"Fortunately." Rong Ting half-lowered his eyes and laughed, "Fortunately I was born with this appearance."
When Jiang Rao heard him say this, she felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't figure out what it was for a moment, so she just shook her head subconsciously.
She was attracted by his looks. With his sharp and stunning appearance, it would be a bit insincere for her to say that she was not attracted by his looks.
But it would be wrong to agree to it. She liked him not just because of his appearance.
She frowned and said anxiously, "You never ran away when something happened in my family before. Why do you think I would run away?"
Rong Ting smiled faintly, "Since you want to stay, then stay."
"I've been busy with work lately, and there are some documents in the study that I haven't read yet. I'll go to the study." There was a hint of fatigue in his tone, and he raised his finger to gently touch Jiang Rao's cheek, "I'm arranging for my parents-in-law to go to Jiangzhou. I think you're tired too. If you're tired, just take a rest first."
Rong Ting left the study first, and the cool touch on Jiang Rao's cheek disappeared. She turned her head as he turned around, looking at his leaving back in confusion.
She thought that he would be happy if she stayed.
Jiang Rao frowned, suddenly chased after him and grabbed Rong Ting's sleeve.
"Rong Ting."
He walked too fast, and she was afraid she couldn't stop him, so she called his name.
Rong Ting stopped, looked back at her, his eyes narrowed a little. His name, just two simple words, she is the only one in the world who can call him that, it sounds better than love words. Jiang Rao grabbed his sleeve and said, "My staying here has nothing to do with your appearance."
"It has nothing to do with anything you've done for me."
She saw Rong Ting's smile fade, and she knew why he was unhappy. She sighed, her brows still slightly furrowed, and said with a headache: "It has something to do with you."
"It's only about you."
"I can clearly distinguish between gratitude and love. If it were someone else, I wouldn't like him, I wouldn't marry him, and I wouldn't stay." Jiang Rao shook Rong Ting's sleeves and looked up at him, "Just tell me if you want me to stay."
Rong Ting half-closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time. Jiang Rao laughed instead, with a hint of laughter in her voice, "I know you want to say yes."
He had said it once before, and his tone was serious, not joking, she remembered.
Jiang Rao held Rong Ting's left hand and held it firmly. "I will give you everything I can give you, whatever you want."
Even though he was a little more paranoid and stubborn than ordinary people, the sharp blade that could hurt people had never really been directed at her. Instead, it stabbed himself all over. Jiang Rao's tone suddenly softened and he sighed.
She herself is the type who is most lazy about thinking, so why did she fall in love with someone who has more thoughts than words?
Rong Ting raised his hand and wiped his eyes, his eyes were a little sour, "I also want to give you everything you want."
His tone became heavy. "My father is seriously ill. Someone from the Imperial Hospital told me that he will die in three months. After three months, I will either be in power or become a prisoner. This business of success or failure is not something that can be done easily."
Even though Jiang Rao had guessed something, she was still shocked when she heard him talk about Emperor Zhaowu's health condition with her own ears.
No wonder he asked her to go to Jiangzhou and asked her parents to go as well.
There are old friends taking care of her in Jiangzhou, which is over a hundred miles away from the capital. If anything happens to him in the capital, she can still protect herself.
It was not much different from what she had guessed.
Jiang Rao: "I guessed it a long time ago."
"I want my parents to be safe, and I want to be with you. I want to stay in Jinling, and you don't have to stop me. And..." Jiang Rao had previously thought that her brother's falconry was difficult to deal with, but today she realized how troublesome it was for him to say one thing and mean another. "Don't make too many guesses in your mind. If you don't ask me, how do you know if you are right or wrong?"
She opened her arms towards Rong Ting, and Rong Ting followed her movements, gently bent down, and hugged her.
For some people, even the sound of their breathing can make you feel happy.
Jiang Rao said everything she wanted to say, and he listened to it all. He felt relieved and started to laugh.
