Chapter 099 Chapter 99

Xu Duanyi quickly finished washing up and went out.

There was still only Aunt Danfeng serving in the inner hall. The rest of the palace maids who followed her also filed out after serving her.

As soon as Xu Duanyi went out, he saw his aunt sitting on the throne with her eyes closed and her head propped up, her fingertips constantly pressing against her eyebrows, gently pressing upwards.

"Queen Mother, the eldest princess has come out."

When Xu Duanyi was about to go over to the crowd, Dan Feng informed Empress Dowager Zhaoyu first.

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu opened her eyes and saw Zhaozhao walking towards her.

His expression, which had been stern before, finally showed a hint of smile again at this moment.

Subconsciously reaching out her hand, after holding Xu Duanyi's hand, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu asked her softly, "How did you sleep?"

Xu Duanyi nodded and said that he slept well, but his voice was still a little hoarse.

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu understood it immediately.

"What's wrong with your voice? Is your throat uncomfortable?" She held Xu Duanyi's hand and asked with a frown. She was about to tell Dan Feng and ask someone to invite a royal physician to take a look.

Xu Duanyi naturally did not give in.

"I probably slept too long. I'll be fine after a while." She said to her aunt as calmly as possible.

When Empress Dowager Zhaoyu heard her say this, she didn't think much about it. She just gave her a reproachful look and said, "You also know how to sleep for a long time."

"Look at how sleepy you are. It shows how much you have suffered in Yutian these days. Let's see if you dare to go to such a place in the future!" Although she said so, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu did not scold her much. She just raised her chin towards the small round table not far away.

"Breakfast is ready for you. Go eat first. I've asked the kitchen to prepare a lot of your favorite dishes for you at noon."

Xu Duanyi said yes softly.

She was still not fully prepared at the moment and was afraid her aunt might notice something, so she readily agreed and went to eat at the round table first.

Although she only ordered porridge, the kitchen still prepared a lot of variety, including various snacks and canapes. Just from the appearance, you can tell that they put a lot of thought into it.

Not facing my aunt.

Xu Duanyi found a seat to the side and sat down.

While drinking porridge, she chatted with her aunt in between meals: "I have to ask Shi Yu to go out and get some clothes from the palace for me. I also have to tell my sister-in-law and the others."

"My cousin and sister-in-law were worried about me during my trip to Yutian. Now that I'm back, I have to ask someone to speak up for me first. I'll make amends to my sister-in-law next time."

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu remained noncommittal.

She just held a jade wheel and rolled it slowly on her face. After listening to the rest of the conversation, she said to the others, "You should apologize. Yuanxing and Ming have been worried about you a lot this time."

Then he looked at Xu Duanyi and said, "I've already found a time for you."

Xu Duanyi looked at him in surprise, thinking that her aunt had invited her sister-in-law to the palace today, so she couldn't help but ask, "Is my sister-in-law going to the palace today? When?"

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu shook her head.

Without waiting for Xu Duanyi to ask, she took the initiative to tell everyone about the decision she made last night: "Your mother's birthday is coming soon. I know that you go to Huang'en Temple to pray for your mother every year at this time. This year I will go with you."

"Let's go stay at the hot spring resort for a while."

"I have asked Dan Feng to deliver the imperial decree to Ming this morning, asking her to bring the child with her to come with us."

"You've suffered a lot this time. Relax at the villa for a while."

Xu Duanyi listened to her slowly speaking, but his heart involuntarily tightened again.

She didn't know when her aunt made the decision, but since the imperial edict had already been sent to her sister-in-law, it seemed that her aunt had made the decision at least last night.

Xu Duanyi was speechless, but felt extremely guilty.

Her aunt had always cared for her since she was a child. Even this time, even though she was so angry with her, she still couldn't bear to scold her.

Although he complained, he had arranged everything for her in private. He was afraid that she might feel depressed and wanted to take her out to relax.

To many people, an aunt is not a good person.

But for her...

Her aunt was always her best aunt.

