Chapter 435 Rumors are flying everywhere
"Me?" Chu Liuzheng blinked and smiled faintly, "Everyone has their own destiny. I know it very well."
Xia Qiaoru felt that she was forcing a smile, so she held her hand tightly and said, "I'm not old enough to leave the palace yet, so I'll stay with you."
"Nonsense!" Chu Liuzheng stopped laughing and said seriously, "Qiaoru, you should leave the palace."
Xia Qiaoru stared at her and said stubbornly, "What about you?"
Seeing her like this, Chu Liuzheng couldn't help but sigh: "Qiaoru, he is the emperor."
Xia Qiaoru's eyes turned red again, and her lips opened and closed again. After a long while, she finally uttered, "You don't want to."
"I do." Chu Liuzheng's eyes curved slightly, "I do now."
Xia Qiaoru's eyes froze, and she stared at her straight, as if she wanted to see into her heart.
"really?"
"Yeah." Chu Liuzheng nodded, "Seriously."
Xia Qiaoru stopped talking. She didn't know what to say, or she didn't know how she could help Chu Liuzheng.
The two sat facing each other quietly for a while. Chu Liuzheng couldn't help but start to instruct Xia Qiaoru again, feeling extremely worried and uneasy. In the end, he could only watch her walk out of the gate of the Yangxin Palace, her slender figure gradually moving away.
She let out a deep breath.
"If you're worried, I can send someone to protect her." At some point, Xiao Jingfan walked up behind her and pulled her into his arms. The surrounding palace maids all lowered their heads, not daring to glance at her.
【Is there such a good thing? 】
Chu Liuzheng immediately thanked Xia Qiaoru on his behalf.
Seeing her smile again, Xiao Jingfan's lips curled up and he pulled her towards the Imperial Garden, "Accompany me for a walk."
The Imperial Garden is particularly lively today. It seems as if the concubines in the harem have made an appointment and have all rushed to the Imperial Garden to enjoy the scenery at this time.
Countless different gazes fell on Chu Liuzheng. If looks could kill, Chu Liuzheng would have died a thousand and eight hundred times.
Xiao Jingfan frowned slightly and ordered Zhou Yuande to clear the area.
All the concubines were forced to leave, glaring at Chu Liuzheng secretly.
Chu Liuzheng felt like he was being riddled with resentful gazes from everyone.
[Tsk tsk, you're always picking on the weak. I didn't ask you to clear the area, so go glare at the tyrant if you can!]
Xiao Jingfan coughed lightly and promised, "It was my negligence. I will never let them disturb you in the future."
"Oh." Chu Liuzheng had lost interest in walking. She looked up at the sky and said, "It's almost time. Let's go back and have dinner."
"Hungry?"
“A little.”
"What did you order?"
"I heard from Eunuch Zhou that you've been eating very little lately. I've ordered some appetizers. Please eat more later."
"good."
"The Imperial Kitchen has recently hired a chef who specializes in Cantonese cuisine. He made excellent glutinous rice chicken in lotus leaf. I tried it at noon and it seems to suit your taste. Please try it later."
"good."
"Soup is..."
…
From then on, Chu Liuzheng lived in the Yangxin Palace and moved from the side room of the rear hall into the emperor's bedroom.
The emperor did not promote her, and she did not ask. She followed the routine every day and did what she was supposed to do. When the emperor was busy, she would ask someone to find a fishing rod and go to the Moon Pond to fish for koi.
The koi in the Moon Pond were so fed that they would bite the bait as soon as the rod was cast, making fishing a complete waste of fun. Chu Liuzheng lost interest after fishing twice and didn't want to go again.
After Xiao Jingfan found out, he specially ordered someone to put some edible fish in so that she could fish for fun.
Since Chu Liuzheng moved into the emperor's chambers, the emperor hadn't set foot in the harem for half a month. Adding the nearly three months before and after his trip, the emperor hadn't been to the harem for nearly half a year.
