Chapter 132 Particularly Attracted Him

Liang Yao was stunned, then he opened his purse and handed it over.

Pei Tingyue took the silver, but instead of giving it to the children, he handed it to the stall owner and his wife.

The couple opened it and were shocked.

"My dear, you are..."

Pei Tingyue said, "If they come again in the future, cook them some wontons and bone soup. This is the advance payment."

If we give the money to these children, there is no guarantee that they will not be able to keep it, or they may develop bad thoughts because of the money.

After much deliberation, she returned it to the couple.

After returning to the palace, she would ask the emperor to send people to visit her more often. This was also a solution.

The couple took out a silver ingot and handed the purse back. "At our stall, a bowl of wonton is only five cents, and a bowl of bone soup with steamed bun is only ten cents. These guys can't eat so much money. Take the rest back quickly, young lady."

Pei Tingyue smiled and said, "Young man, it's the time for them to eat more. You should deduct the money from them according to how much they eat until they finish it. Don't refuse."

The couple then accepted it.

Pei Tingyue went over and took Xie Chen's hand again: "My dear, shall we go?"

Xie Chen tilted his head to look at her.

She was very different during the short time she was out of the palace.

She was bright and generous when talking to people, a little stubborn when seeing something she liked, and kind to orphans. But there was more than that that had changed, there were also some things that were hard to explain.

Pei Tingyue like this was somewhat unfamiliar, yet particularly attractive to him.

He had a trance-like illusion.

It seemed that his Tingyue should be so vigorous and free, instead of being delicate, restrained and helpless.

Xie Chen slowly regained consciousness, a smile in his eyes: "Let's go."

The carriage was waiting at the end of the street.

Pei Tingyue asked people to put everything away and then got on the carriage.

Xie Chen gently rubbed her waist: "Are you tired?"

Pei Tingyue nodded and leaned back without saying anything.

It was indeed tiring after the walk, but she liked the feeling of being free.

Seeing that she closed her eyes to rest, Xie Chen stopped talking and rubbed her waist and legs with appropriate strength.

*

The carriage slowly drove on the bluestone road, and soon stopped. Liang Yao reminded it from outside.

Pei Tingyue helped Xie Chen get off the carriage.

Because the visit was incognito, no one in Prince Xuan's palace knew the emperor was here in person. However, the steward was very perceptive. Seeing the extraordinary temperament of the group, he politely asked, "Excuse me, young man, where are you from? I can pass on the message."

Liang Yao stepped forward and showed the token.

The steward saw the palace order and the dragon pattern on it, and his legs almost gave way with fear. He knelt down and kowtowed heavily, then hurriedly ordered the gatekeepers in a trembling voice,

"Open the main gate!"

Then he rushed in to report the news.

Xie Chen didn't care much about etiquette and didn't wait for King Xuan to come and greet him. Instead, he took Pei Tingyue by the hand and walked in through the main gate.

When we reached the second gate, a young man in a brocade robe strode in. He looked a little aloof, like someone in a painting.

Upon seeing the two, the young man immediately lifted his robe and knelt, "I pay my respects to the Emperor and the Concubine Zhaoyi."

Xie Chen raised his hand to support him: "Get up, you can just call me Emperor Brother outside the palace."

King Xuan stood up and asked with a smile, "Thank you, my royal brother. Why did you come to the palace in person today?"

Xie Chen patted his shoulder and said, "I heard you were injured, and I was worried about you, so I came to see you."

King Xuan led the crowd into the main hall.

After everyone was seated, Pei Tingyue asked with a smile, "How does Your Majesty know who I am?"

King Xuan smiled and explained, "I've seen several concubines at palace banquets before. Seeing your majesty as a stranger, I've guessed you're a concubine who entered the palace only last year. Furthermore, your royal brother sent me a message asking me to be the envoy to confer the title of Consort Zhaoyi. Calculating the date, it's today. If your royal brother doesn't take your majesty with him, who else could he take with him?"

