Chapter 301 The Dragon Pendant Given by Wen Lier

Meeting the undisguised worry in Wen Li'er's clear eyes, Wen Wanqin felt a little warm in her heart, and the smile on her face deepened a little, with a hint of imperceptible sweetness and anticipation.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. I am not returning home. I will... accompany Mr. Gu and set off overnight to Taiyuan Prefecture in Jianzhou, in the north. Taiyuan Prefecture is a thousand miles away from the capital, and the people are simple and honest. No one knows about the past, so it is a good place to settle down."

Gu...Lang?

Wen Li'er's little mouth opened into an "O" shape again. She subconsciously turned her head quickly and glanced at the emperor's expression cautiously.

The concubines in the harem have lovers, but they still run away with their lovers?

This... the emperor... isn't he angry?

Yan Shixu looked calm and composed, with even a faint smile on the corner of his lips.

It was clear at a glance that he didn't care at all that "his" woman was about to run away with someone else.

Yan Shixu's gaze swept towards Yongtai behind him.

Yongtai understood and immediately came forward with a heavy rosewood brocade box and presented it respectfully to Wen Wanqin.

"Miss Wen, this is a reward from His Majesty. Please keep it."

He gently opened the lid of the box and showed it to Wen Wanqin.

The contents of the box are clearly visible under the palace lantern.

A document stamped with the imperial seal that allows unimpeded travel throughout Dayan;

And... a thick stack of high-denomination banknotes!

A quick glance shows that there are at least two hundred thousand taels!

Wen Wanqin's heart skipped a beat, and even her breathing was choked for a moment.

She and Gu Lang went to Jianzhou, and what they lacked most was money.

Gu Lang came from a poor family and his only income was the salary from the court.

Although her family was wealthy, she was unwilling to enter the palace. Her parents were worried that she would get into trouble, so they did not give her any money.

And her money was only what she had saved in the palace over the years.

With this huge amount of money, she and Gu Lang will not have to live in poverty in the future.

Wen Wanqin no longer hesitated and bowed deeply, her forehead almost touching the cold ground.

"Your Majesty, I bow to you and thank you for your grace! Your Majesty, I will never forget your great kindness."

Yan Shixu raised his hand to support her. "Stand up. You are thoughtful and thorough, and have made great contributions to cleansing the palace and maintaining the purity of the royal bloodline. This is the reward you deserve."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

At this moment, Yan Shixu just remembered her contribution and rewarded her with a sum of money that was enough to ensure her wealth for the rest of her life.

However, he never expected that several years later, this money would flow back into the national treasury in another form, and in an endless stream.

After all these years together in the deep palace, Wen Li'er and Wen Wanqin only became truly familiar with each other in the past half month.

Seeing that she was about to go on a long journey, Wen Li'er felt reluctant to let her go and subconsciously wanted to give her something.

Wen Li'er raised her hand and touched her hair bun, where she found only a gilded pear blossom hairpin that she treasured very much.

It was a gift from the emperor, and she was reluctant to take it off. Instead, she took off a pair of flawless white jade bracelets from her wrist and handed it over.

"Miss Wen, this pair of bracelets is for you." Her voice was soft and sincere.

Wen Wanqin did not refuse. She handed the box containing the documents and banknotes to Su Jin, and then respectfully took the pair of jade bracelets with both hands.

"Thank you, Her Majesty the Imperial Concubine, for the gift. Wanqin will definitely treasure it."

Wen Li'er nodded and her eyes fell on her waist again.

She took off the jade pendant and handed it to Wen Wanqin.

"This is for you too!"

Wen Wanqin bent down to take it, but the moment her eyes touched the jade pendant, her hand suddenly retracted.

"Your Highness, this item is too valuable. I dare not accept it."

Seeing that she refused to accept it, Wen Li'er simply stepped forward and stuffed the jade pendant directly into Wen Wanqin's hand without saying a word.

"It's just a jade pendant, take it! Don't be polite with me!"

The jade pendant felt soft and smooth to the touch, and its texture was extraordinary, but in Wen Wanqin's hand it seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. She couldn't hold it in her hand, and she didn't dare put it down. She was at a loss for a moment.

Yan Shixu, who was standing aside, glanced at the jade pendant, a hint of understanding and a hint of helplessness flashed across his eyes, and then turned into indulgence.

