Chapter 31 Chapter 31 [VIP]

It rained heavily last night, and the sky was still gloomy at noon.

The dark clouds rolled down, exuding a sense of suffocation and oppression.

Normally speaking, the weather in mid-spring is rarely this bad.

But from last night till now, the sky has not cleared up.

Yuan Mu had trouble sleeping, and Qingning Palace rarely had all the lights on, so the light in the inner hall was dimmer.

The emperor's face was against the light, and his expression was calm and peaceful, just like the water in a pond that would not be wrinkled by the wind.

He took the handkerchief handed to him by the palace maid and wiped his sleeves that were soaked by the tea. He said softly, "It's a special tea. If you don't want to drink it, there's no need to waste it like this."

There was no sound in the inner court.

The eunuchs and palace maids dared not make a sound, and Zhang Yuanpan, who usually remained calm in the face of fear, also restrained his expression.

Yuan Mu's hands were resting on the table, his slender wrist bones protruding with a slight red mark, and his pale, snow-white skin could not be hidden under his wide sleeves.

Compared with the emperor's calmness and composure, her stress was too obvious, but she had no intention of hiding it.

People outside think that Yuan Mu is introverted and timid. She has no opinions and no temper. She is not easy to talk to or control, but in fact, she has a very rebellious nature.

Unruly, capricious and cruel.

This is her true face hidden behind her gentle and beautiful face.

Yuan Mu's voice trembled: "They're about to kick me out of the palace, what are you doing here at this time?"

But her complexion was far from gentle.

Yuan Mu's eyes were filled with fatigue and anger, and she didn't even care that there were other people in the hall.

"You want to come one last time?" she asked sharply. "No need to go to all that trouble. Just have someone send me to Ziwei Palace."

The emperor showed no sign of being offended.

He simply made a gesture and dismissed all the remaining people in the hall.

There were only two of them left in the silent palace.

Yuan Mu's body was tense, her posture was defensive and aggressive, like a small animal afraid of danger.

But the emperor's expression did not change.

He said softly, "That's not what I meant."

The emperor spoke soothingly while approaching Yuan Mu: "A Luo, can you listen to my thoughts too?"

He walked towards her calmly.

The two people have a big difference in body shape.

The emperor was too tall. He could take away all the light just by standing in front of Yuan Mu, not to mention when he held her wrist.

She cried out, and before she could make any preparations, the emperor carried her sideways into the tent.

After the golden hook fell, the heavy curtain fell down, depriving the last bit of light.

Whenever Yuan Mu cries, a rich fragrance bursts out of his body.

Her messy black hair stuck to the back of her neck, revealing her snow-white waist, and even the dazzling white skin at the base of her legs, all fell into the man's palm as her belt slipped off.

The emperor separated Yuan Mu's knees and half-held her in his arms.

She was forced to sit on the emperor's lap, crying out inconsolably: "Let me go, let me go..."

After realizing that she had been deceived, Yuan Mu struggled frantically, but the emperor did not give her any chance to resist.

The pair of bright wrists like the bright moon were bound up, and the ankles were fastened open.

The emperor leaned over and kissed Yuan Mu's red lips, swallowing her cries in his throat. He pinched her jaw forcefully and took possession of her lips and tongue in a morbid manner.

Beneath his cold and calm exterior lies a darkness that is so paranoid and terrifying.

Yuan Mu was kissed so hard that she couldn't breathe. She was like a fish out of water, struggling and twisting her waist weakly.

But the result was that he was kissed even more fiercely.

The emperor's style is very obvious. Even when he is furious, his words are always rational and leave room for maneuver.

Last night, he could have simply ordered her to be expelled from the palace.

But instead of saying that, he secretly set a trap of "waiting for her to recover."

Yuan Mu couldn't break free, her slender waist was held tightly by the emperor, and her tears fell weakly onto the back of the emperor's hand.

The "click, click" sound did not win his sympathy.

The emperor simply held Yuan Mu's face and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his knuckles.

Under this absolute oppression, kissing also becomes a torture.

Yuan Mu's knees were shaking, her waist was shaking, and even her knuckles that were tightly clenching the quilt were shaking. She didn't want to be kissed anymore, and the tears in her eyes fell down like broken strings.

