Chapter 77 Chapter 77 [VIP]
He thought that after the news of his death reached the capital, the eldest son would take her back for himself, but he could not imagine that his beloved wife would be offered to Emperor Yuan Shuo, who was old enough to be her father!
The king and father who treated him with kindness and strictness, and whom he respected and admired, the eldest son’s biological father!
Shen Youyi raised her eyes to look at him. After so many years, she couldn't say whether it was good or bad. She choked and said, "Fortunately, look, I'm standing in front of you alive and well, aren't I?"
She was intact... except that there was a child in her belly that had nothing to do with him.
After a long separation, she carefully avoided touching her abdomen and hugged him tightly, sobbing softly, "You must have suffered a lot to become Prime Minister. Did the king hate you, or was someone framing you? Why would he send you so far away?"
Although other small countries would also send the Prime Minister as an envoy, he should never return to Chang'an in his lifetime. This kind of identity is only safe enough in a foreign country.
Xiao Che hugged his wife, who had just passed his shoulders, and even had the heart to comfort her: "Yi Niang, there's no such thing. I volunteered for this mission... Nanzhao is close to Tubo, and I knew the court would be too busy to attend."
Shen Youyi was slightly startled, and looked up at him. The man's eyes were full of depression: "Yi Niang, I originally thought you would be in the prince's mansion."
They had always had a tacit understanding as a couple. Just by looking into each other's eyes, she could already understand his regret.
If she was the eldest prince's concubine, even if an insignificant woman disappeared during the chaos, the eldest prince would not dare to make a big fuss even if he knew her whereabouts. He was more afraid of the matter being exposed than they were. The elite troops of the court were all in Luosha Road at the moment, and there was no intention to attack Nanzhao and push the King of Yunnan, whom he had personally supported, to the side of a powerful enemy.
But the world had changed in Chang'an, thousands of miles away. Emperor Yuan Shuo made her a noble concubine, but was very harsh to his eldest son. She was even pregnant and had difficulty moving.
Even if she could escape, an envoy from a foreign country stole the emperor's woman. No matter how good Emperor Yuan Shuo was at keeping calm, he would not be able to bear the hatred of having his wife taken away, and he would definitely hold Nanzhao accountable. At that time, the King of Yunnan would weigh the pros and cons and might even chop off Xiao Che's head and send it to the capital to apologize.
Facing those eyes full of attachment, Shen Youyi subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiao Che looked at her greedily, wanting to engrave this beautiful face into his heart. He said in a deep voice, "Yi Niang, I came too late and made you give yourself to him. If you don't like staying in the palace... I just want you to say one thing."
He had been hiding his identity for many years and didn't mind waiting for a while. He had clearly weighed the pros and cons before coming to see her, but when he really held her in his arms, his rationality almost disappeared and he could no longer bear to let her go.
There are so many things in this world that we do even though we know they are impossible.
Shen Youyi was startled. She looked outside cautiously and said in a low voice, "Brother, are you going to die?"
"Yi Niang, I've already put life and death aside when I returned to the capital this time." Xiao Che shook his head and patted her, "But even if I don't want to live, I can't ignore Yi Niang."
Taking her away now was, of course, impossible, but he didn't give up on this thought: "You and I are already a loving couple. If there is justice in heaven, it should have mercy on lovers... Yi Niang, you are so beautiful, yet you have to share a bed with His Majesty. Accompanying the emperor is like living with a tiger. Don't you know what kind of person he is? How can I bear to see you sink into the sea of suffering?"
He spent a long time in the palace before he turned twenty. A horse-riding emperor who was feared by everyone could not be a good husband. Although it was widely rumored that the imperial concubine was the most favored in the six palaces, there were also many bad rumors.
