Chapter 33 Kiss
Zen Zhenzhen was playing with the palace maids when he suddenly felt someone's gaze falling on him. He turned around and saw His Majesty standing at the door, with his hands behind his back, looking at him with a smile.
Her eyes lit up, and she almost forgot that there were other people around, and ran towards him.
"His Majesty!"
She rushed to him with a smile on her face, but suddenly realized her mistake and stopped shyly, just looking at him with her head tilted up and her eyes curved.
Chen Dingyao smiled softly and reached out to touch the wreath in her hair. "Who made this?"
Chan Zhen's cheeks flushed slightly, and a layer of watery light appeared in his eyes. He said a little embarrassedly, "I was just playing with the palace maids. This is made of red jade. Your Majesty, don't you think it looks beautiful?"
Although she is the owner of Fengqi Palace, she is the youngest in terms of age and never puts on airs in front of the palace maids. When His Majesty is not around, she often jokes and jokes with the palace maids in private. What's more, now that all the palace maids are under confinement, she can't find anyone else to chat with except the people in her own palace.
"It's beautiful. I'm stunned by her beauty." He did not hide the amazement in his eyes.
Although she had been more intimate with His Majesty before, she couldn't help but blush every time she saw the undisguised infatuation in his eyes. Chanzhen shyly took his hand and led them into the inner hall. With so many palace attendants watching outside, and her own shamelessness no less, she naturally didn't want to flirt with him in such a place.
Chen Dingyao didn't care about his majestic image in front of the palace people, and almost let her do whatever she wanted and drag him away.
Guo Kai was so embarrassed to look at him that he squinted his eyes. His Majesty no longer had the cold and serious look he had in the virtuous concubine's palace. He was so tender and affectionate towards the imperial concubine. If he told the ministers outside about this, they would probably laugh at his nonsense.
After entering the inner room and making sure that there was no one else around, Chan Zhen turned around, slightly raised her chin towards him, and looked around with beautiful eyes.
"Your Majesty, have you returned from the palace of Concubine Xian so soon?"
Chen Dingyao rarely saw her like this, and he immediately became interested in playing with her.
"What's wrong? Is the Imperial Concubine jealous?"
Chan Zhen didn't expect him to poke at the little jealous feeling in her heart, and she was immediately embarrassed and annoyed, "I am not jealous."
Chen Dingyao lowered his head in thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded, "It seems there's something wrong with my nose. That's why I smell a sour smell for no apparent reason."
"Your Majesty!" Chan Zhen raised his eyes and glanced at him lightly. "You have returned from the palace of the virtuous concubine. Do you really have nothing to explain to me?"
Chen Dingyao knew that she was shy, so he stopped teasing her. He walked over and took her in his arms and sat down together. He took one of her hands in his palm and rubbed it gently.
"Zen has already guessed it, hasn't he?"
His suspicions were confirmed, but Chan Zhen felt somewhat depressed: "Was it really the Virtuous Consort who did it?"
She had no intention of making an enemy of the harem, but it was just as His Majesty said, as long as His Majesty continued to favor her, the other concubines in the palace would be jealous of her and would even resort to any means to frame her.
Sensing the disappointment in her mood, Chen Dingyao reached out and gently wiped the area under her eyes. He said in a light voice, "She framed you. This is her fault. Chanzhen, why should you be so sad about this?"
Chan Zhen frowned slightly, grabbed his restless hands, stared at him and asked, "Then how will Your Majesty deal with the virtuous concubine?"
After all, the virtuous concubine has been with Your Majesty for many years and gave birth to Your Majesty's eldest son. It is understandable if Your Majesty shows leniency for this, but you will still feel a little uncomfortable in your heart.
His Majesty had always doted on her too much, almost making her think she was the only one in his heart. She had thought she didn't care, but when she heard that afternoon that His Majesty had gone to Fanghua Palace, she realized she wasn't as magnanimous as she thought. She didn't want His Majesty's attention to shift to others, she wanted him to only look at her.
She suddenly recalled the look of her mother leaning against the door every day with expectant eyes when she was young. She once vowed not to be like her mother, who was obsessed with one person, but now she seemed to be gradually becoming like her mother.
"Your Majesty..." Before His Majesty could reply, she nervously put her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his chest.
She wanted to be a good concubine, as His Majesty expected, and to work hand in hand with him to become his queen. But what would she do if His Majesty changed his mind and abandoned her like her father had abandoned her mother? Could she really take back the love she had given him and just be a respectful concubine who kept to herself and treated him with respect?
"Zhen, don't you really trust me?" Chen Dingyao sighed softly. Even though he was so obviously partial to her, she still felt uneasy. He gently stroked her soft hair, "I will not let you suffer any injustice, nor will I let the real culprit who framed you go. From now on, there will be no more such a person as Xianfei in the palace."
Chan Zhen raised her head from his embrace and asked timidly, "Your Majesty, what you mean is... Although the virtuous concubine harmed me, her crime does not deserve death..."
Except for the first time they met, His Majesty had always been gentle and considerate in front of her, and she had never seen his cold and cruel side. His Majesty's words caused her to misunderstand.
Chen Dingyao noticed a hint of fear in her eyes. She was not very courageous to begin with, and it was only after he carefully raised her for several months that she dared to indulge herself a little. If she had seen the cruel methods he used on others, she would probably shrink back in fear again.
