Chapter 56
The palace was already filled with a lively atmosphere before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The torment he endured in the palace for so long caused Lu Chengfeng to temporarily transfer all his hatred for Sang Lingwu onto Yun Ji.
Today, Lingwu's memorial was approved and set aside early. The reason for this early approval was that she had demoted all the officials who repeatedly refused to change their ways and submitted all sorts of memorials.
I have no idea what those officials are thinking.
Every day, I would urgently ask her if she wanted to eat their fresh mangoes. I asked her every single day without fail! I don't know why the mangoes have such a long ripening period.
Even worse, some people wrote down how many puppies their pet dogs had when they got pregnant and gave birth!
Although she knew that these courtiers were worried that she would forget them, if they could put the same effort they put into these "crooked ways" into serving the people, how could she possibly forget them?
When the three large stacks of memorials were reduced to a short pile, Lingwu happily ate a few more pastries, which made Xi Ruoyu, who had come to accompany her, frown.
"Your Majesty, we will be having a meal soon. If you eat pastries now, you won't be able to eat during the main meal, and you will be hungry again in the afternoon. If this continues, Your Majesty's stomach will suffer."
Even when sitting, Xi Ruoyu kept her back straight, and the worry in her eyes was very obvious on her face.
Her original temperament, reminiscent of cold stars on an autumn night, has been softened by a touch of worldly dust, yet it combines aloofness with warmth, adding to her unparalleled beauty.
As soon as she finished speaking, Xi Ruoyu suddenly remembered something, quickly put down the book in her hand, stood up and was about to kneel down when she said awkwardly:
"Your Majesty... Your servant will remember this from now on and will never say such things that trouble Your Majesty again."
Seeing him like this, Lingwu couldn't help but laugh and helped him up, without comforting Xi Ruoyu or teasing him.
Instead, she met his gaze, her eyes filled with tenderness, and said earnestly, "Alright, I've remembered everything Ruoyu said, and I will do as she says."
When Xi Ruoyu saw that Ling Wu had actually agreed to his request, he was suddenly taken aback.
"Your Majesty..." His throat tightened, and the corners of his eyes gradually reddened.
Before he even went through his coming-of-age ceremony, a woman he had politely declined publicly berated him for being a hypocrite, saying that she would rather marry a male prostitute than a man like him.
Later, he entered the palace as a courtier, and indeed, as the woman had said, His Majesty disliked him.
But now, the most noble empress in the world says: she will remember everything he says and will do as he says.
However, even in the entire Qi Dynasty, there were very few ordinary women who could make such a promise to their husbands.
Your Majesty, she actually made that promise to him.
Lingwu raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes. "If you cry so easily, I'll have to be more careful when I talk to you in the future."
Xi Ruoyu blushed and stammered, "No, no, then I won't cry anymore."
"Cry if you want to cry, laugh if you want to laugh. If Ruoyu doesn't like this and can't get over the hurdle in her heart, then Ruoyu should just do what she wants to do."
"Whether she is not good with words or adheres to etiquette, as long as she is Ruoyu, I am happy with her."
Seeing the seriousness in Ling Wu's eyes, Xi Ruoyu suddenly didn't know how to react, and inexplicably wanted to avoid Ling Wu's gaze at this moment.
His face and neck were flushed, making him desperately want to escape from her gentle embrace. "Your Majesty, I wish to go back and make a mooncake for Your Majesty. The filling is not yet ready. I must take my leave."
Lingwu nodded in agreement, “Alright, then I will try Ruoyu’s cooking tomorrow.”
Xi Ruoyu nodded, blushing.
As I stepped out of Fengyi Palace, a light drizzle began to fall. It was light and gentle.
It felt itchy and warm when it touched my face, just like the feeling in my heart right now.
Xi Ruoyu raised her hand and placed it on her chest, then closed her eyes slightly and took a deep breath.
He wasn't greedy; this was enough for him, more than enough...
Lingwu looked in the direction he left, her eyes filled with tenderness and affection.
For some reason, Jing Chun felt a pang of sadness in his heart. He didn't care about anything else and lowered his head meekly, speaking, "Your Majesty, about the Yongxiang Palace..."
"Just say it."
"Does Your Majesty wish to go and take a look?"
Ling Wu glanced at Jing Chun, and just as Jing Chun was about to reveal the subtle bitterness in his heart, Ling Wu gave a soft "hmm".
This time, Lingwu did not travel in the imperial carriage, but Jingchun held an oil-paper umbrella and accompanied her on a walk in the rain.
Jing Chun's arms were sore, but a sweet feeling welled up in her heart.
“Ever since the late emperor passed away, it has rained every year on the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival. People say that the late emperor was kind-hearted, so Heaven uses this to remind the people not to forget him,” Jing Chun murmured, her voice soft and light, which made people feel a sense of relief.
Ling Wu pursed her lips slightly, remaining noncommittal.
Under the heavy rain, Yongxiang Lane appeared somewhat clean.
The boy was wiping the brick wall, and his beautiful fingers were quite eye-catching in the light rain on the red wall.
The rain lashed his hair against his face, giving him a delicate and pitiful look upon closer inspection.
But then he muttered to himself with a sense of loss, "Lu Chengfeng is really bad. It was clearly his job, but he took advantage of the fact that His Majesty likes him and hates rainy days to dump this task on me. But... what can I do when I'm not popular?"
He was initially quite strong, but later he couldn't help but tear up.
But no one knew that Yun Ji's hands were trembling, his heart filled with a mixture of tension, panic, and excitement.
Behind a door, Lu Chengfeng was held down by several palace maids, and a rag was stuffed into his mouth.
The head maid grabbed his chin, and seeing the hatred and anger in Lu Chengfeng's eyes, she couldn't help but smile mockingly, leaning close to his ear to sneer:
"Oh, you're finally showing some reaction! Auntie thought you were a good-for-nothing!"
Outside the door, Jing Chun was gripping the umbrella handle tightly, but then quickly relaxed her grip.
As Yun Ji wiped the wall, he saw that Ling Wu did not ask who he was as he had expected, nor did she turn around and leave. So he gritted his teeth and decided to fall down.
He was reluctant to do this, as it would soil his clothes and, in a way, tarnish the beautiful memory of their first encounter in His Majesty's heart.
Only in this way might he still have a chance to stay by His Majesty's side...
He was unwilling, unwilling to let go of this only chance to climb up the ladder by his own hands!
He closed his eyes, quietly waiting for the pain of falling to the ground, but the expected pain did not come. Instead, he fell into Wenliang's arms, which still carried a cool fragrance.
He suddenly opened his eyes.
Ling Wu held him protectively in her arms, her eyes sweeping indifferently across the crack in the door before finally settling on Yun Ji's face.
Yun Ji's face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
He thought he could handle women with ease, but now his heart was telling him:
Sometimes heart palpitations are like that, coming unexpectedly and erratically.
He hurriedly rose from Ling Wu's embrace, and knelt down with a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, I know I was wrong!"
Today, Lingwu wore a moon-white brocade dress with blue phoenix embroidery, covered with a plain brocade shawl, tied with a gold-threaded phoenix sachet at her waist, and white jade and pearl shoes on her feet.
Her dark hair was half-tied up, with only a hollowed-out silver hairpin inserted diagonally, but a lustrous pearl adorned her forehead. Her skin was like solidified cream, with delicate eyebrows and a rosy face, exuding an aloof yet gentle charm.
At this moment, Yun Ji had only one thought in his mind—
Some people are born to be noble and privileged.
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