Chapter 73 Sword Light
After receiving the imperial edict, Fengqi Palace was silent for a while, and then suddenly burst into cheers of surprise.
Lu Zhu thanked Guo Kai joyfully and personally escorted him out of the palace. When she turned around, she found that Chan Zhen looked like he was deep in thought.
She sighed. There had been a lot of rumors these days, and she was terrified that the Queen had fallen out of favor. Now it seemed that it wasn't that His Majesty didn't want to see Her Majesty, but it was clearly Her Majesty who was refusing to see Him.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty still misses you," she said earnestly, "You and His Majesty can't remain at this standoff forever."
Zen Zhen knew that she wanted to ease the relationship between her and that person, but the entanglement between them could not be resolved overnight. She had no way to talk about it, so she could only frown and interrupt her.
"You don't have to say anything more. I don't want to see him. No matter what he does, it's useless."
Lu Zhu had originally thought her madam to be gentle, but now it seemed she was also quite stubborn. Even after His Majesty had made such concessions, the madam still refused to yield. As a servant, she could only offer occasional advice; any further comment would only anger the madam, so she kept silent and changed the subject.
"Tomorrow is the little prince's full moon banquet. The queen has been in confinement for a long time. She must be well prepared for her appearance tomorrow."
Mentioning the full moon banquet, Chan Zhen suddenly felt a headache. She didn't want to see him anymore, but she had to attend Yuan Zhao's full moon banquet. And there was also His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin, so she could not avoid meeting him.
This father and son were a disaster to her.
After much thought, she could not find a solution. Chan Zhen could only comfort herself that things would work out in the end. Prince Jin did not know that she had recovered her memory, so he would not be too presumptuous even if they met.
The moon passed its zenith, and Yuan Zhao's full moon banquet finally arrived as scheduled.
When Chan Zhen appeared in public for the first time after giving birth, she was dressed extraordinarily grandly, with a high bun on her head, adorned with pearls and jade, and natural rouge under her eyes. As soon as she appeared, the pearls in the room were eclipsed.
Chan Zhen's beauty was already the most beautiful in the harem. After she claimed to be sick and stayed in the palace the day before yesterday, many people hoped that she would lose her beauty due to childbirth, so that someone else in the harem would have a chance to come to the fore. Now, although there is some sadness between her brows, it does not affect her complexion. Instead, the look of pity is even stronger.
But since the Queen appeared, His Majesty's gaze hadn't left her face for a single moment. Even though they felt bitter and bitter, they could only swallow it down and force a smile.
"Now that you're here, are you feeling better?" Chen Dingyao stepped forward and held her hand.
Zen Zhen saw that he had a gentle smile on his face, as if they had not had a fierce argument and parted unpleasantly a few days ago.
In public, Chan Zhen was unwilling to make his disagreement public in such an occasion. He could not let Zhao Er's only full moon banquet in his life become a laughing stock of the world.
She didn't answer, but she didn't shake off his hand either.
A hint of joy flashed in Chen Dingyao's eyes, and he took her hand and sat her down in the upper seat.
She had attended such banquets many times, but this was the first time she felt so uneasy around him. He held her hand tightly while they sat down to talk, trying hard to create the illusion of harmony between the emperor and empress in front of outsiders.
Not to mention that there was Prince Jin sitting there staring at her with burning eyes.
The father and son's facial expressions were almost identical, making it impossible for her to avoid them.
Fortunately, her Yuan Zhao did not look like his father. If there was another similar face, she would have difficulty sleeping.
Yuan Zhao was held in the arms of his wet nurse. As the protagonist of today's banquet and having been appointed crown prince the day before, he naturally attracted the most attention.
Compliments abounded:
"Your Highness the Crown Prince looks really clever!"
"Yes, he looks so majestic even at such a young age."
"He looks very strong too!"
Chan Zhen didn't know how they saw the majesty in Yuan Zhao's young face, but she was very pleased with their praise of Yuan Zhao's strong body. She didn't have any expectations for Yuan Zhao. The throne was too high and cold. She only hoped that he could grow up safely in this life.
Perhaps it was because the surroundings were too noisy, Yuan Zhao, who had been sucking his fingers quietly, suddenly started crying. The wet nurse was afraid that she would ruin the atmosphere of the dinner and was a little at a loss for a moment.
It was normal for a child to cry, and Chan Zhen didn't blame her. He held out his hand to her and said, "Let me hold you."
The wet nurse walked up to her and Zenzhen gave her a reassuring smile, but before he could take Yuanzhao, someone else got there first.
Zen Zhen frowned and looked at him, knowing that he was acting recklessly just because he took advantage of the fact that he would not openly challenge him in such an occasion.
Chen Dingyao quickly coaxed Yuan Zhao into submission and said to her gently, "It's been a while since we last met, but it seems Zhao'er hasn't forgotten me, her father."
Zen Zhen couldn't stand the smugness in his eyes and said, "How can a child have any memory? He'll forget everything in a few days."
"In this case, I'll have to go to Fengqi Palace to see him more often." He went down.
Zen Zhen's eyes turned cold: "Your Majesty, have you forgotten what I said to you that day?"
"I dare not forget." Thinking of the day when she threatened to kill herself, his eyes darkened. "I will not disturb your peace again."
Seeing that her expression did not change, he explained, "I just want to go see Zhao'er. No matter how much you don't want to see me, I am Zhao'er's biological father after all. You can't let Zhao'er never see me for the rest of his life."
Seeing his fearless look, Chanzhen was sure that she would not refuse his request to see Zhaoer.
She was extremely annoyed, but she couldn't find an excuse to refuse, so she could only turn away and say calmly, "It's up to you, but you can only see Zhao'er for half an hour a day at most."