But it was not until the end that the emperor slightly relaxed his restrictions on her.

The sun's shadow moved westward, and the already dim palace seemed even more shrouded in darkness.

Yuan Mu had no strength left in her body. Her eyelids were swollen from crying, and her sweaty black hair stuck to her snow-white neck.

Even the scars wrapped in soft cloth looked charming.

The emperor simply rinsed his mouth, then personally filled the cup with tea and brought it to Yuan Mu.

There was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes and brows, and his morbid mood had finally subsided a lot.

From last night till now,

He had a rather cold personality. When he was young, Emperor Gaozu once said that he was good in every way except that he was not like a child at all.

The emperor rarely showed his emotions, and even less so, his

Even on the night when he was deposed as crown prince, he remained calm.

But after meeting Yuan Mu, all the self-control and calmness of the past decades seemed to be thrown out of the window.

The emperor had no idea how many times he had read the genealogy of the Helan family. This surname originated from the Xianbei Helan tribe, which had intermarried with the Tuoba tribe for generations in the early years and had a close relationship with them.

After the reform, most people changed their surname to He, so there were even fewer people who still had the surname Helan.

There are even fewer Helan people whose ancestral home is in Wuchuan Town who can be directly listed.

But last night, the emperor read the genealogy again from beginning to end.

Then there is the list of garrison troops in Jingzhao that year. It was a long time ago and happened during the war.

He still sorted out all the information himself.

The emperor even reviewed his daily schedule, the books he had read, and the notes he had annotated.

The result is the same as countless times before.

His life and Yuan Mu's life had no intersection before he forced her into the palace.

At that moment, the night was already very dark and there was a heavy rain outside.

The emperor couldn't tell what was in his heart. He calmly put down the document, then began to call people over to interrogate the servants from last night, asking about every word Yuan Mu said and everything he did.

He could actually have someone follow Yuan Mu around all the time and keep an eye on her for him.

A long time ago, the emperor did exactly this.

But Yuan Mu showed strong disgust, and she had some mental problems for a while, so he began to let go gradually.

We still need to have someone keep an eye on her secretly, but at least she can't know.

This tactful approach made Yuan Mu feel much better, but it also made some things glaring omissions.

This investigation was not a big deal, but it actually revealed the truth.

The emperor pressed his knuckles on the document with slightly dried ink, and when he looked at the two words "Yuan Wei", his eyebrows and eyes became extremely cold.

His voice was cold: "Let Yuan Wei enter the palace now."

As long as the bottom line is not touched, the emperor is willing to indulge Yuan Mu endlessly. He loves her and pampers her, and has also thought about giving her everything.

Even occasionally, there are conflicts and contradictions between them.

But as long as it happens between two people, it doesn't matter.

What the emperor hated most was someone trying to interfere in their affairs, no matter who it was.

Even if his mother were to come back to life, she would not be able to use his name to cause trouble to Yuan Mu in any way.

The emperor's coldness is engraved in his bones. Over the years, the only person who could move him to this extent was Yuan Mu.

But this girl just won't appreciate it no matter what.

The tea was brought to her, but she pretended not to see it. Her tearful eyes were half closed. She glanced at him coldly and turned away.

"Drink some water first." The emperor said in a gentle voice.

He lifted Yuan Mu's chin and fed her water half gently and half forcibly.

The emperor had never served anyone before, and he had never taken as good care of Yuan Mu as the maids did. He also knew that she actually had good feelings for them.

Sometimes she was really too kind. When the maid applied medicine on her with pity, she ignored the taboo and wanted to ask her name eagerly.

Did she know that every time she fell asleep, he was the one who tried his best to bathe her and apply medicine to her?

The emperor sometimes felt that Yuan Mu was really like a rebellious child.

She didn't understand how good he was to her, and had a naive and ridiculous yearning for freedom and the outside world. If someone she didn't know treated her a little bit kindly, she would think that person was a very good person.

When talking to Yuan Mu, you can’t do it when she is emotional.

She has a strange magic that can completely deprive him of his sanity.

The emperor fed him carefully, but some tea still got into his trachea.

