Chen Xu has been frequently visiting relatives of the Ye family these days. Thanks to Ye Fan, all of Ye Wanqing's uncles and aunts have now become commanders of the imperial palace guards. From the city guards to the Yulin Army, and then to the patrol guards, most of them are from the Ye family and disciples of Commander Ye.
Jiang Yulou took over as the chief commander of the Imperial City Guard.
It can be seen that Murong Yao trusts Jiang Yulou very much. On the contrary, he feels a little disgusted with the Liu family who helped him conquer the world before, but he dares not speak out.
In fact, Ye Xueruo's life was not as miserable as Liu Qingqian said. Because of her family relationship, she became a royal concubine who was favored by thousands of people and was surrounded by people. It was a great honor.
When Chen Xu went to see her, she was dressed in luxurious clothes, half leaning on the railing, nonchalantly feeding the ornamental fish in the imperial garden.
"Greetings, Her Majesty." Shen Xu bowed slightly. She did not have any bad impression of her sister Ye Wanqing. She just thought she was a little stupid. The little cleverness of earning money from her hands was all used to support men. It was really not worth it.
Ye Xueruo was silent for a while, then said, "Sister, you are still alive."
Without giving Shen Xu a chance to answer, she continued to talk to herself, "I've heard from the palace servants about your life in Haoyue Country. Sister, you're so lucky. Even among the common people, you were able to meet a noble person."
Shen Xu frowned slightly. After not seeing each other for so many years, this statement was really Ye Xueruo, she hadn't changed at all.
"Unlike me, my father and elder brother risked their lives to only obtain the position of Imperial Concubine. Not only am I trapped in the deep palace all day, but I also have to learn endless rules. I have to be cautious in my words and actions, and be very careful, for fear of angering the emperor."
"Sister, what are you talking about?" Shen Xu sat down beside her and grabbed a handful of fish food from the hand of a palace servant. "The position of the Imperial Concubine is something many people would rather die for. Not only is she treated like a star, but she also has endless amounts of fine clothes and food, silk and satin to wear. It's not as comfortable as living in a general's mansion.
I was originally worried that since I was born out of wedlock, someone in the harem would look down on me and cause me to suffer some injustice.
It seems that His Majesty holds our brother in high regard and will not neglect the people of the General's Mansion."
Ye Xueruo glanced at Shen Xu with a complicated expression. Now that her elder sister was wearing bright and gorgeous clothes, her temperament was impeccable. No wonder the Regent of Haoyue Kingdom would obey her every word.
Although she spoke words of comfort, every word seemed to be mocking her half-sister for being short-sighted, materialistic and ignorant.
In the past, Ye Xueruo would have been like a proud rooster, with the feathers on her neck erect, and fought back fiercely.
But now, she looks as calm as a chrysanthemum, and has seen through life and death.
"You have been doing well in Haoyue Country and are deeply favored by the Regent, so you naturally don't know the reason behind this.
When I was in the general's mansion, I was Miss Ye Er. Although I was a concubine's daughter, I was doted on.
Everyone praises me and flatters me. As long as my mother whispers in my ear, Dad will be bewitched and ask His Majesty to cancel your engagement. I always thought that as long as my mother was around, Dad would be firmly in control.
That would be enough for me to show off for a while. So what if she was the legitimate daughter? I could still play with her at my will.
There was even a time when I thought it was a shame if you died, because then there would be no one to highlight my intelligence and beauty.
Now thinking about it, my persistence back then is really a joke."
Shen Xu listened calmly. She was the only daughter of Tingnan Marquis Mansion and had never experienced the backyard fighting since she was a child. She had no way of empathizing with such things.
She felt that Miss Ye Er had a very simple mind. At least she didn't ask for much...
"But the throne is vacant, and you are the only imperial concubine in the palace. Your brother is away on a campaign, and the imperial guards are all your uncles. Our Ye family is also highly favored, so how can this be a joke?"
Ye Xurou stared at Shen Xu in a daze, and sighed for a long time, "Sister, you have changed. If it were before, you would definitely spare no effort to laugh at me.
We hurt each other for so many years, but I finally lost...
A person's luck is truly more important than anything else."
Shen Xu remained noncommittal, "But you still married your sweetheart as you wished, didn't you?"
"I went to great lengths to marry His Majesty, only to discover how uncomfortable it is to live with a man who doesn't love you.
My current glory and favor are not given by Your Majesty, but rather by my brother and his adoptive father.
I have always wondered what would happen if he offended His Majesty by speaking to Brother Ye Fan, or if he was defeated in the party struggle.
"Your Majesty, will you be so impatient to banish me to the cold palace that I'll be like that crazy Concubine Shen in the cold palace, sitting naked on a treetop and grinning foolishly all day long."
Shen Xu shuddered. That was her aunt, Concubine Shen. She wasn't dead, but was imprisoned in the cold palace and tortured.
She suppressed her surging sadness and asked, "Why did Madam Shen go crazy?"
Ye Xueruo shook her head. "I don't know the specific reason. As a relative of the rebel party, she was originally going to be killed, but the Queen Mother later let her go and banished her to the cold palace.
At first, His Majesty and the Queen Mother would occasionally visit her, but most of the time, they went to make fun of her and humiliate her.
Over time, she became mentally unstable and didn't care about other people's jokes. Perhaps they found her boring, so no one came to see her anymore."
Ye Xueruo sighed softly, as if she had foreseen her own fate. She gently touched her belly with a sad expression, "The moment he ordered people to take my child away without hesitation, my heart died.
He said, the eldest son must be the queen's. Someone like me is not worthy."
Shen Xu looked at the attendants around him and whispered in her ear, "Don't people outside say that Princess Shen had his genitals crippled and he can't be humane?"
Ye Xueruo smiled sadly, "That was the deep affection he persisted in. Every time he visited me, he called out Xu Wanrong's name.
But I was asked to pretend to be Xu Wanrong's cold, aloof and elegant appearance.
He said that he liked the look that was best enjoyed from a distance, not touched. It was so close yet so far away, so close yet so far away.
He made me dress up like that, but then he looked down on me for not looking like that. He would hold me in his arms one moment, then humiliate me the next...
I’m going crazy.”
Shen Xu grabbed the fish food in his hand, crushed it carefully with his fingers, and said nothing.
Ye Xueruo's eyes were a little dull. She looked at the fish fighting for food on the water and smiled absentmindedly, "Forget it. I have never caught His Majesty's eye. If it weren't for Brother Ye Fan, I wouldn't even be able to get the position of Imperial Concubine.
"Sis, having survived a great disaster, will surely have good fortune in the future. Now that we're back in Beijing, let's spend a few more days there. I heard from His Majesty that he has summoned Brother Ye Fan back to the capital, and we'll have a good family reunion then."
Shen Xu was silent for a moment, then spoke softly, "Since Your Majesty cannot get what he wants, I might as well help him. You have the Ye family and Guangcheng Marquis Mansion behind you. I believe the Xu family will not be so ignorant."
Ye Xueruo looked at her in surprise, "What do you want, sister?"
"Of course I want to exchange my sister for the palace, so that everything goes smoothly."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
