When Lin Ruhong regained consciousness, she found herself safely in a side room of the Lin residence.
If it weren't for the still cramping and uncomfortable pain in her abdomen, and the uncontrollable gushing of lochia from below, she would have thought that the perilous situation she had just experienced...
The eerie, sweet-smelling room and the man exuding an evil aura—it all felt like a nightmare!
The head palace maid stood guard by the bedside. Seeing that she was awake, she immediately wiped away the tears from her eyes.
Suppressing his fear, he gently helped her sit up, and with meticulous care, placed a soft pillow behind her back.
"Your Majesty, is there anything else that is bothering you?"
Consort Lin's voice was as light as a feather: "The child was lost?" There was not a trace of emotion in it.
"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences..." The tears that the head palace maid had been desperately holding back finally burst forth at this moment.
She would rather the Empress be as fierce and mad as before, expressing her grief, than see the Empress now looking so lifeless and dejected.
However, Lin Ruhong's thoughts were not what she expected.
She was undoubtedly devastated by the loss of her heir, but now there was an even more fatal weakness that someone had the upper hand over.
As a concubine of the Emperor of Liang, her body was defiled by a villain!
If the emperor knew, he would surely issue a secret decree and immediately bestow poisoned wine and a white silk noose upon the victim.
She couldn't even save her own life...
Even though His Majesty is lenient with her now, he cannot tolerate such a royal scandal!
Moreover, she had obtained this child through an ancient remedy, solely to allay His Majesty's suspicions about Yan'er.
In her efforts to save the child, her body has been depleted of too much nutrition.
Upon hearing of Yan'er's accident, she was filled with worry and fear, and her body was already at its limit. It could be said that the loss of the child was within her expectations, so she did not show too much grief.
Being kidnapped and humiliated is what's giving her the biggest headache right now!
What is the mastermind's purpose? If they had a grudge against her, they could have killed her with a single sword. Why send her back unharmed?
Or perhaps the mastermind has left evidence to control her and turn her into a puppet.
Upon realizing this, Lin Ruhong's expression hardened!
If that's the case, she absolutely cannot sit idly by and wait for her doom.
There are only two paths we can take now:
First, find the mastermind behind it all, kill them all, and eliminate any evidence to prevent future troubles.
Second, the emperor abdicated, Yan'er ascended the throne, and with the problem solved, he could rest easy!
※※※※
Fireworks lit up the sky as bright as day, and the stirring drumbeats resonated deeply.
In mid-air, a shower of petals, full and fragrant, drifted down.
"The second half of the banquet is about to begin. All guests, please present your invitations at the public pavilion and enter in an orderly manner."
The second half of the show featured solo dance performances, and the audience streamed in, far more than the previous night.
The visiting cards on the counter at the public pavilion were piled up like a small mountain, and the rose silk flower baskets on display next to them were completely sold out.
Furthermore, refined poets from poetry societies, who came together, spontaneously composed poems and essays on the theme of this magnificent scene in front of the flower terrace, freely expressing their feelings through their pens.
That's certainly a good story!
The last time Tianyun saw such a massive crowd was at Jay Chou's concert...
Xie Wuyun's luck was even worse than Lingqi's, and she was sixth in the draw.
Fortunately, she wasn't fixated on the ranking; otherwise, drawing such a high number might have affected her mood.
At this moment, she had already changed into her dance costume and ran over to Tianyun with a cheerful smile, saying, "The Third Prince came very early today and was sitting right below the stage. He was very close to the front; I recognized him at a glance."
Xie Xiaoni was attending a banquet for the first time, and she came specifically to keep Yun'er company. She was extremely excited at the moment.
She was also a restless person, and every now and then she would sneak out to see which familiar faces were in the audience.
After wandering around for a while, she was wearing thick clothes and sweat was beading on the tip of her nose.
Tianyun handed her a handkerchief to wipe her sweat, saying, "If your makeup is ruined like a kitten's, how will you go on stage?"
In this room full of people, the two of them seemed like outsiders.
Everyone else is pursuing a light and graceful beauty, so dance costumes tend to be light and flowing, and some even have wide sleeves, so that a raised arm can reveal the fair wrist bone, without being seductive enough to be captivating.
Only Xie Xiaoni and Tianyun were both wrapped up more tightly than the other!
The former didn't want to torture himself for the sake of dancing, while the latter changed his outfit temporarily to appease a jealous person.
She spoke in a coquettish tone, and Xie Wuyun chuckled foolishly, "Your performance won't be for another hour and a half. His Highness must be getting impatient."
Unfortunately, she cannot leave the garden tonight and cannot stay by his side.
Tianyun touched her lips with lipstick, slightly taken aback.
Seeing that her expression was a little off, Xie Xiaoni quickly assured her, "Don't worry, I'll act first. After I finish, I'll focus on keeping an eye on His Highness and see which girl his gaze lingers on. I'll tell you everything later!" I was acting just like a dutiful little sentry gathering intelligence.
Tianyun was indeed amused by her, and said with tenderness in his eyes, "Okay, I'll leave it all to you."
※※※※
Beneath the Tung Blossom Terrace.
Xiao Ziwu blended into the crowd, dressed in a low-key manner. Apart from his face, which was the envy of all, he was no different from the others.
Duan Ximu held tightly to Jiang Kun, who was turning to leave, and refused to let him go no matter what.
"A song and dance extravaganza, it won't cost you a penny to watch, why do you keep walking?"
Jiang Kun said irritably, "Why should I, at my age, attend a banquet for young people? I'd rather go back to blacksmithing."
Alas! Rotten wood cannot be carved.
"What's wrong with fighting again tomorrow? Facing those hard, broken pieces of iron all day long, how can it compare to the fragrance of this graceful young girl with her slender waist?" Duan Ximu glared at him with exasperation.
Does he really intend to remain chaste for the princess for the rest of his life?
Jiang Kun swung his arm and shoved him away: "Anyway, I'm not interested. You can see for yourself!"
That old lecher! When a young girl is dancing, he gets more excited than anyone else!
"Since we're already here," Duan Ximu said, crossing her arms and gesturing towards Xiao Ziwu with her lips. "His Highness is here too, so let's just keep him company."
Jiang Kun looked in Xiao Ziwu's direction, his eyes widening: "Your Highness is here too?!"
How is that possible?
That shouldn't be the case.
After spending this time together, Jiang Kun was quite certain that His Highness was not a lustful man, otherwise he would not have turned a blind eye to the women who came one after another to him.
I never expected to see him here today, and in such a prominent position.
This world is a dream...
"Greetings, Your Highness."
They went over to them, but did not perform a grand ceremony; they merely bowed slightly.
After all, there were many people, and His Highness did not want to attract attention.
Xiao Ziwu nodded slightly in acknowledgment: "Master, Mr. Jiang."
After asking them, I stopped paying attention to them.
Jiang Kun then noticed that His Highness only had time to glance at them briefly before turning his gaze back to the bright and beautiful girl on the Tonghua Terrace.
As if afraid of missing the slightest detail, his eyes held an obsession he himself was unaware of, which aroused a trace of curiosity in Jiang Kun.
Could it be that the girl on stage has particularly captivating dance moves?
With this in mind, he then looked towards the Tonghua Terrace.
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