Chapter 31 (Revised)
To celebrate the Empress' birthday, the Emperor invited all his relatives, dignitaries, and important officials to a grand banquet in the Qingyuan Hall. The grandeur of stringed instruments, the beauty of singing and dancing, and the joy of clinking glasses—what a joyful scene!
The saint raised his glass to drink and looked at the queen beside him with a smile in his eyes, but he saw that the queen's eyes were shining, as if she was looking for someone.
Seeing this, the saint took advantage of everyone's attention being focused on the musician and dancer and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "What are you looking at?"
The Queen curled her lips in disappointment: "A-Lun didn't come."
The sage laughed and said, "Didn't Ah Lu go on a long journey?"
"She's been out for a long time, and she didn't even come back for my birthday."
The Queen seemed quite bothered by this, and the Saint smiled and coaxed her, "Then when she comes back, let's teach her a lesson. It's her fault for not taking your birthday seriously."
"That's not necessary." The Queen quickly refused to reprimand Wei Yan. "Just let her come to the palace and play with me for a few more days."
After glancing around Qingyuan Hall, the Empress asked the Saint, "Why didn't I see Ah Zhen today?"
The saint's expression froze for a moment, and he replied, "He has something else to do, so it's not convenient for him to come today."
The Saint never mentioned a word to the Queen about the Duke of Ye presenting the poisoned snack.
He knew that among all the children, the queen liked Wei Zhen the most. If she knew that Wei Zhen's biological parents wanted to murder her, she would be very sad.
After all, the child in the queen's womb would be Wei Zhen's biggest threat. Even though Wei Zhen had experienced similar incidents and even personally found out who poisoned him, the saint was not sure that he, who had become the crown prince rightfully, had nothing to do with this matter.
Times have changed, and the world has changed. Who can guarantee that people's nature will not change under the temptation of huge benefits?
Wei Zhen, has he changed? Will he change?
*
At the banquet, everyone was smiling, but Prince Su still noticed the change in the saint's expression.
Just now, Prince Su saw the Saint chatting and laughing with the Queen, but now a gloomy look fell on his face. Seeing this scene, Prince Su, who had planned all this against Wei Zhen behind the scenes, couldn't help but smile triumphantly.
The saint has always regarded the silly queen as a treasure. Since Wei Zhen's biological parents committed such a crime, he would naturally suspect whether Wei Zhen was involved in this matter.
Although the Saint had only confined Wei Zhen to the Eastern Palace and hadn't formally imposed any punishment, once the seeds of suspicion took root in the Saint's heart, a rift would inevitably form between him and Wei Zhen. As the seeds germinated, the rift would gradually widen until it became irreparable, and Wei Zhen would completely lose his right to reside in the Eastern Palace!
When Prince Su thought of this, he became extremely excited and felt his blood boiling, as if the Eastern Palace was already within his reach.
As for King Huai?
Prince Su snorted lightly with great disdain.
How could a fool who was so easily fooled by women compete with him for the throne? That fool thought that the sage valued him so much that he was sent out to inspect the salt, and if he could return safely, he would be lucky.
Anyone who has ever touched the interests of the public has never had a good ending.
There was a hint of sinisterness in Prince Su's smile.
*
After Chu Miaomiao's visit to the Eastern Palace again, Wei Zhen discovered that his previous judgment of Chu Miaomiao was a little biased.
He had always thought Chu Miaomiao was a stubborn yet timid person. As long as he could grasp her weak points, she would bow her head and obey him, even if she was unwilling to accept it. This was what was meant by "appearing respectful but not convinced in heart."
However, when he was confined to the Eastern Palace twice and fell into a low point, Chu Miaomiao showed her kindness without hesitation.
In fact, ever since he revealed his identity, Chu Miaomiao had always been meticulous in observing the rules whenever they were together, never stepping over the line in the slightest. It was as if, last spring, someone else had tried to force him home to marry in front of everyone on the streets of Pingzhou City.
But now that she saw that he was weak and in danger of being suspected by the saint, she became less cautious and distanced herself from him.
That hand was soft yet powerful. Although it only touched the back of Wei Zhen's hand lightly, he could feel Chu Miaomiao's pity for him and her attempt to comfort him.
How could Wei Zhen, who had been constantly calculating and lonely in the deep palace since entering the capital, not be happy about this small gesture?
Such a trivial action made him realize that he was no longer alone. Now, there was someone who cared about him and was willing to stay by his side.
How could he let go? How could he let go?
“…Be gentle.”
Chu Miaomiao's cheeks flushed slightly. She raised their tightly held hands and waved them in front of Wei Zhen's eyes, her tone filled with a hint of resentment: "I don't have wings and I can't fly, so there's no need to hold on so tightly."
Because Chu Miaomiao had snuck out of the banquet, she couldn't stay long. However, she finally made it into the Eastern Palace. Seeing Wei Zhen appear calm and composed despite being under house arrest, Chu Miaomiao resented herself for worrying about him. Fortunately, Wei Zhen was in good condition, and she breathed a sigh of relief, hoping things would turn around.
After confirming that Wei Zhen was temporarily fine and had nothing to ask her to do, Chu Miaomiao prepared to return to the banquet to enjoy the singing and dancing and the delicious food.
Unexpectedly, Wei Zhen refused to let go and held her hand all the way to the place where she climbed over the wall to come in.
Along the way, although Wei Zhen did not let the palace maids such as the housekeeper follow him, because he did not deliberately hide his figure, he met several palace maids who bowed to them.
