This perfectly illustrates the saying, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
When you truly love someone, you love their unique soul. At least before you grow tired of each other, changes in appearance have little impact.
The women in the harem dressed exquisitely and virtuously every day, but after seeing them so often, they became like artificial flowers in Xiao Huai's eyes, uninteresting to him.
Sometimes they even deliberately throw tantrums.
Even so, they still couldn't remove the mask that seemed to have grown into their flesh and blood.
But Chu Jinjin, though dirty, was full of vitality, like a wildflower in the mountains, covered in dust but with an unyielding spirit.
Chu Jinjin felt uneasy under their gaze.
In this era, many women had no human rights whatsoever. For example, maids in wealthy families, if they were favored by their masters, had no recourse other than threatening suicide.
As the emperor, the master of the world, he can do whatever he wants.
If someone suddenly decides to sleep with a palace maid, not only will they be spared, but they will even be considered as being favored by the emperor.
Chu Jinjin felt that if the Emperor really wanted to do *that* to her right now, there was nothing she could do.
"Your Majesty, the people in the north are suffering terribly. They've even gnawed the bark off the trees, and corpses are everywhere." Chu Jinjin took a step back without making a sound, hoping to divert the other party's attention. "I've heard that all the funds allocated by the court for disaster relief have been used by the Zheng family to expand their army, which will surely become a great threat in the future."
The emotion in Xiao Huai's eyes faded.
Because of the world, and also because he didn't want to disappoint Chu Jinjin.
He sighed: "I just heard that Miss Jinjin got into a fight with the soldiers. Was she injured?"
"It was almost true, but thankfully the Emperor protected me." Chu Jinjin took the opportunity to retreat another step, to a safe distance. "The Northern Governor Zheng Zhengfeng didn't even look at the waist token bestowed by the Emperor and said it was fake. He sent a full 30,000 soldiers to surround Black Tiger Mountain Stronghold. I had no choice but to join forces with the bandits."
The north is Zheng's territory. The news hasn't reached the capital yet, but it's only a matter of time before it can't be kept secret.
Xiao Huai frowned: "Thirty thousand soldiers."
Chu Jinjin kept her head down, thinking that some things are better thought out by herself than by others.
Xiao Huai quickly pinpointed the key question: "How did he know your whereabouts?"
“My brother happened to be kidnapped by the Black Tiger Mountain stronghold. Before that, I went to the bandits’ territory and found out about it, so it’s normal.” Chu Jinjin paused and asked in confusion, “I just can’t figure out how they knew my identity.”
Chu Jinjin wasn't going back on her word. First, she couldn't hide it; the Emperor could guess that someone was passing information to Zheng Zhengfeng. She could only pretend she didn't know it was Wang Ruoxiang. Second, she wanted to continue to control Wang Ruoxiang.
Xiao Huai fell into a long silence. He squinted and seemed to be thinking about something. After a while, he smiled and said, "Tell me how you drove back the soldiers."
Chu Jinjin couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.
She wasn't compassionate towards the people, but given the situation in the north, the people were driven to desperation, and countless people were starving to death every day. As the emperor, instead of quickly consulting with her ministers for solutions, she was stirring up trouble here.
Chu Jinjin's explanation was somewhat perfunctory, but Xiao Huai listened with great interest, especially when he heard that she had taken off someone's pants. His eyebrows shot up with excitement: "Jinjin really doesn't follow the usual path. She's brave and resourceful."
Chu Jinjin: "......"
Isn't he jealous at all?
She's the one who takes off men's pants.
Fortunately, Xiao Huai did not take any further action, and when she expressed her longing for her parents and her desire to go home, he did not insist that she stay.
Stepping out of the main hall and being greeted by Eunuch Zhao's smiling face, Chu Jinjin finally came to her senses.
No wonder Wang Ruoxiang was determined to kill him.
A carriage bearing the royal insignia was delivered right to the doorstep.
Apart from the Wang family, almost everyone had been waiting at the door for a long time. The scene was so lively that it seemed as if they were welcoming some important person.
Chu Jinjin spotted Zhan Qin in the crowd at a glance.
Summer had arrived, and he was wearing a thin white long-sleeved shirt, which was normal, as everyone was wearing summer clothes in such hot weather. However, he was sweating for some reason, the thin fabric clinging to his chest.
In later terms, it was a perfect example of wet and sexy allure.
Chu Jinjin couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Zhan Qin seemed to sense it and straightened up slightly.
Chu Jinjin: "......."
I was just flirted with by the emperor, and now another one is coming?
Chu Yan said in a low voice that only the two of them could hear, "Mr. Zhan, Jinjin is very satisfied. She looked at it several times."
Upon learning that Chu Jinjin was about to return, Zhan Qin immediately went back to his room to change his clothes, wanting to show off the results of his work during this period.
His physique is actually quite good; he doesn't have exaggerated muscles, but rather a lean and muscular build. Through deliberate training, his pectoral muscles have become noticeably larger.
A group of people surrounded Chu Jinjin as she walked into the mansion.
"Why are you so tanned? Let your mother take a look. It's terrible. You won't be able to get your skin white again until winter." Madam Liu's concerns were always so unexpected. Without asking if she was injured, she vigorously wiped Chu Jinjin's exposed skin with a handkerchief for a long time and said in a low voice, "Chu Jiyu's condition is not good. The First Madam and the doctor are prescribing medicine."
Chu Jinjin wasn't particularly surprised.
I only saw a doctor along the way, and according to normal treatment, such a deep wound requires bed rest.
Chu Jinjin discovered that whenever she looked up, she would meet Zhan Qin's almost fiery gaze.
It just feels weird.
The maid had prepared bathwater in advance, and Chu Jinjin took a long and refreshing bath, washing away her fatigue and dust. She actually wanted to sleep for three days and three nights, but she knew that the whole family was waiting for her.
He could only lazily lean against the maid and go to the main room.
Just then, a commotion broke out at the entrance. Countless maids and servants rushed towards the door as if being chased by something, shouting excitedly.
"Master, Madam, come out quickly to receive the imperial edict."
Chu Jinjin: "......."
If, if she really has to enter the palace, then let's just rebel and take her family to Black Eagle Mountain Stronghold.
The others were unaware of this, and for a moment they felt as if they were in a dream.
The Emperor's decree?
Without a doubt, it's a reward.
Let alone ordinary merchants, even noble families would consider this an unparalleled honor.
Chu Jingde seemed to have regained his youth; he didn't need anyone's help, his steps were light, and he kept greeting everyone.
Everyone was incredibly excited, including the maids and servants.
"But what happened?" Zhan Qin walked over unnoticed, staring at Chu Jinjin's face. "You look a little scared?"
Chu Jinjin originally didn't want to say it. She was used to reporting good news and not bad news. Perhaps the greatest favor that all the women in the world could give her was more terrifying than returning to the apocalypse.
Being trapped in that palace for the rest of her life, sharing a not-so-great man with a group of women, and forced to fight each other, she might as well die early and be reborn sooner.
Chu Jinjin took a deep breath, stood on tiptoe, and her mouth was almost touching Zhan Qin's ear.
As she moved, her body inevitably pressed close together, and then she noticed that Zhan Qin's ears were as red as if they were ripe.
“I never realized you were so shy.” Chu Jinjin recalled that kiss that she didn’t know how to describe, but she didn’t have the mind to savor it at the moment. She said softly, “Listen to me calmly, the Emperor probably wants me to enter the palace.”
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