The emperor treated his concubines, including Yi Niang, with great cruelty. If Yi Niang hadn't been pregnant, he didn't know if he would have seen her again in his lifetime. Xiao Che held her arm and whispered, "I miss you terribly. I often dream about you at night, afraid you're dead. But then I think, although Yi Niang is weak, she would never commit suicide easily. You know who our enemy is, and you will live on even if you have to endure humiliation."
He is alone, without parents and children, but Yiniang is different. She will never seek death unless she is in desperate situation. If the eldest son has feelings for her, she will definitely not be able to keep the Xiao family business. She will probably follow the eldest son's original plan and enter the imperial book as a Liangdi and become a concubine in the Eastern Palace.
Yi Niang had long been unwilling to serve the eldest son, and must have been looking forward to the day when she could escape from the sea of suffering. Perhaps she was still fantasizing that her husband, whose body had disappeared without a trace, would descend from the sky like a god and save her from the dire straits.
But he still had to ask her to be patient, saying gently, "If you really hate that man, wait until next year when you have recovered. I will come to the capital to pay tribute, and we and my father-in-law will try to escape to the ends of the earth... This child has Cui's blood in his veins. No matter how heartless the emperor is, he will not wrong this young child."
He didn't want to be separated from her for too long, but he was afraid that Yi Niang wouldn't be able to bear separating her from her child. This idea was naive and cruel. He paused and said, "If Yi Niang really can't bear to part with the child, why don't we both endure it for a few more years... From what I know about him, the eldest son's position is definitely not secure. If this child becomes the emperor, we won't have to hide from each other anymore."
Shen Youyi opened her mouth, but finally lowered her eyes, not daring to meet his fiery gaze.
Her life in the palace was not that bad. In fact, it was quite the opposite. When she thought her ex-husband's bones were buried deep in the earth, she still flirted and had fun with the emperor in the red tent with peace of mind, like a pair of mandarin ducks embracing each other.
Even his parents and brother, because of the emperor's favor, lived a busy but very happy life.
The love he gave did not receive a corresponding long-term response of gratitude. The woman he was waiting for still remembered his kindness, but her true love was greatly reduced.
Choosing one of the two, she couldn't bear to leave.
She would feel sad for him whenever she thought about it. She had changed her heart, had her own children and a daughter, and all she could do for him was to offer sacrifices to him every year.
Tears welled up in her eyes, Shen Youyi wept bitterly in his arms, almost gritting her teeth and complaining, "My dear, why didn't you come earlier!"
If he had arrived in the capital a few months earlier, and happened to see her being sent out of the palace by Emperor Yuan Shuo, she would have let go and escaped with him even if she was pregnant.
At that time, the emperor and she both thought they were resolute enough to break up with each other. If her brother was asked to return to his hometown to serve his parents, she would be willing to follow her resurrected husband to a foreign country to become the prime minister's wife. She would even be truly grateful to God for his favor, instead of being in the dilemma she is in now.
What was even more embarrassing was that she was not at all troubled, and was even vaguely relieved that these ideas could not be realized.
Seeing her crying so heartbrokenly, with tears welling up in her eyes, Xiao Che felt utterly brokenhearted. He murmured, "It's all my fault, my husband. I've caused Yiniang so much suffering here."
Shen Youyi choked up and said, "Ache, please don't think so much, okay? Just treat me as if I'm dead and live your life well. Even if there is a disguise, with His Majesty's photographic memory, he may not be able to hide it for long. If you need anything on this trip, as long as I can help, I will do my best."
Xiao Che's heart ached. He was no longer the naive and frivolous boy he once was. Compared to the former, which had a slim chance of success, Yi Niang must have chosen the latter, which offered her a longer-term and more comfortable life. For this reason, the two of them would have to endure for many more years, watching her commit herself to Emperor Yuan Shuo, and could only wait and see when the heavens would take the emperor's life. He said gently, "Yi Niang, I'm here for you. Do you think I need your help? I just hope you live well."
A pair of ill-fated mandarin ducks hugged each other tightly, as if trying to grasp the last tender moments.