The entire harem was filled with resentment because of this incident, and rumors were flying everywhere.
No one dared to say anything bad about the emperor, so they all directed their accusations at Chu Liuzheng, slandering and making all kinds of speculations. Chu Liuzheng spent a lot more time eating melons every day, and felt that in the eyes of these people, he was comparable to Su Daji, who brought disaster to the country and the people.
She really is... unworthy of what she has done.
The Empress Dowager specifically invited the Emperor to the Wanshou Palace for a conversation. She told him that if he truly loved Chu Liuzheng, he should confer a title upon her and place her in the harem, fulfilling all the formalities. What was the point of living in the Yangxin Palace without a proper title? If this got out, everyone would laugh at him.
Xiao Jingfan agreed on the surface, but turned around and forgot about it. He had no intention of asking Chu Liuzheng to move.
Chu Liuzheng naturally couldn't bring it up herself. If she moved out, she would have to face the hostility of the entire harem, and she wasn't tired of living yet.
The Empress Dowager tried to persuade the Emperor several times, but the Emperor refused to listen. So, she turned her attention to Chu Liuzheng. Unexpectedly, the people she sent couldn't even see Chu Liuzheng; they were all turned away by the Emperor's men. The Emperor even sent someone to convey a message, saying Chu Liuzheng was timid and that the Empress Dowager could speak to him if she had anything to say.
The Empress Dowager was furious, but she couldn't do anything about the Emperor, who was determined to protect her. In the past, she could ask the Empress to come over and ask her to find a way to persuade the Emperor, and the Emperor would listen. But now the Empress had to observe her double confinement, and with the palace gates closed, she didn't care about anything.
The Empress Dowager became angrier and angrier, and summoned the imperial physician to the Wanshou Palace twice in a row.
After Xiao Jingfan found out, he hurried over to visit. The empress dowager was angry and spoke in a sarcastic tone. Xiao Jingfan listened without saying anything back. He showed concern in his words, but he didn't do anything. The empress dowager... became even angrier.
After hearing this, the eldest princess was worried that her mother would become ill because of her naughty brother, so she hurried into the palace to persuade her.
"Mother, don't you understand His Majesty's temperament? He's in high spirits right now, why bother getting angry with him over such a trivial matter?"
"A small matter?" The Queen Mother glared. "The Emperor left the entire harem aside for a palace maid. Is this considered a small matter?"
"Mother, please calm down." Xiao Jinshu motioned for the servants to leave and personally served her tea. "Do you still remember Lady Wen?"
"No." The Queen Mother snorted coldly, leaning against the soft pillow. "Of course I remember that troublemaker."
"Look at this moment." Xiao Jinshu placed the tea on the crabapple wood table beside him and gently massaged her shoulders. "Is there still a person like Concubine Wen in the harem?"
Hearing this, a cold light flashed across the Queen Mother's eyes. "She has evil intentions and deserves to die."
"Your Majesty protected Concubine Wen more than Chu Liuzheng back then, but didn't he abandon her in the end?" Xiao Jinshu consoled with a smile, "When your Majesty gets angry, no one can stop him. Chu Liuzheng is just a palace maid, powerless, so no matter how much your Majesty dotes on her, she can't do anything wrong..."
"Don't try to fool me with words," the Queen Mother interrupted, glancing at her daughter. "Isn't it up to the Emperor to confer a title of nobility?"
Xiao Jinshu smiled faintly: "How can it be that simple? Even if His Majesty is willing, the entire court will not be happy."
"That's true." The Queen Mother's expression brightened slightly and her tone softened.
Xiao Jinshu turned around and offered her tea, and this time the Queen Mother accepted it.
Xiao Jinshu continued to persuade him, "Your Majesty doesn't like to go to the harem. You're worried that he doesn't have a suitable woman by his side, so you've tried every possible means to find a good girl. Now that Your Majesty has finally found one, someone you can sleep with, this alone is better than the entire harem. Why are you unhappy again?"
(End of this chapter)
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