With an attitude of settling scores later, she raised her sleeves and pinched Rong Ting, "At least you let me choose this time, unlike before, when you drugged me and made me pass out, causing me to lose a day for nothing."
Rong Ting originally had his chin resting on Jiang Rao's shoulder, tilting his head to watch her speak, but when he heard her start to bring up the past, he turned his face and gaze away, pretending not to hear anything as if he had a bad temper.
…
At 11:00 a.m., the maid brought white porridge to Jinxiu Palace. After putting down the food box, she hurried away. Empress Jiahe chased after her with a smile on her face, "Don't leave in a hurry. I want to ask you, how is the emperor's health?"
The maid's tone was not good, and she lowered her head, "How can this servant know something that even the Majesty has no way of knowing?"
Empress Jiahe still spoke in a friendly tone, "What about my daughter Yuan'er... any news?"
The maid was now unwilling to even talk.
Empress Jiahe's expression suddenly changed.
She flicked her sleeves and threw the food box off the table, and said with a stern face: "With a little bit of arrogance, you can't tell who is the master and who is the servant?"
If you don't want to say anything, then don't say anything. What's the big deal about being sarcastic?
She gnashed her teeth and said, "Go find the King of Qi. I am his mother."
"When did I ever teach him to do such a mean thing as to separate a mother and her child? Go find him!"
The two palace maids picked up the overturned food box and ignored Empress Jiahe's scolding.
After they left, the maid who had just answered the Queen's question sneered at the image of Queen Jiahe reflected on the window paper, "How ridiculous! She thinks she's still the master."
She looked at the other palace maid with contempt, "It was she who harmed Concubine Zhang and caused the separation of mother and child. Now it is just karma, and she can't bear it anymore. She still thinks about the Seventeenth Prince coming back every day... I'm afraid the Seventeenth Prince will never come back."
Empress Jiahe listened to the conversation between the two little palace maids under the window, shuddered, and the bowl in her hand rolled to the ground.
Even the little palace maid who came to deliver food knew that it was she who killed Rong Ting's biological mother. I'm afraid the whole imperial city knew about it.
Her reputation...
Her father couldn't save her, and her son couldn't be counted on either...
After the palace maid left, Empress Jiahe was in a daze, like a withered skeleton, motionless.
Sit all day.
It suddenly got dark.
The palace maid came to serve Empress Jiahe dinner, and the square plate in her hand contained cold leftovers.
She hesitated and pushed open the creaking door.
The Splendid Palace, which was once magnificent and decorated with exquisite and luxurious items, is now desolate and deserted, with falling dust and autumn wind as its only embellishment.
The little palace maid stepped in, but did not see the figure of Queen Jiahe.
She looked around but still couldn't find anyone, so she ran out in a hurry, "The queen is gone."
The palace was in chaos all night.
When it was almost dawn, someone finally found Empress Jiahe who had fallen into a dry well in the cold palace.
Along with Queen Jiahe, a skeleton was also salvaged. ——Madame Ji, the old servant who used to serve the Queen.
The queen broke both her legs and spent a night with the corpses of the people she had wrongly accused and killed. When she was fished out, she was dazed and in a trance, and kept muttering that someone had taken her there. When no one believed her, she screamed and made a fuss like crazy, but the content of her screams changed. She said that her Yuan'er would ascend the throne and inherit the throne, and that she would be the queen mother or even the queen dowager. No matter what others said, she would not listen.
…
Jiang Rao had only dreamed once that there was an old nanny who was trusted by the Queen. She had never seen her since she returned to Beijing. She didn't know who Nanny Ji was. When she heard that the Queen fell into a well and happened to touch Nanny Ji's body, she felt a chill all over her body. She wanted to know the cause of Nanny Ji's death and tried to inquire about it several times, but it happened many years ago and it was difficult to find out.
Rong Ting was too busy and she didn't want to disturb him, so she didn't ask him.