At worst, she could just leave when he saw Zhao'er, as long as she didn't stay with him.
Chen Dingyao had not dared to act rashly since he left Fengqi Palace that day. Now he had finally found an irresistible reason. Even though it was in the name of visiting Zhao'er, it was only half an hour a day.
But this rare half hour was enough to temporarily relieve his lovesickness.
After the banquet, Chanzhen didn't want to play the role of the emperor and empress anymore, so he left in a hurry with Zhao'er in his arms. However, on the way back to the palace, he was blocked by someone.
"Your Majesty." Yun Yi stood on the road that she had to take to return to the palace. Half of his face was hidden from the light and was hidden in the shadows, making it difficult to see clearly.
Chan Zhen tightened his grip on Yuan Zhao's hand, feigning surprise. "Your Highness the Prince of Jin must have gotten drunk and lost his way. How could he be here?"
Yun Yi looked at her dimly, "Yun Yi has something to ask Your Majesty. Could Your Majesty ask the palace maids around you to leave for now?"
Zenzhen remembered that he said the same thing when he came to her palace last time, and then he took advantage of the fact that no one was around to do something disrespectful to her.
In her previous life, she had only stayed with Prince Jin for a year. She had admired him, but was more in awe of him. After they left the palace, she severed their friendship. In this life, she was unwilling to fall into the same situation as in her previous life.
"Your Highness, there is nothing to discuss between us." She refused coldly, "If you are lost, you should ask others."
"Nothing to say?" Yun Yi's face seemed to be both smiling and sad. "Now that you remember everything, do you still have nothing to say to me?"
Zen Zhen was shocked. How did he know that he had recovered his memory?
"Your Highness, I don't understand what you are talking about." Chan Zhen naturally could not recognize him. There was still a lot of mess between her and His Majesty that had not been settled, and she absolutely could not involve Prince Jin in this.
"You understand." Yun Yi took a step closer to him, his dark eyes fixed on her, "You should remember me."
Chan Zhen watched him approaching, and in his anxiety he couldn't help but shout, "How dare you!"
Yun Yi stopped, his eyes as dark as a bottomless abyss.
Chanzhen thought that things were different now. She was the queen appointed by His Majesty himself and was his nominal mother. She had no reason to back down in front of him.
"Your Highness Prince Jin, are you sober now?" Chan Zhen had finally gotten out of the quagmire in this life, and he would never allow any improper rumors to spread between him and her.
Yun Yi's eyes were gloomy, without a trace of light in them.
Chan Zhen was afraid that he would lose his mind again, so he stared at him without relaxing for a moment. Suddenly, he saw him turn his gaze and look behind him.
"Father."
Only then did Chan Zhen realize that there was another tall figure on the ground.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." Luzhu reacted before her.
There was silence behind her, but Chan Zhen felt an invisible gaze. She stiffened and slowly turned around.
Chen Dingyao stood not far behind her with his hands behind his back, an unfathomable expression on his face. It was unknown how long he had been looking at her.
"Everyone, leave." He waved his hand.
Chan Zhen asked Luzhu to take Yuan Zhao back first, and he stayed where he was, stiff-necked and silent, feeling that the scene before him was too awkward and weird.
"Why did you leave without waiting for me?" He seemed oblivious to the strange atmosphere. He walked straight to her and gently lifted a strand of her hair that was blown by the wind from her forehead.
Yun Yi trembled, stared at his hand and pursed his lips.
Chan Zhen tried hard not to turn away, observing Yun Yi's expression with the corner of his eyes, but was caught off guard by his jealous eyes.
The next moment, her vision was suddenly blocked. Chen Dingyao held her face with his palms, cutting off her brief line of sight with Yun Yi. His voice was incredibly gentle.
"Zenzhen's face is a little cold, I'll warm it up for you."
Zen Zhen knew that he did it on purpose. She struggled in her heart for a while and decided to go along with him.
At least she should dissuade Prince Jin from his idea first, and then she and His Majesty can make the decision later.
Yun Yi clenched his fists and finally couldn't help himself when he saw the intimate scene of the two of them.
"That's enough," he said, no longer restraining himself, jealousy pouring out of his eyes, "Father, no matter how you deliberately do it for your son to see, I will not let you go."
Chen Dingyao took his hands off Chan Zhen's face, grabbed her waist in front of Yun Yi, and half-forced her into his arms.
"Yun Yi, your relationship with Chan Zhen has long been severed. You shouldn't bother her again in this life."
"Shouldn't we?" Yun Yi gritted his teeth. "Shouldn't it be you, Father, who shouldn't have bothered with her? In our previous life, it was clearly me and Chan Zhen who fell in love first, and it was you who disregarded ethics and intervened!"
"Affectionate?" Chen Dingyao raised his lips and sneered, "If you and Chan Zhen are truly deeply in love, I can't separate you no matter how much I interfere."
Yun Yi said coldly, "Father, you are so high and mighty, and you can even use someone else's mother to threaten your own child. Is there anything you can't do?"
"I gave you a choice, and it was you who chose to give up on her. Why do you regret it now?" Compared to Yun Yi's outward emotions, Chen Dingyao looked calm and composed with his raised eyebrows, but his aura was not inferior at all.
"My past life is over," Yun Yi slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his emotions had calmed down a lot. "In this life, I will never make a decision that will make me regret for the rest of my life."
The father and son were fighting with each other and neither of them would give in. Zen Zhen, who was listening from the side, finally couldn't help but stand it.
"That's enough," Zen Zhen closed his eyes, pushed away the person holding him, and walked a few steps away from both of them, with a cold expression that kept people at a distance. "I don't want to have anything to do with either of you or your son anymore."
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