Returning to the courtyard, Su Mo summoned An Yi. Without a word, he gazed at An Yi with eyes like a fawn's, full of expectation for an explanation.
At this point, An Yi no longer held back, recounting Qiao Ci's glorious achievements during this period in one go.
An Yi, adept at storytelling, embellished Qiao Ci's deeds meticulously, as if he had been present, his narration animated and full of twists and turns.
Upon hearing that Qiao Ci, as a woman, had faced various difficulties when recruiting soldiers at the military camp, Su Mo clenched his fists, filled with anxiety. When he heard that Qiao Ci had surrounded the Southern Barbarians at the city gates, Su Mo was filled with shock and joy. When he heard that Qiao Ci had toyed with the Southern Barbarian King like a monkey on multiple occasions and decisively severed the king's head, he felt a sense of honor and applauded. His eyes sparkled with admiration and worship as he heard about the series of good policies Qiao Ci implemented for the nation and its people after ascending the throne.
"She is truly a magnificent woman!" Su Mo exclaimed contentedly after hearing the tale.
An Yi, hearing his praise, choked on his own saliva, coughing violently before recovering. Good heavens, he had almost lost his life for a single sentence.
"Magnificent woman?" What kind of bold words were these to praise a woman? Weren't outstanding women typically described with terms like "remarkable woman" or "a woman who rivals men"?
However, having spent so much time with Su Mo, his thought process did deviate from the norm, so his wording being somewhat unrestrained was... understandable.
Su Mo spent the entire day in a state of excitement, constantly pestering An Yi with questions about Qiao Ci.
At night, all was silent.
"Will she not come to see me today?" Su Mo idly played with the jade coral Qiao Ci had given him, propping his chin with one hand, his voice muffled. He knew, of course, that Qiao Ci, newly enthroned, must be swamped with work.
"She wanted to come, but a group of people stopped her, saying it's unlucky to meet three months before the wedding." An Yi rolled his eyes, surprised that the other person would believe such things. She had already prepared to come, but the word "unlucky" had forced her to remain in the palace, watching helplessly as the chief eunuch came to deliver the decree himself.
"Really? She will marry me within three months?" Su Mo's melancholy vanished, and he was fully revived!
"Marry you? Do you think you're the bride?"
"The Empress marries the Imperial Consort; it's a marriage, so 'marry' is correct." Su Mo, from a matriarchal society, argued righteously.
An Yi: ...
"Oh dear, if I marry the Empress, then my dowry will obviously be insufficient. What should I do?"
An Yi: ...
Dowry? Listening to this, what wild words were these.
*
Originally, Qiao Ci had intended to welcome him into the palace on his birthday. The Imperial Astronomer, however, stated that this was not an auspicious day for a wedding. Qiao Ci, wishing to follow local customs, did not insist.
"Congratulations, host! Congratulations, host, you are getting married! I, Little Spoon, am a witness! Hehe, I want to attend the banquet, I want to sit at the children's table, la la la~"
Seeing its spoon handle bend as it twirled, like a child, and its electronic voice also sounding adorable, Qiao Ci couldn't help but smile and tease, "Are you sitting at the children's table to eat, or to be used as cutlery?"
Upon hearing this, Little Spoon immediately fell silent. That's right, it was only in its original form now and couldn't eat human food.
"What's wrong? If you want to attend, then attend. I'll bring you along," Qiao Ci comforted, rarely seeing her little system so dejected.
"I can eat at the banquet if I transform into an animal form. I also really like human food, but my points are not enough, so I can only maintain my spoon form." Little Spoon became still as it recalled its sad thoughts.
However, in an instant, it became energetic again.
"Host, you must complete your missions well. When I accumulate enough points, I can accompany you in reality."
"How do you accumulate points? Is it by me purchasing items in the mall? Or do you get points for successfully completing tasks? How many points do you have now, and how many more do you need to change form?" Qiao Ci was quite curious.
Hearing this, Little Spoon shot up, acting as if it were trying to hide something: "I have no points anymore, absolutely none~"
The series of actions and explanations made Qiao Ci exclaim, "Good heavens!" This defensive reaction was akin to her owing it eight million and refusing to repay, yet still wanting to borrow more.
This was a system with a story, and a system that had been hurt. Qiao Ci secretly chuckled, asked Little Spoon a few more questions, and seeing that it wouldn't reveal anything, she lost interest and quieted down.
The dungeon.
Xiao Ren and Wei Zhu spent their days complaining to each other, and if they disagreed, they would fight.
Due to the man's natural physical advantage, Wei Zhu always ended up losing. Xiao Ren now felt that Wei Zhu's body was dirty and no longer bothered to debase himself by sleeping with her, but he had a myriad of ways to torment her.
He would often curse her and beat her, while the guards watched without intervening, sometimes even cheering them on. Wei Zhu suffered greatly inside, wishing she had never met this scoundrel.
Wei Zhu's father had completely abandoned her, and her former close friends ignored her. She felt only despair in her life, wanting to die but not daring to.
It wasn't until Chen Xuyang bribed the jailers to see her that she felt a sliver of hope.
Every time he visited, he would bring her some food, and he would also threaten Xiao Ren or even beat him up. He would act intimately with Wei Zhu right in front of Xiao Ren without any reservation.
Unable to defeat Chen Xuyang, Xiao Ren could only endure it with gritted teeth. It was then that he realized this slut Wei Zhu had long been cheating on him.
His heart was filled with even greater regret. How could he have been so blind, mistaking a fish eye for a pearl, picking up sesame seeds and discarding watermelons. He wanted to find Qiao Ci to confess, but Qiao Ci refused to see him. When Chen Xuyang was not around, he would torment Wei Zhu even more to vent his anger.
Wei Zhu could no longer bear it and pleaded with Chen Xuyang to save her.
Chen Xuyang, who was not highly valued by the Empress and lived a rather stifled life, could not bear to see his beloved woman suffer. He immediately decided to storm the prison, take her away, and wander the world together.
However, Xiao Ren secretly reported him. Chen Xuyang's attempt to storm the prison failed, and he was also detained. Seeing that their three relationships were inseparable, Qiao Ci kindly confined them in the same cell, allowing them to continue their "love."
Their love-hate entanglement provided the jailers with ample entertainment every day. One jailer who was skilled at drawing even wrote their entanglements into a comic book, which became very popular among the public.
*
Time ticked by relentlessly, and the joyous day of the Empress's marriage to her consort finally arrived as Su Mo counted the days on his fingers.
Many people came to the Prime Minister's mansion to watch the spectacle, after all, it was the Empress marrying her Imperial Consort, a scene not easily witnessed.
Of course, more people came hoping to see Su Mo embarrassed.
Regardless, a man marrying into a family was still a disgraceful act, and even with the Empress marrying, there were still many who harbored reservations.
There were also those who coveted a position in the harem, believing that the Empress, with her celestial beauty and astonishing talent, had chosen an obscure and unfavored young master, and they wanted to see Su Mo disgraced at the wedding banquet.