Chapter 118 Chapter 118 (Additional update)

When Empress Dowager Zhaoyu went to visit Xu Duanyi, half an hour had passed.

At that time.

Xiao Yuanxing had already left.

However, the palace maids who usually served her closely have not returned yet.

Even Yingxue was guarding outside the palace gate of the inner hall, not daring to let anyone come and disturb her.

Everyone knew something was wrong.

Naturally, I didn't dare to come over and upset her.

Only Dan Feng was still serving by his side.

After wiping the man's face and pretending to be dressed up again, Dan Feng took the initiative to hold the man's arm and walked towards the yard where Xu Duanyi lived.

Xu Duanyi lived not far from Empress Dowager Zhaoyu. Her residence was just across the yard.

The side halls of Shoukang Palace were already magnificent.

What's more, she was the apple of Empress Dowager Zhaoyu's eye, so naturally, all the good things were given to her.

There is a large grove of peach trees planted in front of Xu Duanyi's door.

Now is the fruit-bearing season.

The peaches were hanging on the branches, weighing them down so heavily that they seemed to be falling downwards.

"Why is there no one here?" Empress Dowager Zhaoyu frowned as soon as she arrived in the yard. It was very quiet here, without any movement at all.

Although I know Zhao Zhao doesn't like crowds. This book is exclusively compiled by the LK team for you. In addition to the palace maids who clean and run errands, the only ones who can serve her closely are the two maids who grew up with her since childhood.

But today, not to mention the palace maids in the courtyard, even the two familiar maids were not there.

I wondered in my heart, are they all serving inside? Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the embarrassment and hesitation on Dan Feng's face.

It seems like I don't know how to tell her.

A thought suddenly flashed through her mind, and Empress Dowager Zhaoyu suddenly fell silent and said no more.

Dan Feng had served her for nearly thirty years, so she immediately realized that she had guessed it. Fearing that she would be angry with His Highness again, Dan Feng hurriedly explained, "It is estimated that Shi Yu and Bi Xi are both busy. After all, His Highness has only been back for a short time, and she is now the mistress of the palace..."

But the more I explain, the less clear it becomes.

Especially since the Queen Mother is currently troubled by Prince Nan'an, wouldn't her saying this be just adding fuel to the fire?

Dan Feng was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, but Empress Dowager Zhaoyu never said anything.

He didn't show any sign of being angry.

Dan Feng saw that her face was indifferent and he didn't know what she was thinking for a moment. He couldn't help but feel nervous and worried.

Just when she thought the Queen Mother would remain silent, she suddenly heard a hoarse female voice.

"I always thought I had taken good care of her over the years."

"But actually, there isn't, is there?"

Her expression was very indifferent, so indifferent that it was almost impossible to tell what emotions she was feeling at the moment.

But Dan Feng still keenly sensed her depression at this moment.

Thinking of the empress dowager's red eyes when she called her in just now, Dan Feng couldn't help but feel sad.

"The Queen Mother..."

She called out softly.

But Empress Dowager Zhaoyu didn't say anything else. Seeing that she was about to enter the room, she shook her head and signaled that she should stop talking.

Dan Feng had no choice but to shut up.

But at this moment, her eyes turned red, and her heart felt a little sad.

Entered the room.

It was still very quiet inside, without a single sound.

Seeing that no one came out to greet her, Dan Feng knew that the prince would not come out because of a quarrel with someone, so she lowered her voice and said to Empress Dowager Zhao Yu: "The prince is probably resting in there, I will go and call her out."

After she finished speaking, she prepared to go in and call someone out.

But before she could move, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu shook her head and said to her, "You stay outside." After that, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu walked inside alone.

After entering the inner hall and passing through a pearl curtain, you will reach Xu Duanyi's bedroom.

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu seldom came here before.

When Xu Duanyi was in the palace, she was the one who took the initiative to look for Empress Dowager Zhaoyu.

It was only on the day of her wedding that Empress Dowager Zhaoyu came back and stayed alone for a long time, and she seldom came after that.

He was afraid of causing her to fall in love with someone, and was even more reluctant to marry her off.

But she is familiar with every detail here.

Whenever good things were sent to her, she would always keep Zhaozhao close to her.

Knowing that Zhaozhao didn't like extravagance, she often never asked her opinion. Whenever she saw something nice, she would just ask someone to send it to her.

She once thought that Zhaozhao was just afraid of trouble and was used to being cautious and prudent, so he didn't like to ask for things actively.

