Chapter 121 Waiting for the Flowers to Bloom
The ginseng soup was steaming, and the amber-colored broth shimmered warmly in the white porcelain bowl. Lu Zhaoxue carried the ginseng soup and slowly approached Chu Huaiyu's bed.
"Your Majesty, the ginseng soup is ready. Please drink it while it's hot." Lu Zhaoxue said softly as she slowly handed the bowl to Chu Huaiyu.
After taking the porcelain bowl from Lu Zhaoxue, Chu Huaiyu drank it all in one gulp without saying a word, his Adam's apple bobbing, not leaving a single drop of soup.
After finishing his drink, Chu Huaiyu put down the empty bowl. He suddenly reached out his hand to Lu Zhaoxue, palm up, with a somewhat childlike expression.
Lu Zhaoxue stared at his sudden action, her delicate eyebrows slightly raised, a hint of doubt appearing in her eyes.
What's he up to now?
Seeing her blank expression, Chu Huaiyu could no longer hide the smile in his eyes, and a sly smile appeared on his lips.
His voice carried a hint of mockery: "Give me your handkerchief, I need to wipe my mouth."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoxue frowned helplessly. Chu Huaiyu was becoming more and more insane...
With a helpless expression, she took out a plain white handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it over.
But Chu Huaiyu didn't move an inch. Instead, he turned his head slightly, pouted at the corner of his mouth, and looked at her with that smug "you know what I mean" look.
"Your Majesty..." Lu Zhaoxue was both angry and amused. She was already speechless at Chu Huaiyu's childish behavior, but she still maintained a gentle and considerate demeanor on her face.
She took a handkerchief and wiped the soup stains from the corner of his lips with some force. Chu Huaiyu noticed Lu Zhaoxue's little gesture and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yes, Zhaoxue wiped it clean." Chu Huaiyu smiled with satisfaction, his eyes and brows filled with sweetness. He felt that he was the happiest man in the world at this moment.
Just as Lu Zhaoxue was about to put the handkerchief away, Chu Huaiyu suddenly reached out and gently pulled her into his arms.
Chu Huaiyu's embrace was fiery, carrying the faint warmth of someone recovering from a long illness, but to Lu Zhaoxue, his embrace was like an invisible shackle, firmly binding her.
She could clearly smell the strong medicinal scent on Chu Huaiyu's body, mixed with the aroma of ambergris, a smell that made Lu Zhaoxue feel extremely uncomfortable.
Lu Zhaoxue's fingertips curled slightly, her nails digging into her palms, trying to maintain her outward calm through the stinging pain.
She could hear Chu Huaiyu's rapid breathing in her ear, and felt his burning breath on her neck. Every touch of their skin made Lu Zhaoxue tense all over.
But she couldn't struggle yet, and could only let Chu Huaiyu hold her, like a delicate but soulless puppet.
Suddenly, images of parting with Chu Siheng began to flash uncontrollably through her mind.
The warmth of Chu Siheng's palm when he held her hand, the trepidation in his eyes as he explained to her, and that gentle yet firm kiss.
Siheng should have returned to Mobei by now, right?
The road ahead is long and fraught with danger. How will he, alone, cope with the inescapable trap set by Chu Huaiyu and Emperor Mingwu?
Will Siheng get hurt? Will he... Lost in thought for a moment, Lu Zhaoxue's shoulders trembled slightly.
"What's wrong?" Chu Huaiyu immediately noticed Lu Zhaoxue's unusual behavior, loosened his grip on her slightly, and asked with concern in his eyes, "Did I hold you too tightly and hurt you?"
Lu Zhaoxue snapped back to her senses, quickly concealing the panic in her eyes. When she looked up at Chu Huaiyu, a faint smile had spread across her face, though the smile didn't reach her eyes.
"Your Majesty is fine. I am just happy to see that Your Majesty has woken up." She deliberately softened her tone, her voice gentle, yet carrying a hint of imperceptible aloofness.
Chu Huaiyu believed it as expected, and gently stroked Lu Zhaoxue's cheek, saying in a voice full of affection, "That's good."
