Chapter 306 Falling Out of Favor
Jue Layundan was still drunk and his head was still dizzy. Everything in front of him was blurry and shaky.
He stared at her stubbornly without saying a word.
Li Yuanzhao glanced at the shattered porcelain shards, overturned tables, and torn curtains scattered on the floor, and casually asked, "Why was it smashed again?"
These words carried little anger; they were more like a calm inquiry.
More than two years after entering the palace, this was the third time he had gone mad and smashed things.
The first time was when we were newcomers, strangers to each other, strangers to each other, unable to communicate, and surrounded by strict rules.
His longing to go home and his restless anxiety led him to express his unease by smashing things.
The second time, new faces began to appear around her, taking away her attention and time, and she became jealous and threw a tantrum.
Only by smashing all the objects she had bestowed upon him, which had once symbolized her favor, to pieces could he slightly vent the jealousy that was almost tearing him apart.
The third time was right now, when he suddenly realized the bleakness of his own situation.
He even felt that he was no longer a "man" but had become a "woman".
So what he smashed was not just these lifeless objects, but also himself, who was waiting for mercy.
But what can smashing things change?
Li Yuanzhao was the emperor.
What it has in abundance is gold, silver, jade, and rare treasures.
Even if he smashed the furnishings of this hall, or even turned upside down the entire Ningxiang Hall or the palace, she wouldn't even flinch, much less look at him or pity him a little more.
Ignoring the sharp shards beneath his feet and the wounds that bled more with each step, he walked step by step to Li Yuanzhao.
He has grown quite a bit taller in the past two years, and his once childish figure has become tall and slender.
At this moment, he stood shirtless in front of Li Yuanzhao, his tall shadow completely enveloping her.
It carried an almost offensive sense of oppression.
Li Yuanzhao was not angry.
She simply tilted her head slightly, calmly meeting his gaze, and carefully examined him.
His gaze swept from his bare chest to his bleeding feet, finally settling on his reddened blue eyes.
Although she took advantage of him, she also genuinely loved him.
So vibrant and passionate, like the sun that never sets on the grassland, brimming with vitality, tirelessly revolving around her—who wouldn't love it?
He had given her a fresh and joyful experience unlike any other in the harem, full of vitality.
But she was the emperor.
He possesses the four seas and is rich in the world.
Whether it's a person or an object, she can easily acquire it if she wants.
Therefore, some people have the right to be fickle and easily bored.
Today she likes spoiled and lively types, tomorrow she might be infatuated with gentle and obedient types, and now she is attracted to Wang Yanzhi's aloof and reserved nature.
Therefore, when she looked at the battered and broken-eyed Jue La Yun Dan in front of her, she felt little guilt, and did not think that her "transfer" or "neglect" was heartless or ungrateful.
If it weren't for her protection, he would probably have died under Yangjin's sword long ago.
She gave him a life of luxury and a prestigious status.
Although she no longer felt the same novelty towards him, she was still willing to give him the respect he deserved and let him live out the rest of his life peacefully in the harem.
What could he possibly be dissatisfied with such "favor"?
Jue La Yun Dan finally couldn't bear her calm, almost cold gaze. It was as if all the strength in her body had been drained away. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to her knees at her feet.
He looked up, his blond hair clinging messily to his cheek. "Your Majesty, what brings you here?"
He assumed that she had long forgotten how to get to Ningxiang Palace since she stayed at Qiushui Residence every day.
Li Yuanzhao said calmly, "You've made such a big fuss, even resorting to the most foolish method of harming yourself, just to get my attention?"
Every word she said was like a resounding slap across his face, burning with pain.
All his pain, struggles, and self-destructive outbursts were described by her as "making trouble," "being foolish," and "disturbing."
"No...that's not how it is!" he protested urgently, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.
Then, in despair, she asked, "Your Majesty... do you really... not want me anymore?"
Li Yuanzhao looked down at him, expressionless, and said, "Whether I want you or not, you are still the Imperial Concubine Chen in this harem."
“Beauty Chen…Beauty Chen…” Jue La Yun Dan murmured the title repeatedly, then suddenly grinned and smiled silently.
Li Yuanzhao no longer hides her infatuation with him, and is too lazy to even offer a shred of feigned tenderness.
His tone was full of self-mockery and bitterness, "Heh...yes, I'm just 'Consort Chen' now...no longer His Majesty's 'Yun Dan,' is that right?"
Li Yuanzhao frowned almost imperceptibly. "You must recognize your place. You are first and foremost my beauty, then a court lady in the Great Qi harem, and only then do you become Jue La Yun Dan."
Jue La Yun Dan's hope vanished completely. "Yes, just like the concubines in my father's harem, they can only wait and hope for their whole lives, trapped in these square palace walls, until their beauty fades or they are completely forgotten."
He was more pathetic than those women; at least they had a child to rely on, and some vague hope to sustain their lives, but he had nothing.
Li Yuanzhao listened to his accusations without being moved, and instead asked, "What, you're not willing?"
“I…” Jue La Yun Dan opened her mouth, but only said, “I, I don’t know.”
If Li Yuanzhao continued to love him as before, he would willingly spend his whole life trapped in the harem.
But she couldn't do it.
However, she herself could not accept the fate of being a "discarded concubine in the cold palace".
But what could he do?
Rebellion? Escape?
He couldn't even get out of the Ningxiang Palace.
Li Yuanzhao asked directly, "I heard from the palace servants that you're making a fuss about wanting to return to Tibet?"
Upon hearing the word "Tibet," a faint light suddenly shone in Juela Yundan's eyes.
He eagerly raised his head, his hands unconsciously grasping Li Yuanzhao's hands, "If His Majesty no longer has me in his heart, what is the point of me staying here?"
He finally asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for so long, "I want to return to Tibet. Will His Majesty allow me to go back?"
She once led troops to Tibet for him, even going to war with Yangjin. Does this mean there is still a sliver of possibility?
She will send him back to Tibet...
If we return to that familiar, vast homeland, will we be able to escape this suffocating, humble waiting and sense of loss?
Will that allow me to find even a little bit of... my former self?
Li Yuanzhao instantly thought of the requests made by those Tibetan nobles, and a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.
She gently brushed his hand away and deftly tossed the question back to him, "What do you think?"
Li Yuanzhao's attitude is now clear.
The tiny flame that had just risen in Jue La Yun Dan's heart was extinguished with a "whoosh".
Li Yuanzhao had clearly lost his patience, and his tone was utterly impolite: "Now that you have entered my harem, you are mine in life and in death, and even your bones will be buried next to my imperial mausoleum. This is the grace I bestow upon you."
Don't be ungrateful, and don't test her patience or exhaust what little affection she has left.
She stood up, no longer looking at him, and instructed the palace servants outside the door, "Summon the imperial physician to carefully examine Consort Chen. She should not go out until her wounds have healed."
After saying that, she walked straight outside without stopping at all.
Jue La Yun Dan watched her departing figure without any hesitation, and finally knelt down, kowtowing loudly in the direction she had left, "Your subject... thanks Your Majesty for your grace."
He then remained in that position with his forehead touching the ground, without moving for a long time.
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