Chapter 71 Return to the Capital 2 The Emperor Who Cannot Be Loved
Dulan sobbed and cried until she was out of breath in front of Chen Jichuan's grave.
She really missed him.
She didn't dare to come here before because she didn't know what identity she should have.
Today she came here as his daughter-in-law to pay homage to their father and...mother.
This is really an indescribable feeling.
She was willing to be Chen Jinshi's wife, willing to spend the rest of her life with him, calling his father father and his mother mother.
But in the end, she still felt a little regretful.
It was a pity that he wished he was there. She wanted him to see her and Chen Jinshi together.
Dulan's crying was low and soft, with a hint of...timidity.
She sobbed like a little girl.
Chen Jinshi looked down at her shaking shoulders in silence.
He realized the cruel truth: his relationship with her would never become like the one between her and her father.
She would depend on her father, acting like a little girl, acting coquettish, snuggling and worshipping him.
And she would never do that to him.
He regretted this.
Unfortunately, their relationship started as a "mother-son" relationship that can never be reversed.
He depends on her, clings to her, cannot live without her, receives love and care from her, and has the "possession" that comes from a child to his mother;
She educated him, scolded him, and had high hopes for him, hoping that he would grow up tall and strong, but she would never claim him as her own, and she had no selfish feelings towards him.
The two cannot be reversed, nor will they be reversed.
Chen Jinshi slowly squatted down and gently brushed Du Lan's tear-soaked hair with his fingertips.
"Am," he said, his voice lighter than the mountain mist, "I know you miss him. But look, if he saw you like this, he would be heartbroken."
Du Lan raised her eyes with sobs, her eyes were red and tears were hanging on her eyelashes, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Chen Jinshi gently wiped away her tears and coaxed her gently, imagining what his father looked like.
Chen Jinxing walked forward and toasted the two tombstones next to each other. Standing in the front, as the eldest son, he took the lead in the worship and introduced the new bride to his father.
He bowed to the tombstone and said in a steady voice, "Father, Mother, Jinshi got married last year, to Dulan. You two can rest assured if you are in heaven."
Zhang Ruoling, holding Chen Jiahe in her arms, also knelt and saluted, saying softly, "My daughter-in-law brought Jiahe with her. She's still young and doesn't understand much, but she knows to greet grandparents. I'll bring her here more often so she can spend more time with you two."
Chen Jiahe's mother pressed her shoulders, and her small body bent accordingly.
Du Lan and Chen Jinshi stood side by side, bowing deeply to the two tombstones. "Father, Mother, and your daughter-in-law Du Lan, I come to pay my respects to you both today."
The wind blew through the trees, and the rustling sound seemed like a gentle response.
"Father has always hoped that our eldest family would have many children. Now Jiahe has grown up so much. He will definitely be happy to see it." Chen Jinshi said in a cheerful tone, quickly dispelling the dull atmosphere.
Du Lan looked at the scene in front of her and suddenly felt her eyes warm again, but it was not because she was sad. She just thought that the general would probably be relieved to see such a scene.
Chen Jinshi held her hand, making her feel extremely at ease.
Chen Jinxing looked at the sky and said, "It's getting late, it's time to go down the mountain." Du Lan nodded, took a last look at the tombstone, and the regret in her heart gradually faded away.
She knew that although the general was gone, the home and family he left her were still there.
On the way down the mountain, Chen Jiahe held Dulan's hand and skipped ahead, pointing to the small flowers on the roadside and asking her what their names were.
Dulan answered patiently, with a faint smile on her lips and some redness in her eyes.
However, she didn't know what to call some of the flowers, so she turned to ask Chen Jinshi. The scene with the three of them looked infinitely beautiful.
Seeing this, Zhang Ruoling smiled and said, "Father just wants our family to thrive. I heard you two are still taking medicine. Why bother? Stop now."
Du Lan was slightly startled: "I'm not young anymore, I'm afraid it won't be easy to ask for it."
Zhang Ruoling said, "If you ask me, I'd stop taking the medicine first, let nature take its course, and see if fate brings good luck."
Chen Jinxing picked up his daughter instead and said, "Why are you trying to persuade them to have two children? For our father's lineage, even if there is only Jiahe in the future, it will be enough."
Zhang Ruoling glared at him: "How can that be enough?"
Chen Jinshi smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, just find a son-in-law for Jiahe."
After returning to the capital, Du Lan continued to be on duty at the Cining Palace every day.
She prescribed several prescriptions for the empress dowager, who found them very effective and loved her even more.
When he saw her, he was so happy that the words just slipped out.
