Departure
"Your Majesty, all is well." Guan Zheng hurriedly bowed and greeted him, thinking about how unlucky she was today to have run into the emperor.
"Stand up, I am traveling incognito today, not many people know about it. Madam Marquis, please speak softly and don't reveal my identity." The emperor said happily.
"Yes." Guan Zheng stood up carefully and didn't dare to speak again. After all, the more she spoke, the more mistakes she would make.
She was just trying to find an excuse to leave quickly, but she never expected His Majesty to suggest that she accompany him for a walk.
“???” Although Guan Zheng was a little confused, she still agreed.
She walked three steps behind the emperor, pursed her lips slightly and glanced at the eunuch Hu who was accompanying him.
Eunuch Hu smiled at her friendly and said nothing.
"Madam, what do you think of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery?" the emperor asked slowly.
"In my opinion, my husband is a great hero who defends our country." Guan Zheng thought of a more pertinent answer that was neither too ostentatious nor too decent.
"Madam, do you like people like heroes?"
"???" Guan Zheng didn't know how to respond for a moment. Did she like him? It was just that the person she liked happened to be a hero.
The Emperor didn't get angry when he didn't hear Guan Zheng's answer, but continued, "If there was someone more powerful than the hero, would your wife like him?"
"Ah?" Upon hearing this, Guan Zheng stopped immediately.
Your Majesty, what does this mean?
"My heart is very small and can only accommodate the Marquis." Guan Zheng clenched her handkerchief, wondering if her words would displease His Majesty.
His Majesty turned around, narrowed his eyes, and smiled without saying anything.
After returning to the Marquis' Mansion, Guan Zheng's heart had not yet calmed down.
Now she just hopes that Yan Chan will come back soon so that there will be more people to help her make decisions.
Unfortunately, when night fell, Yan Chan showed no sign of returning. It seemed that she would not be able to make it back tonight.
The next morning.
Guan Zheng looked at Mrs. Qin with some confusion.
"The Imperial Concubine said she wants to see me!?" She was already terrified after meeting His Majesty yesterday, and now the Imperial Concubine also wants to see her?
"Don't worry, our mansion stands on the side of the Third Prince, and the Royal Concubine will not make things difficult for you. I think... you should just go and have a talk." Madam Qin patted the back of Guan Zheng's hand soothingly.
"However, this eunuch looks a little unfamiliar..." Madam Qin looked at the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict.
"I was newly promoted by the Imperial Concubine. It's normal that the Madam has never met me." Eunuch Chen said in a pinched voice.
Mrs. Qin thought about it and realized that there was indeed a eunuch named Chen serving the imperial concubine, but he rarely showed up in public.
His suspicions were dispelled, and he gave Guan Zheng some careful instructions.
......
Guan Zheng sat in the carriage and headed towards the palace.
They were led by young eunuchs all the way.
This was Guan Zheng’s first time entering the harem. She felt so dizzy from the vastness of the sky and earth that she was almost lost.
When she first married into the Marquis's Mansion, it took her many days to adapt before she could remember the route.
Just when Guan Zheng was feeling a little tired, they finally arrived.
The young eunuch stopped here, bowed and hurried away.
Guan Zheng looked at his hurried steps as he left with some confusion, as if a ghost was chasing him from behind.
She turned her head to look at the palace. It was indeed very noble. The servants inside were all busy with their work with their heads down. Everything was in order.
After she lifted her skirt and stepped over the threshold, a little palace maid came over and led Guan Zheng to the inner hall.
As soon as she entered the room, Guan Zheng was even more confused when she looked at the empty palace.
The young palace maid asked Guan Zheng to sit down and rest for a while, saying that the imperial concubine would call the lady over to talk to her soon.
Guan Zheng nodded and watched the maid leave... She was so considerate that she even closed the door...
Guan Zheng looked at her toes boredly. She was so sleepy from waiting that she raised her hand to cover her mouth with a handkerchief and yawned.
Suddenly, another door in the inner hall opened.
Guan Zheng's heart was filled with shock as she looked at the person who came in. She quickly stood up and saluted.
