Chapter 103 How Much Do You Like Concubine Shen Liang?

Pei Tingyue moved to the front of the dragon chariot, but did not go in.

"Your Majesty is waiting for me, what's the matter?"

Xie Chen's clear voice came from behind the gauze curtain: "Come here."

Pei Tingyue hesitated for a moment, but still did not move. She whispered, "Today is Mid-Autumn Festival, the emperor should go to Fenghe Palace."

The person on the dragon chariot paused for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice seemed a little colder.

"I have many government affairs to attend to tonight. I have already informed the Queen that I will not be going. I wanted to take some time off to come and see you. Since you don't want to see me, I will return to Chengming Palace."

After finishing speaking, Xie Chen ordered in a steady voice: "Go back."

When the young eunuchs heard the emperor's order, they came over to carry the dragon chariot.

Pei Tingyue raised her hand to stop him: "Step back first."

After dismissing her attendants, she turned around, lifted the gauze curtain and entered the dragon chariot.

Although there was an empty seat, Pei Tingyue still sat on Xie Chen's lap.

Xie Chen's face showed no emotion. He just reached out and pushed her: "Get off."

Seeing that he was a little angry, Pei Tingyue decided to coax him and held his waist tightly, "I will not get down."

Xie Chen lowered his eyes and looked at her: "Just now I asked you to come in, but you didn't come in. Why are you coming in now?"

He is indeed angry.

Pei Tingyue thought to herself that he was a stingy man.

Didn't she just reject him twice, and yet he gave her the cold shoulder?

But there was a reason why she didn't get into the dragon chariot just now.

Empress Cui treated her very well. She would never do something like secretly pestering the emperor even though she knew that he was going to Fenghe Palace.

Although there was a reason, Pei Tingyue didn't want to say it.

When she was in a relationship with the emperor, she was always reluctant to talk about or involve other concubines.

So there was only one way to go. Pei Tingyue quickly admitted her mistake: "I didn't listen to the emperor just now. It was my fault."

Xie Chen didn't accept her apology, and said sarcastically, "I finally took some time out to come see you. I thought you would be happy, but it seems I was being too sentimental."

Pei Tingyue shook his arm and said pitifully, "I was wrong. Your Majesty, please forgive me, okay?"

"You don't care about me at all, why should I forgive you?" Xie Chen pulled away a little, his tone becoming a little colder. "I have to go back to handle government affairs."

"I take it seriously, I take it seriously."

Pei Tingyue held him tightly, hooked her arm around his neck and slowly kissed his face, from his chin, to the tip of his nose, and then to his eyes, kissing one by one.

Xie Chen didn't react. He didn't refuse nor did he say he wanted to leave.

Pei Tingyue felt that it had some effect, so she continued to kiss him. She covered his slightly cold lips, gently pushed them open with the tip of her tongue, and kissed him for a long time.

But he didn't respond. Pei Tingyue got bored and wanted to think of another way. Just as she was about to leave, he grabbed her head and scolded her.

"There's no sincerity at all."

So Pei Tingyue showed his sincerity.

By the time she coaxed the person, the lip balm on her lips was gone.

The two of them hugged each other quietly to calm their breath.

Pei Tingyue asked him softly, "Your Majesty is so busy, does he still care about me?"

Xie Chen's anger subsided, and his expression was no longer stern. He reached out and touched the mole at the corner of her eye. "You dress so beautifully, isn't it for me to see? If I only take a look or two, wouldn't that be a waste of your thoughts?"

What's more, we haven't seen each other for so many days.

He missed her a little.

Pei Tingyue tilted her face upwards, the light purple color gradually spreading out from the corners of her eyes, making her look very lively and beautiful: "Does this color suit me?"

Xie Chen gently stroked the corners of her eyes: "Hmm."

Pei Tingyue acted coquettishly in his arms: "Kiss me again, I have missed the emperor so much these days, but I can't see him, so I can only hug his clothes to relieve my pain."

Xie Chen heard what he wanted to hear, so he lowered his head and gave her a sweet treat.

Maybe politics is really too busy.

But a quarter of an hour later, Xie Chen left.

Pei Tingyue tidied up her appearance and took Yun Shu and Yun Zheng back to the palace.

*

These past few days, when paying respects in the morning, Pei Tingyue could always hear the concubines whispering to each other, and they would look at Concubine Shen Liang from time to time.