"Xuan Che resented me back then and refused to issue the imperial decree to take you into the Eastern Palace. Look, I regret it now."
Du Lan was writing at the desk when his hand suddenly stopped and he lowered his eyes, not daring to make any big movements.
"Your Majesty, please do not make fun of me."
At first, she thought that if the prince really wanted her, he would not give her a choice. Since he let her go, it must be because he didn't like her that much. However, she didn't expect that it was because the queen mother disagreed.
So, when he let her go, was it because the prince didn't like her that much, or was it because... he couldn't get the love he wanted.
Du Lan's whole body tensed up instantly.
The Queen Mother suddenly realized she had said the wrong thing, but she didn't intend to take it back. Her eyes fell on Dulan's smooth face. "I am not making fun of you. Xuan Che did come to me and ask to make you a Liang Di, but I rejected the idea because I saw that you were a woman of a foreign race."
Du Lan lowered her head and said softly, "The Queen Mother is wise."
The Queen Mother's expression changed: "Why? Do you like that kid from the Chen family so much?"
The woman in front of him almost had her rejection of Xuan Che written all over her face. The Queen Mother was not happy to see this, because her son was the king of a country.
Du Lan remained silent. It wasn't that, but Chen Jinshi was right. That man wasn't "clean." If she really were to be with Xuan Che... how many women would she have to share her husband with? She didn't want to live that life, and it wasn't that she looked down on Xuan Che.
"Empress Dowager, my personality is not suitable for entering the palace."
"You're quite frank. I know life in the palace is uncomfortable. The strife among the three palaces and six courtyards is not something a kind-hearted person like you can handle." She paused, took the tea handed to her by the palace maid, took a sip, and then continued, "It is precisely because of your temper that I regret this."
Du Lan was stunned, not quite understanding what the Queen Mother meant.
As for her good heart, she just endured it reluctantly.
"Now that I can serve the Queen Mother, I am already satisfied."
The Queen Mother's eyes fell on her, and her gaze painted her carefully, causing Du Lan's back to stiffen.
"Alright, get up. Things have come to this, and you're already married. What else can you do?" The Queen Mother asked her to sit down, her tone softening. "From now on, in the palace, I'll have your back. For tomorrow's polo match, I've already contacted the Imperial Stables and have reserved a docile horse for you. Go play with them."
"Thank you, Queen Mother."
The air in the capital was still very cold at noon, with a thin mist floating in the air. Du Lan changed into the green riding clothes given by the empress dowager, which showed off her tight waist and a circle of white fox fur on the cuffs.
She smoothed her hair in front of the bronze mirror, looking neat and tidy.
Du Lan pushed the door open and saw Chen Jinshi wearing a black riding suit, a white jade belt around his waist, and holding Zhao Ye in his hand. "Zhao Ye" was the name Du Lan gave to the black horse that Xie Qingyue had sent her. It was much more majestic than the chestnut pony that the empress dowager asked the imperial stables to leave for her.
Du Lan naturally chose Zhao Ye. She didn't care that she had let down the Queen Mother's kindness, nor was she afraid of making the Queen Mother dissatisfied.
After leaving the city gate, the mist gradually dissipated and the flags were faintly visible. Only when we got closer could we see the royal pomp.
The area was surrounded by a two-meter-high vermilion fence, with bright yellow and crimson flags hanging on the top, rustling in the wind.
The fence is divided into three areas: the horse stable on the east side, the racecourse in the middle, and a row of colorful sheds on the west side. The bright yellow shed at the highest point is particularly eye-catching.
As soon as Dulan arrived, two eunuchs came to greet him and bowed, saying, "Master Dulan, the Queen Mother is waiting for you."
As he spoke, the eunuch's eyes quietly swept over Zhaoye, who was brought by Dulan. Seeing the horse's shiny mane and sharp eyes, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he didn't dare to ask more questions.
The women were dressed in silk and satin, holding round fans in their hands. There were also a few who, like Du Lan, were about to go on stage, and there was deep inquiry in their eyes when they looked at her.
Everyone knows that this Second Lady Chen is now a close attendant in the Cining Palace and is highly valued by the Empress Dowager. I wonder what will happen today.
Before Lord Chen went to Loufan, he was a rare candidate for a good son-in-law in the capital. Considering his young age, several families in the capital who wanted to marry off their daughters were not in a hurry. However, they did not expect that only half a year after Lord Chen arrived in Loufan, the news of his marriage had already reached the capital.
Time goes back to the present, and when I look over, it is this woman in front of me.