Qin Yun was not surprised by this. "It is common for people to die in the palace, mostly murders. I was wondering why the old nanny who was full of evil intentions and very difficult to deal with by the queen suddenly retired and returned home. Maybe she was not doing her job well and was silenced by the queen."
Jiang Rao lowered her head and thought deeply, and felt that there was some truth in it.
Qin Yun kept looking outside the Shuxiang Palace. Jiang Rao asked her, "Are you worried about His Majesty?"
Qin Yun smiled and said, "I just remembered my previous plan."
She whispered in Jiang Rao's ear, "When I first entered the palace, I was particularly resentful of the emperor. At that time, I thought, it would be great if he could really like me one day. It's not that I like him, but I just want him to know that I have no feelings for him when he is tempted."
"But I am concerned about the Qin family behind me, so I dare not vent my anger. I wanted to hide it from him for the rest of my life, but recently I want to find time to meet him again."
Qin Yun knocked on the table, "Have you heard about the incident with Concubine Zhang? The emperor probably knew that the queen had her killed. I don't know if he didn't want to punish her for the sake of his reputation as a wise ruler or because he had other plans. He is so heartless to others, so it sounds like I should be a little more heartless to him."
Jiang Rao just felt that this was a mess. She couldn't figure it out and looked embarrassed. Qin Yun loved her, touched her head, and said with a smile: "I will think about this matter myself, you don't have to interfere."
Jiang Rao was thinking about something else.
If Rong Ting were to be the final king to succeed to the throne, there would be a way to get her aunt out of the palace.
She had an inexplicable intuition in her heart, which made her smile, "After this mess is over, my aunt will be able to live a happy life."
Qin Yun smiled bitterly as if accepting his fate, "That's good."
Ming Shao came in at this time, knocked on the door twice, and said to Jiang Rao that it was time to go back home.
Qin Yun smiled, "Every time you come to my place, this girl urges you to go back home. I don't know who asked her to do so."
Ming Shao lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty, you are making fun of me. Under the current circumstances, Madam, it is inconvenient for you to move around the city for fear of accidents."
"Who said that?"
"Your Highness Prince Qi..."
Qin Yun smiled even more, "If you are afraid of accidents, why don't you just live in my Shuxiang Palace?"
Ming Shao stuttered, not knowing how to respond. Jiang Rao patted her on the shoulder and said to Qin Yun, "Aunt, please stop joking. Everything has been serious these past few months."
Qin Yun waved his hand and said, "You should go back first. I really can't keep you here today. I have to find a way tonight. I will go to the Yangxin Palace to take a look. It will also put my mind at ease."
…
The sedan chair stopped at the palace gate, and Jiang Rao saw that Rong Ting was waiting for her outside the palace gate.
Jiang Rao walked over and said, "You are so busy with official duties, how can you still have time to pick me up?"
"You are also a big deal." Rong Ting hooked up the carriage curtain with a silver hook and helped her up. Seeing her tilting her head and looking at him, as if she was going to say something to admonish him, he smiled faintly, "When you should be careful everywhere, you can't blame me for being suspicious anymore."
His preemptive move left Jiang Rao speechless and she got into the carriage first.
Rong Ting came in afterwards.
"If you really become the emperor in the future, will you be able to find a way to get my aunt out of the palace?"
Rong Ting thought for a moment and said, "It's not difficult."
He looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "Why don't you ever ask me about... the three palaces and six courtyards?"
Jiang Rao said: "You don't know how to do it."
"Neither can I."
Before she fell in love with him, she had never thought about getting married.
She saw him narrow his eyes at her, and she narrowed her eyes unconsciously, "Could it be that you are asking me in advance if I can have three palaces and six courtyards?"
Rong Ting laughed, "No."
Jiang Rao suddenly became interested. "What if the ministers write to ask for permission?"
Rong Ting tapped her forehead with his finger, "If I can't decide such a small matter myself, what good is the throne to me?"
