Back in her palace, for some reason, the Empress felt uneasy and had a vague sense of unease.
She touched her chest with one hand, and finally sat down with her hand resting on her chest.
I can't help but recall that woman from many years ago, who stumbled into the palace to save her father, yet remained kind, upright, and bold throughout her journey.
How could she forget? If she hadn't discovered it in time and taken good care of her, her prince would have already died from smallpox.
How could she forget? If it weren't for her, the happiness of the princess she had cherished since childhood would have been destroyed by the barbarians of that hateful land.
If it weren't for her, how could she have such a smooth life today!
With this thought in mind, the Empress silently said, "The Prince of Qin is brave and mighty, and he is also a kind-hearted person who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. It is her blessing to be favored by the Prince of Qin! The two of them are finally a couple in love and will be able to get married. If Yue'er knew this news, she would be very happy. I should be happy for them too."
After letting out a long sigh of relief, the Empress came to her senses and asked the maid who was busy making tea, "Have you received any letters from the princess recently?"
The maid replied, "Not yet."
Upon hearing this, the Empress's face showed some disappointment, but she was still gratified that Xuanyuan Yue had obtained the happiness she desired.
She then murmured to herself, "My son, are you doing well all alone in this foreign land? Your mother... misses you terribly..."
Only after confirming that the surroundings were absolutely safe and that no one would suddenly appear did Zhang Mama cautiously ask Consort Chun, "Her Majesty the Empress seems to know something about Miss Yi, I wonder if she might..."
Upon hearing this, Consort Chun replied without hesitation, "The Empress wouldn't do that."
Seeing Zhang Mama's extremely worried and hesitant appearance, Consort Chun suddenly stopped, placed a hand on the back of Zhang Mama's hand on her arm, and smiled slightly at her, trying to ease her worries.
Consort Chun said slowly, "The Empress is kind-hearted and extremely grateful. The Princess and the Crown Prince have always doted on the Prince since he was little, and he holds a very special place in their hearts. Especially regarding Yue'er's marriage, if it weren't for the Prince, Yue'er would have been betrothed by his own father, the Emperor, and become a sacrifice for the alliance between Western Qin and the barbarian state of Bei Lie. The Empress loves her son dearly, and having received such a great favor, how could she easily forget it? Therefore, even if she really knew something, considering these favors, she wouldn't say anything reckless."
Even so, Granny Zhang was still somewhat afraid: "But what if she already knows the young lady's true identity? What should we do then?"
As the Empress Dowager continued walking with him, she explained, "You're right. With Yue'er in the Dongning Palace, the Empress does receive more information."
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhang's face, which had already appeared much older and more melancholy lately, seemed to grow even older.
Consort Chun smiled, for she had already sent people to find out the truth: "Who doesn't know that the new ruler of Dongning Kingdom was almost a highly popular female ruler! If the Empress really knew that the eldest daughter of the Yi family was the one who would abdicate in favor of her good son-in-law, she would be even less likely to make a fuss!"
At this point, Zhang Mama suddenly relaxed her brows, finally understanding, and said happily, "This old servant understands. If the Empress cannot tolerate the eldest daughter of the Yi family today, then the position of the King of Dongning Kingdom, her good son-in-law, will not be so easy to obtain."
The master and servant then exchanged a smile.
As dusk fell, the master and servant soon emerged from the palace gates.
Just as she was about to enter the carriage, Consort Chun suddenly stopped and asked Zhang Mama, "Has everything been taken care of informing the Yi family in the west of the city?"
Zhang Mama replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, everything has been taken care of. No one in the Yi family will mention that the young lady once left Xiqin for Dongning. The young lady is also the eldest daughter of the Yi family."
After listening, Consort Chun pondered for a moment and said, "Hmm, that's good."
As soon as she finished speaking, she lowered her head and entered the carriage. Zhang Mama carefully tidied the carriage curtain for her, and the carriage sped back towards the Qin Prince's Mansion in the east of the city.
As the sun sets, the Qin Prince's Mansion in the east of the city is bathed in blue sky and white clouds, with colorful clouds and corner towers echoing each other, creating a scene of breathtaking beauty, like a painting.
Outside the window of the pavilion where Yi Shangyun lived, there was a separate backyard, which was specially arranged for him by Xuan Yuanhan.
Hidden beneath a verdant bamboo grove, the white-walled, black-tiled buildings are arranged in a charming, orderly fashion, and filled with all sorts of exotic flowers and plants.
At this time, everything is exceptionally vibrant and beautiful, with flowers and trees standing tall and graceful.
The wind stirs the flowers, and thousands upon thousands of blossoms flutter down, carpeting the ground like snow falling from the sky.
Right now, the lotus pond in the courtyard is full of floating duckweed, and water lilies are emerging from the water, their petals blooming, their pinkish-orange color very attractive.
