Chapter 101. Tear it apart.

Zhong Changjun said, "Not yet, but Her Majesty the Empress should have set off by now. I just sent someone to sweep the snow off the long corridor from Changqiu Palace to the Banquet Hall."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhuo said, "Then let's go to Changqiu Palace first, and then we'll go together after I see the Empress."

Upon exiting the palace, a howling wind and snow swept in. Zhong Changjun quickly followed, draping a cloak over the emperor's shoulders.

Changqiu Palace and the Banquet Hall were located in the same area, not far apart, but the snow was falling so heavily that even as the group walked along the long corridor, snowflakes kept falling. Zhong Changjun, holding an umbrella, stared intently at the Emperor's feet, until—

Xiao Zhuo suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Zhong Changjun raised his head and followed Xiao Zhuo's gaze. In the distance, under the long corridor, palace lanterns illuminated the red plum blossoms on both sides, and a figure surrounded by palace servants was getting closer and closer.

The Empress was resplendent and beautiful tonight, dressed in a pomegranate red palace gown with dark floral patterns, and a jade hairpin was tucked into her hair, reflecting a delicate luster in the snow, which made her eyes and brows even more striking.

The night wind carried snow, causing red plum blossoms to flutter and fall onto the robes of those standing on the veranda.

Red plum blossoms clung to Yuan Chao's hair as she raised her hand to shield herself from the cold wind. Out of the corner of her eye, a blurry figure flashed by. Upon closer inspection, she realized that Xiao Zhuo was right on her path.

He's here for only one reason: to pick her up and go together.

A glint appeared in Yuan Chaolu's eyes, and she strode quickly toward the figure, leaving the palace servants behind.

Xiao Zhuo only saw her walk very fast, lifting her skirt, the jade pendants on her body jingling crisply. She reached him in a few steps, and then, enveloped in a gust of wind and snow, she threw herself into his arms.

The wind was cold, but her body was burning hot. She tilted her head back, her face still covered with snowflakes and red plum blossoms. Perhaps feeling extremely itchy, she shook them off forcefully before finally pressing her cheek against the wind.

The current emperor was raised with the virtues of a gentleman, restraint, and those in high positions were expected to be sparing with their emotions, keeping them subtle and reserved. Yuan Chaolu, however, was the complete opposite. She was extremely cunning, passionate, and fiery, like a wildfire, and incredibly alluring. Today, she was as beautiful as a seductive white fox in the snow, with stray hairs at her temples streaked with snowflakes, her red lips burning, and her eyes gazing at him with affection.

"Third Brother, are you here to pick me up?"

She was always good at using her charming eyes to win people over, and somehow she felt that he was extremely susceptible to her charm.

At this moment, the ceremonial guard behind the empress hurriedly arrived.

In front of numerous palace servants, the empress embraced him as if no one else was around.

Xiao Zhuo wrapped her in his cloak. "What do you think?"

Yuan Chaolu said, "Third Brother came to pick me up. Third Brother is the best."

She took his hand, turned around, and led him toward the banquet hall.

Tonight, the palace is resplendent, its lanterns gleaming, as bright as day.

Although it was shortly after the Empress Dowager's passing, and the palace banquet was kept simple, the new year was approaching, and the atmosphere at the banquet was joyful. Royal relatives toasted each other, and the sound of clinking glasses echoed throughout the room. Interspersed throughout the banquet were songs, dances, and acrobatics by palace servants.

The scene of the emperor and empress whispering intimately to each other also caught everyone's attention.

Many of the younger generation of royal relatives or noble ladies in the palace had studied at the academy with the Empress. When the Empress first arrived, none of them paid her any attention, and some even offended her. But now, the Empress is adorned with jewels and surrounded by an increasingly unapproachable majesty and demeanor, leaving others only able to sit below and look up at her.

Those who were initially shocked by the Emperor and Empress's marriage, thinking that His Majesty's decision was merely a passing fancy, now seem to see that the two are truly a perfect match.