Inside the mezzanine, King Zhao finally closed his eyes, his anxious heart suddenly relaxed, and even his teeth stopped chattering.
The candlelight was dim, and he didn't even dare to leave a narrow gap to pay attention to his brother's expression. After today, he didn't know where the imperial concubine would go, but Xiao Che was bound to die.
Sure enough, he heard Emperor Yuan Shuo laugh very gently, but the sound was as sharp as a knife passing by his ear.
This is a secret room built by our ancestors to prevent palace riots, so there is no need to worry about outsiders hearing the sounds inside.
At this moment, except for him, no one in the hall knew that the emperor had murderous intentions.
"Royal brother..."
Prince Zhao barely dared to breathe, and stammered, "After all, the imperial concubine is pregnant with the heir to the throne. Perhaps she was simply momentarily distracted. Please at least consider the child's sake..."
Pregnant women are sensitive and thoughtful. In this situation, the imperial concubine was also infected by Xiao Che's emotions.
It's not that he wants to curry favor with the Imperial Concubine. His brother, the emperor, has few children to begin with. In order to get the Imperial Concubine Shen, he even abandoned his own flesh and blood. Now he has no children. Even if the Imperial Concubine really has the intention of cheating on him, it is not a good time to blame her. Otherwise, it would be a waste of time.
However, his royal brother hated the ministers who pretended to obey but were actually disobeying, and treated the king as a three-year-old child, and were careless. However, the imperial concubine deceived the emperor again and again, but she did not think that his royal brother was willing to give up the eldest son he had raised for many years for her, and Bai Ran would one day be willing to give up the flesh in her belly.
"Huaiji, the Imperial Concubine's indifference towards me has not lasted just one or two days."
Overhearing his wife having sex with another man, Emperor Yuanshuo Baiwen, the husband, was much calmer than the King of Zhao, an outsider... or rather, his heart had never been so calm as it was at this moment.
"She couldn't bear to leave me because of all the wealth and because she was pregnant. I knew about it and never blamed her."
King Zhao had never heard the emperor speak in such a mocking tone before.
She even couldn't bear to give up the sexual pleasure he could give her, and she felt pity for his old age and illness, but she loved another man from the bottom of her heart.
He had already compromised by coaxing her back, and now he was just vaguely disappointed.
He could give so much to Yi Niang and even Shen Shi. Shen Shi was already tied to her and the child. As long as she was by his side, her father and brother would be able to display their talents. Her child could even replace the eldest son and get everything he could have.
As the husband with whom she would spend the rest of her life, Yi Niang was already satisfied with him.
He thought Yi Niang was a cold-blooded and intelligent person, born that way, and he would not force her to change anything. He had enough faith to let her go and teach her to see the resurrected Marquis of Lingyang once again.
Since you attach so much importance to blood ties, even if he cannot warm your heart, you should analyze the pros and cons, cut this wrong red line with your own hands, and let go of the past.
But unexpectedly, apart from in bed, she also had times when she couldn't express her feelings, but not to her current husband.
He and his eldest son hated each other, but he didn't realize that in Yi Niang's heart, as long as that person came back to life, everyone would have to step back, which made them seem like both father and son were evil people who abused their power to separate loving couples.
King Zhao swallowed his non-existent saliva. He understood what his brother meant. He felt relieved and his rationality returned. He vaguely felt that something was wrong.
In fact, the imperial concubine did not promise anything in person, but she could not forget the old love, so she thought a lot about the other party. It was a bit like the distress he felt when dealing with the requests of envoys from various countries. He could not make up his mind, but he could not show any intention of shirking.
However, before he could say anything, Emperor Yuan Shuo spoke up and said calmly, "Once the delegation's carriages leave the capital, have them dealt with. There's no need to let the imperial concubine know."
Yi Niang would not know these things unless one day she was delusional and lost her mind and sat in the envoy's car.
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