When Yi Shangyun heard Yan'er say such strange things, she blushed with embarrassment and scolded Yan'er, "What do you mean by chatting will hurt your back? Yan'er, don't talk nonsense, or others will laugh at you!"
But Yan'er disagreed, insisting, "Miss, your back hurts this morning because you chatted with His Highness Prince Qin all night. Besides, what's so funny about a backache? Where did Yan'er go wrong?"
Yi Shangyun didn't want to continue discussing this topic that she found difficult to talk about, so she compromised and said, "Alright, alright, as long as we don't leave this room, whatever you say goes! I'm too lazy to argue with you, you're such a shrew!"
After saying that, he strolled off towards the door.
Upon seeing this, Yan'er quickly asked, "Miss, where are you going? Wait for Yan'er."
Yi Shangyun stretched out an arm and waved it, saying, "You should tidy up the bedroom first. I'm going to take a walk in the garden and I'll be back soon!"
After walking a few steps, Fang Jue realized that the pain wasn't just in his waist; it seemed that all the places where he had lingered and made love during the night were aching.
So, while gently patting the various sore spots on her body with her fists, she recalled the scene of the two of them losing control last night. It was all because of what she said to him: "If it is really as Your Highness says, that the more Yun'er is in pain, the more Your Highness misses and thinks of Yun'er, then please use a little more force next time."
He couldn't help but sigh, then belatedly realized, and muttered to himself in annoyance, "But I went a little too far! I must have been careless. I must have been crazy to say such a thing to him."
I was filled with regret and frustration. At that moment, I wished there was a mouse hole in the ground where I could hide and never come out again.
As she walked along, lost in thought, a little girl suddenly stopped in front of her.
Following the clouds on her shoes and clothes, I slowly moved my gaze upwards and looked up to see that it was Huan'er, who was by the side of Consort Chun.
Huan'er met her gaze and curtsied to Yi Shangyun, saying, "Your Highness, it's been a long time. The Dowager Consort invites you!"
"Your Highness..."
Clearly, Yi Shangyun immediately became serious upon hearing the name of Consort Chun.
On the way, Huan'er asked, "Is Your Highness settling in well at the Prince's residence?"
Yi Shangyun feigned composure and said, "Everything is fine, thank you for your concern, Miss Huan'er."
Huan'er smiled and sighed, "I remember when we were at the Peach Blossom Shop in the south of the city, we could talk about anything and we knew each other so well. Now, why have we suddenly become so distant?"
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun stopped talking and became silent again.
Knowing that Yi Shangyun would not say anything more to her, Huan'er stopped talking.
Following Huan'er's footsteps, they soon arrived at Zihexuan.
This was only the second time she had met Consort Chun since her marriage to Xuanyuan Han.
Because of her awkward position, she had to be especially reserved in his presence, speaking cautiously and carefully, and trying her best to avoid discussing sensitive issues.
Huan'er led Yi Shangyun to the door, then stopped and said, "Your Highness, please go in. The Dowager Consort is waiting for you inside!"
Yi Shangyun paused for a moment, then finally took a deep breath and stepped into the hall.
The vast palace was completely silent.
Only the incense burner in the center of the hall was slowly releasing wisps of smoke.
All that could be seen was Consort Chun practicing calligraphy alone at her desk by the window.
Once Yi Shangyun locked onto his target, he stepped forward, bowed, and greeted her: "Your subject greets Your Majesty!"
Consort Chun paused for a moment, but did not stop writing with her brush, and said, "Get up!"
"Thank you, Mother Consort." Yi Shangyun straightened up.
Perhaps because she had tried to remain calm and conceal her inner unease, she was still a little nervous and momentarily forgot about the pain in her body. When she stood up, she suddenly felt a sharp pain.
Despite the subtle movement, it was still caught by Consort Chun's peripheral vision, who then said, "What's wrong? It's been more than a month since your miscarriage, but you're still not fully recovered?"
Startled by being discovered, Yi Shangyun quickly regained his composure and said, "No, Mother, it's not that. I'm much better now. It's just that I didn't get enough rest last night. Mother, please don't worry about it!"
Consort Chun continued writing, saying, "Last night... I heard that you've been at Yanfu Temple in the western suburbs of the city for the past half month, and were only brought back to the mansion by Prince Qin in the middle of the night yesterday. Did you stay at Lin Yuexuan last night?"
Yi Shangyun suddenly realized what was happening and quickly explained, "Last night I returned too late, and Yunshui Pavilion didn't have time to prepare, so I stayed at Linyue Pavilion. This morning, I already had people cleaning Yunshui Pavilion, and I'll move there now..."
Before she could finish speaking, the Dowager Consort Chun interrupted her, saying, "Your Highness, please don't misunderstand. The reason I didn't let you and Prince Qin stay in Lin Yue Xuan before was not for any other reason. It was simply because you were still recovering, and I was afraid that you two, being newlyweds, and Prince Qin, being young and impetuous, might not know your limits and hurt you again. Now that you are fully recovered, it is customary for newlyweds to sleep in separate rooms. Please don't misinterpret my meaning!"
Even so, Yi Shangyun still felt a sense of fear whenever she thought of Xuan Yuanhan's astonishing physical strength, so she insisted, "Your subject thinks... it would be better for your subject to move to Yunshui Pavilion..."
