The emperor was stunned.
Seeing the strange look on his face, Jian Yang knew he had misunderstood, so she quickly explained, "Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand. Living with you can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble."
She really didn't want to face the scrutiny of the concubines in the palace and the questioning of the civil and military officials.
The emperor nodded: "Good."
That night, Jian Yang stayed at the Emperor's Longevity Palace.
The two hadn't slept in the same bed for a long time, and Jian Yang was initially very nervous.
However, the continuous travel over the past few days, coupled with tonight's escape from the capital, has left me physically and mentally exhausted to the limit.
After taking a shower, she fell asleep almost immediately upon hitting the pillow, without even having time to dry her wet hair.
When the emperor returned from his bath, he found her wrapped in a quilt, sleeping soundly.
He couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips, and carefully walked to the dragon bed. Just as he was about to lift the quilt and lie down, he suddenly touched Jian Yang's wet hair spread out on the pillow.
The emperor covered her with the blanket again and quietly walked to the palace gate.
"Yongfu, go and fetch two dry handkerchiefs."
Eunuch Zhang quickly fetched it.
The emperor took it, turned around and went back to his bed, carefully drying Jian Yang's hair.
Jian Yang, who was sleeping like a log, had no idea that the most esteemed person in the world had transformed into a hairdresser, Tony, and had been serving her hair for a full hour.
Jian Yang returned to the palace this time without disturbing anyone, and had no intention of showing her true face.
So during the day, she always wore a human skin mask.
Wearing this mask makes you look like an ordinary, unremarkable face, the kind that gets instantly overlooked in a crowd.
But Jian Yang was very satisfied.
When she got bored in the palace, she would change into a palace maid's outfit and go out for a stroll.
If she was caught by a high-ranking palace servant, she would lie to them that she was working for the emperor, so no one dared to stop her.
After two days of investigation, Jian Yang was surprised to find that the emperor's harem had been basically emptied!
Now only two concubines and three consorts remain; the rest of the palaces are empty, and weeds have even grown in the courtyards.
This is serious.
Jian Yang immediately rushed into the imperial study and asked the emperor where his concubines had gone.
The emperor looked at her quietly and smiled, "I know you don't like this harem, so I dismissed them one by one. The few who remained refused to leave, and I had no choice but to leave them in the harem to live out their days."
Jian Yang's chin almost hit the ground.
This is terrible.
The emperor of this feudal dynasty actually dismissed his harem for her sake.
Even novels wouldn't dare to write something like this!
For some reason, being stared at by his deep eyes made Jian Yang feel a sudden flutter in her heart.
She made up a random excuse and quickly ran out again.
At that moment, a heavy snow began to fall outside.
Soon the entire palace seemed to be covered with a thick layer of silver.
Without a second thought, Jian Yang plunged into the snow and started building a snowman.
Now that no one in the palace cares about her and she has no work to do, she is finally living the life of eating, drinking and having fun that she always dreamed of, but she doesn't feel very happy.
The emperor's decision to dismiss her from the harem inexplicably put immense pressure on her.
Now that things have come to this, even if she doesn't want to admit it, she has no choice but to face the emperor's feelings for her.
But while love is precious, freedom is even more valuable. The thought of spending the rest of her life imprisoned in this deep palace filled her with inexplicable irritation.
"He has already dismissed his harem for you, what more do you want?"
"But if they're dismissed now, we can choose new concubines later!"
“He is the emperor. If he wants to find you, you can go to the ends of the earth and he can find you.”
"So what? If I compromise just because he's the emperor, what was the point of all my previous struggles!"
...
If someone were to pass by her at this moment, they would see that she had built two snowmen, constantly questioning her own heart by playing two roles.
There are no secrets that stay hidden forever.
The news that the emperor had hidden a woman in the Wanshou Palace quickly reached the ears of the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager was deeply saddened by the Emperor's previous dismissal of the harem.
She wasn't saddened by the concubines, but rather by the emperor's failure to fulfill his duty to produce heirs for the royal family, preventing her from enjoying the joys of being surrounded by children and grandchildren.
She was so angry that she ignored the emperor for a long time.
When news reached her ears that the emperor was keeping women in the palace, she immediately became alert and went to the imperial study.
As soon as the Empress Dowager entered the palace, she saw Jian Yang building a snowman in the snow.
However, she was dressed in a palace maid's uniform and wore a fake face, so no one recognized her.
"This palace maid looks unfamiliar. Which palace is she from? How come she doesn't know any manners?" the Empress Dowager said displeasedly.
Granny Qin quickly stepped forward and called Jian Yang over to ask her questions.
Jian Yang was so engrossed in muttering to herself that she didn't notice the Empress Dowager's arrival and was filled with regret.
She lowered her voice, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "This servant greets the Empress Dowager. May the Empress Dowager enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
The Empress Dowager frowned and asked, "Which palace do you usually serve in? Why have you come here to build a snowman?"
Jian Yang lowered her head and said, "This servant usually serves His Majesty, and the snowman was also made by the Emperor at his request."
In short, when it was time to push the emperor out as a shield, Jian Yang showed no mercy.
At this moment, Eunuch Zhang also saw the Empress Dowager's arrival. He immediately ran into the room and reported the Emperor outside to him.
The emperor, eager to protect his wife, put aside his official duties and went to the snowy field.
As soon as they approached, they heard the Empress Dowager scolding Jian Yang.
"Nonsense! The Emperor is self-disciplined and adheres to propriety, never engaging in such frivolous and dissolute activities. Why would he let you come out to build a snowman for him? It seems I have no choice but to punish you today!"
"Mother," the Emperor said coldly, "it was I who asked her to build the snowman. Do you have any objections?"
The Empress Dowager looked at the Emperor with wide surprise.
But he calmly shielded the plain-looking palace maid behind him.
Empress Dowager: "???"
She glanced at the emperor, then at Jian Yang behind him, and something shattered in her eyes.
Could this be the woman the emperor kept hidden in the palace?
Why has her son's taste become so bad?
Every concubine in the harem was a hundred times better than the one before me!
The next moment, she saw the emperor take the palace maid's hand and ask gently, "Are you cold?"
Jian Yang shook her head.
"Did you build these snowmen?"
Jian Yang nodded.
"Your hands are truly skillful," the emperor praised.
Jian Yang: "?"
It's just a few snowflakes, is he blind?
The Empress Dowager clutched her chest and stumbled back two steps.
She couldn't understand what evil had possessed the emperor.
"What brings you here, Mother?" the Emperor asked calmly.
The Empress Dowager, feeling utterly hopeless, said, "It's nothing. I was just taking a walk around. It's time to go back now. Qin Mama, let's go."
So Jianyang and the Emperor watched the Empress Dowager leave.
Once the Empress Dowager had gone some distance, Jian Yang asked, puzzled, "Your Majesty, why did you deliberately provoke the Empress Dowager?"
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