However, this beauty has become stronger now, so it will take a little more effort to get her.
Of course, being strong has its advantages. If Su Yujiao can be used by him, wouldn't ascending the throne be just around the corner?
He was really looking forward to that day!
Before they knew it, it was the day of the Emperor's birthday banquet. All the civil and military officials had arrived, and Su Yujiao, as the county princess, was also to go to the palace to offer her birthday wishes to the Emperor.
As soon as she arrived at the palace, she met Chu Zhongyuan's eyes, which seemed to be smiling but were not. The smile seemed to be malicious, making her very uncomfortable.
"Wasn't he under house arrest? How did he get out?"
Lu Ziwei pouted: "As a prince, he should attend the Emperor's birthday banquet."
"This is also an opportunity given to him by the Emperor. In the end, the Emperor still favors him the most."
Lu Ziwei looked dissatisfied, and Su Yujiao also frowned.
Next, with a shout from Eunuch Wei, the Emperor and Empress arrived, and all the civil and military officials knelt down. Then came the part of offering blessings and gifts.
Chu Zhongyuan was very clever; he sent a bucket of ginger, which consisted of nine giant ginger pieces arranged in the shape of mountains and rivers, symbolizing the unification of the nine provinces and the country.
The emperor was all smiles and immediately lifted the third prince's confinement, restoring him to his throne.
Su Yujiao pouted. The favoritism was outrageous. She only gave him a few pieces of rotten ginger, and he became a prince with a beautiful face.
This emperor showed absolutely no regard for the feelings of his other sons and concubines.
Seeing the favor shown to her mother and brother, Chu Qinghe was so proud that her tail was practically wagging in the air.
"Father, I also wish you good health and long life."
"Your subject has nothing of note to offer as a gift, so I will perform a dance for you instead."
"I hope Father will not laugh at my humble appearance."
"Originally, I also wanted to prepare a unique gift for Father Emperor, but recently a drought occurred in Songyang County, and many more people in the capital have been affected by the disaster."
"Your subject and the prince consort then set up a soup kitchen outside the princess's residence to provide porridge to the homeless disaster victims."
"Therefore, the entire Princess's residence is tightening its belt and cannot prepare an expensive gift for Father Emperor. Please forgive us, Father Emperor."
Look how eloquently he spoke! He expressed both filial piety and kindness, and managed to stand out among all the princesses. What a shrewd person he is!
As expected, the emperor not only did not blame him, but was also moved to tears.
Although his daughter was not a man, she was also concerned about the country and its people, and was much better than those princesses who only knew how to indulge in pleasure.
While thinking to himself, the Emperor glanced at Chu Qingwan and Chu Qingyin beside the Empress.
These two girls, one embroidered a picture of longevity and the other copied the Classic of Filial Piety, were both shabby and unrefined.
He can't even say auspicious words, he's like a block of wood, he's really no match for his precious darling.
It's true that a daughter is raised like her parents.
The empress came from a rural background, and the daughters she raised were ill-mannered and petty.
Consort Jing was a princess of the Xiao Nan tribe, and her daughter naturally had the bearing of a princess—noble, elegant, generous, and confident.
Seeing the Emperor's approving gaze, Chu Qinghe glanced smugly at Chu Qingyin and Chu Qingwan.
The woman moved gracefully to the center of the stage, giving Mo Lingchen a deep and affectionate look.
She used to dislike dancing, believing it to be a skill that lowly women learned to please men.
However, ever since she learned that Mo Lingchen liked watching women dance, she has been practicing dancing diligently.
All for today's remarkable achievement, and also to prove to him that there's nothing she can't learn if she sets her mind to it, and that she can definitely dance better than Jin Mudan.
She wanted him to see the moment she amazed everyone!
She wanted to make this man fall completely in love with her!
He wanted to completely drive that lowly woman, Jin Mudan, out of Mo Lingchen's heart!
As the music began, Chu Qinghe danced gracefully on the stage.
She learned a very difficult dance, and everyone could see that she was dancing very hard, but there was no beauty in it at all.
She performed one difficult move after another with great effort, as if she were completing a task.
It doesn't look like dancing; it looks more like acrobatics.
However, because she was a princess, all the officials praised her in a very cooperative manner, calling her the best dancer in the world.
Chu Qinghe was panting heavily, and every now and then she would take a moment to check on Mo Lingchen's reaction.
But the man's face remained expressionless, and even his eyes seemed vacant, as if he wasn't looking at her at all...
Chu Qinghe was a little angry. She had gone to such great lengths to please him, but he hadn't reacted at all.
In that moment of distraction, coupled with a somersault, Chu Qinghe fell heavily off the stage.
"ah……"
"Qinghe!"
"Princess!!"
Everyone was in a panic, and they urgently called for the imperial physician.
The Emperor was the first to react and ordered Su Yujiao to treat Chu Qinghe.
Although Su Yujiao was unwilling, she had no choice but to step forward and treat him.
Chu Qinghe, like Jin Mudan, landed on the back of her head and immediately lost consciousness. A large patch of blood flowed from the back of her head. It was truly retribution!
Despite attempts to resuscitate Su Yujiao, she was pronounced dead.
Both Consort Jing and the Emperor were very emotional and refused to accept reality.
Chu Zhongyuan seemed to remember something and immediately ordered, "Go and invite Daoist Xuanqing here quickly."
He remembered that Jin Mudan's life was saved by Master Xuanqing's magic, and perhaps Qinghe's life could be saved as well.
Master Xuanqing arrived quickly and began chanting incantations and performing rituals in front of everyone, repeating the same teachings as the previous day.
Su Yujiao and the imperial physician stepped forward to take her pulse and indeed saved her life, but she was still a living dead and would probably never wake up again.
The Emperor was furious and even wanted to execute the imperial physicians, but Su Yujiao pleaded for them and saved their lives.
The Emperor then ordered a thorough investigation of the stage, which proved to be an accident, not a setup.
Mo Lingchen's expression remained indifferent. He had stayed by Chu Qinghe's bedside while she was unconscious, preventing the Emperor from finding any fault with her.
About seven days later, Chu Qinghe suddenly opened her eyes, looking around at the environment with a sense of confusion, which was both strange and familiar.
The woman took a moment to react, and gradually regained consciousness.
Her gaze lingered on the man beside the bed.
Mo Lingchen had a shallow sense of awareness. Sensing something was wrong, he immediately opened his eyes and met a pair of beautiful eyes filled with deep affection and sadness.
That look sent a shiver down his spine, and he instantly snapped back to reality.
Upon realizing she was awake, a shadow of gloom flashed across the man's eyes, but he quickly composed himself and returned to his usual indifferent expression.
"You're awake. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
"Should we call the imperial physician?"
Chu Qinghe didn't speak, but just stared at him, her tears increasing more and more, as if she had a thousand words to say and indescribable emotions.
Mo Lingchen found her a bit strange. He didn't understand why she was crying, and why she was crying so sadly!
What's even stranger is that he felt a little sorry for Chu Qinghe when he saw her crying!
Suddenly, the woman spoke in a hoarse voice: "I thought I would never see you again."
"It's so good to see you again!"
Chu Qinghe's hand twitched, habitually stroking her flat stomach. As if remembering something, she suddenly sat up: "Did I save my baby?"
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