Lu Zhaoxue tilted her head slightly to avoid his touch, then reached out to cover him with the blanket and said slowly, "Your Majesty has just woken up, and must still be weak. You should rest well."
Her movements were natural and considerate, as if she were truly a wife who genuinely cared for her husband.
Only Lu Zhaoxue herself knew how terrified she had been during that moment of disorientation. In Chu Huaiyu's presence, she had to be extremely careful with every expression and every word she uttered.
Because the slightest mistake could lead to utter ruin, not only for herself, but also for Lu Zhaoxing and Chu Siheng, who was far away in the southern desert.
As Chu Huaiyu watched her cover him with a blanket, the love in his eyes grew even stronger. He pulled Lu Zhaoxue's hand and held it tightly in his palm.
"With you here, I'll recover quickly. Zhaoxue, please don't leave me again, okay?"
Lu Zhaoxue lowered her eyes, concealing her resistance, and said in a soft voice, as if she were sighing, "Your Majesty, please rest assured and recover. I will always stay by Your Majesty's side."
Lu Zhaoxue spoke lightly on the surface, but in her heart, tears were already streaming down her face.
What she was with was this magnificent imperial city prison, and the obsessive and ruthless emperor before her.
Her heart had already flown out of the deep palace walls with Chu Siheng's departure, and she longed for him day and night.
Lu Zhaoxue knew that she had to perform this act well, realistically, so that Chu Huaiyu could completely lower his guard.
Only in this way will Chu Siheng have a chance, and only then can they have a future.
Lu Zhaoxue buried her longing for Chu Siheng deep in her heart, transforming it into a power of forbearance, quietly waiting for the flowers to bloom in this treacherous palace...
...
A month passed quickly.
Inside the gilded bronze incense burner of Xuanzheng Hall, the ambergris incense burned fiercely, yet it could not dispel the surging anger of Chu Huaiyu within the hall.
Chu Huaiyu sat high on the dragon throne, his gaze turning sinister as he looked down at the figure who had stepped forward. It was none other than Xiao Ruoshui, the Vice Minister, who was known for his sharp tongue and meanness.
"Your Majesty!" Xiao Ruoshui said in a sharp voice, her body slightly hunched, "The Empress has been in the central palace for quite some time and enjoys the Emperor's exclusive favor. The six palaces are practically empty, yet she has yet to give birth to a royal heir!"
"Your Majesty is so devoted to personal feelings; how can you disregard the continuation of the ancestral temples because of your own bias?"
He paused for a moment, then said, each word sharp as a knife: "Your Majesty the Empress enjoys the Emperor's favor, yet she has no ability to produce an heir. She occupies the position of Empress in vain, betraying His Majesty's trust and truly disgracing our ancestors!"
"Insolence!" Chu Huaiyu slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, and the hall fell silent instantly.
He stared down at Xiao Ruoshui, his tone furious: "My empress, what right do you have to question her? You scoundrel, you have some nerve!"
"Before the Lu family entered the empress's palace, it was the deposed Empress Du Xianyue who was in power, and she did not bear any children." Chu Huaiyu pressed on step by step, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"Now you're targeting the Empress, are you trying to imply that I'm incapable of bearing an heir for the royal family by slandering her?!"
These words struck Xiao Ruoshui like a thunderbolt, and he fell to his knees with a thud, his forehead pounding against the gold bricks.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Xiao Ruoshui's court robes, and his voice trembled with tears as he said, "Your Majesty, I am terrified! Your Majesty, please understand! I would never dare to blame Your Majesty. I was only worried about the country and that is why I spoke carelessly!"
——
P.S.: [Please give me a five-star written book review! *^▽^*]
I was so angry about a few malicious, out-of-context negative reviews today that I didn't even want to write anything...
I can accept fair, reasonable, and well-founded negative reviews, but comments that are taken out of context and distort the truth really leave me speechless...
Fortunately, I was comforted by the world's best readers. After thinking about it, I realized I had to keep writing, because I couldn't let a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch!
And I also have to torture Chu Huaiyu severely!
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