She did not have the soft and smooth features that women in the capital cultivated. Some female relatives commented that she did not have pearls and jade on her neck, but then they saw her climbing onto the majestic Zhao Ye, and she looked fresh and alive at the first sight.
Dulan held the reins and asked Zhaoye to take small steps. With the horse's mane flying, she walked across half of the polo field and arrived in front of the empress dowager's tent.
Du Lan slightly retracted her fingertips, with light force but full control, and the dark horse instantly quieted down, causing several noble young men who were preparing to go into battle outside the tent to pause.
"Is this the foreign woman that Master Chen married?"
Dulan leaned forward slightly on horseback as a greeting, and the eunuch in front of the Queen Mother invited her in:
"Lord Dulan, the Queen Mother is inside, please dismount immediately."
Dulan jumped down from her horse. The Queen Mother was sitting on a soft couch in the tent. When she saw her, she smiled and said, "You must stand on my side today. I bet on you to win."
Du Lan knelt down and saluted, then asked, "Who else is in the group escorted by the Queen Mother?"
"There's the Emperor, and a few other princes. Let's rest for a while. We'll start when they arrive."
Just as Du Lan was about to respond, he heard the sound of horse hooves behind him.
Turning around, I saw Xuan Che riding a white horse towards me. After not seeing him for four years, he looked much colder and more stern.
It lacks some of the gentleness of youth and has more of the majesty of an emperor.
Xuan Che's white horse stopped in front of the tent and he dismounted.
"Your son pays his respects to the Queen Mother." He first saluted the Queen Mother, and after standing up, his eyes fell on Du Lan.
She knelt down and bowed her head: "Your Majesty, may you be well."
"Dulan, how are you?"
"Thanks to your majesty, everything is fine."
Xuan Che sat down on the high seat and suddenly smiled: "I thought you were still angry with me."
This was ambiguous, so Du Lan pretended to be calm.
"I dare not."
She pretended to be servile and distant, and Xuan Che smiled again.
"I am very pleased, Dulan. I forced you to leave back then. Now that we meet again, I have reflected a lot."
Du Lan lowered her head, her long eyelashes hiding the emotion in her eyes. The emperor was speaking like this because of the time she used his jade pendant.
It’s not that it can’t be used, but once it is used, the affection will come to the surface.
All men have a complex. If a woman uses his help and relies on his "chest", he will "take her as his own" to a certain extent.
As the emperor said, "I am very pleased."
So if a woman wants to completely reject a man, she must first cut off all his help and resources.
But Dulan didn't do it, she used his jade pendant.
Once a woman asks a man for a little help and releases a little of her vulnerability, it is also a way to leave possibilities for the other party.
Fortunately, she is now a wife, and the emperor can no longer "take her for himself", and there is no "possibility" of that.
"Your Majesty, we acted swiftly in the face of urgency. This was not Dulan's original intention. If I have overstepped my bounds, Dulan is willing to accept the punishment."
Xuan Che's eyes fell on her neck, but his tone was not aggressive: "I know that the power was given to you by me, so of course you can use it as you like." Instead, there was a hint of doting in his tone.
Du Lan's back tensed even more and she gently closed her eyes. She was afraid that he would reply like this. It would be better to punish her so that there would be a clear distinction between them.
Xuan Che gave her the jade pendant before she left, with the sole purpose of ensuring her safe journey home. She would have someone to escort her, and she wouldn't have to worry about money. She could seek help from local officials if she encountered any difficulties. This was the only usage the emperor had allowed.
The emperor always had a smile on his face, as if he was in control of everything. Du Lan didn't dare to look up.
The Queen Mother frowned and said, "Alright, we're here to have fun today, how can we keep bringing up old things? Dulan, get up quickly."
Du Lan finally stood up. Just as he was standing firm, a eunuch came in holding the rules and regulations. "Your Majesty, Queen Mother, the princes have arrived. Please tell me whether the competition should begin."
Xuan Che stood up and glanced at Du Lan: "Let's go, Du Lan, today you will be responsible for passing the ball to me."
The emperor was giving her an order, not asking her.
Du Lan did not dare to ask more questions or say more. Unable to refuse, he could only respond: "As your Majesty wishes."
A faint smile flashed across Xuan Che's eyes, and he turned and walked out of the tent, with Du Lan following behind him.
Another team led by Chen Jinshi stood opposite them.
Several princes were waiting on horseback. When they saw the emperor approaching, Prince Yu smiled and said, "Your Majesty is personally taking the field today. Your subordinates will not yield. We will fight you as we must."
