Chapter 82 Chapter 82 [VIP]
Her expression did not seem fake. Although Xiao Che vaguely sensed something was wrong, he subconsciously took a step closer to her when he saw that she was unstable.
It also seemed that I had to get closer to confirm her feelings.
"Yiniang, what did you say?"
Shen Youyi didn't have time to talk to him about love affairs. She took a deep breath, handed the knife handle to him, and spoke in a low voice that only the two of them could hear clearly.
She hurriedly said, "Hold me hostage, leave quickly."
Thinking of the handwriting on the paper, he felt something was amiss and was about to run away. However, in a split second, their eyes met, and he calmed down instead. Swallowing the bitter taste in his mouth, he carefully took the knife, threw it far to the ground, and shook his head.
Yi Niang would lie to many people, but she would never lie to him.
He remembered things he had never noticed.
Yi Niang burst into tears but hesitated to speak when they met again, and Yi Niang spoke strangely when she came to the appointment. Now he wants to leave, but he may not be able to get away.
But deep down, she felt indescribably sad. Xiao Che wiped the tears from her cheeks, but his voice became a little higher: "Yi Niang, why do you think I can get away with holding you hostage?"
Shen Youyi was almost too angry to speak. She said bitterly, "How can you not get away? He will definitely let you go!"
As soon as she said this, she was stunned.
Emperor Yuan Shuo certainly knew that Xiao Che would not be willing to kill her. Kings who hold absolute power often hate provocation and coercion from their subjects the most, but he could not resist such threats. Even if he was furious, he would not kill anyone in front of her.
Because she was the one who actually held the knife.
How could she be so devoted and trust in a person who was sleeping with her but had different dreams from hers?
Although many years had passed since their intimate time, it still seemed like yesterday to him. Xiao Che was very familiar with her confusion and embarrassment as a little girl. He held her in his arms and even laughed: "Yi Niang, His Majesty is old."
Shen Youyi thought he was almost mad with jealousy. Just as she was about to reach out to cover his mouth, she heard him say, "He had two queens and many children. He played with you, exiled you, sentenced you to death, deceived you, and is the father of the prince. Yi Niang, I never thought you would like him."
His voice had once reassured her, but now it was like a poisoned blade: "Besides, he'd long assumed you'd cheat on him. Do you think he truly loves you?"
But Yiniang's subconscious reaction couldn't deceive anyone. It was true that she didn't want him to die, but she also truly believed the emperor who wanted to kill him.
Even if the child in her belly is really Emperor Yuan Shuo's, as long as they care about each other sincerely, they can still wander around the world.
But she likes that guy in her heart, what should he do?
Xiao Che could guess how much the emperor hiding in the dark wanted to tear Yi Niang into pieces, as she was afraid of death and wanted to curry favor with the rich and powerful in the eyes of others, but she ignored the dangers and didn't care about the safety of herself and her child.
But when he reached out and embraced this beauty in his arms, feeling her real warmth, fragrance and softness again, it was like being close to the copper pillars of a bed of nails and enduring the pain of being burned.
His Yi Niang has always been a picky woman. Even if it is something she loves, she will no longer like it if it has unacceptable flaws.
But now, she leaned in his arms blankly, only her lips moved slightly.
Unlike her decisiveness towards the prince, she racked her brains to find reasons to refute the man, but she felt unable to say anything in front of him.
As expected, she sighed softly, looked up and said, "Ache, you trust me the most, and you know... I am a mean person by nature, and it is difficult for me to say such words."
Xiao Che nodded, but the strength he held on her arm increased a little.
The first time she said such words was in that quiet and breezy little house, on the simple bamboo couch, when she asked him if he wanted to marry her. He was ecstatic.
However, today, she is going to speak for the second time.
This was enough to break his heart.
"Your Majesty is a man who doesn't get carried away. He wants to be calm and steady, to be superior. He's clearly interested in me, but he's so serious he wouldn't even glance at me... He's a hypocrite, I've known that for a long time, but I don't care. He wasn't a good match to begin with."