"Your Majesty." There was a slight tremor in his voice.
The emperor first looked at Guan Zheng silently for a while, then walked up to her.
Guan Zheng looked at the bright yellow shoes in front of her and involuntarily took a step back.
"Your Majesty, it was the Imperial Concubine who sent me here..." She pursed her lips and didn't dare to raise her head, not knowing why His Majesty was here.
"Yes, I know." He looked at Guan Zheng's white neck with a dark look in his eyes.
He reached out and held her shoulders.
"!!" Guan Zheng stepped back in shock and knelt on the ground, "What does your Majesty mean?" Her pupils shrank slightly, as if she had thought of something.
"I have evacuated everyone outside. Now it's just you and me."
"The eunuch who went to the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's mansion to deliver the imperial edict is one of my close associates. Do you understand what I mean?"
Hearing this, Guan Zheng's heart grew colder and colder. Things really turned out as she had imagined...
"Your Majesty..." Guan Zheng's voice was a little broken. She really couldn't believe that His Majesty would do such a thing.
She immediately pulled out the hairpin from her head and placed it against her neck.
"Your Majesty, please let me go!" Guan Zheng's eyes were red and she really didn't know what to do.
Just a slight scratch and blood will gush out.
"If you dare to commit suicide, I guarantee that the Loyal and Brave Marquis will never see the sun tomorrow!" He said this with some anger.
When Guan Zheng heard this, the hand holding the hairpin began to tremble uncontrollably, and for a moment she even forgot to cry.
There are His Majesty's men in the army...
He wants Yan Chan's life!!
Therefore, the fact that Yan Chan has not returned home these days is also the work of Your Majesty.
With a "click", the hairpin fell to the ground.
As he looked at Guan Zheng, who was crying with tears in her eyes, his desire to get her became even stronger.
......
After an unknown amount of time, Guan Zheng seemed to have shed all her tears.
She numbly pushed open the door of the hall and subconsciously pulled at her clothes.
The sunlight outside shone on her pale little face, making her look even more lonely.
When she returned to the mansion, she sat on the bed for the entire day.
The whole person seemed to have lost his luster and turned gray.
It was not until Dongxue said the bath water was ready that she regained some consciousness.
Guan Zheng was soaking in the bathtub when suddenly tears began to fall.
She hugged her legs helplessly, tears falling into the water.
"Where is my wife?" Yan Chan had just come back from outside and asked Dong Xue outside the house.
When Guan Zheng heard her voice, she quickly got up from the bathtub and cleaned herself up.
But the red eyes could not be hidden from anyone, Yan Chan saw it at a glance.
"My wife, why are you crying again?"
"Yan Chan, are you okay?" Guan Zheng pulled Yan Chan in front of her, turned her around, looked at her carefully, and asked worriedly.
"I'm fine. What happened?" Yan Chan looked at her in confusion and said that he was just trapped by the mountain rain for a few days.
"It's nothing... I just... miss you." Her lips were still trembling from crying. Guan Zheng turned around and wiped away her tears.
Yan Chan smiled and hugged her from behind.
After not seeing each other for many days, he wanted to have some good time with Guan Zheng, but was rejected by her.
Yan Chan looked at Guan Zheng who was sleeping with her back to her with a bit of loss.
He just said he missed her!
————
"Do you have to go?" Guan Zheng pulled her sleeve reluctantly.
"Oh, His Majesty has appointed me, how can I refuse?" Yan Chan felt helpless. Why was she sent to suppress the bandits again? It had only been less than a month.
She didn't want to go, but there was nothing she could do.
"Yan Chan...you must be careful." Guan Zheng looked at her, more worried than ever.
After watching Yan Chan leave, Guan Zheng looked at the little eunuch hiding nearby, and a wave of despair surged in her heart again.
————
"Madam, please ask a doctor to take a look." Dongxue patted Guan Zheng's back gently with concern.
"......" Guan Zheng had just finished vomiting and finally suppressed the nausea, "No."
At this moment, she already had some guesses in her mind.
She subconsciously covered her stomach and said, "Let's go find Doctor Shi." She needed some medicine, but she couldn't let anyone else know.
