Chapter 279 So tired
Shen Qingci beckoned Wanqing over and asked her to take Tuantuan aside to play for a while.
"Do you know," she said, looking at Chu Yuening after Wanqing left, "that Huo Yunting once asked your imperial brother for permission to marry you?"
"What?" Chu Yuening stared wide-eyed in astonishment, her face filled with disbelief!
A look of confusion crossed her face: "Huo Yunting... I do know him."
"The former Marquis of Yongning was, I heard, a spy planted in the court by my brother. Huo Yunting's faked death was only done on my brother's orders, to secretly recruit soldiers and horses for my brother and handle some matters that were inconvenient for the Prince's Mansion to handle."
"Now that my elder brother has ascended the throne, naturally... he will be given an important position."
“But…” Her eyes were filled with endless confusion, “Why…why would he suddenly ask my brother for my hand in marriage? I have no prior connection with him.”
“And now I…” She glanced at Tuantuan, the meaning of which was self-evident.
She married into the Siyou Kingdom and spent several years there, even having a child.
Even now, many people in the court still believe that the war between Siyou Kingdom and the Great Wall was all because of her.
If her elder brother weren't now the emperor, she probably wouldn't be able to appear openly in the capital.
Shen Qingci looked at her and slowly shook her head.
“It’s true that he was once the Marquis of Yongning.” Her voice was cold and resolute. “But everything else is fake.”
Shen Qingci looked at the woman in front of him, who was full of doubt. Chu Yuening's expression and reaction did not seem fake, so Huo Yunting should not have come to her yet.
She decided to tell her the whole truth.
“Huo Yunting,” she looked at Chu Yuening and pondered for a moment, “is actually… your imperial brother, the commander of the secret guards left by the late emperor to Emperor Yongming.”
“During the previous palace coup, Emperor Yongming originally intended to use him to escape from the palace.”
“But,” a cold glint flashed in her eyes, “he didn’t expect that I… would kill him first.”
"After I ambushed Emperor Yongming, I was kidnapped by Huo Yunting, who was waiting outside, when I left the palace."
Upon hearing this, Chu Yuening's eyes widened instantly!
On the day of the palace coup, she was protected in the villa by Chu Jichen's men and was completely unaware of what was happening outside!
She never imagined that there would be such thrilling twists and turns in the story!
"Sister-in-law!" She rushed forward and grabbed Shen Qingci's hand, her voice filled with lingering fear and concern, "Are you... are you alright?"
"Since Huo Yunting has taken you hostage, why...why does my brother still promote and reward him?!"
Shen Qingci then recounted in detail how Huo Yunting used her as leverage to negotiate with Chu Jichen.
“Although,” her voice carried a hint of solemnity, “Huo Yunting said that he was already utterly disappointed with Emperor Yongming’s incompetence and had long harbored rebellious intentions.”
"The reason I waited until then to make my move was simply to... use Emperor Yongming's life as a bargaining chip to obtain a legitimate identity. But I never expected that I would beat me to it."
“But…” A deep doubt flashed in her eyes, “I always feel that this person is really somewhat strange.”
“So,” she looked at Chu Yuening, her voice filled with solemnity, “His Majesty and I have been secretly trying to keep an eye on him. But we never expected that he would set his sights on you.”
“However,” she patted Chu Yuening’s hand reassuringly, “don’t worry, His Majesty… has already refused on the spot.”
Hearing Shen Qingci say this, how could Chu Yuening not understand what Shen Qingci's purpose was in coming today?
"Sister-in-law is afraid..." Her voice also became serious, "that if Huo Yunting's plan fails, he will... target me, so... he came here specifically to warn me?"
Shen Qingci looked at her and slowly nodded.
"yes."
Chu Yuening laughed upon hearing this.
There was no trace of panic in that laughter; instead, it was filled with a calm and composed acceptance of the ways of the world.
"Don't worry, sister-in-law," she said, looking at her and emphasizing each word, "I... know what I'm doing."
"I am not some innocent and ignorant person."
“Otherwise,” a hint of self-mockery flickered in her voice, “we wouldn’t be alive today.”
Whether it's the perilous and treacherous Great Zhou Imperial Palace or the ruthless Northern You Harem, those who survive are certainly not the truly naive and innocent.
She murmured to herself, as if trying to persuade Shen Qingci, but more like trying to persuade herself: "I know... what to do."
Seeing her like this, Shen Qingci's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down completely.
"That's good."
The two exchanged a smile, everything understood without a word.
Chu Yuening stayed at the Regent's Palace for the entire day, and it wasn't until evening that she reluctantly left with Tuantuan.
It wasn't until it was completely dark that Chu Jichen dragged his exhausted body back to his bedroom.
As he unfastened his elaborate dragon robe, he casually asked, "I heard... you summoned Yue Ning today?"
Shen Qingci nodded, stepped forward, and naturally took the outer robe he had taken off, bringing him a comfortable set of casual clothes.
"Hmm," her voice carried a hint of seriousness, "I'm still worried that Huo Yunting might harm her. So, I called her over and we had a good... talk."
Upon hearing this, Chu Jichen's eyebrows curved into a smile, and his deep phoenix eyes were filled with tenderness.
"I've been so busy lately." His voice carried a hint of barely perceptible guilt and dependence. "My sister... I'll leave her in Qingqing's care."
Shen Qingci glanced at him, her voice carrying a hint of coquettishness that she herself was unaware of: "Of course."
“Tuantuan is quite cute too,” she paused, then added, “I… miss her a little too.”
Chu Jichen smiled upon hearing this.
“Our child,” he looked at her, his eyes so tender they could almost melt, “will be very lovely in the future.”
As he spoke, he couldn't help but reach out and gently place his hand on her still flat stomach.
"Did you cause any trouble today?"
Shen Qingci: "..."
She really didn't want to deal with this man anymore.
She had said it countless times: the baby was too young to possibly show any signs of life! But he... seemed not to understand, asking the same question every single day without fail.
Seeing her speechless expression, Chu Jichen finally couldn't help but chuckle softly.
He stretched out his long arm and pulled her into his embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head, and sighed contentedly, "So tired..."
"Or," his voice was filled with a lazy, almost pleading tone, "why don't you... become emperor?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingci raised an eyebrow.
“Now,” her voice was full of sarcasm, “this is the emperor you can just become whenever you want, or not become whenever you don’t want to?”
Chu Jichen nodded, his voice filled with helplessness: "That's true."
Shen Qingci looked at him, her clear phoenix eyes filled with heartache and tenderness.
She reached out and gently patted his back, her voice softening: "Let me massage your legs."
"Let me help you stand up and walk a bit more."
"The old doctor said," her voice was filled with unwavering determination, "that your leg still needs... daily persistence to heal faster."
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