broken

Penglai Villa, Wanhe Hall.

The lights in the hall were bright, the ice mirror was emitting a cold air, and outside the hall, the sound of water dripping could be heard from the cooling water.

Zhao Qinglan sat upright in a rosewood chair, the memorials piled high on the table before him, yet none of them caught his eye. His slender fingers unconsciously caressed his Adam's apple, where the warmth of the woman from hours before still lingered.

"That's not the case..."

He muttered to himself.

Li Xi, who was waiting on the side, immediately caught the nonsensical words. He rolled his eyes but did not look up. He just bent his body lower, looking at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose.

Zhao Qinglan casually flipped open a memorial, and it was another minister asking about the selection of concubines. He frowned and threw the memorial aside impatiently.

These people never stop busy all day long. They can't even handle the affairs of their own backyard, but they have the time to meddle in his affairs.

"If you have someone you like, you should pursue them bravely."

like?

Are these ministers vying to send their daughters to the palace because their daughters like them?

ridiculous!

These people were either attracted by his supreme power or for the glory of the entire family. It made no difference to them whether he was Zhao Qinglan or Zhao Yulan.

But in front of Zhao Fanghua, she actually dared to say that she liked him in front of him.

No, she didn’t like Zhao Qinglan, but the little mute.

This realization made his throat tighten, and his heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand.

Is it possible that Zhao Qinglan is not even as good as a mute?

Li Xi stole a glance at his master's increasingly gloomy expression, and his heart skipped a beat. He cautiously probed, "Your Majesty, is..."

Before he could finish his words, a cold light flashed over, scaring him into silence.

Zhao Qinglan closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his usual indifferent expression had returned. He said calmly, "It's hot and stuffy in the palace, so add another ice jar."

It was the routine day of paying respects to the Empress Dowager on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month. Early in the morning, after breakfast, Zhao Fanghua took Shuyu and rushed to Ci'an Palace where the Empress Dowager lived.

"While it's still cool, go early and come back early. When you get back, you can drink the mung bean soup from the kitchen. It's so delicious."

Just as Zhao Fanghua excitedly stepped into the palace, guided by the palace maid, she saw an uninvited guest sitting next to the empress dowager. The joy on her face froze the moment her eyes met with the half-smiled Zhao Qinglan.

I didn't check the almanac before going out today.

Zhao Fanghua's fear of Zhao Qinglan was engraved into her bones the moment she saw Xiao Quanzi's body.

If Shen Xiujin was an unlucky person to Zhao Fanghua, then Zhao Qinglan was now Zhao Fanghua's natural enemy.

This kind of fear is like being afraid of teachers in school, being afraid of instructors during military training, and being afraid of leaders at work. It is purely a conditioned reflex and cannot be changed even if you want to.

"Fanghua greets the Queen Mother and the Emperor." Zhao Fanghua bowed her head and saluted softly.

The Queen Mother seemed very happy to see Zhao Fanghua. She clapped her hands and said, "Great, great, the Ci'an Palace is really lively today. It's rare for the three of us, mother and son, to get together like this."

Zhao Qinglan smiled and continued, "Your Majesty, you're blaming me for not coming often enough. I will definitely follow your instructions and visit and talk to you more often."

Zhao Fanghua lowered her head and did not respond to the empress dowager's words. She sat quietly on the embroidered stool brought by the palace maid.

The Empress Dowager was in a particularly good mood today. It seemed that she was really a lively person as Shuyu said. As more people came into the palace, there were more topics to talk about. She chatted with Zhao Qinglan about everything under the sun. Zhao Fanghua, who was restless and had social anxiety, could only nod in agreement.

At the end, the Queen Mother yawned, and Zhao Fanghua straightened her back. She thought it was finally over, but the Queen Mother changed the subject and said, "In the blink of an eye, the Emperor is already eighteen, and Fanghua is nineteen. How come you are still single? I have always been looking forward to holding my little grandson."

Zhao Qinglan smiled and replied, "My son is still young, there's no rush."

"What about Fanghua?" The Queen Mother turned to Zhao Fanghua, "Since the engagement has been cancelled, the past of Shen Tanhua is over. We must move on."

Zhao Fanghua's heart skipped a beat. Why did this suddenly happen to him?

Zhao Fanghua raised her head and smiled awkwardly: "My daughter is still young, there's no need to rush."

"How can I not be anxious?" The Queen Mother was anxious when she heard this. "You are already nineteen this year. At your age, if you were in an ordinary family, your children would be helping with cooking."

Zhao Fanghua smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to respond for a moment, but a drastic change had already taken place in her heart. Could it be that the Queen Mother wanted to grant her another marriage?

No! She finally escaped from the wolf's den and didn't want to fall into the tiger's den again so soon. Couldn't she be left alone in her Princess's Mansion, raising a few lovers and living behind closed doors?

The Queen Mother turned to look at Zhao Qinglan and said, "See if there are any talented young men in the court recently who could give your sister a taste."

Zhao Qinglan did not look at the empress dowager, but instead looked at Zhao Fanghua, who had a sad face, with interest, taking in her embarrassment.

He was in a good mood and asked in a deliberately playful tone, "What do you think, sister?"

