Chapter 97

Not wanting to burden her health, His Majesty the Emperor could only flee to handle state affairs and vent his excess energy.

Sigh, he's only newly married, why does he have to work already?

His Majesty was secretly planning how to nourish and strengthen his beloved wife.

If the Imperial Concubine knew what the dog emperor was thinking, she would definitely roll up his bedding and send him to sleep in the study.

Raising them to adulthood? Is he raising piglets?

Unable to sleep with his beloved wife, His Majesty could only seek trouble with those powerful and influential officials, tormenting them until their hair fell out and their eyes were as dark as those of a beast that eats iron!

The officials who nearly died suddenly: "..."

No, Your Majesty, what happened to the three-day rest period you promised?

Why do they still have to work overtime?

The emperor's three-day rest period is no different from a scumbag's "I love you the most"—it's all nonsense.

With officials working overtime to the point of exhaustion, how could they possibly think of submitting a memorial to the emperor requesting the selection of concubines?

They don't even have time to sleep with their wives and concubines at home, okay?

Having left most of the trivial matters to his subordinates, Emperor Chengyuan was free of worries and leisurely enjoyed a wonderful honeymoon with his beloved concubine.

On the third day of their marriage, Emperor Chengyuan took her, as the lady of the house, on a tour of the entire palace.

The imperial carriage circled the Imperial Garden and the Western Six Palaces before stopping at the Shou'an Palace behind the Cining Palace.

The late emperor's concubines, those with children, were allowed by Emperor Chengyuan to leave the palace to enjoy a peaceful life; those without children all passed away in the last two years.

Therefore, the entire Shouan Palace is now lifeless and devoid of any human presence, although it is very clean and tidy.

Emperor Chengyuan led Wen Xin down from the imperial carriage and stood outside Shou'an Palace. His eyes were deep and he slowly told her, "Although I am the legitimate prince, after my birth, my father disliked and feared me. My mother was afraid of being implicated, so I was sent to be raised by the former concubines."

"The late imperial concubines were very kind to me, but when I was five years old, an epidemic broke out in Shou'an Palace, and none of the imperial concubines survived."

At first, Emperor Chengyuan thought it was a natural disaster. It wasn't until he was ten years old that he overheard a conversation between Empress Dowager Liang and her trusted palace maid, and learned that the plague was orchestrated by the deposed crown prince in order to kill him.

Empress Dowager Liang was aware of this, but she was too afraid of losing her position as Empress and offending the deposed Crown Prince, so she turned a blind eye.

Emperor Chengyuan lowered his eyes, concealing the sarcasm and hostility in them. "After I ascend the throne, I can only bestow posthumous titles upon the late imperial concubines and treat their close relatives well."

Wen Xin held his hand tightly and said softly, "The late imperial concubines would be extremely gratified if they knew that you grew up safely and ascended the throne."

Emperor Chengyuan turned to look at her, raised his hand to gently stroke her face, his eyes tender and affectionate. "Everyone says that I am unlucky and have caused the deaths of so many elders. They say I should atone with my death, but the more they want me to die, the more I want to live, seize this country, and trample them under my feet."

Wen Xin rubbed her palm against his. "The Wen family also said that I bring bad luck to my parents, but I wanted to live and I tried my best to survive."

She looked at him tenderly, "We must live well, so that those people can see that we are happy."

Emperor Chengyuan chuckled and pulled her into his arms. "You're right."

No one else loves them, but it's enough that they love each other.

Moreover, how could one not feel good seeing those who used to control their fate and humiliate them now living in their shadows, filled with fear and resentment, yet forced to kneel at their feet and beg for their lives?

Empress Dowager Liang, Princess Qinghe, and the Wen family are now nothing more than toys to be manipulated at will.

Emperor Chengyuan and Wen Xin could manipulate their fates at will, and taking their lives was as easy as a thought.

But how could we let them die so easily?

Take your time having fun!

Emperor Chengyuan led Wen Xin into Shou'an Palace to offer incense to the memorial tablets of the late imperial concubines.

When they came out, a commotion arose from the palace road.

Several eunuchs chased after the two men.

"presumptuous!"

"Lord Mo... Your Majesty?"

"This servant greets Your Majesty and the Imperial Concubine. Long live Your Majesty! Long live the Imperial Concubine!"

This area is close to the Cold Palace. Normally, the nobles of the palace would not come here. Those who walk around are mostly eunuchs and palace maids who have no ability or have offended people and have been demoted.

The moment those eunuchs saw the emperor's entourage, they collapsed to the ground in terror, their heads banging loudly, a sound that made Wen Xin wince in pain.

The two people being chased also fell to the ground, but compared to the terrified eunuchs, they stared intently at Wen Xin.

Noticing their gazes, Wen Xin turned to look at them.

Oh, it's an old acquaintance!

Wen Xian and Shangguan Hao!

One was dressed as a palace maid, and the other as a eunuch. Compared to their former glamorous appearance, they were now both disheveled and emaciated, covered in dirt. Anyone who didn't know them would mistake them for beggars.

"Wen Xin, is it really you? You really married the emperor?"

Shangguan Hao was holding a spoiled cornbread in his hand. At first, he muttered to himself, but then his face became more and more distorted.

"How dare you!? Wen Xin, you shameless woman, how dare you betray me, waaaaah..."

"How dare you!"

Xiao Miaozi, along with two eunuchs, forcefully twisted Shangguan Hao's hands behind his back and slammed his head against the ground, causing him to tremble in pain.

"Wen, Xin..."

Shangguan Hao struggled incessantly, letting out unwilling roars.

"How dare you! How dare you, a lowly servant, call the Imperial Concubine by her given name?"

The eunuchs forced Shangguan Hao to kowtow, their faces sinister as they pounded his forehead until it bled profusely.

Wen Xian huddled in the corner, her dirty face filled with fear, not daring to take a single step forward.

She wasn't as naive as Shangguan Hao; the emperor's ruthlessness and the terrifying life in the cold palace had long since worn away all her temper and spirit.

Even though she hated Wen Xin, she knew in her heart that the woman was now worlds apart from her.

Going after her will only hasten your demise.

No, even death is a blessing. The palace is full of underhanded schemes that make life worse than death.

Wen Xian could only swallow her hatred, desperately clinging to life in this cold palace, cursing Wen Xin in her heart every day for losing the emperor's favor and dying a violent death soon, hahaha...

She bit her finger, huddled in the shadows, dirty and pathetic. Don't find her, don't find her.

Wen Xin discovered that Wen Xian had become somewhat neurotic, or rather, she was completely useless, and she couldn't even muster the energy to toy with her anymore.

The Imperial Concubine's eyes were clear as water, and her temperament was clean and gentle, but her heart was cold and indifferent.

She shifted her gaze to Shangguan Hao, a smile playing on her lips. The male lead is the male lead; even in this state, he can still cause trouble.

However, His Majesty had no idea that she was enjoying her ex-husband's mischief!