She didn't care about frivolously devoting herself, nor did she care about the truthfulness of those sweet words. She threw away her pride and reputation and came to him, making the emperor think that she loved him very much.
Shen Youyi felt a bit painful. She actually liked such a man, and was angry and sad for his deception: "But I really like him a little bit, Archer, people always have to move forward."
She even heard Xiao Che's suddenly heavy breathing, but she didn't think she was wrong.
In Xiao Che's eyes, she was still alive in a distant place, but she didn't know in which powerful person's hand she lived, miserable and weak. But in her eyes, he had already died somewhere, and she should do her best for him, but love had lost its restraints and would flow to others.
"The saints said that life and death are both great, but once you die, you are dead. Archer, can you..."
Shen Youyi choked up and said, "I'm not as good as you think. I've obviously changed my mind, and I don't even have the courage to admit it in front of you, but I thought it was for your own good. The words in the letter are always more tactful than in person, so as not to hurt your heart so much."
She was a cowardly woman who wished she would never see him again. She didn't want to look into his incredulous eyes, or hear his words, or recall every little detail between them. She could only give him promises that he didn't really want, feeling at ease.
"In that case, death is not a bad thing. If the king wants his subject to die, he must die. I am alone.
Xiao Che's arms relaxed completely. He smiled slowly, urged her to go, and said softly, "It's not a regret that Yi Niang can't bear to leave me like this before I die. You've already cried for me once before, so it's better not to be heartbroken this time."
Shen Youyi didn't dare to leave him even a step. With her here, those who were ambushing in the dark certainly didn't dare to act rashly. But as long as she left the palace, Xiao Che might be pierced by thousands of arrows.
Seeing her like this, Xiao Che's eyes were filled with bitterness. He lowered his head and said, "Yi Niang, he suspects you so much. If you delay any longer, aren't you afraid that you won't be able to explain yourself in the future?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the wall where the bows, arrows and swords were hung suddenly made a loud noise. The sound of bricks and stones rubbing against each other made Shen Youyi take a step forward very quickly, trying to stop Xiao Che behind him.
The bows and arrows used by the emperor were extremely heavy. In order to keep out the cold in winter, the walls of the palace in Chang'an were thicker than those of the Wenquan Palace. According to the eunuchs in the palace, there were often mechanisms installed at the connection between the palaces and pavilions to prevent riots in the capital and the rebels from attacking the palace, leaving the emperor no time to hide.
But when she found out that there were indeed several people hiding in that narrow mezzanine, she was still quite shocked.
The man, who was wearing a tight military uniform and casual clothes when he got up in the morning and was talking and laughing with her as usual, was only a few feet away from her, listening to her private conversation with her "deceased husband" with a stern expression.
Behind him, King Zhao looked shocked and uneasy. He tried to hide behind him and turned around uneasily with his royal brother.
She didn't recognize him anymore.
He knew from the beginning that Xiao Che was the envoy of Nanzhao, but he was able to watch from the sidelines, watching Xiao Che try his best to approach her and seduce her.
It was just unexpected, and perhaps because the emperor did not give any signal, there was no scene of the imperial guards rushing forward.
However, she didn't have time to feel sad or angry. She let out a deep breath, a little tired but fearless, met his eyes and said softly, "Your Majesty commands six armies, does he still have to do the killing himself?"
When his son killed someone, there were still trusted aides far away at the front line who covered up for the Eastern Palace.
Emperor Yuan Shuo looked at her again and again. His Yi Niang's hair was disheveled and she stood in front of Xiao Che in a messy manner, but she looked at him with disappointment, as if her former husband would die in the next moment.
Before that, she prepared gifts for him and looked forward to his return happily. The two of them snuggled up affectionately in the tent, gentle and affectionate.
He had already gotten everything he wanted, but he just refused to believe it.
He had arbitrarily decided her choice early on. Between the resurrected Xiao Che and the emperor who could give her endless glory, Yi Niang would definitely choose the man she loved most.
