Li Qingan for now. Li Qingan was also a pillar he intended to leave for Changsun. But he wanted Du Gu Mingyue, and there was no ambiguity about that. It seemed contradictory, but Li Longji saw no such contradiction. He believed Li Qingan would not give up his position as governor of Anxi for a woman. He needed to put pressure on Li Qingan to hand over Du Gu Mingyue willingly, or else he would pretend not to notice and simply reward him with more beautiful women.

With this in mind, Li Longji said to Yu Chaoen, who was at his side, “Go to the Ministry of Rites and, in the name of my decree, officially confer the title of princess on Li Qingan’s wife and order him to establish his own household.”

In their honeymoon, Li Qing’an and Du Gu Mingyue spent a day together filled with affection. In the afternoon, officials from the Ministry of Rites arrived to deliver Emperor Li Longji’s decree, officially appointing Du Gu Mingyue as the princess of a commandery. This was her imperial edict. Li Qing’an was also ordered to establish his own commandery mansion, meaning he could no longer stay at Gao Lishi’s residence—he had to build his own. Naturally, once the mansion was built, Mingyue would have to remain in the capital as a hostage, which was only logical.

Li Qing’an owned two residences in Chang’an. One was a house given to him by Gao Lishi, which he had never lived in, while the other was a large mansion bestowed upon him by Emperor Li Longji, located in Jingshan Fang, covering nearly forty acres. Coincidentally, it was also one of Wu Sansi’s former residences, which had been renovated a few years earlier and given to Li Qing’an.

The plaque for the Anxi Commandery Mansion had been delivered days earlier but not yet installed, as there were no servants or household items yet to be acquired.

Not long after the appointment, Li Qing’an took Du Gu Mingyue by carriage to his mansion. Only an elderly couple was managing the place. Upon hearing that their master had arrived, they quickly opened the gates.

“Husband, didn’t we say we wouldn’t live in this mansion?” Mingyue asked anxiously as she saw Li Qing’an seriously inspecting the house.

Li Qing’an smiled and said, “Since the emperor has issued the decree, it’s fine to show him some respect. Besides, this is our home. One day, we’ll live here too. It’s pleasant to come and check it out from time to time.”

Mingyue’s worries eased slightly, and she took Li Qing’an’s hand, smiling, “You’re right, husband. Let’s take a look at our home.”

The two stepped up the stairs, followed by several bodyguards, and entered the mansion. The old man in charge of the mansion was over sixty years old. He had seen Mingyue before but met Li Qing’an for the first time. When he saw Li Qing’an and his wife coming hand in hand, he immediately realized it was his master. He hurried forward to greet them, “My lord, my name is Luo Silang. I’ve been taking care of this mansion for twenty years.”

“Let’s take a look around.”

“Yes! My lord and madam, please follow me.”

Luo Silang led Li Qing’an and Mingyue inside the mansion. Li Qing’an’s new residence was extremely large, consisting of three courtyards. The front courtyard was occupied by ordinary servants, with dozens of rooms. The middle courtyard served as the living area and main hall—vast and spacious enough to accommodate hundreds of people for meals at once. There was also a side hall, which served as the main place for daily activities.

In the courtyard in front of the lobby stood a towering ancient tree—a old apricot tree over four hundred years old. Li Qing’an gazed up at it. In his childhood home, there had also been a towering tree, and this old apricot tree reminded him of his youth, when he and a group of mischievous kids played in the tree.
“Husband, what are you thinking?” Mingyue asked anxiously as she stepped aside.
Li Qing’an smiled wistfully. “I’m wondering what it would be like if I went back 1,300 years later to search for our traces from now.”
“Your imagination is truly rich. How could you think of 1,300 years later?”
Li Qing’an glanced at her and smiled. “Do you think it’s absurd?”
“No! It’s not absurd.”
Mingyue shook her head and laughed. “Most people would say 500 years later or 1,000 years later, but you mention 1,300 years later—it’s different. I don’t know how you came up with such a number.”
Li Qing’an gently placed his arm around her shoulders. “It’s just a thought; it doesn’t mean anything special. Let’s go! We should buy those people now.”
“But we haven’t seen the inner chambers yet.”
“We’re just putting on a show. Buying those people is also just for show. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but someone has been following us.”
“Following us?” Mingyue was shocked. “Husband, do you mean someone is spying on us?”
“Wait a moment, and you’ll see.”
……
Fifteen minutes later, over a hundred guards escorted Li Qing’an’s carriage toward the slave market in the south of the city. As soon as they set off, two riders appeared at the stopping point and followed their carriage all the way.