Chu Changning was exhausted from the journey and felt cold all over. Her clothes were damp with cold air, and she was afraid that the cold air would affect the child, so she quickly went to the bathhouse in the back to bathe and change her clothes.
The palace maids and nannies had already heard that she was back and had prepared all her clothes and food well in advance.
She came out wearing a moon-white nightgown, saw the food on the table, and went over to eat with her son in her arms.
Shuangyue stood by, serving, and recalling the rumors circulating these days, she couldn't help but speak up.
"During the Empress's absence, His Majesty has lost his appetite, and everyone in the palace is living in fear."
Chu Changning paused, wiped the rice crumbs from the corner of his son's mouth, and looked up.
Seeing that she wasn't angry, Shuangyue knew she had a good temper and began to boldly recount everything that had happened after she left.
It all boils down to how good Yan Bei Mo was to her, how much he cared for her, how much he missed her, how he thought she was dead and defied all opposition to establish an empress, which caused him to fall seriously ill, and he's still taking medicine now.
"He's taking medicine? What kind of medicine is he taking?"
Chu Changning interrupted her and asked a question.
"It seems to be to suppress vomiting blood, but I'm not sure."
After saying that, Shuangyue continued to mutter to herself.
They all say that the Lady colluded with foreign tribes to assassinate His Majesty. This time, His Majesty almost lost his life in the northern frontier before he brought the Lady back.
She had always known that there was a deep rift between the Madam and His Majesty, and fearing that the Madam might leave in the future, she would seize any opportunity to grumble and complain.
As Chu Changning listened to her words, his thoughts drifted far, far away, and everything from the past flashed before his eyes like a surging tide.
She seemed slightly dazed, remembering many, many things.
Life is unpredictable, and people's hearts are fickle. Back then, they each had their own thoughts, scheming and guarding against each other. Who would have thought that one day he would risk his life to save her?
"Mother."
A stray hair near her face was suddenly grabbed, and the pain brought her back to her senses. She looked at her fearless son.
Seeing that she had a reaction, Ayu laughed so hard she bent over, her chubby little hands grabbing her clothes and climbing up.
Chu Changning felt pain from his pulling and quickly picked him up and carried him to the bed.
"By the way, Shuangyue, when will Taozhi be able to enter the palace?"
Shuangyue quickly stopped babbling and said respectfully, "It's too late now. I'll send someone to invite you first thing tomorrow morning."
"Um."
The nights in Jiankang aren't cold, but it's been damp and chilly lately because of the recent rain.
After putting his son to sleep, Chu Changning got off the bed, put on an outer robe, and headed towards the imperial study.
The entire hall was brightly lit.
Yan Beimo looked at the memorial in his hand and listened to the various voices of the ministers below, his face indifferent.
Frequent wars broke out in the northwest, with barbarian tribes from other regions colluding with northern gentry, uprisings and rebellions by rebel armies in many places, refugee riots, and a large number of memorials from the previous dynasty impeaching powerful families.
When Chu Changning brought the soup over, he heard a commotion inside.
She stood silently outside the hall for a while. Perhaps someone went in to inform her, because soon an eunuch came out and called her in.
The ministers in the imperial study were all driven out, and as they passed by her, they bowed and clasped their hands in greeting.
Inside the hall, the bright pearls shone brightly, filling the room with light. Wisps of smoke rose and swirled from the incense burner.
Chu Changning slowly climbed the stone steps and put down the soup bowl.
As soon as she got close to him, a strong force came over her, and she was pulled into his arms around the waist.
She clung to his shoulder, looked up at him, and glared at him. "Be careful of your wound."
Yan Beimo lowered his head and lightly pecked her lips. "Why aren't you asleep?"
"I can't sleep."
She mumbled something and snuggled softly against him.
Why don't you eat something first?
Yan Bei Mo lifted her waist, made her straddle his lap, and kissed her tenderly.
Chu Changning hooked her arm around his neck, and seeing the weariness in his eyes, she turned her head away slightly and whispered.
"I'm sleepy, let's go to sleep."
"Weren't you having trouble sleeping just now?"
His voice was gentle and clear, like the sound of jade striking each other, echoing softly in the air and striking her eardrums.
Chu Changning rolled her eyes at him. "I want to sleep now, is that not allowed?"
He chuckled softly, picked her up, and carried her towards the inner palace.
"Put me down. Don't sleep here. Ayu is still alone in the palace."
Yan Beimo wouldn't let go, saying, "He can sleep by himself."
"don't want."
She struggled to get down.
"Chu Changning!"
His expression darkened as he looked at her seriously.
Chu Changning looked at him instinctively, "What did you shout?"
"You only have eyes for him, don't you? You only came back with me because of him?"
"---"
Seeing that she remained silent, Yan Beimo's anger slightly aggravated his wound, and his face darkened.
Afraid of pressing on his wound, Chu Changning jumped off his arms and landed on the ground.
Their eyes met, and he peered into her dark gaze. "Are you staying here tonight or going back to sleep?"
"---"
"say."
Looking at his arrogant expression, Chu Changning couldn't help but chuckle. Before he could get angry, she walked over, stood on tiptoe, and hooked her arm around his neck.
The man in front of her seemed to stiffen slightly for a moment, and then his waist was suddenly lifted up, and his body was pressed against the entrance of the inner hall.
"You're jealous of your own son, aren't you ashamed?"
She gave him a reproachful look and gently licked his lips.
Yan Beimo felt a tingling sensation in his back from her touch, and he pressed his lips against hers to kiss her back.
---
Yandu, the ancestral home of the Wang family.
In a woodshed.
Xie Rongyue dragged herself up from the hard bed.
The weather in Yandu has been cold lately, and the nights are chilly. The thin quilt is not enough to keep her warm, and she has had a fever for several days now.
She touched her burning forehead, propped herself up, and walked to the table to pour herself a bowl of water.
The water was cold, so she poured it onto a handkerchief, pressed it against her forehead, and sat back down on the bed.
Although Xie Rongyue was just a concubine's daughter from a noble family, she was still raised with great care and had never suffered such hardship before.
She leaned against the bedpost, curled up, tears streaming down her face. She stubbornly bit her lip, refusing to make a sound.
Just then, the door creaked open from the outside, and a woman dressed in elegant clothes walked in.
Xie Rongyue opened her eyes and saw the person who had come in.
"Yan Yuan".
She murmured something, lowered her eyes to hide her emotions, and stood up.
Yan Yuan slowly walked in, and when she saw her like this, she raised an eyebrow.
As the legitimate daughter of a prominent family, she naturally looked down on this scheming illegitimate daughter who tried to curry favor with the powerful. But seeing her like this now, she couldn't help but scoff, no longer having any intention of despising or mocking her.
"You've got some tricks up your sleeve. Even though you're locked up in this place, you still managed to get A-Wan to plead for you."
Xie Rongyue's eyes flashed with embarrassment upon hearing her words.
Despite her discomfort, she looked at her with a bright smile and said, "If you're here to laugh at me, Madam, then you can leave now."
Yan Yuan curled her lip and sneered, "What's so interesting about you? The Xie family has sent word that you are sentenced to death."
Xie Rongyue's already pale face instantly turned completely bloodless, and she stood there stunned.
Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but looking at the arrogant Yan Yuan in front of her, she couldn't utter a single word.
Yan Yuan looked at her amusedly, "You're not thinking of getting Wang San to plead for you, are you?" She paused, then her smile deepened, "Do you think that kind of heartless and cold-hearted man would care about something like this?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com