Chapter 105: Self-reflection and Protecting Those I Love
He Yanchen's original intention was to bring Yueli out to relax, fearing that she was feeling bad because of her illness and Shen's matter. But after seeing those two people jumping into the river, she became unhappy and absent-minded while walking on the street.
He Yanchen simply ordered his men to return to the palace.
In the carriage, Yueli sat on the soft carpet, leaning on his lap, not knowing what she was thinking. He Yanchen pinched her earlobe and said, "Just because I won't die with you, you're unhappy?"
Yueli's eyelashes trembled, and she grabbed his fingers and said sullenly, "No, I just feel a little emotional."
"You'd better stop being sentimental." He Yanchen opened the curtain and looked at Chu Yi, "Talk to her properly."
"What are you talking about?" Yueli sat up straight with curiosity.
Chu Yi wailed in his heart, thinking that his two masters were really idle.
He said, "Your Majesty, the woman in the two cases was the daughter of Wang Dianji, a member of the Imperial Academy. The man was a commoner with a sixty-year-old mother and two younger sisters to support. He and Miss Wang were secretly having an affair, and when Lord Wang discovered it, he was beaten and expelled from the capital."
"Who would have thought that Miss Wang would marry no one but you? Lord Wang had no choice but to relent and allow that man to marry into her family. However, the man was unwilling to marry into her family and could not afford the betrothal gift. He even tricked Miss Wang into threatening to commit suicide in order to get Lord Wang to relent. This is how things turned out today."
Yueli was speechless: ...
What a waste of emotion.
He Yanchen pinched her ear again: "Did you hear that? If you are still sad because of this kind of person, I really have to find an imperial physician to see you."
"What are you looking at?"
"Brain."
Yueli angrily hit him. "I think Wang Dianji didn't teach his daughter well. After all, she's a daughter of an official. How could she be deceived by such a person? That man has bad intentions too. He has no money, but he still wants to marry someone to help support his mother. How despicable."
"Your Majesty, you must issue an edict to reprimand Wang Dianji and forbid him to marry his daughter off."
He Yanchen was silent for a moment, the thin calluses on his fingertips rubbing her tender earlobe: "Why should I care about these trivial matters?"
Yue Li snorted, "Your Majesty, just consider it a good deed and do it for your sake."
He Yanchen pinched her waist and lifted her up, placing her on his lap. "Let it go this time. I will send someone to inform Wang Dianji and let him know that it was Empress Yu's grace. Next time, you are not allowed to meddle in other people's business."
Yue Li hugged his neck and said, "Never mind, never mind. I don't think there's anything fun outside the palace. Anyway, as long as I can be with Your Majesty, it doesn't matter where I am."
He Yanchen was comforted by her words again.
The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. The carriage was driving through the mountains and forests towards the palace.
Yueli was tired from playing and fell asleep in the man's arms.
He Yanchen turned off another lamp, fearing that the light would disturb her sleep.
"His Majesty..."
He heard the woman in his arms calling him, and looked down to see that her eyes were still closed, but her hand holding his clothes had quietly tightened a lot.
He Yanchen held the back of her hand, and the warmth of his palm made Yue Li feel a little more at ease.
"Your Majesty, please do not commit suicide for me..."
He Yanchen held his forehead with his hand. Is it impossible to get over this matter of suicide for love?
Yueli seemed to be dreaming, and kept mumbling softly: "Your Majesty, please live well... Don't worry about me..."
He Yanchen's eyes moved slightly. He felt that Yueli had nightmares too frequently recently. He had heard her mumbling in her dreams several times, and they were all asking him not to die.
I don’t know what she dreamed about.
He patted the woman's back, leaned over and said softly, "I am alive and well. Stop talking nonsense and go to sleep."
Yueli seemed to hear his comfort, her eyelashes trembled, and she soon calmed down.
They were still some distance away from the palace. He Yanchen patted the woman's back with one hand and casually picked up the book she had just read and glanced at it.
The notebook was not thick, but the corners were a little wrinkled. It was obvious that she often held it and read it many times.
He Yanchen flipped through the book and took a quick look. It was about a woman who was murdered by her husband and his concubine, but was resurrected and returned to the past. She deliberately seduced her husband's brother, and the two of them had an affair while working together to deal with the couple. Later, she learned that her uncle had always loved her in past lives and present lives, and the lovers finally got married.
“…”
There was some disgust in He Yanchen's eyes, and he didn't know why he liked watching these things.
He was about to throw the notebook back when he found that a page at the back was folded.
His eyes fell on the last line of words on the yellowed page, and He Yanchen read it softly:
"I return to the past, reflect on myself, and protect those I love."
He was silent for a moment, and suddenly some absurd thoughts flashed through his mind.
*
Yueli didn't know how she got back to the palace or how she slept on the dragon bed in Hezheng Palace. In short, when she woke up, it was already early morning of the next day.
The seat next to him was empty, but there was still some warmth. He Yanchen must have just gotten up.
Yueli rubbed her eyes and pulled the rattle hanging next to the curtain.
Lian Qiao came in with hot water and asked, "Is your Majesty about to get up?"
"Um."
Yueli asked her to prepare hot water. She felt a little uncomfortable because she hadn't taken a shower since she came back yesterday.
There was a floor heater burning in the hall. Yue Li came out of the shower wearing only a light and comfortable nightgown. She sat on the edge of the couch and combed her black hair, but out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a pile of books in a corner of the couch.
"Lianqiao, did His Majesty put this here?"
Yueli picked up a book curiously and took a look. It wasn't there yesterday. Why did He Yanchen keep so many books there?
Lian Qiao took a look and smiled, "His Majesty ordered this this morning, saying it's all for you to see."
"For me to see?"
Yueli lay on the couch and flipped through the books casually. There were Buddhist scriptures, Taoism, astronomy, and geography. Yueli was confused. What was the point of reading all this?
Just when she was feeling depressed, He Yanchen walked in from outside the hall.
"Your Majesty~" Yue Li dropped the things in her hands when she heard the noise, jumped off the couch, and ran towards him without even wearing shoes.
He Yanchen caught her skillfully, and when he lowered his eyes, he saw her half-covered, round, white breasts.
He frowned: "During the day, dress properly."
Yueli hugged him and rubbed against him: "Whether there is anyone else in the bedroom, I only wear it for Your Majesty to see."
As she spoke, she suddenly looked up and asked him, "Your Majesty, why do you keep so many books here? I don't like reading these. I get sleepy as soon as I start."
He Yanchen patted her lower back, took her by the hand and sat on the couch, then casually picked up a book and handed it to her: "You should read some serious books."
Yue Li was stunned, and her cheeks puffed out instantly: "Your Majesty, are you saying that the books I read before were not serious?"
He Yanchen asked with a half-smile, "What do you think?"
"Was the book you read to me yesterday serious?"
Yueli pretended to be stupid, buried her head in the pillow and said nothing.
He Yanchen leaned over and hugged her from behind: "I didn't say you can't read those things, but I took you to read serious books in your spare time. If you read too many storybooks, you will easily have random thoughts all day long."
For example, something like going back to the past. He Yanchen didn't believe in such evil things, so he specially found some Buddhist scriptures for her to calm her mind.
Yueli said in a muffled voice, "Your Majesty, will you teach me to read?"
"Of course, otherwise you wouldn't want to read this alone."
"Okay then..." Yue Li agreed reluctantly because of He Yanchen's personal teaching.
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