Prince Yan came to toast the Emperor and Empress. He had just lost his mother and was still grieving. A few days ago, the Emperor had summoned him to offer some comfort, and Prince Yan had finally regained some composure tonight. The two brothers were respectful and affectionate, but to everyone else, this scene still seemed quite subtle.

After the Prince of Yan withdrew, Yuan Chaolu put down his wine cup. Just then, he handed over something.

It was a red envelope.

Yuan Chao stared blankly for a long time before looking at Xiao Zhuo, "You gave this to me by His Majesty?"

The candlelight flickered on his handsome, flawless face, and he said with a smile, "Open it and take a look."

Yuan Chaolu gently touched it with her fingertips, rubbing the edges repeatedly for a while, but she never took it apart.

"It's been a long time since anyone gave me a red envelope."

When was the last time you celebrated Lunar New Year's Eve?

Yuan Chaolu had almost forgotten that spending New Year's Eve at Helan's house meant that Helan Yi had returned from the front lines to Longxi to reunite with his family. His presence was like a shadow, something she could never shake off.

On New Year's Eve, she could only curl up alone in her small room, watching the moonlight outside the window, swallowed by loneliness...

But tonight, so many people are by her side.

He actually gave her a red envelope.

Yuan Chaolu felt a bittersweet ache in his chest, overflowing with tender emotions. He raised his head and said, "I'll dismantle it when we get back."

Xiao Zhuo: "You can dismantle it now."

"No, it's a gift from His Majesty. I will naturally wait until no one else is around before carefully opening it."

Xiao Zhuo raised his wine cup and, through the candlelight, saw that her cheeks were flushed.

With some time still remaining before the banquet ended, Yuan Chaolu took Xiao Zhuo's hand and left the banquet hall early.

The underground heating in Changqiu Palace was burning brightly, and the sounds of string and wind instruments could be heard drifting through the palace walls.

Yuan Chaolu returned to the palace without even taking off her cloak. She eagerly opened the red seal, took out a jade key, turned around, and saw Xiao Zhuo already sitting down by the couch. She asked, "What is this?"

Xiao Zhuo said, "It is the key to my imperial treasury."

Such a groundbreaking statement, delivered so casually, left Yuan Chaolu stunned.

"Your Majesty, will you give me the key to the Imperial Treasury?"

He raised an eyebrow and said, "What, you don't like it?"

Yuan Chaolu shook her head. This was the private treasury of a country's emperor. She was too shocked to accept that it would be handed over to her directly.

Xiao Zhuo raised his hand and fiddled with the tassels hanging from her tent. "The Empress manages so many affairs in the harem so well. I believe that the Imperial Treasury will not go wrong if it is entrusted to the Empress, right? The treasures and gold and silver inside are at the Empress's disposal."

Yuan Chaolu looked at him, then suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, sitting down in his lap: "How can Third Brother be so good to me?"

Xiao Zhuo placed his hand on her back, his eyes filled with laughter, and his deep voice brushed against her ear, saying, "Does Aju have a gift for me?"

Gifts? Of course.

Yuan Chaolu left his arms, got up and walked towards the museum shelf outside the hall. She first put the jade key into a brocade box. "It's been so long since I've received a red envelope. How can I repay my third brother?"

Xiao Zhuo said, "You haven't received a red envelope in a long time. How did you spend New Year's Eve in the past few years? Didn't the Lu family give you a red envelope?"

The Yuan Dynasty must have exposed its body.

The sound of a man's footsteps came from behind her. His tall figure landed on the shelf, and his arms wrapped around her from behind.

Yuan Chaolu said, "The Lu family has their own children, and sometimes they forget about me."

Last time, she used a fake pregnancy to plot against the Lu family. With Yuan Chaolu's pleas, the Lu family was spared the death penalty. Since then, she has repeatedly expressed her loyalty to Yuan Chaolu and dared not cause any more trouble.