When Xuan Che was the crown prince, Prince Yu loved to jump around, thinking about dethroning the crown prince and taking the throne himself. Unfortunately, his methods were so clumsy that Xuan Che never regarded him as a real opponent.
But in this kind of situation, he is the only one who dares to challenge the emperor. He is so stupid that he doesn't even know his own mistakes.
Xuan Che smiled and said, "Of course, there are rules on the field. None of you are allowed to give in to me."
Prince Yu continued, "Your Majesty, Lord Chen and his wife are on separate teams. Since ancient times, it has been a rule that husbands sing and wives follow. You must be careful of a traitor in the team who might try to pass the ball to Lord Chen."
As soon as he finished speaking, several sons of noble families couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Hearing this, Xuan Che turned to look at Du Lan with a half-smile, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Lord Du Lan, can you do it?"
Du Lan glanced at Chen Jinshi, who was standing tall and proud, riding on his black horse like a true military commander. He responded to Prince Yu with one sentence: "Your Highness, you are worrying too much. It has always been my duty to pass the ball to her. One is my wife, the other is the emperor. I dare not have any second thoughts."
As he spoke, Chen Jinshi's gaze shot towards Xuan Che, his words expressing his loyalty, but as for his eyes...
The moment the polo ball was thrown into the air, Xuan Che rode out first and approached in an instant.
Du Lan also followed immediately. Zhao Ye was as fast as lightning. She accurately predicted the landing point of the polo ball, raised the club in her hand slightly, and just intercepted the ball and passed it to Xuan Che.
The Queen Mother held up the peep show and sighed, "Good shot!"
She really likes Dulan more and more.
Xuan Che received the ball, glanced back at Du Lan with a hint of approval in his eyes, and rode his horse straight towards the opponent's goal, about to score. Prince Yu rushed over and tried to intercept. Xuan Che cleverly avoided it with a twist of his wrist.
Seeing this, Du Lan immediately rode his horse forward and swung his club horizontally, barely blocking the opponent's charge.
Xuan Che took the opportunity to swing, and the polo ball fell steadily into the goal, and the scoring bell rang instantly.
"Your Majesty, good shot!" Cheers came from outside the tent. Xuan Che reined in his horse and turned to look at Du Lan: "Thank you for your time."
Prince Yu snorted and laughed: "Lord Dulan, you are a weak woman, aren't you afraid of being hurt by us grown men? If you try to stop me next time, I will not be polite to you."
Du Lan sat up straight on his horse and suddenly missed his sable robe. Wearing it on the grassland made it impossible to tell the difference between humans and animals, let alone men and women.
Chen Jinshi rode his horse slowly to Prince Yu and stopped him. "Oh? From what Your Highness said, the next round is going to be a serious fight? A serious fight means a serious fight, different from what we did just now."
"Of course!"
"When Lady Dulan stopped you just now, she was still decent. But if we really talk about riding skills, you may not be her match." Chen Jinshi said in a flat tone, with a cold smile on the corner of his lips.
"Tsk! Just a woman."
Du Lan glanced at the other person coldly and rode back to the emperor's Kobe.
The polo ball was thrown up again, and the horn sounded. Prince Yu ignored everything else and rushed straight to Dulan. He rode his horse at an extremely fast speed, as if he was going to knock someone over.
He must prove that he, Prince Yu, is not inferior to even a woman.
The grass was splashed by Prince Yu's horse's hooves, and the women watching the race around exclaimed in surprise, and the Queen Mother frowned.
"This Prince Yu is really something. He's so old, but he hasn't made any progress. Is he really going to make things difficult for a woman?"
Seeing the opponent coming at him aggressively, Du Lan tapped Zhao Ye's abdomen lightly with his left leg. The black horse understood instantly and gracefully retreated half a step to the side and rear, just avoiding the collision with Prince Yu's horse's head.
At the same time, she swung her right polo stick back and accurately hooked Prince Yu's club. She did not pull it with brute force, but used the force of the opponent's rush to gently lift it. Prince Yu's hand holding the club suddenly became numb, and the polo ball fell to the ground with a "bang".
This series of actions was as fast as a gust of wind. By the time Prince Yu reacted, Du Lan had already bent down to pick up the polo ball, and had done a beautiful turn on his horse, just as he was about to pass the ball to his teammate. Ashamed and angry, Prince Yu pulled out the whip from his waist and was about to hit Du Lan on the head.
Chen Jinshi was sitting on a horse not far away.
He rushed forward two steps and then stopped suddenly. Prince Yu's force was light and she could handle it.
