Chapter 3: The Emperor's Rejection
"...Did your master really say that?"
Ruizhu was kneeling on the ground, feeling uneasy. Suddenly she heard the emperor speak, and she shuddered and replied hurriedly.
"In reply to the emperor's words, this servant dares not lie."
"snort!"
Lu Haozhi had just woken up from a nap. This emperor had a bad habit of getting grumpy in the morning, and after hearing these words, his mood became even worse.
He was made the crown prince at a young age, was assisted to ascend the throne at the age of eighteen, and at the age of nineteen he killed the regent to regain power, pacified the country, and ruled the country with ease. He was a well-deserved son of destiny.
How could such a tall and strong man tolerate his concubine's cold face and anger?
Besides, he had been quite tolerant towards Meng Yan in the past.
Yan'er has been with him since she was sixteen years old, and she is very considerate and thoughtful in serving him in daily life.
She is pretty and lively, and is infatuated with him. She is also an old lady who came from the prince's private residence, so he likes her very much and dotes on her every day.
However, since she became a noble concubine, she became increasingly arrogant, acting recklessly in the palace and bullying the concubines.
He had only had a cup of tea and chatted with a beautiful girl in the Begonia Garden. Although it was not quite in accordance with the rules, as the emperor, who would dare to tell him the rules?
But she dared.
Just as he was about to serve lunch, she suddenly rushed in and started yelling at him, demanding that the concubine be removed from the list immediately. Just as the argument was getting out of hand, she suddenly fainted, and he had no choice but to send someone to send her back to Changchun Palace.
Because of this incident, Lu Haozhi lost his appetite and couldn't eat his lunch. He felt full and went to bed.
How could such a willful and domineering woman suddenly admit her mistake?
He doesn't believe it!
Lu Haozhi sneered and said, "Since that's the case, I won't bother with her any more. Now that the imperial concubine has woken up, I'll go check on her."
He wanted to see what tricks Meng Yan was playing.
Ruizhu didn't understand the emperor's intentions and thought he was favoring and considerate to her master. She was surprised and kowtowed quickly.
At that moment, the imperial carriage was summoned to the Yangxin Palace, and the sedan chair carrying the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty was marched towards the Changchun Palace in a grand manner.
Inside the bedroom of the main hall of Changchun Palace, Concubine Meng, who had just woken up from fainting, was enthusiastically discussing food with the palace maids.
"Braised venison, drunken shrimp balls, crab roe stewed tofu, flower basket sea bass, eight-treasure duck... Oh, and salt-and-pepper golden pancakes with rose gravy filling. Don't forget to tell the kitchen to make them too."
Meng Yanru ordered many dishes at once, and at the end she also ordered some snacks and sweet soup.
She was a noble concubine and was greatly favored. She had a small kitchen in Changchun Palace to serve her, so she didn't have to eat the rationed food from the imperial tea and kitchen every day.
In her previous life, she suffered a lot in the cold palace and ate leftovers every day. She was very greedy.
Now that she was reborn, she didn't care about the scandals between Lu Haozhi and Lin Yanrong, or the fierce struggles in the palace. The first thing she wanted to do was to eat a few good meals with him.
"Your Majesty," the maid Yunxiang, kneeling beside the bed and massaging her legs, advised helplessly, "You just woke up. The imperial physician has told you that you have palpitations and are frightened. You need to rest and eat a light diet. It's best to stop eating all those rich fish and meat."
What's wrong with the Imperial Concubine? In the past, she was afraid of getting fat and wanted to maintain her graceful figure, so she wouldn't eat a single bite even after being persuaded. But today, she seems to be possessed by a starving ghost.
"I know my body well."
Meng Yan rolled her eyes at her and stretched.
Her grandfather was a famous doctor in the Zhou Dynasty, known as the Medical Sage and King of Medicine, and he even saved the old emperor.
With a family background in medicine, she has learned exquisite medical skills since she was young. She can know her own physical condition without taking her pulse.