Hearing Zhao Qinglan's voice, Zhao Fanghua's head shuddered, and her body trembled. She refused with a fake smile: "No... no need..."

But in the blink of an eye, the bullied little bitter melon suddenly turned into a trembling little rabbit as if facing a great enemy.

Zhao Qinglan narrowed her eyes slightly. Are you so afraid of me?

Zhao Qinglan continued to coax her, "Or does it mean that my sister already has someone she loves?"

Zhao Fanghua's eyebrows jumped, and she looked up at Zhao Qinglan in disbelief. However, the moment their eyes met, she immediately lowered her head and twisted her body uneasily: "No...no..."

The Queen Mother watched the two of them go back and forth. Her sharp eyes swept over Zhao Fanghua, and she already had an idea in her mind. She smiled and said, "If Fanghua really has a lover, since you are the only eldest princess of Dasheng, no matter how good a man is, he is worthy of you. If he is of poor family background, then let the emperor give him a nominal position. It's just a matter of an imperial decree."

"Really—" Zhao Fanghua immediately raised her head and wanted to confirm with the Queen Mother and Zhao Qinglan with joy. However, when her eyes passed by Zhao Qinglan, she fell silent for a moment and lowered her head immediately.

What an idiot!

A smug smile flashed in the Queen Mother's eyes, but with a little trick, he could get the words out of her.

Zhao Qinglan felt helpless and sighed inwardly. He had just wanted to tease Zhao Fanghua, but he didn't expect to be tested by the Queen Mother.

It was his inconsiderateness.

But there were inexplicably two very strange emotions entangled in his heart. On the one hand, he was secretly happy that Zhao Fanghua's love for the little mute seemed to be more than just talk. On the other hand, he was uncomfortable with Zhao Fanghua's attitude towards him, which was like a frightened bird.

Is he scary?

Is he scarier than Shen Xiujin?

This was not the case when Zhao Fanghua met Shen Xiujin.

Zhao Fanghua came to her senses at this moment and felt that something was wrong.

If she had just been a little confused about the Queen Mother before, now she was even more bewildered.

The last time she went to the Queen Mother to complain about breaking off the engagement with Shen Xiujin, not only was she rejected, but the Queen Mother also sent a nanny to give her some good instructions. In Zhao Fanghua's mind, she had equated the Queen Mother with feudal antiques.

But when the Empress Dowager later learned that Zhao Fanghua had used the imperial edict to break off her engagement with Shen Xiujin, she did not blame her and told her to cut her hair and become a nun. This was not because Zhao Fanghua was looking forward to becoming a nun, but because that's how it's written in novels about domestic intrigues.

Now he is worrying about her marriage in front of so many people, without any feudal and old-fashioned idea of ​​being faithful to one person.

Zhao Fanghua raised his head cautiously, his eyes carefully scanning the two friendly-looking people in front of him, and a bold idea emerged.

Zhao Qinglan ascended the throne at a young age, and the Queen Mother ruled the country from behind the curtain...

The plots of the palace fighting dramas and domestic fighting stories that Zhao Fanghua had watched over the years flashed through his mind quickly. Could it be that at this stage, the situation has developed to the point where Zhao Qinglan wants to take back power, but the Queen Mother refuses to give it up, so the two begin to fight, and he becomes the little cookie caught in the middle and at their mercy?

The more Zhao Fanghua thought about it, the more he felt that this was the case.

The Queen Mother disagreed with her breaking off the engagement, but Zhao Qinglan, who had been challenging the Queen Mother, agreed. Because Zhao Qinglan agreed, the Queen Mother simply changed her strategy and tried to win him over.

No, no, why would the Queen Mother want to win me over?

Who do you think you are!

The more Zhao Fanghua thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong, and his brows were almost twisted into knots.

Ultimately, it's just that the brain isn't enough.

Zhao Qinglan took in every change in Zhao Fanghua's expression. Was it more than just fear now that she saw him? She was actually still worried. Was she worried about seeing him this time when she came to pay her respects to the empress dowager? Did she really not want to see him?

On the other side, the empress dowager's eyes swept over Zhao Qinglan and Zhao Fanghua. Her fingers unconsciously clasped the corner of the table until the armor scraped across the table with a harsh sound, and then she withdrew her fingers as if nothing had happened.

The Queen Mother placed one hand on her forehead and waved the other: "Alas, after all, I am old. I just said that I am not in good spirits for a while. You can leave first. An Xin, help me go in and rest."

Zhao Qinglan and Zhao Fanghua quickly stood up and said in unison:

"Son, take your leave."

"I'll take my leave."

Zhao Fanghua breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the Empress Dowager disappear behind the screen. But then she thought, aren't we just Zhao Qinglan and me now? She turned her head, inch by inch, only to be met with Zhao Qinglan's usual half-smile. She instantly felt the hairs on her back stand on end.

"I'll take my leave first!" Zhao Fanghua blurted out before Zhao Qinglan could speak. Then, without hearing Zhao Qinglan's response, he immediately rushed out of the door, as if he was avoiding a ferocious monster.

Zhao Fanghua hurried to her own Lirong Courtyard, holding up the hem of her skirt, thinking to herself: Oh no, oh no, these are not two thighs, they are clearly two living devils, my life is over!