Inside the Qianqing Palace, Chen Xiaoru was oblivious to all this. She reclined on a soft couch, her thoughts drifting to the modern world thousands of miles away, her family and friends, her heart filled with longing. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep on the couch.
Concubine Li returned to Huayang Palace, her fury raging like a raging fire. She slammed her teacup to the ground, sending the tea splattering everywhere, the shards shattering like her shattered pride. Hongyu, terrified, stood by, her face pale. She dared not utter a single sound.
"How dare Chen Xiaoru be so arrogant? She simply doesn't know her place!" Concubine Li gritted her teeth, her voice filled with uncontrollable jealousy and hatred. Her eyes were like sharp blades, as if she wanted to devour Chen Xiaoru alive.
Hongyu cautiously tried to appease him, "Your Majesty, please calm down. You are of noble status, so why would you bother with her?"
Concubine Li snorted coldly, her anger tinged with contempt. "How can I tolerate a woman of unknown origin riding high on my head? I absolutely cannot swallow this!"
She turned around and stared at Hongyu with a sharp gaze, "Go and investigate! You must find out everything about this Chen Xiaoru. Why did she gain the emperor's favor?"
Hongyu nodded hurriedly and replied, "Yes, Madam."
Hongyu bowed in response and tiptoed out.
Concubine Li sat dejectedly in a chair, her delicate makeup unable to conceal the weariness and resentment in her eyes. She clutched the handkerchief tightly, her knuckles white as if she were about to crush it.
After Eunuch Li finished reading the imperial edict, he immediately went to the imperial study to report. It was already dusk, and the flickering candlelight in the imperial study illuminated Xuanyuan Che's slightly nervous face.
"How is it? Is she not angry?" Xuanyuan Che asked cautiously, sitting at the desk. His fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, revealing his inner uneasiness.
Eunuch Li replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, when the Concubine Chen received the decree, she stood there in a daze, as if she couldn't believe it was true. But Your Majesty, I dare to say something."
Xuanyuan Che put down the memorial in his hand and looked up at Eunuch Li: "Oh? Go ahead."
"Your Majesty, it has been said since ancient times that virtuous women are afraid of infatuated men. Besides, Empress Chen has no one to rely on in the palace. As long as Your Majesty is sincere to her, are you afraid that Empress Chen will not be moved?" Eunuch Li said this in a sincere tone, with some wisdom of an experienced person.
After listening to this, Xuanyuan Che nodded thoughtfully: "You have some truth in what you said."
He stood up and walked to the window, looking at the sycamore tree in the yard. "You go out first. I want to be alone."
When Eunuch Li saw the emperor like this, he knew that he must be thinking about something, so he quietly retreated and closed the door gently.
He thought of Chen Xiaoru's dazed look when she received the order, and couldn't help feeling a trace of pity in his heart.
"A virtuous woman fears a foolish man... helpless and helpless..." Xuanyuan Che muttered to himself, Eunuch Li's words echoing in his ears. As an emperor, with three thousand beauties in his harem, he had every woman he could desire. But this Chen Xiaoru, in particular, presented him with an unprecedented challenge. She didn't fight or compete, showed no joy or anger, and seemed indifferent to everything. This frustrated him, but also fueled his desire to conquer.
He took a deep breath and picked up the investigative file on Chen Xiaoru again. It recorded Chen Xiaoru's life story, simple and clean, with nothing remarkable to be seen. But Xuanyuan Che knew that this was only superficial. A woman who could remain calm under Concubine Li's harassment, even daring to contradict him, could never be so simple.
"I just don't believe that I can't warm up this stone of yours."
A glint of determination flashed in Xuanyuan Che's eyes. He put down the file, walked to the bookshelf, and pulled out an exquisite wooden box from a hidden corner. Inside the box, a jade hairpin lay quietly. He had found this hairpin by chance many years ago and had kept it in his collection until now, never showing it to anyone.
He gently stroked the hairpin, the warm jade touch gradually calming his mind. This hairpin might be the key to open the door to Chen Xiaoru's heart.
"Someone come here!" Xuanyuan Che called out.
A young eunuch walked in quickly and bowed. "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"
"Go, deliver this hairpin to the palace of Concubine Chen, and tell her that it is a reward from me." Xuanyuan Che handed the jade hairpin in his hand to the eunuch. His tone was calm, but with unquestionable majesty.
"I obey your order." The eunuch took the hairpin and retreated cautiously.
Xuanyuan Che walked to the window again, looking at the bright moon in the night sky, thinking silently in his heart. He knew that just a hairpin was far from enough. He needed more time and patience to understand Chen Xiaoru and win her heart.
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