She had someone inquire about it, and all she knew was that something had happened to Shen Shoufu of the previous dynasty.

But she remembered that there was no news of the Shen family's downfall in the original book. Could it be that because she traveled through time, she changed the original trajectory?

Seeing the confusion on her face, Concubine Li thought she didn't know about this, so she kindly explained, "In the past few days, Prime Minister Shen has been impeached many times during court. The emperor dotes on Concubine Liang, and since Prime Minister is the emperor's tutor, he wanted to suppress this matter. It was only slightly calm in the past two days. Who knew that the situation would suddenly become serious yesterday, with infighting within the cabinet, and Yang Cifu listed dozens of evidences to accuse Prime Minister Shen. I heard that the emperor didn't sleep a wink all night because of this matter."

Pei Tingyue was slightly startled.

It sounds a bit serious now.

However, the more serious the situation is, the better it is for her. Concubine Shen Liang will be easier to deal with without her family background.

Pei Tingyue changed his mind and came up with an idea.

The information she could get from the harem was limited, so she had to go to Chengming Palace to find out.

After paying his respects, Pei Tingyue made two refreshing mint drinks and went to Chengming Palace.

I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that I met Concubine Shen Liang again.

But this time, it seemed different from the last time. It was Concubine Shen Liang who encountered the dilemma. She knelt in front of Chengming Palace with her forehead already red.

"Your Majesty, my father was wrongly accused!"

Pei Tingyue avoided her and asked the young eunuch to go in and report.

Unexpectedly, Xie Chen came out in person after a while.

He glanced at Pei Tingyue and then withdrew his gaze. He walked to Concubine Shen Liang and helped her up. He seemed tired. "Yuyao, I am thinking of a solution. You should go back to the palace first."

Concubine Shen Liang helplessly grasped his clothes, shook her head and burst into tears: "Ah Chen, you know father, he is devoted to the king and the country, it is impossible for him to do those things. It must be that kind of villain who is jealous and impeached father."

This address startled Xie Chen. She hadn't called him that since Concubine Shen Liang entered the palace. This was the first time today, which showed that she was really anxious.

Seeing that he was distracted, Concubine Shen Liang thought that the name had worked, and hurriedly said, "Ah Chen, you must find out clearly."

As she spoke, she was completely unaware that the coldness in Xie Chen's eyes was not tenderness. Not only that, this time he didn't even respond to her words, but directly ordered Liang Yao,

"Liang Fei should avoid suspicion in this matter, lest the censors interfere in the harem politics tomorrow and make the situation worse. Send Liang Fei back to Yaohua Palace quickly."

Concubine Shen Liang was helped out of Chengming Palace crying.

Pei Tingyue was watching all this in the corridor.

The strange feeling of Mid-Autumn Festival night came to my mind again.

She was about to think carefully when Xie Chen led her into the hall.

*

When Pei Tingyue came out again, it was already getting dark.

She had a lot of thoughts in her mind, and she walked slowly along the palace road, thinking, and unknowingly arrived at the gate of Changle Palace.

Concubine Song was playing shuttlecock with Bai Shuang in the courtyard, and she was squatting at the palace gate with her tail curled up, as if waiting for her.

As usual, Pei Tingyue would hold Tuantuan and play shuttlecock kicking with the imperial concubine, but at this moment her mind was in a mess and she had no thoughts. She walked to the stone bench in the courtyard and sat down in a daze.

Seeing that she was distracted, Concubine Song sent the palace maid away and sat down across from her. She drank two cups of tea before asking, "What are you thinking about?"

Pei Tingyue did not hide it: "I am wondering how much the emperor likes Concubine Shen Liang."

"Don't you understand?"

Pei Tingyue was a little confused: "What?"

Concubine Song gave her a meaningful look and said, "I told you about the events in the Northern Frontier."

Pei Tingyue was even more confused: "What's the connection between the two?"

Concubine Song knocked on the table and said, "So, what do you think the emperor is like, based on your understanding and my description?"

Pei Tingyue was searching for words.

Concubine Song spoke again before she could, and her words exploded like thunder in Pei Tingyue's ears.

"Do you think that a monarch who grew up in the treacherous palace, a monarch who is adept at planning and strategizing, a monarch who is well versed in the art of ruling, really doesn't understand the consequences of favoring a concubine?"