Chapter 217 Soul Torture

Chapter 217 Soul Torture

Late at night, in the Regent's study.

Although the group of ministers who urged him to ascend the throne were driven away, the official duties of the regent could not be eliminated.

On the large desk, memorials were piled up like a mountain, almost burying Pei Yunjing completely.

These were all government documents that had been piling up for months: official greetings from various regions, applications for post-war reconstruction funds, and suggestions from the Ministry of Rites regarding the enthronement ceremony...

"Smack."

Pei Yunjing closed a memorial filled with nonsense without expression and tossed it aside.

He rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling that this was more tiring than fighting on the battlefield for three days and three nights.

That irritating tinnitus started buzzing in my head again.

He turned his head and looked at the Luohan couch not far away.

That was the world he longed for.

Tang Li was sitting cross-legged on the couch, holding Da Bai's huge tiger head in her arms.

She held a specially made jade comb in her hand, humming an unknown tune as she combed the smooth fur on Big White's back.

Big White was so comfortable that its eyes rolled back, and it made a gurgling sound in its throat, while its tail swished idly.

One man and one tiger, living a peaceful life.

Pei Yunjing watched this scene, and his tense nerves slowly relaxed.

He put down his vermilion brush, got up and walked to the edge of the couch. Under Da Bai's disapproving gaze, he squeezed in a seat and then pulled Tang Li into his arms.

"Don't comb it, it's all hairy."

Pei Yunjing pushed Da Bai's head away in disgust and rested his chin on Tang Li's shoulder:

"Comb my hair."

Tang Li smiled and changed direction, running her fingers through his dark hair and gently pressing his scalp:

"What's wrong? Are you tired?"

"Hmm." Pei Yunjing closed his eyes, enjoying her service. "Those old fogies write such long and tedious reports, they're so annoying to read."

Tang Li chuckled: "Who told you to be the pillar of the world now? Everyone is waiting for you to make the decisions."

Pei Yunjing remained silent for a moment.

He suddenly opened his eyes, took Tang Li's hand, pulled her in front of him, and looked at her intently.

"Tangli".

His voice was deep, carrying an unprecedented seriousness, as if he were asking a life-or-death decision:

I want to hear the truth.

"Hmm?" Tang Li blinked.

"Do you want to be the empress?"

Pei Yunjing stared into her eyes and asked, word by word:

"As the mother of the nation, all people kneel in worship."

"As long as you nod your head, the entire Great Sheng Empire of tomorrow will be your dowry. You will be the most honored woman in the world, and no one will dare to say a word against you."

Big White seemed to sense the seriousness of the atmosphere, stopped snoring, and pricked up its ears to eavesdrop.

This is the position that every woman in the world dreams of.

Wearing a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, she is the mistress of the six palaces.

However, upon hearing the word "Empress," Tang Li reacted as if she had heard of some terrifying monster.

No, no, no! No! Absolutely not!

She shook her head violently, her face filled with terror and resistance, even her hands were waving:

"Your Highness, please don't harm me!"

Pei Yunjing was stunned for a moment: "Harm you?"

"Of course it's to harm me!"

Tang Li started counting on her fingers and began to do the math with him:

"Think about it, once you become empress, won't you have to live in that square palace? You'll even have to report to the authorities if you leave the palace. What's the difference between that and being in prison?"

"besides!"

She covered her forehead in pain.

"I heard that the Empress has to get up at 5 a.m. every day! And she has to receive the homage of those noblewomen! I love to sleep in, so making me get up early is like taking my life!"

"Moreover, those noblewomen are all gossipy. When they meet, they flatter each other hypocritically or secretly engage in power struggles within the household. Just thinking about that scene gives me a headache!"

Tang Li became more and more excited as she spoke, and finally collapsed into Pei Yunjing's arms, looking utterly hopeless.

"I'm so tired, so very tired."

"Whoever wants to live in that gilded cage can go, I'm not going."

As Pei Yunjing listened to her heartfelt complaints, the smile in his eyes grew deeper and deeper.

He had been worried that if she wanted that honor, he might have to reluctantly sit on that cold throne for her sake.

But now it seems... they really are a match made in heaven.

"Where do you want to go?"

Pei Yunjing lowered his head, kissed the tip of her nose, and asked softly.

Tang Li's eyes lit up instantly.

That light was even more dazzling than seeing a gold ingot.

"I want to go to the outskirts of Beijing!"

She sat up straight, enthusiastically planning her future life:

"I remember that the prince had a very large hot spring resort over there, backed by mountains and facing the water, the scenery was beautiful."

"Let's move there!"

Tang Li waved her arms, outlining the grand vision in her mind:

"I want to renovate that estate. I'll plant flowers in the front yard and vegetables in the back."

"I want to grow lots and lots of grapes and make sweet wine."

At this point, she seemed to remember something and chuckled.

"We also need to raise a few pigs!"

“However…” Tang Li added in a serious tone:

"We need to raise those honest, simple pigs who only eat, sleep, and grow fat, with absolutely no ambition and no desire to usurp the throne!"

"Then, we'll eat meat to our hearts' content, drink wine from large bowls, soak in hot springs in winter, and go fishing in summer."

She hugged Pei Yunjing's neck, nuzzled his cheek, and spoke in a soft voice, filled with an infinite longing for freedom:

"It's just the two of us, plus Big White and the others."

"That's what life is all about."

Pei Yunjing listened quietly.

As she described it, a scene full of life and freedom gradually became clear in my mind.

There was no killing, no scheming, and no endless memorials to review.

Only her, and the warmth within reach.

That kind of life... just thinking about it made his heart, which had been immersed in the world of power struggles for twenty years, feel a long-lost flutter.

"A pig who doesn't want to usurp the throne..."

Pei Yunjing curled his lips into a low chuckle.

He reached back and cupped Tangli's head, deepening the embrace:

"good."

"Then it's your decision."

"Let's not be emperors, let's go... raise pigs."