At an occasion like the present, where Dulan could shine, Chen Jinshi was unwilling to interfere. Why not watch her display her skills and dethrone Prince Yu?
But Xuan Che was on the move. He had been chasing the polo ball when he caught sight of Prince Yu whipping his whip, and his brows furrowed. Before Du Lan could raise his hand to react, Xuan Che's white horse charged towards him like a flash of white light. He casually swung his polo stick, and with a snap, it sent Prince Yu's whip flying.
"How dare you!" The emperor's voice was cold. "The competition is about skill, how dare you use a whip?"
Prince Yu's hands trembled from the beating. He looked up and saw the anger in the emperor's eyes. Only then did he realize it and panicked: "My humble servant, my humble servant was just angry for a moment..."
Dulan retracted her attack and stepped back, bat in hand. Her eyes were expressionless; she simply found this farce dull.
The man came at me with malicious intent, and it felt really bad to have the chance to fight back taken away by him.
Dulan regrets that she is not a woman who can get pleasure from being "protected".
No, there is only one person who can give her this kind of pleasure.
It’s a pity that man is not the prince.
Xuan Che took Prince Yu's mistake lightly.
After all, that was his younger brother, and the whip didn't really hurt anyone. In front of everyone, Xuan Che couldn't give him any severe punishment.
Xuan Che returned his gaze to Du Lan's indifferent profile, and a sense of inexplicable disappointment flashed through his heart.
She should at least act a little weak, even hide behind him, sobbing and thanking him for standing up for her.
Chen Jinshi reined in his horse. Seeing that she was safe and sound, the tense lines in his shoulders gradually relaxed. He did not regret that it was not him who saved her. It was just a pity... those people would never know that his wife could overthrow Prince Yu.
His Eminem...
"Dulan, are you okay?"
Xuan Che announced a pause in the game and rode to Du Lan to ask her.
He hated feeling ignored.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm fine." His tone was still just the right amount of distance.
Du Lan returned to sit beside the Queen Mother, and the polo match below began again.
The Queen Mother asked her, "Have you been wronged?"
Dulan shook her head: "How could that be?"
"Prince Yu is always so rude, just ignore him."
The Queen Mother said this, her eyes swept over Prince Yu on the scene, a trace of displeasure flashing in her eyes. That idiot, what a disgrace.
"I was just wondering why the Emperor acted so quickly. Thank you for your help, Your Majesty."
The Queen Mother said, "You don't have to thank him. It's all his duty. Before he can become an emperor, I want him to be a gentleman first."
Du Lan listened silently. No mother was dissatisfied with her son. Even the empress dowager would praise the emperor whether there was something to say or not.
She didn't want to listen anymore and looked towards the court. She saw Chen Jinshi make a beautiful interception and then turned to look in her direction. Their eyes met lightly through the crowd.
The corners of her lips unconsciously curled up slightly.
The Queen Mother felt it was a pity that she was a foreigner. The more she looked at her, the more she felt that among all the beautiful ladies in the capital, none could compare to her.
"Dulan, if you're tired, go inside and take a break."
Du Lan shook her head, a smile in her eyes: "I'm not tired, I had a great time today."
The virtuous concubine brought the eldest princess over and greeted the queen mother. After Xuan Che ascended the throne, he had only one child, the eldest princess, so the eldest princess was particularly favored.
Seeing that the girl was as pretty as a piece of jade, Du Lan became interested and teased her a few times.
By evening, the setting sun was hanging obliquely in the sky, and another round began.
Du Lan walked out of the tent without noticing the person who suddenly appeared behind him.
"Dulan, I originally planned to let you go, but I really can't let you go. What should I do?"
Xuan Che was completely calm in his heart. He spoke this time not because he was lustful, not because he was impulsive and didn't care about the consequences, and not because he was using his power to think that there was nothing in the world that he wanted but couldn't get.
He said this after an extremely long period of consideration.
He had never seen a woman like Du Lan before. Every part of her was very tempting to him.
She is very charming, gentle and honest. She has lived in Jinling for many years, and her body is imbued with the soft charm of gurgling water, while at the same time she has a unique frontier style.
Her eyes were absolutely heavy and passionate, with a kind of magical power that led him to explore them. As a result, he could no longer tolerate her alienation and wished to crush her into pieces and savor her carefully.
He was irresistible, he wanted to get closer to her, and that impulse was suppressed several times, but he couldn't.
Now that things have come to this, he has to think that he is the emperor and he can get it.
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The author has something to say: Please order whatever you want to see, I will try my best to satisfy you, and remember to watch it at midnight.
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