Chapter 73 Chapter 73 [VIP]
As she stood up, she heard many soft sounds.
It might not be obvious in the bustling market, but when she paid special attention, she could hear the sound of sharp blades being drawn from their sheaths and the sound of shoes and boots rubbing against the ground.
"What's wrong, ma'am? Are you feeling unwell?"
Tan Rui and Sui Chao saw the imperial concubine's face change drastically after eating that thing, and hurried forward to ask about it, lowering their voices and saying, "I will send someone to call the imperial physician immediately!"
His Majesty attached great importance to the baby in the imperial concubine's belly, and they did not dare to neglect it in the slightest. However, the imperial concubine just stared blankly ahead, stunned for a while.
The fine beads of sweat on his forehead were blown away by the breeze, making him feel cool and refreshed. Shen Youyi looked at the panicked shopkeeper with a slightly apologetic look, and said with a forced smile, "It's okay, it's just a naughty child who kicked a few times. There's no need to mobilize such a large force. If His Majesty knew about it, he would go back and scold me for not taking good care of myself."
Sui Chao breathed a sigh of relief. As the pregnancy progressed, the imperial concubine, who had been cautious at the beginning, became more casual. After all, the child was not conceived by a man. His Majesty sometimes had to suppress his nagging thoughts to prevent the imperial concubine from getting unhappy again.
Even in the market set up in the palace, there were countless eyes staring at her. Emperor Yuan Shuo would know immediately if there was any movement.
If it was just a false alarm, she would inevitably cause trouble for the innocent man. If it was really him...
She resisted the urge to take another look. Perhaps she had been too worried these days. Three years had passed, and her husband must have turned into rotting bones in a foreign land.
It must be just a coincidence. The Xiao family has many branches, and maybe he ran into one of his cousins.
If I could see him in the palace, it would be too funny. Shen Youyi calmed down for a while before walking to the mask stall and browsing for a while. She seemed to ask the maid beside her casually: "Just now, there was a man dressed strangely. Was he also wearing a mask like this?"
The man who came to buy the fermented rice wine was indeed dressed strangely. Tan Rui thought for a moment, nodded, and smiled, "My lady has a good memory, but that man looked unfamiliar. I think he was some chieftain's envoy, not someone from the Central Plains. Your Majesty is inviting envoys from various countries to enjoy the evening, so it's not surprising to have a few strange-looking people. I saw Persian dancers dancing in front, and the Arabs in white selling Kunlun slaves."
The maids around them chuckled slightly. Only nobles could afford Kunlun slaves. The envoys from those places came to the palace to sell them, and there was no telling how much they could earn in one night.
Shen Youyi nodded. She thought about it again and again. The man wore a tall black crown inlaid with gold on his head and a red silk robe. He was tall in appearance, which made him even more eye-catching in the crowd. His country should be close to the Han Dynasty, so his clothing style was more similar to that of the Chang'an nobles, that is, the headdress and mask were very exaggerated.
Although she understood clearly, she was still a little lost in thought as she stared at Yu Li's mask. The stall owner saw that the imperial concubine seemed to like the mask very much and said with a smile, "If this lady likes it, you might as well buy one for your husband. This one has always been a hot seller. There are also masks that several other girls like that would go perfectly with this one. Would you like to try it on and see?"
Although Emperor Yuan Shuo probably wouldn't wear this to play with her, Shen Youyi didn't lack the money. She smiled and asked Tan Rui to pay. When she turned around, she saw the hustle and bustle in the tavern.
The King of Zhao was traveling with a beautiful woman dressed in Hu clothing, but he did not see where the Queen Mother and her palace maids went.
Suddenly seeing a familiar man, and without Emperor Yuan Shuo by her side, Shen Youyi felt a little tired and lonely, and said softly: "If your Majesty comes looking for me, just say I'm going to change clothes."
Since her husband's death, she has rarely visited his grave in person to pay her respects. Even in her dreams, he rarely appears. She even wonders if that heroic and profound face will begin to become blurred in her memory in a few years.
She felt depressed and couldn't breathe in the bustle.
However, just as she reached the pavilion and looked up, she saw a few lanterns under the plum trees that were in full bloom, reflecting the flowing shadows of the flowers and emitting a rustling fragrance, which gave her a glimpse of the pleasant scenery of a paradise.
There seemed to be a man standing under the tree, staring at her intently.
Shen Youyi lifted the hem of her skirt, wanting to get closer to see more clearly, but the man took the initiative to pick up the lantern on the ground and illuminated his cheek.
She uttered a startled cry, and the man opposite slowly stepped out of the shadow of the flowers.
Although none of the eunuchs in the Purple Palace followed him, he was alone, but Shen Youyi had not seen the emperor's oppressive side for a long time, and his heart was beating like thunder.
He said slowly: "What happened to Yi Niang? Don't you recognize your husband?"
Shen Youyi was just curious and smiled: "I'm just curious, my dear, you said you have something urgent to do, could it be that you are hiding under the flowers and trees and lamenting the passing of spring and autumn... Do you want to write a poem?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo seemed to be laughing in anger, and also seemed to be teasing her: "What can I write here? A poem complaining about my husband?"