Chu Miaomiao laughed dryly twice and awkwardly wanted to withdraw her hand to keep a distance from Wei Zhen. Wei Zhen was very calm. Not only did he not let go, but he held her hand even tighter.
After finally reaching the foot of the wall, Chu Miaomiao breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it was time to let go. However, Wei Zhen, who seemed to be daydreaming, held on even tighter.
At that moment, Chu Miaomiao, who was frowning in pain, wanted to see an orthopedic doctor.
Wei Zhen, who had just come to his senses, saw that Chu Miaomiao was indeed in pain, so he quickly released his strength, but did not let go. He just gently held her hand and said in a gentle voice: "When you get out, do whatever you need to do. Don't worry about me. This matter will be over soon."
It seems that he really has come up with a good idea.
Chu Miaomiao didn't doubt it. She nodded to indicate that she had taken note of it, then pulled her hand back.
"Aren't you leaving?"
The two stood there for a while, neither of them showing any intention of leaving first. Chu Miaomiao glanced at Wei Zhen, looking slightly embarrassed.
Wei Zhen smiled: "I'm not in a hurry."
"...I have to climb over the wall." Chu Miaomiao scratched her cheek with one hand, her voice getting lower and lower. "The posture when climbing over the wall is not very particular..."
Chu Miaomiao felt that she had to maintain some respect for her image in front of certain people.
Wei Zhen laughed.
"When did Princess Pingyang become so concerned about her image?"
"I've always cared about it!"
Although he joked like this, Wei Zhen still turned around and walked forward, as if he was going to leave first.
Seeing Wei Zhen walking away, Chu Miaomiao felt relieved. After a big run, she climbed up the red wall and struggled to cross the top of the wall. Chu He, who had been waiting for a long time, was waiting for her below.
What Chu Miaomiao didn't know was that when she was clinging to the edge of the wall like a spider, Wei Zhen happened to turn around and saw this scene.
Wei Zhen found the scene somewhat funny and could not help but chuckle, thinking that he should have told her earlier that there was a dog hole to the north of the East Palace.
However, she would probably refuse it outright like Jiang Weiqiu.
Wei Zhen shook his head slightly, his smile showing a hint of doting.
Even in order not to make Chu Miaomiao worry, Wei Zhen decided to end this matter quickly.
It didn't matter if Pan Liang couldn't be found. If he was still alive, he would find a way to lure him out. Even if he died, as long as he could lure out one of King Su's men, he could turn the situation around.
Although this battle is dangerous, if we win, not to mention King Su, I'm afraid even King Chu can be lured out.
Wei Zhen stopped smiling, his face became solemn, his eyes were sharp, and he was determined to fight to the death.
*
Today's birthday banquet was also a grand one. The queen, who had been sitting in Qingyuan Hall for almost the entire day, looked tired. As soon as she returned to the bedroom in Fengyang Palace, she ordered the senior palace maid Lili to prepare to wash.
The queen sat down in front of the dressing table. When the palace maids beside her were about to step forward to remove her hairpins and rings, the saint beside her raised his hand to signal everyone to step aside, and he personally removed the queen's makeup.
"It's been a busy day, are you happy?"
The queen nodded with a smile. When she smiled, her eyebrows curved, revealing a sweetness.
There were songs and dances that she liked to watch, music that she liked to listen to, and she also watched amazing acrobatics. How could she not be happy?
As the hairpins and flowers were removed one by one, her long hair, like a black waterfall, flowed from the sage's slender fingers, reflecting a soft and moist glow under the warm yellow candlelight.
"If you are happy, I am happy too." The saint's voice was full of tenderness, and his eyes were bright like flowing water.
"It would be even better if A'lu and A'zhen were here!" The Queen's voice was clear and bright, showing how happy she was.
"Come to think of it, there's actually something I've always been curious about." The saint picked up the exquisitely carved wooden comb from the dressing table and gently combed the queen's long hair again and again.
"What's the matter?"
"There were two groups of twenty people chosen as heirs. Why did you like Ah Zhen the most?"
"Well..." The queen raised her head, revealing her graceful neckline, and tapped her chin lightly with her bent fingers, "Because—"
The Queen turned to the Saint and smiled brightly: "Because he looks and feels a lot like you."
The sage was stunned and asked, "Why?"
"Well...when I look at him, I think of you."
The Queen stretched out her hands and held the Saint's face, her clear eyes revealing great seriousness.
"Before, when I looked at you, your face seemed to be smiling, but your eyes seemed to be crying. Sometimes you talked to me and played with me, but I felt that you were not happy at all. Sometimes, you were very close to me, but I felt that you were very far away from me. Sometimes you were with Prince Yu, but I felt that you were still alone."
The saint looked deeply into those black eyes that never flashed a trace of calculation. Those watery eyes were always filled with smiles and warmth, warming him with her innocence and kindness.
"But it's different now. With me here, you are not alone!" The queen raised the corners of her lips high, not hiding her pride at all.
"I hope Ah Zhen can find someone to accompany him one day, then he won't be alone anymore."
The saint smiled with fondness, leaned down, embraced the queen in his arms, and gently kissed her forehead.
What those in the deep palace longed for most was the companionship of someone to dispel the endless loneliness within the palace. He was lucky to meet the queen, which was the kindest thing his wicked father had done for him.
Maybe he should be more merciful to Wei Zhen?
After coaxing the queen to sleep, the saint stood up and walked towards the side hall, ordering the palace servants around him, "Bring the prince to see him."
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