Consort Chun said calmly, "If you insist on this, I have nothing to say. You can discuss it with Prince Qin. After all, he is the only master of this palace. However, I specifically asked Huan'er to call you here today because I want to ask you something else."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun immediately became nervous and stammered timidly, "Another matter... I wonder what Mother Consort wants to ask?"
Before she could even speak, Yi Shangyun nervously began to rub the handkerchief in her hand.
Consort Chun finally stopped writing, put the pen aside, and walked out from her desk. She said, "Don't be nervous. I just want to ask you, are you really sure you want to go to the Northwest with the disaster victims from Yanfu Temple to control the sandstorms?"
As he spoke, he sat down again at the tea table and began brewing tea. He continued slowly, “After all, the late emperor was already working on this when he was alive, but with little success and the process was too difficult. In fact, wouldn’t it be a better option to have the Prince of Qin find another place in their fiefdom for them to settle down, raise their children, and ensure that their descendants would be forever free from the dangers of sandstorms?”
Yi Shangyun thought for a moment, recalling the reluctance of the disaster victims to leave their homes when she visited them, and said with empathy, "There is a folk saying that goes, 'A golden nest or a silver nest is not as good as one's own straw nest.' Those disaster victims have lived and multiplied there for generations, working at sunrise and resting at sunset. There are so many emotions and spiritual sustenances for them there. Although they suffer from sandstorms and dust storms on a daily basis, sandstorms and dust storms can be controlled and improved by human efforts. It's just that the project is huge and cannot be rushed. It will take a long time."
Consort Chun also sighed, "Yes, everyone knows that it will take a long time to improve the sandstorms in the Northwest. Will it be three years, five years, ten years, thirty years, fifty years, or even several generations before we see much change?"
Yi Shangyun was silent for a moment, then said, "The Taihang and Wangwu Mountains, each seven hundred li in circumference and ten thousand ren in height, were originally located south of Jizhou and north of Heyang. There was a man named Yu Gong of the North Mountain, nearly ninety years old, who lived facing the mountains. Frustrated by the obstruction of the mountains to the north and the circuitous routes for travel, he gathered his family and discussed, saying, 'Let us, with all our strength, level these mountains, opening a path to the south of Yuzhou and reaching the Han River. Is this acceptable?'"
Upon hearing this, Consort Chun said leisurely, "This is the story of the Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains; I understand it."
Yi Shangyun then asked, "Then may I ask Mother Consort, according to what you said, wasn't Yu Gong truly foolish? He didn't need to move the mountain at all; he could have simply led everyone to move it. Why did he have to lead generation after generation of his descendants to level the mountain?"
"This..." At this point, Consort Chun was clearly speechless.
However, she secretly admired her and exclaimed, "It seems that she truly possesses the noble spirit of a guardian who is not afraid of difficulties and perseveres."
He paused for a moment, then asked, "So you're willing to be separated from the King of Qin for a long time?"
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun frowned deeply and said, "I am reluctant to part with Your Highness. I cannot bear to be separated from you for even a day. After everything we have been through, my love for Your Highness is as clear as the sun and moon. But for the sake of more people to live in peace and prosperity, I have no choice but to part with you."
Upon hearing this, the vast palace fell silent once more.
As soon as Xuanyuan Han returned to the manor, he headed straight for Lin Yuexuan's bedroom.
Upon entering, they found that Yi Shangyun was not in the hall. Only Yan'er had just finished tidying up the hall and was about to leave. When she saw Xuan Yuanhan enter, she quickly curtsied and greeted him: "Your Highness, Prince Qin."
Looking at the clean, bright, and empty palace, Xuanyuan Han asked, "Where is the Princess?"
Yan'er said, "The Princess Consort said that she chatted with His Highness too late last night and her back was a little sore. She wanted to go to the garden to exercise, so she must be in the garden right now!"
"Chatting with me... and my back hurts?" Xuan Yuanhan muttered to himself in confusion.
He immediately understood. It must have been his punishment for her last night. Their lovemaking had been too intense, and Yi Shangyun's body couldn't take it anymore. Yet he had deceived this silly girl like that.
As she pondered and recalled the events of the previous night, Yan'er asked Xuan Yuanhan again with curiosity, "Your Highness, I don't understand. Before, when we were in the manor, I often talked with Miss all night long, and Miss was always fine. Why is it that now, when she's chatting with Your Highness, she can't even straighten her back? Didn't Your Highness see that Miss was supporting her back when she left just now?"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan paused for a moment and explained, "Perhaps it's because your young lady has been working too hard at Yanfu Temple lately, so she can't stay up all night anymore."
"Really?" Yan'er tilted her head and thought about it in a puzzled manner.
He then instructed Xuan Yuanhan, "Since Miss has been working so hard lately, please forgive her, Your Highness. She said such harsh things to you before, please don't blame her. Actually, Miss still likes Your Highness very much. Now, let Miss rest well and recharge her energy so she can have a long talk with Your Highness tonight!"
Xuanyuan Han said coldly, "Hmm, I understand."
Upon hearing this, Yan'er happily said, "Then Yan'er thanks Your Highness for your understanding on behalf of my young lady. Yan'er will go now. Your Highness has just returned from court and should rest for a while!"
After Yan'er left, Xuan Yuanhan recalled her words and couldn't help but smile faintly.
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