Yuan Mu supported herself with her arms and sat up. She started coughing repeatedly. The emperor stroked her back and gently helped her to breathe.

Her face flushed slightly and her eyes were moist.

Yuan Mu was very disgusted by the emperor's gaze. She tried her best to avoid him, but he waited until she stopped coughing and then turned her face away.

She was forced to raise her eyes and meet his gaze.

"Are you calm now, Luo?" the emperor said softly. "If you're not calm yet, let's do it again."

Under his dark court robes was an embroidered black python with five sharp claws. Even when it wrapped around the jade beads, there was no soft feeling at all.

The emperor's forearm was slightly exposed.

He looked tall and thin, but his body under the court robes was extremely powerful.

Whether it is the thin muscles on the waist and abdomen, or the arms with slightly protruding blue veins, they all show the strength and composure of men.

It was too easy for the emperor to catch Yuan Mu's weak body like a kitten.

She stayed in the palace all year round and had hardly seen the light. But he had actually been to the battlefield several times and was the best in riding and shooting.

He who knows the times is a hero.

Yuan Mu didn't want to admit it, but after being forced like that just now, her stress eased a lot.

Although what remains is not a stable mood.

Yuan Mu's snow-white face was cold. She raised her eyes to look at the emperor and snorted lightly, meaning that she heard it.

This is such a cute way to respond.

If Yuan Mu hadn't been still angry, the emperor would have liked to kiss her again at this moment.

She rarely reveals her true emotions in front of him. She is a very restrained person. She hides her thoughts secretly and does not let anyone know her joy, anger, sorrow or happiness.

So much so that when Yuan Mu lost his temper with him, the emperor felt a pathological joy in it.

Maybe he really isn't a good person.

"I apologize for what happened last night," the emperor said softly, "I was ignorant and falsely accused A Luo."

He said slowly, "Now that the truth has been revealed, I have come to apologize."

Throughout the world, there is no one more respected and noble than the emperor, but the words he said now were the most humble.

He stroked Yuan Mu's delicate fingers and said softly, "I'll have someone investigate the matter thoroughly. You can do whatever you want with your father and those who failed in their duties."

Yuan Mu was extremely shocked when he heard the emperor's apology just now.

When she heard that he had found out that Yuan Wei was the mastermind behind the incident, she opened her eyes wide in shock.

Yuan Mu clenched her knuckles and pursed her swollen red lips slightly.

She felt strangely helpless and bewildered, so much so that she didn't know how to respond for a long time after the emperor finished speaking.

Yuan Mu still felt some pain in his body.

But the emperor just kissed her, and even though the kiss was a bit hard, it couldn't be said to be too painful.

At a certain moment, Yuan Mu couldn't help but feel attached to him.

The emperor was indeed very good to her sometimes.

No matter how much Yuan Mu hated him, she had to admit that he was not inferior to her in terms of material things.

But almost the next moment, a strong rejection arose.

This rejection was out of Yuan Mu's protection of himself.

She couldn't fall into this anymore. She had too little. Helan Zhen alone had bankrupted her and she still couldn't recover.

If he fell into it again, the result would be something Yuan Mu dared not even imagine.

Falling in love with the emperor is much more terrifying than falling in love with a soldier.

She turned her face to the side and whispered, "No need."

"That's your business," Yuan Mu said with a calm look in his eyes, "It has nothing to do with me."

She put Yuan Wei aside, as if this man was not her biological father, but at the same time, she also put the emperor aside.

Yuan Mu's expression was cold and her voice was emotionless: "You have spoken with all your heart. Since you have said that you want to expel me from the palace and make me a nun, you should do as you are told."

She even used honorifics, a rare occurrence.

The emperor's mood, which had just calmed down, was aroused again by Yuan Mu's few words.

His expression was gloomy, his eyes dark. "Are you going to drink a forfeit if you don't accept my toast?"

Sometimes, rather than being a high and mighty superior, the emperor is more like the head of the family who has the final say.

Yuan Mu had little contact with the Yuan family when he was young, and his understanding of the roles of his father and mother was unclear and very vague.

But after meeting the emperor, she suddenly understood those children who were oppressed by their elders.

