Chapter 295: Favoring One over the Other

Emperor Jing'an heard that on the Mid-Autumn Festival, Yizhen was thrown into a beast fighting arena and locked in an iron cage with wild beasts that had been hungry for several days. She was torn to pieces and bitten to death by the wild beasts, and not even a complete skeleton could be pieced together.

During the festival of family reunion, Yizhen is looking forward to him coming to pick her up and reunite with her, right?

But she died tragically that day.

He couldn't imagine how desperate she must be.

Emperor Jing'an hated himself for leaving so abruptly and did not think about what would happen to Yizhen after he left.

If he had been more thoughtful, Yizhen would not have ended up like this.

For so many years, he has been living in guilt.

The eldest princess noticed that Emperor Jing'an had returned. She turned around and saw that Emperor Jing'an was staring at the portrait in a trance, his eyes red and full of grief.

"Your Majesty, I've heard what happened these past few days." The eldest princess rolled up the portrait and gently placed it on the small table. She sighed, "Yizhen has had a profound influence on you. The more you try to suppress everything about her, the more you lose the ability to conceal it."

The eldest princess knew very well that Yizhen's sacrifice for Emperor Jing'an was like a brand, deeply engraved in the heart of Emperor Jing'an.

Yizhen's death was so tragic.

Emperor Jing'an felt guilty towards her and he would probably never be able to let it go for the rest of his life.

Emperor Jing'an knew what the eldest princess meant and let things develop naturally.

Yizhen was supposed to be a princess of great wealth and nobility, and she should have found a handsome young man to be her husband and lived a happy life.

After she passes away at the age of one hundred, a temple will be built for her, giving her unparalleled honor.

But she was a slave in Northern Qi, her pride was broken, her dignity was crushed, and she died miserably, with only a cenotaph left.

How could he allow people to criticize her?

Emperor Jing'an closed his eyes and suppressed the emotions surging in his heart: "Royal sister, I can't do this."

"You're the emperor. Emperors have weaknesses, and they're fatal." A trace of sadness etched in the princess's eyes. "When Yizhen was alive, she sacrificed her dignity and even her own life to ensure your safe return. Does she still care about being criticized in her grave?"

Emperor Jing'an looked painful. It was because Yizhen had sacrificed so much that he was reluctant to let Yizhen suffer any more grievances.

"If Northern Qi hadn't come to Great Zhou, I wouldn't have tried to persuade you." The princess said earnestly, "Northern Qi has come to Great Zhou. They're fearless. They're just trying to take advantage of your weakness."

"I'm thinking that Northern Qi is trying to marry Princess Guangning to the Crown Prince of Zhenbei in order to alienate the relationship between you, the monarch and your subjects. Now that their wish has been dashed, I'm afraid they'll take action."

The princess finally advised, "You are no longer the prince held hostage in Northern Qi. Now you are the emperor of Great Zhou. You can protect whoever you want to protect. You don't need to fear anyone anymore."

Emperor Jing'an fell into a long silence, finding it difficult to make a decision.

Once the past events are exposed, the current peace will be broken and it will be painful for several people.

-

The Duke's Mansion.

The eldest lady was uneasy when she woke up early in the morning, with an inexplicable feeling of panic in her chest. After hearing what happened in the hunting ground, she suddenly wanted to cook.

She called Guan's mother to the kitchen and personally cooked a few ordinary home-cooked dishes.

Eight Treasure Meatballs, Longjing Shrimp, Drunken Mushrooms, and Braised Fresh Water Chestnuts.

The dishes were cooked to perfection, and the eldest lady breathed a sigh of relief. She told Mother Guan to go to Lanxue Garden and invite Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan to have dinner at Jingde Hall.

When Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi arrived at the side hall of Jingde Hall, they smelled the aroma of food and saw four home-cooked dishes on the table.

"It smells so good." Shen Qingtan asked in surprise, "Mom, did you cook this yourself?"

The eldest lady said, "I had nothing to do, so I just cooked a few dishes."

Zhao Yi smiled and said flatteringly, "My mother rarely cooks. She only cooks a bowl of longevity noodles or a few home-cooked dishes on my and my father's birthdays every year."

Shen Qingtan looked at the delicious dishes and said with a smile, "Then I'm in for a treat today."

Zhao Yi's eyes softened: "Mother's cooking skills are good, you should eat more later."

I felt very touched by what the eldest lady said to the younger generation.

Her panicked heart finally settled down at this moment.

The eldest lady had a smile on her face. She took Shen Qingtan's hand affectionately and asked her to sit next to her.

"Come, come, you like shrimps, so I put a handful of tender tea in it. Try it and see how it tastes." The eldest lady personally picked up a shrimp and placed it in Shen Qingtan's bowl: "If you like it, mother will make it for you another day."

Shen Qingtan looked at the shrimp in front of her. It was as tender as white jade and had the fragrance of green tea leaves. She took a bite and found it delicate, tender and smooth, with a lingering fragrance in her mouth.

She turned her head to look at the eldest lady's eager eyes and said softly, "It's delicious."

The eldest lady was so pleased with the compliment that she immediately smiled and picked up another shrimp for Shen Qingtan and another for Zhao Yi.

Just as she was about to put down her chopsticks, she saw the master holding a bowl and handing it to her.

The master met the mistress's gaze and cleared his throat: "One must treat everyone equally and not favor one over the other."

The eldest lady gave him a look, but picked up a shrimp and put it in the eldest master's bowl.

The master said with a smile: "Teach by words and deeds, teach by words and deeds."

"Even food can't stop you from talking." The eldest lady said with disdain, but she picked up a piece of mushrooms that the eldest master liked with chopsticks.

When Shen Qingtan saw this, she smiled and her eyes moved, and she saw Zhao Yi looking at her tenderly.

When she looked over, he shifted his gaze to the eldest lady and the eldest master, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Shen Qingtan pretended not to understand and looked at him to ask what was the matter.

Zhao Yi smiled helplessly and did not respond to her move.

He held the bowl, picked up the chopsticks, and prepared to eat.

Suddenly, a pair of chopsticks came from the side and a water chestnut was placed in his bowl.

He turned his head and met her cunning and smart eyes.

Zhao Yi felt a gentle bump on his chest. He looked at her while eating the water chestnuts. They were sweeter than he had imagined.

The eldest lady watched the interaction between the young couple and her eyes softened.

Now that Zhao Yi’s illness has been cured, he has hope for a better life.

She will have the chance to become a grandmother in the future.

The eldest lady was just about to serve the chicken soup brought by the maid to the young couple when she saw Mother Guan come in hurriedly, glance at Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan, and whisper something in the eldest lady's ear.

With a "click", the chopsticks in the eldest lady's hand fell onto the table.