Chapter 59
"The palace gates and temples stand tall and level, dragons illuminate the road, making Shengjing (the capital) bright and clear."
She had never seen such a beautiful view.
Hearing the girl's exclamation in his arms, Song Xuan couldn't help but whisper, "Beautiful scenery, beautiful women, and a peaceful and prosperous world are what I desire. I really like your double-sided embroidery of mountains and rivers."
He kept that embroidery in his study, and he had touched every stitch of it many times...
Shen Qingnian raised her head slightly and looked at the man's resolute jaw: "Your Highness's wish is also my wish."
After saying that, she put her hand on her waist and gently placed it on the man's large hand, and said, "Your Highness, I am a little scared. Please hold me tighter."
The next moment, the man tightened his arms around her waist, their clothes pressed together, so close that they could hear each other's breathing.
Song Xuan's warm breath brushed against Shen Qingnian's ear, causing her body to stiffen slightly and her heart to beat faster. She could hear his heartbeat, which was also very fast.
The night breeze was cool, brushing against their cheeks, but it couldn't dispel the heat on their faces.
Aside from that day at the dilapidated temple, this was the first time Song Xuan had been so close to a woman. Although he was the crown prince, he was very self-disciplined and had no one else by his side except for Shen Qingnian.
Song Xuan's voice was somewhat low and hoarse at this moment: "In previous years, I would handle government affairs in the study of the East Palace during the Flower Festival. When I was a child, I would also recite and review my lessons during the Flower Festival. I am very happy to be able to spend the Flower Festival with you this year."
The Flower Festival was a major festival, but it had nothing to do with him, and he never cared about it. As the Crown Prince, he had always been taught by his father to put the country first. He kept his father's words in mind and would not leave the palace to play even during the Flower Festival.
Now that he has Qingnian, holidays that he never paid attention to in previous years have become particularly interesting.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingnian's gaze dimmed as she looked down at the tower, but she said, "In the past, I would go out to play with my father or mother during the Flower Festival."
She said this intentionally for Song Xuan to hear. In previous years, she could only stay in the desolate courtyard with her aunt during the Flower Festival, listening to the bustling and lively atmosphere outside the walls, and continuing to grit her teeth and get through the days.
Song Xuan nodded and said with some emotion, "Your father and mother treated you very well, which is why you are so different from other noble ladies. You can sympathize with the refugees and the soldiers on the border, and you can also understand what I am thinking and be in sync with me."
A flickering light flashed in Shen Qingnian's eyes: "So, that's how Your Highness sees it...?"
Ironically, the truth is quite the opposite; she was born in darkness.
She and her aunt were neglected by their father and abused by the wife. It was these dark experiences over the past ten years that allowed her to understand human nature, learn to read people's expressions, and know how to control people's hearts.
The man whispered in her ear, “Ordinary noble ladies inevitably scheme and resort to despicable means for their own benefit, but you are different from them. You were carefully raised by Lord Shen and Madam Shen and nurtured by their love.”
He felt that Qing Nian and he were the same kind of people, both of them grew up in love, which is why their souls were so compatible.
The light in Shen Qingnian's eyes faded, turning into deep black. She looked at the bustling street scene below and asked the man behind her, "Does Your Highness think those ordinary noble ladies are right or wrong?"
She and he were never the same kind of people. She came from a humble background and grew up in darkness, while he was of noble birth and grew up in the sunlight. If it weren't for Shen Zheng, she and he would never have crossed paths.
“Those noble ladies are certainly innocent. Born into that kind of environment, if they didn’t fight and compete, their fate would probably be bad. But they shouldn’t have used innocent people to achieve their goals,” Song Xuan said.
Although the emperor loved the empress, the harem did not consist of only the empress; it was just that the emperor favored the empress exclusively, and the other concubines were merely figureheads.
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