Dun Shuyuan pleaded in a tender voice, not daring to speak any more. She bowed and walked out of the inner hall, then knelt in the flower hall at the door of the side hall.

She felt regretful that she had spoken too much or chosen the wrong words, which had angered the emperor. However, judging from the emperor's reaction, her strategy of sowing discord was very successful.

First, he messed with Sheng Xiyan's wallet, and then with tuberose.

With an evil smile on his lips, Sheng Xiyan, I can't help but Qi Yan loves you, but I won't let the emperor treat you well, let's wait and see.

At this time, the hall was dim and it was very quiet outside, with only moonlight shining in.

Dun Shuyuan knelt and her thoughts drifted back to three and a half years ago.

I think of that handsome young general with sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, red lips, white teeth and a graceful demeanor.

At that time, she was still unmarried and begged her father to go to Prince E's palace to propose marriage. She thought that because her father was Qi Yan's enlightenment teacher, and the two had met several times for this purpose, they left a good impression on each other, and Qi Yan would definitely agree to marry her.

She waited and waited, but when her father came back, he looked gloomy.

He complained, "You little girl, didn't you say you and Qi Yan were consensual? Why is it that when I went to talk to him, he categorically said he already had a sweetheart and would never marry anyone else? You've completely embarrassed me, your father. You should focus on preparing for the second half of the year's draft."

Dun Shuyuan didn't believe that Qi Yan didn't like her, so a few days later she quietly waited outside the palace until he came out.

Follow all the way.

It was drizzling at the time. On the corner of a street in the capital, stood a woman in a lavender dress. She was not holding an umbrella and was looking around with her hands covering her forehead.

Dun Shuyuan saw Qi Yan jogging all the way to the woman, handed all the small oil-paper umbrellas to her, and carefully wiped the raindrops from her face and hair with her sleeves.

The two chatted and laughed sweetly, and disappeared down the street hand in hand.

Dun Shuyuan's dream was shattered. That was the man she had liked for several years, but she never dared to confess her love to him.

Feeling disheartened, I walked in the rain.

Later, after she got over her broken heart, she did not give up and asked Qi Yan to come out and talk.

"Brother Yan, I am willing to marry you and that woman together as your equal wife."

Qi Yan pulled her hand away and said firmly, "Miss Dun, I will only have one wife in this life."

Dun Shuyuan cried humbly and begged, "What about being my concubine? She'll be the eldest and I'll be the youngest, isn't that enough?"

Qi Yan bowed and left mercilessly.

A month later, news reached us that General Qi had received the Emperor's blessing for marriage and had held a grand wedding banquet that resounded throughout the capital.

She was sick for a whole month because she was lovesick for the love she couldn't get.

In the palace, when she learned the news that Qi Yan died in the battlefield, she cried and laughed. Qi Yan, this is probably retribution, right?

-------

For some reason, Sheng Xiyan didn't sleep well in the main hall that night. She couldn't sleep so she got up and read.

Hua Xia saw the butter lamp lit by the window and came in to see her.

"My Lord, why are you still awake?"

"I can't sleep. I feel sleepy after reading for a while."

Not wanting to disturb the general, Hua Xia asked quietly, "My lady, are you in a bad mood because the emperor went to the side hall?"

Sheng Xiyan smiled calmly and said, "It's normal for the emperor to go anywhere. I won't let this kind of thing affect my mood."

Hua Xia was puzzled and asked, "I don't understand. My mistress clearly made a sachet for the Emperor, so why did the Emperor go to the side hall tonight to stay with Dun Shuyuan?"

Sheng Xiyan also felt that something was wrong. He had been getting along well with Emperor Xuanwu recently, so it shouldn't be like this when he received a return gift.