He rested his forehead against the crook of her neck, his stray hairs brushing against her. Yuan Chaolu reached out to grasp his hand, which was resting on her lower abdomen, but he grabbed it from behind, his fingers slipping between hers. The man's aura behind her was so strong that he trapped her like prey.

She looked at another brocade box on the shelf, a gift she had prepared for Xiao Zhuo. Just as she was about to reach for it, she heard him say, "I remember that in previous years, although the banquet was lively, I was the only one left in Xuande Hall after the banquet. Many years ago, when the late emperor was still serving the previous dynasty, I was also in the Qingzhou camp with the late emperor at the end of the year, and it was rare for us to reunite with our families."

He took her hand and pressed it against his cheek. "But I now have an empress, I have a wife."

His voice murmured, and his warm, damp breath enveloped one's heart in a sweet, gentle warmth.

Yuan Chaolu turned around and saw the candlelight reflected in his eyes, casting a warm glow.

"Today I listened to you recount your past, and sometimes I wondered, what were you like before I met you?"

He spoke softly, "Aju, can you tell me about your past?"

Yuan Chaolu's heart wavered for a moment.

He asked, "If you won't tell me, is there something you can't say?"

Yuan Chaolu shook his head: "No."

"Is it because you're afraid I'll overthink it, or have you suffered some injustice?"

She felt that gentle gaze on her for a long time, then turned away and looked at the brocade box on the shelf. "I'm preparing this for His Majesty..."

“Aju,” he kissed the back of her neck and whispered in her ear, “you can tell me anything.”

His warm hands slowly slid into her clothes, gently untying the cloak she was still wearing.

The mirror before him reflected the figures of a young man and woman pressed together. The young king embraced the slender woman, breathing into her neck. She felt weak and almost collapsed into his arms, her eyelashes trembling slightly. "Your Majesty."

He was especially tender tonight, and those feelings seemed to have woven an invisible net, drawing her heart in little by little. But as she went down, would she be supported, or would she fall into the abyss?

Should she tell him the truth about her past? Should she admit that she had ulterior motives for approaching him in the first place?

Even the closest couples have secrets.

The days she spent at Helan's house had left a scab on her heart, and the slightest touch would cause the wound to reopen and bleed profusely... Just thinking about it made her breathless, let alone telling him about it.

Even if it were truly time to be frank, now is not the right time.

She wanted to escape everything.

As the atmosphere grew increasingly ambiguous, Yuan Chaolu suddenly pulled away, saying, "The bath water is ready; I'd like to take a bath first."

She turned away hastily, and for a fleeting moment seemed to see the warmth fading from his eyes. He said, "Go."

Hot water was rising in the bath, constantly gushing from the marble faucet, and Yuan Chaolu had been frozen in place ever since she entered.

She had no interest in undressing and taking a bath.

After some time, Yuan Chaolu calmed down and returned to the outside of the palace. The candlelight was blinding, and the hanging gauze curtains were illuminated by the light, creating a shimmering effect like rippling water.

Her husband sat by the bed, intently looking at a scroll of official documents in his hands, the dim light creeping up his robes.

Hearing footsteps, he slowly raised his head, his pupils dark and cold, then raised his hand and handed over the scroll of official documents.

Yuan Chaolu felt a lump in her throat from that gaze. "What is this?"

"The Empress will know once she reads it."

The file contained the results of the investigation into the shocking incident at the hunting grounds. The official in charge of the case concluded that the wild bear had accidentally wandered into the hunting area.

However... he handed the scroll to her instead.

Yuan Chaolu asked, "Was it a wild bear that wandered in by mistake that day? Is that the end of the case? Does Your Majesty still have any doubts?"

“The case has no leads, but it’s impossible to know where the profits went. She did a great job, without leaving any flaws or clues. The recent snowstorm has also helped to conceal the traces.” Xiao Zhuo stroked the jade thumb ring on his right thumb, the one Yuan Chaolu had given him before.

