Chapter 81

Over here, Qingyu and Qinghe looked anxiously at Wenxin, who was in low spirits, feeling worried and heartbroken.

They said guiltily, "I'm sorry, Madam, we didn't tell you about His Majesty's true identity before."

Wen Xin slowly shook her head, "I don't blame you, and it's none of your business, don't overthink it."

They were just palace maids; how could they dare to casually mention the emperor's identity?

Wen Xin can understand them.

Qingyu and Qinghe felt even more guilty.

"Madam, His Majesty did not intend to deceive you. His Majesty has never silenced us. If you really ask about His Majesty's identity, we will tell you the truth."

Little did the lady know that she was convinced that His Majesty was a powerful eunuch.

Wen Xin: "..."

She emphasized, "He was the one who kept telling me he was a eunuch."

Qingyu and Qinghe also had indescribable expressions on their faces. "His Majesty is quite... uninhibited!"

After all, throughout history, emperors have been the Sons of Heaven, whose majesty is inviolable. They value face and dignity extremely highly. Who would admit to being a eunuch?

Wen Xin also fell silent, feeling that her previous idealized image of the emperor as a great and majestic figure had been completely shattered.

How could there be such a shameless... dog emperor?

The two young women gently comforted Wen Xin, "Madam, don't think too much. Go back to Peach Blossom Manor and rest well. Let's not worry about other things for now and talk about them later."

Wen Xin couldn't refuse their kindness and nodded slightly.

...

As night deepened and the dew grew heavy, a dark figure appeared in the dormitory of the main courtyard as usual.

The female guard first put Xiao Lian to sleep and then carried her out.

Emperor Chengyuan stepped into the canopy bed, lifted the bed curtains, sat on the edge of the bed, and looked at the girl who was sleeping restlessly.

She seemed to be bewitched by something; her head swayed slightly, and her brows furrowed.

Emperor Chengyuan sighed softly, gently stroking her brow, and whispered tenderly in her ear, "Sleep now, I'll stay here and watch over you."

Wen Xin suddenly stretched her hands out from under the covers, hugged his large hands, turned over and rested her small face in his palms, closed her eyes and sobbed softly.

Emperor Chengyuan was nearly heartbroken by her crying.

He raised his other hand and gently patted her back, his low, husky voice soothing her, "Don't cry, don't cry, baby, I'm here. No one can bully you anymore, don't be afraid."

Wen Xin sobbed a few times and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Emperor Chengyuan maintained his posture, not daring to pull his hand away, for fear that the frail girl would start crying again.

He stroked her face and sighed helplessly, "What am I supposed to do with you?"

I mustn't be too careless, lest I lose my grip and let her fly away.

We mustn't go any heavier, lest we hurt this delicate little one!

...

The next morning, when Wen Xin got up to wash, she found several red marks on her face, like handprints.

She was stunned. Did she beat herself up in her dream last night?

But her face didn't hurt, and judging from the finger marks, they were from a man, right?

Wen Xin was even more confused. She asked Xiao Lian and the others, "Did someone enter my dorm room last night?"

Xiao Lian was bewildered and horrified, while Qing Yu and Qing He simply lowered their heads.

Wen Xin understood instantly.

Is it someone else, or the owner of this manor?

She pursed her lips, a hint of anger rising within her.

Yesterday, she said she didn't want to see him, so he wouldn't show up for the time being.

What happened to the saying that an emperor's word is law?

Moreover, how could he have the nerve to break into a woman's boudoir at night?

However, upon seeing a basket of freshly picked peach blossoms on the table, Wen Xin's pent-up frustration dissipated.

He remembered that she had promised to make him peach blossom cakes yesterday.

That person was really...

A hint of helplessness appeared in Wen Xin's eyes.

In the following days, Wen Xin did not see Emperor Cheng Yuan when she was awake, but his presence was never weak.

Every morning when she wakes up, there is always something on her bedside table.

Or a peach blossom in full bloom.

Or it could be a jade hairpin carved with peach blossoms.

Or perhaps a jade pendant engraved with the words "Huaiqian"...

Today is a letter.

Wen Xin paused for a moment, then opened the letter. Two plump red beans lay in her palm, and on the letter paper was a poem written in a flamboyant style: "This is the most poignant token of longing."

A blush rose to her cheeks, and she couldn't help but retort playfully, "I see you every day, what's with all this talk of longing?"

Aren't you ashamed?

However, he is now making no attempt to hide the fact that he broke into her room at night.

But perhaps because he was an emperor, he frequently disregarded etiquette and did all sorts of outrageous things, and gradually, Wen Xin got used to his unruly behavior.

He even dared to admit that he was a eunuch, and he was not ashamed to keep the wife of a disgraced official in a golden house. What was it to sneak into her boudoir at night?

She probably didn't realize that when dealing with Emperor Chengyuan, she was lowering her standards lower and lower.

He unconditionally cherished and doted on her, but wasn't she also indulging him in doing whatever he wanted?

After breakfast, Wen Xin leaned against the cushions and casually flipped through a travelogue of the Yuan Dynasty.

Qingyu served her mistress fresh tea and casually said, "Madam, the verdict from the Marquis of Xuanwu's mansion has been handed down."

Wen Xin paused in her book flipping through the pages and looked up at her.

Qingyu didn't keep them in suspense and said directly: "The title of Marquis of Xuanwu has been revoked, the mansion has been sealed, the main culprit Shangguan Cong has been sentenced to beheading, the other male members will be executed or exiled in the autumn according to their crimes, and the female members will be sent to the brothel and will never be able to get rid of their slave status."

Wen Xin only sighed softly and didn't say anything more.

She had promised him that she would no longer be saddened or heartbroken by those people from the Xuanwu Marquis's mansion, and naturally she would not break her promise.

The Marquis of Xuanwu's family has only themselves to blame!

They were born into wealth and privilege, yet they were still insatiably greedy.

Therefore, they should bear the consequences of their crimes, and no one can save them.

After Wen Xin married into the Xuanwu Marquis's mansion, she suffered greatly, making it absolutely impossible for her to have any deep feelings for the Shangguan family.

However, Wen Xin asked Qing Yu, "Will Shangguan Hao also be executed in the autumn?"

Qingyu's eyes flickered. "No, Madam."

Wen Xin asked in confusion, "What's going on?"

Shangguan Hao should be the main culprit; there's no reason he should have escaped severe punishment.

Qingyu coughed, covering her mouth, "It's like this, Shangguan Hao was punished with... castration and sent to the inner palace as a servant."

The Yeting Palace is also known as the Cold Palace!

Wen Xin's face went blank for a moment, completely unexpected that her ex-husband had actually become... a eunuch!

Yes, he's her ex-husband.

Two days ago, Emperor Chengyuan issued an edict granting permission for the wife of the heir apparent of the Marquis of Xuanwu to divorce the heir apparent.

Because the Crown Prince's wife had saved the Emperor's life and made contributions in investigating the crimes of the Marquis of Xuanwu's family, the Emperor granted her the privilege of regaining her freedom and sparing her from the Shangguan family's entanglement.

The court officials were completely baffled!

Lady Wen, wife of the heir apparent to the Marquis of Xuanwu? A savior?

What's going on here?

Your Majesty, please explain clearly!

However, Emperor Chengyuan had no intention of speaking up, leaving his officials feeling frustrated and anxious.

However, she was just a woman from a declining family, and not many people in the capital really cared about her. They just remarked that she was lucky to have managed to escape unscathed from the Xuanwu Marquis's case.

No one would have imagined that she would have any romantic entanglement with His Majesty.