The talk of palpitations and fright is just a common excuse used by the palace doctors who are incompetent in treating illnesses.
"Your Highness, how is your health? Since you know it clearly, you might as well tell me so that I can rest assured."
A cold male voice sounded, and a man in a black gown with a gold-woven dragon pattern on it walked in.
Yunxiang hurriedly knelt down and bowed her head, saying, "This servant greets the Emperor. Long live the Emperor."
The person who came was the current emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Meng Yan's husband in two lifetimes, and the male protagonist in the storybook, Lu Haozhi.
When Meng Yan saw him, she was stunned at first.
Ever since she was banished to the cold palace in her previous life and died in the snow, she hadn't seen Lu Haozhi for many years.
Now that we meet again, it feels like we don’t recognize each other.
The Lu Haozhi in front of him was tall, with broad shoulders, sword-like eyebrows, ink-black hair, a pair of black eyes as sharp as an eagle, and thin watery lips tightly pursed under his high nose bridge. Coupled with the natural imperial aura that permeated his body, he was indeed a heroic man rarely seen in the world.
No wonder the storyline depicted her falling head over heels in love with this man. The concubines in the harem were all jealous of him, fighting over him and causing much trouble.
When she saw Lu Haozhi again, Meng Yan felt indifferent and clear as snow.
I neither hate him nor blame him, as if he is someone who has nothing to do with me.
Thinking about her previous life, when she was driven by the plot and loved him to death, Meng Yan even found it a little funny.
Meng Yan's gaze, as if she was looking at a stranger, made Lu Haozhi's heart tighten slightly. He frowned involuntarily and his tone became colder.
"What's the matter? Concubine Meng has forgotten the rules after all this illness? She can't even speak when she sees me. Where has her sharp tongue gone?"
In the past, whenever Meng Yan was with him, she would be passionate and fawning. She had never shown such a cold and indifferent look in front of him.
“Your Majesty…cough cough…!”
Meng Yan was about to reply, but in a hurry she choked on her own saliva and started coughing violently.
The face, which was already lifeless, became even paler because of the cough.
Yunxiang was flustered and didn't care about being rude. She got up from the ground, hurriedly poured a bowl of tea for Meng Yan, and gently massaged her back.
Seeing this, Lu Haozhi softened his tone, "Is the Imperial Concubine really not feeling well?"
Meng Yan took two sips of tea and gradually stopped coughing. In just a moment, many thoughts ran through her mind.
At that time, Lu Haozhi didn't hate her as much as he did later. She was still his favorite concubine, so he still had some affection for her.
She had to seize this opportunity carefully and change his impression of her becoming increasingly arrogant and domineering so that she could make plans for the future.
This fainting was really a great opportunity.
Meng Yan lowered her head slightly, her eyes lowered, and said softly, "Your Majesty, I am not in good health. I think I have contracted a contagious disease. I am afraid I will need to recuperate for a while. I am also worried that the disease will spread to Your Majesty, so I ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to hang up the green card. Your Majesty... you are not angry, right?"
She spoke cautiously, and her voice was hoarse from a coughing fit, making her sound like she was really out of breath.
Seeing her so frail and sickly, Lu Haozhi's heart softened, and he also lowered his composure, lifted his skirt, and sat down beside the bed. He said, "Since the imperial concubine is ill, I will stay and keep her company." Then he ordered, "Rong'an, go and fetch the stack of memorials on my desk."
"Absolutely not!"
Before Rong An could answer, Meng Yan blurted out the answer.
"Why, Your Majesty, are you... unwilling to keep me?"
The thick brows of the Emperor of the Great Zhou furrowed again.
After all, Meng Yan was an old woman who had been with him for many years and was his imperial concubine. He didn't want to have a quarrel with her just for a young lady, and since she had given in, he also wanted to find a way out.
However, Meng Yan actually wanted to drive him away?
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