"Even if Heaven were to help her, I could choose not to investigate further and turn a blind eye. However, that's from the perspective of others—"

Xiao Zhuo looked at the Empress standing in front of him. Her eyes were exceptionally beautiful, naturally filled with affection, charming and alluring. She looked at him with incomprehension and surprise. She was becoming more and more adept at pretending, learning extremely quickly, and becoming more and more skilled at dealing with him.

Yuan Chaolu asked, "What does Your Majesty mean?"

Xiao Zhuo stood up, walked to the incense burner in the hall, picked up the spice box on the shelf, added spices to the middle, and said slowly and deliberately, "Jia Li and the others can't find any evidence. No matter how you look at it, she did it perfectly. But I'm in contact with her day and night, and I can detect the slightest abnormality in her emotions."

Smoke rose again from the extinguished incense burner, leaving only the "popping" sound echoing in the silent hall.

Yuan Chaolu gripped the official document in her hand tightly, meeting his scrutiny.

She made no mistakes in any of her steps; the mistake was that the person sleeping next to her was a top master at manipulating the court and playing power games.

Her excessive concern for him afterward, far exceeding her previous concern, betrayed her.

Yuan Chaolu felt a chill run through her body and suddenly remembered the key to the inner treasury that he had given her.

From the red envelopes at the palace banquet to the intimate whispers in Changqiu Palace, he recounted his past, gradually guiding her towards one goal: to make her completely lower her guard and reveal her past.

Xiao Zhuo said, "What were you thinking when you were plotting to kill me?"

Yuan Chaolu took a deep breath, her blood surging like a burst dam, and looked at her husband as he calmly spoke. His next words shattered all her pretense.

“I actually knew about your past a long time ago. The Lu family has nothing to do with you and never took you in. They fabricated your past from the moment you entered Luoyang, and your initial approach to me was for ulterior motives.”

"You were once a slave girl in the Helan family."

His voice struck me like a muffled thunderclap.

Yuan Chaolu's ears were ringing as he looked up: "When did you find out...? Did the Lu family tell you?"

Xiao Zhuo remained silent.

Yuan Chaolu stepped forward: "That was before the marriage. You knew about it before the marriage?"

He still didn't speak.

"When I was summoned to the palace by you?"

Xiao Zhuo looked at her pale face and said, "From the moment you first approached me, when the whistle bone you carried accidentally slipped off your neck in the martial arts arena, I recognized you as the woman from the Longxi Buddhist Temple."

He approached step by step, saying, "It won't be long before I send people to Longxi to investigate, and your past will be presented to the Emperor."

Yuan Chaolu closed his eyes briefly. In other words, he had known everything about her for a long time and witnessed the Helan and Lu families being defeated by her one by one.

Seeing her expression, Xiao Zhuo's Adam's apple bobbed. He looked away from her face and towards the side. "Tonight is New Year's Eve. I have asked you repeatedly about your past, but you still refuse to be honest with me. I did not intend to delve into the matter of the hunting grounds, but what am I to you? I do not want to continue this charade with you."

"Did you do the thing at the hunting grounds?"

Now that things have come to this, there's no point in denying it anymore. Yuan Chaolu said, "Yes."

Hearing her so decisive, Xiao Zhuo chuckled lightly, as if mocking himself, and then looked back at her: "You should have thought about what the consequences would be if the wild bear got out of control. You clearly knew that you were scheming against my safety, yet you still did it?"

Yuan Chaolu had indeed thought about it, but after a brief hesitation, she made up her mind.

Xiao Zhuo said, "I remember last time, you promised me that you would never deceive me again. Now, you still choose to betray me. Do you have a shred of sincerity? Are you planning to keep this a secret for the rest of your life?"

She shook her head, wanting to explain something, her shoulders trembling. After a long while, she finally raised her head, her eyes slightly red. "Actually, everything tonight, the sweet words His Majesty spoke and the gifts he gave me, were all to interrogate me. He was just trying to lower my guard step by step, it was just a matter of politeness before taking action. I know Your Majesty, you treat your ministers the same way."