Shen Youyi had seen the poems written by Emperor Yuan Shuo, and at most there were one or two erotic poems about women's complaints. It was common for women to complain about their husbands, but she was not sure how to write about husbands complaining about their wives. Smiling, she handed Yu Zhong's mask to him and said, "How did we both end up here? We are so in tune with each other."
Emperor Yuan Shuo lowered his head, looking at the rare gift, and smiled faintly: "Yi Niang, during the Lantern Festival, men and women often give each other tokens of love to express their true feelings. Do you really have to give this to me?"
Shen Youyi knew that he looked down on this, and glanced at him resentfully: "My husband, you haven't seen many
Most of the men and women on the street are very familiar with each other. Having sex makes them feel more intimate and relaxed. She complained softly, "Can't you just go along with me? Anyway, we're walking forward, so just keep it to yourself."
They could already be called an old married couple, not at the age of innocence, and the emperor's age was getting older, so it was a play.
Yuan was covering it up, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or not. Shen Youyi felt a little restless in her heart.
She was almost seventeen years younger than him. Even for the sake of the child, wouldn't he tease her?
Seeing that she remained silent, Emperor Yuan Shuo had no choice but to take the mask from her. However, Shen Youyi suddenly felt a weight in her palm, and he stuffed a heavy brocade bag into her.
She undid the laces and revealed a jade seal, its color as moist as green waves. On the side of the seal was a goddess holding a long sword and holding a baby in her arms, with a serene expression. On the bottom of the seal was engraved the words "Holding a long sword and holding the baby, Sun is the only one who is fit to be righteous for the people."
Her parents hoped that the goddess in heaven could bless their offspring to grow up smoothly, so they gave her this name, hoping that she would be as gentle yet powerful as Shao Siming.
However, she did not tell Emperor Yuan Shuo about this. Most parents have many expectations when naming their children.
"I have been carving it for a long time. Today, when I put on my crown and clothes, I remembered to hide it in my sleeve. But in my hurry, I made a mistake and forgot it when I changed clothes."
Emperor Yuanshuo held up a lantern and asked her to look carefully. His tone was faintly gentle, "Yi Niang once embroidered a sachet for me. I originally wanted to give it to you on her birthday, but I was never satisfied, so I delayed it for some time."
He held Shen Youyi closer. The moon was high in the sky, people were meeting for the festive season, and a pair of lovers were embracing each other, as if the breeze of January was meant to be so tender. "Sometimes I think, time flies. My wife is only twenty-one, but she has experienced hardships that I didn't know about before. You may be annoying at times, but you are also very lovable. I hope to treat you better, even better, so that Yi Niang can rely on me more and forget everything in the past."
"I don't know what to give you." Emperor Yuan Shuo paused, then suddenly asked, "What would the Marquis of Lingyang give you in the past?"
The sour thread of love suddenly broke, Shen Youyi laughed and bit him lightly: "Even if Your Majesty doesn't know what to give to others...you shouldn't mention him!"
If she had asked other concubines what kind of soups and snacks they would send to the Zichen Palace, she would probably have been beaten by him, as if she had violated some taboo.
Who would bring up the issue of a wife's deceased husband at this time?
The bad guy who only allows the state officials to set fires!
Her teeth only left very light marks on his neck, obviously reluctant to use too much force. Emperor Yuan Shuo patted her back and said softly, "So, Yi Niang, do you have anything you want to say to your husband tonight?"
Shen Youyi was slightly startled. She was wondering if she was too focused on trivial matters and had not thought about giving him a little romantic love.
The other party was so full of expectations that she didn't know what to say to satisfy him.
She said softly, "I love Your Majesty too, and I want to be with Your Majesty all day long."
"I don't know if it's because I've always been so greedy that I've had bad luck and often get what I don't want, but how can I not be grateful for your kindness to me? I think maybe it's fate, that we were enemies in a past life, destined to be entangled together."
Emperor Yuan Shuo stared at that sincere face, almost wavering. However, after a moment, he lightly kissed her forehead, without any lust, and with sufficient restraint: "Yi Niang, is there nothing else?"
She really didn't know what the emperor wanted to hear. She bit her lip and thought for a while, then tentatively said, "I will serve Henglang well tonight. It's okay if you like it. I will do whatever you want."
The emperor was not a man of pure heart and desire, and they slept together every night. She was not a quiet and honest person, and often pestered him to hold her. She heard from the eunuch that His Majesty intended to summon the Taoist temple's immortals to the palace to teach them the art of abstinence.
Emperor Yuan Shuo didn't want her to please him with her body. He caressed the delicate skin of the woman in his arms, and the feathers of the mask she gave him trembled slightly, making him feel slightly itchy.
He remembered her lost and surprised look, staring at the man with fixed eyes, as if she wanted to follow the man.
Such a loss of composure only lasted for a moment, but if she had paid a little attention, she would have noticed how shocked and angry the person in the dark was.
However, she did not see her husband who had returned, but just stroked the mask, full of thoughts.
Fortunately, the man did not dare to take off the mask rudely and tried to reveal the answer in front of Yi Niang. Yi Niang was just distracted and finally passed him by.
Otherwise, he didn't dare to think about whether he would kill the man who should have died a long time ago in front of Yi Niang tonight!
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