Then why not just give her all the good things directly?

She always thought that what she did was the best for Zhao Zhao...but she forgot to ask Zhao Zhao whether she liked what she gave her.

Thinking of what Yuan Xing said just now.

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu couldn't help feeling sad in her heart.

She really didn't expect that Zhao Zhao had already fallen in love with the boy from the Xie family so early...

The previous anger is long gone.

At this moment, her heart was filled with only sadness.

It’s just that Empress Dowager Zhaoyu was used to suppressing herself and didn’t like others to see it, so she was just forcing herself to endure it and didn’t show it.

Entered the inner hall.

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu saw Xu Duanyi lying on the bed at a glance.

Her shoes and socks were still on her feet, and she was not covered with a blanket. She was curled up to the right with her body hunched over and her feet exposed. She looked nothing like her usual dignified self.

Like a poor child.

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu did not call for help either.

Seeing her like this, he just walked over even more lightly.

When I got closer, I saw that the person had closed his eyes, as if he had fallen asleep from crying himself tired. I didn't know how long he had been crying, but his eyes were swollen and his face was covered with tear marks.

Ever since I was a child, I couldn't bear to see others sad, let alone shed tears.

But in fact, Zhao Zhao is not a crybaby.

When she first entered the palace as a child, she was afraid that others would think she was a burden and a nuisance, and that she would get into trouble, so she laughed more and cried less.

Only when no one is around would she secretly shed a few tears, crying and missing her parents and wanting to go home.

But every time when facing her, he was a well-behaved child, always saying nice things and never looking aggrieved.

At that time, she secretly made up her mind.

She must take good care of Zhao Zhao, give her all the good things, and make her happy all her life.

So she thought she was right and arranged a marriage between her and Qi'er.

Thinking this way, even if she gets old and is gone, at least Qi'er will still be there to take care of her.

Qi'er is a kind child.

Even if he has no romantic feelings for Zhao Zhao, he will never let her down and will definitely treat her well.

Give her face and status.

So that she can live her life without worries.

She had been betrayed by the previous emperor and had long seen through men's true colors.

I feel that all men in this world are the same. No matter how many vows and promises they make, no matter how much they pledge to be together forever, in the end, it's all in vain.

It is better to rely on family affection and responsibility to maintain the relationship between two people.

What was Zhao Zhao thinking when she offered her marriage? Empress Dowager Zhao Yu sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the curled-up Xu Duan Yi, and could not help but recall the past.

She actually remembers it.

At that time, Zhao Zhao was actually a little dumbfounded and tried to tell her no.

But she didn't have time to think so much at that time. When she heard Zhaozhao say that she didn't want to marry Qi'er, she just thought that she felt that it would cause trouble for Qi'er and herself.

She has always been such a caring child.

She smiled and comforted her, saying it was okay.

She said that she and Qi'er loved her very much, and they would take good care of her for the rest of her life and would never let her suffer any injustice.

Later Zhao Zhao stopped talking.

Did she no longer dare to tell her what was in her heart from that time on?

There's no point in saying it.

She always uses her own way to treat her well, thinking that what she gives her is the best for her.

I never thought about whether she wanted it or not.

As Empress Dowager Zhaoyu thought about this, tears began to fall uncontrollably.

She didn't actually cry out loud, but Xu Duanyi still woke up.

She was awakened by a nightmare and shouted "Aunt" in shock. Xu Duanyi then opened her eyes and sat up.

In the dream, I saw my aunt's resolute and indifferent face.

No matter how she kowtowed to her or said sorry to her, she didn't want her anymore.

Because of that dream, Xu Duanyi's eyes turned red again and he choked up a few times.

Just when she wanted to hide her face in her knees, she suddenly heard a worried female voice: "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

Hearing this familiar voice, Xu Duanyi raised his head almost immediately.

She looked around in disbelief.

When she saw the familiar figure, her face was full of disbelief.

"...Aunt?" A surprised voice rang out from her throat, her eyes still staring blankly at Empress Dowager Zhaoyu.

Apparently he thought he was dreaming.

Until a soft handkerchief touched her face and carefully wiped away her tears.

Xu Duanyi blinked and finally confirmed that all this was true.

Her aunt really came to see her.

Subconsciously, he looked at the person again and stammered, "Aunt". It was only then that Xu Duanyi noticed that his aunt's eyes were red and tears were rolling in her eyes.