......
Guan Zheng sent Dongxue away and exposed her wrist for Shi Guiyi to take her pulse.
She stared at Shi Guiyi's expression intently, and seeing her face change, it seemed that her guess was correct.
"I need medicine to abort this child." At that moment, another wave of nausea came over him.
Shi Guiyi was shocked at first, then a little angry, "How could you treat the Marquis like this?"
Knowing about Yan Chan, she also knew that Guan Zheng would never get pregnant no matter what.
She grabbed Guan Zheng's wrist and pulled her up from the cushion.
"Whose baby is this in your belly?" Her eyes were sharp, and the hand holding Guan Zheng's wrist gradually tightened, causing her pain.
"It's the emperor..." Guan Zheng smiled bitterly.
"You're crazy!" Shi Guiyi looked at Guan Zheng in disbelief and shook off her wrist.
"Your Majesty has gone crazy!" Guan Zheng helplessly tugged at her arm. It felt like there was a fire burning in her heart. "He's threatening me with Yan Chan's life. I can't take this as a joke..."
She's going crazy too...
"Does the Marquis know?" Shi Guiyi looked at her for a long time before speaking, his tone somewhat dejected.
"I didn't dare tell her..."
"Have you ever thought about what to do in the future?" Shi Guiyi slumped in the chair, and the voice seemed to come from far away.
"I don't know... I don't know." Guan Zheng murmured, tears sliding down from the corners of her eyes. Suddenly, she felt nauseous again and ran to the side to retch.
"Madam, the eunuch accompanying the Imperial Concubine is here."
"!" Shi Guiyi stood up from his seat.
"Don't go!" Guan Zheng held her hand and prevented her from taking a single step out of the room. After hearing the words "Imperial Concubine", her eyes were filled with fear.
"He's the emperor's man... You can't defeat him..."
"If you see Yan Chan, tell her that she must survive no matter what."
Even if she dies, she must live on.
"Dongxue, send the female doctor back." Guan Zheng shouted outside the house.
She told the servants that she would go after changing her clothes (she didn't go this time).
......
As soon as Yan Chan got off her horse, she found that a white cloth was hung in her house. She subconsciously thought that Madam Qin had gone, and staggered into the mansion.
But the moment she saw Mrs. Qin standing there perfectly still, she felt as if the pause button had been pressed, and she seemed to be unable to hear any sound.
She couldn't believe that the person lying in the coffin was her wife.
Yan Chan knelt down beside the coffin and cried until she was no longer able to cry.
She opened the coffin lid and the servants behind her had no time to stop her.
"Get out of here."
She held Guan Zheng's hand, which had already turned cold, and squeezed it tightly.
If Shi Guiyi hadn't held her back, Yan Chan would have almost fallen into the coffin.
"You know what it is, don't you?" Yan Chan knelt on the ground and held her shoulders in a somewhat inappropriate manner.
She squatted down. Shi Guiyi had never seen Yan Chan so crazy before, and he choked up for a moment.
"When the servant pushed the door open... she had hanged herself... there was a pool of blood under her and on the ground."
Shi Guiyi supported Yan Chan's shaky body, fearing that her next words would make her faint: "I saw that she swallowed gold before hanging herself."
"She was afraid that if she was rescued by the servants... she would die from the pain..."
Speaking of this, Shi Guiyi really found it hard to imagine how patient Guan Zheng was to not let people outside the house hear her voice.
"Blood! Why is there blood?" Yan Chan quickly grasped the key point.
Shi Guiyi opened his mouth, looked at Yan Chan hesitantly, and finally hardened his heart and told her the truth.
"Guan Zheng is already two months pregnant..." Shi Guiyi held Yan Chan's elbow and lent her support.
"......Who...bullied her?" Yan Chan stood there in a daze, her pupils trembling.
"......" Shi Guiyi's mouth trembled. Those two words were too heavy, and she was really afraid that Yan Chan could not hold on.
Yan Chan carefully recalled the experiences of the past few months, and she seemed to finally understand... No wonder, no wonder... "It's the emperor, right!"
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