Chapter 164: The person who got caught was Zhao Shen
In the darkness of night, the emperor and his minister walked out of the cold palace together.
Back at Fengchen Hall, the waiter brought in some midnight snacks, and Emperor Jingming suddenly said, "How about we have a drink?"
Zhao Shen shook his head and said, "It's getting late. It's time to rest. Your Majesty should take care of your health."
The emperor felt strange. Zhao Shen had often reminded him to take care of his health these days, especially before he was poisoned, as if he knew that something would go wrong with his body.
He couldn't help but ask, "I'm fine now, why are you so worried about my health?"
Zhao Shen paused before saying, "Too many things have happened in the palace these days, which makes me... feel uneasy."
Emperor Jingming thought back to what had happened in the past few days and felt that there were too many things to do.
Moreover, the disaster fell equally on the Queen Mother, the Empress, the Prince and him, and no one escaped.
He stroked his chin and muttered, "Should I go and burn some incense?"
Zhao Shen: "...I am tired and need to go take a rest."
Emperor Jingming pulled him aside and said, "Don't go. Ah Shu is with the Queen Mother anyway. You will be alone and sleepless if you go back. Why don't you have a night talk with me by candlelight? You haven't had a good talk with me for a long time."
Zhao Shen thought about it and said, "Then let's have someone prepare some wine and food."
Emperor Jingming cheerfully sent wine and food over, poured Zhao Shen a glass of wine and said, "Today we won't go home until we are drunk."
Zhao Shen asked in confusion, "What good news is there today that makes the Emperor so happy?"
The Emperor said, "Although a lot has happened in the past six months, my relationship with my mother has improved. The Empress gave birth to the prince safely. I was poisoned but escaped danger. My mother was assassinated today but is still safe. Aren't these all happy events? Speaking of which, I should thank you and Ah Shu very much."
After hearing what he said, Zhao Shen also felt that everything that had happened in the past six months was good. He raised his head and drank the whole glass of wine, then said with a smile, "You're right."
Emperor Jingming quickly filled his glass again. "When you first said you wanted to marry Ah Shu, I was really afraid of wronging you. Now it seems that you had foresight. Now that you two are so loving, I can also explain to my mother and uncle."
"Love?" Zhao Shen's smile faded a little. "Does the emperor think we are in love?"
Emperor Jingming said, "Isn't it? When Ah Shu heard the news of your disappearance in Suzhou, she was extremely anxious and immediately proposed to go find you. I didn't actually want you to go, but she persuaded me. And the Queen Mother, you know how much she loves her. In fact, I actually hoped that the Queen Mother could stop her."
Zhao Shen was a little dazed when he heard these words: "When I saw her, I also thought..."
I also thought that she risked her life to make that trip because she loved him and was afraid of losing him.
But these days he gradually realized that it was not the case.
She probably would have done the same no matter who she married.
He knew he shouldn't think like this, but he couldn't help it.
The emperor saw that he stopped talking halfway through his words, but this half sentence also revealed a lot.
In fact, he had sensed right away in the cold palace that there was something wrong with the relationship between the two, or rather, there had been problems from the beginning.
What surprised him was that the person who was caught was Zhao Shen.
He asked calmly, "Don't you think your cousin is not sincere to you?"
Zhao Shen was worried, and the emperor was deliberately trying to get him to drink. He had already drunk several cups without realizing it. His fair face flushed red, and he lowered his head and murmured softly, "I don't know."
The emperor couldn't help but admire Ji Yunshu's strong mind, as she could remain unmoved by such a stunningly handsome man.
Ji Yunshu: She was actually very tempted, of course it was lust.
The emperor originally wanted to get Zhao Shen drunk to get him to tell him something, but Zhao Shen's behavior made him feel a little guilty.
I feel like I'm not very kind.
He drank a glass of wine himself, leaned back and said, "Ah, you don't know how much I envy you. You can marry whoever you want, but I can't even sleep with whomever I want. The Queen... I'm sorry for her."
Zhao Shen was caught off guard when he heard the emperor's concerns. He felt a little uncomfortable at first. In fact, the emperor had complained to him about the harem before.
But what was he thinking at that time?
He felt that the emperor was just complaining without any reason. Compared with life and death, sleeping with a woman was no big deal.
But now, he couldn't help but ask: "Will the Queen be angry when you go to other people's palaces?"
After saying this, he was stunned. He must be crazy to ask about the emperor and empress's affairs.
Emperor Jingming didn't care and said calmly, "She would quarrel with me at first, but later she stopped talking. But in fact, I would rather she quarrel with me."
When Zhao Shen heard this, he immediately thought of Ji Yunshu's wedding night. When he saw Zhao Heng and Yao Ruolan together, he decisively decided to marry him.
She also said that if she betrayed her, she would leave.
That's not a joke.
Now think about it, Ji Yunshu had such a lazy personality, but he practiced martial arts day and night, opened a clinic, opened a restaurant, and planned to make money in an orderly manner. He went to sea, which was also a way to plan a way out for himself.
She doesn't trust anyone and doesn't want to rely on anyone.
Zhao Shen felt the wine in his mouth was a little bitter. He asked again: "Ashu grew up in the palace. What was she like before?"
The emperor glanced at him and said, "Don't you know? It's just as people say. She's been spoiled by her mother and has no idea how high the heavens are. She doesn't even care about the empress, let alone the concubines in the harem. Of course, no one dares to mess with her."
Zhao Shen said: "That sounds quite annoying."
The emperor laughed and said, "Who says not? After marrying you, she seems like a completely different person. She has become much more sensible. You don't know that at first, the Queen Mother was extremely worried. She thought you had wronged her. After all, people can't grow up overnight."
Zhao Shen looked up at the emperor: "Don't you have any doubts?"
The emperor was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily: "What are you doubting? She has changed, yes, but for the better. That's good for everyone, isn't it?"
After a long pause, Zhao Shen nodded: "Yes."
That night, the emperor and his minister drank until they were drunk and finally rested unconscious in the Yangxin Palace.
The next day, Ji Yunshu had breakfast with the Queen Mother and heard her say, "I don't have anything to do. You can stay one night. It's time to go back."
Ji Yunshu said dissatisfiedly, "Did you agree that I could stay a few more days? You're pretending to be sick. If I leave like this, won't people accuse me of being unfilial?"
The Queen Mother said, "At first, I didn't know if the person behind the scenes would make another move. Now, the Emperor knows almost everything about what's going on. Why bother with that? You're already married, so why do you always hang around an old woman like me? You should go back and live a good life."
Ji Yunshu: "Are you really treating me like spilled water? I stayed with you for a few more days and you kicked me out."
The Queen Mother poked her forehead in annoyance. "You little heartless thing, who am I doing this for? The Emperor's decree appointing Zhao Shen as Jingzhao Yin will be issued soon, and you should be prepared. I heard that you haven't even attended many banquets in the past six months. You are the Crown Prince's wife, and will be the Marquis' wife in the future. You should go out and visit other people, and don't always think about being lazy."
Speaking of this, Ji Yunshu couldn't help but feel guilty, covering his forehead with tears: "I know."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
