The book doesn't dwell much on Duan Xiao, so I know very little about him. But after spending time with him today, I have a feeling this 19-year-old Second Prince is a troublemaker... We've just met, and he's already left me with a bunch of misunderstandings to sort out!
"My lady, why are you gritting your teeth?" Xiao Tao was applying medicine to me. As expected, I had several scratches on my skin from falling off the horse this morning.
I simply teased her: "It hurts! Xiaotao, please apply the medicine gently! It really hurts!"
Just as Xiaotao was about to explain something, a "VIP" who hadn't been to my place for some time suddenly appeared.
Song Heng pushed the door open and walked in, his face a little gloomy: "You know it hurts, but you still go to the hunting ground?"
After saying that, he took the ointment from Xiaotao's hand with one hand, held my injured wrist with the other hand and said to Xiaotao: "You go down first."
Xiao Tao was extremely happy to see His Majesty coming. She jumped up and down, closed the door and ran away.
Look at how useless he is! I rolled my eyes towards the door.
Suddenly, my wrist was tightly gripped. I gasped and quickly averted my gaze, only to meet his irritated eyes. The inexplicable pressure forced me to look away. Well, I'm no match for him.
He dipped his index finger in the snow-white ointment and gently applied it to the wound on my arm. A faint herbal fragrance spread. "Which one should I start with?"
"Ah?" I looked up at him, and immediately realized that it was a bunch of misunderstandings left to me by the second prince.
I tried to tell him briefly about the Begonia pastry. He looked at me and said, "I've given you so many jewels, why haven't you ever said to me, 'It's impolite not to reciprocate'?"
...Why do I feel that the emperor doesn't understand the key points?
"Your Majesty is the Supreme Being. I feel I have nothing worthy enough to give to Your Majesty..."
"Really?" He turned my arm and found another wound, frowning, "Go on."
I reluctantly told Gu Xiao about my arrow hitting the target. Sure enough, he chuckled and suddenly asked, "And then? What else did you say?"
"And then he left."
"Well," he lowered his head to help me apply the ointment. The cool touch really soothed the burning and broken skin on my arm. "So today is the third time you've met?"
"Yeah." I nodded after recalling it. He helped me put down my sleeve and put the ointment aside. "I haven't been to your place recently. Are you annoyed with me?"
"Don't be upset, don't be upset," I shook my head quickly. "Your Majesty's equal treatment is a blessing to the harem."
But there was no joy on his face because of my understanding. The mind of a king is hard to predict.
"It is also a blessing for the entire nation of Songhua." I quickly flattered him further.
His inky eyes locked onto me once again: "Really? Tell me, how is it that the harem is the blessing of Song Huaguo?"
???
This is what the Queen and the concubines said in the Cining Palace today! How would I know if they didn't explain it?
Suddenly I remembered a piece of advice from my homeroom teacher many years ago: Don’t just look at the answer, look at the analysis as well.
I was on the verge of tears: "Well... Your Majesty, be kind and generous to the royal family, and ensure that the magnificent foundation is passed down from generation to generation."
He finally smiled, but I couldn't understand why. "Mu Jieyu is truly devoted to the royal family and quite far-sighted."
"Your Majesty, thank you for the compliment. I am just a woman..." As I was trying to figure out how to be humble, he suddenly stood up and cast a shadow over me.
He took a few steps closer to me, and immediately my chin was lifted by his cold knuckles. He leaned over to me and said, "As my consort, Concubine Mu must lead by example."
My whole body froze. His inky eyes were like a starless night sky, like a bottomless abyss, sucking me in.
The close distance made my heart beat faster, but the momentary surprise and panic made me suppress the urge to breathe deeply.
The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, but there was no smile. His eyes were fixed on me as if waiting for my answer.
I moved back slightly to get away from his knuckles first, but he lifted me up slightly and I didn't dare move anymore. I felt like I was being forced to move by an invisible pressure.
This hand of his once wielded the blind sword to chop off the heads of fierce enemies; it also held the purple-haired heavenly pen to judge the fortunes and disasters of the people.
At this moment, I suddenly felt that I could truly feel the pressure of the emperor who was above millions of people - in this small room with warm yellow light.
He suddenly frowned, then withdrew his hand and turned away, no longer looking at me: "Are you scared?"
I breathed carefully, suppressing the panic that felt like my head was about to be twisted off, but I didn't know how to answer.
It was so quiet that it seemed as if time and space had stopped. I could only whisper "hmm". When I was about to continue explaining, he suddenly turned around and looked at me.
"Mu Chenshuang," he said in a low voice without any emotion: "Why did you enter the palace in the first place?"
I was stunned.
"I'm increasingly confused about you..." He seemed to be holding back something. "When you first drank that bottle of so-called syrup and said you were reborn, I was indeed relieved."
"But this time, I hope you never—!"
It was the first time I saw him speaking in an intense tone, but he suddenly stopped, twisted his eyebrows with his hands, and I seemed to hear a soft sigh, but it seemed not to be, it was too light, like the smallest snowflake in the vast snow, melting as soon as it fell.
"Forget it," his shadow was slender under the lamp. "Mu Jieyu, you are still my concubine, so please give me some face."
Why do I hear a deep sense of helplessness in these words? It reminds me of my childhood, when I watched white butterflies fly farther and farther away in the rapeseed fields, while I could only stand on the edge of the field and stare blankly.
"Your Majesty...what do you mean?" His look at that moment made my heart twist inexplicably, and I couldn't figure it out for a moment.
He shook his head and said, "I am very tired today. Your right arm is injured, so don't sleep on your side."
After he finished speaking, he left the room. There was a soft white ointment on the table, and there were small indentations left by his fingertips when he dipped it. I subconsciously looked at my right arm and wondered why I had let the emperor apply the ointment to me personally today.
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