Chapter 317: Fulfilling Her Wish
Since that day, Liu Yuetang never mentioned leaving the palace again.
Xiao Heng also kept silent.
In their spare time, the two of them played chess and the zither, and Xiao Heng drew Liu Yuetang's eyebrows and combed her hair. It seemed like the old days, when the years were peaceful and they lived a stable life.
The entire Changle Palace became the most eye-catching and dazzling place among the six palaces.
The concubines in the harem could no longer contain their excitement. Seeing that the emperor was favoring her alone, their hearts were burning with anxiety. They secretly asked their fathers and brothers from the previous dynasty to deliver a memorial.
Every word and sentence in the memorial was an exhortation - some said, "Rain and dew should be evenly distributed, which is in accordance with the ancestral rules."
Some say "Adopt many descendants to strengthen the foundation of the country."
All of them advised the emperor to treat everyone equally.
Weiyang Palace.
The girls sat in two rows.
Concubine Chu looked gloomy. "Empress, the Emperor didn't visit the harem before because Concubine Xi had just died and the Emperor was sad. Plus, he had to attack the Kingdom of Liu, so he had no interest in the harem."
"But right now, the Emperor only favors Imperial Concubine Jing, and we sisters can't even see him. Your Majesty, you must persuade the Emperor."
The queen listened to this every day and became annoyed. She did not respond to her, but just picked up the teacup beside her and drank tea slowly.
Concubine Ning spoke gently and slowly advised, "Noble Concubine Jing has just entered the palace. It is only natural for the Emperor to favor her more."
"This novelty will eventually wear off. We sisters should just focus on our duties. The Emperor will see us one day."
Concubine Chu smiled slowly, with a hint of sarcasm on her face, "Concubine Ning, you seem to be doing your duty, but I don't see how much the Emperor dotes on you."
Concubine Ning's expression changed, but then she regained her composure, as calm as a chrysanthemum. "Not everyone is like you, Concubine Chu, calculating gains and losses, and caring about honor and status. To me, no matter how gorgeous the flowers are, they are not as beautiful as the cactus on my windowsill. No one cares about it, yet it remains evergreen year after year."
"Being able to sleep peacefully until dawn within these palace walls is a great blessing."
The queen nodded with satisfaction.
In the entire palace, perhaps only Concubine Ning has such clear thoughts.
Ye Cairen pursed her lips. "You, Concubine Ning, have a good family background and a princess, so naturally you can say such things. If we, who have no one to rely on, don't fight for our place while we're still young, are we just going to wait quietly for death in the deep palace?"
The lower-ranking concubines all nodded repeatedly, and there was a hint of sarcasm in their eyes when they looked at Concubine Ning, as if they were talking without any pain in their waists.
"Okay—" The queen put down her teacup and looked around at everyone. The pearl hairpins on her temples swayed gently, reflecting the light and shadow in the hall.
"Have you ever thought about why Concubine Ning is so blessed despite not fighting or competing?"
She swept her gaze over everyone, her tone adding a touch of sternness: "Since you are in the harem, you should know that if you want to be favored by the emperor, you should be virtuous, please others with your talents, uphold your duties, and cultivate good character."
"Not really. I spend all day thinking about how to be jealous, how to collude with foreign officials, and how to use those dark tricks to plot against others."
Upon hearing this, the concubines' faces turned stern, and they quickly stood up and knelt down: "Your servants (concubines) dare not."
The Queen raised her chin slightly. "The Emperor is well aware of your little actions behind your back, and I am not blind either. If I hear any criticism of you again, don't blame me for being heartless."
Several concubines trembled when they heard this, and hurriedly said in unison: "Yes, your concubines (concubines) obey your command."
"Well...you all should leave."
Just after the concubines left, Liu Yuetang came to pay her respects.
Ever since she told the Queen her identity and plans, she often came to the Weiyang Palace for a short visit.
From the phoenix gilded incense burner on the table, wisps of sinking water incense were rising, and the lingering smoke drifted over the red plum blossom inserted diagonally on the table, making the petals even more hazy.
Outside the window, the snow was falling heavily, silently covering the entire courtyard. Only a faint outline of the palace in the distance remained, like a painting soaked in ink.
The two of them stared out the window, time passing quietly and peacefully.
After a long while, the Queen spoke: "Have you decided?"
"Hmm...it's decided."
The Queen smiled faintly: "I can now imagine the Emperor's heartbroken expression."
Liu Yuetang looked at the falling snow outside the window with a vague look in her eyes.
"Even if Liu Yuetang is gone, in a few years, there will be Zhang Yuetang and Li Yuetang. There are thousands of women in the world. I believe that it won't be long before the emperor forgets me."
"Don't you understand now..." The queen's tone became urgent. She wanted to say something, but when she saw Liu Yuetang's longing eyes looking outside the palace, her throat suddenly tightened.
She really wanted to say that the emperor only had her, Liu Yuetang, in his heart now.
The emperor of the past was indeed heartless, but a heartless person can love more passionately than anyone else.
That day, Zhou Defu came to invite her to Chengming Palace, saying that the emperor had gone mad and actually promised the wizard to exchange ten years of his life for the peace of Liu Yuetang's soul.
When she heard this, she completely believed that the emperor was deeply in love with Liu Yuetang. She wanted to stop him, but she was powerless.
She knew that she could not persuade the emperor.
Right now, she wanted to tell Liu Yuetang about this. Perhaps after she knew this, she would believe that the emperor really loved her, loved her as much as he loved his own life.
This way... maybe she won't leave again.
However, she saw Liu Yuetang's eyes longing for the outside of the palace.
That was a look that I never dared to show.
The queen curled her fingertips slightly and swallowed the words on her lips.
She thought, if the wind outside the palace could really blow more happily than the wind inside the palace, why would she need to be tied up again with such a heavy love?
After all, the love within the palace walls, no matter how deep and heavy it is, is always wrapped in invisible chains.
Xie Shutong lived her life for her family and for the position of Empress.
But no one knew that she had also longed for the misty Yangzhou and the picturesque West Lake.
I have longed for the wind outside the palace, the flowers and plants outside the palace, and everything outside the palace.
But she was destined to be trapped within these red walls for the rest of her life, unable to fulfill her wish.
Now that Liu Yuetang has the opportunity to pursue that freedom, let her fulfill this wish for me.
Just think of it as borrowing her feet to step on the bluestone slabs outside the palace; borrowing her eyes to look at the unobstructed clouds in the sky.
"What does the Queen want to say?" Liu Yuetang turned and looked at the Queen who was hesitant to speak.
The Queen pursed her red lips and said, "I want to ask you to go and see the beautiful mountains and rivers for me, especially Yangzhou, if you leave the palace. I want to see if the mist and rain there are really as lingering as described in the poems."
"Okay!" Liu Yuetang nodded.
"I will travel all over the beautiful mountains and rivers with your thoughts."
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