After the emperor finished speaking, Yuan Mu's temper flared up again.

"So what?" she whispered. "Am I not just your plaything in bed?"

Yuan Mu's words were sharp: "Is it worth your Majesty's attention to such a thing that can be summoned and dismissed at will?"

"Besides, you are about to be selected for the imperial selection," she said with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes, "an old concubine like me is no longer worth staying in the palace."

The emperor was once very disgusted with Yuan Mu's failure to use honorifics.

He only tolerated it reluctantly because he took into account her country background and her habit of being rude and ill-mannered.

But now the emperor discovered that Yuan Mu was even more offensive when he spoke honorifics.

Every word was filled with sarcasm, and her voice was cold, bearing an inexplicable resemblance to her father's.

They all knew how to hurt people with words, but Yuan Mu almost never took the initiative to show off this weapon.

The emperor's hidden anger was surging silently.

He couldn't listen to Yuan Mu say another word, nor could he stay in Qingning Palace for a moment longer.

He really didn't know what he would do if he continued to argue with her like this.

Unlimited power means unlimited harm.

No one would come to dissuade the emperor from doing things, so in the past two years, Yuan Mu suffered a lot that others could hardly imagine.

She was not a healthy flower to begin with, and after being broken like that, she became even more crooked and sickly.

The emperor finally chose to leave in anger.

His voice was cold and stern: "You're on your own."

But the emperor did nothing except make harsh remarks.

Yuan Mu leaned back on the bed, a sarcastic smile still on her lips, but when her emotions calmed down, tears fell.

She couldn't bear this pain anymore, at least she couldn't bear this pain because of one person anymore.

She should accept reality.

The person she loved was already dead, and it was completely unrealistic to find his trace in other people.

Yuan Mu wiped away his tears, his eyes filled with determination.

This was the closest she had ever come to leaving the palace, and she had to succeed no matter what.

Yuan Mu's attitude was bad and he didn't say what to do, but the emperor still dealt with everyone involved.

He was heartless and ungrateful, cruel and ruthless, and did things without mercy. The fact that he did not execute everyone was the result of his mellowing temperament over the years.

The most difficult and easiest to deal with is Yuan Wei.

When the water is too clear, there are no fish.

No one knew Yuan Wei better than the emperor.

He is a princeling who is extremely opportunistic. He has talent and courage, and he can also offer his loyalty at critical moments.

At the same time, Yuan Wei was also a person who extremely desired power.

It is impossible to not allow subjects to have ulterior motives. Everyone has selfish desires, and how to make good use of these selfish desires is the most important thing for a monarch.

The emperor has always known some of Yuan Wei's thoughts.

Yuan Wei's expectation for a crown prince was much deeper and more eager than he himself.

It doesn't matter.

But Yuan Wei set his sights on Yuan Mu, something the emperor could not tolerate.

In mid-February, two biggest news broke out in the inner court.

One was the selection of concubines, and the other was that Yuan Wei was dismissed from the title of Shangshu Ling.

The shock caused by the latter is even greater than that of the former.

When Empress Yuan heard the news, she almost fell off her chair. She shook her head in a daze and repeated, "This is impossible, this is impossible..."

She was eager to summon Yuan Wei and Lady Cui into the palace.

But the newly appointed housekeeper of Yifeng Palace said, "Your Majesty, summoning the female members of the household requires His Majesty's permission."

She didn't even mention Yuan Wei.

The ability to summon family members freely was the most extraordinary of all Empress Yuan's powers.

It may seem ordinary, but in fact it is the most honorable treatment.

While other concubines could hardly see their families throughout the year, Empress Yuan could summon her parents freely and even leave the palace on their birthdays.

Empress Shi Yuan did not think much of this power, but once she lost it, she understood what panic and shock meant.

She was eager to contact Yuan Mu and sent messages frequently to Ziwei Palace and Qingning Palace, but there was no response.

Empress Yuan's mind suddenly became confused.

Could it be that Yuan Mu really made a big mistake, completely fell out of favor, and implicated their entire family!

Empress Yuan was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, but there was no one with whom she could discuss the news.