She was the one who feared that she would be lonely in Liaodong, so she took her to live with her to take care of her. She was also afraid that she would suffer in the future, so she asked the prince to marry her, and she always wanted to give her the best things.

"Why are you crying again for no reason?"

When Xu Duanyi heard this, tears welled up in her eyes and her vision was blurred, so she couldn't see her aunt's face clearly.

When she wiped her face, she saw her aunt walking towards her with a worried look on her face.

"Why have you become so tearful after coming back this time?"

Xu Duanyi looked up and saw her aunt, looking at her face with a worried look on her face.

"You really haven't been bullied?"

A hand fell on her head, and Xu Duanyi heard her aunt ask her this.

Before she could say anything, she saw her aunt said to her seriously, "Zhao Zhao, if anyone bullies you, you must tell your aunt."

Xu Duanyi suddenly thought of the scene many years ago when he first met his aunt.

Since she was born, she has been staying in Liaoning with her mother because her father was fighting in the war.

Never returned to the capital.

Although I had heard a lot about my aunt from my mother, her death was still unfamiliar to me.

That's why when I went to Beijing that year.

She was led by Aunt Danfeng all the way. Even though she heard Aunt Danfeng say many good things about her aunt, she was still uneasy in her heart.

I was also wondering what kind of person her aunt would be like.

But when they met for the first time, she didn't even have time to see her aunt's face clearly before she was hugged by her.

Her aunt, dressed in the elegant and luxurious queen's phoenix dress, cried very sadly.

This book is compiled exclusively for you by the LK team, which scared her as a newcomer.

But my aunt's crying actually brought them closer together.

She was finally no longer a stranger to her.

She was very happy. Her aunt really liked her just as her mother and Aunt Danfeng had said.

When she first entered the palace, she stayed with her aunt, and her aunt would say such things to her every now and then.

She was always afraid that she would suffer losses, even though she had already asked many people to take care of her.

But he was still worried that she might keep things to herself, so he gave her extra instructions.

Her aunt also told her the same thing at that time.

She said to her, "Zhao Zhao, if someone bullies you, you must tell your aunt. No matter who it is, your aunt will stand up for you."

It's so weird that I know I shouldn't cry.

But Xu Duanyi couldn't stop her tears from falling down.

She suddenly hugged her aunt's waist.

"aunt."

She choked and called for help.

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu didn't know what was wrong with her. Seeing her like this, although she was extremely worried, she could only lower her voice and almost coax her, saying to her: "What's wrong?"

"Let's go." Xu Duanyi hugged her and sobbed.

"Walk?"

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu was stunned.

Obviously I didn't expect to hear such an answer.

She asked in confusion: "Where are you going?"

"Anywhere is fine, as long as it's not in the capital." Xu Duanyi said as he looked up at the person.

"My mother once told me that my aunt's greatest wish was to take her away and travel around Daxia."

I saw a look of surprise in my aunt's eyes.

Xu Duanyi seemed to have regained hope. She looked at Empress Dowager Zhaoyu with bright eyes and continued to say, "My mother is gone now, but I am still here."

"I can go with my aunt. No matter where we go, I will be by her side."

She looked at the people with eagerness and hope and said, "You have been in the palace since you were 20 years old. Now more than 20 years have passed...Aunt, do you really want to stay here for the rest of your life?"

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu was indeed somewhat persuaded.

It's not like she hadn't thought about abandoning everything and leaving the capital.

Especially when she woke up every day and looked at herself in the mirror, she always felt that she looked more and more unfamiliar.

The woman in the mirror is graceful and elegant. Even at the age of forty-eight, she doesn't look old at all.

Her life.

I have everything I want.

Standing at the pinnacle of power, even the emperor had to kneel before her.

All those who opposed her are dead.

No one can make her bow or kneel anymore, she holds the power of life and death over everyone.

She thought that she would be happy if she had power, but as time went by, she seemed to have no energy to do anything.

At this time, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu was brought back to the past by Zhao Zhao. She suddenly thought of the past, the days when she and A Yuan were in the north.

At that time, although life was hard and difficult, she and Yuan both had hope for the future.