However, he would not let her see those things again. After experiencing his previous life, he knew very well which side of him she liked the most, and he could easily disguise himself in front of her.
"Zen Zhen has misunderstood me." He deliberately put on a hurt expression and said with a wry smile, "I only demoted Concubine Xian to a commoner, and did not take her life."
After hearing this, Chan Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. Although being demoted to a commoner was a much more severe punishment than she had expected, it was fortunate that His Majesty did not take the life of Concubine Xian.
Looking at His Majesty's lost expression, she suddenly felt a little guilty. She bit her lip and thought for a moment, then finally closed her eyes and offered him a kiss.
Chen Dingyao suddenly opened his eyes wide. He had always been the one taking the initiative in bed. Chan Zhen had always endured it silently because he was too shy. He didn't expect that his deliberate disguise would actually result in a kiss from Chan Zhen.
Naturally, he was unwilling to miss this good opportunity. He grabbed the back of her head tightly, pressed her under him, trapped her between himself and the back of the chair, and took the initiative.
After the kiss, Zen Zhen fell on his shoulder, panting, his lips red and tempting, and he lowered his eyes and didn't dare to look at him again.
How could she be so bold just now? Would Your Majesty think she was too unrestrained?
Zen Zhen was lost in thought, his mind almost a mess.
"Zhenzhen..." Chen Dingyao stroked her hair and sighed, "I really hope you can always be like this."
She stared at him with all her heart, only accepting his approach and giving her love to him alone. He thought that this was the whole meaning of his rebirth.
Zen Zhen's body trembled slightly under his comfort, and his eyes became more moist.
"I...I just don't want Your Majesty to be sad..."
Chen Dingyao lowered his head and gently kissed the top of her head.
"If you promise to stay by my side forever and never leave me no matter what happens, I won't be sad."
Chan Zhen raised her eyes and looked into his, "Then your Majesty must first promise me that you will never let me down, otherwise..."
Otherwise, she would never be with His Majesty again. His Majesty would be the almighty emperor, and she would be the obedient concubine, never giving a trace of true love to each other again.
Chen Dingyao smiled slightly, held one of her hands, and interlocked their fingers tightly.
"I will definitely live up to your expectations."
…
The next day, the Dali Temple announced the result of the Yao family case.
Chen Dingyao had no intention of concealing the truth. Even though the case involved a dispute among concubines in the harem, he would not let his beloved woman suffer for fear that the people would laugh at the royal family. He explained the whole cause and effect of the case clearly.
In the Yao family case, Concubine Xian was the mastermind behind the incident and has since been stripped of her position as a concubine and demoted to a commoner. While the Song family was instigated, they also exploited their power to seize property and ultimately cause death. They were ultimately ordered to pay half of their wealth in compensation to the Song family, and Song Ming himself received fifty strokes of the cane and three years' imprisonment.
The verdict caused an uproar across the country.
After all, Song Ming was the biological father of the favored Imperial Concubine Zhenglong. He had assumed His Majesty would at least give the Imperial Concubine a lighter sentence for her sake, but he hadn't expected him to be so selfless. But if the Imperial Concubine heard her biological father had been sentenced to such a severe punishment, I wonder what she would think.
Before the people could speculate, a piece of news spread like wildfire the next day.
It turned out that His Majesty was going to show leniency for the sake of the Imperial Concubine. However, after hearing this, the Imperial Concubine knelt down in the Qinzheng Hall and apologized to His Majesty. She admitted that she had failed to control her family, which eventually led to the disaster. She begged His Majesty to make the judgment according to the law and not to disappoint the people.
As soon as these words were spoken, the people were immediately impressed by the Imperial Concubine's act of sacrificing her own relatives for the sake of justice. In a short time, the Imperial Concubine's reputation for virtue spread throughout the country. Some scholars even wrote poems and lyrics about this matter, praising the Imperial Concubine for her virtue and worthy of being the queen of a country.
At this time, Concubine Shu was still imprisoned in the palace. After hearing the news from the palace servants, she was so angry that she smashed several inkstones.
The foolish Concubine Xian had ended up shooting herself in the foot. How could she have never heard anyone mention the Imperial Concubine kneeling before His Majesty that very night, begging Him to punish her father severely? It was easy to imagine where this rumor had originated; if His Majesty hadn't been behind it, how could it have spread so quickly?
His Majesty's actions also made her feel uneasy. The Imperial Concubine had originally been at a disadvantage due to her family background, but now this virtuous act of sacrificing her relatives for the sake of justice had transformed her disadvantage into an advantage. A Imperial Concubine so favored by His Majesty, with a reputation for virtue, would undoubtedly give birth to a prince with her current exclusive favor. So what else could she possibly offer in competition? His Majesty was clearly laying the groundwork for making the Imperial Concubine Empress.
It turns out that His Majesty is not cold-hearted, but is willing to make such comprehensive and careful plans for a woman.
For the first time in her life, she felt a sense of frustration. His Majesty was determined to make the Imperial Concubine the Empress. Even the Virtuous Concubine who had been firmly established in the harem for many years was demoted to a commoner. What else could she do?
His Majesty is at the peak of his power, and Yun Yi has not yet fully grown up. If the Imperial Concubine gives birth to a prince...
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