The three of them exchanged pleasantries and chatted for a while.

Suddenly, news came from outside the hall that Concubine Chu had arrived.

A woman of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight came over slowly.

This person was none other than King Xuan's concubine.

Pei Tingyue looked closely and found that this Concubine Chu looked older than King Xuan. What was quite surprising was that she looked very ordinary.

Not to mention among beauties, even among palace maids, her appearance is unremarkable, but she has a gentle temperament and it is obvious that she is a person with a very good temper.

Concubine Chu stepped forward, bowed deeply, and whispered, "I am late. I hope the emperor and the queen will forgive me."

King Xuan looked at Xie Chen nervously, fearing that he would blame him.

Seeing this, Xie Chen's eyes flashed with helplessness, and he said, "Get up."

With someone accompanying Pei Tingyue, Xie Chen felt relieved, and then went to the study with King Xuan to discuss things.

"Your Majesty, please have some tea." Concubine Chu had tea brought in with a very respectful attitude.

Pei Tingyue took the tea and took a sip. He found it tasted delicious and asked, "What kind of tea is this?"

Concubine Chu smiled and said, "I saw that Your Majesty was pregnant, so I asked the servants to make jasmine tea."

Pei Tingyue put down the teacup and said politely, "You are so thoughtful."

"This is what I should do."

As for women, we have a lot of common topics, from clothes to jewelry, and we can talk about each one for a long time.

Pei Tingyue chatted with her at first just to kill time, but later he actually became interested in her.

This Concubine Chu did not seem to be a palace maid, but rather a girl from a noble family. She spoke calmly and patiently, making people feel relaxed and happy.

But when she talked about her pregnancy, there was sadness between her brows.

"I don't have the good fortune of Empress Zhaoyi. I have served the prince for six or seven years, but I haven't been able to get pregnant once."

Pei Tingyue asked, "Haven't you asked the imperial physician to come and take a look?"

Concubine Chu was helpless: "I have consulted countless doctors, common doctors, and female doctors, but none of them could find any results. They only said that I was in good health and there was nothing wrong with me."

Pei Tingyue pondered for a while.

She was used to being cautious in the palace and was very sensitive to these words.

It's a bit strange that Concubine Chu has no health problems but still can't get pregnant.

But after thinking about it, she decided not to say it.

Pei Tingyue pondered for a moment and tried to speak tactfully, "Perhaps there is something in the mansion that is not compatible with Concubine, or perhaps fate has not yet arrived. Concubine, there is no need to worry."

Concubine Chu understood the implication of her words and was startled for a moment, but she quickly recovered and said, "Thank you, Empress Zhaoyi, for reminding me."

In the study of the palace.

Xie Chen sat behind the desk, and King Xuan knelt on the ground.

"Your Majesty is useless. You allowed that traitor Xie Sheng to escape."

Xie Chen rubbed his brows, his face expressionless.

"Xie Sheng is cunning and difficult to hunt down. You've been hard-pressed staying in the south these past few years. Get up quickly."

Only then did King Xuan stand up.

Xie Chen added, "Take good care of your injuries. When you are better, I will host a banquet in the palace to welcome you."

"Thank you, my brother." Prince Xuan's brows were still furrowed, his heart still worried about the thief. "What are your plans for Xie Sheng?"

Xie Chen knocked on the table and said, "Go on a southern tour to force him out. This will calm the unrest and allow Song Lingyun to return to the northern border."

Speaking of Song Lingyun, King Xuan smiled and said, "The Imperial Concubine must have been suffocated in the palace these past few years."

Xie Chen thought of the heavy snow that day: "She is getting bolder and bolder. She even dares to hit me. Let's finish this matter quickly and send her out of the palace."

King Xuan was shocked.

The imperial concubine wasn't so brave when he left. It seems that after not seeing her for a few years, her temper has worsened.