The disbelief she felt before turned into tension and worry, making her feel uneasy.

She just thought that she had upset the other person and made him cry.

As far as she could remember, the only time she saw her aunt cry was when her cousin passed away...

After that it was the anniversary of my cousin’s and mother’s death, but my aunt just had red eyes at most.

He didn't expect that he would make someone cry. How could Xu Duanyi feel at ease?

When Empress Dowager Zhaoyu wiped her tears, Xu Duanyi also reached out her hand with a worried look on her face...

Just like when she first met her aunt as a child.

At that time, when her aunt saw her coming from afar, she immediately ran over, hugged her and cried for a long time.

At that time, she did the same, reaching out her hand, wiping the tears of others, and whispering to them, "Auntie, don't cry."

But now, I have to say one more thing than before: "It's my fault, don't cry."

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu apparently also remembered the situation when the two first met.

The girl's childhood and the face in front of her separated and overlapped. Empress Dowager Zhaoyu finally couldn't help it and hugged her into her arms, her voice filled with tears: "Why didn't you tell me at the beginning that you liked the boy from the Xie family? You didn't tell me twice, Zhaozhao, what were you thinking about?" This book is exclusively compiled for you by the LK team. Xu Duanyi didn't expect that her aunt already knew all these things.

This book is compiled exclusively for you by the LK team.

She didn't need to think about it to know that it was her cousin who told her... Hearing her aunt's crying voice, Xu Duanyi became a little at a loss again. When she was about to explain to others, she heard her aunt's choking voice again.

"You are sure I won't help you, aren't you?"

"You think your aunt is dictatorial and arbitrary, and only treats you well in her own way, so you would rather suffer injustice and keep everything to yourself, rather than tell me your feelings, right?"

"No, it isn't."

When Xu Duanyi heard this, he immediately refuted it without thinking.

She had never thought of it that way.

She could tell these things to her cousin and Xie Qingya, but when facing her aunt, Xu Duanyi couldn't help feeling nervous.

But I was not only worried that my aunt would be angry, I was also worried that she would be sad.

Just like now.

Xu Duanyi held the person in his arms and said to her as calmly as possible, "It's not that I think you won't help me, I just don't want to reject your kindness."

"I know everything you do is for my own good."

"Besides, I wasn't sure about Xie Qingya's feelings at that time. If I knew that he also liked me at that time, I would definitely tell you and would never lie to you."

"aunt--"

Xu Duanyi's voice became choked again, hiding self-blame and worry: "I don't think you treat me badly."

"You're very kind to me."

"You are very good, you have been very good to me. I am always grateful for your teaching and nurturing over the years."

"It is precisely because you are so good to me that I dare not let you know what I did."

"I'm afraid you'll be angry, and even more afraid you'll ignore me."

"But I was afraid that you would find out from other people in the end, or that you would guess it yourself, so I still came here. I want to confess to you and apologize to you..." The more Xu Duanyi spoke, the more he couldn't control himself and burst into tears.

She cried and said to others: "I really wanted to go with you at that time. It was just the two of us. I would always accompany you. I really didn't do it to coax you."

She was afraid that her aunt would misunderstand her, so she couldn't wait to explain it to others.

But she was also afraid that her aunt would ask her what her current plans were, and she would not be able to answer, so she cried and was speechless.

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu only felt that her neck was wet from everyone's crying, and her shoulders were also wet. She could clearly feel it.

But she did not continue to question her as Xu Duanyi thought.

She also had tears on her face. She hugged her and patted her back soothingly, saying, "I know, Auntie knows."

She now felt extremely regretful for questioning Zhao Zhao like that before.

She raised a child, didn't she know what kind of person she was?

It was just that my mind was filled with anger all of a sudden, which was why I was so reckless and said those hurtful words.

It was not until Xu Duanyi's sobbing gradually stopped that Empress Dowager Zhaoyu hugged her and said hoarsely, "Remember to tell your aunt if you have any problems in the future."

“Zhao Zhao——”

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu let her go, looked directly into her wet eyes, and said to her: "You should know that you are the most important person in the world to your aunt now."

"Whatever you want, your aunt will help you."

Empress Dowager Zhaoyu had returned to her usual calmness, although her eyes were still red.

However, Xu Duanyi's eyes turned red again because of her words, and the tears he had just wiped away couldn't help but roll down his face.

Through blurred vision.

Xu Duanyi hugged him again and burst into tears.