Especially later on, as she watched A-Yuan withering away day by day, she tried every possible way to make people happy.

I learned from the books I had read before that Daxia had a vast territory.

She wanted to take Ayuan away.

They even thought about their escape route and where they would go next.

She wanted to take Ayuan to Jiangnan.

A Yuan has always liked the life in Jiangnan with its small bridges and flowing water.

They can do a small business there.

They can also go to the northern frontier to see wild horses galloping and eagles flying.

She was confident that they would live well.

But later, other things happened to the Xiao family, and she had other goals, so she forgot about it.

In fact, I didn’t feel this tired and numb in the early years.

Although I was dissatisfied with the late emperor at that time, I still had something to do.

When did she start to feel tired and numb about this day-to-day life?

It seems like I am doing the same thing every day.

Things were better when Zhao Zhao was here.

But ever since Zhaozhao got married, she couldn't feel happy at all.

Perhaps leaving this place would really help me regain some of my former happiness? But Empress Dowager Zhaoyu only had this realization for a moment. Soon, she smiled and said to others, "What are you thinking about? If I leave, who will take over this big stall?"

"The Xiao family cannot be without someone in the palace, and the tragedy of the Xiao family in the past cannot be repeated again."

Xu Duanyi opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment.

She knew her aunt's jealousy and worries, so naturally she couldn't say something like "Your Majesty has grown up, and one day he will take back power."

He opened his mouth several times to speak, but no words came out.

She seemed to have lost all her strength in an instant and had no idea what she could do.

"I always felt that something was wrong with your return this time. You even wanted to take me away this time. Did that kid from the Xie family bully you?" When Empress Dowager Zhaoyu spoke to the end, she even narrowed her eyes, and there was murderous intent in her words.

Xu Duanyi's heart trembled when he heard this.

She hurriedly said, "Nothing, the prince is very good to me."

"Then why do you want to leave?" Empress Dowager Zhaoyu still looked unconvinced and had even planned to ask someone to investigate.

If Xie Qingya really dared to let Zhao Zhao down and make Zhao Zhao sad.

Then she wouldn't have to worry about whether or not to spare his life.

Xu Duanyi looked at her and said hoarsely, "I just don't want you to stay here alone. I want to leave here with you and take you to see the outside world."

She still refused to give up.

Grabbing my aunt's sleeve, I looked up and said to her, "Aunt, the Xiao family has a cousin, and I have grown up. You should think about yourself."

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu felt a little softened at the look of fear in her eyes.

No wonder she loves Zhaozhao so much.

"You kid..." she said, touching Xu Duanyi's head.

Finally, he relaxed and said, "We'll see later. Right now, Yutian's issue hasn't been resolved. I can't leave."

Without waiting for Xu Duanyi to say anything else, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu took the initiative to change the subject.

"Okay, have a good meal first. Let Shi Yu go to the palace to get you some more clothes. Starting tomorrow, we will stay in the villa for a while. You can relax there as well."

Xu Duanyi didn't know whether her aunt really had this in mind or was just trying to evade her.

But she knows.

There was no way her aunt would give her an answer today.

Saying more would only make her aunt suspicious of her intention. This book is exclusively compiled by the LK team for you. She had no choice but to shut up.

"……good."

When my aunt turned around and was supported by Aunt Danfeng to go back, Xu Duanyi looked at her back again and suddenly called out, "Aunt."

"What's wrong?"

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu turned around.

Xu Duanyi looked at her and said, "If one day you really want to leave, no matter where you want to go, I will accompany you. I will always be with you."

"knew."

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu's heart became especially soft because of her words, and even a gentle smile flickered in her eyes.

…

After breakfast.

Xu Duanyi returned to his bedroom first.

She hadn't been back to live here for a long time, but the bedroom remained the same as it was before she left, without any changes.

Perhaps it was because it was cleaned regularly, so even though no one lived there, the fragrance was still there.

Even the quilt was tanned and became fluffy and soft, very comfortable.

Shi Yu had not left yet. He was standing aside, looking at her hesitantly, and asked, "Master, is what you just said to the Queen Mother true?"