He rubbed Wen Li'er's soft hair and said to Wen Wanqin, "Since Li'er is giving it to you sincerely, please accept it. This item... may be of some use to you and Gu Qing in your future."

The emperor spoke in person. Wen Wanqin took a deep breath and thanked him deeply again.

"Your humble servant... Thank you, Her Majesty, for your generous gift! Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

She carefully kept the jade pendant close to her body.

Wen Li'er didn't notice at all that the jade pendant she casually stuffed out was just made of excellent jade and had simple carvings when viewed from the front.

But if you turn it upside down and look closely in the clear moonlight, you can see a majestic and domineering five-clawed golden dragon perched on it!

Upside-down dragon—the dragon is coming.

Emperors usually only bestow dragon pendants of this shape on very few important ministers or those who have made great contributions to the country.

With this pendant, Wen Wanqin and Gu Jinxiu can get help from local officials no matter where they go in Dayan territory or what difficulties they encounter.

Wen Wanqin said goodbye to the emperor and his concubine again and got on the carriage.

She lifted the car curtain, looked back at Wen Li'er deeply, and waved at her.

When the curtain fell, it separated the two worlds inside and outside the palace walls.

The wheels rumbled, carrying Wen Wanqin outside the palace walls, towards her own new life, full of unknowns but also full of freedom.

Wen Li'er couldn't help but take two steps forward and waved vigorously at the carriage that was getting farther and farther away.

The clear eyes reflected the moonlight and the reluctance to leave, until the carriage was completely integrated into the deep night.

Yan Shixu kept looking at her, taking in the undisguised yearning in her eyes.

His eyes darkened slightly, and he stretched out his hand to hold her in his arms, his voice carrying a hint of danger:

"Li'er...are you envious of her?"

Wen Li'er nodded subconsciously.

The world outside the palace is free and unrestrained. You can travel around the beautiful rivers and mountains and see the mountains, rivers and seas.

But soon, she suddenly realized that something was wrong.

He looked up hurriedly and met Yan Shixu's deep and indecipherable eyes.

Her desire to survive instantly exploded, and her head shook like a rattle.

"How could I possibly envy Miss Wen! I am blessed to be able to stay in the palace and accompany Your Majesty every day. I don't know how many lifetimes I have cultivated to earn this blessing. I am filled with joy! Life outside the palace is nothing compared to the life with the Emperor and the children. Seriously!"

She tried to make her eyes look sincere.

Yan Shixu looked at her panicked defense, and the dangerous light in his eyes was finally replaced by a smile, mixed with a hint of pain.

He tightened his arms, rubbing his chin against the top of her soft hair, his voice soft and compromising.

"How about I allow you to leave the palace twice a month from now on? Either to visit relatives or to go sightseeing, whatever you like."

Wen Li'er suddenly raised her head from his arms, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, and she almost thought she was hallucinating.

"Your Majesty? You...you just said something? I didn't hear clearly..."

Yan Shixu looked at her in a daze, deliberately put on a serious face, and chuckled.

"Since you didn't hear clearly, then just pretend I never said it."

"I heard it! I heard it!"

Wen Li'er was so excited that she hugged Yan Shixu's neck, laughing and jumping like a happy kitten.

"I heard it clearly! Your Majesty's words are golden! They cannot be changed!"

Twice a month! That’s twenty-four times a year!

She stood on tiptoe and gave Yan Shixu a big kiss on the cheek!

"Your Majesty is so kind to me! I love you so much!"

Yan Shixu lowered his eyes and looked at her shining little face.

He tightened his arms and sighed helplessly.

Being confined in this deep palace day after day, trapped in the small world of the Tourmaline Palace, even with all the love and care, it was still unfair to her.

Behind the two of them, Yongtai and Zhang Sicheng, who were hidden in the shadow of the corner gate, looked at each other silently, with emotion in their eyes.

Yongtai: Your Majesty treats the Empress as if she were in your palm for fear of dropping her, and as if she were in your mouth for fear of melting her.

Zhang Sicheng looked at the figures of the emperor and his concubine embracing each other in the moonlight. Their genuine intimacy and tenderness caused a ripple in his usually cold heart.

He touched his chin subconsciously.

Maybe...it wouldn't be so bad to marry an understanding wife, take care of a small family, and live a simple and stable life?

As soon as this thought came to his mind, Zhang Sicheng wished he could get married right away.

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