Chapter 966 Love disaster!

Ye Tianming tossed and turned in the simple tent in the military camp.

The dreamlike feeling from before dissipated.

Yanran's fiery figure in red and her sweet voice of "Brother Tianming" were like a brand, deeply imprinted in his mind and could not be erased.

"Report! Marshal Ye, an urgent message from the capital city, eight hundred miles away!" Outside the tent, the voice of a messenger broke the silence of the night.

Ye Tianming stood up suddenly, feeling even more uneasy.

He took the letter and saw the familiar handwriting of the Stone Emperor. The content of the letter was brief, but it was like a heavy hammer, hitting him hard in the heart:

"My dear minister, you have defeated the northern barbarians and protected the land of the Stone Kingdom. I am very pleased. Order you to return to the court immediately. The Queen and I will welcome you in the Golden Palace and enjoy the peace in the world together."

Queen... Yanran...

Ye Tianming tightly grasped the letter, feeling mixed emotions.

I haven't seen her for three years, and it was in this way that I heard from her again.

The Stone Emperor wanted him to return to the court and to host a welcoming ceremony for him together with the Queen. How could he not understand the deep meaning behind this?

"Prepare the horses! Pass the order down, the entire army will set out for the capital tomorrow!"

Ten days later, the mighty army arrived at the capital.

Ye Tianming was dressed in military uniform, riding a tall horse, walking at the front of the team. Wherever he went, the people lined the streets to welcome him with deafening cheers.

However, there was no joy on Ye Tianming's face. His eyes were always on the towering imperial palace in front of him, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.

In the Golden Palace, the Stone Emperor Shi Yutian was dressed in a dragon robe, sitting high on the dragon throne, while the Queen was dressed in a phoenix robe, standing beside him in a dignified and elegant manner.

Both of them had gentle smiles on their faces, as if they were really welcoming a triumphant hero.

"Your servant Ye Tianming pays homage to His Majesty. Long live the emperor! I pay homage to Her Majesty the Empress. May she live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years!" Ye Tianming knelt on one knee and saluted respectfully.

"My dear, please stand up. You and I are brothers, why do we need so many red tape? Hurry up and get up!" Shi Huang's voice was as gentle as ever, but with unquestionable majesty.

He stepped forward and helped Ye Tianming up, and then they sat down again.

The young emperor's face was full of relief and excitement.

"Tianming, you have made an invaluable contribution to the victory over the Northern Barbarians. I have prepared a generous reward for you to thank you for your hard work over the past three years."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Now that the border has been settled, can you also consider getting married, having children, and enjoying the bliss of the world?" The Stone Emperor smiled and looked at him with burning eyes.

Ye Tianming was startled, but he replied calmly: "Your Majesty, I have been fighting on the battlefield for many years and have no time to care about the love affairs of my children."

"Well, a real man should put his country first." Shi Huang nodded, then stretched out his hand to hold the slender waist of the queen beside him, and said in an intimate tone, "But, I heard that you, General Ye, are not getting married because you are thinking about my queen? Yanran, do you think this is true?"

The queen's hand trembled slightly, then returned to normal. She turned to look at Ye Tianming, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

"Your Majesty, you are joking. General Ye is young and promising, and has great ambitions. How could he have an affair with me?"

"However, General Ye is not young anymore. Isn't it time for him to start a family and build a career?"

Queen Yu Yanran smiled sweetly, and her smile overlapped with the figure in her memory.

But she used to call herself Brother Tianming, but now she calls herself General Ye.

Ye Tianming's heart suddenly ached.

He raised his head, and his eyes met the queen's clear eyes in the air. In an instant, thousands of words turned into silent silence.

The Stone Emperor couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"The Queen is right! I have already chosen a good match for you, the daughter of the Minister of Revenue. She is well-educated, gentle and virtuous. She and Tianming are a match made in heaven!"

The Stone Emperor's hearty laughter echoed in the Golden Palace, but it was like a sharp blade, piercing the hearts of Ye Tianming and the Queen.

"Your Majesty..." The Queen couldn't help but open her mouth and wanted to say something, but was scared away by a look from the Stone Emperor.

She turned her head away reluctantly, and her eyes involuntarily looked at Ye Tianming.

Ye Tianming took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, stood up and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, I don't want to get married, I hope you can take back your order!"

"You want to disobey my order? Are you really hiding something from me?!" The Stone Emperor slammed the armrest of the dragon throne, his face so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it.

"Your Majesty!" The Queen, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up, with a barely perceptible tremor in her tone, "Brother Tianming didn't mean to..."

"Shut up! You are being so affectionate! You have no right to speak here!" Shi Huang interrupted her rudely, shooting a sharp gaze at Ye Tianming like a venomous snake, "Tell me! What do you want?!"

Ye Tianming took a deep breath. He knew that today’s incident would not end well.

Shi Huang is suspicious by nature and has always suspected that he and Yanran are having an affair.

He has been far away from the border these years just to avoid causing trouble for Yanran, but he didn't expect that this day would come.

Arranging a marriage was the method used by the Stone Emperor to test him.

"Your Majesty, minister..."

Ye Tianming knelt on the ground, sweat oozing from his forehead, soaking the hair at his temples.

He pursed his lips, his Adam's apple rolled, but he couldn't utter a word.

The Stone Emperor's fierce eyes were like sharp knives, scraping across his body, as if trying to dig out the secrets deep in his heart.

The queen, who was sitting next to the Stone Emperor, twisted her hands tightly together until her knuckles turned white.

She lowered her head, hiding the complex emotions in her eyes.

Worry, fear, and a deep sense of powerlessness overwhelmed her like a tide.

She wanted to rush forward and protect Ye Tianming behind her, but her reason told her that she couldn't do that.

She could only watch helplessly as her beloved suffered tremendous pressure, while she was powerless to do anything.

Their eyes met, and thousands of words flowed out like a flood.

Ye Tian knew that if he was not careful, he would be doomed.

"What? It seems that the rumors are true. You really still have feelings for my queen and want to replace me?!" Shi Huang stood up suddenly and approached step by step, with a dangerous light flashing in his eyes.

"Your Majesty! I…" Ye Tianming raised his head abruptly, looked directly into the eyes of the Stone Emperor, and said word by word, "I just… don't want to delay that girl."

The Stone Emperor sneered, his tone full of disdain, "Do you think I will believe such nonsense? You are clearly doing this for her..."

The Stone Emperor suddenly stopped, his eyes moving back and forth between Ye Tianming and the Queen, a sinister smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Since you are unwilling to get married to prove your innocence, I can only sentence the queen to death to silence you!"

"Come here! Pass on my decree. Empress Yu Yanran has violated her husband's moral code and secretly had an affair with an outsider. Her crime is unforgivable! She will be banished to the cold palace immediately and granted a piece of white silk!"

"Your Majesty! No!" Ye Tianming suddenly knelt on the ground, his heart broken.

He couldn't let go after all.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to prove my innocence! I...I am willing to marry the daughter of the Minister of Revenue to prove my innocence!" Ye Tianming closed his eyes in pain and said in a hoarse voice.

He has no choice.

From this moment on, he will lose Yanran forever!