Passing over the stone bridge in the middle of the pond, you can clearly see the water lilies, swaying gently with the duckweed in the ripples.
At this moment, Yi Shangyun sat alone in the pavilion, watching the petals fall from the branches. Moved by the scene, she frowned and softly recited:
As spring fades and flowers fall, that is when beauty withers and dies!
As spring fades and beauty withers, flowers fall and people die, both unaware of the other's passing.
Just then, a voice, though not angry, spoke in my ear: "Why are you reciting such sorrowful poems?"
Upon hearing the sound, Yi Shangyun suddenly came to her senses and looked in the direction of the sound. When she turned around, she saw that it was Xuan Yuanhan, dressed in a black brocade robe with his black hair tied up, walking towards her with one hand behind his back as he stepped onto the stone steps.
So she quickly stood up and was about to bow to him: "Your Highness, the King of Qin!"
As she was speaking, Xuan Yuanhan strode forward and quickly reached out his hands to bend down and support her, preventing her from bending over completely.
He stared intently into her eyes and earnestly instructed her, "I forbid you from bowing to me again."
In that instant, the two looked at each other so closely. Yi Shangyun raised her eyes and stared at the incredibly gentle face in front of her, and was stunned.
She thought to herself, "Your Highness, Yun'er has finally seen Your Highness again."
But only for a moment, Yi Shangyun suddenly broke free from his grasp and coldly refused, saying, "Your Highness Prince Qin is of noble status, and it is already a great favor that you have allowed me to stay in your palace. What is such a small courtesy?"
Seeing that his eyes had just been full of affection for him, but in the blink of an eye they had turned cold and indifferent, Xuan Yuanhan was confused and felt extremely disappointed and heartbroken.
He said sadly, "Are you deliberately misinterpreting my meaning? What do I have to do for you to accept me again? I don't ask for anything, I only ask that you treat me as before. Why can't you just talk to me properly?"
"Once upon a time..." Yi Shangyun murmured to herself, slowly turning around.
My gaze swept across the birds soaring freely in the sky, then moved down to look at the red carp swimming to and fro beneath the ripples of the lotus pond.
Her face seemed expressionless as she calmly said, "Your Highness, look at the birds in the sky. They are naturally high above, and the vast blue sky is their world. They are just occasionally skimming the surface of the water and pausing for a while."
Xuanyuan Han followed her gaze and slowly raised his head to look up.
Yi Shangyun then turned her gaze to the water in the courtyard, which rippled under the afterglow of the setting sun, and said, "And the red carp in the pond, this pool of clear water... is its entirety."
Xuanyuan Han looked at the red carp in the water, listening with a sense of understanding but not quite.
Yi Shangyun said sadly, "Birds and fish are destined from birth to never be able to leave their own world. If they are forced to be tied together, one of them will surely not be able to survive, right?"
Xuanyuan Han thought for a moment and seemed to finally understand her worries.
There was a time when he also considered giving up.
As the guardian of Western Qin, he knew he should inform the emperor of his existence and let him make arrangements, but he harbored a selfish motive.
As a princess of an enemy state with the absolute power to shake the nation, he should have handed her over to the emperor. In that way, Western Qin might have been able to take over the wealthy Dongning Kingdom without much effort. However, he also harbored a selfish motive.
Even now, despite everything that has happened, his heart has become even more resolute. Even if he had to give up everything, the one thing he could never give up was her; she had long been a part of his very being.
Since he had decided to have her, he had already devised a plan to deal with these so-called obstacles.
Why would he listen to her nonsense again? So he said, "I know what you're afraid of."
After pausing, he continued, "Right now, you fear that your identity as a princess of an enemy state will be exposed, which would be detrimental to me. In the future, you fear that if Dongning is truly defeated by Xiqin one day, you will become a traitor to your motherland. Isn't that right?"
After a long while, still not hearing the answer he wanted, in desperation and losing patience, he took two steps forward and suddenly grabbed the hand on Yi Shangyun's head that had been burned.
Yi Shangyun instinctively let out a muffled groan: "Hiss..."
Xuanyuan Han then realized that the hand he was holding was wrapped in bandages.
He lifted her hand, his eyes wide, and demanded, "What happened to your hand? What happened?"
Yi Shangyun nervously explained, "I'm fine, Your Highness, there's no need to worry. I just accidentally burned myself while making tea, and I've already applied medicine."
Xuan Yuanhan said angrily, "In such a large Qin Prince's mansion, is there not even someone to make tea? How could the tea get so badly scalded?"
Xuanyuan Han was extremely angry and heartbroken.
As he spoke, he simply picked her up in his arms. Yi Shangyun cried out in alarm, "Your Highness, what are you doing? Put me down quickly, it's really alright now."
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