"Don't you like the prince?"

"Are you really willing to leave him?"

Xu Duanyi's hand, which was stroking the quilt, paused slightly after she said these words.

But it only lasted a moment.

She lowered her eyes and said, "I do like him. There will never be anyone else in this world who I like as much as he does."

"But Shiyu——"

She suddenly looked up at her, but she didn't know whether she was talking to Shi Yu or herself: "A person's life cannot be filled with only love."

"I've got what I wanted."

"If my aunt is really willing to leave with me, it will be the best for everyone."

"I will stay with my aunt."

"He doesn't have to..."

Xu Duanyi didn't say anything else after that. She just suddenly looked out the window.

There is also a banana tree outside her window. Under the sunlight, the big banana leaves are green and lush.

In a trance.

She felt like she had returned to the courtyard.

She saw Xie Qingya and herself picking locust flowers in the courtyard.

"...I will remember him all my life." Xu Duanyi said with a smile.

Shi Yu didn't understand this.

She just looked at the master in front of her, and suddenly felt a little sad, and her heart was heavy.

The master is obviously smiling.

The master clearly promised her that he would take her wherever she went, as long as she was willing.

But for some reason, she was still very sad.

She couldn't say anything.

But suddenly he squatted at his master's feet and sat on the ground against her legs.

Tears rolled down her face, and Shigure didn't realize she was crying until she saw a wet mark on her knee.

But why is she crying?

She doesn't know.

…

The main hall at this time.

Dan Feng accompanied Empress Dowager Zhao Yu to rest in the inner palace.

"Actually, what Your Highness said just now is also very good. You have been here for so long and must be bored a long time ago. Why don't you put everything aside, leave here, and go out and take a look." Dan Feng said to the man while he was hammering his legs.

"Zhao Zhao is young and doesn't understand those things. You don't understand them either?" Empress Dowager Zhaoyu frowned and said to her.

"Aren't you just worried that after you are no longer in power, the Xiao family will also be in trouble? But the ability of the prince is obvious to all. Even if you are not here, the Xiao family is under his control. As long as there are no major mistakes, nothing will happen." This book is exclusively compiled for you by the LK team "As for your majesty——"

Dan Feng paused, but it didn't take long before she continued, "No matter what, you are his adoptive mother and the only queen mother of our Great Xia. What happened to Concubine Wang was her own fault. Even if it were really spread outside, no one would stand on the side of Your Majesty."

"If Your Majesty dares to do anything because of this, the history books will not forgive him in the future!"

"Besides, you are the one who supported him. If he still wants fame and wants to keep his position, he has to respect you. Mr. Qu and the others will not watch him do these things."

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu said nothing.

But Dan Feng had served her for many years, so he could naturally see that she was not completely unmoved.

"Master, your children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. It's time for you to think about yourself." Dan Feng advised again.

"Over the years, I have watched you become increasingly unhappy."

When she said this, a hint of sadness appeared in her eyes.

In the early years, the Queen Mother either wanted power or had someone to compete with. Even if she was resentful in her heart, at least she still had some goals to fight for.

But in recent years, those old friends have left one by one.

Although the Queen Mother held great power and seemed to be in great glory, only those close to her knew that she had not been happy at all in these years.

Empress Dowager Zhao Yu was silent for a moment, and finally said: "...Let me think about it again."

Dan Feng naturally knew that this was not something that could be decided in a short period of time, so he didn't say anything more.

Just thinking of another thing, he could not help but hesitate and asked in a low voice: "What about the King of Nan'an?"

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu knew what she was asking.

This time she was silent for a long time before she said, "Don't worry about him for now."

"It's groundless. After all, he is still Zhao Zhao's husband."

She was afraid that something might really happen to the boy from the Xie family, and Zhao Zhao would be sad because of it.

Knowing Cao Da's thoughts, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu said, "Go and tell Cao Da in person. We can talk about this later. If he dares to do anything behind my back, he will forget about his position as the head of the Imperial Household Department!"

Dan Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

She whispered yes.