Chapter 1404: “Iron Empress (2)”
No one would have thought that the Empress who once had a thousand fingers pointed at her saying she was unclean would now turn out to become the Iron Empress who acted highly decisively whose orders were adhered to in a flash.
After the Poison Men invaded, she had been the fastest to decide to strengthen the defense of the borders, limit the country’s spending and divert their military strength and money into the war. And she established a joint battle plan with the Qi and Buckwheat Kingdom, to control the situation.
Those people who had once cursed at Qu Ling Yue, had now all clamped their mouths up in silence.
Within the entire Fire Country now, no one dared to say a word of disparagement against Qu Ling Yue any longer.
A series of knocks upon the door interrupted the palace maid’s train of thoughts and she went forward to open the door of the Imperial Study. A guard knelt outside with a highly excited expression on his face.
“Your Lady Majesty! His Majesty….. has returned to the palace!”
A crash sounded. Qu Ling Yue had dropped the ink slab upon the table with a trembling hand. She lifted her head in sudden confusion and in that pair of highly attractive eyes, they revealed a rare moment of the old nervousness and shock from her more naive and younger self.
“What did you say…..” Qu Ling Yue said, noticing that her voice was beginning to tremble.
“His Majesty is back in the palace and he is now waiting for you in the great hall.” The guard replied.
Qu Ling Yue stood up with a swoosh. That countenance that had grown to have always been calm and collected was at that moment showing a trace of nervousness and bashfulness that most young girls possessed.
“I…..”
Qu Ling Yue saw that she did not have time to change out of her clothes, and her dress was stained with black ink. She suddenly realized that after having pulled a few successive all nighters, her face was haggard looking and her hairdo was in quite a mess.
[She’s back, but….. with herself in such a state, how is she going to see her like this?]
“Your Lady Majesty…..” The palace maid could not help herself but utter out. She had only come to serve at Qu Ling Yue’s side about half a year ago and she had never once seen Qu Ling Yue show such a girlish demeanor. At present, the entire world knew that their Fire Country had an Iron Empress, but who would have thought that this Iron Empress would upon hearing that her husband had returned, show such girlish unease and adorable silliness?
The palace maid’s address startled Qu Ling Yue and she looked at the phoenix robe on her before she took a deep breath.
“Send men out with the news that His Majesty has returned to the palace to the Grand Adviser and Lei Chen and have them rush themselves to the palace immediately. I….. will go welcome His Majesty first!” Qu Ling Yue ordered as she lifted her head slightly, trying her hardest to suppress the excitement rising in her heart before she stepped out of the Imperial Study.
Within the Fire Country’s grand hall, Jun Wu Xie was seated upon the Imperial Throne as she flipped through the battle reports about the situation at the frontlines of Fire Country over this period when a voice rang out in announcement. She lifted her head and a dignified and imposing figure fell into her eyes.
Upon the face that was once filled with the bashfulness of a young girl, it had now lost some of her bubbly liveliness, but had gained a certain sense of dignified steadiness, like a bird turned into a butterfly, her mannerisms and demeanor completely different from before.
Having parted for more than a year, if not for her looks that had remained unchanged, Jun Wu Xie really would not have been able to recognize the girl before her as the same one whose ears and face would turn red after speaking barely two words with her.
Qu Ling Yue approached demurely, gracefully kneeling within the great hall.
“Your Lady welcomes Your Majesty’s return to the Imperial Palace, a thousand upon a thousand years to my Imperial Majesty.” A sincere and devoted bow of obeisance, that was truly the wishes she felt in her heart.
Jun Wu Xie turned her attention back and said: “Stand up.”
“I thank Your Majesty.” Qu Ling Yue struggled to maintain her composure but was unable to stop the hands hidden within her sleeves from trembling as she looked at Jun Wu Xie seated upon the Imperial Throne. Having not seen her for more than a year, Jun Wu Xie had grown taller and her figure had become slender. Although she knew in her heart that Jun Wu Xie was female, but in Qu Ling Yue’s heart had at the moment upon seeing Jun Wu Xie, immediately thumped wildly uncontrollably.