Her voice echoed in the empty hall.

“His Majesty pressed me to tell him why I was unwilling to speak, why, why…” A faint redness welled up in her eyes. “I never wanted to be honest, I just didn’t want it to be so soon.”

“You are too arrogant and aloof. I can’t imagine how you would tolerate me if you knew the truth, just like you are now.”

Xiao Zhuo's eyes flickered slightly, and he said, "I'm talking about your matter."

She looked up, "Xiao Zhuo!"

The fact that she called him by his full name for the first time stunned Xiao Zhuo.

“I made a mistake regarding the wild bear incident at the hunting grounds, and I won’t deny it. But do you think I will change? Do you think I’m stubborn and unrepentant?”

"I've come this far with great difficulty in order to bring down Helan Yi. If Your Majesty were in my situation, could you have done better? I didn't do anything wrong. I used any means to achieve my goal. It's just that my plan was exposed. Was I wrong?"

"Can--"

"You tell me if I am in pain or not. If I were heartless and cold-blooded, with revenge against the Helan family as my sole purpose, I would not be affected in the slightest."

Xiao Zhuo saw that her eyes, like dewdrops, had suddenly lost their previous fierce demeanor, and she looked at him with tears in her eyes, her voice choked with sobs.

His voice trembled as he spoke, each word distinct and deliberate: "Yuan Dynasty Dew."

“But I hurt my husband, and I am in great pain.”

Xiao Zhuolai answered, saying that she was an orphan who came to the capital alone and has now climbed to such a high position; he couldn't have done better.

He said in a hoarse voice, "When you talk about loving me, you are vague and ambiguous. When you scheme against me, your actions are like sharp blades, hurting people without considering the consequences."

The commotion inside the palace had already reached the outside. Zhong Changjun was glad that he had ordered the palace servants to leave at the beginning. At this moment, he suddenly heard the emperor call his name from inside the palace, and he hurriedly and nervously entered.

Xiao Zhuo ordered him to bring pen and ink.

Yuan Chaolu watched him spread out the Xuan paper, then suddenly walked to the table and asked, "What are you going to do? Are you going to depose the empress?"

Before Xiao Zhuo could speak, he saw her incredibly vulnerable face. She gritted her teeth and said, "What are you going to write? You're not allowed to write. You said you would submit to me and forgive me even if I did something wrong. Are your words sincere? Are they just a hook disguised as gentle bait?"

Xiao Zhuo laughed and said, "Since you think I am cold-blooded, then I will give you an imperial edict. You have now accomplished what you wanted. If you want to leave, just take the edict and go."

"No!" she exclaimed immediately. "Wouldn't that mean the whole world would know I'm a deposed empress?"

He crumpled the Xuan paper, replaced it with another, and handed it to him, saying, "Then you write."

Yuan Chaolu raised her hand to take the brush and ink, but just as she was about to put pen to paper, her arm hung in the air.

Zhong Changjun, who was dragged into this for no reason, felt a chill run down his spine. Seeing that the emperor's expression was softening and the empress was hesitant to write, it was clear that she was just waiting for a way out and that things were not really going to come to a complete breakdown.

Xiao Zhuo saw through her thoughts at a glance and said, "Zhong Changjun, you write it. She doesn't know many characters and doesn't know how to draft this kind of document."

Yuan Chaolu glared at him, wiped away her tears, and offered her seat to Zhong Changjun. She looked at him and said, "I've always been this kind of person. It was His Majesty who decided to dissolve my engagement with Prince Yan and Pei Xi. It was my ability to make His Majesty like me in the first place. His Majesty accepted me and that's why he married me. When you promised me the position of Empress, you knew I was full of lies. So why are you blaming me?"

Xiao Zhuo's expression was calm, his face usually unmoved, showing no sign of emotion. However, at this moment, his slender hand hanging at his side was trembling slightly.

