Chapter 1 A Lingering Nightmare
Three years ago.
Emperor Wu of Ming deposed Chu Siheng with the statement, "The crown prince is the foundation of the country. If his virtue is not commensurate with his position, how can he inherit the state?" He then demoted Chu Siheng to a commoner.
The entire court and the public were shaken!
He was once such a splendid and upright person, but overnight he became a powerless and deposed crown prince, and the political climate inside and outside the palace changed completely.
Another year passed, and Emperor Mingwu suddenly "passed away," causing an uproar in the court! The new crown prince, Chu Huaiyu, successfully succeeded to the throne and became the new emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
No one expected that the first thing the new emperor did after ascending the throne was to order the deposed crown prince, Chu Siheng, to be imprisoned in Jingyou Garden and completely confined.
The place was remote and desolate, and used to house disgraced concubines. Now it had become a prison for Chu Siheng, clearly revealing the new emperor's fear of this deposed crown prince.
The night fog had already enveloped the walls of the Forbidden City. Lu Zhaoxue slowly walked out of Empress Dowager Yu's palace. As she reached the Imperial Garden, she suddenly heard a eunuch's sharp and urgent voice announcing his arrival from the end of the path ahead:
"His Majesty has arrived! Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"
As soon as the voice fell, Lu Zhaoxue knelt down along with the palace servants who heard it. She placed her hands on the bluestone bricks, her forehead pressed against the back of her hands, not daring to overstep the bounds in the slightest.
Lu Zhaoxue happened to be kneeling beside the dense grass, which completely concealed her slender figure in the shadows. Unless you looked specifically, it would be difficult to notice that there was someone kneeling there.
The footsteps approached from afar, the steady sound of boots mixed with the rustling of a woman's light skirt, slowly drawing closer to Lu Zhaoxue. Lu Zhaoxue could feel the invisible pressure emanating from them.
Just then, a gentle and melodious female voice suddenly rang out in the night, with a touch of coquettishness: "Your Majesty, you have been busy with state affairs lately and it has been a long time since you have accompanied me on a stroll like this. Is Your Majesty making it up to me tonight?"
Immediately afterwards, a deep, magnetic male voice came, carrying an obvious hint of doting and tenderness: "What Yue'er said is very true. It seems that I must make it up to Yue'er tonight."
Lu Zhaoxue's heart trembled upon hearing this. Once upon a time, this voice had shown her a moment of tenderness, but in the end, it turned into a sharp blade that pushed her into the abyss.
It turns out that this ruthless and heartless man, who would stop at nothing to obtain the throne, can also have such a tender and gentle side when facing the woman he loves.
The palace servants kneeling on the ground all thought the same thing.
Lu Zhaoxue slowly raised a faint, bitter, self-deprecating smile. Whether it was the illusion created by the night or not, when the pair of boots embroidered with golden dragons stopped on the bluestone bricks in front of Lu Zhaoxue, she clearly felt Chu Huaiyu's steps pause for a moment.
In the blink of an eye, Chu Huaiyu continued forward as if nothing had happened, the air filled with the Emperor and Empress's low laughter and conversation.
The emperor and empress's figures gradually faded into the distance, until they completely disappeared at the end of the path, at which point Lu Zhaoxue and the palace servants slowly straightened up.
Perhaps it was because she had been kneeling for too long, or perhaps it was because the emotions surging in her heart were too intense, but the moment Lu Zhaoxue stood up, her vision went black, and her body swayed uncontrollably backward.
"Watch out!" A kind palace maid quickly reached out and helped Lu Zhaoxue, stabilizing her swaying figure.
Lu Zhaoxue composed herself, quickly whispered her thanks, concealing the embarrassment and bitterness in her eyes, and turned to leave in haste.
Despite her appearance, Lu Zhaoxue was eventually recognized, and a suppressed gasp came from behind her.
The palace maid asked in a trembling voice, "She...she...isn't she His Majesty's ex...?"
"Shh—keep your voice down! Can't you see how much His Majesty loves the Empress these days?!"
"You dare to casually discuss such old matters? Be careful what you say!" A palace servant quickly lowered his voice to stop him, his tone full of fear.
Lu Zhaoxue, however, did not stop walking and continued to walk forward as if nothing had happened, her back straight.
She didn't turn back, nor did she listen to the gossip anymore; she simply suppressed all her emotions deep inside.
Back at Jingyou Garden, Lu Zhaoxue gently pushed open the creaking wooden door.
The room was dimly lit by candlelight. Chu Siheng lay quietly on the couch, his brows slightly furrowed, but he appeared to be fast asleep.
Lu Zhaoxue's gaze swept over the bedside table. The celadon medicine bowl was clean, with only a few dregs of medicine left at the bottom.
Clearly, Chu Siheng had obediently finished drinking the medicine.
Lu Zhaoxue approached slowly with light steps, her fingertips gently brushing against his slightly cool forehead.
Then, she bent down and tucked Chu Siheng's blanket in tightly to make sure no cold air got in.
After doing all this, Lu Zhaoxue turned around, took out medicine and cotton towels from her dressing case, sat down by the candlelight, and gently applied the medicine to her wounds.
The candlelight was dim, and all was quiet.
Lu Zhaoxue's breathing was unusually clear but also unusually uneven, and the scene from just now flashed uncontrollably through her mind.
As Chu Huaiyu's tall figure passed by her, a familiar scent wafted from him.
Those eyes that once looked at her with a gentle smile now held only estrangement and indifference.
Lu Zhaoxue felt as if something was gripping her heart tightly, a sharp, throbbing pain shooting through her chest, and her breathing became increasingly rapid.
She abruptly closed her eyes, unwilling to think any further, and blew out the candle. The hall was instantly plunged into boundless darkness, with only a faint sliver of moonlight filtering in from the window.
Lu Zhaoxue hugged herself tightly, burying herself in the thick darkness, as if trying to isolate herself from all memories and pain.
In the dead of night, the terrible nightmare that had haunted Lu Zhaoxue for years resurfaced, gripping her mind tightly.
In her dream, it was four years ago, in a side hall of the East Palace, where Lu Zhaoxue and Chu Siheng, who was then the Crown Prince, lay naked on the bed, their bedding in disarray and their clothes scattered on the floor.
Suddenly, Consort Rong burst in with a group of palace servants, her gaze fixed intently on the two of them.
"Your Majesty! Look!"
Consort Rong rushed to Emperor Mingwu, who arrived shortly after, and knelt down with a thud. She clutched her chest with both hands, weeping bitterly, her delicate voice filled with grief and indignation.
"The Crown Prince is Huaiyu's elder brother, and Lu Zhaoxue is the fiancée personally chosen and betrothed to Huaiyu by His Majesty!"
"How could these two do such a thing, disregarding human ethics and moral principles? Where does this leave the face of the royal family? Where does it leave Huai Yu?"
"Your Majesty, you must seek justice for Huaiyu and the royal family today!"
………………Divider………………
PS:
The early part of this story features dramatic and outrageous plots, forced marriages, intense love and hate, and a dramatic pursuit of the wife; the later part focuses on punishing the scumbag, the second male lead's rise to power, and the sweet romance between the second male lead and the female lead.
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