And this person must not be him.
Not many people could handle her letters, and Emperor Yuan Shuo had no intention of paying attention to Prince Zhao's fear and speculation. He spoke in a calm and gentle voice, "Yi Niang, come here."
Shen Youyi hesitated a bit, but the man with a cold and hard expression came forward, signaled the people behind him to stay still, and said slowly: "If there are archers, I stand where I am, and they dare not shoot."
If the general is angry, two people will be killed and blood will flow for five steps. Even the emperor may not be safe when facing a young and strong man.
He extended his hand, pausing in front of her for a long moment. He couldn't detect any extraneous emotion, only a hint of helplessness. "The guards said he'd be waiting here for an hour. If I want to kill him, I don't have to wait for you to arrive."
Yi Niang's letter did not mention that the appointment was today. She was not supposed to be here before she gave birth.
Xiao Che's death should have been silent.
Shen Youyi was stunned. She looked at Emperor Yuan Shuo in disbelief. Although she was confused, it was definitely not the emperor's intention to spare Xiao Che's life.
He had told her in person that if he loved her but could not get her, he would do the same thing as the prince.
At that time, she just thought it was a jealous love talk, but now she thinks it is a warning.
The emperor was not so tolerant as to tolerate the man who had been her husband having an affair with her.
If she had understood clearly, she would not have even glanced at the man who looked somewhat like her late husband when she met him in the palace market.
However, she still took a few steps forward very slowly, just avoiding his oncoming arm.
That brief separation did not prevent Emperor Yuan Shuo from holding her hand tightly. When he touched her palm covered with cold sweat, he also felt a little scared.
The prince was devoted to Buddhism and could not be persuaded for a long time. Today, he actually went to the East Palace. Seeing that the prince was wearing plain clothes and eating simple food, his emotions were in turmoil and he calmly talked to him about the dying Nanzhao envoy.
The prince had long stopped asking about envoys from foreign countries. The envoys who occasionally came in and out of the Eastern Palace were his old friends and rivals who had been killed by him. Although he was a little surprised, he did not seem to be afraid. Instead, he felt a sense of relief.
He suddenly realized the cause and effect, but his father was obsessed with the appearance and tried to provoke him with past events.
"Aye is the Son of Heaven, he can do whatever he wants."
He clasped his hands together, lowered his brows, his face gentle, and a certain lofty dignity visible. "But most things in this world are caused by causes, and the same is true for the Emperor. My son was too arrogant back then, and he was conceited that he could confine Yiniang to the inner chamber for life. He made many mistakes, which led to this day. The past is not far away. Why do you insist on it, father? If the imperial concubine really has evil intentions, it is better to let them go."
In the past, he would never have done such a thing, but after sitting cross-legged for months and witnessing the crumbling of the building, he became more tolerant, even towards his deceased wife, who had once been his grudge partner. "If it weren't for my obsession, my son wouldn't have insisted on marrying the He family's daughter. She'd marry a good man, and certainly not someone as cruel as me. Mother doesn't like the imperial concubine's beauty, which would bring trouble to the entire family."
He had brought retribution upon himself. He looked down on He's background and resented her for not being content with the position of principal wife. Her father and brother were of little use to him, so he could safely ignore her without any scruples.
There is a divine will in the dark. He was looking for a devoted person, but he pushed the woman he loved further and further away with his own hands.
"Love and affection are entangled in the nine difficulties. To love someone is like holding a torch against the wind, or grasping quicksand in one's palm. Therefore, seeking intimacy only leads to alienation, seeking love only leads to hatred, and ultimately to no good."
The sound of the Crown Prince chanting the Buddha's name was still ringing in his ears. Emperor Yuan Shuo still remembered this son who had done so many evil things to Yiniang. One day, his eyes would reveal some compassion and mercy. He whispered, "A prince who is sentimental will be suspicious. Your Majesty, you are also obsessed with appearances now."
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