“I have been like this since I was a child, and this is how I have become. Some things cannot be changed,” Yuan Chaolu said. “If I wanted to say something, I would say it myself. But Your Majesty is a king, arrogant and heartless. How can I dare to entrust him with my trust?”

She knew that a man like him, devoid of emotion, was extremely picky and demanding when it came to love and desire, intolerant of any insincerity from others. Not even a trace of it.

Yuan Chaolu felt suffocated.

He looked at her, his eyelashes trembling: "Morning Dew, so in your heart, is this how I am?"

Yuan Chaolu saw his eyes redden and his voice choke for a moment. She had never seen him like this before. She was stunned, but still said with a sharp edge, "Will you choose me firmly? In front of Helan Yi, he is your right-hand man, but when I face him, who will you choose and who will you abandon? I have no other choice."

Tonight is New Year's Eve, and things have turned out so unpleasant. But after saying all this, Yuan Chaolu felt relieved. She and he had been completely honest with each other.

Silence fell over the hall. Zhong Changjun stood quietly to the side, facing the Xuan paper, not putting pen to paper, wanting to offer some advice, but ultimately daring not to speak.

After a long while, Xiao Zhuo said softly, "You may stay in Changqiu Palace for now." Then he picked up the cloak from the table.

Yuan Chaolu turned around and saw that he was about to leave. Knowing that those words meant he was being confined to his quarters, she said, "Since Your Majesty does not wish to see me, then I will move out of Changqiu Palace."

After hearing the last sentence, Xiao Zhuo looked at her intently and asked, "Where is the Empress going?"

“There is a tall tower in the palace. It’s not as close to the Xuande Hall as the Changqiu Palace. I’ll go there.”

He watched as Yuan Chaolu turned and walked into the hall without looking back.

The palace servants of Changqiu Palace were summoned, and soon the Empress's clothes, jewelry, and utensils were packed into chests.

It won't be until tomorrow that the entire palace will know that the Emperor and Empress have developed a conflict.

Yuan Chaolu moved to a tall tower, in the southernmost and most remote corner of the palace, far from the Xuande Hall. The hall was filled with chests and boxes, extremely messy, and all the items urgently needed to be sorted out, but Yuan Chaolu sent all the palace servants away.

The tower was locked, its windows wide open, and the moon hung high in the sky. Outside the palace walls, however, the imperial city was brightly lit, and the sounds of daily life echoed continuously.

She sat on the floor by the bed and watched the snow falling heavily outside the window. She stretched out her hand, and a snowflake landed in her palm.

The pure white snowflakes, seemingly without any impurities, melt little by little when they encounter a warm source, ultimately leaving nothing behind.

The cold night stretches on endlessly, the night watchman's drum never ceasing. Tonight, countless lights illuminate every home, yet in this desolate place, the boundless loneliness of the night surges in, completely enveloping and swallowing Yuan Chaolu.

Yuan Chaolu hugged her knees tightly.

At her feet lay a brocade box, its lid open, inside which lay a small, warm sandalwood shrine.

The carving is incredibly lifelike, depicting a blooming lotus pedestal with clearly defined layers of petals. A gentle Buddha statue sits atop it, its eyes filled with compassion and boundless tenderness. The texture of the sandalwood is exquisitely revealed under the moonlight.

Such small Buddhist shrines are usually used for warding off evil and praying for blessings. They are so exquisite and lifelike that they could not be carved without years of profound skills and the utmost dedication of the carver.

And hidden inside the base of that lotus pedestal is an inscription—

"In the third year of the Renxi reign, my daughter Aju met the love of her life in Luoyang in late spring."

"I pray to Heaven and the gods to bless my beloved with long life and good health."

"Unwavering through the ages, together day and night."

"Aju presents this."

The moonlight flowed like water, spilling over the small Buddhist shrine that had never been given away, and bathing it in its light.

Yuan Chaolu, standing in the cold night, slowly hugged his icy body.