"Strange? What's strange about Aqing and Jialuo?"
Xie Yuan, upon hearing Helian Jue's complaints, couldn't help but defend his two newly acquainted friends.
Aqing was the nickname of Princess Nanling. After she became close to Xie Yuan, he began to call her "Aqing" directly.
Nanling, mindful of the hierarchical relationship between ruler and subject, refrained from affectionately calling Xie Yuan "elder sister" and continued to address her as "Your Majesty."
However, anyone with ears could hear that when Aqing addressed Xie Yuan as "Your Majesty," it was with deep admiration and affection.
Helian Jue only realized the strangeness of Nanling after witnessing the way the two interacted and hearing the repeated calls of "Your Majesty".
"How can it not be strange? Ah Yuan, do you know why they're looking at me so strangely!"
When Helian Jue saw that Xie Yuan was actually speaking up for his "love rival," his beautiful peach blossom eyes showed obvious grievance and complaint.
"Your Majesty, have they been disrespectful to you?"
Xie Yuan suppressed her smile; she and Helian Jue were husband and wife.
As husband and wife, Helian Jue was treated with disrespect, and she, as his wife, felt no pride.
"No, not at all! Nanling is the daughter of a princess, and Jialuo comes from a noble family; their manners are impeccable!"
They were polite enough, but their attitude was problematic.
Helian Jue continued to complain, "They bowed and greeted me, but there was a hint of disdain in their voices."
"Yes! They despise you! I bet in their hearts, I, the emperor, am simply not good enough for you!"
Helian Jue wasn't bothered by Nanling and Mu Jialuo praising Xie Yuan too much.
In fact, if we're talking about fans, Helian Jue is Xie Yuan's number one fan.
In his heart, Xie Yuan was the best woman in the world and his only true love.
What Helian Jue was really bothered by was that people like Nanling and Mu Jialuo actually thought he and A Yuan were not a good match!
Pooh!
They are clearly the perfect couple, not the one struck by lightning!
Xie Yuan: ...
She smiled faintly, deliberately using a rebuttal to explain to the young ladies: "They don't understand Ah Xi, how would they know that you are the best man in the world?"
At this point, Xie Yuan deliberately revealed a smug look, "Luckily they don't know, otherwise they would definitely come back and fight with me for it!"
Helian Jue: ...
Although he knew that A Yuan was just saying sweet words to coax him, he still liked to hear them.
Thinking about his past "dark history," Helian Jue chuckled sheepishly. "Of course, they might also have been frightened by my past character!"
He used to be willful, domineering, stubborn, and extremely sarcastic.
The number of people he has called "ugly" to his face is too many to count on two hands.
Even if you haven't been verbally abused by him to his face, you should have seen or heard his wicked behavior firsthand.
Young women are generally thin-skinned and have strong self-esteem. Knowing that he is the kind of person who is hard to meet, they naturally don't have much affection for him.
Huh?
If it really was the former Helian Jue, perhaps he really wouldn't be a good match for Xie Yuan.
Pah!
No, that's not true!
When he met A Yuan, it was the darkest and most desperate time of his life.
That was also when he was at his most violent and repulsive.
But A Yuan still fell in love with him, and he also fell in love with A Yuan.
but--
Perhaps because Helian Jue had been disliked by noble ladies like Nanling and Mu Jialuo so many times, he was also somewhat uncertain.
He looked at Xie Yuan and asked cautiously, "Was I very unlikeable when we first met?"
At that time, he even had the idea of killing the substitute bride!
"..."
Xie Yuan didn't know why Helian Jue suddenly asked about the past.
She stared intently at Helian Jue, seeing her own reflection in his eyes.
She seemed to be lost in her memories.
That night, dressed in her wedding gown, she entered the empty and desolate East Palace alone.
Inside the main hall of the Eastern Palace, a handsome man, seemingly calm but actually as fierce and ruthless as a trapped beast...
Helian Jue knew that A Yuan was reminiscing about the past.
His heart couldn't help but jump.
Just as he was so nervous that he could hear his own heartbeat, Xie Yuan slowly spoke, "Not annoying, but frightening."
"At that time, you were like a trapped beast. When I entered the Eastern Palace, I was terrified, fearing that you would take your anger out on me because of Xie's disrespect!"
“But you didn’t! Although you were angry about Xie’s ‘betrayal,’ you still accepted me! You even said that you would give me the dignity of a princess!”
"Your Majesty, you don't know, your words gave me a lot of confidence!"
"Let me know that although you have been deposed and abandoned by everyone, your soul is still noble!"
"There are too many faithless men in the world who claim to be good husbands, and they can't even give their wives the most basic dignity!"
Xie Yuan's words came from the bottom of his heart.
Her meaning was clear: Helian Jue may not be a perfect person, but he is principled and has a bottom line!
This is so much better than many scumbags!
Such heartfelt words, and such sincere admiration in his eyes—Helian Jue's heart was deeply moved.
"Ah Yuan!!"
Helian Jue called Xie Yuan's name softly, his eyelids lowered to conceal the deep affection and infatuation that was about to overflow!
How could he not love such an honest wife, a wife who believed in the nobility of his soul?
How could he bear to let her down?
"Considering that those noble ladies genuinely admire A-Yuan, I will not hold it against them!"
After a sweet night, Helian Jue looked at his sleeping wife, recalled the conversation from the previous night, and magnanimously whispered a few words.
Helian Jue thought it was good to have those female attendants; his A Yuan could take time to rest and have more heart-to-heart talks with him.
Helian Jue then told Xie Yuan, "Besides the female attendants, some of the childless and not-too-old concubines in the palace can also help you with some things!"
When the late emperor passed away, his harem was not only composed of four consorts and nine concubines, but also included some lower-ranking talented women and beauties.
These low-ranking concubines were some very young, or came from ordinary official families, or were simply female officials or palace maids in the palace.
They may not be as talented as the ladies of wealthy families, but they are literate or familiar with palace affairs.
Originally, according to custom, after the late emperor's death, those concubines without children would be sent to royal temples to become nuns.
Xie Yuan couldn't bear it, and after discussing it with Helian Jue, he canceled this old rule!
Although those lower-ranking concubines did not have to become nuns, they were wasting their youth staying in the harem.
Helian Jue felt that his own A Yuan was almost going crazy with work, so those people should help share the burden.
To borrow a phrase from Ah Yuan: He who does not work, shall he eat!
Even the royal family had no surplus grain.
Xie Yuan: ...
Well, Helian Jue's capitalist face is almost as ugly as Zhou Bapi's.
However, Xie Yuan was still happy to have a few more helpers.
And it is indeed a pity that those young, low-ranking concubines died of old age in the harem.
As a result, seven or eight more "female officials" were added to the office building next to Jiaofang Palace.
...Unbeknownst to him, Xie Yuan had built his own team!
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