Emperor Jingyuan returned to his bedchamber, filled with melancholy and loss. He stood alone in front of the table, his expression complex and hesitant.
The memorials were neatly arranged on the sandalwood table, and wisps of incense smoke rose from the incense burner, creating a tranquil and lonely atmosphere.
In the center of the table lay a quiet imperial edict sent by Zheng He from afar, with the red seal prominently displayed at the end of the words personally written by the emperor.
He had received the imperial edict two days ago, but he had not announced it because he had his own selfish motives.
He thought that if his elder brother really dismissed the concubines in the harem, then his feelings for Azi would be unbreakable, and he would have no chance at all.
However, he knew they were mutually in love, and all preconceived notions and societal constraints bound him. He shouldn't fall in love, and he should restrain himself, but...
In recent months, he had dreamt countless times of his elder brother abandoning her, and her tragic death in the palace. In his dreams, he chose to silently protect her, traveling far to the frontier.
When he returned from the frontier, he found her cold body, and both she and her unborn child had perished.
Those images were so real that he would burst into tears every time he woke up, his heart aching terribly, and his body convulsing.
He had thought about it for so long and felt that this was very likely to happen, so he decided to express his feelings to Azi after she returned to the palace.
But upon receiving the imperial edict sent by his elder brother, he found himself in a predicament, his emotions extremely complex. Perhaps if all the concubines left the palace, Azi wouldn't have met such a tragic end.
However, he could not predict what would happen in the future, after all, all the tragedies in his dream were caused by his elder brother!
what to do?
Di Jingyuan's originally calm expression turned irritable. He reached out and tightly gripped the bright yellow imperial edict, his arm veins bulging.
-
Three days after their wedding, Emperor Jingcheng and Azi set off for the capital, bidding a reluctant farewell to their loved ones.
These past few days, Azi has been sleeping with Nalan Mingzhu. While Di Jingcheng was cooking for Azi, he also listened to Nalan Mingzhu tell many interesting stories about Azi's childhood and about his mother. He felt that he loved this kind of simple and happy life.
Di Jingcheng, who had just gotten married but couldn't sleep with his little baby, dared not show the slightest grievance or complaint. He slept in A Zi's room every day, hugging her pillow to comfort himself in the loneliness of the night.
On the morning of the departure, Azi hugged her grandfather and parents tightly for a long time, her eyes red and filled with tears.
Nalan Mingzhu held her hands and said, "Alright, stop crying. You're going to be a mother soon, and my daughter is such a crybaby."
The old man and Ranlayobu turned around, wiped away their tears, and walked up to Di Jingcheng. Di Jingcheng was staring intently at his little crybaby, and when he saw his elders coming over, he quickly went up to them.
Before his two elders could speak, he immediately assured them, "Grandpa, Father, don't worry, I will never let Azi be sad. I will take good care of her and the child for the rest of my life. I will make sure she is happy and carefree for the rest of her life."
The two nodded repeatedly, seeing Di Jing's serious and solemn expression. They had also witnessed his love for A Zi over the past few months.
"Good! Good!" Ranlayobu said "good" twice, stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder: "Although you are the emperor, if you make Azi suffer, I, Ranlayobu, will risk my life to make you pay!"
The old man nodded in agreement: "That's right, even with my old bones, I'll fight you to the death!"
Di Jingcheng pursed his lips, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said solemnly, "I will!"
Yimeng stepped forward and gave him a hug, everything understood without words. He hugged Azi again, then turned away sadly, silently shedding tears.
Di Jingcheng, with a dejected Azi, embarked on the journey back to the capital. Yimeng and the others stood at the entrance of the village and waved goodbye to them until they could no longer see the young couple's backs.
Azi let Di Jingcheng carry her away, turning back frequently. Through her teary eyes, she saw her familiar father, mother, grandfather, and brother Yimeng getting further and further away until they disappeared.
Throughout the journey from the tribe back to the Southern Prefecture Prefect's residence, Azi was unusually downcast, leaning listlessly against Di Jingcheng's chest. After descending the mountain, they boarded a carriage. Di Jingcheng saw this and felt a pang of heartache. Knowing that further words would be useless, he could only offer her warmth in his embrace.
Prefect Liu of Nanzhou hadn't been idle either. All the promised gifts from Emperor Jingcheng had arrived, and he had already begun formulating and implementing policies for cultural exchange, focusing on cultivating talent to connect with various ethnic groups and tribes. The first step was to establish linguistic communication, which would then facilitate further exchange; next, he would gradually strengthen economic and political ties…
He brought the Emperor and Empress back, intending to discuss political affairs with the Emperor, but the Emperor seemed unavailable, and the Empress appeared to be pregnant and unwell, so he was busy taking care of her personally.
Just before the emperor and empress were about to depart, Prefect Liu had a brief two-hour discussion with the emperor, but this conversation greatly boosted Prefect Liu's ambition and enthusiasm.
As they embarked on their return journey, Liu Xinqi's men were eager to make their move, while Consort Wu remained inactive for a while after her previous failure.
When Emperor Jingyuan received the message from his secret guards that they would be returning to the palace soon, he was inevitably excited, but when he thought of the imperial edict, he didn't know what to do.
After finishing his breakfast, he strolled alone in the Imperial Garden, a sense of melancholy washing over him. Spring had arrived, and all things were thriving. The palace servants in the Imperial Garden were pruning the flowers and tending to every plant. The vibrant spring colors and tender green buds filled him with a sense of hope.
Consort Wu walked calmly with her palace servants. When she saw Prince Yuan strolling by the lotus pond, a slight smile appeared on her lips as she walked over.
"Greetings, Prince Yuan." She nodded slightly in greeting.
Displeased at being disturbed, Emperor Jingyuan casually turned to look at her and said, "Consort Wu, the Imperial Garden is quite beautiful. Please enjoy it at your leisure."
With that, he flicked his sleeve slightly, turned and left, not wanting to say another word to this scheming woman.
Consort Wu was annoyed that he ignored her. How could he treat her like this? After all, she was his sister-in-law.
"Prince Yuan, please wait."
Emperor Jingyuan frowned impatiently, but did not turn around: "What is it, Consort Wu?"
Consort Wu stepped forward with a smile: "His Majesty and His Majesty the Empress have been away from the palace for a long time. Does Your Highness know when they will return?"
"How could I possibly know about my brother's and sister-in-law's affairs?"
Consort Wu felt a lump in her throat, but she put on what she thought was a virtuous and proper smile: "I was just worried about the Emperor and the Empress, please don't take offense, Prince Yuan."
Di Jingyuan didn't want to say anything more. This woman was just talking nonsense when she called him over, and it was annoying to listen to her.
Consort Wu watched his retreating figure, her gaze gradually turning cold. So all three siblings in this family looked down on her? She angrily flung her handkerchief away: "Cai Ning, you're leaving the palace tonight."
“Your Majesty, you really…” Cai Ning didn’t want her to make another mistake.
"Shut up! Go when I tell you to!" Consort Wu glared at her fiercely, as if she wanted to devour her.
Cai Ning nodded meekly in agreement. The Emperor and Empress would be back soon, and she needed to find a way out for herself.
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