Jiang Rao covered her forehead, it didn't hurt, she just wanted to rub the place where he hit her, "Then why are you asking me?"
Rong Ting stopped talking.
He was afraid that she would easily push him to someone else's side.
He was afraid that she had no feelings for him and could abandon him at any time.
In autumn and winter, it gets dark early, and soon it becomes so dark that it seems impossible to see the dawn.
Thinking about how tired Rong Ting had been these past few days, Jiang Rao asked the maid to boil some hot water early in the morning. She looked at the dripping water and calculated the time. She wanted to go to the study to find Rong Ting, and happened to see him coming out of the study in a hurry.
Seeing her coming, Rong Ting said, "There is urgent news from the palace. You need to go to the palace."
Jiang Rao nodded and stepped aside. Rong Ting walked a few steps and suddenly turned back, hugged Jiang Rao, and whispered in her ear: "Niannian, wait for me to come back."
Jiang Rao was not nervous at first, but his words made her nervous. After waiting for an hour or two, Rong Ting did not come back, and she could not sleep well. She waited for the drum to sound. After dawn, she was accompanied by her maids and guards to the vicinity of the imperial city to inquire about the news.
Just at the entrance of Wuyi Lane, I met Huai Qing who had returned.
Only then did I know that Emperor Zhaowu had passed away at midnight last night.
He left behind a will, saying that the King of Qi had outstanding military achievements and literary talent, and was qualified to be the monarch and inherit the throne.
At this moment, Rong Ting was probably busy with the people from the Imperial Observatory dealing with the burial and funeral arrangements.
Jiang Rao's heart, which had been panicking all night, finally calmed down.
She once worried that because she knew what had happened in her dream, the fate of both her and Rong Ting would change. In the dream, she suffered, but he ultimately held the real power. Since she could change her own destiny, perhaps she could also change his. She was worried about the unknown that could not be seen in the dream. The more she thought about it, the more anxious she felt as if she was stuck in a dead end.
Fortunately, her dreams only brought good things.
Jiang Rao was not allowed to enter the palace, so she returned home.
She hadn't slept all night and could not bear it any longer, so she waited until dusk and dozed off for a while on the beauty bed.
When she woke up, there were huge stars outside. Jiang Rao's forehead was covered with sweat. She hurriedly called a maid to ask, "Has His Highness returned home?"
The maid's attitude was even more respectful than before. "I came back half an hour ago. I saw Madam was sleeping. I covered Madam with a thin blanket and went to the study."
Jiang Rao pulled off the blanket covering her body and hurried to the study. Seeing Rong Ting taking a nap on the table in the study, she hurriedly lowered her footsteps.
Seeing the smile on his lips, Jiang Rao thought he was awake. She was about to say something, but after taking another closer look, she realized that it was not the case.
But the table looked a little cold. Jiang Rao lifted Rong Ting's head and spread her hand over him.
Rong Ting was dreaming.
In my dream, it was spring in March, with lush grass and flying birds, and beautiful scenery everywhere.
The person he liked was standing in a place where mountain flowers were in full bloom, and she ran towards him.
The brilliant light fell all over her body, making her look incredibly beautiful.
Suddenly I woke up.
He lowered his eyes, then raised them again, raised his face and looked at Jiang Rao.
Jiang Rao called him softly, "Rong Ting."
Rong Ting was still half awake, half-closed his eyes and looked at Jiang Rao, his low voice still tinged with a hint of fatigue, "Yeah."
He finally made it to the end and got the power he wanted. But even after seeing the will and hearing the news that the queen had hanged herself in the palace, he did not feel the slightest bit of joy.
Just feel boring.
It's not even as good as the dream I had just now in which she was present.
Jiang Rao took back her hand, smiled faintly and asked, "I saw you smiling just now, what did you dream about?"
Rong Ting smiled, took her hand back, tilted his head to hers, looked at her and said, "Sweet dream."
If it has anything to do with you.
They are all sweet dreams.
That’s a sweet dream.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