The maids and the nanny were all fools who couldn't tell right from wrong. They just blindly followed her wishes and couldn't say a single useful word.

Empress Yuan desperately requested to see the emperor, and finally saw him after waiting for three hours.

He was surrounded by numerous followers, and he didn't even stop when he saw her.

The emperor simply said nonchalantly, "When selecting candidates, we must pay attention to the candidate's background, character, and talent."

"Those with good academics will be sent to serve as court ladies," he said calmly, "those with good family backgrounds and moral character will be kept to become concubines of princes or dukes."

The emperor didn't mention a word about the selected candidates entering the palace!

So what was he trying to do with the selection? To find wives and concubines for those mediocre sons of the royal family?

Empress Yuan could hardly hide her astonishment.

There was a strong feeling of shock surging in her heart.

Empress Yuan didn't realize where her horror came from at first, but after returning to the palace, she couldn't help crying.

"Mammy, my reign as queen is coming to an end," she said tearfully, "Please stop taking the medicine tonight and let me die with a clear conscience..."

Empress Yuan had been immersed in power for many years and was still somewhat politically sensitive.

But today's outer court is still thriving, and many families are looking forward to sending their daughters to the deep palace to become queens.

The nanny sitting next to Empress Yuan was her foster nanny, who had personally breastfed her.

She stroked Empress Yuan's hand and said slowly, "Don't be afraid, Your Majesty, there are still many ways..."

The old nanny leaned over and whispered softly in Empress Yuan's ear.

Empress Yuan raised her head in surprise, her eyes shaking, and a variety of complex emotions such as nervousness, fear, jealousy, and expectation all converged wildly at this moment.

"Is this really possible?" she asked in a trembling voice.

But the bloodshot eyes of Empress Yuan were filled with eagerness to try.

Yuan Mu spent a rare few days in Qingning Palace in peace.

The injury on her neck was not serious, but she needed to rest.

After that day, the emperor didn't come for many days. Yuan Mu didn't know whether he would peek at her at night, but at least she had never met him.

Zhang Yuanpan brings his apprentices here every day.

Seeing that they were dressed in shabby blue clothes, Yuan Mu also changed into a sky-blue coat.

She lived a peaceful life, oblivious to the turmoil in the outside world. The only thing that bothered her was her poor appetite, which made her feel like vomiting after eating the slightest thing.

Yuan Mu stroked her flat belly as she silently flipped through the calendar and drew a big cross on the past day with a black ink pen.

Her little day will come in a few days.

Yuan Mu hopes that she can leave the palace safely before her happy day comes.

Xuandu Temple is very famous among the Taoist temples in Jingzhao because it belongs to the royal family.

It is adjacent to a large peach blossom forest and has a beautiful scenery.

After Yuan Mu put down the calendar, he picked up the book again. There were quite a few books in Qingning Palace and Ziwei Hall.

She lives a lonely life and just reads books in her spare time.

Occasionally, the emperor would ask someone to come over and explain something to her through the curtain.

Over time, Yuan Mu, who once could not even read, has acquired some knowledge and cultivation of a noble lady.

She had read many books on Taoism when she was young. She only had a vague understanding of them at first, but now she understands much more and the experience is very different when she reads them again.

But when Yuan Mu opened the scroll, he suddenly felt something was wrong.

Among the countless Taoist classics, there is inexplicably a legend, which tells a love story of a man and a woman eloping. The handwriting is also somewhat unfamiliar, messy and hasty.

Moreover, the horizontal and vertical strokes seem to be trembling, as if they were written hastily in a panic.

It wasn't her handwriting, nor did it look like the emperor's.

Yuan Mu glanced at the title of the book.

It was Chen Xuanyou's "The Soul Separation". She had never heard of it and didn't know when it was written.

There were not many annotations on the book, and they were all in slightly faded black characters, with only one sentence carefully underlined in red ink.

"I know your deep affection is hard to come by, and I am willing to sacrifice my life to repay you, hence I have come to you as a fugitive."*

Yuan Mu stroked the sentence. She had just read it in a hurry and only glanced at the plot, but when she saw this sentence, a sudden pain came over her.

She shed tears for no apparent reason: "Ah..."